A Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas came, and Christmas went!  It was our last "big" Christmas, we'll be doing things different next year.  I feel it has become so materialistic- but I feel the need to share the presents, which were sadly the focus of the day (and which is why we're doing things differently next year!).

From us (or Santa- whichever Lellie decided to be true!) the girls got a cash register, a farm set with figures and animals, and some things handmade by me.  Lellie got a hat and scarf for her doll Lucy, and both kids got playsilks dyed by me and pillows sewn by me for their dolls.

From grandma and grandpa, they got a bunk bed for their dolls, and a little racetrack with cars that flip around.  Lellie's uncle got her a new bike- I posted about it awhile back.  I'm so excited for spring!  We're practicing in the house for now- she has motor planning delays and doesn't know how to pedal- yet!

Next year, I'm hoping to do things differently.  I want to put emphasis on the Solstice- and celebrate the 12 days of Christmas and the Epiphany instead.  We're going to do a very small Christmas tree (we have cats, remember?) and will likely just put a small something in their stockings.  Perhaps some crayons and a baked good (though we're doing a no-sugar 2012...).  We'll tell the Christmas story (remember, we're atheists, but it is a wonderful story!) and have a nice dinner.  Then we'll do three gifts on Epiphany, or el Dia de Los Tres Magos, as we call it.

For now, I'm preparing for the New Year!  I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Goals! Agenda! List! Yay!

Every year before Christmas I go absolutely bonkers.  My anxiety is through the roof, I'm worse than a five year old.  And I don't even believe in Santa.  I'm not even getting any gifts!  In an attempt to regain control of myself, I'm going to plan out, here, on the bloggity, my week until Christmas.  heregoes...




Oh, and I'm up late tonight baking cookies.  I suddenly decided that it would be fun to bake for the entire family.  Lellie had a ton of fun helping me measure out ingredients.. She's in bed, but, as you can see, monster Moo is not...

= something that can only be done at night, when the girls are asleep!

Monday, December 19, 2011
-Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies ✔
-Freeze Peanut Butter Cookies ✔
-Make Kolacky dough ✔
-Bake Loaf Cookies (I promise this isn't as disgusting as it sounds!)
-Bake Sugar Cookies with Lellie
-Freeze Loaf & Sugar Cookies
-Make wool balls for their stockings
-Paint Rainbow Bridge Story for the birthday table

Tuesday, December 20, 2011
-Make birthday crown for Moo's doll (morning)
-Paint with N (need to paint birthday banner & lanterns
-Bake Kolackys
-Go to work (late afternoon through night)
-Freeze Kolackys
-Get to bed by 10pm!


Wednesday, December 21, 2011
-Sew the girls' doll bedding (they're getting a doll bunk bed from grandma)
-Bake cake for Moo [test run of the party's cake]
-Make Solstice star lanterns
-Finish writing Rainbow Bridge Story

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
-Wake up before Moo to set up her birthday table
-Go on Solstice walk at 4:30

Friday, December 23rd, 2011
-Work, 10am-5pm
-Defrost one of each type of cookie, make sure they're alright
-Go grocery shopping for birthday snack supplies

Saturday, December 24th, 2011
-Work, 5pm-11pm
-Defrost cookies and put in tins, label tins
-Get stockings & gifts ready

Sunday, CHRISTMAS, 2011
Enjoy!  ...hopefully!

Monday, December 26th, 2011
-Clean house for birthday Celebration
-Sew N's doll clothes for her present
-Make birthday snacks
-Start making ice

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
-Wake up early and set up birthday table
-Decorate the house
-Make snacks, make tea
-Celebrate!





I've got a lot on my plate!

Birthday Woes

I really dislike throwing parties.  It's not for me.  I'm not a social butterly and find it extremely awkward to entertain people.  I'm getting past that though, and am trying to focus on making it special for the girls.  Maddie was born on Dec 22nd, and Lellie was born on Dec 27th, two years before.  Having birthdays 5 days apart makes it easy for me to lump a party together.  Maddie's actual birthday is on the Solstice so we'll be doing something special to celebrate both things.  Their party is on Lellie's birthday.  Confusing much?

Right now I'm waiting for payday so that I can get some more yarn to finish up the Happy Birthday Banner I'm knitting.  And that birthday crown for Maddie's doll?  Still not even in the works.  And her birthday is in 15 days.  Oy vey.

Here are the ornaments they got for St. Nicholas day.  I realize that the heart is a bit wonky but she loved it nonetheless :)

Rhythm In Our Home: St. Nicholas Day

It is 1:00am on December 6th, so I suppose, St. Nicholas Day.  The girls left carrots in their shoes for St. Nicholas's donkey, and excitedly went to bed in anticipation of tomorrow morning.

Both girls are getting a few honey sticks in their shoe.  In addition to that, each is going to get a Christmas ornament.  I feel that it's fitting, given the time of year.  Each year we *try* to get them their own special ornament (a childhood tradition of mine, though my mother always bought them from Hallmark).  This year, and hopefully from now on, they'll be getting handmade ornaments.

Lellie is getting a knit rainbow heart ornament, and Maddie is getting a needle felted toadstool ornament.  Photos to come later- I'm not quite sure where the camera is at the moment!

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year!

And a photo, because I *really* don't like leaving a wall of text as a blog post!  It's the girls' play kitchen in our kitchen, back in October (hence the squash!).

One person's trash is another person's treasure!

‎"But I believe in dying to self. I believe in living for others. I believe in community, not individualism. I believe that I have a connection to this earth and to the materials provided for us here. I believe that I have the ability and the strength to create. I believe in the exhilaration of working with my hands. I believe in the beauty of small imperfections. I believe we are all responsible. I believe in shaping, molding, kneading, threading, whisking, scraping, hanging, grinding, mending and crafting. And I believe that out of all that can come art, bread, clothes, food, tools and toys. I believe in the home as a unit of production, not a unit of consumption." -Elisa, from http://www.bubandlala.wordpress.com/


Photo courtesy of http://www.vdoil.com/

I often find that the above quote reigns true for me. I love love love thrift store shopping. Today was black Friday, and our local thrift store had everything 50% off. What does that mean? It means that I got a ton of awesome stuff for $21!! Here's what we got:

-A metal jack in the box with a COW in it (cow in the box?) for Moo's birthday
-Five pairs of wool socks- one for hubby Jaime, the rest for me.
-A pair of thick felted wool mittens for me, for snowman building ;)
-A thick wool hat for me
-A Patagonia jacket for me.. for $0.95!!!
-An Eddie Bauer wool sweater for Jaime
-A crochet potholder
-A tall Mason jar
-A stool for Maddie for the bathroom
-Some wooden toys (train, peg people, blocks)
-Two "junk toys". Dirt devil vacuums. The kids wanted some of their own! One actually works as a vacuum too.
-Some Christmas presents for Jaime- ssh! Can't say right now, haha.

One thing that we totally didn't anticipate getting was a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe car. You know, the big red and yellow ones. I looked away for a second and Lellie was drawing on it with a marker she found- a worker saw her, made us buy it (only $2) and kicked us out. AND one of the wheels is broken. Maybe it'll live in grandma's backyard...



This morning, I woke up to Lellie telling me about how the cats got into my knitting basket. MMhmm... in a latched cabinet. She tore out my most recent project... time to start over. She also discovered some of he knitted farmyard, though it' not put together yet, so just knitted scraps in her eyes. I told her that Santa wanted me to knit her something for Christmas because his knitting elf has been very busy and needs help. That really excited her. Still... time to hide the knitting basket!

Projects

It's that time of year again!  With a variety of festivals, the girls' birthdays, and Christmas drawing near, I've been ridiculously busy with projects.



The girls are getting a farm set for Christmas... carved animals from jupiterschild, Engelberger figures, and some scenery.  I've been knitting up a farm/field playmat for the animals, and oh man is it tedious work.  I'm a novice knitter, so I suppose it's giving me a good amount of practice!



Lellie's (yeah, we've recently started calling N Lellie) uncle bought her a Specialized Bicycle from our local bike shop for her birthday.  She has some motor planning issues and her Skuut bike was way too much of a challenge for her (we're passing it down to little Maddie).  She really wants to learn to bike, but still doesn't quite grasp the concept of pedaling.  I'm hoping to make her a new little pouch for the front of her bike for her nature finds- the cats destroyed the old one.

Also on my crafting list... a papoose carrier for Lellie's baby doll, Lucy.  Lucy had worn out rather quickly, and the kind woman who made her, Jan Beane, replaced her.  We're currently awaiting Lucy's return :) I'm also hoping to make some doll clothes, wool balls.. a few things.

I need to figure out an Advent wreath, and something for Santa Lucia's day.  I've got a lot on my plate!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy creating!

Oh, and we've already put up our Christmas Tree ;)