Merry Christmas!

Christmas Crafts

The boys and I have been making almost every ornament I have seen in a magazine or on a website that is at their level of ability. Yesterday we made these light bulb and felt snowmen. I had to do a lot of the work, but I let them draw the eyes and pick their colors, spread the glue and place the scarf on the bulb. I can't figure out how to hang them, though!



This is the runner we made in our Mom's Group. My friend Lisa picked out the fabric and pattern, and my friend Michelle cut out all the fabric for all of us. So, I really just sewed my pieces together. Lisa, bless her heart, took them home with her and was just going to do the next step. Well, she ended up finishing them for us completely! What a blessing! I am ready to make another one ... probably because I only did a fraction of the real work that is involved!


For the past 3 years in my mom's group we have been doing an ornament exchange. Last night we exchanged and here are everyone's ornaments. April made button wreaths, Shannon made card stock stars, Megan made hand-sewed embellished mittens, Julie made a bird's nest on a branch, Amber made a glittery wire star, I made a wishing spool, and Emily made a miniature stocking. It is always so much fun to see what everyone makes!



These are my ornaments from last year (I can't show the one from the year before, because it broke and I had to throw it away ... it was too fragile ... Aaron warned me of this). And, the kids made the craft stick and button snowflake ornament.

Packing Peanuts Santa Clause Art

Church Christmas Program

We practiced the lines and the song. They both had it all memorized by heart. But, under the stare of the congregation, neither said a word. Oh well, maybe next year.

Emmett nodded his head while everyone else said the poem they learned (as if to say, "that's right, you are all saying the right lines.")

Random Events

Friday I must have been feeling crafty. I think it happened because we made our table runners at Mom's Group the night before. The boys and I made various cookies and then we made a homemade ornament. Using pipe cleaners, I shaped the ornament into a star. The boys then pushed small beads onto the cleaners. When they started I wondered if it would require fine motor skills that were too unrefined, but they succeeded. Emmett really wanted to give his to Uncle Jeff.




While they napped that day, I made a shirt for my niece, Lily. Inspired by Merranda's freezer paper stenciled and fabric patch shirts and by my new found abilities on the sewing machine while making our runners, I picked up some girly fabric I've had my eye on for a while and a cheap shirt and gave it a try. It really ended up turning out pretty cute. I did have to rip out seams here and there, especially when I sewed the front of the shirt to the back of the shirt! Now, with the extra fabric I'll have to make one for my niece, Kennedy, and some of Aaron's baby girl cousins. Or, Tabitha, if you want some I'll pass it on to you.




Finally, this morning Aaron took the boys to All American to make a gift for me. Afterward, he took them to work with him to make a few strings. He even let Emmett push buttons and Ethan watched Transformers on his computer. Then, after lunch, they left again to go to Menard's. We were watching my brother's kids, too, so Aaron took Brayden along. Half way home they all zonked out in the car. I can't imagine HOW that happened since they usually all have SO much to say. What a good dad he is, though. He had kids all day doing things that required much patience. Why am I sitting here and not giving him some much needed babying?

Christmas Lights

Yesterday we put up our Christmas decorations. The boys and I worked for a few hours straight searching for places to set trinkets, sticking Santa clings to windows, and putting up the tree. When we were done, we headed out to see the Rotary Lights in a nearby town. It was a great night to go; there were no crowds. We saw Santa and his reindeer and a live nativity. We walked through the park and stopped at the warming tents which were really very warming and made the next leg of the walk doable. We made it through most of the light displays and then headed back to the car to drive through to see the rest.