Liam’s stocking is done!
This kit is called Snowman Games by Bucilla
Next on my crafting plan is finishing the quilt I’ve been working on forever, and then I’m moving on to this advent calendar!
Category: holidays
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liam’s stocking
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holiday minibook complete!
Okay, after two days of emotional posts I need to focus on some lighthearted things for awhile. Let’s start with this, our finished holiday minibook! I know it’s almost Valentine’s Day but since nothing was getting done but the bare minimum until this baby was born, I’m pretty happy that I finished it while it’s still winter anyway.
For the base I purchased a mixed paper book from Petaline Prints (currently none are available but maybe she’ll have more next holiday season) which I loved and was perfect for what I intended. During the holidays I saved anything I thought I might want to add to the book, took lots of photos, and then after Christmas I printed them all and gathered together any extra paper, stickers, or supplies I thought I might want to use.
That pile sat around until last week when I spent just a few days putting it all together. I have never done a minibook before so this is kind of a trial run to figure out my style. I changed a lot of things around during the process as I decided what I did and didn’t like, and then tried to keep things somewhat consistent like the placement of photos and the way I did labels and journaling. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to doing this every year, although right now I don’t plan to make any additional minibooks other than for the holidays.
Below you’ll see the finished project, and a few notes on particular pages. If you have any questions about any of it let me know!
The “making a list” printable was found at A Pair of Pears.
That drawing was made by an artist at the church we went to for Christmas Eve service. It’s supposed to be our family although it took me a long time before I realized he hadn’t given me someone else’s. :)
Inside the envelope are about 5-6 more Instax photos of Christmas Day. I didn’t want to overload the album with them, so I just pulled out the ones of our family to display.
Pretty simple overall, and very satisfying! Right now I’m in the middle of updating Liam’s baby book, then my next big maternity leave project will be catching up on Project Life. Yay crafting time.
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quick takes (christmas 2013 edition)
one
So we had a really great Christmas. I’ll tell you about it briefly in a minute. But first, we had a comically bad Christmas Eve night. Being 35 weeks pregnant with a toddler and working full-time during the holiday season, I just knew that I was going to have a breakdown at some point and it happened. We were trying to do too much, making it to my brother’s church (45 min away) at 6pm after work, and then I really wanted to drive to look at the lights in the fancy neighborhood nearby even though it was practically bedtime and Meredith was crying and neither of us had eaten and I was super tired and uncomfortable. So I didn’t let that go soon enough and we ended up missing multiple exits on the freeway to get home and there was yelling and crying (by Meredith AND me) and it was just bad. So that’s out of the way, and hopefully I can make it the next five weeks without a repeat.
two
Christmas Day, though, was great. A nice and slow morning just Meredith and me while David slept in, then my family trickled over. Meredith was thrilled with all the company and has never been happier. We ate good breakfast food and opened gifts all together. Late in the afternoon Meredith went down easily for a nap. While she slept we tidied up the house, took some photos, and said goodbye to everyone. Then not long later the three of us headed over to David’s brother’s house for more gifts and a big dinner. It was all so much fun and not too crazy, and the only bad part was that I had to wake up and go to work the next day.
For the record, Meredith’s favorite gifts (that day, anyway) were the stickers in her stocking, a book of the Christmas story that my mom recorded herself reading, and her new baby doll and stroller. Not only did she want to sleep with her baby, but the stroller had to come into our bed too. So I think it was a hit.
three
The aftermath of Christmas is that Meredith’s room (which is also going to be baby brother’s nursery) is a complete wreck. New toys and clothes are everywhere and I’m out of room to put stuff. I’m also getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute and running out of energy to do anything at all, so thank goodness for good friends (hi Lauren!!) who agree to come over and help organize. This is a huge goal for this weekend, and if I can get it accomplished then I’ll feel so much more sane and prepared.
four
Let’s talk about some creative things for a minute. Not that I am making much progress on anything, but thinking about it and planning makes me happy. Here are the projects on my mind:
- Project Life. Status: I have pages completed through November 24. Past that I am up to date on editing and ordering photos (which I think is the hardest part) and I have my notes all in one place. So I think I’m in good shape to get caught up soon. As of now I think I am going to keep doing next year’s album the same way I have been, but I’m not ordering a new core kit because I still have a lot left. When I get around to making a title page for the next album I will share with you more plans.
- Holiday minibook. Status: Haven’t started yet, but I have all my photos ordered and the supplies & ephemera are gathered in one place. I also have a list of ideas for journaling that I want to include. I am not sure when this will get put together yet but it will happen.
- Cross stitching. Status: I haven’t been able to stitch in quite awhile. I have two projects in progress: a pretty Victorian flower and an autumn sampler. The flower comes next because it was started first and I’m far into it. After that I want to stitch a little birth thing for the babe, and then I’ll turn back to the sampler. It’s also a goal of mine to organize all my floss during maternity leave (I got this system for Christmas from my mom which I’m really excited about).
- Master bedroom. Status: I got a curtain rod and curtains hung which makes me very happy. There is still a long way to go in this space but the next things I’d really like to do are get rid of the TV, replace the blinds, and make or acquire a second bedside table.
five
I won’t be doing any recaps of the year or any resolutions/goals for 2014. I just can’t right now. I love that kind of thing and I can’t wait to read everyone else’s, but I have no idea what my life will look like in a couple of months. Right now I am thinking of doing seasonal goal-setting instead, starting in the spring. We’ll see. In the meantime I am going to keep truckin’ along, praying for energy daily, and hopefully ending up with a healthy baby in a little over a month.
Happy Friday, friends.
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christmas with kids & this year’s plan
It’s such a strange transition to go from being the child during Christmas, to being the parent. It feels like a lot of pressure! Meredith is two and a half now, and I feel like this is our last “practice” year before she will really start caring about and remembering everything. Her first Christmas she was only five months old, and last year she had a pretty bad case of roseola so was down for the count, poor girl.
This year she is two and a half. She likes all the decorations, and if you ask her what she wants for Christmas she will say “candy.” But I still don’t think she really understands anything. So I’ve been trying to figure out how we are going to “do” Christmas in the future: the traditions we will have as a family, how we will handle the whole Santa situation, our gifting philosophy, and the scheduling of everything. I have some pretty good ideas and want to share them, but I’d really like to hear your family plans as well.
Traditions
I love traditions, and I love holiday activities, but I am also a working mom and I like to keep expectations realistic. Apart from the traditions I have going with my parents (shopping with my dad and the Messiah with my mom, as well as having pigs in a blanket on Christmas morning) and for myself (like a holiday minibook) there are a few more that I’d like to add for our own little family.
>Christmas cards. I didn’t do any last year or this year, but I’d really like to start them up again next year.
>A drive to see lights in the fancy neighborhood in town. Preferably with hot chocolate in hand. We have plans to do this on Christmas Eve and I hope Meredith cooperates!
>Advent calendar. Nothing with daily activities or anything, but just something visible to mark the counting down, maybe with a Bible verse to read along with it. I have the calendar, but eventually I need to add the stuff to put inside. Maybe some ornaments to add to a special Advent mini tree, or a Christmas scene to build as we go.
>New PJ’s for Christmas Eve (for the kids). I think I’m going to start this this year, but they might be hand-me-downs. She won’t know the difference. :)
That’s about it. There are other activities that I’m sure we will do year to year, but I want just those few things to remain constant.
Santa
I found out that Santa wasn’t real so early on in my life that I don’t even remember it. I don’t know how or why my parents decided to handle it the way they did (I should ask them!) but I know that I always knew the gifts were from them, even when “Santa” was written on the label. Christmas was still a magical time for me. (I also got in pretty big trouble on occasion for spoiling the secret for other kids. ) My husband is a sensitive soul and he remembers being shocked and even feeling a little betrayed when he found out at an older age.
My thoughts on the matter are that Santa is a fun character, but I definitely don’t want him (and all the presents) to be the focus of the season. Right now I am thinking that we won’t really bring up Santa in conversation a lot and won’t use him as a threat for good behavior, but we won’t deny that he is real. Instead, when they are old enough to ask, we will tell our kids that there is a secret to Santa, and when they find out the truth it will all come clear.
Gifting philosophy
We like gifts at Christmas. We aren’t big on them throughout the rest of the year so it’s fun for us to look forward to. But we are also on a tight budget and want to make sure the gifts that are given are special, so I don’t want to go overboard. The kid(s) will get gifts from all the aunts/uncles/grandparents too so it’s already a lot. So far we haven’t done much for Meredith ourselves (except for every birthday and Christmas I have gotten her a classic book and written a note inside, and that’s something I will continue) but this year we are getting her a few things: a dress from an Instagram pop-up shop, another book, and some more kitchen play toys (these and these). I also know for sure that she’s getting a new doll and stroller from her Mimi. I specifically requested these gifts for her to help prepare for the new baby. This is also the first year that she’ll have her own stocking gifts. For some reason I am super excited about this especially. I plan to fill it with things like this: m&m candy cane, band-aids, toddler-appropriate makeup like lip smackers, underwear, socks, stickers, stamps, crayons, matchbox car, cup, small flashlight, and play-doh. Hopefully the dollar store can help me out with most of this.
Going forward with our whole gifting philosophy, I want to try and keep it simple. David and I usually just get each other 1-2 things, or we decide together on a big gift (like this year we both upgraded our phones and called it good). I like the four gift rule: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. And then on top of that I’m considering doing one “Santa” gift as well.
The schedule
Every year is going to be different for us as far as scheduling because we have to coordinate with several different families and in-laws, and take work into consideration. This year I only get Christmas Day off. On Christmas Eve we are all going to services at my brother’s church (ours doesn’t have one) at 6pm and it is going to be a rush for me to get there in time so I’m going to plan to meet them there in case I can’t leave early. On Christmas morning everyone from my family is coming to our house, but my married brother won’t make it until around noon so we plan to hang out and eat a nice breakfast and then once he and his wife arrive we’ll do our stockings and gifts. Then in the late afternoon we will be heading to my husband’s family gathering for dinner and gifts.
That’s it! It’s a busy week ahead (I pray every day for energy to make it through) but I am grateful that we don’t have to travel and that everything is working out so far. Like I said at the beginning of this, I’d really like to hear about how you handle Christmas with your family! How do you keep the focus on the right thing, balance all the activities, and not get overwhelmed?
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completed bucilla stocking!
You guys I am super excited about this. I finally completed the stocking I was making for my niece!
Let me tell you again the reason I was making this. Everyone on my husband’s side of the family has a different one of these beautiful stockings (by Bucilla) handmade by his grandmother who the kids called Gigi. When we married into the family she even made one for us. This year we were all so sad when Gigi was diagnosed with two advanced forms of cancer and passed away within a few months. I personally really looked up to her and she is the one that gave me her sewing machine and taught me how to use it. She made Meredith many gorgeous knitted blankets, hats, sweaters, and toys. She also had an amazing life story that I never tired of hearing about.Anyway, my niece Karley was born in March of this year and Gigi wasn’t able to make her a stocking so I volunteered to try! My mother-in-law and sister-in-law helped put a lot of the sequins on the pieces and I know they would have done more but it was kind of hard to split up the work with such a complicated project. I was also excited to figure it out by myself. As for my experience in needlepoint, I am an amateur cross-stitcher and I have only done the simplest of embroidery and felt work before. I was learning new things up until the very end with this, but I enjoyed every bit of it!
Now excuse me as I show you a ton of detail photos because I can’t stop looking at it.
Santa’s hat and face were the first pieces to go on. I’m glad they turned out as well as they did because I really had no idea what I was doing at first!
The train and the jack-in-the-box were probably the most time consuming parts of it.
The hardest part might have been simply embroidering the name on the tag! Since it’s personalized I had to trace it onto tissue paper and then stitch over the paper, tearing it away at the end. It was kind of messy and I am just so happy that I didn’t have to redo the whole thing.
Another detail shot of the stitching:
The whole project was both easier and harder than I expected. I started it back in September because I had no idea how intense it would be, and I’m really glad I did. I don’t have a ton of spare time and this is some really detailed stuff! Every single little piece has to be sequined, embroidered, cut out, stuffed, and attached by hand. So it’s a lot, and I’m really glad I didn’t develop pregnancy carpal tunnel because I don’t know if I could have done it with numb fingers. :) But also, once I mastered a few stitches and became familiar with the material, it was really just matter of doing it!
For fun I hung it up on our fireplace to see it next to the others.
From left to right is David’s, mine, Meredith’s, and Karley’s. You can see how the patterns have become way more complicated in recent years!
It is so satisfying to be finished with this project, but I can say that I am actually already looking forward to making another one for our little boy next year! For now though, I am really excited to be getting back to my true love, cross stitch, and this project that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. :)
