Grandma's

We went to my step-mom's for a day. It was good to see her...the girls really love her and love being at her place. As usual, I let Margaret take some pictures. Here's my favorite.






I also got a good one of Amelia with her dad.



A not so great one of Margaret. Note that she is still sucking that thumb. I have no clue how to stop her from doing it!



Margaret also took four pictures of her own face. She's done that before and I've posted, so no need to post again. Or not? They are actually pretty funny. (And you get a good look at her top teeth that are so bad because of her thumb sucking. See... we REALLY need to stop her from doing that !)

Merry Christmas

Being an Angel.




Making Cookies for Santa


Putting the Star on the Tree. (It might be the last year Charlie can do this!)




A happy little girl!

Angel Preparation

It's been a LONG time since I've cut out a pattern. I wasn't too certain when I started, but now that I am successfully done, I can say it wasn't so bad...except that all my scissors have been used on paper and are DULL. I remember the old days when I had a special scissors I used only for fabric. I remember giving Charlie a lecture about how they were my fabric scissors and he was to NEVER use them on paper. Man, that was ages ago. Right now I'd just be happy if the girls didn't run with scissors. (Just kiddding, but you know what I mean, eh?)



Sewing on the trim. By the way... my sewing machine ROCKS!!! It is from the 50s. My mom probably sewed me an angel costume on this one. I have a newer machine that is portable that I use for sewing on scrapbook pages. I still use this one to sew on fabric.



More sewing on the trim.


I'll post pictures of the complete costumes (and yes, they are complete) when I can get the girls into them complete with the wings and halos.

Oh.. and strep update..no one else seemed to get it today. We all felt chipper (including Margaret). Let's pray that holds on at least one more day!

Have yourself a Streppy Little Christmas

Just got back from the doctor. Confirmed that Margaret has Strep Throat. (She had a 101 fever this am and had to miss school...which was a field trip to the Children's Museum. Not happy about that).

Now I'm worried that my other daughter will get it just in time to be sick for her performance as "the first Angel". Or that Charlie will get it just in time for being the only bass in the choir for Christmas eve services. Or that I'll get it just in time to finish wrapping presents and making food and finishing Christmas Cards and ...


Bummer.

They ARE different.

As mum to two girls, I sometimes forget what little boys are like. Margaret invited four to her birthday party. I submit for evidence, exhibits A and B.




Exhibit A: What happens when you point a camera at girls.



Exhibit B: What happens when you point a camera at boys.


I have confirmed this evidence with parents of boys and those who have boys AND girls.

Angel Practice

OK. So the photos are bad. But Amelia is really excited to get to be the "head angel". She comes out when the first angel announces Jesus' birth to the Shepherds. When we get to "suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host", that's where Margaret comes out.

I'm sewing angel costumes this week. I know I don't really have to, but they are SOOO excited about being angels that I WANT to. I found a super easy pattern, so it should go quick except for sewing on the gold trim. Like I needed something else to do this week. (Just kidding. I know, I know. MY CHOICE. Thank goodness for the flylady, or it would be a wild week!)

I did this...

while helping my daughter with her homework. She did FOUR vocabulary sentences and a story summary. Whew!

Crafty Weeks coming up!

Margaret got a lot of craft type kits for her birthday. Check this out...



We already did the mirror. I squeezed the glue into the "pockets" and Margaret put the beads on. I am glad I have dealt with bead and glitter and knew the trick of having a plate or paper underneath to catch the stuff that didn't stick and save it.

Here's the final product.




I wonder what's next?

Happy Birthday Margaret!

My baby turned 6 years old today. She is fun and precious and darn cute.

CHRISTmas is coming...

The girls were watching some Christmas Special with the typical greedy kid who "learns something about Christmas". In this case, the other character said "Christmas isn't about the presents. It's about the gifts we give with our hearts." Or some other such drivel. I got mad and said loudly, "No it's not. It's about Jesus." Amelia replied, "Well, yes mom, for Christians it is." From the mouths of babes... Those of us who are frustrated by the fact Christmas has been "stolen" from Jesus and given to a society that doesn't understand it need to face the facts. It's gone. It has been for a long time. **sigh**

Anyway, not sure if this item below is really, really cute or not. I'm really not sure how to react to it. I'll go with cute since my daughter wrote it. But maybe it's just sad. I really don't know.

I found this letter to Santa on my computer printer last night. Amelia did this without my help (or knowledge :-)). She can open word. Choose her font type, size, and color, and print. Sometimes she forgets the "h".



So...Season's Greetings. Happy Holidays. Peace on Earth. etc. Do you think Santa will be able to find a Bible?

The Island of Misfit Toys

...and mittens.

I tore the mitten back and re-knit it from the cuff. Then I tore out the tip and re-did it. Then I had to re-do the thumb once.

Now it's too wide (Same length...at least I got that matched) and the decreases on the tip are rotated a bit from the thumb. I wore them today and it felt weird. They were very warm, however. Can't beat a nice wool mitten for keeping the hands warm.

I think I will send it to the Island of Misfit Mittens. (Yes. We watched Rudolph last night.)

Seriously...the first one was perfect the first time. What happened?

Anyone ever re-knit a mitten three times?

Jenni Bowlin...new paper!

I have loved Jenni Bowlin's paper and product designs in the past. (She used to be a designer for Lil' Davis) Now she is off on her own, and is offering her own paper and some cool embellishments in addition to using other people's products in her kits.

Here's her new paper, in case you haven't seen it. I do love red with cream.
I'm looking forward to getting mine soon. Kits usually arrive the 12th of the month, or so.

I've posted a few pages I've made from previous kits. And here's some other things I've made from her kits. They have been really fun!

Tagged?

Nicole tagged me. I always answer these things...never pass them on :-)

A - Available or single: No
B - Best Friend: My Husband, Charlie
C - Cake or Pie: Pie
D - Drink of choice: Diet Coke
E - Essential item you use everyday: That bottle of Diet Coke I have every morning.
F - Favorite color: Red. Or Purple. Depending on the day. Today it's red
G - Gummy Bears or worms: Gummy Bears
H - Hometown: Beloit, WI
I - Indulgence: Back Massages, Hitting the snooze button twice.
J - January or February: Neither. Winter can't go fast enough for me.
K - Kids & Names: Amelia and Margaret
L - Life is Incomplete Without? My husband and kids, sunshine, prayer
M - Marriage Date: August 17, 1985
N - Number of Siblings: One brother
O - Oranges or Apples: Apples
P - Phobias or Fears: Heights.
Q - Fave Quote: Here's two I really like. Don't know if I have a favorite

When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think
about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution
is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. -R. Buckminster Fuller, engineer,
designer, and architect (1895-1983)

and

You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it
turns out that God hates all the same people you do. -Anne Lamott, writer
(1954- )


R - Reason to Smile: Sunshine. My kids. A job well done.
S - Season: Spring. I love the new life and hope and the feeling of wriggling out of all those heavy sweaters and coats and letting your feet get out of boots.
T - Tag 3 or 4 people: If any of my readers want to carry this on, they may, but I won't tag anyone.
U - Unknown Fact about Me: Umm. Depends on how well you know me.
V- Vegetable You Don't Like: Still trying to think of one vegetable I do like. I eat them, but if it turned out they weren't good for you, I would never touch one again in my life. (Except maybe squash. Do squash count as a vegetable?)
W - Worst Habit: Hair Twirling.
X - Xrays: Just my mouth. I even have a copy...planning a book of me page about my mouth for it.
Y - Your Fave Food: Not fair. It's just befor lunch and I'm hungry. I'd have to say
deep dish pizza from a non-chain restaurant (like Pippin's in Atlanta from my college days), A chicken Enchilada from Pepito's wiht refried beans, My homemade chocolate chip cookies..served warm with a glass of cold milk.

Z - Zodiac Sign: Capricorn or Aquarius. It depends on the list you look at (I'm on the "cusp" with a January 20th birthday. If I cared I guess I could have someone figure it out based on the actual astrological conditions when I was born, but I think it's a bunch of hooey so I'd never pay for something like that. By reading horoscopes for amusement, I seem to me more of a grounded Capricorn than a flighty Aquarius...but I do both well.


Thanks to Nicole for sending me this little diversion and some content for my blog today.

Daisys

Margaret's Daisy troop had a little investiture ceremony tonight. You can't get much cuter than 5 and 6 years olds being proud and excited all at once.


This is a shot from the friendship circle at the end of the meeting.


And here's my little Daisy saying the Girl Scout Promise. Actually, they sang it to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Miscellaneous updates from my weekend...

I finished the other mitten except for the thumb. It looks smaller than the first mitten. A lot smaller. Noticeably. Not just me being picky. I am tearing it back to the cuff (needs a longer cuff for sure) and redoing. Only about 3 hours of work lost, and most of that was sitting talking to folks, so it wasn't really lost time. Note to self...relax when knitting. No need to pull those stitches so tight.

I was high bidder on a Super Spirograph this weekend! For only $52 (I had my bid set to go up to $67, so I'm happy with $52.) I won't get too excited until I have both Spirograph sets in my hot little hands. Persistance paid off!

I just noticed this is post #152 for me. I forgot to do a little self serving congratulatory pat on the back for hitting 150, so I'll do it for #152. Yay me! I believe my first post was back in February, so it looks like I'm averaging a post about every other day. That works for me, considering how busy I am!
Here's a random photo. It was taken on the California coast at Asilomar 17 or 18 years ago. It was one of those perfect days where we walked down the coast, jumping from rock to rock, watching the waves and the scenery, picking up shells and rocks. The snowy silt this morning made me wish I was on a warm beach. (I really do hate winter, not sure why I live here)

Thanks for reading and commenting!