Handmade Man Gifting and a Bit of Sadness

For all my happy Christmas babble, a small part of me is filled with sadness. I spent hours and hours knitting and never took pictures of the finished products! ::sniff::sniff:: What was I thinking??? Well, some of the reason is that I had some things I was working on until the last minute and I was distracted getting ready for all of it. And it was joyous, so I won't dwell on my sadness. Just needed to wallow for a tiny moment.

One of my "distractions" was figuring out a manly gift that I could make. I sometimes struggle with handmade for a man. If I could do woodworking, or something equally exciting, I feel like I would have a bunch of ideas. But sewing and limited knitting skills always leave me searching when it comes to a guy. We were meeting my SIL's boyfriend for the first time and, while I've "known" him through Laurie for 2 years or so, I had no real idea of what would make a good handmade gift. And they live where it's hot, so knitting doesn't go too far. Then lo-and-behold, doesn't Whip Up send me an email with a guide for mens gifts?? I was inspired by a whole lot of things! My boys would LOVE this beanie!! This pillow is also a fantastic idea. And I have been planning to try this tie pattern since they posted the little boys' version. In the end, this checkerboard, really caught my eye. I didn't wind up using any of the instructions; it was more of a picture inspiration.

I made my own plans for size and wooden checkers

for storage

and compactness

and ended up with something that is wholly mine! I am so pleased with how it turned out and am mulling over in my head whether it is something that others might want to buy. But that would be for another time.....

The piecing went so quickly and easily. My only struggle was, even with a mat and rotary cutter, getting the squares to come out the same size! (I have only a small mat and straight edge and wonder if a larger version would have helped not having to slide the straight edge to finish the cut?) There are a whole lot of places where the squares do not line up properly. I was very frustrated by that, but the overall result was good so I tried not to fuss.

The best part? Doug is an avid checkers player and I had no idea :-) Well, truly the best part was really enjoying our meeting and visit, but the checkers bit was pretty fantastic too.

Holiday Recap

My, oh my, we have been busy. And, busy in such a good way. I hardly know how to feel about today. Elated to be back to routine? Frustrated that I was 20 minutes late to preschool? Lonely for adult company? Thrilled for a little quiet while the boys are at school? Tired? COLD? Raring to tackle new things and projects in this new year?

Probably all of it. I'm a complex gal.

And, did I mention cold? BITTER COLD.

So before I get started on the NEW things, here's what we've been up to.

A photo session (I love the out-takes!):

Baking cookies with Daddy:

A lovely Christmas morning:

Legos:

Playing in the snow:

Making new friends:

Hanging out with the visitors:

More Legos:

New Years' Eve engineering in the dark (the power went out at Nana and Papa's):

Hanging out with Santa Claus (Cal is getting suspicious, Papa!):

Oh, it was a good time for sure. I feel like each Christmas with the kids brings a little more balance and perspective and a little less crying and stress. And, while I loved it all, now we have packed away the decorations and are ready to clean house. Literally. We've got plans up our sleeves around here, oh yes we do.

The trick is to get them out of our sleeves and into our lives. But if there is a time to do that, the new year is it, so bring it on!

A Christmas Surprise

This Monday before Christmas is holding a surprising emotion for me: I feel good about Christmas.

I still have things to do. I am still worried about money. I am still stressed about keeping up with the house and kids, but I feel good about Christmas. I feel good about the presents that we chose for the kids and the amount that we chose. I feel good about the things I am making. I feel good about this season of family. Last night, when we were reading some books, we got talking about what is the best part of Christmas. Do you know what my boys said? According to Cal it is everyone being together and Tate was certain it is because it is Jesus' birthday and I don't care if they were just trying to give me the "right answer." Somewhere it is sinking in that Christmas isn't just about getting STUFF, it's about family and sharing and joy and thanksgiving and celebration and LOVE. God's love, our love for each other, love for others and this planet.

So yes, Santa will visit and the kids will get STUFF (and this will probably give me more joy than it gives them), but Aunt Laurie and Doug will also visit. And Nana and Papa and the Great Grandmas. And we will visit Grandma and Grandpa and all the other aunts and uncles and cousins. And there will be lots of sharing and laughing and loving.

So to all my blogging friends, I wish you a blessed Christmas. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.

*The ornaments pictured are the new ones for the kids this year. As is our tradition, they commemorate something that reminds us of this past year in one way or another. This year we are remembering our first true family vacation.

Sleeping with the Sheep

Here is my little shepherd. We weren't sure he was going to get up there, but he did. Even managed a few bits of songs and some motions, although I have several minutes of shepherd video where at least 4 of them are just standing there doing there own thing while you can hear all the little angels (girls) singing away!

Oh, Pip. We're proud of you anyway... even if your motivation was telling Ellie-Belle that she couldn't sing with you because it was YOUR program.

It was.

I've got Time

Teacher knitting is done. Well, I'm thinking positively here, as you can see from the long tails hanging from each of them that I have yet to weave in the ends and attach buttons. But that shouldn't take long. Right? I mean, I've got more than a week left and only a couple more things to knit and a few things I wanted to sew. Should be no problem.

No problem if I can figure out a way to stop doing laundry and feeding my kids. Hmmmm....

Feels Like the First Time

It happens around here EVERY winter. All winter. For WAY too long into what most of us would consider the spring. And by THAT time we are all sick to death of its cold, sloppy, shovel and snow brush inducing ways. By that time, we are tired of hats and boots and buckling children with big poofy coats into car seats. By that time we are sick of all the dirty white piles and the hunks of ice clinging to our tires. By that time we are longing for a warmth that isn't induced by fleece or flannel.

Still, the first few snowfalls are always magical. Going to bed with a muddy mess for a yard and waking to a winter wonderland just never ceases to be just a little bit exciting and inspiring.

Even for an "I hate being cold" gal like me.

And the kids? Well, the bus was 30 minutes late and Cal wasn't a bit phased between cleaning off the car with his gloves, making hearts in the snow with his feet and attempting a snowball fight with the girl across the road.

Foreigner, I know just what you mean.

Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programing

I am telling you, the last couple weeks have been ridiculous. Doctor appointments for each one of us for different reasons, ear infections, fevers, pneumonia scares, attempts to sneak in belated birthday celebrations, too many missed days of school and church, way too much tv for the kids, WAY WAY too many bloody noses, inoculations, and one almost knocked out tooth. I am SO ready to get back to regular life and to enjoy the rest of the advent season.

Money is tight, but there will still be (a lot of practical) presents under the tree. Can everyone say sheets and socks and underwear? And the blessings and miracles of Christmas are plenty no matter what.

The first of which is Birdie actually letting me put ponies in her hair!!! There were some protests, as usual, but I managed to convince her that dancers all wear their hair back. Everything is about dancing these days, be it "ballerina moves" or "shake-a-booty moves."

Another recent blessing comes to us via Nana and Papa, who generously donated some outside lights to our cause. The kids have been asking for, oh I don't know, three years (?) to have outside lights at Christmas. Thank you! We love them.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas season, wherever it finds you.