a hidden treasure

I bought these frames a couple of years ago at a discount shop, thinking I would have some mats cut for them. Now, a few years later when I finally opened the back, I found this family tree kit from Red Envelope. I love them. I got Mr. W's done and now need to find a few hours to do mine. It's nice to see the names of those who have passed on before us, it makes me want to learn more about my family history.

christmas cheer!

This was my gift from Megan. I absolutely love the saying. It has been a great reminder of what Christmas is truly about. Many thanks Megan.



How clever was this little gift. A decorated package of thin mints, all bundled in snowman attire. Thank you Nadine and family! (I know you will quietly find this sometime:)

L drew this in her art class at school. How cute is that? She loves her Bear Bear! Thank you cousins!

shhh!

It is our tradition to let L open one gift on Christmas Eve, always new Christmas jammies! There were a few years that this was a huge disappointment, but I think now she expects the predictable. I finally finished her nightgown this morning and have it ready to wrap with her doll. I can feel Christmas in the air......how could I not with this view to look at out of my back door!

Wow! How fun to wake up on Saturday morning to a fresh blanket of snow! Mr. W and L set out to clean the driveway and sidewalks right away- thank you my loves! I got to stay in the warm house and bake cinnamon rolls to deliver to our friends! Heaven.

A few gifts are on their way today. A box of hand dipped chocolates and toffee, topped off with a bird ornament and chocolate brown satin ribbon. To others, a bottle of sparkling cider in a cozy felt pouch with an ornament. It feels good to send a little cheer out into the world!

Megan, what would I do without you? Thank you.

Sewing is such an escape for me. I love the time that I can be in my sewing room, all is quiet, and I can play with fabrics and patterns. I love taking a rectangle piece of fabric and creating something with shape, texture, and amazingly something wearable. I bought this gray fabric a while back, I liked it so much that it was difficult to decide what to make with it. I am pleased with the results, and luckily, so is L. Oh, and thank you Megan for all of your kind words and support. You inspire me.

chocolate!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions....dipping chocolates! Not because I love to eat them, I can't say I like chocolate all that much, but I love how happy it makes Mr. W! It is quite a process, first making the caramel and truffle filling (new this year and delicious!), then tempering the chocolate and dipping each one by hand in chocolate and the truffles in toasted coconut or chopped walnuts. I searched online to find the truffle recipe from the Martha Stewart 2007 holiday issue, but no luck. I'll keep searching for a link. When it is all said and done, it is a very enjoyable process, and a delightful creation.

L and I are working on our Christmas gifts. Here is a bird ornament we made this morning. (sorry to all of you that will be receiving one as a gift, that is no longer a surprise) They remind me of my mom, watching the many varieties of birds feeding outside of her windows. I can't wait to go home for Christmas!

let christmas begin!

Here is the Christmas tree...finally. I changed my ornaments around this year, mixing and matching from my different trees. I decided to decorate our main tree a little more colorful, which had been silver, gold, and green in the past. I think I am pleased with it. It takes me a few days to get used to a new idea. I love decorating for the holidays! 

arm warmers

This is a quick and easy fall project. Thanks again to the sugarcity blog for the idea. L is always too hot in sweaters and long sleeves, this is a great compromise.

L....

I love these hands and feet.

Max has booties!

Today I made Max these booties, in hope that the days of washing his paws every time he comes in from going potty are over. He made for good entertainment the first time I put them on him. (maybe even better than a cat with tape on its paws, sorry you missed it Mr. W!) 

Another Puzzle

This was another puzzle mom bought last time she was here. This one is only 300 pieces, so I should have finished it in a few hours. I have a difficult time sitting down that long, so it took me a few days. I still enjoyed it! This is becoming a holiday tradition for me, one that reminds me of my mom....I love it!

2 new skirts

I made L and I new skirts last week. Mine was Vogue 8424 and I just winged L's with some left over fabric I had on hand. (which explains why it does not fit like I wanted it to.) I was so happy to find a great denim in the red tag fabrics, and the pleat in the skirt sold me on this pattern. 

family tradition

I talked to Mary today and she was making doughnuts! I have not made those in years. The fact that they are fried in oil has much to do with that, nonetheless, we made doughnuts tonight! L loved the process and we all enjoyed the product! The secret recipe is as follows:

canned biscuits (the cheapest generic kind)

oil 

powdered sugar

sugar and cinnamon

Use a doughnut cutter, or you can pull the center apart making a hole like we did when we were kids. Heat oil in pan until it bubbles when you put the dough in. Flip when brown on under side. After browning the other side, remove from heat and let sit 1 minute. Shake in desired coating or glaze. 

YUM YUM........

Welcome Thanksgiving

Admittedly, I am a Charlie Brown junkie. I love the characters, the humor, and most impressively in this day the mention of Deity in many of their movies. Today I bought "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," that is a must have if you didn't beat me to it. The DVD features a second movie "The Mayflower Voyagers" that is very educational and a great way to teach children about why we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is full of historically accurate facts that made it so fun to watch as a family. We watched it tonight and I give it "two thumbs up!"

my ballot has been cast!

I voted this morning after taking L to school. I must say, it was a rather pleasant experience. It took maybe 20 minutes, that was 20 minutes well spent. I have to admit, part of me debated voting because Utah is quite predictable. It was worth the experience of feeling like I have a voice in this great country we live in. It will be exciting to see the outcome tonight......hopefully.

faithful cousins!

It has been our tradition to go trick-or-treating each year with L's cousins. I realized this year that our tradition will probably not last too many more years, as her cousins have quickly grown up. So, thank you H for still participating in our little tradition at least one more year! Thank you B for being the youngest, allowing this tradition to continue for a few more years to come!

halloween!

So here it is Halloween and the costume is finished! It did require taking a needle and thread to school, but it is complete! Sorry you missed the fun this morning dad, we missed you. I'll take some better photos this afternoon!