Finito

The last button has been sewn on and I am finished with my Christmas sewing/knitting/crocheting/cooking. Mama will not have a new skirt and top to wear to mass, but she won't be an exhausted grinch either. It's a pretty good compromise.
My handmade gifts this year included:
1 doctor suit
1 black robe
1 cowboy suit
1 button shirt
1 apron
2 crocheted scarves
6 mini mittens
5 jars of Chai tea mix
5 loaves fo pumpkin bread
4 knitted dish rags
1 crocheted trivet

P.S. I've added several posts tonight, please scroll down if you wish to read them all.

More Christmas at our house

My attempt to have a snowy Christmas!

The real reason for any of this at all--the manger and what it will hold tomorrow night. The kids add "straw" with each good deed done, hoping to have it filled and ready for the Baby Jesus when He comes.

We bought this lantern at Williamsburg last year on vacation; I painted this Santa.

Our tree. It is beginning to show it's age and has fallen over once this year, with several more near misses. Next year, the stand will need to be repaired.

The mantle has changed from waiting and "Look East" to the manger scene.
He is coming soon!!

Christmas around our house

Since no one will be her at Christmas I thought I'd take you on a little tour of the house. It's always a bit confusing trying to figure out what fits where the first Christmas in a new house. This is what I put together without buying anything new except 3 strands of lights for the porch. First, the front door....

Just inside the door is Santa and the bells that jingle this time of year. The Santa was painted by my mom, and the bells were a gift from my Christian Women's Club when we moved to South Dakota in Dec. 1994.

The entryway goes into the dining room. I hung all my special ornaments here. There are all the flower fairies that I love, some very old ones from when I was a kid, one I made in kindergarten, and others too fragile to risk putting on the tree. If you click on the picture you can see them better.

These pencil Santas were also painted by my mom, and here they are in an arrangement on the buffet.

This is our Advent wreath this year. We dipped the candles in early Dec., and the white candle is our "Mary candle" which we lit during our novena to the Immaculate Conception. Under the lacy mantle is a surprise which will be uncovered on
Christmas eve...

A Christmas baby's gift

Knitted for a friend's 6th baby, a boy, born on Dec. 12th. The little mitten is to add to their wreath.

Christmas shopping in shirt sleeves

On the 20th,I felt I must show you how warm it was here. While I miss Iowa'a winter and the snow, I do not miss trudging through the parking lot in freezing cold wind and snow-pack. This is what it looked like that day.

We lost some of the magic tonight

Matt and I have wondered when/how the kids would discover the whole "Santa gig" and I have prayed for it to happen in a gentle way. So tonight it did, through a series of events involving me shopping today, the van, and a trip to see Christmas lights. I am happy to report that Amy and Sarah were not mad or even sad, but still in a bit of wonderment at how we did it all. I have asked them (made them promise, in fact) not to spoil it for the boys; reminding them that Marty especially, hasn't had very many Christmases to enjoy that special brand of magic. Hmmm..... I knew I'd be sad when this new era began, and you know what? I am. At these times when a certain season of child raising ends and another begins I try to remember what Ann J. told me when the girls were very little: "Yes, it's sad that one stage is over, but the next will be just as good, in a different way, and you will love it,too." Thanks, Ann J, I needed to remember that tonight. I think the girls will enjoy beign in on it, too.

St. Nicholas Day

Blogger won't let me publish these in the right order, so here you go.

Sarah's Piano Recital Piece

Amy's Piano Recital Piece

Here's a little music for you to enjoy (click on the arrow). Sarah's will be up tomorrow.

Another musical weekend

The girls' piano recital was this morning and they were ready, with new outfits and excitement.

Here are 2 "during" shots....


And here is the "after" shot. They both won runner up trophies for the most points during lessons! They were so surprised and thrilled, and we are so proud!!

Way to go, Amy and Sarah!

A guessing game for you....updated with the answer!!

What does it mean if you find this

inside this

at a Christmas program you have attended?
Check back to see!


It was this!!
I won the doorprize and it is beautiful. Here it is sitting on the piano bench to show just HOW BIG it is. We sure will enjoy it this Christmas season.

Randomness, again

This is an autorickshaw from India. We saw (literally) thousands of them each time we were there. Since I just found this image in my "pictures" file, I thought I'd share it and shoo the purple elephant from the room. Shoo, shoo, go on now, elephant.