White is very significant for me today....not only do I love white winters...and white Holidays...but it's also reminiscent of celebrating my wedding anniversary! My wonderful hubby and I spent our honeymoon in the gorgeous TX Hill Country in a very quaint B&B in Fredricksburg...and off into new horizons of joys and adventures we wouldn't have dared to believe! Be still my heart!
Have a Blessed and Happy New Year!
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Since we're on the subject of toys and going handmade this time of year...it's very important that we rally around our cottage and home businesses in this country and.... This company, Mahar Drygoods, is a great example of a cottage business who makes very affordable and very adorable handmade toys. I recently discovered this one and many others on Hyena Cart - a collection of earth-friendly shops with homeworkers (both male and female) going homemade offering everything from cloth diapers to carriers. As if it weren't difficult and challenging enough for these small cottage industries to compete with the big chain stores and malls out there, now our own government is on the verge of making it impossible... Here is their excellent article on saving handmade toys with all the facts and pleas for assistance...what we can all do to inform our respective legislators to support - as opposed to destroying - our country's cottage handmade toy makers across the nation. Please go to this link and take action! We can make a difference! We handmaders, homeworkers, homesteaders, homeschoolers, homemakers...and anyone and everyone in between who supports these ideals...need to let our voices be heard! : D Tartine et Chocolate has been on the tip of my tongue lately...why? 2.) ...because of this chocolate bag I found on sale for only $5 and is now my new knitting bag. I also finally finished the scarf for my youngest, Asheley, who at only 4 years old has very sophisticated taste...I must say. She chose these jewel tones for her scarf...and if given a choice will choose black...that's right...black ribbon, black hats, black mittens, black shoes...she's very Parisienne! 3.) Tartine et Chocolate...speaking of Paris...is also one of my favorite childrens shops! I fell in love with it when we were perusing the exclusive shops in Bal Harbour, FL years ago...a lifetime ago...when our twins were only 6 months old! I can't find the site to link you to, however, they're right on par with Jacadi...my other favorite childrens shop. Oui Oui! Take a quick look at their winter collection...it's as sweet as chocolate...I promise! And don't forget The Nursery either! You bet I collect their catalogs, too! Even if I can't afford their socks...much less anything else! What is it about the French? They totally set the bar for romance, chocolate, lace, and children's couture...OK, couture in general...and their language! C'est la vie! There's no use in even trying to compete! So I'll just relax with the new Victoria magazine that I found in my Christmas stocking with my version of tartine et chocolate...while I browse this... Nothing like engaging all the senses at once...care to join me anyone..?? Have a chocolate (or 5 or 6) on me...we have plenty! xxoo The Holiday Season is my favorite time of the year...and I relish it for as long as I'm able to get away with reveling in it. I'm already seeing Christmas trees nonchalantly thrown out in the yard or relegated to the back porch somewhere...awaiting to be discarded...denuded of all their festive decorations and twinkle lights. Ouch! I know that I shouldn't leave the tree up until Valentine's Day (which I have done before! A little much, I know). But goodness sakes! I certainly have permission to at least soak it all in until New Year's rolls around...right..?? Oh, thank you! So since I'm still imbibing the Holiday atmosphere, I'll just take you around the house and show you little snippets of things that I cherish from year to year. And even if they're not Christmas-y per se...they fit the scheme none the less! And oh yes! I'll be back with more before it's all said and done...wrapped up and hidden away for another full long year...that will be here again before we even blink...or get used to the fact that our children are a year older! : ) Christmas is for children....but aren't we all children Christmas Day..?? have you ever heard that old Glen Campbell song..?? Am I dating myself...?? Here are a few of our highlights from Christmas Day! We tried to do a little homemade, too, this year. I have some definite homespun goals for next year already brewing! But I did manage to at least get some winter scarves finished! The Boy Mechanic...a book geared to boys with lots of great illustrations and fun things for him to try! Our little Asheley is smitten with trains right now...and what's very cool is that now the older ones are re-visiting their wooden train days again with her! I am absolutely ecstatic over these Girlhood Home Companion magazines! And the girls are, too! I'll be sharing more from these and some other really sweet books we were given very soon!! This is ALL our son wanted for christmas...and he's hardly left it since he opened it! He's hooking up all sorts of electrical gizz-whizz stuff!! And it seems as though we never have enough babydolls! And the Dollhouse!! Yes, a dollhouse the likes of which I've been drooling over since I was 7 years old! And now I get to totally indulge my latent dollhouse dreams with my 3 little girls!! : ) They don't know this yet, but I have a box full of furniture that I've been collecting for years! I'll fill you in on the whole dollhouse story at a later date...suffice it to say we're excited!! ; D We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year! For Christmas Eve we had what I would call an 'apres-ski' dinner...we'll just call it a light Christmas Eve dinner with sparkling apple juice and hot apple cider, too! Then, of course, followed up with lots of chocolate candy!! : D Our son was all healed up and back to his happy self yesterday...and even had an appetite! And we're ALL healthy for Christmas! Praise God for that! And, yes, we're also blessed with a white Christmas this morning. The sky is doing all sorts of spectacular things...and now the snow is coming down again...horizontally! Scruffy Daddy (who always looks good any time of day) is filling the house with the wonderful smell of bacon! Ummm! Enjoy some of our homey Christmas scenes and I'll be back with highlights! Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!
If we must have a 'Blue Christmas' as the song goes, then let's at least make it this kind of blue! A very easy baby bonnet and matching scarf I made 2 or 3 years ago...I just made up the pattern off the top of my head one evening and will have to scan it for you right after the Holidays...I had totally forgotten about this little ensemble! Or perhaps we can go for this ultra-soft icy blue! I just started this scarf for my daughter, Heather, yesterday. It's shaping up beautifully (this yarn was a bit of a bear for me to get started) but oh! she's gonna love this cushy stuff! Ah yes! This is definitely my kinda 'Blue Christmas'...and a Merry Christmas Eve to all of you...I hope it's as warm and comfy, soft and luscious, too!! : D Two Days before Christmas...and do you ever have one of those days that just suddenly makes you so thankful for all the little blessings..?? That actually summed up together these little blessings become one big beautiful blessing...sort of like all the little treats you find in your stocking....that makes up one BIG stocking... This is the friendly little snowman built by our son who was romping and full of zest yesterday. Today he's laid up with a mild fever and a sore throat on the couch. Poor little guy! Blessing #3: This morning my hubby's out there shoveling a path to the car and getting the mail. Plus more wonderful cards and packages arrived from the mailman today. Blessings #7,8,9.10: Our four little munchkins that we adore! And here are the girls...dolls in hand...ready to go with Daddy to Portland today...and to pick out some Christmas Candy! Among who knows what else...what Mommy doesn't know won't hurt her...we hope! Bye Bye, Mommy! We'll take care of all the shopping...don't you worry about a thing! Blessing #12: A gorgeous sunset over our neighbor's farm...whom I paid a visit to today bringing a homemade loaf of cinnamon cranberry bread...walking over the snow to find her sweeping out the barn. It was a great catch up visit! Why don't I do this more often?! Blessings #13, 14, 15, 16: My son napping on the couch. The house is quiet, Christmas music playing, the kitty curled up on the rug near the tree, and nothing more for me to do than to sit back and knit a scarf...and for my dear friends and family that God has so graciously blessed me with who give me the pleasure to count many, many blessings! As I mentioned to my friend, Karyn, today...I'm selfish enough to want more of these kinds of days! The amazing thing is that they're always right at our fingertips! : ) We survived our first big snow storm of the season...we got a little over a foot of snow yesterday afternoon and through the night. The winds up here are something else...it's still blowing like crazy out there. But I took these shots of the light off the snow this morning...very surreal looking, huh. I love the interplay of light and shadows off the snow... And as you can see from the above photos that we're not going anywhere today! So while my hubby's down in the shed blowing the blizzard back outside with a shop vac that managed to blow into our shed last night...and would prefer that I not him help with...ya know, there are some things men would rather do alone...and I'm truly thankful for that! So I'll just hibernate, sit, and knit. These scarves are the ones I knitted a couple of years ago, so they're very 'long in the tooth' as my Grandpa used to say. But well loved and well worn none the less! I'm knitting this one for Caitlyn (our 6yo)...she LOVES the bright perky colors and chose this yarn out herself. I just might have it done by this afternoon so she can give it a first test drive! Then I'd love to find some colors that capture the colors in the sky below....are those amazing or what...?? Have a great afternoon! xo Yes, it's just days before Christmas...and we're counting down to all the things I still haven't gotten finished...much less into the post office! This is the little dress that's supposed to go with the blanket I've been knitting. Well, would you believe that with only about 4 inches left to go on that blanket...I ran out of yarn? OK, so what, get more yarn. That's been my problem. This yarn color that I've seen everywhere from Wal-mart to craft stores is suddenly MIA!! As in nowhere to be found! BUT I will find it! In the meantime, however, I wanted to send the dress anyway... So here I am down to the last minute and I'm intimidated beyond belief of my sewing machine contraption and how exactly to sew a buttonhole! I've done it before when my mom was here...but that was eons ago. Turns out that this was such a total non-issue that I'm still dizzy-headed as to how completely uncomplicated and easy this was! Give me lots and lots of buttonholes, please, this a button-sewin' breeze! First I located the buttonhole foot and got my little button loaded in the back of it. This automatically measures the size of the buttonhole that's needed. OK that wasn't too tremendously difficult... Then all I had to do was change the setting number to the buttonhole type that I wanted and next just hold onto that top little thread there....pushed the gas pedal and the machine took over...did it all...reinforced...then just stopped automatically when it was done. Wow! I'm so amazingly impressed with modern technology....and my new best friend...MY SEWING MACHINE!! : D Voila!! There it is! Is that a beauty or what...?? Next, I had to run a pin through the top of the buttonhole so that when I ripped open the hole part it wouldn't go into the stitches of my beautiful buttonhole...that would definitely not be a good thing! Here I go with the ripper up through the center... I sewed on the button and...it works! Yippee!! I am enthused!! Since I've made this a reversible dress, I needed a 'fake' button on the other side, too. So here I am sewing on the 'fake' button for this side of the dress... There. That looks pretty convincing, doesn't it? In retrospect, I would probably use flatter buttons next time. Two of this style button were a little on the thick side...I just loved the little rose design they had on them and didn't think about the chunkiness factor....but hopefully it'll be alright.... So here is Side 1 of the dress... The brown skirt from the other side is peeking out at the bottom...the next photo shows that a little better... We were trying to get this to post office before it closed at noon...however I really felt like Side 2 needed some sort of embellishment...but what...?? I had a stack of cream doilies and decided they would make some cute pockets. So in a hand-stitch-whipping frenzy I got a couple of pockets on in record time... And all the girls in the house thought they were absolutely adorable! Now I know what I'm going to do with that stack of doilies... I tacked together the two sides of the bodice under the armholes (only about an inch of fabric)...and it was finished!! Ready to fly to Tennessee and little Chelsea! At first I thought Side 1 could not be outdone...but I think I've now become more partial to Side 2! Either way I'm ready and rearin' for the next dress! Bring it on!! : D |
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