handmade holidays part two

For the little girls I made earwarmer headbands and beanies. I love how the crochet flowers turned out. For the flowers I used a tutorial  I found on youtube. I tried to follow a written pattern, however I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I am a visual learner. Anyways, I really like how these earwarmer headbands turned out and I think once the holiday rush is over I'll make myself a pair.

Handmade Holidays

When it's cold outside, there is nothing better than cuddling up for a long winter's nap. This year our family decided to do a "nice" white elephant gift exchange. When shopping for white elephant gift exchanges I love looking for unique - but nice - items. I'm not fond of gag gifts - I hate giving them and I hate receiving them. They are a waste of money. I had everything I needed to make these lovely little pillows on hand. I think they turned out nicely and I might go ahead and make myself a set for the guest room.

Family Zoo Day

The day after Christmas we woke up early, packed Lucas up in the car and drove down to the San Diego Zoo to spend time with family. It was a beautiful day, with perfect weather and sunny skies. Many of the animals were out and about soaking up the sun. Lucas enjoyed running, jumping and quacking at the ducks. By late afternoon, Lucas (and Mommy) were exhausted and ready for the long car ride home.

Merry Christmas from the Harrisons

If you didn't get a Christmas card from the Harrisons...don't worry, we are still friends. This year I really dropped the ball on the Christmas chores. We did get the house decorated, the tree set up, and the outdoor lights up, however the Christmas cards, baking, and gift shopping was put off until the last minute. In addition, I have completely ignored Thursday's Child. This year our Christmas celebrations stretched over a period of two days. Christmas eve day we spent the afternoon with my parents, than Christmas eve we partied with my husband's family. On Christmas day, we quickly opened gifts at home before jetting off to brunch with Dadi and Dada. We ended Christmas day with a family party at my Grandma's house. It was truly a Christmas miracle that I made it though the past couple of days with my insanity intact.

With everything we had going on, I became a grumpy, stressed out Mommy. Just ask my husband. I was so stressed about making sure I got gifts for everyone on my list (within our mere budget), and that those gifts got to the intended recipient, that I never got the chance to sit back and enjoy Christmas. So now...on December 26th I am going to sit back with a cup of hot chi and relax by my beautiful tree and enjoy what little I have left of this holiday season. 

Church Advent Calender

One year ago I had never heard of an Advent calender. Now I know too much about Advent calenders. For an example, the tradition of the Advent calender started in Germany in the 19th century as a way for people to count down the days until Christmas. A couple of weeks ago I agreed to create an Advent calender for our church's Sabbath school program. I did some research and decided to recreate a calender from The Land of Nod. Each day 1-24 has its own pocket. I made the pockets extra large because it was for a church program (church program + lots of kids = a need for large pockets). I'm happy with how this project turned out, and maybe...maybe...after I recover from the frustration of cutting and sewing 25 pockets I might make myself a calender for my family. :)

Thanksgiving with the Harrison's

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll. 

My mom has a Thanksgiving tradition where every year we write what we are thankful for on a table cloth. This tradition started long ago, and has continued to this day. As I sat down for Thanksgiving lunch, I saw my clumsy seven year old handwriting scrawling across the table. I was thankful for my dog Honey, my pony Bambie and for my family. Later, while indulging in a delicious slice of chocolate pie topped with a slice of pumpkin pie I read another entry on the table where I was thankful for new opportunities. This entry was dated November 2007. I was in college and I was having a rough year. So what am I thankful for now in 2013? 

I am thankful for my family. 

I am thankful for our home. 

I am thankful for our friends. 

and 

I am thankful for our parents - who guide us with their wisdom. 

Song of Solomon 3:4

After months of planning and preparing, I finally took the plunge and started this project.  I haven't painted on canvas since high school. I'm not naturally artistic, and I can't draw to save my life. However, I did not let my lack of artistic talent deter me from creating this fine piece of art! As much as I love 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, its been done. I wanted something unique, especially for my bedroom. I chose Song of Solomon 3:4 because it truly expresses how I feel about my husband. He is my soul mate, one of my greatest blessings and the best thing to have ever happened to me.