Making it Monday (Christmas Eve edition)...

So I finished binding all the kids' quilts with an hour to spare.  I had so effectively procrastinated...cough, cough...that I had to do all the binding on the machine (I usually do the last step by hand).  By the time I was done, I had gotten pretty good at making it invisible.  I guarantee the kids will never know any different, and, on the upside, it is probably more sturdy.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, as I was about halfway around in the final step of binding the third quilt, I realized that the bobbin was making a sound like it was getting critically low on thread.  I was so exhausted and just did not want to stop to reload the bobbin, so there was a lot of, 'oh please, please, please be enough on there to finish.'  There was...just barely.  And the spool was almost as low as the bobbin!

We had our Christmas together combined with Sunday family supper at Kasey and Beau's.  Beau cooked a prime rib on the grill.  Oh my goodness, it was SO delicious.

We also played a game of Not Parent Approved.  No skill required, and good for a few laughs.  Beau, who never wants to play games with us, loves this game.  :)

Now I have some breathing room.  I have two more quilts to bind but not a huge rush.  Then maybe I will have some time to read or cross-stitch or take a nap.  :)

Edited to add:  I had intended this to get posted Monday morning, but I forgot to hit 'publish.'  Earlier today I received a text from Kasey with two photos, saying this was how she found the girls when she went in to wake them this morning..."wrapped in Grandma's love."

Made my heart happy!  :)

Oh, Christmas Tree...

I have failed terribly at the Capturing December challenge, so I'm not even going to make a pretense of catching up anymore.  

At least our Christmas tree is finally complete.  Carey has been out of town, and it just didn't seem like a good idea to be up and down on the ladder with no one around, so it was only partially decorated for quite awhile till one of the grandsons came over and lent a hand.

For some reason I just didn't want to use our regular collection of Christmas ornaments this year.  As much as I love each and every one of them, I couldn't wrap my head around all the bright colors and variety this time.  

So I bought (though I truly meant to be paring down the collection this year) 4 dozen white/pearl balls at half price. 

I recycled a dozen spherical water bottles by covering their colored lids and drilling holes to add string loops for hanging.  They look pretty lame in this closeup photo, but taking in the whole tree, they look like bubbles.  :)

I used plain white cardstock and a jumbo punch to make some snowflakes that I just tucked in among the branches.

I reused white silk flower stems that I have used for years on the tips of the branches...they give a sense of a light sprinkling of snow...or at least that's what I imagine.  And the clear 'icicles' went on...if I just hung those on I could call the whole thing good...I love them so much.  

This year they were joined by some inexpensive little 'crystals.'  

And that's it.  I just realized that without a single red or green bauble on, it is really a wintry tree, and I could leave it up through January.  Not that I will.  Probably.

Capturing December Challenge, day 15...

Day 15...Favorite Holiday Song:  Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Capturing December days 10 through 14...

Day 10...Wrapping Paper:  I bought one roll of new wrapping paper this year.  I will incorporate it with leftovers...if I ever get around to wrapping!  This is not how it was supposed to be this year!

Day 11...Green:  Well the tree is green...ALL green, because it doesn't have any ornaments on it yet!  This is not how it was supposed to be this year!

Day 12...A Beautiful Sight
and
Day 13...Family:
     

     Making ornaments with the girls.  This is EXACTLY how it was supposed to be this year!

Day 14: Christmas Tree...

     See "Day 11 above."

Capturing December day 9 (and 6, 7, 8)...

 Day 9...Something you're reading:

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

How convenient that Day 9 is 'Something You're Reading' AND coincides with 'What I'm reading Wednesday.'   I'm about to start Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. I think I heard an interview with the author or a review on the radio...something piqued my interest to look for this one.  Happily I found it available from my library as an e-book with only one person ahead of me on the reservation list, and I just downloaded it. 

And to catch up with the days I missed...

Day 8...Ornaments:  They are unloaded from the closet, but not unpacked.  The tree is in the living room, but not unboxed.  Still...progress of sorts.

Day 7...Bright: Monday (day 7) was quilting day with my group at the library.  Made a little progress on the Midnight Mystery Quilt and had a yummy Christmas potluck lunch with the group.  I am listing this as 'bright' because it's always a bright spot in my month.

Day 6...Shopping:  I have four gifts left to shop for.  Two are fairly easy...one is just a bit of drive to pick up...and one I have absolutely no clue of what to get.  

Capturing December Challenge day 5...

Today's temperature:

Mid 60s F (18 C).  Perfect temperature and a beautiful sunny day.  

I took this photo while I was out this afternoon.  It does not fill me with joy.  Don't get me wrong, it is a pretty valley, but it looks like this year round...rocky, green/brown, no seasonal changes...no oranges and reds in Fall, no fluffy white in Winter.  The only break from the constancy is a few weeks of wild flowers in Spring, and then back to this for the rest of the year.

Speaking of not being filled with joy, I skipped day 4 "Joy" of the December challenge.   I am not feeling the joy.  Truth be told, I am feeling pretty prickly lately.  In the past week I have: left a slightly snippy comment on Facebook; responded to a political email a family member sent me with a very cranky reply (I did manage to refrain from using the descriptive '@$$h01e' and settled for 'idiot'...both describing the politician, not the relative); managed to really annoy my husband; and I even let a phrase used on the radio get me really cheesed off today.

I think I need to put up the Christmas tree.  I've been really dreading it, but I think it's time to just get it done and over with.  Maybe accomplishing something will change my mood.  

Or maybe getting up and going to the auction tomorrow and coming home with something necessary...if I don't find something to use as a bedside table soon I am going to steal the one from Carey's side of the bed.  Mine is missing, after all, because I donated it to his mother's new down-sized space.

Capturing December Challenge day 3...

Red:

These Cherry Shortbreads are from Simply Joolz' recipe.  The shortbread melts in your mouth, and the red cherry on top just says 'Christmas' to me.  I haven't baked them this month yet, but I hope to in a few days.  They are so yummy!

And I must send out a big THANK YOU! to Cath @ Home who drew my name in the monthly giveaway she holds for participants of her 'What's for Dinner Wednesday' link party (button on the right --->).  Today's mail brought (all the way from Tasmania!) this gorgeous handmade towel, which will look adorable in my kitchen for Christmas and beyond, and the fun chalkboard jar labels...so cute!  :)  Thank you  so much, Cath, I love them!

Capturing December Challenge, day 2...

Favorite Holiday Movie:

A Christmas Story, Dir. Bob Clark, MGM/UA Entertainment Co., 1983

Hands down!  None other in the running.  See that leg lamp on the left of the movie poster?

I love the movie so much, my husband bought me one!  It's the real deal.  A Major Award!

But it is FRAGIL-AY...

...so woe to the miscreant who were to break it AND use up all the glue ON PURPOSE!  :)

Don't worry.  We only put it out at Christmas.

Capturing December Challenge, day 1...

I snagged this photo-a-day challenge from Pamela at The Lady of the House Speaking.  My first thought was that it might benefit me to participate.  I'm hoping that, in order to get a photo each day, it will keep me moving toward readiness for the holidays.  Christmas Eve usually finds me madly wrapping packages; I don't want to be doing that this year.

This was my view today: 

My public library has a Pinterest page, and one of their recent pins features a book-lover's Christmas tree from The Decorologist.  Love!  I began putting mine together last night.  Then I took a break.  After examining it at each pass by, I disassembled it and began again.

There are children's books, antique books, much-loved favorite books, picture books, hobby books, board books, big books, small books, Little Golden Books, fairy tales, biographies, poetry, classics...

I'm quite happy with the shape now.  I will add a few more 'ornaments' and some mica snow when I come across them while emptying out the closet where all the Christmas decorations are stored (I haven't started on the other decorating yet).  In the meantime, it makes me smile even unfinished.  Carey got home from the hunting lease today, and was duly impressed.  :)

Counting stitches...

I started a Christmas project last night.  It should work up fairly quickly, but I'm not at all impressed with the linen that I purchased from Joann's for the project...very difficult to count threads...and, no, it is NOT my aging eyes!  :)  I have had to pull out quite a few sections, as well as letting some mistakes that aren't too noticeable stay put.  The linen feels rather thin, stiff, and low in quality.  Not very fun to work on.

Other than that I've been cooking and trying to behave.  The former is so much easier than the latter.  :)  

My m-i-l likes the guest room very much, and the visit is going as well as expected.  Though I've been trying to keep the door to my office/craft room closed, she did take a peek in yesterday, much to my chagrin.  Why, yes, there is a "lot of stuff" (code for 'dumping ground') in there...I have a lot of hobbies.  It actually had been looking a lot better in there, but in the last push to straighten up the house a lot got tossed in there for the duration.

Money pads...

I thought I'd show how I dressed up the boys' gifts this year.  Money is the same old, same old Christmas gift for them...but it's easy for me, and always happily received by them.  But just so it's not completely boring, I like for there to be some element of surprise as to how it's presented.  There was the year of the origame 'candy' box.  And last year I tucked Chandler's into a box of beef jerky, and Bobby's into a jar of candy.  

This year I thought I'd make a pad of money that they can peel a few bills from as needed.  I actually thought about it early, and went by the bank a couple of months ago for crisp, uncirculated $1 bills.  I also ordered padding compound...not sure the link is the one I bought, but it had a nice photo that shows the process, so I linked it.  The amount used is miniscule, so I'm going to have to make a lot of notepads or something.

I used some chipboard cut to the size of the bills to give it a firm back.  I just stacked the bills and the chipboard and clamped them with binder clips.  Then I painted the padding compound on the left end.  

After it dried, I cut some patterned paper a little longer so that it would wrap around the bound end, and I used double-sided tape to adhere the patterned paper to the back.  That way none of the bills were damaged, and the cover will stay on even after bills are peeled off.

 I designed the cover labels on the computer and printed them out in Christmas colors.  Chandler got his license this year, so I labeled his 'Ga$ Money.'  I cut an oval out of one cover so that George Washington's face from the top bill showed through.

I also knit each of the boys a cap.  I tucked their money pads into the appropriate kid's cap and wrapped them up.  

When they opened them, they were gratifyingly impressed with the concept of a pad of money.  They weren't sure it was real money.  I assured them that it was and that it would be accepted anywhere they chose to spend it.  

And they were all gracious enough to pose in their knit caps for a quick photo.  Uncle Jared (far right) got in the photo too since he was wearing the same cap which I made for him a couple of months ago.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas...

The kids asked for my Chicken and Dumplings for Christmas Dinner.  Sounded fine with me.  It's something I can actually accomplish in my makeshift kitchen set up.  At least the prep work.  I'll finish it up tomorrow at Kasey's on her stove top.

 There will be ten of us (three of whom are teenage boys), so I thought I'd use three chickens.  I put two in the slow cooker before I went to bed last night.  When I got up this morning I took them out to cool and strained the stock.  Then I put in the last chicken to cook and make another batch of stock.  That should give us plenty to feed the crowd. 

 Boning chicken is not my favorite job, especially when there's a lot of it to do.  By the end my back and shoulders are cramping.  I've tried letting my husband and son help, but they aren't as particular about picking out every last bit of the skin and gristle. Drives me crazy, so I do it myself. 

 Doing it in two batches today wasn't so bad.  It let my back relax and recover between batches.  I'm always so happy to see the bones and skin (left) separated from the meat (right).  

Now the meat and stock are in the refrigerator waiting for tomorrow.  I'll assemble the dumpling's dry ingredients tonight.  Finishing up tomorrow should be a breeze.

I still have wrapping to do.  ...sigh...  Why do I always leave it till Christmas Eve?  I also have to finish assembling the 'packaging' of the boys' money gifts.

I hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas 2012...

Before we un-deck the halls, I wanted to savor it just a little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made these ornaments our very first year together.  Our initials...awwwww.

These two were made in probably the late '70s.

 

...also the '70s.

 

This one came to our tree while we lived on Hummingbird Lane.
 

Purchased this Drummer Boy while Jared was in the percussion section...and the disco ball is in honor of his sister...my little disco baby.

 

This one came the year we had a precious foster baby who moved his arms and legs just like this Santa's.

 

This one reminds us of former jobs. that we are glad are behind us.

This one was a souvenier from the best vacation ever.

Some I get for others to take home, and they forget to, so I keep them.

I bought this year, thinking Caitlyn would like it.
 

But she chose this spun-glass angel instead.

And a mantel snow village that commemorates our favorite Christmas movie.

"A Christmas Story" 's Chop Suey Palace on the left, the Parker's house above with the major award showing in the front window, and the school yard's frozen flag pole.

But these are always the most beautiful parts of my home at Christmas time or any other.  Can you believe that Diego (there in the middle) is embarrassed by those gorgeous dimples?!  He doesn't like to smile for pictures.  Just wait a few years, Diego.  When the girls start finding them irresistable, you'll appreciate them!

And poor little Caitlyn didn't get those two front teeth for Christmas, after all.