Done!

That's it! No more sewing for xmas gifts. I finished the last hem on the last skirt this morning. Now we gotta get the groceries for the feasting and clean up the house to be presentable for visitors to come over. Maybe I'll manage to snap some pics of all the wonderful things I made tomorrow before the girls wake up, but I might just wrap everything now instead. Get the living room cleaned up, put wrapped presents under the tree because it does look rather sad without any. Those are my plans for today...

Happy Holidays everyone!!

silly poll

so I borrowed this poll from a friend's blog (link over on the right, Kihaku). Didn't have much to tell this morning. Going to the dentist with little one tomorrow, she has a few cavities and all her teeth appear to have problems.
:( *sigh* I hate doctors, and I've only ever seen one dentist in my entire life, but I will be brave so she won't be afraid. I have to.

Eggnog or Hot Chocolate?
neither, give me coffee, lots of cream, no sugar

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
gifts from Santa are taken out of their packages, and left unwrapped and ready to play with under the tree.

Coloured lights on tree/house or white?
all white, but I like some of them to blink or twinkle

Do you hang mistletoe?
no, the tree in our yard that had it growing in it came down on our house in a storm a few years ago. Can't justify ever spending money on something so impossible to get rid of!

When do you put up your decorations?
usually the second weekend after Thanksgiving

What is your favorite holiday dish?
cookies

Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
the xmas after my parents split up, there was a huge mountain of presents, way more than I'd ever gotten before. I don't remember any of them except I got that Giant Size Barbie I wanted so badly.

When and how did you learn that Santa isn't real?
I never did believe in Santa. I didn't realize other kids really did either, until I was in high school and my neighbor told me that I was the one who told his little brother Santa wasn't real which really upset him terribly :(

Can you ice skate?
not very well, i have very weak ankles.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
yes, just one.

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
with ornaments from my past, my father used to give me an ornament each year. Nothing matches. I like shiny beads and red bows, too. I like to barely be able to see the tree for all the decorations on it.

Snow! Love it or Dread it?
hate it!! But still wishing for snow this year, it's been so long...

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
letting people know you care about them

Do you remember your favorite gift?
I still have my orange stuffed bunny that was my favorite toy my entire childhood. She only has one ear, but she's still very special.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
cookies

What tops your tree?
used to be an angel, she's still on the tree, but a star my oldest child picked out is now on top.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I'm hoping to make new traditions with my kids. don't really have a favorite.

Which do you prefer giving or Receiving gifts?
giving, but what is even more fun is the making of gifts

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Father Christmas by The Kinks

Candy Canes on the tree?
did that once.... the ones that didn't get eaten all melted in the humidity in storage over the summer and gooped up all the other ornaments.

the weather has turned lovely again, no more frigid cold! woohoo! I seem to finally be in the groove as far as gift-making is concerned. I finished up a fantastic project for a little friend, and I want to keep it myself!! That's okay, I can always make more, this one was specially for a certain person. But now I also need to make her sisters similar items, because this one is way too cool. :) I have made my girls each a skirt, similar to Fay's skirt pictured below. I have made DH a couple welding hats, even gave him one (in the same pink fabrics as those skirts - teeheehee. welders are an odd bunch, and nobody would ever dare question my husband's masculinity for wearing a pink hat) because I needed to make sure I had the pattern and the size right. I have also made a shopping bag full of plush aliens. They look more like dog toys to me than kid toys, but... oh well. Maybe I'll make more of them with squeakers inside to sell on Etsy as dog toys, later, after the holidays.
Here's a fun little handbag I made for a friend of a friend...

tooth fairy!!

The tooth fairy visited our house last night for the first time. Little sister pulled DD's loose tooth acidentally, but it was time. It didn't hurt nor did it bleed and she says she can feel something hard in the place where the old tooth was. Crazy kid had a death grip on the tooth fairy doll Miss Heather made for her all night long (link), and wasn't sleeping very deeply I suppose in hopes of catching a glimpse of the magical creature, so the tooth fairy had to leave the tooth behind and put the money under her pillow. That's cool, I wanted to save the tooth in her baby book anyway. Didn't want to until I actually saw it, and knew I couldn't just throw it away. Husband told me to leave $5! My goodness! I don't remember teeth being worth quite so much, but it was thirty years ago... Maybe now she'll eat. Hasn't had much of an appetite since the tooth became loose.

not much to tell. We had a rather uneventful, lazy weekend. DH worked overtime, and seems to be intent on ruining my plans of not spending money on xmas this year... whatever! I made all the gifts I'm giving, if he wants to go out and buy meaningless gift cards for his family, he can do that himself. I did go to Barnes and Noble (online) and bought books to put in our stockings with the money I had in my PayPal from things I had made and sold. But it doesn't feel like I spent any money because it didn't come out of our checking account. I seem to be getting over the cold or whatever bug I had, but am still stuffy and felt pretty bad around bedtime the last few nights. Mornings are so much better for me. I got a lot of things made, all I gotta do is figure out who gets what, wrap and mail out a little something special for JenJen's birthday and her son's xmas, and finish up the girls' gifts. Should be doing that now, while they are still asleep!! Kids want to go to the zoo today, at least it's warmed up from last week.

busy today

I really feel like I've accomplished something today. But, since the things I've made are all to be given as gifts, I can't share them yet. I will take photos to share after the recipients get a chance to see them first. :)

what looks like snow clouds have rolled in, and it has begun to flurry. Funny, my gardenia is still trying to bloom!! Noticed neighbor's gardenia is also blooming right now. (For those who don't know, Gardenias are about the pickiest blooming shrubs in existence, and only bloom in early summer... usually anyway.) This is the first time in ages I've actually wished for snow. The girls would really like to see it. Last time we got any snow, my oldest child wasn't even two years old yet and she no longer remembers it at all. *sigh*

Saw my chiropractor today. Hadn't been back to yoga class since the "camel" pose about made my back go out on me last week. Amazingly, as soon as he adjusted my neck, my sinuses cleared and I don't have the bloody boogers anymore! Hey, whatever works... Hoping this means no headaches for a while. Maybe I'll get the kids dressed and go to yoga tonight. Maybe not. Need to figure something out for dinner first, and see if they will eat and be ready in time to be at the Y by 5. Doesn't seem too likely at this rate. Husband was recently bumped over to second shift, and we are still adjusting to it. Unfortunately, just like last time he worked evenings, the girls won't go to bed until after he gets home. That means we don't get up until rather late, and by then the day's half over. I'm such a morning person, I just can't function when I stay up too late. How did I manage to have a family of night owls???

some new stuff

just finished up some new things. First is a skirt and matching bag for Fay, who is three. Really hope she likes it!


and next are some prototype Barbie/Kelly doll wings. The wings on the Kelly doll *do* fit Barbie as well. They are my second attempt and are much closer to the results I want. That silver fabric is a real pain to work with, but I'm getting it figured out!
The matching skirt was an experiment that didn't turn out quite how I had envisioned it.

hello

I recently started setting up a store on etsy - it's like ebay for handmade things!

http://www.friendstacy.etsy.com





And here are some other creations of mine