sunrise

This was the view out my window as I walked to the kitchen this morning- Amazing! It seems that the nesting faze has finally hit this pregnant mama and I have been busy cleaning, sorting, and gathering things for the baby. I still have quite a few things to get/do, but if she came today at least I have a car seat and our bags (mostly) packed for the hospital! I hope to be back here this week, but if I'm not you know it is because something needed to be scrubbed, laundered, bought or rearranged :)

diaper bag

When I saw that some of Heather Bailey's new fabric was coming out in an oilcloth/laminate next month I knew right away that I wanted to make myself a diaper bag using the new fabric. So, a couple of weeks ago I sketched up a design idea and yesterday drafted a pattern and dug into my fabric stash to make a trial run of the bag. I am super happy with how it turned out (and on my first try too!). I will be sure to use this bag, but I can't wait to get my hands on Heather's fabric and make the final rendition too!!!

our Christmas

We had a relaxing quiet Christmas yesterday, just our family. Despite my efforts to keep things simple there still seemed to be a LOT of presents under the tree (many sent from grandparents and others).

For all the hours I spent sewing, the number of hand made gifts was small this year- but well loved by all! First was their PJ's, then they each got a stuffed animal. I used the Mikey Monkey pattern for the bodies, but everyone got a different animal- a bunny, a monkey, a dog and a kitty...

and of course there were the much requested "snuggies" (which they all went to sleep snuggled in last night).

A few of my favorite gifts? My sister sent me this mushroom- it is on the tree now, but it will not get packed away with the other ornaments- it is just too cute to be stuck in the attic most of the year!

My mom surprised me with this tray- I had seen it on another blog and fallen in love, and since I don't live near an Ikea she got it for me and sent it for Christmas!

Phil and the kids picked out this new sewing chair for me- very retro- I totally dig it!

After all the gifts were opened we spent the rest of the day watching this...

Playing with these (and other Christmas toys/games)...

and putting together this.

traditions and surprises

We had a little surprise this evening when the door bell rang at 5:15pm and I found this sitting on our door step with no delivery elf in sight!
Let's take a look inside...mmm, smells delicious!

While the big kids hid out in the play room working on a last minute Christmas gift Lu, Max, Phil and I enjoyed a game of memory (which, of course, I won).

Then it was time for an annual tradition...

One present opened on Christmas Eve...

New pajamas for all the kids- this year mama made instead of store bought.
Tallulah- a bit over tired - did not like how big her night gown was (I actually did another quick 3 " hem before taking this picture)- I made the smallest size the pattern came in (which should have fit) but in the end it was big enough that it probably would have fit Regan! I altered it the best I could, but she was still not too happy :( Luckily she came around after some wild rumpas with daddy and kids and when I tucked her in she said "I think Santa will like my dress".

We finished off the evening with a Christmas story...

and of course setting out cookies for Santa (and an orange too, Regan is really concerned with Santa's health after all those cookies he gets!)
Wishing you a Merry and Magical Christmas, from our family to yours!

the reason we celebrate

It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and forget exactly what we are celebrating on Christmas. It is fun to decorate the house, bake cookies for Santa, and see the children's eyes light up when they see the presents under the tree, but through it all we are always talking about what we are really celebrating- and that is Jesus.

Tonight we had a chance for a fresh reminder of what it meant for Christ to come to earth- a local church was doing a live nativity, so after dinner we piled in the car and drove down the road to see. The children were excited about all the animals and spent most of their time watching the baby lamb jump on and off the hay bail, but Tallulah kept asking to see Jesus' face. For a moment I stood there on this cold, clear night, looking up at the stars and thinking about what it must have been like to be Mary- seems to be a thought that captures me regularly these days as I am only weeks away from the birth of my own baby- but it was Tallulah who knew why we were really there- to see Jesus' face- may that be the longing of my heart (and yours) this Christmas, and every day!

finally something I can share!

I finished up the last of my Christmas sewing last night and the house is (relatively) clean, so after we finished up some school this morning I grabbed the pile of scraps I had set aside and the pattern I had drawn up the other day and started sewing. I was inspired by this bag of Heather Bailey's. Mine is not quite as big and put together a little differently, since I made my own pattern. It was a quick and easy project that I hope will get lots of use from my girls- it is the perfect size for a journal or whatever book Regan happens to be reading (right now she is working her way through the American Girl Mystery books).

Here it is "in action"- it even works over my big belly :)Well, we are off to the library before lunch, then I've got lots of wrapping to do! In case I'm not back, Merry Christmas to you all!

an exercise in self control

So, 6 months ago I sketched this in my notebook with the thought that I would love to get my dad to build this for me, but knowing he probably wouldn't...

Then when I was in Michael's today buying elastic and a few other notions I found this.
With my 40% off coupon it was only $3.50! I've already been painting and altering it in my mind. It is taking some serious self control to not start working on it right now, but Christmas gifts still wait to be sewn and wrapped, so alas, it must wait until after Christmas. I can't wait to show you all the finished product and hope it looks as good in real life as it does in my head!

Oh, and here is something else I "found" upon returning from picking up dinner tonight...
It's snowing now- not likely any of the kids (let alone my dinner time napper) will go to bed anytime soon!

thoughts on being a womb

As my own belly swells and my skin is stretched tight with new life growing, as the day comes closer and my body wearies from the carrying, Ann's words on being a womb for Christ resonate strongly in my heart. Lord, give me the strength to walk faithfully, even through the pain.

gotta love her sense of style!

This is how Tallulah dressed herself yesterday- there is nothing better than a 3 year old's sense of style :)There has been a flurry of sewing around here, but of course none that I can share. Soon enough though- can you believe Christmas is just a week away? I have been going twice a week to PT, which has been a life saver and slowly but surely my back is getting a bit better, as long as I stay out of Walmart (or any other store that requires much walking on hard surfaces!) which is fine with me- I am more than happy to sit home the next week (or 4) and bask in the light of my Christmas Tree eating chocolate and crafting away! Now if only my children were so content to sit quietly with me :)

black friday

So, I am not usually a Black Friday shopper- actually I am NEVER a black Friday shopper, but this year we were at my parents house and it just happened that I needed a few (10) yards of fleece and one of the major fabric chains was advertising 75% off one line of fleece, so My mom and I decided to brave the chaos (keep in mind that fabric store BF(Black Friday) chaos is not nearly the same as say- Walmart BF chaos- and mostly it meant having to wait 10-20 minutes to get our fabric cut). Wow that is one long sentence, sorry about that! Anyway while we were there we discovered that ALL the flannel was on sale for $1.49/yard- yup, you read right, $1.49 per yard! There were so many cute prints, but I am really proud of myself for keeping it under control. I only bought 8 yards- enough of this fabulous print to make half a dozen burp clothes for the baby...

and enough of this to make a blanket set, just because it was too cute to walk out of the store without it! It is possible that it will never become a baby blanket just so that I can keep it I like it so much! Maybe one of the boys needs a pair of jungle pajama pants...
Well, with only 9 nights left to sew I better get back to my Christmas sewing or someones not going to get all their gifts!

unexpected goodness

Last night UPS delivered an unexpected package- a cooler full of yummy food from Omaha Steaks- Phil's mom sent it- an early Christmas gift. Phil was out when the package arrived- so I left it for him to dig through when he got home- you can see from the picture above what his favorite part was- dry ice (I think the pot was still steaming when I went to bed around 11pm last night.)! My favorite part? Well, I am looking forward to a steak dinner on Christmas next week and I am fairly certain the Chocolate cake won't last that long :) Thanks, Mom!

just for me

While I was out shopping today I came across these and could not resist buying them- they were just too cute! A little early Christmas present to myself :)
P.S. they are from Pier 1, incase you are curious.

making a list, checking it twice...

Christmas gifts for preschool teachers wrapped and ready to be delivered- check :)
Slowly but surely I am getting through my Christmas to do list. I love, love, love making as many of my Christmas gifts as possible but have been knocked off my game a bit this year with the pregnancy and back pain- Things are looking up though and I am finally getting moving.

I hit a bit of a snag last night though as I was sewing Lulu's Christmas Eve PJ's- I used the smallest pattern size- XS, but it looks big enough to fit Regan! I hope that I have enough time, and fabric, to whip up something a bit smaller for her- but for now I have to move on other things! I always hate that there are all these fun sewing and crafting things going on in December that I can't share with you, but my kids love to look at the pictures and sometimes even read my blog, so it will have to wait!

Gotta get ready for the Preschool Christmas program tonight! Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow!

saying goodbye

Next week Regan and I will have to say goodbye to two good friends. They are moving out of the country for the next 18 months and we do not know if they will return to this area after that or not. The past 6 months have seen a lot of friends moving on while we are still here but this move is proving to be a particularly sad one for both me and Regan.

Anyway, Regan and I decided we needed to do something special for her friend, Haley. I snapped a few pictures of the girls together last time we saw them and then headed off to Walmart for prints and Michael's for some craft supplies. Once we had finished up school this morning I pulled out the supplies and Regan and I had a great time decoupaging this frame for their picture.
We had some much fun making it, and it turned out so well, we might just have to go back to Michael's and get another frame and "Friends" sign so that Regan can have her own to remind her of her good friend!

In other crafty news- I spent the evening on the couch last night watching SYTYCD and finishing up these ornaments. I was trying to find a creative way to display them for a photo- but it is always a challenge to find a good spot in our house to take photo's, especially in the late afternoon- the sun is blinding the the front of the house and non-existent in the back- so here are some of my attempts to photograph the ornaments!
The ball ornaments are all my own design, but the bird is a free pattern that you can find here (under free projects in right sidebar). I just LOVE the Portabellopixie patterns that I have and Sandi's fabrics are absolutely gorgeous!

out of line

I have been pretty much out of commission the past 5 days because of back pain- it seems my sacrum is all out of whack. I finally got into the Physical Therapist today and am experiencing some relief, but am still felling restricted in what I can do. At least I no longer have pain shooting down my back every step I take! Anyway, I had great plans for having a clean, Christmassy house, baking lots of cookies and bread and doing lots of crafts with the kids. Instead my house is a mess, there is no baking going on and all crafting is relegated to things that do not require much movement on my part. So with only two days of preschool left I am stitching up ornaments to give the teachers for Christmas presents and hopefully tomorrow I might get some cookies made to go along with those ornaments- here's a peak at what I've done so far...