nestled all snug

after going on and on to others about how i won't let myself feel bad about not making something special for anna because, after all, wouldn't it be nicer to make something WITH her after the rush of Christmas is over--i gave in and made her something special. and i'm so happy that i did. it didn't take too long, i learned a little more about sewing, and i think she'll really enjoy playing with it. i toyed around with making a dress for a doll--a doll which i picked up almost a year ago and still had hidden away until a few days ago. it's an old madame alexander doll similar to one which anna already has two of. but this one is from 1964 and sports a squeaker in her tummy. once i spotted her at a junk shop, i just couldn't leave her behind. it's body is a little shabby so i was trying to come up with a way to make her more presentable. after giving up on the dress idea, i came up with the idea for a sleeping bag. it's something anna can put other dolls in as well and can do it independently. seems like i'm always dressing her dolls for her. i pieced together various fabric, including remnants of an old dishtowel that i love dearly but was covered in grease stains.

i'm glad i didn't complete this until last night because i can't wait much longer to give it to anna.

for amy

this little candy-looking parcel will hopefully soon be in the crafty hands of my friend.

snow!

What happens when you ask a three year old to please go get the big bag full of fluffy, soft, white poly-fil and that three year old then asks for scissors? And then gets busy cutting up the plastic bag which you pretend not to notice because while you'd rather her not be doing this, you also really need to get just a little more sewing done and she's so pleasantly occupied and what does it hurt anyway if a little of the poly-fil makes its way out the bag? You get snow! Snow under the Christmas tree! Snow to slide around on as if you're on skates! Snow to take with you into your room! And a big exclamation of, "Mama! This is so much fun!"

received

I'm so excited. What could be better than seeing something wonderful on someone else's blog? Getting that something for Christmas! Or your daughter getting it, rather. I first saw it here and now it's at my house, having already been read four times since yesterday. Thank you, Amy, for Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Bake A Cake. We love it! Man, those girls wear the sweetest aprons.

(More about the other ingenious gift from Amy coming soon!)

hanging from the tree

a few years ago, i began venturing outside my boxes of traditional christmas ornaments and finding things around the house to hang on the tree. little things that i love to look at, but often take for granted. things that deserve to hold a place of honor once in a while. i love love love looking at them all christmas-time long. some of these objects include:

a tiny pocketwatch, an old rollerskate key, a string of buttons, a picture of our old cat workie (oh how i miss him), a creepy little bisque doll with no eyes, and a single miniature pinecone that i hung for eli last year when he was just a tiny thing in my tummy. then there are the hand-me-down bells and balls from my great-grandmother, little handmade elves from my grandmother, ornaments i've picked up at yard sales over that past ten years and special ornaments given to anna and eli from my mom.

i think the sign of a happy tree is when you enjoy looking at it even when the christmas lights aren't lit.

i don't go overboard when decorating but i love to stick a little decoration here or there, an old christmas postcard in the corner of the secretary shelf, a few wooden angels on the ledge of the door molding, a teeny tiny stocking on anna's doll highchair....most of these used to go unnoticed but these days my work pays off thanks to my highly observant three year old.

Two Down, Countless More To Go

Project No. 1: I've been trying to determine what type of window treatments our sunny, new bathroom would like to wear. Privacy would be nice but I can't stand blocking all the natural light that flows in (which makes it the warmest room in the house). So for now, this seems to be the solution: two fifty cent dishtowels hung on a thin rod in the bottom half of each window, leaving the top half exposed. Oh, it feels good to make a decision.

Project No. 2: I've owned a can of that spraypaint that turns any piece of wood into a chalkboard for at least 3 years and never used it. I remembered it the other day when I was trying to come up with a way to paint a wooden serving tray for my Dad. The spraypaint can had sat in the same spot in the laundry room for almost these three years when I recently decided to move it. Of couse then I couldn't remember where I'd moved it to. That always happens. But while I happened to be in the back building, looking for a rake, I spotted the paint in a place I never would have looked. I sprayed it on, painted the rest of the tray cream and am pretty happy with how it looks. The drawback to this product seems to be that chalk doesn't erase all that well from the surface. Nevertheless, my Dad will probably still appreciate it, especially since as soon as the paint was dry, I handed the chalk over to Anna. I love how my ho-hum gifts get stepped up a notch when they have anything to do with our kids.

Casting On

I had a few gift ideas that involved knitting. I got my needles out, sorted through my yarn, and set to work. Although I was all geared up to knit for a good long time, I stopped myself after about 20 mintues, remembering that last year when I knit for a long period of time (after not having knit for a few months), I got a bad case of Knitter's Thumb. At least, that's what I like to call it. The thumb on my right hand was stiff and sore for at least 3 weeks. It doesn't sound very tough to admit that the reason you flinch when shaking someone's hand is that you've had a knitting accident.

At any rate, this time around, after playing it safe and not over-knitting, the next time I picked up my needles, I had the quandry that I almost always have when I revisit a knitting project in which I am alternating from *knit* to *purl.* WHAT DID I DO LAST? Do I knit or do I purl? I examine the rows and my mind turns to jell-o. I cross my fingers (not really or I wouldn't be able to knit very well) and I decide that surely I ended on a purl. So I knit. And only after two more rows do I see that I have not chosen wisely. So I decide I'll incorporate my mistake into a ribbed pattern that looks intentional. But soon I make the same mistake again and decide that I should probably start over. I think it's time to come up with a system that works for remembering. And just forget the stockinette stitch until then.

Meanwhile, Anna has been begging me for some yarn and needles of her own so she can knit. Maybe she'll be better at keeping up with her knits and purls.

Do glasses really coast?

I finally pulled out the sewing machine. I have mixed feelings about doing this because while it indicates that I'm working towards completing some projects, it also means there will be a big mess on the dining room table for some time. And the dining room table is smack in the middle of our house where I see it, walk by it, and give it the evil eye all the day long. But there's really no other place for the sewing machine until one day we get our act together and organize the attic. It has such potential. I've decided recently that things (particularly areas of my house) which have potential bring me down. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to make these things reach their potential. Sigh.

On a brighter note, I started and finished a little something. It began as a pincushion and due to its largish size turned into a coaster. It's made from a skirt of blue and green fabric with little birds which I rescued out of an old empty house (the skirt, not the birds). The waistband was just on the side of being too small...not small enough to rule it out for a couple of years though. I've pulled it out of my closet countless times, but never actually worn it. But in my present state of being tired of all of our *stuff* that we don't use, I didn't hesitate the other night when the urge struck to take the scissors to it. There is an immense amount of material so I should get some good use out of it. So far, so good. This will probably go to my lovely Aunt Sue for Christmas.