CHRISTEPHI

I spend a great deal of time with these keys this time of year -- keeping up with holiday events, weather forecasts, Christmas shopping, tracking deliveries, and sharing the festivities with friends near and far.  I've also been prepping some for our new school year that starts in January.

I didn't have a chance to pick up my camera the whole day yesterday. I did snag this quick shot of daddy and daughter at the supper table with my phone. Daughter had been baking and was adorably smudged with flour -- or is it powdered sugar? She baked chocolate Christmas cookies for today's tea party! Today we were up bright and early (for us) to get everything ready for a last minute Christmas tea party we hosted for some local homeschoolers. We had a great turnout and the house was bursting with fun! I snapped a few shots and then gave Miss M my camera to go around and photograph everybody. Somehow, this is still the only shot that came out even halfway decent. Oh well... 

The Christmas lights adorning our front porch make super neat patterns on the ceiling of the living room where they slip in between the closed blinds. I used a slow shutter speed to capture how cool it looks!

Every year we add at least one new book to our Christmas book collection.  This year it was this book, M is for Manger , by Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley. It's almost too young for my kids, but then, are you ever really too old for sweet rhymes and gorgeous illustrations? About the Book Travel through the alphabet with this beautiful rhyming storybook that tells the story of Jesus’ birth. Begin with the angel who tells Mary that she is God’s chosen vessel and follow along until you reach the zillions of stars that paled in comparison to the star that announced the birthplace of the newborn King. Beautifully illustrated and written, this book will be a classic for parents to read to their children every Christmas season. M is for Manger Written by  Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley Illustrated by Claire Keay ISBN:  978-1496401953 Publisher:  Tyndale House Publishers 64 pages What I Thought M is for Manger is a very sweet book fo...

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. We like to idealize the past, our perfect carefree childhood Christmases, the sweet baby Jesus bundled up in a manger with cute little sheep complacently peeking at Him on the hay.  But the truth is the world Jesus was born into was just as chaotic and scary as the one we're living in today. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. Things were not picture perfect for Mary and Joseph.  They were dealing with some very tough, even life threatening, situations.  Mary was pregnant before marriage -- a po...

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is socially acceptable to turn our attention to Christmas. (That's how it works, right?)  Don't tell, but I've been in "Christmas mode" since quite a while before Thanksgiving.  This year I'm heading up a casual chorus of Christmas carolers.  Because of that, I've had Christmas carols on the brain since early October!  There couldn't be any better timing for a book about the stories behind our most beloved Christmas carols. About the Book From Oxford professor and renowned British composer, a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols. Everyone loves a carol in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of mid-winter mood, like the aroma of gingerbread or the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? Andrew Gant choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer tells the story of twenty of our fa...

Miss M adorned our nativity play set with a "palm tree." Merry Christmas everybody! December Photo Project

One final gift, made entirely by hand. This adorable polar bear will get lots of cuddles and kisses on Christmas Morn! December Photo Project

Olives on fingers is a Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition! Is it at your house too? December Photo Project

Our lovely tree, haphazardly decorated by Hubby and the kids. December Photo Project

I've been sewing like a fiend!  I made two patchwork peasant dresses with another one cut out and waiting. I made an underdress and overdress outfit for Miss M to wear in my dad's wedding.  I made Little Guy a vest and tie to wear in the wedding.  And I made this  massive   queen-sized t-shirt quilt! Mind you, I'm no quilter, so I probably did 101 things you're not supposed to do, but all in all I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!  I was given 30 shirts and used all of them (most had images on both the front and the back, a total of over 50 squares each measuring 15.5 inches).  I stabilized all the knits with ultra lightweight interfacing (a Black Friday doorbuster item at JoAnn) and backed the entire thing with a pretty purple geometric-print flannel (also from JoAnn on Black Friday).  I didn't get a photo of the back (lucky to even get this shot!), but there's also one row of t-shirts on the back.  The couple I made it for is givi...

This cheery Christmas chickadee is joyfully gracing my living room. It makes me happy every time I see it! December Photo Project

This cheery fellow and his 7 pals will be much happier were there a dusting or so of snow this Christmas!  Until then, they're content to grace our lawn and warm our hearts! December Photo Project

My grandma, June, made this wooden nativity set years ago when I was still a kid. It's a favorite part of our yearly celebration of Christmas! Grandma June is still very much alive and crafting! December Photo Project

I found this darling knit bird pattern free from the Handmade Holiday post on Plain and Joyful Living .  I made a little I-cord worm to go with it per Miss M's insistence. To make it a little safer for my young children, I used a pipe cleaner for the feet (it's all one piece and the sharp ends go way inside the stuffing so even the baby can handle it) and felt for the beak.  I really like the look of the wooden feet in the original pattern, but it wouldn't have been practical for our home.  (I wanted to make a toy, not a decoration). If I can wrest it away from Miss M, it will be a Christmas present for one of her cousins. The pretty purple yarn was just a two inch ball of wool (leftovers my mom gave me).  It suits the birdie perfectly, don't you think?

Last year we went to Applefest in Weston, MO where I waited a half hour to purchase a pint off fresh, hot apple butter.  Oh, how disappointed I was when I got home and tasted it.  The nutmeg was overpowering!  I'm not a big fan of nutmeg.  I prefer cinnamon with my apples.  I vowed that I would make my own next time.  Well, Applefest is just around the corner and I won't have to buy any nutmeg-laden apple butter, because...I made my own!  (Though mine has very little nutmeg!) Half the fun was picking the apples ourselves at our favorite local orchard .  Apple picking is a yearly family tradition. Only the Galas were open for picking that day.  They were kind of ugly since most had split open, but they made great applesauce and apple butter, so who cares what they looked like before? I used a recipe my friend found online (with only half the nutmeg called for) that used up the apple peels from making appl...

My mom has been paring down, so she brought me some craft supplies.  In the mix were a few kits for these cute Christmas ornaments. I put them together today while Little Guy was sleeping on my lap.  Cute, no?  I'll put them away for Christmas as part of the Holiday Handmade Crusade .

Two of my cousins have boys, only boys, ages ranging from 5 months up to 9 years.  When Christmas comes around, it can be expensive getting (or even making) gifts for all of them.  What I prefer is to think up something that works well for a wide range of ages and make just two, one for each family of boys. Last year I made two of these canopies .  I printed up little fliers of what the gift was so they wouldn't have to actually open it amidst all the holiday hoopla and then transferred the packages directly from car trunk to car trunk, a foresight that was much appreciated by the mothers. With the exception of the newest babies, all the boys will be able to use the canopies for imaginative play -- indoors or out!  (And as we all know, babies grow quickly, so they'll be able to join the fun in practically no time at all!) Yes, it's only February, but I'm already thinking of Christmas 2010.  I think it would be fun to make some I Spy books for the ...

I have finally finished the tree plaques I've been working on (see here and here )!  Now that they're finished, I'll be packing them away until Christmas as part of the Handmade Holiday Crusade 2010 .  I'll be giving them to my mom and I expect she'll hang them in her kitchen.  I don't know if she'll hang just one and change it out season by season, but I imagine she'll hang all four at once so she won't have to remember to change them.  I bought these self-adhesive saw-tooth plastic hangers to stick on the back (you can sort of see one there in the picture).  I just hope the adhesive is strong enough.  They've been sealed with glossy polyurethane spray.  Hubby would have liked them to be sprayed with matte finish, but I preferred the polyurethane to acrylic spray, and gloss was my only option.

I've made some progress painting my tree plaques .  That's no small task with a demanding infant and overly bouncy toddler jostling me all the time.  They aren't perfect (due to said jostling), but I'm pleased nonetheless. I love how the colors turned out -- especially the fall leaves!  I only have one problem...  What color to paint the borders.  What color would you use?