Handmade Gifts for Christmas Could be a Possibility

There is only one drawback to having a large family, at least in my book, and that is the fact that it is almost impossible to finish a handmade gift for everyone by Christmas, especially if you are a procrastinator!   Here is a peek at the beginning of what may be Christmas gifts, but could very well end up being birthday gifts instead. 

If that ends up being the case I probably should have started in order of birth months, which, of course, I did not.  (sigh)

I guess that's all the more incentive to get on the ball....ummm....yeah, right after I decorate and clean the house, make goodies for all the Christmas parties, and do the rest of my shopping.   Oh, yeah!  I got this,  really I do.

A Christmas Card that Wasn't

For the last several years my daughter and her family have sent out a Christmas card with family photos.  This year we tried a couple of times to take pictures for her cards.  The last get together for this purpose left us with some pretty pictures, but it was getting mighty close to Christmas and since they went to the mountains for Christmas this year the cards just didn't happen.  I thought I'd share some of those photos here.  My son-in-law was still at work, and it was dark before he got home so I didn't get any shots of him.




My daughter has the ones from our first try on her camera.  It was late that day and cloudy to boot, so I don't think many of them turned out.  It was quite a fiasco as we were trying that day to depict a nativity scene with various children as Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and angels.  Our littlest angel kept making a run for it,  Joseph's clothes kept falling off,  the other kids kept making funny faces, and the dog was determined to stand in as a stable mate, and he wanted center stage.  It would have made a hilarious video.  I did get a little clip of part of it, but I couldn't figure out how to get it from the phone to here. I'm not very tech savvy.

Anyway, here a few of my favorites from our last little try.

Reminiscing Christmas

I have had so much going on during Christmas I haven't even paused to post anything Christmas related. No matter how I try to slow down and simplify during this blessed season I always find myself in a flurry. Most of it is wonderfully, special happenings, but it can still get overwhelming.

In all of the celebration I don't ever want to forget what it is that I'm celebrating. Each year I when I think of the Christmas story my mother's heart goes to Mary. I can't imagine the tidal wave of emotions she must have went through. Her expectations surely must have been different than the way her life turned out. I also think of Joseph and the battle that must have risen in him whenever doubt plagued his mind. I think of those things each year.

This year, though, I couldn't get the shepherds out of my mind. How do you suppose their lives were changed after an angel encounter and hearing the perplexing truth that the Messiah was born in a stable. They actually witnessed the scene, and after it was all over, what then? Did they go away different? Did it change the course of their lives? Were they still alive when Jesus started His ministry thirty years later? I really wish I knew.

What of us? We read the story and sing the carols, but have we truly been changed by that long ago birth, life, death, and resurrection? Some people see it only as a sweet Christmas story, part of a tradition of Christmas. Oh, I hope it is more than that to you! It is the truth that rocked the world then, and it still does today. God's only Son sent to live a perfect life and willingly lay it down in order to pay the price for the sin of mankind. We owe Him everything!

The wonder of Christmas is that we can all be changed, made new, born again. So we can celebrate that all year long! Merry Christmas!

Christmas

What a wonderful Christmas. I can't put my finger on it, but this one seems so much more special. Maybe it's because my parent's have both been ill recently and I see anew how precious life is. Maybe it is the joy of being surrounded by so many people I love that makes it so special.

I was able this year as never before to really focus on what exactly it is that we are celebrating. I'm thankful that the Nativity is more than a part of the decoration, more than a story. It's true. Jesus really came as a baby, God as man. He lived among us, He died for us, and He changed forever the way we relate to God, the Father.

I feel awkward trying to even put into words the wonder I've experienced this year. I guess it's so deep and personal that I can't explain it adequately to anyone else, but I wish I could. I wish I could put into each of your hearts the joy and awe I've encountered.

Usually there is a let down feeling for me as Christmas passes and all of the hype dies down, but not this year. All of my celebrating with others has past, but I am still celebrating inside. The reason we celebrate is not over, because the consequences of Christmas are eternal. Everyday should be a celebration for the best news that ever was told is just as true today as it was 2000 years ago. Jesus came to set me free, and I shall remain free forever. Merry Christmas!

Christmas

Christmas at our house was fun with so many little ones. 

 Gran had lots of help with the Christmas story, 

the gifts were all a hit,

 

but the biggest hit of all....................... bubble wrap!

Books, Doll Quilts and an Apron

I've been a busy little elf sewing, embroidering, wrapping, and smiling.  It is so much fun to make things for loved ones at Christmas.  I wanted so badly to make little doll quilts with a book theme for the grand daughters this year.   (This idea probably came after reading this post on Kleios Belly .  She does really great embroidery, and has wonderful ideas posted on her blog, if you haven't read it, you should!)  I started with vague ideas, searched the net, found some really inspiring ideas, and got to work.  One of my grand- daughter's favorite story is The Little Red Hen.  My original idea was to make a quilt and give the book that goes along with the story, but since this particular little girl loves this story so much, I just had to make her a Little Red Hen quilt, even if she already has the book.  I'll just give her a different book. 

 The other stories all had fabric to match, like Little Red Riding Hood fabric for the Little Red Riding Hood quilt, etc.,  but I scoured fabric sites and came up short on The Little Red Hen.  However,  I found this amazing quilt and story on a blog ironically called  The Little Red Hen .  It is a beautiful blog with gorgeous photography, beautiful quilts and needlework, and just the idea I needed for my quilt!  I wrote Lynn and asked if she would mind if I copied the pattern.  She graciously consented telling me her sister had gotten the pattern from an old children's book .  You really must go over and look it, for my work doesn't do the pattern justice!  I'm very much a beginner as you can tell from the quilts.  

I didn't figure my oldest grandson would want a doll quilt so I made him a Thomas the Train apron.  He adores Thomas, and I found a beautiful book, The Goodnight Train, to go along with it.  

This has been so much fun!  I have another apron in the works, and want to do a Pokey Little Puppy quilt as well.

Now to start wrapping and cooking!