Sunday--family things

We went back to our hometown Sunday for a belated Christmas visit and were delighted to receive these snowmen ornaments above, made by my Grandma (who will be 90 this year). She also made the cute snowman below, the chenille is from my Great Grandma Daisy's bedspread. I adore these, it's so special to me to have family handiwork. Lily has claimed the snowman with the pink hat.

Mom also asked me to go through the bookcases for any books I might want and I gathered a stack.  I love this Little Farmer one by Margaret Wise Brown!

And, I was looking at Mom's coverlets and they are so amazing.  The ones she has date within a few decades of the 1850's.  Mom never paid more than $20 for any of them, she scoured auctions to find them (that's our family thrifting spirit!).  I love that.  I hope to find a quilt or coverlet that I can afford that way, too.  So anyway, I was saying how I would love to find some wool blankets and wondered if I would have better luck in New England, it would seem so.  So she pulled out these 2 family wool blankets and gave them to me!  Whee!  She'd forgotten she even had them, didn't know what to do with them, and was happy I wanted them.  She often comments how alike we are.  About certain things, yes.  I'm sure she will never understand my nose piercing though!

christmas wrap-up

The presents got wrapped on christmas eve by Rob and I and it didn't take too long at all. We really strived to not give too much, just a few presents for each child. And I realized as we were wrapping that only one thing for the children was plastic (the mp3 player). It wasn't a conscious decision to NOT buy anything plastic (after all, my hoops are plastic, as are the bilibos we love and my new digital SLR (!!!)), but as I strive to live in accordance with my values--basically rejecting mainstream toys and marketing and commercialization of children--that's how it played out.

I was happy to realize too that we saved money while giving special things--I got the PLAN rocking horse and deluxe road set both used, the MP3 was used too, and the books and train tracks were purchased at independent stores, which is really important to me too. We didn't buy a single toy in a chain. We're making strides and will continue on this path, and it is exciting.

The day began at 4 am. Yes, 4 am. Oh, the magic and wonder!

Grace cleverly re-gifted toys to her brother and sister that she didn't want anymore.  Lily loved getting the pink bilibo.

Books!

Hockey skates (thank you, craigslist!!)

Lily diapered her new doll.

Calvin's doll takes a horseback ride.

Big bedhead.

Happy merrymaking!

What I like to see

The TV is off and doors are closed.  Christmas music is playing softly.

Children are enjoying a stack of their library books.

Can't wait to read these!  The Chicks Christmas is by Felicia Bond, author of Four Valentines in a Rainstorm, which I adore.  The Story of Holly and Ivy is by Rumer Godden, and the other little book is Christmas Is a Time of Giving (c. 1961) by Joan Walsh Anglund.  Sweet illustrations!

In other news--I am going to be starting a photography project in January that I have wanted to do for a long time.  I will need to have a good camera though (no offense to my current camera, you have served me well.  your pictures are not clear though.  I'm so sorry).  So, for photography people, what do you have?  I am looking at Nikons and Canons.  Nothing terribly fancy.  I don't even know what that kind of camera is called, the kind with lenses and stuff.  Pro cameras?  I pretty much say 'you know, the not-point-and-shoot-kind.'

cutest round stamp ever, pipecleaner christmas tree, and jean patching

I had a coupon code for Sweet Papery and got this cute stamp.  I've wanted one for years!  sweet papery

I love it.  Lily did the cutting there.

And I've been meaning to make this, from Martha Stewart.  Hint:  you need to double up the pipecleaners when you make the 'snowflakes', otherwise they're way too flimsy.  At least the pipecleaners I used.

And I am trying to get my mending done.  I wondered how best to patch the 4 holes (one on each top corner of my jeans pockets) and then I got some embroidery floss and sewed side to side and then wove it in the length of the hole.  I'll see how it holds up--hopefully no more underwear peeking through!

And this (darn fuzzy camera!)...I saw this a couple years ago now somewhere--it's like magic I swear.  To tie a knot--put the needle point facing the thread end as shown.

Wrap around a couple times, hold on and slip down the needle and length of the thread.

And you have a knot! It always stops about an inch before the end of the thread.  Amazing!