Sharing Christmas and onto my birthday party preparations

We had a wonderful Christmas. I think it was one of the best ones yet. We spent Christmas Eve cleaning the house. Our cleaning people were due to come at 7:30 Monday morning and we wanted everything picked up so we wouldn't have to worry about it. However Christmas night we got a phone call asking if they could come this afternoon instead. So now, it is trying to keep it picked up.

Hazel's gift from Santa

In our town, we have a Santa parade on Christmas Eve that includes just about all the police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks and anyone else who wants to put lights on their truck. Santa rides on one of the fire trucks. We are lucky enough to live on the street where they turn around before they hit the next town, so they go right by our house. However Hazel did not nap. So we went to the 5 o'clock service at church and came home to have dinner. Santa was running late (as he always does compared to the schedule in the newspaper), so Hazel announced she was ready to put her pajamas on and not wait for Santa anymore. We heard him go by and she told me she just wanted him to go home. So we didn't see the Santa parade.

Hazel's and Daddy's stockings are too full to still hang.

But since she was in bed by 7 or so, Santa came early to our house. Then we got to relax!

My filled stocking...guess I wasn't that good this year. ;o)

However, Hazel was up by 5:30. Santa luckily left a gift for her under the tree in her room and it was the one thing she asked for--a Barbie doll. She played with it for 15-20 minutes before she got us back up. Then we went and opened gifts. Hazel had so many stocking gifts compared to us that she was giving us some to open for her. It took some time since she wanted to play with each gift before she opened another one.

Christmas Eve tree loaded up

Then we had breakfast together. Steve hopped in the shower and Hazel and I called my family to check in. Then we headed off to see them at Cape Cod. Hazel was so excited to see her cousin (her only first cousin) and her aunts and uncle plus of course Mimi and Pop. And of course there were more gifts there. After opening gifts we went outside to play.

Opening gifts...a doll high chair and ornaments Plus some books and blocks!

The winter marsh (and Cape Cod Bay in background)

Going to the garden to dig!

A Favorite Activity!

Playing the Gingerbread Man Chase

A Few Snowflakes Fell!

Trying to Catch Snowflakes!

Showing Pop the Game Aunt Beth Just Did with Her

Then yesterday, we went to my mother-in-law's to exchange gifts. Luckily the gifts she gave Hazel stay at her house. She then kept Hazel for the day, so I got sewing Hazel's dress for her birthday party. This week all of our crafts and what not will be in preparation for the party which is Saturday. I hope I can get everything done.

Meanwhile, Hazel is enjoying all her new gifts. Her doll high chair gets moved constantly from room to room. She brings it to the kitchen for meals, into her kitchen to feed Ducky or Baby and into the family room to play hairdresser.

How was your Christmas?

Just a few reminders: Sharing Saturday is still open and there are some great ideas there for crafts and activities especially for vacation week. And my first giveaway is open until Thursday!

Have a great week!!

Merry Christmas!!

Sharing Saturday is still open for you to enter or find some great activities and crafts for the holiday week! And my first giveaway is open. Please go sign up to win the digital scrapbooking software (it is where I made this card).

Enjoy your time with your family!!

Merry Christmas! Sharing Saturday #11

Well, I know we have been busy getting ready for Christmas (which in my family is the start of birthday season--my father, my sister, my daughter all before the end of December and my mother in January and my mother-in-law and husband in February). So it gets a bit crazy here. I am doing my best to stay calm and relaxed.  But onto our great shared ideas!

Busy Day Getting Ready for Christmas

This morning we baked our gingerbread cookies. We had made the dough yesterday, but did not have the time to bake them after it had refrigerated long enough. We used a recipe from Family Circle Magazine (a few years old). When I first made these cookies, my sister told me they were the best gingerbread she had ever tasted. We still have to decorate them after Hazel's quiet time.

My Memories Suite Review and Giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to download My Memories Suite Version 3.0, a digital scrapbooking software, so I could review it. And they offered me another copy for a lucky reader. More details soon--I know I'm so excited for my first giveaway!

A lovely visit

Yesterday Hazel and I went to visit a good friend who I don't see or speak to enough any more. I use to live in her in-law apartment when I was single. I have to say I miss the country and living on a lake. Plus a few of the great discount stores that are there.

From: Something lubely everyday

Before we left, I had shown Hazel the pictures from Sharing Saturday from Something lubely everyday: Stick Reindeer. I asked her if she would like to look for sticks to make one while we were in the woods by the lake. And of course, she answered positively. She told me to pack her buckets so we could collect our treasures, which of course I forgot.

Luckily after Hazel met Diane and Jack, the dog, we went to my absolute favorite discount store, 135 Discount, and they had metal buckets to collect treasures for a couple of dollars. (Plus all their jewelry is $4.99 or $1 for pins and earrings and we are talking costume jewelry that you could get at Macy's.) They have a mixture of everything from party supplies, clothes, Tiffany style lamps, toys, house goods, etc. and it is always cheap. We checked out another store which is new and temporary and then went to my favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch. After lunch we went home to go walk by the lake. We put on plenty of layers since it is always colder by the water and took Jack out for the walk. We walked quite a bit collecting sticks, pine cones, a feather, birch bark, etc. Some ended up on Hazel's nature table.

Hazel's Nature Table

Another shot of the other side

We walked to where a neighbor had made a small beach. The lake and land around it is part of a closed state park, so it is a small beach, but he added some rock seats. Hazel had a blast throwing rocks into the water. Then we headed back and Diane offered to cut some greens for me so I could get the smell of Christmas in my house since we have an artificial tree--I really miss my real tree of my childhood, but Steve doesn't like them.

While we clipped various greens, Hazel chased Jack. She had such a great time running around and being free. Plus Jack is the most friendly dog and it was instant love for them.

Then it was time for us to head home. When we got home, we looked at our treasures and picked the sticks to make into reindeer. And with the glue gun we made them.

Finally something I made for Hazel's stocking. I saw this idea at Helping Little Hands. I wanted to get her a Curious George ornament but all of the stores that carry Hallmark ornaments are sold out around here, so I made her a book ornament. And while I was at it, I made an Elmo and Caillou ones too. Since they are her favorites I figured it would be a nice way to remember what she was into this year. On the first page of each one I wrote her name and the year. In the Curious George book, I also found some pictures from the story and included a couple pages.

Shared on:

Happy Hanukkah!

I grew up in a town with a rather large Jewish population. Although I am not Jewish I have many friends who are. So in honor of them and to all of you who are I thought I would feature a few of our Sharing Saturday posts that are about Hanukkah. It begins tonight, Tuesday, December 20th at sundown.  Sharing Saturday is still open and there are new posts arriving every day, so please go check them out and let me know which ones you like best!

Monday = Preparations

Today is one of those days I'm suppose to be able to relax, but with Christmas this week, I'm running around trying to get things done. Hazel is over at my mother-in-law's for the day. We went to the post office this morning and mailed the last of our gifts including this felt dragon that I finished last night. I got the pattern from the most recent Living Crafts Magazine. An excellent magazine for anyone who likes to do handwork and all natural crafts.

Busy Weekend...Baking, Cooking, and Candle Making oh and the Pageant

Yesterday, we did some holiday baking. We made snickerdoodles, peppermint bark and some reindeer cookies that I have been seeing all over Pinterest. We used red sugar in our cinnamon sugar for the snickerdoodles to give them a festive look. I used the recipe in my Better Home & Gardens Cookbook, but they have it on line as well.

For the peppermint bark we used a recipe from Martha Stewart Magazine. Of all the recipes I have tried from there this is the only one I liked. Hazel had fun opening the candy canes and helping break them into tiny pieces. I didn't take a picture of the finished product, but it looks similar to the one on the recipe.

Before Baking

For the reindeer cookies, I admit we used slice and bake sugar cookies. For some reason I have the worst luck with sugar cookies when I make them homemade. Plus I was trying to make sure we had something fun to decorate that Hazel could help with and not have to refrigerate for an hour or more before going on. I used chocolate covered pretzels (from Trader Joe's) and M&M's. They were so easy and turned out pretty cute.

After Baking

We some of each type to church today for the annual cookie swap. The cookie swap is a fundraiser for the high school youth group to go on their mission trip over the summer. You bring in cookies and then people pay $10 for a decorated box (decorated by youth group) and can fill box with the variety of cookies everyone brought in up to 3 dozen. We didn't get around to making gingerbread cookies yet, but will this week.

On Friday night, we made some candles. I had bought two kits of Pure Beeswax Honeycomb Candle Kits at the Cape Ann Waldorf School's Holiday Fair. The kits come from Hinode Farm. My idea was to try the Cookie Cutter Candles from Family Fun. Well we did one. I don't know if my wax wasn't warmed up enough or if it was suppose to be so hard to cut it with the cookie cutters, but I hurt my hand and felt like it was a huge waste of wax.  However we did make one.

Then we started rolling them. Much easier and more efficient. We used the scraps from the cookie cutter ones to decorate. To make the striped ones I looked at the tutorial on Hinode Farm's website. We are giving some as gifts to family, but most Hazel did not want to part with. We also rolled the few big scraps of the red and got very small ones.

Hazel wanted to keep all the blue ones.

The ones Hazel would give away

Today at church we had our Christmas Pageant. Hazel and I were angels. They changed it this year so the kids didn't have to rehearse and the also involved all the congregation who wanted to participate and be part of the story. It was fun. Oh, and our good friends who we have a play date with every week was the holy family. Hazel was Baby Jesus her first Christmas and was an angel last Christmas. She wouldn't walk down the aisle without me either year so I have been an angel both years as well.

Oh, and we started our day yesterday reading Curious George Makes Pancakes, and we made banana blueberry pancakes. So much fun to read and do the same activity as one of her favorite characters. George after all comes for a playdate every day according to Hazel.

One last craft, that we did ages ago, but I don't think we shared.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and have a great week! Try to find peace this week and not all the craziness of the holidays!

Sharing Saturday #10

Wow, we have shared so many amazing ideas the past few weeks. Thank you so much for sharing them with me. I know I always am inspired by them. This week I was late visiting them and leaving comments, but I have to say it was wonderful to go and see comments from all of you saying you were visiting from Sharing Saturday. Thank you for sharing the blog love with one another!

Christmas is almost here!

Is anyone else feeling the holiday stress? I know I planned ahead so I wouldn't yet I feel like this week I have been running around without any time. I'm not sure how that happened. I guess starting with a sick child and lots of last minute tutoring jobs.

Well, yesterday we went to school and made a neat craft, a star window. It was very easy. We started with a picture mat and glued on a handmade paper cover (which our teacher had already cut to fit). Then we glued a piece of vellum to the back. Then we cut out stars from various papers (foils, handmade and a bit sturdier paper for the kids to cut) and arranged them on another sheet of vellum, gluing them once we decided where we wanted them. Then glue the second vellum to the first and you are done. Our teacher said the original instructions called for tissue paper instead of vellum, but she thought the vellum would be easier and prettier.

When we came home we finished the rest of our pine cone trees. We included garland on these. We also wrapped most of Hazel's gifts to give to people. She had to decide which of each craft was going to various family members and her godparents.

We also decorated some foam and wooden trees and a gingerbread man. I got the foam trees last year and we decorated them with stickers and glued on a small picture of Hazel from the Sears $7.99 package (too small for much else) and gave them as gifts. This year we used all of our glitter glue and other decorations. I'm not sure what we are going to do with them, but we had fun.

Have a great weekend! Stop by tonight or tomorrow for Sharing Saturday!! And go check out last week's entries, so I can figure out who to feature by the popular vote.

Mingling....

All day yesterday, I thought it was Thursday--maybe because I thought Tuesday was Wednesday. However I kept looking for the Blog Hop. So today, I am Mingling over at I HEART CRAFTY THINGS. Come join me! It is a great way to find new wonderful blogs to read and get some new readers of your own!

Busy errands and things

First I have to start by saying Happy Birthday to Amy over at One Artsy Mama. I am participating in her BIG Birthday Celebration by donating my needle felted Dala horse for her giveaway. She is giving away 17 ornaments to 17 lucky readers. Go over and check them out for a chance to win.There are really some beautiful ones. I'm having trouble picking my favorite.

Now that Hazel is finally feeling better, we spent the morning running errands. Most of the errands had to do with Hazel's birthday party. Hazel's birthday is New Year's Eve, so we always plan her party for the first since people are off. This year since it is on a weekend we are actually having her party on her birthday, but in the morning so we won't mess up anyone's New Year's Eve traditions.

Every year we have had a large themed party for Hazel. For her first birthday we did a cupcake theme because I feel in love with some plates that said "Our Little Cupcake Is Turning 1." I searched everywhere for cupcake things and this was the year before cupcakes were in. I found very little, but did find a template to make paper cupcakes for favors filled with pink and purple M&M's. Needless to say we had cupcakes instead of birthday cake. My mother knitted her an adorable cupcake hat from a pattern I found in a magazine.

For her second birthday our theme was Tea for Two. We had a tea party. I made finger sandwiches and lots of tea and sweets. I had people sign a paint your own small tea set when they came. And on top of her cake was another paint-your-own tea set--this one mini that my nephew and I painted. (He painted and I adjusted the colors a bit so there wasn't so much black.) Again there was not much out there for tea parties yet. Now I see them everywhere. I seem to be a year ahead of all the trends. I did however find at Michaels on Clearance garden tea cups with attached saucers for thirty-nine cents each and bought enough for the favors. I filled each one with two tea bags and a small tea cup note book. For the older kids I had paint your own tea cup, but unfortunately, all but one was sick and unable to come.

So for her third birthday, I think I already shared, my theme is nursery rhyme. Come on after making dish and spoon costumes for Halloween could I pick anything else. I found some great paper at the Christmas Tree Shop for twenty five cents for twenty five sheets. Then I thought about rhymes for the invitation. This is what I came up with:

Isn't the paper perfect? Now I'm working on decorations, food, and activities along with the theme. I bought some strawberry tarts from Yankee Candle on clearance for adult favors and plan to make scented (and possible glittered) homemade play dough for the kids.  I want to have different stations like pat-a-cake with some homemade play dough, a Jack be nimble jumping contest, Humpty Dumpty Puzzles, photo ops with a Hickory Dickory Dock clock and a tuffet and large spider for Little Miss Muffet (and make a white bonnet like she wears).

I'm also helping a bit with the planning of a friend's son's first birthday party. The theme is Winter One-derland. I'll share more on that another time.

Do you do theme parties?

Getting ready for winter solistice

Today, Hazel seems to be on the mend. Her fever is gone! Her nose is not as runny and we haven't given her any medicine today. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to want to nap, but we are having quiet time right now. We'll see if it works. I don't think it will.

Lazy Monday with a sick Hazel

Hazel definitely has a cold or some bug. She still has her runny nose and slight fever. I took her to the doctor's since I just got over strep, but the initial test was negative. So it has been a needy day with my toddler. However, I did get a bit of sewing done finally. I promised Steve awhile ago I would make new valances for our kitchen from some fabric I had. Since it was old fabric I had to make do with what I had, so this is how they came out. Steve decided awhile ago we needed new kitchen curtains and we decided on these yellow ones that I bought at KMart (I think).

My other surprise today was I got my last angel in the angel swap. Here is a picture of all the angels Hazel and I received in the swap.

So my other thought of the week, if you won a million dollars what would you do with the money? As I was thinking about this, I realized that a million dollars does not go very far anymore. The top things on my list were pay off our mortgage and buy my sister a house and pay off my other sister's mortgage and put some away for Hazel's schooling (both K-12 and college) and some for my nephew's college fund. I'm sure I would be over a million by then, but I would also want to donate some to church which needs a new roof, new kitchen, etc. It is a never ending list. So what would you do if you won a million dollars?