Puppet Party

One of my favorite Christmas crafts this year included finger puppets for the younger nieces and nephews. Each puppet highlights a letter of the alphabet so I spelled the kids names for them. They are so cute and super fun to make.

These little felt puppets delight kids. Even now, with my youngest being 8, she still loves to play with them, of course now, the kids are taking an interest in possibly making their own sets. I love to see that desire to create beginning to burst forth from my children. Creating interesting projects is a wonderful way to spend one's time, and I love to watch my kids grow and develop these talents for crafting. There is no joy like watching someone you love develop new skills that you know will bless their lives.

Christmas Concert

Less than a week before Christmas we enjoyed being entertained by our children and their classmates at the School Christmas Concert. There was singing and acting both followed up by a visit by a skinny Santa Claus who handed out bags of goodies to all the good girls and boys.

Myles played the part of a policeman who had to help save Christmas. He looks so grown up wearing his dad's shirt for his costume.

 Breanna really feels the spotlight when she has to stand on the stage - but she's so cute up there with her classmates.

 Melodee was in a play and had a fairly long part. I wasn't surprised that she had it memorized perfectly. That girl has an amazing ability to memorize.

 Charity has learned to play the recorder and played Silent Night with her class after doing a short skit in which she was an angel.

Doesn't Beth look beautiful? Beth played the part of a bridesmaid in her Christmas play. This was a well done act and they kept the audience well engaged with the humor and antics of the actors.

I can't believe how quickly my kids have grown. I can't imagine a life without kids. For Chad and I, they are our focus, our joy, our delight and yes, sometimes our challenge, but they are far better than they are bad. We are so blessed to be parents.

Christmas Pictures

Every year I try to take Christmas pictures of the kids in front of the Christmas tree. Two years ago our tree started falling apart, so last year we had a real tree, but this year the kids wanted the tree up so early we went back to the artificial tree, well, despite the repair job it got, it didn't last long and less than 12 hours later it had some of the larger branches drooping unnaturally toward the floor. We twisted the branches together to encourage them to stay up only to have others reach for the floor. It seemed to be a losing battle, but not so bad that it needed to be taken down. Well, Shylah decided that that tree would never do and she set about fixing the problem showing up a short week or so later with a lovely replacement. What a delight! Now every time I look at my Christmas tree I think not only of Christmas, but also of my daughter. What a joy! So Shylah and the kids set about undecorating the old one and putting the new one up complete with decorations! Now I have a lovely tree to take Christmas pictures of. They are nothing fancy, but here they are:

 And I even managed to get a photo of Chad and I this year. I am so blessed to have such a good husband and such fabulous kids. I can't even begin to express the depth of my gratitude for this my special family.

Tried and True Nativity Traditions

I love traditions! I love that they not only focus on Christmas but they also focus on family. I have a feeling that as my children begin to leave home, we will build and develop new family traditions to add to the ones we already have. But here is on of my favorite traditions that we do every year.

The nativity story is almost magical. It is so deeply reverent and miraculous that it inspires a great sense of gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father who loves us enough to allow His precious Son to pay the price for our mistakes so that we can return one day to live with Him again. That said, our tradition focuses on this story. Each Christmas eve the kids dress up in Bethlehem attire to act out the birth of their Savior. Each year they work out the parts they will play and dress up accordingly. This year, though it is hard to tell because it kind of looks like she is wearing a cape, Beth chose to be the donkey. It's a lot of fun for Mary to ride into the room on her 'donkey' so we love to have that part played.


Joseph (played by Naomi) helps Mary (Breanna) off the donkey (Beth)

So precious - Mary looks tenderly at baby Jesus.

 Melodee - our shepherd - hastening to Jerusalem to see the baby Jesus.

  Group shot: Melodee (shepherd), Naomi (Joseph),  Charity (angel), Breanna (Mary), Beth (donkey), Myles (wiseman)

 Alisha who played the part of spectator, joins in the group shot. Chad read the story and I played the Christmas music in the background.

I love that many of the actions and parts that the kids fill are things that they have seen depicted in the Grassy Lake Ward pageant which up until this year, has been one of our favorite Christmas traditions. However, since the Grassy Lake ward was dissolved this year, there is no more Grassy Lake pageant - making our own family nativity all the more precious to us. What a joy it is to remember this sacred Christmas story together as a family.

Perfectly Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of year that allows us to ponder on and think about the birth, life and mission of our Savior Jesus Christ. During this season, people are more inclined to think of others and reach out to those in need. However, Christmas has become a very materialistic holiday. To combat this, we super simplified Christmas this year. We told the kids they would each get one gift, though we ended up getting them each 2.

The kids, knowing that Christmas was scaled down, began putting together special gifts for one another. I loved how this whole month little gifts would mysteriously appear under the tree. Several of my children took me aside to enlist my help or advice in the creation of a special gift for another family member.

Myles made a fabulous gift for his sister, Melodee. He stitched each letter of her name onto both sides of a pillow. Here is the finished project just after Melodee opened it up.

Christmas day was a happy day. We enjoyed the whole day together doing family things. First off we enjoyed our traditional waffle breakfast with berries and whipped cream on them. Accompanied this year with eggnog, we filled up fast and began to get ready to go to church.

Our Sunday services only included Sacrament Meeting this Sunday on account of the special day that it was. Most of our family is in the choir and so all but the three youngest sat on the stand during the last half of the meeting. Those girls were very well behaved and it even looked like they were listening most of the time. What a blessing they are! With church over, we greeted our ward family members and friends and returned home to a light lunch before we began opening gifts. There were some very happy kids.

 

Well, there they all are, and Chad even got me a wonderful gift - just what I had wanted.

I am so thankful for Christmas, for the season of giving it is. I love the family get togethers, pleasant surprises and special meals. I love the quiet moments that are consistent each year after the gifts are all opened and still being discovered, put away, and tried out. I love how the home is filled with peace that one day of every year without fail. I feel so blessed to have many moments of peace every day of my life. I have the most amazing children. A mother couldn't ask for better, they bring me so much joy!

Pecan Pie

A few weeks ago we were in Cardston having lunch and one of the dessert choices was pecan pie. They also had eggnog flavored ice cream which given the time of year sounded very appealing. The ice cream won out so I decided I would try my hand at making pecan pie when I got home. I bought pecans on the way home hoping I had everything else I needed at home as I have never made pecan pie before. It took a while to bake but it worked!!! Yummy. This is the recipe I used.

No Name Pecan Pie

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup pecan pieces

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup untoasted pecan halves

1 unbaked pie shell, 9 inch

In a heavy saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of the butter, corn syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle boil, stirring often, until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 30 minutes – it should cool down into a gel-like consistency.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine remaining 6 tablespoons butter and chopped pecans. Cook pecans and butter together over medium heat, stirring often, until butter begins to brown. Remove skillet from heat and allow pecans/butter mixture to cool.

Transfer cooled corn syrup mixture to a mixing bowl. Mix in eggs, salt, vanilla and pecan/butter mixture. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell.  Arrange the untoasted pecan halves around perimeter of pie.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. for 12 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees F. and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

Crafty Family Letters

I love to paint! I love to be able to choose colors and create combinations that complement one another. Well this project wasn't very complicated to say the least, but it sure was fun to put together. This project is made from wooden letters, thin dowels and a base. The base has 4 round buttons on the bottom that elevate it off the surface and give it a finished look. It also has a number of pre-drilled holes for the letters to sit in.

Here is the finished project!

The 'A' is designed to hold a family photo in it.

As I put this project together I couldn't help but ponder the importance of order and rules. If we didn't have language rules and letters that work together, we would not be able to communicate in any way but by speaking to one another, and while that is important, to me it is equally important to be able to write down important thoughts, things I need to remember, and to record the fun times that I will cherish forever. The letters A F I L M Y only spell 'family' when they are placed in the proper order and sequence. Just this one word, reminds me of the need for order in life. Order in life can only be accomplished by following the laws of God, just like the word family can only be deciphered using the laws of the English language. I am so thankful for laws and order. They bring peace and contentment into my life every day as I seek to abide closely to them. I  am so thankful for the Lords blessings in my life.

Paper, Plastic, Wood, Glass and Ceramic

Paper, plastic, wood, glass and ceramic. What do they all have in common you might ask? These were  my vinyl projects! I love the divine nature of the family. I love it's great potential for happiness, joy, safety and security, love and acceptance. I love how the family is the most basic and fundamental unit of society. In short, family is very important to me, not just family,  but a strong family. A loving, caring, serving, working, happy family. So that was my focus this year for my paper, plastic, wood, glass and ceramic projects. The two things they all have in common is their family theme and my Cricut - which worked together to make some projects I loved! Here are the pictures:


The first 2 are large tiles (ceramic).

This tile is a smaller tile.

Then I decorated some mirrors (glass)

And the final project was wooden blocks with words with each side decorated. (wood and paper)

I love vinyl. It makes the best projects in such a short amount of time! It is amazing, and I love the versatility it offers. I have labelled drawers and containers and put fun sayings on my walls. I love words, and the pictures they paint, the feelings they convey and the emotions they carry. I love to make things that add to the feelings and atmosphere that I desire in my home. I am so blessed. I have fabulous kids and a wonderful husband. Our family strengthens with each day, each experience and each learning moment. Each day is a joy to live!

Christmas Projects Continued...

So you might have noticed that my blogging dropped off to near non-existence. I have been so busy preparing for Christmas that I couldn't even tell you about it... The biggest project of the month was a crocheted blanket I made for my sister. I took me all of 3 if not 4 weeks to complete it. My husband helped me by untangling the many threads hanging off the back as I worked the rows back and forth, and he kept my mind busy by reading to me the entire time. We went through 4 novels before I finished the project, and even at that, there was still a little more to do.

So let me tell you about this project. This was an afghan for my little sister who loves horses and owns more than you can count on your fingers. I have two children who also absolutely adore horses as well so it was fun to see this project come together. I started at the bottom of the afghan and worked in the feet first, working my way up to the ears of a black and grey horse. It's not quite big enough to cover a bed, but it is perfect for curling up in front of the TV on a chilly winter evening.

Here is a picture of the first half of the blanket. You can kind of see the web of threads coming off the top of the design and if you look close you will even see the book my husband was reading to me just  before I stopped to take a break and of course a picture.

The kids checked my progress frequently as I continued to work on the project.

Now, here is a photo of the completed project! Wow! It felt good to be done in time - I didn't finish it until the day before it had to be!

I love to crochet! I love how the design comes together so quickly (I'm comparing it to knitting which I love the look of but never mastered). I had so much fun, despite the deadline, putting this afghan together. It has been too long since I took on a project like this one. I am so thankful I learned to crochet and that through it I can bring joy to the faces of others.

As I made this blanket I couldn't help but think of how we are so much like an afghan. Each thread on each row reminds me of the experiences we have, our reactions to them, and the character we develop as a result. As we seek to become the best we can be a beautiful picture develops, but it takes a lot of time, patience, work and an implicit trust in God to finally come to see that lovely end result. It is hard to look into our own futures and see what lies there and that is why it is so important to place ourselves into the hands of God allowing him to weave our lives into the beautiful designs only He can create. There is such joy in being able to place confidence and trust in God - with Him, NOTHING is impossible!!!

My Brother

So today is catch up day and I thought I'd begin with telling you about my brother! Here is a picture:

My sewing machine is 20 years old. As the month began I began once again struggling with it as I worked to assemble some items for Christmas, it was very slow and filled with problems which indicated that it needed replaced. I picked up my new machine (above) a few weeks ago and it has helped me zip through my sewing projects and has made sewing fun again not to mention it was a good price all very good reasons to bring a smile to my face, but the best one of all is knowing that I am now prepared to sew the more complicated projects greeting me.

I find great pleasure and joy in being able to make nice things for my family. I love to see the delight and anticipation on their faces as they watch and participate in the assembly process. I love to see my children learn and develop new skills and interests. What joy I find in my children and husband!!!

What I Want My Children to Know about Family

Family is the greatest blessing I have. I love having all my children home and together. I love to watch them interact with one another and enjoy each other's company. As I have thought about family, there are a few ideals that I hope my children will learn as they grow up together:

• Family members always give each other the benefit of the doubt. They are not quick to pass judgement or criticize.
• Family members are willing to open their minds to both sides of a story or situation so that it can be resolved quickly and lovingly.
• There is no such thing as competition within a family. Family members help and support one another and find joy in the accomplishments and strengths of each other.
• Family is always there when you need a friend.
• Each family member is a valued and important thread in the tapestry of family.
• For a family to be strong forgiveness and humility must be constants in the life of each member.

I suppose that all these things can be summed up in one word - LOVE. When our feelings of love supercede our own desires and we temper our own reactions to one another to always reflect love, then we have built that family that will stay together forever and always. 

I am so thankful for my family. My family is the source of my greatest joys and I find joy and delight in them every day. What a blessing they are in my life.

Christmas Projects

There are lots of special Christmas projects currently under way. I will share with you only just a few. To share too many would be like opening the gifts way before Christmas gets here and I know that none of you ever peak at your presents ....

Here is what I gave the sisters I visit teach

I love stickers, so when I was in the crafts store, these ones spoke to me. I'm not sure exactly how I want to finish off this mirror, but this is what it looks like so far...

And then there is the ... Oh I can't tell you about that yet. I'll post pictures after Christmas so you can see the process involved in that one. And then there are some wonderful... Yeah, I'll post pictures of those later too. No peaking you know

So much to get done, I think I'll get back to it!
PS I'm looking for some easy but lovely Christmas ornament making ideas. If anyone has any, let me know, I'd love to try a few new ones this year.

Christmas Magic

Well, ready or not, Christmas is coming!!!! It seems that everywhere we go anymore there is Christmas music playing and busy people scurrying around trying to get everything done for the holiday to make their Christmas perfect! I tend to steer clear of the crowds a bit as I prefer the quick in and back out again style of shopping. This year, I'm making more of Christmas than I am buying. I have watched my children as I have quietly gone about making gifts. Funny, gifts are starting to appear under our tree, and I haven't put any there. The kids are going through their crafty supplies, and creating special little surprises for one another. I love to watch their careful preparations, and the excitement that always comes with a carefully prepared gift for someone you love
As I watch I can't help but ponder the joy of giving! It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. Christmas's of giving hold extra special feelings and joys that can be come by no other way.