Merry Christmas Friends and Family! We hope your Christmas is full of Expectant Hope, Abiding Joy, and Unconditional Love.
XXOO Carl, Libby, Emma, Hannah, Laurel, and Ian.
I really only "made" one or two gifts this year. I'm glad that I didn't try to do more, it ended up being a little bit crazy with everyone feeling so sick.
I was happy with the way these little bread bags turned out.
The instructions came from Home Sewn. The pattern called for hemp which I had exactly zero yards of. I used linen instead. These whipped up quick- maybe an hour for one bag start-to-finish.
The cool thing about these bags is that there is a little compartment of flax seeds sewn into the bottom so that you can heat the bag and keep your bread warm. I gave the bags of bread with some balsamic flavored olive oil for dipping.
What is Christmas without some cookies and fudge? These plates went to our friends. I thought they looked pretty. I bought the plates, ribbon, and ornaments at Target.
Lastly, I made cleaning kits for teachers. (and forgot to take pictures)
The last four days have passed quietly. I've not left the house since Monday morning. The girls have been happily playing with the neighbors and enjoying an abundance of free time. Ian started crawling this week. The Christmas tree is coming down on the 26th!!!
The dishes are done. The laundry is mostly caught up. My house is fairly tidy. The last bottle of amoxicillin disappears tomorrow. There is approx 12-18 inches of snow in my back yard. We've got sleds, and movies, and cocoa, and THE NEXT FOUR WHOLE DAYS to celebrate together. Ahhh, I'm gonna soak it up.
This is going to be one of those posts with random tidbits, a few photos, and bullet points. Ready?
It snowed a lot last weekend. Like 20" a lot!! I just kept coming and coming. It's pretty don't you think? (view from my front window)
Here is a little perspective for you. Emma is sitting in the pile of snow that the city plow pushes to the sides. And no, we do not own a snowblower. It's all me (and sometimes Carl) and a shovel.
I'm working on my Christmas cards. I love tinyprints. Every year they have such great designs to pick from. With my husband being a graphic designer, I'm choosy about things like that.
Taking the picture for the card was a hilarious process. We did it in our bedroom. It involved a tripod, a timer, 4 children, and a santa hat that wasn't cooperating.
When you are working with kids you have to get it right in the first few clicks otherwise things start to go south. I'll share the end result once all of the cards go out.
I'm running slightly behind on most everything. We just cannot get out from under these germs. It has been a tough season for us. I'm chalking it up to public school. Hannah has a double ear infection, a sinus infection, some kind of respiratory thing happening, and pink eye. The others are hacking up a storm and we are going through lots of tissues. Needless to say, there are a few bottles of that pink stuff in my fridge and I hate that.
Speaking of school, I'm gathering my thoughts to summerize our experience so far. Look for that soon.
Speaking of running slightly behind (and 10 days left until Christmas!!) I love this cookie recipe. I made the icebox version with crystallized ginger on the edges. Yumm-o, and, um, totally cinchy. Make the dough now, bake them later.
I haven't done a lot of decorating this year, but lights are always a must. Isn't there something just a little bit magical about their glow? A few weeks ago I ordered several Christmas-themed books from our library (they send them right to my mailbox!!) The TV has mostly been ignored, and there has been a lot of evening reading happening. So far, these two books have been our favorites.
Okay, I'm out of time (baby crying in the the next room) and I'm out of pictures to share. I'll be back soon!
