We all sat around the table after breakfast yesterday working on Christmas-y things. Alex started carving our Christmas card, and Eli wanted to carve something too. Nick helped Eli with that while I worked on our Advent calendar activity cards.
We listened to Christmas music while we worked. It was such a lovely time of creating together! Alex is also working on a set of four cards that he plans to sell like he did last year. This years cards feature birds, and are beautiful.
Alex's only Christmas request was for me to sew him a stuffed Big Brown Eyes. (His favorite of our chickens) I found this wonderful chicken pattern from Ikat Bag, and with help from my mom sewed two chickens for my boys for Christmas. We changed the pattern a bit, so the egg tube doesn't go the whole way to the top of the chicken...I don't think Alex would approve of changing chicken anatomy.
Made of fleece, these hens are very soft, big and puffy. Just like our Buff Orpingtons in real life! The little wooden eggs Eli got for his birthday last year fit perfectly in the hens. I'm pleased with how this project turned out, and the boys love their hens! My next chicken project is to print a blank January calendar so Alex can keep track of our (real) chickens egg production. We did that with our last flock, when we had 8 layers at one point, and it's so fun to see how many eggs we get each day.
"The second light of Advent is the light of plants–
Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance."~Rudolph Steiner
We added things from the plant kingdom to our Advent table this week, pine cones, acorns, cones from a Speckled Alder tree, greens and holly. We're also doing some plant-related crafting: we made salt dough ornaments printed with evergreen needles, my mom and Alex gathered greens and made a wreath for our door, and tomorrow we go to our nature class at the county park about trees.
Alex designed, carved and printed our Christmas cards this year. He and Nick had so much fun working on the project together.
I love to see Alex busy drawing and printing, and to have fun projects like this with his papa!
It's been a long time since I've posted here. We were busy getting ready for the holidays~baking cookies and wrapping presents. And frankly, I'm tired of my point and shoot camera not taking decent photos. It's so frustrating that I've just stopped taking photos.
Anyway, we've had a wonderful holiday so far. Nick's mom comes to visit tomorrow, and Alex is excited that "Christmas will continue." We hosted my parents, brother, Lizzy and her mom for a Christmas Eve sushi dinner. Sushi on Christmas Eve is such a simple tradition, all we have to do is make fruit salad and cookies for dessert.
Our boys get three gifts from us~something to wear, something to read, something to play with. Nick and I screen printed chicken shirts for them, and I sewed chicken print pajama pants. They were delighted!
Alex needlefelted a scene for Grammy and Grumpa of me by a river and boat, and was pleased to tell them about it. One of my favorite holiday traditions is running with my brother, we had a great 4 mile run on the rail trail before Christmas dinner yesterday. Some of us have also started hiking on the trail in the conservancy behind my parents woods after holiday dinners, it's so nice to get some fresh air and come back refreshed for dessert.
We'll head to my parents again tomorrow to cut more fire wood for maple sugaring. Now that the holidays are over it's hard not to hit a slump of nothing to look forward to in the dreary cold of mid-winter. I'm trying to remember to revel in the moment, and there is always maple sugaring to look forward to after winter!
We were all delighted to wake up to a beautiful, snowy Christmas. Alex was thrilled with the baseball things in his stocking~ a placemat and napkin that I sewed, and Phillies socks.
Alex is a big fan of matching his Pa Bear, so I knit matching scarves for them:
After we opened presents the boys headed outside to play in the snow and made a snowman. Alex likes the book "Sadie and the Snowman," and wanted crackers for the eyes and a carrot for the nose, just like Sadie uses in the story.
I think Alex opened all the gifts with my family, he told us "I'll open them in case it's too tough for you guys." Haha!
Our weather is forecasting more snow on Saturday, it's been a snowy Christmas vacation!
We gathered at my Aunt Sondra's house yesterday to make peppernuts and Christmas cookies. We all helped roll out the dough and cut it into dime-sized pieces. When baked they are a crunchy little treat.
Alex liked working next to Clara, and on the way home he asked if she can sit next to him at Christmas dinner. How's that for planning ahead?!
Alex likes playing with the big basket of diggers at Aunt Sondra's house, and discovered the piano this time too. After the cookies were all baked we shared a delicious lunch together. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions!
We had a busy and fun weekend, despite the dreary grey weather. Nick took a Christmas ornament woodturning workshop on Saturday, and Alex and I went to paint pottery while he was there. Alex painted "the world's coolest dolphin."
Nick made these beautiful ornaments, and had a great time at the workshop.
We made some yummy Christmas treats- these easy peanut butter balls, and Chex Mix using this recipe without butter so Alex could enjoy it too. I also got these organic, corn syrup-free and dye-free candy canes.
Peanut Butter Balls:
-Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Roll into balls and put in the fridge to harden. Melt chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life dairy free chips) and roll the peanut butter balls in the chocolate. Top with sprinkles and keep in the fridge.
Sunday evening we enjoyed great music at a friends house. Alex was inspired and came right home to drum, and this morning wanted us to all play together:
My project for today is working on matching flannel pajamas for my boys, using this sweet baseball fabric:
My nephew Bobby turns 4 in a couple weeks, and I sewed a crayon and notebook holder modelled after Alex's. It was a fun project to make since I didn't have a pattern. I used stiff interfacing in the middle, and it folds up into a small notebook that can be carried in a purse or diaper bag.
I prefer these to a crayon roll, I like that they hold the paper and stickers too. Alex uses his in restaurants and church. I hope Bobby will like his too!
My other sewing project this week was to sew 5 more Christmas gift bags. I used this tutorial for sewing a drawstring bag with french seams.
My next project is embroidering baby onesies for Nick's cousin, her baby is due a few weeks before ours. Nick drew 5 sweet designs for me to use, I'm eager to see how they turn out.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, I'm so thankful for all that we've been blessed with this year~ a new home, Nick's continued good job, good health, family and friends, and a new baby who will join us this spring. We also remembered those who aren't with us anymore, I'm thankful for the good times we had together.
Today we made our annual trip to Elizabeth Farms to get our Christmas tree. We love riding in the big green wagons pulled by the beautiful horses:
Alex used his bench to help decorate the tree, he hung up the painted walnut ornaments he made with Grammy last week.
We're heading to the city tree lighting and tuba Christmas this evening. My life feels full of light and joy, I hope yours is too!