The Mama-mades

A few mama-made gifts managed to make their way from the knitting needles and sewing machine to the tree skirt this year in time for Christmas. The first (knit balls) found their way on my knitting needles early this year, accompanying my summer rides in the passenger seat (Nate even tried to get in on the knitting action, playing with the stray yarn yet to be woven in). I used the "Baby's First Ball" pattern in Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas' Knitting for Baby. I made sets of three balls for the littlest ones on our Christmas list.



The last of the balls were finished up during Audrey's costume changes as she performed shows this December. This was my first experience with the felting process (each ball was felted after being knit in order to close up any holes between the knit stitches - felting involves washing the knit item in hot water, causing the wool to shrink together). All three sets were made using yarn from Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation collection. Jason was as eager to try these out as Nate, mentioning that they would be perfect for teaching our little guy some indoor baseball skills with no fear of broken windows.



While perusing a Pottery Barn Kids catalog one night this November for inspiration, I decided that Audrey and my oldest nephew absolutely, without a doubt, must have pizzas to unwrap for Christmas. Felt pizzas. With toppings. Wrapped in actual pizza boxes (thank you Eric and Debbie for donating the perfect gift boxes!).




I made these pizzas up as I went, tracing a dinner plate to get the right size for the pizza, playing around with crust until I found a method that worked for me, and free handing the toppings. The toppings include pepperoni (which Audrey refers to as tomatoes since we don't typically order pepperoni on our pizza), green peppers, mushrooms, and little white ovals of mozzarella cheese. The pizza has been a hit. What I didn't anticipate was the extra mileage the toppings would get as they become featured in other dishes Audrey concocts in her play kitchen, most notably soups stirred in some new wooden pots that Santa dropped off.



I love so many things about mama-made gifts. I love the creative process that begins with my idea and transfers to my kids' as they come up with ways to use the toys that I hadn't imagined. I love that I can work on them at home (or even book club), still spending time with those I care about rather than at a store by myself. I get an extra boost of accomplishment when I finish a project and cross a name off of my "to shop for" list. And, working on a project always seems to spark ideas for future projects, getting me excited about the next season or celebration. Ideas are already brewing for next year. Soon, after tackling a few organizational projects, I might just have to start a journal - a gift journal to keep track of my ideas for 2011. Oh, and did I mention Santa tucked a sweet new knitting book under my tree this year? Yes, I foresee a 2011 full of mama-made.

A Few More Christmas Notes

I thought of a few more things about Christmas this year - those behaviors or words that become seasonal habits. They make us smile each time they occur and then are forgotten until the next time. Since this season is quickly passing on, and new habits will surely form and these will be long forgotten and outgrown by next year, I wanted to write a few down before they slip away.

The Audrey-isms of Christmas 2010:

Audrey's Christmas List (as dictated by her father):

1. Trumpet or something loud
2. Puzzles
3. Balls
4. A car (to replace a Santa car that was left on the floor and, ahem, stepped on)
5. Kitchen food, plates, and cups (for her play kitchen)
6. Pass to the zoo
7. New pajamas - fuzzy and purple
8. Crayons
9. More legos
10. Movies

(Santa did not bring a trumpet. This has been mentioned several times since Christmas).

While Audrey's favorite songs to listen to this season have been Frosty the Snowman and The Chipmunk Song, her favorite song to sing has been Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. Her version goes a little like this:

"...then one froggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, 'Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?' Then how the reindeer loved him, as they shouted off with glee..."

She's also a big fan of the wise men, whom she refers to as the "present-ers". I'm hoping that next year she'll provide us with a few presents herself in the way of more Audrey-isms. Until then, we'll daydream about froggy Christmas Eves to come.

The Moments of Slow

Sometimes, I think back to the time I instinctively knew how to eat slow - a time before grade school and thirty minute lunch breaks, fifteen of which were spent in line. I remember summer and how I whittled away the time - time being the true gift of summer. Occasionally, I would tuck myself behind the two-story dollhouse made by my father. It sat in the corner of our living room, centered between the light of two windows (one near each corner of the perpendicular angle of the house). During the day, the sun marked time on our living room floor, sunbeams heating the carpet were I would curl myself around a book and a bowl of apples. Those were afternoons of time for slice upon slice and page turn after page turn, afternoons where no one rushed you to "get on with it" because, somewhere, a bell was about to chime.

Here we are, decades later, during the season of chiming bells. While there is much to do, this year I am attempting to not get swept up in too much sound and fury, to remember that instinct for slow. So we're taking our cue from the blanket of snow outside our backdoor and remembering that the land lying fallow serves the purpose to nourish, enrich, and prepare for the year to come.

A few ways we've incorporated a bit of slow into our week:

Spending a snowed in morning trying out a new recipe - this week, the Buckwheat Crepes from Lisa Barnes' Cooking for Baby. Nathan thought these were fantastic with blackberry jam. Audrey was not so sold, but had I filled them with strawberries and whipped cream, I imagine the outcome would be different. I couldn't help but be taken back to summers and sleepovers of my youth, when after spending the night in sleeping bags in her outdoor clubhouse, my friend Lauren would whip up a batch of crepes (always from memory) that we stuffed with strawberries and whipped cream. Each time she served them with a side of cheesy scrambled eggs that she cooked in the microwave. Some foods, no matter how many times you eat them (or how young the chef) always feel special.



Changing up the routine. This December, when we run across a "slow" day with nowhere to be and a short to-do list, I move bath time to the afternoon and toss both babes in for some extended water play (I figure this is the one time of year I can do this without worrying that Audrey is going to run outside and cover herself in garden dirt as soon as we're finished). This serves several purposes. The kids, who normally have separate bath times, think it's a special treat. Since I'm not worried about making an eight 'o clock bedtime, they can play as long as they want. In the evening, when Jason is home, we have the gift of some extra family time, which is perfect for those nights we have a little decorating or game-playing or seasonal merry-making to do that shouldn't be rushed. And, for a few minutes, as splashing water and laughter fill the air, it feels just a bit like the days of summer.



Taking a few minutes to enjoy the best small pleasures of the season. Even at times when I should be wrapping gifts or baking cookies or shoveling the drive. There are always five minutes for a cup of hot chocolate. Besides, my kids don't care what the gifts are wrapped in, and one day, I won't remember, either.

Some Christmas Clay

Last year, we made salt dough ornaments. After giving some away as gift tags on our presents and losing others to play (Audrey likes to run around the house, clanging ornaments together), a small sampling have survived for this year's tree. After running across this post, we decided to try our hand at clay this season.




We used Fimo Air clay (it dries overnight, no baking) and a few tools: a rolling pin, wooden skewer (to poke holes for ribbon), cookie cutters, a bowl of water, and a butter knife that Audrey insisted on using to chop up her clay.



And, of course, our hands.




A project like this always highlights each participant's individual creativity. I made a wreath and star before segueing into another clay project (more on that later). Audrey was a fervent believer in the decorative abilities of the wooden skewer (the snowflake below with all the poke marks is hers) and then turned her attention to more abstract designs. Jason used his imagination and no cookie cutters to make a couple characters he thought Audrey might like for the tree (the snowman and Santa - referred to as the Santa gnome on an occasion or two - pictured at the bottom are his).




Sadly, Santa gnome didn't last long on the tree. He was a little too beloved and broke early as Audrey tried to take a lap around the house with him. The snowman has been moved to a higher branch for safer keeping (his ribbon is threaded through the top buttonhole, for those wondering).



Six messy hands, one fun evening, and a trayful of creative characters to add to the tree. Christmas is coming together.

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like...

This weekend played precursor for the season: cold outside, but warm inside. A flurry of white so dense the only colors are those you make or string from the treetops. The weather, and your breath, hanging in the air. The glow and warmth of everyday utilities seen (even by the littlest among us) for the luxuries they are. A splash of red to light up the season (these roses a surprise addition to my list when I sent Jason for a grocery run). And, learning again and again that laughter, lights, and even snow are all made brighter when shared with someone else.

Christmas in the Making

We've begun to trim the tree, a few ornaments at a time. With a little guy determined to walk before Christmas and a climber-extraordinaire eager to get her hands on anything we place in the tree's branches, we've decided to go simple with the ornaments this year. Think paper. Paper and other extremely light objects that won't shatter or knock anyone out on their way back to earth.



We got the idea for these ornaments from a picture in Pottery Barn Kids. Then, I found this craft tutorial, which taught us how to fold the paper. Several folds (and playful designs by the ornament artist) later, and we had a handful of ornaments to hang.

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A few notes: Ours came undone in several places and had to be retaped a bit. We used cardstock and double-stick tape to make the ornaments. I think they would have stayed a bit better with some paper that wasn't quite so stiff or some stronger tape. To fix ours, I'm just going to use a bit more tape tucked over the tops of the folds.

One More Look Back...

I realize that it's January 4th. And, while I should be focused on the now, I'm finding myself dawdling just a little bit in the Christmas season. Perhaps, it's Nathan's fascination with the Christmas tree lights, or the lack of free time to take down our ornaments. It could have something to do with the time I've spent the last couple of days finally getting our Christmas pictures developed and our cards signed. Ahem. Whatever the reason, could you humor me for one last post? We had a sweet little Christmas here this year, we wouldn't have changed a thing. However, I couldn't help but be inspired by a few things I ran across while reading others' blogs this season. So, for the sake of putting it all in one spot (and giving you one last dose of Christmas cheer and eye candy), here are some ideas I love for next year:

This tree by The Lettered Cottage.

The bulbs hanging from ceiling in the second picture on this post featured on the Spire Design Group Blog.

The idea of a Picture Book and Activity Advent for the month, found at The Crafty Cow (there is also one for 2009).

This Western Union card, posted by Betz White.

These recipes:
Apple Cranberry Tart and Roasted Red Pepper Crostini posted by Stephanie Levy.
101 Cookbooks: Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies and Orange and Oat Scones.
Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Marbles posted on Chocolate and Zucchini.
Three Layer Peppermint Bark found on Orangette.

Here's to moving on to the now, and looking ahead to next year and the Christmas to come.

White Christmas: The After Party or How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

The snow arrived fashionably late: too late for Christmas, but early enough to be enjoyed by the occupants of our house, young and old. As Christmas wound down, we spent our days enjoying the pieces that remained:

Taking in a little white magic;

Trying out Christmas gifts (the little personal pizza pans were a gift from the grandparents and are made by Doughmakers);

Making tracks (Yes, she has on two hoods, two hats, two pairs of pants, two shirts, a snowsuit, a heavy coat, and two pairs of her gloves covered by a pair of mine. Excessive is a word that comes to mind);

And testing Dad's strength (Who needs hills with a Dad like that? Have I mentioned I love this man?).

So with a little pizza in our bellies, a few snow puddles on our floors, and a lot of Christmas magic in our hearts, we're ready to move forward into a new year full of adventure. Here's to the magic that was and the memories that will be. Happy New Year!

He's Here!

Introducing:

Nathan Tyler

6 lbs. 7oz; 21 inches long

Born at 10:12 pm (or 22:12 military time)

on December 22, 2009

We've had quite the blessed Christmas week, and there is much to tell. But I've been a bit distracted between Christmas gatherings, the generosity of family and friends, hugging Audrey who looks and acts as if she skipped an age in the week I've been without her, and learning everything I can about this new little man and sudden constant at my side. And, while I've been attempting to write this post since we arrived home from the hospital on Christmas Eve, the moments keep shifting focus to something else. It's the season. It's the three-year-old who makes Christmas mean something entirely new as an adult. It's the adoption of yet another role. Mostly, it's the new set of ten perfect fingers and toes that I can't stop admiring.

So I will quickly write this:

I hope that each of you has felt as blessed this Christmas as we have. I hope that each of you has felt the swell of love that a family generous with their time, their talents, and their gifts bring. I hope you spent time with those old and dear to your life and also time with someone new to remind you that the heart always makes room for more. I hope Christmas brought you everything it is meant to.

And now if you'll excuse me, I have ten perfect toes and ten perfect fingers to go admire. Times two. I'll be back in a couple days.

A Little Curb Appeal

For those of you on baby-watch, no I did not take my hot glue gun to the hospital. I have my multi-tasking limits and a rather practical husband who would, at the very least, raise an eyebrow to such behaviors (I did, however, take this picture while talking on the phone, which might explain a little about its, ahem, quality). Realizing that we would not be spending our day at the hospital, I decided it was time to get a holiday wreath on our door.

Sometime last year I picked up a grapevine wreath for around $3. I kept thinking I would get around to making something to dress up our doorway. I didn't. Instead, I found odd-shaped (made just for hanging on doors, etc) galvanized buckets with handles, filled them with objects (evergreen sprigs, fake berries) and hung them from our rather weathered wreath hook.

In November, Audrey went on a little pine cone (or snow cone, as she called them) hunt at my parent's house. Remember this? This was the first year my parents' evergreens produced pine cones and Audrey amassed quite the collection. Some of them found their way home with us, and my mind drifted back to the bare grapevine wreath.

Fast forward and month and a half. Armed with a glue gun and a pocket of time, today I dug out the grapevine wreath and Audrey's pile of pine cones. I had thought gluing pine cones to a wreath would be a simple, fast project. I was wrong. Pine cones don't like to stick easily to the inconsistent surface of twisted grapevines. I improvised. I grabbed some dark brown felt. I glued the felt to the back of the pine cones. Then, I glued the other side of the felt to the wreath. It was still tricky getting multiple points on each pine cone to stick to the wreath, but this method worked much better. (Tip: cut out all of your felt pieces before touching your pine cones to prevent sap-covered sewing scissors).

Of course, I ran out of glue three pine cones short of finishing and had to run to the store. Glue retrieved, I tied a piece of ribbon (I believe this ribbon was one I had saved from the top of gift I received at my baby shower for Audrey. Like the wreath, it was sitting around waiting for the perfect project) in the bare space on the wreath before filling in the last three pine cones. Pine cones secure (or what we're going to call secure and hope for the best) I dug out some of the fake berries from my "throw some berries and greenery into a bucket and call it a door hanging" adventures and separated them into small sprigs. I tucked the springs between any holes where pine cones refused to snuggle up as close to their neighbors as I wished they had. I didn't glue these into place just in case I decide to attempt to use this as a multiple occasion wreath. I might take the sprigs out and swap in some dried red leaves for fall, etc. In the meantime, for the price of a handful of glue sticks (about a dollar) and a $3 wreath that has been sitting around bidding its time, we've added a little holiday cheer to our door. Not too shabby.

Salt Dough Ornaments

We haven't totally forgotten about Christmas around here. Even with an organization-crazed mama anxious to see what lies ahead in the coming weekend and week for our little family, the Christmas spirit is still very much alive. And growing. The last few days, Audrey and I have been working on a little project: Salt Dough Ornaments.





We followed this basic recipe, with minor changes. We didn't use food coloring, opting for painting ours after they dried and then covering them with glitter (as Audrey wished) while the paint was still wet.

This was a three day project for us. We made the dough the first evening. The recipe instructs that you roll out the dough, cut with cookie cutters, and move the shapes to a cookie sheet for baking. This dough is sticky and a bit hard to move. I placed parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and separated the dough into smaller sections. With the help of some flour, I rolled these smaller sections onto the parchment paper, Audrey cut out the shapes and we scraped the excess dough away, leaving the ornaments on the sheet where they lay. Using a straw, Audrey poked holes into the ornaments to create a space to add ribbon later. Then, they went into the oven on 250 degrees for a few hours, followed by a night of the ornaments being left out on the counter to dry.

The following day, Audrey painted the ornaments and added glitter. She was in a white Christmas mood, favoring white paint with a dusting (or downpouring, which ever you prefer) of red or white glitter - every once in a while throwing in a green ornament for good measure. The last five ornaments she decided to leave white, without "sprinkles" saying as she set each one down to dry for the evening, "that is so special."

This morning we shook the excess glitter free, I added ribbons, and Audrey placed the ornaments on the tree (before taking them off to rehang on her newly built Lego castle). I may just have to run out and buy a festive paint pen to write names across some of them to use in lieu of gift tags. Because, she's right, they are so special.

*I think this is an activity we could easily revisit each year, and one easily adapted to fit kids of all ages. Even the smallest kids love to get their hands into dough and pound with cookie cutters, whether their work amounts to an ornament or not. As a child's artistic talents grow, these can be made more complicated, using their favorite art supplies of the moment to decorate them. This recipe also makes quite a bit of dough. We ended up with a baker's dozen of ornaments, and still have a small tub of dough leftover in the fridge for those times this week we feel like getting our hands a bit dirty.

The Stockings Were Hung...

On our Christmas cards with care.
With hopes they'll get sent out before St. Nick gets here.
As Audrey sat nestled all snug in her chair;
Play-doh flying from her hands into her hair;
I cut and adhered and then cut out some more.
But who knows how many we still have in store?
I think it was eighty we sent out last year.
But that's too much stamping and taping, I fear.
A baby is coming, there's much to prepare.
And free time is growing exceedingly rare.
But I love to send out our holiday cheer.
To our friends, young and old, the far and the near.
So I cut, and I paste, and I stamp in a rush.
And Audrey sits watching, no longer a hush.
"It looks like a lot of work," says my daughter.
I laugh. You know, you sound just like your father.


*For those of you wondering, yes, she actually said that. And yes, her father agrees. :)

Lights, Camera, Christmas

So, we're not just focused on preparing for our garden or spring as my last post might imply. We're actually very firmly planted in December and the happenings going on right here, right now. The house is blooming in a way that it does only come December. It starts out slow, boxes pulled from storage, their contents rummaged through, plans hashed out. And then it begins. The planting of bulbs: on the fence and shrubs outside, in the branches of the tree now residing in our family room, trellised up the stair banister, even bordering the windows and walls of Audrey's playroom (we have an overachieving Daddy who is good at seeing the potential of the world, or playroom, through a child's eyes). And then the bulbs bloom with the help of energy, turning each room into something a little more special, a little less everyday - causing us to bring out other things that aren't of the everyday: ornaments, ribbons, and holiday garland.

Of course, Audrey finds her own approach, taking the everyday and adding it to the not-so-ordinary. Teething rings (dug out from storage to prepare for the baby) and Legos get thrown into the mix of holiday decor. She might just be onto something. Everything is special when seen in the right light. Yes, Christmas preparations are underway.

Sneak Preview

As much as I try to stay in the moment so as not to waste this gift of time with Audrey, especially since our days of unlimited one-on-one time are numbered, I can't help but find my mind (and hands) wandering forward as I make to-do lists of pre-baby projects. This weekend, over kitchen-table conversation with Jason and a high school friend, one such project got crossed off my list. It's the Sweetheart Pullover from Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas' Knitting for Baby, made from Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool in Nature's Brown.


It's meant to be the major (or possibly, only) handmade gift tucked under the Christmas tree for our newest sweetheart after he arrives. As I rub my hands over the nubby wool, I can't help but wonder if I've finally managed to knit a garment too small. I am reminded of Jason pulling up in front of a store on our way home from the hospital so I could run in to buy preemie clothes, Audrey (at full term) being smaller than we had even imagined. But the bigger surprise was how someone so tiny and new could grow to color my every perception.


It will be months before I know if this new sweater will fit. But today, it serves as a little reminder of the one on his way, who will add his own hues to my perception. And, how lucky I am to have his big sister, who upon finding the sweater this morning yelled, "Good job, Mom! Good job making it, Mom. I'm going to hold it so it doesn't get dirty." Just gotta love almost-three-year-olds. Now to get started on her sweater...