I can't believe 2009 is almost over

First of all, we survived Christmas! Mary got a piggy bank from Santa. She was so happy. She got a dress from Grandmother and of course wanted to wear it right away. She wore it for 3 days straight I think. Ellie was less excited about her gifts, but really liked unwrapping them. I got new flannel sheets for our bed! I love them. I got a cool book on making sock animals. I need to find some funky socks and then make some of them. Not for toys but for me to keep!

This year flew by. I'm already thinking about planning Mary's 4th b-day party and it seems like her birthday was just a couple months ago. I can't believe my baby will be 4! We're trying to figure out what school we'll send her to next year--either back to pre-school for 3 days a week (she currently just goes 2) or if we'll start her in a multi-age pre-k/kindergarten which would be 5 days a week.

Ellie's currently (well, in this moment she's sleeping on my lap) having a word explosion. Not much we can understand yet, but she's very into identifying things. And playing a game we call "where's your fork?" while we eat lunch/dinner. She takes her fork, hides it behind her, waits and if we don't notice she says "fork? fork?" We have to ask her where it is, then she produces it from behind her back with a HUGE smile on her face. And speaking of things I can't believe, in three weeks Ellie will be the same age Mary was when we moved here!!! How crazy is that? The first 16 months of Mary's life took 5 years and the first 16 months of Ellie's life have taken just a couple months, if that.

After Ellie's nap, the girls and I are going to take the Christmas stuff down. I didn't even put much out this year, but thinking of taking it all down and packing it away is overwhelming. I'm ready for it to be gone though, so I can go back to some of the decorating projects I was working on in November.

Speaking of projects, I finished my Christmas knitting at 7pm on Christmas Eve. Time to spare! Now I'm crocheting a baby blanket. It's a fun project. I really hope the recipient loves it.


That's 27 of 143 squares done.....plus sewing them all together and weaving in what will be 572 ends. It goes quickly though. I'm hoping to finish it this month (errr, I mean January!) IF I don't get sidetracked by other projects.

Santa's coming

For 3/4 of our family! I got John's stocking (right) done and blocked. So the girls and John are set. Guess Santa will just have to leave mine in a paper bag or something. Or maybe he'll just knit me a stocking?

We're all sick. I'm so tired. I still have a tiny bit to do on Mary's gift, we still need to wrap everything, and I JUST THIS MORNING started my last knitted gift. Speaking of which, I should get back to work on it.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Comparison

Mary Elizabeth, 15 months old, 28!!!! pounds.


Eleanor Ruth, 15 months, 22 pounds.

I don't have a current pic of Ellie in short sleeves. But the girl is a bean pole.

See?

I swear we feed her!

Things that keep me busy

1. Making curtains for Mary's room to replace the too short ones I made two years ago. They technically weren't too short. If I would have put curtain weights in them or not used such light fabric, they would have hung better and been fine.


Hmm, they actually look better in the picture than they did in real life. They were supposed to sit on the sill, but were about a quarter inch short.


The new ones. These sit at apron length on the window. I got them started and was feeling pretty good. Then I realized they needed to be lined as you can see the pattern on the back of the fabric. So I took down the old curtains, ripped out the side and top seams and reused them as the linings. John also moved the rods (oh, there are two windows in her room) up just a bit and onto the wall. They were previously mounted on the window frame because I reused holes left from the previous owner. I love the fabric I found. It matches the walls now, and will also look good when we get around to painting the room pink.

2. Christmas knitting:
A scarf in progress (now done) for our Christmas exchange. And matching fingerless gloves. (and a Barbie type doll trying to get under the refrigerator)

Don't mind the little bump near my ring finger. I hadn't woven the ends in yet.

3. Christmas sewing!


A diaper for Mary's doll. I'm hoping to get a few more made this week. I didn't have a pattern, so I made several before I was happy with the final product.


Outfits for their dolls. Still need to trim all the threads and embroider stems/leaves on the flowers. I made all of this stuff with fabric in my stash.

4. A new craft/obsession!!! Because that's what I need this month!!!!!


Salt dough ornaments. Mine are on the right, and the rest are Mary's. Last year she painted those wooden ornaments you can get for $1 (but I always got them on sale for 50 or 60 cents). This year we got thrifty! We made all these out of 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup salt, and a cup of flour. I want to make more. We had fun painting them today.

5. The thing(s) that keep me super busy--Miss Ellie and Miss Mary!


Ellie all dressed up and ready to pick Mary up from school. Yes, she's chewing on something she shouldn't have. But I got a picture, didn't I?


This was supposed to be a decent head shot for another project. Mary would not hold still or quit goofing off.

Kneading the dough for our salt dough ornaments. She got so into it!

So that's it, my week in pics. I guess I technically made some of it last week. But the scarf I started last Saturday and got it done Weds. Then I made a fingerless glove Thursday and one Friday. I really need to work on sewing. Christmas will be here before we know it.

Ah, the Christmas to do list

Forget the to do list of a month ago. Or two weeks ago. Whenever I posted that. Last Tuesday, we drew names for our Christmas exchange. Of course I immediately decided I'd give a handmade gift. I'd told myself earlier in the year I wasn't going to give handmade gifts this year. But then, I don't know, I had a moment of sleep deprived insanity and thought "Well, there's PLENTY time to make stuff."  So I ordered some yarn that day. It came Saturday, and I started knitting.

To do before Christmas:

1. Make scarf and (if I have enough yarn) fingerless mittens for exchange recipient.

2. Make doll diapers for Mary and Ellie's Waldorf dolls, an outfit and diaper for Big Baby (Cabbage Patch). Finish outfit (almost done) for each Waldorf doll.

3. Finish John's stocking that I started last week.

4. Start!!!! and finish John's gift without him seeing me make it. hmmmmmm

Well, that's it. It looks like less when it's typed out, but it feels like a lot to me. I also got some yarn in the mail today to make Ellie some new longies as she has outgrown all the ones I made in the fall. I think she just had a growth spurt. She's so tall and all legs. I'd love to have those done by January as I have a couple paid jobs/projects that I'd like to start then.

Back to toddler chasing!