Snow!

We have 8 inches of snow today! We are so excited.
And no school for the kids, no work and a nice warm afternoon inside makes me very productive.











Made almost 30 booksmarks with scrapbook paper, card stock and some ribbon. So cute for giving to Madison's friends at school and stashing in the books I am giving some little girls for Christmas.

Hard to believe that last Thursday it looked like this:









And today:

Well, the feasting is done . The dishes washed. Leftovers stored away. And ...













Pumpkin pie enjoyed.
It was a wonderful day in the high 70's so we headed outside for the afternoon. Dessert in the back yard. Then a nice walk at the park.
























And now the dining room table has been taken over for a tent.










I have a couple of knitted scarves on my to do Christmas list and by tonight one is done and one is about 1/3 done. I am crocheting flowers to go on the ends and that is tomorrow's project.

Today would be my mother's 70th birthday. She didn't live to see 38. In 3 months Madison will be the exact age I was when my mother died. This has been on my mind for several months now. I have no frame of reference for dealing with a pre-teen girl after they turn 11. How will I do?
I have outlived my mother's life by 5 years. Turning 38 was a big thing for me. For several years leading up to turning 37 I just assumed that I would die that year! How weird is that?
My children have a wonderful grandmother in my step-mother and they don't know the difference. She's their Nana.
I know that the reason I sew is my mother. She sewed, smocked and was very crafty. I remember some great 70's crafts involving folded Reader's Digest and spray paint. When Madison was little I smocked all of her Sunday dresses. When she was 3, in a cedar chest I found a box of the dresses that my mother had made for my sister and I. You can't imagine my surprise when I found a sherbert green dress almost exactly like Madison's Easter dress I had made that year.
My mother's recipe for cornbread dressing is resting in the fridge ready for tomorrow.

First, here are a few of the cards I have been making. Some are for Christmas:












and some are just for fun:














And here are a couple of pillows I made. An embroidered pear and some bright Christmas fabric.
















I guess I'll be pretty scarce for the rest of the week what with all the cooking and visiting. But here are a few more things to add to my recent thankful list:

*Madison getting so excited to get her uniform for 5th grade intermural basketball
*Homemade cranberry orange chutney on crackers with cream cheese
*Madison's perfect mid-term progress report card from 5th grade
*Wonderful church that we all have enjoyed since moving here 2 years ago. Being part of taking the Sunday School children to the grocery store this past Sunday to pick out and deliver food to the needy families in town.
*Greg, Madison and Cullen - every single day.

My hands are still hurting and my attempts this morning to knit were painful. So, instead I decided to make some Christmas Spice soap. I love making soap. So easy, quick and it smells heavenly. These will probably be wrapped up with cellophane and raffia and put into teacher's gift baskets.
I also discovered something else this week:

I love playing with paper. I have made about 30 Christmas cards this week. Each unique and super cute. Plain white and cream cards, scrapbooking paper, cool scissors, some add-ons like buttons and stickers and you're in business!

All the shopping is done and cooking can commence at any time for Thanksgiving. So glad we are staying home this year. My sister will be here on Wednesday and stay the weekend. And she is bringing me more soap making supplies.

Sandy the cat has a baby. She found this stuffed kitten in Madison's room and has taken to carrying it around the house. Now she sleeps with it. Too bad she can't have any babies -- she would have made a good mama, huh?
I seem to have yarn back on my mind. I knit two baby caps this weekend. Tonight I dug out some suede yarn I bought ages ago. I had tried to knit with it and it hurt my hands. For some reason tonight I picked up a crochet hook and the wild pink suede is very quickly becoming a nice, soft scarf for someone on my Christmas list. I am afraid that my hands are showing the first signs of some joint issues. They get sore after much handwork. When did I get old?














The kids had a great time this weekend playing in the piles of leaves that have blown into our yard.

Basket full of lush Plymouth Galway I ordered from KnitPixie. The two pinks and green are for Madison. She picked these colors for a new scarf/hat/mittens set. Pink and Green? Didn't we do those preppy colors back in the 80's? The brown and some more of the light pink are for me! That's my new color combo of choice. By the way - 2 day delivery from the East Coast for $5 shipping? Love Knitpixie.

Now that Halloween is over, thoughts are turning to Thanksgiving. So here's what I am thankful for this weekend.

*New dining room table. With new wooden pears in old bowl.
*Potatoes roasting in the oven. Asparagus waiting it's turn.
*Stack of things cut out and ready to be sewn on the sewing table.
* Kids coloring together on the old dining table (now the craft table).
*Husband playing outside with the kids while I post.
*Packages of vintage rickrack given to me by a good friend. In colors they don't think of making anymore.
*Pile of decorated hair bands bagged ready for craft bazaar.
*Eating Braums ice cream while it's freezing outside last night. Cullen always biting into the bottom of the cone first!
*Madison joining the choir at church and her first time singing tomorrow.

What are you thankful for this wonderful weekend?

Post-Halloween Wrap Up

My little pirate.
It turned colder than expected so the lightweight white shirt was off and the heavy, preschool soiled sweatshirt stayed on. The eyepatch was worrisome and was forgotten by the second house. And I carried the sword the whole way. We wondered if he would really be bold and approach houses (most of people we knew). But he had a fab time! After the first couple of times holding sister's hand, he was on it! After every house he would come back chanting "I got CANDY!"












Madison went the cautious, preteen safe route and sprayed her hair pink, wore some torn pants with bright patches and an old dance recital gold lame' blouse (terrible picture because we were freezing). A couple of her friends went with us and they all just kind of flashyed up and that was it. They agreed they were only there for Cullen and that next year he was on his own and they weren't going trick or treating. But she was enjoying the loot too.
We only hit the one long street in our neighborhood. Mom and Dad were cold. Then home for hot chocolate and warm showers.
Glad it's over.
Oh - and we had ZERO trick or treaters - so all that candy is mine!!!