What?! A WHITE Christmas?!

Yay!  I finished all my Christmas gifts!  I didn't know if I was going to make it or not!  But I pushed through, and got it done.  I have to say, I am very proud of myself!  I think my husband was a bit surprised because I am a big goal-setter and list-maker and have these grand ideas, but I don't have much follow-through.  I think I set the bar so high for myself that I get burned out real quick when I realize I can't live up to my own expectations!  Thank God He is a lot more merciful on us than I am on myself, otherwise we would all be in trouble... He is constantly teaching me and reminding me to r e l a x.....  :)

Anywho, we had loads of fun with the family.  I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked to get of all the gifts I made, but I did remember to get a few before everyone headed home!

Jay-Jay loves Hello Kitty!!

Christmas Eve S'mores

Every year, on Christmas Eve, ever since I was a kid, we have opened one small gift, in anticipation of the following morning.  I always loved that tradition growing up, and I want to carry it on with my children as well.  GC got to open a little die-cast car from Cars 2, Professor Z.  He was thrilled.  Little ones are so easy to please and the pure delight that lights little faces from something so simple is really amazing.

I decided that I wanted to add something to it though, something more substantial than a material item, so we gathered 'round the fire and made some midnight s'mores.  And it was yummy!

The Goods

More Christmas Madness

Guess what we're making?!

It's the Little Things...

Oh me, oh my... I tell you what... I am sitting here at the computer, trying to get some work done.  But every time I look down, I see this beautiful little face.  She is very distracting.  I keep finding myself staring at her; studying every facet of this sweet, perfect face.  How fleeting these moments are!!  How quickly they get away from us, and before we know it, we are looking at a full grown human being.

Jubee

Faux-by

Yay!  I've been thinking about making a Moby wrap (aka Faux-by) since the baby was born.  I love baby wearing and I lost my sling from when my son was little.  :(  But it was a simple sling anyway, and I wanted something a little more versatile and that would give me some hands-free nursing time.  But have you looked at Mobys?  They are a little on the expensive side, especially with Christmas so close, who has an extra $50 to spend?  Not me, that's for sure!  So I went "Google-ing"(My favorite thing to do, btw...) and sure enough, I found some great DIY tips for making a Faux-by!  Google never lets me down!  You can seriously find anything...

Crochet, Crochet, Crochet Away!

I love my little helpers!  They make tedious and monotonous stitches and patterns much more interesting...  And sometimes more frustrating...  I have been so, so busy trying to get all 24 handmade gifts done for everyone that, well, I've had to be a little creative in incorporating my mommy duties with my Handmade Christmas Goal...

(Excuse the midriff... Moments before, I was nursing while crocheting...)

Holly Berry Beanie

Oh, how I love this season!!  Especially this year...  I have really been feeling the Christmas spirit since, oh, about August!  I made my husband a Thanksgiving dinner with a ham, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, eggnog and even some pumpkin pie...  in September...  I don't know if it was the pregnancy that made me particularly excited to welcome this time of year, but I am so glad it is finally here.  Now no one can look at me funny or poke fun when I decide I want to clean the house while jamming out to Christmas tunes because, you know, it's December!

My Heart Soars Anyway

It's really been awhile since I've posted anything on here, been a little (read: very) busy... So many different things that have been going on in my life recently and it's had me on an emotional and mental roller coaster!  But thankfully my God is unwavering and patient with me, even when I'm on a downward spiral.  I would be so lost without Him to steady my heart.  He is constantly proving His love to me and for me, over and over, and He never ceases to amaze me with the depths of his mercy and knowledge and love.  Haha...  I never see it coming and it always catches me off guard and knocks me off my feet.  But I guess that's the way God is with me.  LOL 'Cause He knows me so well and knows that if I expected it, I would try to work something up... And most times I am so busy trying to "work something up" for whatever situation I happen to find myself in at the moment, that I forget to relax.

I'm definitely not a roll-with-the-punches or fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl!  I'm a thinker, a let's-think-this-through-beginning-to-end, a look-at-the-pros-and-cons, a lets-imagine-possible-outcomes, and THEN make a decision kind of girl... HAHA... That is very tiresome... And most times results in a non-decision anyway, or a started project that never gets finished.  My dad always said that a wrong decision is better than no decision at all.  I believe that in theory, but seldom practice it because, well,  I think too much.

Anyway, God is bigger than my wandering thoughts, and for that I am very thankful.  I've been thinking about my dad a lot lately, since his 5 year anniversary since his death is coming up in a few days on May 9th.  I've tried to remember things that he told me over the years, advice that stands time and spans different situations.  And sometimes I try to imagine what kind of advice he would give me for a particular situation, but even after knowing him my whole life, I still could never predict what he would say to me or how he would react and every time it would be something unexpected.  So this is just a nostalgic, futile effort.

I do miss my dad immensely and I miss that he didn't get to see me grow up.  I was 20 when he died on a motorcycle.  But my heart soars, because one thing he taught all of us is that God is the only one who can raise a phoenix from the ashes... over and over... My heart soars because I am loved, I have love, I was taught love, I love, and I was loved.  My heart soars because I refuse to stay on the ground watching everyone else fly above.  My heart soars because life is a gift.  My heart soars because my actions do not define me.  My heart soars because it is it's nature.  My heart soars because God gave me wings.

And I am thankful.