Christmas Tradtions

We did our before Christmas tradition after Christmas this year. We had burgers at Fritz's and then enjoyed the Christmas lights on the beautiful old house a block over. Luckily one of the local radio stations is still playing Christmas music so we (I) could get all the Christmas effects.
I love the Gen Dare burger at Fritz's, shredded hash browns on top of your hamburger with grilled onion and pickles.

Prim Goodies in the mail

Home for The Holiday Swap ----- Patti outdid herself with this swap, I just kept pulling package after package out and when I had everything laid out I was amazed out all the wonderful Prim Christmas items. My picture isn't that great but you can click and see it closer. Thanks again Patti I had a fun time doing this swap.




I received these wonderful Christmas items in the mail from Shelia. Thank you Shelia!
Jody from Primgal's Primitive Palette sent these wonderful painted ornaments. Thanks Jody!


I made these snack mats from this tutorial at Rhythm of the Home. I've held on to this Japanese storybook material for a couple of years (it was so cute I couldn't decide what to do with it) but I figured these would get used and we could still enjoy the material.

KU laundry bag I made for Melissa for Christmas, using this tutorial.

Moving up to Girl Scouts and School Party

Jaime's Girl Scout group has Daisy's, Brownie's and Girl Scout's combined, they had their bridging ceremony in December and Jaime is now a Girl Scout.





Yesterday was Jaime's holiday party at school. I searched the internet again and found some games. We started out with a box I filled with lip balm for each child and than I wrapped it in layers and than another box. The teacher turned on the music and they passed it and when it stopped that person unwrapped a layer with gloves on. Those kids were going batty with all the layers. After that was over we played a game where they threw wrapped marshmallows in a snowman face. Everybody had a fun time, Ms. Davis joined in on the fun for some marshmallow throwing.

Isn't that kitty cute? He's looking for a home. Our neighborhood has a lot of stray cats running wild and we've had two females cats have kittens in our yard. I talked to No More Homeless Pets and they will fix the mom cats for a small fee and than give them back to us. I think they could both be adoptable but they said we'd have to take them with us. I would keep this little baby if we didn't already have other cats. We call him Fatty McFatty. He has two more siblings also looking for a home.
This is Luke,
and Darth Vader.

This was Princess Leia she was the runt and didn't make it.

Our computer crashed and I already had these pictures saved in this post that was waiting for another picture before I posted it. I'm hoping to get our pictures back but Picasa isn't liking us very much. It won't let me add new pictures either but I'm hoping we get it fixed soon.

Swap day

It was time for our 5th annual KCAP handmade ornament swap, this is the second year we've held it at our church. There we have room for the kids to run in the gym, a place for the swap tables and of course the snack table. Since a lot of us are spread out over the KC area in Kansas and Missouri we don't always get to see so many mama's and kiddos together. It was a lot of fun talking, eating and looking at all the wonderful ornaments our friends made.

**KCAP also known as Kansas City Attachment Parenting in an online forum we meet and discuss all sorts of topics, but we also get together at different activities throughout the year picnics, coop classes, play dates, playgroups, MNO and MNI (Mom's Night In), etc.

I was in two ornament swaps-- you can click on the picture to see them closer.


This year we also had two mama swaps it was all about pampering and only spending $2-3
a piece it could be store bought or handmade. A few of my items I haven't unwrapped yet I'm saving them for Christmas morning. I made homemade organic deodorant for one swap and neck cowl/gators for the other. Look at all these goodies, it was a lot of fun and I'm already planning on what I'm making for next year. Hopefully I'll have them made early ;-).


Also there was a small playfood swap-- in previous years we had three groups but I think people are playfood swapped out. I made the salt and pepper shakers and used this tutorial.

And the last swap is a side swap of five mama's who we each make five items and than swap with each other, it's always exciting to see what everybody makes and we've never made the same things yet in the last 3 years of doing the swaps. I enjoy swaps because I can make stuff for people who will use, enjoy and appreciate what I make and I love to get handmade items in return. Sometimes I make myself and my family looney but it's all fun!!


These were the second set of ornaments I made for the swap, the other set is here.

Swap

I must love living on the edge of excitement or insanity.... I could find no inspiration for my Home for the Holiday swap and time was running out. I looked at countless blogs and pictures, looked through printed out patterns and kept waiting for it to come to me. Earlier this year I was on a prim forum and the ladies posted things they were making and explaining how they made it, one lady made a snowman hat and had an arrangement of cute prim stuff inside it. When I went back a month or so later I couldn't sign in and they emailed me back and said they were making their community smaller (people who post and participate more, etc..) I was disappointed because there was a few more things I wanted to make. So I looked through the other prim forums I was on and nada, I should have just posted asking for suggestions. You can use a can and cover it with felt or other material and go from there but I wasn't feeling inspired, I also found a pattern to make a hat out of muslin and than paint and bake it to make it prim. Nothing really screamed out "make me" so I kept looking and I really love this this doodle from Bird in the Hand Primitive and wanted to recreate the stocking, but as I was looking through my much loved pile of Gooseberry Patch Christmas book and decided to make my version of these stockings. I hope my swap partner enjoys this swap.












On my list for next year is that Snowman hat and recreating that doodle into a stocking!

I love the prim communities everyone is so kind and helpful. I wish I had more time to spend on all the prim forums. I spend a lot of time on the local attachment parenting forum and FB. It's funny how before Facebook I spent a lot of time on Sewing Mamas and some other groups and now I try to check in every couple months. Blogs, how I love to read blogs, prim ones, frugal, green, freezer cooking, children crafts, sewing, quilting, natural parenting and friends blogs, etc. I never seem to have enough time. Than I have to find time to sew and craft, cook and clean and all the activities I do with my children. It's all fun!

Prim Swaps

I sent Amy this snowman and gingerbread man for a secret ornie swap.

Look at these cute prim ornaments I received in the prim swap on Prim Pals Forum. They are all so prim wonderful!! :-)

Fall Days

There's something about a windy fall day when there is a crispness in the air, it also helps to be a little cloudy. I love, love ,love! I love to watch the swirl of leaves as I'm driving, blowing and dancing across the street. I also love sunny warm autumn days but equally love the gray ones. I would love to have a house with a wall of windows that opened to trees and just be able to watch the leaves fall, fluttering~~through the air.



Snoopy from Worlds of Fun came to story time today. The library was packed with kiddos wanting to see Snoopy. The children were excited to sing, dance and listen to Ms. Brenda read stories, at the end everyone gave Snoopy a hug.

The fun of being four!

Amy my 4 year amazes me most days, she has a mind of her own. Sometimes she talks like PeeWee Herman, she runs around crazy like Eloise, she likes to hop and jump and change her clothes at least 3 times a day. She has cut her hair quite a few times and the last time I asked her "Did you cut your hair?" Amy says "Yes Mama" pause "Do you like it?" Me "Yes I do". I asked her if she wanted to eat lunch "No Thank you Mama". She runs to daddy when he comes home from work saying "Daddy your home". I could go on and on. She did say she missed her sister Kaitlyn, who is her best friend (she's at college) she get's so excited when she comes home to visit and tells her "You are not going back". I feel very thankful that I'm able to be home with her.

Ornament swaps

I made these prim gingerbread ornaments for a prim swap. I should have started a week earlier and than I would have made them darker but by the time they dried it was too late. So if any of the prim swappers are reading this coat them with more stain and spices. I used cinnamon and apple pie spices or you can have one fall in bacon grease by accident. ;-) after sending the ornaments I also realized I didn't use my tea dyed material. The blog that gave me the idea for the ornies is Oodlekadoodle Primitives , except my ornaments look nothing like hers or what I wanted them too. I think I have it figured out now, my plan now is to make my pattern fatter, sew the two pieces with quilt batting on top and stain and rub with spices.



For the local AP group ornament swap, these are one set of ornaments I made, I'm still deciding on the other set. I found this tutorial to make the ornaments on this blog. I found her blog from a link for her cute macrame doll and that was what I was going to make, until my family called them skeletons, so I was thinking about how to dress them and stumbled upon her happy girl doll. I added a scarf to my ornaments. I need to keep a look out for colored hemp or twine and see if using that makes my dolls look more like dolls and not skeletons. :-)




I received this prim santa from another swap where we just made one prim ornament and mailed it to our secret swapper. Along with the ornie she also included a prim cake that smells wonderful. Thanks Lorna, I need to find your blog.

Hopefully soon I will upload the picture of the ornament I made for my swap partner.
In case your wondering yes I did finish all the posts today the 13th of November but that's how I roll. But at my house I'm always interrupted when I decided to blog so they set for awhile.

Halloween

We joined friends at Jill's house for a pumpkin carving party and than the kiddos dressed up in their costumes. It was a great way to get our pumpkins carved ahead of time, spend time with friends and have a wonderful potluck lunch. Amy is in the yellow Belle costume.





After we left Jill's house we headed to Jaime's school and helped with the Halloween party. The kids had a fun time, we played ghost balloon charades, "Waiter there's a head in my soup!" and pass the ghost with straws. I only found out on Wednesday that her class didn't have a room mother, I missed the room parent meeting (someone didn't give me the paper about it) and I was told that every class had a room parent. So after all that, everything came together and that's all that counts.


Last year after Halloween, Amy talked about Halloween every day and planned what she would be, we picked up costumes at garage sales. She wanted to be Snow White, Supergirl and the list went on and on. Fast forward to this Halloween and she's a Kitty cat witch princess the same thing she was last year. After hitting a few church Trunk or Treats, stopping at a couple friends house we went to Chipotle's. We pulled out are processed food t-shirts I made and stood in line for about 30 minutes to get our $2 Boorito well worth the wait. I didn't get pics but Melissa was an orange pop, Jaime was a slice of American cheese, Amy was a chicken nugget, Jim was a box of Mac and Cheese and I was a bag of chips. Two people had pizza boxes on their head and another lady had velvetta boxes on her arms. A very fun night!