Christmas Traditions

Every family has 'em. Things you do each year around Christmas-time that become traditions. Memories etched in children's minds that they'll recall years later.

We haven't been too intentional about setting up traditions for our household. But there are a few things we do each year that we look forward to.

One of those is chopping down our own tree at a Christmas tree farm.

We've been doing this now for probably 10 years. And it is SO FUN. We ride out in the countryside to the farm (it's about an hour's drive). Then we hope on a trailer that is hooked up to a tractor and go for a hay ride out into the Christmas trees. We get dropped off with a saw. Then we wander and wander around, looking for the right tree.



Can't be too small. Can't be too high. Can't be too sparse. Can't be too crooked.



When we finally find IT, Scott starts sawing back and forth while I hopefully pull the tree in the right direction (the first year we did this, I accidentally pulled the tree in the wrong direction while Scott was sawing, binding the blade. Scott worked up a ginormous sweat for 30 minutes before we realized why this cutting a tree down business seemed a lot harder than it needed to be) . Then we haul our prize to the path where we and the tree get picked up and brought back up to the barn, which is where everyone pays for their trees. Grab a cup of hot apple cider, browse around at the crafts for sale in the barn, and then it's time to go home and decorate! Incidentally, the tree we purchased this year had a bird's nest inside as a bonus!







We weren't able to go to our normal tree farm this year (Our normal one was closed because their crop wasn't good enough this year). So we went to our backup tree farm. Only to get their and find out that they don't take debit cards. Only cash and check. Neither of which we had on us. So as Scott went to town to find an ATM, the kids and I hung out at the playground set up at the farm. I think the kids had more fun at this point in the trip.






I then tried to get some good shots of the kids together, thinking that it would make a great present for grandparents and for Scott. Didn't work out. Not so much.









But I did manage to get a few decent individual pictures of the kids






After torturing the kids for several minutes trying to get shots of them, I let them go back to what they do best: make a mess. They began making a HUGE pile of leaves



And then jumped in them

Not sure who the other kid is. Or where Jack is. But no fears. We eventually did find Jack (he was just out of this shot) and went home to decorate our ransomed evergreen. After Scott came back with cash, of course.

Chronicles

A month or so ago, Scott started reading The Chronicles of Narnia to the kids at night. He started with The Magician's Nephew and is now on The Horse and His Boy. Cade has really liked the books. Jack sort of pays attention but often falls asleep during the reading. Claire pays attention for 37 seconds and then proceeds to do whatever she pleases.






I have never read the whole thing. I've only gotten through The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. So I'm excited about hearing the rest of the stories.


-- Posted from my iPhone -- ain't technology grand?

Scarf Luv

I sewed this cute little scarf today, courtesy of the directions here at Living with Punks.




Walmart got rid of their fabric department a few years ago. But they got in some 5-yard bolts of miscellaneous fabric for only $5. It only took me 1/2 a yard to make this scarf. A $.50 scarf! I may make some more and give them away... it turned out so cute!

Contemplating...

For years now, I have wanted to own my own business. I was never really sure what I wanted to do. But I knew that I wanted to own a business. And for years now, Scott has said that I should sew custom pillows. And for years I shrugged the idea off.

Oh sure. I've sewn a duvet, bed skirt, numerous pillows, crib bumber, crib bedskirt and curtains. I even did a paying job for a friend that included a faux roman shade, window seat cushion, and pillows. But actually do it for regular money? Do I have the time? Do I have the skill?

Having some extra money trickle in right now would not be a bad thing. Not that we are in need of extra money. The Lord is taking care of us. But the extra money would be nice. So I have thought about getting a part time job. Possibly with The Container Store (love that place!). But Scott is encouraging me to finally start my own company rather than working for "the man".

So I'm thinking of starting a custom pillow and curtain company. It would be made-to-order; I'd have a few examples on hand (that could also be purchased). But mostly, I would sew upon request with clients would bringing me fabric. Or even better, I'd get to go shopping with them for the fabric. I LOVE fabric and believe that I am skilled and talented at putting different fabrics together for a nice chic pallet.

But I also love making clothes for Claire... and there are TONS of boutique patterns online to make REALLY cute stuff. Plus the fabric that's online... oh... my heart starts to beat faster just thinking about it.

I'm torn between trying to start small (pillows, curtains, other home dec projects) and expanding to work on things that I really love (like oh so cute clothing for kids and accessories for kids and women). Or just starting out with the clothing/accessories idea. Since most of my competition are other at-home sewers, with or without a website, I'm having a hard time determining how much competition I have. And what they charge. And my competitive advantages. And a niche to focus on.

Clearly, more research needs to done. But at some point, it will be gut-check time. A "just do it" time. A "put on your big girl panties" time. A "p*ss or get off the pot" time. (I love that last one -- totally stolen from The Office)

Kids Karnival

Tonight our church transformed its parking lot into a ginormous carnival complete with 6 or 7 inflatables, lots of games, concessions, a petting zoo, and several giant screens featuring the Rangers' win in the World Series. It was really a site to see!

We got the kids dressed in their digs (Cade -- Perry the Platypus, Jack -- Darth Vader, and Claire -- butterfly) and headed up there.




We were there early to make sure our booth game was set up and to deliver some first aid supplies. Most of the games weren't ready yet, so we headed over to the petting zoo area and watched the workers unload the critters. The llama, Lorenzo, liked Cade quite a bit.


We then headed over to one of the inflatables: an obstacle course. Cade had no trouble with it and went through and over it many many times. But Jack and Claire had trouble with a large climbing wall. But they had fun climbing up half way and then sliding back down. They did this for about 15 minutes before we pulled them out. Bigger kids were starting to come in and run them over!





We then took the kids around to the games where they played and gathered the all important candy.



We stopped to eat some hot dogs before venturing to our community group's booth game, PLINKO (think The Price is Right).








Lastly we stopped back by the petting zoo where we could now enter and pet the critters. Only Jack was frightened as all get out. And Claire wasn't too keen on being inside the fenced in area with the animals. So I stayed with them while Cade chased the bunnies, the chickens, the ducks, the llama, the shetland pony, and the little pig. I had to drag Cade out of there; I think he would have stayed in there all night if I had let him






We had a great time!!!

Ta-Da!

I finished Claire's latest outfit. The pants are supposed to be capris. But thanks to my genetic makeup (so sorry, Claire), Claire's legs are about as long as a marine's hair. Add to that my laziness in not having Claire try on the pants as I was constructing them? And you get full fledged pants. Oh well. They are still adorable! The pants look short in the picture because of the type of hanger they are on...

A Generically Mundane Update on our Family

This post goes out to Hillary (Hi Hillary!!), who for some weird crazy reason, likes to read about the sometimes zany but most often boring things my family is up to.

Scott's job at the church is going great. He absolutely loves it and is already making a difference. Some philosophical and real changes will be coming to the Community Group (our adult small groups) ministry, which is his main focus at this time. He's also been in touch with leaders from the other ministries he oversees (Men's, Seniors', 20's, Celebrate Recovery... I am positive I'm forgetting some) to talk about the current state of the ministries and to discuss where they want to take them in the future. Very exciting!

Cade, in 2nd grade, is doing great. He is reading at an accelerated level (although getting him to read for practice is like pulling teeth) and pretty much enjoys school. His favorite parts of his day are lunch and recess. Go figure. Cade goes to Tae Kwon Do once a week and enjoys it very much. He's also a cub scout and seems to like his den this year.

Jack, in kindergarten, is doing really well too. He continues to like school a lot, although he gets frustrated when he doesn't finish his work in class. The potty training issue hasn't been too bad. He always goes to the bathroom at school. And sometimes in the potty! (insert rim shot here) Seriously, he's doing OK in this area. But he still needs to work on identifying the feeling of needing to go to the bathroom. And then connecting that feeling with actually walking to the bathroom. For whatever reason, he hasn't caught on to this part and is what we need to currently work on. His therapist/counselor says that it's like he's not aware of his body. He doesn't understand or "get" his body all the time, and so he's out of sync with what comes naturally to most of us. But it doesn't seem to bother Jack much, and I don't think anyone has made fun of him yet at school.

We are trying to get Jack to do t-ball in the spring (this boy can hit a pitch both left-handed and right-handed; amazing hand-eye coordination). Some days he says he'll do it. Other days he's too afraid to try.

Claire Bear is doing well too. We're trying to get her moved out of this fussy phase she's in. She's 3, so it's kind of expected. "Use your words," we tell her. Usually to no avail. But every now and then, she'll say what she's feeling or needing, and there won't be any fussing. Small steps in the right direction! Claire takes ballet and tap once a week (which is one of the most adorable things I've ever seen). She's also started taking gymnastics. MawMaw gets to take Claire to both of these activities and gets to relive my early childhood with Claire (I was a gymnast for 8 years, in case you didn't know). Next time you see her, ask Claire to show you some of the things she's learning in dance class. There's no telling what she'll show you. And just assume that whatever she does show you is not what Mrs. Ericka is actually teaching her.

As for me,I am doing OK. My depression has reared its ugly head a few times in the last several weeks, which makes doing much of anything a real struggle. Motivation and confidence are at all-time lows at times like this. I'm still struggling with what I should be doing with most of my time. I've tried to get back on the house-cleaning train (after enjoying several wonderful years of having a maid every other week). Because who wants to live in a sty? But I keep feeling like there's something more I should/want to be doing. I yearn to have a calling. A passion that I don't feel guilty about doing (not that sewing or crafting is bad... yet I feel guilty when I'm so focused on a project) because it's what God has called me to do. Whether it's "spiritual" or not, who cares. I don't feel very used by God right now. And that makes me sad, lonely, and feeling crummy. Maybe I'll get a job. The extra money would ease our budget

Wow. Did this post just take a nosedive or what? Well, that's a look into my heart. Be careful what you ask for, Hillary!

Fall Monogram Wreath Quasi-Tutorial

I received a request to go through the steps I took to make the front door wreath in the previous post. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to share of the process (like other so much worthier websites). I assume that nobody reads the dribble that I produce here at Frantlings and did not expect to get a question about the wreath! So here goes...

I've had the wreath for a couple of years now; it never was hung or used. Other than to collect dust. The wreath did that really well. When I saw this post, I ooohed and awwwwwed over the wreath. And since our front door was embarrassingly naked, I figured I had to make one. I did not follow the instructions over at Lil Luna (in fact, I did not even look at the directions), so my instructions will probably look a little different than theirs.

Supplies:

• premade wreath (mine measures approx 24" in diameter and undecorated)
• artificial/real twigs with berries or other decorative flora (if your wreath isn't already decorated)
• wire cutters
  
• hot glue gun (if you need to decorate your plain wreath)
• letter (i used a wooden letter from Joann's that's approx 13" tall)
  
• 1 sheet of scrapbook paper or wrapping paper big enough to cover your letter
• coordinating color of craft paint
• paint brush
• Mod Podge (I used the matte formula)
  
• floral wire
• staple gun
  

1. If your wreath is not already decorated, cut and arrange decorative stems (berries, fall leaves, etc) around your wreath to your liking.
2. Hot glue each piece in place
3. Paint the edges of your letter with craft paint; also paint a little bit over the edge onto the front of your letter (just in case it shows later)
4. Apply a thinish coat of Mod Podge (you could also use spray adhesive here) to your letter and place onto the wrong side of your paper. Turn over your letter and smooth out bubbles. Also make sure that the paper is adhering to the entire letter (especially the edges). If it's not, then apply a little more Mod Podge in that area.
5. Let letter dry according to the package directions (this is important; you don't want lots of bubbling in your paper!)
   
6. Turn letter upside down. Cut away excess paper with a craft knife. Take your time! To smooth out any rough edges, you can either lightly sand with a fine sandpaper or use an emery board.
7. Coat front and sides of letter with a light coat of Mod Podge (you could use a clear urethane type sealer here, but I don't think you'll get as good protection)
8. Attaching the letter is a little tricky: I stapled a piece of floral wire (the floral wire was probably 14" in length; give yourself plenty of length to play around with) to the top and bottom of the backside of the letter. At the top, I threaded one end of the wire through the middle of the wreath; the other end went around the outside of the wreath. When I got them to meet in the back, I twisted them together. I did the same for the bottom wire. Adjust so the letter so that it's in the middle of the wreath

That's it! It was pretty easy and very inexpensive (especially since I already had the wreath). If you have any questions, please ask away!

Going in Circles

After perusing some of the websites I listed in one of my last posts, I decided to "steal" an idea and make a front door wreath. I think it turned out pretty cute! Now if the kids would stop slamming the front door and making it fall...

Crafty People, Unite!

I wish I could spend all of my waking time on craft projects. Not lame projects that involves doilies (although, on occasion, doilies can be used in very chic ways), dolls, and popsicle sticks. But projects that can beautify your home, be given as gifts, or even be sold.

I've stumbled upon some pretty amazing websites. Seriously, where do these people get all these ideas?

• How about Orange?
• How does She? (under the "make it" section)
• Curbly
• One Pretty Thing

I am a sucker for good design. Be it fabrics, paper, a logo, whatever. I LOVE things that look sharp. And the above websites have some neat looking things on them. Enjoy!

But Seriously

OK. So the last post was a joke. But seriously...

Not much has been going on in our house.

Scott has had a fairly busy week with work... trying to get some training information collated and in presentable fashion for a class on Saturday.

Cade has had a normal week of homework and Tae Kwon Do.

Jack has had a normal week of no homework and no Tae Kwon Do (and generally pestering his sister).

Claire has had a normal week of hanging out with a little bit of school sprinkled in. She also took her first gymnastics class Monday and loved it! So we may ditch ballet (it's a little too slow moving for Claire) and go with gymnastics.

I have had a normal week (I was a little down for a few days, but I seem to be popping back out of it).

No news is good news, right?

A Little Update

A little update on the fam:

scott and I and the kids are fine.

Happy Campers

We took a huge chance this weekend and went camping with the kids 2.5 hours away from home. I'm talking about 2 fairly high maintenance boys who get scared at the slightest thing (one of whom is not potty trained yet wears underwear anyway) and a drama queen 3 year old who's favorite form of expressing herself when she doesn't get her way is to cry and scream.

And we had a blast! All three kids, individually, said over the weekend that they wanted to live there. The kids were fairly free to wander and explore around our campsite with the other kids that we camped with. It was tremendously successful, and we can't wait to do it again!

Here are some of the highlights and favorite pics from the trip:

a light saber battle

SurvivorMan Jack

Princess Claire Bear

Cade doing either an angry version of the Chicken Dance or flexing. We can't decide.

A sweet picture of Cade loving on his sister.

The extremely tall pine trees of East Texas

Daddy with Claire

Our friend Vivian starting a paddle boat journey with Claire, Jack and her son Marshall.

Cade riding with his friend Gage and Gage's Dad, Scott.

Claire, after her maiden voyage.

Sitting around the campfire

Just Say Sew

In an attempt to turn over a new leaf, I am buying Halloween costumes now (over a month before said event) rather than procrastinating until the day before our church's carnival and/or trick-or-treating and ending up with really lame costumes.

Claire wants to be a butterfly. This is pretty easy. I bought some pink wings off of the internet. I'll make her a pink tutu out of tulle. I bought antenna at Party City this morning. Put her in a pink leotard and tights, and voila: she's transformed from a cute little girl into a cute little butterfly.

Jack saw a Darth Vader costume at a store and instantly wanted with all his might to be the good ol' sith lord. So that was really easy. Plus it was on sale at the time. Jackpot.

And then there's Cade.

A little backstory is required here: We have been watching Phineas & Ferb (a cartoon on Disney) for several months now. It's a witty show that even Scott & I like to watch with the kids. As far as characters go, there's the brothers Phinease and Ferb, of course. And there's their sister Candice. And of course you can't leave out the evil but perennial failure Dr. Doofenshmirtz. But, by far, the kids' favorite character on the show is the family's pet platypus. Yes, the family has a pet platypus. Perry is his name.

Perry is not your ordinary platypus. He is actually a secret agent living out a "normal" existence with Phineas and Ferb's family when he's not on assignment. But when he gets the word that his assistance is needed, out comes the fedora and Perry is now Agent P.

So this is what Cade wants to be for Halloween: A secret agent platypus.



I briefly looked online, but couldn't find a turquoise platypus costume. What gives? So I had to switch gears and come up with one on my own. Because [insert sarcastic voice here] I have free time aplenty.

I was able to find someone else who has traveled this egg-laying-mammal road before and was able to pick up some pointers. But since I couldn't find any plain turquoise sweats, I am going to have to make them.

The pattern I'm using makes the boy blue pajamas in the picture below. I'll freehand a hood to attach to it.

Add the brown fedora that's already purchased, some orange feet made out of craft foam to go atop his tennis shoes, an orange bill that will fit over his mouth, and a beaver-looking tail (that reminds me... I still need to purchase fabric for the tail!), and voila. A more-complicated-than-mom-wanted costume that will transform Cade into Agent P.

First Day of School

Today was Jack's first day of kindergarten. And lest I make you wait to the end of the post to see how things turned out... he had a FANTASTIC day! He is excited about school and wants to go back! Now I'm not naive; tomorrow could be a bad day and he may not want to go back. But today, we are celebrating that Jack had a good day.