velveteen

My niece needed a special dress for Christmas and this is what her mom and I dreamed up.
The bodice is velveteen (nearly impossible to sew with!) and lined with muslin.
I don't know the name for the skirt fabric, but it's a fancy cream fabric, kind of stiff, and covered with flocked flowers.
The bow at the back is black satin.

soccer game

What do you do with a bag full of soccer players? Find them a field to play on of course!
Let them play - - -
And hope nobody gets a red card! (play by the rules please, guys.)
In case you want some details... here they are.
- The guys playing are Manchester United v. Chelsea
- Field is made out of a wooden tray painted green, field made out of green felt glued on, lines painted on with white fabric paint.
- Peg dolls painted as close to real uniforms as possible - 11 players on each team, and I actually looked up the roster online.

Yes, my brother is a BIG soccer fan. Now he can play soccer any time he wants - whether there's a game on or not! Merry Christmas, Matt!

{ I originally saw it on Crafty Crow - posted from A Bit of This & A Bit of That. I didn't do a goal post - and instead of storing the pieces in a box they go in a denim bag with soccer ribbon on it. I also didn't take the time to do faces & hair. Go check out hers though - so DARN cute! }

more Christmas odds & ends

A couple more Christmas presents to share with you...

My mother-in-law is "old school" - meaning she loves her atlas more than a GPS. So - a reversible denim/cotton bag to hold her map books in the car during her upcoming Florida road trip.
A hoodie for my niece with a beautiful butterfly on the back...

and a brown bag for her with ribbons & her initial - perfect for carrying books, toys, or whatever she wants to daycare, sleepovers, or a road trip!

christmas books...day 25

Christmas Day in the Morning - Pearl S. Buck
A touching story about one farm son's gift to his father. Kids surprising their parents... love it!!!


One Christmas Dawn - Candice Ransom
Luckily, I have spent many a comfy Christmas with my family. For this girl in 1917 Appalachia, it wasn't a sure thing that she would get to see her Daddy! One of my favorite lines... "The mountains held us in, like hands."

sugar season

Christmas time... the sweetest sugariest season of all!

We've been busy the last couple of days! On Tuesday we had "Sugarfest: The Christmas Version" - so named because it was the same friends as Sugarfest: the Birthday Version. I realized after I'd downloaded all these pictures that there were so many sweet moments missed, and a couple of goodies not documented. Oh well - use your imagination :)

First - Ginger People. (We like to be politically correct in these here parts.) We played around with royal icing & tried flooding the cookies. Well, we know what to do better next time!

I found some pretzels that were Holiday Shapes - candy canes, stars, trees - and drizzled them with melted chocolate melted in a ziploc bag.

There was also some Rugelach made - but unfortunately, it is undocumented.
I guess I was too busy documenting our Little House experiment - molasses and syrup poured on snow. Was it supposed to harden? Or just make it sweet? Either way, the four of us gathered around the bowl laughing & enjoying.

These are our Mint Chocolate Sugar Drops - basically chocolate chip cookies - but made with Andes Mint chips instead, and rolled in sugar before baking. YUM!

On Wednesday, the baking continued. (in other words the flour coating of my kitchen continued.)
My brother and I continued our almost 20-year long tradition - baking Bon Bons. (That's his arm stuck in the picture in the middle.) Abby "helped" by sitting there eating rasisins and nuts. Conner rolled a bunch of the cookies and decorated with us too. My mom's sugar cookies snuck into the picture too - Conner helped her decorate some of those.
So the way you make bon bons - a sugary cookie dough is the base, and then you make balls of dough with goodies inside - mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, m&ms, nuts, craisins, raisins, cherries, red hots, or whatever else you'd like to experiment with - mini marshmallows, not a good idea.Bake them, then glaze & sprinkle & decorate.Are you ready for a surprise? Take a bite and see what's inside!!! (If you don't like it, pass it to your brother - he'll eat anything!)

There were jam cookies - can you tell Conner was helping?!
There was some Spritz creation - don't forget the red hots & green sprinkles!
That wraps up the Christmas Cookie tour... luckily the amount of calories consumed is balanced carefully with the enjoyment of time with friends and family!

Hope you & your family enjoy a sweet Christmas time together!!!

christmas books...day 24

Twas the Night Before Christmas - Jan Brett
The classic story illustrated by the classic illustrator. Her designs and details on the "visions of sugar plums" page alone keeps us mystified!

Firefighters Night Before Christmas - Kimbra Cutlip
This is Daddy's version - and although the illustrations aren't my favorite, we love the fireman details included in this take on the classic.

The Barnyard Night Before Christmas - Beth Terrill
Re-written to incorporate the animals, this is a cute rendition that keeps my country-boy's heart happy! It makes my heart happy because it's all about a little mouse's wish for peace.

christmas books...day 23

Bear Stays Up for Christmas - Karma Wilson
This is my story... gotta stay up, gotta stay up, can I FINALLY go to sleep? Feeling a little bit of the pre-holiday get-stuff-finished stress myself! Bear stays up to get everything ready for his friends, and crashes after the big event under the warmth of a quilt made by his friends. Sounds like a good deal to me!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell - Lucille Colandro
This seasonal version of the classic rhyme is a favorite around here. Once again, why the heck would somebody swallow all this weird stuff, I don't know - but we love it! We look around at our stuff and make up our own verses too about swallowing our stuffed animals, ornaments, books, etc. Just don't try and get ME to swallow a bell!

christmas books...day 22

A Cup of Christmas Tea - Tom Hegg & Warren Hanson
A cup of tea? Who can resist? (ok, maybe I'd choose hot chocolate!) So important to take the time to make memories with the ones you love... and even those that you have a hard time loving.

Night Tree - Eve Bunting
I love me some Eve Bunting - she has an amazing way of telling the most truthful, heartfelt stories. I love the idea of cutting down your own tree, and I definitely love the idea of a special family time together and starting fun traditions with your kids.

christmas books...day 21

Through the Animal's Eyes - Christopher Wormell
Woodcut illustrations and serious text carefully leads you through the Christmas story. Lots of animals show up in the story besides the "typical" farm animals you usually see gathered around the manger. In the back of the book they are featured with a short description and interesting fact or two.

The Beautiful Christmas Tree - Charlotte Zolotow
"Beauty is as beauty does"... what can you make out of something that others call ugly? "Living things need love and care." Amazing what a little love can do!

christmas books...day 20

The Little Drummer Boy - Ezra Jack Keats
This song can NOT be read - it MUST be sung (according to my son). It has led to great conversations about why people visit the baby, why the boy has no shoes, and what we can bring to those we love.

Drummer Boy - Loren Long
The author is admittedly inspired by "Little Drummer Boy" song. He takes this little drummer boy on an adventure from a boy's house throughout town and back home again. I love the hands on the last page!

The Christmas Tree Ship - Jeanette Winter
This book is based on a true story of a ship that brought trees from Michigan to Chicago. The Michigan-Chicago connection is perfect for us, of course. But beyond that I appreciate what the wife did to remember her husband.

christmas books...day 19

One Snowy Night - M. Christina Butler
Our version is a "Touch and Feel" book, which automatically puts high in the rankings for Abby! The hedgehog gets a red woolly hat that works its way back to him in a special way.

The Christmas Visitor - Anneliese Lussert
I have always believed that you never know the impact you can have on just one person - a little thing can mean so much, and you never know who that person is, was, or will be. This story is a BIG reminder that we all entertain angels.

Waiting for the Evening Star - Rosemary Wells & Susan Jeffers
A farm in Vermont... syrup over snow... and a wish for family time... and an end to war. "Wishes on the evening star are bound to come true."

snack bag

{Spoiler alert... if you're my father-in-law or want to be surprised at his present, look away NOW!}

I just can't wait until after Christmas to show off all the goodies I've been making!

My in-laws are going on a road trip to Florida in March, and I figured my father-in-law might like some yummy munchies for the long trip. So, I used a peanut can (leftover from when he made peanut brittle with us) and mod-podged it with some bandana paper. I used my Cuttlebug dies to cut the letters, and cut the denim star myself.

Put them in a bag with his initials, add a couple matching napkins, and he's good to go! I'll fill the cans later - have to check with my hubby and see what his dad's favorite candy is. One can for candy, one for cookies. I'll just refill them in March with a fresh batch of cookies for the big trip.

christmas books...day 16

An Orange for Frankie - Patricia Polacco
Do you set out oranges at Christmas time? Reading this story makes me want to bring one back from our visit to Michigan!!!

Apple Tree Christmas - Trinka Hakes Noble
Farm life isn't an easy one - and these sisters find fun and enjoyment in the apple tree near their house. What they do with it after the ice storm is even more special.

oreo cookies + mint

We've been up to no good in the kitchen again! This time Abby got in on the action too. We melted red chocolate wafers, dipped the Oreos, and sprinkled! (Can you tell the kids got a little carried away????!!!)
Oh yeah - they are mint Oreos... even better... some of the sprinkles are peppermint bits.
yummmmmmm.

christmas books...day 15

It's Cynthia Rylant day!!! (aka "sweet & sappy but still love it!!" day)

Christmas in the Country - Cynthia Rylant
A sweet story of an idyllic (to some) life. Although it seems too good to be true, I love those kind of stories at Christmastime.

Silver Packages - Cynthia Rylant
This Appalachian story follows a boy from his childhood chasing the Christmas train to adulthood working as a doctor in the community. It's a bit sentimental of course, but still one of my favorites.

christmas books...day 14

This is the week we start cooking up a storm at our house! Here's a couple yummy goodies for you...

Christmas Cookies : Bite-Size Holiday Lessons - Amy Krouse Rosenthal
This is her second cookie book, and it's centered around Christmas cookies this time. There is a lot of talk of sharing with neighbors, cooking for family, and other sweet lessons. We enjoy this one every time!


The Sweet Smell of Christmas - Patricia M. Scarry
This is a childhood favorite of my husband's - and my mother-in-law gifted us with a new copy so it actually smells. Scratch and sniff is so fun!!

christmas books...day 13

Ruby the Donkey - Mirabel Cecil
My brother & I got this book for Christmas when I was 4 years old. My cover actually looks different than the cover I found online - so it must be a second printing or something? In my book, the donkey has tears and the cover is quite gray and somber. I like this cover better, but it sort of gives away the ending.
Anyway - the story centers around a sad, aging donkey named Ruby. She isn't able to give rides during the summer like she used to and during the cold winter she is unable to grow a thick warm coat. Luckily she has friends to make her one! (GORGEOUS by the way!) And guess who gets chosen to be in the Nativity - Scarlett or Ruby?

The Donkey's Dream - Barbara Berger
So many gorgeous illustrations in this book! (It's also a book from my childhood - I was 9 when I got it.) The illustrations glow from the pages, and are full of symbolism (there is a whole page explaining in the back).
The donkey dreams he is carrying a city, a ship, a fountain, a rose, and a lady. The ending is rather predictable - but beautiful still!

christmas books...day 12

Room for a Little One - Martin Waddell
"There's always room for a little one here." is the repeated saying as the animals all come and join the Kind Ox. Animals that would usually fight are peaceful, and of course they welcome a donkey at the end. The pictures are dark at times (night time in a barn) but the light glows from the pictures at just the right places.

Who is Coming to Our House - Joseph Slate
We have this in board book and I have to say the vocabulary is a little bit much for young ones. However, we love reading about all the animals and trying to guess who's coming! (And this year especially it's been fun for my son to try and rhyme, and figure out what the words mean.)