Christmas Round-Up Part 1

So for a good part of December I was working away on lots of gifts for lots of people! All the pictures are not up-loaded, so I'm going to start with what I've uploaded so far!

First up was socks for my in-laws (who we went to visit in October! I knitted them each a pair. There's a long story behind why I did this, but I'll spare everyone the details and just know this was important to me to do! =)




(also this picture is much more accurate color wise!)







I think I go the best compliment from my mother-in-law - she called to see if I really made her socks (the colorful pair) because they just didn't look like someone could have made them! I assured her they were knit by me and the family could vouch because I was on a big deadline and ignored the fam to finish the socks on time ROFL! =)

I also made my first ever dolls this year - from start to finish!



I had asked someone else to make me some, but as a typical mother - she told me I could do it and she would help if I got stuck. So I bought a pattern and set off to work. They aren't perfect, but they look like dolls so that counts LOL!

I bundled each doll with a lot of blankets:


Whipped up a cute bag and added a book:



and three girls in my life received a Princess and the Pea set!


I know at least my dd likes her set. Not sure about the other two girls, but I am hoping they enjoy their set too! =)

I also squeezed in some produce bags. These were not gifts I gave, but sewed for someone else who might be giving them away, so I felt some pressure to finish them!







I admit, I procrastinated on most of these and just felt I didn't have enough time to do it all in. There were quite a few late nights/early mornings. I hope I don't repeat this next year - because truthfully I LOVE making and giving things away ... I just don't like the stress that comes with it because I didn't leave enough time! =)

Christmas Round-Up Part 2 is here!

Out of hiding ...

Almost all of the gifts are made. The cookies are baked. The house is mostly clean. I can now emerge from hiding!

I never intended to disappear, but as Christmas edged closer I realized I had more and more I needed to do and not enough time to do it all in.

I haven't finished making all my gifts - I ran out of time, but I have all but one thing for today and tomorrow done - and that is definitely good news. It also means on the 26th and 27th I'll be busy making and sewing and creating!

I will be posting pictures of things in the coming week - in an attempt to make up for my absence. For now, I'll share 3 of my projects - our Christmas Eve jammies.



Every year my kids get new pajamas to wear for Christmas. Last year was the first year I made them for the kids.



When I was growing up, my mom did the same thing. I always knew I was getting new jams for Christmas. One year, I got a beautiful blue nightgown. I loved it. And I love having memories like that!



I hope my kids look back and someday love getting these jammies. For now, the older two are very vocal about loving this tradition. And that makes my heart just swell up with love!



I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas and make lots of wonderful new memories =)

Thanks Twitter!

So, per usual, I have spent too much time on-line so far this week.
And yesterday, there was much twitter chatter about oamc (once a month cooking - and yes I had to look it up before I knew! LOL). And I kept reading about it and hearing what people were making, and then darn-it, I wanted to do it too! LOL!

So I packed the kids up and went to Target. I do NOT recommend this to anyone. I had a vague idea of what I would make and just went shopping. Adding this, and that, and some of this, and oh! If I buy that, I can make this too. Which, is completely unwise and again, I do not recommend doing it this way.

Last night I made some broth thanks to thanksgiving leftovers with plans to wake up and do lots of things today.

I decided to start with breads because they had to rise. I think that actually worked well.

And I also rounded up some help, because I knew this was going to be a long day!





We measured, mixed, laughed, and at lunch time we had all the bread dough done.

Which, I might add, almost made me cry. Because I thought we'd be farther. I thought it would be easier - a couple hours and wa-la, dinner for a lot of nights! Um, no. It does not work that way. Which probably most people would have known, but I always have really unrealistic estimates of how long things will take!


But it was okay, we pressed on (after eating lunch! And started in on some chili and some homemade mac and cheese. And bread was in the oven (and the rolls and pizza dough I let rise, then shaped and threw in the freezer LOL)

The kitchen was hot and on fire. We ended up sort of getting slowed down during all of this - too many pots to watch out for, things going in and out of the oven, little people running all over the place. It sort of got a bit chaotic in there, but we pressed on (seriously, let me pause for a moment and tell you how incredibly amazing my 10 year old and just how much she completely helped me out!! She rocks!)

We then did a second batch of both chili and mac and cheese. Then I made some meatloaf (using a recipe found on-line that I'm nervous about so I won't link it, but I tweaked it a bit because it just didn't look right when we mixed it up!). Then mixed up a different batch of meatloaf that we rolled into meatballs. At this point (roughly 4:15) I remember I forgot to cook the chicken in the crock pot. So I tossed that in.

I had promised my daughter we would without a doubt make pancakes that they could heat for breakfasts. And so at 5 we started pancakes. I ended up doing 8 batches of it - which sounds like a lot, but really, each batch didn't make that much. We did half plain and half chocolate chip - and this ended up being dinner (with scrambled eggs and toast).

After dinner I did a huge pot of turkey and rice soup (that I just make up as I go!). The chicken is now cooked, but I'm not doing anything with it until tomorrow (in which I have some more big plans).

And now - well now I'm sitting and not cooking LOL! All told, we made:
2 loaves wheat bread
2 loaves white bread
40 wheat rolls
28 buttermilk rolls
4 batches chili
2 batches mac and cheese
2 meatloaves
48 meatballs
2 batches turkey and rice soup
a lot of pancakes!

That gives us at least 12 meals. Not bad for a day's work! If, however, I do this again, I will have more of a plan!