Mittens

Some great women hosted a Ladies Ornament Exchange evening at our church. I thought that sounded like a fun evening. . .but I REALLY wanted to make an ornament! My original idea was a stocking, but then one day I just started doodling and changed my mind to making matching country mittens. So. . .here they are:

There is my pattern--a free hand mitten and long heart. Add a button and coloured embroidery floss. . .

Then stitch like crazy!

And I got them done on time! I loved how they turned out!

After that, I made a few more in blue with brown buttons and looped the hanging string just on one side. (No pictures. . .what was I thinking???) Most of those disappeared to my co-workers and prayer partner at school.

I love crafting during the holidays!

Christmas in July. . .a little late!

I just realized I still have this post in my file. . .and it has never surfaced into the blogosphere!

So. . .ignore the title, and here was my "Christmas in August" ideas.

Yes, you read that right. I have learned from the past. There is no time to create Christmas cards prior to the Christmas season, and I had a wave of creativity one lovely day in August, so this is what I did: I made Christmas cards.

Maybe you can guess. . .it was a Pinterest idea. Well, I should say it was based on a pinterest idea. I saw cards made out of paint chips (similar to the ones at the bottom of this post) and decided I should search the web for some tree ideas. I found a gift tag (blog here) that looked similar to the tree I made, but decided to make mine as a whole card, thinking I could put a family photo on the back. Which never happened.

But here it is:

Here are the cards--done on the right, works in progress on the left.

(Stamps from Michael's clearance, ink was Staz-On, ribbon from my left-overs stash, paper from Activity Village website and my stash)

 

And below are some other cards I tried to make.

They are very, very pink. Cute, but VERY pink. Sparkle too, but VERY pink!

(stamps from Stampin Up)

(stamps from Michael's clearance bin)

 

Thank you to my many trips to Home Depot, where I was {seriously} considering painting the guest room one of various shades of green, but never did, and then considered painting a hallway pink, but never did--and didn't want to waste the chips so I crafted instead. (Am I justified in this?!?!)

Row-on-row

My little princess is having a bunch of fun in school. She learned to draw owls recently. . .

so at home she tried to do it again, and do some writing about owls, and for some reason this all got her into  the poem, In Flanders Field.

I *think* it says, "Owls fly.Owls hoot. Owls have good eyesight on the trees."

 Today her brother showed her how to make flowers--poppies--out of Kleenex. Here is her droopy one that she put on a sign on her door. . .

 

 and then inside her room--it is her Flanders Field--with the poppies that she made "row-on-row."

(Is that adorable or what?!?!? Oh to see all of life through the eyes of a child!)

She spent a bunch of time drawing, colouring and cutting poppies. Little did I know that this is what it was going to turn into!

Lest we forget!

Halloween Weekend

This weekend we did all of our "Halloween Stuff" (for lack of a better way to say it all!)

The local library had a program for kids--they could come dressed up, but their stuffie also had to have a costume! Very cute idea! So my kids picked their "costumes" for the kids, got on google for its help in printables, and enlisted the help of Oma for making a tutu for the fairy stuffie.

My Spiderman with his bat-dog.

 My fairy princess with her fairy princess Ruthie-Lynn

 The kids listening to some stories at the Library. They also got to play some games, make a mask, and collect a treat!

 Later in the evening the grown-ups went to a pumpkin carving get-together with our small group. . . here was my food contribution. Chocolate and creepy-crawlies! Yum!

(See below for the {small} pumpkin the hubby created!)

 The next day was pumpkin carving day with the kiddos.

 Daddy and Princess A making their scary pumpkin face

 E designed his own this year and needed some help learning how to get it on the pumpkin "the way Daddy does it."

 E hard at work. . . and Princess A there for the photo!

E's pumpkin 

 Princess A's pumpkin

 Then came the actual day! Here is our chauffeur, in true pumpkin-day style!

 Here are our fearless trick-or-treaters!

A fairy princess, a fisherman (minus the hat that was just too annoying to keep on for him!) and Spiderman.

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Al's neighborhood, where we saw our cousins too. . .

 . . . and then met up with some of our friends to tour Opa and Oma's neighborhood, where we saw our other cousins, too!

 And here is our "pumpkin-magic" for the evening.

Happy Halloween to you all!

Thanksgiving Thoughts (WFW)

Thanksgiving at our House

I realize that it is well past Thanksgiving in Canada, and the left-overs are all eaten up in the United States. But I am still thinking about this warm and cozy holiday even as—and especially because—the Christmas season is beginning.

You see, I spent a bunch of years living in the U.S. and was fortunate to experience a "real American Thanksgiving" many times. During my college years I spent many Thanksgiving Days with my roommate's family—a family who made the dinner table just a little bigger each year to accommodate the college friends of their children—those of us who were not by our own families and had nowhere else to go. I remember one year they went as far as rounding up sawhorses and plywood, just to make eating space for all who came! And it wasn't just a dinner, it was a full day of activities and fun—truly something to celebrate and to be thankful for.

I lived on my own for three years in the U.S. and never spent a Thanksgiving alone. The hospitality of my fellow employees and friends always gave me a "home for the holidays." It wasn't right for a Canadian-rookie-single teacher to be alone for Thanksgiving, and each year I was blessed beyond measure by their generosity and kindness! Good food, good friends and good fun. I have so many wonderful memories!

Thanksgiving has looked a little bit different for me in the past few years. It's obviously not the grand celebration that it has been in the U.S. I definitely miss the extravagance of those days—pretty much the beginning of Christmas! In my experience, here in Canada, it is celebrated on a much lower key. Thanksgiving in my house is even less of an ordeal. My husband is a firefighter and the long weekend is the perfect opportunity for those guys to test equipment and hoses to ensure safety and ease when fighting fires. It is a few extra days wages for my husband. For that I am thankful . . . but it makes for a L-O-N-G weekend for me and the kids. To add to the mix, the church my family is part of is a little lacking in their Thanksgiving Day services. By lacking, I mean, lacking childcare. In the past I had enquired about it, was assured that there would be childcare, showed up and was pleasantly (note my sarcasm!) told there was nothing: my preschool (or baby) kids were to be in church with me, something quite out of the ordinary for them and for our church. And these services were not so "child-friendly" either—very much geared towards adults. To walk away or to grin and bear it . . . and I generally chose the latter. BIG mistake when you are acting as a single mom. You think I would have learned!

So this year was different. I checked with the church—was there going to be childcare? Only for the babies if enough people showed up. So, I made the decision to stay home. Please understand this is huge for me! I grew up as a faithful "twice a Sunday" attender. We try to go to church each Sunday. To miss church is a BIG deal to me! But this year I decided I just didn't want to pretend to be super-mom. I didn't want to go to church just to come home exasperated and very unthankful. And with three young children (one of them being 5 months old) and not near a full night of sleep prior, I knew that was probably going to be the outcome yet again. I had already played super-mom on Sunday for church. Monday's Thanksgiving service would have to take place without us.

So here I was, a little sad about missing church, a little deflated (I mean, my parents had us sit through church and we didn't make a peep! Why can't I do that with my kids?!?), a little defeated (Other parents can do this, why can't I?), and a lot tired! So, I printed off some thanksgiving pictures, got some books ready and prepared myself to stay home.

And then my son looked at me on Thanksgiving morning—of course there had been fights and tears and overwhelming moments that had taken place already—but he looked at me with big, sad eyes when I told him we were going to stay home, and he said he really wanted to go. {Break my heart!} And here was my fatal mistake: I asked him why he really wanted to go to church. I repeat: fatal mistake! And his answer—in his very-mature-five-year-old-voice—was, "All I want to do is praise God."

An hour later, me and three kids were on our way to church. How do you say no to that? (I know, I know, I'm a sucker for my kids. I was definitely showing them who was boss!)

It turned out there were enough babies, so I was able to drop off my crabby 5 month old with some loving ladies for a cuddle. And my kids had been warned: if they don't listen to me, we go home. If you want to praise God, that is what we are going to do. (Of course my theology was a little off here since there are far more ways to praise God than to sit quietly by your mom so she feels like she has it all together. But I'll correct that in the years to come.) And they actually were amazing! Maybe my threat worked . . . or maybe . . . they were just good. I didn't even have to pull out the reinforcements (aka: books, crayons, etc.), I didn't have to give them "The Look," and I didn't have to pull them out of the service. They sang, they listened, they sat, they watched. I was in awe.

But here was the big moment for me; the part of church that stood out. There was this time of sharing. You know, when people could come up to the microphone and share how God had blessed them this year. At one point, an older woman who was unfamiliar to me came forward and said she was thankful for the families in church that morning. She said that she knew that many, many things had already happened that morning in the homes, that for families the morning had probably started much earlier than it did for most, and that it may have been a tremendous struggle just to get to church that morning. It would have been easier to stay home for most. But the fact that she saw so many parents with children sitting in the audience showed her that there were some parents who cared deeply about teaching their children about God, both today and every other Sunday morning. There were parents who wanted to pass on the tradition of church and the love of God to their children. And for that she was thankful.

When we came home, I thanked my kids for acting so good in church. They shrugged it off as if they didn't know what the big deal was. And I thanked my son for asking to go to church. Again, he shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. And I realized too, that I was thankful for the first time in a very long time for going to church on Thanksgiving Day.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. ~Proverbs 22:6

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ~Matthew 19:4

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. ~ Mark 10:13-16

(image from here)

Trick or Twee. . .

Oh, the fall season is upon us . . .

My little creator has been making his way to the kitchen table to do drawing and cutting each morning at 6:30 a.m. or thereabouts. Of course I know this because I have been enjoying mornings that start at 5 or 5:30 a.m. The joys of early risers! I guess the fact that the Fall season also means darker mornings doesn't phase them in the least.

The best I can do for my early risers is yawn throughout the day, start the coffee right after the bottle is warmed so it is ready to greet me when my hands are less full of baby, and smile when I find these treasures hidden around my house:

I learned a new word today--twee. It means exceptionally cute. I think that is quite fitting when I think about my kiddos! Hence the title of the blog post for this fun fall season. . .

Thursday and Friday were pumpkin days. . . we got to go over to Uncle Nolan and Auntie Pam's house who grew some HUGE pumpkins--and lots of them, and pick from their collection. Thanks guys! (Our pumpkins from the pumpkin patches were just too small!) Then it was carving time!

Silly kids enjoying the "ew" and the "goo" that goes along with pumpkin carving!

But in the end they turned out pretty nice. . .guess which one was made by E and Daddy and which one was made by Princess A and Mommy?

Of course we had to have the "glowing at night" photo too--it is a good excuse to stay up just a little later than bedtime! We brought them over to Opa and Oma's front steps to shine during Trick or Treating night!

Costumes this year got used a lot! Princess A got to wear her costume to her little preschool ballet class. It was so-o-o cute to see all these little ballerinas dressed up and prancing around!

She was quite the butterfly, and was sure to tell her teacher all about it! But the excitement was almost too much along with the running around she did! She was a tired girl at home afterwards!

But that afternoon we dressed up again to go to the local library. They were hosting a visit from an author and a Halloween party to accompany it all! Here is my bat and my butterfly.

And here they are listening to author Daniel De Serrano reading "Scare Me, Beware Me!" We got to create some silly mosters of our own afterwards!

Then the next day, there was a pumpkin party connected to the 5-Day Club (VBS-type activity) that E attended over the summer. Since it was hosted at Grandma's house. Princess A came too (even though she was not really old enough). They carved mini-pumpkins and played games and heard a story. . .it was very cute. They received a bookmark with the Pumpkin Carving Prayer on it (along with all the other stuff in their little treat bags!)

Then, here we are ready to enjoy the neighborhood. It was fun to stop by some of the houses that we knew.

Here they are with their cousins (and a few other people we don't know!)

A bit later, we met up with some friends to walk around the block together. We had lots of fun--and the kiddos looked so great!

And we met some more cousins (and our pumpkin-providers) during the night!

And then everyone went to bed! ~Too many fall fun activities in a short time!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Canada Day

Another post that is a {little} late. . .

For the past few years we have gone to White Rock/Crescent Beach for Canada Day. This year the weather did not look promising at all, so instead we decided to go to the local Canada Day parade. First we had to get decked out in all of our Canada gear--we all had at least one patriotic clothing item!
(Someone should let you know before you even try, that the more people in the family, the less photogenic everyone becomes! But in the end, I still got a family photos--and those things that are very rare for us!)

Then we gathered the troops together and found a cozy spot to show off our Canada spirit! (And we may have found this spot because there were samosas nearby, and I LOVE samosas!)

Princess A--spent much f the time covering her ears because some of the trucks and floats were just too noisy for her liking! Well, except when people were handing out candy. . .

(Who knew that Halloween could happen twice in one year!)

E taking it all in (and noticing his relatives who were in the parade!)

This tractor used to be hubby's dad's and before that his grandpa's. My hubby's dad donated it to . . . the people who collect old tractors here locally. . .(here is where someone who knows better will fill in the group who owns and displays it now! Can't remember what it is called! Oops!) When E was little we took him to the Agrifair and had a picture taken of him on it to give to Grandpa. The hubby thought it was pretty cool to see it up and running, rather than just on display!

Here is what the kids worked on in the morning. . .coloring Canada pictures and hanging them up for the neighbors to see! By the afternoon a few of the neighbors also had flags in their windows, which E thought was great!

Happy Canada Day all!