Merry Christmas!

Just Don't Eat the Yellow Snow...

Merry Christmas Eve! Cookie rolling, baking, dipping and decorating are what we are doing ALL day! Then the Christmas celebrations begin!

Miss Evelynn and Snow

Miss Evelynn was not as excited to be out in the snow as her brother. I couldn't get her off of the porch for the first 15 minutes that we were out there. She was perfectly happy watching. Well, not perfectly.

When I did get her off, all she did was whine...the whole time. She treated the snow like it was an alien, or some disgusting matter. She whined and flapped her arms if some touched her cheek. She whined and tried to brush it off of her gloves. When she walked around, she whined and said "stuck" over and over. Sigh.

Evelynn fell down once and didn't try to get up on her own. No, she whined and yelled "stuck"! I walked over to help her, but not before I snapped a few pictures of the damsel in distress.

Evelynn + Snow = Whining. Well, at least she looks cute while doing it!

Calvin's First Snow Angel!

With the recent snowfall in Columbus, I bundled up my babies and took them outside. Calvin was thrilled to finally be let outside to play in the snow. He had been asking to go out even when there was only an 1/8 inch on the ground.

He isn't usually enthusiastic about trying new things, so up until this point I hadn't suggested trying to make a snow angel to him. But this time I did. After seeing me lay down in the snow, I half expected him to ask to go back inside. I was surprised when I got up and showed him my snow angel. He squealed, ran over to a clear area, laid down and start working his arms. "You gotta use your legs too", I said. He giggled.

In fact, Calvin giggled the whole time. Then he got up to survey his work. He was pleased. So pleased, he insisted on Evelynn making one too. It didn't happen.


My study has been about Nehemiah. Two of the concepts that have had an impact on me are:

God is always faithful to His Word. He blesses faithfulness, and punishes unfaithfulness. If we are in a state of discipline, God is still being faithful. Nehemiah praised God while Israel was in exile by the Persians because God was being faithful to His Word.

The Lord's judgment always starts in His house. If we are of a people who do not follow God, He will not excuse us for fitting in, even when it seems as though He is excusing the rest of the world. If He is unhappy, we will be the first to be disciplined.

Stringing Popcorn

This week is going to be busy getting ready for Christmas. We have wrapping, packing, cookie making, cleaning, and celebrating to do. I am most excited for Calvin. I can't wait to see him experience Christmas. He was still a little too young last year to understand what was going on. But this year he gets it.

He loves doing anything that has to do with Christmas. He loves the lights, decorations, stories, and he has even picked out a favorite song (unfortunately it's Jingle Bells). I am sure his favorite part is going to be Christmas morning though. :)

Busy, But Good Busy.

Earlier this month, I submitted a few of my clips/bows for review in Nie's Homemade Christmas. (If you don't know Stephanie Nielson's story you should read it on her blog, it's truly moving.) Stephanie generously set aside 5 days from her blog to feature the work of crafters and handmade goods people like me. Stephanie mentioned a few times that she wouldn't be able to review and post all the items she received. I sent in my bows/clips thinking that they wouldn't make it on the blog.

As the days drew nearer to the event, I was sure my clips wouldn't be chosen. Stephanie mentioned she has received hundreds of items. My clips didn't make the blog on Monday, so I anxiously waited for Tuesday's post. And to my great surprise/joy/relief, Stephanie had included my items in her review (here)! She even called them "dang cute"!

She put up a link to my Etsy account for any who are interested. Or you can click on my "Mini Etsy" in the sidebar to the right. Tell me what you think if you do view my Etsy account (please, please). I need feedback so I can get the kinks out quicker.

Clip making, picture taking, and Etsy posting have been taking up a lot of my afternoons lately.
I have been having tons of fun though. It is an incredible feeling to make something with my own two hands and have someone else think it is special enough to purchase it. Hopefully, this new set up lasts for a long time.

I am also thinking up new products. Things made from re-purposed materials, jewelry sets, and Buckeye necklaces are just a few of the ideas in the works.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

I am very confident we will be getting a white Christmas this year and I am very excited about it. Christmas in Columbus is usually brown and soggy, but not this year!

The weather man calls for a few snow showers here and there and then snow on Christmas Eve too. And the highs are in "butt-freezing", so there is no chance of it melting either.

(way to ruin the pretty snow pictures mood by using the word "butt", huh?)

Our Weekend...

We took another trip to EnterTRAINment Junction this Saturday to see their Christmas displays. We went there for "the kids" but I had fun trying to find the little Santas they had hidden throughout the displays. I counted 13, but apparently there are 19.

Part of the special Christmas displays was a walk through show of The Christmas Carol. Craig and I really enjoyed it, I don't think the babies knew what was going on. The show was put on by two young men, who would pop in and out of character. They started the show by arguing over who was going to play Scrooge. They settled it by "Rock, Paper, Scissors". The guy who lost played all the other parts. It was pretty entertaining.

Bird's Nest Ornament

Bird's Nest Ornament

It is considered good luck to find a bird's nest in your Christmas tree. (We don't believe in "luck", but it is fun to play along.) We didn't find a nest in our tree this year, so we made our own. My younger sisters made this ornament at a function a few years ago and I have been saving the idea and waiting for the year that I could make one with Calvin. I think it is adorable.



Materials: Clothes pin, acorn cap, three Navy beans, glue, ribbon and scissors (optional)

1. Glue (we used low temp. hot glue) the acorn cap (stem down) to the top of the clip end of the clothes pin.

2. Glue the three Navy beans to the inside of the acorn cap.

3. Tie a bow with the ribbon, and glue it onto the clothes pin wherever you desire.

4. Write your name and date on the back, hold up your ornament and look cute so your mommy can take another picture! ;)

Calvin loved making this ornament. Using the low temp. hot glue was a good choice, in my opinion, because it doesn't burn if the little ones touch it. Calvin was also able to handle the ornament and clip it on the tree as soon as it was assembled.

A word on my Bible studies: I have been continuing to study every day (praises to God). The studies have been about the promises the Lord gave to punish (particularly with exile) Israel for disobeying Him. Israel did fall into grievous sin later in the Old Testament and the Lord fulfilled His promise by allowing them to be taken by numerous other kingdoms, the last and most extensive exile being the Babylonian exile. I have found it interesting that even with His promises to punish them, and after many incidences when that happens, the Lord keeps telling them that if they repent and return to Him, He will not abandon them. It reminds me that God desires us to be close to Him, but our repentance is required for that to happen.

December 2010

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...