Merry Christmas

Have a Joyous One

I'm off work from now until next Wed. I hope you are all having a very joyous Advent that leaks into your Christmas season.

Under the Tree

 Every Christmas this is what I find under our tree. I think he must dream about being a Warrior Cat, living in the woods, resting from his daily hunt for survival. Or maybe he thinks he's a Royal Cat, finally getting back to his castle of velvet. Sleep well, kitty.

Baking

Aahhhh...finally the sights and sounds and smells of Christmas at our household. I woke to a dark and silent morning, threw my list together and headed out the door before the house awoke. I was feeling a little less than Christmas-y of late and the sounds of the mixer and the poof of dark cocoa powder has restored my cheer.

Hey...Everybody OUT!

Taken from the hall. I bought a new ironing board cover only to get it home and realize it wasn't the right size. Oops.

 One Saturday about a week and a half ago I woke up feeling very unsettled. Frankly, I've been feeling that way for so long I almost can't remember what contentment is all about. I know that contentment comes from within so I'm doing a lot of self reflection. More on that another day.

My sewing space. I have my fabric and books on the shelf to the left. Scraps go in the basket under the table. 

 So this particular Saturday morning I was awake and my household was still asleep. It is one of my favorite times of day. So quiet! Since the flood in our basement I had been sharing my sewing room with a computer. We had finally gotten the basement put back together and had make the choice to keep the computer upstairs. Now, as you can see by the above photos, my sewing room is more like a half room. It seemed in the past month or so that there were at least two or three ever growing, awkward, smelly, messy teenagers doing one thing or another at all times with that darn computer. It was virtually impossible for me to think about sewing with all those elbows in there.

Chloe. I just can't tell you how much joy that cat brings to our lives.

 I was doing my best to live with it. To think that I'd sew on the weekends or after the boys go to bed. The reality is that homework happens on the weekends as do computer games and my husband's business (yup, he uses that particular computer a lot, too) and at night I'm too exhausted to think about being creative. I was in a conundrum. (I love that word by the way, it's so full of sound, like you're inside a metal trash can being rolled down a steep hill).

My new magnetic boards. I love being able to put up photos and pictures that inspire me.  The round containers hold my quilting pins, sewing feet and misc. little things that I always seem to be hunting.

 So early that Saturday morning when life was dark and still and quiet I discovered the solution. Move the computer into the dining room. I don't especially like large screens in my living spaces but with as much time as all the men spend on that computer I figured at least they'd be spending more of their time around the family. So I can be cooking and helping with homework or keeping an eye on the internet a little more easily. My darling husband loved the idea and had the time of his life moving everything around (did I ever tell you he just adores hooking up computer equipment?). By the end of the day I had my room back. 

This cabinet used to house the stereo. I am finding I want quiet while I sew and got rid of the music. I now have my go-to items on top: My sewing basket, tin with scissors, pens, pencils and chop sticks (which I use to turn things out and poke out the corners).

I moved things around a little differently than they were in the past and I'm very happy with the result. I wish things looked a little more tidy and beautiful like they do in other people's blogs but that just can't be helped. The quilt blocks you see came from my friend Marshall. His mother was a quilter and when I helped him move he showed me the most beautiful quilts his mother crafted. There were several blocks in a box and I offered to put them together for him. I'm making a table runner and square top for him out of them. Of course, Chloe loves to be in the thick of quilt making. Nice to have a room just for the girls.

Advent Mayhem

 Every year I ask the boys if they want me to put up the Advent Calender with the Nativity. I keep expecting them to say they are too old for it. Nathan hasn't had much interest in it these past two years but Nolan always responds with a resounding "yes!"

What I know is that Nolan enjoys making his own Nativity scenes. He has done this since he was young. It used to bug Nathan something awful which also added to the charm, I'm sure. Now, many parents would be upset that their teenage son was setting up scenes in which Mary was throwing Joseph into the fire and the angel Gabriel was being munched on by some hoofed animals. I know that boy's heart and it's all in good fun. 


So, enjoy your Advent traditions, whatever they may be!

Happy Birthday!

Nolan at age three. Big cheeks and big eyes! 

Nolan on his 14th birthday doing what he does best.....being dramatic.

Words escape me when I think about the young man my baby is turning into. It's always fun to try to find something to really surprise him. I don't always bake him a cake because he doesn't really like cake. When I asked if he wanted a cake he surprised me by saying yes. He had no requests beyond a cake so I had total freedom. I decided to make the cake from Portal. The boys have wanted to make this cake for a really long time but I knew Nolan would never have thought I'd make it for his birthday. I ended up putting ice cream between the chocolate cake layers, frosted it with whipped cream and added shredded chocolate to the outside. He loved it! He was quite surprised (as you can see by the photo). The whole family said it was the best cake ever.


Happy 14th Nolan. I love you beyond words.