More Favorites

I'm remembering more favorite gifts from Christmas.

Amy made "photo booth props" for the little kids. So clever! They are all the rage in the crafting-blog world right now.
Sidney with her Harry Potter glasses...
The "big kids" had fun with them too! (Shawn as Batman...)
Amy later found more that she had not put sticks on yet...

They were a HUGE hit and I wish I'd gotten more pictures. We'll have a photo shoot soon and post lots more pix!

New Posts

If you scroll down, you will see five new posts I made today.

More coming...but I have to get to work for now!

Lucky Me

Some of my favorite gifts of 2011
Brian and Susan made this for me. We think it will look great on the brick or rock wall in Mt. Pleasant.
It's not everyone who gets a PERSONALIZED stitchery from Allyson. (Well, okay. Amulek and Sydney got one too.) But I feel pretty special! "Nana and Papa Go to Disneyland" - notice the mustache on Papa? SOOOO cute!
Allyson also made the coolest refrigerator magnets - "Shrinky Dinks" high fashion Disney princesses. And look closely. Yes, she made the cute packaging herself too! (She almost died of excitement and anticipation because I was the only one here when she finished them two days before Christmas and I wouldn't let her show them to me early! She HATES surprises! I LOVE them!)
Amy and Maddie played a cello/violin concert for Jeff, Grandma D. and me for our present. It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes! (And you KNOW how hard it is to do that...!) :)

Jeff got me the bracelet I fell in love with. Beads will be added on appropriate occasions...
Then when I went into the office the morning after Christmas I found this on our desk. David had sneaked it in on Christmas night and never said a word! What a nice surprise! I can't wait to work withOUT my glasses on!

I feel very loved! Thank you EVERYbody!

Merry Christmas, Ally!

Ally was the only grandchild for whom I had not yet made a quilt. (I was at a different place in life when she, Julie, and Maddie were born.)
My favorite present we gave this year...

(Poor Maddie. I have not yet made her a quilt, either. She saw my WIP this season and thought it was for her! She was disappointed when I worked more on it and she discovered it was for Ally. The next quilt is for HER!) (Hey, I said I was in a different place during that season of my life...)

Kissing Cousins?

We took this picture a couple of weeks before Christmas when Jillian was here sewing with me. Susan is due in March and Jillian's daughter was due December 27.

On Christmas Eve morning, the midwife didn't make it in time and Susan delivered Jillian's breech baby with no complications - in Jillian's bedroom! They are our "she-roes! We are so grateful that Mom and Baby are doing great!

Movie-Making

What every household needs the week before Christmas...
Twelve high-school and eighth grade students...
Making a movie version of parts of the Illiad for a high school English project...
Some were not as enthusiastic as others. (Silas was a last-minute replacement drafted by his sister. What a good sport!)

I actually think everyone had fun. Including me!

Gingerbread Village

The second day of movie-making we also had a little-cousins-craft-session going.

Nate and Tyler hard at work.
Aubrey and Sydney loved decorating their houses for the gingerbread village.
All this with Illiad costuming and filming going on all around us...