shattered illusions?

This is the story of how I may or may not have ruined Santa Claus for my son:

My baby brother is currently serving an LDS mission in Tucson, Arizona.  He checks his e-mail on Mondays, so this morning I was e-mailing him an update about the trivial things going on in our lives.  Because of the recent illness (and other things,) I have not written him since we spoke on Christmas day.

On the other hand, Troublemaker #1 is smart.  Top of his class, is what his teacher tells me.  He is in first grade, but reading on more of a 2nd-3rd grade level.

So, while I was typing out my letter, Samuel was reading over my shoulder.  While I plan to inform him at some point that this is an obnoxious habit, I like that he so enjoys reading that he reads everything in sight.  I didn't think anything of it when I typed to my brother the following sentence:

"I made Rora some dress-ups for Christmas, and I'm attaching a few pictures for you to see."

I was busy paying attention to what I was typing when Samuel asked, "You made Rora's dress-ups?"  (That's right, the dress ups that Santa brought for Rora.)  To which I responded, "Yep. . . . Wait!  No!  But I want to copy them so I can make a tutorial for my blog and show other people how to make them."

Samuel is 7, and frankly I'm a little surprised that he hasn't asked a single question that would lead us to believe he is doubting the existence of an obese man who wants nothing more than to fly in a sleigh and deliver toys to children all over the world.  I figured this past Christmas would probably be the last before he became privy to the secret we all discover around his age--that Mom & Dad are Santa Claus.

I just hate that it was me that ruined one of the most magical parts of Christmas (and his childhood) for him!

Now, I don't know exactly how much damage I've done.  I'd like to think that Samuel trusts me so explicitly that my really bad excuse is enough to satisfy his curiosity and I'll have one more Christmas with all my children believing.  But, like I said, he's a smart kid. 

I may have just ruined Santa Claus for my oldest child.  (**I'm so ashamed.**)

wedding dress-up

This one was one of my favorites to make.

I don't know what it was . . .

maybe the waistband with the gathered front panel and easy-close tie in the back:

or, maybe it was the headband veil with the sweet little flowers and double layer to pull down over her face (so that nobody can kiss her until she's married . . . that's what we keep telling her.)

Maybe it's the way she loves to dance in it:

 

or, maybe--just maybe--it's that 20 years from now I hope to be able to make her real bridal gown and that she'll be this happy about both it and the man she's chosen to marry:

Linked to:

princess skirt

I wanted to make Rora a whole bunch of dress-ups for Christmas, but only two of them got done.  (Such is the life of a procrastinating, pregnant mother-of-four-almost-five.  I will never get as much done as I want.)

The first, and most important dress-up to make was a princess skirt (to go with her princess crown.)

Once again, I made up my own pattern (I am on a roll, people!!)

I didn't do a tutorial as I was making it, so if there is interest, I can quickly make another one with step-by-step pictures . . . so, let me know!

Linked to:

older troublemaker pajamas (new look 6131)

The older troublemakers' Christmas pajamas were easy.  I used New Look 6131 to make them each a full set.

They were quick and easy, which was super beneficial, since I was on a time budget.

dress shirt pajamas (simplicity 5343, 5534)

Last week I found myself with a dilemma concerning the youngest troublemaker's pajamas.  He's wearing size 24 month clothes, which I think is one of the hardest sizes to fit with a pre-made pattern.  Most baby patterns go up to 18 months, and the toddler/child sized patterns start at a size 3.

Since patterns tend to run a little big, I took Zoram's measurements, and then measured the pattern pieces and felt confident that the 18 month pieces would fit.

Trying to make a two-piece set for him like his brothers, I used Simplicity 5343 for the pants, but couldn't bring myself to dress my little guy in the empire waisted frilly top (nor would his dad have been very happy with me):

As I began looking around, I decided I didn't have the time (or the brainpower) to make up my own pattern for a top, nor to size down the pattern pieces I was using for my older troublemakers.

And then it dawned on me . . . what is a pajama top, anyway?  Nothing but a button-up shirt made out of flannel!  Score!!  Simplicity 5534 (out of print, but luckily I already had it in my pattern library) had just what I was looking for!

The pajamas ended up fitting just like I wanted them to, although if I could go back, I would probably make the top an inch or two longer.

(Ignore the new, slightly too big undershirt sticking out of his sleeve.  It'll shrink in the wash.)

simple kids - day 3

It's never too late to write a letter to Santa, especially if your behavior has been less than excellent as we approach Christmas.  It might be a good time to grovel.

Writing to Santa is today's simple idea for the kids to do today.

If you want it to take more time, make the older kids write (or sound out) what they want to say, while the younger kids can draw a picture.  Get out crayons, markers, stickers, or whatever else you think Santa might enjoy receiving from your kids.

Here is the template I made for my kids using Photoshop.  Feel free to download it, place it in a Word document, change your margins to 0", and then print.

time crunch

Did anyone else wake up at 5:30 this morning in a panic that Christmas is 4 days away, and there is far too much sewing to do?  I did.

I think from the post about this year's Halloween costumes, you've probably gathered that I'm a procrastinator.  Remember all that flannel I bought at the Black Friday sale?  Well, it's not made into pajamas, yet.  As of this evening, I have them all finally cut out, but none of the assembly has begun.

Also on the list is the prettiest troublemakers' main gift.  She's very into dress-ups lately, and she's (hopefully) getting a whole slew of them from Santa.

Lucky for me, I have awesome parents.

My mom called me today and asked if she and my dad could take my 3 oldest troublemakers (the potty trained ones) with them to deliver Christmas pies to their siblings tomorrow.

Doesn't seem that heroic, does it?

Except when you account for the fact that this involves delivering to homes more than one hour north of our house, and roughly half an hour to the south of our house, with many stops in between.  I nearly cried when I realized I would be down to one child for several hours, which will help me make a significant dent in what needs to be done during the next 3 nights.

Thank goodness for the little miracles!

simple kids - day 2

Today's idea for a project with the kids is a gingerbread house!

Now, the only way this is a simple, non-messy project is if you buy a kit.  Look for one with pre-made frosting, fun pieces, and ours even came with a base that had grooves to put the bottom of the house, the sleigh, and the reindeer in!

Don't forget to "accidentally" leave out a few candies for the smallest trouble-maker!

Oh, how I love those chubby hands!!

simple kids - day 1

Okay, so your first simple kids' Christmas idea is one of the basics, and you may have already done it, but you can never have too many, so make some paper snowflakes!

See what kind of fun shapes you can make!

With the younger troublemakers who needed more help, I let them tell me what shape they wanted, and on which side of the triangle they wanted it.

Hang them from the ceiling.  Hang them on your windows, the walls, the door, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Happy Crafting!

simple kids' christmas

Are your kids out of school this week?

Mine are.

The. Whole. Week.

So, what am I supposed to do with my kids that will keep my house in tact, yet keep them busy enough not to make me crazy?  ("Santa wants our house to be clean," only works so many times.)

I'd like to introduce:

I hate dislike doing crafts with my kids.  I'm too much of a perfectionist.  I love the little art projects they bring home to me from school, but watching them make something while accidentally sticking their fingers in the glue, putting pieces on crooked, etc makes my skin crawl.

So, I'm putting that aside this week and working on simple crafts with my kids to keep them entertained for the next 5 days until Christmas. 

Each day I'll feature one so that maybe we can all enjoy (survive) this week together!

christmas scent

Some of my favorite things about this season are the smells!  Cinnamon, citrus, pies baking, candies being made . . . oh, darn it!  Now I have to clean the drool out of my keyboard!!

I love to have the scent of Christmas in the house even on days when my projects include less fragrant things, like sewing, cleaning, or dejunking in preparation for more junk crap stuff.  So, I like to make up some Christmas Scent and let it fill the house.

There are several variations of this, most of them are close to the same, but here is my version:

Christmas Scent:
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
4 cinnamon sticks
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole cloves
4 cups water

First, slice up your lemon:

and orange.

Then, add the bay leaves (they don't have to be organic, but that was the only bottle I could find with whole bay leaves in it.)

What the . . . ?  Why would they include a sprinkling strainer on a bottle of whole bay leaves?

Anyway, add your bay leaves:

Now, add 2 tablespoons of whole cloves, once again with a sprinkling strainer that can't possibly do anything but tease you with the smell of what's inside!

Last, pull out 4 sticks of cinnamon:

Finally!  A reasonable lid!

Throw all the ingredients into a crock pot:

Add 4 cups of water:

Turn your crock pot on low:

And enjoy the scent that will fill your home!

This same pot of ingredients can be used again and again.  You just have to put them in the fridge when they're not being heated to avoid molding (because that's not a good smell!)

As you heat the mixture, the water will evaporate.  I like to just throw the lid on to help slow that process:

It'll stifle the smell a little bit, but with four little troublemakers running around, I tend to forget to check the water levels. 

When the water level gets low, just add more water and keep enjoying the scent!

Feel free to throw all the dry ingredients in a jar with the directions, and give these away as gifts to teachers, neighbors, and friends.