Christmas at our House

and it's a good year if I can get this look on Gary's face.

It means I was able to surprise him, a rare occurrence since he often just buys what he wants around the Christmas sales. But this year he showed restraint. So I felt the need to reward him. Thankfully having a little of my "own" money facilitated this.

Greetings

again you must try:

Make A Flake
http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/index.html

Baby shoes

I saw this picture from this site...
and knew I had to have the pattern to make shoes for Genève for Christmas. So one night I stayed up till two....
it was worth it see:

I might still add some embellishement to the toe like the picture. Probably a Tattie on a felt background.
The plan is to make a dress to match, time is running out, I know.
In the mean time I made Olea a skirt to wear for her Christmas dance recital.

It was very informal, perfect, and we didn't have to sit through all the other dance classes to see her. She did awesome. these pics are low res cause they are from the video and it was zoomed out to get the whole line up.

In the news

This past week we went to the library and a photographer was there taking pictures for the Library Expansion. While we were checking out books he started shooting us... photographically.
View the story here at the Salt Lake Tribune. Don't I have the cutest little boy? I'm surprised that the photographer didn't move over a little to get the desk out of the shot so you could see Olea better. I need to find out how to get a back issue so I can keep a copy of the paper for the kids.

Smarter than the average...

Olea noticed that the bottom half of the Christmas tree was lights out. Gary pulled the strand off and while I searched for gingerbread house icing recipe he pulled each light out and checked it. After I found my recipe I turned my attention to Gary's project. He had the whole strand off the tree and was severely puzzled. Half of the strand was completely out but the other half lovely blue.

"I bet it's a fuse." I said,

"Where are the fuses?"

"On the plug."

After he found where the fuses go and realized that one was out, "DeeDee you are smarter than the average bear."

"No, I'm smarter than the average Woman. Smarter than the average Man."

After getting the fuses,
"If you knew it was a fuse a long time ago why didn't you tell me before I took it off the tree?" (in a king Julian accent).

What am I?

I'll tell you what I am not.

Tonight in exasperation I told Zurich after just handing him his milk
and him trying to hand off his cracker for me to hold,
"I am not a cracker holder!"
Gary just laughed.

I am also not a
Coat rack
slave
shelf

What does Santa Sound like?

Saturday night we went to a Ward Christmas Party. Olea and Zurich were very excited because it was themed Polar Express. Zurich loves Trains and Olea is, I think, at the height of her Santa Clause Magic. Genève really enjoyed sucking on her ticket.

After dinner they had Santa Clause come. When he came in all winded and started talking over the mic Olea proclaims,"That's not Santa!"
"Why not?" I wanted to know.
"He doesn't sound like Santa, he looks like him but he doesn't sound like Santa, he sounds like a mice!"
"What does Santa sound like?"
She gives her best deep voice and says, "ho, ho ho"
I had to hand it to her. She was right his voice was a total let down. He was by far the most rotund Santa I have seen. Gary said he was probably so late because he was having trouble getting into his suit. There had to have been pillows in there.
But Olea sat on his lap and told him what she wanted anyway, in hopes he would tell the real Santa what she most desired. She calls them Rollerskates.
Zurich didn't want anything to do with this impostor, he did take a bell on a string though. I didn't bring my camera that night, which is okay since he wasn't the real Santa anyway. ;)

The night before we'd been to the city Santa Visit and Zurich didn't have any problem with him. Neither did Olea. I guess he was the real one. Of course Genève didn't mind any of them.

He was a very good Santa.

The Offensive Coat: aka Make your own iron-on

Once upon a time Zurich didn't have a coat. Oh, he had jackets and sweaters, but not a coat to be found. A kind cousin passed along one for him. It was great, and fit perfect. However, Zurich wasn't having it. I couldn't get him to wear it for anything. If I could get it on him he'd have it off the moment I turned away to pick up the baby. We were always in a hurry to get Olea to school so he always won and just ended up wearing his fleece. He'd come home all upset because he was so cold.
Step 1: Obtain object to receive Iron-on
The Offending Coat

The Silly Boy

So I had a thought.

Step 2: Gather materials and choose design
I had embroidery thread and heat and bond. I could make an iron on that would help him to attach to the coat. I set to work, picking an icon he loves but that wasn't branded.
A train.
(You can use and iron on transfer pen to put a design guide on your fabric, which I did at first... but then decided it was too big for my immediate need and just free hand stitched on instead, so that's why there are both in the hoop)
Hand Embroider onto Muslin

He sat and watched Thomas the Train as I stitched and periodically commented on my stitching.
"Train." Oh good, he recognizes it.

Step 3: Make it stick
Then use Heat n' Bond to make it an applique (use instructions on heat and bond)

Trim the extra fabric.

Iron onto the coat


Step 4 (Optional): Secure
...and since I am anal about securing things I took more embroidery thread and stitched around the design. Which I think helps it blend into the coat better anyway. You could use a sewing machine for this step but I didn't want stitches to show on the inside of the coat so that is best done by hand.


Step 5: Feel smart
Finished product.

The little boy and
The cool train coat

FINALLY!
...do you think this would work to help kids KEEP their gloves ON?

I'm linking to Creative Cats

A Christmas Song

Last night for FHE Gary asked Olea to, "Pick a real song, one we all know, a Christmas song."
She'd been making up songs...
So she thinks about it, "I know!" she said, "How about, Jesus Wants Me for a Christmas Sunbeam?"
Gary shrugs, "ok," and starts singing.
I couldn't.
I was laughing.
Through the whole thing.

TADA!

Merry Christmas to me!
You can't tell what's new?!

No, of course not. That's the idea. But it's AWESOME!
Venting our microwave stove hood to the outside of the house rather than it recirculating into the house. It's way quieter and certainly my cabinets will be less greasy.

move stove, take off microwave and cabinet

Zurich helps locate the studs... Which there happens to be one right where we need a hole, so Gary frames around it

puts in the vent, lines everything up, puts it all back


Olea makes pattern breads and Zurich and Genève play together.
The kids were great throughout the hours it took to get it all taken apart, cut out, put in, and cleaned up so we took them to the dinosaur museum after.
Gary is awesome!