Decking the Halls!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope the season is coming to you full of good cheer and warm homes surrounded by love. We did something we have not done for over 3 years! We got a real tree this morning and decorated it up with decorations I have not seen since Texas. Was Ethan's little hand ever really that tiny? I guess Emma always has an insane attention to detail, her first ornaments sure show it, and Sam was quite the dare devil by trying to hang all his favorites from the top branches. We played Christmas music and sang carols and just had a great afternoon.

Here are my little kiddos posing in front of the tree. It is a pretty tall tree but I think with our 12 foot ceilings we could have even gone taller. That silver tinsel stuff is around the banister down the front steps because I don't like how it sheds everywhere.

I am just waiting for the felines in my house to decide to explore the tree. I hope it is sturdy enough! Our sweet little fluffy black male has gone to 2 different homes this weekend and been returned to us both times due to the human male of the house not wanting him. How does the saying go? If you love something set it free, and if it loves you it will return to your embrace? Well, he is here snuggled up in a box of scraps awaiting my mom's arrival at Christmas so she can decide which kitten she wants to take live with her in the Mountains.

Yesterday I went to the Commissary after my husband got home from class. I went by myself, which is such a luxury for me. I do like wondering around grocery stores. So when I got home and brought the bags upstairs I saw that something dreadful had happened in my sewing room. Emma had given her little girlfriends a sewing lesson and had a wonderful time cutting ribbon and bits of fabric....and moving everything (all my needles, pins, thimbles, scissors, rotary cutters, stacks of my "someday" fabric groupings....) around. Oh it has been a thrill getting everything back to the way it should be (I am being sarcastic here). It is just stuff, and she happily assisted in the putting back of everything. But anyway, back to the point of that picture up there. A dear lady in NY bought one of my half leather half quilted wallets so I decided to wrap it up. I used a bunch of the scraps on my sewing table (after Emma's class) to decorate it up fancy. That is one of the awesome things that I LOVE about shopping on ETSY.com sometimes things are beautifully wrapped, and it is just such a thrill to open them. I know I do not do much in the way of wrapping my bags I send out, but I think that may change. It was so very fun to do.

Oh, I almost forgot. Good thing I put this picture in. We went to the Moon Marble Company before finding our Christmas tree. We got to see how marbles are made. Well, they really are not made this way. Only the really fancy ones are made like this. The rest are made in China along with everything else.

Here is an Amber Purse I made this week. I have not made one from an ACU before so that was a bit fun. I left some of the zipper for detail and the lady I made it for wanted a big fabric flower on the front. I do like how that flower livens up the ACU. The inside is so wonderful too. I used Gothic Rose by Amy Butler.

This is the other big bag I finished. It came with a Diaper changing pad and a zippy wallet. I hope she carries it in Health and Happiness!

Here the set is. It looks so happy, doesn't it?

OK, I am going to enjoy my little family a bit before we tuck them in bed. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

xo,

Tia