48/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

When playing with Lego, intense concentration is required.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project

This Week

There have been sunny days and there have been grey days. It goes without saying that I like the sunny days better. It is the dark days, along with the fact that it is pitch black outside by five o'clock, that I dislike most about winter. If it is cold and sunny I can handle that, but dull and dreary, no thanks.

I have been making pom-poms for a garland which I may put on the Christmas tree or may simply string across the top of the mirror in the front hall; at this point I am undecided.

The girls are learning how to play chess at school (a life skill??). Some very intense games have been happening at the kitchen table...

My Christmas cactus is going to bloom. This is nothing short of a miracle as I have been having a pretty terrible time with my houseplants lately....

And I have my Christmas cards all ready to mail. I'll wait until December 1st of course, but it feels great to have this task checked off the list.

Hope you have had a wonderful week.

A Granny Square Purse

I can not remember the last time I showed you something that I was working on, and then showed you the completed project so soon after; deadlines do have a way of motivating me to get things done.

Today I am very excited to share with you the Granny Square Purse that I have made for my niece for Christmas.

It was a quick little make and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I am also happy that I was able to use some of the yarn from my stash; using supplies that I already have to make something pretty always makes me happy.

I really like the purple and pink color combination. I was contemplating using a darker purple for this project, but am glad that I decided on a lighter purple, a color much more suited to a cheerful little girl.

My girls absolutely love to put things into bags and then carry them around, so I bought some pretty stickers to slide inside the purse...

A perfect little gift...I hope my niece likes it.

I'm joining in the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear.  

47/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Waking up for the first time this season to snow on the ground sent you girls into a flurry of excitement. Shortly after breakfast you raced to put on all your "winter gear" and then headed out into the yard to play: shoveling, throwing snowballs, sliding down the hill.

"This is what we have been waiting for!" you yelled. 

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project

A Great Deal!

Last week I was at Michael's when I came across a bin full of "Mystery Grab Bags" (definition: bags full of random stuff that they are trying to sell off cheaply). Normally this would be something I would walk right by and ignore - why bring more stuff into the house when I am on a mission to declutter - but the bags were slightly transparent and I could see that there were some incredible goodies inside. Okay, I may have sat cross-legged on the floor of the store rummaging through the grab bags to find the best ones....

Totally worth it because I scored all this for $4.00.

I know, unbelievable!!!!!

I love a great deal, always have, always will....and a great deal at the craft store, well I am not even sure how to articulate how amazing that is.

I was quite excited as I left the store with my grab bags in hand; I had sore fingers from carrying them around, and a million creative ideas bouncing around my head.

46/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Claire: a Jedi in training...

Bridget: a seamstress in training...

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Taking Stock

Right now I am:

Making: my Cozy Stripe Blanket (still), granny square purse (a gift)
Cooking: vegetarian, every night...
Drinking: coffee, too much coffee
Reading: everything I can about mindfulness, very timely
Wanting: some fresh flowers on the kitchen table
Looking: at bare trees in the yard, all the leaves have fallen off
Playing: Kacey Musgraves, over and over
Deciding: to start yoga again, my shoulders will thank me 
Wishing: I had more creative time in my days
Enjoying: evenings spent crocheting on the sofa
Waiting: for several packages to arrive in the mail
Liking: that the freezer is stocked with homemade meals for busy nights
Wondering: if I should mail out Christmas cards this year
Loving: our new Christmas tree
Pondering: how else we can simplify our lives
Considering: several outfits for tonight - a long overdue night out with friends
Buying: Christmas gifts
Watching: the squirrel eat all the seeds from our squirrel-proof bird feeder
Hoping: that I can schedule some time off work over Christmas
Marveling: at the girls' imaginations
Cringing: at the counter full of dirty dishes
Needing: a haircut
Smelling: the beeswax candle on the kitchen windowsill
Wearing: leggings and a tunic, there is nothing more comfortable
Noticing: that Bridget has grown again...
Knowing: that I am doing my best and that it is enough
Thinking: about baking a cake, just because
Sorting: through the Christmas decorations, some stuff is going..
Getting: excited about the holidays
Disliking: the rain
Opening: an almost empty fridge, again
Giggling: at the girls' conversation about their dolls
Feeling: happy  
Snacking: on apple slices
Helping: with homework
Hearing: the wind whip around the house, it sounds terrible

(writing prompts courtesy of Pip)

Cozy Stripe Blanket Update

My cozy stripe blanket has taken up permanent residence on the ottoman in the living room. And I may have had a few complaints that there is no where for people to put their feet because "this blanket is in the way". I'm not sure why this is a problem....after all, just look at all those gorgeous stripes...and never mind where your feet are going to go.

Much crocheting on this beauty has been happening in the last little while and I am down to the last round of color changes.

Of course after I finish crocheting all the stripes (which I have loved doing, and suspect I may miss when they are all done) I still have to darn in about a million ends (when will I learn my lesson and darn in as I go?) and then do the border, so there is still work left to do.

My favorite thing right now, especially since it has gotten cold outside, is to cuddle up under my blanket while I am working on it. No doubt, this is going to be a cuddly blanket when it is finished.

I may not be finished by Christmas, as I was hoping, but the end is in sight, and in the meantime I have many happy crocheting hours to look forward to...

I'm joining in the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear. 

In the Works: Granny Square Purse

If talking about Christmas already frightens you, I apologize; this is a post about a Christmas gift that I am making. Anyone who makes gifts knows that you need to start early to avoid late night panicked crafting sessions in a desperate attempt to get things done on time, or maybe that is just me...anyways...

Last week I was thinking about what to gift my niece for Christmas and my thoughts quickly turned to making her something. At five years old she is all-girl and so I thought a purse would be the perfect gift - and a granny square purse even more perfect.

Using this pattern, which I have made a few times before, I got to work, and have been making some great headway: the granny squares for the front and back are finished and I am now working on sewing them together and then assembling the bag.

I chose purple and pink yarn, colors that will match her room....something that I have learned to be very important to little girls.

I am excited to be making this for my sweet niece, and I hope she loves it...

Are you making any Christmas gifts?

I'm joining in the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear.

45/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Claire: A year ago the mere thought of standing in front of a group of people and speaking would have brought you to tears. But this week, as you officially joined your Sparks group, you were full of confidence as you loudly stated your promise to "share and be a good friend". Such a change, such growth.

Bridget: The questions keep coming, along with mature observations about what is fair and what is not in the world around you; you are trying to make sense of it all.....

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

We have been having the most beautiful weather; it has been sunny and warm, unexpected for the beginning of November but I will take it. I've had the windows open and have been outside without a coat....it has been absolutely lovely.

A beautiful bowl of produce on the kitchen counter:

This book - a very interesting read about the eccentric life of an heiress:

What is making you smile this week?

Playing in the Snow

What better way to start off the week than with a sketch challenge courtesy of The Memory Nest. I really love these challenges; they keep me scrapping and are an incredible source of inspiration.

The layout that I created includes two favorite photos of my girls from an afternoon spent playing in the snow last winter. I first shared these photos with you as part of my 52 Week Project.

I have been meaning to create a layout with these photos for a while, but held off because I did not want to work with snow and winter themed papers in the summer; it seems more appropriate now as, let's be honest, the cold and the snow is coming.

The snowflake paper is from Bella Blvd. I also used textured cardstock to cut out some snowflakes and then attached them to my layout using adhesive dots to add a little dimension.

The other members of the Design Team have, as usual, created some beautiful layouts based on this sketch. And you are more than welcome to create as well - maybe using some of the pictures you took on Halloween - and link up your creations over at The Memory Nest.

44/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Claire: The Queen of the Rubies, in a most natural pose.

Bridget: The Snow Queen, regal as always.

For both of you, dressing up in your "gorgeous dresses" was more exhilarating than getting a bag full of candy.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project