Merry Belated Christmas!

I hope your Christmas was as awesome as mine turned out to be. There were plagues running rampant through my relatives house so we had to change plans very last minute, which just about killed me. I thought I was going to lose it when I didn’t know where we were going and it was the 23rd. Then 2 of my kiddos started throwing up the 24th. By Christmas all the kids were down and out with the flu.

As sick as everyone was I barely noticed. We had fun, Santa still brings toys to kids who are out of town and sick, and I had a ton of helping hands to make it that much easier for me. Not how I planned it to go but considering all that was going on it couldn’t have gone any better. I love it when things just work out anyway! Sorry to everyone that got sick or will. Not the gift I meant to leave!

I did manage to have a little fun before we left. Ashlyn and I made these for her school party earlier in the week-

North Pole cupcakes found here.

I eeked out a little sewing time to make a gift for my little sister. She’s a chocoholic cupcake baking maniac. She told me she liked purple and lime green, which I don’t have a ton of but found a cute stripe that worked. I cut the cupcake out with my super fantastic cutter and sewed it on. Fast, cute, and easy.

Denim apron tutorial found here.

 

Then I heard that my sister wasn’t going to do Christmas jammies for her kids- blasphemy!- and I’m a freak and wanted them to have a pair to open like everyone else so I spent 2 hours whipping these up the day before we left. I know, not the warm fuzzy winter jammies I would have liked to make them but my mom reminded me they wear shorts and flip flops in the snow so I wasn’t worried. Time wise these were the fastest to make. I’m making a bunch more for my girls for summer!

So by now my house was a total disaster so I thought, what the heck- why not really have some fun so I made all my sisters kids some pillowcases to go with their jammies.

The pictures are cruddy, trying to pack and wait for the right lighting conditions don’t really go together but they really did turn out just as I hoped. They definitely look better in person though.

And then… yes, I had more projects, but this is the sad ending to my super long post. The projects I wanted to love the most, the ones I devoted the most time to, the two I was sure were going to be a hit and my sister in law and mom were going to love- didn’t turn out! I spent weeks spray painting and sanding but they just got uglier and uglier until I ran out of time and had to cop out with a gift certificate and a promise to get it done before next year.  It’s the thought that counts though right? Not to mention I’m going to have an entire year to gussy them up. I didn’t even start 3 projects. So much for a project free Christmas ;o).

The flu has left the building and so will all the old toys, outgrown clothes, the tree, and anything else I can get my hands on today. It felt great to sew stuff again so now all I want to do is clean clean clean to have room to make more sewing messes! Spring dresses are calling my name.

Have a great Wednesday!

Present.

I don’t know about you guys but I am loving the end of this year. I’ve been cozied up in our little house, rearranging things and getting ready for the holidays. I love happy endings and I am 100% optimistic that this year is going to end just like that.

I’m making it my goal not to stress out and freak out about much. I still do no matter how hard I try but I’ve cut the freak show to a minimum. I’ve finished my Christmas shopping except a few small things and have a little list of things I need to (because I want to) make and the rest of the time I get to enjoy my family. I decided early on this fall that I wanted to be there this year. I wanted to be a part of our family, not the crazy sleep deprived woman slaving away in the kitchen with threads hanging all over her freaking out that she forgot to buy marshmallows for the hot chocolate on Christmas Eve and all is lost.

Not this year. I’ve made nothing crafty so far and I have gone to bed before 10:30 most nights but I feel good about it. We have marshmallows and my kids have a mom. A mostly well rested one. It’s taking all I have not to cut into Christmas dress fabric and make 4 dresses right now though. Do you ever feel guilty for not making a homemade-ish Christmas? Then guilty if you do for staying up until the wee hours and not being much of a human for the holiday? I know there are those wonder women out there that can do both and are really awesome but that’s not where I’m at.  I feel really guilty… must. stay. strong! I just have to keep telling myself it’s better for me to be present than to make all the presents this year.

 

This helps. My little buddy had his first birthday last month. Jake went from this tiny perfect 7 pound lump to this chubby frosting eating one man demolition crew, still perfect. I don’t want to miss a minute of it.

He’s grown so much. They do that. I hate that part. He’s so fun and such a boy.

A little about Jake at 1 year old- He loves balls and cars. He gives the best around the neck squeezes and open mouth kisses (on the cheek) and makes me melt. He growls and has the Musgrove baby scream. He has the cutest laugh and pudgiest hands. He won’t eat breakfast foods or bread but loves casseroles. He loves to see what’s inside things and takes things apart, usually our remotes and the computer speakers. His biggest obsession right now is our Christmas tree. Taking the ornaments off (don’t worry, they’re plastic on the bottom half), shaking it, crawling under it and up inside it, and basically making me thankful to have a reason to set one up in the first place :). Our tree is really pretty from about 3 feet from the bottom and up.

Here’s to a stress free mom filled holiday season!  I’ll let you know if I make it or fall off the wagon.