Hand stitching . . .

I love being a mother.

 A full time, stay at home mother.

 Who homeschools.

 To 4 boys.

 If you know boys, you know how that goes.

 And I love it.

 But every now & then I need a break.

 To do something that I enjoy.

 I normally love to sew, but as we travel a lot, that isn't always feasible.

 So I hand embroidery.

 It is nice, it gives me a break even if it is only 5 minutes.

 Creating new things makes me happy. I have been doing handwork since I was little, so it also relaxes me.
 
  (this isn't the pattern I have, just an example)

I use these iron on transfers. I love them. They are only a couple of dollars & if you iron gently you can usually get 3 or 4 transfers from the same pattern. It is a great way of sharing.

My mom picked some up, ironed them & then gave them for me to use. Once I am done I will pass them along to one of my other sisters or someone that wants them.

I recently just finished my first one & am working on the other 6.

 There is a pattern for everyday of the week. I iron them on flour sacks cloths. They are light, & incredible durable & hold moisture amazing.

Then I use them, &  smile. I love the little details & designs on the cloths as I use them in everyday.

Like I said, hand stitching is incredibly relaxing for me. And it travels nicely.

So what do you do, to help relax you?

Graham Crackers Houses

     The boys have been asking to make gingerbread houses for a while. I promised them we would do them & that it no matter if any one else could do it with us by Monday we would do them. So Monday afternoon we started working on them.  We had to have school first, & then we started working on them. First we have been talking about classification of animals in Science, so I made them review what it means to classify something & then told them to classify the candy.  

The mixed up candy. 

The boys trying to classify it. 

The candy all classified & ready to go. 

I read that somewhere that you should use chocolate (white in our case) instead of frosting. The dipping chocolate hardens faster so it doesn't take as long to build the houses & attach the candy. I luckily had some on hand & I admit once I got the right temperature they went together really well & held nicely. I will be using white chocolate from now on. 

My little dude working on his. 

The cowboy trying to get his candy to stay.  About half way into it, this little boys looks at me as says " I thought this was going to be dumb, but it is actually cool." I laughed. Glad you think so cowboy.  

My monkey focusing on decorating his. 

My little dude showing off his almost complete house. 

My monkey's completed house, with sled in the back. 

My cowboys's finished house & sled. He built a shed somewhere, but I don't know where it ended up for the picture.

So it made a nice mess (big surprise) but it was really a lot of fun. I think we will have to make it an annual Christmas tradition. The boys loved it & I am glad we took time out of our crazy days to do something fun. For the last 13 days left until Christmas I am trying to do something "Christmas/Snow" Related.   On Monday we made these & yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Quilt Club I attend Christmas party.  Not quite sure what we will do this afternoon, maybe paper snowflakes or something simple. Since it is a crazy day, and the rest of the week just gets worse.  

   We will see. . . what are your fun plans for this week? 

Home made Gifts

  Christmas is just around the corner.  It seemed so far away & now it is coming so fast! Which brings me to one of my favorite questions. Do you make home made gifts.  The answer at this house, is yes.  Not everything, but when I was growing up & I think to this day my mom has always made me at least one thing. Home made. She is amazing. It is a tradition that I am trying to keep alive today.


In the past I  have made some things, like pajamas, blankets, one year I made this car mat:

This year,   I have ideas & haven't even started. . .  I am starting to push it I  realize. Only 18 days left.   So my goal for everyday until Christmas, is to give at least 15 minutes a day on working on them. I will let you know how it goes & maybe even give you sneak peek if I can.  But for now if you are want to make something, but not sure what. Here are a few cute gift ideas I have found on the web.

Click on the picture or this text & it should take you there. 

Click on Picture or these words & it should take you there.

  Or The Crafting Chicks has this adorable Family Memory Game

     

or A Family Photo "Go-FISH Game" 

Or you can See 25 Gift Ideas for Little Dudes over here:

So there are a few just to get you started. I know most of them are boy gifts, but that is what runs in this house. I will keep posting more ideas as I find them on here.  For now . ..  happy gift giving, & go make something.  It is really quite nice, & pass a tradition on to your kids. Or if it is already a tradition of yours, please leave a comment & tell me some of the things you have made. I am always on the lookout for more ideas!! Thanks.