Christmas Is Nearly Here...

The past week I have been cleaning, baking and spending time with family.  I even managed to get the kitchen cabinet doors hung! (A Christmas miracle-I know!).  So this week I thought I would share a tiny sneak peek of the hung cabinet doors and also share some pictures of my family.

Me and my mom

My hubby Jason, me, my sister-in-law Susan, my brother Gary and adorable nephew Garrett

Jason(Hubby), Me, Linda(Mom), Susan(sis-in-law), Gary(brother), Ashley(niece), Brian(Ashley's boyfriend), and front and center is none other than Garrett(nephew)

This past weekend my mom's side of the family had our annual get together.  It was my mom's turn to host this year and since she works full-time, I pitched in to get things cooked and clubhouse readied for nearly 30 family members to congregate.  It never ceases to amaze me at how much my cousin's children have grown.  This celebration was tinged with a hint of sadness about the loss of my great auntie Belle.  She was always the one to cook the sugar cookies(a recipe that belonged to a great-great grandmother).My aunt, Glenna, made the cookies once again this year but it was definitely a reminder of the empty seat that would not be filled. On a happier note, my brother's family was able to join us this year so I got to spend some extra time with my sister-in-law and nephew Garrett.  We usually only get to see them once a year in the summertime for a few days so this was a wonderful Christmas gift in itself. Garrett got to meet his cousins for the first time as he was only 1 or 2 the last time they were able to attend.  It amazes me at how easy kids can just mesh together as though they have been lifelong friends.


This week I am enjoying relaxation and of course a little baking too.  I decided I could have a week or so off from all of the hustle and bustle of home renovating.  I am going to be doing a little crafting since I might go into withdrawals if I don't create something. :) I am going to make some catnip mice for all of the furry family cats. 


I hope and pray that everyone has a happy and blessed Christmas surrounded by those you love.

Christmas Decorating

I have been busy trying to get the house decorated in true Christmas style.  We have had the tree up and I now have our fireplace mantel decorated and the outside lights up and running(thanks to the assistance of my hubby).  Here is a peek at the end result of our labor.

I have also been cooking up a storm and trying to find ways to work off all of the goodies I have been eating lately.  This week I am getting ready for a big family get together.  Hopefully I will get the Christmas cards out this week too! :)

Making Christmas Gifts

These past few days I have been working on making a hat that was requested by my niece.  She wanted me to knit her a hat with ear flaps and add the cat ears on top.  Admittedly I am not the greatest knitter, but I could not tell her "no" without giving it a go first. I made no promises one way or the other and after the Thanksgiving craze died down, I immediately began my search for a pattern to use.  In hindsight I should have searched for a pattern that had all of the elements that I needed, but was unaware that these hats were popular with some of the younger crowd this year.  I was fortunate enough to find a free pattern for an ear flap hat (http://heyjulie.wordpress.com/2006/06/27/basic-earflap-hat/)and then later found a pattern for the ear flap hat with cat ears (http://www.kittyville.com/knit/kitty_hat.html)and used just the cat ear portion of that pattern. I rushed to get the yarn and needles that I needed for the project and started my knitting adventure.   I played with the ears a bit and made them where they can curl up a bit.  Needless to say, I am pretty pleased with the results.

I will apologize for my poor modeling skills.  I had my hubby take the picture and this was like take 20.  Who knew he would make snapping a pic so diffucult! :) Despite the adventures in picture taking, I would have to say that the most difficult part of this project was getting the ears on evenly.  Looking back, I am glad I tried something that was new to me and I can't wait to surprise my niece with it as part of her Christmas!