Sharing the pillows I mentioned yesterday.  Like I said, they were created from seasonal placemats I had been picking up throughout December and were super easy to sew up.  I pinned two placemats right sides together and simply straight-stitched around the edges leaving a space to turn right side out.  Then stuffed with some older past-their-prime cushion innards and handstitched closed.  

You're either going to really like these or really…..not.  This is so very NOT white slipcovered Pottery Barn chic. This is more 90's traditional. The sort of thing you see in 'before' pictures on Pinterest.  I have gone back and forth and back and forth about the decor over the years. It was pieced together as good quality resale finds over the years.  The thing about thrifting is it is much easier (read: more economical) to pick up formal than fashionable.  As in, you can pick up a set of actual good china (which is incredibly durable) for less than you could pick up a new set of Pioneer Woman stoneware at Walmart. 

So I did. 

Then on other days I would pick up something that would go along with it like cut glass vases or tablecloths and maybe some drapes to match. So it went while raising babies and pinching pennies. It became a contest with myself to see how little I could spend and how rarely I would need to buy new. Today the house looks respectable and warm, if not cutting edge. I could probably change that.  I have thought about changing that.  Always, the money that it would cost seems better spent elsewhere.   That and the children don't want anything touched.  At all.  Ever.  

So, no 90's shaming 'k?  In the end it's such a blessing to have a home to care for and pretty things to fill it with – especially for next to nothing. So very many people don't and we have no idea how long we will be blessed.  It was all those thoughts that led me to unsubscribe from several design feeds today as I was ruthlessly whittling down my neglected and overflowing inbox.  It felt good.  Gone are the reminders of decorative roads not chosen.  I admire them.  They are lovely.  Still, they aren't our home.  

Those of you who like mixed-up thrift store finds, who think Laura Ashley was the bomb, or you know, who were just wanting to get on with the pillows, please disregard my free association rambling there.  Here's the pics. : ) 

I threw in the pumpkin because I am swapping these out seasonally.

Outside: It is sunny and cold but has not snowed in several days. We have been able to walk/run outdoors since the roads are clear. The dogs needed this. 

Wearing: Layers.  Lots of them.   See above. 

Watching:  Movies.  It's been a long vacation after all.  I ended up really liking The Martian, both because he "scienced the ___" out of his situation and because of his final thoughts - 

"At some point, everything's gonna go south on you and you're going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That's all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one, and then the next. And If you solve enough problems, you get to come home."

Really, this is life for all of us, everywhere.  Sooner or later life goes south.  You either wallow or you roll up your sleeves and start to problem solve.  

From the kitchen: There has been a lot of food since we were blessed to have 9 of 10 kids here for a week plus our awesome co-inlaws and I am pleased to say there was nary a kitchen disaster the whole time. Can we get a round of applause?  And now since it is the new year and my husband got a FitBit we have been back to our more paleo roots.  Working on some new menus for the new year.

Reading: Midwives.  It was a thrift store pick up that has proven to be a page turner.  I don't read a lot of new fiction but will say the story line has been intriguing so far.  It wasn't until several chapters in that I realized the author was a male Chris and not a female.  This came as quite a surprise since the story is told through the voice of the daughter and it was totally convincing to me.  

Around the house: Christmas decor coming down sometime this coming week.  My goal is then to get through any box that was not unpacked.  There are a few left, mostly books and old schoolwork.  This is doable.  After that we have some furniture and bathroom cabinets to refinish.  Do-ability to be determined. 

From the learning room: Board games over the break.  So many games.  A new favorite is Timeline.  It amazed me how big a hit this was for the younger and the older kids. 

Creating: Sewing projects!  The machine came out to mend some pants for one son.  That led to several skirts.  Now working on some seasonal throw pillows. I scoured the local thrift stores for seasonal linens all December and managed to find a few nice placemats made from tapestry fabric – otherwise known as poor man's needlepoint.  Two sewn together make a perfect pillow.  If you like that Nell Hill, English country, or granny chic look this works. Trust me.  I'll take pictures. 

A picture from the week: the face of 10yo boy when 27yo brother agrees to Nerf tag before breakfast.  There were peals of laughter as they hid and chased and climbed over the furniture.  And the kitchen counter…

Because Christmas is not a day but a season, we save some projects to do throughout the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany.  It both spreads out the fun and cuts down on the pressure to "do it all" ahead of time when time is often in short supply. With gifts purchased and exchanged, cards sent (or peace made about the cards not being sent as the case was this year), and feasting planned and executed, we could easily kick back and spend an afternoon assembling a gingerbread village. 

This year we were able to share this time with our daughter-in-law and her mother. We consider ourselves blessed to have gained a whole new family and good friends when our children married. 

Gingerbread tips?

1) It did not save time to use a kit. The icing did not do the job well and the gingerbread was not nearly as good to eat and the icing bags split. Next year we will go back to making our own.  Which means, of course, we will go back to convincing Alannah to make gingerbread and royal icing for us.  : ) 

2) It is best to assemble the house foundation ahead of time and let it sit 'til the afternoon to decorate. By then the walls are securely fixed together.  This all means less bad words to stifle.  Major perk. 

All bundled up for a stroll through Salt Lake City by Christmas light. 

Magic. 

“There is a Christmas song upon the air,
There is a joy innate within the heart;
An inner sense of peace, a holy light
Illumines life and sets these days apart.”

~ Edna Greene Hines

Holidays and other large scale events would probably come together more efficiently if I traveled straighter paths than I tend to. I would argue the way there would be a lot less delightful, however. One thing I know about myself is that the longer the list of my responsibilities, the longer my list of creative outlets needs to be to balance it all out. As my children grow they, too, seem to turn to working with their hands as the pace of life picks up. 

Moira gravitates to the piano between jobs and her new training program.  She pounds out old recital pieces, church hymns, and popular songs and loses herself in the music for a time. 

Kieran has become our go-to guy when a cabinet comes off its hinges or a shelf needs to be hung or an item assembled. He has keen engineering sense and seems to really enjoy the process.

As Alannah's semester was winding down she took breaks from studying to teach herself new crochet stitches, completing several projects. 

The little girls are no different. Though it's late December and company is arriving soon they convinced me to sit for an hour so they could try again to learn to chain stitch.  We tried last year but it ended in frustration.  Tess assured me this time would be different and she proved right.  Soon after, Abbie Rose said she had been watching closely and was certain that she could manage as well if I had another hook.  She too took off.

We dug out the craft boxes still packed from the move all these months later.   I hesitated for a moment as I handed Tess the yarn we found.  It was my Gram's last skein. Red wool which made up many pairs of mittens in the last century. At first I figured she would stitch a few minutes and lose interest. She got the idea to make garland, however, and before long she had many yards stitched together.  

It seemed fitting that my girls worked the yarn rather than it sitting enshrined and unused. It was part of my childhood, now part of theirs in a different way.

Our lists are unfinished. We are still plugging away.  We will get there in our roundabout way. This little side trip was worth the time. 

"One o'clock tomorrow if you can make it!"  

We hadn't gotten the memo from the piano teacher til last minute, but a quick check of the calendar showed us clear the next afternoon. Honestly, I wasn't sure if the children needed more preparation or if they would be nervous getting up to the microphone or if the recital pieces were ready.  Honestly, I wondered if I would appreciate a visit from a random child I did not know if it was me as a resident.  I had so hoped we would have an opportunity to reach outside of ourselves at Christmas however. So we went. 

They swore they weren't nervous but maybe they were 'just a little.'

Afterwards they distributed cards.  Every resident was gracious and engaged them.  

It was this though.  This joyful lady watched every performance with rapt attention and a radiant smile, the cards held tightly her hands.  In between children, she would glance back down at the drawings and smile some more.  

So glad we made it happen.