I’m pretty sure we had a great Christmas, because it’s already blurred into all my happy Christmas memories. Family and food and gifts and a church service full of people and poinsettias and carols-
and a Christmas Eve party
and a boy who helped himself to a bag of Fritos
and Christmas morning excitement
This is just a smattering of the handmade gifts exchanged this year, based on the pictures that I put on our computer from my dad’s camera. Overview: The Rush family raised the bar for handmade gifts this year.
Starting a quilt in November for a Christmas present seemed like a terrible idea all though December when I had a quilt to finish, right up until December 22 at midnight when I finished it. Now it seems like a great idea. I thought the lesson learned was going to be Start Projects Early, but instead it was You Can Do It! I hope my brother will remember that I’ve never made a quilt that didn’t make my fingers bleed and I also finished it while watching It’s a Wonderful Life, so I cried onto it as well. Quilts very literally contain the quilter. Also, it’s machine washable.
My sister knit a coonskin cap for my Dad. For most Davy Crockett admiring boys born in the 50’s, a coonskin cap will always be the height of fashion.
She also knit the warmest, most fabulous cowl ever for me. So far while wearing it, I’ve miraculously eaten a fish po’ boy and spaghetti without turning it into a giant bib.
My dad made this wreath for me, and it’s already hanging in our kitchen. He said it required 160 corks and he and my mom had enough that he could have made two wreaths if he wanted to. Shocking. (Not.)
My brother made this sign for Trent’s office, but I might sneak it onto our bookshelf as soon as I finish this post.
My mom made fencepost fish for my brother to hang in his yard. It has already inspired me to make sharks for our own yard, which are completed and will hopefully be hung up this weekend.
My brother-in-law’s mom made him a set of washers. I know what we’ll be playing at the beach this summer.
My sister and I discussed gift giving among cousins back in November and determined that for now each gets one gift that must be either a book, pajamas, or handmade. We both ended up making costumes. Looking through the pictures, it seems like we made ridiculously gender stereotyped gifts, but really we just made gifts that we knew the receivers would love.
Our Uncle Peter worked at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in Washington D.C., and Casey took his old police badges and sewed them onto blue shirts, making policeman uniforms for Rush and Tate.
I made what every mother of two boys makes for her very girlie niece, a hot pink tutu.
Here’s the very best part of making a gift for someone:
The elusive moment when someone opens a gift that you made for them and you can tell that they love it. That’s my Merry Christmas from Carolena.
My college roommate, Katy, loves animals. Because we couldn’t have a dog in the one bedroom apartment that we shared, we did, over the course of the three years we lived together, have two birds, a tarantula, and two snakes, one who escaped and was never seen again. The snake who hung around, and I can’t remember his or her name, or if he or she had a name, or if it was a male or female snake, ate either live or frozen mice. If his meal was a live mouse, Katy’s then boyfriend/now husband Chris and I would cower a few feet away in terror while the snake attacked and ate his (her?) prey, and Katy would watch with the awe of nature that must be necessary for biomedical science majors. Inspired by this cartoon, which I cut out of the paper this morning:
one of my resolutions is to send one letter or note per week, in the actual mail. I’m going to write the person’s name on the calendar each week to hold myself accountable. The resolution is also inspired by my online shopping sprees (sprees, plural) on the most dangerous shopping website- not Amazon, not Ebay, not Etsy, but usps.com. Because Forever stamps never expire! And they have 20th century poets and Pixar stamps instead of the Liberty Bell! And $x later, we have a million books of stamps.
There is a sign hanging on the wall in the youth room at our church and I find myself staring at it during Sunday school during the Sundays when I’m not the lead teacher. It reads, “Attitude is Everything, Choose a Good One.” Inspired by that sign, and in an attempt to stop an early, slow slide into curmudgeoness, I’m resolving to Have a Good Attitude in 2013.
This morning, I picked up a children’s book off the floor, then walked three feet and picked up the book jacket and put it back on the book. I’ve only done that 300 times, so I walked right to the tape drawer and taped the book jacket together, library style. Inspired by having to repair book and jacket so many times before taping it on, a resolution this year is to Do Things Right Away.
More and more in conversations with my husband, mom, or sister, where I can speak most candidly, I found myself saying things like, “I don’t mean that to be as bitchy as it sounds.” I don’t think what is coming out of my mouth reflects the person I am inside. I think kind things, so I need to not say things out loud that make me sound like a jerk. Inspired by the phrase, “I don’t mean that to be as bitchy as it sounds”, I’m resolving to Say Only Nice, Positive Things this year and keep my mouth shut on catty, gossipy, or unproductive comments. That one is also inspired by, and hopefully encouraged by, my friend Tiffany, who somehow doesn’t say mean things.
I’m also picking a theme word for the year. It’s going to be a secret, just for me, because there should be some mystery in life. But here’s a hint: The very first year we went to the book sale, I bought a library discard dictionary. When I got home, I thought about what word I wanted to look up first, and when I looked up it, the definition was underlined. That’s my word.
Advent in nutshell, by a voice of one calling in the wilderness, my number one choice (just edging out Alan Bean and Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon) for historical figure I’d most like to have dinner with, John the Baptist-
“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.”
Take a minute to get Handel’s version stuck in your head. It makes the baking and ironing and gift wrapping and bathroom cleaning and tree decorating pale in comparison, but we’re definitely in a season of waiting and preparation and anticipation.
The holiday recipes are selected,
and make ahead meals are making it into the freezer.
The Advent calendar has caused zero tears this year, after a revamping of its contents. Barely any candy, but lots of notes that say things like Look at Christmas Lights! or Go To Church! It’s more of a guide through the activities of the month and that is working much, much better.
Our tree is filled with handmade ornaments from the boys’ school.
I have a desire during December for our whole house to be filled with so many Norwegian touches that people will come in and be surprised when we don’t speak Norwegian, similar to how I always feel in the restaurant at Ikea when I hear someone speaking Spanish instead of Swedish. I typically head to Ikea to look for Scandinavian decorations, but this year I choose the day poorly and went when I was miserably sick. I didn’t even finish my meatballs and I neglected to buy any decorations. Lacking a new supply of straw garlands, I started making things. I’ve also listened to hours of Christmas music and watched almost every movie in the house for background music while trying to finish handmade gifts. Finally, I’m at one gift to go and I’ve resorted to The Sound of Music on a continuous loop. December is only overly busy here because we make it overly busy.
Back in November, I decided to make Christmas neckties and bowties for the boys. A few days ago I decided to stay up until midnight so I could finish the ties and not waste the money I spend on supplies. The neckties were simple and sewn entirely by hand with a pattern from The Purl Bee. The bowties should have been very simple, but the tutorial I found online had screwy measurements so I ended up making everything two or three times to get the sizes correct. Now Rush and Tate are all set for Christmas fancy dress, assuming they will be in the mood to wear ties.
My rules for behaving civilly on the furniture are being sabotaged by –me. If I’m trying to cook dinner and the boys are diving headfirst onto the couch, I whisper, “Stop jumping on the couch, guys.” They get along so well when they’re crashing the furniture.
And speaking of sabotaging, if I ever notice that Tate is missing or silent, he can always be found hiding in the pantry, door shut, trying to get into the Chex Mix supplies.
When Rush talked to Santa at his school party, he was a little too nervous to say anything other than hello and give him a high five. Trent and I reassured him that he had plenty of time to get a letter in the mail. He let Santa know that he would love “a bike with a chain and Woody boots” (aka cowboy boots) and that he can pick out something great for Tate.
Panther and Jetty are not so subtly posing around the house, both trying to be December in Kitten Calendar 2013.
And back to my people, the Norwegians- Scandinavian cookbooks always, without fail, talks about food to bake when friends stop by during the holidays. This year, we have the fabulous privilege of being the coffee and cake stop for two families of friends travelling from Austin to Beaumont. It’s my dream come true! Off to prepare dough for Fyrstekake!
(or girls – no discrimination here)
There are no sewing projects for boys. That’s only a slight exaggeration; a woman a Hobby Lobby recently told me that she sewed all her son’s blue jeans until he started middle school. So that’s an option. But besides that, I haven’t found many things that are realistic. Until Rush discovered belts. He wears them whenever he can and most days will only wear shorts or pants with belt loops.
Making a Belt: Buy nylon webbing and D-rings. Cut it to slightly longer than belt length. Melt the ends with a lighter. Sew one line of stitches to attach to rings. DONE. Making one each for both boys truly took two minutes. Tate’s belt was immediately lost, but I’ll still slightly hopeful that it will one day be found.
How do professional bloggers get their kids outside and modeling their projects? Candy bribes? Here’s Rush’s response to my request to take a picture:
Much begging later-
It’s a good thing that a belt is a quick project, because here’s my workspace. Please note the spilled applesauce.
A belt is a great project because it’s fast, easy, durable, usable, cute, and, a rare find in my world of making things for my children, masculine.
