Homemade gifts - Christmas 2013

The holiday makings happened all of December even late into Christmas eve.  The candles above were made by Paul out of a neighbor's tree that came down.  He made sets for several individuals and made even more when he found a black walnut limb down.  I'm not sure what he enjoyed more, the process of making them or the excuse to buy new tools for the project.  I love how they all turned out and was very pleased to find a set just for me under the tree.

For Oma, the kids decided to work together to create a book of Jesus paintings.  They each drew their favorite scripture story, traced it in ink and filled in with watercolors.  When using the right paints and ink this process always turns out beautiful.  Oma was moved to tears.

Now in order from oldest to youngest here's what they made for each other.  James made stilts for William.  

William picked Peter's name and took inspiration from a story he wrote a few years ago about Kisko market in the land of Dork.  He built the market and painted a few peg people into the original characters.  It was the generosity of a good neighbor opening his workshop and teaching the kids new skills that made most of these ideas come to life.

This statue of James riding a horse was sculpted by Peter then fired at Uncle Dave's store.  James rides every week and it looks just like him with his "bopper hat" on.  Peter also had the idea to make James his own stash of peppermint bark but unfortunately it was already consumed before we could capture it on camera.

Maryanna picked Charlie this year and instantly decided what she was going to make him and it was going to be all by herself!  With the exception of James helping her download the pattern online she did pretty much do it herself.  

This is "Coco" created out of a thrifted shirt and some scrap fabric.  Maryanna is now working on sewing him some clothes.  I love watching her sew!

Clara had George to make for and decided to create a bean bag toss game.  Originally it was going to be a train scene but the size of the holes were too big.  In an instant she caught a vision of a fruit bowl, sketched it right onto the wood then painted it.  Paul did the finishing wood work with her by his side.

Clara also cut and sewed 12 bean bags all by herself.  I need to help her a little though because we now how beans all over the house.  

Henry originally wanted to sew a dress for Maryanna but I knew it would be me doing it so I redirected him towards something he could do more independently.  He made her sparkly rainbow FIMO bead necklace with a heart charm framing a picture of her and her favorite horse Bill.

I have to admit sometimes it is hard to think of things the younger kids can make for their siblings.  A photo book is always good option.  George sat on my lap as we selected photos, edited them and dragged them into place.  He also enjoyed composing captions for the photos.

Charlie picked Clara to give to.  At this age though he is only good at making messes so the homemade gift was handed right over to Daddy for the making.  I picked a simple Ana White plan for a doll high chair and Paul got it done and painted without too many children spying on it.

It fits right in the corner of the kitchen right by the play stove and has been the site of many doll tea parties.

Two days before Christmas the boys totally surprised me with a huge sculpture covered in cardboard and duck tape and I admit I was nervous.  It was the first gift that was opened Christmas morning and I was so thrilled and impressed with their wood working skills.  It is an obelisk for the garden and so excited to plant something to climb it.

Hiding away at the neighbor's wood working shop James also created a wooden van for Paul.  It has plexiglass windows and the top comes off to seat 12 peg people.  It is now sitting proudly on Paul's desk. 

In addition to the white van James spent hours creating a complicated game called "Bust the Wizard".  It comes with a 5 page instruction manual, painted peg pieces, cards and dice.  It so much fun that it has been played repeatedly by Paul and the boys late into the snowy evenings.

William really mastered the band saw at the neighbors and decided to make dragon figures for George and Henry.  He painted them a few knight people as well.

Even a few more gifts because the boys simply had too much fun in the neighboring workshop.  Peter made this "Flinstone" car for Charlie. 

He also made these two cherry wavy bladed swords for Henry and George.

And lastly, so the girls wouldn't feel left out William made them each a bird house.

This was a busy season for them - and I have to say the first year that their projects did not fall in my lap.  I love this Christmas tradition, there is so much joy in the making, giving and receiving and learning new skills.

Christmas 2013

(reported by William)

It is hard to believe how fast this season has passed.  Everyone was really excited to decorate the tree that Henry, Clara and Daddy cut down.  We all found our favorite ornaments and tried to hang them as high as we could so they wouldn't get busted by Charlie or the cats.  Three nutcrackers and Henry's elf ornament got busted and fixed a few times.  We were nervous when we could not find the favorite puff ball milk shake ornament Daddy got in the 80's, it was wrapped in newspaper and almost thrown out in the trash.  Everyone seems to like that one, I don't know why.

We went to the Waterloo Farm museum for their Country Christmas event.  Everyone was very eager to participate in the scavenger hunt in order to earn a swirly straw.  It was interesting to learn how they lived and celebrated Christmas back in the 1800's.  It also was interesting to compare it to how people celebrate Christmas now with big blow up snowmen, street Santas and huge lines at stores like Walmart and Best Buy.  They did not have Christmas lights but real candles on their tree. 

It must have been really cold and they had to make use of everything they had.  I thought it was interesting how they did not have refrigerators so they harvested ice from the lake and stored it until the the summer in an ice house.
  

With our homeschool group we did some fun Christmas activities like planting paper whites, making kite paper window stars and hosting a gift exchange party.  It was fun to share these activities with our friends.  Clara loved caring for the four sets of paper whites around our house.  Their smell reminds me of Christmas and it is really amazing how fast they grow and bloom.

We also had an adventure as we made our way through a snow storm to Nanny and Poppy's house.  Normally it takes us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there but the roads were so slippery it took us over 3 hours.  We were concerned when we saw lots of accidents along the way so we said lots of prayers and were so relieved to finally get there. We all had lot of fun decorating cookies and watching movies with Nanny and Poppy.

We also met our cousins at a sledding hill and ended up staying two nights until the roads were clear enough to return.  Good thing Daddy was at home taking care of the animals.

For Family Night we watched the LDS bible videos about the birth of Jesus.  I noticed how before everyone was really hyper but after the videos everyone settled down and were quiet.  Watching the videos made the story really real.

We also celebrated with our annual sleep over under the Christmas tree the weekend before Christmas.  We opened some early presents from Oma and Opa and watched It's a Wonderful Life while enjoying Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.

Everyone slept well and no one threw up this year.

We had some extra goat milk so Peter experimented with cajeta, a Mexican treat kind of like caramel.  It tasted really good on our ice cream but took a long time to make.  We gave some to neighbors and friends.

Our babysitter Peggy came over for dinner then we put on a Nativity in the milking room.  Henry wanted to be Joseph so he could have a beard and mustache.  He drew it on so hard that it was there for 3 days.  Clara was happy to have a turn being Mary and put a soccer ball in her shirt to make herself look pregnant.

Daddy read the story from the Bible and most participants were cooperative except for George who was a wise man and was crying and the goats who were fighting over grain.  

We turned the lights off and sang Christmas carols by candle light.   It felt very reverent.  

I was a shepherd with Charlie and was going to bring in a lamb but he started crying so I put him back.  I hope we do this again next year and have more animals participate.

Christmas eve we always go to Nanny and Poppy's house.  We always have Swedish meatballs, potatoes, rolls and shrimp.  Maryanna ate so much shrimp she later had a nightmare her stomach was exploding.  We also had cookies and pie and cake for my Uncles' birthdays. Then as always everyone rushes for their Christmas bag full of presents from Nanny and Poppy.  I don't know what everyone else got because it happened so quick and I was so focused on the Hobbit Lego sets my brothers and I got. We loaded everyone in the car before it was too late and got home just in time for milking.

As usual everyone woke up really early.  Mommy kept telling us to go back to sleep.  At 6 am the thunder of kids racing to their stockings and shaking out the contents finally got Mommy out of bed.

While we were eating breakfast someone noticed the neighbor's horse got loose and was in our driveway.  Maryanna wondered if Santa had brought Bill the pony for Christmas as she has been wishing.  

The biggest surprise was a puppy named Oscar!  Daddy said he got a text from Santa saying there was a box at the elf's  secret depot waiting for our family.  He came back with a giant box with a loose lid and we all gathered around wondering what was inside.  No one was expecting a puppy so when we opened it everyone crowded around each trying to pet it for the first time.  Maryanna was so happy she was crying, I was in shock and so excited.

He is a Bernese Mountain dog and will grow over 100 lbs.  We are learning a lot about puppies and the responsibility it takes to train them.  We had so much fun with him that we did not open any other presents until 10 am.

We played all day with our presents.  The most popular gifts were the dress ups.  Henry got a pack of mustaches in his stocking and a cross bow, breastplate, helmet and sword.  He had fun defending himself from his older brothers all day.  
  

George was happy to play along too with his new armor.  The other favorite gifts were the homemade ones which Mommy will report on later.

We played all day with our legos and new marble run components and the younger kids liked playing the headbands game with Daddy.  All the while the puppy ran around the house getting attention and peed on the rug a few times.

He was worn out and so was everyone else.  

Not everyone wanted the day to end but they were tired.

Clara and I got to camp out next to the puppy for his first night in our home.  I wasn't very prepared for getting up 3 or 4 times in the night and playing with him at 5 am.  Now we are getting on a better schedule.  

Overall it was a very memorable Christmas, Henry cried when we took down the tree as he did not want it to be over.  

In Gratitude

Yesterday, we had exciting plans to head out in search of a Christmas tree and bring all the holiday boxes down from the barn; however, before 12 pm, the mood of the day took a quick turn on me, and there was an immediate call to rein in and find a quiet corner for peace.

It was late into the evening the night before, that Paul had informed me of some shaking news from his cousin, as a young husband and father his cousin had been diagnosed with cancer.  Though we are responding with great hope for his healing and are supporting him with our prayers, this news coincided with my sister Julie's birthday and I found myself blindsided with a wave of grief, anger and rage that I have not felt in years since her passing.

In this state, I was unable to hold space for the festivities planned or even the simplest of tasks that are required of me on a typical day. Instead, I gave myself permission to process as needed in order to heal this resurfacing wound. For me, I recognize the importance of allowing myself to feel fully what I am feeling, without judging myself or stuffing it away further into my soul.  I recognize the importance of reaching out to a compassionate listener, and most importantly quieting my soul for whisperings of comfort and truth from the Spirit. 

My take away from this experience has flooded me with a gratitude that returned me to what really matters in this life, it has shifted me from a place in "the Christmas crazies" that plaques our society to a space of simple peace.

Will we still decorate for Christmas?  Of course! And we will do so slowly.  Will I finish all the planned crafts, baking and sewing? no. And does it matter? Of course not.  Will there be presents wrapped? Yes! though fewer, they will be selected with the individual in mind. 

Before heading to bed last night Paul requested my Christmas "wish list". Honestly he spoils me so I have to be careful of what I wish for, I gave it some thought and even checked a few online vendors for ideas.  But in the state of gratitude and peace I was experiencing I could not think of anything that I really wanted.  I was reminded of a recent quote from Elder Bednar, "A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment (see Luke 12:15)."

I responded with "less presents, and more presence".  I say that to myself as well, it is so much easier to buy and wrap something than to be fully available to the ones we love. And the days in which we offer gifts are not reserved for one season, gifts of love and presence may be offered at every interpersonal interaction that greet us daily.  Is that not how Christ lived his life? 

To enter the Christmas season with presence and gratitude lightens me and it is my hope that I may not be swayed, that I may be wise in allowing space for a daily remembering.  That I might recognize that the blessings in my life are abundant, and the blessings of the knowledge of our purpose here on earth and role and mission of the Savior Jesus Christ as offered to all who have ever lived, is priceless.