More Makin'

We had our first annual "Family Christmas Present Making Day" today.  The day included Christmas music, a big breakfast to get us started, a lot of making, and a few Christmas movies in between.  It is my new favorite day of the year.

What Else We Have Been Up To

Drying flowers


Learning letters


Writing a book


Making homemade pizza...


with the whole family


Making inventions


Painting


Putting on shows (and make up)


Going on rides at the Mall of America


Celebrating the spring equinox (by taking a hike through the snow)...


where we found a raccoon living in this tree (and now we visit it regularly)


Crochet class (Grace and I)


A date (Meritage- awesome)


And last but not least, school work

Jackson's Bowl

Fabric scraps...


Plus a lot of glue...


And one silly boy...


Makes for this cute bowl.
(Idea found here)

Playing with the big kids (and that shelf I made two years ago)

Oh does Nora love it when her big brother and sister let her play with them.  It doesn't usually last very long but when it does she is in heaven.





Even just being in their rooms is a treat.  They of course have much more interesting toys to play with.



And while we were in Jackson's room playing this afternoon I realized I've never documented the bookshelf that I made a couple years ago.  Or I guess it was more of a remake then a make... the original trunk came from Santa several years ago.



While the trunk was very cute it was also very big and it didn't fit well anywhere in our house.  So a few years ago when Jackson needed a bookshelf for his room I turned it sideways, nailed a board inside and presto- a bookshelf!



Probably not the most glamorous bookshelf but pretty cute and very functional.

Homemade this Year

It was especially fun to make our gifts this year because Grace and Jackson were so into it too.  During the week while Grace was at school Jackson helped me make some of our handsalve for those who like handsalve and some of our granola for those who like granola.



In fact Jackson just might have been the busiest of all of us with his gift making.  He made some ornaments for people of which he created and sewed completely on his own.  He also found this idea in one of his craft books and wanted to make it for Grace to hold the colored pencils we gave her for her birthday.



Ryan helped him with this project but he did a lot of the sanding all on his own.



Grace decided to make a sleeping bag for Jackson's beloved "Pengy" for him Christmas.



She also did the sewing all on her own.



And for my two little artists I decided to make Grace and Jackson some art aprons.  I filled the pockets with glue sticks, paints, tape, a small chalkboard and a few other little odds and ends.







And then for their chalk a little chalk pouch.





Nora's present is still unfinished.  She doesn't seem to mind at all though.  Sometime this month I should get it all wrapped up.



But the all star gifts this year definitely were Ryan's.  For Jackson a sward and shield.





For Grace a dollhouse.





Ryan worked so hard on these, sometimes until late in the night (in a cold barn) to make sure they would be finished (or almost finished... the dollhouse is waiting for some stairs) by Christmas Eve.  I think he would say it was all worth it though to see their faces when they first opened them.



I'm now trying to talk him into changing his profession into a toy maker.

Holiday Handmades (Part II)... For My Kiddos

My three kiddos that is.  At least for the first present, which was owl jams. 



By the time baby fits into these Grace and Jackson will probably have outgrown them, but oh well.



It sure was fun to make a matching set for three!



The next gift was these cooking bags.  Grace and Jackson have started to help make dinner with me more frequently.  And, unlike when they first started "helping", now it actually is helpful.



So I wanted them to each have a set of their own cooking tools. 



They were pretty excited about this gift, and it has already been used a lot (especially considering we've hardly been home since they got them, this picture was from Christmas Eve as they helped us to chop and peel potatoes).



And the last gift, the one Ryan and I worked on together, were these bow and arrow sets.  I made the quivers for them to keep their arrows in.



And Ryan made the bows (and he is now hooked on whittling).



They are loving these as well.  Especially since they can be just like daddy now.

I often think about this gift making tradition that I love so much, trying to figure out exactly what it is that has me so hooked.  After all, it is really time consuming.  I'm not sure I can really put my finger on it except that to me it feels like love.  As I am creating these gifts with my hands I am lovingly holding their spirits in my heart.  I think as the beneficiary of many handmade gifts as a child, I was able to feel that love that was put into the gift, whether it was a dress my grandma made me, the playhouse my dad built, or the cookies my mom made.  And now I see it in my children's eyes when they receive one of the gifts we made them.  There is something just a little extra special about receiving such a gift, and I can sense their joy in it.

I'm sure next Christmas my gift making will slow down considerably with an almost one year old running around to keep me busy, but I sure am thankful for the time I had for it this year.