MCSTheAdobeAnimator's version of Max & Ruby 0004

 It was just this Christmas that went by, and things were getting busy. I had to start buying presents for the whole family. I had just finished shopping, but I still needed to grab a present for my little cousin. That was the last time I saw him. He was running around, looking at all the goodies. That's when I said, "Hey, go home," thinking he would do as I asked. He didn't. I told him to go home, but he didn't listen. He took a bite of the gingerbread house. I told him not to eat it, but I didn't do a good job communicating to him. So the scene is set for what would become a disastrously fun Christmas with both of my kids, now 11. My parents were in town that day. I can still hear my mom laughing as she told me that when she and my dad tried to tell the kids to leave the house, they decided to call someone else instead. As I made this decision to not worry about the house anymore, I started to see it for the mess it is. So I decided to leave. We met up in a crowded toy store to compare the number of ponies we would be buying our kids on the spot. We were children of the '80s, so I can't say which was worse, what I am about to describe, or when we took them all for haircuts. But the hair cut was really bad. I still do not understand why they let my 3 - year - old take it into his own hands, with his own scissors, and how I didn't feel ill when it was over. I tried to soak up the cuteness as I tried not to be ill. And as soon as we got home, I wanted a new dog. One that was going to need a haircut a lot less frequently. When we left this morning, I was shocked to find that my kitchen counters were clean. Of course, this was a fluke, and I did not dare expect it to last all day, but at least there was no clutter. I could hear my kids talking, as I walked into the living room. Two different words, neither of which are my children's actual names, I must confess. My dogs were both in my bed, begging to get in.

But they didn't want to get in because they wanted me to read to them. I have heard this before, but it's still sweet every time. He ran up and down the sidewalk, and I had to sit on the front steps to watch him. It was too cold to be out there for too long. I would like to thank my dear friend, S, for sending me the photo of the Christmas decorations at G's apartment. I'm hoping the family in the photo will post it on their blog for us to see. I can't wait for the day I can start my own ornament countdown. As of this morning, I only have 23. I did, however, manage to finish 24 ornament hangers. I still have to stuff them, but I have four more (2). I would like to thank my youngest sister, S, for her generous donation of a Christmas bonus. I am going to use the money to buy some yarn for ornament making. I don't want to spend a lot, but I would like to have enough for at least one kit and hopefully some extras. I have 2 ornaments that need to be finished and turned into hangers. The photo was taken with my phone and the colors look a little off. It is hard to see what the original color was in a phone photo. The metallic silver seems to have faded away over time. I am going to get out my Big Shot and the border punches to embellish the ornament and then I will finish it with DMC threads. For my first ornament, I chose one of the 2 tutorials that I have found so far and am using the Candy Cane Pull Up. This pattern is listed as for 2 1 / 2 inch letters, but I think I may have my hook a bit too long to make the actual size and it looks small in the photos. I like this because the directions show you how to use the snowflake impression folders and create your own pattern for each ornament. The shapes are so adorable and so pretty, too. And I'm off for now. Hope you have a great Wednesday. Time for me to get ready for work. See you all tomorrow.

and that's what I am working on today. I don't have any particular ornament on my list so I am making some ornaments for a couple of different swaps and thinking of some ornaments for me. I made my own kind of crocheted snowflake. I first made this in January of 2010 and sent it in a swap and now that it is becoming darker and darker outside, I thought it might make a good wintery angel. It is 4 "wide and around 3" tall. I stamped "Hope" and "Peace" on some transparency and put one in my basket for my swap partner and then found a butterfly one with a baby in a garden that would work for me to make for me. It was only $1. 50 for the set so I bought it. This will also go in my basket. I'm still thinking about what I'll make for the next swap and what my sister will get for Christmas. I'm not sure she'll be able to get to this post this time! But I'm excited to start. I can't wait to get started! My sister, Debbie, and I finally went to see Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe this past Friday night. Debbie and I are like two peas in a pod. We are both dreamers, lovers of the arts, and die - hard sci - fi / fantasy lovers. I'm hoping that when we do finally go to The Hobbit in November we can also see the latest Narnia. Since she's read the books she knew the basics of the movie but my dear sister missed out on some of the nuances, including the priceless line at the end of the movie "Go away." I have no doubt that it will be the same way with The Hobbit. She and I love many of the same movies (much to my chagrin) and when we're watching them we tend to talk through some of the scenes. This is probably a good thing since I usually'm picking out the best lines for her to repeat to our brother in a few years when we have to face him at a family Christmas gathering. But I digress. Back to Narnia. My sister wasn't overly excited to watch this one. When I told her that I thought she would like it because they were going to be going to a magical world and it would be like Christmas, she acted a little unsure. Once it started, she was mesmerized. Her enthusiasm was contagious and my brother and I have enjoyed our two viewings immensely.

In fact, we've decided to make a Christmas tradition of watching one of the Chronicles of Narnia movies each year. It's a good excuse to pull out the wrapping paper and see what treasures we've found this year! This, of course, was a big deal. Every time the doorbell rings now, the girls yell, "There's a delivery for Nick and Nate!" (Nathan is the other person in the family). They often ask for "a gift card or an envelope or maybe just a card from you, Santa" but, more than anything, they just want to know that Santa came. We all went through a time when it was safe to ask questions about Santa, and the stories of his amazing skills convinced us that he must have been real. But eventually, our innocence was broken. My older kids stopped believing in Santa when they were in the first grade or so, and, like their sisters, they did a great job of getting all their faith back again. I'm not sure that they will ever completely lose their belief. So, what are some of the ways you get your children to believe in the things of God? And what does that look like today? It might be something simple, like getting up on Christmas morning and saying, "I wonder what Santa brought us?" Or, it might be taking them to church and having them take part in the Christmas program. Perhaps it is putting together a craft for a Christmas present. But, whatever the way, you have to make a habit of it, and you have to commit to it.

"I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

~ Edward Everett Hale

This morning, my 11 - year - old came running in with a tear in her eye and a "woe is me" attitude. Her homework assignment was to research a business and write a letter to the owner, explaining what she thought he could do to improve the business. Without having a clue as to what she was doing, my daughter pulled out an old business directory and started making phone calls. About the third call she made, she finally found someone who knew what the deal was and she left a message. A short time later, the owner called her back and while she was on the phone with him, her brother got a ride from a friend. He was able to return the cell phone and keep the message. This was her side of the conversation.