Advent Activities

In december we usually have at least one advent calendar in the house.  This year we didn't do a chocolate one, but made our ornaments on a tiny tree one a little more special.

I came up with 24 activities, printed them out, and put them into these craft jewelry boxes.  I had Matthew write numbers 1-24 on them while Abby made sure each one had an ornament.  We piled them up under the now broken (a wrestling accident happened last week that took it out of commission) fake Christmas tree so each day they take turns finding the right box, opening it up, and since Matthew can read he reads the activity and Abby is in charge of the ornament.

So far most of the activities have been a success, and I made sure to include some of the scheduled things like our ward Christmas party with Santa in the right box.  For another example, we are going to see the Nutcracker on Thursday so when they open the box this Thursday that's what the paper will say.  Pretty clever foresight, huh!

We have made marshmallow snowmen, paper trees, read Christmas books, met Santa Claus, made presents for our friends, decorated treat bags, addressed and stuffed our Christmas cards, made cookies and decorated them, taken food to the food bank, small but hopefully somewhat exciting things.  A lot of the things I would've done anyway I turned into things we did together, which they always love.

It hasn't been seamless though, I had a couple snow activities in there which ended up getting opened on 55 degree days.  But it's been fun and I hope to modify it again to fit next year's schedule!  The kids love looking forward to it!

Do you do an advent calendar tradition in your home?

Two Charlie Dresses

I've been meaning to take the time to make these dresses for a while but finally made it happen this past week.

The pattern is the Charlie Dress by Mingo and Grace.  I made the size 5 and 18 months so they would last longer but in hindsight could've gotten away just fine with the size 4T and 12 months since the bodice is intentionally loose.  

I love this fabric, it's from Joann's but it's not as flimsy as I was expecting it to be.  I really want to go get more to make myself a top. 

I had one yard of the fabric for Abby's dress and had to piece the ruffle/flounce part but I don't think it's too obvious, even though I obviously cut that part differently than the top (to make it all fit!).  She loves that it spins, I just think she looks adorable! 

I cut the patterns one day last week while the kids were at school, then sewed them the next day in between making cookies and cake and more cookies.

They sewed up pretty quickly even though the bias taped edges drove me nuts, as usual. The dress closes with a simple loop and button, which is super fast and easy.  

Anyway, it's nice to have another pattern from my extensive collection actually turn into usable and adorable pieces of clothing!

New Dolls and Scarves

I use this lovely pattern from Charlaanne on Etsy to make these dolls.  From that pattern I modified the body and left out the yarn hair to make a boy doll this weekend.

He didn't have any clothes for a while but now he does.  His shirt, pants and socks are removable. The little man requested a boy doll so I have his brain to thank for making this little dude here come to life! He's really cute, don't you think?

I love this dolls hair. Sometimes they don't turn out, or the yarn doesn't stay where it's supposed to, but this one is doing really really well.  Her dress and socks are removable and her hair bow has been stitched and hot glued in place so she'll look pretty even during playtime!

I also finally found more of this red and black buffalo check flannel at JoAnn's.  It's like ALWAYS out of stock when I go so when I found some today I snatched up ALL the flannel they had, which wasn't a ton.  All said and done, I have enough for 3 of these scarves which you can find here in my shop! 

They are all listed in my Etsy shop here and will arrive in time for US Christmas delivery if ordered before December 16th.  

more reading

More books??  Whaaat? Yep.  More books.  Yay!  And about a trillion more qued up to go.  Enjoy!  This round up was rather successful.  I recommend all of them!

 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - I listened to this one on audible and it is an experience that will change you.  It tells the true story of a man who was an extraordinary athlete who became lost at sea and then tortured and horribly mistreated as a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II. I don't know if it was because I was listening to it that made it so powerfully intense but I couldn't stop listening to it.  I had to hear what happened to him next, I had to see how he made it out of such a hellish nightmare.  This story is sad, it's graphic and violent and most importantly it's true and important and inspiring.  I had no idea war could be this horrible, and it really made me rethink some of my thoughts about it.  Mostly, why can't we all just be kind to each other?  Several times I found myself crying and then being incredibly thankful for all my many luxuries and conveniences.  It's an amazing story and I don't think I'm ever going to be able to see a soldier or especially a P.O.W. without bawling my eyes out.  I recommend this one a thousand percent.

 Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith - if you don't already know, I'm a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith.  He writes so well, with such a quiet grace and loveliness even when dealing with things that are unfair.  This series is about the occupants of an apartment building and how their lives intersect and progress.  In this book Bertie, the eternal 6 year old boy thwarted by an oppressive mother, finally turns 7! His story is my favorite to read, I feel such strong sympathy towards him! Several things happen in this story, Bertie goes camping, his mother Irene gets misplaced in Dubai and starts a book club, Big Lou becomes a foster mom, Matthew and Elspeth and their triplets move, and Angus and Dominica house their former neighbor and a nun with unextraordinary observations.  I love McCall Smith's writing because it inspires me to be kind and friendly and not to take hardships too heavily.  I would recommend starting this series at the beginning so you'll know everyone's history and back-story and can better understand their triumphs and victories. You can find 44 Scotland Street here.

Yes Please! By Amy Pohler - I LOOOOOVED this book.  It was thoughtful, touching, hilarious, and relatable.  I like Pohler's attitude and her outlook on our potential is pretty inspiring.  She's so funny, and I loved her telling of her childhood.  She shares wonderful stories and advice in a wonderful wise way.  I would absolutely recommend this one.  If you like anything she's worked on before then it's definitely required reading.  

Updated Etsy Shop

Hey folks!

I recently participated in my first ever craft market a couple weeks ago and it was so much fun!  I had incredible booth neighbors, and while I didn't make all the dollars I had a great time and learned so much.

I finally got my Etsy shop updated with everything left from the market so if you haven't had a chance to go see what's new, I'd love it if you'd go have a look! 

I'm really excited about some of the new things I've been working on, especially the dolls.  I'm working on finishing a boy version this afternoon that should be in the shop later this week. 

I'll be gone for Christmas and the shop will be closed between December 18th and January 5th so make sure you check out what you want before then so it will be there in time for Christmas! 

And all my blog readers get a special 20% off coupon "blog20" that will be good today through the entire month of January so be sure to check in often!

There will be lots of new things in January that you won't want to miss. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

And happy Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. You can get 17% off in my Etsy shop all weekend (through the 1st of December) with "thankful2014" so shop away!

I had a birthday this month (I'm 27 now).  And now I feel horribly old.  Here are some things I want to do before I'm 28.

- finish the books on my kindle app and all the books on my shelves and all the books on my audible app that I haven't finished yet. Or at least catch up a little more so I don't die buried under a pile of unread books and audio files.

-complete a whole 30, just to be able to prove to myself that I can.  I'm planning to knock this one out in January.  It's a horribly cold and boring month, so it might as well bring something good.

- run 5 miles without walking.  Maybe in a race, maybe not.  Either way, I'm determined to become a runner again.  But probably not until it gets warm enough to go outside. So, late April, early May? 

- make pretty things with courage and confidence and find people who want to buy them.  Etsy, craft markets, wherever.  Also learn new ways to make pretty things. I'm very excited about this. 

- get up earlier than everyone else.  I hate this one, but I have to admit that when I get up before everyone else in our small house and have a few minutes to get dressed and open my eyes for myself I'm a much nicer person.  

- get good at making pies, especially personal sized ones. And other baked things of course.  That's more of a life goal really.  I want it said at my funeral, even if I turn out to be a grumpy old lady, that I was an ace at baked goods.  And it will be true. 

- make seated family dinners frequent and mandatory.  Like a Liz Lemon party.  With good healthy food. Natural, organic, and local when possible. With non-paper plates and real napkins. 

- be a better more fearless friend. Give more, do more, and don't worry about interfering as much. Talk more, be there more.

- read all the Harry Potter books again.  My story lines are getting crossed.

- write more.  Stories, journal entries, blog entries, overheard conversations, made up back stories of random people in restaurants.  Just write more things. I'm letting that seed of a talent get too rusty.  

- brush my teeth.  I haaaaaate brushing my teeth.........hate it. Maybe I'm not ready to wash away all the delicious flavor from my dessert!!!!  Don't worry. I still do it. but I hate it! The struggle is real.

- don't buy clothes I could make for myself or my kids.  I have a great collection of patterns but not the wardrobe to back it up with.  I'm going to work on that.  

- be a more eager mother and wife.  Take opportunities, take moments, and be present for them.  Don't let my hang ups get in the way.  This should either be really great and exciting or super embarrassing.  Either way it'll make for some good memories. 

That's good for now.  I'll check in on these in a few months and let you  know how I'm doing. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! 

Autumn reading and lots of listening.

You can follow along on Instagram @ladyfacereads where I share all my reading adventures, at least some of the time.  And in the interest of full disclosure these are referral links to Amazon.com.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I bought this one as a kindle book while I was looking for a new audiobook.  It was sooooo good!  I started it one evening, and finished it the following afternoon.  It was such a lovely well written story that just takes you along.  You don't have to do any work to become involved.  It's great. It's about a set of twins, one in particular, who are just starting out as Freshmen in college.  Cath is obsessed with a fictional world and writes fanfiction.  She has other quirks and lots to deal with at home and at school.  She meets a boy, and some other people, and has a very interesting fiction writing class.  I loved watching her progress.  Things come up that she doesn't know how to handle, or deal with, and it's interesting to watch her go through them.  I liked the ending, but I wish it had kept going!  I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them yet!  I think this book is geared more towards the YA audience, but I really enjoyed it.  A lovely little break into another world. 

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - I got this one as a recommendation from a great friend.  Actually, she loaned me her copy but I never started it and then she moved and I gave it back and became determined to read it.  I got the kindle version mainly because the whispersync option to add was relatively cheap.  And I was a little desperate for something new to listen to while I washed dishes.  I wasn't super intrigued by the description but was pleasantly surprised by the writing and the narrative.  I'll be looking into Kingsolver's other books.  This story is about a family who move to the Congo in the late 1950's early 1960's so the dad can bring Jesus to the descendants of Ham.  Ha. They're from Georgia.  I love how they talk, it's amusing and a whole different world of language. The story switches between the perspectives of the mother and her four daughters and spans many years after their mission in the Congo has ended.  The turns and twists the story takes each sister, and their mother through were surprising and unexpected and intense.  At first I wasn't fond of the narrators voice on the audible recording, I thought she sounded disinterested, but then she grew on me and it was fine.  I really enjoyed this story and am thrilled to have found a new author to read! I'd recommend this one for sure, especially if the 1950's life or anything related to Africa is intriguing to you.  

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham - OK, don't get mad here, to each his own, and this one I didn't like at all.  It's difficult to review a book about someone's life, because then it feels like you're "judging them" and while I'm not doing that here, I was so confused about the stories she picked to share.....Anyway.  I read this one because everyone's been recommending it since it became available, and it was only $5 in the Kindle store.  While I'm all for female empowerment, gender equality, and women's rights as I believe Lena Dunham is known for, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.  I love hearing the stories behind the people who have "made it" in film and television and comedy, it's just interesting to me.  However, I'm always nervous that these stories will be a list of beds slept in, and who with, on the way to success.  I don't think that is or should be what defines your life story and don't like reading about other people's sexual mishaps and regrets.  I don't think that's brave or courageous unless it has some direct relationship to the lesson to be mentioned, or directed your life in some specific way.  I felt like this was a let down, a deceptive title, and the majority of the book was one bad sexual encounter after another.  It left me a little frustrated at Miss Dunham for not having better judgement and not learning from her previous mistakes.  She seemed careless and then regretful, and then careless again and if that was the intended tone then it didn't do much for me at all.  She consciously omitted the happy and healthy relationship she is currently in, which leaves us to wonder why the heck she told us all those gross stories.  Her childhood stories were interesting, but left me feeling sorry for her rather than oh wow, look how much she's gotten past that, how great for her!  It felt more like a cake you want to be done right now, and aren't willing to let it cool all the way before it gets frosted and turns out not as great as it could be.  I wouldn't recommend this one.  **A tip, if you buy a kindle book you have a few days to return it if you're not satisfied or bought it by accident so rest assured, this was returned.

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch - Ugh, I wanted so badly to like this one.  After reading The Dinner and loving it especially for it's unique style, narration, and creepiness, I was excited to read everything else Koch has done.  This story is about a doctor who may or may not have murdered someone, and the investigation that is done on the case.  The story is told from his perspective and is very creepy.  I got the kindle with whispersync (with audio so you could read along while you listen, but I just end up listening), and the voice was really bad for me.  It was just too creepy, the performer made it too much for me and I didn't make it that far before I returned it.  Not everything can be a winner!

What have you been reading lately?