Merry Christmas!

silly little one

We've been pretty busy getting ready for the holidays, I haven't had much time to blog or even take many photos. SO, until I get my thoughts and photos organized - here are just a few pictures I've snapped of my silly girl.

She thinks she's pretty funny when she puts TWO binkies in her mouth!

I didn't realize a someone so small could have so much "baggage."  She sleeps with at least two dolls or animals these days.  Putting them all to bed is quite an armful!

"hello, Betty Crocker..."

Emmy loves her boots and loves to wear them any time of the day with any outfit!  Usually she's sporting her "hatty" around the house as well!

Hope you are all enjoying getting ready for the holidays!

a christmas treat

I am super sad to say our pretzel dipping tradition with our friends Jaci and Ike won't be happening this year.  Our schedules just aren't meshing too well.  Darn it! 

So, my mom, sis, Emmy and I decided to try something a little different this year...

We went to my moms and made oreo pops!

So hard at work...

Our cute little treat!

Emmy seemed to enjoy them!

BUT, I couldn't let the oreos' be the end of our holiday treat making!  Something was missing...I needed to follow tradition and do some pretzels anyway.  So, Emmy and I put on our aprons and did some dipping!

Dear Jaci and Ike,

We sure missed you guys but we were thinking about you!

I didn't get my "notes" out on all the tricks we've learned over the years so they didn't turn out quite as fancy and I had a lot of broken ones this time(more for me to eat right).  They may not look the greatest, but I know they taste pretty yummy!  

Also, I decided it's easier (and more fun) dipping with a friend!  Emmy lost interest pretty fast and she wasn't much for conversation :) 

Missed you two!  Merry Christmas!

                                      

                                     Sandy & Emmy

ho, ho, ho

Emmy knows who Santa is and what he says, but meeting the jolly, hairy man in person was a whole different story than seeing pictures and stuffed Santa's!

Why do we do this to our children?   

FOR THE PICTURE of course!

She was fine once we left the room Santa was in and she was able to sit down and enjoy her candy cane!

(this is her "show me your teeth" smile...love it)

Thanks goes to my mom for inviting us and my sis to this fun Christmas party! 

My mom and gram used to take us kids to this party each year.  It's about time we had a little one in the family we could carry on the tradition with! 



if you know a little girl...

you need to make her one or two or three of these for Christmas...

THIS is the tutorial I used to make Emmy's Halloween skirt and I have been addicted ever since!  She has her Halloween skirt, an anyday skirt and now a Christmas skirt!  I even made an itsy bitsy newborn Christmas skirt for my friend's little baby! 

I'm telling you, if I can figure out how to make these little pretties, you can too! 

SO, if you're interested - WHAT I'VE LEARNED as I've sewn these is:

1)  Emmy is a small 19 monther so the measurements I have felt have worked best for her are

waist:  2, 5 X 12.5in. strips

ruffle #1:  2, 5.5 X 22-25in. strips

 (mine have actually been about 21 in. because I have just been cutting beginning at the fold so I can get all my strips out of less fabric - half of the width of my fabric)

adjoining strip:  2, 3.5 X 12.5in. strips

(you can cut this wider if you want and then trim as needed to adjust how low the second ruffle hangs)

ruffle #2:  2 6 X 22-25in. strips

**the length of the waist pieces and adjoining strips must be the same (i.e. 12.5 in. according to what I do)

**the length of the ruffle pieces should be the same (I use 21 in.)

2)  use 1/4" seams on everything

3) AND THIS HELPED ME TONS...iron your heams BEFORE you sew so you have a guide for them later.  Sew your skirt with all the hems open and hem last like it says.  It was just easier for me to have the folds so I didn't have to measure a straight hem on a circle skirt.  Oh...and do double hems to prevent fraying.  I did 1/4in + 1/4in making a total of a 1/2in hem on my two ruffles.

There you have it!  I'm sure none of this made any sense.  But, like I said - if I can figure it out, you can too! 

Happy sewing and giving!

it'a beginning to look a lot like christmas

While Brian has been busy at work and with his church calling, Emmy and I have been busy at home decorating! 

I told Emmy we were going to put lights on the tree so she got her boots on and put her hat on.  I guess she figured since I said tree, we'd be going outside.  What a little smartie (and yes, she puts those little boots on by herself...on the right feet!  She's been wearing them around the house a lot lately).

We turned on the Christmas tunes and got out all the decorations and had a blast!  Emmy especially like pulling things out of the boxes.  

Emmy didn't hang too many ornaments but she did put some syran wrap on the tree - which I kept on of course - and this little elf.  She kept calling it "baby" and tried to give it her binkie.  So cute.

 The ornaments on our tree hold a lot of special memories and make decorating a little emotional. This year (be it the pregnancy or just the sentiments) more tears came than usual. These little ornaments were my grama's. Throughout the year they are housed in a little box with her handwriting on them that says, "small wooden ornaments. Sandy's tree." The room in our house that is now Emmy's was the "pink room" when my gram and gramp lived here. It was my mom's room then a playroom for the kids. It had a special little tree in it each Christmas that I got to decorate. These ornaments are dear to my heart and I love the uniqueness of them. I loved pulling them out of the box with Emmy this year and watching her ooooh and awww at them and get excited about them with me. With these older ornaments, we have a few newer ones on our tree as well. I think I've mentioned the tradition my mom started for us kids of an ornament a year. Last year Emmy got her "first Christmas" ornament and this year we added a bear from Montana to remember the LONG trip we went on this summer. I'm excited to continue the tradition with all of our kids.

Anyway, our house is now officially ready for Christmas!  Each morning I wait till Emmy wakes up before I plug in the lights on the mantel and tree.  Actually, I just like to hear her say "light" and point then watch her wait in anticipation for the lights to turn on.  It's already like Christmas morning each day!

dear mr. wonka,

today mom and i attempted to make a gingerbread house with one of your "kits." 

it started out pretty good...

but your frosting is too soft and our house would not stay together.  our candy kept falling off too!

thanks for all the yummy candy though and the fun that mom and i had trying to decorate,

but i think we'll stick with mr. "wilton" from now on.

 love,

emmy