Sometimes...

...ya gotta just cut up and be silly! Q and I sure had fun playing around and hamming it up for the camera after a few excruciatingly stressful days.

Father Christmas

Quincy really wanted to go see Santa at the mall. It finally worked into the schedule that we go pay the jolly, old elf a little visit.

I wasn't too sure how Q would react as he tends to get really bashful a lot and doesn't say a peep to folks. But we stood in line for about twenty minutes. When Santa's helper came over and let us through the velvet ropes, she told me that if I opted to not order one of their photo packages and instead wanted to take my own, I would be allowed only ONE shot. I was a little miffed about that......pffffffft! When Quincy was allowed to visit with Santa, I snapped as many photos as I could. Thankfully, there were no Santa Photo Police who came to make me delete my digital photos.

Amanda, Ryan, Quincy and I hung out for a little while at the mall to enjoy some Christmas Shoping Frenzy energy, lights, smells and...even the crowds. Before too long, though, we had to give into our grumbly tummies...and we left to find a value menu anywhere nearby.

Amanda was sooooo thrilled. After tonight, her shopping challenges have all been met. She is done. Lucky girl!

Homespun Birthday Love

My kids actually complained that there was too much frosting. NEVER!




\

Oh, Moses!

...and that's a wrap, everyone!

Yo!

I wonder what these little yoyos will become?

Stay tuned. The finished result is soon to come...

Happy Birthday, Alex!

Gramma Margie baked a chocolate birthday cake for Alex!

Happy Birthday, Dear Alex!




Gramma Margie and Alex

Alex and Quincy


YAAAAAAY! Yahtzee and birthday money!

Dear Alex,

It's so hard to believe that eleven years ago, you were just a tiny little peanut who'd just been placed into my arms. Even though you were the biggest of my newborns, you were so tiny and red. You had the biggest blue eyes. I loved to hold you and just snuggle you. I held you so your heart was next to mine. Your little head resting on my shoulder; I could feel your breath on my skin.

You were such an easy baby. You quickly filled out and had the cutest little round cheeks I'd ever seen. When you slept in your cradle beside my bed, you'd suck on your middle fingers and ring finger. It was so cute. I used to love to watch you sleep.

You have become a wonderful young man. I love your sense of humor. You amaze me with your love and enthusiasm for sports. I am eager to watch you play basketball on a team. I know you will have fun with that and I will proudly cheer you on from the stands!

I am so glad that of all the Alexes in the entire world, I get to be YOUR mom. I love you so much. I am really proud of you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZIGGY!

Love,

Mom

Happiness is...

...a crocheted shawl to snuggle into.

This shawl was commissioned by my mom for my Great Aunt Lorrayne who lives in Iowa. We're thinking she just might like to receive this....

How To Make a Paper Snowflake

Here are some super easy steps to making paper snowflakes!

WHAT YOU NEED:
paper
sharp scissors
bone folder

Fold #1: Fold the sheet of paper so that the top edge lines up with the left edge of the paper. Fold in your crease.

Trim away the excess paper so there is a triangle remaining.

Fold #2: With the folded edge of the triangle at the top, fold the two upper points together. Fold in the crease using the bone folder.

Fold #3: With the single fold under your left hand, line up all three points. Press in the fold with your bone folder.

At this point, you have made 3 folds. There is a single fold on the lower left edge of this triangle.

Fold #4: Fold your triangle so that the single folded edge lines up with the longer edge of the triangle.

Use the bone folder to press in the crease. Your paper should look a little like a torch with a flame on it.

Cut of the "flame" from the "torch."

Using your sharp scissors, cut shapes from your triangle. For the laciest snowflakes, the key is to remove as much paper without cutting all the way through to the other side.

Try straight cuts and round cuts. Cuts that look like the above image, produce a snowflake that looks like THIS:

Enjoy making a blizzard of snowflakes!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

THAT is a very large pile of tree ornaments!!

Ryan gives Quincy a boost.

What a pretty tree!

CHEESE!

Alex helps, too!

Kaitie and Amanda hang a few ornaments, too.

Kaitie hangs a few last ornaments.

When I was growing up, my parents bought a 4 foot tall artificial Christmas tree from Sears. Every single year, my dad set up the tree on a hexagonal end table. My mom would wrap the same white sheet around the table and the metal base of the tree. She would tell us that it was supposed to be snow.

My dad would wrap the strands of multi-colored lights around the tree first. Then, he'd carefully... (almost in a scientific manner) place the silver tinsel in perfect swoops from branch to branch. The last step to decorating our tree was hanging the white satiny balls on branches.

When my sister and I were five and seven, I remember my mom covered our dining room table with an old shower curtain. All four of us would gather around the table and pick out roughly sawn ornaments that had black lines pre-printed on them. We painted these ornaments and when they were dry, we added them to the tree. It seemed like a LOT of variety. The smell of those tiny pots of acrylic paints remind me of that Christmas to this day anytime I open a bottle of acrylic paint for a project.

I still have the little reindeer I painted. When I see it, I chuckle to myself. I know there were several other families who had sets of ornaments like those...well...at least they weren't EXACTLY like ours...My little sister and I were just sure our Christmas tree was the prettiest in the whole world. Santa would love to see it for sure.

Now that I am grown up, and have kids of my own, I still love to make my own Christmas tree ornaments. I look for ornament ideas anytime of the year. Unlike my dad, I just put the lights on the tree....and the tinsel is certainly NOT measured out! I start at the top and then wrap it back and forth and then if I run short, I go back and stretch it to fit. It's quite pretty just the same...at least I think so.

My goal was to have each ornament be different from all the others. Over the years, I've managed to collect a large pile of ornaments. Most of them are unique. There are a couple of duplicates. When it is time to trim the tree, I carefully peel back the layers of tissue paper to see which ornaments are inside. Each neatly wrapped packet is a surprise. Every ornament has a special and unique memory. I love recounting those memories.

I think about my kids and how they will someday have their own trees and traditions and favorite ornaments and decorations. I hope the memories they recall are happy ones.

Holiday Lights

Quincy loved seeing the lights!

Kaitie met up with her girlfriend from school!

SPECTACULAR!

AWESOME!

Last night, Kaitie, Quincy and I headed into downtown Denver to see the lights on the Denver and City County Building. Each year, this spectacular display of lights delights and amazes many.

Usually, I feel too afraid to drive into Denver by myself. I wouldn never do this without another adult. Kaitlyn really wanted to go out and do something fun. She really was the push behind going. After doing this, I feel so empowered. I am really glad we went.

We got such a late start and had a tough time finding a legal parking spot, we missed the parade of lights last night. Our plan is to go again tonight to see the parade. Now I know where to park, I feel a little more confident.

Feeling Blocked

• Ha! Ha! A few weeks ago, I snapped a picture of my little gnome with just the expired plants around him. I thought it would be fun to capture him in the newly fallen snow from yesterday.
• I really love this blog. I love that it gives me another creative outlet. I love that it gives me a place to record glimpses of my daily life and share them with my family and friends. The only thing is I don't know if my family understands how important this little corner of my world really is to me.
• It's all part of a ritual of sorts. I have a short list of blogs that I like to follow and I enjoy starting off my day with a hot cup of coffee and a little quiet time to peek into the lives of fellow bloggers who want to share their worlds with me, too. Some are of friends I've known a while. Some are of blogs created by complete strangers.
  
• I love that having this blog forces me to look at things in my daily life in a little bit different light. Remember that old Mac Davis Song? Everything Is Beautiful ... and I like to challenge myself to capture the beauty with my camera. And in turn, I like to share what I capture here.
  
• Lately, the photographs have come easily, but the words have felt blocked. I've blogged before where words definitely came very easily. My goal is to get that back...the ease of letting words flow. I know a lot of it has to do with the many iterruptions I seem to endure with all the tiny knocks at the door from The Smalls. I have a few ideas of how to carve out a little time for me. The hard part is putting them in place to make them work effectively.