Paper chaining

My mom and I started this little craft project yesterday and I hope to finish it up today. I'm going to hang it over Maddy & Libby's cribs and changing table in their room. We originally saw it in a Land of Nod catalog and decided to make one ourselves. I feel like I've stepped back into the 3rd grade making this, but it's so much fun.

All you need is construction paper in colors of your choice, (I used orange, yellow, blue, pink and green) scissors, pencil, ruler, and glue or a stapler. We are using the stapler because it's quicker. Cut evenly sized strips of paper (around 1"-1 1/2" wide), decide if you want them random colors or in a pattern, and make some rings. The stapler makes this job go very fast.

Can't wait to get it hung and show the final project.

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to share our 1st family photo with all 6 of us. Photographing two babies is hard, but to add the dogs was quite an accomplishment!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the D family.

gowns

My parents are here visiting, and Mom and I decided to take a few more photos of Maddy and Libby in their christening gowns ... since they won't likely be putting them on again anytime soon. They have teeny tiny little buttons that are nearly impossible to button, so the entire act of getting them dressed is quite a production in itself. These dresses were from my Great Aunt Lucy's family (who Libby is named after), so it was really special that they are still in good enough condition to wear. I really hope that we can continue to use them for years to come.

We set up shop on top of our duvet cover and took almost 200 shots. I think we were all exhausted when it was over! Here are a few of my favorites for your viewing pleasure.

in my inbox

Is somebody trying to tell me something? The email said something like "have you entered yet?" Ummm, yeah ... I need to do something more than thinking about running and maybe we'll see.

pros and cons

Working from home has several pros and cons. One pro that I have noticed the most is you can literally work in your pajamas. Today, I wore my favorite Pine Cone Hill PJ's while talking on the phone, working on my computer, attending a webinar, but is it a con that at 5:15 PM, I'm still wearing them?

I guess you could say that I was just prepared early for bedtime, but you also might say that my neighbors may look at me funny when I stepped outside around 2PM to check the mail.

Hmmm, this could be really dangerous. PJ's 24/7?

Still here

It's just been a blur the past couple of weeks and I don't even know what I've done that worth mentioning! I started back to work two weeks ago and I'm loving it. There have been days that I literally worked in my pajamas. I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's wonderful! I'm still learning the ropes, but so far, so good.

We also had Maddy and Libby's christenings yesterday ... they were perfect during the service. We had no idea what they would think about the new sounds and experiences, but they were great. We had to sit up front, so they were entralled with the children's choir and the row of 8 -10 year old girls who sat in front of us. We are Methodist, but our Ministers believe in using a lot of water on the head for the christening, so they were both dripping a little, but it didn't seem to phase them. I was lucky to have 5 family dresses to choose from for the big day, so they were both in dresses that are at least 100 years old. We wish we knew the stories behind the gowns, but they have been lost over the years. They fit them well and they looked so sweet. They also loved to grab handfuls of the dresses and chew on them. Hey, a toy and dress in one!

After the church service, we hosted about 30 people for lunch. Mom and I had been busy this week ... we made 4 pans of lasagna, 2 pans of brownies, a red velvet birthday cake ... all made with love. My Mom doesn't claim to be a cook, so we had our share of mishaps along the way, but everything turned out great. We won't talk about the cheesecake that had to be thrown out ... that's another story! The day was a blur, but it was a great day of celebration ... we used my holiday china for the first time, along with my Grandmother's china, so that was special. A lot of dishes to hand wash, but nice that they were used.

Hubby also turned the big 38 yesterday, so it was fun to have family and friends around to help him celebrate.

So now it really feels like Christmas is right around the corner ... the stockings are hung, cards are mailed, some presents are purchased, wrapped, and under the tree. 10 days to go ... where did the time go??

Monkey time

Monkey's here!

To Do list

I typically feel better when I write down my to-do list. Otherwise, I just feel like all of these things are swimming around in my brain and that begins to make me feel like I'm a bit off my rocker. So here goes ...

1. Do some work. I started my new job on Monday and while it's part-time, I'm still getting the hang of truly working during the day. Things are still kind of "loose", so I've been able to just dig around on my own and look for events, see what's been done before,etc. I pulled out my old business contacts, started making a few calls, and it feels pretty good to be back in the saddle.

2. Have some fun with Monkey! He arrived yesterday afternoon, so I'm hoping to get him out and about while he's here.

3. Get some things done around the house since my parents are here - - hang a mirror, couple of pictures, put up wall monograms for Maddy and Libby, paint our cell phone cubby, etc.

4. Bring in the Christmas tree off our patio, trim it, decorate the house, hang the wreaths, etc.

5. Get ready for M&L's christenings on the 14th and also the luncheon that follows for about 30 people! Ack ... we are crazy for planning it right now, but the date worked at church so we went for it. Oh, and that also means making sure the house is clean including all of our catch all rooms that are typically ignored. Ugh.

6. Shop for Christmas ... Hubby and I are done with our gift for each other, but hardly anyone else on our list is done.

7. Get a mani/pedi. My nails look awful and are driving me crazy. I was a horrible nail "picker" when I was younger and I finally kicked that habit several years ago. Having my nails look like this makes me want to start all over again.

Now that I'm rereading that list, it doesn't seem so bad. But for some reason, it's never as easy as it looks.