belated handmade holiday post

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Eagerly awaiting present opening time. I still had to get the cinnamon rolls into the oven. It seems that what we have here is a lot of christmas "action shots"...

The girls started with their stockings. And of course Santa's gift was right on top. Each year they receive a "Santa Claus gift". Always something wooden and handmade, cause we know the elves don't make that plastic stuff from the stores. (I originally had a word other than "stuff" there, but it sounded pretty harsh, even if it is true...) For a few years now Tonya (Plain and Joyful Living) and her family have been the ones to make the Santa Claus gift. Simple wooden pieces, from wood that does not grow around here, so obviously these were not made by us..

These legwarmers took a lot longer to knit then I thought they would, I barely got them done in time! I was so afraid they wouldn't fit, all I thought about when I cast on was my girls super skinny legs, I forgot they would still need to be able to pull them over their feet to get them on! So I was really happy that they fit, and the girls really like them. Right now though I know that at least one of Chessa's is being used folded up as a little doll bed in her doll's house.

And here is a little doll that Chloe made for Chessa, which Chessa loves very much. There were lots of sweet handmade gifts from the girls, mostly pretty little pictures on little squares of paper from Chessa, beautiful needle felted pictures for both Jason and I from Chloe (which I am only just now realizing I don't have pictures of yet).

New skirts for the girls. I have always made the girls new dresses for winter solstice, this is the first year that for some reason I felt like I wanted to include them at Christmas. And skirts, not dresses. Only because I was so incredibly indecisive as to what I wanted to make for them, and having not too many fabric options. (So much fabric, not so many big enough pieces to make dresses for my getting so big girls..) It may look like Chessa got the fancier skirt, but Chloe got the super special vintage fabric. (More pictures of the skirts in a moment, and you will see that they soon have them on, and they have also worn them just about every day since then.)

Their other handmade gift from me was little wool babies, to go along with the dolls that I made them last year for Christmas. And oh I just love the look on Chessa's face in this picture!

There were lots of big smiles as they opened their handmade gifts from daddy too.

Jason is not always able to spend as much time on handmade gifts. Though a few years ago he did make them their beautiful playstands. This year he made them all kinds of neat pieces to add to their tree block sets.

The girls loved it all, but most exciting for them and Jason are the fence pieces he made for them. Cause the horses, and chickens and sheep and cows, need good fenced pasture of course.


The only gifts the girls received from Jason and I that weren't handmade were books, as usual. Some special ones that had been slowly collected over the past year, mostly second hand, a couple really wonderful vintage ones! I could not resist this beautiful copy of Snow White and Rose Red, a favorite story of ours.

And for Chloe to open (though the books are to be shared with the family) a beautiful old copy of The Five Little Peppers Midway, which is of course the second book to one of our most favorites ever, The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. It was especially exciting because until last year I never even knew that there was a second book, and actually there are 5 altogether! So this one has been hiding secretly in the closet for about 6 months now, waiting to delight Chloe with the continuing story of their dear little family.

The girls also got wool socks and wool coats, gifts from grandparents. Playsilks and books from my sister. It felt like a lot but also simple at the same time.


Really, the girls have worn these every day! I'm sure I will be making a lot more of these skirts, I think I have the pattern just right now, and of course I so love love all the pleats! Chloe's also has horizontal tucks near the bottom.

Chessa's has pretty pink vintage bias tape at the bottom above her stripes, with this orange fabric I have been treasuring, saving, for a long time!

The girls wasted no time at all getting those fences and farm people to work.



This has been their play for many, many days already.

We took our tree down on Thursday. Actually, Jason took our tree out just this morning.. but we undecorated the tree on Thursday, along with the rest of the holiday decorations in the house. Handmade ornaments from my childhood, tucked away into a box.

We have always celebrated our holidays in a handmade way, the girls so look forward to their handmade gifts each year. It was so nice this year to be joined by so many others creating for their families also!

Now, has your making list suddenly become much longer? There is everything from early December's list that never even got started. I love how the creating just goes on and on and on...


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this moment ~ sweetness with daddy

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~inspired by the wonderful Soules

(What they are actually doing is daydreaming about future dollhouse building plans, a project that has been ongoing in the girls minds for about a year now...)


And by the way... Happy New Year to all!!!

I am feeling a bit out of touch, and really missing all of my sweet blog friends! I even still owe that handmade holiday post, but it gets tricky cause we really greatly limit computer time during the holidays.

Except for this year, the week after Christmas, I became oddly motivated (crazy) and undertook a very, very, (very!!) large project. I will have the results of that to share soon also!

I hope you have all had a wonderful beginning to this new year. I am feeling hopeful about so many things. Blessings to all!!!


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and just like that...

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It sure wasn't looking all that wintery around here.

And then the very next day...





So much snow it's a bit astonishing!

Requires contemplation..

Probably tastes good?


Meant to be played in..

Making us all very happy!



I do hope everyone has been enjoying a wonderful holiday season. Thanks so much for all the sweet birthday wishes and emails! I will be catching up with belated Christmas post soon.

And now we're off into the New Year! Wishing you all a very happy one!!!


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Advent, Mary, Solstice, Snow, Rain??

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First it snowed. And snowed and snowed. And then it rained. Craziness. Pouring pouring rain. Our seasons seem to be a bit confused this year. It sure is plenty cold though, so really it may as well snow, tomorrow is the first day of winter after all...


I have been quite busy with gift making, though it is likely I have spent way too much time on this advent calendar. I have already asked the family to please realize that the calendar is a big part of their Christmas present this year. I think they are pleased.

Mary brought big smiles when the girls saw her Sunday morning.

(Sorry, poor pictures, I didn't even get a chance to take these photos until past dark tonight, but still wanted to share..)

Our little angel even found a nice spot to hover above everyone, guiding all with her shining star of course.


There is still lots of sewing to do, a bit of knitting, Jason has a woodworking project going on, and the girls have been busy little elves. I guess I will have to fill you in on all the handmade holiday gifts after Christmas.

Tomorrow we will celebrate Winter Solstice and start our holiday baking by making Snowdrop Cookies. We plan to do much more baking on Christmas Eve day, finally putting this vintage cookie press we have to good use. Fun! And the day before Christmas Eve is my birthday. Quite eventful around here! (For us at least...)


Wishing you all wonderful happy beautiful cozy holiday celebrations with your families!
Blessings and love to all!!!


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Advent Sunday and St. Lucia

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We sure have been enjoying our simple advent days.

This Sunday the animals gathered around our spiral. I did actually make one needle felted sheep, but it was barely finished late the night before and I decided it was probably best to stick with my plan of making the animals next year. So for now we added as many of our wooden animals as we could fit and I really like the look of it, quite festive!

Much of our Sunday was occupied by St. Lucia preparations. Chloe made the Lucia buns all by herself. I should have taken a picture of them, so pretty with their nice "S" shape.

A sweet moment while Chloe was trying on her Lucia gown.

And the beautiful Lucia child who greeted us this morning. Thankfully not quite as early as last year...

We made the St. Lucia crown last year. This year I thought I might make Chessa a little star crown or wand, so she could be a Star Child accompanying Lucia. But Chloe really wanted the morning to be a surprise for everyone so she convinced Chessa to stay in bed with us while she made tea and set the table with the buns. (She cleaned the kitchen counters too, she knows that is always the first morning chore...) I guess I didn't really have the time to make a star crown anyhow, definitely next year though.

I would love to hear about any of the holiday festivities happening in your home these days??


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this moment ~ christmas past

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~ Inspired by the lovely Amanda Soule

2004 ~ Our last Christmas with Grandpa George

He liked trains. And other neat old stuff.

We miss him.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!


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Advent and St. Nicholas

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This past week I worked on the trees that would be added to our Advent calendar. I loved creating each one of these, I made a forest!

And our angel happily journeys along the starry path.

For this week I should be working on some little animals. But... I need to be making actual Christmas gifts too, so I am thinking we may have to add a few wooden animals for this Sunday and next year I can make some little wool sheep and a donkey. Of course Mary cannot wait, I better get started on her soon!

So we had our nice quiet Advent Sunday. This week we baked gingersnaps, a beginning to our holiday cookie baking. And the girls left some out for St. Nicholas, even though they know his horse would probably have preferred a carrot.

We have read St. Nicholas stories for the past few years but we never did much to actually celebrate the day, the girls never left out their shoes and we never did any gifts on this day. This year though the girls really wanted to leave out their shoes to see if St. Nicholas might pay a visit.

I wasn't sure what kind of ideas Chloe had in her head about this. At ten years old was she really going to just suddenly believe that St. Nicholas made an appearance? We actually thought it would be obvious that he did not.

We got a couple oranges from the store and tiny pieces of sesame candy for St. Nicholas to leave in their shoes. But we also had a bigger surprise...My mom got the girls new boots for Christmas, but we decided since it is already so cold and snowy that it would be nice for them to have them sooner. It seemed like a perfect St. Nicholas gift.

So the girls left out their old shoes and found new boots in the morning! We were not trying to trick them into thinking St. Nicholas left the boots, we told them that Grandma was St. Nicholas' helper. They accepted that, and did not even question who left the orange and the candy. Those were obviously from St. Nicholas. He ate his cookies too.

I love how simply and joyfully our children accepted this bit of magic into their day!


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Yarn Along ~ Favorite Winter Waldorf Books

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We have now brought out some of our winter books, here are a few of our favorites...

Winter is a most beautiful picture book. Christmas Stories Together has many very sweet stories that we will be reading all month long.

Oh that little Tomten, wandering about in dark winter night, watching over the sleeping farm.

Wonderful Elsa Beskow. I was happy to discover that our nearby library has Peter and Lotta's Christmas, we have never read that one before, I will surprise the girls with it soon.

Yes, most of my reading lately has been children's books.

Because if I am actually sitting I am much more likely to be knitting than reading. Now on to Chloe's legwarmers, the pink ones are finished for Chessa. I am happy to be knitting something that will keep the girls nice and warm.

Because it has been so very cold. Snowy and beautiful, but temperatures have even gone below zero, and 30'ish is probably an average high. Sigh...

Thank goodness December is full of so much holiday magic and happiness!

Happy beautiful winter season to all!


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