Felt Hand Puppets

So a month or so ago, I agreed to make puppets for my own girls, two nieces, and two sort-of nephews. I figured 6-8 puppets for each set of kids, no biggie. Right? Well, I'm not sure I can express how glad I am to have these done. They weren't overly hard or anything, and actually I enjoyed the creative process part of making them--they were just so time consuming, and I'm tired of staying up until 1-2:00 am to finish them. I am pretty proud of how they all turned out, though. See for yourselves:

Wild-ish animals:

Farm-ish animals

And all the kids themselves:

And everybody all together:

So, Stu and Shi, if you read this, let me know who you think would like which puppets--I'm willing to give up any of them, as I still have plenty of felt leftover to make new ones for my own girls. Just leave them a couple, so they don't feel left out. :)

Advent Calendar Day 19

Today was another day of no gifts in the pockets--instead we thought about what a gift we've been given in our families, and in the gospel. We talked about it at church, and I tried to bring that home, too. We also really enjoyed singing lots of Christmas hymns at church--this is my favorite Sunday of the year by far. I even played my flute in sacrament, which always has me a little nervous, but it went well. I just love the focus church can bring back into the season--this time of year really is all about being grateful for the gifts Christ gave us--the chance to bs born, learn, make mistakes, repent, and ultimately, hopefully, return to live with Him again. I am so blessed.

Advent Calendar Day 18

Sorry about all the pictureless posts, some days are just too crazy. Anyway, today for our event, we had two--we went and saw Tangled as a family, and then later we went to a family Christmas party with my extended family on my mom's side. Both were a lot of fun--the movie is super cute, and Breanne and Janey loved it. Cailin not so much, she's not really into movies yet, and mostly just needed a nap. She survived, though, as did I, and generally, I think a good time was had by all. The party was also nice--we got to see my cute pregnant cousin, and chat with some of the others, which I really do enjoy. Families are funny things--I'm glad I enjoy mine as much as I do.

Advent Calendar Day 17

Today was a low-key kind of day, so we watched It's a Wonderful Life, and called it good. And "we" was mostly me, and then Cory when he got home, while I made dinner. The girls were too busy playing sleepover, and grocery shopping. Oh, the exciting lives we lead...

Advent Calendar Day 16

For day 16, we "painted" clear glass ornaments, using permanent markers. This was huge to a few little girls, who regularly beg to use my special grown up markers. :) While the ornaments didn't turn out amazing or anything, we definitely enjoyed the activity.

Proof that Janey was there, even though I didn't take any pictures of her crafting:

And Breanne, of course super focused:

So Sad.

Today we woke to the news that the Provo Tabernacle, less than 4 blocks from our house, was burning down. Truly a tragedy--it was one of the oldest buildings in the state, full of beautiful hand carved woodwork, and hand made stained glass windows. We've attended meetings and performances inside, and worked and attended events on the grounds outside. It was a building dear to me, and it leaves a hole in my heart where it stood. I am grateful we took the time to see the living nativity there a few weeks back--I keep realizing more things I will miss about that building.

Two More Skirts

Did I mention that Janey is obsessed with skirts and dresses lately? Cory asked her if she likes pants, and she said "No, pants look kind of funny." So there you have it. Due to her obsession, I decided to just make her skirts this year instead of buying her pants like the other girls. First was yesterday's denim number, today I have two more--

A purple twirly skirt,

The flowers peeking through are the inside, which can also be worn as an outside, as it's reversible--

And then there's this purple knit skirt. I'm pretty proud of this one, as I actually got the gathering to work right, and the skirt came out just as I envisioned it. Now if only I was a better photographer... Oh well. Maybe in another lifetime. In the meantime, just believe that this is much cuter in person than on the hanger. I'm excited for her to try it on.

Question for You

If you made a skirt like this for a certain skirt loving two-year-old you knew,

Would you add a flower or something to it, maybe on the side? Or leave it as-is?

Advent Calendar Day 15

Today the original plans called for making and decorating sugar cookies, but when we saw the fresh snow outside, the girls couldn't help but need to play in it. So, for the first time ever, I let them play outside, by themselves. Of course I was watching like a hawk from the window, but I think they loved having free reign out there. I can't believe my kids are old enough, and obedient enough, to do this already! I love them so much, and am so grateful that of all the children ever created, they are mine.

Once again, I really got some decent shots, but they're on the real camera. Ugh. I really wish Janey hadn't poured water (accidentally of course) in my keyboard. Fried my logic board, a many hundreds of dollars fix. So now I wait for the new computer. Thankfully, I have my iPhone so I'm not totally out of commission. :/

Sent from my iPhone

Advent Calendar Day 14

Today we made sequin trees. I saw the basic idea on my friend Amelia's blog a couple years ago, and have just been waiting for Breanne to be old enough to make one. Amelia makes her trees with buttons, which are adorable, but I didn't want to pay for a million pretty buttons, and the girls tend to like shiny things anyway, so we went with the sequins. I love how they turned out!