Christmas gifting, new year, and cold weather

Wow! We are already eight days into 2010! The days have been like a blur to me. The first week of the year is almost over and I am not even settled in yet.

My parents left on Tuesday heading back to Louisiana. So we are just trying to ease our way back into the usual routine of life. Megan started school again yesterday, and I did some catching up on laundry and a few other items around the house. I really need to clean my carpets, but with this cold weather, I think I will hold off on the carpet steaming until it warms a bit.

Yesterday both girls got to feeling bad with headache and just that yucky feeling. This morning I woke up early with a headache across my forehead and drainage down my throat. I got up coughing up stuff again. (I know you just wanted to know the gross details) Then when Noah woke up he told me his forehead hurt...so apparently we all have the crud...

Megan had an art class yesterday, but I called and cancelled due to all of us feeling under the weather. I didn't want to drag Noah out in the cold, and Lauren didn't feel like getting out either. I think she had a temp last night.

Not the best way to start the new year...but this freezing cold weather isn't either...so I suppose there are somethings you have no control over and must just work around it.

I am reading Max Lucado's, Cure for the Common Life. I started reading it several years ago but got sidetracked somewhere without finishing it. So I decided to try again. This year I am looking for my sweet spot.

Last week I read The Shack and Chosen by a Horse, A memoir. I started Julie & Julia, but I suppose it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I put it aside. Just not my type of book. To much uncalled for language and well, just didn't feed my spirit. Sometimes I am just in the mood for certain types of reading, and it just didn't meet the need.


I spent the last couple of weeks working on some Christmas gifts to send back to Louisiana with my parents. I crocheted some of them and sewed some of them. I am now working on a scarf for a gift for someone else and a baby blanket that needs to be finished today. The baby is scheduled for delivery TODAY! So I need to spend most of the day working on it. I was also working on a doll and a stuffed animal for the baby's brother and sister, but while working on the Christmas gifts, I had to put the others aside, now I am running behind schedule on these. I have another baby blanket to do by next month and some birthday's I was trying to prepare for, but something will have to slide...


I have several other projects/gifts that I wanted to complete before the end of January to send, but I don't know if I can get them all accomplished with everything else I need to be doing.


Sometimes there are so many things I would like to do, that I have to scale down and pick and choose. Noah is at a stage where he talks about friends. One day he will tell me I am his best friend and then another time he will tell Andrew that he is his best friend...So some days Noah will say to me, "your not my best friend"...Lauren is, or Megan is or Daddy is his best friend for that day...So I say to him, "well maybe tomorrow will be my day"... If you didn't get something from me all I can say is that maybe next time will be your time to be surprised with something in the mail from me...


Like I said earlier in the post, January is just racing by...I will be glad with the weather gets better. Andrew and I are wanting to start running, but there is no way I am going to START running with the temps as low as they have been. It will be hard enough to get out and run, without adding freezing temps and tons of clothing on...so when the weather returns to the norm for this area, we plan to get started on our goal of running a 5K this spring or early summer.

Here are a few of the gifts I made this year.

Dishcloths I crocheted

After I bundled them for each recipient

A Kool-Aid pouch bag for a little girl

I put some goodies inside for her also

A scarf I crocheted to put in the bag for a special little girl

And finally, a hot/cold rice neck pillow with lavender for a hard working LSU fan. Believe me it wasn't easy to find LSU fabric in North Carolina.

I tried to go "greener" this year. So I decided on these handmade gifts along with stainless steel water bottles for everyone. To help promote a healthy lifestyle, while being nice to the planet.

Now on to the baby blankets...

Around the house this weekend...

This weekend Andrew was gone to the golf tournament, so the kids and I just spent our time lazing around the house just doing whatever we felt like doing. Which turned out to be--not much!

We spent some time outdoors in the sunshine. Well, Noah was playing outside and I was sitting in one of the red deck chairs reading.


Megan and I also did some crocheting. Megan is working on a throw to give to someone as a Christmas gift. I won't reveal who that someone is, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

It all started with this yarn. I had this laying around for a long time and finally decided to do something with it. I first thought I would make a scarf but when I got into it, I decided to try something else. Then I just stopped not sure what direction I was heading with it.

Saturday after Megan's art class we went to Michaels and I bought this yarn. I have been wanting to add some color to the living room and like the blue and brown together. So I started working on a throw to put on the couch.

Mister BeauxJangles was looking quite dapper on Saturday. He posed very nicely for his photo. I know he is really thinking that he would like for me to open the door and toss out some goodies.

Sadie is looking in to see what is going on inside. I think she is ready to come in for the evening. She is an early to bed, early to rise little doggie. So I think she is ready to come in and get in her bed.

And finally, after playing outside and getting a bit dirty, Noah was getting cleaned up and decided to have a little fun with the soap bubbles. He said he looked like daddy with a beard.