In Doll Heaven...

So, while my Internet has been out, I have been sewing and having a blast! I haven't had a sewing machine for about 13 years! It has been so full filling to sew a project! I have had a love-hate relationship with the sewing machine my whole life. Becca explained it to me... she said "Jen, all the sewing machines you have used have been 20-30 years old, from garage sales, or broken to begin with. It isn't you. It is nice to work on a machine that actually works!" She is right! I haven't had to stop once to fix the machine. It just sews! It has been so rewarding! Here are my dolls... which is kind of funny that I am even making dolls. I have a little boy. ;) But, I guess I will have plenty of birthday and baby shower gifts saved up! Ha!

With every doll I have tried something new. This one has stockings and fabric slippers. Not sure what to name her. Any suggestions? {Edited: She now is named Eva!}

This one is my favorite so far! Still no name for her either. She has red stockings and gray felt shoes! I love the Maryjane look I gave the shoes with rhinestones for a buckle! Sigh!

This one is my Elsie doll! ;) Becca picked out the fabric specially for me! She is so me!

Elsie is the only one painted because I need names for the others first. Then, I can decide what their faces will look like. ;)

Becca's doll that she made me for Christmas now has friends. I took some more close ups so that you can see what she looks like. So, what do you think? Should I paint a face on Becca's doll or leave her artwork alone?

{Edited: Becca's doll is named Jemma!}

December Daily - Day 25

Wow! It has almost been a week that my Internet has been out! Today it's back on and I have a chance to finally show you my Christmas day photo journal. It was such a beautiful day! I couldn't sleep, I was so excited... you will see why. I don't think I was this excited for Christmas since I was a small child.
I woke Ethan up when I put his stocking in his bed at midnight. Through out the night we could here him kicking it, not knowing what it was saying over and over, "Uh-oh!" When he woke up in the morning, he opened his stocking in bed and then we called him out to the tree and he saw the train track Dave set up for him the night before. I loved his reaction, "Wow!"

We then went to Josh and Becca's for morning brunch. Ethan had a yummy egg-free breakfast while the rest of us ate maybe a little too much bacon... ok, maybe that was just me...

I was so excited to share with Becca my gift to my in-laws. We ordered them a Shutterfly photo album and it was a total secret. I have been planning this since October and it was one of the reasons I couldn't sleep the night before! I was so excited to give it to them.

We then opened presents and I love Ethan's reaction to his new Thomas the Train shoes that Josh picked up for him. They are perfect! Plus they light up! Ethan was dancing yesterday to watch them light up.

I made "his" and "hers" magazine racks for Becca and Josh. Then filled them with a few goodies.

Becca made me a Black Apple Doll and is insisting I paint the face. I told her no since she made this one, but she is complaining that I do. What do you think? Becca also gave me a basket filled with goodies and a box filled with fabric to make my own! She pre-cut some faces for me to get me started! I am so excited! She also loaned me her sewing machine and I have been at the doll thing for the last three days since my Internet has been out.

Ethan also got a Thomas the Train movie from Becca and Josh! Look how cute he is watching it!

We then left and headed over to Dave's Mom and Dad's house. The whole family was there (minus Jess and Nick's two little kiddos) and we ate dinner first before opening the gifts.

I would have to say that Ethan did pretty good for not having a nap in the afternoon!

I loved watching everyone open their handmade gifts! It was so great to see reactions. It made all the hard work so worth it!

I think Jeremy liked his cozy... I know that the packaging gave everyone a laugh though. It was so funny!

Dad hung Ethan's ornament that he painted up on the tree. Everyone was happy to get theirs. We are going to make that a new tradition.

Lisa loved her hat that I accessorized! I love this picture of her. It really is cute!

Dave did such a great job taking pictures. This one is a favorite of Jess and Nick. Jess is looking at her little scrapbook tin that I filled with supplies. She is looking at our One Bright Spot tags that I gave her.

I also love this one of Tammy looking at her goodie bucket too. She is looking at the postcard Becca designed. She really liked it!

Ethan got this present from Lisa. He calls them his "Bob" cars and while he plays with them he yells, "Yes I can!" You have to have a toddler boy to understand that! ;)

One of the best presents was this frame from Lisa. Dave's niece, Brittney, won a local contest with this Haiku poem and Lisa framed it. It was very thoughtful and creative!

Ethan had the biggest present of all! When Jeremy was a baby, Dad bought him his first Tonka truck. Well, Jeremy gave Ethan all of his Tonka trucks! It was a special gift and surprise!

No one knew that I hid the book for Mom and Dad behind Ethan's big present. I knew they would be giving that to him last! So we sat Mom and Dad together to open it. The reaction was priceless! Mom and Dad only have one wedding picture and in October I borrowed a lot of photos, many in boxes that they haven't ever looked at. Most of them were from Grandma's home and was just packed away when she passed on about five years ago. I also borrowed that wedding photo.

So, when Dad saw the front cover with their wedding photo on it he swore out loud! He couldn't believe it! I knew it would be such an awesome thing for them and watching them turn the pages and see family photos that maybe they hadn't seen before was so awesome! I can't even put it into words.

I told Mom to read the inside dedication and she couldn't... both Mom and Dad were emotional. So, John read it. I love this picture. Dave captured the moment perfectly. Mom was so touched and moved. I will treasure this moment forever. It makes all the work that it took to put it together melt away... if I had to do it again, I would.

Every family member had a page and thanks to Jess and Tammy, I was able to use some of their pictures for the book. Even though they had no idea what for! I love this picture of Bill and Brittney looking at their pages.

The day ended with us coming home and opening the few presents we had for Lil' E under the tree. Here is a special State Farms truck that Paul ordered for Ethan. It was so thoughtful of him to think of us. We told Ethan that it is a special truck and he can only play with it with Mom or Dad. Now, Ethan asks, "Special truck?" when he wants it.

I can't describe the day over all... it was just wonderful and a perfect end to my December Daily. Thank you to all my family who made it so special. I love you all!

December Daily - Day 24

Ok... sometimes I just crack myself up! Remember earlier in the month when I made the Yoda Stew for Jeremy's birthday? Well, I have been planning on making this for him for Christmas. Since I couldn't get to the store to get the felt I used Dave's gray wool sock instead. Then, I found this and couldn't stop laughing! I mean, who makes Santa hats for their toys! I just had to do it! I was laughing the whole time, while Dave was in the other room saying that I was a nut. Seriously, what do you give a person who has everything but is obsessed with Star Wars? You know... it's all in fun. (Kati, you so have to try this!)

What did we do today?

• Wake up and start chores, laundry, and daily routine
• Walk to the neighbors - it took a while to trek through the snow, sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas, gave her some marshmallows, and trekked back home
• Lunch and nap
• Got a phone call from our Pastor and found out that the highway is closed for him to get to Christmas Eve service, wrote the order of service, emailed it to our worship leader
• Had hot cocoa with marshmallows and watched Jesus is Born
• Gave Ethan a bath
• Got ready for church, Dave came home and we left for church
• I read the all the scripture for the service and Dave did the nursery since there was still so many people gone because of the weather
• Came home, put Ethan to bed, filled his stocking, and Dave put Ethan's new train track in front of the Christmas tree for tomorrow.
• I blogged the last December Daily post before Christmas!

December Daily - Day 23

Today is Marshmallow Day! I have been planning this project all month. Becca told me that she was going to do this project too. She called me last night and said that she didn't realize that the recipe called for a candy thermometer and neither did I. I was upset when I hung up the phone. Dave asked me what was the matter and I told him. His answer was, "We have a candy thermometer." What? Why would we need a candy thermometer? He then reminded me... that it is for deep frying. It all came back to me... during the summer Dave was on a thermometer kick. Those who have husbands with, as Gary Smalley calls it, Otter personality types would totally understand. Dave was learning to grill and was learning about thermometers. He needed a digital thermometer, a grilling thermometer, a regular thermometer, etc... Apparently he found the deep frying thermometer and said that it would be useful to have as well. Mind you, we don't deep fry. Today I was jumping up and down for my husband's, what our friend likes to call, Recreational A.D.D.!

Thanks Dad for the mixer! Show Dave C. these pictures! We are using it! I had to have a stand up mixer for this project!

The recipe online was so much better to follow along. Why did I spend that much on a magazine for the recipe to be easier online?

Ok... I have every kind of cookie cutter that you can imagine. Well, I don't have a penguin, so I used a chicken and cut the tail off and it made a perfect penguin! This was the first time I could really use all of my cookie cutters. I haven't used them since I worked for the daycare.

Bags and cocoa tags ready to go. This morning, Ethan glued until he could glue no more. I did the rest.

The marshmallows only took two and a half hours to set instead of the three to eight that the recipe said. So we got started. Oh dear. Ethan took a lick of the powdered sugar.

He was able to pick the shapes that he wanted. He wanted this one to be for Auntie Becca.

His own marshmallow.

Umm... look at his shirt! He was filled with powdered sugar!

About ten minutes later, Ethan was running circles around the house screaming. Can you guess why?