Christmas

Hello! I hope you had a merry Christmas. I'm finally getting around to documenting ours. I hope you don't mind.

We had such a nice holiday. This might have been our most relaxing Christmas yet. The kids don't go back to school until next week, so there is still plenty of pj wearing happening around here. Oh, it's been nice!

some iphone pictures:

 fireplace roasted marshmallows and Temple lights

Christmas Sunday curls

 a Christmas Eve Nativity, written and directed by our very own Mabel 

ready for the big day

early morning stockings!

a happy girl

a new flashlight

a cozy end to a really good day

to you from me

You know how when something major or tragic happens, nothing else seems at all important except being with your family? That's sort of how I feel right now. Plus, it's almost Christmas, and being present at home just feels extra right.

I've been thinking about what happened in Connecticut this weekend, and my heart has been heavy. It is my faith in my Father in Heaven, His son, Jesus Christ, and their plan for me and my family that brings me the most comfort in times like these. I pray that those affected by the tragedy can feel that same peace, especially during this Christmas season.

So I will wish you and yours a very merry Christmas (a little bit early), and I hope to see you back here in a couple of weeks.


p.s. This essay about God and Newtown was my favorite.

happy weekend

Winter came yesterday and it brought rain! Whenever it rains I feel like the world is brand new. This morning was so beautiful. It was chilly, wet, and crisp - three things you don't often find here. It was such a nice surprise. Our oranges were sparkling.

How are Christmas preparations coming at your house? Things here are wonderfully quiet. The presents are wrapped and under the tree (hooray for Mike!), goodies for our neighbors have been baked and delivered, our Christmas cards have been sent. I don't know how, but we are totally ahead of the game this year and it feels great.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

p.s. Leslie sent me a link to Normons this morning. Have you seen it? It's a fun, well-written site that answers questions about the Mormon faith (It's not sponsored by our church, but I thought all of their answers were right on). I especially loved this post about chastity. It just might answer some of your questions, too.

Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies

I like to put chocolate chips on my gingerbread men, so I had a feeling that I would like these cookies. I was right. They are chewy, a bit crispy, and filled with gooey chocolate inside.

Some notes about the recipe: Sometimes Martha makes things more complicated than they need to be. I used a mixture of good quality chopped chocolate and plain old chocolate chips, and I think they'd be just as good if I had skipped the expensive stuff. I chilled the dough in the mixing bowl (instead of plastic wrap) for an hour or so before scooping with a cookie scoop, rolling in sugar and baking. I used a medium cookie scoop and they needed about 13 or 14 minutes in the oven.

a Peter Pan Collar tutorial

One of my favorite trends right now is the Peter Pan Collar. I've seen it everywhere, it seems, but I haven't been able to find the right top to purchase. Not to be discouraged, I decided to make my own collar necklace. It can be worn with just about anything! Even a t-shirt. And it instantly makes whatever you're wearing pop a bit.

I think it would make a great handmade Christmas gift for someone on your list. Let's get started.

1: Find some scrap fabric (I used white flannel) and play around until you get the shape just right (my approx. measurements are in the next photo). I cut out a basic peter pan shape, then trimmed and reshaped and trimmed some more. I made about three versions until I settled on the one I thought was best. I wanted it to be able to fit wide and small neck styles, including boat necks, so I tried it on with lots of my shirts, making adjustments as needed.

2: Once you have settled on the shape, trace it onto muslin. Add 3/8 of an inch around the collar for a seam allowance.

3: Then use the muslin as a pattern and cut out all of the pieces you will need for the collar. (I used a nice silky cream satin for the back, then the muslin for the center + fusible interfacing for stability, and a top layer of cream pointe d'esprit. But you can use whatever fabric you would like. I think a lace collar would be beautiful. Or even velvet!) You only need a little bit of each fabric, about 1/3 of a yard. Make sure to cut two pieces of each fabric for both halves of the collar.

Attach the fusible interfacing to the back of the muslin. Then stack the pieces in the correct order, as if you were looking at the finished collar (for my collar that meant: satin, shiny side down + muslin with interfacing on the back + pointe d'esprit). To sew them together, flip the top two layers to the back so that the very top layer is sandwiched between the others. For my collar, that meant the right sides of the muslin and satin were sandwiching the pointe d'esprit.

Pin in place and sew the layers together, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Remember to leave an opening in the back so that you can flip the collar right side out later. This part can be a little tricky. I found that to keep the fabrics from pulling and shifting while sewing, first pin and sew one side. Then press the collar flat. Then carefully pin and sew the other side, making sure to keep the collar nice and flat as you go along, starting at one end and sewing to the center, then stopping and starting from the other end and meeting the stitching in the middle. (See the photo above)

4: Now trim the seam allowance.

5: Turn the collar right side out.

6. A chopstick comes in handy. Make sure to get that corner completely turned out, then press your pieces.

7: Now it is time to sew the two halves together. Overlap the point just a teeny bit and use some hidden hand stitches to secure them together.

Now for the ribbon at the back. You will need 2 pieces, each about 18 inches long. 

8: Pin the ribbon to the back of the collar where it was left open during stitching. With right sides together, pin it to the top two layers, leaving the back layer free. Then stitch in place.

9: Turn the back layer in to cover the line of stitching and pin in place.

10: Use a slip stitch to secure the backing and close up the opening.

Hooray! It's finished! What do you think?

Arizona, come December

We went to the park during piano lessons yesterday. In flip flops and short sleeves. The leaves are starting to turn golden and some have fallen. This is when Arizona is at it's best, I think. Warm, sunny days and cool nights. Just enough chill to make it feel like Christmas, but not so much that you need to bundle up before heading outside. This is what my heaven feels like.

decorated

Lately I've been feeling like there is just too much stuff in this world, and I don't want any of it in my house. So I scaled back our Christmas decorations this year. Not that I ever really go overboard, but I put up even fewer than usual, and I'm ok with that. These little trees and houses mixed with my cake stands are my favorite.

I gave the kids free reign over the tree. Once they lost interest, I packed up the rest of the ornaments and put them away. And you know what? It looks totally great with just their favorites. Stella put out the Nativity sets for me, arranging all of the little pieces just how she wanted them.

I still haven't figured out where to hang our stockings, but I'll get to it, hopefully sometime before Christmas Eve.

Am I the only one who feels behind?

the tops

Remember that fabric I couldn't leave the store without? Well, here it is in blouse form. I used Simplicity 2245 (with an altered neckband) for the cozy cropped flannel shirt, and no pattern for the lace. But I used New Look 6003 for that simple blue pencil skirt.

And now I guess I should get out the Christmas decorations? I don't know what's gotten into me this year, but I kind of want to skip that part.

into the sunset

I'll be honest. I was sort of tempted to forget the kids and use this photo for our Christmas card. Ha! Can you believe that Mike took this with his iPhone? Now at least we have glorious photographic evidence that we once owned the most beautiful car ever made. You know, in case it someday spontaneously bursts into flames. (Which could totally happen, I think. I subconsciously smell for smoke every time I drive it.)

Oh Arizona, you own sunsets. And Grand Wagoneer, you own my heart.

into the desert

We loaded up the Wagoneer on Saturday for a little sunset photo shoot. Just us, the big Arizona desert, and a tripod. The kids were so fantastic that we went out for dinner and ice cream afterwards to celebrate. What can sometimes be hectic and stressful ended up being such a pleasant experience. There were happy times crowded together in that car all the way home, I tell you.

The sky started out golden yellow and ended in blazing pink glory. It was completely stunning.

I think we ended up with a few Christmas card-worthy shots, but if not,

this instagram would do in a pinch.