Lately

Our Winter break was so full and doubly blessed in every way. It was the first time we were all completely healthy for the holidays in a few years, and we were so grateful. We celebrated the season with our dearest friends and our church family and just the four of us and again with each side of the family. It was way more busy than we like, but we wouldn't have missed one single event.

We had a slightly white Christmas, having been dusted with a few inches the day before. It always feels so much more festive inside when all outside is bright and glittery.

Chilly George :: All is Calm :: All is Bright :: Festive :: Happy :: Still :: LEGOs Win the Day :: Peek-a-Boo :: Woodland Friend :: Cousins :: And More Cousins :: Catnap :: Golden Light :: Farewell Old Year!

*EXPIRED* What You Really Wanted... a Year-Ending Sale

I hope you all had a really wonderful Christmas with your favorite people.

I hope your time was spent cherishing and enjoying the simple beauties of life.

I hope you had some relaxing and quiet moments to stitch on a favorite project.

I hope that if you exchanged gifts, you received and gave items that added delight to your life.

But if some or all of my wishes above were not fulfilled in your life this week, I offer you a year-ending sale so that at least your project bag for 2016 will contain something that you really want.

Go to my etsy shop and add whatever you want to your cart. If your order minimum is $10, and if you remember to enter the coupon code "WHATIREALLYWANTED" into the coupon code box when you check out (sorry, but I won't be able to add the discount after the fact if you forget), then you will get 25% off of your entire order.

I will not be processing any of the orders this week; they will be processed and shipped the first week of January.

Wishing you a peaceful week-after and a Happy New Year!

See you in January...

Mama Got Macro

Several years ago, the Farmboy gave me a set of extension tubes for my then-camera, that allowed me to take macro images without the expense of a real lens.

They were a fun toy that I used off and on, but they were a bit tricky to work with, and usually the photos fell short of what I wanted. I haven't said a word to him about wishing I had a better option for macros in the years since then, so imagine my surprise and delight when I opened my gift from him on Christmas morning and found the real thing (for curious minds, it's a Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8).

It isn't super high-powered, so don't expect close up images of snowflakes or insect eyeballs, but it is a wonder nontheless, and perfect for the things I have often wanted but couldn't get close enough to capture before.

Handmade Christmas

In the old days, before my design business really started to make me busy, I used to make gifts for almost everyone on my list each Christmas. This year I let myself off the hook, so to speak, realizing that I would only drive myself insane trying to get it all done while maintaining my work, my home, and did I mention I'm now homeschooling my kids three days a week?

But... there were two little exceptions this year. Two people were "blessed" with labors of my time.

For my Mama, a tray of glass bubble magnets, depicting the cute heads of her 12 grandbabies.

And for my sci-fi loving baby brother, who actually asked for interesting/odd things to put on his desk at work... a tin can pencil holder with a cross-stitched Star Trek: The Next Generation wrap (design by weelittlestitches on etsy). I changed up a few of the colors and added all of the gold stars to the background to help fill up the space needed to cover the can.

And now I might have to make a few more for next year, because there were some jealous people in the room when he opened it (the sci-fi gene is strong in this family).

Christmas Day

All the Rest

More storms and power outages, the last classes of Fall semester, good friends, flooding in the valleys, Christmas books and Christmas ornament making and Christmas program at church. The month of December has been full and good in every way possible.

These two... always these two...

When a Kid Turns 10

When a kid turns 10 and there will be microscopes and robots at school on his birthday, he will most likely still want to go, even when there's an option to skip. But when that kid gets home, he will expect there to be a few presents and the requested dinner of carnitas which his Mama spent the day slow-cooking in the oven, and maybe even a cherry pie with candles that look like the number 10.

And there will be games.

And then, a few days later, he will squeeze as many of his favorite people as possible into a laser tag arena for an hour of fun.

And if a few of them can convene for some ice cream cake from Dairy Queen decorated by possibly the most talented fast food cake decorator in the nation, then so be it (seriously, if you're in the area, contact Theresa at the Troutdale Road DQ- she's amazing!).

And if there just so happens to be an epic movie that just came out in theatres, then by all means, he'll add it to the already full and happy day so he can watch it and be amazed and also watch his Mama cry like a baby over fictional characters.

When a kid turns 10 and his celebration is life-changingly amazing, then presedence is surely set, and who knows what on earth could possibly follow it up the next year.