My favorite Christmas Gift!!

Ok, well a few months ago I got my gift from the King.  I went and bought it though.  This is very atypical of gifts from him....he likes to find something, buy it and surprise me....but this year I REALLY wanted a Kitchenaide mixer.  So when it went on sale, we decided that I would just get it.  And we've been enjoying ever since.  :)

But my favorite surprise Christmas gift came from my mom and dad (I think credit for this one especially goes to mom).  It is One Yard Wonders, a book with 101 patterns for things that require only 1 yard of fabric (and in some cases less).  I LOVE IT!  The day we traded gifts I looked through it at least a half dozen times since it would have been rude to leave and start sewing immediately.  There were about 6 of the 101 projects that I was not interested in trying....all the rest of them excite me.

I did start sewing as quickly as I could and very quickly I made these 2 projects.  They were fun, simple, and came together great!  Looking forward to making many many more of the projects in the book. 

I love Baby Sister's little stuffed elephant.  Can you just get any cuter than this?

This hanging file is perfect in this spot next to my desk.  Each kid will have a file for finished school work instead of it making a huge mess ON my desk!  Although my desk will likely still be at least a little messy....I just can't help it.

So I've had success with the first 2 projects and am anxious to try out the others.  My best friend is also a seamstress and I think this winter we plan to sew some projects together while our kids destroy the rest of the house play (after school work is finished for the day, of course).  I'll keep posting pics of the finished projects.  :)

PS.  My dad also got me a great gift.  He is hanging me a new clothesline on pulleys so I can hang clothes out on the line without leaving the deck.  Truly, I scored all around this year.  :)

Presents on Christmas Day!!!!

Christmas dawned bright sunshiny and warm.  After nanny, pappy, and my "unofficially adopted sis" got here and we had some coffee cake we got right down to business...the presents under the tree.  And none of the boys were disappointed, I don't think.  Here are some pictures of the present unwrapping....

All three boys were very excited over their new Thundertank and each figure they got to go with it.  I think some of the Christmas money they got from other family will be used to buy the rest of the figures they didn't get.

The boys got started right away with their stockings with Thundercats figure (later named as favorite gift) and their first ever comic books---oooo, they are dorks in the making and I love them dearly.  :)

Little Guy with his new Spiderman Jammies. 

Middle boy with the yo-yo that was high on his list of Christmas wants.

When the Prince opened this one, he said "Oh great, stupid school stuff!"  :)  However, I read it and I think he will like it....I hope!  I am a bit fearful that he will like the comic book better...but at the same time I just want him to want to read so I won't be too picky.  They also, between them, got a few "Magic Tree House" books which I hope get read.   I'm certainly not above sneaking (or not sneaking) "stupid school stuff" into holidays.  ;)

Jasper got to come in and enjoy the day with the family.  (he is such a good dog).  He had a new bone in his stocking and he climbed right up in "his chair" to enjoy it even though Pappy was there first.  That dog has serious issues with who is truly the boss.  :)

Labyrinth was middle boy's game.  We played it a couple times and it is FUN!  I would HIGHLY recommend this one to anyone.  It was over Little guy's head but the rest of it REALLY enjoyed it.  It was fun and challenging for everyone.

Little Guy got a Scooby Doo game that involves trying not to knock them off a wall.   It was a hit!

The Prince asked for Battleship a couple (hundred) times on his Christmas list.  He was thrilled when he unwrapped it.  He was less thrilled when we opened the box and there were NO SHIPS INSIDE!  So I am going to brave Walmart on the day after Christmas to exchange it (Please pray for me and for whoever I have to talk to...I do not enjoy going to Walmart on a good day much less on a day that is likely to be chaotic)

Nanny & Pappy play the Scooby Doo game that little guy got.  It is a game of high concentration, skill, and strategy (not really but by watching them one would assume so)  :)

We spent the whole day at home as a family.  Nothing much was really accomplished except for playing with new toys and games, watching a new movie (Cars 2),eating some chili for lunch and enough cookies for half an army.  Nanny and I got to go for a walk this afternoon (thankfully since I ate enough cookies for 6 people myself).  And a few took naps.  It was a day to celebrate the birth of the Savior and to enjoy the company of family. What could be better than a day like that?  Really, we should take time to have days just like this one more often (minus all the new gifts).  It was such a wonderful day. 

December 2011 in Pictures!

So December is a busy busy busy month.  And I've been trying to keep up with pictures.  So I'll share a few of the pics I got while going about our holiday plans and winter activities.  Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I won't say much....just get right to it.

On December 3rd (the day after the King and my 11th anniversary), we went to my sister's wedding.  It was the first wedding the King ever did and I got to be Matron of Honor (matron, ugh, that sounds so old!)  

We went to a local nature center one evening to learn all about Operation Migration, a program reintroducing whooping cranes to nature.

The kids and Pappy have been running trap lines trying to catch raccoons.  On this day, we all went to check our traps (which will only catch raccoons-although Pappy caught a mouse in one today).  It is a nice walk to get our day started.

We celebrated Christmas at Nanny and Pappy's house the weekend before Dec 25th with Greg, Heather, and my "unofficially adopted" sister. ;)  We ate steaks and exchanged gifts.  I got an awesome gift from Nanny that gets a post dedicated solely to it.  :)  The King got a waffle maker that we are very much enjoying.  We gave Nanny (a joint gift from my sister and I ) a scrapbook of the trip to Bali.  She was excited!

The same weekend we spent Sunday celebrating an extended family Christmas.  The boys are holding their twin second cousins at their first family Christmas.  Last year they were in the NICU for Christmas.  They are healthy and happy and enjoyed all the wrapping paper this year.

We've spent time doing Christmas Crafts too.  The little guy made this teeny beaded Christmas wreath to hang on their special tree.

The squire made one too.  He enjoyed making a pattern on his.

What is Christmas without cookies?  And we had to make the King's favorite...Peanut Butter Blossoms.  And the kids didn't eat ALL the Hershey kisses as they unwrapped them....minor Christmas miracle right there.

The Prince made a batch of Choc chip cookies "all by himself" too.  They turned out quite good considering how quickly they disappeared.  We also made a batch of my favorite cookies (Chocolate Crinkle Cookies) but no pictures were taken that day. 

Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of Christmas Day present opening and a video if I can get it to work.  Plus, later this week some pics of my Christmas gift from mom and some of my new craft projects.  See ya later and hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season!!!!

MIA

I have not been able to post much because I have been getting ready for a craft show that is being held this weekend.  I am more than halfway done.  I am short of my goal for the weekend but overall the blessing of talking to people and making the effort has been worth it.  And you never know what tomorrow will bring.    I have learned that craft fairs are exhausting.  It is amazing how tired you get from sitting and talking to people all day.  I have met some wonderful people and enjoyed myself (until the end of the day when I get tired).  After this show my handmade items will be for sale at MBT (across the street from IGA and Alco).  Barb has all kinds of neat-o things in there....so go in and check out the shop...from finished handmade gifts to the craft supplies you need to make your own....she is great!

We did not win the grant contest but I am glad that we at least tried for a little while.  I am feeling a little snarky about other topics so I am going to leave it at that and stop writing.  I will try to post more regularly now that I am not going to be spinning in circles trying to craft, teach the children, and keep my house up (the house has been seriously neglected).

Ordinary Hero Grant Contest!!!

Expect to hear a LOT about this in the next 10 days.  Ordinary Hero is having a grant contest and we want to WIN IT!  Their top 3 sellers in the next 10 days will win a $500 grant in addition to the 40% we earn for each purchase that is ordered.  So this is what we are asking you to do.

Go Christmas shopping at OH (linked above) and when you check out click on our name. , Shane and Kelli Cessna.   40% of what is ordered will go directly to our adoption agency!!!  Plus, if we can be one of the top 3 sellers, an extra $500 will go to the agency as well.  There is something for everyone!!!!

Tshirts, hoodies, jackets, handmade African jewelry.  You can even buy things to help kids in Africa -  like a goat (to feed 40 children), or school supplies, or shoes or a raincoat.  Thank you for your support and your help.  Please share the link if you are willing...help us bring our girl home!!!!!

Here is a little peak of what is offered.  I have this shirt and I LOVE it!!!!!