Advent 4

Tonight we had a tree-trimming party with the in-laws and the out-laws. D's two sisters and brother-in-law were able to be here along with his parents and my mother and grandmother, so it was a full house. K was completely beside herself with excitement and has gone off the deep end; she's upstairs crying it off right now. We read the Advent 4 collect and sang the blessing as usual, but had pizza again instead of soup, and I think that not having a homemade meal really takes away from the prayerful feeling of the Advent dinners. I will try harder next year to be on the ball with the meal preparations.

Below are some gingerbread people K made this morning with the help of my parents. I think they're pretty awesome!

Advent 3

We had our dinner for 3rd Advent last night, which was in many ways lovely and in one way disappointing. The disappointing thing was that I simply ran out of time and energy and gave up on trying to cook a fancy dinner for D's birthday celebration. We got take-out pizza instead, which saved everybody a lot of hassle and some shouting and general unhappiness. Plus we got to eat Villa Rosa, which everyone enjoys, so that was all right.

We lit our three candles and sang our blessing. After dinner my in-laws lit 33 candles on the birthday cake that K and her grandma had baked the night before -- I keep wondering when they're going to stop insisting on this particular tradition -- and sang to D and watched him fail to blow them all out. Hearty jeers ensued. We all enjoyed cake and ice cream and then the in-laws went home and K went to bed and D and I watched an episode from the Scrubs DVD I'd given him as a birthday present.

The gift-making continues and I have to keep reminding myself that I am making progress; sometimes I feel as though I am spinning my wheels, but I am ticking things off my list left and right and piling up some very nice gifts. Today I start wrapping, and tomorrow, mailing.

Advent 2

What an excellent evening to celebrate the second Sunday of Advent! Freezing and blustery outside, with the scent of homemade chili in the crock pot greeting my guests as they hung up their coats. D and his father glued their heads together over a math problem, and K hauled my mother-in-law upstairs to do Grandma things while I put the finishing touches on supper. We kept it extremely simple again, reading the collect and singing the blessing at the Advent wreath and eating at tray tables in the living room, enjoying the candlelight and each other.

Yesterday's project was simple and fun. I sewed many, many small flannel sacks together, leaving a small opening through which D funneled a mixture of rice and dried lavender. After slip-stitching the holes shut, I now have many, many small soothing microwavable/freezable hot/cold packs.

I have been given these before and have purchased them at craft fairs and have always wanted to try making them, but before now have not had the sewing skills (the ability to sew a straight line with the sewing machine!) to make them. I am astonished at how easy and satisfying they were to make -- not to mention inexpensive. I think that I will make more in different sizes and that they will make fine gifts.

Advent I

Today begins the season of Advent, and we marked the occasion with our traditional family dinner. D lit the candle, I read the collect, and we all sang the blessing. The in-laws shared a simple meal of rice and beans, raw veggies and fruit and crusty bread with us, and K got to snuff out the candle at the end. It was very peaceful, calm and right.

I did not spend time today creating -- except for the meal, and the singing at church this morning. Instead I set the house to rights after our week-long vacation. That in itself was incredibly satisfying. I spent a little time in the sewing studio just looking at what needs to be done and trying not to be intimidating; tomorrow I will start planning for the weeks to come.