Christmas is almost here!

Is anyone else feeling the holiday stress? I know I planned ahead so I wouldn't yet I feel like this week I have been running around without any time. I'm not sure how that happened. I guess starting with a sick child and lots of last minute tutoring jobs.

Well, yesterday we went to school and made a neat craft, a star window. It was very easy. We started with a picture mat and glued on a handmade paper cover (which our teacher had already cut to fit). Then we glued a piece of vellum to the back. Then we cut out stars from various papers (foils, handmade and a bit sturdier paper for the kids to cut) and arranged them on another sheet of vellum, gluing them once we decided where we wanted them. Then glue the second vellum to the first and you are done. Our teacher said the original instructions called for tissue paper instead of vellum, but she thought the vellum would be easier and prettier.

When we came home we finished the rest of our pine cone trees. We included garland on these. We also wrapped most of Hazel's gifts to give to people. She had to decide which of each craft was going to various family members and her godparents.

We also decorated some foam and wooden trees and a gingerbread man. I got the foam trees last year and we decorated them with stickers and glued on a small picture of Hazel from the Sears $7.99 package (too small for much else) and gave them as gifts. This year we used all of our glitter glue and other decorations. I'm not sure what we are going to do with them, but we had fun.

Have a great weekend! Stop by tonight or tomorrow for Sharing Saturday!! And go check out last week's entries, so I can figure out who to feature by the popular vote.

Mingling....

All day yesterday, I thought it was Thursday--maybe because I thought Tuesday was Wednesday. However I kept looking for the Blog Hop. So today, I am Mingling over at I HEART CRAFTY THINGS. Come join me! It is a great way to find new wonderful blogs to read and get some new readers of your own!

Busy errands and things

First I have to start by saying Happy Birthday to Amy over at One Artsy Mama. I am participating in her BIG Birthday Celebration by donating my needle felted Dala horse for her giveaway. She is giving away 17 ornaments to 17 lucky readers. Go over and check them out for a chance to win.There are really some beautiful ones. I'm having trouble picking my favorite.

Now that Hazel is finally feeling better, we spent the morning running errands. Most of the errands had to do with Hazel's birthday party. Hazel's birthday is New Year's Eve, so we always plan her party for the first since people are off. This year since it is on a weekend we are actually having her party on her birthday, but in the morning so we won't mess up anyone's New Year's Eve traditions.

Every year we have had a large themed party for Hazel. For her first birthday we did a cupcake theme because I feel in love with some plates that said "Our Little Cupcake Is Turning 1." I searched everywhere for cupcake things and this was the year before cupcakes were in. I found very little, but did find a template to make paper cupcakes for favors filled with pink and purple M&M's. Needless to say we had cupcakes instead of birthday cake. My mother knitted her an adorable cupcake hat from a pattern I found in a magazine.

For her second birthday our theme was Tea for Two. We had a tea party. I made finger sandwiches and lots of tea and sweets. I had people sign a paint your own small tea set when they came. And on top of her cake was another paint-your-own tea set--this one mini that my nephew and I painted. (He painted and I adjusted the colors a bit so there wasn't so much black.) Again there was not much out there for tea parties yet. Now I see them everywhere. I seem to be a year ahead of all the trends. I did however find at Michaels on Clearance garden tea cups with attached saucers for thirty-nine cents each and bought enough for the favors. I filled each one with two tea bags and a small tea cup note book. For the older kids I had paint your own tea cup, but unfortunately, all but one was sick and unable to come.

So for her third birthday, I think I already shared, my theme is nursery rhyme. Come on after making dish and spoon costumes for Halloween could I pick anything else. I found some great paper at the Christmas Tree Shop for twenty five cents for twenty five sheets. Then I thought about rhymes for the invitation. This is what I came up with:

Isn't the paper perfect? Now I'm working on decorations, food, and activities along with the theme. I bought some strawberry tarts from Yankee Candle on clearance for adult favors and plan to make scented (and possible glittered) homemade play dough for the kids.  I want to have different stations like pat-a-cake with some homemade play dough, a Jack be nimble jumping contest, Humpty Dumpty Puzzles, photo ops with a Hickory Dickory Dock clock and a tuffet and large spider for Little Miss Muffet (and make a white bonnet like she wears).

I'm also helping a bit with the planning of a friend's son's first birthday party. The theme is Winter One-derland. I'll share more on that another time.

Do you do theme parties?

Getting ready for winter solistice

Today, Hazel seems to be on the mend. Her fever is gone! Her nose is not as runny and we haven't given her any medicine today. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to want to nap, but we are having quiet time right now. We'll see if it works. I don't think it will.

Lazy Monday with a sick Hazel

Hazel definitely has a cold or some bug. She still has her runny nose and slight fever. I took her to the doctor's since I just got over strep, but the initial test was negative. So it has been a needy day with my toddler. However, I did get a bit of sewing done finally. I promised Steve awhile ago I would make new valances for our kitchen from some fabric I had. Since it was old fabric I had to make do with what I had, so this is how they came out. Steve decided awhile ago we needed new kitchen curtains and we decided on these yellow ones that I bought at KMart (I think).

My other surprise today was I got my last angel in the angel swap. Here is a picture of all the angels Hazel and I received in the swap.

So my other thought of the week, if you won a million dollars what would you do with the money? As I was thinking about this, I realized that a million dollars does not go very far anymore. The top things on my list were pay off our mortgage and buy my sister a house and pay off my other sister's mortgage and put some away for Hazel's schooling (both K-12 and college) and some for my nephew's college fund. I'm sure I would be over a million by then, but I would also want to donate some to church which needs a new roof, new kitchen, etc. It is a never ending list. So what would you do if you won a million dollars?