gift rambling
It’s been a very busy day today, and it’s only noon! I got up at 7:30 to get the kids up and dressed because I had to drive Jacob to school. Then I came home, took the garbage down to the dumpster and got started on the kitchen. It was stop and start for awhile because Ben was so cranky and clingy, but I managed to get him down for a nap and get at least half the kitchen cleaned.
He woke up about 20 minutes ago, nursed, and went right back to sleep, and Chloe followed right after, so I’ve got about an hour and a half to myself if they both take full naps. That doesn’t happen very often these days!
Also, my jewelry store opens on Hyena Cart today: http://www.hyenacart.com/onestopshoppe My cart is Crafting Sanity, the second or third cart down. I didn’t get as much stocked as I wanted to, but hopefully I’ll sell a few things.
I think I mentioned in my last entry that Christmas is going to be really tight on us this year. After paying the bills and gasoline, I’ll probably be able to get 1 gift a piece for each of the kids, plus some little things for their stockings. I wanted to make them all something also, but I just don’t know if I’ll have time. Honestly, I don’t mind us having a smaller Christmas because I know the kids are going to get tons of stuff at my mom’s, and they barely have room for the toys they have now. I would like to move away from that "buy tons of stuff" feeling at Christmas anyway, and start getting the big, exciting things the kids want for their birthdays.
We’re doing a gift exhange at Aaron’s family gathering this year, which is a blessing because there are 14 nieces and nephews on that side of the family. We only had to buy for two of the kids and one of the adult couples, and I was able to get all of their gifts for under $7.00 each by using half of coupons and my employee discount, so I did pretty well there. For my mom and dad, I think I’m going to offer to come over and do some really great portraits of them with the kids, because Mom wants some. She also wants a family portrait of her, Dad, me and my brother, so I’m going to offer that as well. The rest of the people in my family will probably get some home made cookies or banana bread or something.
I’ve already started on my gift-giving list for next year, though. Everyone is getting something handmade. Some things will be knitted (dishcloths, scarves, skirts), some things will be jewelry, some things will probably be paper crafts, and I’m definitely going to do some canning in preparation for Christmas. Doing a 100% Handmade Holiday is part of my Mission 101 list, so I have to do it next holiday season or I won’t be able to cross it off. I’m going to try to make a lot of the kids’ birthday gifts, too, in addition to the "big" gifts they get. For Chloe’s birthday this year (can’t believe she’s going to be 3!!), I’m hoping to have the time to knit her a really simple, but SO cute skirt from a pattern I found in "Greetings from Knit Cafe." And, I’m still hoping we have the money to sign her up for dance lessons.
Anyway, I’m going to go take advantage of both kiddos being asleep and try to get some more done.
