Traditions

I love traditions!  

I love them!  

There is something so meaningful and comforting about them.  They remind you how important family is.  They take you back to your childhood and let you share your favorite memories with your kids and your kids, kids.  Most of our tradtions happen around the holidays.  One of our traditions is opening one gift on Christmas Eve and it is suppose to be a surprise, but everyone knows it will be Christmas jammies.

One of my favorite traditions that I continued from my childhood is making Christas Cookies.  This year, Chloe and Claire helped me make the cookies.  My two teenagers were too busy to make cookies this year.  It's ok, I know in a few years, they will realize how much they love our traditions and won't want to miss them!

Chloe picked up on the process rather quickly.  After showing her once, she was rolling out the dough, cutting the cookies and putting them on the cookies sheet all by herself.  She hardly needed me there, except to make sure she didn't eat too much dough.

Claire wanted to be a helper too.  She picked out the cookie shapes she wanted.

I ate so many of these delicious masterpieces, that I had to do a cleanse immediately after new years.  I am pretty sure a week straight of Christmas cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner is a bit excessive.  I may have a problem.

My mom spent years as a daycare provider and preschool teacher.  She figured out a way to make decorating the cookies easy for kids to do.  She thins out the frosting so the kids can simply dip the cookies into a shallow bowl of frosting.  I still do it this way.  My kids and now grandkids have done it this way too.  They don't look as pretty as some of the beautiful sugar cookies that I have seen, but believe me, they taste amazing!  They really are the best sugar cookies I have ever had.

Chloe said, "I'll eat the cookie after I eat the candy off the top.  Smart Girl!

After all that hard work, Chloe needed to take a break on her favorite cushion!  :)

What are you favorite family tradtions?

Talk to you soon!

Love, 

Carol

I'm back!

Hi All,

Well it has been about a year since I last posted to my family blog on a regular basis.  This makes me sad and at the same time, I feel like I needed the break.  I love having a way of recording my life with family and friends.

So... I think I will  catch up on some events we had in 2012 and interject them in between current post.  I am not sure how often I will write, but just wanted you to know I haven't left for good.

During 2012, I did write about one of the most important things that happened in our family.  We went from 6girls3boys to 7girls3boys.  The boys are highly outnumbered around here.   Claire Noelle  joined our family on May 2.  She is 8 months now. Time flies so fast.  Enjoy the little moments.

See you all soon.

Love,

Carol

Big Sister

After Claire was born I got spend lots of time with Chloe.

We like to go on picnics in the park...

 And play dress up.

We drink lots of smoothies.

Once in a while we watch Elmo.

We play.  She is getting a little too big to swaddle...

And so far she still likes to help with the dishes.

 My heart just wants to explode!

xoxo,

Carol

Mother's Day

For the first time in years, I was able to celebrate my mom in person on Mother's Day.

What better way to spend mothers day than with your mom and your family.  The longer I am a mother (and now grandmother) and the more experiences I have in this role the more it causes me to reflect on my own mom.  I learned to love being a mom by example.  My mom has given all of herself to us and still does.

As I watch my own daughter go through the stages of being a mommy to two little girls I think back to when I was a mom to little ones and wonder how I did it?  Then I remember my mom being there for me through all of it.  Good and Bad.  She loves us, teaches us and always makes us laugh!

Thanks mom for coming to visit.

xoxo,

Carol

Boy do we know how to make girls.

Yep!  That's right!  We have a new baby girl in the family.  

 Meet Claire Noelle Debonis.  

She is the sweetest "little tiny baby"  as her sister calls her.

It has been a long time since I have updated this blog and what better reason to add a new post.  

Life is good.  

xoxo,

Carol

More Amy Butler bags.

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned it, but these great bags are called Cosmo Bags.  

I bought Style Stitches book by Amy Butler.  The Cosmo Bag is the first one in the book.  I love giving this bag so much, I haven't moved on to any of the other fabulous bag patterns.

  I made one for my dear friend Nicole aka the worlds best hugger.  She got hurt shortly after I gave her this and has been hanging it around her neck to carry things while using her crutches.  I'm glad it is pretty and useful!

   Everyone I have given them to uses them for a different purpose.  One friend uses hers for her workout clothes, one for knitting, one for sleepovers.  (Grown women still have sleep overs, right?)

I made one for my mom.

The funnest part is selecting the fabric that I think my friends/family will love.  I'm sure I will be making more in the future.  Don't worry, I'll post pictures.

Have a great weekend.

xoxo,

Carol

Baby boots

So I whipped these up a few weeks ago.  I think I may need to make like 20 more. Aren't they so cute?

I gave them to a friend of mine, Nicole for her baby shower.  She is having a baby girl in February.  'Tis the season for babies.  She also does my hair.  What will I do while she is on 6 months of maternity leave?  

I bought the pattern from I Think Sew.  The pattern was easily downloaded and the instructions had lots of instruction and pictures.  Since I learn visually and generaly just look at the pictures to follow directions, I especially appreciated the many photos.  She has lots of great patterns for baby things and bags.  My two favorite things to sew right now.

These are size 9-12 month.

I'll post more as soon as Christmas is over and I have time to sew something other than Christmas presents.

Have a great Thursday.

xoxo,

Carol