Keeping Busy

Aside from Chase's tea ceremony, we've been busily preparing for Christmas. I had some presents that need to be mailed, so I spent the beginning of December making chocolates, then cookies, then cookies dipped in chocolate. Marina and I teamed up on a present for my nephews. They like rockets, and I haven't played with my sewing machine for a while, so with old jeans in hand and some flannel, I built this soft rocket.



I ripped out the stitches a number of times putting it together. I bent one needle and rethreaded the sewing machine about a thousand times, but I finished. I will reiterate that I've never done anything like this before and I was working from an idea in my head, not a pattern. My imagination likes to get me in trouble. From now on, I start these things in August.

While I made the rocket, Marina knitted some aliens to ride in it. She did much better on her end of this project. Luckily, my sister never reads my blog, so I'm sure this will stay a surprise for the boys.



I've also been working on an angel sculpture made of milk gallon jugs. I just need to put a halo on her. That will happen as soon as the Trader Joe's cookies are finished. I'm pleased with how she turned out. I plan to set her up in the yard. She's about three feet high. Here is the front and back.



My vision for this sculpture was that I didn't want it to appear an angel from all angles. We don't always recognize the angels in our lives, so if she's viewed from the side she looks like this:

Clever, don't you think?

I also started working on my Christmas cards. They are coming along, although I may email some this year just so they get to my family on time. If I disappear again this week, you'll know I'm licking envelopes!