I went to Barnes & Noble last week to wait out a terrible storm. Plus, it was a great excuse to browse one of my favorite stores. Starbucks + Craft Books and lots of Magazines = Heaven on Earth! :) If only they had a fabric store close to it as well. ;)
They had the new Craft Hope book. Yay! I've been wanting to buy it. Its really, really wonderful. I have so many ideas! I want Karigan and I to make this little doll together and place it in our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox. I'm excited about it. The doll looks pretty easy to make and it will be a great opportunity to teach her about what we are doing and why. I highly recommend the book! ;)
Speaking of Christmas. I'm already thinking about what to buy my kids and how much they do not need. Let me say that again. They don't need anything! I've been trying to weed out things that we just don't use around here. Lillie has no room for any toys right now because of all the other toys in the house. Craziness. My boys play with Lego's. That's about it. Karigan plays with her dolls and she loves to do anything crafty. She's pretty much me made over.
I have a friend that started a new tradition in her house. They don't shop until after Christmas. What? Seriously! Well, their stockings are the only things they open at Christmas. They have a huge family dinner and let the day be completely on Christ and His birth. After Christmas they go shopping and on New Year's they open presents. I think it sounds pretty awesome. We usually go visit family for Christmas so my kids get spoiled by the grandparents and honestly after Christmas is over its back to being bored till New Year's anyway. I'm not sure if that is what we will do this Christmas, but I'm seriously considering it. Especially since we won't be in our home anyway on Christmas day. I'm not sure about not buying anything until after Christmas though. I would like to have everything bought so that I wouldn't have to go anywhere. I hate crowds!
So what kind of traditions do you have?
I want to make a lot of gifts this year. Karigan and I are reading The Little House series. I read to her every night. Its starting to become our special time. She has yet to watch the show. I want to wait until we have read more of the books. I'm excited about it. I know she will love it as much as I did when I was little. I was thinking about making her a nutcracker doll as Laura Ingalls, without the ballet shoes ;), and giving it to her with the Little House DVD set. Not sure though.
I'm rambling. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head. I usually start thinking of gifts to make around the first of December and I'm going to do better this year!
Have a wonderful Tuesday.
