Holiday Crafts

With Christmas just a few days away and orders filled I found time to do a little crafting for myself, or rather the family.

Take a good look at this beauty! I'm not even the slightest bit modest about this blanket. This is my best yet. I made it in about 3 days...and all because I was walking through the fabric store and happened to see some really adorable fabric I couldn't resist. The flowers are made of minky material, so my little niece will be so very cuddly warm in China. Tell me you don't love this quilt!

And here are our new Christmas stockings all hung by the fire with care. I wanted something fun for the kids, but at least meet my need to coordinate...if they couldn't be beautiful.

Portraits

Heather & Jojo

Nicole & Steve

Christie & LonnyI'm so thankful for my husband, sisters and brothers-in-law!

Christmas Came Early

All the kids had a gooey fun time decorating a gingerbread train, which they got to only nibble on later...due to hypersensitive mothers too tooth decay.

Tada!!! Here are all the grandchildren in their hand made pjs sitting for a group picture in front of the Christmas tree. Aren't they adorable? They got to open this one present on "Christmas Eve" so they could all come together the next morning to unwrap the rest looking oh so cute.

Christie got very creative this year with her gifts for the kids. She made silhouette ornaments for each. I absolutely love these...and they look so classic on the tree!

Thanksgiving

We had a great feast at Grammy's and Papa's house this year, and only one turkey. Typically we have had two to three. But this years was a doozy, tipping the scales at a hefty 25 lbs. That was one big bird!
Look at all those cute faces. Can you imagine, Kate and Audrey are missing from this picture.

And how about these turkeys? A song comes to mind..."Gobble gobble gobble, fat turkey, fat turkey...." Man was that dinner good!

Japanese Art Museum

We finally had an opportunity to visit the largest privately owned collection of Japanese art in the country, or possible the world (don't quote me on that, but it's supposed to be something impressive like that).
As you can imagine the possibility of the boys touching something and breaking it was too much stress for me so I demanded that they were to keep their hands in their pockets...Christopher was caught being mildly rebellious.

Here the warriors, or at least the shell of them, sit all lined up like you would expect the armor of English knights of old to be.

This was Christopher's favorite helmet. Pretty intimidating isn't he?!

The bonsai garden was really beautiful. This was my favorite piece. This is a miniature replication of a really old forest. It's amazing how the artist made young set of trees look hundreds of years old...gnarly branches, lightning struck top, depth and space by arranging larger in front and smaller in back...impressive!

Kuri Manju

My absolute favorite holiday treat...and it takes about 3 days to make, and I am the only one who is crazy enough in the family to do it. This recipe was my dad's mother's recipe...and I have never tasted the equal of it any where, including famous Japanese bakery's. Don't you wish you could have one right now?

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Time marches on. It's been a couple of years since we visited the aquarium and where there once was an old empty run down lot now stands a large beautiful hotel suite.
It was homeschooling day at the aquarium...and surprisingly it was not packed out, so we actually got a chance to get a decent spot at the feeding times.

Joshua: "Be the ray. I am the ray!"

Can you say "Fishy face?"

Children's Discovery Museum

Wow! I missed all the events of November! I have to backtrack now. At the begining of the month we went to the Children's discovery museum in San Jose. The kids had a blast touching and running and "discovering" all over the place.

Steve is not in prison...just picking up some mail at the post office.
Here is postmasted Christopher picking up the daily delivery.

And here is Joshua on the recieving end, eagerly awaiting the work load.

How's this for up close and personal. Christopher is checking out the snot on the bulls nose.

Row, row, row you boat...