The Burton girls were at it again with a Christmas tag swap. We wanted to do the swap early enough in December that a) we would be able to put up our tags for Christmas decoration, and b) Our Sis who is currently lining in Australia would get hers in time for Christmas. I think we made it!
A few of us have already had some great ideas for next year’s theme. I’m already excited. Thanks ladies!
-Lynnae
Wait until you see what Santa brought this Janeite!
My Santa of choice is currently deployed with the Army in North Africa, but he has been spoiling me big time. Look what he gave me for Christmas.
I was blessed with many gifts that I am thankful for, not all of them Austen related, but here is another one that is.
-Lynnae
I was nervous about a swap when everyone is so busy, but at the same time I loved the idea of the Christmas theme, so we dove in. We did have to be forgiving and let the deadline slip a little bit, but that’s the nice thing about swapping with family.
All of my tags were variations on one of these two vintage pictures. The back reads “Merry Christmas Darling”. I was going to go in a different direction but with my husband gone, all I could think about was Christmas couples and being together again. (As I mentioned in a previous post he was at an Army Reserve training and because my blog is public I don’t like to mention when he is gone until he is home again.)
In the swap were several sisters, my daughters, a sister-in-law, nieces and my mom. Almost as fun as getting the tags was decorating with them.
-Lynnae
Twenty-three years ago when my husband and I got married he was in the Air Force. He had been serving in Japan for a year, and he came home two weeks before our wedding. We were married in Salt Lake City in October, and then traveled to California for the trip back to Japan together.
After a few days spending time together and seeing the sights around San Francisco, it was time to pack up and go to the base for the flight back to Japan. Only there was a problem with the paperwork, and I couldn’t go. And he had to.
Some quick arrangements were made for me to stay nearby with his brother’s family while he went home to get the papers done properly from there.
Thus began a pretty miserable month and half away from my new groom. His family was very accommodating and nice to me. I tried to be helpful but I’m afraid I was brooding and quiet most the time. I cried myself to sleep every night in my nephew’s little bedroom. When Thanksgiving came I was homesick for my family and caught a ride back up to Utah for the week. The return trip was snowy and cold and I got carsick. I missed my sweetie.
December seemed to stretch out forever. I helped my new nephews with Christmas decorations. As the days slipped by, soon I had the word that I was going to Japan.
One long plane ride later, I found myself in a foreign country with Jon, exhausted and very happy.
Those first few days were a blur. I had an extreme case of jetlag and could not get going, and Jon was anxious to show me people and places.
Our first Christmas was nice. Quiet, compared to the way I grew up- with a house full of hyper little brothers and sisters, and a larger gathering of relatives for a Christmas Eve dinner. But we were making our own traditions now and starting our own family.
This year, after seventeen years out of the service my husband joined the Army Reserve. We had a quiet little anniversary celebration, and for a month and a half he’s been at Ft. Sill Oklahoma for training. This was my first Thanksgiving without him since we were separated as newlyweds so long ago. It was miserable for different reasons. My two college daughters and a boyfriend were traveling home through the snowy weather. I was fearful for their safety and problems did arise that I needed my husbands help for. I enjoyed Thanksgiving with them and our other family that visited, only to be fearful for their trip back home. With computer browser tabs filled with maps, satellite views, and traffic cams, I postponed their return trip for two days, until I thought it was clear, and once they left I could not breathe easy until everyone was safe and sound where they belonged.
-Lynnae
I was a chaperone for the activity. We had a couple hours to eat and shop before the choir needed to ‘warm up’ (in sarcastic quotes because they sang outside and it was freezing).
Once the hypothermia set in things really got silly.
And a very special visitor at the end of the day- Saint Nicholas.
After posting a few of these pictures on facebook I was accosted with family asking why we hadn’t taken them to Leavenworth before. It’s a great place, and now I think we’ll have to take more of our visitors out there. Ever since a visit to the Scandanavian town of Solvang when I was very young I’ve loved the idea of themed towns. In fact it would be fun to travel across the US visiting all the quaint and kitchy foreign themed towns along the way.
But back to Leavenworth. It’s lovely in the spring and summer, but this was the first time I’ve gone at Christmastime, and the visit was just the thing to get those Christmas feelings flowing!
-Lynnae
I have a few more things to post about before Christmas.
Some of my daughters were saying how they would like a ‘designer tree’ with a theme and color palette. This makes me smile, because I used to feel the same way, but those same little girls would have felt very sad a few short years ago if I wouldn’t have allowed them to help decorate the tree with their treasures. I would love a fancy organized tree, but I’m sentimental, so it will never happen until my husband caves in and lets me have two trees.
If you missed my earlier post of other Christmas decorations around my house, here is the link.
Growing up my parents would let us each have a new ornament every Christmas. Some were store bought and some years they were handmade. I have a stuffed bird that came from patterns printed on fabric in the 70’s. One year we drew pictures on round lids from liver containers and shrunk them ‘Shrinky-Dink’ style in the oven. That one has been lost, but growing up in a large family that had to share a lot, that little shoe box full of ornaments was precious and I still put most of them on my tree.
I tried a new fudge recipe this year that I really like. This batch was ‘mixed nut fudge’ – all the fun of mixed nuts, now in fudge, which is something my body needs anyway.
I also got my fat book back from the swap I participated in at Thrifty Miss Priss. Here is a glimpse.
Lastly, I won a fabulous prize from the Where Women Create Christmas giveaway! I am so thankful and overjoyed. If you want to see the wonderful necklace I won click here and look at ‘the ninth day of Christmas’
Extra arts, crafts and decorating really kept me going when I was discouraged recently about my foot not healing well. But I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and I have so much to be thankful for! My family, the birth of Christ, and all of you - friends, family, and those I’ve never met.
Merry Christmas!
-Lynnae
This isn’t a tutorial per se, its more of an idea based on a loose theme of a vague concept….
I had the idea to use a vintage slip to make decorative stockings.
I traced a leg shape onto the folded slip. I cut four to make two stockings.
I wanted to fold the lace over, so I sewed them wrong sides together, except for the top near the lace, which is right sides together. This should start at least an inch below the lace, since it will be covered when the lace is folded over.
I still feel like they need some more embellishment, either with extra lace from the slip, or other things I have around. Some millinery flowers or pearl buttons would be lovely. About now my family thinks I’m a little crazy, but it was such a fun idea I just had to give it a try!
What do you think?
-Lynnae
