my mother in law came in to town (and my father in law...sorry, bob) on their way to colorado last week and she helped me make my first tie and follow my first pattern!! it was so much fun!! she is such an amazing seamstress and good at details so she really helped me with interfacing, pressing edges and all the good things that make this pattern really work.
i made a matching tie and scarf for my brother and sister in law and for my brother and his girlfriend. it was super hard to find fabric that i really loved for both of them so these my not be the best ones but they will match!! i used a pattern for the scarf and used wonder under as my interfacing and i would not use interfacing that is fusable on both sides next time. and the scarves i just cut a piece of fabric whatever length i liked in a scarf and then sewed around the edges to secure it. hope they dont think thats cheesy...
and i finished my first knitting project!! i just finally learned how to bind off (thanks to allison!) and i gave this scarf to jeffs sister sarah.
i successfully made almost all of the gifts that we gave this year!! i was so excited!! i made halie (my niece) a book on blurb about being with nana and the cousins and i hope she loves it!!
i also made some place mats for both my sister in law and mother in law.
jeff helped me screen print the monogram in the middle and i really love how they turned out. the brown ones will be for the head of the table. jans look different but i already wrapped them so ill have to show you later.
for my parents and jeff's parents we had brittany take our pics (she is so amazing!) and we bought them some 4x6s of them and we will let them pic which ones they want to order. brittany was just so phenomenal and patient with us. she has such an amazing eye and i was just on cloud nine afterwards for days. i have never had our picture taken professionally and i am so glad we did. my mom has been wanting a pic of the kids for forever so i hope she loves them!!
i really love the idea of the advent conspiracy, samaritan's purse and other organizations that encourage putting Jesus and His birth first and foremost and giving gifts to people all over the world that dont have enough. i really hope that next year we can do that more and making the gifts can just be an added bonus. my sister in law and brother in law already do it and my in laws gave the babies a donation to a children's home for their birthday and i think i am the last one to realize what is going on!! i, like everyone else, get caught up in the gift giving and getting parts of christmas and so often forget the Christ part and how amazing it is that He came to earth to die for us. I am so thankful for that this year and the grace, peace, hope and joy that it brings to me to know that God loves us so much that He sent his only son to die for selfish, worldly, impatient, worrying, petty, vain me. thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth and dying for us. thank you for loving us.