Grandma's singing dog

Sophia and her grandma playing with the singing chihuahua.



Wow! It sings and dances



This is really something.


Merry Christmas or maybe o should say Feliz Navidad!

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Sophia's home-made owl backpack

Sophia likes her new backpack. I made this owl backpack for her with my Serger. I completed it December 30, 2009.

I learned lots of new things my serger can do with this project. The first thing I learned was that I can make an appliqués with it! Wow! What a huge discovery! Who knew that making pockets and things like eyes and a beak would teach me how to make those. While making the eyes and nose I realized that it is rather tough to make circular shaped appliques on a serger but not impossible.

I think with more practice I will feel a little better about making appliques to add details to things I make. Maybe I won't have to make them more than once to be satisfied with the results. All in all it was a fun little project to make and I learned a lot. I am glad it turned out so Sophia could enjoy it.

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Dress number two

Here sophia has dress number two of the night on for opening presents. The Elmo wrapped present was little people! Yeah!

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All that and a huge bag of chips

Daddy says to sophia, "bring me some tortilla chips!".




Sophia is dragging that big bag of chips.






This photo says it all. Agh! Sophia carrying that huge bag of chips as big as she is to her dad.


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Anxious to open a present

Sophia couldn't wait to open this gift. She knew it was for her with elmo paper.

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December 25, 2009 Sophia is jumping and discovers a kitchen

Sophia had a great Christmas and received lot of fun new toys from Santa Claus. Since we had to wait for the family to get to our house in the snow that came down Christmas morning, a couple big gifts from Santa were hidden.  The first of these was a trampoline.  Scott said that Santa told him that he put a few gifts downstairs for Sophia.  These were the last gifts to open since we knew she wouldn't open any others after these two big ones.    He ran downstairs and brought it up.  Before we could put the safety padding on the trampoline Sophia jumped on it and started jumping.

 

She jumped and jumped ...and then...

Sophia has wanted a play kitchen for some time. A few months ago I told her that if she would be a big girl and wear big girl pants instead of diapers we would talk to Santa Claus and tell him that she was a big girl now and needed a play kitchen of her own. She agreed that she would do this and asked Santa for the kitchen because she wanted to be a big girl. I am happy to report that Santa brought that kitchen and she loves it. Following are some photographs of her surprise.

......and a Kitchen appeared behind her.  She hurried off of the trampoline and ran to the kitchen.  She grabbed the phone on the front of her kitchen and called to thank Santa Claus.  Here is what she said, "Hello Santa!  Thank you for the kitchen!"   I couldn't believe she called him before she started playing to thank him.  

Christmas Eve Part 1 How many dresses does one girl need?

Sophia playing in her playhouse Great Grandma made for her before dinner.

Sophia giving mom hugs and kisses.                                     The First outfit of the Christmas Eve Night

Sophia discovered the Santa draft catcher that I sewed for my Grandmother about 10 years ago.

We arrived at my Grandmother's house in Sophia's first Christmas outfit. Scott and I found this super cute skirt a few weeks ago.  She recieved this outfit right before we left the house as an early Christmas present form mommy and daddy.  She was pretty excited because it had a hat.  Sophia loves hats so she couldn't wait to try it on.  Sophia loves new dresses.

While there Sophia played in her playhouse that Great Grandma made for her.  After playing with that she discovered the Santa draft catcher that I made for my Grandmother about 10 years ago.  She carried him all around the house playing with him like a doll.

Christmas Eve - a family tradition

Many years ago back when my mom was a young girl my family started a tradition that the family would go to Christmas Eve mass at church and when they returned home Santa would have stopped by with presents for everyone or so the story has been told. The family would return home from Mass and there would be presents all around the Christmas tree. Then, a dinner of Italian sausage and pasta was always served. I guess the family stayed up all night.







Each year for as long as I can remember we have traveled to my grandma's house for a traditional Italian meal which always includes Italian sausage and pasta or rice.

Shortly after dinner we would open the gifts that Santa has left at grandma's house early so we could open them and enjoy them together. Since she lives so far away Santa visits her house earlier in the evening than our house.

Fast forward to today for our modernized version of the Christmas Eve celebration. We pack up Sophia and head over to Great Grandma's house for a family gathering much earlier than midnight usually around dinner.

Here is this year's story.

As we drove through the night on our way to her Great Grandma's house, we told Sophia to look out the window in search of the jolly old elf himself and his famous red-nosed fearless leader Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. She sang the song and several others that you may recognize as "Jingle Bells", "O Christmas Tree" and the ever popular "Up On the Housetop". Scott and I kept a watch out the front car windows for Rudolph while Sophia was responsible for watching the moon roof and the back car windows.  We thought we spotted Rudolph and his team a few times glowing bright red.  You just never know.....

When we arrived the family was all there and Santa had already visited. Apparently, we just missed him but the loot was all there waiting for Sophia.



Sophia is tearing through thee gifts as fast as she can.




Sophia could hardly contain her excitement as seen here as she quickly trashed the placed with wrapping paper.






Sophia and her grandma checking out this huge present Santa left for her.





What could that huge gift be? Well, Sophia was surprised to find it had a kid-sized washer and dryer complete with an ironing board and iron. She washed and dried everything she could find that she could fit inside it.







One if the presents that Sophia loved was her brand new computer from her Uncle Mike. My brother Mike has always had a love of computers so it was just natural that he would get Sophia her first computer. He found this cute little one by Fisher Price that Sophia just adores.







Sophia and Uncle Mike learning the new computer. It was so sweet how she went to sit with her Uncle Mike to learn how to use her new toy.  Overall, the first night of Christmas was a blast.   It was so magical watching my daughter really enjoy Christmas this year.   Merry Christmas to all!


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Sophia's little toy purse

Wow! What is in here? I bet this will go nice with my hair salon / makeup table.

Carrying her little purse around while delivering gifts.

Once Sophia had opened the toy purse she wouldn't put it down.

Sophia and her Grandma checking out the viewmaster

Sophia asked her Grandma how to use the viewmaster and Grandma was glad to show her how.

Sitting with her Grandma and looking at the Viewmaster

Grandma asks Sophia if she can see the pictures.

Sophia checks out the pictures.

Howling outside my window? Wait, it is not the wind!

So the other night I am catching some much needed zzzz's and I am dreaming for whatever reason that I am being chased. I narrowly escape the suspect.

When all of a sudden I hear this noise in my dream that doesn't fit the story.

I hear my husband shout, "What was that?" He sometimes talks in his sleep but not that clearly. The problem is he was not in my dream either so I awaken startled to find him standing at our bedroom window peering out into the dark night. I realize he was not talking in his sleep but rather talking to me.

Another slow horrible laughing sound bellows out quite loudly followed by an emergency siren ringing out from the fire truck or ambulance rushing off to somehere.

Drowsy from my sleep still I wonder what is going on?

Another howl sound fills my ears as I lay barely awake staring out the window watching my husband watching the commotiom.

It was close enough to morning so we both got up and I asked what was that. He said that it was coyotes or so he thought howling at the emergency sirens. He says he saw them sitting on the golf course on top of the hill. From a distance he was pretty sure they were wolves not coyotes. How scary is that? They must have crept out of the woods beyond the golf course. I was suddenly terrified to think that real life was more scary than my dream, I have never considered that coyotes could be just beyond my backyard. I always take my dog out late at night and cautiously watch for people but never ever considered that coyotes could be lurking out there watching me and my dog. I always carry my phone out with me but now even more so. I also hope they were only passing through because I have my sweet little Sophia here to protect.

I haven't heard them again so maybe they were just passing through but how terrifying to think wild coyotes are just out back.


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December 22, 2009 Pooh bear is sick, Sophia took the honey

Today we went shopping and bought some honey. Sophia stole it out of the grocery bags and here is what she did with it.





She called this the "Pooh Bear honey" when I put it in the shopping cart at the store but I didn't think anything of it until we returned home.   She put the honey on a little blanket on her doctor table.   I looked up and wondered what now?





There is Pooh balanced on the table top.



Well I had to ask what is she doing? She is reaching for Pooh bear on the table with spoons in her other hand.



Covering up sick Pooh bear





I didn't catch it with the camera, but she pretended to pour honey into the spoon in Pooh bear's mouth to make his sore throat better. Who knew sophia was such a good doctor?

I know she knows Pooh eats honey from her story books, but I guess he was sick today because he was at the doctor table.

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Sophia's First batch of Christmas cookies

Sophia couldn't wait to try her hand at baking cookies. I bought some sprinkles and icing to make it fun and creative.

Considering she is two years old, I think she did pretty good.  This was my test batch on timing in my oven.  I minute shorter on the next batch will be perfect.  These were gone by the end of the day.

I made about 5 dozen so we have plenty more to decorate with icing.  I have always loved making chocolate chip and oatmeal raisins but this was pretty fun too especially since my daughter could help.

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Christmas Decorations with Sophia watching the lighting of the Dept 56 Villages

I have been collecting Department 56 Villages since about 1999. The reason I began collecting these villages is that it reminds me of when I was a small girl and used to sit under my grandmother's Christmas tree and stare in awe of her tiny lighted paper mache houses.





When I began collecting these I looked for houses that were super-cute, detailed and had the potential to increase in value. Well, I am happy to say that I keep tabs on these special villages and several of them have become more valuable over the years which is exciting and others have not but they are still beautiful to me. They make me smile.

Lucky for me, my husband likes my hobby and supports my obsession. He and I have gone out in search of very special pieces that we both love. Some of these include hand numbered special editions and even one very special limited edition signed by the artist which has become more valuable over the years. Not only do I have Christmas houses but I also have quite a collection of Halloween Spooky Houses and a few other Holiday houses my husband has bought for me over the years. I think he enjoys the search and fun of looking for ones we love.


Last year I was not able to display them because I had a very curious toddler in my house who didn't understand not to touch. This year she has a better understanding that these are mommy's toys and are just for admiring and not to be touched. I missed my sweet little Dicken's and Christmas in the City villages so much last year that I just couldn't wait to pull them out of storage this year. Although I have more churches than the average Christmas town would have, I enjoy them all. Some of our favorites are the Brewhouse which looks like an Irish pub and a University with a stone gateway pictured above. My cat has a favorite piece too. She loves the real working waterfall over on the edge of town. Can you imagine why? I am slowly growing my collection to include more houses and shops to balance out all the churches.





Sophia was so excited to watch me light up the villages after many days of planning and arranging. I think I need more streets for it though because my roads just end in the snow banks. Sophia sat there just in awe that they were all lit and one was even playing music.






I intend for my kids to have these someday so that they can pass on sweet memories of childhood and Christmas to their families.

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