Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.....

Inkling called me yesterday wondering what was going on in my life. At first I was a bit confused until I realized I've been "off grid" for most of the week. Not only have I neglected my blog (I hope it still loves me & didn't get its feelings hurt), but I've been avoiding Facebook like the plague. Yes, that's a total exaggeration.

In fact, I've been hunched over my sewing machine a good portion of this week. All day Tuesday & all day Wednesday were spent clipping thread, stuffing poly fill into tiny holes, slip stitching everything in sight, readjusting patterns to make them fit the scanty amount of fabric I had available, and trying to hide most of the handiwork from the FarmHands. Then all of Thursday was spent reclaiming my house from the chaos that ensued while I was off in my own world of fabric & notions.

A few months ago Busha gave Bitsy an old sock monkey. They boys flipped over it so I decided to make them their own for Christmas. I've felt guilty for quite a while because the girls have dresses & purses & diaper bags & baby blankets & such I've made for them in the past. They boys have nothing. I'm not a tailor so I've never attempted dress shirts or pants. It's cheaper to buy them shorts at Wal-Mart than to spend the money on fabric to make them. So when they fell for the sock monkey, I knew I was in luck.

I've got to say, they were a blast to make! I love watching odd shapes come together to create something new. I also had a pre-printed fabric panel to make a nativity scene & another for Noel the Christmas Cow. The Nativity is currently set up under our tree (Mary & Joey, as Bitsy's been calling him, have been having long conversations over the head of their infant son laying face down in his manger) and Noel is hiding in my closet with the sock monkeys ready to dangle out of stockings on Christmas morning. I made BabyGirl an apron covered in flames. She's doing a cooking project for 4-H this year & I thought it would be nice for her to have an apron that actually fits for a change.

The house is decorated, Chex mix is baking, gifts are wrapped....now all that's left is to wait for the numerous potlucks, class parties, and a dusting of snow.