The season turns

Christmas is coming.

AHHHHH.

I have projects to do.

I started sewing a red coat for Hannah, size 3. It stalled when I didn't iron on the facings, like, the first step after cutting it out. Sigh. I need to get on this.

I have to sew new elastic into my cloth diapers. There are 20+ that need doing.

Every time I go into the sewing room, it turns into a big mess. Hannah digs through the drawers, trying on baby clothes and spilling beads in the carpet. But I want to get things done! I need to put together a donation box and just turf some of the stuff in there, free up some space.

I've been thinking it's time to start some traditions, or solidify ones I already enjoy.

1. Sugar Cookies: My mother always made these with us. I used to love cutting them out and decorating. Alternative: Learn to make the gingerbread/molasses cookies my Auntie Alice used to send.

2. Rum Balls: Mother used to make these for my best friend's parents when I was little. Freaking love rum balls. Alternative: Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake, which I have made on request at Christmas for my dad.

3. Gingerbread Houses: I've only done these ONCE in recent memory, two years ago when Hannah was tiny. It was fun, but a lot of work to make the dough, roll it and bake it. This year, I might try to make a less structural, more edible dough, since the kids will probably want to eat them, and I don't need broken teeth in my house.

4. Craft Night: Last year, I invited some ladies over and we had a Christmas decoration making party. It was a lot of fun, and we made some silly decorations for our trees. I'd love to do it again. Glitter EVERYWHERE.

5. Cookie Exchange: I'm invited to TWO this year. One is a repeat from last year with local moms. The other is with my non-mom friends. I usually make chocolate mint thins, since they're a great ice-box cookie and look fantastic dipped in white chocolate with green/red sprinkles.

6. Chocolate Mint Thins: I've been giving these away as gifts to family for the past few years. I hope they actually like them.

7. Nuts and Bolts. I realize that almost all my traditions so far are edible. Well, Nuts and Bolts are what we look forward to all year. I make batch after batch, bagging and delivering to friends and family. We eat them by the handful, warm from the oven. My mother made these every year, after the divorce. She'd send them with us down on holiday. She'd pack them away in the freezer, and we'd eat bag after bag. Cheese nips. Nom.

8. Tree: Simple enough, but we haven't had this every year. I like having a real tree. Hannah gets so excited over the lights and all the decorations. I need to sew the tree skirt.

9. Apple Cider: We started making this last year, after finding big bottles of it from a local apple farm. I found some less filtered stuff at Superstore too. I put it in the crock pot with cranberries, orange slices, ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise. It's great for a family get together or party, and I find myself refilling my teacup all night as the spicy nectar brews.

10: Christmas Cards: I sent these out last year, and would like to again. I buy homemade ones at craft fairs, and use up old ones from my mother's day as well.

11: Craft Fairs: There are craft fairs at the two nearby high schools last weekend at this weekend, hurrah!

Now. Wow. That's a lot of things to fit into December.

Gifts this year, I dunno. I've bought some things for Hannah: A jacket, a top, pajamas, laundry bin and bath sponges. I bought some tea towels for the house. I bought all the clothes in a size 4, to ensure long wear. The bath sponges I know she'll like, because she loves playing in the bath. The laundry bin is because I need something bigger than the re-purposed tin I've been using, plus it's cute. If anything else, I'll probably get a big colouring book for her, or knit something.

Trying not to stress this year. Just want to have some fun events and get my little girl excited about the holidays in an appropriate manner.

Black Bears

Hannah and I had a quiet evening, after a long day of playing with the cousins. Chili for dinner from my mother-in-law, Andrew off to rock club for the night. We poured a bath for we two, spent lots of time playing and splashing about. Since it's RIGHT THERE, we do talk a lot about 'brown baby' coming. Hannah pours water on my tummy, "washing the baby" she says. I hope it's the right thing to do, telling her so early about the baby coming. She LOVES babies. Some moms say they didn't tell their kids until they were just weeks away from giving birth, maybe the kids were too young and wouldn't understand, or would bug them every day about it, I'm not sure. Hannah noticed a few months ago "Mama, tummy stick out!" she'd tell me, then stick her own tummy out to show me how I looked. Yes honey, that's what happens...

Wow, she's really quiet. I put her down to bed, read her Cat in the Hat, went through our bedtime songs: "big big spider", "great big star", "rock a big baby", "big georgie porgie", then Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater and Pussycat, Pussycat. Hugs, kisses, wave at the door, "one more kiss", no I already gave you one.. silence. Wow.

It wasn't like this last night. Andrew put her down before I arrived home from pottery. I went in to give my good nights to a still-awake child at 9:30, and she was up until after 10:30 asking for snacks. She brought apple slices back to bed THREE times. She had a chunk of cheese. She used the potty and read her book on the can. Finally, finally she slept. And slept all night in Owl Bed, let mama get her rest (as much as my bladder lets me, that is.)

Right, so the bath. We finished up, I got dressed, came into the living room and - badump! hmm? trash cans falling over outside? We went to the window and saw a black shadow moving over the garbage bin and green bin, still on the street from today's pick-up. The bear moved under the tree on our front lawn. I opened the window and talked to the neighbour across the street, who was in her kitchen with the window open too, watching the bear. "He's still under the tree," she said. Neighbours one house over arrived home in their car, got out and chatted, possibly oblivious to the bear. Possibly not. Black bear walked through the dark past my cans again, and through Cathie's yard across the way, headed for her compost. Apparently he tore her compost bin apart the other night.

Hannah was a black bear for Hallowe'en. Appropriate, eh? Who else comes to every house on the street looking for treats, if not the black bear? I wanted her to be an Octopus, but her choice of costume was clever. All her choice too. We used the black bear hood from my old skating costume, paired with a fur cape I constructed special (3/4 circle, Velcro and button closure, simple!). Brown tights and rubber boots completed the ensemble. I figured if I sewed a cape, it would be both easy and size free. She could wear it in future years of she likes, or just for fun in the dress-up kit.

We trick or treated rather far. We made it about 7 houses down my street, then came back and went 7 houses up another street. Maybe hit 20 in all, for both sides. Pretty good for a little bear. She found out around house number 10 that we could sit down and have a break, share some Smarties. so she wanted to stop every few houses and have another treat. I coaxed her down to our goal house (the realtor who helped us buy our house, a family friend) using a bag of fuzzy peaches.

She was really cute. She'd knock on doors and say "Trick or treat!" once or twice. But when the door opened, she was quiet. I had to say "trick or treat". She would say "thank you" or "bye" at the end though.

When we arrived home, she spent some time in the entrance hall exploring her basket of candy. We let her try whatever she pleased for 15-20 mins, then moved her along. She was too scared of the fireworks down the street, so she stayed in with Andrew, him grinding rocks, her watching Arthur.

In other news, I've been knitting like mad and can now wear the sweater I've been working on. I'm making a bias-eyelet cowl as well, using the Noro Silk Garden I didn't get to use toward my sweater, along with the leftover solid yarn. I know my knitting time will be limited come February (and brown baby), so I'm taking advantage of it now.