Christmas from the Heart

My suggestion that we make at least one Christmas gift for each other this year seems to be bearing fruit, and I'm pleasantly surprised at the creativity my kids have shown.

Already, the youngest has made earrings for her big sister, and she's getting ready to embroider initials on handkerchiefs for her dad. My eldest daughter took a full-length mirror and hot glued a feathery, pink boa around the frame as a present for her sister. She also is recording a cassette tape of her piano music this weekend for Granny. The girls are both so proud of their creations, and I'm proud of them!

At first, they seemed unhappy that I was requiring them to make some of their gifts, but now they see how much fun it can be. And they've actually made an effort to make something that not only displays their talents but appeals to the recipient. For instance, Kate knew that Amelia has been wanting a large mirror for her room. And she knows how much Granny loves to hear her play the piano. Amelia knows how much Kate loves earrings and knows that her father always carries a handkerchief.

Surprisingly, Kate hasn't stopped with the family homemade gifts. She's also made some presents for her friends--an ornament and a magazine picture collage of their favorite hunks. Likewise, Amelia wanted to crochet some belts for her friends. Now if only I could get her to finish what she started! I guess she's like her mother . . .

Which brings to mind--I need to finish my own presents this weekend! I'm ready to put the red and black paint on Amelia's checkerboard strips. Once that's dry, I'll glue and cut the wood to the proper pattern. I picked up the biscuit joiner from my colleague (I learned it's called a joiner, not a cutter!), and I can't wait to try it out on the checkerboard frame.

I also need to paint the top coat on Mother's address plaque. I picked up some leftover paint at her house this week for that purpose. It matches her siding, so I thought it would help the plaque blend better with the house. I'll probably paint the routed edge black to match the numbers.

Lots to do this weekend! On top of hosting the church youth group for a function Saturday night, we have church, soup kitchen, and fellowship dinner on Sunday! To complicate things further, the painters are supposed to start working on the house trim tomorrow. I can't wait til the porch, deck, and yard are back to normal. We haven't even hung a Christmas wreath this year because we can't get in the way of the siding and painting til it's finished.

Our house may not look like Christmas outside, but it surely feels like it inside.