Ozark Christmas Stockings

I know it is still early BUT in true anti procrastination spirit of the Holidays, I am posting my stocking selection now rather than the week before Christmas.

I have a collection of Old Quilt Stockings that I have made. These are made from an old quilt top I rescued from an antique mall here. Sadly the shop is no longer there.

The quilt top was hand made by someone with less than perfect quilting skills however, it was packed with charm and I was delighted with the effort and hard work that had been put into each stitch. The poor top had also suffered some damage so I rescued the top and turned it into a set of Christmas stockings. There were 14 in all but there are only 10 left in the shop.

I also have some stockings made with some rescued and re purposed hand made lace.

Go check it out at

My Byrd Nest

Tradition

Every year for the last 30+ years my mom has made a hand made ornament for her family members. I was about 3 when she started making them. I remember all of them and helped make several of them when I was little. It is always a treat to see what she decides on and how she takes the idea and makes it her own.

This year she made felt horses adorned with sequins. They are quite marvelous.

The tree covered with them is really quite something. She wasn't going to put them up this year because she will be moving before Christmas so there wasn't going to be a tree at grandma's house for the first time ever. I am glad she gave it and let my little girls put them on for her.

Here are some more shots. Enjoy!





Merry Christmas

A Brother Like That

December 2nd - Day 2 of the 24 Days of Christmas

Scripture :
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God , The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Song:
"Once in Royal David's City"

Story:

A Brother Like That
A friend of mine named Paul received a new car from his brother as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin 'was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you, and it didn't cost you anything? Gosh I wish. . ."
He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively added, "Would you like a ride in my new car?"
"Oh, yes, I'd love that!",
After a short ride the urchin turned, and with his eyes aglow said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop right where those steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He 'was carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up right against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like l told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas, and it didn't cost him a cent, and someday I'm gonna give you one just like it; then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about.
Paul got out and lifted the little lad into the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when He said, "IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE..."
Author Unknown

The Last Straw

I would like to share a little bit of our Christmas traditions with you. My house is currently upside down as the contractor tries to finish things up on my side and on my mom's side of the house. As a result we have a living room that is torn apart and a kitchen that is also torn apart. These two rooms are vital to most of our Christmas traditions of baking and tree decorating and such I have had to think hard about how to make our Home have the Christmas spirit for my children. I was feeling a little blue about this until my little ones reminded me about a book my sister Eileen made for me. She made it with her Relief Society group and has been one of our all time favorite Christmas gifts ever. It is an advent book filled with stories, songs and scriptures about Christmas. Each day has a scripture that tells you about the birth of Christ, a religious Christmas carol and an inspirational story.
Last night being the first night, we read "The Last Straw". It is one of our favorites. I can't find an exact copy of the story but this one is close enough to what we read. The mother in the story is frustrated with the bickering her children do so much of and how it is killing the Christmas spirit in her home. She remembers a tradition from her childhood where the family would put straws into a cradle to prepare for the arrival of the Christ child. Each straw represented a good deed done by family members for each other. The family drew names each week and then did secret acts of kindness for that family member all week. It really is a charming little story.
We changed it a little and this year we get to put pennies in a piggy bank for each act of kindness we do. On Christmas day we get to open the bank and count out what we did and the use that in the next week to do something as a family to celebrate a month of family kindness. The kids are hoping to save enough pennies to go do JJ's and get an ice cream cone. :o) I love how they enjoy simple pleasures and weren't greedy asking for an X Box or something like that. Sweet!
Here is the list of things we read last night in case you want to read them too as a family.

Dec 1st

Scripture:
Isaiah 7:14
".......Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Song:
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Music here

Story:
"The Last Straw"


I would love to hear about your family Christmas Traditions and how you bring the true meaning of Christmas to your homes.

Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

I thought I would share some of our family's Christmas Traditions. (I hope I get more than just this one posted.)
Every Christmas my children and I usually make hot cocoa mix of some sort to give to our friends and family for gifts. A couple of years ago we stumbled onto a recipe for a spiced hot cocoa. It has quickly become a family favorite. It tastes like gingerbread Cocoa.

Here is the recipe:

Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Mix:
1/2 cup sugar (we use sucanant)
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Blend the mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container with a lid until ready to use. Makes 3/4 cup mix.

To make hot chocolate, add 3/4 cup mix to 2 cups water and simmer for about 4 minutes. Stir in 6 cups milk and reheat. Add 1 tsp vanilla and serve.

For single serving:
Add 1 1/2 Tbsp mix to 1/4 cup water. Boil until thickened. (I don't think it need the full 4 minutes here) add 3/4 to 1 cup milk and reheat. Add a bit of vanilla and enjoy.

We like to package this up and send it with Christmas goodies to those choice friends that love spicy things.
Check out this link for many more hot cocoa recipes.

More Ornament Fun

I received three more ornaments this week from the ornament exchange.

First I got this stocking from Jennifer of Jennifer Yellow Hat from London.


Next I received this Octopus Fun from Jennie in Brooklyn, NY.


Finally I received this fun ornament from Camilla in London.


This has been so much fun. I can't wait to see what else I get. I am expecting 5 more ornaments in the next week or so.

Monkey Love

I do follow in the footsteps of my mother from time to time.
I too make Christmas ornaments for my children. I know that someday soon she will not be here to make ornaments for them. I wanted this tradition in place so that when that day does come it will already be in place and the transition will not be as hard.

This year I made Monkeys. I couldn't decide what to make and then saw Jeddie put my little Ivan monkey on the tree and I decided to make a tiny Not So Sock Monkey.

I did not make 99 like she did but I did make 30 of them.
I also happened to participate in a couple of swaps this Christmas that made in necessary to make a few extras.

This is Hannah's White Monkey. I let each of the kids pick out which monkey they wanted. It was funny to see them pick the ones I had actually made with them in mind.

I have 4 extra monkeys over at my Etsy Shop. If you want one before they are gone, go snatch it up.

99 Octopi

I would like to share with you a little bit of our Family's Christmas Traditions.
Every year my mother makes a hand-made ornament for each of her grand children. This sort of started as a fun crafting activity and grew into necessity. You see, my mother has many grand children. She knew she could never afford to buy them each a gift for Christmas and so this became the family tradition. I so excited not that we have five children that our family tree is starting to fill out with family decorations.
This year my mom decided to make Octophrost, Santa of the Sea found at Futuregirl. He was just too much temptation. She knew it would take a while and started early this year (May or June I think). It took her about 8 hours to make each of the Octopi. She finally finished this week with number 99. That leaves her 5 for her own tree.
Here are the photos......

There once was a woman who lived in Mizzou
She has so many grandkids--a hundred or two,
I would have spanked them all soundly and sent them to bed
but she loved them and sewwed them all octopi instead.
-Glynn

I love how this guy just blinks at you, keeping his Christmas day secrets to himself.


These two are plotting some Christmas mischief. What out who's house they go to!

Hannah, Sarah, and Caroline

These are the helpers that helped Grandma stuff the tree with the 99 octopi.

"The Octopus' Garden"

I'd like to be, under the sea

In an octopus' garden in the shade

He'd let us in, knows where we've been

in his octupus' garden, in the shade.

I'd ask my friends to come and see

An octopus' garden with me

I'd like to be under the sea

In an octopus' garden in the shade.

We would be warm, below the storm

In our little hideaway beneath the waves

Resting our head, on the sea bed

In an octopus' garden near a cave

We would sing and dance around

because we know we can't be found

I'd like to be under the sea

In an octopus' garden in the shade

We would shout and swim about

The coral that lies beneath the waves

(Lies beneath the ocean waves)

Oh what joy for every girl and boy

Knowing they're happy and they're safe

(Happy and they're safe)

We would be so happy you and me

No one there to tell us what to do

I'd like to be under the sea

In an octopus' garden with you

In an octupus' garden with you

In an octupus' garden with you.

(thanks Kathie for reminding me!)

Yipee - First Ornament

I got brave and joined an ornament swap this year over at Freshly Blended.
I am so excited. There are 10 of us in my group.
Yesterday I got my first ornament from Alison in New Zealand.

Isn't it just marvelous!?!
I love the package. I have something to store it in when Christmas is over and keep the info with it. Thank you Alison!
It is a Pukeko which is a Swamp Hen. I love it! The perfect gift for a Prairie Hen. Hee Hee.
I need to get on the stick and get mine shipped out this week. I will post them once I have them ready to go.