Major Production

Seriously? My card-reader has disappeared. ARG! I've been making Christmas presents for the better part of the evening, and even photo-documented a lot of my progress, yet I can't show a darn bit of proof. I'm hoping that I'll find it by the time I'm done with this entry... since of course it will take me two hours to complete... dealing with a pre-schooler and a puppy and all...

This year, since I am not working, I am taking major advantage of the time allowance to prepare for Christmas and also keeping things frugal since we're down a salary. As vain as this may sound, I used to love spending big bucks on Christmas gifts. It's not that I would just throw money around, because even though we lived fairly comfortably I've always been slightly, um, "tight" with money. However I always thought it was awesome to buy things for all of our friends and family members. I have a completely different perspective on things now. Isn't it SO much better to receive a gift that has been handmade with love?

I remember getting the warm-and-fuzzies one year when my husband's aunt gave us this cute little cookie-in-a-jar thingie, just thinking about how sweet that was to do something so personalized. Until I saw the label on it proving the item to have been store-bought. But that one moment... it really made me think that I want to do that. SO, this year that is exactly what I'm doing. I found this excellent recipe over at this site and I'm super excited about it. M and I went to Aldi earlier to get some groceries, and while we were there we picked everything up that we needed. I'm not very good at gauging measurements and yields sometimes (really great quality in a former restaurant manager, eh?) so we did make a return-visit to the grocery to get some more M&M's and brown sugar. The mason jars I had already purchased from Wal-mart a few weeks ago, and I've been hoarding scrapbooking supplies, so later I'll be decorating all of the cute little cookie jars.

I have this huge master plan, and I'm hoping that it's not too ambitious but I'm really wanting to do gift baskets for all of our family members, and families that we're close to.  I have an "A" gift basket (for people very close to us) and a "B" gift basket (for acquaintances who are very deserving of a gift), and to make things even more complicated I have mini-baskets planned out for all of the young children that we know. Nieces, nephews, friends' kiddos, M's friends... I'm going to craft some Santa keys and make a snowman-building kit. My husband thinks I've lost my mind, but I think it's just a poor combination of being slightly obsessive compulsive (I sometimes refer to it as being VERY organized) and years of having all of this pent-up craftiness that I've had no time to do anything about. I won't even talk to you about my idea notebook(s).

I'm currently roaring like a dinosaur at M, at her request, because she has "haycups" (hiccups) and I need to scare them out of her. Yes, this is my new life, and I love it.

Well, still no card-reader but I'm sure that I will find it tomorrow. And then, I will post pictures. As for now, it's time to put my little goose to bed.