Christmas – Page 16 – Gracious Rain

August 8, 2011October 30, 2022

Soap Sacks

For those of you who commented or emailed me for the pattern for the sweet little Soap Sack— here you go.

Crocheted Soap Sack

Using Cotton thread and an H hook–

Chain(ch) 6, to form a ring.

Row 1- Ch 4, (dc, ch 1) in the ring 11 times. Join in 3rd stitch of beginning ch 4.

Row 2- Slip stitch(sl) in first ch 1 space, ch 4. (dc, ch 1) in each ch 1 space around. Join in 3rd stitch of beginning ch 4.

Row 3~7 Repeat row 2.

Row 8- Sl in first ch 1 space. Chain 5, (dc, ch 2) in each ch 1 space around. Join in third space of beginning ch 4. Do not fasten off.

Hang loop: Chain 65. Secure last chain to first chain and fasten off.

Tie a knot at the base of the hang loop…

close to the bag.

After you drop your favorite soap into the bag, weave the hang loop through several of the top chain 2 spaces and cinch the bag closed.

Now my friends–you can begin your Christmas gift stash RIGHT NOW.

December 28, 2010January 14, 2022

A few days before Christmas, our family waltzed on over to the Hale Center Theater to see the play “A Christmas Carol.” When I’m independently wealthy, I intend to take my family every year–as a new and glorious Christmas tradition. (Emily–look up, look up! April, Jacob–smile.)

Of course, we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the actual performance, still, it was all there and positively perfect!

There was the ghost of Christmas Past….sad, sad, sad—

the Ghost of Christmas Present…quite an eye opener—

and the creepy Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. While this spooky dude was on the stage, Lyndi leaned over and whispered, “Expecto Patronum!”

We. Lost. It.

So, yeah–at the most solemn part of the whole show–weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth–and we’re completely engulfed in a preposterous, hysterical giggling fit.

Sheesh.

If we could only learn to behave.

Not holding my breath. (PHILLIP! For the millionth time—no sticking your tongue out in the family picture!)

~sigh~

Someday…someday…

December 27, 2010January 14, 2022

Christmas Day Heaven

Do you remember waking on Christmas morning before it was even light outside, and shaking with excitement as you saw the front room that had been transformed into a sparkling, positively magical place? Boy, I do.

It was so wonderful watching Chompy open her presents, and love them…

even the clothes! What a good sport of a baby.

Jillian could hardly believe the lovely gifts she received from her dearest friend Sarah–all the way from England!

The bald kid was thrilled with his Russian vocabulary book. Pretty sure that’s going to come in handy–real soon.

Then our April and the “second wave” arrived. Sounds like the name of a band–don’t you think?

The babies were sweet to take turns and tried very hard to wait patiently until their turn to open a present…

but they never understood why we would ask them to come open something else–when they were happily playing with what they already had. Perhaps next year, we’ll take things a bit slower and maybe take a full week or so to unwrap. Don’t know if anyone will agree with me, but wouldn’t a couple of presents every day be great fun–instead of all at once?