Fantasy SAL Update #6

Started: 12/8/2016

Finished: 12/12/2016

Border A-2

Started: 12/12/2016

Finished: 12/15/2016

Border A-3

Started: 12/15/2016

Finished: 12/18/2016

October

Started: 12/19/2016

Finished: 12/25/2016

Border C-3

Since I finished the Pumpkin Passport and Postcards from the World SALs, I've worked exclusively on the Fantasy SAL from Lakeside Needlework and Durene Jones in the hopes of catching up before January's circle is released.  I don't think I'll make it, but I should come close.

As a reminder, I'm stitching this on 25-count Lugana in Fairy Dance and I'm loving it. 

I'll post a picture of the whole thing with my next update, but the Q-snaps are set for December and I didn't want to move them.

A Trip down Christmas Boulevard

On December 18th, a friend told Janice about a free event at the EV Free Church in Fullerton so we decided to check it out.  We'll definitely be going back next year!

Kyleigh got to decorate a cookie and a cardboard gingerbread house.

 

 

She went sledding and rode the "spinny thing" and got going so fast her hair flew out behind her.

 

 

She also went in several bounce houses.  First she climbed Jacob's Ladder and actually made it to the top using a different strategy than those who fell off--instead of crouching low, she had her legs and arms almost straight and her butt in the air (no picture).  She also went on something that had a rubber band attached to a vest and she tried to run as far as possible. 

Finally she did the Wipe Out bounce house.  She needed help on this one though, but she did make it all the way to the end.

 

 

 

 

We also took a trip to Bethlehem.  There were people there to tell us about each scene.  I didn't take any pictures of Bethlehem proper because it was very crowded.

 

 

 

Well, that's it.  I think I'm all caught up except for one stitchy post that I'll work on next.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.

December Activities #2

Well, I didn't quite get all my catch up posts done on Christmas Eve, but hopefully I'll finish them today.

We have a tradition that we drive around looking at Christmas lights one night in mid-December.  Janice looks up "major light displays" on her phone and we drive to them and others we spot on our drive.  One of the first and best ones that we saw had the entire yard decorated with various displays of train layouts including one of Disney memorabilia.

 

 

There was also a Santa Claus who posed with us.  (David decided to stay in the car!)

 

Another tradition we have is "stuffing the bus".  Channel 7 (ABC) sponsors a Stuff the Bus event at the Honda Center for the Spark of Love toy drive every year on the same day as Kyleigh's last school day before Christmas.  She typically gets off at noon that day (this year it was at 10:00) so I pick her up and we go to Target to pick up a couple of unwrapped toys and then take them to the buses.  Kyleigh got to take her toys onto the bus herself.

They also have fire trucks, police cars, Santa, Mrs. Santa, free frozen yogurt and Kyleigh's favorite, a video game bus.

This year, Kyleigh's Aunt Amber worked at the Cavalia Odessyeo horse show and took her mother, stepfather and Kyleigh to the show.  This is Kyleigh with her Noni and Noni's husband, Robert.

And Kyleigh with her aunt, Amber and Amber's friend, Francisco.

Kyleigh spent a couple of days with us the week before Christmas while Mommy and Devin were at work.  One afternoon, she and David made a gingerbread train from a kit from Michael's.  Instead of using icing to hold the pieces together, they used hot glue.

Finally, our church has three services on Christmas Eve.  We went to the earliest service which has a children's message.  At the end of each service, we light candles for the singing of Silent Night.  This is the first year Kyleigh was given a candle and she was really excited about it.  I'm not sure which service this picture is from though.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas today!  If you celebrate a different holiday, then Happy Holidays!   

We went to Janice's where David prepared his country omelet for breakfast.  Then Janice, Kyleigh and I went to the Christmas Day service at our church.  We opened presents after we got back.  Santa was very nice to Kyleigh this year!

We didn't do a tree this year so this is Janice's tree with all the presents waiting to be opened.

David's Mom made the nativity set many years ago and Janice displays it every year.  

 I gave Kyleigh the Beware of Hamster picture and the three of them the Pumpkin Passport SAL.  Both of which were well received.

Since they had Christmas dinner plans with Devin's family, David and I went out to an early dinner where he had a traditional turkey dinner and I had ham.  All in all, it's been a very good Christmas!

December Activities - #1

On December 3rd, Janice and Devin attended a friend's 50th birthday party.  As part of the celebration many pictures were taken.  Here are a few that Janice sent me.

 

 

On December 7th, the third and fifth graders at Kyleigh's school gave their Advent performance in the church.  This year it was about the Christmas tree and what the lights, ornaments, candy canes, etc. mean.

 

December 9th was Kyleigh's Glee performance including a solo of part of Michael Jackson's "Heal the World".

The 10th was Kid's Night Out at the church.  This month the kids may ugly t-shirts.

 

Here's Kyleigh's.  She didn't want to make a really ugly one.  She's planning on removing the bow and candy canes so it can be washed.

On Sunday, the 11th, the third graders sang at church, but I didn't take any pictures.  

Janice has had a rough month.  She's a traffic manager (schedules commercials, etc.) for several TV stations across the country and this month they added a station, her assistant quit and the person she backs up was out sick for a couple of weeks so she's been doing the job of three people and working a lot in the evenings.  She sent me this picture to show that Bobby has figured out how to cuddle with her even when he can't sit on her lap.

Additional November Activities

I gave up on life in general for a couple of weeks around Thanksgiving so I'm very behind in posting.  I have quite a bit to post so I'm going to break it into a few smaller posts.  Hopefully this will catch me up and I'll be able to start fresh next week.

In November, our Women's Ministry held a craft night.  Each person made several items.  Here are a couple of pictures of Janice.  She never did show me what she made. :(

Kyleigh spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving with us since both Janice and Devin had to work.  She and grandpa recycled bottles, helped me make pies and did some other chores together.  One of the things they did was wash grandpa's t-shirts.  He waits until almost every t-shirt he owns is dirty and then pre-treats them with Simple Green before washing them.  Kyleigh had fun "finger painting" the shirts with the Simple Green.

Kyleigh had an "About Me" poster to do for school and one of the sections she had to fill in was a picture from her favorite book.  She chose to do Bad Kitty since she's read most of the series.

While she was working on the picture, she wanted someone to watch her, so Devin decided to watch really closely.

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Kids Church did a Christmas craft, an Advent wreath.  I sponsored the event through my Thrivent membership.  Here are a couple of pictures of the finished wreaths.  The first picture is the wreath just after it was completed.  The second picture was taken at Janice's and shows the completed wreath with the middle candle.