Yesterday a mom I was talking to mentioned making a cute hand print V-Day card with her daughter. It sounded so sweet and simple. So I thought Lena and I could do one of our first craft projects together!
Yesterday a mom I was talking to mentioned making a cute hand print V-Day card with her daughter. It sounded so sweet and simple. So I thought Lena and I could do one of our first craft projects together!
When Lena was just a twinkle in my eye, my mom and I sewed little dress for her. The pattern was Laura Ashley, one of our old favorites. My mom spotted a darling print a la Liberty of London and I bought a couple of yards of it the next day, matching it with a sweet eyelet lace and pearly buttons.
And then the sewing commenced. I cannot promise you that it was easy for me, or that we worked very quickly, or that the dress was completed by the time Lena was born. No, in fact none of those things were true! We actually finished sewing the dress when Lena was a newborn. While we worked at my mom’s sewing machine nearby, Elliott (at work soldiering in Egypt) kept watch over little baby Lena on Google video chat. Talk about a baby monitor!
The dress didn’t fit Lena for a long time, although I tried it on her many times to make sure I caught the window. Recently, Lena was invited to the 1st birthday party of her little friend Sam, and I tried it on her again for that occasion. I think it finally fits quite well… with a little room to grow for when she takes her first steps!
When Lena was just a twinkle in my eye, my mom and I sewed little dress for her. The pattern was Laura Ashley, one of our old favorites. My mom spotted a darling print a la Liberty of London and I bought a couple of yards of it the next day, matching it with a sweet eyelet lace and pearly buttons.
And then the sewing commenced. I cannot promise you that it was easy for me, or that we worked very quickly, or that the dress was completed by the time Lena was born. No, in fact none of those things were true! We actually finished sewing the dress when Lena was a newborn. While we worked at my mom’s sewing machine nearby, Elliott (at work soldiering in Egypt) kept watch over little baby Lena on Google video chat. Talk about a baby monitor!
The dress didn’t fit Lena for a long time, although I tried it on her many times to make sure I caught the window. Recently, Lena was invited to the 1st birthday party of her little friend Sam, and I tried it on her again for that occasion. I think it finally fits quite well… with a little room to grow for when she takes her first steps!
Elliott and I have only celebrated two Christmases together as a married couple. Last year over Christmas we were visiting Israel while Elliott was deployed to Egypt. No Christmas decorations on that trip! This year was the first we had a Christmas tree.
Of course, after the Christmas season is over, someone has to take down the Christmas tree, the ornaments, the garlands, the wreaths, the Nativity… it really can take awhile, can’t it? Usually even after all that’s done, there are still remnants of Christmas here and there. Such as jars of candy canes sitting on your kitchen counter. For weeks.
Fortunately, I had a plan for these sweet little leftovers. The idea came from my friend Joy, who is a fellow resident of Sicily and has a wonderful cooking blog that is well-stocked with true Italian recipes. With her permission, I’m sharing her own recipe for Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies. I made them the other day and we devoured them in much less time than I care to relate!
P.S. With the flecks of red-and-white mixed in with chocolate decadence, who says these can’t double as Valentine’s Day goodies too? Enjoy!
