Christmas crafts are winding down. It’s been a great season but it’s time for me to put down the glue gun, back away from the glitter and drop the tinsel. 

I do have one more Christmas craft coming later this week and I might redo my Santa Bread post because my 9 year old is demanding we make it again. We usually give Santa Bread to all of our neighbors for Christmas but we didn’t last year (We gave them yummy Christmas Jam instead) and she’s a little bit upset about that. 

In case you’ve missed them, here’s a few of the Christmas crafts / projects that showed up here on Clumsy Crafter this year:

• Watercolor Effect Glass Ornaments – Made with Alcohol Ink
• Christmas Crack Recipe
• Edible Coal with Free Printable Gift Tag
• Peace On Earth – Free Cut File
• DIY Wood Block Nativity Set
• Mermaid Glitter Ornaments
• Snowball Christmas Ornaments
• Spoiler Alert: It’s Coal – Free Cut File
• Marbled Christmas Ornaments – Made with Nail Polish
• Peppermint Heart Lollipops
• DIY Striped Glitter Gift Bag
• Snowman Christmas Ornament – Dollar Store Craft

Whew! I’m tired. Those are just the newer ones. You can’t forget some of my older favorites such as:

• What to Use to Make Glitter Ornaments – Polycrylic or Floor Polish?
• Melted Crayon Christmas Ornaments
• DIY Wood Slice Snowman Ornaments

I don’t know about you but I think I deserve a nap! Unfortunately, my kids are doing their last full day of school today before Christmas break so we all know that there are not any naps in my future. 

Life Lately

I’ve been so busy lately with Christmas crafts that I haven’t updated you guys in a long time about our life. In fact, it was before Thanksgiving! So let’s go back… 

In November we helped my in-laws move. Our plan at first was to leave our girls home and just help with the heavy lifting ourselves but in the end, we wound up taking all three of them. A day that should have been a pain-in-the-rear wound up being funny and hilarious, mostly in part to those three kids. We are blessed . 

To thank us for our work, my in-laws bequeathed us with this fabulous hog head and the light up glasses. Somehow they got left on my husband’s side of the bed…..

You wish you were married to me. It’s fun. 

He’s so lucky to be married to me. Around the same time that the hog head appeared on his side of the bed, all tucked in tight, we celebrated 15 years of marriage.

Obviously I got married when I was ten. Obviously.  (He was 12.)

For Thanksgiving we made the trek to my dad’s house. I always love visiting him but another perk is that my sister lives across the street. This year my niece’s birthday fell on Thanksgiving and she requested a Woodland’s themed birthday cake and cupcakes. 

So I packed up gluten free cakes, egg free cupcakes, a couple of pounds of icing and a few other supplies and assembled everything at my dad’s house.  They weren’t up to my former cake competition standards but considering I was using bare bones supplies that everyone already has in their kitchens, they came out pretty awesome.

The cake was made using chocolate bark around the edges (to prevent having to do any fancy icing techniques) and scrapbook paper trees to make it that much easier. I made the chocolate bark and paper trees at home and carried them in the car to my dad’s house where I put it all together. 

She had a great birthday and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Finally we saw history being made.We live in Houston, a town that’s been madly and deeply in love with George H.W. Bush and his wife for many years. They have done great things for this city. Sadly we lost them both this year. 

So on dreary, cold day we stood along train tracks in North Houston and watched the train carrying George H.W. Bush to his grave-site at Texas ATM University. 

This was one of the times that I was thankful I had visited the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum in College Station because I understood the depth of his service to America. We might not all agree with his policies or what he did as president, but few men have given more in service to America. 

As the train rolled by, we were able to see the family waving from the windows. It was touching to see on the news later that day a picture of the family holding up hand-drawn thank you signs on the inside of the train, trying to press them against the glass, for all the hundreds of people lining the tracks to see. 

And now?We get to spend the coming two weeks together….. cleaning out closets and cabinets…. because that’s what good mothers make their kids do on a school break. Right? Just tell me I’m right.  

If you want to follow our day-to-day life, the easiest way to do that is on Instagram . Follow along but you might want to buckle your seatbelt because it’s a wild ride. 

Merry Christmas friends, I hope you and yours have a blessed Christmas season. 

The post Life Lately – Christmas and More! appeared first on Clumsy Crafter .