I signed up for Audrey’s handmade exchange with some misgivings – not because I didn’t think I would get a wonderful gift, but because between Caroline’s party and Christmas I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make anything even REMOTELY worth sending to another crafty person. I managed to get something in the mail (although I STILL haven’t sent my recipient my guest post) but the really pleasant surprise was a beautiful pouch and delicious macaroons from MY secrket gifter. Check out her guest post below!

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Hello!  I am Kelley.  My blog is Casa Crafty where I write about my many crafting experiments, my family and day to day life.

This year, I thought it would be fun to participate in the Handmade Sekret Holiday Exchange from Audrey at Planet Hausfrau.

I did have fun! Although, it is difficult to make something for a stranger, so I searched and read and combed through this here blog to get as much insight into Suzanne as I could.

 

 

I sort of can’t believe that Christmas was only a week ago. I guess sitting around my house eating junk and avoiding all responsibility makes time pass faster than I thought. It also makes for a pretty boring week in iPhone photos.

Sunday:

Awesome baby gifts from Africa from Aunt Carolyn

Christmas Day nap happens before you even change out of your Christmas PJ's

The giant plate of cookies is approximately 2% of the total desserts at my friend Erin's open house

Monday:

I did NOT buy these at Nordstrom Rack...but I sort of regret it

Watching Toy Story again. Again. Again. Again. AGAIN.

Somone is a little skeptical of how curious George exactly is.

Tuesday:

What do you MEAN this is the only picture you took all day?

Wednesday:

I think he's judging my jumping jacks (which were admittedly pretty pathetic).

Sure, Mom, just GIVE me to random people at the store.

Sad post Christmas living room

Did you say we're getting CHEESE STICKS???

Thursday:

12 month well-baby is pissed about the shots

Friday:

Stole her brother's lunch and made a deli-meat MESS

Exhausted baby and her Christmas moose

Driving-thru for some pink eye medicine for one goopy-eyed toddler

Trying to trick me into letting her stay up with adorable PJ's and trains. It's working.

Saturday:

My new bathing suit is so awesome, I'm posting a picture of myself in it ON THE INTERNET.

Jeeze Lady, don't you know how unsafe this is???

EFFING DELICIOUS

The Lion King was kind of WAY scarier/sadder than I remembered, but Evan still liked it...sort of kind of.

 It’s the last iPhone week of 2011! These are pretty much the only posts I can be relied on to write so I hope you’re not sick of them yet. More adorable kids, stupid self portraits and shots of my daily life in 2012!

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

I might as well skip this considering how VERY VERY LATE it is, but 60 is such a nice even number I’m just going to go with it. Plus I don’t have the energy to recap all of last week with real words, so pictures and captions will have to do.

Sunday:

E entertained the kids while I considered dying from exhaustion, a sore throat and a cough

Wonderful surprise cup coozie from my friend @emilybilbrey

This is what packing and cleaning the house looks like when you're sick - Twitter & football

Monday:

Cookies for breakfast?! It must be someone's birthday!!

The kids LOVE my Understanding Exposure photography book

Even though we did NOTHING all day, she was happy to be ONE!

Tuesday:

Totally entranced by this stupid toy at the car repair place

This is in front of the post office, a few days before Christmas. Our town is kind of sad.

Wrapping ALL THE THINGS

Wednesday:

Woke the kids up at o'dark thirty to get on the road

Playing with his Aunt Carolyn, who lives in Africa so we NEVER see her

STILL. SO. SICK.

Thursday:

Jam and bread? Don't mind if I do!

I ate so many waffle fries I didn't even have room for a peppermint milkshake. TRAGIC.

Helping Carolyn pick out a new (old)(really really old) camera

Puking toddler landed us in the ER at 8 pm because the doctor was worried about dehydration. Thank goodness for Zofran.

Friday:

Vintage trains & Legos

Watcha doin' Caroline? Oh just hanging out.

Still recovering

Saturday:

Forced festiveness at Reston Town Center

At least WE liked ice skating

This is how you juggle two napless kids so your wife can chat with her friends

Santa came!

I think I am finally over my cold/respiratory infection and Little Evan hasn’t thrown up in a couple of days (although he did ask for medicine for his hurt tummy a couple times) so MAAAAAAYBE we will get to enjoy a few days of relaxing family time while E is off of work. Of course there are also a zillion decorations to put away, two fridges to clean, a mountain of laundry and way too many new toys to find homes for, so “relaxing” is a relative term. At least I can check my week in iPhone photos wrap up off my list!

And Merry Christmas! And Happy Christmas Eve! I am late and/or behind on everything, including cleaning up from Caroline’s birthday party. But because we’re in Virginia visiting my family I’ve managed to avoid all my housekeeping and cleaning and laundry and cooking responsibilities for the past week. It’s the best Christmas present a girl could ask for. Well, except for my awesome day-after-Christmas shopping trip to Nordstrom Rack where I scored my first pair of jeggings and some sweet ankle booties. Yep, I’m ridiculous.

As much fun as being here with my folks is, traveling at Christmas is a special kind of awful. I’ve been super sick and Little Evan started randomly throwing up so much we had to take him to the ER. Tomorrow we have to somehow get a zillion presents back in the car and battle the terrible I-95 traffic with two super tired kiddos just in time to take down ALL the Christmas decorations. At least I have a giant bag of half-price holiday candy and some cute pictures of the kids to comfort me.

Playing on MorMor's steps

2 and a half, going on 14

Someone didn't really care for ice skating

Maybe we'll try again next year

But he LOVED the Zamboni

Bundled up

Christmas morning!

Aunt Carolyn totally showed up Santa with the basketball hoop

Oh goody, more toys with balls that roll under the couch

Making us breakfast

Hugging her moose

A zillion new toys so of course she's playing with the plastic packaging

I hope your holidays were lovely and much healthier than ours were!

Considering how poorly our attempts to get the kids to sit with Santa ACTUALLY went, this picture is AMAZINGLY good.

Everyone’s looking at the camera! No one is actively sobbing, even if their face is still covered in the tears of a poor, abused child who was handed off to a strange fat guy. Little Evan is maybe even almost smiling!

So it wasn’t a perfectly magical visit…although the glowing ice rotunda where glitter snow floated gently down from the ceiling onto my delighted children was pretty magical.

I’m going to sit here and stare at the magic for a few more minutes, because then I get to go deal with a toddler who has started horking up his lunch! And his milk! All over himself! And on all the things! Christmas magic, indeed.