'you see the outside first'

After taking part in Oh Hello Friend's 'lovely package' exchange, I was persuaded to put much more effort into wrapping gifts and trying to make them look creative and pretty, as well as the contents. Here are some of the most recent results. As you can see I love brown paper bags and doilies and string.

Do you enjoy wrapping gifts? Do you like to watch people open them or do you get embarrassed? I love watching and seeing their (hopefully) happiness, but I also get nervous!

Back to wrapping -
love,
Cait

Birds

After seeing some birdcage inspired handmade ornaments, I was itching to try free-handing some birdcages on the sewing machine, much like Ruby (Cakies) does with her crowns and dollhouses. I had to come up with some final, nice gifts for one of the girls in my well group, so I jumped at the chance and made her a birdcage pillow, with a felted sparrow to match. Thankfully I think she liked it, and I was happy with how it turned out and want to experiment more.

The Christmas tea was this afternoon, and went reasonably well despite miscommunication and miscounting. We just hurriedly arranged a third pretty little table and fit all 25 in. Hospitality is about spontaneity too, right? In all the rush I didn't photograph the table beforehand, but I might write more about it later.
What are your last few days before Christmas filled with?

love,
Cait

The Christmas tea is Tuesday. The paper bunting is made, Kyleigh is crocheting 23 wreath ornaments, extra people have been invited, and I am considering chocolate macarons dipped in crushed peppermint. A good experiment? I think so. We hope the tea will be fun and a blessing to all the girlies that come.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And in fear and trembling stand
Ponder nothing earthly minded
For with blessing in His hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth
Our full homage to demand

this outfit

makes me happy.

The perfect shoes were found at Spring last week and I wore them all weekend. I've been in love with ruffled T-straps since February, and finally snatched them. (and you need ruffled flannel for good measure, don't you?)

Christmas is in one week. Dear me! Are you ready? I'm not. There are gifts to finish and a tea to put on and make decorations and presents for. But I'm ready for the cinnamon rolls, and fondu, and wassail, and family time, and watching White Christmas, and special times of worship.

Mary was probably younger than me - isn't that amazing? She is such a role model for me. Humble, willing, wise, strong, reverent.

with love;
Cait

He answers prayers faster than I can pray them.

Eph. 3:20

what a faithful God have I

A few Christmas gifts have gone in the mail, but I'm feeling a bit rushed for time by now! Particularly when hoping to make most of my gifts, less than two weeks isn't much time. Do you prefer to make gifts? Or do you try to buy handmade? It's difficult to buy handmade here, but I would like that.
The adorable wreath below is Rachel Denbow's, which I'd love to make. There are no wreath forms to be found here so perhaps I'll wrangle a wire hanger into shape.

love,
Cait

17 -- 50

I made a scrapbook page last year that has carried on into this year. It's 50 things I love, at the age of 17. Of course there is a new one for 18, but I'm being careful of what goes on it because the year isn't even half over yet ;) It's like a thankful list, and ranges from the heart to the silly, in no meaningful order whatsoever.


Do you make lists? Do you write down your own inspiration?

Stay thankful.
Love, Cait

1. owls
2. red shoes
3. painting
4. the book of Hebrews
5. scented candles
6. iced tea from Seattle's Best
7. thunderstorms
8. Sunny
9. bright red lipstick
10. 'Wives and Daughters'
11. Haggai 2:9
12. arab cafeteria juice
13. Alice in Wonderland
14. Spurgeon, Piper, & Washer
15. MAC
16. Vanessa Valencia - A Fanciful Twist
17. clouds
18. macarons
19. little Leif
20. the Fleet Foxes
21. Robert E. Lee & Jefferson Davis
22. The Desperate Battle of the Birds
23. graduating
24. Politically incorrect history
25. Faith, John, & Hope Neal
26. pretty textured paper
27. Rupert Brooke
28. Flying Emirates!
29. sandals
30. Being Alive - Bernadette Peters
31. embroidering flowers
32. writing letters
33. giving gifts
34. hairbows
35. hope chest things
36. driving =)
37. little girl cousin hugs
38. Arizona iced tea
39. sending (real) letters
40. OSAS
41. family reunions
42. heritage
43. soy candles
44. cousins.
45. carmel macchiato
46. Washington rain
47. Pike Place buskers
48. dresses
49. being content.
50. Zechariah 3:7

Soul

Welcome to sweet, pretty little Soul.
May she be a creative, motherly, godly woman like her mother Ruby.
Brave, True, and Soul. What a blessed family!

love,
Cait

P.S. #8 is checked off! Ice cream cake successfully made and devoured.

December

November's goals were -

Paint ideas that have been floating

Prepare majority of Christmas gifts.

Bake and cook for Thanksgiving

Plan Christmas tea and give out invitations

Prepare Christmas packages (well, I did do this...but it was in the first few days of December!)

Read the pile of articles in my room

Paint my hallway turquoise.

Work on quilts

Make autumn fabric bunting

Practice pipes. a lot.

Design, make and give out tea invitations (and I did make them...but I did that only yesterday!)
Get hair trimmed (in desperate need)
Have individual time with one of the well group girls

So the majority of things did get done. Still not ideal!

For December we'll say -

- Have Christmas tea
- Complete all gifts in timely manner
- Have time with out of town guests
- Cook for out of town guests
- Scrapbook with Candace
- Practice pipes more again.
- Memorize my new song; Care Selve
- Successfully make ice cream cake
- At least buy paint for my room (This keeps getting pushed back!)
- Finish '18 before 19' list.
- Finish current book
- Find new cute, practical shoes since mine are all falling apart

We'll see if that's too ambitious. I don't think so. But I must emphasize (should you think I'm terribly lazy and underachieving) that even though I'm a horrible list writer (even though I write them every day) much more than this actually gets done each day and month! I know you're all forgiving ;)

With love,
Cait

Nie Does it Again

I've often told you about Nie.

Well, amidst her motherly, funny, honest-to-goodness writings, she's just posted another of her 'letters', this time to National Geographic, which I think deserves reading and cheering.

(Here to see.)

My little Boy Scout brother had a court of honor this week that was quite exceptional. Firstly because it was an Eagle Court of Honor (one of his troop members becoming an eagle, a very auspicious occasion) and secondly because it was aboard an aircraft carrier. The USS Nimitz was in the Jebel Ali Dubai harbor, and allowed the Dubai troop onto the Navy ship for the event. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we were able to explore the ship and were given a presentation by two of the squadron lieutenants. (Nate had them sign his cast ;) It was unnerving and sobering, however, to see the women working on the carrier. A noble Navy can hardly function with honor in such a time.

We've put the tree up and are listening to Christmas music by now =)

with love,

Cait