Christmas mess and craft ~ with love, the Muellers

handmade scrappy bookmarks

taking a rest in my sewing stash

lavender sachets

The Nativity ~ by Gunnar

scrappy bookmark making

boy gift wrapping by foot

mixed nuts in the shell available with cobble stones for little hands to crack them open

~ lots of shells around these days

homemade cereal box gift tags

I wish I could give anyone reading this blog and praying for my family some of our homemade gifts but I can give you this note to share with you the goings on around here. I do truly love this time of year. I love the crafting, creating energy that goes on around here. Mostly motivated and prepared by moi. I don't know what I would do if the littles did not want to join in...although, it gets messy. That is the part that I don't really enjoy..If I am totally honest here. With each child, with each passing year, it gets easier but I have seen other mamas handle the messes so much more gracefully. Maybe I get more worn down, maybe I just begin to ignore the crumbs, paper bits and beads and glitter on the floor. It just becomes part of the house eventually. Maybe it is the payoff. Wonderful things created by my own and my children's own precious, curious little fumbly hands. Yes. That is the reason for it. I want that happening in my home no matter the cost of mess. I want it to happen more and will endeavor to create more opportunities for it.

I know I am not unlike any other "Elf" mama (or daddy) this time of year. The cooking, cleaning (seriously?...the swipe of this and that as I go is more like it), diapering and toy messes galore are there as usual but add to that more crafting than usual and gift wrapping and you have an entire home school with just all that on its own! Especially with the under 7 age set. At least we can cuddle up and read some favorite winter and Christmas storybooks too.

Some favorite ideas gleaned from the web are lavender/herbal sachets, scrappy bookmarks, peppermint lip balm (coming soon), and some knitting which I think I will post after Christmas. I want these things and other homemade ideas as they come, to be regular Christmas time traditions. Things that we want to do each year that never get old..well, while the children are young at least. Or maybe they would miss if I stopped? Kind of like if I stopped hugging and kissing my oldest boy....he acts like it is yucky but I know, he would just be hurt if I stopped. I want things we can be excited about making, wrapping and gifting to our friends and family and doing together. I can get so busy in making, buying, creating for my own that I have to take time to teach them to give as well and it is no small task. It does take lots of patience on my part but that would be another entire post on that subject alone. Children are a blessing and my own test me daily in a good way.

This time of year has a special caveat. Daddy is home and healing and mostly, he is home and we are together a lot...I like it this way. We are all well and together. We are all healthy and ready to celebrate again this year the timeless reality of our Saviour. The one gift that never gets worn out, never gets lost, never gets old, we never outgrow and it never disappoints or ever lets us go. (thank you Cornelia for that reminder)

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you can rest in these words:

"I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." ~John 10:28

Merry Christmas!!