well, thanksgiving was an absolute joy, and i'll reference some pics once my busy husband posts them. i had a spatula, baster, spoon or fork in my hand nearly the entire weekend, so hubb took all the photos. my 20-pound monster turkey, who i lovingly named thor, was divine, and it still gracing us with delicious leftover mash-ups.

my family was wonderful, and i am so touched that they all decided to come out to spend the holiday with us in our new home. we had more fun than i ever expected shopping, playing games, cooking, and of course, eating. we also visited the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum, which was packed but enjoyable nonetheless.

once they left i needed something to keep myself busy in the evenings, so i began making some of my christmas gifts.

these little penguin ornaments will be for my cousins and sisters to represent their fast growing families, and the teddy bears will be for the kiddies.

this was my very first attempt at sewing a bear, and dispite his slight downs syndrome appearance, i think he is rather sweet. i made another one last night, with brown felt for his feet, inside ears and nose, and his little head looks much more proportional. i have 3 more bears to go, (#1 is a prototype and i'm keeping him!) and with my pink, blue, and wooden button eyes i'll be assigning them to my new little neices and nephews. i may even do a little monogram on the foot for each baby: carter, brenae, sophie and justin.

i'm getting more into the holiday spirit each day. yay for crafts!