I need cheerleading

[ShannonCC]

Anyone else feeling totally overwhelmed and like they aren't going to make it for the holiday? (at least I realize I'm a lot better off timewise than the people who need something for Chanukah, :LOL!)

I just realized today that I'm doing it all. ALL! Usually I'm the one buying all the gifts, this year I'm the one making all the gifts. Is this a gender thing or just our family? And why don't I revolt? :LOL (because I honestly do enjoy it - I'm just getting a bit stressed here!)

Oh wait, scratch that. My dh is making *my* gift He's been sawing, cutting, power sanding, planing, and various other incredibly loud tool workings out in the gargage for a week now. I'm sure it will be great

But he's making ONE gift.

I'm making

microwave rice bags for his family (4 total - I have the fabric cut on all of them).

microwave rice eye bag for a friend of my family (not even cut yet)

crocheted scarves for his family (4 total - 2 are entirely done, 1 is 2/3 done and one not started yet)

baby dolls for our kids (1 is entirely stuffed and sewn the other is cut out and sewn but not stuffed yet - neither has clothing, a face or hair yet)

capes for our kids (both are completely cut out and need to just be hemmed (I'll just surge it) and fitted with a button and button hole)

a crocheted scarf for my dd (about 2/3 done)

bean bags for the kids (just need to be stuffed and then I have to find a target and that's done)

The problem is I need my darling, adorable, beloved children OUT OF THE HOUSE :LOL They were gone for a few hours this morning and I got stuff done but I had to hurridly pack up their gifts when they came back.

I can crochet around them and I find that the most enjoyable anyway so that's nice My dd doesn't know the one scarf is for her :LOL She keeps coveting it, heh heh

I'm not great at sewing though. In theory I like it but in practice my children are in danger of learning a lot of new words :LOL So I'd rather not do that around them but I guess I have to.

When boy-o wakes from his nap I'll have to see what I can do with the rice bags while dh attempts to run distraction (6 year old can be involved but the 2 year old is a wild animal )

It just seems like Christmas is sneaking up too fast this year! Ack!

Man, it sure is easier to go to Ye Olde Big Store and just buy stuff isn't it? :LOL

[GoodWillHunter]

Yep. It is... I've just looked on e-bay for everything... But, OTOH, I'm just looking at the kits I have and wondering if the elves from the fairy tale of the elves and the shoemaker are going to bail me out... :sheesh:

[KoalaMama]

I hear you! I'm always the one that does the majority of holiday shopping, and since I implemented the "home made gifts only" rule I get to do 100% of it! But while it would be easier to just shop for gifts, I take a great deal more pleasure in making them. So I don't complain (much), and try not to give myself a heart attack during the preparation. :LOL:

[blazfglori]

Go Shannon! Go Shannon! You can do it!

What a woman for having so many projects going on at once!
I can only handle one thing at a time or nothing gets done.
I actually had a wild hair last week and *thought* I could work on a knitted hat for my oldest son and cut out squares for a rag quilt at the same time *not literally, but you know what I mean * , but that didn't happen.
The squares are still uncut while I'm tackling finishing up the hat.
So much for multi-tasking for me. LOL! :

I got a chuckle from your description of your DH making "incredibly loud tool workings" in your garage.
Around here, loud isn't always better when it comes to my DH.

I can also identify with your 2-year-old being an "animal"...both my boys are.
It must be a guy-thing.
I've threatened 'em many times by saying I'm gonna tie 'em up by their toes and hang 'em from our loft.

[Kari_mom]

Go! You can do it! There is still time to get it all done! Maybe a late-nighter is in order!!! You will be so proud and happy on Christmas morning!!

Me, this is the point when I start buying the presents I already bought the supplies to make but ran out of time so everything is costing me twice as much. I think I will go make some Christmas cookies instead and eat too many. Though I think I can still kool-aid dye some scarves in time....:

[MamaMonica]

You can do it! But don't overdo it! I'd need to start in July to get all that done. I am stressed out knitting dh's Christmas present which has two rows left only because I knitted 5 hours yesterday.

One thing I realized: certain things I am more efficient at than others and can produce a good product in a short time. Knitting is NOT one of these. I need to leave lots of time if its going to get done- my boy is wild and steals my row counter and pulls the yarn off the needles.

I can make artwork quickly and fairly easily so I dumped most of my knitting projects and made stationery sets for everyone.

[ShannonCC]

Thanks

We're not doing the home made gifts on purpose. We're doing them cuz we're broke, :LOL I would have started a lot earlier if I had known we couldn't buy anything this year. But I do have to say I feel really good about the gifts I'm giving this Christmas. It feels good to make them, yk? And I had almost all the materials already in my various stashes, so that part was great I had to buy the rice for the bags and one skein of yarn and that was it.

Heh, I'm a multi-tasker because I can't concentrate on one thing for too long, :LOL I'm not saying it's a good thing, it's just the way I am

After I wrote the other post I filled all the rice bags and did a bunch more rows on my dd's scarf. It's coming along

And we scored more babysitting for tomorrow (I love living so close to family - it's great!). The kids get to go and be spoiled at their other Grandma's and I get to work on their gifts with no distraction. The only downside is the whining they do when it's time to come home :LOL

Lori - my dh is hard of hearing as it is. He says it's from print rooms but after hearing what came out of that shop today, I think it's wood working. He forgot to shut the door at one point and I couldn't think straight from all the noise!