I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, filled with time spent with family and friends.
If you’re like me, the excitement that began quietly filling the days leading up to Thanksgiving is now screaming and shouting…Christmas is coming faster than I sometimes think I can manage.
At times like this crafting for myself falls to the bottom of my to-do list. Instead I find myself scrambling to make all the those gifts that seemed like they’d be a simple project months ago…and now are literally keeping me up at night as I work my way through them.
I know many, many of you can relate.
What’s funny is I’ve never actually not gotten everything done. I’ve never not given someone a present because it was still in pieces on my craft table. I’ve never not decorated my house. I’ve never shown up empty handed to a party because my cookies were still baking in the oven.
Somehow we find a way to get it all done.
So this year I’m trying really hard to constantly remind myself of that.
Somehow I will get it all done.
We will have a decorated house.
I will finish everyone’s gifts and have them wrapped by Christmas.
We will bake cookies and eat them warm from the oven…even if it’s not until Christmas Eve.
And more importantly, any little things that don’t get done really aren’t that important.
What’s important is right here in front of me. I can’t miss it. I can’t miss them…my children and husband, my family and friends, and the love and laughter they surround me with every day.
Somehow all of this kind of suddenly made sense a few days ago when I saw my Cupcake Wrapper Wreath reposted on The Happiest Home. It’s a project and tutorial I made for them two winters ago, and I started by saying this:
As a stay-at-home mom / work-at-home craft blogger, crafting with my kids is what I do. In fact my job description would probably read something like this: create projects with the help of two assistants (currently ages 3 and 5), photograph said projects (afterwards, crop out smiling assistants from the background), then post project how-to’s and tutorials, while somehow keeping those same two assistants out of trouble.
Oh, and love every minute of it…because I do.
Two things to note here:
1. I know have THREE assistants, ages 7, 5, and 16 months.
2. I still love it. I just needed to be reminded of that.
I needed to be reminded of how lucky I am that I fill my days at work beside my children.
I’m not sure how much better my job description could get.
And especially right now, when “my assistants” are so filled with the magic of Christmas, their eyes shining with joy, their hearts and minds open to all the excitement that is coming in these next few weeks, I needed a little reminder to slow down and enjoy this.
Somehow everything will get done.
My wish to you this holiday season is this little post serves as a reminder to you, too.
Slow down and enjoy the magic.
Somehow it will all get done.
Enjoy,
Nikki, In Stitches
PS…I hear you. Finding time to squeeze in one more craft project right now seems impossible, but if you find yourself with a few extra minutes of quiet time (or time with your “assistants” for that matter!) take a peek here at the cupcake wrapper wreath tutorial. It’s “assistant friendly”!!
I here you Nikki. My grandkids had both basketball and hockey games over the weekend, and I have so many things I am trying to finish up. In the end they consumed most of the spare time, and it was so worth it. They are only 10 and 7 yrs once and I only get to enjoy them for a short time. Wish I could bottle them at this age. Christmas however will be back next year, so if I don’t get all the crafting and décor done this year I’ll put it on my to do list next. Who knows it might not be important in the least then. I would love to make one of these cute wreaths though, lol
Marijean,
I’m so happy you got to spend the day with your grandkids! I completely agree…if we don’t get to it this Christmas, it probably isn’t that important!
I hope you have a fabulous holiday!
XOXO