*Sigh*

Sigh...
I think that sentiment pretty much sums it up. After a whirlwind of celebrations with family, countless delicious meals, and hours passed watching the girls enjoy their new toys, we are rested and fulfilled.

The nearly two feet of beautiful snow we got last week was washed away by Christmas rain, leaving the neighborhood looking less than magical. The girls have noticed how ugly everything looks when the last mounds of snow that remain are gray from dirt, sand, and exhaust. But there's snow in the forecast, so we look forward to having our world covered with that glittery powder again.

We burned the midnight oil last week making gifts, fueled by our tight deadline. I'll be showing you those things, along with some items we received, over the next few days.

Today, I'm sharing this bunch of pencil rolls, personalized for each little recipient. The smaller kids got crayon rolls but this time I made the pockets taller, so they can graduate to having pencils when they've grown old enough to wield a sharp stick. (Felt Pencil Roll instructions are from The Creative Family, by Amanda Soule)

I can't say that the days of furious making are done for us yet. We have a 6-year-old's birthday on the heels of Christmas, so we'll continue crafting this week for our special girl. And once those projects are completed and gifted, I don't imagine we'll stop any of our creative endeavors—it's just what we do. It'll be a nice change of pace, though, to not have a time frame attached.