A New Christmas Tradition

What’d you get your family for Christmas this year?  This year, Eliot and I got my family a new Christmas morning tradition.  

I was pretty bummed back when I wasn’t sure if Disney would still be doing a Christmas morning parade show.  We’ve watched it every year Christmas morning since I can remember- except when I was 12 and we were physically in Walt Disney World for Christmas… and that stupid time a few years ago when we lost our power Christmas morning. (Yep, I’m still salty about that one.)

Before I knew that I’d still be able to go to my happy place Christmas morning, I decided to get something that we’d be able to use to make a new Christmas tradition, and so we could remember all of our magical trips, whether ABC had the Disney Christmas special on television or not.  Eliot and I have been keeping this secret for a few months now and I've been so excited about it!

Yesterday, we had Mom and Dad open it after we opened our stockings.  With the gift came a poem that I spent a few days drafting before it invoked the right feelings.  My Mom has written little poems like this in the past so it seemed like the perfect way to present the present.  It goes like this: 

"This is the gift that just keeps on giving.

Now every Christmas morning is like a mini Thanksgiving!

Memories of meals with our magical friends,

We’re always so sad when the cruise or trip ends.

But we can relive all the magic right here in our house, 

With waffles in the shape of our favorite mouse!"

Everyone enjoyed the gift.  Eliot helped me with the mix and then he manned the waffle station.  We all enjoyed the yummy waffles and they were a perfect addition.  

Now, every Christmas we’ll be able to eat Mickey waffles- shaped just like the ones at the parks and on the cruise ships.  I have no idea how many Mickey waffles I’ve eaten in my life, but these ones eaten at our family’s traditional Christmas morning breakfast are sure to be just as sweet as any that we’ve eaten before.

Merry Christmouse!!!  °o°

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!

While this one certainly looks different for many of us, Eliot and I are both so grateful that we were still able to travel up to my parents' house.  This has been a year full of uncertainty.  One of my biggest fears was that we wouldn't be able to go home for Christmas.  (It's haunted me for months now.)  Now that we're here, I'm so thankful.

However you're celebrating today, I hope you have a happy, healthy, safe and magical Christmas Day that's still filled with love, family and friends.  °o°

Fun Find: Toy Story Yule Log

Happy Christmas Eve!!!  It's a day early for one of my Fun Find Fridays.  However, since tomorrow is Christmas, I thought I'd share one today anyways. 

Today, I have a Disney Yule Log Video from D23 to share.  I've seen a bunch of these shared online on social media recently.  If you're looking for some ambiance with a little added Disney magic, this is perfect.  It features an hour long video of a relaxing Yule Log, but there are visits from a few familiar Toy Story faces.

I haven't watched the entire thing yet, but I'm looking forward to curling up on the couch next week when Eliot and I are back home.  Maybe I'll even read a book or take a cat nap while listening to the fire.  It sounds like a magical way to relax!  Enjoy!!!  °o° 

The Making of a 2020 Christmas Card

In true 2020 fashion, it's the 23rd of December and Eliot and I still haven't taken our Christmas card photo yet.  Ever since we moved to our new house back in 2015, I've struggled to get them out for one reason or another.  The biggest obstacle is that it's our small businesses' busiest time of the year.  Our #1 priority in December is getting orders out... and I'm ok with that.  It's not that I haven't tried to send out cards.  

Last year, we actually had photos from two trips to Walt Disney World and our Disney Christmas Cruises, but we were away for so much of December that I wasn't able to get them ordered in time.  The first year we moved into our house, I actually took the time to write out all of the cards and order the photos... then I ran out of time trying to address them.  (I still have all of those cards... but they're useless at this point because some were for friends who have had kids since then.)  It's always bothered me that I haven't sent them, but my heart was in the right place.

I swore that I'd get them done this year.  In fact, I was in good shape as I had been planning to use one of our Disney cruise photos from last year.  It seemed like the perfect plan.  They were finished, Christmas-y and I'd have them done early.  

Of course, that was all before the coronavirus struck.  After the year we've all put in, using those photos as our Christmas cards felt depressing and wrong.  The Disney cruise ships haven't welcomed guests aboard since March... and it'll be at least until next March before they do so again.  I couldn't go with my original idea.

Which brings me back to square one.  I've had a ton of ideas, and none of them really felt right.  After we finally were finishing up on orders last week, my creativity started to flow again and I had an idea.  I've had a few friends take special 2020 photos that have been pretty entertaining, and my idea was more along those lines.

Last night, I went into town to get a bunch of supplies.  Now, I've got everything that I need.  Eliot and I are going to take the photo at my parents' house this weekend since we'll have someone to take it.  And I've spent the afternoon today working on one of the pieces that required a little bit of DIY crafting.  It's been nice to work on it while Hallmark Christmas movies play in the background.

Instead of mailing cards out, we're going to do it digitally online like many of my friends have been doing this week.  It's not the same, but it feels like it'll work for 2020.  

Check back on Christmas Day when I plan to do the reveal!  °o° 

2021 Calendars... Hopefully

The new year is only 10 days away.  As the 2020 year is drawing to a close, I find myself looking forward to 2021 more each day.  (Aren't we all?)  What I'm not looking forward to, is that I'm still struggling to figure out how to fix my calendar conundrum.  

Honestly, I haven't so much as opened my blog email in months.  I'm ashamed to even admit that, but it's the truth.  For all I know, there could be important things in there, but it's taken a back seat.  I'm sure it's filled with email requests for my free printable 2021 calendars.  I haven't opened my email because I don't want to disappoint everyone.  I still don't have a solution to make the calendars... and I'm running out of time.

At this point, my only idea is to attempt to digitally copy and paste a calendar together using the ones that I've made in the past.  That will require tracking down each month by which day of the week that month starts on and then checking how many days are in that month.  (For example, I have a note started that tells me January 2021 starts on a Friday and has 31 days.)  That will probably take me hours and be a giant pain in the butt.  Still, with having calendars from 2013 to 2019, it might be possible.  However, I was really trying to make that my last resort since it's not going to be very pleasant.

Eliot thinks he might have one more way to attempt to get into the actual software to fix the design... so I have one last tiny shred of hope.  If it works, you can bet that I'll be making calendars for 2021, 2022 and probably 2023 while I'm at it.  Then, I know that I'll be all set for a while!  That would be such a wonderful feeling!

I guess what I'm saying is... please know that I'm working on it.  If you've emailed me and I've ignored you for months, I'm sincerely sorry.  I just haven't been able to handle that on top of everything else 2020 has dropped in my lap.  Hopefully, Eliot and I will find a way and we can start 2021 off on a happy note- with printable calendars!!!  °o°

'Tis the Season

Hello Friends!  I'm sorry that I haven't checked in for so long.  (I think September was the last time I updated you on our crazy life.)  As you can imagine, things here have been busy... 'tis the season, right?  The holiday season, from Halloween to the New Year's Day, is my favorite time of the year and it's always the busiest.  I always have to make sure I take a few moments to stop and appreciate the moment as we're in it.

Honestly, you haven't missed much.  For the most part, Eliot and I have been busy working on orders for Snowblade Creations and Happily Ever Hatter.  We sent out our last batch of holiday packages this past Saturday, and both of our shops are closed for the week so we can take the week off and enjoy the holidays.  It feels so good to have completed this momentous task!

Other than that, it's 2020, so things have been pretty chill overall.  However, Eliot and I have had some fun moments over the past few months.  We enjoyed our trip to the Disney Store before Massachusetts banned us from traveling there again.  We had a bunch of fun celebrating Halloween with our neighborhood.  Of course, we celebrated my 36th birthday!  Here's an overview of a few other fun moments you've missed.

Eliot and I did our civic duty and went to the polls on November 3rd to vote.  Like the rest of the country, we sat at the edge of our seat waiting for the election results to come in.  At times, it felt like slow torture... we were so relieved when it was over!

We had a few ridiculously warm days in November.  In fact, it was over 70 degrees on November 10th!  Eliot took that afternoon off and we went to Old Orchard Beach to have a picnic.  We picked up food from Amato's and went to the beach where we found an empty bench away from everyone.  We were there for at least an hour eating, relaxing, and enjoying the view and weather.  It was a nice moment before the winter.

Our outdoor Halloween decorations were taken down to make way for a few new Christmas ones.  We didn't put out that many Christmas decorations this year, but Eliot did finally buy himself a few of the little Christmas trees he's been eyeing for years.  He also finally made his little pond.  Unfortunately, our little white deer to go around the pond are buried behind things in the garage... maybe next year!

Eliot and I drove up to my parents' house for Thanksgiving where we enjoyed the holiday with my brother Jeremy, my parents and Nana.  It was definitely weird due to COVID, but we made the best of it.  During our Thanksgiving meal, the three of us "kids" sat at one table while Mom, Dad and Nana sat at another.  The rest of the time, we kept our masks on unless we were in the other room away from each other.  It was uncomfortable at times, but we wanted to do everything in our power to keep everyone safe.  It was well worth our efforts and the food was amazing!

We spent Black Friday relaxing at home for the most part.  Eliot and I found a few deals and sales online.  I bought things from some small shops that I was really excited about!  I also got a few deals on some new Disney clothing and accessories!

That Friday afternoon, we drove into Bar Harbor and took a walk along the pier and shore path.  I haven't walked it in a while so it was really nice.  It was slow going because I kept stopping to take photos.  Plus, Mom needed to rest every once in a while.  She walked quite a ways considering it's the first time she's walked that far in over a year!  After our walk, we drove around town a few times to enjoy the sights.

After our Bar Harbor adventure, we all drove up to Ellsworth to pick out a Christmas tree.  I can't remember the last time Jeremy and I helped pick out a tree for Mom and Dad's house, but it's been a while.  When we were little, we used to pick one out from the woods behind our house.  More recently, we've started to get them from local tree lots.  Eliot has never gone with us to pick one out, so that was a lot of fun to include him.  (Also, he's Jewish, so he's never picked out a tree from a lot period.  We've always had a fake one that we put together for our house.)  I ended up finding the perfect tree for where we're putting it this year... it's not too short but not too wide either.  Then, Eliot and Jeremy put it in the back of the truck and it came home with us!

The week after Thanksgiving, I had my final sewing class of the fall.  I've been pretty tight lipped about it on here, mostly for fear that I'd jinx us!  I was so disappointed when they had to cancel the spring class due to COVID.  It wasn't a sure thing, but we made it through all 8 classes without any hiccups!  I was happy with what I got done in the fall.  I worked more on my tote bags, cut a few pieces for more tote bags, and worked on a secret project!  I also finally cut into the first of my precious custom fabrics.

In December, I finally had a doctor's appointment.  I've been pushing it off, and it's been hard to make one with COVID, but I was finally able to get in for a new patient appointment with my new primary care physician.  Eliot and I will have the same doctor now.  The appointment went pretty smoothly, even though I had to go back a few days after for blood work.  I've never done that before and I was really nervous about it.  It was a little painful, but I made it through!  My arm was sore the entire afternoon, but thankfully we were ahead enough on orders that I could take the day off!

The weekend before this one, my Dad and Jeremy came to our house to help Eliot build some shelves in the basement.  (I should have taken before and after photos- although it's so dark down there that you wouldn't be able to see anyways!)  We knew we needed a better storage solution in the unfinished part of our basement, and these new shelves will definitely help!  We've got so much room for our holiday decorations now!  We just have to get some more lighting and we'll be in business!

Other than that, the only other big moments I can think of have been a few storms!  We had a wind storm a few weeks ago that knocked our power out for 16 hours.  Then, we had our first big Nor'easter storm last Thursday.  Eliot ended up taking the day off so we had time to work on orders.  We ended up with about 18 inches of snow so I'm glad he stayed home; plus, he had plenty of time to snow-blow the driveway!

It's definitely been busy even though we can't do too much due to COVID.  Eliot and I are hoping to have a bit of holiday fun this week.  Maybe we'll take a drive and look at Christmas lights?  We have a few items on our list that we need to purchase.  Then on Thursday, we are heading up to my parents' house for Christmas weekend!  My Mom told me that Daddy put out 21 inflatables by the road... so I'm excited to see that!

I'll be back with a Christmas update soon!  In the meantime, enjoy the holiday season, keep your spirits up, stay safe and continue looking for the everyday magic. °o°

Santa's Elves

We did it and I’m so proud of us!  I don’t know how since it’s always a blur, but Eliot and I mailed 26 packages last week and 33 packages this past week!  That’s 59 orders completed in two weeks!!!  I still can't believe it myself.  Now, I wish that I'd tracked how many we've shipped the weeks prior to that.  I know one thing... it's been a lot.

This year was a test of our faith and trust; it certainly required a bit of extra love and pixie dust.  For the first time ever, Eliot and I didn’t close our Etsy shops early to allow ourselves time to complete holiday orders.  It’s been a hard year and we wanted to keep our shops open for holiday orders as long as possible.

What people don’t always understand is that 3D printing takes a lot of time.  The 3D printers will only go as fast as they can and there’s nothing we can do but be at their mercy.  Sometimes they don’t want to work correctly; sometimes they need new parts and a little TLC.  Sometimes we lose our electricity during a storm and whatever was printing is ruined and we have to start all over.  (That happened a few weeks ago.)  A lot could go wrong at any moment.  Keeping both shops open was a giant leap of faith, and a decision that I’ve questioned every single day for the past month.

Somehow, someway, we did it.  Perseverance got us through.  Yesterday, Eliot took the last load of packages to the post office.  Saturday December 19th was the last day of guaranteed Christmas delivery for USPS packages shipped priority.  I'm extra proud of this stack because in it were mouse ears that weren't due to go out until the 23rd, 28th, January 1st and January 4th!  This pile of packages also contains three of our more complicated mouse ear designs that take extra time to print, paint and assemble.  We were so disciplined that we got them all out early!  I'm not sure if they were Christmas presents, but they're in the mail regardless!

The most exciting part is that getting all of this done was truly a gift to ourselves.  Eliot and I have temporarily closed Happily Ever Hatter and Snowblade Creations for our holiday break.  For the first time in a long while, we'll be taking the full week off to enjoy the season and soak up some holiday magic!

Eliot and I are so grateful to everyone who purchased from our small shops this holiday season.  It’s been a rough year but this definitely helped make up for it.  We’ve felt like Santa’s elves working on orders late into the night, but it’s been so rewarding each day that we have a pile of boxes to drop off at the post office!

Hopefully all of our packages find the way to their new homes so their new owners can open something magical and handmade with love on Christmas morning!!!  °o°