This morning we took the children into town to see the arrival of Sinterklaas on his steamboat. Nicky and Max are old enough to get pretty excited about this event - yesterday Nicky actually dressed up as one of Sinterklaas' helpers and insisted that we call him "Zwarte Piet Nicky" all evening long! This was the first year that it hasn't rained and/or been bitterly cold for the event. It was also the first year that all our kids could walk around on their own. And one of the few years that I haven't been pregnant during this time of year. Lots of firsts! It was a lot of fun for the kids and for Niek & I. The boys got lots of cookies and candies, which are handed out by the "Zwarte Pieten" helpers (one of our neighbors, an occassional babysitter, was dressed up as a Piet this year!) and Rowen just had a great time walking around at her own pace and making everyone behind her slow down to smell the roses.

When we got home, our other neighbor brought over a small packet that had arrived for me. It was my Christmas squares for the nursing home! That was fast shipping on the part of a very helpful eBay seller called pamelab7. Pam was absolutely super about getting me a good deal on these fat quarters and sending them out super-quick once she understood their purpose. Thanks Pam!

I flipped over to Isabelle's blog for a refresher on how to make the drawstring bags and got right to work! (The boys are out having their hair cut, and there truly is no time like the present!) Isabelle's directions were as clear as I remembered, and in remarkably quick time (for me) I had completed my first two "trial" bags. They turned out so well that there was no need to waste a fat quarter on mistakes. Thanks, Isabelle!



The only thing I didn't see were tips on coaxing your cord through the casing, but I remembered my Mom always used to put a safety pin on the end and just scoot that through to the end. Easy! I've used ribbon just to give an idea of how the bags look. I'll use cording with big wooden beads on the end (so the lady or gent who receives the bag won't constandly loose the ends inside the bag) for the final product. I'm going to make smaller bags so the recipient can easily carry his/her treasured items around in it. I remember my Grams liked to keep pennies and Life Savers in a little pouch she had when she was in a nursing home. I'll wrap any larger gifts seperately.

Thanks everyone for your help! In the background you can see a bit of my sewing machine, an ancient old beast from the V&D during the mid-60's. Of course you can also see all my sewing mess, too, but I was too impatient to take the time to clean up!