My side of the family does a Secret Santa gift exchange for the adults, which I love. This way no one goes broke trying to buy for everyone else or lose there mind trying to figure out what to get for whom. Lately some family members, as well as myself, have been making gifts. There are some in my family that I give something to anyway, despite being part of the gift exchange. Namely my mom and sister. I always send something to Grandma too. She isn't part of the exchange anyway, because she gives to everyone.
For the Secret Santa thing, we use this online site called Elfster. The site is awesome and makes it's easy peasy to get the Secret Santa thing squared away.
At any rate, I'm nearly done with the gifts. With dh's family we normally send gift cards - simple and yet useful it seems. This year though I'm going to make my sister-in-law a necklace. I haven't quite figured out we're doing for MIL yet. Then there is Nanny, dh's grandmother. She is sweet as pie and I felt awful not knowing what to do for her this year.
Last year I had a photo book made. Both Nanny and Grandpop thoroughly enjoyed it! Grandpop passed away this summer so now I wanted to do something that was, again, meaningful. Well, several months ago I had made our son's 3rd grade teacher and hanging memory quilt as a class gift.
Well, J sent some pictures to Nanny that included the photo quilt. Lately Nanny and J have been chatting on the phone more often - which I think is great. I really should make an effort to chat with her more. I just find it more comfortable to converse with her via a letter. I guess it's because she is not my Nanny so there isn't that familial history that comes with conversations with my own grandma (who I conversed with via webcam, thanks to my mom, on her Thanksgiving).
Nanny did ask J a question pertaining to needle craft hobbies. Since that is one of my passions, it gives me a point of interest to spark some conversation with her. It also turns out that every time she talks with J, she raves about the photo quilt. He mentioned this while he was cooking dinner (an awesome sheperd's pie Rachel Ray style) this evening and I was sweeping the kitchen floor. Remembering that it, suprisingly, only took me a week to make the memory quilt (and my first quilt ever!) - I suggested that I make one for her. Of course knowing full well I only have about 2-3 weeks to make this in time for Christmas. J jumped all over the idea.
So after putting the sewing machine into hibernation after the greuling task it did completing the kids Halloween costumes, I'll be taking it back out to make another memory quilt. I'm short on fabric though. Tonight I'll be figuring out the dimensions and making my shopping list. It's crunch time!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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