Days of Christmas Past

Our little Princess received a crown with earrings and a ring as part of her Christmas gifts. She also received a twirl and play Little Peoples castle.



Part of Jacks gifts included Legos, I don't know who was more excited him, or us. Chris and I love Legos. He also received "Horton Hears A Who" DVD.


What a wonderful holiday this has been. Chris and I took a different approach to Christmas this year. We have been planning for a whole year to not spend that much on Christmas gifts. So we limited the amount we planned on spending for the kids. Included with that was downsizing of things like Christmas cards. So I apologize to everyone who normally receives a card from us, we simply chose not to spend the money, it does not mean we don't still love you. It has been the best thing. There has not been the stress of overspending this year and simply enjoying the holiday. We are able to give a lot of things for free, and that is what we focused on. The absolute best part of this holiday, is that not one cent was put on a credit card. We put on Christmas without going into ANY debt. Not one little bit!! That has been the best present of it all. I think that is also why the stress has been non-existent.

A few things we enjoyed the last week or so:

DINNER WITH MY COUSINS
I reconnected with my cousin Brady, on Facebook recently, and we started talking, he suggested that we get together for dinner. My parents were coming into town and everyone could see everyone. We got together at my cousin Jamie's house in Clearfield and had pizza. It was so much fun, it has been about 15-16 years since we have really spoken with all of them, It was fun to meet everyones children and husbands and just catch up. The funny part, is that only our parents remember how we are related, none of us kids can ever remember. Basically, it is My Grandma - Elizabeth Stevenson Jones, and their Great-Grandpa - Something or other Stevenson who are brother and sister. My Great-Grandparents and their Great-Great-Grandparents are the same people. That is not confusing at all, is it? Thank you Tubbs family for your hospitality, I enjoyed catching up.

CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER
We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, we held it at my sister Danci's house this year. It was a good dinner. We are very casual people and do paper plates, and buffet style dinner. We aren't out to impress anyone, we just want to socialize and by making it easy we can do more socializing. Then because all of us were together we swapped gifts between the siblings and then gave the sibling gift to our parents. I was a little dissappointed in what happened to my parents gift. As part of the gift we ordered them a photo calendar with all the children and grandchildrens pictures in it. They sent my order to Connecticut, and gave me someone from Connecticuts order, so they had to reorder it, and it didn't come in time. To top it off, they reordered the wrong calendar, so they have to reorder it for a third time. Don't worry, I put up enough fuss and had it refunded. But now I will have to mail the correct one to my parents when it finally shows up. Let's hope this is the last time.
We have started a new tradition about a few years ago. My mom sewed all the costumes, and we dress up our kids as figures in the nativity. This year Jack as one of the three wise men, and Audrey was an angel. We have someone read the narration of the nativity and we all join in by singing songs along with it. It is fun to watch the kids either participate how the story says or participate in their own way like Audrey who was just running around and falling on the ground. Jack did well this year and beside some absent-minded costume fussing did really well.
Anyway, it was good to be with my family minus one sister in Oregon, she called and we all talked to her, we always miss her when she is not with us. Katie, the one in Oregon, is a very generous person, she loves her family very much and shows it in any way she can. Well she sure showed us how much she loves us by her present this year. I will leave it at that.
Katie I love you too.

MY PARENTS
Christmas day was a lot of fun, but the best part was when my parents came to stay for three nights From Saturday to Tuesday morning. We met them in Salt Lake on Saturday because they wanted to go to lunch at L&L's Hawaiian BBQ. My mother was in heaven, My Dad kept saying he needed to ordered one of everything to take with him. L&L's is my favorite restaurant as well, so it was fun that it was enjoyed by them as much as I enjoy it. We spent the rest of the day shopping around Salt Lake, and my Dad bought Jack some new shoes, which he needed desperately!
My parents also bought a few other things for us, and I just cannot express the gratitude I have for my parents. I love them so much. I miss them as well. It is nice to know that as I go through life pretending to be an adult, that I have people with more experience and know-how then I do to ask for advice and know-how with things. It is good that their are people out there who love your kids as much as you do. I want to spoil my kids, but I am the mother so I know I shouldn't, plus I can't afford. It is so cool that they do the spoiling, plus it is just as much fun for me to enjoy what they get so in a way I get spoiled as well. I also love that my husband loves them. Chris has said before he can't relate with the typical "in-law" jokes, because he gets along so well with my parents. My Dad and Chris are so similar it is scary. They are best friends, and I love it.

I have had the best holiday I can remember in the last few years. I am thoroughly exhausted by it all. Chris will work on New Years Eve and New Years Day, and that is fine by me. I will put the decorations away, and get ready for the next big event in our life - Jack's 5th Birthday. I am thankful for all the precious time I had with my family and new memories made.

100 Thing I May or May Not Have Done - Have You?

Jack playing in the snow - December 2008 I love his eyes in this picture, you can tell he is smiling. So Cute!!


My little, purple, snow fairy - How pretty does she look with the purple against the snow. December 2008.

Tagged...bold the ones you have done...

1. Started your own blog - Of Course, you are reading it.
2. Slept under the stars - I was raised at a boy scout camp every summer in the mountains, I may have slept under the stars more than not.
3. Played in a band - Does Rockband count?
4. Visited Hawaii - Lived there for awhile.
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland - Only once, I will probably only go one more time in my life, so my kids can experience it, it is fun, but I would prefer to go the ocean instead.
8. Climbed a mountain - Again, the scout camp, it was in the mountains, so yes, of course I did, like every day.
9. Held a Praying Mantis - When I was a kid.
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Yes, all the time. Currently its Swedish Weaving.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - Yes, and puked everything up in me, and had to have an IV to rehydrate my body. Worst thing EVER!!
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - Just some tomatoes and strawberries, more to come this summer.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
20. Slept on a train - Traveling through England.
21. Had a pillow fight - Still do it with my husband and kids.
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort - The best ones ever made, we could have sold them on the Real Estate Market.
25. Held a lamb - At Old McDonalds Farm in Rapid City, South Dakota.
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse - I think I was a kid, but I do remember seeing one.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - Sunset, over the Pacific ocean. Beautiful!!
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - England!! Yes, I have.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - Quite a bit in High School, and Scout camp.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - every chance I get, I love it!!
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - a few times, though it has been years since the last time.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Hawaii!!
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted - yes, by those silly caricature artists that draw your head really big, I did not like the picture and threw it away.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - every chance I get, I did it all the time in Hawaii.
52. Kissed in the rain - My husband is from England, it rains there a lot, kissing wouldn't happen if you waited for the rain to stop.
53. Played in the mud - That was my childhood.

54. Gone to a drive-in theater - a few times

55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen - an opportunity provided through my ward.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching - by accident on a catamaran in Hawaii, we could see some through binoculars.
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or Plasma - Only once, enough to realize I don't handle it too well.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check -Yes, hee hee!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - my kids now play with them.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar -just tasted, only once.
72. Tied a quilt - Several!
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - as many times as I have been to England I have only seen this once!
77. Broken a Bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - once or twice most memorably with my husband, dad, and brother during the Olympics.
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox - when I was about 10.
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Jackie Chan, at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, got our picture with him.
92. Joined a book club - just recently, we will begin "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis soon.
93. Lost a loved one - Unfortunately
94. Had a baby - 2 have been able to make it into the world.
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - I remember the salt drying on my skin and the horrible smell.
97. Been involved in a law suitt
98. Owned a cell phone - Currently a Motorola Razr
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

This is fun, do it if you feel like it.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

President Uchtdorf and the Tooele 8th Ward Young Men and Young Women

I got it!! My hubby was able to get the picture off my phone for me. So read the previous post and it will tell more of this photo.

The Young Men and Young Women went to temple square to see the lights for mutual last week. And we ran into President Uchtdorf, he was awesome and took time to have a picture with us.

Front Row - Left to Right
Tyler Thompson, Toby Tomboc, Kylie Crane, Abree ,

Back Row - Left to Right
David Giles, President Uchtdorf, Bryant Chevalier, Casadee Tomboc, Kaycee Tomboc

I absolutely love President Uchtdorf, the man speaks in a way that absolutely gets to me. His talk that was given during the Relief Society General Session this past October conference, was what I needed. It encouraged me and gave me hope and direction to survive some things in my life. I know he is an Apostle of Heavenly Father, and I am grateful for the small chance I had to have been in his presence.

Thank you for your time President Uchtdorf.

My Boy Jack!

What would I do without my boy! I just have to remember tonite, I had a good day - but night times I get quick tempered. I have spent maybe 4 hours with my husband since Sunday, and I am at my limit right now. Well, Jack has been a good boy all day long, he was quiet while Audrey was sleeping, he stopped whining when I wouldn't give him another snack. He has been good. Tonight, Audrey and Jack both got sent to their room for fighting - Audrey started it, but Jack reacted badly - but he wasn't really the one in trouble. I just needed him away for a minute as I composed myself. When he was allowed back out of his room, he came out all happy because he had retrieved for himself a game from the top of his closet. My thought was "Whatever." But then I went into his room and found the clothing bar in his closet snapped in half and all his clothes and a bunch of our winter coats on the floor. The dog sleeps in his closet (it does not have a door), and everything fell in the dog hair. It was the first time in a while that I have had to actually remove myself from the situation and lock myself in my room to calm down. Audrey did not like this and screamed hysterically the whole time I was in there. Needless to say it wasn't long, because Audrey was in a frenzy because of this. But it was long enough to calm down - somewhat. Jack felt so bad he had done wrong that he was on his best behavior, which had been exemplary all day long anyway. He apologized and did as he was told and cleaned it up without another incident. Meanwhile, Audrey who had been causing problems all day took off into the kitchen while I was helping Jack, stripped off all of her clothing including the diaper, climbed the kitchen drawers onto the counter and started throwing everything on the counter off. I had some preschool stuff up there leftover for today, and some for next week; a vase of pens, and random other things. I lost my cool again!! Put her in her room, and went back to clean up. After I cleaned up I just flopped myself down on the floor and sighed. Then, that sweet boy of mine, timidly came over and from the back of me, put his arms around my neck, and said into my ear: "Mom, I am so sorry that happened to you, You are a good Mom!" Ah! How sweet is that? I replied: "Jack, I am blessed to be your mommy, you are a good kid." He just smiled, then the innocence was gone and he was back to being silly again, and as I was hugging him, he accidentally elbowed me in the cheek! Ouch! 'nother Sigh!
Its the small moments I have to dwell on, because it makes the craziness bearable. I love my boy, and I am so glad that he understands compassion. Even at 4 years of age. What a kid, I love him so much. I am grateful he can positively respond when he sees I am having a hard time.
I love Audrey as well, she is such a stinker. We had mutual last night and we went to see the lights on Temple Square. While we were on the way, one of my young women, Kaycee Tomboc was in my car and we were all talking. She says to me: "Sister Unsworth, I have decided that Audrey is very independant." I replied: "What makes you say that?" Her answer: "Well, on Sunday after church, your husband picked her up from nursery, then lost track of her somehow, I watched her pull a chair from the gym out into the hallway, climb up the chair and get herself a drink of water. After the drink I offered to put the chair away for her, and she wouldn't let me." I just laughed at this, yeah, she's independant alright.
Speaking of Mutual, I met President Uchtdorf. Wow!!! We had just finished watching the narration of the nativity on temple square and right next to us, was President Uchtdorf's family. he was speaking to them in German. I looked up and went "Ah! its President Uchtdorf," then everyone turned around. I tell you, its better than meeting a rock star! Me and my loud mouth, people then starting flocking to them, and I was able to get a picture of our YM and YW with him, it was so cool. They - as in our head church figures - are so nonchalant, but when attention is drawn to themselves, the are so gracious, and patient. I know he had family there with him, and I am sure he had a million things to do, but how amazing is it, that he took time , even 3 minutes, to converse with us. I have the best calling in the world, because I wouldn't be in these places to meet these people if I wasn't in this calling. I love it!!
If anyone knows how to actually retrieve the picture from my phone to put on my computer, so I can print it, please let me know. I seem to be ignorant in this field.

Pictures of Crazy Sisters in Las Vegas

O.K. Here are the long awaited pictures of my trip to Las Vegas. To read about my trip see the previous post.

This is my nephew Jonas, Danci my older sisters youngest baby. He's 7 months old, we had a pit stop on the way down to Vegas. I was holding him while the others took a break and found these cowboy hats and we had fun dressing him up. What a cutie!


On Tuesday after the Mona Vie meeting we hit Fremont Street, we caught the last showing of the night. I love the lights of Las Vegas, it brings back so many memories of High School.


I don't know why this picture came out so small, but we saw the M&M men outside the M&M factory and of course we have to have our pictures taken, mostly for my kids.


We saw this 'Gold Man' street performer in a parking lot, My oldest nephew Parker, Katie, my youngest sisters, oldest boy loves Gold. So she got excited about this guy for him, then we all had to take a turn getting our pictures.


OK, so we hit a silly streak and were just being goof balls. Do you see the naked lady, I don't, and Danci is embarrassed by it! What a Scandal!! (Hee Hee!)


My Vegas Posse: Katie - The Younger Sister; Danci - The Older Sister; and Jonas - The Tag Along. He was fun to have, he was an absolute angel, and did not mind in the slightest being toted around the city.


This is how we spent most of the trip, just being silly!!


This is Danci trying to rid Vegas of some of it nudity! Good for you Sweetie!


This is me proving that so much nudity can turn people insane!!


Me doing what I would do if I met the real Nicholas Cage, What a Hottie, even if he is made out of wax!


A nice picture outside the Coca-Cola Factory, we got very few pictures together and a nice old man offered to take this for us. I like this picture.

VEGAS BABY!!!

All right, here is the report on my trip to Las Vegas!

Pictures are on their way. Once we were in Vegas I realized that I brought my camera, but forgot the memory card. So I am waiting for my sisters to get them to me, and one of them is being very forgetful. I am tired of waiting so here in my post without the pictures, although they will be coming. So you get double the excitement!

I had so much fun with my sisters, and I want to document this. So fair warning, this is going to be a long post.

Where to start, "THE WHY" we went to Las Vegas
about a month ago, my little sister Katie, called me, and in very confusing words asked me if I would like to go to Vegas. She needed to clarify things for me a bit, and of course I said I was game. Her husband and family work with Mona Vie, and her husband wanted her to attend a meeting/conference in Las Vegas. She said she wasn't going to go to Las Vegas unless she could see her sisters. So we worked it out to go to the meeting with her. Thanks to our husbands being willing to take time from work, and let us spend all their money. We went on Monday, December 1st, my 31st birthday, through Wednesday, December 3rd. It was driving a lot, but all we want to ever do anyway is to talk without interruption. So who cares where exactly we do that?

"THE DRIVE" down to Vegas and back.
Have you ever heard of the 'Ungame?' It is a game I discovered about a year ago and fell in love with. It is a conversation game. Basically, you take a card from the stack and read it out loud, then answer it. You interpret the question how you choose and answer. Others playing the game are not allowed to comment or laugh. They are only allowed to listen. The questions can be superficial, or really deep, depending on what version of the game you have. We changed the rules a bit, and read aloud one card, then went around the car and all answered the same question. After a few superficial cards that said things like "Say something about poetry," We decided we wanted to get deeper. We got into cards like "Say something about spiritual values" or "Talk about How Children Today Are Raised" The answers that we shared were incredible. I got to know my sisters on an even deeper level. I love them even more for the answers and opinions that were shared. It is incredible, how three women raised in the same household, had such different experiences. And now that we are adults, can have such similar lives living separately from each other. Taking both 7 hours down and 7 hours back home. We spent 14 hours sharing such deep and incredible things with each other. There was both happy tears and sad tears. Tears in general, we got Katie going first, which is to be expected she cries at everything. Second was me, and finally we got Danci. I loved hearing our testimonies born to each other. I love knowing they have the same passion about the gospel as I do. We talked ourselves hoarse. Thursday was our Recovery day, and we all felt it in our throat.

The "MONDAY NIGHT DINNER" story
So we arrived at our hotel, at about 7:00, and were starving. We set off to find a place to eat. We wanted something quick and easy, so we were not looking for a real fancy place. We settled on a place called "J&J's Boulangerie" It was a pizzeria, salad, and sandwich place. Perfect! Katie and I went with just pizza, which Katie picked all the toppings off and had basically bread, sauce, and cheese. (You know I love you - Picky eater!) But Danci, doesn't intentionally be picky. She is nursing her baby still who has an extreme milk allergy. Yes, he will grow out of it, but he is only 7 months old, so it is an big problem right now. He responds negatively to all dairy he receives from her as well. So dairy is out for Danci. Danci decided to get a salad in which she was able to remove the cheese. She took about 3 bites of it, and was disgusted. The eggs were terrible. The salad was limp, and the vegetables not tasty. She debated about whether or not to try to return it, because she just couldn't eat it. I encouraged her to return it, and volunteered to go with her. Well, the lady we originally tried to return it to was just an idiot. I couldn't even understand her, the way she spoke. We finally asked for a manager, and he came out with his guard up already. And just broke into accusing us. He kept saying that the salad was almost gone, and would not stop talking to hear even hear two words out of us. Danci kept her cool a lot longer than I did. We were both trying to reason with the obstinate man, but were getting nowhere. I finally lost it, then yelled over him "Do not tell me this salad is gone, I can see it right here, she had three bites out of it." He became even more irate and so did I. We ended the confrontation with me saying very loudly: "You have a crap salad, and a crap restuarant, and you have successfully created two unhappy customers." Then we threw the salad in the garbage right next to him, and walked out.
So you might be thinking, it was wrong of us to return the salad in the first place. But Danci has this allergy that is a problem for her, and the salad was crap. She is not able to replace the salad with just anything because she can't have the mayonnaise or cheese, even the bread that comes on pizza and sandwiches she can't handle. Plus, just don't piss me and my sisters off, we are trouble individually, but together we are absolutely lethal! My point - if you happen to be in Las Vegas, in the shops between Bally's and the Paris do not go to J&J's Boulangerie. It sucks!

The "TUESDAY NIGHT DINNER" Story
We were shopping at the M&M Store, when Katie got a call. I don't know how it transpired, but the guy who is her husbands 'upline' within Mona Vie wanted to take us to dinner. They decided on a very nice buffet place, called Le Village Buffet also in the Paris. He brought a couple people with him and including us there were 6 adults, plus baby Jonas. We paid and were waiting to be seated, Danci, Katie, and I had no problem waiting, but the guy who paid, obviously did. After we were seated he complained to a manager, and the manager tried to make it all nice. The manager then gave us two plates piled high with King Crab legs. Whaaaaa! Crab is my favorite!! Every year for my birthday I request my annual crab dinner. I didn't think I would get it this year because I was going to Vegas. That absolutely made my night. I told my sister, that if I fell into a crab coma, to just make sure I made it back to our hotel room.
The funny part of this story is, is that I was the only one on the table who had such a passion for crab. The others didn't even know how to eat it. I am sitting at the table with people who make about $500,000 a year. Half-Milllionaires basically. Who live in L.A., and have fresh seafood at any time. My only problem is that I eat crab with no inhibitions. I dig in and thoroughly enjoy myself. The others including my sisters, timidly grab a leg and start tasting. One guy, named Curtis was sitting across from me and asked me to teach him how to eat the crab. I basically said this: "I know how to eat and enjoy crab, I just don't know how to do it with utensils, so this is what I do." I then showed him how to break the leg, get the meat out and of course reminded him not to forget the knuckles, which is the best part. Curtis was game for my 'manners-less' way to eat, and dug in with me. Then the whole table got in on the action. I spent the better part of an hour, teaching everyone how to eat crab. It was so much fun. As you probably know, I am a big dessert fan, but I totally forgot about dessert and ate as much crab as I possibly could. I was thought these rich people were cool, for being game with how I went about eating. YUM!

The term "SECOND HAND DRINKING" story
We stayed out until 2:00 in the morning on Tuesday. We decided to go to the Fremont Street Experience after Katies meeting. The show on Fremont, was awful. I have seen some amazing shows there, but this was just barely clothed women, dancing to bad music. I was disappointed. When we finally made our way back to the hotel, we were so exhausted, and completely slap-happy. Slap-Happy includes us laughing hysterically at the smallest things, and not completely understanding conversations. We arrived at the hotel, but parked in a different place so were not completely sure what level we needed to be on to get back to our room. At one point, after going up and down the elevator a hundred times, I was pretty sure we had the right level. I slowly got off the elevator and looked down the hallway, Danci and Katie stood there like wax statues. The next thing I know the elevator doors closed and left me alone in the hallway, while those two went to who knows where. Now remember, the term exhausted doesn't come close to how tired we actually were. I had no idea what to do, so I started banging on the elevator doors, and calling for them. Then I realized I should probably hit the button, soon enough I could hear it coming back and I started laughing so hard. I was laughing so hard with my entire body. I was bent over at the waist, stomping my foot on the ground, crying, and laughing so hard I couldn't breath. The funny part about this was, when the elevator doors finally opened again, we were all in the exact same position laughing that way. And when we saw each other doing it all the same, it made us laugh even harder, if that was even possible. We call this position the "Bethel Indian Dance." For those of you who don't know, "Bethel" is our maiden name.
The next morning we had confused ourselves so much the night before, that we couldn't find the car to leave. We had to be up and on our way by 9:00, to be able to make Katies flight back in Salt Lake. So going to bed late, then getting up early we weren't any better off than the night before. Again we went up and down elevators looking for our car, this time with all our luggage. Finally, we stopped at the end of a set of stairs, while Danci ran up to find our car. While she was gone, Katie and I continued to laugh and be crazy. An employee was out on a break, and overheard that we were having troubles. She came over to us, and started asking us questions like "Do you remember getting off an elevator?" or "Are you sure this is the right hotel?" Questions one might ask a person who has a complete hangover. This again set us off laughing as we joked that even though we are not drunk, there is enough people here who are, and that the alcohol must be seeping through their pores, and in turn intoxicating us. Therefore, "Second Hand Drinking." So, No, we never drank alcohol, but we were intoxicated with laughter and good company nontheless.

We talked, laughed, and cried so much. We are already planning the next sisters trip. We did some sightseeing, a lot of shopping, but the only thing we wanted to do was be together. And that is what we did. I love you Danci and Katie. I had a lot of fun.

Domestic Goddess

Check me out I can sew!

So our ward had a sewing class, and made Christmas Stockings. It was the absolute hardest thing I have done in a long time. I think it would have been easier if I had a better machine. I was able to learn well enough that day to make one, then I came home and did the other three and the nametags all by myself. I did not make the dog one, that is store bought. I prefer to have uniform stockings. That is how I was raised so I like it better. This is the first year that we have all had new, matching stockings. I love my little Stocking hook since we don't have a fire place. Yea! for me.