homemade christmas

i've been a flurry of homemade gift activity.

i think part of it is that i fret that a jar, or two, of something handmade won't please my family. i think my friends will appreciate it, but my family—well i've known them since the age of rampant materialistic gift-giving so i haven't quite gotten it out of my mind that that is what they want.

so thursday night i put on some music and whipped up some:

• homemade peanut butter doggy treats for my fur-loving friends
• homemade playdough for my neice and nephew
• lavender-vanilla simple syrup

this weekend i'll have a few more items i want to make, as well as coming up with recipes and labels for the items i am giving away. i have a busy weekend of holiday social parties so i am not sure how i will fit it all in. its hard to want to do two such different activities at the same time.

if i had thought ahead of time, i would have kept track of everything i've spent. but given that i have enough items to gift dozens (yes, multiple!) of friends and family, i think i am still ahead of the game.