The face on the bead is done in Sharpie (which is recommended not to use in the pattern but my acrylic painters pens were all dried up, and it didn’t bleed that much anyway). The hair is done in white craft paint.
I’m more a sewing person, so my standard craft supplies aren’t comprehensive and I didn’t have wooden beads, actually. The big department store I stopped at only had a huge tub for $13… I only need two big beads and two small beads so that was ridiculous. I tried the “Dollar” Store (everything is more than a dollar now) but no wooden beads. I hate to say it, but the Dollar General saved the day; had a smallish pack of wooden beads at a reasonable price. And they had the rhinestones (I likewise to do not have sequins and no local store had sequins in their craft section).
I’m starting a Christmas kit from stash! Mr. Imma is in bed so I had to stop sewing. My current Christmas ornament cross stitch project is a pattern I downloaded, and my computer is upstairs too. And I’m absolutely sick and tired of my current downstairs project (Miffy birth sampler, lots of white on white). Good excuses to start something new right?
I am a little bit annoyed right now, and it’s not completely fair but I do feel it’s a bit fair!
Mr Imma is neurodivergent and not good at remembering important dates and arranging things in time. Like gifts for birthdays or Christmas. It’s not like he doesn’t try at all, I’ve had a couple of really good gifts over the years, for birthdays instead of a physical gift we usually go out for dinner and he pays a lot of attention picking the restaurants. But some years he just can’t manage and I get nothing.
To make sure I get something under the tree, I always get a few little things for myself, too, and a few things for “us” (things like a kitchen tool we both want etc). He has requested that I stop doing that from now on, so I won’t buy for myself this year. He has asked me for a more detailed wish list, so I gave him a very detailed list. Since then I’ve been informed that candles aren’t a real gift I also included a few stocking stuffer - type things like “nice chocolate” and “nice tea”. Then he came back asking me what kind of chocolate and tea I like?
Mind you we met in 2012 and have lived together since 2014. He goes grocery shopping quite often. He always wants to sample my snacks and drinks. Just maybe, the stuff I buy is what I like?
I am trying to be patient because I know he is really trying and he feels bad for being so bad at special occasions and surprises. But I’m just bewildered how he doesn’t know these things. I know all about his favourite snacks, but also his favourite shampoo and laundry detergent…
6 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
1427
I understand your frustration. Some people just naturally are more observant and all sorts of details can be remembered and retained. I like remembering when someone said they like a particular thing I make or a wine I served, etc. It stays there for the future. I was always the gift buyer for Jim and me since I usually knew what people liked.
Jim has a different kind of memory. He can remember specific dates and events but not a lot of details from them. IF I can recall the day (not the date), I can almost see what people wore, drank, said,etc.
After nearly 50 years of marriage, I’m not even sure Jim knows the colors of my eyes unless he is pressed really hard, let alone other things. He knows my birthdate and those of my family, but has no clue what anyone would want. It’s not you…and putting two and two together also seems obvious to us (we are probably hyper observant), but Jim missed the connections often. It is like I can predict an outcome even before it happens just be “clues”…he is clueless. I have been buying my gifts for years. Does it still annoy me? Yep, but I certainly am not going to change myself or him, so it is more of a peaceful truce!
She’s done! Except for the ribbon/cord to make her a hanging ornament. (the orange she’s offering is actually orange irl; my phone doesn’t do well with red spectrum items.)
Yes, nice work! All those little details. The sharpie face looks good to me.
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
1431
Just gorgeous!! The little sequins are the perfect touch.
I made a few crochet stars for a little Christmas tree. I am not exactly concentrating on Christmas right now…we have a Thanksgiving feast for 16 in a few days and I am in semi-panic mode! My husband does 95% of the shopping and cooking, so I am doing the cleaning. My craft room is a disaster, so looks like “hide everything in a box in the guest room” time! ha ha
I forgot to post the three little Christmas treat ornaments I made! I have had this pattern for a very long time and just found them again while unpacking more boxes.
And @Immaculata, you’re definitely not alone. Mr jemimah is a wonderful man and happy to give me gifts - but he finds it next to impossible to go a shop and choose something for me. I have to tell him the exact thing. I can’t just say ‘earrings’ or ‘a tube of nice watercolour paint’, he will come home empty handed. So I usually choose my own gifts too.
I had a very nice surprise today Yesterday Mr Imma asked what my favourite chocolate was. As he does a lot of the grocery shopping I told him, any chocolate or snacks or tea on the shopping list that he doesn’t really like, are probably my favourites. It was a lightbulb moment. A bit later he asked if the ones I only buy for special occasions were my true favourites. So he had noticed a pattern, he just hadn’t connected the dots!
Today I came home and there was a gift for me. He couldn’t keep the secret so I got it right away, a box of Ferrero Rocher Which is indeed something I usually put on the shopping list around Christmas, but feels to fancy to buy regularly.
I think it was a little bit of an eye-opener for him that the foods he feels are “meh” , like any chocolate with fillings, I don’t buy them because it’s a “Christmas tradition”, but because I actually like them!
Good to hear we’re not the only ones struggling with this. I knew from the day we met that Mr. Imma is neurodivergent, and he had that gut feeling too, but getting formally diagnosed has helped him feel less guilty and bad about things like this. He knows he’s not a failure, but struggling, and is more open to asking for help. He’s actually a really good gift giver for his friends - he buys niche ambient records for them, or craft beer. Somehow my interests are just more difficult to understand even though we have lived in the same house for more than a decade. I do think women are often trained to be more aware of these things than men.
3 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
1434
aww–to me, it is when people who normally don’t do well with gifts and other social things, do something you don’t expect, it is much more meaningful! Enjoy your chocolates!
but my acrylic painters pens were all dried up, and it didn’t bleed that much anyway). The hair is done in white craft paint.
I also included a few stocking stuffer - type things like “nice chocolate” and “nice tea”. Then he came back asking me what kind of chocolate and tea I like?
Yesterday Mr Imma asked what my favourite chocolate was. As he does a lot of the grocery shopping I told him, any chocolate or snacks or tea on the shopping list that he doesn’t really like, are probably my favourites. It was a lightbulb moment. A bit later he asked if the ones I only buy for special occasions were my true favourites. So he had noticed a pattern, he just hadn’t connected the dots!
Which is indeed something I usually put on the shopping list around Christmas, but feels to fancy to buy regularly.