I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! God bless you!
I thought it was too late in the season to revisit our Snowman in a Bottle craft, but the Snowpocalypse has changed my mind.
From December 14, 2006:
These bottle snowmen were quite easy to make. I got the idea while I was washing the bottles (which formerly contained coffee drinks - I try to reuse such things whenever I can) and thought the metal lids looked very much akin to snowmen hats. After washing the bottles and removing the labels, I used a black Sharpie to "paint" the lids black. The kiddies and I filled the bottles with Poly-Fil for snow and used dots of Tacky glue and beads to make the faces. Bits and scraps of yarn, fabric, ribbon, and cord were used for the ties, scarves, and hats. Each snowman represents a family member.
I know it's a bit late in the season to think of snowmen, but I wanted to show you this adorable miniature that D made for me. He's only 1 3/4 inches tall!
I asked her to make him look like a traditional snowman and she did. However, this little guy is made of polymer clay and toothpicks and he's been baked in the oven so I can keep him forever. No melting in the sun for this snowman.
Look at that long carrot nose. What a schnoz!
I'm very lucky to have such a talented and accommodating daughter.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. We managed to have a good holiday (as you can see from the children's glee shown above) despite illnesses and a death in the family.
If you follow my Twitter, you already know that my husband's last grandparent passed away right before Christmas. This is the same grandmother who gave me so many craft materials over the years, including the plastic canvas S used recently. After her death, all of her crochet yarn and metal hooks were brought to me, as she had requested. I also have many other items she had given to me over the years. I feel honored to have so many of her treasured things about me and I'm happy that she is once again at the side of her beloved husband who passed nine years ago.
Between her death and my brain surgery, I seem to have been slapped with the truth that we are all here for but a moment. It's not that I didn't take death seriously already, it's just that death is brushing too closely by me lately.
The night she passed away, H and I were sorrowful. We had not visited her as much as we should have. But while it's true that we should have made more time for her, I knew that we had always brought her a lot of joy and had worked hard to give her a close relationship with two of her eleven great-grandchildren.
Sometimes your best is not all it should be, just all it could be.
A post like this usually ends with a plea to spend more time with those you love, but I won't tell you that. Until Death comes riding down your street, such platitudes are empty. I will tell you, though, that regrets are many and days are few. Too many die with "I wish.." on their lips, but Carmen died with joy. I hope when my time comes that I do too.
I hope you all had a cheery Christmas. Here is the lovely tree we had this year. I can say it was lovely because it was designed and decorated by my daughter. She picked through our ornaments and found ones that fit her theme. She even has a theme picked out for next year's tree.
Here is the artist with her tree:
She begged to have her picture taken while she was in her favorite costume: real fatigues purchased from Goodwill. If your child loves dress-up, you should always visit thrift stores to find wonderful outfits.
Meanwhile, I think D did a great job playing interior decorator and I hesitate to put away my tree this year.
The children have been with their grandparents this week and the house is very peaceful. I find myself reciting aloud that Yeats poem: "...And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow..."
Long ago, I was invited to a Catholic church and all who remained after the Mass were to be anointed by a visiting priest. I stayed. As the elderly priest rubbed scented oil in the sign of the cross on my forehead, he asked what blessing I asked of God. I froze, unsure, but out of the depth of my heart I blurted, "Peace!"
Of course I was not asking for the sort of peace that tags along with quiet. Nor did I wish for the sort of peace that comes when swords are beaten into plowshares. Those are very nice kinds of peace, but what I desired was the Peace that floods your soul with comfort and soothes your distresses, the kind you hear "in the deep heart's core".
Innisfree, in Yeats' poem, is a heavenly retreat from "the roadway" or "the pavements gray" and just the hope of Innisfree gave Yeats peace, though he dwelt in a dark and dreary place.
We also have the hope of Innisfree to sustain us in our dark places. Our Lord of the Lake Isle is Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and he offers to each of us comfort, serenity, and (best of all) salvation. No torment is so great, no despair so complete, that He cannot bring peace to our deep heart's core.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This Christmas, and always, I wish you all Peace.
Store workers are being trained to say, "Happy Holidays!" I don't blame them for following company rules and I don't blame the companies who are trying not to step on any toes. However, Christians should reply with a jolly "Merry Christmas!" Christmas is the only chance we have each year to bring out Christ to all we meet. As Scrooge did the morning after his conversion, be sure this season to enthusiastically call out "Merry Christmas" to one and all.
And a Merry Christmas to you!
Here's the front entryway at the moment:
The little white cat I made as a child has temporarily lost its place atop some McGuffey Readers to my Christmas Cookie Cottage. The oil lamp had lost its place to a free lamp from a neighbor. She offered it to me and I quickly said yes as it is cast iron and blue and white. It had a fairy sitting upon a crescent moon also but I removed that part quite easily and attached two blue bows stolen from my Christmas tree.
By the way, having never made a gingerbread house, I had no idea one will make your room smell deliciously of sweets. Of course, it took me two days to figure out where the yummy scent was coming from. I'm a bit slow.
These bottle snowmen were quite easy to make. I got the idea while I was washing the bottles (which formerly contained coffee drinks - I try to reuse such things whenever I can) and thought the metal lids looked very much akin to snowmen hats. After washing the bottles and removing the labels, I used a black Sharpie to "paint" the lids black. The kiddies and I filled the bottles with Poly-Fil for snow and used dots of Tacky glue and beads to make the faces. Bits and scraps of yarn, fabric, ribbon, and cord were used for the ties, scarves, and hats. Each snowman represents a family member. From left to right: my husband, myself, my daughter, and my son. Here they sit on our bookcases in the room where we homeschool - otherwise known as a dining room. I considered cropping out the myriad of books overflowing from our bookcases but decided the humble truth of this untidy area would benefit all. ;)
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