Christmas Time

I hadn't gotten around to sharing pictures from Christmas time yet, I just wanted to record some of the fun and blessings from Christmas time 2022....

The Wednesday night before Christmas we enjoyed a time of singing carols by candlelight. I really enjoy using candles and it is fun and special to do something different from the ordinary. We enjoyed it.

Before the carol sing we had a "Shepherd's Supper": with Lentil stew and other stews, charcuterie boards with bread, crackers, cheese, dates, olives and things like that. It was yummy and fun to do something a little different there too.

  Megan and I had fun (and a few late nights and pushing ourselves too) making handmade gifts for everybody this year. We only do a gift exchange amongst me and the kids (not our whole extended family) so it wasn't quite as big of a project as it could have been.

  The first thing that we made was a bunch of candy. Our friends the Kleinsassers (or the females in the family anyway) came over one day and we worked together at it. We made peanut butter pretzel truffles (which were very yummy!), Christmas Crack, Rootbeer cream cheese candies, Eggnog truffles and Turtles. We made far more candy than we needed and I am working to take off some extra pounds that landed on my body now. :-) We did give candy away to people outside our family so that was a good thing!!

I had fun make these little forest friend magnets for Malcolm to play with.

I made this teddy bear/rice heating pack for him as well.

Megan bought an unpainted set of nesting dolls and painted it for him. It is super cute but the best picture I have is this one where they are on his and Aaron's laps and you can't see any of the fun details.

Malcolm didn't mind getting up early for exchanging presents before breakfast and church. He loves reading books now so Megan was reading him one at like 6:30 in the morning.

Megan had made cute little personal pies for all of us which we enjoyed at breakfast along with our traditional Vanocka braid, sausage, eggs and hot chocolate.

Thomas and Mara camped at a rendezvous this past summer and hope to go again. Thomas had borrowed a shirt to wear last year so I made him one of his own. Megan knit him a wool hat.

I didn't get any good pictures of Jonathan. I knit him a black hat for a present which he said he liked but he didn't try on because his hair was already in place for church. I also made some flavored syrups for coffee or other things for him, Thomas, Aaron and Megan. Megan made cookie dough (to be frozen and then cooked) for Jonathan.

 I made a harvesting Apron for Mara. It has a really big and adjustable pocket on it for gathering produce. I also made her a miniature journal necklace. Megan knit her a neat bag which she filled with cookie dough and other treats.

I knit this vest for Megan. 

I made (with help from Megan-in cutting out squares and my friend Amy -in sewing) this quilt for Aaron. Megan made him a wool green beret.

Megan made me this beautiful scarf.

Others gave very nice gifts as well but those were the handmade ones. Compared to many our Christmases I am sure are very simple. I am thankful for that. I like it that way. 

  One highlight of the time for me was all of us working together to make supper on Christmas Eve. We made hamburgers (with homemade buns), fried potatoes, onion rings, deep fried pickles and jalapeños and milk shakes. It was just fun to have all of my kids here and work together to make a yummy supper. After supper we played games and then everybody stayed here overnight. Having all my kids here together is such a blessing. I treasure it when it happens.

  One Sunday after church my parents and my brother Luke and his family joined us for lunch and that was fun too. Holidays are fun in that they prompt us to get together with family a little more and that is wonderful.

 

We Love to Make Things

   It has felt like crafting central around here lately. We have a Retreat coming up at church this next weekend and I am a directing a kid's play for it on next Saturday afternoon. It is the Story of Esther. Megan wrote the script for it and volunteered to be in charge of the costumes and set and so this last month our house has been a center of creativity. We do also like to have other projects going on because that is just life for us. On Tuesday I went around taking pictures of things that we were currently working on or just finished. There are also in here a couple of pictures from a few days earlier.

The Crowns for Xerxes, Vashti and Esther as well as Xerxes scepter.

A backdrop for the Harem. Megan copied a Mosaic that she had found in her research of Persia.

Not associated with the play but a project that I have been working on. I am nearly done knitting a pair of mittens. These stay by my piano and when I am teaching lessons I often have a few minutes here and there to knit a bit.

A decoration for the Palace. Megan paper mached a 2 headed Bull. This came from her extensive research on what decorations would have been like. I am sorry I didn't get a pictures after it was painted as it looks pretty cool. 

This photograph is hard to see but Megan had watched a video on how to make a pattern that fit perfectly and so she went about drawing up a pattern and is working on something for herself. I think she is making a prototype at this point. I am so grateful to God for her desire to learn new things and be willing to step out and try things.

I am working to make pointed toe slippers for the cast. I am hoping I can actually get this done because at the moment I am not sure that I have time to do this and direct the play as well. I get a limited amount of time with the kids and I need to do some more measuring to make this fit so we will see if this actually gets done or not.

I am working on a rag rug for the new bathroom in our basement. My goal is to have it done by the time company comes on Friday. We shall see!

A week ago today this was my project. A birthday present for my nephew. He is into eagles just now.

It was a really fun project and I liked the way it turned out. I used white felt for the base and I had thought I would use brown felt on it but I didn't have enough. So I used other fabric scraps instead and I actually think that it looks cooler that way anyway. Mara helped my some in the cutting out of the feathers.

My nephew was pretty excited about it too. :-)

Megan making goblets for the play.

  I wish I would have taken pictures of some of the cool dresses and robes that she has sewn for the play but I guess I will try to do that later. They are pretty creative.

   I have some thoughts that I would like to share to go along with this post. When some people see the things we make and like to work on they sometimes make comments like: "You are so talented, I wish I had some of that talent" or I hear comments about thinking it would be fun to do more crafting but it is so expensive or they don't have time or whatever.

    Here is the deal..... if you actually want to do creative things don't make excuses - just do it. Obviously having a home that is crafting central is not for everybody. Some people think it kind of looks fun but it isn't truly something that they find fulfilling or a good way to use their time. That is fine, accept that and go ahead an admire what other people do but don't put yourself down in the process - you do what God has created you to do.

But if you truly want to make things and be creative - do it!

The only reason Megan and I (and all the other super creative people I know) can do things like sew a dress, knit a mitten or create a paper mache 2 headed Bull is because we weren't afraid to try. A lot of the things we make are a long way from perfect but as we keep trying we keep getting better at things and projects become much easier as well.

 Concerning the expense - Our projects rarely cost us much of anything. Here is why:

For things like props - they often can be made from Cardboard that we easily can get free. We have painted a lot of them from leftover paint from our home and from paint that we picked up for free from the dump. Check that out if you are needing paint. I think most dumps set aside partially full cans of paint. 

For fabric things we have made a ton of them from old clothes which we easily can get for free just by saving things that we ourselves wear out and then if you ask around people will start donating gladly.

We have also gotten fabric scraps very inexpensively from Anderson Fabrics a place in our area that does a lot of commercial sewing. Check around your area to see what you can find for crafting deals. 

Once you start doing a lot of creating and people find out about it at least in my case I get offered crafting stuff over and over since they know I use it. So our crafting closet is overflowing - not because I go shopping - but because I say "yes" when people offer my things that they no longer want.

  When you go to create things - always first ask yourself "How can I make this from what I already have?" NOT "What do I need to buy at the store?".

   Crafting from things found in nature (pinecones, birch bark, sticks, grasses, etc) is a great way to craft on the cheap.

Also you probably will have to buy a few things but in general our crafting budget is well under $50 a year. We use a hot glue gun and glue sticks a lot in our crafting. I have asked for glue sticks for a birthday presents before but I think I have only received them once. So that is an item that I do have to buy occasionally (in 5 lb boxes off of Amazon). We have also given Megan things like Gold and Silver paint for birthdays. So if you have a crafting child - crafting supplies can make good presents.

  Concerning time - I don't have a lot of it either. I work a part time job, run two businesses, have 3 kids at home - 2 of whom I am homeschooling and am very involved at my church. But creating is important to me. So I have projects that I will pick up here or there when I have a minute or two. And sometimes I will devote a whole evening to it or some time on the weekend. If you get to ride when you drive places that is a great time to crochet or knit. A few minutes here and there can actually get a lot done.
 

   I am so thankful for the many, many ways that God has blessed us in being able to craft and make things. It is a fun bonding activity for Megan and I. I would love to hear about things that you all are making at your houses. How do you find time for crafting? How to you do it economically? 

Project Update

I have been still been making progress on house projects. The week after Christmas while the kids were gone I worked really hard and got quite a few things done. I was able to get a towel rack made and put up in the bathroom (though I do still want to add a couple more hooks to it).

From wood we had on hand I was able to put together a little "kitchenette" This was the frame I made for the base.

Then I added the top and a shelf which is made to perfectly fit the little fridge that I have. I do still need to sand and varnish parts of it but that may wait until warmer weather when I can do it outside.

I have it somewhat set up but still need to do some figuring and organizing.

The den is now the living room/dining/kitchenette for the basement.

This is the main room of the basement where we can either have the pingpong set up or easily take it down.

In the playroom I was able to get the cupboard that I had mounted on the wall and I put up a counter for the playroom kitchen as well.

  I still need to do something for the floor in here. My idea that I thought would be fun is to basically modge podge some maps on the floor. I am not sure. Do you have any good economical suggestions?

My mother-in-law and I also put up a little shelf for a table and hung this coat rack on the wall.

This is another area of the playroom. They have a piano to play (who would want a house without a piano??) and a stove to "heat" and "cook" on.

Megan had painted a maze on the ceiling in the playroom a while back.

  I do really enjoy working on the building projects and I am incredibly grateful for all the things that have happened in my past to bring me to the point I am today where I can work on things like that with confidence and actually get things done.

I am grateful for:

• My dad and his very advance knowledge of carpentry. Growing up I was able to watch and help him with many, many things. Now today whenever I have a question, need to borrow a tool or need a little help he is a great source for that.
• My Mom and Grandma Cleone. When I was little we were needed some furniture in the house (a bookshelf and a little table) that my dad didn't have time to build. My Grandma was visiting and she was a great one for tackling things and getting them done and so she and Mom made them. At least that is my memory. Anyway, that example was inspiring to me.
• Ken. We did many a project together that boosted my confidence levels in carpentry especially when he would just help us get it started (like putting in wood flooring or shingling the garage) and then leave the kids and I to complete the job. He also had the confidence in me that I could put up faux rock, tile a floor and tile a shower and so that helped me to have confidence in myself and get it figured out. I also have been really appreciating his organization - when I go to look for tools, screws and things like that - they are carefully in their spots. It makes working on projects so much easier.
• My kids, who sometimes eagerly and sometimes reluctantly help me when I need a little extra help.
• God - the Giver of all good things. The One who has all the answers and is always there when I ask for strength and wisdom. Many a prayer goes up when I am working on projects and many a prayer is answered.

Lest you should think I only work on the rougher jobs anymore - I do also work on other sorts of things as well. :-)

A sweater that I recently completed for a new baby girl at church. Crocheting something like this is such a nice project for any of those times that I am just sitting around anyway. We have a lot of yarn that has been given to us/somehow collected through the years and I love being able to turn it into something useful.

It doesn't feel like I cook or bake nearly as much as I used to but on New Year's Day we enjoyed some fresh cake doughnuts. That was a fun treat.

Flower arranging is still a huge part of my life as I work at a florist shop 3 days a week and am still running Abbi's Bridal Design as well.

  That is a bit of what I have been working on lately. What have you been doing at your place?

 

The Goodness of God

This evening we went over to Luke (my younger brother) and Bea's for supper. This year as we have been adjusting to the new normal of life they have issued pretty much a standing invitation to come over after work and Bible study on Wednesday evenings. It has been a huge blessing to us.

     As we walked to the door the smell of something delicious emanated from their house. It ended up being seafood lasagna and collard greens which were simply delicious. After supper Bea and I cleaned up quickly while Megan does what she is an expert at (spending time playing with entertaining the little ones) and Aaron and Luke talked and planned for a camp that we are all going to in mid September. Then I pulled out a project that I was trying to get finished up today to work on while we visited. A friend had hired me to make a jingle dress for her niece. I had almost gotten it done before work this morning but just had a tiny bit left. Beulah (age 1 1/2 ) happily and carefully held my pin-cushion for me while I worked and handed me pins when I needed them. She loved that job. 

  We were all visiting about music for Jackpine Retreat (the camp we are going to) as Luke is leading the music for one of the sessions. Pretty soon Aaron and Luke picked up guitars and we started singing. What a beautiful thing to be able to sing praises to the God we love with people that I love. One of the songs we sang is called "The Goodness of God", you may have heard it before. This summer it has quickly become one of my favorites.

The lyrics say "All my life you have been faithful, and all my life you have been so, so good." This is so very true. Though people in your life may not always be faithful and they might not always be good either, God is - ALWAYS!  

   My life goes so much better and is so much happier when I take the time to notice the goodness of God and to praise Him for it. This evening when I sat down to write this post I opened up my computer and glanced over the e-mails and noticed that one had come in from Ken containing the 3rd draft of the divorce papers that he has been working on. I admit that almost derailed me from writing this post. Sometimes being in the middle of a divorce has seemed so big that I struggle for a bit to keep my eyes on God's goodness. But thankfully the Holy Spirit reminded me that I don't have to be derailed by that e-mail that came in. That is what Satan wants and I am not on his team. I am on God's team and I will tell of His goodness even when life is sometimes hard.

   Here are some ways I am seeing the Goodness of God in my life lately.....

• Getting to spend quality time with each of my children. Even in the busyness of working we have found time to visit, do fun things and just have fun together. I am so very grateful.
• My extended family both on my side and Ken's side. They have been so supportive and loving as we go through different changes in our life. From bread made for us each week to a message of encouragement sent, a hug given and so very many prayers said on our behalf. I am so very blessed.
• 
  
  

• Work that I truly enjoy. I am so blessed to be able to work with flowers both at Netzer's and in running my own business. I love being able to share beauty with others in this way.
• 
  
  
• This little guy! I love him so much. He lights up like a candle pretty much whenever I visit with him. Malcolm has a real knack for bringing joy to his Grandmama's day.
• Heaven and the hope we have of going there. I am getting more excited about Heaven all the time. I recently had both an Uncle and an Aunt (we are traveling to her funeral soon) go there. We are so happy for them as they are now free from their pain and struggles and it is exciting to think about joining them some day.

• Even amidst the drought we have had this summer we have still enjoyed many beautiful flowers. I am so thankful.
• The ability to make music and to do it with others. I am so thankful that God made music. It makes my life so much richer.
• A bumper crop of beans. It has been so dry and I have been so busy but still our garden produces well. God is good!

   

• Tiger lilies blooming this summer. I had gotten starts last year or the year before. I love them. They remind me of my childhood.
• Aaron selling his first truck for the price he asked. It was a blessing to get that out of the way.
• God's love!

There are so many more things that I could thank God for. What are some things that you are praising Him for?

 

I started this post last week but life got in the way of finishing it very quickly. But here it is now.



 

A Circus Busy Book

I was sorting through old pictures today and came across this busy book that I made in 2018. I never shared it on here and so I thought it would be fun to do that today. I think busy books can be a lot of fun to make as well as for kids to enjoy using. They are a great quiet toy for during church, on a car ride or in a waiting room. Here is a post about another book that I made for Aaron years ago. In that post I give instructions on how to make it as well. If you would rather make a circus one however you can get inspiration from this post and follow the "how to" on that post.

  Ephraim is one of my nephews and this book was made for hi.

This page has a felt house which is like a pocket. You can put the doll (made from wire, yarn and felt) into the house.

This page allows them to button and unbutton the balloons and match the colors.

I like the circus tent. :-)

Finger puppet animals are inside.

On the opposite page is things for them to perform on.

This girl can go forward and backwards across the tightrope thanks to her bead feet on the yarn tightrope.

An abacus lion cage.

A page with velcro and fun shapes.

A car full of clown finger puppets.

They each have a special pocket that they can go in.

This was a really fun project. I ended up using a lot of these ideas and making another circus busy book for Netta and Theo too. Maybe later I will find those pictures to share.

  Have you ever made a busy book?