Is It Just Me?

Warning: This post is a bit of a downer but I am sure there are lots of families that struggle this time of year just dealing with other family members too.

Does anyone else have strained relationships that interfere with the holidays?

 Is it a family member with mental illness that refuses to get help and expects everyone to accommodate their mood swings or is it that in-law that makes it their mission in life to be the victim? 

Or how about the spoiled brat that is unwilling to do anything to contribute in making the holiday season an enjoyable time?

 Maybe some of you have to deal with an alcoholic that imbibes too much or an obnoxious aunt or uncle that nobody can stand?

 What about those who have small children that rule the roost and in turn creates so much havoc that get togethers are ruined? 

Please tell me I am not alone.

I wish I could wave a magic wand for just one day and have peace and harmony abound and have everyone just get along. 

Does anyone know where I might buy one???

ORNAMENTS, ORNAMENTS AND MORE ORNAMENTS

Ornaments have always fascinated me.  I love the glittery ones and the cutie-pie ones, the ones with special meaning and those that are handmade with love.  They don't have to be expensive, I have found some adorable ornaments for very inexpensive prices.

  Here are a few that I have collected over the years and each year I tell myself that I don't need to buy anymore but then I come across something so adorable that I can't resist.  I especially like to shop the after Christmas sales and buy some to tuck in with all the decorations when I put them away for the year just so I can be surprised when we bring out tree decorations the next year.

 

It's a good thing we have a very large tree that will allow all of the ornaments a place each year.

TREE TRIMMING AND CLIMBING LADDERS

 Today was the day we got the tree up and decorated.  We were also 'fortunate' enough to have some little helpers. 

 

This is Dawson, she thinks this is quite fun.

 

Climbing the ladder was her favorite thing to do.

 

She made it to the top with Grandpa and was pretty tickled.



Grandpa is quite patient while letting the little ones up on the ladder to place ornaments.  Landon is making sure he gets this ornament just right.

Patience, balance and a little more patience.  Boy Grandpa is really getting a workout.

 

 

What is it about ladders?

 Placing the final ornament, now that's a wrap.  Speaking of wrapping, that is next on the list.  Then more shopping, baking, parties and making memories.

BASS FISHING, Wii STYLE



The Wii has a game called Saga Bass Fishing that we have had for a couple of years.  Nobody has really taken the time to learn how to play it, that is until grandson Landon came for a few days.  He talked grandpa into showing him what to do.

 

 

Two very intense fisherman fishing from the love seat.

 

 

Apparently catching fish has something to do with the placement of the tongue.  I noticed that they both had a tongue technique...

 

...because grandpa Jim has the same technique going.

 

They had some serious fun on their little fishing adventure.

And  when coming to grandmas there is sure to be some kind of crafting going on.  Landon decided he wanted to make some presents for his mom, dad, sister and brother.  Shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone, it's a surprise.

Having grandchildren spending the night is all kinds of fun around here.  We are blessed to have our grandchildren close enough to have them often.

Signs Of Christmas

My daughter Maria came today and made this cute Christmas sign (with just a little help from me).  It is similar to one I made for my bazaar but I love how she did two of them in green and the addition of the bells.  She still needs to get some cute snowflakes and maybe some ribbon to finish it off.

She plans on putting it on her front porch, I can't wait to see how cute it will be.

 

I am participating over at Six Sisters Stuff  74th  linky party.  Check out all the fun things that have been shared there, very inspiring.

Nativity Event

 

Here are the final photo's take of the Festival of the Nativities.  What a wonderful experience.  This was an event opened to the public and the first such activity that our church has done in our area.  It will be an annual event and I am sure it will grow and change in the years to come.

 

Constructing A Nativity Event

As I have indicated in my two previous posts I have been involved in helping create a Festival of the Nativities.   Our goal was to stick closely to the time period when Christ was born.  I thought I would share some photo comparisons of some of the construction.

 

Here is the beginning construction of the side walls of the gym where tables would be set up and some of the nativities would be displayed with the next photo being the finished project.

 

 

Next is the gate at the door of the gym where people enter to view the nativities.  The next photo is the finished gateway.

 

 

 

The pile of rocks you see are to the well that was constructed near the stage where the live nativity was displayed. 

 

 Below is the finished well looking at it from the other side.  Notice the rock wall behind the well?  Believe it or not that was made by forming newspaper into rock shapes, spray painting them and glueing them to cardboard.  We then tucked pieces of spanish moss here and there to fill in the gaps.

 

And lastly was the live nativity area.  This was the part of the project that was my assignment.

My son constructed the stable and a friend from church built the manger.  A mother and her son built the backdrops and painted them for us. 

 '

We used different shades of brown and beige fabric on the floor then spread raffia around to look like hay (we were not allowed to use hay or straw because of fire code so raffia was a good substitute.)  Adding lots of dried grasses, weeds, fig brances and bamboo helped to fill in areas and hopefully made it look authentic.

 

I will be posting one last time in the next few days with final photo's taken from my new camera that just came today.{Merry Christmas to me ;-)}  Hopefully I can figure out the basics of it and the pictures will turn out better than my little point and shoot camera.



Sneak Peak At A Few Nativities

 

Below are four samples of over 400 nativities that will be displayed this weekend at our church.  There are nativities from all over the world on display.

I can't wait to show pictures of the whole thing completed, the setting we tried to create was what life would have been like around the time of the Saviors birth.

 

 

 

 

Final Major Project Before Christmas

I have had three really big projects in my life the last couple of months and the final one will be completed this weekend.  Our church (8 local congregations) which is called a Stake has been working on a Festival of the Nativities that will be open to the public this weekend.  I am not sure how many nativities will be displayed but it will be in the hundreds.  Along with the church member's personal nativities being displayed we are also having a live nativity(minus live animals) on the stage in the cultural hall (gym) and I have been put in charge of making that happen.

Lucky for me I have a handy dandy son (the one who did my entryway earlier this year and he is the one who also built my rolling craft table in my craft room) who can build anything so I immediately put him in charge of building the stable.  Everything is in the beginning stages and this is what we have so far.  I have also had a friend making costumes for Mary, Joseph, an angel, shepherds and wise men.  Someone else is building a manger for us.  Without great talented people to call upon I don't know what I would do.

 There will be tables all around the room with nativity sets displayed and it will be made to look like small shops that are geared toward the time period of Christ's birth.  The photo below is the beginning construction of those.

 There is a large tent erected in the center that will also have table displays.  The bamboo laying on the floor will be used to add a natural element, I believe they will be propped up around some areas, but am not quite sure yet.

 This would be some very hard working people painting cardboard to look like wood for the roofs of the stores.

I will be back with a post when the whole thing is completed and will have lots of pictures to share.

'Twas The Night Before...The Bazaar/Boutique

OK, here is the post of the night before the first annual Joyful Season Craft Boutique.  I had some very, very, very wonderful friends come and help set up the boutique.  Can I just say that I will be forever indebted to these sweet lovely friends.  I may have made a lot of the items but their expertise was needed to make it all look good.  Didn't they do a wonderful job?

We have fresh green centerpieces and wreaths. They smell so good.

 Mesh Wreaths

 Jingle All the Way

 Hand made log bed frames (Queen sized)

 

 

Antique windows

 Gift ideas.

 Thanksgiving items

 More Thanksgiving items.

 Jewelry and home decor

 Cards

 Christmas decor.

 Miscellaneous signs

 Little baby and girl tutu's

 More gift ideas

 More Christmas decor

And even more winter and Christmas items

 And even more stuff

 Adorable Christmas cards

 Christmas stuff

 Christmas stuff

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!!!!!