paper snowflakes

on making winter windows.........

the first time i ever stumbled upon a blog was last Christmas when i was looking for a "how-to" on making paper snowflakes. this particular place was where i found my crafty-self again after struggling through some unexpected family tragedies and an ugly bout of depression which followed. but that my friends is another story for another day.

so if you want to add a little winter to your windows-because you are blessed with yet another sun-shiny day-like we usually are-or if you are blessed with lots of snow and you just want to bring a little bit of the outside in-then here is a little inspiration just for you.............

you can visit the link above for specific how-to/cutting instructions.

the kids made these without any help from me.

it was a great lesson for following step-by-step directions.

p.s. your home might just look like a blizzard has passed through

after attempting this craft.

we've got tissue paper, regular paper, glitter and little pieces of ribbon all over the place!

thumbprints

my kids have more fun making these little thumbprint pictures.

there are books you can buy, of course.

we happen to have this one :

and a few others from klutz,

but all they really need is a stamp-pad,
a pen or pencil, some paper and a little imagination!
this actually keeps my little one quite busy,
note the serious look on his face.

at the name of JESUS

this little boy is going to learn his letters!

for some reason this child loves to cut things right now.

he would be happy if we sat on the couch all day long and just cut stuff.

he is also really into learning his letters and writing them,

so i decided to do a few crafts with him that are advent based, but educational nevertheless.

please note: if you try these, you have to draw the letters backwards on the white side of the paper so that when you cut them out and turn them to the side with the pattern, they are pointing in the right direction. this was learned by a little trial and error on our part!

a little Christmas

this new/old house is so cozy,

which is another way of saying small!
i don't even know where we'll put a tree...........i told the kids maybe we could put one outside like the Christmas cards you see where there is a decorated tree in the forest.

i am really not in the mood to put too many things out this year.

maybe i am secretly afraid that if there are too many things,

HE will be crowded and HE won't come....

striving to keep things simpler, i am letting the kids have it their way.

i thought it was interesting that the pope is encouraging families

to display nativity sets in their homes.

he should be glad to know we have one in every room!

i've picked up so many different ones through the years at thrift stores and yard sales.

i haven't gotten the big one out yet, but i will as it was a wedding gift from my parents.

right now i am loving:

greenery here and there, many little trees, some pinecones and of course stars!

i was very excited about making some glittered pine-cones that i've seen in various spots on the web. i told amy i would be borrowing her idea when i took a tour of her home.

i made one simple pillow cover with some vintage fabric

i bought and added a doily for decoration.

the jesse tree embroidery project didn't make it into a pillow like i'd thought.

i decided to frame it in an old frame after much painstaking hand-sewing.

really there are little bits of Christmas sprinkled all around the house: on bed frames and in corners, on top of dressers and tables, which in many ways reminds me of life:

finding Jesus-and God-just about-around every corner, in every leaf on the ground, in the sky and sunset, in flowers and trees, subtle, yet so powerfully moving at the same time. His beautiful presence is everywhere, you just have to know what you are looking for.

i know what i am looking for right now............HIS peace.

i have always loved the scripture verse that says...

"He shall be peace...."

not that He shall bring peace or give peace,

but that HE shall BE peace.

so today, whether you're planning and decorating

BIG or little for Christmas

i wish you His peace!

complete

the winter purse is finally complete and just in time for Christmas!

someone has been eyeing it all the while that i've been making it

and since she is so hard to buy for, because she is so special to me,

i think this will be her gift.

yes, this is definitely the kind of thing that should go to

the one i still call mama.

p.s. the only reason i am posting pictures is because she is VERY busy

these days and i know she won't have time to read all of this nonsense

until after Christmas.

daddy, ssshhhhhh, please don't tell.

wordless wednesday

well, almost wordless...

i wanted to make wednesdays wordless,

but so many things happened yesterday

that it was hard to do that.

somehow handiwork seems like a more

fitting title,

since i took so many pictures of hands

and the work they were doing/did.

btw

c is a true friend because

she didn't throw me out

in the cold for taking too many pictures.

anyway, here is
what wednesday was without using words.............