Category Archives: holiday decorations

crafty as I want to be

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You say crafts I say “Meh!” I don’t see myself as a crafty-type person. Sure I love to take pictures. I have dozens and dozens of photo scrapbooks (last count 78). There is this blog. I love to paint walls. Truth is I get so much joy from putting blue tape all over the place before I put the paint all over the walls. I’m actually nearly done with my bannister project and having fun with that. It’s the painter’s tape I think…or perhaps it is the lacquer fumes. But that is about as crafty as I can get. I think of being crafty and I see yarns and ribbons and threads…bits of paper, modge-podge, sewing machines and crochet hooks. That is so not me.

Not.

At.

All.

You should have seen me last night sewing a simple hook and eye on one of Jodie’s competition costumes last night. Comical and sad all at the same time. At least it holds together her lyrical costume.

But Valentine’s Day is coming. Daniel has class parties to attend and exchange Valentines with 50 of his fellow students. Yes, fifty thanks to his Special Day Class, speech and his mainstream class. I cringe. Daniel rubs his hands with glee just thinking of all the sugary-sweet, ooey-gooey, chocolate-ly Valentine’s treats he will receive. I could have taken  the easy way out and bought a few boxes of those cheap-assed Sponge Bob Valentines at Walmart but…LAME! Only babies give those away my 10 year old tells me. They certainly won’t impress a certain girl.

That’s right fans of Daniel. There’s this girl… Our little man is growing up!

So now to get crafty but keep it cheap and simple.

Hello Pinterest!

So easy!

Get Daniel to pose with his outstretched fist.

Check.

Add a little message with Photoshop.

Check.

Order some 4 x 6 prints using a coupon so I only have to pay 7¢ per print.

Check.

Using sharp scissors cut a small slit at the top of the fist and the bottom of the fist in the picture.

Check.

Insert a tootsie pop and secure on the back with a little bit of tape.

Done!

Oh yeah! I am so crafty!

merry and bright wishes

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Looky here!

…another cool idea found on Pinterest. More proof from the files “doesn’t take much to make me happy” I managed to do something again that I pinned on Pinterest. Seriously, I do find myself pretty happy when I do manage to pull off an idea/project/recipe that I found on Pinterest; otherwise it would be just another mindless time-suck on the interwebs.

Another thing that makes me happy this time of year is the holiday greetings that come in the mail from near and from far. It is so much nicer than crap ads and bills don’t you think. I love catching up with extended family and friends and see how much our kids have grown, how much lives have changed in just one year. Honestly, for me, this is the best part of the year. To those who have sent their holiday greetings in the mail to the Big Top this year, THANK YOU truly from the bottom of my heart. Every greeting brightened our days and reminded us of the many people who have touched our lives through the years and how blessed we are by you all. Especially these days we ALL could use bright reminders like these.

Merry Christmas one and all!

on any given day in any given December

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Being the mean mommy that I am, I forced Daniel to Christmas shop for his family. His school PTA had a little holiday shop where students could shop for little gifts (all under $5) for their family and friends. The younger students, with their parents’ help could fill out a gift list of the names and ages of the people they wished to shop for and they would be matched up with an 8th grade student who would be their shopping buddy. What a neat way for Daniel to learn a little more about budgeting and gift-giving. So I gave him $40 and a list including his sisters, nieces and parents.

“Do I have to do this?”, he grumbled.

“Yes, Daniel. I think it would be a good thing for you to do. Plus it will be fun trying to find something special to give to your sisters…”

He rolls his eyes.

“…Hazel and Fallon…”

He heaves a huge sigh.

“…your Dad…your Mom…”

“Okay, fine! I’ll do it!“

I am such a mean mom! He came home the next day from school with eight assorted packages all colorfully wrapped and placed them under the tree. His sisters, always on the lookout for any gifts under the tree immediately noticed them. When they asked Daniel, he shrugged telling them they are presents he got for them. Then he went back to re-arranging his Hot Wheels collection like he does every day.

It’s no big deal to him but it is to his sisters. They can’t wait to see what little treasure he got for them. I know I can’t wait to see. It will be fun come Christmas morning. But I didn’t do it so that we would have presents to open. I did it because someday, somewhere, the love of his life, the person he chooses to fall in love with and live happily ever after with will thank me…perhaps just a little. At least the boy will have learned how to shop for Christmas. There’s no guarantee that he will do it, but hopefully he will have a greater appreciation of the making of the Christmas magic here under the Big Top.

I swear this conversation has taken place here under the Big Top at some point during the month of December in any of the last, oh say twenty-eight Decembers. In fact, we had this conversation just last night.

Oh my darling husband…how you vex me so sometimes…

the wonder of it all

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Yes, I’m still working on the joy down in my heart here. I have to confess that a little navel-gazing reflection has helped a lot to get me to shift the focus of my lens just a little. It’s easy to stress and wallow in what I don’t have or can not give until I look elsewhere like when I fix my gaze on my beautiful son taking in the big family tree filled with our ornaments…our memories of wonderful Christmas times past. As he begins to recall out loud memory upon memory, the lights of our tree begin to twinkle all the more…and no, it has nothing to do with the lens filter on my camera…but hey, isn’t that way cool?

The lights! They twinkle!

Yet cool holiday shots aside, I find myself remembering the warmth, the love, the absolute joy of Christmas times past as I listen to Daniel describe his own memories…his own perception of Christmas times past through the years of his life. It is all so magical…so warm…so happy…and there is no mention of material things, of presents…just the love and family that always surrounds him.

Refocusing my own personal lens just a little with a view not unlike his view I see so much more wonder, so much more joy…and so many more blessings. How fortunate I am to have such a reminder still to look through a child-like lens and just enjoy the twinkling wonder of it all.

This is this week’s Wordful Wednesday post. Wordful Wednesday is like Wordless Wednesday, only WITH words. It’s for those of us that can’t contain the chatter, but in a good way. Have something to be Wordful About this Wednesday?  Head on over to Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies to link up and share.

packed and put away

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While I was sleeping, Bill and the kids packed up and put away Christmas.

Sigh!

I do appreciate my man taking the initiative…I really do! I do especially after all the bitching I have done lately about how hard it is to get him to take up the slack and manage the Big Top while he is home unemployed and I am working hard bringing home the bacon. Yes I do appreciate my man taking care of Big Top business.

I do!

Still…

If only there was a way to pack away the tree, the ornaments, the boughs of holly yet keep the warm glow, the sparkles, the fa-la-la-la-las of Christmas. I definitely can do without all the holiday stress and time suck but I sure do want to keep the joy strong all year long. As much as I love it, I don’t really need all extra calories from the ooey-gooey, chocolate yummy-ness of the holiday treats that overwhelm the break room of my workplace or that has been stuffed in my Christmas stocking but I sure could use the endorphin release that they bring. All the love, the warmth, the joy, the peace and goodwill I could use every waking moment of my life…we all could…not just during the month of December, but every month of the year.

That which represents so much of these good feelings are now packed away until eleven months from now. But that doesn’t mean the feelings have to be boxed up and put away. No, they are still there. But it is up to me to find them, to reflect them, to live them…to live them every waking moment every day.