Winter Wonderland

This is Deck the Halls Part 2.
Snow was the basic theme with snowman being the focus of tableware and the Christmas tree (which was up the week after Thanksgiving!).
The following are a few of my favorite ornaments that are hand made.

I bought these snowflakes in A2 after Christmas three years ago.

Kadie made this when she was in seventh or eight grade.

My mom made this one with the buttons because I collect buttons.

My sister and I were headed to A2 one year after Thanksgiving. Along Ridge Road were several holiday sales held in peoples homes. One lady made these ornaments from light bulbs.

My friend Valorie made this Snow Lady from soft blanket materials and buttons.

My mom made this candy jar from an old mayonnaise jar. She crocheted the parts. I love him.
Go to the archives, December 2007, to see the cookie plate my sister made from a candle stick and snowman dinner plate. This item goes out every year too.

Santa Jeff

Jeff has established a tradition of giving crazy gifts. This year was no exception. He sent money to the "Something Store" which is an online store that sends mystery gifts. The highlights were: Kadie got an inflatable travel pillow, and Brandy got a purse made from zippers.
Jacob got a white elephant (a cross stitch) from the Goodwill pile in the basement. We laughed so hard tears rolled from our eyes.
Jeff did buy me a tool for building up my muscles hence the illustration on the box.
I'm not sure you can tell, but he used three different papers to wrap the gift.

Festive Foods

Christmas Brie (topped with apples, dried cherries, walnuts,cinnamon and sugar), spinach balls, olive penguins, and Flower Ball tea.
We had crab muffins, cranberry meatballs on basmati rice, and chicken strips with three dipping sauces:spicy plum mustard, peanut butter, and ranch. For dessert we had cookies and chocolate orange cake.

Deck the Halls

Kadie and I stayed up late one night making Christmas Crackers. Yes, they had real cracker snaps inside them. Only two didn't fire off. They were a big hit filled with odd toys mostly from the Peaceable Kingdom in A2. I put a "pill" of an expandable sponge toy in each one. Those silly things were a big hit! My advice for filling crackers would be to take part of an empty paper towel tube with you to the store to make sure your toy will fit inside.

Jolly 'ole Time

Us ladies sat separated from the boys. Not a soul complained about the arrangement.

The Hundred Dollar Holiday

I read The Hundred Dollar Holiday: A Case for a More Joyful Christmas By Bill McKibben.
It's no secret that I really don't enjoy the holidays. I feel like the season is a commercial trap pressuring folks to spend money they don't have on crap that people don't need.
While at the local library to see the Gingerbread House display/competition, I took a glance at McKibben's book. The premise of the book struck my interest along with the size of the book (three chapters). I enjoyed the first two chapters which time-lined the historical evolution of Christmas and its diminishing religious importance vs commercial influence on society.
The last chapter was filled with boring ideas on how to make the holidays more meaningful. While none of the suggestions inspired me, the idea that one could create a meaningful gift with imagination did.
I was thinking of something special to make give my colleague, Janet, when it struck me. Wouldn't it be funny to dress the kids up like Santa Claus and take their picture?
I have to tell you that I don't really like the practice of portraying Santa as a "magical being" who brings gifts to good (more often bad) children in want of a toy. I kinda think of Santa as the anti-Christ of Christmas. As posted on Indexed the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny are the first means of religious doubt when a child discovers they aren't real.
Still, I like the idea of the spirit of Saint Nicholas living in each of us; that each of us might adhere to the Santa code, "Tis better to give than to receive."
After taking pictures of my students, I thought it would be funny if my family participated in spreading holiday cheer. HOHOHO! What a hoot! Hundred Dollar Holiday???? No, it's worth much more than that. The family dressing up like Santa Claus? PRICELESS!

Family Portraits at the Toledo Zoo

Toledo Zoo has been a popular place for our family to visit over the years. In the winter time the zoo has "The Lights before Christmas" and "Frozen Toezens" during January and February. Went went with Jake's Family to see the lights and to capture another generation of portraits at the zoo.

Snap Shot of My Childhood

There are many events and experiences that define my childhood. Once a foot race I was winning, against the neighborhood boys, ended abruptly when I fell and hit the corner on a set of stairs that lead over the back fence. The headlong crash resulted in cut below my right eye. The deep gash required stitches.
While initially I made some whining, I never cried for the numbing shot or while receiving sutures. I laid still and strong, confident in my ability to endure and accept this event.
I was learning that while some things in life are not fun, they are not worth crying over. Some things I could survive in spite of the discomfort it brought me.
There were other events that I did not survive well, that buckets of tears could not erase or repair. Fortunately no amount of tragedy could erase the magic I was able to recognize and appreciate in my world.
My metamorphosing tadpole and the other family pets were like me, vulnerable yet able to survive less than favorable conditions. Like me, my tattered and imperfect dolls were still lovable.
Terrors like angry dogs continued to exist in my world, but magic rose triumphant in nature and books. The unexplainable charms of the world filled me with hope and fueled my imagination.

My students love hearing about what each line drawing means. Every class sits intently with a smile on their faces. They recognize that I am a lot like them.

The child in the drawing is me. I once had long curly hair that sometimes got caught in my clothes. My father grew angry from my complaining so while my mother was out shopping he took the scissors to my hair and gave me a really horrible hair cut. I have no arms because children are often powerless to control what happens to them. The stitches story is important because I was learning that I could control how I reacted to things. Last year I wasn't particularly graceful in how I dealt with the trials given to me, but something miraculous and magical was born out of the fires. I was weary of battling and working and was needing . . . many things. I needed to trust the process, so I prayed. Embracing my emotional fatigue and taking up my questions with God resulted in some surprising answers. While today I'm not out of range, I'm not taking as many direct hits from enemy fire.

My New Header

The header was cropped from an example I made for my students. We made leaf prints in white and then sponged color around the prints. Isn't it sweet?

My Adult Students

I was a presenter at the MAEA (Michigan Art Education Association) Convention. I presented my Chihuly lesson. My students were wonderful and made beautiful works.
FYI They are made from pop bottles.

Quads Reunited

Late Bloomers

I love how persistent some flowers are in spite of the cold.

In Character

Our little Lolly Pop boy made his costume from articles he bought at Goodwill. Mom painted the lolly pop.




What just happened?

Boo-tiful Decorations

The vase is a gift from J. I grew the bittersweet (a gift from my friend Susie) in my garden. The petrified wood is gift from Gwen and Mike and the Fairy Lamp was a gift made by Mikkie. The leaves, including Japanese maples leaves were found in the neighborhood.

One year these jack-o-lantern bowling balls showed up on my porch. I think Gwen made them. Aren't they awesome? I have the coolest car gear thingies in my garage I am going to paint to give them a more suitable stand. More about that later.

Joel and Jennie come a visitin'

Jennie and Joel came for a short visit last weekend. We went to Flavor Fruit Farm for the best cider and donuts on the planet. We get our goodies and go to McCortie Park. Take the time to Google this park. It has an interesting artistic and social history. There are seventeen bridges made of concrete that look like wood. The place if full of charm.