Smile Today!

Cute huh!

image from here

Did you smile today?

 

 

Bulbs of Beauty

Isn't this bulb collection beautiful. Bulbs of Pomegranate from Komali Nunna




And pretty jars of pomegranate jelly sit beside the tree tier of fruit and berries.



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That really wasn't the type of bulb I was meaning to post about, however, it is lovely and I couldn't leave it out.

I was really creating this post for Christmas bulbs - for these next couple pages I found in my paper files.
 

These are fun to remember and to help me create a look of my own.

 

A cluster of vintage bulbs.

 

 

 

Lovely hung shapely shiney brights.
(Is there a noun in there?)
 

this page comes from a Real Simple December 2007 magazine

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Putting bulbs in a vase?  Maybe this idea can help!
From Dandelions and Dust Bunnies


 

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Snow Creations

Snow carving ideas from the Nov-Dec 1997 Scouting magazine

 

Look like fun stuff!

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Faith, Family, Freedom

 "Christmas is a time for families and for reflecting on the birth of the Savior"





"We live in a Christian nation, and this season of the year has most of us turning to the New Testament to read the real story of the mortal mission of our Lord and Savior."

"It is the season to celebrate His birth."

“So again, ... let the message of Christmas penetrate our hearts and our souls on this most glorious occasion of all that brings us closer to our Savior,”

- Elder L. Tom Perry Shares Message of Freedom and Family



Faith, family and freedom, Elder Holland concludes, are “big issues inextricably linked with the hope and promise of democracy.” And they are “intertwined, interlinked, and interlocked so tightly that when one of them is struck, the other two are damaged; so that when one of them is cut, the other two will bleed.”



At the end of that Newsroom article there is a link to the full message.  If you click on that link and read the full message you will not be disappointed, but will indeed be edified.

(Jeffrey R. Holland is one of my favorite speakers, and the subject addressed here is among my favorite subjects. Faith and Family are most important, therefore the freedom of religion must remain ... free.)



Other messages on the freedom of religion:

- Religious Freedom  (includes more links and video presentations)

- “Just and Holy Principles”: An Examination of the U.S. Constitution,   By Arvo Van Alstyne

- “Lord, Increase Our Faith”, by Gordon B. Hinckley

- Church Publishes New Resources on Religious Freedom

- Building a Family of Faith

Christmas Trees

Cute Christmas Tree on a wall
from Gypsy Purple Home

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This is a page from pottery barn kids gifts 2012 catalog.

Kinda fun huh!
The whole look is great, but don't those trees look kinda fun to create!
And, just look at that cute snowman.

and here is another page from the same catalog

(I cut and taped a piece to it)

with more fun trees to make.

See the little pink tree in the center?  These kinds of trees allow one to create a holiday look with whatever color they choose, as they consider the colors of their surroundings.

Great fun!

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Here is another cute tree to make from Smart School House

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Here is a cute advent tree from Pottery Barn Kids 
She shares the info about it, so check it out if you want.

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And this beautiful decorated tree came from a magazine I clipped and saved in my files for a few years now - I don't know what magazine, but it is a lovely look worth saving

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Put some jewels on your trees like these from here and here ...,





and here ...,





and here ..., and here





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Are these Christmas Trees? Love the Lights!  Here 

A few more ideas can be found on my Christmas Trees Pinterest Board

Hallelujah

I love Christmas music!  And it's definitely time for listening to it. My favorite is the music that shares the real meaning of Christmas.  Christ's birth is the real meaning of Christmas, though the fires glow and the love among all men are beautiful too and fit the message of His Gospel and warm my heart in the Christmas songs too. Everything about Christ and His teachings are beautiful.  



image from here

I've always liked the original song Hallelujah but the meaning behind the original words always bother me a bit, so hearing this version of the song really makes it great.  The original isn't a Christmas song, but this rendition is a very beautiful Christmas song.

 

It is performed by Cloverton, a Christian music group. I didn't want to download it here so just click on this link to hear the beautiful song, and watch them perform it in a small coffee shop somewhere.

 

"Cloverton's Cover of Leonard Cohen's  Hallelujah"

Here are the words they sing: (found here)

I've heard about this baby boy, who's come to earth to bring us joy
And I just want to sing this song to you
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift
With every breath I'm singing hallelujah
Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah

A couple came to Bethlehem expecting child, they searched the inn
To find a place for you were coming soon
There was no room for them to stay so in a manger filled with hay
God's only son was born on Hallelujah
Hallelujah  Hallelujah   Hallelujah  Hallelujah

The shepherds left their flocks by night to see this baby wrapped in light
A host of angels led them all to you
It was just as the angel said you'll find him in a manger bed
Emmanuel our Savior, Hallelujah
Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah

A star shown bright up in the East To Bethlehem, the wisemen three
Came many miles and journed long for you
And to the place of which you were their frankincense and gold and myrrh
They gave to you and cried out Hallelujah
Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah

I know you came to rescue me this baby boy would grow to be
A man and one day die for me and you
My sins would drive the nails in you that rugged cross was my cross, too
Still every breath you drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah
Hallelujah   Oh Hallelujah   Hallelujah   Hallelujah

Christmas Smiles

A poem I found in my files - don't know the author, but it's worth keeping.

 

A smile is such a funny thing

It wrinkles up your face

And when it's gone you never find

It's secret hiding place.

 

But far more wonderful it is,

To see what smiles can do.

You smile at one, he smiles at you,

And so one smile makes two.

 

And since a smile can do so much

By cheering hearts of care,

Let's smile a lot this Christmas time -

Such smiles go everywhere.

 

 

(image from google search)

Ceiling decor

Great Décor from Twig

They had to decorate the room for a dance and didn't want to take up the floor space, so they looked UP for ways to decorate and make the room a lovely place for the holiday.  I love what they did!

 

A bubble chandelier

 

 

 

a bubble collection (without the lights)

 

 

a curtain of ornaments

 

 

fabric panels above the seating

 

 

lighting behind tulle

 

 

It's all so lovely!

 

Christmas Crafts

ideas from my paper files

Cute Wooden Trees, Bundle of Blocks, Post Snowman, Snowman Pillow, Pretzel Legend, Pinecone Ornaments, Snowman Bulb,
 

Blocks Hangings,
 

Glitter on Bulbs

 





 

Real Stockings

 

 

Bling on your Hat and Gloves

 

 

Of Curtains, Contentment, and Christmas

One of my Favorite Things =

Messages from Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

also

 

What Matters Most =

Spiritual Things
The Christmas season can help direct our thoughts to those spiritual things that matter most in our live. Therefore, I love the Christmas season.  It too, is one of my favorite things.
Spiritual Things and Christmas are two of my favorite things that matter most.

 

 

image from Bing search

 

Note: I do not usually like to put the full message in my post, but just a quote or two, but this time I chose to post the full message.  It's a great read by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, given in 2011, found here.   It's Awesome!  I hope you enjoy the read. 
This message was given at a Christmas Devotional - all of the music and messages given there can be found (read, watched, printed, or downloaded) here.

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Of Curtains, Contentment, and Christmas
            
PD50029131_000_

What a wonderful, joyous time of the year! I always look forward to being here on the first Sunday of December, when we have the opportunity to listen to beautiful music and hear messages that lead into another blessed Christmas season. And again we look forward to hearing from God’s prophet, our dear President Monson.

Christmas has always been a special time for me. When I was very young I lived in Czechoslovakia, and the rich, centuries-old traditions of Christmas were everywhere around us. Although many years have passed, I still look back on those days with a fondness and tenderness that leave me with profound feelings of gratitude and joy.

One year, when I was perhaps four years old, I was in the room where we kept our Christmas tree. It was decorated with lovely, shining ornaments. Silver tinsel draped over the branches, catching the light of real wax candles that flickered all around me. Nearby was a window that looked out onto the street; its curtains shimmered in the light, adding a certain mystery and magic to the scene.

It was on that day that I made two eventful discoveries.

The first was that if I held a lit wax candle behind the curtains, the light sparkled beautifully through the delicate fabric, transforming it into something sublime and mesmerizing.

The second thing I discovered was that curtains are flammable. As you might guess, the flame from the candle caught the fabric of the drapes and spread quickly, threatening the walls and ceiling of our home.

I screamed in fright. My parents ran in from the other room and quickly pulled down the drapes and stamped out the fire, preventing what could have been a terrible tragedy.

Once the danger was over, the charred remains of our once-beautiful window trimmings littered the floor; the now-bare window loomed behind me, cold and condemning; and I stood timidly in front of my mother and father without explanation or excuse.

I knew, with all the certainty of a four-year-old boy, that I had ruined Christmas!

Christmas and Perfection

Nearly seven decades have passed since that fateful day. And as a result of my one and only brush with arson, I have learned some important things.

First, don’t ever play with fire—an important message with literal and figurative implications for everyone, not only children.

Second, even though I nearly turned our apartment into a pile of ash and smoke, I did not ruin Christmas.

This fiery event was a very frightening experience, of course. I’m certain my mother and father were shocked and dismayed that I had done such a foolish thing. But in the end, it didn’t diminish the love we had in our family, nor did it destroy the wonder of the Christmas season.

Back then, German children often were told of a tradition that during Christmas well-behaved boys and girls would get gifts and sweets, while those who had misbehaved would be punished and get die Rute, a birch branch. By most standards, setting the living room curtains on fire would qualify as having misbehaved—so the timing of my terrible mistake could not have been worse. But I didn’t get die Rute. My memories of that and every other Christmas of my youth are dear and precious to me. Knowing that my family still loved me was a wonderful blessing and a great lesson.

Looking back, I think my fear that I had ruined Christmas came from an incomplete understanding of what Christmas really is. And I’ve noticed that it’s not only four-year-olds who have this misunderstanding.

Sometimes it seems that our efforts to have a perfect Christmas season are like a game of Jenga—you know, the one played with small wooden blocks that are precariously stacked up to a tower. As we try to increase the height of the tower, we pull out one wooden block before we can place it on top of the delicate structure.

Each of those little wooden blocks is a symbol of the perfect Christmas events we so desperately want to have. We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be—the perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family events. We might even want to re-create some magical moment we remember from Christmases past, and nothing short of perfection will do.

Sooner or later, something unpleasant occurs—the wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire, the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises—and the picture-perfect Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us. As a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration, and perhaps even disappointment.

But then, if we are only willing to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas, we will recognize wonderful things happening around us that will direct or redirect our attention to the sublime. It is usually something small—we read a verse of scripture; we hear a sacred carol and really listen, perhaps for the first time, to its words; or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life we too often use to adorn it.

Christmas Is about the Christ

In these precious moments we realize what we feel and know in our heart—that Christmas is really about the Christ.

Christmas and some of the cherished traditions of the season remind us that we, like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We should offer Him our love. We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good. ¹

We cannot offer Him the gift of perfection in all things because this is a gift beyond our capacity to give—at least for now. The Lord does not expect that we commit to move mountains. But He does require that we bring as gifts our best efforts to move ourselves, one foot in front of the other, walking in the ways He has prepared and taught.

And what are the Savior’s gifts to those who are willing to bring these gifts to Him?

This may be the most one-sided gift exchange in the history of the universe. The Savior’s gifts to us are breathtaking.

Let us begin with immortality. Because the Savior overcame death, all men and women—both the just and the unjust—will live forever. ²

Then, forgiveness—even though our sins and imperfections be as scarlet, they can become white as snow because of Him. ³

And finally, eternal life—the greatest gift of all. ⁴ Because of the Atonement of Christ, not only are we guaranteed an infinite quantity of life, but He offers the possibility of an unimaginable quality of life as well. ⁵

Some of His divine gifts are reserved for that glorious future day when we return to His presence.

But He extends many gifts and His grace to us every day. He promises to be with us, to come to us when we need comfort, ⁶ to lift us when we stumble, to carry us if needed, to mourn and rejoice with us. Every day He offers to take us by the hand and help transform ordinary life into extraordinary spiritual experiences.

A Christmas Blessing

Of course, we do not need a Christmas holiday or Christmas traditions to remember Jesus Christ, our Savior. But the celebrations of Christmas can help remind us of Him. The hallowed Christmas season can be an opportunity to recommit to keep the fire of the Spirit and the glory of the Son of God burning in our hearts every day throughout the year.

This is a wonderful time of the year. It may not be perfect. But if Christmas can point our hearts toward our Savior, we can rejoice even in the imperfections of the season. Brothers and sisters, dear friends, may we always remember to bring gifts to Him who has given His all for us. May we always remember and be grateful that in the birth of that Child, the universe rejoiced. And may each Christmas season remind us to lift up our voices and fill our hearts with joy and gratitude that Christ the King has come! Christ lives! He is real. He is our Redeemer at Christmas and always. Of this I bear solemn witness.

I leave you with a blessing of love and with my warmest wishes for a meaningful Christmas season, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

image from here

 

I Believe in Christ!

I Believe Christ!

FYI - this years Christmas Devotional will air this evening (the first Sunday of December) at 5:00 on BYU-TV.  Don't miss it, it will be awesome! They always are!

 

 

Celebrate December!

While cleaning my files I found a folder full of fun and silly reasons to make your day a special day ... things to celebrate ... every day ... any day. I remember having some fun with these years ago, using some of these ideas for a while before forgetting about them. I've found a few more and thought they'd be a fun addition to the blog. Some of these are quite ridiculous, but several are great for family fun, for preschool fun, for party fun, or just for fun!

Happy Celebrating!

December

 

Birthstone is Turquoise, Blue Topaz (meaning Prosperity)

Flower of the month is Narcissus or Holly

 

- Bingo Month

- Write a Friend Month

- Nat'l Tie Month

 

- 1st week is Cookie Cutter Week

- 2nd Sunday is International Children's Day

 

1

- Eat a Red Apple Day

- Nat'l Pie Day

 

2

- Coats for Kids Day

- Abolition of Slavery Day

- Nat'l Fritters Day

3

- Make a Gift Day

- Nat'l Roof Over Your Head Day 

4

- Cookie Day

- Wear Brown Shoes Day

- Santa's List Day (so does that mean it doesn't matter how nice you are after this day?)

- Scrabble Game (1948)

5

- Blue Jeans Day 

6

- Mitten Tree Day 

7

- Cotton Candy Day

- Letter Writing Day

8

- Nat'l Brownie Day

9

- Christmas Card Day (so do we send them this day or do we send them so that others will receive them this day?)

- Nat'l Pastry Day

10

- Human Rights Day

11

12

- Gingerbread House Day

- Poinsettia Day

13

- Cocoa Day

- Ice Cream Day

14

- Monkey Day

15

- Nat'l Lemon Cupcake Day

16

- Stupid Toy Day

- Nat'l Chocolate Covered Anything Day

- Nat'l Re-Gifting Day

17

- Nat'l Maple Syrup Day

18

- Bake Cookies Day

19

- Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in 1843

- Look for an Evergreen Day

- Oatmeal Muffin Day

20

- Go Caroling Day

21

- Nat'l Flashlight Day

22

- Nat'l Date Nut Bread Day

23

24

- Christmas Eve

- Nat'l Chocolate Day

- Nat'l Egg Nog Day

25

- Christmas Day

- Nat'l Pumpkin Pie Day

26

27

- Make and Cut Out Snowflakes Day

28

- Call a Friend Day

- Card Playing Day

- Nat'l Chocolate Candy Day (this just helps us feel better about eating all of the leftover Christmas chocolates today)

29

30

31

- New Year's Eve

Reusable Shopping Bag Cover Up

I purchased a couple reusable bags a few years ago when we stayed in Seattle for my husbands first stem cell transplant.  I used them many times, but usually only at the Safeway store.

We're back in Seattle and I'm using them again, but I have to take them everywhere I go unless I want to purchase shopping bags from every store I go in to.  It's the law!  It's so funny when the cashier asks if you want to purchase a bag, when you've just purchased clothing or food and need a way to get it to your car. The grocery store asks before they ring up your food, so they know how to bag it. They thank the past mayor.

I don't like advertising for other stores and I have a hard time using a bag that says Safeway in Target or Bed Bath and Beyond, or any other store.  I decided to do something to fix that.  I didn't have a sewing machine, but I did bring a little sewing kit, so I sewed it by hand.  Not perfect in size of stitch, but perfect in covering up.

Below the checkered fabric is a red printed SAFEWAY logo.  No one can see that now.

I like the look! 

Now I have one reusable Walmart bag that I'll have to fix too, but all I have is the black and white check fabric and I think I want something different on this one.

Fabric has been added to my shopping list, and covering this bag remains on my To Do list.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Special Sock Snowmen

I know it's almost Thanksgiving, but keeping warm is important this time of year, and these snowmen seem to create a great and creative warmth.
 

About 30 years ago I created sock snowmen from baby socks (seen in this post) and loved having them hang on my tree. They were cute, but didn't seem as warm as these.

 

When I saw these snowmen from grandfathers socks I wished I had saved some of my kids grandfathers socks to create some of these adorable snowmen.  They are bigger than those I made years ago, and more loveable and squeezable, and warm.

 

 

 

 

Wanna make some?

Polly shares the how to, complete with photos, here.

 

Another look at sock snowmen can be found on this post.

 

This idea reminds me of the "Keep-Snake" we made from grandfather's ties. For those who do not like snakes, maybe these are a better type of keepsake. 

 

 

Grateful Garland ..., Bottled Blessings ..., Grateful Hearts

I think it would be fun to do something unique with our Thanks Giving moments on Thanksgiving Day.  Some families take turns telling each other one thing they are thankful for as they sit around the table.  I have posted (here) about a vase we filled throughout the month with pieces of paper rolled up in a clear vase, each had something that we were thankful for written on it. 

It's always good to be thankful.

Here are some ideas that I thought were fun and exciting and different than I have done before. They are not in any special order, and I haven't yet decided which is my favorite. When selecting these ideas I had in mind that dinner guests would each participate in the giving of thanks, but this could be done as a daily or weekly thing through the month of November, or just once at the beginning of the month and then used as décor for the rest of the month.  Here are some great ideas.

Grateful Garlands 

Let each guest write something they are grateful for on a piece of cloth or ribbon or tag or other item and tie it to a string or rope or ?, creating a garland.

I found this look on Pinterest.

and this next look is found here

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Thankful Tree

This idea comes from Simply Vintage Girl.

The Cooke Family showed her version of a Thanksgiving Tree, and had this cute bowl of paper tags too.

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Hanging Mobiles

Write on each of the leaves and hang on a mobile like this one from Enjoying The Small Things

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Paper Spinner

Create a spinner - make the opening whatever size you need for the number of guests you have, and let each guest turn the spinner to find a place to write one thing they are grateful for. The host could then read each at the table if you so choose.  This look is from Tip Junkie

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Grateful Board or Wall Display

Each guest could write on a chalk board with chalk, or on a poster board or sheet of paper with a marker. From This and That Creative

Or write on pumpkins and place them in a frame to display like this from My Blessed Life.  Instead of PUMPKINS written at the bottom it could say THANKS or GRATEFUL.

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Place mats

Simple paper place mats make a great place for each guest to write on. Seen on pinterest

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Bottled Blessings

Much like I did with our vase of blessings, fill a jar like this from Martys Musings.

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The good old paper chain garland can be a fun idea too. This can be seen on Pinterest. It could be strung in the middle of the table to add to the décor.

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Give Thanks!

The Tablescaper has a nice look using a name card look.

Maybe you would like to give each a little match book notebook that they can take home, and make sure you tell them you are thankful for them on the first page, and maybe add one of their awesome character traits or talents that you like about them. Their names could be written on the front of the matchbook or on a tag attached to it so each gets his/her own book.  These are seen on Lasso the Moon

buy them - like these from Easy

or make them like these made from paint chips as seen Hardly Housewives

FYI - years ago I bought some from OTC, but I looked today and only found these on a quick look, but they could be covered with pretty paper.

Maybe you'd like a different book, like these cute homemade books seen The Long Thread.  If you choose, each guest could decorate their own as part of the activities of the day.

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GIVE A HEART

Okay, this might be my favorite, mostly because I like the idea with these hearts.  It is very thoughtful and creates thoughtfulness within your family.

I posted it here, not to be used the way they use it at Lasso the Moon, though I love that way, but to give each of your guests a heart. Maybe you could pin a tag to it with something written on it that would tell them how thankful you are for them. But, don't overlook the way they use these hearts, because it's pretty awesome! It's a great way to help create A Grateful Heart.

Happy Thanks Giving!

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