Many Hands Make Light Work

Saturday I had almost 25 women at the house making favors for our church's baby showers. So far we have eight scheduled before fall. We are a very pregnant church.
In three hours we finished favors for four of the showers and had a ball doing it.
Whether it is the first baby or the fifth, we celebrate the life given to us by the Father.
The shower is a celebration of that coming life, not a place to get the loot. In fact, folks are told if they can't bring a gift, that's fine. Come for fellowship and support for the family. The women helpers were from 13 to age 74. There was no generation gap here.
Each shower is different and tailored to the new baby or Mom. Saturday we made lion and lamb note holders, diapers out of baby scrapbook paper, pillow boxes, cartoon-lined goody bags and other decorations.
As always there was chocolate for fuel.
If you come to my house, which is an old 1930's Arts and Crafts style, you are greeted as family. Most know where the tea pot and coffee are. You just help yourself. More often than not Mary Cornelius is my social director. She has such an way of making people feel comfortable.
I have a long cabinet in my wide hallway with craft supplies, so there is always something on hand should we change the design midstream or the concept just does look the way we envisioned.
Many hands make light work, but it makes the heart light as well.

Grandchildren by Proxy

One of the things that I miss the most by living here is my grandchildren. The closest are three and a half hours away. In fact, one of those granddaughters has blessed me with two precious great-grandchildren.
I love baking and doing crafts with elementary aged children who still see life with wonder and awe. So today I brought two precious ones home with me. They were so excited to come with me to make cookies and marshmallow snowmen.
We made M&M cookies from a mix my daughter, Carrin, sent me at Christmas. Maran really likes the cookie dough.
However, the most fun came from making igloos out of sugar cubes and then snowmen out of marshmallows. I had made the snowmen at Christmas with my grandchildren, Christopher and Emily, and they loved them. So I was sure that Ian and Maran would as well. In both cases, some of the chocolate never made it to the snowmen. But isn't that the fun of it?
The igloos were imploding, but Ray came home in time to act as the official igloo contractor. Not bad for a boy from New York City.
I was really impressed when Ian began bagging the cookies to take home. He equally divided the cookies and didn't try to take the biggest or the bestest. In fact, he told me he liked the darker cookies. Go figure. When he was through, I gave him half of our half. After all, his family is twice the size of ours.
I really believe the secret to staying young is to play. I had a ball today playing. Nothing was serious and there were no deadlines.
We made a mess and it was okay. The simplest antics brought lots of giggles. Where did we lose that? I guess that answer doesn't really matter.
What does matter is that when you give your heart and time to a child, you can regain hope and joy. Each day is a gift. Multiply that gift by making someone giggle. It will be good for both of you.

Friends are Friends Forever

Over 20 years ago Sally and I worked for a business newspaper in Jacksonville. I wrote and she did layout and design. Today we came full circle as I write and she created my glorious new header. Isn't it awesome!
I can remember 25 years ago sitting at a small oak table in her dining area talking to her as she did layout and design for a small newspaper. That was the day of light boxes, x-acto knives and rub-on transfer letters. She did this in addition to other work and raising three beautiful daughters as a single mom. We often did crafts together. She is a real artist. I am an artisan. lol
Later, I moved to Texas and then Africa and back. A series of circumstances brought me back to Jacksonville. As I began again, I met Sally at a garage sale. She was always looking for vintage buttons and fabrics and lace.
We picked up as if we had been separated for days, not years.
Again we created gifts and crafts together. She taught me scrapbooking and created her own scrapbooking patterns. They were so detailed, fresh and original. She gives the Lord the credit for her creative ideas and they are kissed by His love I am sure.
I have been living in Georgia almost seven years now. Each year when I visited my mom, I would take time for Sally. I got much more out of our visits I am sure. I always left with bags of goodies, new craft ideas and a heart bursting with gratitude.
When I wrote Sally and told her I was finally blogging as she had encouraged me to do, she immediately offered to design the header. I was astonished. Sally and I were almost snobs about everything being handmade. Now in her 70's, Sally is a digital artist!
I am so proud of her! When we worked late into the night to create beautiful things, I left tired, but exhilarated. That is what I am feeling tonight. I am tired with just work, Christmas shopping and the fast approaching Cookie Exchange BUT I am exhilarated with creative juices flowing. I feel like I am standing at yet another threshold and I can't wait to see where it leads.
No matter where we are in our walk in life, there is more.
Hugs,
Diane