Learning More

My grandfather was a carpenter - who built houses and barns - and, in his latter years had a "sash and door" business, making windows and doors.

Here is one of the barns he built 100 years ago. It's still in use! I visited it last winter in Edmonton.

My brother hung around our grandpa's workshop after school - but I stayed away from the buzzing saws. Too dangerous! (Though fun to watch from a distance.)

So it's not surprising that I've never done any crafting in wood - though I do have an electric sander and have refinished tables, chairs, and old pine cupboards.

Recently - in my winter decluttering - my attention turned to this hand-made wooden duck, a gift to my parents from a visiting cousin.

Would my kids like it?

Who is the artist? Ron Sadler.

Online... I discovered that Ron Sadler had made many beautiful wooden birds which he sold in his Ontario woodworking studio. 

His passion must have been birds ... and wood. Beautiful!

Giving Self-Made Gifts!

A friend of mine likes to make all the gifts she gives at Christmas. A lot of time and thought go into every gift.

From time to time, I'm inspired to follow her example - but I don't have the stamina to keep it up!

My daughter recently sent me a photo of this scarf pattern that someone she knows knit for everyone on her Christmas list.

Interesting! ! I'd like to try knitting one for myself!

Another self-made gift that would be fun to make - and delicious to receive - are decorated gingerbread cookies. 

Decorating these was an activity everyone enjoyed at Jericho's birthday party a few weeks ago! 

Such a great idea! Fun to make and give!

Late Christmas Gift

I received my last Christmas gift a few days ago... An Australian garment called an "Oddie."

It's very soft and fluffy Also very large. It only comes in one size 6XL!

My son - who got it for me - has one with cats on it... He loves his!

Mine is blue - like a blue sky with clouds... I only wear it in the evenings... Being cocooned in it makes me want to curl up and go to sleep!

New (and Different) Soap

My life would be less interesting without my children to introduce me to new things. One that I'm currently looking forward to trying this soap that was a Christmas gift from my daughter...

It's made in Lagos Nigeria Africa.

I'm not sure where my daughter found it, but I notice it's available online from Amazon and Walmart... (Surprisingly, the prices, in both places, are markedly different.)

Among the soap's ingredients are: aloe vera, shea butter, honey, lime juice and cocoa pod ash.

Is that why the soap is dark brown...? From the cocoa pod ash?

I've never had soap with cocoa in it - so I'm  looking forward to trying it!

A Beautiful Gift

Terry and I were shopping in an antique furniture store with my daughter...

As we wandered around, I couldn't help but admire some metal candelabras on the wall...

I love them! I told my daughter... Not that we need anything... 

But on Christmas Day there was one under the tree for me!

It's so beautiful...

(Now to figure out where to hang it!)

Pineapple Lip Balm

A while back, I received this gift of "pineapple" lip balm...

I love the shape and the packaging!

I love the smoothness and the taste!

But there were a few surprises...

Pineapple lip balm definitely describes the pretty packaging - but not the flavor, which - to me - resembles vanilla...

Is it made in Hawaii? I wondered...

No... Made in Canada. In Toronto, in fact!

Lots of surprises!

Home-Made Gifts

A friend of ours often gives hand-made gifts - sweaters, quilts, and so on... (I'm not sure how she finds the time.)

When our daughter was born, she received a lovely hand-knit dress from this friend...

Occasionally I manage to make a few gifts, but not often.

This year (inspired by my neighbor Mary's book) I made Christmas stockings for my daughter's two cats...

They weren't as elegant as the ones in the book - in fact, they're pretty "rustic" - but I was in a rush and I got them done!

And the cats seemed to enjoy them - or at least the bell attached to this one!

I also managed to make a pillow for my granddaughter.

She can put her head on flowers...

... or on a group of cats!

(Each side of the pillowcase is made of different fabric.)

It's fun to make things for people (or pets) who enjoy them!

A Gift

Your birthday gift is based on your blog, one of my sons told me...

I was curious! What had I written about that would inspire a gift?!

He and his wife had read the blog post where I mentioned that opening jars had become difficult for me. So they got me another kind of jar opener!

What a surprise!

(And what an interesting use of blogging!)

Three Christmas Gifts

Now that our Christmas tree is down, I'm "setting up" some of our Christmas gifts...

This pretty  Himalayan salt lamp was a gift to our son. It's a piece of pink salt with a small light inside. The salt is supposed to counter winter blues (among other claims).  I've set it up in our dining room, where it adds a comforting glow to our dark evenings. (It's dark by 5 pm these days.)

It does add a different "feel" to the room - but whether it's psychological or physical, I don't know. 

It took me a few hours to set up this new easel that "Santa" brought me. I've always wanted one - though recently I haven't done much painting. I'm looking forward to using it with acrylic paints. Not sure where to set it up. If the paint splatters, I'll have to use it in the basement... or outdoors once warm weather arrives.

This third gift was actually a wrapper that another gift came it...

But I love it - inside and out!

My iPad fits in it perfectly. It could be useful when I travel. It also inspires me to  make some zippered pouches like this - perhaps quilted - in different sizes, for books, my phone...

The list of ideas goes on!

Souvenirs From the Convent

No visit to the convent is compete unless I buy a few souvenirs...

(to bring a bit of the convent home with me?!)

They always have a selection of interesting books for sale.

Every time I come, the titles are different!

This year I also bought a hand-knit bear, sold in support of Amnesty International...

... a coaster knit by the sisters. It goes well with the mug I bought last time I was there.

This year they were also selling two history books - one about the history of the sisterhood.

Another, the history of the hospital that they established, St. John's Rehab Hospital - still located next door to the convent.

Squirrels Tearing Gifts

One day last week Terry and I came home from shopping to discover that Fedex had left a gift food box on our doorstep...

We weren't gone long, but a squirrel must have discovered it first! Perhaps he smelled the food inside!

Fortunately he left before reaching the inner packaging. Some of the plastic bubble wrap had been popped...

Had the squirrel been frightened away by the popping sound?!

I don't know - but I'm glad the contents had remained untouched!

Cat Soap

It's hard to use a gift like this cute cat soap... (Even when the vendor claims it retains its original shape even when worn down with use.)

When my son started to use this Christmas gift, I decided it needed a special "bed" (or dish) in the bathroom!

I'm always happy to find good use for my small pottery pieces!

PURRfect Cat Lover Gifts!

One cat-lover in our family got three great Christmas gifts:

A cute cat T-shirt...

Soap in the shape of a cat... (It apparently maintains its cat shape, even when used!)











 

And, for cool winter evenings, a warm onesie, adult sized!

Being a cat-lover, he couldn't be more pleased!

Gifts

Christmas gifts are wonderful!

But the real gifts are the people in our lives who love and encourage us day by day. Enjoy them!

Have a merry Christmas!

Free Gifts We Can Give - Every Day

When our children were young, they would often give us "coupons" as gifts... A coupon valid for washing the dishes, another for vacuuming the living room, another for accompanying us on a walk... Sometimes there was one for a hug to cheer us up! We were always happy to receive their hand-written coupon "books," stapled together, full of offers to do chores that our children didn't necessarily like doing but were willing to do as a gift...

We cherished these coupons, not only for the "work" they were offering to do, but for the time and energy they put into thinking about what help we might appreciate and then creating the coupons. (I looked for some I may have kept as "souvenirs" of those childhood days - but I must have used the coupons all up!)

Joyce Meyer's daily devotional, Love Out Loud, made me think of those childhood gifts of time and effort because, in her entry for January 20, she lists acts of kindness we can do for each other every day to "love out loud."

We can...

• Watch over one another
• Pray for one another
• Look for kindnesses we can express to others
• Be friendly and hospitable [Elsewhere I remember her saying that friendliness is a form of hospitality...]
  
• Be patient with one another
• Bear with other's faults and weaknesses
• Give others the benefit of the doubt
• Encourage one another
• Be loyal to one another
• Be happy for people when they are blessed
• Keep people's secrets and don't tell their faults
• Believe the best of one another

It's easy to forget that the best gift we can offer is a bit of ourselves - our time and effort. And - as our children realized in those days when allowances didn't go far in gift purchasing... helping someone is not only fun (and appreciated)... it's totally FREE!

My Latest "Treasure"

I'm not much of a shopper. I prefer to discover surprises while browsing...


















Which is how I found this lovely cup.


















Waiting for a friend outside a Ten Thousand Villages Shop, I went inside to escape the cold...

This blue and white tea cup (with a strainer and a lid) quickly caught my eye. Though hand-made in Vietnam, it reminds me of traditional blue and white Polish pottery...














Perfect for a leisurely cup of tea.

(Sometimes we simply need to give ourselves a treat!)

Just When It Seems Impossible...

I was sitting in my favorite chair early yesterday morning... reflecting on some things that I was hoping for (and praying for...) Wondering how they could ever happen...














... when suddenly I noticed - on the wall opposite me - the shadow of our framed stained-glass picture that hangs in the window.














This would not have been remarkable, except that it was morning - when the sun rises in the east... But our window faces north and the light shining in was coming from the west!














Light from the north-west often shines through the window on summer evenings - but not in the morning!

This was unusual! Where was the light coming from?!

Looking out the window, I saw that it was early morning sunlight reflecting off some trees...














Do trees normally normally reflect dawn light? Or was it happening today because the trees were wet and glistening from overnight rain?

I don't recall ever seeing this before...

Was God reminding me (in this unusual feat of nature) that He can make things happen in ways I don't expect, contrary to normal logic?

That's what it felt like...

I am now looking forward to surprising answers to my prayers - as wonderful and unexpected as this early morning western sunlight shining in through my northern window in October!