A-ho-ho-ho Matey!

We have these neighbors that we almost never see. (Sometimes we call them the "Mole People") We've made overtures to them from time to time but still nothing. Part of it is their work schedules and that they have three very young children (all under the age of 5) so their social life is structured much like ours was ten years ago. That means that they really don't have one.

They have a flagpole at the end of their driveway, right next to one side of our circular driveway. Usually they have Old Glory flying there and sometimes a Chicago Bears flag as Mr. Mole works for the McCaskey organization. Back in October they put up this really cool skull and crossbones for Halloween. The problem is that it is still up now, the week before Christmas.

I took it upon myself to add a little (current) holiday style the other night. It is just some red fabric safety pinned in place and a white pom-pom made from white acrylic yarn.

I'm still waiting for someone else on the cul-de-sac to notice. If he stays up long enough, I have my Easter Bunny ears all planned out.

Lolcats: Mess Style

See what happens when you don't make your bed?

Etsy Shop Update: photo notecards

I have two different etsy shops; one for my fabric and fiber crafts and one for my photos and other paper crafts. The second one was started mainly for the Digital Mandalas I started making a couple years ago. I really love them but never did much to promote them other than have a few professionally printed, mounted, framed and hung in my own home.

Then this spring when I decided to start putting some of my other hand-crafts on etsy I revisited my somewhat defunk shop but had forgotten my password. Duh! So I made a new i.d. and moved on. BUT then I found another etsian with almost identical mandalas and I freaked out a little. After some digging and private conversations with her I realized that we just both happened to come up with a very similar idea at almost the same time. (But I was first.) That was when I figured it was probably in my best interest to resurrect my original shop if I ever needed to have proof of copyright.

So long story short, I have two etsy shops. And recently I've been updating the old one with photo notecards featuring photos taken on our trip to Scotland and a special series of mandalas made from images taken at Rosslin Chapel and Rosslyn Glen. For now I'm just featuring notecards, but would be happy to make enlargements of any image that "speaks" to you as a special order.

Etsy Buy Handmade betho319

It's Time for a Holiday Miracle

Back in July we got the news that our dear friend Di had a brain tumor. At that time she had surgery and radiation and things were looking good for them. Until last week. Today we received this email from Diane. They are past the point of casseroles and get-well cards. Now all they really need is our prayers. Please join me in praying that this year it is their turn for a Christmas Miracle.

Hello friends,

I sure do hate to give bad news this way, but it is quick and easy for me right now. Please forgive me. I had surgery for a recurrent brain tumor on Nov 3oth. I did well, but they also discovered a new tumor near the brain stem which was inoperable. I had the gamma knife procedure for that and I'm, looking into some type of clinical trial, help, etc.The problem is that the type of brain tumor I have, anaplastic meningioma, is not common and there is not a whole lot of research on it. I may have found a study at Duke University and I'm checking into that this week. Actually I feel better than last time and I'm moving around well, without much pain. I am asking you to keep me and my family in your prayers. If you know of any prayer circles, please put me on it. I will keep you posted. I really appreciate all your prayers, love and support. Love, Diane

Mr Mess and Jim, her husband, have been friends and co-workers for over a decade. They have seven children, five girls and two boys, in their late teens and twenties. One of their middle daughters just got engaged this summer with a wedding planned for next fall. They have just come through a very rough couple of years with their oldest son. Jim has been unemployed for almost a year. I don't know how much more a family should have to endure. But endure it they do and they seem to be managing with an amazing show of solidarity and strength. Their oldest daughter moved back to Illinois from Texas to be near her Mom and to help out with the rest of the siblings. Both Jim and Diane continue to be gracious and thankful for everything they have and all the help they've been receiving. They just don't deserve this.

I would also appreciate any advice to Steve and I on what to do and say and how to help. We're so broken up and in shock that we are at a total loss as to what to do. We've never been through anything like this before.

The Holly and the Ivy

Mr Mess asked me yesterday to make some kind of decoration for the front of the garage. He bought these iron sconces last summer and had thrown some not so attractive faux flowers into them and hung them up. I knew I could do better.

I foraged through the forest surrounding our house with my pruning shears and gathered a selection of various evergreens. We are fortunate to have a large variety to choose from including; blue spruce, norway spruce, cedar, white pine and boxwood. We do not have any holly but I do have ivy, I just forgot to go to that side of the house and cut any. Maybe I'll add some tomorrow if we don't get the ice storm I keep hearing about. The addition of a couple velvet poinsettias, and the halls garage was officially decked.

Variations on a Theme

These will look familiar to longtime readers. I made 30 pair of these last year for customers at a craft show I did in November. I swore to never knit this pattern again. Alas, I stand corrected. One of my customers from last year called a couple weeks ago asking if I'd make 5 more for her because they were such a hit last year. She wanted them all in the same colors; red, black and white, but made no specifications beyond that. So I took the liberty to keep myself awake while knitting these and varied the combinations of the colors. Plus these are going to two sets of sisters so this way they can tell their pairs apart.

Now on to crafting for me. I'm starting with finishing my Millennium Vest. Stay tuned.

Oh Tannenbaum

Today we did one of my favorite family activities. We hunted down the best balsam fir on the entire farm, cut it, tied it to Velma the Volvo, and brought it home to begin our Advent/Yule festivities. To make it even better, it began to snow just as we were pulling into the farm. By the time we got out to the field, it was snowing horizontally and quite blustery. That made for some quick picking!

Little E declares that decorating the tree is her favorite activity of the entire year. She has become a very able lighting assistant. I like a thick mixture of small white lights strung toward the inside of the tree with the big multicolored ones clipped to the outer branches. After a number of years of me telling Mr. Mess that he wasn't doing it right, it is now my job to string the lights. While I'm putting on the lights he's selecting an array of holiday CDs and mixing amazing martinis. It makes for a very festive occasion.

We have a very eclectic selection of tree ornaments. (Did you expect anything else from me?) Every year the girls select a new ornament each while we are out doing our holiday shopping. Some years we've gotten them at a store during the local "Christmas Walk" or from the shop at the tree farm. Other years we'll just see some at a craft fair or store that they like and pick one up. For a while they had themes they worked on. Mini-me had blown glass angels for many years and then icicle shaped snowmen. Before the girls were born I bought every ornament I saw that had a grey tiger cat (like my old girl Penelope) or a black lab. I also have a few Bernese Mountain Dog ornaments (not so easy to find) and other cats of different colors. I do need to start looking for white cat ornaments for the Milk Brothers. We also try to buy an ornament from wherever we may go for a family vacation throughout the year. In addition to these the girls have collections of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments that they've received from my sister Brenda. Each time a new niece or nephew joined the family she'd select a new series that year and start them on their own collection. Mini-me has the series of Disney Princesses; Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Little E has the Madame Alexander doll series and the Madame Alexander angels. They cherish all these special ornaments and recall memories of when and where each one was received.

We also have small collection of the truly weird and frankly, ugly, ornaments. Most of these have come from the family ornament exchange at Mr. Mess' family's Christmas get together. It started out as a nice friendly ornament exchange that has devolved into a competition to see who can bring the weirdest and wackiest ornament, and who gets stuck with it at the end of the night. For the most part I've been quite lucky in what I've been stuck with able to add to our collection. This is how I acquired my German Pickle and my Funky Santa and Christmas Peppermint Fairy. But I also added the ugliest frog and the cherry pie on a plate via this venerable family tradition. Nothing made me let out a bigger sigh of relief than when I could safely pass on the Jar Jar Binks ornament a few years ago.

Of course my most cherished of all ornaments on my tree are the truly one of a kind. The ones that every mother loves the most. These are the glitter and tissue paper wad creations that your young children grace you with every year. Some are the result of a creative Sunday School teacher, school art class or teacher gift. Others are just sprung fresh from their fertile little minds with whatever found objects that they can find. And some are the result of a few dollars squirreled away here and there and an opportunity to shop at their discretion. All are special and were given with that true unadulterated love of giving that we all tend to forget about at this time of year. They really help us to remember the importance and meaning of a gift truly given. I hope your tree is covered in such gifts this season.