Monday, December 11, 2006

FESTIVE WINTER LAMP


Thanks to you, my readers, for all the times you take time out of your increasingly busy days to leave some appreciation here on my blog. It is busy these days... and with the days being shorter sometimes it feels like I barely get up and look out at the darkness of morning and all of a sudden find the inky depths of night pressing in through the window. It feels like the pages of the calendar are being torn away faster and faster. This reminds me of how precious our time on earth is - how fleeting a time it is in God's measure. What are we meant to accomplish here during our brief stay? Surely our Creator has a plan for each and every one of us, and what a joy to figure out this purpose and fulfill it. He knew the very number of our days before we lived our first one. What seems to us a long life is merely a breath of wind to Him who created us - lets treasure each second He's given us here... contemplate on what our mission is to be fulfilled, instead of wishing away some of our less self-pleasing days. Since we can't know how long we've been given, lets assume tomorrow's our last day... what would you do, today?


Psalm 90:4-6

4 For a thousand years in your sight

are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.

5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
they are like the new grass of the morning-

6 though in the morning it springs up new,
by evening it is dry and withered.




The pictures featured here today are courtesy of my dear friend, Sonya. I was going to feature a beautiful scrapbook layout of hers too, but dont' have it this morning. I will post it up first thing tomorrow - well worth the wait. Sonya is a woman of traditions. Sonya has a tradition to buy a new Christmas Ornament each year for both of her sweet twin boys and her husband as well. Sonya has bought 'couples' ornaments ever since she and her husband first met - and gets special joy from bringing these out yearly. The very first year was pretty skimpy, right down to a little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree... when she tells me about this I can sense a real fondness of those first lean days of 'not much' in their lives. I imagine the reminder in these ornaments each calls up a memory of its own.


Along with the ornaments which are purchased for each family member, each year, Sonya's Mom buys each family member an ornament too. The idea is that one day - long down the road, when the twins are grown and moving out on their own, that they will take their own ornaments with them *choking me just thinking about that*... how very sweet!




This year, Sonya is taking pictures of each ornament. She will make a little scrapbook, 5 x 7 which will have an explaination of each ornament with it - that way everyone will know the history of each ornament. I think, the one that was so sweet that she showed me was an ornament her friend gave her, when Sonya was pregnant with the twins... the ornament is an 'expecting' little mouse...


As Sonya says, giving an ornament itself is a special gift that can say a lot. Ornaments make terrific thank-you gifts if you're invited to someone's home. If you know the person well, you might choose an ornament that says something about that particular person. There are many 'themed' ornaments available. Another good thing to know is that if you shop after Christmas you can purchase many of the Hallmark special ornaments at 1/2 price!


Please let me know if you have a tradition you would like to share here... and thank you Sonya both for the information and the photos... and I look forward to featuring your layouts here tomorrow.


Today's oxymorons:

locks on 7-11 stores which are open 24 hours a day,
long and short of it
long brief (for lawyers)
long recess
long shorts
long sleeve t-shirt
loose knot
loose tights
loquacious librarian
loss prevention specialist
loud librarian
loud whisper
Loud silence
love-hate relationship
lovers' quarrel
low altitude
low insurance rates
low tax
lower inflation
low-fat ice cream
low-intensity conflict
low-rise
loyal opposition
lucky stiff
luke-warm enthusiasm
luxury beer
luxury bus
luxury compact


More Christmas jokes to brighten your day!

Which Is Best?
CONTROVERSY: Should the tree be real or fake?
YUPPIE: Live tree, planted after use
MALE: Fake tree, discarded after use
FEMALE: Grow tree in house, adorned with fruits
REALITY: Fake tree stays up until May, adorned with fur-balls

CONTROVERSY: Should tree lights twinkle or stay constant?
YUPPIE: Each bulb blinks to its own random rhythm
MALE: Bulbs flash logo of football team
FEMALE: Elegant flickering candles
REALITY: Tree bursts into flames, burns house down

CONTROVERSY: Should tree be topped with an angel or a star?
YUPPIE: Gender-neutral angel; no submissive female stereotype
MALE: Attractive blonde angel
FEMALE: Authentic angel explains true meaning of Christmas
REALITY: Hell's Angel steals the tree and the gifts

CONTROVERSY: Do ya fling or hang tinsel?
YUPPIE: Empower each strand with self-determining skills
MALE: Six large clumps of tinsel on front of tree
FEMALE: Each icicle hangs like strand of delicate artwork
REALITY: More icicles on floor than on tree

CONTROVERSY: Do ya open gifts on Christmas Eve or morning?
YUPPIE: Gifts opened on posted, individual schedules so all enjoy surprise
MALE: Anytime, just so it doesn't interfere with football
FEMALE: Anytime the entire family is present
REALITY: Doesn't matter, everyone's peeked anyway

CONTROVERSY: Ham or Turkey for Christmas Dinner?
YUPPIE: Baked Tofu Balls stuffed with wheat germ
MALE: Anything, as long as there's plenty of both it...and beer
FEMALE: A meal the entire family plans and prepares
REALITY: Chinese carry-out or McDonald's


BARB'S HANDY TIP #151
Get Science!


There is a terrific science show which airs every friday on NPR... you will gain some good information from this site. What impresses me is the teacher resources for it and the ability for you to download it in a podcast form as well.


10 comments:

  1. I LOVE your festive winter lamp:) Thank you sooo much for sharing it with me.

    Have a fantastic day!

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  2. Happy Monday! I love the lamp. We get Emma an ornament every year for the tree. Hopefully soon she'll be able to pick out her own. Big hugs!

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  3. Thank you so much for the winter lamp, absolutely love it !!!

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  4. Love the traditional lamp.. I expect to see Tiny Tim just around the corner! Thank you Barb....

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  5. Had three posts to catch up on today. Loved all the festive elements. I want a real lamp like that in my yard one day. We call it the "Narnia Lamp"
    Thanks also for the verses.

    I also buy us each a new ornament each year, something special from somewhere we have been. This year we eached picked one out on our trip to Northern Alberta. I got an angel moose in Jasper & L got a kayaking santa from West Ed.

    Love traditions like that!

    Love the thought of the snow maker in the deep south. How sweet!

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  6. Oh Barb! Your work has been taken to another level! I love everything you create but these handpainted darlings are just so wonderful and pretty too! Thanks so much. Sorry I haven't been dropping in as often but I am flitting around the web as quickly as possible because between my photo business taking off and my DH's chocolate biz being equally as busy, I'm kinda wiped zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... oops, fell asleep on the keyboard again... lol. Thanks! :D

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  7. Hi Mrs. Miles - I love the lamp it's gorgeous! Thank you so much!
    "This reminds me of how precious our time on earth is - how fleeting a time it is in God's measure." It's funny you wrote that..I just got a call that my grandmom has stopped eating and it's not looking too good at this point. Here I am contemplating exactly that thought..when I visit your blog. What would I do today?? I would spend as much time as I could with my loved ones and just make sure they know how much I love them!

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  8. The street lamp is lovely...thanks so much! What a sweet story about Sonya. :)

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  9. love the lamp post ...can't wait for another class and teaching from a great lady

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