Painted Paper

This project came out of a need to use up pieces of card stock and some left over paints.  The results is a paper quilt wall hanging.

Painted Paper

Begin by painting card stock with colors that you might find in a sheet of metal, such as copper.  The sample shown is painted with gold, copper, green and a bit of red.  Keep adding and blending until you get something that you like.  You could also go in an entirely different direction and do a blend of pastels.  That would also look striking.

 Next, cut the paper into two-inch squares or a reasonable facsimile of.  Finally, cut two and a half inch squares out of black cardstock or some other black paper, such as construction paper, that you happen to have on hand.  Paste or glue each two-inch square onto a black square.  This will give your copper square a black border, which will set off the colors.

Finished Piece - Copper Quilt

For the piece in the picture the squares were then attached to a large piece of black poster board with some webbed packaging material in between the squares and the black poster board.  The squares were positioned with the grain of the paint going in opposite directions, alternating horizontal with vertical throughout the piece.  Because the piece is paper it is extremely lightweight and easy to hang.

This is a simple project with just a few steps that are easy enough to complete while visiting and thinking up other color schemes to play with.  Enjoy!

What We Believe

"I believe everything.  It's easier than thinking."  Winnie the Pooh

I was recently offended by a commercial for a service that will make it unnecessary to make trips to the post office for postage.  It begins with a man saying, "There is nothing worse than standing in line at the post office."  Obviously, the man hasn't heard about war, famine, racism, and homophobia, just to name a few things that might be considered worse than waiting in a line.

What bothers me is that there was not an uproar challenging that particular commercial as, to put it plainly, stupid.  But with all the ignorant messages foisted upon humanity it's kind of difficult to focus on being media savvy.  In fact, I think it might drive some people over the brink.

Another of my favorite commercials is for a fast food chicken product that laughs at its competitors who sell chicken nuggets.  "What part of the chicken is the nugget," they ask with a smirk.  Then they urge consumers to try their popcorn chicken without telling us what part of the chicken is the popcorn.  I guess that some things in life will remain a mystery.

But aside from commercials, I sometimes question my own proclamations.  At times I notice myself going through the day and spouting platitudes and expected phrases as reactions to other people's platitudes rather than examining what I really believe and putting those thoughts out into the world.  But maybe it's because I'm not always sure what I believe and oftentimes base my statements on what I think people might expect me to say or what, I think, will encourage people to think well of me.

It's going to take me a bit of time to digest thoughts about beliefs and motives and media information.  So while I do that I believe I'll take a walk.  It's a lovely day and time to get my dose of vitamin D.   I believe I'll also make an effort to listen more carefully.  As the Irish proverb states, "God gave us two ears and one mouth so we ought to listen twice as much as we speak."  And maybe throw in a little thinking.

Time To Relax

Squirrel Sunning On Grill

Sometimes it's hard to remind myself to take time for myself.  To slow down, smell the roses, and enjoy the precious minutes that make up my life.  And then the other day when the sun was reminding me that summer is just around the corner, a squirrel, who minutes before had been scampering around the yard on a frantic food search, showed me how to relax.

It seems that the squirrel had come upon the gas grill that's just outside our back door on the deck and noticed that the black cover on the grill absorbed the heat of the sun.  Except I'm sure he or she didn't have all the scientific jargon running through his or her mind.  At any rate, there the little critter sprawled out, changing his or her position about every ten minutes to take better advantage of the rays.

Sometimes s/he would wash or scratch and then, once again, sprawl in the sunlight.  This went on for about a half hour and even continued when I approached with my camera to take a few inspirational pictures.  Here's to the wisdom of the squirrel who reminded me how important it is to relax and demonstrated a great way to take vitamin D!

The Peanut Butter War

Once, while I was visiting a senior care facility at lunchtime, an elderly resident asked the nurse if he could have some peanut butter.  I don't remember what food item he wanted it for but I remember that the request didn't sound too far-fetched to me.  Remember, this comment is coming from a woman who, as a child, enjoyed peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.

The nurse, instead of fulfilling his request, explained that he was given peanut butter every morning for his toast (seems the gentleman liked peanut butter) but his lunch request was not, in her opinion, the correct way to eat peanut butter.  The resident suddenly looked like a child who had just been scolded.

My heart went out to the resident who had, as most residents, reached that time of life when most of what is familiar to them is taken away and they live a very confined life.  Must the peanut butter go too because of the taste preference of a nurse?

Which led me to think about my son-in-law.  I recently found out that he's not perfect.  Oh yes, he is  polite, non-judgmental, an incredible husband and dad and all that kind of stuff.  But I recently found out that he does not like cats, and "not like" is probably not strong enough language to describe his feelings toward cats.  Raised on a farm where animals were considered animals and not pets, he just has no warm and fuzzies whenever he sees an animal defined as a pet.  So it struck me as rather odd that one of his daughters has a pet cat.

One day, when I was visiting, I checked in with my granddaughter on that subject.  "Your dad really does not like cats at all?" I asked her.  She confirmed the fact.  "But you have a cat!  Why did he let you have a cat?"

She looked at me with a look of sweet tolerance for someone who had just asked an extremely stupid question.  "Because he loves me," she said very matter-of-fact.   At that moment my son-in-law nudged himself closer to the perfect category.  Now about that peanut butter.

Pill Bottle Pencil Holder

Pill Bottle Pencil Holder

Another idea from our year of recycling projects.  This activity came about because someone brought a bag of pill bottles to our group along with a challenge.  What could we make out of pill bottles? Because the bottles are so light weight I decided that they had to be used in groups.  Gloss gel to the rescue!

For those of you who don't know me you probably don't know that my favorite  product to use for an adhesive is gloss gel.  For this project we took three of the pill bottles, which happened to be triangular,  spread a bit of gloss gel on the parts that would be touching, and held them together, overnight, with a rubber band. 

By morning the gloss gel was dry and the bottles were beautifully welded together.  Then it was time to decorate.  As you can see, the bottles in the picture are simply decorated with plastic flower-like pieces that are also held in place with gloss gel.  Any small embellishments would work.

This idea also works with round containers.  Gloss gel dries clear so fear not if a participant uses a goodly amount of the product.  Other ideas for such a container might be for holding paint brushes or straws.   How else could you use them?  What else could you, or have you made with empty pill bottles?    Would love to hear from you with your ideas.

A Few Kind Words

"Everybody likes a compliment."  Abraham Lincoln

The Most Handsome Man in My Life - Dad, about a year before he died

I have a confession to make.  Besides sitting out in my art studio and making stuff for many hours of the day I also waitress at my son's restaurant two nights a week.  I have been dabbling in restaurant work for over 45 years, oftentimes as a manager, and I love the interaction with the guests as well as with the restaurant staff.

Through all those years of connecting with the public I've learned how effective a compliment can be to establish rapport.  I've also learned that most people can spot a false compliment a mile away.   False compliments are like the bar talk between singles just before closing time.  You get the picture.

At any rate, on a recent, busy Saturday night a young couple came into the restaurant.  I'd guess that they were in their early 30's.  The waitresses all noticed the young man immediately because he was tall and slim and had a soft, rugged look.  One of the waitresses wondered if he might be a model.  The waitress who had their table said that he was extremely polite.  Well, I just couldn't let the moment pass.

As the couple was leaving I walked up to them and said to the young man, "The wait staff took a vote  and decided that you were the best looking man in the restaurant this evening."  He not only smiled, he glowed.  The young woman with him was also beaming.

Too often, however, I notice something about a person, such as a kindness they do, and fail to mention.  Fail to simply move my lips and put into words what I'm thinking.  What a shame because it's just as easy to notice and speak.  And as Honest Abe tells us, "Everybody likes a compliment."  Wouldn't that be a nice little gift to give to people in your life for Valentines Day!

A Life More Fully Lived

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." Oliver Wendell Holmes

Sometimes I find it easy to be swept along by routine.  It's such a protected place to live.  But growth, according to a myriad of authors, comes from stepping outside of our comfort zones, which are entrenched in our routines.

I recently came across a book that is designed to force readers, especially the readers who choose to participate, out of their routines.  It's touted as an action plan to change your life forever.  The book is, "The Nine Intense Experiences" by Brian Vaszily.  I prepared myself for some sky diving or bungee jumping.  "Bring it on, Brian!" I thought, as I started to read.

Instead, the book takes readers out of their comfort zones with activities that can be performed in their own  homes.  Intense Experience number one nudges the reader back to the spontaneity of childhood.  There are suggested movies to watch and books to read.  I read, for the first time, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.  Also on the reading list was "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery, my favorite book of all time. 

But then the tasks for Intense Experience number one included more participatory challenges, such as, singing out loud or dancing around the house.  Now that sounds rather easy, doesn't it.  A small step outside of my comfort zone in order to expand my world.  As the disclaimers state, individual results might vary. 

When you see me this year at activity professional conferences notice if I spontaneously break into dance steps.  If you'd like to try some life altering experiences for yourself, Brian's book is probably available in your public library system.  The book is delightful and, in a strange way, slightly challenging.  Happy dancing! 

Sabbatical

This past month, January of 2012, I took some time off for myself.  I spent the month mainly in my art studio, reconnecting with the things that I love to do.  I also spent a large part of my time cooking, which is another creative activity that I love.  My freezer is now filled with containers of easily accessible meals and my recipe blog, loveyathemom.blogspot.com, is bursting with new recipes and information about the foods that we eat.

As much as I believe in the value of the work that people do with and for others, I also believe in the importance of good self-care if a person is to be of value to others.  To continually take without replenishing leaves me tired and wondering when in the world I'll ever find the time to do the things that I believe need to be done.

As part of my jumping back into the fray I decided to explore websites and blogs dedicated to care of the senior population.  Some of the sites had sections about creative ideas.  Almost every posting was at least 40 to 60 months old.  Have the last 3 to 5 years been especially difficult and overwhelming, or did caregivers simply loss interest and a sense of purpose?  Maybe it's time for an all out recharging of personal batteries.  What do you love to do?  Have you given yourself the gift of time to enjoy whatever it is that buoys you up and keeps you at your best?  This could be the perfect time! 

Recycling Furniture

OK.  So maybe a hand-painted dresser isn't within your artistic capabilities.  Start with a smaller piece of furniture.  But if there are some drab looking dressers sitting around that might cheer up the surroundings if they were spiffed up a bit, try this.


The dresser in the picture sits in our guest bedroom at home.  It was an old, inexpensive piece that didn't add much to it's surroundings.  The transformation was brought about by first priming and then applying a coat of pale green paint to the dresser.

For the floral decor on the front I took a poster and cut it into strips that were the size of the drawer fronts.  That's right.  I did not paint the flowers onto the front of the dresser.  It's a poster cut into strips that are glued onto the drawer fronts.  Remove the drawer pulls first and then reattach them when the poster is in place.

Next I sponged some of the green paint along with some cream colored paint along the sides of the poster to blend in the edges.  Voila!  A lovely piece with not a lot of work or skill.  Just a good way to use and use up in order to make surroundings just a little nicer.

Happy recycling!

Jewel-Toned Bottles

Happy New Year!  For those of you making resolutions let me recommend those put forth by one of my personal heroes, Jill Conner Browne, also known as the Sweet Potato Queen.  Jill urges people to make resolutions they can succeed at in order to boost their self-esteem.  One of her favorite resolutions is to "Eat More".  Needless to say, and so I won't.

One of my resolutions this year is to create projects with a recycling twist to them.  Another is to use metallic paint, which make projects simply pop.  Prang metallic paints, user friendly and inexpensive, are available online.  I discovered one overstock site that has a set of twelve 16 ounce bottles of Prang metallic for $33.  Explore and see what shiny things you can come up with.

This project is simply torn, used dryer sheets glued to glass or plastic bottles with my favorite adhesive, gloss gel.  Assemble your supplies of glass or plastic bottles, old brushes about 1-inch wide or foam brushes, gloss gel, and used dryer sheets cut or torn into squares that are 2 inches or smaller.

Simply brush gloss gel onto an area of the bottle, apply a piece of dryer sheet and brush a bit more gloss gel on top.  Continue until the entire bottle is covered and has a nice textured look.  I sometimes do two layers or more simply to get more texture, which I like. 

When the bottles are dry, which is generally in a day or so, dab on a few colors of the metallic paint, sticking to basic matches like green and blue or orange and gold.  Of course, gold simply looks great with everything.  Some of the bottles have an added piece of bead trim at the top, stuck on with gloss gel.  When finished, these bottles make lovely vases for artificial flowers or simply as a grouping of glowing bottles.

Happy Creating!    Happy New Year!

Laughter

Personal from the Saturday Review - "Important notice:  If you are one of the hundreds of parachuting enthusiasts who bought our course entitled 'Easy Sky Diving in One Fell Swoop," please make the following correction:  On page 8, line 7, change 'state zip code' to 'pull rip cord'."

I was recently given a copy of the book "Head First, the Biology of Hope" by Norman Cousins.  Cousins is the gentleman who had wonderful recovery results from serious illness using all that the medical community had to offer along with laughter.  His recovery astonished the medical community and he became an advocate, teacher and fellow researcher on the relationship between human spirit and wellness.

The part of the book that especially caught my attention was the section that talked about the practice of using  "Laughter Wagons" stocked with humorous materials and other items likely to amuse residents in nursing homes.   One group of Laughter Wagon volunteers wear buttons that read, "Warning: Humor may be hazardous to your illness."

Other suggestions in the book include sending a resident a book of jokes or silly toy instead of flowers.  Other suggestions include silly sculptures, comical photos, and mobiles. Or why not consider a joke or riddle of the day on breakfast trays or on a bulletin board?

During this time of year when it's too easy to focus on all that needs to be done and other stressors of the season, it might be good to share a chuckle rather than stories of our all too busy lives.  And while humor and a positive attitude do not change the reality of lives, it can influence the way people deal with their reality.  As Cousins advises, "Don't deny the diagnosis.  Try to defy the verdict."

"Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand."  Mark Twain

Light Up Your Life

This is about following my own advice, which is to Just Go Play.  (See November 14)  I started playing in my art studio everyday, placing playtime at the top of my priority list.  No, I have not created anything that will land in a gallery, but I'm having a great time.  My focus is to re-do and spark-up plain items or to recycle packaging material into works of art.  I'd like to share one of my pieces with you, and maybe inspire you to take some quiet, creative time for yourself.

I began with one of those paper lamps that you can purchase at Pier 1 and other such stores.  This one has been hanging around our house for about 10 years.  I combined this with yards of ribbon that I've also collected over the years. Most of the ribbon was purchased for pennies at garage sales. 

I attached the strips of ribbon to the top of the paper shade with my favorite adhesive, gloss gel.  I'm now waiting for some additional strips to curl (they're wound tight and held together with tape) so I can add them as a final embellishment.  The lamp now looks a lot like a hot air balloon and glows beautifully in our living room. 

I'm also looking at other lamps in our house and imagining them embellished with ribbon or strings of beads.  Also, some of my chairs don't stand of chance of escaping unscathed.

Happy play time!

Puzzle Cards

This week's project was to decorate some blank puzzles that I purchased from Dawn Wooderson of WoodSong.   The puzzles we used were 8.5 x 11 and by placing a layer of removable contact paper onto the backs of the puzzles they remained wonderfully stable while we decorated.  Our plan was to make them into some kind of a greeting so the could be disassembled, placed in an envelope, and given to a friend or family member for the holiday season.

Our medium of choice was acrylic paint but crayons or markers would also be good on the paper surface of the puzzle.  Even the most timid artist was able to paint their puzzle.  After that we stenciled on designs and lettered on greetings freehand with additional paint or wrote with marking pens.

One of the participants decided to keep her puzzle together and keep it in her room.  Others had already chosen family members who would be gifted with their creation.

For those wishing to purchase puzzles Dawn has puzzle blanks available in:
   8x5.5   12 pieces    pkg of 12 for $7 or pkg of 24 for $13.50
   5x7       9 piece with frame  pkg of 12 for $7
   4x5.5    9 piece     pkg of 24 for $11
   8.5x11  12 piece   pkg of 12 for $16
Prices do not include shipping.

The best way to order is by email - wwodsong@aol.com.  Dawn will then contact buyers to get payment information.  Best yet, Dawn is offering a 10% discount until the end of the year for those who mention seeing this offer on the Second Childhood Creation blog!

These puzzles proved to be an inexpensive and fun project for our weekly gathering.  Also a unique way to create a holiday greeting!

Just Go Play!

I recently watched a TED video that got me thinking about play.  The speaker is Charlie Todd.  You can go to TED.com and find his name under speakers.  His topic is shared absurdity.  I loved the event he staged where dozens of people dressed in blue polo shirts and khaki pants went into a Best Buy and stood around.  Or his no-pants event on the New York subway.  And most of all, I was moved by his insights into play.

As children, we were often told to just go play.  Or, perhaps, we've used this phrase on our own children.  It's also probably true that no one actually sat down with us when we were children, or we never actually sat down with our own children, to explain the benefits of play or what exactly play is.  Children naturally know how to play.

I know that I never even considered whether telling my children to play included talks about future benefits in the job market.  "Don't color, build something with your Lego's so you can put that on your resume'!"  And when I Googled "play benefits children" this morning I got 289,000,000 hits.  Conversely, when I Googled "play benefits adults" I got 81,200,000 hits.  Does this mean that play is much less important for adults?  Or is play simply a time waster for children who are too young to hold a good paying job?

As professionals, who are focused on activities, can we ensure that residents are engaging in an activity and not simply observers?  Not that easy if I focus on creating an activity with all the correct criteria.  But what if we decided to just play, which is important and incredibly beneficial for all adults. Check out Charlie Todd.  He's not only motivating but the video is a good giggle.

Aftermath

Yesterday our Tuesday afternoon group met.  The idea was to work on our Christmas table decorations.  This is a long term project that we started a few weeks ago by creating some paper to cover boxes before we'd add some ribbon.  We also painted the insides of clear ornaments.  But that wasn't the high point of the afternoon.

As I reported last week I had a creativity meltdown and couldn't get an idea to take shape the way I had envisioned.  As a fallback plan we painted small flowerpots in fall colors and added some silk flowers along with a bit of bling. 

When I arrived for this week's session the residents were happy and excited.  It seems that there had been a luncheon and their creations were used on the tables.  The women at the luncheon marveled at the pieces and asked where the facility had purchased them.  When they heard that they were made by the residents they asked if more could be made and sold at next year's craft sale.  Some of the residents from the Tuesday group were in the area and heard and saw the commotion. 

It was immensely gratifying for the residents to have their work acknowledged.  It was a lesson for me in going with the flow.  Not all plans go according to plan.  And that's OK.  Creating community is, perhaps, the most important thing we create.  The rest is bonus.

Improvising

Success is Being Together!

My original idea was to paint pots, place some kind of branch-like object into each pot, and then attach leaves inscribed with "things to be thankful for" onto the branches and call them our Thanksgiving centerpieces.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.

The problem occurred when I tried to find branch-like objects that would work without actually skulking around in the middle of the night, hacking away at the neighbor's shrubs.  Time to shop!  I finally found some glittery branch-like fronds that I thought would work.  Problem was, as I worked on the idea at home, that the frond were so lightweight that any amount of weight on them brought them down and the whole thing began to look like a spider.  I am not thankful for spiders, though I'm told that I should be.

I obsessed about this, trying different ways to attach and different things to attach, until about 2 hours before the group was to begin.  Then I did the next best thing and sat down with a good book, forgetting about my creative "challenge".  I also reminded myself that the purpose of the group is to have a good time and create community, along with creating the project at hand.  So why not get out the bags of artificial flowers and make Thanksgiving/fall centerpieces.  This thought occurred to me about an hour before the group was to meet.   

We began by painting our flower pots a dark green.  Onto that we dabbed copper and iridescent yellow.  Next we pushed a piece of florist foam into the pot and stuck the glittery fronds along with silk flowers into the foam.  A good time was had by all.  Our tables are lovely.  Good things happen when we go with the flow!

Communication

I was recently shopping at Marshall's, hoping against hope that I would find something that would make me look ravishing, world-wise, and capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.  Dare to dream.  I did manage to find a pair of jeans that did not make me look ridiculous.

In the next aisle over was a young couple - she, looking through sweaters and he, dutifully tagging along.  After a few minutes he said, "I thought you came here to buy shoes."  I guess with communication would come understanding.  Not all men understand the communication of what exactly is going to happen when some women go shopping for shoes.  Not all women understand the understanding of some men when they hear a woman say that she's going shopping for shoes.  Do you think that men and women should shop separate from each other?

I believe that it's important to know what we're communicating, and what the other person is hearing, when we use words.  I also believe that it's important to be aware of what we're communicating with our facial expressions and postures.  Once again I was at a training and had some professionals come up to me and state unequivocally that their residents will not do activities.

Flash back to an enlightening weekend spent learning about myself at an event known as Landmark Forum.  When dealing with communication and behaviors, the participants at The Forum, were asked to consider the question, "Who am I being?"  If a spouse or child is difficult to deal with we were urged to ask, "Who am I being that this person is behaving that way with me?"  This was not done to assess blame, but rather to examine other ways of being with that person. 

Bottom line, as anonymous said, "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got."  Perhaps it's simply a matter of changing the way we do what we do.  And then learning how to walk and chew gum.

Christmas Centerpiece - Part 1

This year we decided to get a jump on Christmas and turn our centerpiece project into two sessions.  For session one we made our gift wrap print that would cover our boxes.  Session two, still to be completed, will have us covering boxes with our original papers and adding ribbon and a star to the center.  That session will happen in about two weeks, giving us a session in between to create a holiday gift for giving or something for Thanksgiving.

At home, a few days before the session, I made up samples, using red, green, and gold acrylic paint, of what the paper could look like.  I used simple stamping tools that included cardboard tubes from paper towels, corks, and strips of cardboard that were dipped into paint to make lines and dots.  The samples looked like this.

If it's one thing I've learned over the years of doing projects with seniors, is that their ability to interpret projects takes creativity to new levels.  Their stamped papers looked like this.

Guess Who's The Class Clown

For the sample box I cut the paper into two inch squares and pasted on the squares, overlapping as I went along.  For our group session we'll cut their creations into large enough pieces to cover an entire side of a box to better exhibit their work.

Enjoy your holiday projects!

Witches and Monsters and Fun, Oh My!

This week we did a quick and fun table decoration for Halloween.  Next week we're going to start on a more complex Christmas centerpiece project for the tables, interspersing their creation with a Thanksgiving project.  The holidays are upon us!

For our Halloween project we used mailing tubes for bodies, Styrofoam balls for the heads, a bit of paper for arms, and pipe cleaners for hands, hair on our monsters and witches, and the handles of the brooms.  We also used pony beads on the faces for mouths or noses, depending on where they landed on the face, and some googly eyes.  To attach the head to the body we used my favorite adhesive, gloss gel.

Supplies:
  Styrofoam balls
  Mailing tubes or Pringle cans or some such tub
  Craft paint - purple, green and black
  Googly eyes
  Pipe cleaners
  Pony beads, optional, you could paint on mouths and noses
  Paper to create wrap around arms, broom bristles, and witch hats
  Gloss gel
  Pushpin for monster neck embellishment (every monster needs a bolt in his neck)
 
We began by painting the mailing tubes for the bodies, black for the witch and green for the monster.  I painted the Styrofoam balls ahead of time at home because they took a bit of time to dry.  I did the witch heads green and the monster heads purple.

Googly eyes were then attached to the heads with gloss gel and a pony bead pushed into the head for a mouth, or sometimes a nose.  When the pony bead landed in nose position a mouth was painted onto the face with a small brush and some of the black paint used for the witch body. 

To get matching paper for the arms I painted a brown paper bag on one side with the same paint used to paint the monster's body.  Next the painted paper was cut into a two-inch wide strip.  Gloss gel was spread onto the inside of the paper and a small loop of pipe cleaner set onto the end with an extra dab of gloss gel.  Finally, the strip was folded shut and glued onto the body.

Witch hair was made by winding a bit of pipe cleaner around fingers or paint brush handles to create little springs that could be pushed into the side of the head below the hat.  Monster hair was two short pieces of pipe cleaner stuck into the top of the head.  Meanwhile, helper, Cathy, sat to the side constructing witch hats and brooms.  Brooms were fringed paper wrapped around a pipe cleaner and glued in place with gloss gel.  Hats were made by googling "making witches hats out of paper."  The real directions used compasses and protractors.  We used paper plates and jar lids to make our circles.  Not as exact but fully functional.

To attach the heads to the mailing tubes a goodly amount of gloss gel was put onto the rim of the mailing tube and the head set in place.  Next the head was lifted off of the mailing tube and the circle of glass gel imprinted onto the head marked the place where an additional amount of gloss gel was dabbed onto the head before it was once more placed onto the mailing tube to dry.  Witch hats were then attached with gloss gel and the final monster touch of a pushpin into the neck completed the projects.

Resting With Friends After a Job Well Done

Nice to Know Notes:
Because our mailing tubes had a cover on the bottom we were able to insert a few stones into the tubes for weight.  Although yarn would work equally well for hair and brooms we happen to have a considerable supply of pipe cleaners.  And as Miss Piggy said, "You got to go with what you got!"

Attitude

I recently spent an afternoon in a social situation with some acquaintances that I'm in contact with on a rather infrequent basis.  One of the women in the group is an absolute strobe light when it comes to attitude.  She enters the room with a beaming smile, tells about all the wonderful things going on in her life, and draws out people and their stories.  She physically applauds other people as they relate incidents from their lives. 

One would think that this woman has a charmed life.  Not exactly.  For work she's a nurse in a hospital unit for children.  She deals with children and dying on a daily basis.  In her personal life she is the mother of a mentally challenged daughter who is now a teen with the mind of a toddler.  Yet she celebrates every small ability that her daughter has and every small accomplishment that her daughter makes, sharing with other the wonders of her special child.

The day we were together was a rainy, cloudy fall day.  "Isn't the sky lovely when it's overcast like this," she said.  There is no false bravado in this woman.  Just an ability to look around and see and celebrate what's good in life and what's good in others.  I'm grateful for people like this who I can call to mind when I'm doing the drama queen bit over some small inconvenience in my life.  Thanks, Cathy.