Christmas Craft Project Done

For some of us, getting ready to decorate for Christmas is almost as fun as the actual decorating, especially if you are into making the decorations or making gifts to give to family and friends.

Today we are in snow #4. While they have not been big snows, its still too early for my liking but we pull up out boot straps and deal with it. I only work 3 days a week now, so I was able to swap out today with tomorrow which allows for me not to have to go out in it.

If you remember I told you about the dog, the tree and the snowman ceramics I bought to paint and that they light up. The snowman turned out the cutest. They are about 7″ tall.

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The biggest Christmas craft project I have ever was done back in 2000. That is when the ceramic houses that you could paint yourself first started being a hot item. My friends and I started a village at the beginning of summer and by Christmas, we both had well over 50 items each. I place it out every year and last year I added a couple of items. I have to monitor sizes as my houses/business were in the middle of the scale of houses they make today. This year I added a cathedral and an observatory along with some enhancement items like bears in a tree for the mountain cabin and the coffee stand at the tree farm. The new items were already painted so I just got to add them to the collection, but still it is fun.

The layout is broken down into 3 separate sections, one due to the size and one because of it’s theme and location.

First you have “up town” with the government buildings and the large shops. There is the City Hall, the Lawyer office/Police department, the Post Office, the Fire Station, the Bank, the Library, the Theatre and of course a church are located.

IMG_20191109_175010 — This is an alcove above the fireplace for a TV/Entertainment center

Suburbia is located on an adjacent table next to the fireplace with many favorite shops, homes and added novelties. Throughout the season, I will feature a few of these at the end of each post so you can see the details like the car at the burger stand shaped like a burger.

IMG_20191109_174945 — Homes, businesses, the mountain house, the Christmas tree farm, Railroad, Antiques, the stream with the covered bridge and the feed store.

The last section is the observatory way out in the country(the other side of the fireplace) on a mountain(a bucket on a snow covered file cabinet) by itself, however there is a hotel and a church close by. And yes, the tree for that room is reflected in the window. Not fully decorated yet though.

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The fun in doing this always brings back good memories, plus that fact that one year I gave some houses away as gifts and still have lots left.

Yes it is a lot of work getting all of this out but I still enjoy it and lay it out different each year.

What are some of your favorite crafts to do at this time of year or some of your favorite decorations. I always enjoy looking at everyone’s as much as I like sharing mine, so share away and lets have fun together.

And in closing you know I always stress the value of kindness. It is a true reflection of Christ and how he wants us to try to always be kind.

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Memory Prompts

Do you have things you see that bring back an instant memory from the past…preferable a good memory. It is a shame that bad ones come around as well but lets focus on the things that make you smile or laugh.

One in particular for me is a bright moon. When my oldest was about 2 1/2, we lived in Asheville N.C. A beautiful place. We had friends who knew rangers who allowed people onto the mountain fire trails to pick up felled trees for firewood. It helps the people and aides in forest cleanup.

So off we go in search of firewood and it was right chilly. I had my son all bundled up like an Eskimo and we got enough wood to last all season. Coming home it was a clear cold cloudless night and my son spotted the moon. He had just started talking so when he pointed at that bright light in the sky and said moon as only a two year old can, it was a precious time for me and a memory shared in the family through many years.

I thought of that night last night with a clear sky after several days of damp dreariness. As I was walking the dogs, the moon was perfectly framed in my neighbor’s tree and Venus, I think, is located just to the right. So I thought I would share that spot of peace and a memory that makes me smile.

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The world can really be beautiful if you still the madness of the day and try to look through God’s eyes at His creation. I envision God as He was creating all of this for US with him thinking…’Wait until, they see this,” and 90% of the time we miss the gift. I fully believe He knows the trials we are going through and throws little things our way to distract that trial, for a brief moment to bring us a moment of peace. If we can focus on the brief moment of peace, the moment can stretch and become bigger, allowing us extra peace.

May you all find the small gifts of love thrown in your path that make you smile and for a split second forget the pulls of every day life. And as you smile from these tiny gifts, may they grow exponentially allowing you to share you the gift of peace you feel which will bring you more happiness, more memories and more peace. With the added peace you feel, may you also add kindness in all you do.

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Back on the Air, Monday Windows, Snow

Hi, Hello, Howdy and How in the world are you? It’s been crazy since my last post . Friday of last week…5 days ago…all due to careless incompetence. If you remember I got a new roof, yea for that. But since I have satellite TV and internet the dishes needed to be carefully removed for later re-installation once new roof was on. So what did they do…cut the wires, let them fall to the ground and throw them in the roof trash trailer. Not what they were supposed to do. The company was very apologetic and paid for the replacements and said “good help is hard to find”, really…train your people correctly and then they become good help.

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It is amazing to me the different work ethics across the country as I have now lived in 6 different states but where I am now I believe has the worse. They do great work but fall short of that last 5% to complete the job. Its amazing.

All that being said, lets do a little catching up. Technically I am still in the allowed timeline for Monday Windows as I believe it’s a weekly prompt…so I want to show another beauty from our sanctuary. It shows Jesus’ Baptism.

Jesus Baptism — Again my camera is crooked, sorry.

Monday was also the first snow for the season. It was the best kind of snow – snowed during the night, beautiful to look at, streets were still clear and it was gone by lunch. If it snowed like that all the time, I would never mind the snow.

Plus it was Daisy’s first snow. It was a difficult time of keeping all 4 legs on the ground. Then we nosed a bush and the snow falls off scaring us because it moved…scary stuff. LOL.

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Today’s snow is a bit different setting records of earliest snow, coldest temps…and flooding. You know its bad when you get a flood warning and a snow warning on the same day. Yes, we are still flooded – not the major flood stage of 22′ like this spring but still the Mississippi is out of its banks and has been most of the year. That is crazy to think about. Special government programs are being setup for these people whose homes have been in water in some form for 8 out of the 10 months this year thus far. I would ask that those of you who are prayers to please remember the people along the Mississippi. I learned from my youth while living in Florida that you don’t want to be too close to the water. It can be a monster of unfounded proportions.

And finally a couple of pictures of today’s snow. It will still be snowing for a couple more hours; current temp at 28 but feels like 17.

The Trunk or Treat at the church has been cancelled more for temp concerns than snow as the snow can be cleared by then but the wind coming this evening will make the temps dangerous for small ones to be out in. The malls had their trick or treat last weekend so the kids got to do some there, as well as other indoor places that celebrated. And some communities just moved it to the weekend.

I feel the “white” season is among us. With higher than normal moisture in the air, we may see more of that stuff than normal. It does warm back up into the 40’s this week so it wont last but still…

So, I leave you with warm thoughts of kindness and love. May you feel the warmth of Christ’s love as it wraps around you and remember to always share the warmth and be Kind.

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The First of Fall

I love the reds of the dogwood, sugar maple and the other trees who really have red leaves before they are invaded by chlorophyll turning them green. The yellows and gold are really rich and nice but I love the reds the best. It was cloudy today but still the reds were beautiful. It is supposed to be sunny on Saturday so I will take some more pictures then. The reds against a clear cold sky in fall are amazing.

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Each season has its own beauty, yes, even winter can be exquisite, and for a southern girl, that is a pretty big statement. So enjoy this season as the northern hemisphere prepares to sleep and remember the beauty of all of God’s creation.

And with beauty comes smiles, and with smiles comes kindness. Always remember the beauty of kindness and share as you can.

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Small Beauty, Monday Windows

The appreciation of beauty even in small things gives us a chance to enjoy the artist vision, whether it be man or God. I have been doing the windows of my church and today’s focus is on a couple of the single smaller windows whose color are just as vibrant and beautiful. These windows face a courtyard on the side of the church.

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I do apologize for the crooked pictures as I was making sure I had the camera straight with me instead of the slant to the floor which makes them look crooked. But their beauty still shows through. I will do better with the big windows left to show.

In this fun and wonderful medium of blogosphere, if that is such a word, we are gifted with sharing the pictures and words of beauty that move us. What a wonderful thing to be able to do. I will never be able to go across the “pond” but am so grateful for all the photographers who do or live there and share their work for all of us to enjoy.

As an always reminders to me as to anyone who may read my post, remember the most beautiful things to share is love and kindness. Many of the notes I share are beautiful pictures with gentle words expressing the importance of always being kind. I am a firm believer that the smallest act of kindness can shatter a dark gloomy day so I always close with reminders of kindness. Maybe if we spread enough kindness it will begin to take hold and change the world for the good it can do.

Never forget the power of kindness.

Lines, CFFC

What is a line anyway…it’s the space between two dots.

When you look through nature and your surroundings, in my opinion, the only straight lines come from man. At least for any distance. God likes to make things interesting. Even when you look at things under the microscope, there may be burst of short straight lines but they are angled away from each other.

I love old stone architecture and all lot of that has some straight lines mixed in with curved lines balancing their beauty. These pictures are the straight line of a building of many floors accentuated by lines of rounded granite strips with curved lines thought them. The details between the windows is an interesting take on things you would maybe see in Egypt . It is quite beautiful and again a mixture of straight lines and curved.

IMG_20190924_124847 — The square lines from the granite block mixed with the curved molding lines.

The building is currently being renovated and turned into condos. The entry way is beautiful and I will do a post on this building when I do a series I am gathering pictures for about architectural stone buildings.

IMG_20190924_124756 — Lines created by multiple floors, love the lines at the roof line

IMG_20190924_125139 — Details of the curved line work

I totally went over board with Cee’s CFFC and lines, sorry but I thought these lines were amazing.

Remember in all the beauty of the world you see, to reflect that beauty with kindness. You just may make someone’s day.

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Back Catalog, TPC

Photography is a wonderful means to create reminders of things we saw, things that move us and pull us back to that memory or things that scare us. The photo I am submitting saddens me each time I see it and recently I drove back out there and it is still the same. I ask the question to my self as I have no idea who to ask but …”Why is this allowed to remain this way?”

Death and crash of a tree in a place of remembrance for those who have live.

B&W grave — Grave was created 100 years ago

I changed this to black and white with heightened light and clarity to give it a more lost look of apathy. Fits in with this month celebration, as some do, of death.

Life that goes to fast to remember is a life not worth living. It is our story, good and bad, that makes us who we are. And nothing is all bad…there is always a silver lining somewhere, you just have to find it.

It is my Christian belief that we all have a purpose on this earth to share the gifts God has given us and he has given all gifts…love, kindness, blessings…the air we breathe. And I believe we are all meant to share his attributes in any way we can. So as you go about your day, try to remember to show kindness in any way you can.

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A Reflection of My Home

Good afternoon. I do apologize in advance for today’s tour of my home in reflection as when my home moves periodically, as it has a mind of its own apparently with the help of a human, this movement tends to break sections of my home down. No major damage I guess as I will just rebuild again tonight when things are quiet.

IMG_20190930_173456 — Home and Reflection

My brother George lives on the other side of the moving mountain and usually makes a larger home. He has brighter opportunities for food as he gets more illumination from the street light. However his home gets broken more as that is the side of the mountain the human gets in and out of.

When my home is fresh and full, it is quite stunning in reflection and makes it a joy to watch as the breeze moves it slightly creating a amusement ride effect if you stare at it too long.

If you happen to come by my home and wish to say Hi, knock on the shinny thing and if I am not busy, I will come out to visit.

Oh, and by the way, my name is Georgette. And remember all things enjoy kindness so remember to be kind.

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The Quiet of Fog

IMG_20190929_115623 — The bat-cave of my street

Some think fog eerie but it is it’s peace that I feel

It shrouds all things that it touches, making it look unreal

The early morning fog comes but usually burns by noon

The evening fog can enter and bring on a sense of doom

I prefer the daytime fog brought on by changing seasons

It’s calmness gives off a quietness for no apparent reason

When fog comes in surrounding the branch as it glistens

Nature seems to come to a stop and watch fast while it listens

Beauty in life can be read in nature from where ever you stand

As the peace of fog moves quietly over the surface of land

Anita Neal

Remember in all that you do to share the kindness that has been shown to you. And if you feel kindness has not been shown then be the first to spread it around and be kind.

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Frown to Smiles

Our attitudes toward all our of trials in this life is what helps us get through them, as long as they don’t own us. So I challenge you this day to keep your spirits bright and to not let the “Negative Nancy” get the opportunity to fill your thoughts.

Trails of Life

We start out eager and young on this wide trail of life,

In hopes of receiving great fortune and very little strife.