christmas present

Every year, our children’s school puts on a beautiful Christmas musical & pageant.  It always occurs the night of the last day of school before the holidays, and there is a matinee performance a few days earlier, for those who can’t make the final night.

Hours and hours of practice throughout the November and December months are put into this show.  Teachers and students alike take great pride with showcasing their hard work. 

{Clay Gift Ornament Tag instructions here}

Because I’m on the marketing committee at our school, I attended the full dress rehearsal this week to take some photos and video (I volunteered to edit the video of the performance to be put on the school website…yes, what have I gotten myself into???).

At rehearsal, all the kids were fidgety.  Many talked/pinched/squirmed through other performances, and in general, the energy was not quite there.  Maybe that’s what happens on a Monday morning after a weekend before Christmas (where I’m sure many of the kids were tired from attending Christmas parties…my kids included!).  I can see the tension and worry on the teacher’s faces…what’s going on with all these kids?  All that hard work…

But every year, without fail, when it’s time for these kids to shine, they are up, energetic and dressed to impress.  I guess they’ve “been there, done that”, and since they have done rehearsals for the Christmas pageant so many times, they instinctually know to package their energy until it really matters, then they let it rip, and give it all they’ve got!

It is with this giving spirit, that in return, these kids know their parents, grandparents and loved ones, will sit though off key notes and flubbed lines, put a smile on their faces, and give their gift of love and support. 

{Photo gift card holder in frames. Card holder instructions here}

And that’s the best present anyone could ask for.

{Attending these beautiful  parties...Privet and Holly}

comfort and joy

I was on a recent school field trip with my son, where we visited a beautiful local lake that was once inhabited by the Native people (Iroquoians to be specific).

It was a full day of walking around, observing the lake, learning about the trees and the way the Natives lived off the land.  It takes approximately 5 deer skins to outfit one child.  They didn’t have vitamin C from oranges to prevent them from getting scurvy, so they had rosehip tea instead.

I was amazed at all the ways they had to be resourceful.  Nothing was taken for granted, they all understood that it took a village to help each other, and they worked.  And worked hard.

The women worked on the farm.  They raised their children together and ran a full household.  The men hunted and protected their village.  They built from cedar trees around them.

Although they didn’t have the comforts of modern day living, I bet you they were happy.  Working together…as a village…as a family, is incredibly rewarding.  They cherished everything they had, because they hunted it or made it themselves.  And it’s all they had….nothing was left to waste. 

So this holiday season, I hope that I can be just as resourceful, using simple ingredients from my kitchen cupboard, to create things, while not as life dependent as rosehip tea, but something that is made by hand, to be cherished.

Homemade Clay Gift Tags

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of baking soda (about 1 box)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 ½  cups water
• Sauce pan 
• Spoon
• Plastic wrap
• Wax paper
• Cookie cutters
• Rubber stamps  (from the craft or dollar store) or toothpick
• Straw

Preparation:

• Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring consistently, until it is too thick to stir with a spoon.
• Cool for a few minutes, or until it's cool enough to touch. Place on the plastic wrap. (Clean/soak the pan immediately or you’ll have clay stuck on your pan!)
• Roll out the dough so it’s the thickness you require. 
• Using a cookie cutter or a knife, cut out your shapes.
• Using a straw, cut a hole at the top of the ornament.
• Using a toothpick (I like using the plastic ones which are easier to use), create your message if you want it handwritten, or use a rubber stamp.
• Once you have molded it, it will take 1-2 days for the clay to dry. This clay can be painted with either Tempera or acrylic craft paints.

Joyfully, tag your gifts.