On The Seventh Day of Christmas and An Award

     A present!  For MEEEEEEE?!?  Before moving on to The Seventh Day of Christmas, I'd just like to thank Kristi Faith at R. A. W. for making me feel soooooo lovely by presenting me with this LOVELY AWARD.  Now, I'd like to share this good feeling with fifteen others, as per instructions.

PJ at Seens From The Backs Of My Eyelids, Kathy's Kampground Kapers, Amy Tate at The Virginia Scribe Reflections, Fiona and Twig, Beverly Stowe McClure, Caroline By Line, Yaya Stuff (another Yaya), Some Mad Hope, A Christian Romance Writer's Journey, Delia Jolie's Blog, Megan Rebekah Blogs... and Writes, Chasing The Dream, Excuse Me, Does This Blog Make My Butt Look Big?, Living My Life, Outside the Box and Four Jugs.  All of these are such fun sites, you'll definitely want to check them out.

     And now, The Seventh Day of Christmas:

     Don't you just hate it when someone repeats themselves?  Don't you just hate repetition?  And yet, that is exactly what I am gonna' do; repeat myself... somewhat.  Yesterday, I told you a really cute way to make a Christmas gift and I smuggly went my merry way, thinking that I had six more gifts nearly prepared.  Just a matter of taking care of the details, so to speak.

     Remember how I said I don't sew for things that grow?  Oh, wait!  That was posted on my other site, here, in case you'd like to read the post.  Well, evidently I have other restrictions, as well.  Some time ago, I bought a new sewing machine.  In fact, I bought two, thinking that I would be... well... I actually don't have any idea what I was thinking; perhaps that I would be the proud owner of two lovely, brand new sewing machines.  A friend helped me put them both to use... once... whereupon we promptly returned the new toy that did not function properly.  From time to time, I took the working machine out and inspected the various buttons and knobs to see if I had magically learned how to make them function. I hadn't.

     Now, I ask you, was my brain somehow covered in Forget-me-Nots?  Did I honestly think that pulling a sewing machine out and firing-her-up would create knowledge that wasn't there before?  For the record, it does not.  In fact, it took me two hours to figure out how to get the presser-foot lowered!  Whew! And I don't even want to tell you how I had to wake my good husband up to thread the silly needle!

     So there I was with six capes to make and no way to sew them.  Oh, yeah!  And doll blankets, as well.  I hurriedly put on my Thinking Cap and got to work.  As it happened, I had a fitted sheet that  I was going to use to practice my sewing. Sewing?  Hmmmm.  I wonder?  Soon, I pulled out all the stops in my 6' x 7', High-tech, modern new sewing room and got to work.  To put it another way, I sat on a stool near my writing desk and eyeballed that sheet so I would be able to cut out four somewhat equal sections.  Still on my stool and with the material in my lap, I began snipping away.  As you can see, its very important to measure precisely when sewing... or, not sewing, in my case.


     Did you know that if you cut away the little corners of a fitted sheet, you can come up with some reasonably impressive capes for children?  Yup!  Just hand-stitch the elastic to form a circle and a cape is made.  With the elastic circle, said child can slip the cape over his/her head and prepare to save the world.  No ties, buckles, buttons or snaps to bother an adult about redoing, every five seconds.  Here's a picture:  Please lay on your side to look at this picture, as my computer absolutely refuses to let me flip it, except on its head.

     Next, gathering bits of iron-on patches, I cut four shapes and labeled each cape on the inside for whom each was intended.  The first letter of each their names only, of course.  Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! And we're done! And this time, I mean it.

     Until the next time, keep a hug on.

The Sixth Day of Christmas

     As promised, tonight we'll do something for the boys.  Just as little girls love dolls, so do little boys have certain things that come naturally to them, as well.  Of course, they collect treasures; rocks, sticks and shiny objects to be turned into something more interesting later on.  But what I have witnessed in my grandies, most especially the boys, is their love for leaping from tall buildings in a single bound.  The tall building may only be the kitchen stool, but where the imagination goes, I like to encourage it.  Therefore, it wasn't too much of a stretch for me to come up with the perfect gift for a little boy.


     Do you sew?  Do you sew well or, just enough to get by?  The nice thing about this gift is you don't have to be an assistant to Martha Stewart in order to make a child happy.  Depending on the size of the child, scrounge around for a piece of material.  Medium-size children would probably use about a yard square or thereabouts.  Solid colors are perfect, but don't discount the ability of a child to overcome all kinds of obstacles with the help of their imaginations.


     Now, hem all four sides of the material and at one end, leave the ends open for a string to run through.  If you have a hand machine for creating snaps, that's even better.  Next, simply run a string or a long strip of material through the opening and its all ready.  A cape.  Add imagination and one more child takes to the air.


     And from me... keep a hug on.