Reflections of a Family 2012

Christmas with the grandchildren!  What a LIFE!!

2013 starts and we pause to consider

Every day is a gift, Jesus, Lord, and Redeemer

We pray God’s blessings for you and your kin

Sharing love with each other until we meet again

Angie, Bo, and Durham Fowler

Receiving and giving our time and our joy

Don’s workshop, wood projects; an ipad, new toy

From our first winter garden, we look for new recipes

Dental bills took our money, much like College expenses!

On Thanksgiving day Don gave thanks for good health

Then he had an appendectomy the following week!

No wheat, healthy cooking

Yoga, weights, and more walking

Superfoods, good nutrition

The Doctor Oz RealAge revolution

Robert, Julie and Caroline Townsend

 

On Amazon, selling my dvd

All babies should “Learn to Swim with Miss Bea”

Advising parents on my website, facebook and blog,

Meeting new swim instructors

teacher training is my goal

Durham plays with last year's Pinterest project

Now time it is ours to use or to waste

We have so much to do, and to do without haste

More fishing and relaxing at the beach on St. Simons
The kids live nearby now, so we go there on vacations!

Girls gathering to celebrate Mom's birthday!

My mom, she was 90 and did we have fun!

The six sisters together and no wedding to run

Five grandchildren to enjoy now, Isabella was born

To their house first on this Christmas morn

Andrew, Mary Ellen, Isabella, Brian, and Lauren Skeens

 

Creating for others is such fun at Christmas!

I caught Andrew looking for presents under the tree.  But there were none there yet. We super-enjoyed this Christmas season.  From being with the family to making Christmas things.  My house almost looked like Ani's house - my older sister who has a Nativity in every room of the house.

I see my new pillows, the new tree skirt, and on the tree, some of the special ornaments from years past.  The starfish we made for Julie's wedding.  I see one made of an oyster shell and cedar from St. Simons Island, and some made of fabric by my mother many years ago.   I wanted this year to do some things to remember my first year retired and having more time with the grandkids.

Once I brought down the decorations from the attic, I decided that I wanted to make some new things.  First was the wreaths with some sparkle inspired from Better Homes and Gardens.

The most favorite thing that I made in December is this Christmas tree:

Inspired from this pinterest pin I enjoyed going through Don's wood scrap pile and deciding what to use and then how to decorate it.  I even used several pieces of pallet wood and shells.  The snowflakes I had made a few years ago but never got them stiff enough to hang them on the tree. This is the only thing I don't want to put up in the attic until next year...

My next favorite thing is the snowman.  Andrew is such a wonderful artist that I knew he could make a snowman face better than I.  Instead of the stair rail snowman from pinterest, I used a table leg that Don bought at a yard sale with other scrap wood.  I painted it white and glued two pieces of wood for the hat.

Andy painted a great snowman face!

I tried the beachy ornament from pinterest but it did not come out right.  Maybe if I had used a blue one.

For years I have been wanting to do something with the beautiful Christmas cards that I have saved through the years.  I googled for ideas and came up with several  I tried to make a wreath from them but did not like how it looked.  In years past I have used them as tags.  (My sister Cristi makes some beautiful tags from them.)  My mom used to make the ornaments , but they take too much time.  She also used to make accordion fans from them and glued magnets to the back for the refrigerator.  I forgot to take a picture of those.

I made a memory type game to play with Lauren and we made some into decorations for a tree.  Also, I picked up sticks from the yard and set them up.  I glued and cut cards back to back that fit together.  The the kids had the fun of putting them on the tree.

Lauren punched the holes on the cards.

Andrew putting the cards on the sticks.

For a Christmas gift Don made Julie and Angie the shelves for books like the shelves from pinterest  Here they are:

Caroline got her book

Lauren needed a headband holder so I made this one from an oatmeal can for each girl.

Don has been working so hard making cutting boards.  Brian suggested that he try the endgrain style and he was so excited about it that he made a bunch.  Some he finished with tung oil.  Some had a food safe varnish and finishing wax.  He experimented with them and them gave them away.

Now we're on the countdown to El Día de Reyes - Three Kings Day

My baby Jesus from Spain.

Merry Christmas - Christmas letter 2011

 I'm sharing with you a jpeg of my 2011 Christmas letter. (If you want to know who to make a picture from a WORD document, ask me!)  

When everyone was here last weekend, we put all the kids in front of the tree and took about 20 pictures with 3 cameras.  They were so good!  

The picture of Don and I was taken in Las Vegas

The picture of the whole family was taken shortly after Durham was born at Brian and Mary's house with Brian's camera timer.  It is the best we could do.  Here you can see everyone.

When I was working I usually finished my Christmas cards and letters by the first week in December.  Now that I am retired, I am too busy...

Also, it took me a long time to write the poem, but I wanted it to be perfect!  I still am not happy with the stanza about myself but I am pleased with the rest.  I hope you like it.  Write me a comment.  

Then I had to figure out how to print it.  I ended up going to Office Depot with my flash drive and they printed it.  (Faith, I told them of a 25% discount on their website and they honored me at the store!)  I got pretty envelopes to go with it.  I sent them all out yesterday!!

I feel so good about it!  Now to finish my Christmas shopping...

Have a blessed Christmas

How can I be: Like the Christmas Tree? - a poem

 

    LIKE THE CHRISTMAS TREE

 

The Christmas Season has me all worn out

I pause to dream, what’s it all about?

I light the tree and look around…

The glistening of the silver tinsel

The sparkle of the lights so bright

The stories in each ornament

The fragrance the pine gives at night.

Then the angel on the top starts blinking,

And with a start, I get to thinking…

My lights and colors come alive

Every time I say a kind word

And give His Love away.

Jesus, grow strong and brave in me.

Become my words, my force, my will,

For in my life I want to shine

The one and only Jesus Christ.

Then the Spirit in others may

Abide and shine in the same way.

Friends, let Him grow in you to be

Your light and Lord for all to see.

               By Bea Skeens. 2003

Adding Some Sparkle to my Christmas Wreaths

I love decorating for Christmas but it is so overwhelming!

I keep telling myself that I am retired so there is no hurry to get everything up and pretty.  Pinterest has me doing all sorts of new crafty things and taking pictures of them to share!  I have always done crafts but never took pictures of them to share.  I got this done because the family is coming this weekend so I have to clean up the craft room again!

Our sweet previous owners of our house left us the wreaths for our windows.  This would be our third year using them and I wanted something different without spending money.  I saw this in the Pottery  Barn magazine and wanted something like it.

http://pinterest.com/pin/164522192607029264/ 

The wreaths are in plastic bags and hang on nails in the attic.  Every year I have put the same newspaper back inside the bow and it has kept them like new.

First I took the newspaper out of the bow, then straighten out the greenery and use the glue gun.

I had some Christmas balls left over from the hanging balls that I did for the inside.  (see previous post)

I used the glue gun and turned the bows to the side to give them personality.  I have seven windows and did not want to buy more balls so it's just a touch of sparkle that can be seen from the street.

They look happy hanging up outside!

Week of sewing and crafting - Getting ready for the Holidays!

This week I have been relaxing. crafting, and preparing for our upcoming trip.  I haven't even seen the grandkids all week.  I have been watching lots of my recorded TV shows.  One of the shows that I like to watch is Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer.  I have been enjoying my everyday life! 

  I have read some blogs where people get too busy and regimented after retirement.  The only thing on my weekly schedule right now is Yoga on Mondays.  I have put off joining the Bridge group.  (I may have to join the beginners, and don't want to.)  Well, anyways, I'm not in a hurry to get busy.  I'm already filled!!

When I knew that I would have a few days straight for projects, I decided on doing one of the things love - sewing and crafting.  One of the things that keeps me from doing more crafts is having to put everything away before I'm done.  I knew that guest room/ craft room would be open this week so I can leave everything out until I get tired of it.  Now that I'm retired I can work on my crafts anytime.  I have so many things on Pinterest that I want to make!  I prefer sewing things that are simple and that I can complete in one day.  So, before I start anything, I make sure that I find any shortcuts and ways to make the project easier, that way I can make the best use of my time.  

These are some pictures of things that I made this week (with the inspiration of Pinterest.) 

First I made the window treatment with some Christmas fabric and ornaments from Hobby Lobby on sale.  It was fun!

This is the window where we eat.  It took me about an hour to hang the ornaments!

I sewed the fabric and pinned the ornaments  to the fabric using random ribbon I already had.  Original pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/164522192606930279/

I ironed some doilies and sewed them to my pillows that I had made this Summer.  My daughter said they were too plain.  They are so much better!

My niece Faith is making lots of crafts.  She had a tutorial on making these fabric flowers.  I tried it.  The first one is on the left.  The last one is on the right.   Read her blog the life of Faith.  the link is on the sidebar.  She is selling her beautiful crafts on ETSY: http://www.etsy.com/shop/faithkonrath?ref=seller_info

Fabric flowers on the pillows.  What do you think?

 Ever since I saw this Christmas tree skirt on Pinterest (see bottom of post), I have been wanting to make it.  I have wanted a new tree skirt for the last 3 Christmases but haven't found one I liked for the right amount of money.  Actually, I didn't like the last one I bought.  My other 2 tree skirts were small and I made them around 30 years ago (before I started to work) when I was a stay at home Mom.  They are still up in the attic in one of the Christmas boxes.  

  First I read the tutorial and see what I needed.  I have been frequenting the Goodwill store on Senior Day especially looking for fabric and crafts and baby items.  A few weeks ago I bought some cream colored fabric and a roll of yards and yards of this Christmas fabric.  I ripped a 3 inch strip to see what it would look like.  I made the ruffles wider than the tutorial but the circle 4 1/2 feet like it says. 

Round and round until the center.  I'm glad that I bought the long sticks of glue for the glue gun.

When I got to the middle, I did the center by folding it to the back.  I did not make ties because I'll just bring it together in the back.

 The color looks blue but it's green and silvery.
What do you think?  I can't wait to put it on the tree!

I'll post a picture when I get it under the tree!!  Do you think it will look as pretty as the one below?

This is the original pin with the picture.  and the link for the blog with the tutorial. http://missmustardseed.com/2011/10/christmas-halloween/