The Empty Dinner Table

I'm having so much fun going through 2 little boxes of antique toys to sell on ebay. Setting them up to get their pictures taken allows me to play with them. I wonder how many other people imagine this little couple talking to each other....like I do. I would love to set this table.

Sadly... another dealer will probably scoop this couple up for resale. That's usually what happens.

Most likely they will end up on some lonely dusty shelf. Or worse still...go back into a box where they'll sit for another 100 years.

What I hope would happen is that they would find their way to a little girl's hands.

And she will make them come to life with her imagination.

She will set the table with a table cloth made of kleenex and bottle cap dishes filled with meals prepared with love. For dessert she would make little chocolate cakes out of mud, decorated with flower petals and cooked dry by the sun. The dolls would tell eachother all their deepest thoughts and dreams.

.................... Words that could only be uttered by a 7 year old.

I have a 7 year old boy. He wouldn't care one bit to play with this set. It doesn't "do" anything. Besides, it would require that he take his eyes off his Mario game. oh well.

Winter is ....

A time for planning.

These are all books on gardening.
That's not counting the magazines...
Like a garden the shelves need to be weeded out.
The next yard sale....purge!
I spend so much time at this computer I hardly even open them.

A Closer Look

For me, taking good pictures is pure LUCK!
Most of the day the sun is too bright.

Or the day is way too gray.

Sometimes....

when I wake up in the morning the sun is just coming around to my window.

One morning I laid in bed thinking of how pretty the light was

as it streamed through my window panes.
I didn't waste another minute more just thinking about it.

I got up,

took a piece of art paper and made a small stage for the animals.

and Noah.

I clicked and clicked on my camera.

This angle and that angle.

People buying things from me on ebay

want to see as much as I can show them.

I thought I would be able to do ALL of them...

but the striking stream of light was soon gone.

***

Daily chores, errands, phone calls, emails and

if I'm so lucky to squeeze in some Scrabble

before the school bus comes then my day is well rounded.

Then comes another special light.

The late afternoon.

It's so fast and fleeting I sometimes miss it all together.

The animals you see above are going to be listed on ebay.

I'm in no hurry to get this project listed.

(only 12 different animals)

Because .....

I like having their little smiles around.

Trying to sort things out...

We have this small stash of antique toys.
Here's what it looks like trying to take an inventory.
Each item has to be photographed and listed for sale.
These will be going on ebay this week.
...( I hope )...

Something New ...

Please welcome Monica Monkey. Monica is needle felted with 100% wool rovings. She measures 6" long and has no wire armature. All day long she lays on her tummy with her legs in the air and reads a book that she just can't put down. (because it's permanently attached!) Monica is wearing a red short sleeved sweater with white peter pan collar, a pair of old faded blue jeans and colorful striped stockings. The title of this creation is "Many Hours of Enjoyment".....as reading a good big book is. Plus - I had many hours of enjoyment creating this O.O.A.K. doll.

***

That's what I put in my Etsy Shop today. I really need to start creating things that don't take so long. It took me a very long time to call this monkey done. For example... I gave her socks. That wasn't enough I wanted more. So I added stripes to them and that pleased me. I won't bore you with the details but there are many. If I figure out how much time went into making this one little monkey and then charged by the hour for my time..... oh ..... it's better that I can't even keep track. It's true that I enjoy needle felting, but I was so hoping that finding my niche would be easier. I suppose speed will come with more practice. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

A Parent's Prayer

Heavenly Father, make me a better parent.
Teach me to understand my children.

To listen patiently to what they have to say,
and to answer all their questions kindly.

Keep me from interruping or contradicting them.

Make me as courteous to them
as I would have them be to me.

May I never laugh at their mistakes,
or resort to ridicule when they displease me.

Bless me with the confidence to grant them
all their reasonable requests and the courage
to deny them privileges I know will do them harm.

May I not rob them of the opportunity to think,
to choose and to make decisions for themselves.

Make me fair and just and kind.

And fit me, O Lord, to be loved and respected
and imitated by my children. Amen.

Cary C. Myers

<3

Be awed by the newness of each present moment.