A Challenge to be Creative

Did you ever consider giving you children or grand children "A Challenge a Day" to come up with a creative idea of their own? This could be a great opportunity to bring out and nurture the creativity in your child, save you money, and keep their little hands busy for a few minutes of each day. Who knows? They may find that being creative brings out in themselves, such a great feeling of pride, that they'd like to carry it on, into the rest of their lives in more ways than even they could have ever imagined. Being creative is such a wonderful gift. You can see useful ways of utilizing so many of the everyday items, that in most cases, would end up in our landfills. Landfills which are overflowing around the globe, polluting our water, our soil. and even the air that we breathe, and inevitably making it's way back into the very food that we consume on a daily basis. Every action creates an action and a reaction. Or in other words, As we sow, so shall we reap.

Today, my thoughts were on the menial cereal box. Do you know what the price of card stock is in the craft stores? Neither do I, but I do know that it is more than I wish to pay. Especially since, many times,on a daily basis, we toss good usable card stock, in the trash. I love playing with the card stock from these cereal boxes, just to see how many useful ideas I can dream up. Nothing major ever comes of it, at least in the eyes of many,but most of the time, I come up with something pretty and useful in some way. If you were ever into card making, you know what I mean. A simple little verse on a hand made card, shows someone, somewhere, that you cared enough to think of them. I make many of these little cards with various,appropriate verses on them, and depending on the occasion, when needed, I can pick and choose a specific card for a specific person on a specific day of their lives, thus letting them know that you were thinking of them and that they are truly loved. What a great way to start someone's day. A single flower in a pretty little vase,with one of your little handmade notes attached. You have done a good deed for today, and made someone very happy.

All Pumped up

For the last few days, we have been having some of the coldest weather of the winter. A couple of rounds this past couple of weeks with freezing temps, rain, sleet, snow, ice and wind. We've had it all. We were so afraid we were having a repeat of the 2009 winter when the ice covered everything . It broke down the power lines and a multitude of trees were damaged when the weight of the ice brought down so many of their branches. Folks were without power for miles around. Many homes   up to 13 days with no electricity. Pop and I were raised up without running water and many of the amenities, so we did fine without electricity, but then we had a big generator and a wood stove to help us out. Many folks never think of what could happen, so they were left to find other ways of dealing.Hopefully, for the most part, the worst of the winter is over. Now comes the threat of tornadoes. They are far more of a worry than the power outages ever could be.

Nevertheless, for the last few days, while cooped up indoors, I have busied myself with one of my favorite crafts. Fabric covered boxes. Color gets my blood to pumping, thus I have been all pumped up for the last couple of days. I began working on this particular box/tray a night or two ago and got so engrossed in it, I could hardly make myself stop long enough to get to bed last night. I finally put it aside about 11 o'clock last night, but I was up at 5 o'clock this morning trying to finish it up. With other activities getting in my way, you know the ones, the regular routine of  a woman's day, I didn't get it finished until 4 o'clock this afternoon. It is so pretty and I am so proud of it. Can't wait for it to dry completely so I can fill it up with something.