100th Post Winner and Hogmanay

Sweet Leslie of Abiding is the winner of my 100th post giveaway drawing. Please send me an email (link in the right-hand column) with your mailing address, Leslie, and I’ll mail your bird ornaments to you.

I am so touched by everyone’s gracious, thoughtful, and encouraging comments. Thank you to each and every one of you for making me feel welcome in the blogging world.

The Scottish celebration of the last day of the year is called Hogmanay. Since we can’t attend the parties held in Scotland, I thought it would be fun to celebrate by making Scottish Black Bun, a treat often included in their celebrations. You make it ahead of time so it can mature; I made ours on Dec. 16 in preparation for tonight.

Recipe here.

Tonight we’re celebrating with friends at their house. I made this hot pad yesterday as our hostess gift to take along with the Scottish Black Bun. The fabric I used for the back of the hot pad is the background fabric in the picture.

I found a free graphic to use with a quote from Coleridge about friendship. I utilized Microsoft Word to lay it all out and then printed the result on a piece of printable linen fabric from The Vintage Workshop.

The printed graphic and quote would have been fine on their own but I decided to embroider it before sewing it into its final hot pad form.

A guid New Year to ane an' a' and mony may ye see!

Origami Greeting Card Box Tutorial

As we are about to close out this year and move into the next, most of us are thinking of tidying up and putting away the Christmas decorations. Now, what to do with all those greeting cards we received over the holidays?

Kari and Kijsa, hosts of the amazing Ask Kari & Kijsa blog saw my recent Origami card box post and requested that I provide a tutorial. So here is a way to recycle your holiday cards.

Once you make just one box, the process will go very quickly for making more. You can use them for small gifts or treats, or maybe even as little advent boxes for next Christmas.

If you prefer a PDF version, please click on the link in the Junie Moon Tutorials in the right-hand column.

Note: your end-result box size is essentially determined by your greeting card size.

Materials

• Old (or new) greeting card—we will use a rectangular card for this tutorial
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Sharp scissors
• Tape or glue

Step 1

Cut the front of the card away from the back section.



Put the back (inside message) part of your card to the side for now. We will work with the card front first.



Step 2

Lightly draw a line from one corner on the back of the front cover of the card. I’ve made my lines dark so you can see them.





See where the lines cross in the middle? I’ve made a heavy dot in the middle so you can see it.

Step 3

Fold each long side of your card piece towards the middle point but not on it. Then unfold.



Repeat the same instructions for the short ends of your card.

Step 4

On the short ends of each side, mark and then cut up to where the line runs diagonally across and meets the fold as illustrated below.



It should look like this.



Step 5

Fold each short-end side tab up and in towards each other like this. Tape or glue in place.



Perform this step for both box ends.



Step 6

Now fold the remaining short-end tab up and over the two side tabs you just secured. Tape or glue in place.



Do the same for the other box end.



You now have the top of your box completed; set it aside and make the box bottom.

Step 7

Using the reserved card piece, repeat Step 2.

Step 8

Now repeat Steps 3 and 4 except fold the ends up to the middle point as illustrated below.



Step 9

Now repeat Steps 5 and 6 to finish your box bottom.



The Result

You now have a box top and bottom—fill it with something scrumptious.



Note: You can erase your lightly-penciled guidelines if you so desire.

Waffling Around

At the beginning of November, I was reading Deb’s post at Homespun Living about the wonderful waffle-knit dishcloths she’d knitted. I have been thinking about her project ever since and finally had a chance to make some this week.



Deb used Lion-brand cotton for her cloths. When I couldn’t find any in stock in the colors I wanted at Jo-Ann’s or Michael’s, I went to Purls. They suggested a yarn from Norway called Paris in the two colors I wanted. The label says it is “100% Kjemmet bomuli” which the ladies at Purls tell me means cotton.

While I absolutely love the silky smoothness of this yarn, it’s way too expensive for dishcloths as it works out to about $7.50 per cloth—outrageous in my opinion.



I hope my dishes magically turn into solid gold overnight to justify being washed with these cloths. Since that won’t happen, I photographed them with one of my gold charger plates to remind me of my insanity.

I’ll stick with the mundane cheaper cotton yarn in future and have since found Deb’s more reasonable choices. Sometimes I’m too impatient to start and finish a project—a lesson learned.

Linda Ann Tarango-Griess

I volunteered to do some stitching for The Mother’s Day Project, an effort to honor women who sacrificed their lives in the Iraq war.

A name pre-stamped on fabric was sent to me that I embroidered and mailed back last week. The end result will be made into a tote and sent to me to use for a while before passing it on to the next person—to remind us of the women who have died in the Iraq war.

The name I received is Linda Ann Tarango-Griess, 33, of Sutton, Nebraska. Linda was killed on Sunday, July 11, 2004 when an improvised roadside bomb exploded near her convoy in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.

Source: U.S. Military Times

Whether I agree with the war or not, I sit here writing this post in the relative safety of my home because, throughout history, someone has fought and died to give me the blessing of feeling secure. The Mother's Day Project helps me be mindful of the sacrifices made by our military personnel and their families.

Source: York County Historical

This is my finished embroidered piece for Linda; her name was printed on some tape and adhered to the fabric, I just had to stitch over it.

photo by Dub Scroggin

Two months before her death, Linda wrote an email to her cousin apologizing for not being able to make his wedding that day. This is an excerpt that just touched my heart so deeply:

“I am sorry I can't be there to share in your day, but here I am in hopes that one day, these people will have the chance to be as happy as you. Just know that I AM with you...just close your eyes, place your hands on your heart, and you will feel me there.”

Celebrating 100

Today I’m celebrating my 100th post!

By its nature, a blog is a very public venue. A blogger shares his/her thoughts, ideas, and oftentimes bits of their personal life. Out of the millions of people searching the Internet for something that interests them, only a very few will discover your blog. They read it and come back for more—or they don’t. It’s an act of finding a common ground of interest and it’s important for the blog writer to know whether what is shared has some meaning to others.



To thank you for being with me during this amazing adventure in the world of blogging, I’m offering a gift of a set of three painted metal bird ornaments I found recently. Amongst other symbolic meanings, birds represent ideas and the world of shared communication—pretty much evocative of what I want my blog to convey.

Please leave a comment on this post telling me what you like—or even dislike—about the Junie Moon blog. I’ll keep the give-away open until midnight on December 30 and will draw the winning name on December 31.

Happy Day After Christmas

Hooray, my laptop is now repaired—I’m so relieved. Now I can catch up on my blog reading—I’ve missed all of you so much!

My Party Hat Tutorial PDF document link is now posted in my tutorial section (right-hand column). This tutorial, featured at Whipup this past October, can be used to make any themed decorative hats you want. Also posted are knitting and crochet instructions for the Junie Moon Bandage Brigade project.

Here are my gifts for my friends at my Christmas Crafting Party. My theme was Redwork, similar to what I used for the tea party thank-you gift. I used vintage-looking Santa-toile boxes found at Home Goods. I’ve been crazy over those boxes this season.


photo by Dub Scroggin

I filled each box with goodies including a pincushion I made using Heather Bailey’s Pin Presence pattern from the September 2007 issue of Quilts and More magazine. If you missed that issue, Better Homes and Gardens is temporarily offering it as a free download.


photo by Dub Scroggin

My husband photographed the pincushion on the cactus--his sense of humor makes me laugh.

In addition to the pincushion, the box held a history of Redwork, embroidery stitch guide, a white flour sack towel, needles, embroidery thread, water-erasable pen, transfer pen, embroidery scissors, hoop, a little house Christmas tree ornament, thank-you note, and a few embroidery designs.


photo by Dub Scroggin

Be Very Blessed

This is the last day of my Better Homes and Gardens healthy Christmas countdown project. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and learned much in savoring this special season.

We are asked to take a few minutes this Christmas Eve to write down the people and things for which we are grateful.

Better Homes and Gardens quotes Richard Olson, a retired Lutheran pastor, “Remembering those who have blessed us is to be renewed and restored in the meaning of life.”

Amongst my huge list of blessings, I am grateful for you. Your comments amuse, delight, commiserate, celebrate, share, and make each day extra special for me—I am truly appreciative of the fact that you share your time and thoughts with me.



Family traditions are blessings, too. Each Christmas Eve we host a family pajama dinner party after which we venture out with mugs of hot cocoa to view the Christmas lights festooning our neighbors’ houses. This is a tradition my parents started when we were wee children. We opened one gift on Christmas Eve and it was always new pajamas from our grandmother in Louisiana.



For the past nine years we’ve made Magic Reindeer Feed for our grandchildren and neighborhood children to sprinkle on their lawns on Christmas Eve. Here’s a source for the recipe and printable labels.



We are blessed with great neighbors. Since many are hosting open houses tonight (and are used to us showing up in our pajamas and robes), this will be a lovely time to deliver our little Christmas treats to them along with the Magic Reindeer Feed as our token of continued friendship.

Wander and Wonder

The demands placed on us during the holidays make it hard for us to find time for a healthy workout. I am working on improving my health so I’m paying attention to things like this.

Today Better Homes and Gardens suggests we combine a bit of exercise with getting a closer look at our neighborhood’s Christmas decorations. Walk instead of drive.

After lunch, we’re going for a walk to see how everyone’s decorations look in the daytime. I need to walk a lot lately with all the holiday foods tempting me.


photo by June Scroggin

In addition to the Yule Bread made yesterday, I also made a Meyer’s Lemon Cake for dessert last night to represent our returning sunshine—not so healthy but ever so yummy. So walking will ease my conscience a bit.

I forgot to show you my little thank-you gift for the hostess of the delectable Christmas Tea Party I recently attended. I love putting little gifts together.


photo by Dub Scroggin

A little bag of peppermint bark, a red/white teacup Christmas ornament, and a package of blank Victorian Christmas recipe cards were tucked into a small fabric-covered box along with my thank-you note.


photo by June Scroggin

Saving Face

I am still without email access. My apologies if you’ve sent an email and are wondering why I’ve not responded. My blog posts are made via someone else’s computer. Getting my laptop repaired during Christmas season is proving problematic. I really miss reading everyone’s blogs.

Today’s countdown task is about recovering gracefully if you realize you’ve left someone off your Christmas card list and you know they’re not going to let you forget about it.

Better Homes and Gardens advises us not to stress about it, just send an e-card which will get to your recipient almost instantly. They suggest the free cards offered by web sites like Blue Mountain.

If you still plan to snail-mail your cards, you could consider adding a drop of any holiday blend essential oil like orange and cinnamon or an evergreen blend on the inside corner of each card as a special treat to diminish the sting of it being late. Source: Aroma Thyme.

Last week I attended a class in origami at Tucson Botanical Gardens to learn to make boxes from old greeting cards. As I’ve saved every Christmas card we’ve received since we got married, I had plenty from which to choose.

photo by Dub Scroggin

It’s fun to recycle materials in such a pretty and useful way.

Today is Solstice so I’m baking Yule Bread this morning for a picnic lunch at the park.

photo by Dub Scroggin

We’re using yesterday’s countdown task suggestion and walking to the park near us. It’s cold even here in Tucson so I’m packing thermal mugs of hot cocoa.

photo by June Scroggin

My husband wanted traditional Scottish Shortbread cookies. I made a batch using a cute Scottish terrier cookie cutter. I’m packing them for our picnic in the origami Christmas card boxes I made.

photo by Dub Scroggin

Tonight we light our Yule log. My dad made the reindeer planter on the left and the little reindeer on the right in the picture below.

photo by Dub Scroggin

Happy Solstice to you and your family!

Light the Night

Here we are on the eve of Yule Solstice (Dec. 22 this year in the U.S.). The winter solstice is the moment when the northern hemisphere is most inclined away from the sun, causing the shortest day.

The Better Homes and Gardens healthy Christmas countdown task today is to make our homes as bright as possible using extra candles and Christmas lights. The diminished sun can trigger gloomy thoughts and we need to cheer ourselves up a bit.

They also suggest a walk outside at noon when the sun is at its peak. So we’re planning a walk to the park tomorrow to have a solstice picnic.

Last night we attended the holiday show "Tis the Season" at the Flandrau Planetarium at the University of Arizona Science Center. We learned about winter solstice and the astronomical history of this holiday season. Afterwards we were able to look through the UA Observatory’s 16-inch telescope—the night sky is truly amazing.

Here are the shining lights emanating from my Bavarian Christmas village to brighten the dark.

A Little Myrrh Will Do You

Better Homes and Gardens healthy Christmas countdown task today offers a wonderful holiday-related remedy for those who suffer with cold sores. Use the ancient herb myrrh.

Buy a small bottle of myrrh tincture (check your local health food store) and dab a bit of the liquid directly to your cold sore with a cotton swab. Apply 3 to 10 times a day until the cold sore disappears.

I looked up Myrrh at Wikipedia. “Myrrh was one of the gifts of the Magi to the infant Jesus according to Matthew 2:11. Mary would have used it to aide in postpartum healing.”


photo by Dub Scroggin

Apparently, myrrh is one of the most effective of all known disinfectants—something I didn’t know. Although I don’t have any cold sores, I do love the idea of using something that was available during Mary’s time.

Here is the embroidery project I worked on during my Christmas Crafting Party last Saturday. I wanted just a simple redwork tea towel that I could do while sharing stories with my friends.


photo by Dub Scroggin

The tree design is from a set of holiday patterns generously posted on the Turkey Feathers blog in 2005.

Dust Off A Lawn Chair

It’s cold outside and we stay inside our nice warm houses but it’s important to get outside for some fresh air, too. Better Homes and Gardens urges us to stay connected to nature all year round.

The countdown task today is to dust the snow off your lawn chairs (not that we have snow on our chairs down here in the valley but I’ll dust them off anyway) and just sit, watching the wildlife playing here and there.

photo by Dub Scroggin

Last night my husband and I prepared orange slices for the birds for our nature outing today.

photo by Dub Scroggin

Each year we “decorate” the trees outside for the birds that visit and grace us with their songs. It’s our Christmas gift to them.

We made a trip up into the Santa Catalina Mountains to find snow last weekend as they had a huge snowfall. Snow is a big novelty for folks living in Tucson and lots of people drove up to play in it. A lovely mother and daughter team built this handsome snowman.

photo by Dub Scroggin

One of the poor snowman’s charcoal briquette eyeballs and a button kept popping out so I fixed him.

photo by Dub Scroggin

Here he is all happy again. I added the wreath since we had it with us to take Christmas photos to use for our cards next year.

Later as we were heading back down the mountain, we saw the snowman family driving a pickup truck with their snowman standing proudly in the back. What a cheerful thing to see!

Scent for Company

Today I’m borrowing my husband’s computer to write my post. My laptop has decided to misbehave and I cannot get to my email right now. I’ve put in a call to have a repair person come fix it so please bear with me.

In the meantime, here is today’s countdown task. It somewhat echoes that of my Dec. 6 post. However, Better Homes and Gardens offers this recipe for quickly making your house smell holiday scrumptious.

Add a tablespoon of cinnamon, bay leaves, sage leaves, rosemary, and lavender to 2 cups of water. Simmer on low heat in an old pan. Be careful not to let it boil dry.

This started me thinking about other simple little scent adventures. If you're giving a book as a Christmas gift, you could add a bookmark to which you've added a drop of essential oil in a blend like lavender and tangerine, or even just plain orange for kids. Source: Aroma Thyme.

The following picture has absolutely nothing to do with today’s theme; I just want to share it with you.

This is a set of carolers my beloved mother-in-law made years ago and gave to us a few years ago. This set is made of clay using molds she created herself—she’s brilliant with things like this. I have it set up in my china cabinet—it doesn’t normally sit about with Christmas tree fabric as a backdrop.

Celebrate the Quirky

Today’s healthy Christmas countdown project is to celebrate quirky things. You’re supposed to write down the silly holiday slip-ups and learn to laugh about them.

I’m making little notes on slips of paper and inserting them into a glass Christmas ornament. We’ve not had many mishaps but they were doozies when they happened and best left unexplored on my blog.

I think a Harry Potter scarf qualifies as quirky, too, although it isn’t a mishap sort of thing.

One of our daughters is enthralled with all things Harry Potter. She wanted the Gryffindor scarf as worn by Hogwarts students in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. So I knitted her one with burgundy and gold wool.



I tried to make it as true to the movie as possible so I used the pattern found here. The scarf is 7-inches wide by 70-inches long and knit as a tube on 12” US 7 Addis.

Two embroidered Gryffindor patches found on eBay work perfectly for a nice touch of detail—one sewn on each end. My husband made the fringe (he always has a role in our Christmas gift making).

Imitate Saint Nick

The countdown task today is to do something that inspires a Saint Nick-type good ol’ belly laugh to remind us of the joy of the season. Better Homes and Gardens suggests the following movies:

• A Christmas Story


• Olive, the Other Reindeer


• The Santa Clause


• Home Alone

While these would work, we’re opting for playing a board game tonight that I made some time back called Widdershins, a Celtic-style backgammon game.

This was posted on my Flickr account before my blogging days. I made the game board by transferring the pattern to a piece of wood and then used a wood-burning tool to make the design.



The game pieces are flat little glass stones and the dice came from a game store. A leather drawstring pouch holds the pieces and I created the instruction booklet on my computer.

Here’s the source link.

My family is big on board games. To go with today’s theme, I’ll share a very special Christmas gift for one of my children. Truly, no one in my family reads my blog so I can post anything I want without worry.



This is a full-sized cross-stitched Monopoly game that I started and my mother finished before she died. I had it professionally framed so you can easily play on it but hang it on the wall as art when not in use.



I bought the project leaflet in 1984 and started the project that same year but life intervened so Mom took over the rest of the project, doing 98 percent of it.

My siblings and I carefully collected together all of Dad and Mom’s wonderful handcrafted projects when they died. We are slowly gaining the emotional strength to do something with them. The Monopoly project is one of those.



An Internet search yielded the official history and rules which I printed and bound on my spiral-binding machine. I found Monopoly-themed fabric on eBay and made a simple drawstring bag.

The Monopoly cookie tin is another eBay find and holds everything except the board itself. On the back of the frame, I’ve attached the story of this gift’s creation.

My mom would love this!

Examine Your Sole

Today’s healthy countdown tidbit is caring for your poor aching feet. I bet you’ve been running around trying to get your Christmas preparations done and your feet hurt.

Better Homes and Gardens suggests the following. Sit down and wrap a towel around one foot. Grasping both towel ends, pull your toes towards you and hold for about 15 seconds before releasing. Then switch to do this with your other foot. Continue until you feel better.



This morning I’m taking care of my feet by trying a new herbal recipe I found—Peppermint Foot Soak.



You can find the recipe here.

While I’m pampering my feet this morning, I’ll use the time to address our Christmas cards for going out in today’s mail.



The 15th of December is my traditional date each year for doing this. This year we are using a photo my husband took of snowy woods in Hemau, Germany for our card. Inside I’ve printed Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.



Tonight I’m hosting a little Christmas Crafting Night for a few friends. It will be so much fun sharing what project each person is making and just taking time to relax for an evening. I wish you could join us.

Light Your Fire

Better Homes and Garden's healthy Christmas countdown item for December 14 is to put a candle on a table nearby at arm’s length and gaze into the glow. Slow your breathing and let all stressful thoughts gently disappear. Simply relax.

I tried this and it works—you just have to sit quietly and focus on the flame.



I think this would also work if you have a fireplace and I’m going to try that, too.

There’s another idea perfect for tonight that you can enjoy—nature’s very own lights display in the form of the annual Geminid meteor shower, one of the best meteor showers of the year.

The following picture shows the Leonid meteor shower, not the Geminids, but it gives you a good idea of the possibilities in the sky. I love the whole idea of possibilities—the word itself is so full of promise.



I have to wake my husband in a little while as we’re going outside to view this wonder. Hot chocolate is at the ready and I’m dropping in some of my homemade marshmallows (I’m so tickled about the marshmallows). Tucson nights are down in the 30s right now so we’ll snuggle under quilts to keep warm as I unfortunately have pneumonia.

As many as 120 to 180 meteors per hour are expected to streak across the sky so we’ll stretch out on our pool chaise lounges to avoid straining our necks as we watch.

For tips on how best to view the Geminids display, here is a link to the Smithsonian’s newsletter.

Want to hear how an actual Geminid meteor echo sounds? NASA has a very short recording you can listen to, click here. In a funny bit of synchronicity, it was also recorded on a Dec. 14th but in 1998.

If you want to see some awesome photos of the Aurora Borealis taken recently, visit Hoganfe’s excellent blog and see her gorgeous photos of the most amazing light show on planet Earth.

Bandage Brigade Update



The fire of generosity has truly been lit by many of you wonderful folks. To this moment, 26 wonderful souls have joined the Bandage Brigade. I’ve made an alphabetical list of participants in the right-hand column with links where applicable. Thank you so much to all of you!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please read this post. You are welcome to join us in this effort to “Give Unto Others.”

Rest Your Weary Head

Most people feel overwhelmed by the middle of December according to Better Homes and Gardens. Their suggestion is to take a nap—an idea that sounds blissful to me as our healthy Christmas countdown activity for today.

Even if you don’t actually go to sleep, the recommendation is to lie down in a dark quiet place for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

I have a lot of trouble sleeping for various and sundry reasons so a nap now and then is important for my health.



I’m ready for today’s nap. Freshly-laundered and ironed linens are now bedecking my bed and three sets of pillows are all set for idyllic comfort. I have a set of pillows with the white lace-edged pillowcases, another set with simple cotton red-and-white snowflake-themed cases I made and, for extra snuggly bliss, I’ve piled on yet another set of pillows with cases I embroidered months ago using a pattern from Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To.

Isn’t this stuffed reindeer adorable? He is hugging his own little reindeer dolly and wearing reindeer bedroom slippers. He was a find over Thanksgiving—I just couldn’t resist him.



The bed coverlet is a re-purposed Christmas tablecloth bought from World Market years ago. I put it on top of our white goose-down comforter just because I think it looks pretty. Toss on a few holiday red/white snowflake decorative pillows and my bed is ready for my nap.

Later today I'll be off to dreamland for a bit.

Happy naps to you!

Tie One On and Love Your Holiday Home

Today’s Better Homes and Garden healthy countdown task is “Tie One On,” a theme that will resonate with a lot of you. Yep, it’s about donning a festive holiday apron to get you in the mood for delicious Christmas baking.

I made this simple Christmas toile apron last year and the oven mitt this year. It makes me happy to use things I make myself. As I look around my house this holiday season, I am somewhat surprised and certainly delighted to realize that most everything is homemade—by me, my husband, a family member or a friend. Blessings indeed!

Loving Your Holiday Home

Karla’s Cottage is hosting a “What Do You Love about Your Holiday Home?” party today.

I’ve been thinking about what I love most about my home at Christmas. The major thing is something that I can’t photograph—that special sense of divine spirit. In lieu of that, here are a few tangible things I love.

Originally, a Christmas tree in all its evergreen finery represented the life cycle and the stamina required to survive winter. Although surviving winter here in Tucson isn’t challenging, the symbolism of the Christmas tree isn’t lost on us and still resonates in our hearts.

Our tree is representative of the full and blessed life my husband and I have and is chock full of ornaments we’ve collected over the years from family, friends, and our travels.

This is a simple glass ball ornament I painted using a gold calligraphy marker and then tied with a gold bow. I love the spiral symbol as it means the continuity of life and that is what we are celebrating this time of year.

I already shared the hand-blown glass ornaments that I make each year in a previous post.

This is one of a large set of southwestern clay ornaments especially made for us by my talented mother-in-law when we got married and moved to Tucson. They are hand-formed and cured in a kiln. I so love gifts from the heart.

I’ve been collecting Annalee nativity pieces over the years. We found the stable at Costco years ago that perfectly accommodates the nativity figures, each of which is about 7-inches high. I have a few more pieces to find and then I’ll call it done. Most especially I need Mary as poor baby Jesus hasn’t any mother right now—how sad is that?

My house is decorated and overflowing with the joys of the season but the best part of Christmas is what it all means. The tree and the nativity—what more can I say?

Most of all I love my holiday home because it is just that—my home and sanctuary—no matter the time of year.

Make a Joyful Noise

Today’s Better Homes and Garden idea is to grab a few friends and go caroling or just sing merrily alone in your house. They cite a study that the “forceful exhalations that come with singing help protect the upper respiratory system from infection.” Plus, it just feels good to sing in joy.

A group of my neighbors and their children go caroling door-to-door each year. I always find out what night they plan to come around so we’ll be sure to be home. My husband and I prepare hot cocoa or wassail for them along with cookies as our thank you for their gift of song.





Click to make larger and print.

I have a story to share about this singing thing and why I do not join the carolers. Once upon a time many years ago, our church program called for us to sing “Onward Christian Soldiers.” One of my favorites, I was singing along and feeling happy and everything. A woman in the pew in front of me turned around and told me to shut up. I was stunned but guess I wasn’t making a joyful noise for others.

I’ve not sung a note in public since if I can get out of it. Instead, I kind of mouth the words and just sing in my heart.



This is our German angel orchestra standing on the Heavenly Steps—all handmade from wood. Although you can’t see her very well, in the the back is an angel playing the piano. The backdrop is a tri-fold backdrop of Bethlehem made for a nativity scene that I re-purposed for my orchestra.

I bought the angel orchestra when I lived in West Berlin during the 1970s—they actually came from the East Berlin side. I had to go through Checkpoint Charlie for my little shopping expeditions and other adventures. All this was before the infamous Berlin Wall was torn down.

So my countdown task will be fulfilled today as directed by Better Homes and Gardens by putting on Christmas carols and singing joyfully while I pretend my angel orchestra is playing for me. I’m pretty positive they won’t tell me to shut up.

It’s a Candy Cane Day

Today’s healthy and happy Christmas countdown task is to “munch a candy” by enjoying a peppermint candy cane. According to Better Homes and Gardens, “peppermint oil in the cane acts as calming tonic for stress relief.” Just make sure the candy canes you buy contain real peppermint oil.

This post is full of pictures but I can’t leave out a single one—it just wouldn’t be right. So, I am munching on a candy cane to calm my heart twitters over the following wonderful things that have blessed me this weekend.

Making Friends

I am so amazed at how wonderful the blogging world (or Flickr if you don’t blog) has been for me. I’ve made fantastic friends and was able to meet the gorgeous Saucy from Bloggedy Blog Blog on Saturday. She greeted me with this huge bouquet of beautiful flowers and we had the best time discovering so many amazing things we have in common. She’s smart, clever, and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.

Deck the Halls Ornament Swap

A package arrived from my Deck the Halls Swap partner Caleen this weekend. She has a wonderful blog Caleenraes’ Creative Journey. The swap was hosted by lovely Monica of the Home is Where Your Heart Is blog.

I am overwhelmed by Caleen’s generosity and the amazing creations she sent to me. Each and every one is a treasure. Nothing I say can possibly due the justice Caleen deserves and certainly warrants my eating a calming peppermint candy cane.

Thank you, Caleem!

Here are the ornaments I sent to Caleen. I admit I feel totally inadequate in comparison to her creations.

I made a cross-stitched snowflake ornament entitled Snowflake 2007 from Heritage Series. The magazine featuring this and other ornament designs is Just Crossstitch Christmas Ornaments Issue 2007.

Kreinik metallic was used along with Swavorski crystals instead of the suggested beads because I wanted this ornament to be extra special for Caleen. After sewing and stuffing, I added cording around the outside edge and gave it a little hanging loop.

The purchased ornament is also a snowflake design but much more rustic in style—I love that contrast. It’s made from stiff cardboard-type paper and coated with wood shavings and has a tiny spray of pine.

Give Unto Others

Today’s healthy countdown task is to “set aside materialism for a while by giving back to those less fortunate.”

Over Thanksgiving, my daughter said that instead of gifting to each other or others this year, she and her husband are contributing to their church’s charitable mission work for Christmas. They’ve been saving a portion of their earnings all year for this.

Those two keep me humble.

This inspired me to think what I could do for one of my December giving projects. I chose to knit bandages for people with leprosy. Leprosy patients are treated so abominably—one of those horrors in the world that most people do not want to think about.



Finished bandages are sent to hospitals in Africa and Vietnam. My bandages were mailed off this week (I bet you thought I’ve not been crafting anything lately). I have decided to make this one of my January 2008 projects, too.

If you are interested in helping, there are many ways you can participate. See my resource links below. Or, you can join me in a knit-along project (you can also crochet them).

Junie Moon’s Bandage Brigade



I’ve decided to host a bandage knit-along for January 2008 and invite you to join me. You don’t even have to do anything until after the holidays.

Bandages are inexpensive and super easy to knit, even for a lame knitter like me—but my heart is in each stitch. Making even one bandage will help someone who is suffering and is something you can do in one evening while watching a movie.

Sign Up

Just email me with your name and blog URL (my email link is in the right-hand column) and whether you need the knitting or crochet instructions. I’ll post a list of participants and link to your blog (you aren’t required to have a blog though).

Pattern

I will email you my mailing address along with the simple pattern and preparation instructions when you sign up.

Deadline

Bandages should be at my house by January 25 so I can package and ship them.

Resources

~ Loves Many Cloths

~ Ravelry

~ Touching Others With Leprosy blog

Drink in Merriment

Dark chocolate purportedly helps reduce blood pressure according to Better Homes and Gardens who provides a recipe for us to try. Naturally I’ve made a recipe card for this.



Click to enlarge and print (I use cardstock to print all my recipe cards).

I decided to add homemade marshmallows to go with it—I hope this doesn’t counteract the healthy chocolate drink. Okay, it does but I wanted to try my hand at making them. I have low blood pressure anyway.



The marshmallow recipe is from Tyler Florence at Food Network Kitchens along with another hot cocoa recipe. Click here.

Reach Out to Others

Today’s healthy countdown mission is to move outside your normal circle of acquaintances by contacting a long-lost friend or relative or participating in some community activity.

This has required some heavy-duty weekend scheduling but it does indeed get me out of the house and off experiencing fun things:

• Friday: this morning my husband and I are meeting my sister downtown for the 4th Avenue Street Faire and associated festivities. Connie isn’t a long-lost relative but we live on opposite sides of town—she’s a westerner and I’m an easterner. So I’ll count her as long-distance. Plus, this is a community event so my countdown task is really covered with this one.



• Saturday: I’m meeting the fabulous Saucy of Bloggedy Blog Blog fame as she’s visiting Tucson. I am so excited to meet a fellow blogger! I am counting Saucy as a very long-distance as opposed to long-lost friend.

• Sunday: an evening attending a lady-like holiday tea and choral event. I do not know any of these people but I’ve been formally invited so I shall sally forth and participate with a glad heart and a friendly smile.

Also, I received an email this week from a new reader in Germany who told me about her two sons and their collection of cancelled stamps. So I’m gathering stamps to send to the boys. Doesn’t this work wonderfully with today’s exercise, too?



My own stamp collection focuses on seashells.



A funny bit of synchronicity about this is that I registered three months ago for a stamp collecting class which will be held next week. Who knew that a complete stranger would step into my life and mention a little hobby I had not even shared with anyone else before?

Life is really good, isn’t it?

Smell the Season

I love today’s countdown task of scenting your home with fresh-cut greenery. Before the days of instant room deodorizers, folks cut evergreen boughs to accomplish this.

If you haven’t access to fresh evergreens, Better Homes and Gardens suggests adding a few drops of evergreen essential oil to a terra-cotta tree ornament.

We’re planning a quick trip up into the mountains to get some evergreen cuttings and, since today is Saint Nicholas Day, our tree goes up tonight. In the meantime, I’ve been adding a few drops of peppermint essential oil to my aromatherapy burners.



Yesterday I made holiday potpourri for simmering. A bag of the dry ingredients would make a lovely holiday hostess gift, too. Just package and add a note of instruction.

I used juniper berries from a friend’s tree and fresh rosemary from my backyard to make mine—check your local herbal store for these ingredients as I've seen both in our store here.



French postcard from The Graphics Fairy. Click to make larger and print.

It all just makes me want to break out singing O Tannenbaum. Because I love you, I won’t. Instead, here’s me as a dancing elf and then you can Elf Yourself.

Dig Out the Holiday CDs

Music helps soothe your frazzled nerves and the holidays can indeed get on your very last nerve. So, Better Homes and Garden’s healthy countdown task today is to play soothing music.

This works out great because I made a mixed-CD for The “It’s A Very Shenry Christmas” CD Swap hosted by my friend Kristie via her blog Fresh on Fridays.

The theme is “Beauty in the Dark” and we’re tasked to explain each song choice. And, no, we’re not pirating music to make our CDs.

These are the beautiful songs I would listen to in the dark—perhaps outside snuggling with my husband under a quilt while enjoying the stars overhead.

1. Summertime by Janis Joplin: no, it’s not summer here in the Northern Hemisphere but this song always evokes memories of hearing Janis Joplin live on a night many, many years ago. It’s a great song.


2. The Rose by Bette Midler. The legend is that this is about Janis Joplin. It describes both sides of love, a subject that seemed to confuse the troubled Ms. Joplin.


3. Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening performed by Musicians Out of the Box. This is a reading of Robert Frost’s poem of the same name whilst Vivaldi’s Winter plays in the background. I love Robert Frost’s poetry as well as Vivaldi.


4. Peaches & Diesel by Eric Clapton. I have a thing about the blues, a really big thing. It plucks at the chords of my soul. This is an instrumental I find lovely by a master of the blues guitar.


5. Tin Pan Alley by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. Oh, delicious—more blues by another master.


6. Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles. Just beautiful.


7. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers. This is our song—as in my husband and me. No matter where we are—the grocery store or anyplace else—if this song comes over the store’s sound system, my husband and I dance to it. We do not much care what other people think about that. Our favorite line from this song is “Time can do so much.”


8. Hello Stranger by Barbara Lewis. I always think of my joy when my husband returns from a long business trip—it always feels like he’s been gone forever and then, suddenly, he’s home again and I’m ever so happy.


9. You Shook Me by Led Zeppelin. This is from their first album; music from my high school days (I graduated in 1970). It’s hard rock mixed with the blues. Everyone says the group’s song Stairway to Heaven is sexy but You Shook Me is the song that does it for me. Although I don’t include it on my CD, the song flows perfectly into their next one, Dazed and Confused. The whole album is fantastic.


10. I Will Always Love You as sung by Whitney Houston. She may not be one, but she sings this song like an angel.


11. Stand By Me by Ben E. King. Oh man, this is just beautiful.


12. Still Water by The Four Tops. I had a copy of this record (yes, an old-fashioned record with plastic and grooves and everything) which I played continuously during my first year of college. The whole dorm hated me after awhile.


13. Last Date by Floyd Cramer. This is my only country choice for this CD mix. An instrumental, I love the rhythm and the sentiment it evokes.


14. Sleep My Love by Glenn Yarbrough. Somewhat folksy, this is a pretty love song by a man with a wonderful voice.


15. Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair) by Harry Belafonte. This lovely song tells the story of a father who hears his daughter’s prayer for new ribbons, his effort to procure some during the night, and his amazement when the ribbons she prayed for appear the next morning.


16. Seeds of Love by Loreena McKennitt. I have every one of her albums and love them all—it’s Celtic New Age music. I chose this song because it’s a gorgeous reminder to sow seeds of love.


17. The Planets, Movement 2: Venus—the Bringer of Peace by Holst. The Planets is one of my favorite classical pieces of music. I adore Holst’s first movement Mars but it’s about war and not appropriate for this swap theme. So, I chose Venus as a quiet and graceful end to the CD. I heard The Planets played by the North Carolina Symphony while in grad school and remember sitting in my seat at the end with tears running down my face—I was so touched.

Oh, this one sounds good!

Jot a Note

Today’s healthy Christmas countdown task is to “Jot a Note to You” by writing a Christmas card to yourself with words of encouragement. The reason is that we forget ourselves during the holidays and need to remember to take time to care for our own needs.



I am taking some quiet time this morning to just sit and write about why I’m seeking a healthier and more meaningful Christmas.



Fun Christmas stamps celebrating knitting may be found at the U.S. Post Office.

Cookie Recipe Swap



To continue the writing theme, I’ve written out a couple of recipes to share for today’s cookie recipe swap at Scrappy Jessi’s blog.



My offering is glazed Pfeffernuesse—German Pepper Nut cookies.

See the napkin on the right in the picture? It’s one of a set of eight I found at a unique antique/consignment store in Fort Walton Beach over Thanksgiving (only $5 total!). I think the fabric is vintage barkcloth.

Here are the recipes I used.





Click on the pictures to show in larger form and then right-click to save to your hard drive for printing.

Let Your Lips Linger

Better Homes and Gardens’ (BH&G) healthy Christmas task for today is “Let Your Lips Linger.” BH&G cites an unidentified survey that finds “couples who smooch often are eight times less likely to feel stressed or depressed.”

Whether true or not, this is a great idea and a bit of mistletoe would be good for today’s mission.



Wikipedia states that “mistletoe commercially harvested in the US for Christmas decorations is Phoradendron flavescens.” The mistletoe growing in Arizona is not the same stuff—it’s ugly and isn’t at all conducive to any notion of lingering lips. So I cheated and bought our mistletoe at the local drugstore.

Isn’t it rather funny/odd that a parasitic plant has come to symbolize kissing? I really don’t want to dwell on the possible sub-layers of psychological meaning behind that thought.

Forget Mommy kissing Santa Claus—I want in on the action. Please excuse me now; today’s task beckons.

“Honey, could you come in here? I have something for you.”

Wrap Happily

Wrapping gifts sitting on the floor is a strain on your neck and lower back. A wiser choice is to wear good shoes and stand on a mat in front of a countertop to do your wrapping chores (“Healthy You: Countdown to Christmas,” Better Homes and Gardens, Dec. 2007).



Since today is designated as “Wrap Happily” day on my healthy countdown calendar, I’m trying this as I wrap gifts. And since the word happy is part of the day’s exercise, Christmas music is playing and I’m singing along as I work.



I’ve been collecting blank rolls of white paper throughout the year. Add a simple rubber stamp and you’ve got an easy recipe for fun and unique Christmas wrapping paper.

A Different Kind of Countdown

The December 2007 issue of Better Homes and Gardens has an article entitled “Healthy You: Countdown to Christmas.” Each day as we count down to Christmas, I’m going to follow their advice and see how that works in terms of finding simple enjoyment and sanity during this season—as well as minimize holiday-induced stress.



Behind each door of my advent calendar is a slip of paper I’ve made bearing each day’s healthy mandate from the magazine article.

Today’s task is to start a tradition. Slowing down Christmas is going to be our new tradition.



December is a hectic month and activities get thrown onto our schedule willy-nilly. We end up exhausted and wondering where the month went.

There was a program on National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday that discussed holiday stress and how to handle it. I learned that we have to make time to decompress as opposed to trying to find time—as that won’t ever happen.


Calendar template purchased from The Vintage Workshop.

This morning my husband and I are reviewing our December calendar as it stands right now. We will consider the invitations and event notices currently residing in an untidy heap on the kitchen counter and let go those things that aren’t necessary in order to make time to slow down and savor the season.

Making mindful decisions each Dec. 1 is a new tradition we believe will help us achieve a healthier balance in the wildness that has become Christmas time.