A Little Tutorial

We've cleaned up the house and taken our fire-hazard of a tree down to the street. But there's one decoration I didn't get to do in time for Christmas this year, so I'll just get it done for next year. Here's a how-to, in case you'd like to do it, too. It's fun for girls and boys, since there are tools involved.

First, save all those cream-of-mushroom soup cans from your Thanksgiving green bean casserole. While you're at it, save cans for a while, all sizes. Clean thoroughly, fill most of the way full with water, and freeze.

Once the cans are frozen, you'll need to create your template, taking into consideration the height of the can. I created a star using Word and printed a few out. Each template can be used only once.

Gather your tools: one frozen can, two rubber bands, your paper template, a small towel, a hammer, and a sharp thing. I used an awl, but you could used a nail or screw, even.


Roll the towel from both ends and flip over, creating a little gully for the can to sit in so it doesn't roll around.


Yeah, there's the punch, but I think I've seen Martha suggest a nail. So whatever you have around...


Put your template on the can and rubber band it in place. Once you get it there, the condensation from the ice will make the paper soggy, so you won't want to move it around much.


Put the can in the towel gully and start punching holes. I punched them about every quarter inch...


... with about four or five solid taps. I wanted the holes to be big so the light would shine through well.


Keep punching until you get all the way around your pattern.


Remove the soggy template and discard it. Wait patiently for ice to melt, or run it under the faucet for a few seconds until the edges melt enough for the big ice chunk to fall out.


Dry with a towel, being careful not to snag your towel or skin on the inside-- those punched holes are sharp. Drop a tealight candle inside and light!


I think I'd like to save up cans and do one letter per can to spell out MERRY CHRISTMAS. Or maybe I'll just do a bunch of stars. I just think they're a little shabby-chic looking and super easy to make. Enjoy!

Sister Time

Today we shopped.

A Little More Christmas

We decided to take the oldest nieces and nephew out shopping for their parents. There's a great dollar store about 15 minutes away, so we picked up the kiddies and away we went. They could pick anything they wanted, so long as it was for their parents and not for them. Chase fought his desire to buy the matchbox cars, and Kena, well, she just said, "Ooooo, PRETTY!" at anything pink, floral, or sparkly. She ended up choosing plastic champagne glasses for Mommy, a pocket knife for Daddy (with Uncle Brad's help), generic tupperware for Meemaw, and a roll of orange shelf liner for Uncle Noel. Chase chose a ten-pack of mini Snickers for Mommy and the same pocket knife for Daddy. And Bethany chose some really nice ornaments for Mommy and a penguin snowglobe for Daddy since he likes penguins. Overall it was a pretty fun shopping trip, although I think next time we'll do one kid at a time. It was pretty nuts.

Then we went back to out house to wrap and label the presents, and then we took the kiddies home!

Some Happy Christmas Pictures

While I was growing up we had hand-made felt stockings, made by Great Grandmother Bertha Francis for each person in our family. This year I finally got around to making ours:




And now, a few pictures of some of our holiday decorations. The house feels cozy and comfortable, and I am excited for Christmas!

A Little Catch-Up

Since we last talked, school is out for me at the college. My
substitute paperwork was processed and I have subbed five times-- once
in junior high and four days in high school. The one day in junior
high nearly became bloody-- I absolutely hated it and wanted to beat
one kid with another. I can't believe I lasted as long as I did
teaching middle school! Those kids, well, alone I'm sure they're
charming and wonderful, but a room of 30 of them is torture! They
have no respect, they have attitude and seem to hate me for no reason
the moment I walk in the door. Heavens. And these past two days and
tomorrow I'm teaching sophomore math at the nearby high school. Much
better. I was blessed to have a connection to the woman who hires the
subs at the high school 5 minutes away and she's looking out for me.
Thanks be to God for the opportunity to help out the budget in this
way!

I've also had two epidural injections into my neck as my back pain
won't go away. The first was last Thursday, and I can't say it was a
party. I was only on the table for about 15 minutes, but it was just
yucky. I laid on my stomach with a pillow under my chest, chin tucked
to chest to open up the spine in my neck. The doctor, assistant, and
Brad all wore lead aprons as there's a live x-ray machine that is over
me, like an open MRI. The doc gave me a few hefty shots of local
anesthesia to numb the skin, and then sticks three needles between my
C5 and C6 vertebrae where the worst inflammation and disk rupture is.
He injects some contrast in and takes a few live x-rays to make sure
the needles are in the right place. Then he injects the steroid, and
then I'm done. It was really just unpleasant, not horrifically
painful or anything, and as usual I passed the time by clenching and
unclenching my fists, and counting backwards from 10, numerous times.
And sighing deeply. Afterward both Brad and i were squicked out by
the whole needles in my neck thing and drove home in a state of mutual
light nausea. I slept much of the day as the pain was a little much,
and in the evening my arms were all tingly and numb. That was pretty
funny. They were like heavily asleep appendages that didn't really
work well. So weird. But that's normal, they say, and by morning
they were fine.

I was supposed to feel much better by the next day and it was an ok
day, but then Saturday and Sunday the pain was worse than before.
Ugh. And this past week the pain was pretty rough, which meant I
needed a second injection. Which I had today, after subbing all
morning. They did the numbing shots and started in with the bigger
needles, and all of a sudden I felt like a pig on a rotisserie. The
room was spinning alternately side to side and then like a merry go
round. I said something and the doc quickly took out the needle and
shoved some oxygen in my face for a little bit. He said it was a
pretty natural reaction and if I had been standing up I would have
passed out as the veins were dilated or something like that. That
probably wasn't my favorite part of the day. But I was bound and
determined to get the darn shot done with, so we pressed ahead. I had
to keep my eyes open as the room spun otherwise, and jolting or
vomiting isn't recommended when one has three needles in one's spinal
tunnel. But the doc could see that I wasn't enjoying myself, and got
it all done in short order. We came home and napped, and had a lovely
crock pot dinner. Now I'm resting and about to nod off. The pain
from the injection is pretty rough tonight, but it should be better in
the morning, hopefully.

In other news, we have our Christmas tree up, finally, and decorations
around the house. It looks so cozy and festive and it's a happy place
to be. I'm enjoying Christmas quite a bit this year, and am
exceedingly thankful that our biggest complaint is back pain this
year, instead of a dark depression which last Christmas season was.
Thank you, God, for the gift of joy!

I don't have much else to say, and I promise to post some pictures
sometime soon. Love to you all!

Ho ho ho!

One of Santa's handsomest elves dropped by my office just now to bring me a peppermint hot chocolate. Ho, ho, ho!

I came, I saw, I netted $18

So the craft fair this weekend wasn't so much of a money maker. Yes, I sold one apron for $18, but I paid $20 for the table plus 10% of my huge earnings, and I threw in the extra 20 cents to make it an even $22. Blah. I think I'm giving up on craft fairs for now.

Today I ran the big final exam reviews for college and intermediate algebra. The room holds about 150, and all the seats, floors, and stairs were filled with bodies. The two reviews went well but now I'm exhausted and am going to rest. My back is doing a bit better and I'm going for a second opinion next Tuesday. I'm still in pain and it's the middle of week 5 of this. Enough already.

I got word that my papers have been processed and I can begin substitute teaching. I promise to bring stories to you, and I know there will be some.