Last Sunday

Last Sunday my friend went off on the Reading Toy Run. 
Each year she takes part in the charity run with her bike dressed up for Christmas.

 Although this year she moved away, she traveled back just to go on the run.

This year her theme was Brussels Sprouts.

I think it is wonderful how she is committed to doing this whatever the weather.😊

Shoeboxes

A couple photos of our shoeboxes which will be going to Samaritan’s Purse for Operation Christmas Child.

We have collected over 30 boxes...some still to come.

I Like Thankful Thursday

Each year our church does a special thing which I like very much. This happened on Saturday.

We put a table at the shops and offer a mince pie, chocolate+sweets, comics for kids, and something like a pen or a mini torch for adults. and a hot spicy drink (if they want. Mr Thoughtful loves making this, but I think the only ones who take us up on that offer is us as we stand there in the cold!).

Saying Happy Christmas to the community! Eric who does the balloons.
I don't manage to stand there the whole time anymore, but I still like saying Happy Christmas to people as they pass.

And then the following day, we hold a Candlelight Carol Service at the Community Centre.

I had fun trying to get photos in the dark with candles! A bit of adjusting in my photo programme and they are not too bad.

Mr Thoughtful puts together a quite wonderful programme. 

The numbers who come from the Community vary...for instance, if it is raining, like on Sunday. But many make it a point to come every year.

With all the candles, it gets pretty warm in there. It takes quite a while to light them and then also to blow them out at the end!

A lovely time singing and hearing the story of the first Christmas.
Then out to where it is light for more mince pies, sweets, chocolate and etc!

And start thinking ahead to the Easter one...hot cross buns for that.

To see the likes for the others, go to Lee Anna's blog.

Dreams of Sewing Dance in My Head

...otherwise known as Dancing with Sewing Machines.

Why? Because I had to give it a title before it was really started.

Anyway it is finished and on it's way to the Stretching Art and Tradition organiser in America.

The theme this time was Dream On.
This was the challenge: For Stretching Art and Tradition 18, Dream Big! Dream house, dream job, dream body, dream quilt - if dreams were reality, what dream would you have come true?  This year, complete a quilt 18" wide by 36" long using any technique you choose to represent your dream.

And for each one, we are challenged to honour SAT’s origins by identifying an area or technique of fibre arts that we would like to explore and incorporate that in our piece.

My challenge was actually getting it done with family death and extreme pain! But the official challenge was quilting using words. Not sure I was totally successful as I was thinking of my back more than the work!

But the statement about the quilt says:

Dreams of Sewing Dance in My Head

(Dancing with Sewing Machines)

One of the things I would love to do is to teach sewing to women who are marginalised in third world countries. I have friends in different African countries who support these women in developing skills. Sewing would be such a help to many of them. I have seen images of women dancing with joy when they receive a machine to use to set up a business.
However, at this point, it is a dream, a hope, a wish because I am just not well enough for the travel.
*********

But as I can, I try to help in different ways. and also to make more work drawing attention to the issues.

At the shops - mince pies

Saturday we had our yearly time at the shops to say Happy Christmas and invite people to the Candlelight Carol Service.

New weather conditions...we haven't done it in the fog before. 😉

Something on Saturday

It was windy and drizzly, but here is what we did last Saturday...

This is one way our church tries to give to the community. A smile and a cheerful 'Happy Easter!'. An offer of chocolate or hot cross bun (at Christmas it is Christmas biscuit or mince pie) or sweets. This year we also had fancy pens with a silicone nib for using with a smart phone or tablet. You could still use them when clicked for regular writing.


This year we were without the 'balloon man' as they were not back from holiday. So, that became my job. I brought a tall stool to perch on so I could pop up and down when we sighted families. (Not being very good at standing for several hours.)
However, with the weather and Easter break, not many people brought children out. But the pen's were popular with the dad's and a few mums.

Mince Pies at the Shops

Each Christmas, we get involved with what we have come to call "Mince Pies at the Shops". Several friends from the church gather at the shops to spread a little cheer with Christmas songs playing, balloons for children, and offer of mince pies a hot spiced fruit juice or some chocolate/sweets.
Balloons anyone?

We also invite them to our Candlelight Carol service which is tomorrow evening (20th December) this year.
Would you like a chocolate or a sweet?

I got a few photos of them as I went down to join them. This year I only helped out for the last hour. My legs were still not their best, but better than going for the whole morning.
Hang on to it so it doesn't fly away!

Most people were quite friendly and open. We got through 3 small tanks of helium for the balloons! (Actually, somehow Eric the Balloon Man managed to convince several older people to have a balloon!) I suppose because Christmas is still several days away, they weren't madly dashing for all the bits for the Christmas dinner.

A quiet moment looking out for the next family with kiddies

It was a bit windy, but not a bitter wind. More because of the position I think, the wind goes down that row of shops like a wind tunnel. But also this year we were prepared with pegs and paperweights, etc!

Happy Christmas at Birch Hill Shops!

December days - 20

This morning a few of us from our church had our annual 'Mince Pies at the shops'. Just greeting people, saying hello and inviting them to come sing carols with us Sunday evening at our Candlelight Carol service.

Not so many children shopping with parents this time, but the balloons were still popular. Here Jackie and Eric are trying to work out a system to keep the balloons from tanging in the wind.

My husband manned the helium tanks, so well done to him tying the balloons in the cold. (The little nozzles for making it easy didn't seem to fit the balloons we had and they were loosing air too quickly. So we had to rely on hand tying.)

We have experienced some different types of weather over the years...Very Cold, Very Rainy, and so on. Today was Very Windy which seemed to hurry people along a bit more.

But we moved around to the Christmas music my husband set up and kept warm. Plus we were offered a wonderful cup of tea or coffee by the workers in the newsagents behind us.

These photos were taken on the sly, so I didn't manage to capture the little tree, plates of biscuits and mince pies.

Mince Pies at the shops

Today we had our annual mince pies at the shops morning. Near Christmas we spend one Saturday morning at the local shops handing out mince pies or biscuits and a hot drink to the shoppers. We also invite them to our Candlelight Carol service.

My husband, the Thoughtful Man, charges up a big battery and we have a little fibre optic Christmas tree. He also hooks up a CD player to play Christmas songs the whole while.

Here is Eric who looks like he is not so sure about the weather!

It was raining pretty heavy all day, so we put the table under the overhang. However, Eric is the balloon man, so he was out in the rain the whole time cheerfully passing out balloons to any children who came by. or even to adults if he could get them to smile! The rest of us stayed under shelter. My husband and I were kept busy trying to keep up with Eric by blowing up balloons - helium - and tying strings on them. I am glad it wasn't colder!

These photos were taken near the beginning, so at that point the Thoughtful Man is at the back talking to Councillor Chas Bailey. The other ladies are my friend Pat, Niki - who drove her motorbike on the toy run a couple weeks ago, and Jackie, Eric's wife.

At one point, we were surprised by a lady from the news agent coming out and asking if we wanted a cup of tea or coffee. That was a very nice and very welcome gift!

And we did give out a lot of those biscuits I made the other day! Later, I parcelled more of them up to hand out to the neighbours with their Christmas cards. Some will be kept here, but the rest will be available for after the Candlelight service.

I am going to link this post to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday...not a textile related sample of creativity. But I think sometimes getting out of your studio and speaking to real people can give you a different focus when you get back inside to make things. I think these sorts of things come from the same source of creativity inside you - finding creative ways to be kind to others.

deliveries

Today was rolling out and cutting, then baking the sugar cookies and the gingerbread cookies. I will do the icing on them tomorrow. The photo also shows the biscuits I baked yesterday.

So, here is a funny story that goes with the baking.

The phone rings. It's the Amazon delivery man (seemed funny to just say Amazon man...cause they were women, weren't they?)
Will I be in to collect my parcel.
Yes.
So, I thought, oh, I will give him some biscuits (yesterday's Oatmeal Raisin - 1 and Russion Tea cakes - 2 on a plate).

So when he arrives and says you must be baking. I give him the biscuits. He was shocked - pleasantly.
'Thanks! I wasn't expecting this.'

'That's the point!'

I take the 2 parcels and check the address on the top. Yep, that's the books I ordered for people for Christmas.
Please, would I put my fingerprint on this gadget to show I got the parcels? I never had that before, only please sign.

Then I looked at my fingers.

He looked at my fingers.

No print to be seen due to gingerbread dough and flour covering them. So, I tried. but the gadget couldn't see my fingerprint either. Eventually he clicked something and then scribbled in it himself.

'Thanks so much for this!'He said mouth full of biscuit as he went down the path.

I put the parcels to the side to open when the dough has been washed off.

Two minutes later the phone rings.

It is the Amazon delivery man.

'Um, I gave you the wrong parcel.'

? ?

So, he comes back, swaps the parcel which my husband had ordered with the bottom one which was for someone in a nearby road.

He still has the paper plate in his hand...with one Russian Tea cake.
'Can I swap this one for one of the whole wheat ones?'

??

You know the darker ones.

Oh!
'You are a bit cheeky aren't you?' off I go to get an Oatmeal cookie and take the white one back.

'How long have you been baking?'
........long silence while I work out a reply. 'Well, I learned how to when I was little, but I have been baking the last couple days and I am doing some more tomorrow.'

'Oh, are you having all the family around then?'
(I must add at this point that he was not from a background where he would have been used to Christmas baking being part of the holiday celebration. Which is why all the curious questions.)

I laugh. 'No, not really. I just bake alot of biscuits and then find people to give them to.' This is true.

His eyes go wide. 'Wow, you are really generous!'

'Thank you.'

*****************
I have another parcel coming tomorrow. Wonder if he will be on this route again.

Toy run 2012

A couple of my friends went on the Toy Run again this year. Last year Eric went with Niki, this year his wife Jackie went.

Jackie as Father Christmas and Niki as a Christmas Pudding.

Eric getting Jackie sorted on the 'wrapped' bike.

and off they go.

oh and then our friend Jan headed home...we said she was the 'Elf'.

It was a good day for it as the weather was more mild than it has been.

onward to Christmas

So, now the last class of the year is past. and I have time to think of doing some of those special things I really want to do. Last year, I had the emergency journey to America, so I really missed it.

Today I have been cutting out half circles...but I won't say why because a few of the recipients of the results read the blog. (even though they don't comment) I just am glad to have some very special friends and I want to make something to say, I am glad you are my friend.

Saturday another member of TVCT looked after the exhibition in the morning. I was really grateful because I was able to join in on the Mince Pie event at the Birch Hill shops.

It was really great to meet more of the community. and they seemed to enjoy the hot drink and a mince pie or biscuit. and of course our friend Eric trying to convince everyone to have a balloon, regardless of age!

On Sunday we had our Candlelight Carol service. That was lovely, too. I am grateful we had the rain chucking it down rather than it being snow like the last 2 years!

and continuing with the joy in service thing...last night I took fruit juice and nibbles to class. It is just a way of saying. I appreciate you being my students!

What have you been doing along these lines?

Toy Run

Speaking of spreading joy...

Sunday was theToy Run. It is a charity run the bikers do for Bernardos. They take a toy and thousands of them go through the streets to the Orphanage. This year our friend Niki and another friend Eric went off to it dressed as Santas.

Niki had also dressed the bike as Rudolph! Even when she left her house in the morning with just the bike dressed, she already was spreading big smiles to everyone who saw it!

Just as they left the church, it started raining!

But they still planned on having a good time!

I wonder if they got in the line up for the Santa photos. This link takes you to a page with a photo of the Santas on the hill at the event. That year my husband went on his bike with Niki. He hasn't got the bike any more.

Today was a lovely day

Today I went with friends to a Ladies Christmas event. It is something I look forward to each year because it is a way of getting perspective back before heading into all the events of the Christmas season. It is also a lovely time greet ladies I haven't seen for a whole year and to meet new ones. and it was just special to sit round the table with my friends singing the carols and just doing something special together.

then tonight I came across Lyric Kinard's post on Quilt Art about posts she is doing on her blog this month about thinking of others this season. It is really quite inspiring to read the comments from readers seeing what they are doing randomly and sometimes anonymously.

I have added her blog link as a Featured Blog in my sidebar so you can keep up with the ideas easier. What sorts of things can you think of doing for this holiday season?

Next weekend, we are getting involved with something to cheer up shoppers in our local parade of shops. We set up a table with mince pies and Christmas biscuits and a hot drink. Here is a photo from last year.

I am looking forward to it!