Crafting

I decided that we should take a full week for Thanksgiving Break, even if the county we live in doesn't. I wanted to make time for days of arts and crafts. But life had other plans for those coveted hours, and the full afternoons of paint and clay have become stollen moments here and there.

Some of the moments have been all by myself. And I have had the pleasure of falling into my own thoughts as I complete a repetitive, and yet rewarding task, watching my hands create something that will remain longer than a dinner or a freshly swept floor. I  am envious of those mothers who find time to pursue artistic ventures. (Anne with her finger puppets, macrame, and wet plate photography while raising five kids does it as well as anyone I have ever witnessed.) There is a part of me, small though it is, that is fed when I get to make things.

And while I loved those hours and minutes I sat at the table on my own, I equally loved the time spent there with my kids at hand. Watching as they solved problems and discovered new techniques, created patterns, revised plans. I sunk into the stretches when we were all quiet, focused on our own tasks. I hope to spend untold hours doing more of the same through the holiday season. That prospect brings me more excitement than nearly any other Christmas endeavor. I hope to show you finished projects at some point, but seeing as much of what we made our gifts, for now these bits and pieces will suffice.

*I had visions of what the kids should make for gifts. For instance, I thought Gus should make these eye ornaments. After completing just one, he decided that his ornaments needed to be far more personalized, and incidentally, far less decipherable. However, he is bursting with excitement and wants to tell everyone what he has made them a month in advance. The lesson being, my plans paled in comparison to his. 

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