A Snowman, a Baby...and Seven Things

Please visit Cobbler Rune Gavier's mischievous nephew Friedrik on my blog Elven Slippers!

http://elvenslippers.blogspot.com/

There, you will also meet a jolly Snowman named Winslow and singing Snowchild Clemot. Together, they spin a sweet story...they are also currently on ebay...

My Oh My

To say it is a priviledge to have received these awards from some very special friends is such an understatement compared to what they really meant to my heart. This post has taken me several days to put together because I wanted to show my appreciation by adding

a few pictures with a story or two...

Thank you dear Alena, Dorote, Julie, Lisa, and Lotti for granting me this time to talk

a little about...myself...

Alena, you must see her newest rabbit in a Top Hat

http://alena-eliseeva.blogspot.com/search/label/%C2%ABHELLO%20TEDDY%C2%BB

Lisa...extraordinary historical miniaturist

http://lisajohnsonrichards.blogspot.com/

Dorote...who hales from Lithuania. Her sculpts are exotic, whimsical and intricately detailed right down to hand embroidered gowns and fairy boots!http://tirelessartist.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

Julie...a fine English artist of totally unique ooak sculpts in dollhouse scale http://bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/

My German friend Lotti...come see her fabulous love for all things small

http://gisela-wasistlosinwuselhausen.blogspot.com/

the Rules...

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it in your blog.
3. Link the person who nominated you.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know.
5. Nominate 7 Bloggers
6. Post links to the ten blogs you nominate
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Seven things...Seven Stories

1. As a young visionary, I had novice plans to travel to Ireland, join a sisterhood

and care for lost children.

It didn't quite happen that way...

but it did happen.

After taking the long way 'round.

However, it was they

who found me

and I am lost no more...lol!

2. I do not suffer from even a smidgeon of boredom.

because...

The most interesting thing about me are the ones I live with.

11 children, some of them gathered from far and wide, 8 grandchildren, two faithful house rabbits, six dogs, not sure how many cats but they all want to live in the house, two male goats (who also want to live in the house), assorted chickens, guineas, ducks...and a husband who quite deftly helps me make a home in the midst of this constantly moving kaleidoscope.

3. Our farmhouse turns into a makeshift boat during the winter monsoons...

Often here in the Pacific Northwest we don't even have a first snow. Last year though, we were happily caught in the midst of a quiet snowstorm! Our old farm was transformed into a magnificant living postcard. We relished every moment of it...

But within a week of the snowfall, the warm Pacific winds began to stir and melted everything, even down to the first snowflake. Then it rained...and rained...and rained. With the snow melt off and the heavy rainfall, we experienced the worst flood ever. I posted pictures of it on this blog last year.

As my husband was busy moving everything up on pallets in our barn, a wee baby mouse was rescued from a floating mound of hay by my third oldest son. He scooped this round ball of fur up in his glove before the cats had their fun with him. He and his brothers made a mouse size cedar duplex and placed it in an old fishtank. We discovered he is a meadow mouse, or vole, to be exact.

'Gerbert" (named after a mouse I made the Christmas before) resides there still. Busily burrowing his tunnels, enjoying gourmet meals, and bathing in a private swimming pool. He cleans his hands and feet after every meal and is a very sweet little fellow.

Gerbert the rescued Vole

4. I have always longed for a cuckoo clock.

If you walk into the front door of our home, the first thing you will hear is the melodic sound of many ticking clocks.

The irony of this is that nary a one of us are a clock watcher. With all these clocks, you would think there would be at least one cuckoo to remind us non-clock watchers of the hour. But it was my sister who inherited our Great Aunt's German cuckoo clock. It was, and still is a persnickity time piece, so I never thought we would have the time or the know-how to keep one going.

As providence would have it, I have been looking to buy a small vintage cuckoo clock case to alter for a Tinkerbell's house.

Before I found the right size, I ended up with 10 of them!

Naturally, not even one of them worked.

After I hung them all up anyway, my second oldest son Charlie asked permission to tinker with some of them just for fun. A couple afternoons later, we are now the proud owners of four WORKING "birdie clocks"! We are all thrilled to be in the company of a REAL Tinker and four energetic cuckoos.

5. I would trade a trip to Hawaii for a shared cup of coffee over the table with either one of my sisters. That constitutes

a piece of heaven for me...

I am blessed to have two adult daughters and two sisters. We are known to mix up each other's names when our conversations become fast and furious. I have wondered why we do that...maybe it is because together we comprise one big lump of unconditional love. Nothing is ever too small or too trite to share between us...

Sharing a cozy coffee moment with my sister Karla in a small bistro on Hood Canal. We each traveled hours to have an afternoon together.

( taken by my oldest son Robert with his new camera)

6...As an artist I often feel that my creative efforts are awkward and sometimes guilt laden...

Shouldn't I really be sewing with my daughter or scrubbing the bathroom floor instead of tediously fiddling with a lump of clay attempting to turn it into something recognizable?

AND when I see the sleeping face of a softly breathing child in my hands, I become completely overwhelmed with the ingenious beauty of God's Art.

Suddently my efforts seem clumsy in comparison.

But then I am reminded of how I feel when my children bring to me their enthusiatic stick drawings. Or their simple yet arduous attempts at sculptures of yarn or clay.

To me, they are masterpieces.

I need to be reminded of that sometimes.

Maybe God feels that way about my attempts at creating. And perhaps that is why we should be really good at encouraging one another's "masterpieces".

7. I always pray when I start a new sculpture...or...anything. So it has Often been Said that my Head is in the Clouds,

but of course I would have it no other way...

It was a daunting task trying to select ONLY seven recipients. I would have loved to pass this award along to all the treasured friends in my flower garden. What a blessing of inspiration and encouragement you have been to me!

After much thought, I chose friends who create art in an array of mediums.

Please accept these awards with my admiration.

I look forward to learning more about you!

Cindy, a maker of sweet Fairytale Pillows to dream upon

http://cindy-stitches-n-stuff.blogspot.com/2009/11/cindy-vintage-castel-pillow.html

Christel, a very dedicated new ooak sculptor who has just started a blog http://christelhutson.blogspot.com/

Jacqueline, who generously shares with us her real Fairyland http://jacquelines-land.blogspot.com/2009/11/candyland-fairy-land.html

Karri, creator of whimsical folk and recently has returned to sculpting faeries http://curnowart.blogspot.com/

Miriam, a writer who passionately paints with words http://sospesaneltempo.blogspot.com/

Pat, a potter, a felter and a candlestick maker (and lots more!)http://woolytales.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-pottery-making.html

My daughter Tomi, a true artisan of the most remarkable bears http://bramblewoodbears.blogspot.com/

Bless you all...
until we meet again...Rose