Christmas Paper and Bows are Sooo Last Year!


Growing up, my favorite part of Christmas time was wrapping presents. My mom taught me to always wrap gifts beautifully. While attractive wrapping paper and a big bow is a classic way to make a stunning gift, it is not always very economically friendly nor ecologically friendly. Neither is it friendly to your creative juice thirsty brain that is always seeking ways to be sharpened. This year I have been exploring more resourceful ways to wrap gifts while not sacrificing the aesthetic value of its appearance. I have come up with many new ideas and know that I have only brushed the surface of possibilities.
This year I only bought one roll of solid wrapping paper (so it is versatile), but next year I think I will challenge myself to not buy anything at all… except for tape, of course. Wrapping paper is pretty expensive considering it is intended to be thrown away, and there are so many other beautiful replacements available. I found that many retail stores these days give out some really attractive paper bags with your purchase. Namely, American Eagle has really cool bags. Christopher and Banks also has a neat bag, but they would not give one to me without a purchase, and ummm… I had already done all my Christmas shopping for my mother-in-law. Also, magazines are full of great images designed by professional graphic designers- so don’t throw them away when you’re done reading them- use them to wrap. Some other ideas I thought of to replace the wrapping paper are maps, old book jackets, painted newsprint, scrap fabric, and newspaper.
Bows are probably the most expensive part of wrapping a gift, but they add the most character to a present. I always save old bows, so I don’t have to buy new ribbon. But there are also a lot of bow alternatives too. This year I used old cassette tape ribbon to make one bow. You can also use old VHS tape too. You can also make bows out of rope or shredded paper. Last week I made a bow out of toilet paper, but it was kind of a joke.
Besides a bow, there are zillions of other ways to decorate a present to equal beauty! Magazines, old Christmas cards and photocopied pictures are great for cutting out images to collage onto a gift. . Rhinestones can make the gift sparkle. The more you look around, the more gift decorations you will find. I used food packaging to make a pop art inspired present. I also thought playing cards would make a cool gift.
Some might think it is a waste of time to put so much energy and creativity into something that is temporary, but lately I have been concentrating more on the value of enjoying perishable artwork (like decorating Christmas cookies). Even though it might not last forever, the process was more important than the product. And, every time you exercise your creative abilities, there will be one lasting outcome. Your brain will be sharper! If nothing else, you can always take pictures of them, like I did.

He Sees You When You're Sleeping???

I have learned one new thing about humans this month. I think that babies come into this world instinctively believing in Santa Clause. Unless that innate knowledge is intentionally molded, they will continue to believe in Santa Clause. I have always intended to never lie to my kids. Of course, as I have encountered certain situations, I have made a few exceptions. One of those situations includes when my kids ask, “what are you eating, Mom?”. I am allowed to say “nothing” or “crap” or “something yucky that only adults eat”. That is an acceptable lie. However, to lie to my kids about an illusionary man that leaves you presents at night… that is just ridiculous to me- especially at an age where the concept of Jesus is just as abstract, if not more, as the concept of Santa. Now, I will admit, I haven’t sheltered my kids from Mr. Clause. (but maybe I should have), in fact, they met “one of them” just last week at the mall. However, I have always buffered these encounters by saying “you know, that man isn’t really named Santa Clause. He is just pretending.” But my efforts seem to be useless. Last year Rocket even emptied the soot out of my in-laws fireplace in pursuit of “Santa”. This year, we are not giving “Santa” any credit for the presents we give our children. They are all from Mommy and Daddy. Sooner or later, the kids will come to their senses, and when they do, I will snidely say, “I told you so!”

Happy Hallo....

Notice the matching pumpkin!

SEE WORLD

(Sea Lions, Tiger Sharks, and Polar Bears- Oh My!)

On my recent trip to Florida, I began to notice that the older I get, the more easily amazed I am. It's not that anything can impress me- it's just that as I gain more experience in life, I am able to recognize what really is amazing and what isn't and try to focus on the more amazing things the most.

The highlight of the kid's and my vacation was our visit to Sea World. Now even if the kids didn't thouroughly enjoy this place, I sure did. And to say the least, Shamu, and all of his underwater friends, are truly amazing. The problem with my children is that they are so young, and therefore they don't have many experiences to relativate other experiences with. For this reason, their little brains have not yet been accurately calibrated to gauge what is cool and what is not so cool. So sometimes, for them, very mundane things (like the word "boo") seem quite remarkable. And very unmundane things (like a gigantic black and white whale flying through the air) isn't even worth looking at if there is a piece of popcorn on the ground. That is OK, and they still enjoyed Sea World, but mostly only because they both got temporary tattoos and Shamu water bottles.

While I considered Sea World to be extraordinary, what was even more impressive to me, was the way every generation of my family, blindly accepted, and even loved, me and my children. And even my children were able to tell that this was something really neat. This unconditional love was truly heartwarming. Maybe it wouldnt be that way if we actually lived nearby.

Mural Website

I recently created a website to showcase my murals. This way I don't have to deliver my mural photo album to everybody who is interested in having a mural done. It also makes me feel really cool, and I can show off to my friends and relatives. Here is the link:

http://naomipaints.tripod.com

I know it is a very amature web design, but it is a start!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROXANNE!

Roxanne turned three years old on Sunday. The day was filled with all kinds of kitty goodness. It took her a while to realize that it was her birthday and not Rockets, because she thought that only Rocket had birthdays. When she saw the cake, she understood that this day MUST be about her. When asked how old she is, she will say "Roxanne" or "present" or "five".... usually anything but "three". If you ask her what her name is you are more likely to hear "three", but you might also hear "hello kitty" or "mommy". For this reason, she will be having her hearing checked on Wednesday. If those results show no problems, we will be looking into speech and cognitive therapy. However, her snuggling, kissing and hugging skills are right on par. She knows when to hold back (most of the time) and when to dish out, which makes her the most adorable little three year old I know! Happy Birthday Roxanne!

Insights on Spiritual Health and Nutrition From Rocket

• If you eat all of your vegetables, your boobs will go away.
• Jesus has a hole in his heart that needs to be filled with broccoli.
• Jesus made drive-thrus and loves them.
• He also loves vitamins and protein.