Christmas trivia

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,

swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out

of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?




This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were

not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone

during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning

plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each

element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality

which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

new for Christmas

snowflake beads

snowflakes and butterflies

a must see

http://www.bornagainamerican.org/index.html

hamthrax

I hate to wish the swine flu on anyone but I'm just waiting to give one of these away!

snowmen

I started promoting the artwork of a fellow etsy artist on my glass. She makes some great snowman cards and prints- just love the fun, whimsical style she has. These images are fused ontoi the surface of the glass and will not rub off!

I got some earrings made!

Something I'm always trying to make time to do. I like to do it but always seems to get pushed to a later time. I made these few with some beads I made myself. I like to wear larger earrings and these thusly are on the large side.

new beads

what next?

I think I need pin striping or some sort of border yet.

pearls or no pearls...

that is the question-hmmmmm....

miracles

Everyday is the new possibility for a miracle....I like it! And I love the idea of wall decals. Take them off with a blow dryer- haven't tried it yet but sounds wonderful!

angels-angels-angels!!

Time to vote!

The back to school challenge pieces have been posted on the cgge website- please stop by and vote for your favorite! http://cggechallenge.blogspot.com/

Like new again

This table is so special to me. I recieved it from my father who made it in his wood shop. My mother and he wanted a bigger table so I got this one and love it! I painted the fruit and vegetables around the border. It's been covered with all my craft stuff for so long and now that I acquired my own craft room. it's like new again. Makes me very sad that I lost my father but so glad that I had him.
A friend at work lost his father today- my prayers go out to you and your family.

silver

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them.

Back to school

The Creative Glass Guild of Etsy's having a back to school challenge. This is my entry simulating the plaid in all those school uniforms. I'll let you know when it's time to see all the entries and vote for your favorite!

new beads

I got this from a friend

in an email this morning- What a great idea!


WASP SPRAY

You no longer need to keep your .45 or AK-47 sitting out on
the coffee table... a can of wasp spray will do! Never would have thought it !!!

I have a friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area
who was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to
rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local
police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her
that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told
her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate,
while with the pepper spray they have to get too close to you and
could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker
until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on
her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from
people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby
at home for home protection. You could also keep it in your car
and it's perfectly legal. Thought this was interesting and might be of
use....

My new craft room

I'm working on decorating it. I've begun the chairs. I bought this wonderful batik fabric at the fabric store- thinking it'll look good with the jungle animals left over from my son's room-used to be his bedroom. I'm working on how to paint the top backrest. It's a great canvas for something special- any ideas? checkerboard? has to blend with the border in the room...hmmmm

teardrop twirls

The one has cracked at the top so I have to wear them-can't sell them!

got some new beads made

I made them in pairs for earrings...or whatever....