I love this one! I used an old gourd from Halloween. I covered it in some gold glitter and used a ribbon to hang it. I would have liked to add something to it but nothing looked right. So I left it plain. I also added some silver glitter to the stem.
And I wanted to share a picture of Alessa's Christmas tree. It has butterflies, dragonflies, and hummingbirds on it.
Day 21 I used a potpourri ball and covered it with my pink chunky glitter. The ball is from walmart.
There's not a lot to say tonight. My hubby is in the hospital and I'm tired. We have an appointment at the heart Dr. tomorrow morning. Not sure how Christmas is going to go. Got bills to pay. Worried about presents for everyone or lack there of.
I started with my plastic ornament. I cut up some scrap paper I had that was music themed.
I covered the ornament with the pieces of paper.
After letting it dry I put a layer of polyurethane on it to seal it.
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After it was dry I used some brown paint to give it an antique look.
And for the final step I covered it with silver glitter paint to give it a little sparkle.
I cant believe its only 5 days until Christmas. I still have to do Christmas Shopping.
Rosie is showing a significant amount of hearing loss in one of her ears. For now they are just going to monitor it in speech therapy and see what happens.
The story of being a preemie is "we will wait and see" so I guess we will wait and see.
For day 19 ornament I also used pearl powder on the inside. Then on the outside I made a swirl of green glitter to add some dimension to this ornament. Simple and cute, with red and green.
Tomorrow we have a big day in another town for a hearing test for Rosie. More on that tomorrow. Also Christmas shopping is in order. We don't have any shopping places besides Walmart in our town. So we are taking advantage of our Dr. trip.
For day 18 ornament i used my pearl-ex powder. Blue to be exact. I poured it inside the ornament and shook it around until it covered the whole inside of the ornament. Its very pretty and very simple. Its gives off a shimmer that the picture just cant capture.
Today I spent time with my family so I did an easy ornament. Pink chunky glitter. I got the glitter at the Dollar Store. They have lots of colors and shapes of glitter to use. I got some more clear glass ornaments so I'm going to have fun with those. I also need to get back to doing my name pictures. I have a list I need to get done.
I covered the ornament in fabric scraps and modge podge.
Then I covered it with brush on glitter paint.
Because I cant make anything without using glitter for some reason. Go figure.
Christmas is getting close. No snow for us so far. I don't like snow so I don't mind! I do like to decorate for the holiday though. I'm not fancy like some people. The week leading up to Christmas is always busy. My Mom is coming to visit this weekend. So we are all getting together for Christmas dinner. Then next friday its back to the heart Dr. for my husband, who is having the same problems he had before. They ended up putting a stent in his heart last time.
Only 10 days until Christmas. That means only 10 more ornaments. It also means only 9 shopping days. Yikes! I'm never ready for Christmas. I hope to get my shopping done this weekend.
Day 15 ornament was another plastic ornament which I covered in silver chunky glitter. Then I added some sequins (because I have lots).
If there is one thing I love its computer games! Here are some of the popular games that people play. I also added some anti-virus protection. Have a look. These are great gift ideas for Christmas too.
In the glass ball I put a little bit of peat moss and some ribbon flowers. Then I added a little plastic faerie (who will probably be stuck in the glass ball now). This was my last glass ball, if I see some more I will buy them because I like them better than the plastic cheap ones.
So this week I will have to be more creative. Maybe.
I had my candle lit tonight to honor all babies and children who have left to soon. This is the fourth year for me. After four years I still cant find the words.
Day 10
I used a cheap plastic ornament that I got at Walmart, I covered it with glue then epsom salts with some glitter mixed in. This was one of the easiest ones, besides the glitter ones. I have one more glass ornament idea one to come up with then I only have the walmart ones left.
Tomorrow is the Worldwide Candle Lighting , there is some good information on their site.
For day 7 I used some gold and silver metallic paint. I put a few drops of each color inside the clear ball and then I just mixed it around until the whole inside was covered.
Day 5 ornament is also a clear glass one. I put a gem sticker on the outside and on the inside I put a plain white feather. Another simple to make ornament especially if you have plenty of scrapbook stuff lying around like I do.
I like this one too. I cant wait to find some sort of little tree for them all. I will look for an idea tonight on pinterest. Carly Marie over at Project Heal is doing a beautiful project for the Holidays. Please be sure to have a look if your interested in having your Angels name in a book of remembrance.
For day four I made another clear glass ornament. I filled it about 1/3 of the way and tied a dove charm from the top of the ornament. Again its a very simple ornament. But I think i like it. I'm going to try to find some tree type of thing that I can hang my 25 ornaments on besides my Christmas tree. Because I already have it up and its pink and red and has no more room on it for any ornaments.
To make day 3 decoration I took a clear glass ball and covered it with modge podge then I sprinkled it with glitter. Very simple, yet very pretty. I have been getting so many ideas off pinterest. I am going to make a graphic of my 25 days of home-made Christmas decoration tonight.
I think this one is my favorite one so far! More to come.
Day 2 ornament was made with pipe cleaners and a glass Christmas bulb. I wound the pipe cleaners around a dowel pulled it off and cut them into inch long pieces. I then put the pieces into the glass ball. It was very simple. The next few will be a little bit harder.
This is one of my heart pendants I have been working on. I want to start selling them on Etsy. I'm just not brave enough yet. I will get there though. I still have to make it into a necklace. But I really like the way it turned out.
I was going to post some pinterest things tonight too but I cant get the page to come up so I will post that tomorrow.
Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.
-- A A Milne
As Christmas gets closer I find myself thinking more and more of our Angel Alessa. As I sit here I just realize that its her her fourth Christmas in Heaven, and I am reminded how hard that first Christmas was. Not that any of them get easier... Just more and more tolerable as time goes by. But there is not a day that goes by that we wonder why and what if. The first Christmas was the worst though. And thank God I had the resources to help us through. Resources meaning family support and some wonderful people on the internet. One of the first places I found was the M.I.S.S. Foundation founded by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore. There are some wonderful resources there.
I found this quote from Dr Cacciatore
"Wave of Surrender"
14 years ago, on July 27, 1994, my beloved
child died.
"I was catapulted into dark, deep waters where waves of pain and loss
crashed down upon me relentlessly. Grief, like a powerful rip tide, ensnared me
and then carried me far from the familiar shore. I could no longer see my home
between the waves that hammered me, and I fought for even a glimpse of the
recognizably blue sky. The waves persisted ... and tumbled me, over and over
and over, disorienting and confusing me. All was darkness and panic. I fought
it. Occasionally, I would reach the coveted surface for a desperate, gasp of
saline-laced air only to be wrenched back under moments later. Pockets full of
time, direction, and reason were emptied into the hungry ocean. Grief filled my
lungs. I would not survive unless I surrendered.
And so I surrendered."
When i read this I was amazed that I had felt exactly what she was describing. She put the words to it though and I could understand even more of what my daughter was going through. Although I could feel the pain it was just so indescribable there were no words, and as soon as I read those words it hit me that was how it felt.
The other place I found to be very helpful was Compassionate Friends . It is a good place to find support. They have a Worldwide Candle lighting Ceremony coming up on December 10.
That first Christmas I made my daughter a scrapbook with pictures I had made with graphics off the internet and poems most of them can be seen here. There are also some name pictures from other people. About one month after Alessa died I had a dream that I saw Alessa's name in the sand the next day I found Carly's blog and she wrote Alessa in the sand for us. After that I got the idea to do my names in the sand and that's how I got started.
This month I'm going to make one idea a day off of pinterest. So today for Day 1 I made an ornament in my blog theme of the beach. I took a glass ornament filed it with sand and shells and you have a cute little beach themed ornament.
I cant believe its been a whole month since I posted. I also cant believe its almost Dec. A hard time for many. I'm trying to find my Christmas spirit early this year. I have drug out the decorations and have started planning how to go about the actual decorating part now.
School is over now. I still didn't pass the math class. Right now I'm not going to stress about it. I'm going to get in the Christmas spirit!
I'm going to do a post a day on a craft I find on pinterest and I am going to start doing my doll house remodel.
If you have not checked out pinterest you should! I will also finish up my name pictures for those who have been waiting.
Also I would like to share some clay projects I am working on as soon as I finish them. I got some new clay from my Mom and have been enjoying working with the different colors rather than the basic color set that walmart sells. Which is the only store in our town that sells clay. Looking forward to posting more often!
When Lily and Hope left the den that spring Hope was tiny, she looked like a little puppy. Dr. Rogers continues to check on his radio collared bears all through the summer. The collar tells the researcher where the bear is at any given moment and they are able to track their movements. Well children being children Hope somehow got separated from Lily. We find out later Lily actually got pregnant during that summer. Being worried about Hope she was found and they did catch her and reunite her with Lily.
Dr. Rogers rescuing Hope
Lily And Hope were very happy to be reunited but it was short lived and they were separated again. This time Dr. Rogers decided to leave Hope and feed her a supplemental diet which fans from all over promptly helped provide. As fate would have it this time they were reunited on their own.
Dr. Rogers feeding Hope
After that they were able to get Hope to wear a radio collar so they could keep an eye on her.
Hope with her first collar
After being virtually on her own for 2 months, from around the middle of May until July 12. Hope is finally reunited one more time with Lily.
As Lily and Hope head off for the rest of their summer adventures many people are happy to see them back together again. As the summer comes to a close Hope faces her first hunting season safely. With the end of hunting season comes the beginning of winter.
The bears are all busy now finding their winter den. The leaves are changing, the days are getting colder, by the end of October the bears have chosen their dens. Dr. Rogers is able to install a den cam once again into Lily's den. As the snow once again covers the land Lily and Hope are safe for their second winter. And the world is once again treated to a first time show.
The fact that Lily is pregnant and still nursing Hope is the topic of conversation. What will Hope do, What will Lily do, how will the new cubs do? We were soon amazed as Lily gives birth to two cubs on a cold January day. Hope loves the cubs and helps her mom clean and move them, Lily takes care of them all and the new cubs are as happy as can be.
The cubs are named Faith and Jason.
As they grow the den gets crowded but the family perseveres, the cubs grow and Hope also grows while Lily shrinks. As the winter comes to an end the bears get ready to come out of their den.
Den cam picture of Lily, Faith, and Jason
While bears prepare to come out of their den for the spring Hope finds herself with some time on her hands
paws. On a trip to the outside she discovers the the den cam. Which she discovers many times and has to be fixed.
Hope investigating the den cam
As the beginning of April rolls around the bears are ready to leave the den area. Dr Rogers makes sure Lily has her new collar to replace the one that fell off during the winter, so he is able to track Lily and her cubs.
As they venture out into the spring the bear family is unaware of the course of events that are about to take place. In the animal world it must be a part of life. And I guess we cant have life without death.
This is the last picture of Jason
Jason was found shortly after the family came out of the den. Tests showed he died from an infection in his brain from a tiny puncture wound in his skull. According to people who were still listening on the cam after the bears left the den there were howling dogs or coyotes and may have tried to grab Jason. But we will never know.
Lily, Hope and Faith leave the den area for good and go about their usual springtime activities. Eating, foraging, digging and nursing.
foraging in June
As summer starts to pass, another hunting season looms on the horizon. The researchers are trying to get Hope to take a collar again, but it seems maybe last years adventure has made her trust more hard to win over. She wants nothing to do with this device!
no way are you putting that thing on me
In Minnesota it is not illegal to hunt radio collared bears but the hunters will usually respect the radio collared ones and not shoot them. Dr. Rogers puts theses brightly colored collars on the bears and posts signs explaining theses are bears that are involved in a study.
They try many times to get a collar on hope without success. As hunting season begins once again the worry sets in.
September 9 2011
On September 20th Lily and Faith are seen alone. Hope is missing. In the next few weeks a hunter comes forward and says he shot Hope at his bait station on September 16th. It has been confirmed that Hope is the bear that the hunter took.
As Sue was looking for hope she drew this in the fungus.
Lily and Faith leaving the area where Hope was shot.
