Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Garlands
Tinsel, bead, or novelty garlands add so much to the charm and appearance of your Christmas tree. It looks great and it's easy to do.
Spiral
Wire 4 to 6 strands of garland together at one end and attach this end to the top of the tree. Separate the strands and spiral each strand down the tree. Space the strands evenly down the tree.
Double Spiral
Use twice as many strands and spiral half clockwise and the balance counter-clockwise. Colors may be alternated.
Swag
Begin at the back of the tree on the bottom. Tie the garland to a tip, then swag the garland gracefully from tip to tip using 12 inch to 20 inch swags depending upon the width of your tree. Let the swag fall freely. Continue around the tree. Either cut and secure the garland or swag up to the next layer on the back of the tree so that each row appears level. On the next row the high point of your swag should be centered directly and uniformly over the low point of the previous row. The swags should become small as you go up the tree. The more uniform the swag the more formal the look.
Streamers
Start at the top of the tree with 3 to 5 strands of garland or ribbon and let each streamer fall freely to give a vertical symmetry to the tree. To soften the look, streamers may be twisted and tucked lightly into the tree as they fall down the branches.
Spiral
Wire 4 to 6 strands of garland together at one end and attach this end to the top of the tree. Separate the strands and spiral each strand down the tree. Space the strands evenly down the tree.
Double Spiral
Use twice as many strands and spiral half clockwise and the balance counter-clockwise. Colors may be alternated.
Swag
Begin at the back of the tree on the bottom. Tie the garland to a tip, then swag the garland gracefully from tip to tip using 12 inch to 20 inch swags depending upon the width of your tree. Let the swag fall freely. Continue around the tree. Either cut and secure the garland or swag up to the next layer on the back of the tree so that each row appears level. On the next row the high point of your swag should be centered directly and uniformly over the low point of the previous row. The swags should become small as you go up the tree. The more uniform the swag the more formal the look.
Streamers
Start at the top of the tree with 3 to 5 strands of garland or ribbon and let each streamer fall freely to give a vertical symmetry to the tree. To soften the look, streamers may be twisted and tucked lightly into the tree as they fall down the branches.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Elf Name
Elf Name Generators
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/generators.htm
This site has a ton of name generators for different things. My dark elf name is Loned Wildpaw.
http://chriswetherell.com/elf/
My elfish name is Alatariel Faelivrin.
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php
My elf name is Ubegaod Peacesigh.
http://www.jokesunlimited.com/christmas_elf_name.php
My Christmas elf name is Snooky Floppy-Feet.
http://www.slacknhash.net/elf_name_generator.php
My elf name is DolnÃs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/christmas/name_generator.shtml
My name is Lucky Nose-Gnome.
http://www.rdinn.com/generators/2/elven_name_generator.php
My sylvri (elfen) name is Venmariiel Vanren.
http://www.quizopolis.com/christmas-elf-name.php
My Christmas elf name is Pinky Bing-A-Ling.
What is your elf name(s)?
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/generators.htm
This site has a ton of name generators for different things. My dark elf name is Loned Wildpaw.
http://chriswetherell.com/elf/
My elfish name is Alatariel Faelivrin.
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php
My elf name is Ubegaod Peacesigh.
http://www.jokesunlimited.com/christmas_elf_name.php
My Christmas elf name is Snooky Floppy-Feet.
http://www.slacknhash.net/elf_name_generator.php
My elf name is DolnÃs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/christmas/name_generator.shtml
My name is Lucky Nose-Gnome.
http://www.rdinn.com/generators/2/elven_name_generator.php
My sylvri (elfen) name is Venmariiel Vanren.
http://www.quizopolis.com/christmas-elf-name.php
My Christmas elf name is Pinky Bing-A-Ling.
What is your elf name(s)?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
12 Days of Garland Photos #5
Garland can be used for more than just around door. What a great touch for a fence.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
New Year's Superstitions
Besides kissing everybody in the room at the stroke of midnight, celebrants throughout the ages have observed numerous lesser-known New Year's customs and superstitions.
Because January 1 is the first day of the new year, we have drawn a connection between what we do on that day and our fate throughout the rest of the year. Here are some of the ways we attempt to guarantee a good outcome through our acts on that portentous first day.
Kissing at Midnight
We kiss those dearest to us at midnight not only to share a moment of celebration with our favorite people, but also to ensure those affections and ties will continue throughout the next twelve months. To fail to smooch our significant others at the stroke of twelve would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.
Stocking Up
The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee prosperity.
Paying Off Bills
The new year should not be begun with the household in debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to January 1st. Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arrives.
First Footing
The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking. It would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of
coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blond and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers bring disaster down on the household.
The first footer (sometimes called the "Lucky Bird") should knock and be let in rather than use a key, even if he is one of the householders. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his way through the house and leave by a different door than the one through which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer arrives because the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather than striking out.
Nothing Goes Out
Nothing — absolutely nothing, not even garbage — is to leave the
house on the first day of the year. If you've presents to deliver on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake out a rug or take the empties to the recycle bin. This is similar to the caution regarding first footers; the year must begin with somethings being added to the home before anything subtracts from it.
Food
A tradition common to the southern states of the USA dictates that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will attract both general good luck (financial in particular) to the one doing the dining. Some choose to add other Southern fare (such as ham hocks, collard greens, or cabbage) to this tradition, but the black-eyed peas are key.
Other "lucky" foods are lentil soup (because lentils supposedly look like coins), pork (because poultry scratches backwards, a cow stands still, but a pig roots forward, ergo those who dine upon pork will be moving forward in the new year), and sauerkraut (probably because it goes so well with pork).
Another oft-repeated belief holds that one must not eat chicken or turkey on the first day of the year lest, like the birds in question, diners fate themselves to scratch in the dirt all year for their dinner (that is, bring poverty upon themselves).
Work
Make sure to do — and be successful at — something related to your work on the first day of the year, even if you don't go near your place of employment that day. Limit your activity to a token amount, though, because to engage in a serious work project on that day is very unlucky.
Also, do not do the laundry on New Year's Day, lest a member of the family be 'washed away' (die) in the upcoming months.
New Clothes
Wear something new on January 1 to increase the likelihood of your receiving more new garments during the year to follow.
Breakage and Crying
Avoid breaking things on that first day lest wreckage be part of your year. Also, avoid crying on the first day of the year lest that activity set the tone for the next twelve months.
Letting the Old Year Out
At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old year escape unimpeded. He must leave before the New Year can come in, says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist him in finding his way out.
Loud Noise
Make as much noise as possible at midnight. You're not just celebrating; you're scaring away evil spirits, so do a darned good job of it! According to widespread superstition, evil spirits and the Devil himself hate loud noise.
The Weather
Examine the weather in the early hours of New Year's Day. If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamities. Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If there's no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all.
Born on January 1
Babies born on this day will always have luck on their side.
Because January 1 is the first day of the new year, we have drawn a connection between what we do on that day and our fate throughout the rest of the year. Here are some of the ways we attempt to guarantee a good outcome through our acts on that portentous first day.
Kissing at Midnight
We kiss those dearest to us at midnight not only to share a moment of celebration with our favorite people, but also to ensure those affections and ties will continue throughout the next twelve months. To fail to smooch our significant others at the stroke of twelve would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.
Stocking Up
The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee prosperity.
Paying Off Bills
The new year should not be begun with the household in debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to January 1st. Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arrives.
First Footing
The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking. It would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of
coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blond and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers bring disaster down on the household.The first footer (sometimes called the "Lucky Bird") should knock and be let in rather than use a key, even if he is one of the householders. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his way through the house and leave by a different door than the one through which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer arrives because the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather than striking out.
Nothing Goes Out
Nothing — absolutely nothing, not even garbage — is to leave the
house on the first day of the year. If you've presents to deliver on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake out a rug or take the empties to the recycle bin. This is similar to the caution regarding first footers; the year must begin with somethings being added to the home before anything subtracts from it.
Food
A tradition common to the southern states of the USA dictates that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will attract both general good luck (financial in particular) to the one doing the dining. Some choose to add other Southern fare (such as ham hocks, collard greens, or cabbage) to this tradition, but the black-eyed peas are key.
Other "lucky" foods are lentil soup (because lentils supposedly look like coins), pork (because poultry scratches backwards, a cow stands still, but a pig roots forward, ergo those who dine upon pork will be moving forward in the new year), and sauerkraut (probably because it goes so well with pork).
Another oft-repeated belief holds that one must not eat chicken or turkey on the first day of the year lest, like the birds in question, diners fate themselves to scratch in the dirt all year for their dinner (that is, bring poverty upon themselves).
Work
Make sure to do — and be successful at — something related to your work on the first day of the year, even if you don't go near your place of employment that day. Limit your activity to a token amount, though, because to engage in a serious work project on that day is very unlucky.
Also, do not do the laundry on New Year's Day, lest a member of the family be 'washed away' (die) in the upcoming months.
New Clothes
Wear something new on January 1 to increase the likelihood of your receiving more new garments during the year to follow.
Breakage and Crying
Avoid breaking things on that first day lest wreckage be part of your year. Also, avoid crying on the first day of the year lest that activity set the tone for the next twelve months.
Letting the Old Year Out
At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old year escape unimpeded. He must leave before the New Year can come in, says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist him in finding his way out.
Loud Noise
Make as much noise as possible at midnight. You're not just celebrating; you're scaring away evil spirits, so do a darned good job of it! According to widespread superstition, evil spirits and the Devil himself hate loud noise.
The Weather
Examine the weather in the early hours of New Year's Day. If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamities. Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If there's no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all.
Born on January 1
Babies born on this day will always have luck on their side.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Christmas Thought of the Day - 1/12/09
A Different Kind of Tree
A friend hired a plumber to help restore an old farmhouse. The plumber just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit, and his ancient one-ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children, so I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," he smiled," when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
A friend hired a plumber to help restore an old farmhouse. The plumber just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit, and his ancient one-ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children, so I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," he smiled," when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
12 Days of Christmas - Day Twelve
There are so many things to love about Christmas . . .carols that sing of Jesus' birth and joy to the world, the scents of the season that fill the air and tempt our tummies, the radiant beams of light from rooftops to treetops, and the sight of our homes and hearths decorated to usher in this most joyous season of the year.
It is a season marked by giving and sharing and caring. Christmas truly is the most beautiful holiday of them all . . . beautiful to behold with the eye and with the heart.
Celebrating Christ's birthday is celebrating the life He died to give us.
Monday, January 5, 2009
12 Days of Christmas - Day Eleven
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Psalm 150:6 NKJV
Choose this year to make your home a place where Jesus is honored. Do your best o dwell on what is right with Christmas rather than focusing on what is wrong with it.
Use the signs and symbols of the season to remind you of the names of Jesus and who He is to you. Decide to make this Christmas more about Him and less about stuff by giving away the best gift that was ever given to you -- the unconditional, unmerited, everlasting love of God!
Dedicate this season to worship the Lord by being His heart, His hands, and His voice to those around you.
"Let heaven and nature sing."
Sunday, January 4, 2009
12 Days of Christmas - Day Ten
Sacrifice the season in His name.Give yourself away generously! The sacrifice of your time, talent, or money may open the door for others to see the salvation of the Lord in their lives. Consider giving, not just out of your abundance, but actually giving up something in order to help someone who needs a touch of God's love.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
12 Days of Christmas - Day Nine
Nourish the season in His name.Offer a taste of God's grace and goodness to a hungry world this Christmas by giving the gift of food or volunteering to help serve meals at a homeless shelter.
Designate a generous portion of your gift-giving budge to donate to a charity such as Samaritan's Purse or Salvation Army.
Friday, January 2, 2009
12 Days of Christmas - Day Eight
Celebrate the season in His name.
God is with you and it's His birthday. Bake a cake, light a candle, and invite your family and friends to celebrate His birth. After you sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, go caroling around the neighborhood.
Another good way to celebrate the birth of any baby is to host a baby shower. This Christmas consider having a baby shower in His name and donating the gifts to a local pregnancy center.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
12 Days of Christmas - Day Seven
If you long for less stress and more peace of God, I suggest you decorate the season with prayer.
Whether it's planning for your holiday activities or dealing with the unexpected, hanging ornaments or standing in a checkout lane. Jesus wants to give order to your chaos, meaning to your activities, and calm to your heart.
Begin today to thank Him for what you love about Christmas. Confide in Him about the things you don't like about the season. Ask Him for the wisdom to change what you are able and the grace to transform holiday hassles into holy-day opportunities.
Heavenly Father, thank you for being my Prince of peace. Help me to decorate my life with the ornaments of prayer and praise so that I may be like a tree of life to those around you. Amen.
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