Crosses and Flowers

Paper: Pink Pirouette and Confetti White CS; DP from CTMH Other: Kaiser Pearls; Prima Flowers; Pink Organdy ribbon Card Measures 5x7

♫ Good Morning! Good Morning! It's a Happy Day Today! ♫

I survived the hot weather and Maeve's crying/screaming fit of yesterday. It just came out of no where. (Maeve's tantrum) She just came up to me and started crying and screaming "MOM-MEEEE". Not in a "I'm hurt" way...in an "I want you to read my mind and know what I want and give me all of your attention RIGHT NOW" type of way. I am a believer in the ignore the bad behavior, praise the good behavior method of parenting. So I asked what was wrong and she just screamed and I continued to try and finish my blog post. Eventually she started to climb up on me and just demand all my attention. Several times I put her back down, but it just continued. My Goodness! That girl is one of the sweetest 2 year olds ever...but when she gets mad...look out! It is like Jeckyl and Hyde! MOST of the time she loves to hug and cuddle and kiss and sing and dance and is even really good at using her please's and thank you's. Declan and Orla weren't really tantrum throwers....I mean sure there was an occasional here and there....but less than a handful. With Maeve you know when it's coming. Eventually she calmed down and was back to her darling self. I think she just wanted my total attention at that moment. The day literally continued to heat up! It got HOT and I was happy that I turned on that A/C! And now it's over and we're back down to the 60's for the near future. I would like a few weeks of 70's and sunny, myself. But as long as there are no ice storms...I won't complain...too much! LOL!

So onto today's projects. My dear friend, Paula's daughter, Audra, was Christened this past weekend. Paula is a good friend, but absolutely does not appreciate our handmade cards. I feel more guilty about giving her a handmade card that she will throw out as soon as it's opened, than I do about folding a piece of typewriter paper and calling it her card. Seriously. I think what bothers me is that she doesn't even make pretend she appreciates them! That said, Friday night came and I realized I had no card for the Baby'sChristening on Sunday. I knew I wouldn't get out to get one on Saturday either. So I made the card with the pink cross on it. No stamps. Although I was brought up Catholic, I am not "religious". However, I consider myself extremely "spiritual". I very much believe in and pray to God. Anyhoooo....I am not going to go on and on about my beliefs and such....and seriously, I don't want to be counseled or chastised by anyone either. Although I enjoy discussing and learning about different religions and their beliefs...I don't need to be lectured. Thank you, anyhow. So I really don't have any stamps that are crosses or anything. I took out a ruler and drew a cross on pink cardstock and adhered all these little flowers on...one by one. It seemed a little "blah" so I added the ribbon and flowers to the center. Then I stopped. Less is more sometimes. And after all, this was going to Paula who wasn't going to care that it took me 45 minutes+ to put all those little flowers on! As I handed her the card I told her she better not throw this out. She responded (with a smile) "I will Kerry....What am I going to do with it?" I told her to frame it and put it in Audra's room! Not that I consider it my masterpiece or anything like that....but gosh...don't tell me you are going to chuck in the bin as soon as you open it!

Meanwhile, Orla will be making her First Holy Communion in a couple of weeks. (I still think kids need some sort of connection with God...and my husband was born and raised in Ireland...it would be 'catastophy' if we weren't making an effort to raise our kids Catholic...!! Don't even get me started on how hypocritical I feel. Or the things I have to bit my tongue on when she comes home from religion classes telling us what she learned.) I mean my in laws may not remember when the kids' birthday are (or even Pat's b-day for that matter). But the Communion cards and gifts have already started coming in from Ireland. Today Orla received (an admittedly beautiful) rosary and some other 1st communion necklace too. But back to my main point...We were given this white felt banner on a stick and told to decorate it to hang on our family pew the day of her Communion. Well, now they were talking! LOL! They provided some small pieces of various colors of felt gave us some suggestions of what to decorate it with..things that they learned about this year.... ie: the chalice and host, a cross, Light/sun...lambs...some other things that I can't recall. Now you know I wasn't going to be gluing some ugly felt on there to hang in public! For family and friends to see. Poor Orla wanted to help...I kept putting her off. I am a bad mother!!!! Well now we have to turn in this banner tonight (Wednesday) at a rehearsal. So last night (Tuesday night), I waited for Orla to go to bed and started my...um, I mean Orla's banner. After all, I didn't want her to get burned using the hot glue gun. I was only looking out for her! :oP So I did another flowery cross...this time bigger and with the base being purple felt. I used up that eyelet lace, that I have determined is too big for my cards. I cut out her name using an old Sizzix alphabet die set that I had sitting in the corner. And used Flower Soft to decorate that. Her name did not come out as pretty as I would have liked. :o( Hmmmm....now what? I need more than a cross and her name. Where is that suggestion list? A lamb? A lamb!! I just got the Tilda with a Lamb a few weeks ago! Plus I think the Tlda stamps kind of look like Orla. I am always telling her that she is so cute they even make stamps that look like her. :) So I colored her in....added some more Flower Soft and cut her out. My intention was to put her overlapping the cross a little. But it didn't look right when I had all the pieces layed out....It seemed unbalanced. Hmmmm....well maybe I will just forget about Tilda and leave the plain cross. It's fine. really. Where's that suggestion list? A chalice....um, I don't think so. How would I make that? The sun/light of God....I had no idea how to create "light" on a felt background... and not make it look Cheezy. Wait a sec! What about that Tilda that is holding the candle?! Candle/flame=light!!

I can hear Kristen already saying: "Kerry, did you really need to put Tilda's on there? Tilda's don't have to go on everything!" She just doesn't have the same love for, what I refer to, as my little Swedish friends! Tilda's do not have to go on everything...but if you can put them on there...why wouldn't you?! Really now!! :)

Well off to bed I go...It's 2am again.

Thanks for stopping by today! Sorry for all the chit chat.

Have a Glorious Wednesday!