This morning I took Anna to the post office to drop off a letter, and while she was inside, I took this picture of the patron in the car next to me. Isn't he cute! He had his eyes glued to the door of the post office, just waiting for his master to return.

I often feel badly for Ruthie because I am gone so much taking Maggie to her appts, and when I get home, I'm too worn out to think about doing crafts with her. I am not craftsy by nature, so I try to make sure I've had a good night's sleep before I attempt anything big! This afternoon, Ruthie and I made cinnamon ornaments. I meant to do this before Christmas...but it never got done. There are many recipes available, but I chose this one:

Cinnamon Ornaments

3 cups smooth applesauce

3 cups ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons tacky glue (5 fl oz bottle)

Mix, knead, roll out, cut out, dry or dehydrate, thread with ribbon, hang.

Here's our huge dough. The whole house smells so yummy!

Since Christmas is over, Ruthie chose my western cookie cutters...cactus, longhorn, sombrero, cowboy boot, horse, barn...and a few Christmas ornaments. I used a straw to cut out the ribbon holes. Two tips to remember:

1 ~ Be sure to sprinkle cinnamon on your cutting surface as well as the cookie sheets or the dough will stick and get destroyed when removing.

2 ~ When pulling the straw out of the dough, twist it as you pull it out...or else you will pull the dough and break it.

Our dough will sit by the fireplace for 48 hours to dry. After that, I will probably spray them with acrylic before threading with ribbons. This is a fun project and I'm glad we did it!

Tip #3 added later: Forget about using the large cookie cutters since all those cookies warped badly. The small stars turned out best.

I've been trying to track down the homemade Christmas gifts. Anna made this bison pillow for me...and I love it!! The bison is completely hand appliqued. Excellent handwork.

Lizzie made a crochet hook holder for Sarah. Black and white continues to be Sarah's winning favorite color combination.

Lizzie did an excellent job...especially since she had no pattern! I've hinted that I, too, have a set of crochet hooks!

I was thrilled to find these sprouting lids in the healthfood store yesterday. I hate using metal screens that tend to rust easily. These lids screw into quart size mason jars. This is definitely my favorite way to sprout.

This past Sunday, I was given a gift that my friend Ruth was going to give to me before she was transported to Glory unexpectedly. This is a wonderful gift. The poem says:

This is a very special gift

That you can never see.

The reason it's so special is

That it comes to you from me.

Whenever you are lonely,

Or even feeling blue,

You only have to hold this gift

And know I think of you.

You never can unwrap it

Please leave the ribbon tied.

Just hold the box up to your heart

It's filled with love inside.

I don't have to tell you how special this gift is to me. I heard many, many testimonies at Ruth's homegoing that told of Ruth's gift of making everyone feel special. She touched many lives. Thank you, Ruth. (She also gave me another tea towel to hang onto my oven door...a tradition she started three years ago.) Thank you, Wanda (Ruth's sister), for making sure I got this special gift.

For Christmas, I gave Maggie all four seasons of the Real McCoys. I love this show! This show originally aired in the late 50s...before I was born. Very family friendly and funny. We've also been watching the Hogan's Heroes that were given to hubby.

Anna got her passport picture taken today. The lady at the Hughesville post office was very nice and friendly. Now to get the immunizations. I am praying that Anna will be able to get her A and B Hib, and Typhoid vaccinations with no thimerosal (mercury).

Anna and I listened to a sermon by Tony Evans today that was powerful. He was preaching about our time and our talents, and how we are to be using them to further God's message. He sure gave us much to think about. Tony challenged us to rid ourselves of our excess possessions that are weighing us down. He said he's never seen a hearst pulling a uhaul trailer!

Many blessings ~ Kathie