CC Box Bonanza and Fellow Crafters' Cards

Okay, so I remembered that I have everything I need to get me through to the end of the countdown, once we reached last Friday. I forgot, though, to act on that knowledge. So, being that last night was "Media Free Tuesday", I decided to get us "up to speed" to some degree at least. Five boxes were hidden throughout the main living area, and the topic was a legend regarding the "real" 12 Days of Christmas.

You can follow this link to learn more, but here's the skinny: in the 16th century, England's government took over the church and didn't allow any teaching other than what went on in its formal settings. Therefore, if you were not of the same mind as the priests or clerics and wanted to instill other beliefs in your children, you had to get creative. So, the 12 Days of Christmas carol was used to instill doctrines of the faith. Seriously, follow the link; it's interesting. It was amazing how quickly Michael picked up on some of the ones I thought were more obscure, and we just covered the first 5 days.

Since I'm not making Christmas cards this year, I'm going to share two handmade ones that I received from fellow crafters. The one on the left is from Nadine Amy, a fellow displaced Midwesterner. It uses Home for Christmas, some beautiful DP, and a perfectly tied bow. How kind of her to include me in the many she sent out. Thanks, Nadine!

Lydia's card is stunningly simple and very elegant. Of course it uses blue, her signature color, and birds, which she loves (but not enough to own as pets). The interesting printed paper fringed with Dazzling Diamonds is from the Russian Bible, which I'll bet she bought at her favorite used bookstore. The passage is from Luke, where one of the accounts of Jesus' birth is found. I love that the bird is carrying a snowflake! Kudos, dearie!

Tonight we're off to hubby's corporate Christmas party. The menu looks fantastic--spring rolls, among other things, for appetizers, several choices for the main course (I'm leaning toward the maple cured pork chop, but salmon may win out), and a chocolate torte and creme brulee (Bob's FAVORITE--he's at the gym right now in order to afford the calories!) for dessert. In case you're wondering...I went to the gym this morning.