The first day of winter is past so now the days begin to grow longer. Only a minute at a time but I will take it. We ended up with a white Christmas. Not much (yeah!) but it was white. I hope everyone had a safe Christmas and that Santa was very generous.
This time of year seems to be so centered on the commercial side and I think children are being led away from the real reason for the season. Momma Said, “Please take the time to educate the young that the gifts should not be more important than Jesus’ birthday.”
Teach them that giving is more rewarding than receiving. A good way to teach this is for you to encourage them to do good deeds for others. For instance, take some cookies to an elderly neighbor or shovel snow for them. Go to the animal shelter and volunteer for an afternoon.
Small acts of kindness mean so much that it will maybe encourage someone else to do a kindness and it will spread. If you play an instrument, go to a hospital and play for the children or elderly. It means a lot to someone who cannot be home or with loved ones.
Here is a recipe that you and your children can do together and then sit back and watch the wonder of nature together. This recipe is for Birdseed Ornaments and they are very easy to make.
You will need:
- 4 ft. of ¼ in. ribbon or raffia cut in 12 in. long sections.
- ½ oz. unflavored gelatin powder (or 2 envelopes of Knox).
- 1-1/2 cups birdseed.
- Baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
- 4 cookie cutters of any shape (roughly 4 in. x 4 in.).
- Cooking spray.
Tie ends of each ribbon section in a knot for hanging
Mix gelatin with ½ cup boiling water. Stir well to dissolve then add birdseed. If mixture is watery, add more birdseed until it is stiff but sticky.
Spray cookie cutters lightly with cooking spray. Place on waxed paper and fill each halfway with birdseed mixture. Press tightly into mold then place knotted ribbon into mold pressing lightly. Continue filling each mold to the top, pressing tightly with back of spoon to compact.
After a few hours, coax each ornament onto fresh waxed paper. Let dry, flipping every so often, for 72 hours or until hard. Hank outside and watch the birds flock into this delicious treat. You can also coat pine cones with peanut butter and roll in birdseed. Tie a string around top end and hang in tree. These might attract squirrels in your neighborhood, they are fun to watch also.
Momma Said, “Sometimes the little things make the biggest impact.”
