Inspiration, Just one Joy a Day and Upliftment

Sleeping Beauty? Isn't she to preshuss for words??? This is Scout Stone, my cousin, Nola's, little girl in an ensemble selected by herself as evening wear. Gorgeous. This picture made me smile. Don't they just pull on your heart strings when you watch your angels sleeping...don't you want to scoop them up and hold them close and breathe in the smell of their hair and cover them in kisses??? Sometimes don't you feel the inadequacy of the means we have to express our love and the overcarbonated, giddy happiness when you look at your child?

Here is Scout, a little younger- but again- can't help smiling looking at this gorgeous pic of her from her mommy's blog. Don't you love the thought- capturing just one joy a day? I have found a lot of joy just reading it- so if you feel like a little joy yourself, check out Nola's blog (Nolicool ) at http://www.stoneburble.blogspot.com/ .

I was recently inspired by this picture on Nolicool- a baby mobile that Nola made. Gorgeous! I demanded to know how she did it.

Then my hunt began (luckily Nola encouraged me cos often that's as far as my inspiration lasts me...). I needed a wire circle. You would have thought I was asking people where to locate the 5th circle of Dante's Hell!!! A florist suggested that I use a wire coat hanger. This resulted in me jack-rabbiting out of bed one night when sleep was my reluctant bed-fellow and ferreting about in my cupboard, claiming my prize and spending about 15 minutes trying to get the coat-hanger to resemble something like a circle. When I was finished....it looked like something from the 5th circle of Dante's hell...but in no way- in no- Picassan stretch of the imagination did it resemble the sought after wire circle. I laughed to myself afterwards thinking if anyone had been watching this lot- I might have scored free boarding in a room with pretty, white, bouncy walls.

I shan't bore you with all the details. Just to say- I had forgotten how wonderful it is to make something, getting frustrated, starting over again and finally feeling quite proud of something you have created. SO thanks, Noles- for the instructions, inspiration and encouragement (and almost being indirectly responsible for my early death- more about that just now)- here it is!

Christopher seemed very interested in it. Especially the 2 hearts on the silver elasticated thread at the bottom- so anyway he grabs onto that and I have him in my arms and when I walk away- I don't realise that my angel still has one of the hearts in his hand. The effect was pretty much like a hybrid catapult/boomerang and my head was kinda in the way...Ouchies!!! But I am still thrilled with my creation. I was thinking tonight- wondering with how much time and effort I lavished on this project- cursing as I tried to sew the butterflies on and glue the birdie on ...how long God took to fashion Eve- did he get it right first time? She was the perfect woman- can you imagine how beautiful she must have been? But God robbed her of her right to complain- I mean can you imagine- you are perfect, your hubby is perfect, your living area is paradise? If there were more chicks- what the heck would they have had to talk about? My husband is more perfect than yours? So to end off with- some more of God's wonderful creatures- Bush babies at the Free Me Centre. Aren't they gorgeous? The caption: FreeMe Photos of the Week 12-18 April 2009 Ooooh! Mealworms ... my favourite! Six bushbabies - three handraised babies (below), two wild juveniles picked up in unsafe places, and one escaped pet - are waiting for their 'soft-release' process to begin." Good luck you little okes! It is so sad to think that the numbers of these furrballs are diminishing rapidly even in suburbs where they used to roam happily. Apparently one of the things that hurts their numbers are electric fences and it's recommended that the bottom wire be a dummy wire to allow their free passage.

Those worms are so disgusting. When I volunteered there- you hoped that whatever baby bird you were feeding would gulp them down quickly- because every now and then they actually "bite" you- a testament to how much I love baby birds- cos I am the most squeamish person ever about creepy crawlies. http://www.freemewildlife.org.za/ .

Well- this baby is bushed and about to be a bed-baby! Sleep-tight!