[RePLAY]

I feel kind of like I always do when I get to the end of this song, a little winded and glad it's over! I sure have had fun researching this song and all it's variations, sharing those with you as well as my Etsy finds and especially my blogging friends!

Here we go... Aussie style will bring us Twelve parrots prattling (or 12.Twelve possums playing, depending on your version - there are 3!); French style has twelve musketeers with their swords

(I think I saw the 1993 movie about 5 times when it came out, I was smitten with Chris O'Donnell and Charlie Sheen!)

Scottish style gives us three stalks o' merry corn (all of theirs after the first day are in sets of 3, very strange!); New Zealand brings us Twelve piupius swinging

(a kind of skirt!)

Rednecks enjoy 12 packs of Bud, which under no circumstances should be paired with the Cajun's 12 shotgun shells! The Canadian version never makes it to day twelve, they got too confused! The Heavy Metal version presents 12 silver crosses (which is probably the only day that I'd answer the door!)

Day 12 also brings us a reminder of the 12 points of The Apostles Creed, I have always remembered these from the Rich Mullins song, it is a personal favorite!

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave].
On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

And now, our guest blog:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hi! This is Melissa from HoneyBeeBzz. It has been so nice to have Noel as a fellow blogging friend and I am excited to round out the 12 days of Christmas. Thank goodness this is over the blogosphere because I am singing the song right now, and I wouldn’t want your poor ears to get shattered. :D

I love Christmas time (and the twelve days of Christmas) because you get to spend memorable time with family. One thing that we have over at HoneyBeeBzz is kids. Between the three writers (not all of us write full time) we have 6 kids. So, in order to celebrate the Twelve Drummers Drumming, what better than to have our little drummers drumming?
Here are some pictures of out little drummers:

I hope that you all enjoy your little drummers drumming this Christmas season. If you don’t have little drummers to drum, then just gander at these here pictures. :D

I also wanted to post a tutorial. Not a 12 Drummers Drumming Tutorial, but a Christmas one. Turns out, I didn’t get it finished and so instead of disappointing you, I will post a great idea for Christmas gifts!

I love Picnics. When my husband and I were dating, our first Christmas together he wanted a list of things to get me. The only thing I could decide that I wanted that Christmas was a Picnic Basket. I was pleasantly surprised at the basket that he picked out. I love it! It is currently in storage, but this spring I am going to pull it out and use it with my new Picnic Roll.

Here is my very own tutorial on how to make your own. First, what is a Picnic Roll you might ask? It holds all of your silverware (or plasticware) for you to easily throw into your basket and take with you.

First, buy a kitchen towel from the dollar store. This one is from Dollar Tree. Cut the towel in half,

You will need to fold the towel over twice on the cut edge and iron it so that you create a clean edge just like the other three on the towel.

Sew down your iron hemmed edge.

Turn your towel so that your fresh sewn hem is at the bottom, closest to you. Then fold the towel up about two thirds of the way. I stuck a fork in at this part to test the height. I wanted part of the towel on top to still be able to fold down.

I pinned the towel and also pinned in a ribbon into the right side so when I sewed the sides up, the ribbon was sewn in. The ribbon is used to tie your roll into a roll shape. :D Kind of like the crayon rolls everyone has brilliantly been making!

Then, starting at the fold, after I had, I sewed up the two sides, and then down the middle.

After the middle, I measured in between the middle and the edge and sewed up that middle on both sides. Thus, creating four pockets.

This will complete your picnic roll. Simple enough. A hem stitch, and five stitches to create the pockets with the ribbon tie.

Here is the picnic roll with silverware: forks and spoons.

I like to fold over the top before I roll up the picnic roll.

The picnic roll, all rolled up and ready to be thrown into your basket or into a lunch box. Great for a family of four, or you can fit more than one set of plasticware in each pocket.
Enjoy making it!

Also, for those of you who don’t have the time or don't want to sew your own, you can always find some at my Etsy shop for $7.

Thank you Noel, for letting Tiffany, Katie, and I from Honey Bee Bzz come and visit. Have a wonderful Christmas
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't forget about our gift certificate giveaway - with a drawing, from ALL the comments on all the days!

To enter:

Post a comment (1 per day – so after you check out the next day’s blog, come back here and enter again – just like the song builds every day, so do your chances!
If you haven't already, post the button (then a comment letting me know)
Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway with the link (then a comment letting me know)
Follow me (then a comment letting me know)
BONUS Entry: Follow Honey Bee Bzz, then leave me a comment that you do!
SPECIAL BONUS LAST DAY ENTRY:
Leave another comment telling me your favorite post, blogger or pic!

The fine print:

You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry – this is the only way to keep it fair and straight (and keep me from having to kill a tree printing them out and cutting them apart!)
All giveaways will be held on December 13th
A random number generator will be used to determine the winner(s)
If your e-mail address is not publicly listed on your profile, please include it with your comment(s)
We reserve the right to re-draw if the first winner does not respond within 48 hours (please don’t let this happen – that would just be sad!)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

On the 11th day of Christmas...Eleven Pipers Piping

"On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me

eleven pipers piping,

ten lords a leaping,

nine ladies dancing,

photo by Always 13, used as table numbers for their wedding - very creative!

I'm glad that I'm not a redneck (despite evidence to the contrary in my backyard - I put that squarely on Mr. [ReDeemed]!), for today's gift would be 11 'raslin' tickets (not wrestling, mind you - it's 'raslin'). There are many things with which I wrestle, I don't want to watch 2 sweaty guys fight it out. (so you can have my tickets if you want!)

I have a feeling that the French version would also work for my Redneck friends:

11 beautiful full-breasted maidens

(I hope you won't be disappointed that I omit a pic here!)

Here are some pics that are fit for consumption :)

Library of antique and scrap leather books for the neck - eleven miniature books, $325.00 by The Black Spot Books

(I love all her necklaces - they just make me smile!)

Victorian Images Gift Tags Set of Eleven for Wrapping or Scrapbooking, $6.50 by Happy Hound

11 - 4 x 6 fine art photograph, $8.00 by Numeric Design

And now, please welcome Rhonda of Blue Creek Home!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Do you know what this is?

Well, of course… it is Eleven Pipers ~~piping~~ flying - in a Christmas tree formation - under the guidance of the Star of Bethlehem!!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Seriously, I am excited to be participating in Noel’s Twelve Days of Christmas. It has been very informative and fun reading all the guest posts about this age old Christmas song. And how about those great give-aways???

I guess you know by now that I am doing 11 Pipers Piping!

From 1558 until 1829 CE, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning; the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.

Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples:

1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew,

8) Thomas, 9) James, son of Alphaeus, 10) Simon, who was called the Zealot, 11) Judas, son of James

The list does not include the twelfth disciple, ~~Judas Iscariot~~, who betrayed Jesus.

While I was researching the Twelve Days of Christmas, I ran across this site. I think you will enjoy it. Make sure to visit the 11th day and read the story written by Chuck Wilkes.

Wishing everyone a very blessed Christmas,

Rhonda

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Don't forget about our gift certificate giveaway - with a drawing, from ALL the comments on all the days!

To enter:

Post a comment (1 per day – so after you check out the next day’s blog, come back here and enter again – just like the song builds every day, so do your chances!
If you haven't already, post the button (then a comment letting me know)
Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway with the link (then a comment letting me know)
Follow me (then a comment letting me know)
BONUS! Folow Rhonda's blog and then leave me a comment letting me know!

The fine print:

You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry – this is the only way to keep it fair and straight (and keep me from having to kill a tree printing them out and cutting them apart!)
All giveaways will be held on December 13th
A random number generator will be used to determine the winner(s)
If your e-mail address is not publicly listed on your profile, please include it with your comment(s)
We reserve the right to re-draw if the first winner does not respond within 48 hours (please don’t let this happen – that would just be sad!)

On the 10th day of Christmas...Ten Lords a Leaping

"On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me

ten lords a leaping,
nine ladies dancing,
eight maids a milking,

If we were singing the New Zealand folk song "A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree" version it would really stink. Litterally. Today's gift is 10 fish heads! At least it (sort of) goes along with the Cajun gift, Ten pirogue paddles.

Traditional fishing pirogue with sail

Now, how 'bought some fishy eye candy?

Hook, Line, and Sinker Necklace, $29.00 from Rustic Roses

Seashell Tiara, Mermaid's Crowning Glory, $23.00 from Brims and Trims Studio

Fish Out of Water Clippie, $3.50 from Kuuipo Flowers

In the Christian version, the 10th day stands for...

What else, but the Ten Commandments!

1889 10 Commandments Steel Engraving By Dore' Moses Puts It All Down, $14.89 by Surrender Dorothy

I have known today's guest blogger for nearly 9 years. You may recall me speaking of my best friend, Laura, Ashley is her oldest child. She has always been a joy to be around, bright, inquisitive, passionate... many of the qualities I admired in her mother! In fact, after her death in 2006, I remember Bob, Ashley's father, telling me that he would often ask Ashley's opinion on things and that it was almost like having Laura there, as Laura had poured so much of herself into Ashley.

It is an honor to have her join us today...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My, my…what can one do with a topic like “Ten Drummers Drumming”? When I asked Noel if there were any slots left in this series, this was the last one available. I turned the thought over in my head a bit…but it didn’t take *too* much consideration. I come from a family with ten other members (counting Mom, Dad, and siblings only). Growing up, my “drummers drumming” were the happy noises of a bustling household.
Ten People I Spent Most of My Time With
1. Bob (my dad)
2. Laura (my mom, in Heaven now)
3. Bobby (siblings the rest of the way down…)
4. Amanda
5. Daniel
6. David
7. Douglas
8. Jared
9. Ricky
10. Erinne

Happily leading the drumline was my marvelous mother, Laura Belt. Mom was an incredibly special lady who embraced her calling as the caretaker of a houseful...sweetly leading, gently loving, and patiently teaching every one of us from her marvelous wealth of wisdom.

My mom was a big fan of teaching from experience. I suspect that she'd had to learn the hard way her fair share of the lessons she passed on to us. I think most parents have. (Ruefully, I'm already well on my way in the sharing-lessons-learned department. I'm dreaming up lectures for my future children as I type...)

One of the sweetest lessons I learned from my mom came shortly after she died, in a letter I found saved on her computer, addressed to a younger friend of hers:

"As you continue to grow, always remember that the increase of faith is a stretching exercise that will require pulling you into difficult, painful, confusing, or uncomfortable places. Don't be afraid of those things...embrace them as part of this fabulous destiny He is marking out for you."

That is, perhaps, the most treasured lesson I have learned, to date. But there have been other lessons that have had a distinct effect on me as well...

Amanda, Laura and Ashley, 2005

(Ten life-changing things I learned from Mom)
1. Honor God. Always.
2. Honor your parents.
3. Love your family. (Do these three, and it’s hard to mess life up.)
4. Do your work first, then play.
5. There is SO much more to life than boys.
6. If you feel discontent, try to find ONE thing in your circumstance to be grateful for.
7. If you have to keep tugging down at your shirt, and tugging up on your jeans…the shirt’s too short and the jeans are too low. Go change.
8. Speak up for those who unable to speak for themselves.
9. Sing…loudly and often.
10. There is NOTHING more wonderful than time spent with God, and there is NO prospect more glorious than spending eternity at His feet.

And that’s where she is now…singing (loudly and often), spending all her time with her blessed Savior. I'm happy for her, and I wish I was there to sing with her. But in the meantime, I'm doing my best to live out the godly principles she taught me, and I'm hoping that when I do see her...she'll tell me I did alright.

**********

Incidentally, the number 10 has one other special meaning for me...wedding bells! My beloved, Daniel, proposed to me a couple of weeks ago, and we've officially set a date: October 10th, 2010...or 10/10/10. Before long, I'll be starting my own family...and you can bet I'll be trying my darndest to weave in all the motherly wisdom I can muster.

***********

Until we meet again, I remain,
Quintessentially yours,

~Ashley Michele~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Don't forget about our gift certificate giveaway - with a drawing, from ALL the comments on all the days!

To enter:

Post a comment (1 per day – so after you check out the next day’s blog, come back here and enter again – just like the song builds every day, so do your chances!
If you haven't already, post the button (then a comment letting me know)
Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway with the link (then a comment letting me know)
Follow me (then a comment letting me know)
Follow Ashley's blog and leave a comment letting me know!

The fine print:

You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry – this is the only way to keep it fair and straight (and keep me from having to kill a tree printing them out and cutting them apart!)
All giveaways will be held on December 13th
A random number generator will be used to determine the winner(s)
If your e-mail address is not publicly listed on your profile, please include it with your comment(s)
We reserve the right to re-draw if the first winner does not respond within 48 hours (please don’t let this happen – that would just be sad!)

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

$50 Anthropologie or Hobby Lobby GIft Certificate Anyone?

Please visit each of the days to post your comments:

"On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
nine ladies dancing,

TO ENTER:

Post a comment (1 per day – so after you check out the next day’s blog, visit each day to enter again – just like the song builds every day, so do your chances!)
If you haven't already, post the button (then a comment letting me know)
Blog, Tweet and/or Facebook about this giveaway with the link (then a comment letting me know)
Follow me (then a comment letting me know)
BONUS entry! Visit the guest blogger's site and either become a follower or look around, then leave me a comment letting me know you did!

The fine print:

You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry – this is the only way to keep it fair and straight (and keep me from having to kill a tree printing them out and cutting them apart!)
All giveaways will be held on December 13th
A random number generator will be used to determine the winner(s)
If your e-mail address is not publicly listed on your profile, please include it with your comment(s)
We reserve the right to re-draw if the first winner does not respond within 48 hours (please don’t let this happen – that would just be sad!)

DON'T COMMENT HERE

(unless you just want to tell me how fabulous I am, in that case, please feel free!)

THESE COMMENTS WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE CONTEST

(but they will be read and appreciated!)

On the 9th day of Christmas....9 Ladies Dancing

"On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me