Christmas and the Crackers

 Merry Christmas everyone!  We had a completely happy one here in South Africa, at our house.  One South African/British tradition we have adopted is making Christmas Crackers for each person to open on Christmas Day.  I have had a few Americans ask me how to make them, so I took pictures as I made them this year. 

 You save toilet paper rolls for a while before Christmas.  Only the best will do. 

 I cut out 10 pieces of wrapping paper, big enough to roll them in.  That skinny brown thing is the cracker part.  When you pull the two ends, it makes a nice, satisfying "BANG".  I don't know where to find them in America.  Here I find them at a store that sells packaging stuff.  You lay that next to your TP Rolls.

 Stuff in a gift of a chocolate...

 and a tiger or whatever you like.  Then you forget to take any more pictures!  Oops.  But you just roll them up in the paper, and tape the paper closed.  You tie a ribbon tightly in between each of the TP Rolls, and then you can remove the end rolls, so just the middle one stays. 

 They go right on your Christmas table where they make a happy, noisy moment at the beginning of the meal.  We had them on our adult table...

 to cheer up little people who got stuck with the adults...

and on our kid table where they quickly got destroyed and devoured.  : - )    I imagine there is a much better tutorial on Pinterest and You Tube.

We wish you all a joyous Jesus' birthday!  and  I wish I could give you all a plate of chocolate covered cherries!

I could blog a whole story about my 3 attempts to make such a simple thing, and my 3 different failures.  The last failure was my failure to deliver some of them to the people they were intended for, but I had no complaints at our house about that one.

A Tiny Little Day Away

Yesterday, the ladies in our house went on a little outing to a miniatures fair in Rondebosch. 

We were intrigued by seeing things at 1/24th the usual size, and even some things at 1/144th the usual size! 

These little birds and animals were noteworthy for being so exquisitely done, and also for being the most expensive booth in the show. 

 We enjoy studying them, trying to figure out how they made each little item.  How would you do that hose? 

 Such careful little details like the moss on the rocks fill me with admiration for the people who have the patience to craft these things. 

 Evangel can make many of the "foods" in this little pastry shop.  I hope viewers computers really let them zoom in to study the cuteness. 

 These are on the 1/144th scale, I believe.  In other words, they are for a doll's dollhouse. 

 I was not surprised to see a man made this one.  It's not "pretty", but so carefully detailed. 

 My boys studied this Monopoly game trying to figure out how they did it.  They think they know, but I'll be impressed if they have the patience to try it. 

 Inspiration to Nieces expecting little ones.  I'd skip the maid though.  I never wanted anyone else to take care of our kids on a regular basis.  Their baby years went by so fast! 

 We are in Africa, so this "Green Roof African Curio Shop looked very much like a local shop.  How did they do that Nguni cowhide skin?  and the zebra!    Notice Mandela on the right wall. 

 Lest you think we were the only ones interested in miniatures, notice the crowds!  That's Paul's sister Grace in the purplish jacket towards the left. 

 Looking in through the top of this room.  Our Joshua noticed the bagpipes and was impressed with them.  My parents had a large print of that girl in the long dress in the gold frame hanging in our house in Rochester for years.  How surprising to meet her again in a miniature room in Africa.  I didn't see her at all yesterday, only today in the photo. 

 A toy shop is a treat for the eye that loves color. 

 A peep into an art gallery has us feeling like we learned something. 

And then finally, back to the lady with the exquisite birds.  I heard her say a clock like this sold for $1500.00 in America and truly, her work was exceptional.  I think it's usually easier to make miniatures of man-made stuff than to make correct miniatures of things straight from Creation.  I think when you try to copy the Lord's things He has made, it can be a way of praising him.  My Gram used to say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." 

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein."  Ps. 24:1

In trying to imitate Creation in a small way, I gain a new appreciation for how hard it is.  "I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

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