In honor of Moms

I'm running a special coupon code on my Etsy store!!!!  Hop on over to take advantage of 15%  off a $10.00 minimum order from now until May 31.  Lots of "Mom" friendly items.  Use coupon code....Mother2013.... at checkout.   See you there!!!

Look-ee what I made!!!

Three days a week I get the joy of babysitting for my precious granddaughter.  If the rest of my grandchildren were closer I'd love to get my hands on them regularly too!  We have such fun together And I love watching her discover new things and seeing her grow.  However, it's been about 25 years since we've had a baby in our home, on a regualr basis, around Christmas time and we were challenged to figure out how to keep her and our tree safe.  This is what I came up with. 

We made a trip to the local Home Depot and looked around but didnt see anything in the main part of the store that we thought would work.  Then, a very nice gentleman asked us if we needed help and I told him what we were trying to do. He suggested the gardening section and a decorative garden fence.  He remembered that they had had some that might fit the bill.  So, out we go to the unheated outdoor garden section. It was COLD!  We found some wood garden fence in sections that were a little shorter than what I had envisioned but we decided they would work.

After getting them home, my husband and I tried different configurations and plans on how to put them toether. I had origianlly wanted something that I could just fold up accordian style for storage. We quickly discovered that wouldn't work and still give us the semi-circular shape we wanted. So we settled in just hinging them together, end to end.  They'll take a little more room to store but now they make the shape we need.  At first I hinged only the top portion but after getting that done, I realized that it needed more stability, so I got out the handy-dandy drill and screw driver and hinged the bottom section too. Voila!!  Perfection -- sort of. Here's what I did .............
Drum roll please....................................................

I'm pretty proud of myself at this point and thinking, "Now I won't have to worry about her touching warm lights or tipping the tree over!!!

"

This is the way it's supposed to work..

 

However, I don't think little Toots got the memo......

She's such a smartie pants!!

 

 

So, back to the drawing board, looks like I'll have to add a rail across the bottom section.  Then we should be all set...should be....we'll see. We'll have another 'crawler' here at Christmas time also so I hope the new rail will keep her safe too.  

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  With all the hustle and bustle of the season, don't forget the real reason we celebrate .  God Almighty sent his baby boy to be born in a manger, to live, teach, heal, bless and then die for us so He could then save us. He gave us the most precious gift He could.  For those who recognize and accept His gift and vow to follow and obey Him , He gives the name Christian.  Friends, as good as you try to be, you can't call yourself a Christian and not agree with His teachings.  Think on that this Christmas season.  That's the REAL reason for the season!!! 

 

REALLY COOL GIVEAWAY !!!!!

My daughter is offering a really cool giveaway on her blog, MAKE MINE BLUE, with 3 chances to enter!!  Go HERE  to enter and win something for yourself or for a gift for someone special on your gift list!