Knitting and Sewing
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A Tumbleweed Christmas
   
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Using Beads In Cross Stitch
Many people like to add embellishments to their cross stitch,
and a great way to do this is with beads. In many situations,
its also another way to avoid doing .....
Many people like to add embellishments to their cross stitch,
and a great way to do this is with beads. In many situations,
its also another way to avoid doing .....
In those days, I worked for the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, in the
state of California. I lived in Lancaster, California, which is
about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. This is dessert area. Very
hot in the summer time and snow every three years in the winter
time.
This particular winter was an easy winter. At least the weather
was easy. My life started to crumble before my very eyes.
At the ripe age of 38, I almost had a stroke on my job and was
ordered by my doctor to quit my job. Quit my job! What was I
going to do? We were in a small town and jobs were scarce!
I could never find a job with the job security I had with the
State of California. The good part is I had a choice, if you
could call it that. I could stay on my current job and risk
dying there or I could quit and live for my child. What a
choice! For me, there was only one choice. My child came first.
The only work I had ever done was in offices and most of the
jobs listed in the local paper wanted you to type 80 words per
minute. I must admit typing was never my best attribute and 80
words per minute was way out of my range; 60 words per minute
was more in my range.
I had managed to save a little nest egg while I was working and
drew out my retirement money. I tried to start a home business,
but failed with that. My money was almost gone and I didn't have
anything to fall back on.
Starting Your Own Scrapbook Club
Before I discovered the world of scrapbooking, I was inexplicably drawn to my local office supply store. I loved to stand in an .....
On top of all of that, it was getting close to Christmas. NowBefore I discovered the world of scrapbooking, I was inexplicably drawn to my local office supply store. I loved to stand in an .....
what? The only alternative I had was to go to the Dept of Public
Services [better known as welfare]. They told me it would be two
months before I could receive any money, although I would get
food stamps right away. Well, at least I knew we would eat at
Christmas time! What about gifts, a tree and all the other
things that my daughter and I had gotten used to all those
years? You know, the "traditional" things all families in the
United States had at Christmas? I knew one thing, I couldn't and
wouldn't let my daughter down!
I took sewing in school, had made men's suits at one time and
had an old sewing machine. A friend of mine had given me ten
bolts of material they had stashed away when cleaning out their
garage. I would make my daughter some clothes for Christmas.
My daughter, at 11 years old, was so brave. After I explained
our situation to her, she set about asking one of our neighbors
to teach her how to do macrame. If you aren't familiar with this
craft, it was used to make the plant holders they had then out
of yarn.
I didn't know she was doing this and I set about sewing her
Christmas gifts while she spent time at the neighbors house. I
thought she was playing and having a good time.
I still had one problem. What would I do about a tree? I told my
daughter that we wouldn't be able to have a tree this Christmas.
She said to me, "Mom, why not use a tumbleweed?". I thought
about it and said why not? They were plentiful in the dessert
and free.
We went out and chose a tumbleweed just as if we were picking
out the perfect Christmas tree. When we found the right one, we
came home, put lights on it and popped pop corn and strung them
for the tree.
Christmas morning we arose full of anticipation and excitement.
I was surprised to find two gifts under the tree with my name on
them. How did my daughter get me two gifts? She had no money.
When I questioned her about it, she said, "Just open them mom!".
I opened them and was pleasantly surprised! They were simply
beautiful. They even matched my decor! She explained how all the
time she had spent at the neighbors house, she had been learning
to make these for me. This touched my heart to the core.
I have never forgot it to this day. Neither has my daughter.
When she talks about Christmas now, she always mentions our
tumbleweed Christmas and how she remembers that Christmas over
all the rest. She always refers to it as the best Christmas we
ever had.
About the author:
Jane Fulton owns 5 sites and publishes 3 newsletters. She has
been helping people online since 2000. For more articles like
this on, sign-up for Woman 2 Woman at: http://woman2woman.biz