2012 – I feel almost guilty that this year has been such a good year for me personally when, for so many others, there has been only hardship, pain, tragedy and loss. In years past, I have had those times that I was thankful when the year came to an end and where my New Year’s wish was filled only with the hope of something better. The way of life is a bit like a ferris wheel. We buckle ourselves into the seat and wait for the ride. Anticipation becomes reality as we feel the rush of being carried upwards to that highest place, where we can look out over the whole world and delight in the thrill of being on top of it all! Sometimes the ferris wheel pauses here and we squeal with laughter and enjoy the moment to the fullest as we set our seats to rocking. Other times there is no pause at all and as soon as we reach the top the ferris wheel begins it’s rapid descent. We feel the drop in our stomaches as we head back down to the real world at the bottom of the wheel. Then begins another ascent . . . and the ride continues . . .
Few people I know have perfectly steady and untroubled lives, . . . and those that do I really wonder about!!! If we are honest with ourselves, and others, we all have problems and we all have things that just plain break our hearts. I’ve been in places of brokenheartedness and I’m so thankful for those God sent into my life in those times to offer hope for a better future. This has been a very good year for me. A year of sweet memories made with family, old friendships renewed, new friends made, hard work rewarded . . . blessing upon blessing upon blessing. It brings me such joy to be a part of the ministry of Freedom Session and to be able to offer God’s hope to others. I truly believe that there is a purpose to all the hardships we experience in life and I also believe that the core of our pain is the core of our purpose.
So . . . on to a celebration of the year to come! This is a fun project that I saw on my favorite TV network, HGTV! It is stemware dipped in chalkboard paint (this is not the same as the chalk paint that I use to paint furniture). As you toast the New Year, you and your guests can write your names or initials on your glasses to keep track of them.
Since my focus is OLD THINGS NEW I took a trip to Goodwill where I found these glasses on sale for .99 cents apiece. While I was there I also found a tarnished silver tray for $2.99. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for one of these, with this specific purpose in mind, so how fortuitous that I found everything together! You’ll notice from the close-up of the stem that this is not just plain glass but really nice crystal. What a buy!
I had some chalkboard paint on hand from other projects . . .
. . . so it was as simple as dipping the base of my glass into the paint like this . . .
. . . letting the excess paint drip back into the can . . .
. . . and then setting it on waxed paper to dry. Note: This will NOT work well if your paint is too thick. An alternate method is to brush several thin coats of paint on with a soft paintbrush, allowing the paint to dry completely between coats.
While these were drying I painted the bottom of the silver tray with three coats of chalkboard paint, allowing it to dry between each coat. Any chalk will work to write your message but I really like the chalk pens found in the bridal section at Michael’s. They fly off the shelves fast so I bought two to keep on hand.
As you can see, our New Year’s toast will be made with a fine Sparkling Grape Juice!!!
And now, my wish for all of you in 2013 is that family bonds will be strengthened, friendships (old and new) will be rich and rewarding, you will find something positive in every situation (even when that’s hard to do!) and that God will bless you in every area of your lives.
Oh . . . just one more thing! I want to wish you all the gift of SILLINESS and LAUGHTER . . .
. . . even when . . .
. . . that means laughing . . .
. . . at YOURSELF!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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