Fall - A leaf project inspired by my Mother

Remembering fondly my Mother. She would have enjoyed this post.

Fall, Is such a beautiful time of the year.

Pictured above is a collections of leaves pressed in Wax Paper. It makes for a lovely thing in the window, for the light to shine through, or maybe a placemat. This is a craft that she taught me to make when I was little, I shared it once before in my other blog.

http://louise-watson2.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-fall.html  (I repost on bottom)

I never would have in a million years, thought that within a little over a month's time  (last year, 2011)from this picture that my Mother would be with the Lord. I can remember this conversation about me writing a blog, and collecting a few recipes. I will post the recipes, when I can actually make them without wanting to cry. I had told her all about the "new kids blog" that I was working on, and was reminiscing about the things she did with us. She was touched that I remembered so much.

She raised 6 kids and had 11 grandchildren. My mother never stopped teaching and sharing herself, with my littlest, I would call every week, and she would sing to him, Teaching him songs. Her all time favorite was "Jesus, loves the little children".

She would give my oldest advice on college and how proud she was that she was going to be a teacher. She loved the profession of a teacher. My oldest sister is a teacher, and my mother was always so proud of her and her accomplishments. We all held a special place in her heart, equally proud of us all. She was a wonderful mom, and she did a great job at it.

She was our teacher, our guide, my Mother. For my oldest son, she shared his love for nature and animals. My littlest still tells me he talks with her. She was constantly always spreading joy and beauty, even in her voice.

She had lost her sight many years ago, but she would always tell me about the beauty and colors in her yard. She kept her front yard full of flowers.  Mother may have lost her sight, but not her spirit for life. Her spirit will live on, within me, within my kids, because I share everything she gave me. She always took the time to enjoy the smallest of things. I called her on everything, kids, life, cooking and just because I missed her all the time.

As I write this, I miss her always, and so much more sometimes. I know she is in a good place, but it sure is hard without her. For my sisters and brother, I always pray that they have comfort in their lives, knowing she is okay and with God. They lived in the same town we grew up in, with her. They were so fortunate to have her all these years. I had moved away and with financial and health reasons I never got to come home again. She never once made me feel badly about not visiting, actually she always told me to stay in Ga and take good care of my family. That was what was so much more important to her. I was blessed to get to talk to her often. I enjoyed and I will remember every conversation we ever had.


This was taken from the original blog:

Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I try to make it all special for my family. I make it a point to rake those leaves, so they can jump right in. So take time and be sure to get out and enjoy all this cool weather and the changing colors. Fall is such a good time for kid and the "young at heart". The colors of the leaves are just so beautiful.



Pile those leaves up and jump right in.



One of my all time favorite things when I was smaller was how my mother would make sure that we didn’t miss a holiday.



Columbus Day, I remember was a banana with a sail stuck in it, our own little boats. Funny how those smallest of memories stick with you forever. I truly believe the memories of the good times are what gets you through the rough one.



Another cool thing my mom would do with us would be collecting those beautiful leaves and when we had a bounty full, she would show us how to make something beautiful.

Leaves Place mat / or Window Sun Catcher


Stuff you will need:


Waxed paper


Leaves


Iron


To do:

Lay out a sheet of waxed paper on your ironing board.


Let the kids (or just yourself, to make something pretty) lay the leaves on the waxed paper leaving at least an inch around the boarded and space around each leaf.



Lay another sheet of waxed paper the same size on top.



Iron the two sheets together. They will melt together. (watch the paper is hot when you are finished)



Let cool and then cut into a place mat size or in a shape to hang from the window.



You can enjoy the beauty inside. They also make nice place mats for Thanksgiving.



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Get out there and make memories and have fun...Much love from my family to yours.