Matters of Grace

A few weeks ago I ordered for a custom waldorf baby doll for my three year old daughter. The doll will be 18" long, have movable arms and legs and be able to wear actual baby clothes. My daughter will love it. Way back in the 70's, when I was a little girl, I would visit my grandma and grandpa on their farm in central California. Their next door neighbor, Mrs. Wilson, would sometimes invite me over -- which I loved, because Mrs. Wilson made dolls and her entire attic was filled with every type of Waldorf-styled doll imaginable. And each one had a name and *story*. It was kid heaven. She even cut out 'kits' for me to sew my own dolls, and while mine never looked as good as hers, the memories make me smile. Waldorf dolls are the perfect toy for any gender. What makes the Waldorf dolls so pleasing for kids is that they are soft and cuddly, and easily lovable. The face is only “suggested” to allow the child to use his/her own imagination as to whether it laughs, c

Years ago my mother gave me a very lovely ceramic nativity set. She did the glazing herself -- all white with a hint of blue to accent -- it was just beautiful. But over the years, things happened. First baby Jesus went missing (so I put the nativity set out without the Jesus) Then Mary's right hand broke off (so I placed the hand in the empty manger) Then Joseph broke one of his hands off (must have been in honor of Mary) Finally it got to the point where the kids and I decided it was time for a new nativity set. It would have been easy to order some pre-fab Costco set, but the kids and I wanted something unique; something that spoke to us. So I googled and looked and eventually happened across a set on eTsy that was very appealing to me; not only was it handmade and unique, it was also downright cute. Plus the potter will customize your set by sending the characters you want (I strongly considered getting an extra baby Jesus, just in case) Here is my new Nativity set: love