Have you ever tried your hand at baking homemade Christmas baskets to give as gifts? Our two married daughters and I thought we’d give it a try this past Christmas season. We chose a “Work Day” in mid December, went through our bread, muffin, and cookie recipes, making sure we used ones that were nut free, bought the necessary ingredients, and found cute trays and wrapping for the final product. When the day came around, we baked up a storm! Mmmm…the air was smelling delicious! We started early in the morning and finished later in the evening than expected as we forgot to calculate in cooling time for the goodies as well as hand-making some crafty gift tags. We were all tired by the days end, but eager to share some Christmas Joy with some needy families!
C.A.W.E.S. Gift Wrapping
It was great fun having the privilege to help wrap up thousand’s of gifts this past December in Bower Mall for Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter. Not only was it great to meet so many new people, but also to interact with the public: chatting with a young boy about the Western Ceiling decor above the booth, helping to ease people’s gift wrapping worries, seeing them leave with a smile on their faces when they come to pick up their presentable gifts, and the impromptu carol solos Jamie from BIG 105 provided the shift we worked together. One time a gentleman dropped off about 100 gifts to be wrapped – it was quite a challenge for me to keep the names organized with the particular gift items! But there was something that happened one day on my volunteer wrap shift that stands out most in my memory. We didn’t pay too much attention at first, but one afternoon, we noticed a female hanging back about 10 ft from the booth, and slowly circled it a few times, avoiding making eye contact with any of us. We finally asked her if there was something we could help her with. Her reply was, “I’ve been wanting to get into the shelter for a while, but don’t know how. Can you help me?” It was all worth it then to go home with an aching back and very chapped fingers knowing we were able to help someone in need.
“So just what does the boss’s wife do all day? Does she just sit at home and watch TV all day?”
FALL
You might wonder sometimes. Hi! My name is Janice and I am the boss’s wife and co-owner of The Framing Nook. Welcome to Nana’s Nook sectional of this newsletter! Here you can follow along and see some of the various things I do behind the scenes for the business and an occasional peek into my private life! You will also find me involved with various “giving back to the community activities” under the Charity/Community Involvement sectional of this newsletter.
So to start off, maybe you have noticed a new outdoor decor item at the Nook’s parking lot? Well, searching for the ol’ wagon was one of the jobs assigned to me to do “behind the scenes” and the boss has delegated the theme decoration of it to me! I’ve discovered it’s not always easy to find suitable outdoor items for it. When considering what to put out there, I have to take into consideration that the wind doesn’t blow items away, the weight of snow won’t break it, the cold temps won’t crack things, the possibility of rain ruining items, etc. And then there is the job of finding these unique items…and yes, sometimes I do have to sit at the computer and search the web to find something interesting!
JOANNE KUHARSKI Another Christmas season has come and gone and once again I find myself reflecting with gratitude about this past year. As I revisit my hours at work during the busiest of times, I realize what it is that I love about my job. It’s Carol who honoured her husband’s memory of his father by framing her father-in-laws war memorabilia for her husband’s Christmas gift. It’s Corinne who gets us to frame a photo for Al of the business he operated for 15 years and retired from this year. It’s Pat who tells Terri-Lynn how proud he is of her by framing a copy of her first published book. It’s Wanda who framed her husband’s Red Deer Packers Jacket from his bygone football days. Hearing their stories, helping them pick the matting and moulding for their art and seeing the pleasure on their face when they see the final product are what make my job so great. Only one thing could be better…and that’s seeing the reaction of the recipient on Christmas morning. But you know what? I’ll hear all about it the next time they’re back for more framing!
