Wordless Wednesday

Pass it on

I remember the year that my mother made clothes for my doll as a Christmas present. We didn't get a lot for Christmas; as small children we each got something, but even that stopped by the time we reached our teens.

But one Christmas, when I was four or five I knew my Mom, after we kids were in bed, stayed up sewing. I don't know if I knew it then, but I did later, that my Mom did not like to sew, she sewed because she had to! Anyway, Christmas morning I awoke to a wardrobe for my doll -- I don't remember how many pieces, but I know along with the usual dresses there was a little coat -- that impressed me!

As I have four older brothers and two younger I felt obliged to keep up with the boys and didn't spend a lot of time playing with dolls despite of my Mom's encouragement. Although my brothers also had a doll each, they were more inclined to other kinds of play; sometimes though they would play "house" with me.

Barb with friends

I enjoyed sewing much more than my Mom ever did. When my kids were little "Cabbage Patch Kids" were all the rage. I started making soft sculpture dolls for sale. For her 5th birthday I made Trina a large doll she named "Randy." Not only does she still have that doll, but Mina loves to play with it.

Trina with Randy, 1984

Mina with Randy, 2014

Trina loves sewing even more than I. She not only sews, but designs and drafts patterns to sell as well. Although she made a doll for her new daughter, she also worked with Mina to make her own doll (after reading the book "Fanny") when she was only four years old.

Mina with Annabelle

So where might Mina take this tradition?

By Guest Blogger Barbara Burkard

 ©2013-2104 twosnydergirls

Parenting Manual?

Why is there no parenting manual ?

We live a society that places regulation on our lives with increasing frequency.  We don’t smoke in public places, obey the laws of the road and in many American States and all Canadian provinces we must wear seat belts. So how it is that there are no prerequisites to becoming a parent?

Anyone who is biologically able can become a parent and only after they have proven that they cannot parent does society step in and take action.  Why is this?   Does it not make sense that there would be a list of requirements that every parent has to go through: a license to parent? A textbook to give instructions and a test to make sure we know how to do it?

Thirty-three years ago I would have appreciated a manual to our first born child, BUT if there had been said manual, it would have been worthless in preparing us 6 years later for our next child and still worthless when our last child arrived.

Every child is unique from the moment they are conceived and every moment thereafter.   There is no manual because every child needs a unique type of parent and most parents have the capacity to be that unique parent.

 What did it take to be a parent to our three children? 

1.    Humility in the face of the unconditional love they gave us despite our shortfalls as parents

2.   Selflessness in the face of their needs, joys and celebrations

3.   Insight as we came face to face with our personal hopes, fears, inadequacies and desires for and in our children

4.   Self-compassion as we made many mistakes and our children grew into themselves despite us

5.   Family and friends who encouraged us, cried with us and step in providing breaks when we needed those.

6.   The ability to laugh at ourselves and with our family

7.   A willingness to learn who we were as parents in relationship to each of our three children.

and

8. That willingness to say we were sorry to our children when we messed.

I think that Bill Cosby summed it up best in this statement

 “No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal.”

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls 

A Mother's Day Reflection

On this Mother's Day 2014 I want to thank my children for all the joy that they have brought into my life.

As a young woman I  had no intention on becoming a parent.  The idea of having children being dependent on me for 18 plus years was claustrophobic at best and I fell in love with a man who came from a large family he wanted to be a father.

 To spend our lives together meant that we both had to compromise I would become a mother and he would be the father of a small family.

I grew up with my children.  

They taught me to be a Mother!

On this Mother's Day I want to recognize my children.

Thank you for loving me for who I am and as your Mother.

Thank you for being individuals unique in every way.

Thank you for forgiving me

Thank you for being my friend 

And

Thank you for being present in my life today when the choice to do so is now yours.

Thank you for teaching me to be a Mother!

Your Mother

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

Designing Barbie Doll Clothing

An Afternoon at Grandma's House

Designing Barbie Doll Cloths

When I was a little girl I remember sorting through my mother's scrap fabric to find just the right bit of cloth for my Barbie.  I would then cut and sew the fabric on her machine.  I have vivid memories of her sewing machine in the of the dining room, a black Singer.

On my last trip to the Thrift shop I purchased three Barbie dolls for $2.00.  They are not fancy dolls and they work well for designing and measuring.  My thought was that I would sew or knit an outfit for each girl for Christmas.  When the girls found the dolls in my sewing room they proclaimed their desire to 

"design their own cloths".    

So today we found ourselves in my sewing room going through my boxes of scraps and cotton fabric purchased for their Maplelea's.  I think the girls had as much fun sorting through the fabric and draping it around their dolls as they did in the designing.

 Their designs were influenced by the movie Frozen with each girl wanting a slit up the front of their Barbie doll dress.

Ruth choose a patterned fabric with a drop wait, 3/4 length hem, Disney Princess ribbon  and red hearts.

Great Job Ruth!

 Emily's dress is a white wrap around with fold over bodice and side slit with back tied sash.

 Great job Emily!

Grandma Snyder

©twosnydergirls   

Prayer Mother Teresa Quote

Celtic Prayer

God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.

God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.

God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.

God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul,
God in mine eternity.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Phillis Wheatley a Woman of History

May 8, 1753 to December 5, 1784

Phillis was born in Senegambia West Africa a free African child and at the age of seven sold into slavery and transported to North America where she was sold to the Wheatley family as the personal servant to Mrs. Wheatley.

As a house slave and Mrs. Wheatley’s personal servant Phillis had what was considered a privileged life and Mrs. Wheatley taught Phillis to read and write after recognizing an intelligence and creative ability believed impossible in Blacks.

By 1771 Phillis had distinguished herself as a poet and an oddity given her status as an African slave having written up to 28 poems.  As a result she was allowed to travel with the Wheatley’s son to London England where she was invited to meet members of the British Upper Class, many of whom were notable abolitionists.

While in England the Countess of Huntingdon provided the funding to publish a volume of Phillis’ poems, “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral” was published in 1773.  

As was the tradition Phillis was the first African American Woman to be published.  Phillis was published under the name Wheatley as slave were known by the last name of their owners.

John Wheatley left instructions that Phillis as his property be emancipated upon his death.  Phillis’ freedom rather than being the beginning of a better life thrust her into a life of poverty and physical hardship, no longer living within the Wheatley household she was forced to make her own way.  

In April 1778 she married John Peters and they are reported to have had up to three children who all died in infancy.  In 1784 Peter’s was imprisoned for none payment of debt and the same year Phillis died.

Click here to link to Phillis' Poems

Phillis’ intelligence and notoriety as a published poet acted as an early catalyst for the antislavery movement.  New discoveries of her early “poems, [and] letters associate her with the eighteenth-century black abolitionists” http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/phillis-wheatley

 

Phillis is a woman of history.  She was supported to develop her skills, encourage to step outside of the known boundaries of her class by her white owner and she took risks writing poetry that addressed the equality of black slaves to an all white audience. 

On Being Brought from Africa to America

By Phillis Wheatley

'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,

Taught my benighted soul to understand

That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:

Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

"Their colour is a diabolic die."

Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain

 

To read more about Phillis Wheatley please follow these links

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/philbio.htm

http://www.biography.com/people/phillis-wheatley-9528784#awesm=~oCXXsx8BuzO6N7

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/phillis-wheatley

 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls