Emotional bond

My grandmother on my dad's side was a very elegant woman. She exuded grace. I have wonderful memories of her.  Of brushing my hair. Of reading to me. Of hugging me.  Some of my fondest memories are when she would bring me upstairs and show me her collection of beautiful, unique jewelry.  It was something that I always looked forward to.  And I know my grandmother looked forward to it as well.  These occasions usually ended with her letting me take something home. It gave her pleasure. It gave me a 'piece' of her. It brought generations closer. And it passed along a bit of history.

Recently, while my girls were playing with my jewelry, they pulled one out that I had not seen in a long time. It was one of the many pieces that my grandmother gave me.  I probably had this necklace for at least 20 years. I played with it in the same way that my girls now play with my necklaces.  Knowing it's beautiful. After all, it was my grandmother's.  She was beautiful. By association, I was beautiful.  And what I can't believe, in all the years that it was in my possession, I never truly looked at it. Well, this time, when my girls were in bed and I was cleaning up. I looked at it for the first time.  The word beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. It's more than that.

The letters MIZPAH are engraved on the front.  

Mizpah. 

I was curious. Intrigued.  This is what I found.

Mizpah is an emotional bond between people who are separated (either physically or by death). Mizpah jewelry is worn to signify this bond, and the word "mizpah" can often be found on headstones in cemeteries and on other memorials. From Genesis 31:49 of the Bible  (Wikipedia)

Emotional bond. 

I am now even more curious. I want to know who gave it to her. How long has it been in the family?  I may never know the answers to these questions. But what I do know, is that this necklace has a story. This story. Our story. And this necklace, my grandmother's necklace, will be passed down to one of my girls. Starting & creating one of many family traditions.  One thing is for sure, I will never look at this necklace the same, and I will never not look at this necklace again.

Crafts - for crying out loud!

I am always trying to find fun things to do - that entertain my girls for longer than 30 secs, and that don't require a massive clean up afterwards!  Keeping in mind that I have 2 fairly young girls on my hands, I feel my options are limited.  Ok, so what you need to know is that I really love tapping into my creative side, I find it quite therapeutic. BUT...when I attempt to do crafts with my girls, I feel I need therapy when it's all done.  Take yesterday's project for example.  One of my less inspired ideas, necklace making.  I know, what was I thinking, small beads in tiny hands - and mouths - not to mention our old home has a slant to it. [At least the beads all roll to the same spot on the floor]

The plan: The girls would sit happily and make their own necklaces, while I would create personalized aprons for them with iron on transfers. We would laugh, sing songs while we crafted and it would be a great bonding experience.
Reality: Beads on the floor, the girls fighting over beads, and lot's of "MOMMY I MEED[sic] HELP!", "Mommy, MOMmy, MOMMY!!". I promptly looked at the clock.  Sadly it was too early to pour myself a glass of wine.

We all pushed through, picked the beads up off the floor, wiped away the tears (mine included) and finished the necklaces together.  While they were enjoying their new jewelry, I was able to finish making their aprons. Yes it was chaotic, yes it was loud, and yes it was fun (just look at their faces).  

  Here are some pics from our crazy crafts!

"Is it just me, or do these crafts stink?"

"I gave up my nap for THIS?"

The final product!

Before

After

The final product!