Welcome!

I am glad you chose to visit! My blog is a compilation of the many hats I find myself wearing. On any given day I may be an encourager, an instructor, or just a lady who is venting. You, dear reader, will probably identify with my triumphs and my tribulations! These snapshots fit into my Life Scrapbook I have named A. McInnis Artworks. I hope you will find something worth your while.


Sunday, January 9, 2011

Mothers Wear Very Big Hats

While purging my closets I ran across a brown paper bag and when I opened it I just could NOT help but smile! What I found was a little group of ladies miniature hats that I had forgotten I even had.


Look at them closely...can you tell?

They were made from ...are you ready? Eight ounce Styrofoam cups! Below is what they look like right after they are shrunk and removed from the oven...I did these so long ago I can't remember the exact temperature...but I'd say around 350 degrees. (Don't hold me to that!) I stood the cups open end down on a cookie tray, watched them through the oven door and when they were the size I wanted, lifted the tray out of the oven.

After shrinking and cooling, I painted them with acrylic paints and then added the flowers. I do remember that I sprayed a branch white, inserted it into a vase and hung the hats on the branch with the pink silk azaleas shown. It was a centerpiece used for Mother's Day.


Speaking of mothers, I'd like to say a word or two to the young mothers who read my blog. Being a good wife and mother is a very difficult thing. You have to wear both hats firmly on your head, but being good at both AT THE SAME TIME is hard. The little ones are helpless because they are just that...little. The big one is helpless because well, because he's a man. Both need you.

Trying to juggle so many balls in the air at the same time is an all-consuming task. Wanting to become a mother and actually being one is almost overwhelming. My advice to you is to seek help when you need it...ask your own mother for guidance. If that isn't possible for whatever reason, find a godly older woman that you trust, and ask her counsel. (The older, the better.)

Don't ever think that it's ALL up to you...how your children actually turn out is in very large part up to them. There is nothing worse than parents who take total responsibility for the way their children turn out...good or bad. When they are small you can dictate their actions and reactions, but as they age, you can do that just up to a point. A person is what they are. (Is that good grammar?) Some very bad parents have very good children, and visa versa.

The best advice I could give would be to pray for your children's heart, their protection and their choices. God does not always answer prayers exactly as we request, but you can rest assured that He will answer them in the way that proves to be best in the long run. Quit worrying, do the best you can and turn the rest over to Him.

A good little saying I read is: "Rejecting things because they are old-fashioned would rule out the sun and the moon-and a mother's love."

Hope you will join me at Amaze Me Monday, Boogieboard Cottage's Linky Party & Paisley Passions Fun With Food Friday . Grab the button on the right!

8 comments:

Libby said...

This is great! Such wonderful, true advice! (The hats are cute, too. I had forgotten about that.)

The Charm of Home said...

Those little hats are adorable! Great advice about being a Mom. It's the biggest job out there. LOL
Sherry

Angela McInnis said...

Thank you, Libby & Sherry. Being a mom is certainly a "roller coaster" ride, isn't it?!

The Blackwood Cottage said...

That is so cool!
machelle

Angela McInnis said...

Thank you, Machelle. Just something fun I did, but can't remember where I heard about it...I think a young man in one of my classes told me about it years ago!

xinex said...

Great advice to the young mothers! Wow! I would have never guessed that those used to be styrofoam cups....Christine

Angela McInnis said...

Well, around here you just never know...my poor husband..thanks for stopping by xinex!

Mary said...

Thank your linking your post to Masterpiece Monday, Those styrofoam hats are adorable! Mary :O)