Time to "Grace It"

A while back, I was on the phone with my Uncle Chick, and I had let suppertime slip up on me. I told him I didn't know if I'd have food on the table when Dave got home. And he said, "Uh-oh. Time to Grace it." Aunt Grace—his wife—has a knack for shortcuts. She can cook an entire meal in the microwave, have a tasty pot of spaghetti ready in 20 minutes, de-salt stuff that's oversalted . . . she's got a million kitchen tricks up her sleeve. She and our friend Patti are also the go-to flower arrangers at our church. So when Mama and I decided we wanted to make our own Christmas arrangements, we asked Aunt Grace to come down and give us a lesson. I wanted something natural—a pine wreath. Mama wanted silk flowers. (She and Aunt Grace are both great gardeners, but they have no problem with "permanent botanicals," as my friend Sarah J. calls them. They consider pretty silks to be perfectly serviceable, practical, and economical. And you've gotta admit, your fertilizer bill goes way down.) The idea was that Aunt Grace would coach while Mama and I arranged. But really—who were we kidding? We're both a little challenged in this area, so we happily gathered pine cones and floral picks and snippers and vases and watched Aunt Grace go to work. Here's what I learned: (1) start arrangements in the center and work your way out; (2) florist's tape, picks, and wire are musts for your toolkit, and it doesn't hurt to have a glue gun, either; (3) straw, moss, and other cover-ups can hide most of your snafus, so arrange without fear; and (4) if you want your wreath a little on the loosey-goosey side, you'd better hide the wire from Aunt Grace because she cannot BELIEVE you want her to leave it that way. (It's OK, Aunt Grace. It'll look fine once I add a bow. And I promise to fill in any gaps. And I'll wire down any branches I add so it doesn't look messy. And I won't forget to . . . )

Comments

[candy hicks]

Isn't she just the SWEETEST person and now I find out she is artsy too, all in one package. Beautiful ! ! ! !

[valerieluesse]

I know! Talented women in the family:)

[Nancy Dorman-Hickson]

You are on top of stuff, girlfriend. Somebody on our street turned their Christmas lights on tonight. I have not even thought about Christmas decorating. And shopping. And cooking. And all that stuff...Thanks for the post!

[valerieluesse]

I am determined that this year, for ONCE, it will not be rushed!!