Sorting at the Colony

  My time at the colony this week was fun as usual. I have been working on getting supplies for my miniatures to use in classes and to sell at shows. It’s been a long process as quite a few of the items I have been buying have been through some companies in Hong Kong. Once in a while I get these harebrained ideas to start a project and realize the time involved, so I sheepishly take my project to the colony and get some help. And help I do get! The girls and ladies of the 2 families I spend most of my time with love to see what I am working on and really do seem to enjoy helping me. It’s not often they get to spend their time playing with clay or tiny microscopic no hole beads. Lets see, in the past they have helped, make cupcakes, pumpkins, envelopes, rugs and sort and count many things, as these tend to take my time the most. You have to remember these are all in miniature too, not something they ever deal with. 

On a daily basis the work day can consist of butchering, gardening, planting, canning, soap making, laundry, sewing, cleaning and cooking. Some of the fun things they try to find time for are rug making, reading (Christian Romance, Amish books and Chicken Soup For the Soul seems to be a popular one as well), making crafts (they make the most beautiful embroidered wall hangings), knitting and just enjoying a cup of coffee and a snack! There lives are full and busy, but always there seems to be time for a friend and a visit. 

When Sophia and I arrived, hugs were exchanged with a wonderful friend, the eldest daughter of Young Paul, Abby. She was there with a 10 month old baby girl named LuAnn, who is her sister in laws baby and twin sister to a little boy. She’s been raising this baby and her brother since birth. They get switched once every few weeks, so the mom knows both her babies. More at a later post about twins. She got married to a very funny guy named Gary from Canada and lives 55 minutes outside of Calgary on a very well to do Colony. She now seems to love it, but at first was quite lonely. You see when couples marry, the women have to leave and move to the husbands colony. Well I’ll write more about this in a later post as well...

Anyway, so when I bring my mini projects to work on eyes light up (especially by Taby) and things get done! What would take me 6 hours on my own will be done by 5 women in 1 hour. It’s an amazing site to see. We were working on putting the tiny no hole beads from 40 or so large jars into several hundred smaller ones. There were beads everywhere, hundreds of tiny jars filled with pretty colors. 

Meanwhile Donna starts the newest book (Romance) I took out for them and Sophia seeing a prime opportunity to get on a bed and play, goes with her. No sleeping on Sophia’s part was accomplished, but it did keep her out of our hair, and Donna got a fair portion of the book read. 

All in all it was a great way to spend the day. The girls got play and we had a great visit.