Saved from the Bin--Would you give your child a stone, if she asked for a dolly bed?

"Mommy, Laura and Bitty need a bed." Laura and Bitty are Alex's dollies. We all want to give our children everything they want within reason. When we look to God as our model for parenting and all the good gifts he gives, we clearly see that he lavishly, abundantly, unselfishly, extravagantly showers us with wonderful things.

But giving abundantly is a challenge when you're wondering if you have enough money to buy the groceries for the rest of the week. It requires eyes to see what is possible. Remember the story Stone Soup? The meanest ingredients when put together make something sustaining, nourishing, life giving.

Papier mache anyone? Okay, here I go again with the cardboard and the newspaper. But, you have to admit they are versatile. Also, flowers cut out from a Laura Ashley shopping bag to add to the Shabby Chic look. Papier mache is imperfect by nature. No matter how smoothly you attach the layers of newspaper and no matter how well you sand it down, the surface will always turn out somewhat uneven. The distressed paint job covers a multitude of sins.























I have not yet glued all the pieces together. For storage sake, I plan to do that closer to Christmas. In the photo I have placed the pieces as they will be when it is glued.

As soon as I started cutting the pieces out of cardboard, Alex guessed that I was making a bed. It shocked me that she figured it out so early. "Daddy, Mommy is making a bed for Auntie Lexi's baby," was her next statement. Jason and I had a good laugh, and we didn't correct her. We had just found out a couple days earlier that our good friend, and Alex's name sake, Lexi, was in the family way. It was so interesting to see Alex's mind make all the spatial relationships. In her mind, she saw the cardboard pieces come together to make the bed. In her mind, she saw the size of the bed and knew it was for a baby. In her mind, she saw Lexi with a tummy full of baby. I am in awe of that brilliant little mind and its perfectly logical thought process.

All this made it easier for me to work on the bed. And it has made me think that perhaps as I look at things and see them as they are not yet, she is watching me, and gaining that skill as well.

I put the stone in the pot, add some water. It needs something more. How about the bones from yesterday's roast chicken. Perfect. It simmers on the hob (cook top) overnight on the lowest setting. (Don't worry we have an electric hob.) In the morning, the flat is filled with the aroma of the stock. I strain out the bones. (The stone stays in.) There are some tiny cloves of garlic in the larder. A trip to the fridge reveals a small amount of freezer burned peas, half an onion, a couple carrots and one or two leftover roast potatoes. Lovely. It's ten to six and Daddy will be home soon. What's this? A handful of pasta. Brilliant. I do believe this is the Sweet Girl's favorite meal based on how quickly she clears her bowl.

I would give my child a stone. I'd love to see what she can do with it.