YOu Did it

Beyond Hallmark

With Thanksgiving right around
the corner, it's a perfect time to
think about saying thank you to
people who have made a dif-
ference in your life. One fun
way to do this is with veggie-
designed note cards. This craft
can be enjoyed by 2-year-olds
and up, but Mom or Dad will
have to do some of the carving
for young hands.
You'll need:
potatoes
poster paint
felt-tip pen
sharp knife
colored writing paper

First, fold your note paper in
half to make cards. Take the
knife and cut a potato in half.
With the felt-tip pen, draw a
simple design, such as a lemon
or apple, on the end or head
of the potato. Holding the knife
upright, cut around the outline
of the design you have drawn,
then cut away the potato
around the design, leaving a
raised, flat surface of the
shape.
With a paintbrush, apply a
fair amount of paint to the
raised shape, then press it
onto the paper. You can stamp
it once, or several times.
There's an even easier way to
make cards for the youngest
artists. Put a thin layer of paint
on a plastic plate. An adult
should cut apples and potatoes
in half. Kids can then dip the
cut end into the pool of paint
and stamp it onto their note
card. My favorite design
comes from a green pepper,
from which an airy, open pat-
tern is created.
Let designs dry and then write
a short message of thanks
inside.

❑

.1/14
1997

58

Show Appreciation

disappeared. The man assumed no
one had seen him. But hundreds
noticed — and the cheers started
again.
"That," said the radio talk-show
caller, "was a wonderful thing to
witness. All those people telling the
man 'thank you, – she said. "We
should do more of that. There are
not enough thank yous said or felt
in this world, and we should make
every effort to help children learn
the importance of thanking people
in everyday circumstances and for
uncommon acts of kindness."
I'm driving my car, listening to this
story and agreeing with the caller.
Absolutely! I love to hear my 2-year-
old son say "thank you." It was one
of Grant's first phrases and he uses
it throughout the day. I thank my
husband, Ron, and JoAnn, Grant's
care giver (okay, I may have
played a part, too), for teaching
him this splendid phrase and its
meaning. Every time I hear him say
it, I melt. It's as good as hearing "I
love you."

Make
thank-you
note cards
for the specia
people
in your life.

Megan Swoyer
Special to The AppleTree

woman recently called a
local radio talk show to
chat about giving thanks.
She had been at a Tigers baseball
game the night before and told the
story of how one fan had the for-
tune to catch a hard-hit ball in the
stadium. Enjoying the spotlight and
basking in the thunderous cheers
around him, the man glowed with

❑

Megan Swoyer, the
mother of two, is a
free-lance writer liv-
ing in Troy.

pride. A nearby young boy, who
had hoped the ball would come his
way, watched the man in
his glory.
Once the game start-
ed again and the
spotlight was
gone, the man
turned to the boy
and gave him the
ball.
This bit of kindness was per-
formed when the spotlight had