Shine On~ Little Nativity

When I was a girl my mother made a bread dough nativity that we cherished throughout the years.  She would wrap each piece in a paper towel and tuck them into the box her checks came in.  ( Yeah remember check books?)  I loved the smoothness of each piece and the colors and shapes of the people.   I loved the bumpy sheep made from tiny balls of dough.  The round pink cheeks made me smile.  Every year we would carefully unwrap them and arrange them on the glass table that encompassed the standing lamp.  Every year since I can remember ......until..... the dog ate Mary and one of the wise men a couple of years ago.  Poor Mom was beyond upset as she says. 

 I thought my children needed that same Nativity to cherish (we don't have any dogs so I thought it would be safe enough).  The Internet is an amazing thing.  It allowed me to find the recipe and pattern for the exact Nativity my mother made over 30 years ago.  Three hours of shaping disgusting bread dough, 3 days of air drying, and 8 hours of painting and glossing left me with this wonderful display.

Oh my!!!  I could almost cry.  They turned out way better than I had expected.  Just like from my childhood.  The same colors, the same soft smooth texture, the same pink cheeks, and the same bumpy sheep.  And yes, very shiny.  My kids love them.  I hope that they get saved for years to come and not get eaten by a future family dog!!!  

Merry Christmas.