Brumley homemade treasures – through the years I have collected many things but the ones that come from your family our my very favorites. I assembled the Reindeer this morning as I continue to decorate for Christmas. I have had these reindeer for several years. My father, Merle Otto Weik and my mother Nancy Gertrude Brumley sometimes worked as a team to create projects and the reindeer was one of those projects.
My mother didn’t take up tole painting and my father didn’t take up woodworking until they were in their 60’s. She started taking painting lessons and loved it. She would come home and practice, practice and practice. She got very good and picked up the techniques quickly. My father bought a Ban saw and quickly learned how to use it for his projects. New hobbies were born!
My mother was the one who would go to all the craft fairs but hardly bought anything. She went to get her creative juices fired up and some days it was insane. She had almost a photogenic memory. She could look at something, feel what it was made of and snap a picture in her mind of how it was put together. It was amazing, to say the least. She would always say, “Hmm I can make that” or “I’m going home and make that”.
They also had their share of craft books she would bring home filled to the brim with ideas and patterns. She was in her element for sure. My father would work his magic outside, preparing wood or cutting all his pieces of his patterns so when it was time to put things together he would be ready to assemble.
Over the years I was given many items that they had completed and loved them. I did not get this artistic gene I’m afraid, but my daughter got the gene. They then created so many projects they would go and sell at the craft fairs to make a little extra money to buy materials to create more! They loved doing this and it was a great hobby for both of them.
As I said, some of the projects were his/her projects such as the Reindeer in the picture. My mother saw a picture in a craft magazine one day of these Reindeer. My father cut the wooden pieces and after that, she did the tole painting face features along with the other design work. They turned out so cute and I raved about them and the next Christmas I had my very own Reindeer to display in my home.
The Reindeer came in pieces and every year I set them up I would have to try and remember what piece went with each Reindeer. It got to be a joke at my house with my daughter and others to see how long it would take me to figure out the pieces to each. So one year I just said to myself I am not going to do this anymore. So from that day forward, I marked the pieces Dad, Mom, Child, and Baby (in indiscreet places). Don’t have any problems now and they go up in record time!
The takeaway of this is having a hobby. They encouraged me to have hobbies, didn’t matter what but just have one, or two or three. As the years have gone by I too have had several hobbies and on days when it is cold and snowy or raining and you cannot go outside, they become the things that keep you sane. And like my parents, I have given them to family and friends, and coworkers. You don’t have to stay with just the same ones over the years, you can learn new ones, such as blogging! Whatever it is just enjoy it!
I have started up my Brumley Family Branches Genealogy blog again and have updated some of my favorite posts. Please feel free to share this post with family and friends. If you have questions or wish to add any new information please email me.
Thank you!
Brumley Family Branches 