For Eye Ball Man by Ellie (age 5.5)

Have you ever noticed all the magic around you? The sparkle of diamonds in freshly fallen snow, perhaps? Or maybe the sound of leaves dancing in the wind? Sometimes if I sit really really still I can see magic all around me, like the way my heart beats to the sound of a good song or the way a smile is so contageous. But sometimes I wish I could see MORE. Sometimes I wish I had as many eyes as the Eye Ball Man I know. He has so many eyes, and they're always looking in every direction, that he never ever ever misses out on the magic around him. It's no wonder he is always as happy as can be. If only I had more eyes then I could look up while looking down. I could look behind me while running as fast as I can. I wouldn't miss a thing! Life would be oh so grand if I was lucky enough to be an Eye Ball Man!

Little Princess

Pink and purple and sparkles, oh my! This little girl knows where her interests are! She sees the beauty of the gnome garden in the sparkles of the dew and the glitter in the snow. She loves anything that shines and it is best if it is on something pink! She also loves dressing up her dolls so they look glamorous as well! How fun. Any gnome in the garden that sees her can’t help but smile at her when she dresses herself and her dolls in the most beautiful princess clothes. What a treasure she is!

Gnatural Reader

Most gnomes live in the garden, each in their tiny little cozy gnooks, be it in under a mushroom, or in a hollow log. Well that is where you can find this girl! She loves to be in gnature and be surrounded with the plants and trees and flowers and even all the bugs and wildlife! That’s gnot all, though. You can also catch her reading a book most days! She could even be called a bookworm! Her passion for gnature and books is so infectious that anygnome who sees her can’t help but fall in love with her and be excited for her. She is such a treasure in the garden!

What's in a Gnome?

There are some in the garden who might be wondering what’s so magical about Gnifferland… I’ll let you in on the secret. The gnomes are all about peace and love and gnice yummy thoughts. They are everything that my child gneeds to make themselves calm after a gnasty gnight terror. The gnomes are a personification of a parent’s, sibling’s, or friend's love, happy memories, positive thoughts, hugs, kisses and soft feathery pillows. They are the smell of a crisp spring morning, a silly little jig that puts a smile on your face and the warmth of hot chocolate by a roaring fire. They are little pieces of hope, faith, innocence and purity that children should gnever grow out of, even after they’ve grown old and grey. What’s in a gnome? One word: Whimsical Innocence. Ok, so that was two words, but gnow that’s the point, isn’t it?

Firegnome

What better calling for a gnome than to be a firegnome? In the hot summer, the garden gets dry and fires are such a risk to the entire gnome community! Luckily this little soul is there to save the day! He puts on his gnatural-wool fire retardant gear on and rushes toward the flames! Gnow his secret? He soaks up all the water in the garden hose and then rolls on the dry plants to get them wet. If there is a real fire, though, they have to call in the fire truck! It takes lots of courage to fight those flames! Covered tip to toe in soot, that is one thing this gnome has - courage. Courage to make sure others are safe without thinking about his own safety.

Christmas Pickle

There once was a sour soul who simply could gnot get into the spirit of Christmas. All the other gnomes around him seemed to be filled with holiday cheer and yet he was filled a sour taste through and through. Gnever before had the Gnomish Council known a gnome who didn't love to give others warm fuzzy feelings during the holidays so they punished him by banning him to a place where he had to watch children opening their presents on Christmas morning.  Perhaps after seeing the magic a child's eyes bring when they light up, then he would gno longer be such a sour puss? Though the pickle of a gnome stayed as hidden as possible, one small child saw him. "Mommy! Mommy! There's a pickle in the tree!" Of course, his Mommy didn't believe him and told him that if there really was a pickle, he could be the first to open a present. Imagine her surprise when he pointed to the pickle and did a little squeal of delight knowing he could go first, even before all his older siblings! Sure enough, the Gnomish Council was right. That sound? That magical glorious squeal? Oh, that turned this sour soul into a wonderfully sweet, though admittedly strange, Christmas tradition!

Latke The Gnome

Meet Latke the Gnome. You might be able to guess where he got his gnickname. He absolutely LOVES potatoe pancakes with applesauce! As such you shouldn't be surprised to hear that Hanukkah is his favorite holiday because it means he can eat Latkes all week long! Yummy! Every gnight is like a tiny celebration and he gets to help light the menorah. He enjoys watching the candles burn with a flickering flame that just seems to be dancing in celebration. Best of all, he loves the responsibilty he has been given to make sure gno gnome blows the candles out! It's an important job. I hope he doesn't get too distracted by the scent of a gnewly baked batch of Latkes! Mmmm... The cold season simply can't get any more warm and cozy than this!

Menorah Manager

With every holiday season comes great responsibility for every gnome in the garden, and this little one might have the biggest responsibility of them all. It's his job to manage the Menorah - a Menorah Manager, if you will. A what huh? A Menorah Manager is in charge of keeping up with the lights on the Menorah. Gnot only are there rules for when each candle is allowed to be lit, but it's also important to keep them from being blown out. Those are the obvious duties of a Menorah Manager. It's the subtle ones that I doubt he gets any credit for, like making sure that each flickers with a sense of celebration that sets the stage for all the gnomes within sight. These days are days to celebrate miracles. Without the Menorah Manager, well I'm sure the season wouldn't be so gloriously warm.

Jingle Bells

Gnognome celebrates the holiday season as well as those in the gnome community. Their celebrations may be itty bitty by most standards, but gnomes understand that it's not the size of the decorations that matters the most, it's the size of the cheer! They know that as long as they are warm and cozy (a good snuggle or hot thimble of cocoa often helps), then everything else falls into place! The mistletoe and holly decorate the garden, but it's being with loved ones that really fills each gnome with a warm and fuzzy feeling. And you know they LOVE warm and fuzzy! The moment that everygnome looks forward to with the most anticipation is midnight, when each and every gnome carries his bell to join in the annual performance of Jingle Bells! It's such a glorious sound (not to mention a wondrous sight), I can't imagine a better way to bring in the holiday cheer.

Jingle Bells

Gnognome celebrates the holiday season as well as those in the gnome community. Their celebrations may be itty bitty by most standards, but gnomes understand that it's not the size of the decorations that matters the most, it's the size of the cheer! They know that as long as they are warm and cozy (a good snuggle or hot thimble of cocoa often helps), then everything else falls into place! The mistletoe and holly decorate the garden, but it's being with loved ones that really fills each gnome with a warm and fuzzy feeling. And you know they LOVE warm and fuzzy! The moment that everygnome looks forward to with the most anticipation is midnight, when each and every gnome carries his bell to join in the annual performance of Jingle Bells! It's such a glorious sound (not to mention a wondrous sight), I can't imagine a better way to bring in the holiday cheer.

Joy to the Garden

Joy to the garden, the winter season's here!
Let all the gnomes prepare!
Let every tiny shovel and every tiny ornament
get used in holiday cheer
and prepare for the brand new year!
With smiles and love from all of those so dear!

Joy to the Garden

Joy to the garden, the winter season's here! 
Let all the gnomes prepare! 
Let every tiny shovel and every tiny ornament 
get used in holiday cheer 
and prepare for the brand new year! 
With smiles and love from all of those so dear!

Noon Teanslenan by Lilly (age 4)

You might be asking yourself just what is a Noon Teanslenan, and I don't blame you for the confusion. Quite honestly I'm not sure myself, but one look at this wonderful soul and it's apparent that she loves to make people laugh. Just look at the goofy expression she has on her face, and no doubt you will be smiling in no time. There's more to this little creature than just her cantageous laughter. Spend a moment with her and you're sure to be bombarded with hugs that seem to come from every which direction. Now that I give it more consideration, it seems to me that there is no better name than Noon Teanslenan for such a happy loving soul.

LOL Monster by Ellie (age 5)

Look who is ready for a hug! Why it's my LOL monster! Some days are rough. Some days I feel like nothing can go right and everyone is mean to me. Some days I have a hard time smiling, but then I see my LOL monster. She likes to hide in my bedroom and jump out ready with a hug whenever I need one. She always tells me she loves me and I always like to squeeze her. Sometimes when I'm really really sad she tells me a joke and makes me laugh out loud. I know what LOL means. It means "laugh out LOUD!!!" I think she's perfect for the days when I am just a little sad. I'm lucky to have my very own LOL monster.

Dragon by Ellie (age 5)

RARR! Oh there is no need to hide. That's just my little pet dragon. He's a friendly dragon so he won't bite you. Sometimes when he's hungry he will blow fire to cook his food, but otherwise he's safe. If he is blowing his fire, though, you don't want to get very close. The fire might hurt you and then the dragon would be sad because he didn't want to hurt you. What a sweet little dragon. It seems like he always has a big smile on his face to match his big eyes. His favorite thing to do is to fly way up high and look down below for the perfect rock. He collects rocks for his loved ones and has a special talent for finding the best ones. He also has a certain talent for making me smile even when he doesn't know I'm looking at him.

Tiny Treasure Keeper

I would like you to meet a very special friend. I have given him the most important job that comes to mind. He is your new Treasure Keeper! He may gnot look big and tough to you, but I can assure you he is perfect for the job! Here's how it works... First go find an adventure, or let an adventure find you, then decide what plain looking items you find are holding a bit of magic inside. Whether it be a small rock, button, twig, bead, coin or even a jingle bell, it's up to you to decide which treasures are worth keeping. There is only one rule about deciding which items are worth more than they appear, and that is this: they must put a smile on your face and give your tummy warm happy thoughts. Perhaps your favorite small photo will do? Once you have found your happy thoughts, give them to your Treasure Keeper and he will be sure to guard them and keep them safe. And that's gnot all, gno siree! He happens to be great at keeping gnightmares away and always has a little cuddle in store if you ever gneed your bucket refilled. Sounds like the perfect tiny friend to me! Let the treasure hunting begin!

PERSONAL GNOTE:
For the first time ever, a gnome has returned to find a new home. His loving owner decided to give him as a "Pay it Forward" and as such I fixed him up with a nice little dragon friend and will be sending him off to one of my favorite little gnome friends. Yay!