Way back in the, I don't know, late 70's early 80's (my sister could tell you) when we still lived in Utah, my mother had the great idea that we should make a Nativity Scene out of salt dough. I remember it being fun, and it all looked beautiful. I also remember every Christmas after that, bringing out the little figures and knowing that it was truly Christmas time. I began, with age, to be able to tell the ones I created from the ones made by mother and sister(they were much better). But I still loved every part of it. Some how that Nativity scene ended up coming to live at my house. I don't remember what all was in that first scene, all I know is what I have today: Mary, with a pink face and yellow robe, Joseph, in blue, bald with a brown beard, a shepherd in brown, a yellow star, a silver sheep(I think) that doesn't stand on its own, and a silver bunny with black ears. A bunny? you say? I don't know if there really was a bunny in the stable, but when your mother's name is Bunny, there are bunnies at everything. Anyway, about 8 years ago I decided that it was time to sit down with my kids (Spencer and Sariah and baby Gabe) and make another salt dough Nativity scene. My pieces were much better this time. We didn't paint them. I am assuming that after the process of making the dough and the characters and cleaning up and chasing the (Oh my) 3 whole kids I had at the time, that I just didn't have the heart to attempt painting. But nevertheless, we had our scene to add to the one of my youth. We even added a baby Jesus this time and a camel. Well this sweet little scene lasted and lasted... until this year. A child with the first name beginning with a J-(take your pick, there are only 2 and I really don't know who is to blame) decided to take the clear plastic box they were stored in, and shake it. 28 year old salt dough doesn't hold up well to a good shaking, 8 year old salt dough holds up even worse. I pulled out all of the really old pieces, Mary and Joseph had only minor damage, they lost their heads and a few bits off other places. The *sheep* and bunny were fine and so was the old shepherd. As was baby Jesus from the new set. The star lost its bottom. The other parts and people were shattered. I threw the unsalvagables away. And decided to attempt to fix what I could. As I was gluing for posterity sake, Jacob picked up the bunny and accidentally, but promptly broke off the ear. After I was finished with the others, I went to work on the bunny ear. I don't know if there was too much glue or if my gluing skills had been impaired at that exact moment, but I managed to get the bunny ear back on and glue my finger to the back of the rabbit at the same time. It wasn't just a little spot that I could pull free from. I was stuck tight to this stupid little bunny who wasn't and probably shouldn't have been there at the Nativity scene anyway. Now, how to get unstuck. Spencer, in his genius, mentioned that when he had read the super glue package it suggested using vegetable oil to get the glue off your skin. Maybe, off your skin, but definitely does not work to remove you from a salt dough Nativity rabbit. From past experience I knew that fingernail polish remover was the only thing that really worked. Question was, did I have any? I remember when packing to move, that I decided to throw a lot of half empty bottles of stuff away, thinking that I would just replace them when we got here. The *pack rat* me always advises against this. The *stuck to the bunny* me, is grateful that in the case of the almost empty bottle of polish remover, I listened to the *pack rat* me. But, where was it? I wasn't sure if I had unpacked it, or if I had left it in the *extra bathroom stuff* box. So of course, that is where I looked first. Come to find out, the *trying to be organized* me had put it away in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. all said and done, 15 minutes later I was freed from the bunny. It took a little longer for the acetone to cut through all the vegetable oil and I was really STUCK to that rabbit. Needless to say, I think we'll be making a new scene this year when the kids are home for vacation. Perhaps we'll add some more bunnies. Or maybe just a bunny trap.