Amazing Week

My family has had an amazing week and it is only Tuesday. Saturday we went to a wonderful concert at the Kirkland Performing Arts center. We were privileged to watch and listen to Mary Youngblood, a two time Grammy award winning Native American Flute artist. We were treated to music by her and her cellist and with stories from her childhood. These stories resonated with me because they could have been my childhood. Spending summers studying jars filled with tad poles. Having blackberry stained fingers from eating blackberries warmed by the sun. The music is that kind of music that speaks to everything inside of you. It makes your heart soar and all of your feelings come alive. We were treated to duets with friends of Mary Youngblood, including Gary Stroutsos. The concert also included Eric Tingstad, an incredible guitar player. Eric played with an ensemble that including his partner Nancy Rumble, on the oboe and French horn. They played music from their album Southwest. Again music that inspires you to want to see the southwest and to learn to play music. It inspired me to pick up my flute again.
Sunday we got up and went to the Kent School District Clothing bank to help out. We were part of a large group of volunteers that included Hailey's Brownie Troop. We had a good time as a family working to help others in our community.
Monday came and the girls had the day off from school, so we had another day together. That brings us to Tuesday. We kept the girls home from school for an extra half hour and watched the inauguration of our new president. Last year we took them out of school for a day to watch hime when he came to Seattle it seemed only appropriate to keep them home to watch the culmination of all of it.

This has been a celebration of music and new beginnings for our family and we are looking forward to what else is coming.

New Business

My husband and I have often talked about a way to sell the many things that I knit and crochet. Up until now they have for the most part been gifts for friends and donated to various causes. One morning while reading the paper together, we read and article about an online forum designed to sell hand made goods. We checked it out and found that if you want it someone makes one that is way cooler than anything you can pick up at Walmart. So with digital camera in hand we spent this afternoon opening a shop on Etsy. I have uploaded a few of the pieces that I have made and will see what becomes of that.
Now I have to figure out what I want my online shop to look like and to say about me and the things I make. This is the first time that I have made things for any other reason than to give gifts to those I know. I am nervous that they won't sell, and am just as nervous that they will. I imagine this is the same feeling that anyone who is putting a part of themselves out into the public feels. It is possible that the only people that look at my site are friends and family. Maybe that is all I need. What I do know is that I took a big step into an unknown to start 2009. Now I am sure this is going to be a great year.

Finding old friends

Finding a social networking site and setting it up has been a great joy for my husband and me. I feel like a little kid now when I open my computer and see messages from friends that I had lost touch with or who were on the Christmas Card list. Life seemed to happen so fast and before I knew it we had lost touch. Now I can once again let them know what is happening in our life and hear how their lives are going. My resolution this year was to stay in touch with family and friends better. So far only 3 days into the new year, I have found a fun and simple way in which to do this. Once writing letters to friends was an art form and receiving them a great joy. I would like to get back to that and if doing that electronically helps make it happen then I am all for it. You will still find hand written cards and notes from me in your mail box, but now you can get daily updates of the hectic crazy thing that we call family life.

Home made Christmas Finally

Christmas has always been a fabulous family event in our home. This year the snow changed that. We were unable to get together around Christmas because of the weather. Finally today the weather, although wet and rainy cooperated. We drove up to my brother's house, he still has almost a foot of snow on the ground and we did need to stick the SUV into 4 wheel drive to get turned around in the drive way, but we made it. We had a quiet day together just talking, and catching up with everyone. Many of the gifts this year were homemade, they gave the celebration a close feeling. I believe that this is what is meant by losing the meaning of Christmas. We no longer give things that we ourselves have worked over. We give things that the stores have put on the front page of a glossy flier. Not that I don't think that a purchased gift can be personal and special but I think it is time that more weight be given to what went in to the gift rather than what the price tag said. My children now have beautiful hand made wooden art boxes. No price tag can explain what went in to the creation of these boxes and no tag can explain the excitement these boxes filled with colored paper has brought to them. Now they are not only art boxes but desks in pretend school, counters in the store, and much more. The next time you hear yourself saying " I have no idea what to get whoever" ask yourself instead what do I have, or make that I could share with that person. It can be as simple as a copy of your favorite book or something you like to cook. In the same way when you are given a handmade gift. Look closely so you can see the love and spirit that went into the gift. These things are harder to read than a price tag but worth much more when you take the time to read them.