Create

A gift today

2009-08-31T15:28:00.004-07:00

Monday's are always a bit tough for me. I work in oncology and it takes me a couple of days to get used to the sickness and people dying. Well, I never get used to it...just adjust to it. There are people who run into me when they check out that can totally turn my day around. I had one today. A woman who is fighting breast cancer stopped by to schedule a new appointment and dropped this sweet message off for me. It made a bad day sunny so I wanted to share it. Being a gardener made it very special.

For the Garden of Your Daily Living

Plant three rows of peas:
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul

Plant four rows of squash
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash Selfishness

Plant four rows of lettuce
Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be patient
Lettuce really love one another

No garden is without turnips
Turnip for meetings
Turnip for service
Turnip to help one another

To conclude our Garden we must have Thyme:
Thyme for G*d
Thyme for each other
Thyme for family
Thyme for friends

Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is
Much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow.

The Peace of Wild Things

2009-07-19T14:06:00.006-07:00

This is how I feel when I'm on or near nature and Puget Sound....

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water,

and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Writer and farmer ~ Wendall Berry

True Success - Food for Thought

2009-07-18T15:30:00.004-07:00

Success

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.

--Ralph Waldo Emmerson

We're all the same

2009-06-11T14:50:00.005-07:00

The following was a post from No Impact Man and it moved me, so I wanted to share:

Why bother saving the planet? posted: 11 Jun 2009 12:00 AM PDT

I am sitting in the lobby of my hotel which is the only place I can get an internet connection. Behind the couch I'm sitting on, the hotel keeps a little radio playing that is tuned to a classical station. The music makes me think of Isabella, the four-year-old girl who is the heart of my life, my daughter. Isabella always makes me stop turning the radio dial when she hears classical music. She loves classical best of all.

Anyway. The hotel where I am is in Washington, DC.

I began writing this post with the point of telling you why I'm in DC, but I can't help it--I want to write a little something about my little girl. Do you mind if I stop to tell you that she has the most amazing blue eyes? Also, she is incredibly brave. We went to a petting zoo the other day and she fed all the goats and cows and sheep. A pig bit her by mistake. When she went to school, she showed her thumb to a teacher and said, "A pig bit my thumb."

"A what bit your thumb?"

"A pig."

"A what?"

"A pig."

This went on for a while. There not being too many pigs in New York City, the teacher was having a hard time believing her ears. Isabella was quite pleased. It may have hurt when the pig first bit her, but Isabella was still the only kid in school who could point to a boo boo and say a pig caused it.

You know what I think about when I think about how much I love Isabella? I think about how everybody else has someone they love too. I think that we all have someone who makes our hearts ache with love and how since we all have that then we must be essentially the same.

We're all the same. How can I live my life with enough compassion to bear out this tremendous truth that we all have an Isabella, that we are all the same? If we are all the same, shouldn't we understand how much we all feel joy and sorrow and be moved to treat each other with tremendous kindness?

Personally, I am moved to treat everyone with tremendous kindness. The sad news is that, moved though I may be, I don't actually do it. I get mad or selfish or controlling or small minded. Then I get mean. Honestly, I am at times so disappointed in myself, in my own humanity. Then I realize that that happens to everyone else too. We all feel disappointed in ourselves sometimes, no? We have that in common, too.

Which brings me back to the fact that we're all the same.
We're none of us perfect, right?

But most of us, I think, are doing our best.

Top Ten Eco-Lifestyle Changes

2009-05-29T13:24:00.002-07:00

From one of my favorite inspiration sites the following are great ideas to do our share to save Mother Earth one small step at a time.

No Impact Man's Top Ten Eco-Lifestyle Changes

1. Stop eating beef. Worldwide, beef production contributes more substantially to climate change than the entire transportation sector. Plus, a diet with no or less beef is better for you anyway.
2. Give up bottled water. The production of plastic water bottles together with the privatization of our drinking water is an environmental and social catastrophe. Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline. Plus, the health consequences of drinking water from plastic are not clear.
3. Observe an eco-sabbath. For one day or afternoon or even hour a week, don't buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Keep your regular eco-sabbath for a month. You'll find that the enforced downtime represents an improvement to your life.
4. Tithe a fixed percentage of your income. Currently, many of our societal health and welfare services, at home and abroad, are tied to consumer spending which, in turn, depends upon planetary resource use. But the idea of buying stuff to help people is crazy, especially when you consider that our consumption is harming the habitat that we depend upon for our health, happiness and security. If you want to help, don't go shopping. Just help. Commit to tithing part of your income to the non-profits of your choice.
5. Get there under your own steam. Commit to getting around by bike or by foot a certain number of days a month. Not only does this mean using fewer fossil fuels and creating less greenhouse gasses, it means you'll get good, healthy exercise and we'll all breathe fewer fumes. A city with pedestrian and bike traffic is a lot more pleasant to live in than a city filled with vehicles.
6. Commit to not wasting. Wasting resources costs the planet and your wallet. Don't overheat or overcool your home--a few degrees make a huge difference. Let your clothes hang dry instead of using the dryer. Take half the trips but stay twice as long. If your old cell phone works, consider not getting another. Repair instead of rebuy. The list goes on and on.
7. Build a community. Play charades. Have dinners with friends. Sing together. Enjoying each other costs the planet much less than enjoying its resources. Let's relearn to joke around and play in ways that cost nothing to our pocketbooks or our planet.
8. Take your principles to work. The old adage "the cost of doing business" can no longer hold true. We must act as though we care about the world at work as much as we do at home. A company CEO or a product designer has the power to make a gigantic difference through their business, and so do the rest of us.
9. Dedicate a day's worth of TV viewing to eco-service each week. The average American watches four and a half hours of TV a day. Take one day off from the tube each week and joining with others to improve our planet. Voluntary eco-service is a great way to find community who support your values and also a great way to learn about environmental issues and the quality of life issues that go along with them.
10. Believe with all your heart that how you live your life makes a difference to all of us. We are all interconnected. We make a difference to each other on many different levels. Every step towards living a conscious life where we consider the consequences of our actions provides support to everyone else--whether you know it or not--who is trying to do the same thing. We are the masters of our destinies. Let's act as though it is so.

Etsy Day - April 24th 2009

2009-04-24T16:02:00.002-07:00

In honor of Etsy Day April 24th I am offering a 20% discount

on any purchase made April 24-26th !!

Down on the Farm

2009-04-10T12:01:00.004-07:00

I received my monthly update from Thundering Hooves Farm http://www.thunderinghooves.net today and it struck a chord in me. I consider myself a bit of a computer geek and love the outdoors and wildlife that abounds there. Clarice makes a good point about both of them.

Like fresh garden greens, new words crop up in our English language every year. Recently, there's been googling and blogging, texting and twittering - things we do with technology. Some words help us read and write more than ever, while others are for searching, and learning, and loving. For Thundering Hooves, we now talk about vertical-integration, holistic management, mobile abattoirs, zip drives, and digital imaging as if we have known about these things our whole lives. But as spring arrives, some words on the farm are as ancient as ever - bleating and bawling, goobling and cooing. But isn't it odd, how now it is possible for us to communicate more often than ever, but say so much less?

Before, "spam" was spam,
and "spiders" were spiders,a
nd "vertically-challenged" was short.
Words have changed and lives are online,and help comes from "integrated logistic support."

I wonder what tweetering swallows who swoop from their nests,to feed on the fruit of pie cherry trees at their best,would say to the twitterers, twittering away on their juicy, fantabulous gossip,emerging by magic on LCD flat screens through a digitized 0-1-1-0 blip?Would twitterers notice a tweeterer's song in their midst,while texting the latest of LOL jokes to their BFF list?

If Blackberry's® stuffed in a pouch were to linger,could we clear out a fragment of time to de-tox our fingers,and stain them instead with the juices of blackberries down by the creek,while breathing in life through our nostrils, as berries are stuffed our cheeks?

For it takes just as long to wipe off the drips 'round our lips,from blueberries and strawberries and messes divine,as it does to respond now to every last e-mail on topics of waste and ginormous detail,and position our protocol, know-it-all scale.

A Wii® may amuse and soak up an hour,arms flailing about 'til losers turn sour.Yet, where is the measure of time without points or a sound,for that joyous young "wee!" from a child lifted up off the ground,or dare holding fast to a tree-to-tree glider,with squeals of delight yelling "higher, more higher"?!

If we google and text just passing the hours,perpetually checking receptions from towers,we may have to pass on a chance to scroll down the caller ID's in our zone,or squeeze in the last of the mobile, leftover, rollover minutes we own,to hear the full sound of a gobbling old Tom in dazzling array,warbling his song to his hens with the grandest of plumage in sway.

For we know that the "cells" that exist at the core of our being,are far more essential then head phones, and blueteeth, or web cams and keying.And downloaded ring tones cannot replace,the wireless song of a robin transmitting its grace,on the world wide web of whispering winds and their ancient vibrations,speaking in pulses to all of creation.

For while the winds weave a linguistic notation,And a meadow lark broadcasts its' sweet proclamation,Receiving and channeling messages without a single-solitary abbreviation,They utter together a much more far reaching narration,

And thus, life is calling on our best concentration,for life has a balance, and begs conversation!

Clarice Swanson
Thundering Hooves

Finding happiness in the oddest places

2009-04-07T15:44:00.005-07:00

I read 'No Impact Man' (http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/) every day and this week following a weekend getaway with his 4 yr. old daughter he wrote the following. It made me stop and think about the free things in life that mean so much more than the things we buy. In fact, studies show that people who shop without boundaries have issues they try to fill by shopping. I used to shop when I got bored and then I discovered sewing and knitting and when it got too hot outside to garden those began to fill the void (aka boredom) I was feeling. If my daughter lived closer I would have more to keep me busy and someone enjoyable to do them with.The other thing is how when I was young(er) I lived in a village of sorts. My town had about 50,000 people and yet it seemed everyone knew each other. There was this incredible network between families where if a kid did something coming home from school the word got home before he did. I wish things were more like that now. As busy as we all are - the backup from the 'hood' would be very helpful. No Impact man discovered that too.

What makes me happiest doesn't cost the planet
Posted: 06 Apr 2009 12:00 AM PDT

My little girl Isabella and I just spent the weekend at a gathering at the Providence Zen Center, the head temple of the Kwan Um School of Zen, where I meditate.

There were five or six other kids there and from the moment we arrived Isabella ran around having fun and paying almost no attention to her dad. (She's only four. I thought I wasn't supposed to get the cold shoulder until she was thirteen or so. Sigh!) The entire group helped take care of the kids. Meanwhile, we ate our meals sitting on the floor with friends, took walks in the woods, and caught up on lots of good conversation.

Then, tonight, on my way home, a certain sadness settled in. I just wasn't looking forward to my little family's living situation back in our isolated apartment. I mean, we have a great life, but this weekend I had an intimation of what it could be like to live in a community, a village. And I can't help thinking that if people in modern cultures had the satisfactions of access to community--the connectedness, the shared responsibility--then maybe we wouldn't have to spend our lives chasing after stuff--the consolation prizes--and wrecking the planet.

It points, I think, to a more satisfying way, a way that might just be better for the planet and better for us.

PS Great quote I heard: "Though it is reflected in a thousand rivers, the moon itself is only one."

Me from the inside out

2009-04-02T13:42:00.007-07:00

It seemed interesting to look at some recent MRI films of my head and neck. I have vein problems on my left side and the doctors keep their eyes on things in case my left carotid artery completely closes. So...I took the handy CD they gave me and looked myself over. It look pretty good on the inside. It's interesting that the lines and wrinkles we see on the outside aren't visable on the inside. I like that. I'm also thin enough to like my silhouette more than actual pictures of myself.

I've never been a big fan of photographs of myself - drives my family nuts - in fact where other people have these nice smiling pictures of themselves on Facebook or their blogs I use avitars of what I think I look like. I really don't think I'm vain. I just think I'm ugly and age is killing what looks I had left. Looking old is growing on me but I wish I could just get it over with and look 80. No one expects an 80 year old to look any certain way - they're just amazed they're alive and talking in complete sentences. The phase between 60-80 years is equivolent to that dead zone we feel in our 20's. Not a teenager and not really an adult.

I sound so dismal about it and really I am not. My husband is going through the same thing. He's lost most of his hair and goes on and on about it. I wish he's just shave his head and get it over with. With or without hair he's handsome to me. Looking at old pictures of him with hair I have the feeling he wouldn't know what to do with it if he had it. Just accept things as they are and focus on the important things. Making the world better, saving the environment, loving your family - the people who don't care how you look, after all - and hope you leave a legacy of love, warmth and good memories behind. wrinkles be damned.

It's been too long

2009-02-27T14:07:00.018-07:00

It has been too long since I took time to blog. After the election and my guy won I got busy with Christmas and health issues and just didn't have interest in doing the blog. I apologize to those who have asked me to start again. To update you - I had surgery in December to fix my aneurism with coiling. It went well and I was on a plane flying to Denver 3 days later, to have Christmas with 3 generations of my family. It was wonderful and I'm back 100% again.

The financial crisis has slowly crept in to our lives - food costs are way higher than they used to be, property and 401K values have tanked and you pray every day that you hang on to your job. Savings? Right.

So - what to do? Get creative and stay on course trying to be Green and motivated. At least our President is on the same page as most of us and has done his best to ensure he never gets "bubbled" from what is really happening in the real world. As they speak of loans and budgets now in the $Trillions$$$ it just sounds like a number, but the other day I was listening to Marketplace on XM and they broke it all down - how many $10's it took to make a $1000 and then $1000's to get a $1M etc. Trillions is a LOT of $10.00's!! I keep wondering where the money is coming from? Do we just print more? Don't you need gold to back the money you print? Um, what's wrong with this picture? Everyone seems so confused and can't explain it easily.

When things get this complicated the human reaction seems to be to simplify the things one can control. Cut back on the "must do's" and take time to garden, sew, bake or have family time together. Movie attendance has been higher, television is a waste of time so read a book, scrapbook or write in your blog. Facebook and Twitter are an answer to something and we're all jumping on board. I really don't think it has so much to do with communication as it does with connecting. The world it tough right now so find a person - that is more real and there is comfort in it. Family seems more important now too. My kids and the grandchildren have always been my rock but I take time to really think about how much I appreciate what I have in my life and don't have the big wish list I used to. The babies are toddlers now and watching their discovering what they can do has been such a boost to my mood. It all looks so impossible and they nail it and make it look easy. Kids really are a wonder to behold.

Life is rough right now and finding that glimmer that makes you smile makes a much bigger impact now. Just today I got an email with a link to a beautiful photography site that offers inspiration for work I will do in digital scrap booking. It's http://www.thephotographicdictionary.org/home.html. Pick a word and think of how you could use it to make a picture . It can be used for much more than just photography. The pictures it shows for each word are beautiful by themselves though.

Hope this finds you well and thanks for stopping by.

Hannah

Dreaming in Colors

A man for all reasons - VOTE Nov.4th

2008-10-29T12:49:00.011-07:00

http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_barack.php

I am so excited that election day is almost here! I have been an active supporter of Barak Obama from the time he announced his candidacy and the roller coaster ride has been exhilerating.

I can honestly say I haven't been this excited about a presidential condidate since Bobby Kennedy back in the 1970's!! There is so much HOPE with Barak and the fruition of dreams we had as young people for the country to come together and not see differences but strength in our variety of races, religions and cultures.

I lost that HOPE in the 80's, 90's and the elections since 2000, but then out of nowhere comes this voice of calm optimism that spread to everyone who was willing to let go of the status quo and think big and outside the norm we had adjusted to.

Recently, I woke up to the frightening fact that Senator Obama is taking considerable risk to run as a man of mixed race in a country that still has citizens who are ignorant and blind to the character being more than color in a person, and will probably try to silence a promise we hear loud and clear. I pray all the time "not again". I lived through John, Martin, Bobby and Malcom X who's deaths left a scar on this country we've never recovered from. The what if's have been deafening and now we have a shining light that must not be silenced.

I thank Barak from the depths of my soul for taking that risk on our behalf. We cherish him for it.

Please take the time to VOTE and make your voice heard - people died for your right to do so and you should honor them and yourself for that freedom.

Take care til next time.

Hannah - always, Dreaming in Colors

I'm in a Funk

2008-10-08T15:54:00.007-07:00

It had been a normal day - worked hard and came home tired and glad it was Wednesday. First things first - let the cats out - not too hot today. Fill their dry food and water dishes - make the bed, even if it is 6:00 - can't stand sleeping in a bed with wrinkles. Put the knife and plate left from my husband's breakfast in the dishwasher. Oh, there's a message on the phone. Check the messages and one is for me from my friendly family doctor with instructions to call his patient infomation voicemail line. Okay. Dial, enter the numbers needed and Lydia says "Hello Hannah - we've received the results of the MRI/MRA you had done and you have a blockage on the right upper quadrant of your front brain and an aneurism on the left mid-section of your brain. You need to call and make an appointment with a neurology specialist at your earliest convenience....".

Right.

Why do the knees buckle first? Think things through. No point in worrying about something if you don't have all the facts. No point in calling the kids and worry them. Oh damn, have to tell Louie and he'll freak. It was better not knowing. Push it back and maybe it will go away. Yes BUT...your Mother had aneurisms and they cost her half her brain. If you push it back and ignore it you will really look ugly with half your head gone. Damn it again.

Okay, breathe deep and call your daughter. You can tell her anything and when it's not her or her kids she really is calm and gives great advice. Okay - call her. No answer. Call the cell. No answer. Shit - you finally get the nerve to call her and no one ever answers the phone. This must be a sign...you know how you believe in signs. It's TUT's way of saying don't tell anyone. I have to tell someone it's eating me alive. Okay call the son in law and see if he answers. YES! He answers. Oh, she's scapbooking?? Now?? Would it be okay if I called her? Are you sure? I don't want to be a pest. (Yes I do!!) Thanks - call her cell. No answer. Ten minutes later the phone rings and it's her and she is scrapbooking with her friends and no, it's okay. So what did you want to talk to me about??

As expected Ms. Calm advises me to stay cool, tell her dad about it and not worry. Great advice. It feels better just telling her about it.

I did call her dad and he did freak and has continued to freak for the past 3 weeks. I have attempted to get an appointment with Barrow Neurological here in Phoenix since they are considered the best, and with luck I might actually see a doctor there before the end of the year. As time goes on I keep coming up with logical answers to the fears that sneak in. I could have had this my whole life and just never knew. Who knows how long it's been there and I've been just fine. According to an episode of Six Feet Under, if the aneurism blows I die instantly with blood steaming down my nose and I don't feel a thing. Everyone feels really sorry and I get a lot of attention, even if it is too late. I appreciate the thought.

Of course, I really, really want to have my farm, sheep, llama, and chickens and see my grandchildren grow up and go off to college, if there is college that is affordable in 20 years. I also want to see how my husband and I look when we're 80 years old and have been together for 50 years. Will he still be a biker and me a crafter? Will we be crazy old folks with a wicked sense of humor and will I want to feed the kids all the time like their grandma does? I hope I still love shoes when I'm 80. I'll keep my hair red too. Just to bug people if nothing else. I plan to swear too.

So, it gets me down that I can't get the damn appointment, which indicates I do want to stick around and see how things play out for all of us, but some days it's hard. I get frustrated and mad. Mad at the genes that made this happen. Mad at Barrow for taking so damn long. Mad at my husband for wanting me to not bend over or work in my garden, but thankful he is helping out more. Mad that we live here and the kids live far away and we should be together. I need my friend. I need my kids and their little ones. It makes me happy and I laugh more when I'm with them.

I need to laugh A LOT now.

~ Hannah

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE GIRL

2008-09-16T13:40:00.009-07:00

My favorite girl in the world with her son

Well, 31 years ago tonight at 11:30 pm the little girl I always wanted was born. I was young and thought I could do it all - two kids, single, a job and life lay out in front of me. The future was something I looked forward to and my little girl and her older brother were the center of my life.

They still are. When we think that our work will be over when they get to be adults and parents themselves, it is quite a big surprise to discover you still worry just as much or more (life experience gives you more reasons to worry)! Not only do you live daily thinking about your own children, you also worry and wonder about their children. No one warned me about that one. I certainly never saw myself as a "Jewish mother" worrier but I am becoming my grandmother. Good lord.

When I visit Seattle we are up and out of the house before noon and on the run all day - berry picking, parks, zoo, shopping; keep those kids entertained and busy all day long no matter what the weather. I come back home and need to rest up from all the activity I experience with grandchildren who like to DO things - outside - away from the house - NO sitting allowed. I lose weight with every visit. We have so much fun!!

How did my two survive? Going to the park was a special event not a daily routine. Maybe it's my fault they go go go so much. Maybe if she was in therapy, my daughter would say it's all my fault she feels claustrophobic being in the house all day. If only I had been outside more she could relax and stay at home more. Oh well, they seem well adjusted adults with great marriages, and no matter how hard we work at being great parents we are bound to fail at something. At least one thing is going to be our fault no matter what. Just go with it. Enjoy your children for who and what they are and take credit for the best in them and blame their friends what what you dont like.

I wouldn't trade my life with anyone - even if I'm not rich - I'm not poor either, and have been blessed with my children, grandchildren and a husband I adore. Life is good, and birthdays are the perfect time to remember that.

As always...I'm Dreaming in Colors

Great Marketing Idea for Etsy sellers

2008-09-05T14:48:00.004-07:00

Today I received an order of clothing labels from BitsyCreations and inside the package along with a nice thank you was a small envelope the size of a business card. I opened the envelope and out fell several Etsy seller's business cards and a small sample of 'soap bubbles'.

What a genius idea.

If you belong to an Etsy Team - get business cards from your members and enclose them with your shipments - and they can do the same for you. This is such an easy way to spread the word - and it's FREE if you already have a supply of business cards - which is a no brainer must for any seller.

Thanks to Joan at Bitsy for the lovely labels and this great idea!

Go forth and sell people! The world needs Handmade!

How Green Are You?

2008-08-21T10:22:00.004-07:00

In the daily green newsletter they have a test you can take that is really fair and not pretentious in any way. I'm doing much better than I realized. Click on the link below and see how you are doing.

How Green Are You? - thedailygreen.com

Incredible Etsy information source

2008-08-15T09:59:00.008-07:00

Every once in a while you come across information that is so helpful it's exciting. I stumbled upon the following link to a blog that lists everything that is impossible to find in regards to the Etsy website as well as links to sites that can help with your online business.

Take the time to look this over. Everything imaginable is listed all in one place. Kudos to the author at Loose Wire Studio for helping other Etsy owners with this information.

It made my day!!!!

http://loosewirestudio.blogspot.com/2005/06/etsy-helpful-links-not-found-via-etsy.html

Welcome little one. We love you!

2008-07-28T13:56:00.002-07:00

It is with great joy and wonder I introduce you to Jaden our fourth grandchild born last week in Bellingham WA. His father, my son Javan and his mommy Terina have a daughter Teilani who has her Nona's heart too, but this little guy is the cherry on top.

I have been so blessed with two incredible children who in turn have grown into compassionate, smart, considerate adults who are the best parents to their children one could ever hope for.

Starting out as a child of one, adopted with no roots of my own, it is such an incredible feeling to see me grow into a family of loving people who no matter what, band together and look out for each other, and accept the good and not so good about one another. That to me is a true FAMILY and we have it hands down.

Love to All

Quote of the day.... I loved this one

2008-07-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

The funny thing is, that in spite of the euphoria one feels upon entering paradise, cloaked in miracles, surrounded by angels, love, and unimaginable beauty, it gradually becomes all they know, commonplace, ordinary, and then, shockingly... invisible.

Yep, I'm talking about life on earth.

The Universe

One of the Very Special Wonders in my Life

2008-07-19T17:24:00.008-07:00

I was told recently that there is a special little person in my life that never gets mentioned in my blog. I'm afraid this is true and I must correct this error. Atticus is my grandson who is 6 month old and a joy to everyone in his life. He always smiles and laughs and is Mr. Chill. His sister EQ was the first born and has always held a special place in my heart. When Atty was born I just couldn't imagine loving him the way I did his sister. Well, it's incredible how big our hearts really are, and how when another person comes along, you find you are just as smitten with him as you were with the first one. It really is amazing. I look forward to enjoying both of my little ones as they discover and grow, and while his parents will probably have him playing sports and being all boy, his Nona will sneak in some classical music, museums and beaches as much as possible. His slideshow is at the bottom of the blog page.

Food for thought, so to speak

2008-07-16T13:03:00.002-07:00

If you just whistle every now and then; skip every thousandth step or so; skim the odd stone across the odd pond; go dancing on the occasional blue moon, if only alone in the dark; dress up sometimes, even with nowhere to go... for simply stirring up some little bit of hope, no matter how silly or disconnected your actions seem to be with the rest of the world, magic flashes in the unseen, friends are summoned, connections are timed, stars are aligned, opportunities are crystallized and serendipities are calculated, creating possibilities for new realities that cannot now even be imagined from where you presently stand.

Shazaam

-The Universe

Recyle - Easy plastic rules to remember

2008-07-10T14:17:00.004-07:00

I get a newsletter from Ideal Bite http://www.idealbite.com each day and they sent out the best rules list for recycling plastics. Recycling's one of the eco-friendliest things you can do with already-purchased containers, and it's easy once you learn the ropes.

Recycling numbers usually appear on the bottom of containers. Check with your facility to find out which plastics it accepts, and write the numbers on top of your recycle bin for easy reference.

Usually recyclable:

1. PET - 2-liter and mouthwash bottles, boil-in-bag pouches.
2. HDPE - milk jugs, trash bags, detergent bottles, some yogurt cups.

Sometimes recyclable:

LDPE - grocery bags, produce bags, food wrap.
5. PP - diapers, straws, yogurt containers.
6. PS - CD cases, egg cartons, Styrofoam.

Not so much...

PVC- cooking-oil bottles, meat packaging, office binders.
8. Other - other types of plastic, plus things made from more than one type of plastic (see below).
Bioplastics (7, and marked as either compostable or biodegradable):
9. Compostable Plastic - is nontoxic and breaks down as fast as paper in compost.
10. Biodegradable Plastic - may contain toxins, so you have to send it to a special composting facility (enter compost and your zip at Earth911, see below).Commonly questioned items:
Container Caps - typically different plastics than the container; take 'em off, check the # inside, and either recycle or throw them away.

11. Grocery Bags - reuse them first! You usually can't recycle them curbside, but some supermarkets have bins in-store.

Earth911 - find out if you can recycle specific items in your area.

22 Steps Toward Energy Efficiency

2008-07-08T10:58:00.016-07:00

Co-op America.org, (http://coopamerica.org/) published a very comprehensive list of 22 steps we as individuals can do to save energy every day. Most are very simple and they can make a huge difference.

Here's how to save energy and money. Go for a big, but doable goal – 10% energy saved per year over the next five years – 50% in five years! For the average household, 10% per year energy savings is only about 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of energy/year.

Here's how do-able that is:

Many families could achieve the first 1,000 kwh/year of savings by washing clothes in cold water (770 kwh/yr); placing several major electronics, such as video and stereo systems, on a surge protector that can be switched off (47kwh/year); and brushing of their refrigerator's condenser coils twice a year (392 kwh/year).

Many families could get another 1,000 kwh/year reduction by replacing half of their incandescent lighting with compact fluorescents (440kwh/year), letting the dishes in the dishwasher air dry (404kwh/year), and enabling the "sleep" function on their computer and printer to go on after five minutes of non-use (259kwh/year).

Are you ready? Here are 22 steps you can take -- each with the energy savings you can achieve each year. Pick the ones you'll do to get your first 10% energy savings. (These energy savings assume an average US home, which uses about 11,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and 19,000 cubic feet of natural gas per year.)

1. Turn off lights you're not using – We even have switchplate reminders for you, downloadable on our Web site. (2% energy savings per year, assuming an average family's energy use)

2. Schedule an energy audit – Your local utility will probably provide an audit for free, and you may also get a more comprehensive audit (saving you more money in the long term) by paying for a whole-house audit. (Up to 50% energy savings per year)

3. Don't heat or cool empty rooms – If there is a room in your house that is rarely used, close off the vents to save on heating and cooling. (Varies by size of room.)

4. Give your dishwasher a rest– Skip the energy-intensive drying cycle on your dishwasher and choose the air-dry option, or open the door for zero-energy dish drying. (5% energy savings per year)

5. Shift your energy load to off-peak hours – Because power sources must produce electricity around the time of use (without capacity for long-term storage) it is our collective peak demand that triggers the building of more polluting power plants. (Varies)

6. Turn off your electronics – If you're going to be away from your computer or other appliance for more than an hour, turn it off. (5% energy savings per year)

7. Eliminate "phantom load" – Many electronics use energy even while turned off, so your best bet is to unplug them when not in use. (5% energy savings per year)

8. Make your fridge more efficient – Keep your refrigerator's coils clean to boost its overall power, and store jugs of water in any empty space inside, because water retains coldness better than air. (4% energy savings per year)

9. Wash clothes in cold water – Your clothes will get just as clean, on half the energy. (7% energy savings per year)

10. Give up your dryer – Hang your clothes to dry on a clothesline or indoor rack. (10% energy savings per year)

11. Plug your air leaks – Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems are wasted when you're leaking out the cool or warm air you're putting in. (5% energy savings per year)

12. Reduce your water use – Simple ways to save water include fixing any leaks and replacing faucets and showerheads with low-flow options. (3% energy savings per year)

13. Cut waste through windows – Properly seal window edges, cover windows with curtains to prevent heat loss, or coat windows with reflective "low-e" films that reduce heat loss while still allowing light to shine through. (10% energy savings per year)

14. Help your hot water heater – Add an insulating cover to reduce heat loss. (1% energy savings per year)

15. Install ceiling fans – Reduce your air conditioner usage with ceiling fans. Look for "Energy Star" models that use 50 percent less energy. (19% energy savings per year)

16. Get a programmable thermostat – Automate when your heating or cooling systems come on to save energy while you sleep or are away from home. (10% energy savings per year)

17. Upgrade your appliances – Look for the "Energy Star," and you may be eligible for a tax break. (3 - 12% energy savings per year)

18. Upgrade your hot water heater – Save energy and space by upgrading to a tankless or solar hot water heater. (14% energy savings per year)

19. Green your roof – Studies have found that a green roof on a typical one-story building can result in a 25 percent reduction in summer cooling needs. (12% energy savings per year)

20. Save energy through landscaping – The US Department of Energy found that the proper placement of as few as three shady trees will save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually. (12% energy savings per year)

21. Replace your windows – In step 13, we have recommendations for working with the windows you have. Replacing your windows with more energy-efficient versions can save you even more. (14% energy savings per year)

22. Don't waste energy on TV – With the switch to digital TV coming in 2009, many people are buying new, digital-ready TVs. If you must shop for a new television, look for an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen, which uses six times less energy than a plasma screen. (2% energy savings per year)

Aren't they SIMPLE??? Look at the savings you get doing these simple things! Solar panels and wind turbines are wonderful, but by doing these simple steps you can feel great about contributing what you can do now to guarantee energy savings today for our future.

Hope you'll try at least a few of these tips. It really makes a difference and you feel good about yourself because you're trying! Also - consider joining Co-Op America or sign up for their newsletter.
~ Dreaming in Colors

Phoenix is getting Greener all the time

2008-07-03T14:15:00.004-07:00

Today has been a day of enlightenment. I love it when out of nowhere, information you crave just lands in your lap.

Phoenix has a Farmer's Market that I didn't even know existed. I miss the local vendors we had at the Public Market at home, and I missed being able to buy local meat, chicken, and fish once I moved here. It really was a big hole I couldn't fill. When the sustainable green living mantra started, I didn't have any idea how to shop local as it seemed there wasn't much farming going on here.Wrong !!!!There are several organic growers in the area and I am just ecstatic to know I can go shopping Saturday morning and get fresh veggies and fruit. (http://www.downtownphoenixpublicmarket.com/)

I hereby take the pledge to buy locally
during National Independents Week,
June 30 through July 6,
to help celebrate the diversity and vibrancy
that makes me proud to call Arizona Home.

I fully believe in that pledge except for the last line..........not quite there yet.

As though that wasn't big enough news! There is also an online Green Market called Boxed Greens(http://boxedgreens.com/shop/home.php) and they sell veggies, fruit, breads, organic chicken, beef and all types of dry goods. Best yet-they deliver to various parts of the valley!! I can order online and they'll bring it to my office in the morning! Wow.

Then - because I work for a medical group, the pharmaceutical companies bring us lunch each day of the week. Nice perk - but most of the time I just eat salad. Being the day before a holiday I really didn't expect to find lunch upstairs today but SURPRISE(!) we had the best food I have had in weeks and weeks. (A side story: Another thing I have had trouble finding in Phoenix is good Asian food. People here think Pei Wei is Asian food. P-a-lease.) Well today I had the BEST Asian food of anywhere. The owner's name is George Yang and he's from Burma and combines the flavors of each region of Asia from India to Viet Nam on his menu. I just about had a seizure eating the Shrimp with honey glazed walnuts - it really was shrimp "to die for". The Mongolian beef and citrus chicken was right up at the top of the list too. The restaurant is George and Son . The story of the name of his restaurant is just wonderful. He was late middle aged when he had his first son. George opened this restaurant and named it "for the precious child that came in to his life as a way to honor him."

http://www.azeats.com/georgeandsons/default.htm

All of this in one day!! It doesn't take being hit in the head with a hammer to realize this was special and worthy of noting.

Stay safe and cool over the long weekend, and try not to burn the house down with fireworks!

~ Hannah
Dreaming in Colors

money, money,money.....

2008-06-30T15:26:00.006-07:00

It seems to me that there is an abundance of talk everywhere about money these days. You hear it all day long on NPR or the news channels on cable as well as on blogs. Besides election hysteria we have finance hysteria. At first I couldn't figure out why everyone was freaking out - at my house we are average middle class - two jobs, reasonable mortgage, few bills, and a small gas efficient car for me and motorcycle for my husband. I would rather have A/C than run the dryer and save on water and electrical as much as possible. I've prided myself for being price savvy at the supermarket - and try to use coupons and sales to stretch the dollar. I belong to Costco but try to be careful and not buy bulk on items that will not keep. There are only two of us at home now, so bulk has it's drawbacks. I do love their easy to fix meals and salads though. I tend to be a sucker for the chocolate/camel apples to, when the vendor comes on site. 3 apples loaded with a year's worth of fat and calories - too good to believe. It started to hit me though when shopping at Wal-Mart and I noticed my dry cat food was $3.00 per bag higher. Then the moist cat food was $2.00 higher. Hum No tomatoes due to E-coli, lettace $2.00+ per head, bread at $3.00 plus per loaf if you want 3g of fibre, what the hell??? When I bought my 2005 Beetle, it cost me $18.00 to fill it - yesterday it was $48.00. Okay - so maybe that is why my paycheck is taking more to survive and a lot less is being saved than last year. I save for a couple of months, above and beyond my nest egg fund, in order to fly to Seattle every two months - and now it may take three months just to pay the same price I have been paying ($269) to get there. Oooh - this IS getting ugly, and I do not do poor well. I can budget and buy consignment when necessary, but I do not do poor.

I remember reading about this woman who got divorced and was screwed financially when her millionare husband hid his assets and she didn't get a dime. She basically had the clothes in her closet and her car and that was it. Because she had lived the 'life' in the fast lane, and had the cloths and style to carry it off, she lived homeless in her car for over a year and would go to Saks and Neiman Marcus to "shop" and would slip into the ladies room to wash and change clothes.Since she had been a regular customer at both stores, no one thought anything of her being there and never guessed what she was doing. If I get poor, I hope I have the balls to do it as well as this woman. She finally wrote a book about her homeless life and made a small fortune and could finally get in off the street. Kudos to her.

One of my favorite blogs is the Midlife Gals ~ SalGal and KK (http://midlifegals.blogspot.com/). They are a riot and can turn a blah day into a sunny one by being so funny. Their weekend post was about what they would do if they were suddenly rich. I used to dream about winning $85 million in the lottery, but kept forgetting to buy lottery tickets. Dah ~ When I started the frugal green mode I'm in now, I quit dreaming about being rich until I read KK's wishes if she was rich. It got me to thinking once again what I would do with the money.

Take a deep breath and tell myself "money will not change me" one hundred times.

Call my financial adviser and find out how to spend but still save at the same time. Rich people seem to have this down and we must learn what they know.
Pay off the kid's mortgage so they can buy the house of their dreams near water with a view. Help them pay enough down to carry a managable mortage amount. Insist on a state of the art crafts room for my daughter that I get to work in too.
Keep the house in Arizona, but redo the kitchen, bathrooms, redecorate it all and re-do the landscape. Use this house as one of three in various locales. Offer it out to other family members when they visit the SW.
Find a house on the coast of Oregon near Cannon Beach. A big beachy house with at least 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with room for everyone, all at the same time, without feeling cramped. Make it a cottage looking house and fill it with antiques and recycled junk that looks great. Live there all summer.

Get a spot in on the coast in Costa Rica for Louie to live in when he needs the tropics. Rent it out for income when not is use.

Buy a condo in Seattle to use when we miss the kids. Scratch that. If we're buying their house for them they can let us have a guest cottage on the property. Since we're paying....and besides, I am a great babysitter.

Buy a condo or small house for Javan and Terina and a car.
Start a college fund for all the kids.

Set up a scholarship fund at the University of Washington in my father's name.

Contribute $1 million to a group that supplies the means for clean water in Africa.

Contribute $1 million to a group working on global warming.

See, I'm not greedy. I share. I'll still buy junk and refinish it - it's my style. I will buy clothes and shoes without looking at the price, more. But I really wonder if I could ever spend $500 on a pair of shoes, unless of course, I'm in Florence Italy and they're custom made just for little ol' me!

Living with this joy in my life how can I not feel rich!

Meanwhile, back in reality, I love my life. We have enough to get by and enjoy life. We have to spend wiser and think about it more, but other than the house at the ocean, I can live just fine without any of the dream stuff. I'll always want a place by the sea - and may still get it. But I am happy with all I have now. Life is good and gets better all the time. It really does.

Keep your chin up!

Hannah ~ always, dreaming in colors

In Appreciation of Etsy Sellers

2008-06-17T10:13:00.039-07:00

I could look at Etsy sites and DaWanda sites all day and night. These two sites in particular offer a wide range of crafters and so much of what is sold is incredible. Why we ever go to the mall is beyond me. The customer service alone makes a person not want to shop anywhere else!

Some of my favorites lately are:

DebDutch.Etsy.com ~ "...for hand painted shoes & unique gifts..."
Deb Dutch Designs makes these adorable hand
painted canvas shoes for kids.
Some with a real sense of humor.

Check out her Guppy shoes...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5606014

khphillips.etsy.com ~ Ahhh - then there's Keith over at Mudstuffing. I bought a French Butter Dish from him that reminds me so much of Provence and the pottery I purchased over there. He is so personable and will work with you to do just what you want. "He sews he throws" is the mantra of this shop. I wanted this teapot but have to purchase carefully or I'll have more than I have room for. I'm waiting for a dutch oven baking pot.

Yummy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5109726

viogeminidesigns.etsy.com ~ Now I have to admit if I was 20 years younger I would buy and wear one of these corsets handmade in England by a talented artist by the name of Viorica. She learned the craft from her Mum and has taken the art of the corset to new heights. They are really like a work of art. Some are rather Goth but this one shown is just gorgeous. Just read what goes into making one of these!!

"The corset is interlined with cotton fabric and lined with strong black cotton drill for durability and comfort.The corset comprises 10 shapely panels with the a metal busk front closure. 10 spiral steel bones are stitched into the seams and 4 metal bars on either side of the eyelets to ensure that you can tighten the corset as much as you like wihout the corset changing shape!"

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5843797

OscarANDTheodore.etsy.com ~ "Meet Oscar: A rough and tumble sort of chap who's fearless...and Theodore: A neat reserved fellow who loves to read and who sits quietly in church" This shop features handmade clothing for children that are so creative. She uses wonderful fabric combinations that are very Eastern Shore. The shorts I highlight here are called 'Nantucket Vacation' and make you feel you are at the beach just by looking at them! She tells a story with each item and brings Oscar and Theodore to life.....

Where are the graham crackers and marshmallows?

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5691728

SarahJaneStudio.etsy.com ~ is a mom and artist that captures perfectly that child-like love of things. Her drawings make you 'feel the love', so to speak. This shop is my favorite for graphics. Her pictures of the Elephant and friend rabbit tug at my heart! She sells both prints and cards. Please check this shop out for that happy feeling we all need so much.

'I love you friend'

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5317715

As you can see, there is a ton of talent out there. Visit these shops as a start and shop until your fingers hurt!!!!

As always,

Hannah
Dreaming in Colors

Wind power and other musings

2008-05-22T15:31:00.008-07:00

Let the wind blow....

The other day it was really windy here and it made me think - epiphany actually. Why not have a wind farm? They seem to be cropping up everywhere - Texas and Kansas of all places. The farmers in Kasas are making more on land lease deals for the turbines than they would if they grew crops. The down side to that is the food shortage. Lord will we ever win this battle?

You try to come up with new energy resources and everyone gets excited about bio fuel and wind energy and then discover to costs too much to produce the corn into fuel and there's a shortage for feeding the world and now wind energy is taking acreage out of food production. More people are eating more grains and legums (vegan) and less meat - so it's a total Catch 22.

Anyway, I have 60 acres on a hill in Eastern Washington that is basically made of land fill. Farmers around me tell me I can't grow anything in the crap soil there is so I was thinking... The wind blows constantly, more up top of the hill than at the bottom, which would be great. A guy who bought the plat of land at the far end of my hill built the UGLIEST house I have ever seen ( yellow modular with a theme of SW stucco that didn't work out so well) and he put it smack dab on top of the hill. Hope it blows away someday but in the meantime I figure we could plant a bunch of the turbines on top and down about half way in the center of my hill which will leave me land to raise Romney sheet with a llama and room for my cottage. Brilliant. Income for my old age and energy production. All I have to do is talk to the sheep and garden.

If any of you Greenies know anything about wind farms please let me know! I need help to get this off the ground. I know nadda. I have found a few resouces (see below) but could use your advice, please.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/large_wind.asp

http://www.mge.com/environment/wind/

http://www.awea.org/smallwind/smsyslst.html

Hey frog! It really ISN'T easy being GREEN

2008-05-05T14:37:00.008-07:00

The weather has finally turned warm enough for my laundry ritual of hanging the clothes outside again and the familiar slowing down and enjoying it has returned. This weekend it was in the 90's with a small breeze - just enough breeze to dry things in about 10 min. Unfortunately, I had errands to run that afternoon which cut into the cycle of wash and dry and I did end up doing the final load in the dryer after sundown. I always feel a sense of failure when I don't do everything possible to cut back on our electricity. While I'm drying clothes outside I am also running the A/C inside. I keep the thermostat at 80 day and night but 80 on a hot day just doesn't feel that cool. Last night I was raking and weeding on the West side of the house and just about died from the heat pouring off the side of the house. When we bought the house we were very aware of the sun pattern and faced the house North and South so the sun would go over the sides with the least windows. We also upgraded our insulation to the highest rating available in the attic, but now I wonder about the walls. I only feel heat on the inside of the windows not the walls. I have trees on the East side where the big windows are and they block most of the morning sun and heat in summer, but there really isn't room on the West side to plant trees. I put insulated panels on the windows, and keep the blinds closed, all of which do help, but if in May the side of the house almost caused heatstroke, what about August and Sept. ~ our hottest months?

Before we built the house, I toured the Botanical Gardens here in Phoenix several times to see the flora and fauna (if you can call it that in the desert) to see what grew with no water and no brown dirt (our dirt is light beige) and they had an experimental house you could see for help in saving the environment. I devoured everything I could learn (1994! people!!) because I knew I now lived in a desert and the rules had changed. Unlike midwesterners who show up here and put lawn in EVERYWHERE and think they're in Milwaukee, No lawn, No peonies, No lilacs, no this, no that. Cactus and plants that strive to kill you every time you garden are the norm. Plants with spikes 2" long and just sit in wait. Oh, and the weeds know just how to bury themselves INSIDE the grouping of cacti (cacti stick together a lot) so you can't possibly get to the damn weeds without piercing yourself a dozen times. Every time I do yard work I show up the next day with scratches and scars from the day before. The cacti always win. Even the trees that look so beautiful have thorny prongs 2" long on them. That friendly mesquite over there? Laying in wait.... The yellow blooming Acacia? Wants nothing more than to scar you for life. As much as I have a personal hatred for the damn Acacia in my front yard, I refuse to kill a tree in the desert. It takes patience and prayer to grow anything so I am the last one to kill something I finally go to grow in the first place!!

I have changed out all my light bulbs to the low energy kind, use as little water as possible, and hope to get an instant hot water attachment for the kitchen faucet. I hate seeing water pouring down the drain waiting for hot water and do my best to do multiple tasks - use the cool water while waiting for the hot. Makes my conscience feel better if nothing else. I do shower every day but in less than 5 min. unless I wash my hair (once a week) which adds 3 min. I smell good and use as little water as possible.

At the end of the day I just look over how I've lived my day and most of the time I feel I've done my best. I combine trips to save gas, and with hot weather arriving, my driving will be cut back and I will be staying home and building my stock on Etsy. My garden looks the best this year as it ever has, and with shade now available from noon on, watering will be even less this year than last. Slowly but surly I am getting there. It takes time to become green and it ain't easy Kermit!!

You tried to tell us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hannah

Dreaming in Colors

Tiptoe through the tulips with me.....

2008-04-22T15:47:00.022-07:00

I just returned from a wonderful trip home to spend time with the kids and get a dose of Green. The weather showed off with temps in the mid 80's and Seattle did it's best to make me long to be back where my heart belongs. It was an eventful weekend with the opening of the tulip feastival in Mt. Vernon and the Green Fest in Seattle. I was in heaven.

We hit Greenlake park on the way from the airport to the house and EQ showed me how much she can do now. I was terrified as she climbed the steps of the slide and came down like a big girl. She showed me how to dig in the sand and loved having her legs buried. We both had such a good time. She was so happy to see me and remembered I was one of the good guys.

On Saturday we wanted to head North for shopping and tulips.We started with the outlet mall in Tulalip which turned out to be shopping vervana. I have never seen an outlet with so much~ We all shopped to exhaustion. Then we headed further North to the tulip fields where all we could see was yellow from daffodiles everywhere. It was a sea of yellow. The weather had been too cold for the tulips, which decided to stay closed until this week. I love daffodiles though and enjoyed seeing all the fields at the base of mountains. The sights are unbelievable. We took EQ there last year when she was only 6 months old, and this year she was walking and running! Her mother decked her out in an adorable Laura Ashley dress and we were ready for the pictures to start. EQ wasn't having it. The fields, unfortunately for her, are made of dirt, and she and dirt aren't friends. She was quite unhappy having to stand and look sweet when all around her were strangers and dirt. It was a riot. Then AR of course had to sleep through the whole event.

The next day we went to the Green Festival in Seattle. It was terrific and we learned and saw so much! I try to do as much as possible to leave a small carbon footprint, but living in the SW it's hard to know if I'm on the right track. Sundance and their green programing leaves me feeling like such a failure sometimes, so seeing I was doing a pretty good job made me so proud. I have changed all my lightbulbs, inside and out to low energy, I have a front loading washer and hang my clothes out to dry, and use as little water as possible in my garden. If it would ever rain I could cut back even further on the watering. My next house will be 90-95% green inside and out. We discovered several great green clothingdesigners,(www.textureclothing.com and www.smallaxeclothing.com) from the NW, and a new social website dedicated to green folks called Greeniacs and there was vegan food and great music. EQ took advantage of the music and danced and flirted with the bass player. (Who flirted back ). We had a great time and learned a lot.

It was nice to be with family and play with kids again. When I'm here in the SW I work too much and laugh too little. Being around the little ones and my kids makes for a lot of laughter, love and snuggles.

In an effort to give back and open my horizons I have become a volunteer Wise Elder with the Elder Wisdom group and have offered advice to several people. I've lived a pretty colorful life and love sharing what I've learned with younger peeople. I certainly don't feel elderly, but have learned a few things along the road to where I am now and people seem to appreciate what I have to say. I also got my first 'bulk' order on Etsy for my Obama shirts. Yippee. I love him. I want his vision for the United States to come to fruition. We need a major change and for me he answers all my hopes and dreams for what we can be as a nation.

Well, that's it for now. As always....

Dreaming in Colors

Hannah

Dancing shoes

2008-04-08T13:53:00.014-07:00

When a little girl gets her first pair of light up shoes and a pink tu-tu, life is just about a good as it can get. The absolute thrill expressed is contagious to everyone around her and they too are filled with this joy they can't explain. She puts on the tutu and is transported into a beautiful fairy, dancing in pink with a crown and twinkle slippers.

I know that feeling is better than anything I can accomplish with yoga or exercise or living right... Pure joy. The best feeling and one we search for whenever we're awake. We really need to go back to the magic of childhood. Imagination is replaced with dreams of sleep instead of seeing magic when we're awake. We get transported into whatever we're reading, at times, but spend too much time watching TV where there is no room for imagination. Quiet encourages imagination and I find I'm spending more and more time in silent surroundings and my creative imagination has the opportunity to flourish. Even if I'm dead tired from a day at the office, the stillness makes me relax and my mind has the freedom to excerise itself. What a revelation.

By watching EQ doing her pretend play I realize the TV is off and the noises of life within the house don't infringe on her creating a world of real friends and sharing tea. We look in from the outside and see nothing but cups in a circle, but she is in full conversation with her guests and enjoying a tea party with all of her special people. The conversation is lively and sincere. Her baby brother is a real live baby but serves as a new doll for her. Whatever she sees him as, is what he is. He looked particularly fetching in the stickers she placed all over his head, face and clothes. She was quite amused.

I am thankful she is getting the opportunity to entertain herself with imagination. It isn't encouraged enough in children today and those of us of a certain age, remember all the pretend we did as kids - cowboys, bank robbers, cops, teachers, doctors and nurses. I remember being convinced that I was an auburn mare trotting all over my pasture when I played recess with my grade school friends. I was so envious of the palomino. She really thought she was something. The trees in the yard were houses and forts and the tricycle made a great truck, car or horse depending on where I was at the time.

We didn't have a television set until I was in junior high so books, the radio, playing outside with the neighbor kids and my imagination kept me busy from breakfast to bedtime. I remember being so busy all day that it was hard to stop long enough to eat lunch. When the weather was warm enough it was always a picnic in the backyard and the milk in a metal cup was colder and tasted so good. During summer, I spent time every day in the garden with grandma. The rest of the year I helped wash clothes, learned to iron (hankies and dish towels) and learned how to cook being with her. She tried to teach me to sew but I'm still getting the hang of that now. We didn't miss TV - we had ourselves for entertainment and it was wonderful.

My life is so much happier now that I have turned off the TV at night and head out to the garden instead, while it's still light out. At dusk I move in to my craft room and sew or scrapbook until late in the evening. If there is something important coming on TV that night - I record it and watch it when there is nothing else to do. Not watching the news three times a day has made an immense difference too. My dreams are better and I rarely have nightmares. I'm not afraid to leave my house and the world isn't a big bad place anymore. I read good news and scan the Seattle Times when I eat lunch but that's about all the news I need.

Get outside and get your vitamin D and smell the fresh air - Enjoy your life!!

Thanks for checking in.
Hannah
Always - Dreaming in Colors

Goodbye - dear friend

2008-04-03T15:58:00.011-07:00

It’s been an odd week. Sunday brought the news that a man I have admired for over 30 years had finally found peace and passed over after suffering from pancreatic cancer. Dith Pran. He had a website that made it possible to communicate directly with him and I felt honored to be included in his final months.

I first discovered him back in the 1970’s when he worked with Sydney Schanberg of the New York Times who was a correspondent in Cambodia during the Viet Nam war. When he and Sydney first started working together they witnessed the devastation of a U.S. bombing attack on a vital river crossing on the highway linking Phnom Penh with eastern Cambodia. Dith recalled in a 2003 article for the Times what it was like to watch U.S. planes attacking enemy targets and I kept this quote: "If you didn't think about the danger, it looked like a performance," he said. "It was beautiful, like fireworks. War is beautiful if you don't get killed. But because you know it's going to kill, it's no longer beautiful."

Schanberg moved to Phnom Penh because he recognized that what was happening there was an unfolding catastrophe. He hired Pran full time, and together they covered the deterioration of Lon Nol’s corrupt government and the gathering power of the Khmer Rouge, culminating in 1975 in the communist victory, and the mayhem that followed. After Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia in 1979 and seized control of territory, Pran’s choice to stay in Phnom Penh and at Syndey’s side when the Khmer Rouge took over is now a piece of history. (The film The Killing Fields) Schanberg was soon expelled and Pran was sent to labor camps where he somehow endured the tortures that took the lives of as many as two million Cambodians, including many in his family. Dith escaped from the camps,dodging both Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge forces, to reach a border refugee camp in Thailand. From the Thai camp he sent a message to Sydney, who rushed from the United States for an emotional reunion with the trusted friend he felt he had abandoned four years earlier. "I had searched for four years for any scrap of information about Pran," Schanberg said. "I was losing hope. His emergence in October 1979 felt like an actual miracle for me. It restored my life." On their last meeting on Saturday just before Pran died he told Syndey “I promise to send you my dreams” as assurance they will continue to be together. They both acknowledged they were more than brothers.

Dith spoke and wrote often about his wartime experience and remained an outspoken critic of the Khmer Rouge regime. When Pol Pot died in 1998, Dith said he was saddened that the dictator was never held accountable for the genocide. "The Jewish people's search for justice did not end with the death of Hitler and the Cambodian people's search for justice doesn't end with Pol Pot," he said. He founded ‘The Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project’ (http://www.dithpran.org/) to educate “American students about the Cambodian genocide which occurred from April 17th, 1975 to January 7th, 1979.”

A man who could survive the horror and come through it with the outlook that Pran did, had a profound effect on me. He has always been a source of strength, and when things get overwhelming, I remind myself that people like Pran overcame things far worse than anything I will ever experience. He found beauty and joy and built a valued life! It really doesn’t matter what we own or the superficial things we sometimes make too important. It’s the contribution we make to the people in our lives, and the earth that is truly our legacy. I can only hope to do a small percentage of what Pran accomplished to feel like my life too, was a success.

Peace

Hannah

Marketing woes

2008-03-28T15:41:00.013-07:00

I wish I had a degree in marketing. Who knew 30 years ago that I would want to start a business. Etsy has opened doors and made home based business reachable for anyone, however it seems to me the successful sellers are people who know how to market themselves and what they do. I have tried the local team, but they seemed to want to sell at shows and at First Friday events and left out those of us who were staying just with Etsy. Luckily I am good on the computer and have figured out blogging and adding links and ads to my blog site. Hopefully this will add traffic to both sites. There is so much to learn and challenges to overcome. I much prefer making the goods than selling them. I love the creation process - find that just right piece of fabric and have it tell me what to do with it.

A friend and mentor of mine has the marketing thing down pat. She does the widest variety of jewelry from fun light hearted stuff to serious Judaic items which I have purchased myself.

You can check her out at A Passion for Fashion at the following link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5218926

Thank heaven my daughter had a baby and I was there to see my first burp cloth. Who knew? Now it's one of the many things I enjoy making. Applique is my new skill. I love my new Singer Confidence machine that seems to do it all. Now days you can Google anything - and voila there were the instructions for perfect appliques. What can't you learn just sitting at one's computer?

Lucky for me my other passion is my garden. Living in the SW we have the best growing weather starting in January and my garden is now giving me such joy with everything coming into bloom. I plan to add my first roses this weekend. I love roses but they remind me of being old - don't know why but they do - so I held off adding them for the past six years. They grow well here and offer cut flowers all summer. I just hope my humming bird flower bed gives me other offerings for floral arrangements. I opted for gardens instead of a pool and about August I regret that choice due to the extreme hot temps we get. With flowers all summer I may have an easier time this year. Swimming pools are great but very selfsish - look at all the water it takes to fill one. Deserts aren't designed for that.

It's almost warm enough to start hanging the laundry back outside like last summer. I miss the routine and look forward to starting that up again.

Please be sure to check out my new and improved Etsy site. I added a new colorful banner and there are always new items.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hannah

As always, I'm Dreaming in Colors now - For Baby

Atty in his RoslynsCloset onsie. So Cute!!

Click on the link below to go to her shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=102728

Hurry Spring -

2008-03-18T15:32:00.010-07:00

Phoenix is in the midst of Spring weather - not too hot and not too cold. In fact...it's just right. We can leave the heat and AC off and have the doors and windows open to circulate air. This is the only time of year I can say anything nice about living here. Come May it will be a different story.

We had heavy rains in February and early March and the weeds have been prolific all over the valley. I went to several stores looking for extended weed killer (very un-Green of me I know)and all of them were sold out. The stores just couldn't keep up. Now I admit to using chemicals SPARINGLY only where I can't get to the weeds (rock riverbeds, pathways and under cacti) and the weeds were smart and grew where they thought I couldn't get to them. Ha! I hate weeds more than I hate weed killer so they lose! They were strong little buggers though. It took me digging the majority of them up, followed by some spray followed by more digging a week later. Once I get them out of there I can use Amaze granuals and keep them at bay the whole season. The really great garden news is my orange tree has blossoms and I just hope the bees find it and pollinate. My first citrus - how exciting.

Besides the yard, I have been a busy bee in my craft shop. I made Elsie a dress and a vest/pant outfit that took so much work and looks so bad on her. I can't help but crack up when I see her in them. It was so bad I deleted the pictures of her in the pants and the dress made her look like a bag lady, and the vest fit, but the pants look like parachute pants on MC Hammer. It was pitiful. I'm better off sticking with tag blankets and burp cloths. My etsy shop is getting stocked and I have been buying fabric like I used to buy shoes. It's important to get designer fabrics not available at the local Joann's so things are unique. It all started with Funky Monkey and has gone uphill from there. I've had to organize in bins all the fabric I have now. Be sure to check out my esty site dreamingincolors.etsy.com)

I haven't seen my new boy Atticus since the first week of February but he's growing fast and has the cutest grump faces. We kid his daddy that Atty picked that up from him. Jason jokes all the time about hating people so we blame it all on him. I can't wait to hold him again before he gets too big. They are small so short a time. I plan to go up North for tulip season in April, again in June and in August for the birth of our second grandson to Javan and Terina. 2008 is proving to be baby explosive. Enough!

Hope this finds you happy and well. Thanks for stopping by,

Hannah

Always, Dreaming....in colors.

We have a Baby Boy!

2008-02-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am visiting in Seattle and helping out now that we have a wonderful new member of our family. Atticus Ryan Ronald was born on January 28th at 8:44am and weighed 8 lbs 2 oz. It was a blizzard the morning the kids headed to the hospital and we were totally surprised to wake up with Elsie at home to a heavy layer of snow outside. We took our time and waited for the rush hour traffic to subside before joining the kids and Atty at the hospital. I don't remember snow in Seattle like they get it now, every year!

Elsie is a wonderful sister most of the time. She kisses and hugs him and feels the need to cover him with a blanket and offers binkies to him - however when we went to get Mommy and the baby to bring them home, Elsie was a bit confused as to why he was in the car with us too. She hadn't figured he'd be coming home too and sticking around. Most of the time she's busy with me or her folks and ignores him. If he cries she gets a bit upset but is quickly calmed and distracted.

He looks just like his little sister Elsie did when she was born, except he frowns all the time and hates to be naked. He sleeps most of the time and eats and we change diapers a LOT but other than that he's pretty quiet and uneventful. We still have to pinch ourselves and remind each other that we really have a baby boy with us now. She was Ms. Mellow about most things but he has definate dislikes and lets them be known. Baths and diaper changes lead the list of least liked activities.

Elsie on the other hand is an amazing little creature and I love spending every day with her. She is vocal and has opinions on everything - and loves her 'Nona' with lots of hugs and kisses every day. We play and read and since I didn't feel like lifting and carrying her everywhere, she is now a full on walker. It started with me holding her hand and her walking with me, and now she stands up and walks off on her own. We make a big deal about it each time and she feeds on the praise and does it more and more! She gets up with the help of holding on to a piece of furniture or my legs and then off she goes to see Daddy, Mommy or baby Atty.

Being a girlie girl myself, I have convinced Elsie to let me brush and add ribbons and a topnot pony tail to her hair. She looks adorable and seems to enjoy the added attention! Her mother makes fun of me and her dad is his usual sarcastic self about the whole thing and asks "what the H--- did you do to my kids' hair?" to which we all protest loudly until he finally admits it looks cute. (I win!!) Now her poor Mom will have hair to do on top of a baby to keep fed and bathed in the mornings.....sorry.

I will head back to Phoenix on Saturday and out of habit will watch Sesame Street to stay up on Elmo, Grover, Abby and Big Bird just so I can converse with Elsie about the latest events. It's our special time and I will miss it so much!!

Everyday I try to figure out how to move back so I can see my kids more. Phoenix is just too far away and I love the chaos and love this house surrounds you with, just by being in it.

I'll write again soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Hannah

Dreaming in Colors

Crafting with Nona

Welcome to 2008 - Hope it's a great year

2008-01-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

We have survived the holidays and are pretty much back to normal again. The freeways starting this week made that abundantly clear - gridlock has fully returned. It was nice for the past two weeks to only take 30 minutes to get to and from work instead of the usual 1 hr. and 15 min. Urghhh

The kids in Seattle and Bellingham had really nice Christmas days - with little ones around, the spirit of the holiday really blooms. Elsie Quinn was totally amazed when she came downstairs and saw the tree had exploded with presents. She got lots of goodies - Santa thought she had been a very good girl her first year. He gave her a baby doll and stroller, a huge Elmo and small Grover, a vacuum cleaner so she can clean when Mommy does, and daddy gave her a computer (of course). She got crayons and loves to sit at the dining room table drawing. I guess she's become quite the little Mommy with her baby doll and carries the moses basket and strolls with her baby all through the house. With a new baby brother coming this month those skills will come in very handy!

Santa was good to me too this year. I have struggled along using a very worn Singer sewing machine which for basic hemming and scrapbooking worked fine, but for anything more than that it would fizzle. Santa brought me a wonderful new one - top of the line computerized Singer that sews, hems, button holes, sews on buttons and self-threads! Wow - have I been having fun. I had planned to make a flannel quilt for Atticus with a pirate theme and did it over the weekend in less than 2 days. I am now making 'tag-blankets' with cowboys and indians in a retro print. I have lots of material so plan on making extras and selling them on my Etsy shop site.

I will be heading to Seattle on the 25th to help out when Atticus joins the family. It should be fun. I miss Reyna so much and enjoy just having her in the same house with me.

I guess the other big news would be the elections going on in Iowa and New Hampshire. I was really not concentrating on the candidates very much - Louie watches Fox News every day he's home so I had seen a few of the Republican debates but none of the candidates spoke to me and how I felt about things. I knew Hillary wasn't my type either. One day I heard a bit of a speech Obama gave and it stopped me in my tracks. I knew of him but not where he stood on any issues. I didn't like that Oprah was so involved and had ignored him up until I heard that speech. I checked his website and fell in love with his honesty and "upfrontness" (new word) about every issue imaginable. It was awesome. I pledged some pocket change to his cause and volunteered for the Arizona Obama Coalition and that gets us to today. I am hoping the trend continues for him and he has a big win in New Hampshire today. It sounds good so far.

Hope you have a great month.

Hannah

DreamingInColors.etsy.com

Yeah - Christmas Season

2007-11-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

We had our first Thanksgiving alone with no kids this year and lo and behold - we survived. I think my monthly trips to see everyone in the NW has helped. I cooked and Louie actually worked a day shift and made it home in time to eat at 6:30 pm !! I have been reading about Heritage turkeys this year and had to try one. I called it my 'organic, free range, heritage, flying turkey'. Yes Virginia, turkeys can fly. Not far or high but they can fly. The Heritage birds are raised on open fields and glean what they eat from the field not from bagged grains. It is healthier and the birds are what turkeys used to be. The ones in the mass turkey farms are injected with growth hormones and antibiotics and are raised for wide breasts which is the white meat - but they are so out of proportion that they can't even have a good time before they die. Poor things. The heritage birds get to have a good time and are treated very well all through life and when they are put down. I eat meat so the least I can do is buy and support farms that do it the right way. I also froze brioche bread I got on my last trip to Seattle and made the stuffing with that and Italian sweet sausage, mushrooms, fresh herbs from my garden, dried cranberries and organic celery and onion. I added the cursory mashed potatoes with Parmesan and cheddar cheese, and creamed spinach. I bought the fresh cranberry/mango sauce but it was super. We had a terrific dinner and we had enough food to last this whole week - I have one more meal left of the white meat and plan to do open faced turkey/cheese sauce sandwiches. Yum.

We had four days off this past weekend and I was so busy. I cleaned the house and did tons of laundry - at least it's still warm enough outside to dry the clothes but it takes a bit longer now. I went through all the closets and purged - 8 bags worth of purging - with clothes and old Christmas mistakes going to a favorite charity. I was then ready to get started on decorating. I keep promising it will be less this year that in years past and so far so good. No lights on the house per se - but I did put up a wooden Santa and lighted tree - we also have a small doe that is lit and this year I added multi colored glass balls to the inside hollow. I saw it done at a shop we go to in Snohomish and tried it at home. It looks so cute! I did white fairy lights on the small bushes too - so the side yard is well lit for the holidays. We have a double gate where I hang 2 plain green wreaths with red bows and cow bells. If someone else wants to add white fairy lights to the trees in the side yard they can, but I'm done outside. I came home from Seattle with all kinds of Christmas stuff and put it all through the house. I'm painting ornaments, and have some paper stars to make, plus I sewed new tree skirts for us and for Reyna and her family. We plan to contribute to charity this year and keep the gift giving to handmade items. Keep it simple and try to have less stress and more fun.

I will go to Seattle again December 13th for 4-5 days. I can celebrate Christmas with the kids then. We plan to take Elsie Quinn for her first carriage ride and then the carousel plus all the lights up 5th Avenue and the store windows. It will be so much fun.She seems to love the trees and lights. They put their tree up this past weekend and Elsie was quite a big help. We should try to make some cookies and decorate them too. It will be wonderful being up home for some holiday cheer.

The big trip is in January when Atticus comes out to join this crazy bunch of people we call family. They have decided on Atticus Ryan Ronald and we all gave a cheer. They picked another great name. Elsie Quinn and Atticus Ryan. Wow.

Reyna called last night excited about snow falling. Here, we're just glad the temps have finally cooled off to the mid 70's with nights in the 40's and 50's. I thought for a while I'd have Christmas in shorts on the deck because we were hot up until Thanksgiving. For the past week we're doing much better. It's actually chilly in the morning! If it continues to cool down we can actually have a live tree again this year. With it hot outside the poor tree would die in a couple of days of 90 degree heat.Thank heaven. Louie would hold his breath and turn blue without a live tree. We all have our holiday "thing" I guess.

Wishing you all a wonderful pre-holiday season!

Love to all

Hannah

Dreaming in Colors and hoping for snow...

On The Home Front

2007-11-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

It was a very productive weekend. I discovered that with the TV completely off, and no music playing I stayed on track and got so much done! Thank you screen writers for making me turn off the TV and craft and sew all weekend. I'd break for dinner ( just a snack) and get right back at it and when I'd look at the clock it was 10PM!

This summer, one of my projects was to start line drying my clothes. I remember how good things smelled when I was a kid and wanted to see if I could do it for that reason as well as energy savings. I keep trying to be more green for the planet and not for the reason my husband says - he's green too - "I like to save as much green as I can...."

For months I have tried to think how my grandmother used to do things. On wash day she'd pull out the old wringer washer, fill the wash tub with hot clear water and get to work. Sudsy water in the wringer and load the clothes - go back upstairs and make a pie crust, start bread dough to rise - throw the pie crust in the ice box, go back down to the basement, stop the machine, start the wringer, push clothes through to clear water - push clothes with wooden pole to rinse, swing wringer arm over empty tub with basket waiting for wrung out clothes. Lug the basket up stairs, around house and hang on line. Hope for a breeze to dry them quickly. Go back downstairs, re-heat water in wringer and start process all over, while baking at least 2 pies and 2 loaves of bread, cleaning the house, fixing a dinner from scratch, with the only canned items used being the ones you put up "last season". Then, when the first line of clothes were dry, 75% of the time the ironing board was up with the iron ready to go so she could iron everything (even the sheets and towels, which were used as training for me to learn how to iron) at various states of dryness, thus eliminating the need to sprinkle the clothes prior to ironing. IF she had to sprinkle the clothes it took a lot longer, because they had to marinate in the freezer for an hour to get that professional laundry look.

Oh yeah, I forgot about starching shirts - that was another tub with water and starch added that the shirts were dipped into prior to the final wringging out - and they had to be watched as they dried because they had to be damp to iron. Instead of bleach she used bluing to get whites white along with a cup of 20 Mule Team Borax. I use the Borax in my laundry today too - it's the only thing that works on AZ water and keeps the yellow out of my white loads.

I'm exhausted just writing this down! She did it every week from the time I can remember until she was in her 70's. She canned, baked, sewed without patterns, played piano and Hammond organ professionally at church and funeral homes (- don't ask) and still had time for me whenever I needed her. She did it all without complaint and with a smile.

I started hanging my clothes outside in mid-July. It was a riot just figuring out how to hang the clothes line. In my childhood everyone had permanent lines in their back yards that lasted year round. In the spring you'd wash off the line or replace it, but the T poles were in cement and lasted a lifetime. I didn't have that luxury, and being in an HOA regulated community I had to find a way to keep it on the down low, so no one could see it and bust me. It had to be close to the back door because I for one did not want that walk my Grandma had with each load. I checked the internet to find out solutions, (the Amish were the biggest help), went to Wal-Mart with my list of necessities and came home with the line, pullies, spacers and hooks. I laid it all out on the living room floor and had to figure out on my own how to put it together. I set it up between the poles of our patio cover and made it so it could be taken down and kept out of sight when not in use. With the heat we have, my clothes were bone dry in 15 min. - 20 min. for heavy towels and 30 min. at most for jeans. I was beside myself. For the most part, the outdoor smell was still nice, and if I used vinegar and fabric softner things were soft but had body. Well, I just knew this was the motherload of conserving on electricity. In some way both my huband and I were being green, green and more green. I didn't expect to see a savings right off the bat with the August bill, but by Sept. I figured I'd see something. Well temps in Sept and October were over 110 degrees 25+ days so the A/C was taking a real load. I waited for the October bill, and still saw no change worthy of all my effort. I was disappointed but still felt there was a change - I was just missing it. Out of frustration I wrote the power company explaining my dilemma . They wrote back - and said "Thank you for contacting us through aps.com in regard to your recent electric bills. We appreciate the recent efforts you have made to conserve electricity.Keep in mind that during the hotter months of the year, over 60% of electricity is used by your air conditioner, so our record-breaking temperatures these last three months have had the most significant impact on your electricity usage. By analyzing your electric usage based on the number of days in each billing period, we can provide a better comparison of 2006 to 2007 energy consumption as follows:
Oct. 2007 statement shows 1306 kWh used in 28 days, or 46.6 average kWh per day-average outdoor temperature was 87 degrees
Oct. 2006 statement shows 1497 kWh used in 31 days, or 48.3 average kWh per day-average outdoor temperature was 82 degrees
Sept. 2007 statement shows 2237 kWh used in 32 days, or 69.9 average kWh per day-average outdoor temperature was 95 degrees
Sept. 2006 statement shows 1921 kWh used in 29 days, or 66.2 average kWh per day-average outdoor temperature was 89 degrees. As you can see, showing the information in this way makes it easier to see that your efforts have succeeded in reducing your energy consumption ------despite outdoor temperatures being higher this year than last...." That's all I needed to keep on keepin' on.

Now, I need to learn how to do canning and preserving and I also did sewing and cleaning this weekend all the while hanging the clothes out to dry and save green...both kinds. Now I need to learn how to can and preserve.....

Be well and enjoy the flowers...the bees need them.

Love,

Hannah

Dreaming In Colors

DreaminginColors.etsy.com

It's almost Thanksgiving -

2007-11-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Where has the year gone? Of course, living in the Phoenix area we are still having summer weather - over 90 degrees every day. Enough already. I want to feel frost and cold air on my face and wear sweaters and an overcoat. Instead, the summer clothes are almost worn out from over use this year. In my office we keep the thermostat so low I wear jackets and sweaters just to remind myself it is indeed fall.

Every day when I'm driving home and stuck in traffic, I call Reyna (daughter) and we relive what we've done that day. It's almost as good as having her still living here but not quite. She listens as I go off about being Green and how the bees are all dying and we must save them. Her dad's causes are 'W' and exercise and mine are being eco savvy and saving things....like the bees. Two thirds of the bee population have died off this year and when one first hears about it one might be inclined to chuckle, but think about all the things in our daily life that are a result of the bees doing their thing. Without pollination we have no fruits or vegies! I'm taking this very seriously and have planted my entire backyard with flowers - so the poor bees that are still alive have a safe harbor in the sea of desert around me. No one gardens in my neighborhood so I am their only sanctuary. Scientists have been working overtime on the dilemma of the bees and it appears to be a multi-leveled problem including stress and memory loss caused by pesticides. Well let me tell you - I'm doing all I can to help out.

The other news is my last trip to Seattle two weeks ago. I got to drive up to Bellingham and see my son, Javan and his partner Terina and daughter Teilani. It was a first time seeing Teilani and she is a doll. She and Elsie were best friends instantly and played and shared toys and sippy cups like they'd known each other since birth. Elise just turned a year in October and Teilani was a year is June. That is great for them growing up together and being friends for life.

I plan to go up to Seattle again next weekend and then again in December and of course for two weeks minimum in January to welcome Goonie - my first grandson. I need to get trained on how to survive a day taking care of an active toddler ending with Elsie in a good mood and ready for bed on schedule. Her mother gets exhausted and is 30 years younger. What hope is there for me?? With 8 days training under my belt I'll feel a bit more confident.

Reyna has been busy getting Goonie's nursery put together. She's doing a Pirate theme. It looks so cute - she's a craft diva and has done so many cute things in a Pirate vein - the best is a song lyric she put on a wall "picture" and all kinds of nicknack's that are so cute. Goonie is going to love his new room.

I keep trying to get to my Etsie site to add knitted hats, but working all day and then getting home after 7 PM most days makes it tough. It took me all day Sunday to take and edit new pictures of everything using a better camera and then Photshop editing them - by the time I was done the evening was well underway and I was pooped. There needs to be an additional day to the week or 30 hours per day. I'm not even busy compared to some people. Reyna gets to read her email and scrapbook after 9PM when Elsie is down, and my friend Jennifer does all her jewelry making from 10 PM - 4 AM. I guess if I could get by on 4 hours sleep there would be no problem. Unfortunately, they have shown in studies that sleeping less than 7 hours a night can make you fat so it's 8 hours min. for this kid. I feel like an old person going to bed at 9:30 PM but if it allows me that piece of pie, so be it.

Hope this letter finds you all well and happy.

- Happy Thanksgiving -

Dreaming In Colors

September is here...almost Halloween

2007-09-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

As I am told daily - Halloween is almost here. According to my daughter Halloween should be as big or bigger than Christmas. I spend almost as much on candy each year as I do on Christmas so I figure it's almost what she's wishing it were. We live in a development that fringes agriculteral land, and truckloads for farm kids come by each year and it lasts for 4 hours and I always run out of candy. I may conplain but I love it. Some towns and cities don't have that kind of neighborhood traffic anymore which I find so sad. Another thing from my and my children's childhood that is disappearing. (Please vote in the poll that follows this posting)

I am really getting into Etsy and my journals. Never being a marketing genious has proven the difficult part of all of it. How to get the word out and spread it coast to coast is hard. There are so many great things to see on Etsy that the down side is you get lost in the shuffle.

I'm getting better at doing digital papers. It's still takes me time to narrow down what I want to use and what it should look like, but the actual task is faster than I thought it ever would be.

My daughter is coming to town from Seattle to celebrate her birthday this weekend. (The BIG 30) We always do the CKC Show in Sept. and that and a group night at Recollections (crop night) headlines our list of to-do's this weekend. She coming alone for the first time since becoming a mother about a year ago, and I can't wait to see how things go back at her home with Daddy in charge for 3 days with an 11 month old.That will be a full blog unto itself I bet.

Anyway, we plan on cropping, shopping and eating our way from one side of town to the other. I can't wait.

Thanks for checking in!

Hannah
DreaminginColors.etsy.com

Last week of summer - Thank G*d

2007-08-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have a blog. I always enjoyed reading them but me doing one is another thing.

Things have been hectic this August, and of course we're in the hottest summer on record since the 1980's which makes everything so fun.

The job search continues but I'm taking avantage of having "free time" to get my site on Etsy set up and getting stock made for the journal portion. Next will be a new set of hats.

Reyna and Jason are expecting their second child this winter so I'll have baby caps to knit and Elsie is growing up so fast - she'll be one year in October and will need all new caps for winter. Javan has a little girl Telani who just turned one in June and they now live in Bellingham. Everyone seems so far away.

I've been working on the land in Selah and looking for a possible house plan for building the dream of a sheep farm. I fluctuate between a country farm house and a totally modern 'green' house. Go figure.

We just celebrated Phil's (Papa/grandpa)Reyor's 80th birthday. Louie and his brother Mike were able to non-rev to Denver to celebrate the event, but air travel is such a hassel anymore, I stayed behind and took care of the house and cats.

I'll try to update this weekly to keep you informed of the goings on around here.

Thanks for checking in!

Hannah