I’m excited to share more “Word of the Year” options! I’ve had some custom requests for a totally different look/color scheme than my original sample. Custom is my favorite, so if you’d like something “not pink” or something with stronger imagery/font – my answer is SURE! Click on the images to order, and if you have an idea you’d like me to work with, send me a message or stop by the shop!
Word of the Year Desktop Signs
Because one “Word Of The Year” design idea was not enough…
I had a request for a different version of a desk top sign, and of course I had to try! These are engraved on black finished wood and slide into the acrylic holders (included!) Sizing is approximately 7 inches wide, but will depend on word (or phrase). Price is $15, and these can be ordered in the shop, or online.
Other wood options are available if black is not your favorite. The engraving can also be painted if you’d like a lighter look for the word. SO many choices! This is why I love custom.
GRATITUESDAY – Snow Days, Peppermint Mocha Decaf Coffee, and My Sweet Teenager
All last week, we were watching the weather forecast for this week because it appeared that our first BIG snowfall (blizzard) for the year was on the horizon. Sometimes in Nebraska, snow is on the forecast, but then it does not appear. This was NOT one of those times. Most towns near us, and including ours, had school cancellations BEFORE any snow even fell, because the meteorologists were totally sure we were in for it. And.. we were! Yesterday, the snow started falling around 7:30 a.m. or so (about a half hour after my husband left for work), and it just kept falling. All day long. It was beautiful to watch from the warmth of my living room chair, but as the day went on, I wondered, “How is Allan (my husband) going to park in our driveway??!” I am not physically able to shovel snow, so that was out. My daughter Martha is still getting over mono, so I wasn’t sure if that was the best option. I pondered it for a couple hours, and probably worried more than I should have.
Thankfully, when I mentioned it to her, Martha was TOTALLY up for shoveling. She LOVES the snow, and was itching to get out into it. About 30 minutes before hubby was expected home, she headed out, cute as can be in her brand new hot pink winter coat, with braided pigtails and matching hot pink tennis shoes. (Yes, the girl needs boots for future snow days). (Photo is her smiling at our security camera, so it’s a bit pixelated).
She worked hard to create an opening for my husband’s car and a walkway for him to get to the house, and then when I expected her to come in, she headed over to the lawn area to make a snowman. I continued watching from my warm kitchen, drinking hot decaf peppermint mocha coffee, and might have had a tear or two in my eyes.
It’s been a rough couple of months for Martha. She got mono right around Thanksgiving, and basically missed ALL the fun parts of the end of the first semester. She wasn’t able to compete in One Act when they went to State, she didn’t get to perform in the show choir concert after choreographing one of the numbers for her team, and she wasn’t able to work for several weeks, which meant no paycheck and NO Christmas shopping. And doing anything, schoolwork included, made her exhausted. Needless to say, she’s a bit behind, been a little stressed, and feeling isolated and tired of feeling tired. Watching her outside, working and then playing in the snow, and seeing her BRIGHT beautiful smile, was such a gift.
And the peppermint mocha decaf coffee? Just my favorite Christmas gift from the family – decaf coffee Keurig pods and Peppermint Mocha creamer. So perfect for snow days like yesterday… and today! It continued to snow last night until some time early this morning. Martha is not out shoveling today, but my husband is home, so he is! Thankful for HIM too!
What are you grateful for today? What are small blessings (or big ones) that you can thank God for?
Gratituesday for a New Year
Sixteen years ago, when our big kids were little, my friend Laura from Heavenly Homemakers started a Tuesday practice on her blog called Gratituesday. It was a regular posting each week about the things she was grateful for and hundreds (maybe thousands) of other folks on blogs and the interwebs joined in this practice for many years. I’ve been feeling a call to more gratitude and thankfulness in my life, especially after the year our family just experienced. There’s nothing like literally life-saving surgery to remind you of what’s important! But it was oh, SO hard. And it’s also easy to forget to be thankful for the life-saving, the progress, the light at the end of the dark tunnel. There were many moments that the walls of the dark tunnel became all consuming and the light ahead was just the tiniest of shimmers. So, all those words to say, I’m bringing back Gratituesday to my life.
Today I’m grateful for more clarity, energy, and the love of family. Over the last few weeks, I’ve felt my clarity of thought coming back (slowly!), and my energy for the things I love rebounding (also slowly!) And it’s totally a given, but I simply wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have the love of family (many of whom are not blood related). Their love has given me hope, sanity and peace… a determination to stick around and go through the surgery…and their love and prayers have given me clarity and energy!
So, what are you grateful for this Tuesday? I’d love for you to join me in this simple practice, whether it’s in sharing in the comments, posting on your own socials, or just in simple thoughts of gratitude each week.
Help Please!
As I work through a 2024 yearly plan for the shop, and especially for craft items AND classes we offer, I’d love some feedback from our friends and followers! Can you look through the list and comment with any of the ideas that appeal to you? (Feel free to private message me as well, if you prefer).
– Watercolor Kits and/or Paint and Sip Events
– Acrylic Painting – Paint and Sip Events
– Cross Stitch Kits and/or Events
– Fabric Embroidery Kits and/or Stitch Events
– Wood Embroidery Kits and/or Stitch Events
– More Wood Barn Quilts / Wood Decor Pieces
– Regular (Monthly?) Fiber Nights for crocheting/knitting (Bring your own project and/or work on something we might offer)
– Larger Door Hanger classes
– Smaller Door Hanger/Wall Art classes
– Paper crafting kits (cards, scrapbooking, etc)
– Kids crafting (share any ideas you might have!)
– Needle felting / Felt Crafts
– Macrame
– Jewelry making
– Bible Journaling
– Calligraphy / Hand Lettering
We will continue to add kits and items you can craft anytime to the shop. We LOVE when you come in and craft during the week when we’re open! BUT, we’d also like to offer regular weekly (or bi-weekly) evening/weekend events this year, if there is interest. If you have an opinion on dates/times, that’d be great to know. And if you have additional suggestions for crafty classes, I’d love to hear them!
And finally, if YOU would like to facilitate craft/art classes, please let me know!
If you aren’t local, I’d be interested in your opinions too, as we’re working on a revamp of the website for 2024 too!
2023 Recap
2023 will go down as one of the hardest years of my life, no question. We started the year with the knowledge that I would need open heart surgery if I wanted to live longer than 3-5 years. Surgery wasn’t what I wanted, but it was what I needed.
In January, I poured all my energy, angst, worry and fear into a project that I’m still very proud of – “The Heart Collection Prayer and Gratitude Journal”. I’ve been wanting to publish something like this for years, and the time was right. By the first of February, the copies were in my hands (and listed on amazon).
The months between February and June are a bit of a blur. Birthdays, graduation and trips. I was supposed to be slowing down to pace myself and not push too hard, and yet there was a true sense of “I don’t want to miss a thing”. To top it all off, I was dealing with a volcano of unresolved trauma from childhood surrounding my first open heart surgery. It was literally the best of times and the worst of times.
By June, I was as ready for surgery as I was going to get. And we found out later, it was definitely time. During surgery, my heart struggled and the surgery took hours longer than planned. Recovery did not go as I expected either. What I hoped would be just a few weeks away from my shop/office turned into a few months. I had to embrace the concept that the recovery process could take up to a year.
There’s no way to be prepared for the emotions, the trauma, and the difficulty you go through during a year like this. I’ve had to flex ALL my patience muscles, learn bucket loads of humility, swallow every bit of pride, and cry rivers of tears through anger AND thankfulness, sadness AND joy. Through it all, there have been some amazing experiences, joyful life-giving visits with family, and deeper connectedness with my husband and kids.
And that brings me to this last day of the year. I’m SO READY for the chapter that has been 2023 to be closed. I’m more ready than I’ve ever been to welcome a new year. I’m hoping to continue in my recovery, to regain strength and energy, to get clarity of mind back, to feel the creative juices flow.
Here’s to more growth, more love, and more peace in 2024.
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