Nimli ?

Any other Etsy sellers get a convo from a website called Nimli recently?
I'd love to talk about it.
:)

Travel

As ridiculous as it is to think about travel plans when we have a leak in our roof, need to replace our siding, and need to regrade the backyard so that a pond does not form against the house, I have been thinking of the places I would love to take the kids before they grow up and decide they would rather travel with friends.

So here is a partial list (I will not include weekend trips - New York City, Jersey Shore, DC etc.):

Maine
Arizona
Colorado
Washington State
Hudson River Valley between NYC and Woodstock, NY

England
Ireland
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Germany
Norway or Sweden
Greece
Egypt
Belize
Peru
Japan
China

We only have 10 years to do this. And I have only been to a few of these places myself.

But, if you are going to dream, dream big, right?

Big Plans

I had so many big plans for the day:
actual HOUSE CLEANING
organizing my financials from 2007 so I could turn in my sales tax the month it was due (imagine!)
buying of birthday presents for the four (4!!!!!) birthday parties the little people are attending this weekend
buying of birthday presents for the world's sweetest husband
taking some photos in preparation for the Showcase I bought (that I am sure I will regret!)
jazzing up my FaceBook page

BUT........

Thing One is home from school with some mysterious illness that caused her to swoon and say "Oh, Mommy, everything is sparkly and black!" after her shower this morning.

What a shame that I now need to spend the day snuggled in bed reading Craft, Inc while she alternately sleeps, reads and nibbles crackers next to me.

Cleaning House

It is that time of year. Time to reassess. Time to clean out the closets. And you know me - I don't mean my REAL closets!

Between now and February 1, I am cleaning out the last pages of my shop. I want to get rid of all the things I am reluctant to renew. The stuff that's been there awhile. The stuff that does not quite fit the "look" of my shop.

Everything marked (HC) in the title is discounted 40%. Write "House Cleaning" in the notes to seller, and wait for a revised invoice. I will be adding new items to this list every day between now and January 30.

And a special offer for my blog readers: Buy any three House Cleaning items and get a fourth one free.

There are some terrific bargains to be had! Have fun shopping!

The Artist's Way

My mother and I do not always agree about what makes a good book. She couldn't finish The Time Traveler's Wife; I couldn't finish Goldie Hawn's autobiography.

It was on her recommendation that I read Julia Cameron's memoir. It was slightly better than Goldie's. I did take the time to finish reading it, though I still get the two confused: who had a relationship with Scorsese? who witnessed one of her closest friends being hit by a car? The most interesting part of Cameron's book was when she wrote about the development of her program for writers, The Artist's Way. I was fascinated by the rigor of it, and the idea that if you just keep writing, a little bit every day, you will find you have something to say.

Lately, I have not felt that I had much to say, but I did not realize I missed writing until this weekend. Thing One was working on a school assignment. She had pulled a plot idea, a character and a setting out of a bag and had to make a story with them. Watching her writing in her little composition book, her hair tucked behind her ears and her pencil tapping her forehead, I thought "Hey, remember when you enjoyed writing? Remember when you would rewrite a sentence endlessly in your mind before sitting down to put your ideas on paper?"

Coincidentally (or not) this was also the weekend I received an e-mail from Karen Beth asking if I would be interested in taking part in a support/discussion group focused on The Artist's Way. We will read the book and then work through the workbook together, sharing our experiences on a blog. So, why not? I am going to give it a go and I will share my thoughts here.


And, proud mama that I am, I have to share the first couple of sentences of Thing One's story.

Hello, Reader, I'm finally talking again! I know you're surprised, but let me tell you the story.

Aren't you on the edge of your seat?!