Knock, knock. Who's there? Remember me???

Hello, friends! Have you missed me? I've certainly missed you :-) Things have been a bit hectic in my little world this last month, but I've definately been working, weaving, and swapping... But apparently not blogging! (Speaking of swapping, the picture above is of Barkley playing with his new favorite toy: A rubber chicken that was sent by one of my swap partners in ISRAEL!!! Cool, right?)

Anyway... My Kumon Center is blessedly busy. I'm working about 60 hours per week right now, but I have no complaints. OK, one complaint. We are getting a new roof put on our building (thank you, new landlord!). Over the weekend, we had a freak hailstorm which dumped several inches of hail on Rio Rancho. Unfortunately, the new roof had not been completely sealed before the storm, the temporary drainlines didn't hold, the ceiling in my Center collapsed, and, needless to say, hundreds of gallons of water poured into the Center. Nice. (Words very unbecoming to a Kumon Instructor might have been uttered when I saw the destruction.) But... Nobody was hurt, no worksheets or important data were destroyed, the carpet will (eventually) dry, and furniture and student prizes can be replaced. This, too, shall pass :-)

Oh. Can I lodge one more complaint? On top of my 60 hours per week, business trips to Phoenix last month, New Jersey next month, and New York in July... I'm on JURY DUTY for FOUR MONTHS! It appears that owning a business that cannot operate without you is not a "valid" reason for being excused from performing my civic duty. Lovely. (A friend of mine suggested I claim "Tourette's Syndrome" as a reason for dismissal. She thought I would VERY convincing in playing this part... I, unfortunately, must agree with her!)

I mentioned that I have also been able to find time for weaving. Below are a few of my latest creations:

Mail basket swapped to on of "Swap-Bot" sisters in exchange for a lovely crocheted scarf.

I wove this basket around a large glass jar and filled it with flowers for one of the volunteers at my Kumon Center. It is currently being used as a utensil holder in her kitchen.

This sweet little basket was sent to another of my Swap-Bot friends. Here's the message she sent to me after she received the basket:

" Tonight I told my mom, "Look at this great basket someone made just for me!" She gave me a look like she didn't believe me, and said I was silly believing someone made it for me. She said that it looked "store-bought" and "too good to be handmade". I said, "Nope. She made it just for me. She's a basket weaver and even signed the bottom of the basket. Isn't that cool?"

She finally beieved me... So kudos! Your stuff rocks :-) Just thought you'd like to know. ~April"

Pencil basket sent to a swapper who likes to draw. This was the first swap I sent to a "Swap-Bot brother" :-)

I filled this basket with a collection of little rubber duckies and bubble bath and shipped it to a friend in Hawaii.

This little basket went to a swapper in England. She loves to cook and collects recipes, so a recipe basket seemed to be the perfect gift.

'

OK. That's all for now, as I have work to do :-) My next post will be about a new weaving project that I loved so much I'll be making more for all of my seamstress friends. Stay tuned, my crafty friends!

'

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

Need a Smile? Call The Nestle Hotline!

If you need a chuckle try this...

Call the Nestle hotline at 1-800-295-0051.

When asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish wait quietly for about 10 seconds and you will smile!

Keep listening, and then press 4.

Listen to the options, then press 7.

Yes, it will make you laugh! Yes, you can let your kids listen to it...

Dial in... Post your comments :-)

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

P.S.
If you comment on this don't give away the surprise!

What He Said. What I Heard. (Husband to Wife Translation)

So... I'm sitting at the kitchen table this morning making origami doll bookmarks. (Yeah, no pictures. Yet. I seem to have misplaced the cable that links my camera to my computer. Shame on me!)

After an hour or so of cutting and folding, my husband strolls out of his office and says, "Wife. Whatcha doing?" (Yes, he calls me Wife. I call him Husband. If I call him Dave, he knows I'm mad about something. I can't remember the last time he called me Anne!)

I smile up at him lovingly (ok I glare at him a bit, because he is disturbing my creative process) and reply "I'm making origami doll bookmarks, Husband. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Cool!" Husband says as he looks upon an army of headless kimono bodies. "I'm so happy I have a crafty wife."

Ha! I, of course, heard "Please feel free to go to Michael's and spend as much money as you want. This makes me happy."

I now am the proud owner of two bags of new crafting supplies :-)

Ladies, please feel free to share this translation with your husbands. Or not.

Until I find the camera cable and can post my Origami Doll Bookmark tutorial...

Hugs and blessings~
~~~Anne

Christmas in Mexico

Feliz Navidad! No... I'm not spending Christmas in Mexico, but I have met a new blog friend who shares all things Mexico. Her name is Angie, and her amazing blog is called At Home in Mexico. Angie is an educator who is very excited about sharing details about her life in Mexico. She posts amazing pictures of the country, churches, celebrations, and food, as well as providing very detailed an colorful explainations and commentary.

Below are just a few pictures from her posts about December celebrations in her country:

December 12 - The Celebration the miracle of the Virgin of Guadalupe

A A beautiful young lady with traditional embroidered attire and decorated braids.

Scenes from a marketplace selling figurines for Nacimientos (Nativity scenes). I love how Angie explains that people continually add to their collection each year. I also enjoy that in Mexico, the true spirit of the season is celebrated... If a family has no money for a Christmas tree, they still have a Nacimiento. Beautiful!

How cool is this? The Holy Family made out of corn cobs! The 5th grade girls at Angie's school had to make Nativity scenes from any materials they chose. Click here to see some very creative ideas. Great job, ladies!

Oh... One more thing. Angie hosted a giveaway for a bag she made and a scarf from Mexico. What do you see on the slips of paper that were the winning draws? Yup, that's me, third one down. I can't wait to post pictures of Angie's generous gifts when they arrive. Thanks, Angie!

Merry Christmas!

~~~Anne

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Kumon Booth at NMJACL Aki Matsuri 2008

It's 7:30 in the morning, and I'm off to host a booth at NMJACL's 2009 "Aki Matsuri" (fall festival). Kumon of Rio Rancho proudly donated the first place prize for this year's raffle, and will also be conducting drawings every hour for Kumon books and gift certificates. All of the profits from this event go towards building a Japanese Cultural Center in the Albuquerque metro. If you're in the area, we'd love to see you there.



You're looking at pictures from last year's event, but I'm sure I'll have a bunch more from this year's Aki Matsuri to post this week.



Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

What I've Learned...

Words of Wisdom from Maya Angelou~

• I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
• I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
• I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
• I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."
• I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
• I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.
• I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
• I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
• I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
• I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
• I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

What have you learned?

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne