Goodbye, Aunt Jan

There is sadness throughout my family as we mourn the loss of my Aunt Jan. It's probably the first time in my life that I have associated sadness with Aunt Jan - she was always the life of the party, making everyone laugh, no matter what the situation. Actually when I think of her now, I can't help but remember how much she made me laugh.

Michele and I were talking to my mom on Friday morning just before Mum found out that Jan had passed. We were recounting my fondest memory of my aunt: whenever we would visit Aunt Jan when I was a child she would say, "Lord, Shelly, I can't wait until you outgrow that squeaky high voice of yours. It sets my ears to ringing!" I would giggle and say, "Oh, Aunt Jan!" And then I'd sit close beside her and look at all the rings she wore - so many! I always thought Aunt Jan was a sort of gypsy because of all those rings.

When I visited her as an adult, somewhere in my late twenties, I said, "Aunt Jan, I bet you're glad that I finally outgrew that high, squeaky voice, right?" And she laughed and said, "Who says you have?! It's just as high and squeaky as ever!"

This past Friday, as Mum, Michele, and I were chatting about this memory - a memory that came upon us out of the blue - I remember commenting that I couldn't wait for Aunt Jan to meet our baby, who I imagine will have the same high, squeaky voice that Jan so teased me about as a child. I imagined we'd come full circle. And then, just a few hours later, we learned that she'd passed away. I have a feeling that she's already met our little baby and is already teaching her or him lots of naughty things. . .and already teasing her/him about that high, squeaky voice that I'm sure I passed on.

You are dearly missed, Aunt Jan, but I bet you've got all the angels in heaven laughing up a storm!

Have Tools, Will Travel!

Michele and I have been busy, busy getting the house and ourselves ready for our January new addition. We've thankfully been blessed with many friends lending us time and hands. I was able to repay some of our friend Sue's generosity with a little labor of my own! Sue helped us so much by priming and painting our baby's room, so when she mentioned wanting to build a little stage for her baby, her four-year-old baby, I was all over the idea! Our friend Joe and I spent part of this past Sunday building the sweetest little stage that I just imagine will be party to lots of little productions - productions that Zordan will hopefully be a part of when s/he's a little older! It's always fun to have a good reason to get out the drill and build something that you know will be loved for years to come!

Joe and me standing before Sue's freshly-constructed stage!

Summer Shows

Just a couple of weekends ago, I got to have a fun day selling at my first summer show - and my first outdoor show. It was a real treat! It was a hot day, but under the tent it was nice and shady and there was a wonderful breeze. The crowds were friendly - it was a neighborhood festival in an area heavily populated by young, trendy folks, so people watching was one of the highlights of my day. The real highlight, though, was that the area's farmers' market was set up just across from my booth and they advertised their space with huge canvas carrots - how I wanted to steal one of those carrots, but I resisted!

My first summer show - in my favorite outfit, which, of course,
matches my shop colors.

You just don't know how hard it was not to take one of these carrots,
but I feel like I need to be a good role model for the baby. Though, when
it comes to carrots, I should get some latitude, right?

Work of Our Hands

Although we weren't able to put in a garden this year, we have gotten the chance to do some canning. I didn't get to make pickles or barbecue sauce this year, but we picked fruit several times and made lots of jam: blueberry, black raspberry, and sour cherry. Surprisingly, to us, the sour cherry is our favorite. Neither of us had ever tasted a sour cherry, but we thought we'd make some jam anyhow. . .and we are SO glad we did! Oh, yum!

Freshly picked and washed blueberries. I love how they look
against my favorite gold colander!

Black raspberry jam - yum!

Blueberry jam - so good!

Michele and I ending our afternoon of picking with a
sour cherry pitting session. It was her idea to pit cherries
on the futon. Thank goodness that cover is washable!!

Freshly pitted cour cherrie - so pretty!

Sour cherry jam and canned sour cherries. The canned cherries
are amazing warm and over homemade vanilla ice cream - oh yum!!

And Then There Was Furniture!

Michele and I were like little kids on Christmas morning this Wednesday when we got the call that our furniture was five minutes away. Two wonderful men brought in each piece and set it exactly where we wanted it. And just like that, our living room was done (well, except for the window treatments I still need to make)! It immediately felt so warm and welcoming. We hadn't realized how little warmth our previous parlor had until we removed the wallpaper and redecorated. It really feels like home! One neat thing is that at practically the same moment, Michele and I looked over at the new chair and the Winnie the Pooh books on the nearby shelf and said, "I can just imagine sitting there with little Zordan on my chest reading Winnie the Pooh." It's wonderful to be of like minds, though I have a feeling we'll be arguing over who gets that chair!

Two lovely delivery men bringing our new couch

The most comfortable chair ever! Perfect for cuddling
a little angel and reading Winnie the Pooh!

A salsa red couch adds just the right balance of color
against the butterscoth orange walls. Oh, how I LOVE that couch!

A pretty new TV stand with lovely storage for all our
DVDs and CDs. And, of course, Star Trek on the TV!!