Monday, November 24, 2008

Giving Makes a Difference

We've been trying to simplify, especially with material things. So we cleared out our house, room by room. Let me tell you, it was so liberating! We had a huge yard sale on Saturday, hoping to get rid of unnecessary stuff and make some extra cash. 

Unfortunately, it was freezing! Hardly anyone was out of doors, so we made a grand total of $75 bucks. It was so depressing to pile it all back into the house. Later on, we decided to just give it all to Goodwill. So even though we didn't make a lot of money, at least it went to a good cause, and maybe they will be able to get some cash from the sale of it this Christmas. 

Now more than ever, people are in need. I talked to several people this weekend who are suffering because of our economic recession. We're having a hard time ourselves. But I know it's important to give out of our need, so I try to donate whatever I can whenever I can. Maybe it's canned food or clothes, or even fundraising for a good cause. Check out what our band is doing: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=47062091

If we all try to give something, then we CAN make a difference.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Christmas Creating

Do you even remember life before cell phones? We use ours so much that we don't even have a home phone. Unfortunately, I could use one right now. My cell phone is broken & the store is giving us the run around on getting it fixed. So it's been 3 days now with no phone. On the positive side, it's been very quiet around here.
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It's hard to believe that Christmas is next month! 

The last two years, I've tried to be creative and make as many gifts as possible. Mostly for financial reasons, but then I discovered that I truly loved it. It's so much more personal when you hand someone a gift you've created just for them. It forces you to plan ahead, really think about the person and what they'd love. In the past, I'd think for a few minutes and try desperately to find something amazing at the mall. Which rarely happened, and I usually felt guilty about my less than ideal gifts.

So this year, I've decided to go one step further. I'm either going to make all the gifts for Christmas, or I'm going to buy from small artists and crafters, to support the incredible talent out there. I love using
 www.Etsy.com for this purpose. I could spend hours (and sometimes do!) looking at all of the handmade items listed on the site. I encourage you to go check it out, but be forewarned- you'll be hooked! I'm selling my gifts at www.MixedEmotions.etsy.com

So this holiday season, go look online at some creative gifts, or create your own for those special people in your life!
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Here's some of my recent favorites: 

Friday, November 14, 2008

A Busy Year

So I see that it's been a while...

This year has flown by so quickly, as they all do. I got a job in February working for a community mental health provider, then quit in August to stay home with my baby again. Driving 45 minutes one way was a killer, especially during the crazy gas price peak.

Since returning home, I've continued to work on my book, started selling artwork online, and have played a lot of shows with my band. Right now, I've got writer's block with the book (or just need a new strategy). I have more creative art ideas than I have time to even begin (my toddler loves to "help" with everything). And we just met with a local producer tonight to talk about recording a new EP for the band.

So I'm wondering what a year from now will look like...
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