Etsy Weekends - Elephants on Parade

Elephants are my favorite animal. At Christmas this year I bought a carved elephant that came from Nigeria, and she made me repeat a little mantra before she let me buy it, which I have of course forgotten in the time since. It was something along the lines of "Together, Today, Tomorrow." Yeah it was really simple, very powerful at the time, and now I can't remember it. My brain is a sieve. Luckily the internet is here to save me with an inspiring quote from Chimamanda Adichie, who is a Nigerian author, and a powerful voice for our time.

"If I were not African, I wonder whether it would be clear to me that Africa is a place where the people do not need limp gifts of fish but sturdy fishing rods and fair access to the pond. I wonder whether I would realize that while African nations have a failure of leadership, they also have dynamic people with agency and voices."

All that being said, here's a really pretty carved elephant, without a half-remembered origin story.

Vintage Carved Elephant from Vintage Shop of Lucy

Happy Father's Day!

Hello everyone, and Happy Father's Day!

It's going to be a pretty quiet day around here I think, at the very least it has started off that way :) I missed posting last week, but the day got away from me, and we hadn't done much of any note for the week. I've been working on starting an Etsy shop for the Jewelry, and that has taken up most of my evening time. 

Creatively, I've been working on bracelets and bookmarks. My bag full of partially crocheted cat toy balls have been staring at me...but I should really wash another fleece for stuffing...so they will just have to stare a little longer. 

I'm still working on my photo transfer project as well. I've uploaded all of our photos into google photos so that I have access to all of our pre-cell phone photos that have just been hanging out on the computer upstairs. Matt and I also never compiled our Japan photo albums, so that is another of my long term goals. There are a few walls in this apartment that could use some Matt and Kirsten photography, so hopefully I find gold in my searches. :)

Have a wonderful week and a lovely lazy Sunday. :)

Etsy Weekends - Wood Burned Photography

Ok, so originally, I added this guy's shop to my favorites, because he has items listed as "five year anniversary gifts" and I really like the idea of burning a wedding photo onto a piece of wood in (checks planner) 3 years, when we've been married for five. Then....I came across this listing, and realized it was the one I had to share with all of you. I adore it!!

Dog Photo on Wood by OT Workshop

Etsy Weekends - Kitchen Kaleidoscope

It's no secret that I'm a fan of goofy kitchen stuff. Make it a single use tool and I'm all over it. (I'm not a great example for those of you trying to de-clutter.) Here are a couple of brightly colored, single use items I have recently come across for my kitchen.

Colander Spoon from Blue Sky Pottery Co.  

  Fused Glass Bowls from Nostalgia 'n More

Surgery Weekend

 

Hello!

Matt had his second hip surgery on Wednesday, and while we had some surprises this round (they changed their anesthesia procedures between the March surgery and this one) he seems to be doing really well already. He was pretty much ready to start rehab the day of surgery this time - and it took several days last time. I took a few days off to be with him, but he definitely didn't need my help as much as he did after the last surgery. 

With Matt being out of work for the surgery and COVID-19 (we still don't know when/if he'll be back to work due to that) we've both been trying to focus on our side hustles. Unfortunately, when I pull up twitter to post something for the business, I'm assaulted by the grief and frustration of the pervasive racism, police brutality, and misogyny that is at the forefront of many people's minds and experiences at the moment. It feels tone-deaf to try to promote our business in the midst of this, no matter how much we need to monetarily, and navigating those waters have been very difficult for us.

Black Lives Matter. History matters. White Fragility and White Privilege exist, and the only way to combat the complacency of "I'm not a racist" whiteness is to push back against those voices. It is hard to have these conversations with those around us, especially with those we love - I very much do not want to offend loved ones whom I respect - but at this point in time it feels irresponsible to not say something. My silence is irresponsible.

A sign at the Bozeman BLM Protest

This week Peloton hosted a live ride with instructor Tunde, and it was hard. Not just because of events happening today/this week/this month/this year, but because she reminded me of who I really am and what I really believe. 

I am the girl who ran screaming and swearing after a boy who keep showing my friend his ass in the 7th grade. I am the girl who walked with Kyle and Kate to confront the Westboro Baptist Church protesters outside our high school. I am the girl, who with high hopes, posted up information about Invisible Children on my Facebook page my sophomore year of college, expecting a wave of support like I had seen the week before when Facebook users protested a formatting change of said website. I am the girl who grew up listening to Louis Armstrong's Black and Blue, Nina Simone's Mississippi Goddamn, Tower of Power's Can't Stand to See the Slaughter, and James Brown's I'm Black and I'm Proud.  

When I entered the teaching program at MSU, I had this idea that to be a good social studies teacher I had to not have outward opinions on current events or politics. If I want to get a job in a state like Montana, I need to keep my mouth shut, and show that I will not be a problematic hire. It's been especially difficult in the last few months as I apply for jobs and am not even a good enough candidate to get an interview. I've been putting pressure on myself to not stand out for my beliefs.

I can no longer pursue that track. I have to speak out, because I have to live with myself. 

While it is difficult to have a positive attitude at this moment, I hope that we can move forward with real change from this point. I hope that those of us who don't understand the protests take the time to learn more about them. I hope that our governmental systems can recognize their part in the trouble, and take strides to rectify the situation.  

I hope. 

Etsy Weekends - Oh Opal!

The brilliant flash of opals have always fascinated me, and now that my Grandmother Opal is gone, they also remind me of her every time they flash and dazzle my eyes. (Garnets remind me of Grandma too - but we're here for the opals today.) This ring made me audibly sigh when I came across it recently, prompting a "What's up sweetie?" from my incredible husband, who wanted to immediately buy it for me, until I reminded him that we have no money to spend on frivolities at the moment. It's the thought that counts right? And it's probably not my size anyway....

Vintage Opal Ring from NY Fine Jewelry