Posted By Kathleen David on November 25, 2012
Today Ariel is back to school for a couple more weeks before her winter break begins. Peter is off on a business trip for a couple of days. Right now I sent Peter and the girls out to have a breakfast at our favorite breakfast place and give the girls some time to be with just their dad. Peter and I are firm believers in giving our children time with a parent without the other one around all the time. It builds the relationship and there is less of a freak out when one parent does go away for a bit.
Today for me is finishing up a commissioned piece and packing up another to its new owners. Then it is onto the next thing that I need to do.
The parade was nice to walk in all be it a little on the windy side. It was only when the wind was blowing that we really felt the cold. Caroline had a great time marching with her fellow girl scouts. And they got to carry their troop banner, which has the names of the girls on it and faces that they made to look like themselves.
Caroline’s birthday party is in a week. We need to get a final head count on that. She is looking forward to it. Then in a week and a half she turns 10. Hard as it is for me to wrap my brain around that concept, it will be happening. As Caroline puts it, these are her last days of being in single digits. And all I can think is where has the time gone?
I am grateful for all the time I have spent with my daughter so far.
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Posted By Kathleen David on November 23, 2012
Black Friday is called such because the day after Thanksgiving was the day that many retail businesses when from red in their ledger (loss) to black (profit) and the sales in December were mostly profit. That business model doesn’t really work in the retail world of today but the name stuck.
For the past couple of years I have been supporting the “shop locally” drive that has been slated for Saturday. The idea is to buy goods and services from the smaller businesses and the locally owned businesses.
Personally I am taking Caroline shoe shopping because her flats are just about done for and I will do it at a family owned shoe shop we have been taking her to since she started wearing real shoes. They measure her foot and have a record it at the store. The sales people know Caroline by this point in fact she is the peer to some of their children and grandchildren. They know her likes and dislikes in terms of shoes and can always find something that she likes. And that personal touch can’t be duplicated in a big box store with personal overturn like there is a revolving employment door.
The interesting thing to me is that this idea of buying from a small business is not limited to just one local place. I consider some of the places I shop on the web as small businesses that are local to me especially artists I like and crafty people who make lovely goods.
After I finish posting this I am going to my local hardware store to pick up some replacement lights for the strands that just didn’t make it into this year. It may cost me 2 to 3 bucks more per box but I know the owner and his wife and his kids. I know a number of the people who work there as I run into to them at other places like the bowling alley and the library. Local people working for a local store and there is something of value in keeping local merchants around.
I am grateful for small business owners who work hard at making it easy to want to come shop at their store.
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Posted By Kathleen David on November 21, 2012
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. In the immortal words of Ron Wesley, “Can we panic now?”
Actually all I have left is to pick up the turkey from the meat store. I have my deposit and my time slot so it should go pretty well. It is a fresh turkey and I am in charge of it this year because Peter will be pulling a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and then driving home.
Also today Ariel returns from college. She had to stay until everyone was out of the dorm since she is an RA and has to close the building down. Caroline informed me that only Arial can pick her up from the bus.
There have been notices on the social media sites along with some regional commercials about shopping locally. We try to do that year round. It may cost us a few buck more, but we know the owners and if there is a problem it is amazing how fast it gets solved. I have a lot of folks who are artists that have Etsy site and their own websites who read this web log. I encourage you to put your online shop in the comments so that others can see them. For the other readers, go take a look at what they have to sell. You might just find the perfect gift.
I am still very thankful for things but today my mind is on getting ready for tomorrow.
I am thankful that I have everything I need from the grocery store so I don’t have to go there for a couple of days.
I am thankful that I will not be shivering in front of a store to get any doorbusters. I have entirely too many memories of Black Friday from the retailer’s POV. I wish everyone who are going for the doorbusters the best of luck and may you get the object you want.
I am thankful for up in the air schedules for good reasons.
I am thankful for a little pause before Caroline’s Birthday. Hard to believe that in two weeks she will be 10 years old.
I am grateful to everyone who is marching or has marched in the Macy Parade.
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Posted By Kathleen David on November 20, 2012
I am thankful for all the different skills I learned over the years that allow me to make the art I make today. And I am thankful for all the people who have taught me various skills over the years.
I am thankful for the materials I use especially the new ones that have been created that make it easier to make things. Before fleece was plentiful, I used robe velour for puppet skin. Closed cell foam is another material that has made it easier to build puppets.
I am thankful to geometry. Which makes it possible to figure out shapes and size things correctly. I have gotten to the point that I can eyeball certain pattern parts and know if they are going to work or not because I can assemble them in my head.
I am thankful to all the people who have encouraged me and complimented my work. You see the beauty in the piece, I see a million errors and things I would have done differently.
I am thankful for all the creative people in my life. You push me to become a better artist.
I am thankful for all the artists who inspire me. You give me something to shoot for and pretty things to look at.
I am thankful to my family for encouraging me to continue to create.
I am grateful for all the cool crafty things in my life.
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Posted By Kathleen David on November 19, 2012
(For housekeeping purposes there is no T-4 because I counted wrong in my head.
Other housekeeping notes: Peter will be handling the Spiderman balloon again this year so look for him in the Macy’s Parade)
I am thankful for technology. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming how fast it is changing but it is also interesting to watch. I remember when a laser use to take up a chunk of a lab and I watched them over the years get smaller and smaller along with cheaper and cheaper where now you can get a little He-Ne laser for under 10 dollars. Holograms are another thing I have watched develop. From the red light to the white light to the little stickers you have on your credit card.
I am thankful for computers. Again watching it go from entire building of servers to something you can carry in the palm of your hand. From using paper tape to cards to magnetic tape to disk drives to USBs and the amount of data you can hold in your hand is amazing. Computers and the Internet have made it possible for that idea of a world wide web where we can talk to people just about anywhere on the planet. It has made us more a global society than just about any other invention.
I am thankful for the Internet for so many reasons. I am an information junkie. I get interested in a topic and I try to learn as much as I can about it. Books and talking directly to people were my way of doing so before the Internet. Now there is a wealth of information at my fingertips. Research for a costume is so much easier. Recipes are a snap to find. Crafty ways of using materials are on a plethora of websites and web logs. The Internet has allowed my family and friends to keep up with me and my life and I can keep up with theirs. The Internet has allowed me to find old friends and make new friends.
I am thankful for GPS devices. It has made getting from point A to Point B so much easier. We still carry a map with us for those times that we need to get around something that the GPS can’t but overall it has made it easier to travel as have electronic toll passes.
I am grateful for all these things that make my life easier and more interesting.
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