News About Haiti Fundraiser

The Etsy shop - Hearts for Haiti - has raised just over $20,479. Please do your small part to help. Go to www.heartsforhaiti.etsy.com and buy something for yourself or a loved one. All of your dollars go to Doctors Without Borders. All of the items in this shop are donated. Shipping is free - paid by the donors. Take a look. What do you have to loose? You can sit in your comfortable chair at your computer, with your lights on and buy something for yourself that supports a wonderful group of doctors who donate their time to help those injured in the earthquake in Haiti...

Hearts for Haiti

We can make a difference in the lives of all the Haitians affected by the earthquake January 12th if we do one small thing. My one small thing has been to donate 5 pairs of earrings to the Hearts for Haiti shop on Etsy - www.heartsforhaiti.etsy.com - they should appear with the next 24 hours. If you don't find it, got to the Hearts for Haiti shop and type in mybrownwren in the search window. Here's a sneak preview of what they look like:



Hearts for Haiti has raised over $14,857.76 for Doctors Without Borders. Please do your part and buy something. It's a win win for you!!!

I am also donating 10% of all the proceeds on my Etsy shop to the American Red Cross to benefit Haiti. You can click on the widget to the left to be redirected to my Etsy store...

Now Christmas is Behind Us

We had a very enjoyable holiday here in the rainy northwest. Christmas day was crisp and dry - unusual and very pleasant. We were able to get outside for a family portrait. This was the only good shot out of all those taken. Invariably someone had their eyes closed, looked the other way, or had their tongue sticking out.



Steven got a shot of our grown up Christmas tree. It's 9 feet tall and touches the ceiling if you don't bend the top down (which we've done). This was the first time in eight or nine years that Steven took any interest in the tree and shopping. He bought the tree, the decorations and he helped decorate. There's even one of his trains at the base of the tree. He even got techie, which isn't hard for him, and put the lights on a dimmer so we aren't blinded when we turn it on.



Unfortunately, the tree is still up and the dreaded chore of taking it down will probably land on my shoulders. There are so many more fun things to do like make jewelry. The tree will just have to wait until I have more time. Hmmmm, will I ever have more time???

Here are my newest creations...





These are both etched metal that is cut from flat sheet stock. The design is hand drawn on each piece after it is cut, filed and drilled. Each piece is then submerged into an etching solution for an hour or so. Once the acid is neutralized each piece is cleaned, polished and adorned with beads and findings. I made the ball end headpins for both sets of earwires. Getting out in the garage to play with the torch has been something that made me nervous, but I'm getting over it...

Steven and I spent New Years in Victoria, BC. We had a lovely four days walking around the city, visiting museums and eating fabulous food. The drinks weren't too bad either. I got several shots of two harbor seals that were begging for food in a little marina in the inner harbor. We also got a few shots of some of the more interesting boats. I had wanted to get some night-time photos of the Parliment building, but we both forgot.



The sky was getting very dark, as rain was approaching. This was the only day we had an opportunity to see the sun whilst we were up there in Victoria...

Much to Be Thankful For...

So many changes have transpired this year - many devastating. We have lost two dear family members - my mother-in-law and my grandmother. My father-in-law has suffered the loss of his wife and the use of his lower extremities. I am thankful that we are in good health, that my Dad's cancer is gone and that both of my girls are in school and doing quite well. Lauren will graduate in June and has been nominated by her teacher for a full-ride scholarship to the dental hygienist program of her choosing. Our house is complete (as complete as any new house can be). We just spent a small fortune getting rid of Mt. Claymore (a ridiculously large pile of dirt in our back yard) and having our yard shaped and the driveway loaded with crushed stuff??? It looks marvelous! Now, I hope for lots of money to come my way so that I can plant lots of greenery!

I am absolutely thankful that my husband has finally gotten the Christmas spirit after eight or nine years. He called me up last week and told me he was looking for a Christmas tree. He even got inspired to buy all new ornaments. We now have a very modern looking Christmas tree that matches our house. I must take a pic tomorrow and show you.

We are going to Victoria for our anniversary on New Year's Eve. I am very excited. Oh, what to wear? Who cares! No one knows us there!

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope that your year has filled you with many blessings and the new year brings you many more!

Thanksgiving is Behind Us and Christmas is Looming

We're in the home stretch. Christmas is less than a month away. Thankfully, we drew names during Thanksgiving and each of us is buying a gift for one person, with a $100 limit. Of course, we can all do stocking stuffers for everyone else if we choose. I choose! We've never done this Secret Santa thing as a family before. It should be fun, and a lot less stressful.

If anyone is looking for a little something for that female on your list... I have lots of beautiful earrings for sale on my Etsy shop. You can link to it via the widget to the left. Here's a closeup of one of my new designs:


I made a few of these if you need more than one pair for you, your friends, or your mother.

I Took the Facebook Plunge

I was never really interested in Facebook, but so many people I know are using it to connect with old friends. So, I did it. I took the plunge. It was fun. I spent way too long on there today chatting with people and looking at their pictures.

Great Distraction

Just a little thought... Murder mysteries are a great distraction from everyday life!

Last week Steven and I participated in a murder mystery dinner (a fund raiser for WAIF). We were two of seven characters/suspects in the story. It was quite fun. I have to say that I was a bit nervous prior to its start. We had very little background info - much like the murder mystery weekend in our home town - it's all ad lib. But, all in all it was quite a blast. A little bit of wine certainly helps - unlike mystery weekend experience.