HELLO 2019

“The New Year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written...”

2018 was a very good year for my family.

We are ending this year with everyone in good health-although my Mom had some AFib issues this fall. But, she will be eighty-seven in a few months and Dad will turn eighty-six, so I guess a few  issues now and then are to be expected.  I feel very blessed to still have them both in my life.

All my kids are gainfully employed! Brittany is working for Strand Engineering, and Chad at FastSigns; Kristin is teaching Art to middle schoolers in Milton, and Michael started a new job managing the restaurants/food services on the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin; Molly remains at Plan B Advertising in downtown Chicago, and Lukas recently began a new job with AbbVie; Austin continues to build his Real Estate business, and is beginning the process of also taking over Gannon Construction, while Phoebe works for Sedgwick CMS.

Tom is easing into retirement. Although he still goes into the office most everyday, he is there mostly because it is routine. (Don’t tell him I said that). He usually manages to head north to the cabin about mid week, however.

I am still creating funky fiber art Spirit Dolls, (with Kristin's help), although at a much more relaxed pace. I am selling them in our Etsy store, rhinestonegypsy.etsy.com 

Tom and I managed to take a lovely little winter trip to Venice Beach, Florida, last February. On February 14th, we fortuitously wandered onto the beach at sunset, and happened upon the annual Valentine's 'Wedding Vow Renewal' Ceremony! There were over 100 people participating, dressed in all kinds of wild attire-hippies galore! So, we joined them and renewed our vows as the sun was setting and 70's music played in the background! Big fun!  We also took a cross country road trip to Colorado in September for Austin’s best friend’s wedding in Breckinridge. (I've always referred to Nick as my second son). I love the mountains and adored absolutely everything about Breckinridge! And, we survived the long car ride still liking each other (mostly) too!

Tom and I spent a lot of time at the cabin this year, often with family and friends, showing off our north woods paradise. It never gets old.

At our Thanksgiving gathering, Britt and Chad surprised (and shocked) us all with the announcement that they went and got married! Everyone is thrilled, of course!

And, last but not least, we welcomed two new babies into our family this year! Leonides James Yant was born in January, and Thomas Boyd Gannon II arrived early in May!

Oh, how we love our three little grand boys!

We certainly had a big year. A year to celebrate.
And, today, we embrace a new year. With it comes new challenges, new opportunities, new blessings, new adventures, and new memories to be made. 

In the words of Neil Gaiman, "May the coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.  I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art...write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And, I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."

Happy New Year!

CELEBRATING WINTER SOLSTICE

Winter is a time of rest and renewal and inward focus.  This is the earth's fallow time, a mini-death when nothing is growing (at least outwardly).
It is a time to honor the complete cycle of nature.  And, coming as it does at the end of a calendar year and the beginning of another, it is a time to re-evaluate, to shed what no longer serves us, and to create intentions for what we want to manifest in the New Year.

Winter Solstice, also know as Midwinter or Yule, is an ancient pagan festival that marks the shortest period of daylight of the year, and the longest night; when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is at it's lowest. Winter Solstice is celebrated on December 20th or 21st.

Winter Solstice festivities traditionally commenced the morning after the longest night, acknowledging the 'rebirth of the sun' (which was personified into 'Newborn Son' in Christian mythology), with much joy! From this day forward, the day's became longer.

Bonfire's were lit, homes were decorated with evergreen boughs, apples and oranges were studded with cloves, holly and ivy and mistletoe (regarded as the 'seed' of the Divine) were hung everywhere....all insuring that the Nature Spirits would come join the celebrations!   According to Celtic lore, a spring of holly was kept near the door all year long as an invitation for good fortune to visit the household.

The ceremonial Yule Log was considered the highlight of the Solstice festivities. In accordance with tradition, the log was harvested on the household's land, and once dragged into the house it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider, and set ablaze by a piece of last year's log.
The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days.

The Deities of Yule: Sun Gods, the Mother Goddess, and the Triple Goddess.

I have just listed our Winter Solstice Triple Goddess Spirit Doll in our Etsy store.

THE FAERY GODMOTHER

*Faery GodMother: Faery Grace. Unconditional Love. Protection.

Gifts. Talents. Grace. 

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*The Faery Godmother is here to bring a little magic into your life. She might give you a bit of faery dust to brighten your mood, or perhaps a little grace to help you on your way. She’s responsible for those little inconspicuous miracles that make life a little bit nicer. She will bestow gifts upon you and sometimes gives you a choice when you thought you didn’t have one. The Faery Godmother loves you not because you deserve it or don’t deserve it, but because you exist, that is reason enough for her. It is simple. She is the giver of grace and useful lessons. She tries not to interfere very much and instead gives you a touch of faery grace so that you learn a wee bit faster.

Think of her as your personal guardian angel’s assistant. She takes care of those things your guardian angel might forget about.

The Faery Godmother turns up when good things are happening to you, especially good things that you feel you don’t deserve. That is her lesson. It’s not about being worthy, it’s about giving and receiving unconditionally and she wants you to know that. Take that lesson to heart and teach it to others. 

*(some descriptions of this Spirit Doll from Brian Froud's The Faeries' Oracle)

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* The Faery Godmother is made of salvaged, recycled, tattered fabrics, textiles, laces, ribbons, jewels, beads, buttons, furs, feathers, twigs and stones. Her face is hand formed, hand painted polymer clay

*The Faery Godmother is 15" L, comes with her own stand, or can be hung on the wall

*The Faery Godmother is available for purchase in our Etsy shop

BACK IN BUSINESS

"I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it"- Shakespeare

The cabin is finally finished! The landscaping is finally finished! And, the decorating is nearly finished! (That will be a work in progress for awhile yet). It was a little over two years ago that Tom and I began this project, and I put my business on hold.  I wanted to devote my time and energy to building and decorating the cabin.  Now that it is pretty much completed,  I have been itching to get back to creating my Spirit Dolls. Last week I re-opened my Etsy Shop,  and this week I have been busy posting our (Kristin has stuck with me) latest creations!

Take a look at 'The Shaman'. He might be my favorite Spirit Doll thus far, and is the first one I chose to list in our 'new' Etsy Shop.

Please come back and visit often in the coming weeks. We have many new dolls to share!

*Shamanism organically arose all over the world, all throughout history, as a response to the needs of people. Shamanism is an ancient collection of traditions based on the act of voluntarily accessing and connecting to non-ordinary states — or spirit realms — for wisdom and healing.

The word “shaman” comes from the Siberian Tungus tribe, and it directly means “spiritual healer,” or, more cleverly, “one who sees in the dark.”

Generally, there is one shaman per community. These shamans access the spirit realm for the purpose of individual and communal growth and healing — they do this by restoring and removing energetic pathways, recovering soul parts, and communicating with non-physical helpers to discover the spiritual aspects of illness and find answers to life’s seemingly impossible questions. This reality-penetrating ability marks them as the world’s very first doctors, storytellers, mystics, and even psychotherapists.

Shamanism comes with a great responsibility. Alongside simply accessing these worlds, they must possess the ability to transform what they have learned and experienced into a concrete change in the physical world.

Shamans also act as great teachers, for they teach that everything is spirited; that all things are interconnected and alive, including (but certainly not limited to) the Earth itself, the stars in the sky, and even the wind in the air. For this, it is also the shaman’s role in a community to demonstrate and maintain the harmonious balance of humankind, nature, and spirit.
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* 'The Shaman' is made of salvaged, recycled vintage fabrics, textiles, ribbons, yarns, jewels, crystals, beads, buttons, furs, feathers, twigs, bones and stones. His face is hand formed, hand painted polymer clay.

* He is approximately 18” L

* He is an original and one-of-a-kind, collectible art doll

* He comes with his own stand, or he can be hung on the wall.
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 https://www.etsy.com/shop/rhinestonegypsy

(or, click on the ETSY link on the right hand side of this blog to go directly to our storefront).

CAMPFIRE MAGIC

"Moonlight. Fireflies. Wolves. Star gazing. Stillness. Lovemaking. Dreaming. Magic.
I am in love with the night."

Memories are made sitting around a campfire telling stories, singing songs, or making s'mores!  We knew we wanted ours to be a cozy space for entertaining......

Our landscaper used various sized boulders gathered from our woods to create the fire pit circle and the wall surrounding the area. He even found some beautiful flat boulders he incorporated for built in seating! He then filled in the space with huge colorful flagstones.

We are thrilled with the result!  It is cozy and comfortable as well as stunningly beautiful!

CABIN GYPSY

" I have a room all to myself...it is called Nature." - Henry David Thoreau

My husband, Tom, and I own a wee bit of paradise on Presque Isle Lake.  We have owned the land in northern Wisconsin for 23 years-having bought it with intentions to build our very own dream cabin way back then.  But, shortly after that, the economy took a downturn, so we put our plans on hold.  Luckily, the property came with a quaint little old cabin that we cleaned up and used. For 23 years. But, accommodating six of us in that tiny space was a lot easier when the kids were young.  Now they are grown, getting married and having babies of their own...and that little cabin just couldn't hold everyone anymore. So, finally, last fall we began the building process...

...and finished a few weeks ago ( well, we still have plenty of decorating to do, but, that will come in time) and are currently working on the landscaping.

We have been going up most every weekend, but, as soon as Tom finishes his final development project here in Mc Farland (hopefully by summer's end), we hope to spend much more time exploring our northern wilderness while we are 'roughing it in style' at our cozy new home on the lake.

SIXTY-FIVE AND VERY WISE

As this year comes to an end, and my sixty-fifth birthday beckons, (yikes!) I thought I might publish my personal list about what I have learned this year...or, more aptly, 'what I have learned in my sixty-five years on earth' (:

1. There is no such thing as too much fun.

2. Choose a partner who makes you laugh....and lets you cry.

3. There is nothing that a John Denver song can't fix.

4. When people act like they don't care about you, believe them.

5. Fall in love as often as you can. Fall in love with songs, fall in love with books, fall in love with places, fall in love with people. But, above all, fall in love with yourself.

6. Running away from your feelings is a race you will never win.

7. When a relationship is over, walk away. You will not gain anything from watering a dead flower.

8. Life is passing you by. Slow down. Smell the roses. Make the most of every moment.

9. Good people sometimes do bad things.

10. Bad people do good things.

11. You don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.

12. Make mistakes; lots and lots of mistakes. Learn from every one.

13. Happiness is an inside job.

14. Grandchildren are life's greatest lesson/gift in loving unconditionally.

15. If you like that dress, wear it. Life is short.

16. When someone does something wrong, don't forget everything that they have done right.

17. Make peace with your past so it doesn't continually screw up your future.

18. Get rid of anything that isn't useful or bring you joy. Clutter weighs you down in so many ways.

19. Travel as often as you can. Visit places you have only dreamed of going.

20. Spend money on memories, not things.

21. Be kind to others.

22.  Be kind to yourself.

23. Life isn't fair. Right doesn't always win.

24. Never stop believing in miracles.

25. Sometimes it is important to just show up and be present.

26. Family first. Always and forever.

27. Don't act on impulse.

28. Act on impulse as often as you can! Life is short!

29. And, again, one more time, LIFE IS SHORT. So, don't take it too seriously. Live it with passion and whimsy. Live it succulently, wildly, richly. Live it so at the end of it you can say, "I wouldn't have changed a thing."