October 2010 | Making It In Vermont

Monthly Archives: October 2010

Any Dream Will Do

Written on October 30, 2010 by Lisa in Memories of Mom, Simply Living

View of the mountains while out on a walk with two of my boys a couple of days ago.

I took my parents to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when I was about 26. It was the Donnie Osmond version. I lived a “T” ride away. I was so proud of myself for buying us the tickets. I didn’t really have a lot of money, was living by myself in a one bedroom, fabulous, yet cheaply priced apartment, teaching art to 7 & 8^th graders during the day and working odd jobs at night.

My mom was 2 years into her treatment for a well spread cancer that had metastisized to her bones. I worried a little that she might be uncomfortable sitting for the 3 hours for the show. I don’t think I had been on the “T” with my parents since I was a little kid, though we didn’t live far from it. We just never went into Boston together. Personally I was in and out of Boston on the ”T” all the time to read poetry at clubs or coffee shops, but riding in with them was a thrill.

The show was amazing -we all loved it, my dad cried.

The most recognized song from Joseph, Any Dream Will Do, has ebbed into my consciousness lately. It burns at me when I talk to people about my current life, this farming (at least to me), family raising, back to basics sort of life. Whenever I talk to people about our 4 boys and they ask if we will have more, I always say “Kevin would have 10″ or something to that effect, though I never thought I would have as many as 4 kids and never would I have imagined all boys! If I talk about our house, land, gardens, and chickens to someone, I say “It’s always been Kevin’s dream to farm”. I grew up watching the planes land and take off across the ocean from Logan Airport and always thought I would never leave the ocean, or a metropolitan area.

I often wonder as I am saying these things about our life, what people think. Do they think I have no backbone, that I’ll just do anything Kevin says? But, I LOVE our life, though I would have never dreamed it for myself.

I had a friend in college who wanted to be a biologist. Had a huge passion for it and eventually became a biologist. I remember being so jealous of her not at all for being a biologist, but for KNOWING. The knowing is such a gift. Then sure there is hard work behind that, but it just isn’t as hard when you feel certain about something.

I have never had that kind of certainty. My certainty comes in bits and pieces, like starting Elemental Memories, working full on at it for four and a half years, and just as certainly knowing when it is time for it to end.

I have learned and life has shown me, through the death of my mom at just 55, and many other smaller ways, that control over my future is relative, that I can have a plan, but a plan does not a future make.

I have found true grace in times when I don’t have a plan, when I feel the unknown of the future and yet still take steps forward, seemingly in the dark. I have seen how beauty, excitement and contentment can be found in places that I wouldn’t even think of.

I am witness to the truth, wrapped in a catchy melody and sung perfectly by Donny Osmond, that sometimes, any dream will do.

~Lisa

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School Lunch Note Ideas # 3

Written on October 28, 2010 by Lisa in School Lunch Note Ideas

Here are a few of my favorites from the last few weeks:

1. to my 7 yr. old son – “Listen well, laugh often, smile at someone who wouldn’t expect it, and have a great day my handsome and loving son. Love mom” (I also added a Halloween sticker and told him how many days it was till Halloween)

2. to both my 7 and 8 year old sons – A photo of Yoda and then I wrote: “May the Force Be With You – Love Mom & Yoda” -the love mom & yoda part kind of tickled my funny bone

3. Palindromes: here’s the link: http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/palindromes.htm
I always write the question and then write the answer upside down. This is the one I used for my 7 year old: What word when written in capital letters is the same forwards, backwards, and upside down? Answer: NOON

4. to my 7 yr. old - beside a cute photo of a baby lion I wrote “You are loved just for being you.” Then I remind him about a few things happening that day.

Some days I write quicker/shorter notes than others. It depends on inspiration and time.
Also I wanted to mention that for the younger kids who can’t read, I have found that the classroom teacher/adult will read my boys their notes till they are ready to do it on their own (it is also a great way for the teachers to have a little insight into our family life).

~Lisa

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Sometimes "Making It" Means Moving On

Written on October 27, 2010 by Lisa in Making Jewelry, Simply Living

After four and a half years, I am closing my photo tile jewelry business, Elemental Memories as of December 31st.

This is such a bitter sweet decision for me. I started Elemental Memories just a few months after moving to Vermont, while living with my in laws and 8 months pregnant with my 3rd son. It was such an amazingly welcome addition to my life. Those first few years as I built the business, I spent many late nights working on my website, fulfilling orders, photographing & designing new pieces. I took care of my boys during the day and then every night was filled with Elemental Memories.

This business helped us purchase our first home, the home we live in now. It has been a great creative outlet for me as well as a way to give back. I have enjoyed the relationships I have created with customers and the joy I have felt being able to touch other people’s lives through the making of and sometimes giving away of my photo jewelry.

Change is in the air, it is time for me to move on. I feel deep in my heart that right now is the time to make space in my life for other things. I’m not sure where I’m heading but I am determined to not let fear keep me from making room for whatever is waiting on the horizon.

I thank you all for supporting my efforts and taking part in this piece of my life.

As I said I will be open till December 31st so if there is a design you always wanted, then now is the time to purchase it.

Below are a few details about the next 2 months:

I am offering Free shipping for all USA orders till we close our doors on Dec. 31st. Please enter EMTHANKS in the coupon code section of the cart.
Our Christmas ordering deadline is December 9th for regular or rush orders.
If you spend over $300 between now and December 31st you will get a free Anniversary Necklace with your choice of date. Just include the date you would like on it in the Special Instructions section upon check out.
After closing I will still be blogging here at Making It In Vermont so feel free to sign up for email updates, or just stop by.

Warmly,

Lisa

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I Love My Husband…/An Anniversary Necklace

Written on October 21, 2010 by Lisa in Making Jewelry, Metal Clay

Kevin and I married in May of 2000, but before we get too rosy here, let me just say that even though we are in so many ways well suited, I could easily hate instead of love him. Oh I could nit pick him to dust if I wanted to and at times I’m sure it has felt to him like I have… After 10 years of marriage and with lots of prayers, I have learned to most of the time, let go and let him be someone other than me. We get along so much better that way

Well I have been working in a new medium, metal clay, and I made these beautiful fine silver hydrangea blossoms from the tree my husband Kevin bought me on our 1st anniversary. I’ve been playing around for weeks with different design ideas for them, and then inspiration struck.

When we got engaged I gave Kevin a ring that he wears on a chain around his neck. Last year when I was fixing the chain for him, I stamped a little sterling silver charm with our wedding year and attached it to the clasp. I always look at that date on his neck and it is so super endearing seeing it there blaring our bond. So endearing that I thought, I want to wear something with our wedding date on it where I can see it, not just the inside of my wedding band.

So here it is, very feminine, fun, flirty. I’ll have it up on my Elemental Memories site soon. For me the blossom is about how once I gave the seed of my marriage water it has blossomed. I will wear it and remember that marriages, like gardens, need tending.

I love that it is something about us. Our 4 boys are such a huge and amazing part of our lives, but they will grow up and have their own lives some day (God willing), and when they do, I hope Kevin and I are as in love then as we are today, and that the date on my necklace will seem like just yesterday and at the same time forever ago.

~Lisa

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Right and three quarters or maybe not quite…

Written on October 13, 2010 by Lisa in Simply Living

My boys received a gift from our neighbor yesterday. It was a Lightening McQueen car from the movie CARS with a book. The car has a sensor on the bottom which enables it to travel along the roads in the book. Pretty cool. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to work. I tried changing the batteries, switched it on and …nothing. So disappointing. I felt worse for our very sweet neighbor who gave it to us.

So after she went home I opened up the car to look at the inner workings, jiggle things around a bit and see if anything looked totally wrong. I am no electronics expert, but I can tell if a connection isn’t connected. Anyway everything looked fine, I put it back together and still nothing. My husband comes home and I have him look at it and somehow for him it works. Great! The boys proceed to have lots of fun with it.

So this morning one of the boys wants to play with the car and book again and I try to get it working. I switch the switch to on and nothing. So I switch the batteries and still nothing. I try tapping it, jiggling, everything I did the night before. Finally feeling defeated I say “Let’s wait till Daddy gets home tonight and see if he can get it to work again”. I turn it off and put it down. My son then picks it up and voila it works! I am happy but confused. I go and look at it. It is then that I realize that when I thought I was turning the car on, I was actually turning it off. If I had even thought to try the other direction it would have worked.

I find moments like that, when the premise I am working with is completely wrong, very startling. It’s like the earth is shaking beneath me.

hmmm. Anyone else?

~Lisa

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An Autumn Walk

Written on October 4, 2010 by Lisa in Simply Living

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