Lyrics and Light

I was wondering what I would write for my final entry of 2008. I thought about it all week and then an email came from a good friend who is very dear to my heart. We'd talked about Dar Williams earlier in the week and I guess she was still thinking about our conversation. She sent these lyrics to me, saying simply "This reminded me of you...and your friends." and I was very touched by the sentiment.

I can't think of a better way to close out 2008 and welcome 2009 than to share these lyrics with you and wish you the kind of light and love in your lives that my sacred circle of friends bring to mine.

***

My Friends

I have a friend in a bright and distant town,

She's found a common balance,

Where you do your work, and you do your love,

And they pay you, and praise your many talents.

And I'm passing through, and we're not going to sleep,

she laughs and puts on the tea,

She says, "You know I think you remember every part of me."

And the water starts to boil,

And if I had a camera

Showing all the light we give

and showing where the light extends,

I'd give it to my friends.



Sometimes I see myself, sometimes I need a witness.

And I like the whole truth,

but there are nights I only need forgiveness.

Sometimes they say, "I don't know who you are,

but let me walk with you some."

And I say, "I'm all alone, that's all,

you can't save me from all the wrong I've done."

But they're waiting all the same,

With their flashlights and their semaphores,

And I'll act like I have faith and like that faith never ends,

But I really just have friends.



~Dar Williams

GO! GO! GO!

As you may or may not be able to tell from this picture, (Which amuses me-Indy has a frosty beard!) we've had a whole lotta snow here on the coast. It's not normal for this elevation and it's certainly made getting around the city pretty challenging. We got another dump of the white stuff last night and the sky still looks ominous this morning, so it's likely we're not finished yet. *groans*

Indy's been loving it though-it's so deep in the back yard that it's up to his chest and he has to bounce kind of like a kangaroo to get around. It's comical watching him. My husband put on my snowshoes yesterday and tromped a path around the yard to tamp the snow down so he could walk without sinking. Indy was attacking the long wooden piece at the back of the snow shoe the whole time, almost tripping him. It was pretty entertaining. The only thing was, somewhere along the line, Indy lost all his dog tags-his licence, proof of his rabies vaccination and his ID tag. He has a tattoo, but without the jingling, I never hear him and don't know where he is in the house. I cobbled together a new set this morning using some blank dog tags and my metal letter set, till I can see about getting them replaced after the holidays.



I've been busy making things, most of which I can't share because they are wrapped and under a tree somewhere. In the meantime, I spent yesterday making some of our favourite Xmas treats.

Nuts N' Bolts. It's a real challenge keeping my guys out of these so we have some for Xmas day!

Hamburger sausage which is an old family recipe. It's cured in a slow oven for about 8 hours. It's meant to be sliced thinly for sandwiches. DELICIOUS! I made 10, so we have some stashed away in the freezer for a rainy day.

Cabbage buns, another old family recipe. This is one of MY favourite things. I'd be happy just having this for lunch and nothing else. The filling inside the buns are fried cabbage and onions.

This was a new recipe that I tried yesterday. It's cracker toffee and believe me, it's not only incredibly simple, but tasty. I have it hidden in the back of the fridge in a tin on the hope that it will last while I am out today!

I do have one pic I can share of something I made this week. We always have friends over for dinner and we all decided the prizes in the store bought Xmas crackers suck. I know I can do better than that, so I made us each crackers with cooler prizes. I have a feeling this is going to become a yearly tradition.

Anyway, the last couple of days of the 12 days of Xmas are up and the very last gift will be posted tomorrow, so go take a peek. That's it for me, till after Boxing Day.. I wish you all a safe and happy Xmas! Joyeux Noel!

The Sweet Marriage of Music and Poetry

I wanted to share this song with all of you. This is so beautiful. I downloaded it on iTunes and it's too pretty not to share. This video is sort of the behind the scenes of the song.

Here is a link to the official music video. I can't embed it here on my blog, but please go watch it-it's charming and artsy in its own way. I promise you will be delighted by it.

Here are the lyrics:

Winter Song

by Sarah Bareilles & Ingrid Michaleson

bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum

This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon,
it rolls in from the sea

My voice; a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light,
to carry you to me.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

They say that things just cannot grow
beneath the winter snow,
or so I have been told.

They say were buried far,
just like a distant star
I simply cannot hold.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
'cause you're not where you belong;
inside my arms.

bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum

I still believe in summer days.
The seasons always change
and life will find a way.

I'll be your harvester of light
and send it out tonight
so we can start again.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
'cause you're not where you belong;
inside my arms.

This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon
it rolls in from the sea.

My love a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light
to carry you to me.

Is love alive?

***

This is my new favourite song. It makes me want to light candles and take a moment out of the craziness of the holidays. It's very soothing. I hope you enjoy it too.

Holiday Magic

I am sure I don't have to tell any of you this is a busy time of year. I know you will excuse me if I am remiss in posting over the next little while. Until someone gives me the ability to transcend the space/time continuum, something's gotta give!

We've been having a blast opening our gifts each day as we celebrate the 12 days of Xmas. If you missed me mentioning it in any of my other posts, you can live vicariously by visiting the 12 Days of Xmas Exchange blog.

This little aqua house was today's gift from Jeannine. She made each one different and to suit the person she was sending it to. Mine is just perfect and Jeannine did a wonderful job creating my studio. I just love it! (Although I must apologise for the pathetic photo-it's dim this time of night and not the best time to be taking photos.)

We got our tree over the weekend. I don't know how, but my guys picked the most perfectly shaped one. We didn't have to trim errant branches or hide an ugly spot against the wall or anything. It smells so good.

My son and I got the tree decorated with all the handmade ornies and ones that had personal meaning. I had a bunch of other stuff in our Xmas boxes and really, I should just weed out the junk. How did we end up with Xmas "junk" anyway? I think I am going to commit to getting rid of anything in the Xmas box that a) I don't love and b) doesn't have sentimental value. I bet I can cut in half what's in that box!

After we had finished trimming the tree and stepped back to admire it, I realized we'd forgotten to put the garlands on! I had purposely gone out and bought brand new, vintage aqua garlands to have on our tree this year and it completely slipped my mind! We weren't about to take everything off so we could add them, so they will be save till next year.

And here is my sweet puppy boy with his jingle bell collar on, sitting so nicely beside the tree, demonic eyes and all. *laughs* He's been incredibly good about not bothering the trees or the gifts. A few under there have his name on them, though I am afraid to put the one that has food in it there. I don't want to tempt fate!

Speaking of Indy, it was brutally cold here on the west coast today-colder temps than we are used to in these parts and it's a wet cold, the kind that chills you to the bone. Even Indy was feeling it, so he curled up on the couch under a handmade quilt.

All's chaos here in the studio as I work on a piece for publication. My muse was running full tilt today, spurred on by a surprise mixed CD that appeared in the magic mailbox. My friend Jen made it for me and it's great-just what I needed today to keep me productive. THANKS Jen!!

I imagine I will have company at home tomorrow. My son is pretty ill with a cold that morphed into an upper respiratory infection. He's been fighting for almost 3 weeks and just getting worse. This is a kid who is never sick so I have no problem letting him stay home in bed. He needs the rest. Sunday night, he had to go to the ER in the middle of the night, so I think after tomorrow, he's off till January. School lets out on Friday anyway.

Well, that's all the news from the frozen North. HOUSE is about to come on, so I'm off to watch. Move over Indy and give me a corner of that blanket!

Let The Fun Begin!!

Hey! Guess what?! It's the first day of Xmas today!! Gifts are being opened one day at a time between now and Dec. 24th. If you want a daily dose of holiday goodness, hop on over to the 12 Days of Xmas blog and get yourself a peek at the eyecandy. You know you wanna!

2010

So that exciting thing I was talking about doing the other day? I was at an interview and training session for volunteering for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics!

About 3 weeks ago I got a call out of the blue for a phone interview, after which they invited me to come to the session that was held on Monday.

It was 4 1/2 hours long, but the time flew by. I got to meet all kinds of people and learned a ton of interesting things about Olympics and Paralympics, both historically, as well as what will be happening here in 2010.

One thing I was especially impressed with is the commitment to sustainability that is a key part of the mandate for the 2010 games. It was evident at the session that they are definitely putting their money where their mouth is. For example, all the printed materials which we worked on were laminated so we could write on them and later they could be wiped clean and reused for another session. No endless photocopying of educational materials or filling recycling bins full of paper. Ingenious!

One of the best things that happened was that I got to hold the Olympic torch for a brief moment! How often do you get the opportunity to do that?! At the end of the day, they gave us binders (our training manual) along with stickers and pins that were made especially for volunteers. I now officially have my first mementos of the games!

I am really excited about the prospect of being even a small part of the 2010 games. Those of you who know me know that when the Olympics is on, everything stops at my house. I eat, breath and dream Olympics. *laughs* My guys are lucky if they even get fed! It's likely going to be a long wait to see who has been accepted though. I was in one of the first groups to go through the interview and training process. They warned us we could be waiting till the summer to hear back but I am hopeful that I will get to live my Olympic dream.

If you'd like to learn more about the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics, you can do so here.

The Spirit of Giving

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

Hello again! Have you been checking out all the eyecandy over at the 12 Days of Xmas blog? Only 5 more days left till we being opening our gifts!

I've been busy practicing the fine art of altruism. In our family, this is not something we save for the holiday season, but something we strive to do all year long. It's important, I think to give back in any way you can, as often as you can-and I don't mean by simply giving money, but giving of your time and your spirit.

With that in mind, I spent this morning in the studio making bracelets for two girls (12 and 15, if I remember correctly) whose family was adopted for Xmas by a group I am involved with. Our goal is to provide not only food on their table, but gifts under their tree as well. The nice thing about doing something like this with a group of friends is that everyone does what they can.

I wanted to make something personal for them, so I made them silver wish bracelets. Every little girl needs some *bling* for the holidays, I think. With these little tokens of love goes my wish that 2009 will be so much better for their family. May it be so.

I've been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having. Today it was warm enough to leave the screen door open! It's unseasonably warm for December, that's for sure. Indy and I have been walking at the lake every day. I bought him a red velvet jingle bell collar and he wears it when we go for walks. It makes me happy to hear the bells tinkling as we go and people smile when they see him. I will have to try and get a pic of him wearing it and post it here.

Tomorrow I am doing something really exciting. Can't say too much yet, but it's one of those "once in a lifetime" things! I'll report back as soon as I can!

12 Days of Xmas Exchange!!

PSSSSSSSSST!!!
(Peek in at the parade of presents over here.)

Bits & Pieces

Holy wow can you believe it's December 1st? I can't! We have only 31 days left of 2008! Time is just racing by. Speaking of which, I haven't updated my list in awhile, so here it is:

Reading: Jonathan Kellerman's latest novel in the Alex Delaware series "Bones". Nothing makes me happier than a new book in that series. I've read everything he's written and I own all but a few of the newest in the series, they're that good.

I also have a copy of the newest Artful Blogging. My pal Deb is featured in it and while I did read her article (which is fantastic if you are looking for info on branding yourself as an artist.) I must confess that I have not had time to read the rest of the magazine. I will get to it though!

Watching: HOUSE religiously. I can't get enough of that show, although last week's ep left me a bit bored. TAR which is always entertaining and the only good thing on on Sunday nights. I am still hanging in with Heros, but it's really circling the drain this season. Far too many gratuitous characters and the time-space continuum is giving me whiplash. I saw CNN's tribute to heros again this year and it's always so inspiring to know there are good people out there in the world.

Listening: I just downloaded Yo Yo Ma's new Xmas album, as well as Melissa Etheridge's from iTunes. Both are very good. My standby favourite from last year is James Taylor's.

Drinking: Yesterday my best friend Lisa brought me an early Xmas gift. Part of it was this big red Starbuck's mug I was coveting. After she left, I made some tea and came into the studio to work. I eventually went to take a sip and found there was a puddle on the coaster. So I cleaned it up, thinking I had bumped and spilled it somehow. A little later on, there was another puddle and then I realized my beautiful new mug had a long crack in it. *cries* Tomorrow I will swing by the Starbuck's and have them replace it.

Anticipating: All the craziness of the holiday season. I am going to do my level best to avoid all the crowds and get my shopping done early. I already have part of it completed. And as a sign of complete self indulgence and puppy love, I am taking Indy to have his picture taken with the pet Santa in a couple of weeks. I don't think he'll sit on Santa's lap, but maybe I can get him to sit next to Santa long enough to get a pic. I am justifying this by the fact that the money made from this silliness goes to an animal shelter, so it's all good.

Dreaming: Of presents. I'm a notorious giver, but I do love to receive thoughtful, personal gifts. I have a few special things on my wish list this year-a small fabric purse of some sort that I can sling across my shoulder to tote my journal, pens and iPod in when I want to go the coffee shop and unwind; some mixed media art books; comfy jammies and some new music. It's the simple things make me happy.

Doing: I taught my last workshop for 2008 last week, so now I am basically off till February's flurry of workshops. In the meantime, I have been cleaning the house and purging junk from our closets. I seem to do this at the year's end, probably because I like to start the new year off fresh. It's been quite satisfying to cull the clutter.

Creating: I am in a jewellery RR with a small group of friends and I have the first piece in the rotation which I need to work on this week and have in the mail by the 5th. No idea what I am going to add to it yet, but the wheels are turning.

And speaking of creative, I urge you to check out my friend Lisa's new blog. She just posted about decorating her home for the holiday and has photos that will just WOW you! Seriously. You'll want to crawl through your monitor and curl up on her couch and take it all in. Go look!