Saturday, January 9, 2010

2010 Week 2: Beginnings...

Christmas decorations have slowly come down, the cards remain.
Wanting to savor each one, I remembered someone who, after the holidays were over, pulled one out each day to pray for that person or family and wrote them a letter! I don't know that I will accomplish all that, but for the first week I chose these:


The Mother and Child card was drawn by a son  to carry on his late father's tradition of designing their own family Christmas card each year. Two others were handmade using cuttings, two are put out by Operation Mobilization, one came from a state penitentiary, one from the Netherlands and another from my dear Uruguayan friend now in California. So many stories represented in one photo.

Time to write out ideas, plans, goals for this new year. I got out all my tools: a Bible reading plan; a special cookbook; three types of calendars.



Mike and I are reading through the Old Testament together.
The free monthly calendar was too ugly to hang so I use it to write in all the optional activities or involvements and visualize in order to narrow down the list. Both of us are finding there is way too much we would like to do.
The pad of weekly layouts I use for daily to do lists and photos ideas for Project 365.
Elogio de la cocina, literally translates In Praise of the Kitchen/Cookery. A close equivalent is Joy of Cooking, however, it is very different from any cookbook I have ever seen. My SIL thought of me because it combines stories and recipes. One of the first articles she read in Spanish was an interview with author Cristina Bajo. It is printed on glossy paper and has beautiful old illustrations.


The first paragraph reads,
Cooking has always been for me, more than an act of nutrition, it is an act of pleasure and friendship, of affection toward my kin, toward friends, and a welcome to new acquaintances. Perhaps it runs in the family: my parents were excellent hosts; my mother, a very good cook.
I was immediately convicted of a lack in my life, and inspired to become a joyful cook. 

I completed a couple writing tasks this week and continue plugging away at others. One involves the artist friend who left us Christmas Eve. I moved his painting to this little shelf alongside some other treasured items.


I tried to sneak a picture of Mike in his newly set up pottery studio.
Oops! He must've heard me.


Today we set out early for the exciting beginning of another FIRST Robotics build season--the new game BREAKAWAY was announced via simulcast to some 59 Kick Off venues in 15 time zones.


The sunrise was beautiful as we drove in to Muncie.

While the team was brainstorming, I spent a couple hours at the new coffee shop downtown--VECINOS, Spanish for 'neighbors'.



16 comments:

  1. Love the sunset picture and his shop looks awesome. We are studying the book of Matthew.

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  2. I miss getting Christmas cards and letters. Although this year we got more than last (when we only received 2). I think we received 7 this time. In times past I saved the especially pretty ones but, alas, when we moved I had to finally let go of them. Do you keep yours?

    It would be lovely to be that organized. Or just motivated to be that organized :-) Having a hard enough time getting past the day-to-day stuff right now. I wonder what happened to my uber-organized self of yester years? *sigh*

    Now Mike, that man is organized! His work space looks so tidy.

    Love how you've arranged the painting by Juan with some of your other favorite things. Great display!

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  3. I love the idea of taking out one card and praying for that family. I still have mine and may give it a try...writing a letter might not happy....email?

    that cookbook sounds lovely. I really enjoy reading my cookbooks. I will have to look that one up.

    excited to see what mike does in his new studio...especially the butter bells!!

    great week. how far are you from South Bend?

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  4. I like the card idea a lot. Ours are still sitting on a shelf - I'll have to go through them.

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  5. Kim,
    I give my cards, the ones I can part with, to Viola (wheelchair friend). She LOVES to cut them up and make new ones. One of those is hers.
    You think me organized? You should see my desk! I am making an attempt!
    My goal next couple weeks, is to set up a writer's space.
    Other treasures on the shelf are: old style ketchup bottle from Grandma Hirschy; angel gift from DIL; wooden LOVE from India; clay dove by Stephan in HS.

    Sara:
    Maybe 2 1/2 hours from SB? Are y'all planning a trip to former stomping grounds? Must come by! We have a famous ice cream shop in town!

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  6. I like the card idea...and your friends shelf of memories will make you smile each time you pass it.

    Great pictures thanks for sharing them.

    Amy

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  7. I'm dropping by from Sara's. (I'm one of her newbies.) So....pottery, huh?

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  8. The pottery studio looks so neat. I love it. My mom used to make pottery until her neuropathy got so bad and she can't handle the clay anymore.

    Great pictures.

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  9. Your desire to be organized is an inspiration and so is the fact that you and your husband have more to do than you have hours for...in your retirement. Everyone should be so blessed.

    Beautiful sunrise!

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  10. I love the idea of the keeping the Christmas cards out and pulling them out to pray and write to the families. That may be a new tradition for me next year.

    I love Uncle Mike's pottery area... looks great... wish I could get my craft room that nice and organized... well, maybe one day!

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  11. love the christmas card idea...i always take my cards and make 'gift tags' with varied-color construction paper to put behind 'whatever part of the card I cut out' to make the front portion of the tag...
    I have a picture album for all the 'picture cards' I get...it's nice to see the kids growing up in their pics each year

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  12. Awesome stuff! I love the sunrise. I'm a big fan of sun pix. Happy Monday!

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  13. That sunrise is gorgeous!

    I love the idea with the Christmas cards. How thoughtful that is!

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  14. Remember when we used to make Christmas cards out of the ones we received. If I'm not mistaken, the proceeds from the sale of those cards were used for a youth project of sorts, but cannot remember what it was for.

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  15. I miss you Rita. This all made me think ...


    luv you

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  16. Mom, I know you're biased toward Spanish but I think "Vecinos" was intended to be a translation from Italian---it's probably the same, do you know if it is? Anyway Guy is a rep for Astoria which is an Italian company.

    later,
    steph.

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