Shack updates

 It's been a minute.   My 1st born is almost done with high school, and she'll be off to college in the fall.  We are coming through the pandemic tunnel, and seeing signs of less virulence, still highly contagious, lack of any remaining tolerance or patience with this, and a desperation to move on. Can I tell my kiddo it's ok to sit in a coffee shop, sipping a latte and studying? That's something I definitely took for granted. And loved doing. Because even in healthy, positive households, confinement to room or home was not healthy for anyone.  We are at a crossroads. If we expect people to act enlightened, focused on progression and a healthy environment and higher education, then we must have everyone on board. We cannot leave half of the population behind. We cannot expect a single parent to embrace a rich politician's take when her child suffers from food insecurity. We cannot expect to see eye to eye ethically with people so much more disadvantaged than others,

See our family's cooking experiments on Instagram at yummykitchenchemistry!

I have been collecting beads and making jewelry for almost 30 years. I have way too many beads. I'm going to open an Etsy shop to sell these gems, along with sterling findings and beads, within the week. I'm excited to have less things! My shop name is MiaLuxe on Etsy. Stop by and see if anything grabs your attention.

I will be working with high school students, making jewelry for a service project, and I'm so excited! These students have worked with me before, making earrings and bracelets and learning specific techniques for wire wrapping and making links for chains and earrings.  I brought my gemstone and component collections in, beads I've collected for 25+ years, and the students loved it! I was so genuinely happy to see them enjoying these treasures and making beautiful art out of them. So back we go into the jewelry making lab!! What a blessing to get to pass along skills to sharper, keener, more artistic minds and see first hand how they expand on those skills, bringing more creative spirit and clever ideas than I could ever imagine.

I'm a dedicated fan of good communication. In fact, it's one of my requirements for doing business with anyone. I've found, in many instances, that poor communication is a giant flag for unethical behavior. It's a poor visual too, guaranteed to tank relations. Poor communication doesn't immediately lend itself to unethical positions, but unethical stances are ALWAYS accompanied by poor communication. If you value the relationship, you will go to extensive lengths to communicate, to legitimize your agenda, to demonstrate honesty and integrity. Where I won't tolerate poor communication, I am even more opposed to unethical behavior. I see no purpose in maintaining relations with anyone who is untrustworthy or demonstrates motivation for self gain at the expense of others. I see it like a stain. Once it's there, it's incredibly difficult not to acknowledge it. It stares back at you, unfit for the setting, not meant to be a part of the whole. I think people

I devoted 8 minutes to myself today. That was time where I attempted to return to meditation as a healing and necessary discipline. Several times, I had to reel myself back to the images that allow me to meditate peacefully. Several times, I fell back into this stressed out space where my thoughts whirl with anxiety and negative thoughts. I keep asking myself why it is that this time of year is so exhaustively negative, when it should be joyous and energetic and generous? Or is that just our utopian take of what the holidays should be? Was it ever NOT stressed out? I can't remember. I can only get to a pure and quiet meditative place when I place myself outdoors, at specific places I've been, where nature takes my breath away and leaves me in awe of how gorgeous nature is. It's my calm spot and nothing else drops my blood pressure quite like it, unless, of course, I'm actually  out there, breathing in the amazing sights and smells of the pacific northwest temperate ra