It's all about perspective

As I get ready to welcome the new year, one which I'm really looking forward to, I wanted to share with you a pearl of what some might consider drivel and others might consider wisdom. For what it's worth here it goes....

It occurred to me via one of those 'getting to know you' emails that are sent and resent and just when you think you've answered it for the last time it resurfaces; that things are all about perspective. The said enlightening email was for me to send out to friends, they were to fill out the questions and return it to me and I would then find out how well people know me, at least that was the intent.

So I sent it out and the answers were interesting; that's when it hit me, it really is all about perspective, in all things. One of the questions asked what political party I belong to and whether I was conservative or liberal, depending on the circle of people I am friends with, I was both a conservative republican and a liberal democrat. At first I wondered how either set of friends could think that of me but then realized that depending on their beliefs, or perspective on the world I was in fact what they thought, when they measured me with their stick, their compass, next to that which they hold dear.

You see, we all have a view, an opinion, a perspective that we use to navigate through life, and what shapes that view is the experiences that we have lived through; who we are, and how we deal with life is like nobody else, because it's about how we view the situation. Case in point, when I was pregnant with my daughter I was told (over the phone no less) that based on an ultrasound that my daughter would most likely be born with Down Syndrome, in the same manner that I could have been told that she was going to have blue eyes, totally nonchalant, the 'doctor' (I'll use that term loosely and just spare the details) gave me the news and then asked if I had any questions. At that second I did not, I felt like the rug had just been pulled out from underneath me, but I knew I'd pull myself up, dust myself off and go on with life. I'll be perfectly honest here, at first I was devastated, but not in the way that you'd probably think, it wasn't about being devastated because this was something that I'd have to deal with or because this was happening to me, it wasn't even about me. I was devastated because my little baby would not have a normal life. She would not experience normal things, and it hurt, it felt like a sucker-punch straight to my heart and I didn't know hurt until I felt like bad things were being dealt to my unborn child and I had no way to prevent it. I also hadn't experienced that kind of love either.

As I dealt with my feelings, and there were many that came and went, I heard the words a very dear friend of mine said to me in reference to something completely unrelated and in jest, her words came to me just when I needed to hear it. She said, "What is normal anyway?" It was like a lightening bolt hit me and all was well in my world, my perspective. What difference would it make if my baby was born with Down Syndrome, she would have the life she was supposed to have because to her it would be normal. I mean, after all I grew up with two siblings and what is normal to me is not necessarily normal to them. She would be fine either way and it would be ok, because after all, what is normal anyway?

You see it was about perspective, my perspective was that her life would not be normal, but when I looked at it from her perspective it would be her normal, then I felt foolish, like I couldn't see the forest through the trees and I'd been upset for nothing, but I just needed a different perspective.

So dear friends my hope for you this New Year is a wish of new perspective, even if you just borrow it for a while and it helps you gain a better understanding, a little different perspective.

Ding Dong Done!

I've finished all the handmade Christmas gifts and now off to wrap it all up! Can this be correct? 1 day left and I'm done?! I must be forgetting something...


If I don't post again until after Christmas, know that I wish you and your family the Merriest of Christmas's!

Muskrat Traffic Jam

This is the God's honest truth, yesterday while the kids and I were driving into town we saw an odd little critter waddling alongside the road; we were not alone in seeing this critter, there was another vehicle oncoming that also had slowed down to watch it. Since it had started out on the opposite side of the road from me we had a pretty good view, however as the other vehicle approached it scurried across the road, (and in doing so it allowed me to figure out that it was a muskrat) and under my at that point stopped truck, I guess it felt safe and hidden, and in an odd way I now felt like a mother hen. The driver of the oncoming car stopped by my window and told me that it was right by my tire and drove off. After that car drove away the little muskrat emerged from the underbelly of the truck and proceeded to waddle back across the road into oncoming traffic, again. It could be said of this little guy that it was a few bricks short of a load. The other driver also stopped and let it cross and then went on her way. All this time I kept looking in my rear view and seeing a very large delivery truck gaining ground on the situation, the beauty of having a flat road in this situation. The muskrat made it back to the field on the side of the road that it had started out on, apparently whatever it was trying to get to on the other side of the road seemed less important after two near death experiences in less than 5 minutes. There are things that happen in life that make you reevaluate what seems important, apparently it happens to muskrats too.

Farm kids having fun

I think Katie is looking at me thinking seroiusly??

Now thinking I'm glad I'm being held in, this might actually be fun!

Buckley thinking get me out of here!!

No Way Maaaa, I'm not doing thisssssssss

Yippee!!! I like it! It is fun after all!!

Arctic Blast

In the Northeast we are currently experiencing an arctic blast, literally! I'm a bit sleep deprived and was in a giddy mood this morning so I told my son, then called my nephew to tell him the same about the weather; that this wind we're feeling is coming from the arctic and had potentially just whipped around a polar bear! I let them think on that for a minute while I collected myself and then told them that possibly if they paid close attention they might be able to smell a polar bear foof! Neither one really believed me, but the expression on my son's face was priceless! I think I need more sleep!

A Calender for the New Year

Hey, just throwing this out there, I've been approached to make a calender with the pictures of my farm. I've finally found a place to do it but the cost would be 19.95 plus shipping to you. Is there any interest in this? Please let me know.

Burrrrr

Cheddar Dill Scones

two words: Yum-O!

P.S. Hopefully the dill I plant next year won't drown like this years did! And when I make these again I'll have my own dill and cheddar! Delish!

Quilt done - Check

A friend of mine is adopting a little boy from Estonia soon and I thought I'd make a quilt for this wonderful occasion. I decided to make this log cabin style quilt as is symbolizes home, the four squares in the center represent the two countries and the heart is covering all four squares to represent love and joining of lives together. As far as I know this young boy does not speak English yet, (or maybe limited at best) so I thought she could start teaching him the colors when she's tucking him in at night using this quilt. That's why the quilt is made like this, it had a purpose, it's not a traditional quilt, well seriously, what did you expect from 'Twisite' but it is traditional in the fact it's made with love.

Soap done and wrapped - check

I've spent part of my day wrapping all the goat's milks soap I've made so I can deliver it to my customers next week and its a huge job to have done and can now officially check it off my "to do" list. In case you might be interested on any please contact me or leave me a comment. I've got the following scents available:

Peppermint
Jasmine
Soapy Clean
Ancient Sedona (masculine)
Citronella Scented Geranium
Moroccan Fig
English Rose
Balsam
Lavender
Lemon
Orange
I might even have a few oatmeal bars at the first of the week... we'll see how it goes...

On another note I'll be wrapping up another huge project this weekend and I cannot wait to show you guys! That's the reason I haven't posted anything for a while, you'll see why in a few days! YEAH! Making great progress!