Little Things Mean A Lot

We rebounded from a splendid Christmas Day with our grandchildren and their parents. Musical instruments, school supplies and a doll house kept the house buzzing, all capped with a perfect turkey banquet mastered by Kara in her new, old Glenwood stove. All this while Lew and I were fighting off a bug, and two of us tolerated one another with grace! We couldn't exchange the Peace at church, and we probably should not have gone, but we got to hear our stitcher Linda sing a solo and got a diagnosis from Nurse Anita. Sinusitis. After a doctor's visit, the two of us are mending and accomplishing those lists, including the send out of our Epiphany greeting.

Lew is becoming proficient at AdWords and GoogleAnalytics, and just mounted a

campaign for Camilla, our calico cat. Next week we're going to another workshop on this very venue. We're both happy with my budget and goals for 2012. Bonnie had to cancel a birthday workshop sadly, but all was not lost. First I made britches for Pat's St. Nicholas. Then I gathered samples of fabrics for Tia for her birthday doll; I rewigged Jack's hair (onSamuel) to be brown for Jane; I made a new blouse for Judy's sale doll Melanie(she's bought 11 dolls over 23 years!) as it was faded; and I embroidered Lily on a customer's pinafore post sale. And after too long, I put new elastic on Anna'sbonnet for Pamela. These little things I do for my customers simply prove my goal to make the very best cloth doll in the world.

This weekend I got to cross some tidying and organizing projects off the list, and boy is that joyful. Workshop materials together, embroidery and face templates filed, lost pattern pieces back in the right folder,. Next, I need to repair a couple pairs of Lew's favorite bib overalls. Then I can happily move on to create a new doll I just might name Maria. Her face is waiting in my new birthday journal from Kate. So I best get busy.

May your new year be filled with special little things.