Ann Leach

Kenn and I had a really good conversation last night about christmas. We talked about what it means culturally, about what it means to each of us as individuals, and what we're going to do about it in our little family. Culturally, christmas is all-encompassing.  There is no escaping it when you live in the US or in Australia for that matter. Whether you are a Christian or not, Christmas is here to stay.  But the mass consumerism of it all is optional. Individually, Kenn doesn't have any long-established family traditions that he's looking to pass on, which opens the door to creating traditions which really fit our family.  And the same is true for me and my family.  When the family implodes, there isn't much left. So many traditions are just handed down through family and the schools and we put them on regardless of the fit.  Well, for us, we get to choose.  Starting this year, we are consciously choosing our family traditions to make this day into a day we en

And errands we did run.... After loading up the car with shopping bags, full laundry baskets, a bin full of plastics for recycling, and writing out my shopping list, we hit the road. Of course, we stopped at the bank first to withdraw cash for shopping and a roll of quarters for the laundry. And then we were off to the laundromat. We unloaded the laundry baskets from the car, carried them in, and started up 3 washers with our dirty clothes plus an appropriate amount of soap. On to the library. While Kenn was getting Isabelle out of the car (I have no idea why it takes her so long, and it makes me crazy!), I went on in and started looking for books for myself.  I didn't have anything in particular in mind, but had been thinking about learning more about Buddhism.  So I found a couple books on Buddhism, and as I was walking toward the front desk, thought it might be fun to do some reading about Monet and showing his works to Isabelle. Found a couple of books on Mo

I am a morning person... no doubt about it.  I naturally wake up about 5:30, and I love getting right to work and checking tasks off my to-do list. My husband and daughter....  not so much. And therein is the battle. In Australia, it wasn't so noticeable that Isabelle isn't a morning person because Kenn had a company car and so, I didn't have to get myself and Isabelle around in the morning to take him to work in order for us to have the car.  Also, her kindy (preschool) didn't start until 8:45 so she could sleep until 8 and still have time to get herself ready for the day. But our schedule here requires us to be on the road by 8 to get Kenn to work on time.  And it's a 15+ minute drive into town, which isn't a big deal except that since we're already in town, I'd like to get all the errands run before coming back home.  And that means I need Isabelle to have her morning routine (use toilet, get dressed, teeth and hair brushed and breakfas

Toward the end of October, I set up a facebook page and opened my sewing and crochet business, specializing in standard-size pillowcases and crocheted dishcloths & scrubbie sets.  In addition, I am happy to take custom orders, either sewing or crochet. And before I could get some stock pillowcases sewn, a series of orders came in --  a set of two flannel pillowcases  a single travel-size pillowcase three decorative pillows  and another single travel (child) - size pillowcase. (Having some extra fabric, I made up a matching doll-size pillowcase.) Before I hardly knew it was happening, I was off and running with pillowcases. And soon after those came an order for a custom bible cover complete with a wrap-around outside pocket and zipper closure. Interspersed with these sewing orders, I was also getting orders for  a crochet dishcloth & scrubbie set and a couple of custom orders for toddler size hats. Of co