MUSANA JEWELRY ... 

 Melissa, Rebecca and Kristin, three incredible women who make a difference!

In Uganda, a woman's status is measured by her ability to bear children, many have 4 - 6  Their biggest common dream is to have a house where their children can safely sleep and to be able to send them to school. Because of social norms, widowhood, abusive husbands and the HIV epidemic, most women in Uganda are the sole providers of their large families and survive on less than one dollar a day. 

When three friends, Melissa Sevy, Rebecca Burgon and Kristen Wade, all BYU grads, witnessed this dire situation first hand, they pooled their resources and started Musana Jewlery, a self-sustaining nonprofit social enterprise backed by Ugandan Artisans.

What started on a student budget has blossomed into an organization that provides work for around fifty women in Lugazi, Uganda.

This is their mission statement... 

Our Mission

To empower Ugandan women through a vibrant social enterprise that provides stable employment and educational opportunities, thereby building the capacity of artisans to end their cycle of poverty and become advocates for change in their communities.

Our Vision

A Ugandan society where families have the resources to provide an education for their children and lead healthy, productive lives as active participants in the development of their community.

"I think all mother's have something in common. We want to support our children, we want them to be healthy and strong... Musana helps the women of Uganda reach these goals and more."

Florence Abbo 

See and purchase their unique jewelry online...

www.musanajewelry.org

Famous Musana "PAPER BEADS"

Made from newspaper

MOTHER'S DAY IN YUGOSLAVIA

Found this bit of trivia on the Internet and I couldn't resist posting it.  Some countries have strange customs when it comes to Mother's Day. Perhaps the most bizarre is found in Yugoslavia. Two weeks before Christmas the children sneak up on their sleeping mother and tie her to the bed. When she wakes up her children chant...

Picture by Aliki from the book Mother's Day by Mary Kay Phelan

"Mother's Day, Mother's Day... what will you pay to get away?

She then bribes them with candy and toys that she has hidden under her pillow. Once satisfied they let her go.  

I'm sticking with cards and flowers.

ONE LITTLE DRESS

My mother gave birth to six sons and three daughters. My two sisters only survived a few hours, so when I arrived healthy and robust my parents were thrilled. 




Money was always a little scarce but my mother was an incredible seamstress, so when I needed a dress to wear for my "baby blessing"  she bought a simple piece of cotton batiste, cut her own pattern, made tiny tucks, inset strips of lace and embroidered down the front. It was her own little work of art.

Never one to throw things away, my mother tucked the dress in a drawer. When my first daughter was born  and I needed a dress for her "baby blessing" my mother retrieved it. I gently washed and pressed it. It fit perfectly.  What a lovely day that was.

This pattern followed for my next two daughters and when my children married and began families of their own it was worn by my eight granddaughters. This "little dress" has taken on a life of its own, being worn by 12 baby girls.

I fell "over the moon" in love when each of my children were born and although I was not a perfect mother I value every moment and every effort that we shared together. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ONE AND ALL!

THEN AND NOW...

There's no getting around it. We are all headed in the same direction!

I found this sweet picture in the newspaper. Its fascinating to see that adorable cherubic face transformed into an older woman. Although her youth has faded her essence is still there. Her eyes still twinkle and her mouth still turns up at the corners. What a "cutie" then and now.

OK... I will admit it, most days I read the obituaries. I know, it sounds a bit macabre. Once in a great while I will actually see someone I know but the real reason I read them is for the stories. You get a little glimpse into people's lives. Those born in the 20s 30s and even 40s have a much different history than the younger generation. They grew up on farms, they fought in wars, they valued education and hard work and most of them had rather large families. But its the pictures that really bring the details to life and the best pictures are the "before and after" 

So in honor of mother's Day here are the "before and after" pictures of two very sweet women... my two grandmothers.

Meet my maternal grandmother Mary. When she and my grandfather fell madly in love a jealous friend tried to keep them apart. Heart broken Grandma took to her bed until my grandfather figured out the lies. He traveled for two days to declare his love and all was forgiven. They had 13 children and spent most of their married life in Mexico City where my grandfather was a religious leader for the Mormon Church. Grandma was a widow by 50 but carried on, staying until she was 90.  I remember she had the softest skin. 

This is my paternal grandmother Clara. She raised her seven children in the Mexican Colony of Chihuahua. They were poor but grandma was a hard worker and a thrifty shopper. As a child, my father ate a lot of pinto beans and bread and no matter how hard my mother tried, she could never make them quite like Grandma. She loved hats and would watch and wait until the one she wanted was finally on sale. She was only 60 when she left us. It still makes me smile to remember the jelly beans she carried in her apron pocket... just so I could find them.

I would be lying if I said I don't fight aging. I do and I don't like it one bit. I have often said, "I would like my 65 year old brain in my 25 year old body." That's not going to happen, at least in this life. So, I have made a conscious decision to accept where I am on the "road" ... wrinkles, tummy and all. Maybe I will even throw out the scale!



I hope that when it is my turn to be featured in the "obits" someone looks at my "before and after" pictures and says "Isn't she the cutest little old lady?"









 

THE LIBRARY

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books"  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We're down to the last couple of weeks of school and its time for all the books to come floating back into the library... Monday is the due date! Its gratifying to see how reluctantly they hand me their last book and even more gratifying to see the progress they have made in reading. Most don't fully comprehend what a "gift" the ability to read is. 

Its honestly "magic" to see the transformation from the little 1st graders with their skinny sixteen page primers to the 6th graders who are truly voracious readers. 

Yesterday I cataloged, leveled, spine labeled and covered fifty brand new books. They're so "pretty" in their new jackets and the look on a student's face is priceless when he/she realizes that they are the first to get to read a "new book." But the nearly hundred old books I deleted, with their tattered and ratty covers, pages falling out and spines broken, are a testament of how much our students love to read. They have, quite literally, loved them "to death."

Illustration by Scott Gustafson

Do you know, Peter asked, why swallows build in the eaves of houses?  It is to listen to the stories.     JM Barrie - Peter Pan

 "THE AUNTIES"

 The art of Inge Look

Inge Look (Ingeborg Lievonen) was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1951. As child she and her family lived in a seven story apartment building in the city. It was literally teeming with tenants... so many people, personalities and smells. The two that quickly captivated Inge's attention were Alli and Fifi, two older women who's exuberance for life was contagious.

She refers to them as the "Aunties" and they became the inspiration for her very popular cards. The motto for these two fabulous old ladies is... 

"Time is not money and spending it isn’t a sin."

  

As an adult, Inge became a professional gardener but later in life she embarked on a second career reaching into her childhood for inspiration for her paintings. Her pictures are a reflection of her optimistic outlook on life.

She has painted over 300 postcards, designed stamps and illustrated children's books. Her work will soon be available for purchase on this site ...

 http://www.ingelook.com/site3.html

Today Inge lives and works in Finland where she is garnering a worldwide audience. 

I ran into one of Inge's picture on pinterest and posted it in the top right corner of my blog. Then I went snooping to see if I could find the artist. I had to travel "down a rabbit hole" but there she was.  What a delightful collection!

MY NEW CAR

I haven't owned a "new" car in years. I know that sounds pathetic but as long as it runs I'm good to go. Well my Toyota 4-Runner no longer runs. I just had a new fuel pump put in and now it need a new water pump and timing belt. It deserves a rest... it almost has 400,000 miles on it. 

So I did it... I bought a new Kia Sportage. I did this with the help of my daughter. No men involved just two women in a male dominated industry and we nailed it! Great car, perfect color (black) and a payment so low I'm still shaking my head. I'm  sure the "car buying angels" were hovering, saying... "You go girls"