OK…so I took a little hiatus from blogging…SOOOO much to do and not nearly enough time to get it done.  Isn’t that the story of life? 

Anyway, I’m back…back in the workshop after recovering from a bit of sickness, and making new designs.  Keep checking back to see what new offerings you’ll find on Etsy.

FREE SHIPPING on all items in the etsy store!  

Get Dad some gifts he can use!  My umbrella stands make excellent gift ideas, as does my hand-carved letter opener.  Make sure you check out my wife’s shop: www.capricornsoapco.etsy.com for great scents and gift ideas for Dad, too.

Ok readers – our etsy shop is on vacation – I’m upgrading and changing a few tihngs.  We’ll be back soon!

With Dad’s special day just around the corner, I’m having an etsy sale:  from Wed. March 27th through Wed. June 3.  Make sure you stop by to take advantage of the shipping and price discounts!!

My wife thought up this idea:  letter openers.  They make great gift ideas for Father’s Day, or even a great gift for a boss or co-worker.  I have several, but this one is hand-carved from a cedar branch, and then we coated it with matte finish to give it a nice, smooth touch.

Hand-carved cedar letter opener

Ok folks.  We need your help.  Father’s Day gift ideas?  It’s coming soon…if you haven’t bought for Mother’s day yet you’re probably too late.  Don’t delay. 

Give us your gift ideas here!

Our cat, who is immortalized here in this photo, has a personality that is uniquely his own.  Some days, he wants to monopolize our attentions. Some days, he wants to be left alone.  Last night, he was fishing through the garbage in the kitchen to find an old cat food can that we had left in there. When he finally managed to tip the garbage over, of course everything came spilling out into the floor.  IT was 3 am, you can imagine the rest…

I love this cat.  I don’t like it when he does things like this, but overall, this cat is the best pet.  He chases mice, eats my mother-in-law’s cigarette butts, loves peanut butter, and doesn’t mind when we give him a bath.  My wife named him:  Aslan, after her favorite lion from the Chronicles of Narnia, of course.

Aslan

Residential architectural consultation

All work and no play it seems like these days.  Mother’s Day is almost here, and our blog offer for a discount ends tomorrow, April 30th.  I’ve been so busy trying to catch up with all the work I’ve been behind on that my posts here have fallen behind.  Thanks to all of you who keep checking us out here.

Here is a photo of the stepping wall, which is part of the latest architectural consultation I’m working on.  Actually, I’m not just the consultant, I’m the construction manager, designer, and laborer all in one.  It eats up a lot of my day hours, and I’m so exhausted I can hardly move when I finally get finished in the evenings.  Hopefully, we won’t have to do this much longer!  My wife is going to open her etsy shop soon: The Capricorn Soap Company.  We’ve both been working so hard that we haven’t had much time to see each other!  This weekend I’m taking her on a date. 

I’m worried about the planet – most especially, its future. I’m worried that my daughter will grow up breathing dirty air under a sky that won’t let in the sunlight. I can imagine a hundred different scenarios for our fragile earth – but its the ones that I can’t imagine that frighten me most.

We recycle.  We use reclaimed wood in our furniture and in our etsy offerings.  We make our own soap, and our own laundry detergent.  We try, whenever possible, to walk instead of driving.  We have reduced our vehicle count to one car – a hybrid.  Whenever possible, we burn candles at night, and try to maximize our efficiency of electrical use – though my computer, I must admit, is always on.

There must be something more we can do as a family.  I’m sure there’s more.  But it isn’t my family I’m so worried about – it’s the other people who don’t seem to care at all that they’re raping our planet.  When will enough be enough?  What will it take to get others to understand that we have to make changes – that our survival depends on our ability to harmonize our existence with our planet?

Suggestions?  I’m glad that Earth Day is here – I want to help promote awareness of it.

Here’s what I’ve bought my wife for Mother’s Day/spring. It’s early, I know, but she LOVES animals and these little guys aren’t little for very long. And yes, I will probably end up getting her something else, but these chicks and ducklings were just too cute to pass over.  Our cat has taken a strange liking to them, as well.

The photo didn’t turn out too well, because they’re so small we still have to keep them under a heat lamp.  They eat more than you can possibly imagine.  Six chicks, two ducklings.  She hasn’t come up with a name for the chicks yet, but the ducks are Motown and Oswald.  I have no idea why.

This was a definite hit – guys, if you’re out there and need to get your wife something, a small animal always makes them feel good.  Don’t go with rats or mice, though.  Stick to poultry or birds or dogs and cats.