An Unexpected Journey.

 No, this isn't a review of the movie (which we loved).  i've just been feeling an awful lot like Bilbo lately, and thought the title was appropriate.  This is a back post, as the days seem to melt together. The first week lasted an eternity, the second week has flown by and i have yet to sit down and write, process or grieve anything.

 For those curious as to how the fire started, we do not completely know. We do know it originated in the wall where the wood stove pipe connects to the chimney.  i had just come home from volunteering at the school.  Nothing was out of the norm. i made myself some lunch, and sat down at the computer and began reply to posts/messages on facebook. My cat who had been sitting in front of the wood stove got up, walked into the kitchen and began staring up at the wall. He has done this in the past when there was a mouse in the wall, or sometimes rain would drip down the chimney and make a tinking sound. While typing my finger tips began to tingle and feel numb.  So i got up to dip my fingers in the pan of water on the stove (it was hot) and i walked into the kitchen to see what it was that was holding his attention.  That's when i heard a very faint crinkling noise coming from the wall.  My first thought was that it was ice breaking up on the roof, but it was an unusual sound and it was getting louder. So i called my husband to tell him there was a really weird noise coming from the wall, and as i am standing there talking to him and looking up at where the ceiling and the wall connect i begin to see smoke. That's when it hit me. i remember yelling, 'Oh my god' the wall is on fire!  Then i hung up and called 911.

i thought the fire trucks would come and put the fire out. i expected some serious damage to the wall, and water damage throughout the house.   It never ever occurred to me that they wouldn't be able to put the fire out. It all happened so fast. The fireman came and they blasted water at the house, and i sat in my car and watched my house burn down. Completely indescribable feeling. 

 So getting back to the title of my post, i have found myself forced out of my Hobbit hole (comfort zone) with no choice but to keep moving forward. So many people keep telling me i am strong. It's not about strength, it's about survival. There is no other choice but to keep moving, to keep trucking along on this unexpected journey we now find our selves on. 

So what does one do when your house burns down and you have no where to go? 

 First stop, Hotel Floyd. The fire chief at the scene contacted  the Red Cross.   The Red Cross provided emergency shelter.  They put us up at the Floyd Hotel for three nights.  A woman from the Red Cross met us at the hotel a few hours after we arrived there. She provided 4 handmade blankets that had been donated from Project Linus, 4 Target personal tote bags each contained personal care and toiletry items...tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, shampoo, comb etc.  She had totebags for the kids from Project Night Night.  Each bag contained a blanket, a few books and a stuffed animal.  She also had an emergency assistance visacard, which provided money to purchase some food and basic necessities.  i remember very little of the first night at all, except that i could not sleep.  Every time my eyes closed smoke would begin to seep into my dream and a grey nothingness would consume everything.


So this is where our journey began.



 “Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

A post i never thought i would make.

 It's amazing how quickly life can change.

One minute i am replying to a message on facebook, and the very next minute i am standing outside watching my house burn down.

 

i am so completely drained physically, mentally and emotionally and do not have the energy to write out the story yet, but i will as i process things.

What i do remember is how it felt like an eternity before the fire trucks came, how i grabbed my computer, and a few other electronics that had been setting at the table because i was afraid of water damage when they put the fire out. Never in my mind did it occur to me that they wouldn't be able to put it out and that the fire would consume everything that we have spent the last 13 years building.

 The support from the community, both local (Indian Valley) and online has been incredible. This has been the hardest thing i've ever been through, but also an incredibly important learning experience.  It's funny how when you have a house full of stuff, there is always something you need.  Yet when you find yourself with nothing, you realize you need very little.  We are all safe, we are all okay. That is all that we need right now. i can't even begin to express the gratitude i have for the neighbors who showed up to help us, who donated clothing, and animal feed. For the online Art Glass community and Hippie Mama Craft communities that have come together and shown us more love and support than we ever could have imagined.


As you can imagine we are completely overwhelmed right now just trying to find temporary housing, dealing with the insurance company all while trying to create some sort of normalcy for our children.

Our family created a page with a list of immediate needs, clothing sizes, and contact info.  The page has also become a place where the Art Glass community and Hippie Mama crafters communtiy have come together to list many fabulous auctions to help raise money for our family. https://www.facebook.com/groups/521865481179484/522348181131214/

There is also Chip In Fire Fund that was set up by my friend Kate Prejean.
http://tiemeyerfirefund.chipin.com/tiemeyer-fire-fund

Team Auction to raise money for Kenan and Tree was set up by Jenna Michelle Kidd.   It is an online fundraiser event running from Jan. 23- Jan. 3.  The page is hosting lots of fantastic handmade craft Auctions that were  put together by some amazingly talented artists.   https://www.facebook.com/events/145811905574451/



My good friend Jaime also created a page with information and support.  https://www.facebook.com/TreeTiemeyerAndFamilyHouseFireDonationSite

It has been completely amazing and life changing to see so many people come together to help our family.  i am truly at a loss of words, 'Thank you' just doesn't seem to express the amount of gratitude we feel.  We have been forever changed by this experience. Once we are back on our feet, we will be making a very large effort to 'pay it forward'. 

i will be blogging each step as we slowly begin to rebuild our lives again. Thank you all so much for your continued love and support. 

Winter Storm 2013

i apologize for my absence, i have lots of posts to catch up on!

 We finally got our snow!  It began early Thursday afternoon.  The sky darkened and it started with the rain. The local schools released 3 hours early, due to the impending weather.  So the kids sat around anxiously awaiting the snow.  It began to fall around 3pm, and came down fast! The lights flickered a few times, and then went out.

 

 i believe we got something like 8-9 inches in just a few hours.  The kids went outside and played until dark.  Then we lit candles and oil lamps, had cold sandwiches for dinner and sat around the stove reading books until bedtime.

Friday morning we woke to a beautiful scene! The storm had past leaving almost a foot of snow!    The sky was clear and blue, it was an absolutely perfect winters day!

This is our road Friday morning. We were still without power and knew we'd be snowed in a while.  We bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow.

 We have this amazing hill to sled on just across the road.  During the summer this field is full of cows, but in the winter we have permission to sled here.  The hill is huge. Can you see my husband and kids up by the tree line?  They are there, very tiny in the picture, but they are up there.

The hill in front of the old homestead is a bit tamer, and a bit less work to climb up and down. We spent several hours outside playing, then came inside and warmed up by the wood stove. 

 

 i truly cannot imagine not having a wood stove when the power is out. We lost power on Thursday night, and didn't get it back until Sunday Evening.  We heated water on the wood stove, and made hot cocoa. and coffee with a french press.   Despite not having power, i was able to cook pancakes, oatmeal,  grilled cheese, beans and rice,  vegetarian chili and quesadillas on the stove top using my cast iron.
Not having power was a bit of an inconvenience,  but with our wood stove we were able to stay warm and well fed. We melted snow for flushing toilets, and water for the animals.  All of our basic needs were met, and we were able to enjoy the quiet pace of being snowed in without power.

 

Without the distractions of technology, we spent as much time outside as we could.  Instead of a snowman, my kids built a snow dragon.

 i helped a little, but they designed it and did most of the work themselves.  They made a nest of eggs that her tail curled around.

 

 Unfortunately it began to melt before we ever got it finished.  We were trying to build up the body a bit more and add wings, but it just didn't happen.  It was still a ton of fun to make, and much more fabulous than a boring ol' snowman. :)

So, now that we've finally had our big snow, i am ready for spring! :)

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Novica's new Artisan-Powered Gift Finder‏ and a Giveaway!

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Novica is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market.

i have always been drawn to unique artwork and clothing from other countries. However, once i became aware that many times artists are not paid a fair wage for the product i became hesitant to buy many imports.


Novica provides fair trade products made by artisans around the globe. They want you to know who you're buying from, to feel an attachment to the product, and to the hands that created it. One of my favorite features on the Novica site is that there is an artist story at the bottom of every product. So, you can see the artists who are actually making the items. When you purchase an item from Novica, an artisan card is included with each item.


It is hard not to love the gifts and artisans on Novica, but it can be a little overwhelming trying to navigate through all the products because there are so many wonderful gifts to choose from!

That is why Novica created the Gift Finder!

 The Gift-Finder allows you to sort by Gifts for her or Gifts for him,  you can find gifts by price, by region or select categories like jewelry, sculpture, home decor, clothing, handbags, games, tableware, vases and more. You can even search by the type of personality, favorite interests,  Eco-friendly and specific occasions!  It really breaks it down and helps you to find the perfect gift!


No matter what your budget, NOVICA’s gift finder is a super easy and fun way to find something extraordinary for your friends and family members on your holiday shopping list. You’ll be amazed at the beautiful works of art that are created by the artisans from all over the world on NOVICA’s site.

Thanks to the generous folks at NOVICA, One of my reader will win a $40 online  Gift Code to Novica.com   

Please enter using the rafflecopter form below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: Novica provided me with a gift code to use and one to giveaway. In exchange for a blog post about their new Gift Finder. All opinions are my own.   

Homemade Gifts- getting started.

Handmade gifts are a big part of our holiday celebration. Every year, i make my kids something really special.    Here are a few of the gifts i've made in the past.  These are from last year, you have to scroll down the page to see the handmade items.   These and These are from 2010.

This year, i thought i was getting a head start on my holiday shopping and crafting.  Then it seems i blinked and we have less than 3 weeks left! Ack!!  So yeah, a bit of panic is beginning to set in.

So i am just getting started on handmade gifts for this year. Here is a bit of a sneak peek.

 Last year, my boy requested Harry Potter bendy dolls, and i never actually got around to making them.  This year, he requested the entire company from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings...and decided Harry Potter would be much easier!!  So this is my first attempt.  Ron and Hermione are still in progress, and i'll post pictures when they are finished.  My hand is definitely not steady enough to draw glasses, but it will do.  My plan is to have the 3 dolls for my boys stocking. i'm planning to make a few bendy doll for my girl as well, but haven't decided what to make her yet.
 

 

 For some reason my girl is completely obsessed with Monster High. Other than seeing them on the toy isle shelves i'm not sure where she got it from. i personally don't care for the dolls, but i do like the cute little skull with the hair bow. Since Monster High is high on her list this year...and i don't actually plan to buy any (good Aunty gifts) but i did cave and make her a couple of Monster high themed hats.  i was orginally only going to make one, but i couldn't decide between the pom-pom or ears. So i decided to go with one of each.  Her favorite MH girl has brown wolf ears, so that's what i was going for. :)  i think she'll love them.

i'm also going to make my boy a hat in Ravenclaw colors, and will probably make them both a few other things as long as i don't run out of time. Still working on my other hand made gifts which typically include crocheted wash clothes and jars of jam.