I am happy, no, THRILLED to say that my mom and I got our prototype flag blankie made. I also am a biased source here, but it looks SUPER GREAT. Seriously. I'd post a picture, but we're away from home (still in between houses) and so I can't. You will just have to take my word that it looks fabulous and it feels divine!
The blanket is approximately 15x18 so it's the perfect size for snuggling and carrying around without it being too bulky to stuff into a purse or diaper bag. The front/flag size is completely made out of no-pill microfleece. The back is raised dot minkee, and I made the first one pink. :) I plan on opening the store with pink, blue, and white backs on the blankets. Other colors will be custom options. I also plan on (eventually) having blankets for other countries too and will start those (soon) by having them as a custom option as well.
We are still doing some experimenting with binding or no binding on the edges as well as some various fine tuning. We're also thinking about trying one with some eyelet lace around the edges for all those sweet little girls. Any thoughts for an extra special flair for little boys?
I also haven't chosen a name yet, but I think I've narrowed the field. I'd like to use an Ethiopian word in the name (Amharic or dialect) or a combination of Ethiopian-English. I do need it to be something that isn't too hard to spell or pronounce so that people can find the shop easily enough.
My thought so far is...
MamaEnat
I'm still taking suggestions for a free blankie though!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Such a sap
We've been on (okay, we are still on) our cross country epic voyage to move from California to Maryland stopping to visit family along the way and it's been exhausting and fun (and exhausting).
Something fun that we got to do unexpectedly was to see the "Hope for Africa" African Children's Choir perform in the metropolis of Shelbyville, Kentucky. This is a choir hosted by the United Methodist Church and compromised of children from Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, and Burundi. (They didn't have any kids from Ethiopia, but I guess no one is perfect) :) We went up to see them on our last night in Kentucky and even got to leave Peanut & Pickle with their grandparents so it really was a wonderful experience! :)
My dear husband told me on the way up, "You're going to cry". I said I wouldn't cry. I'm really (I promise) not much of a crier, at least I didn't used to be. Once I had kids I became much more of a crier. For instance, at my wedding there were tears shed at the alter and they were not mine. However, now when we see at Christmas time the commercials of everyone getting together with their family there are tears shed and they are not his... :) So I will admit to being more sentimental than I used to be, but I'm still not a big crier. I guess I should have realized that I cry when I read adoption blogs now and watch people's coming home videos, but still I didn't think I was going to cry.
So we arrived took our seats and the kids had been on stage for about ten seconds (seriously) and my eyes were welling up. I don't think that I officially cried (if there is such a designation) until about the third song though. :)
It was such a great show. The kids were funny--we had a chance to listen to them answering some questions and they were so cute. The dances and costumes were great. And let me tell you, those kids were boogeying! There was one girl, one of the older ones, and we weren't even sure that her arms were connected to the rest of her body. She was grooving. We thought for sure that one of the kids was going to catch a flying elbow into their chin, but everyone came out unscathed. :)
I'm not sure what made me cry, but after I started I was periodically dripping tears the rest of the show. It certainly wasn't pity. There was sorrow for the fact that in this day and age we haven't done more to address the struggles that these children and millions more live with every day. There was the thrill of a mother's heart to know that these children were at least from the same continent as my daughter, and even a little envy that I couldn't fly back with them! I loved experiencing a small piece of African culture and imagining what my daughter would like when she was the age of these children. Is it cliche to say that being with a group of African children made me feel closer to her? I don't know, probably, but it did.
We're also still on the look for some good music from Africa, or even Ethiopia specifically, both for kids and adults, so if anyone has some suggestions....
Something fun that we got to do unexpectedly was to see the "Hope for Africa" African Children's Choir perform in the metropolis of Shelbyville, Kentucky. This is a choir hosted by the United Methodist Church and compromised of children from Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, and Burundi. (They didn't have any kids from Ethiopia, but I guess no one is perfect) :) We went up to see them on our last night in Kentucky and even got to leave Peanut & Pickle with their grandparents so it really was a wonderful experience! :)
My dear husband told me on the way up, "You're going to cry". I said I wouldn't cry. I'm really (I promise) not much of a crier, at least I didn't used to be. Once I had kids I became much more of a crier. For instance, at my wedding there were tears shed at the alter and they were not mine. However, now when we see at Christmas time the commercials of everyone getting together with their family there are tears shed and they are not his... :) So I will admit to being more sentimental than I used to be, but I'm still not a big crier. I guess I should have realized that I cry when I read adoption blogs now and watch people's coming home videos, but still I didn't think I was going to cry.
So we arrived took our seats and the kids had been on stage for about ten seconds (seriously) and my eyes were welling up. I don't think that I officially cried (if there is such a designation) until about the third song though. :)
It was such a great show. The kids were funny--we had a chance to listen to them answering some questions and they were so cute. The dances and costumes were great. And let me tell you, those kids were boogeying! There was one girl, one of the older ones, and we weren't even sure that her arms were connected to the rest of her body. She was grooving. We thought for sure that one of the kids was going to catch a flying elbow into their chin, but everyone came out unscathed. :)
I'm not sure what made me cry, but after I started I was periodically dripping tears the rest of the show. It certainly wasn't pity. There was sorrow for the fact that in this day and age we haven't done more to address the struggles that these children and millions more live with every day. There was the thrill of a mother's heart to know that these children were at least from the same continent as my daughter, and even a little envy that I couldn't fly back with them! I loved experiencing a small piece of African culture and imagining what my daughter would like when she was the age of these children. Is it cliche to say that being with a group of African children made me feel closer to her? I don't know, probably, but it did.
We're also still on the look for some good music from Africa, or even Ethiopia specifically, both for kids and adults, so if anyone has some suggestions....
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