Feb
8th

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Is there such a thing as too many scarves? I certainly don’t think so. I use mine as a replacement for those nasty airplane blankets. These scarves were made by a woman named Natalia, part of our micro-business program. She’s being taught how to start and run her own business, including designing clothing, producing, advertising and teaching. She’s also a recipient of a micro-loan that was successfully repaid within the loan terms.

Nicaraguan “Pashminas”
Feb
7th

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I’ll be publishing sneak peeks of our boutique products this week, which should be ready to launch in the next week or two. This is part of a collection of pottery that is thrown, fired and painted by hand. It’s made in a small town close to Esteli, Nicaragua by a collective of women.

Nicaraguan Pottery
Feb
6th

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Does it count as a self portrait if you pose and then order your husband to take it for you? Still waiting on that remote…

January 26, 2010
Feb
5th

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My to do list is time sensitive today. We’re leaving in 24 hours for a visit home. I’ve been planning the next three weeks for a long time now. Visions of dinners with friends and family, meetings and shopping have filled my head. The thought of all those products at Target is making me smile in my sleep. I want to eat Cuban sandwiches with my grandma, argue with my dad (it will be the first time to hug him post heart-attack), shop with my mom and sister, annoy my nieces, and spend time with siblings and cousins. And that’s just the first week.
We’re leaving Jesse and Ollie in the care of our roommates and housekeeper. I’m nervous about leaving, knowing I’ll miss our home, pets and community we’ve built here. I like who I work with. I like the girls I disciple. I like the life I have here. It’s a good feeling to know that in six months, we’ve made this a home.
Feb
4th

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We installed screen doors in our bedroom so that we can keep our door open to let a breeze in at night. Tigre Ollie* found a way in through the window. Can’t nobody hold him down. He retaliates by waking me up at four a.m. to make a nest of my hair. We’re not on friendly terms right now.
*We have a bad habit of naming our pets, and then renaming them a month later. Jessie started out as Conrad. Ollie started out as Tigre.
Feb
3rd

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My 30 Day goal for January was to develop my business, Honeysuckle Life. My initial goal was to spend an hour every day on the business, but it turned out that some days were completely void of progress. While others were spent entirely on the business. My biggest success was buying and creating several products for the upcoming boutique. I still haven’t decided what to do with the blog, but I know what I want for the boutique. Expect new listings of Nicaraguan products. Skirts, blouses, scarves, dolls, hand-carved wooden bowls and pillowcases. All with a socially conscious theme. I’ll launch the boutique in the next two weeks. Que fantastico!
Feb
2nd

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If I could only memorize and apply everything on this shelf, a lot of my life goals would be accomplished. Lanugage, check. Fitness, check. Spiritual, check. Photography, check. Living simply, check. Perhaps the goal should be using what I have, instead of acquiring more.
Feb
1st

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La Chureca,
Managua, Nicaragua
November 25, 2009
Jan
31st

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Natalia spent most of last week sewing items for our little boutique. I’m really excited and nervous. I’ve never done this before, and I’m filled with fear of failure. I keep a mental list of “What’s the worst that could happen.” At this point, it’s not much. I think my biggest fears stem from my dreams not being fulfilled. I want this to be a beginning for me as a small business owner. I want to own a business that empowers myself and the women I’ve built relationships with here in Granada. Sigh.
Jan
30th

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Come close, look deeply into my pores.

Location: Sleeping Bear Dunes Park, Michigan
Taken: August, 2009