Kung Hei Fat Choi . . .

Happy Chinese New Year 2018!

We are now in the Year of The Dog. And what a year it will be. So if you have anything to bark about, do so this year. Dogs play an integral part in many lives. If you have or had a dog when you were a child, you learned what companionship was all about. When you started your independent life and wanted a friend waiting for you at the end of your day, perhaps your dedicated friend was waiting for you. When you started a family of your own, no doubt there had to be a dog who became a member of your family. Whatever reason people own a dog, they have come to know the dedication and companionship the dog  unselfishly gives to each and every one.

The reason I am pondering on this is because our family has a dog, the Chinese symbol of a dog, our Tiffeni, who is a most wonderful person, dedicated, loyal, and ever watchful of her family. So on this day, we celebrate her and honor The Sign of The Dog.

 

We decorate our dining room table with beautiful statues of each of the animals we represent: the head of the household is an Ox, and how fitting that is. The mother-of-the-house is a Tiger, ever protective. The son-and-charmer-of-the family, an adorable Rabbit, and our Dog, the ever-watchful and dedicated member-of-the-family.

So tonight, we celebrate with a tasty Chinese take-out dinner from our local Chinese restaurant and then read our Chinese Horoscopes and open a few gifts. To finish off the lovely evening, we will indulge in a homemade Orange cake with homemade ice cream.


 And then, the New Year begins for all and we look forward to a positive and energetic year and when all is through, we will save our memories in our Family Museum.    

Again, Kung Hei Fat Choi

- Happy Chinese New Year 2018!

The Goesel Woodshop

In our Family Museum there are several precious items from our childhood, in particular my husband’s toy tow truck hand-made by his father and given to him for a Christmas present when he was 3 years old. Painted green & red with a crank that turned to drop the rope with hook to pick up a stranded vehicle and then turned it again to take it up so that tow truck can take it to the garage. My husband played with this toy for years and now it graces our Family Museum with miles of memories.

In the Children’s Museum are other toys his father made for his grandson Charlie & granddaughter Tiffeni.

Charlie’s is a tractor with wagon full of wooden blocks to represent hay.

Tiffeni’s is the green & red lumber truck with sticks of wood representing logs. Both played with these toys a lot and now they too, reside in our Family Museum.

 

The reason I am sharing this with you is to make now a long-awaited announcement to introduce you to our new website:  https://goeselwoodshop.com/

Every toy is built with heirloom-quality construction. A child can play with these toys for years and have them for years to come, to pass down to the next generation. Three pages of toys and many useful items for the home and even the family pet. Come take a look and share it with our friends and family. All of our products are handmade and are one-of-a-kind and each piece is signed & dated. Personal inscriptions are invited.

“A fine toy today, an heirloom tomorrow.”

“Play is not trivial; it is highly serious and of deep significance. Cultivate and foster it, O mother; protect and guide it, O father! To the calm, keen vision of one who truly knowns human nature, the spontaneous play of the child discloses the future inner life of the man.” ~Friedrich Froebel

 

 

Oops!

Forgiveness is a virtue and my husband displayed his with diplomatic tact. Let me explain.

On my recent blog I was happy to announce his forthcoming birthday, however, my hast to publish the post, I made a serious error and although he was a bit stunned at my faux pau, forgave me for my over-sight. So I shall correct it here and now! He will not be counting 78 candles; there will only be 68. After this, I will never give a candle-count again.

So dear, if you are reading this, and I hope you will, I am sorry and it won’t happen again. We all make an error now and then, but this one was truly unintentional.

Love You,

Lizzie

February . . . a busy month!

Almost one week into February and the month is off to its usual winter pace with the Ground Hog predicting another 6 weeks of winter. Burr!

Super Bowl is over and I am always glad to see the underdog win. Go Eagles!

 

  

As this month progresses, here in my household are several celebrations.  Starting with Monday, our Cockatiel “Jazz” turned 23 years of age. That is 92 in people years. He can’t fly anymore but he certainly takes his place in our family, letting us know in no uncertain terms what he wants. Happy Birthday, Jazz!

My husband’s birthday is next and is also on President Lincoln’s Birthday, so we celebrate it with a homemade Log Cabin cake and of course, lots of candles, now numbering 78, and gifts.

Then comes Valentine’s Day. What does this day mean to you? For me and my family, it is a good day to acknowledge each other in a loving way with perhaps a box of candy, some fresh flowers, maybe a pizza? How about a bottle of Champagne with that slice of pepperoni pizza? Sounds good to me!

Next is Mardi Gras. Purple, green & gold beads, King Cake, Beignet & Chicory coffee! If you go to New Orleans, want a special occasion it will be.



On February 16^th, a new Chinese Year begins, this time it is the Year of the Dog. If you like astrology, Chinese predictions are fascinating. https://chinesenewyear2018.com/

In essence, whatever animal sign you are, it is the spirit of that animal that lives in your heart. I should know because my family is an eclectic group of animals: hubby is an Ox, methodical and stubborn. Me, I am a Tiger, there is not much more I can say here. Our daughter Tiffeni is a Dog, and this is her year, so watch out world, here she comes. And Charlie is a Rabbit. At 6’2 with eyes of blue, he is gentle and fun. I will offer a bit more on Chinese astrology later.

 

Then the weekend of the 17^th to the 20^th, Tiffeni will be giving a lecture on Friedrich Froebel at High Point University in High Point, NC. Froebel is the founder of Kindergarten and Tiffeni is a pedagogue and dedicated to bringing his educational methods back into our schools. When you have the time, check out this website to learn more about Froebel.  http://historyofkindergarten.com/

While she is there, I will be making a visit to the Reynolda House Museum in Salem, NC.  http://reynoldahouse.org/ 


This is where I got my inspiration to create my Family Museum. I explained the entire story in my book, available on https://www.amazon.com/Create-Family-Museum-Save-History/dp/0788457640/ref=sr
or from the publisher https://heritagebooks.com/ Hopefully, I will be able to have my book offered in their museum store.

 

 

And as this month unfolds, we will soon launch our website Goesel Woodshop. In several of my past blog posts I have mentioned how my husband makes toys and other fine wood products. When the website is finished, I will announce it here on my blog and then you can see our wonderful products.

 

 

That’s it for now, so Happy February to you all. And don’t forget, each holiday offers a memory to save and do so, whether it is a gift or photograph, put it in your Family Museum. Haven’t started it yet? Now is a good time as ever to do so.