it's valentine's month! i used to think it was all about what guy gave me (or didn't give me!)
a valentine! my goodness, i've come a long way! now i know it's all about spreadin' love and
tellin' people you care about them! we have hearts hangin' all over the house and i think if i
tell my guys one more time that i love them, they're gonna kill me! so i'll tell YOU guys!
you make life matter around here! sometimes you make it happy and sometimes you make
it profound...always you add so much to our lives! thank you for spreading your love our
way! may love touch you in many different ways this month!
happy valentine's month to every one of you!

~~~terri, zakk, yo, & josh

~~~ in our hearts ~~~

wow. we got a note from anora recently that pointed us to the blog of one heck
of a writer. her name is lisa. and i'd like to just clip what she has on her blog
about herself.

My Photo
 
I have 3 children ages 18, 15 and 7. My husband has Huntington's disease.
He has not worked in 8 years Although only in his forties he has dementia like that of someone 80.
It is genetic, the gene is dominant, meaning each of my children has a 50% chance of carrying the gene
and if they carry the gene they will get the disease. There is no cure or therapy.
It is not considered terminal although within 15 to 20 years of onset it does result in death.
This blog is part of my plan to keep this disease from eating my life.
It is an account of my daily struggles and the sense of humor I use to cope
anora included this link with her note to us, and i suggest you start here.
it is quite powerful.
let's hold lisa and her entire family in our hearts this month.

~~~you guys!~~~

hoping to get this out in time to tell you about "Friday Night Live"
at the warehouse art gallery in luray, virginia! the warehouse is one
of my favorite places on earth! and they've put together a series
of friday nite events focusing on friendship & fun! there will be
music and poetry. located at 15 campbell street in luray,
february 15th kicks off the first of the fridays! light refreshments
start at 6:00, entertainment starts at 7:00. no charge but donations
are welcome!! if you've never been to this gallery,
it's absolutely worth visiting! if you get there, say hello for us!

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have you guys seen our wonderful artist of the month yet?
well if not, come on over and check julie out!
i recently bought a star just like this one from her!
i love it! it's hanging in my studio.
julie just got her website up! you can check her out at: glasjulz.com

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cathy checked in with us recently and shared the links to a wonderful
organization called the compassionate friends. they are a non-profit organization
that provide support to bereaved families who have lost a child.
i know cathy locally, but it turns out that there's chapters all across the country!
we'd like to offer links to both the local (southern maryland)
and national branches!
(local)
(national)

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the ladies over at womantalk live wanted to recognize young
women who are making a difference in the world and dreaming
big for their futures! they launched an essay contest for girls
in their senior year of high school. they are celebrating their
very first winner, jessica cottrell, on february 24th in parkville, maryland!
they'd like to invite all of us to join in the celebration and
support jessica and the girls of our future! in the area?
why not show up in person?!
click here for more info

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celeste of themothersproject.com came thru my box recently. and she
provoked a ton of interesting thoughts! she was born in 1939 to an
"unwed mother." her mother was told she had died and celeste was
put up for adoption. finally seeing her natural mother two months
before she died, celeste is filled with thoughts and emotions. taking that
energy, she has created the mother's project.
this story is very dear to me as a close friend of mine gave up her
baby daughter 47 years ago...and has never found her. i've heard
her voice when she talks about it all...and i've felt a tiny bit of her pain.
i wanted to honor the painful side of adoption.
there's a lot of fuel for controversy here.
let's not fuel that. let's just honor the pain of so many people, and be
just a little bit more aware of the stories of those around us.
thank you celeste, for helping me see more.

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okay, this is a little out of the ordinary, but i can't help myself!
josh found the world's nicest, most helpful insurance guy in america!
his name is ted peters and he works at wells fargo insurance
in minneapolis, minnesota. i couldn't let josh have all the fun,
so i got in there and got some insurance from him too!
as far as we're concerned ted's tops!
need insurance? check him out!
theodore.r.peters@wellsfargo.com


~wisdom from my teabag today~

"gratitude is the open door to abundance."
-terri's yogi teabag

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we did get afew name suggestions from you guys for our newest piece of art!
do you remember my garden sculpture that the most wonderful man
on the planet made me???
well, we took all the names that were suggested and named her ALL OF THEM!
she is now officially named
"Hope Floral Heartsong Woman of the Flame Spirit of Life Yard Monster"
we call her RUSTIE for short!

thanks to everyone who sent in a name!
i look out my window at her every day and grin!

my buddy, karen, from square-peg-people.com recently emailed me this quote.
i loved it so much i thought i'd share!

"People are changed forever by grief, and changed people change the way the world is,
the kind of place it becomes."
~~~anna quindlen

~~~did you hear???~~~

we got a little crazy over here and for the first time ever in bone sigh history
we made THIRTY THREE new products at once!
(think there was just a little pent up energy in the studio this month!!)
it's show and tell on our website!
yo yo even created his very own poster!
we are hoppin up and down for you to come look and share and squeal with us!
come on over and see what we've been doin'!
and if you check out yo's poster and just find yourself overwhelmed with awe,
feel free to drop him a note and tell him how much he rocks with talent!
and yeah,we're just a little proud of him!




"we are powerful beyond comprehension...
wield your power with kindness
and your impact will be staggering."
-yo yo

~a love thought~

i'd like to close the newsletter with a little note on love! i really really really want to learn to
open my heart up... and i really really really am one of the world's biggest scaredy cats.
sometimes i think i'll never get the hang of love. a friend along the way who knew of my struggles
sent me this quote years ago.
i have had it hanging in my studio ever since. thought it was a perfect way to end our valentine
newsletter. may we all stop bein' scaredy cats, and may we all learn to truly open our hearts
and embrace the love that is all around us!

"i have learned not to worry about love, but to honor its coming with all my heart."
~~~alice walker


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~honor yourself~