Hawaiian word of the day

Just a quick post for today, getting my last minute stuff packed for my trip tomorrow....but I still wanted to write a little bit today....

instead of just a word, I am picking a phrase that I use ALL the time ( as well as pretty much every Hawaiian or local person uses), so not taking the credit for this one, just sharing for those who might not know it...

The phrase is:

a hui hou (ah-who-ee-ho) pretty much means until next time, or until we meet again.

hui -can mean a gathering

hou- means again

so if you break it down it means to gather again....or in plain English, until we see each other, or meet again...

pretty simple phrase (& one I use ALL the time...) I end most of my e-mails with this (even to my non-Hawaiian friends...)

Anywho, don't think I'll get a chance to blog this weekend, so I'll share my DC adventures when I get back!

A hui hou!!!!-Tina

hey check this out....

Kim from Daisy Cottage posted the heart I sent her. She had posted that she wanted some hearts to have in her home & I said I wanted to send her one & she got it & has put them into a bowl (with many others who have sent her some too...) It just kinda neat to see them all together, so many different kinds , but all having the same meaning to add some love & warmth to her home! I think it was a great idea (& glad she liked it too....) Anywho, go check out her blog if you get a chance....

Other than that, going to go visit my cousin in DC this weekend. He is a kumu hula from Keaukaha Hawaii ( my mom's home town...) He has a halau there & also has one in the San Fransico Area & Washington DC area. He has been doing some workshops in DC & I was supposed to go visit last month, but the weather was terrible & it was impossible to make it there ( at least impossible while trying to fly standby with employee tickets that is...) So needless to say, I'm going to try to make it up there this weekend (knocking on wood as I type this...) So hopefully there'll be no freak snowstorm or anything like that to make flying miserable again. His name is Paul Neves and this is the link to his halau's website. He's actually married to my cousin Wanda, so we're related through marriage, but I still think of him as my cousin too! Wanda & I have been very close since I first met her (when I was 9 years old...) I know that sounds odd, what do you mean met your cousin when you were 9?...but that was the first time I went to Hawaii & we (my brother's & I ) finally got to meet my mother's side of the family. She started working for United Air Lines when I was 9 & before that, we knew she was from a small Hawaiian homestead on the Big Island of Hawaii, but never really met any of her side of the family ( well, other than my cousin Thomas...whom I am still very close to as well...he came to Chicago when I was 7 for my brother's wedding....)anycrap, I grew very attached to Thomas & Wanda, because we all danced hula & even though we all had different teachers, with different styles, we always managed to dance well together (as if we have done so since we were born...) Wanda married Paul & the rest is history! Anywho, Paul also came from a different school of hula, yet one of his first teachers was my mom's Aunty, so it's all just a big circle that seems to connect back together.

Didn't mean to go into a rant, but it is what I do best....

Anycrap, don't know how I went from showing off a heart I sent to another blogger to talking about hula with my cousins, but it probably doesn't surprise any of you who know me :) everything leads back to hula with me & it's all good!

Anywho, that's enough babble for today! Have a wonderful day & a hui hou

....oh, and another thing

I almost for got to mention a big

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Hau'oli La Hanau-(how-oh-lee-la-ha-now)

to my niece Gianna!






Happy 14th girlie & hope all you birthday wishes come true today & always!!!
Love,
Your family down in Georgia

Yucky Rainy Morning to all...

Hi-diddly-ho everyone, Just a rather yucky day outside. I can't complain of the temp.It's still supposed to be in the 60's today, but we had a slight thunderstorm early on & when I wake up to that, I tend to want to stay in & find things to catch up on (like all the sewing I've promised to do for months now....) :) But then holidays & birthdays get in the way, then darling sweet hubby comes up with an idea to turn pictures from a calendar into wall art..."honey to we have any odd-sized frames to put up these odd-sized pictures?" Odd-sized frames, how odd are these sizes? Ya know, 7 1/2 by 12 3/4....Gee honey, I don't think they make that size....could we cut down the picture?....No that would ruin it...ok how about mod podge it to something....(oops...there I go & open my BIG mouth!) Hubby then asks "what's Mod-podge?" as if I made up this crazy sounding thingy because I'm the crafty one in the house AHHHHH!!!! So all the sewing gets put on the back burner while I'm modpodging 12 months worth of pictures for our home! Must say they do fit our tropical theme, but as if I didn't have a hundred things to catch up on already, without the snowball of things that have been going downhill since before Christmas...oh & have I mentioned that our Hula Halau is going to compete this year? If I haven't already, yes, our Halau is going to compete this year in Orlando...just thought I'd throw that in to simplify my life :)

Sorry, just had to get some of that out of my system. i think I'll go have some coffee now! Have a wonderful day all!

P.S. Still no real pictures I need a REAL camera to do that....ok, I'm REALLY going to go have my coffee now.....Laters!

It's All Good

Ever have one of those days, where you're not quite sure how things are going to turn out? Then little by little everything seems to fall in place? Well, today was one of those days (or should I say yesterday, since it's actually already Friday...) Anywho, the day started kinda grey, kinda rainy, kids bored to tears cause they've been on vacation all week & have nothing to show from it other than driving each other crazy....then , out of nowhere, I started to get all kinds of good news (knocking on wood as I type..) Answers to questions that have been asked long ago....people getting packages sent a while back ( & them actually liking what they got...)stuff like that! Things that might be no big whoop to anybody else, but made my grey skies turn blue ( guess it doesn't take much to make my day...) Anycrap, just wanted to share my little YEA! I know this all seems like babble, but if you know me ( which some of you do...) Then this somehow makes sense....

Today's Hawaiian word of the day:

Pono (poh-noh) To make right (good)

Today was Pono for me, so hope it was just as good ( if not better..) for you as well!

A hui hou (until next time....)

Happy Anniversary Mom & Pop

Not much to write today, so just want to wish my parents a Happy 53rd Anniversary!!!

Hau'oli La Ho'omana'o-Happy Anniversary!

so 53 years ago when this man....




met this woman.....




they decided to get hitched!




Then seven kids (I being the youngest & only daughter....), & 13 grandkids later...& they're still going strong!

Hope you had a wonderful day mom & pop (even if it was rather cold up in Chicago!)
Love you & miss you lots!
Malama Pono & a hui hou,
Your Ohana down in Georgia

Swap bot

Hello again, don't know if any of you crafty people out there already know about this site, but just in case you don't, I'm writing about it today. It's called Swap-Bot



now, in case you haven't read from the begining, I'm rather new to all this "blogging" stuff, so I guess you can say, I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. There's all these cool blogs out there, where peple share all kinds of ideas (for crafting, cooking, etc, etc) so that's kinda what as gotten me to give it a try....anycrap, I found out about this swap-bot & it's where quite alot of people like to swap stuff (stuff, they've made, found at thrift stores, got on clearence....just a bunch of sick people JUST LIKE ME!!!!no offense, I say it in jest....) :) I have just started & I'm already addicted (easy for me to get addicted to craft stuff....) anywho, I guess not all swaps go through, whether people just don't send them or whatever the reason, I'm not quite sure ( like I said, I just started...) but so far, I got this:


I swap with Swap-bot!

it's my very first package I got from the woman who ran this particular swap (which was to make a stuffie & send it to your partner....) I sent out a honu to my partner (sadly forgot to take a picture of the honu I sent...I did say I'm new to all this & that my excuse & I'm sticking to it....) . The one running the swap decides who sends to who & then you get your swap partners address (there's also a bio on each person so you can see what kinds of stuff they like...) or sometimes there might be certain requirements to follow, pretty easy if ya ask me ( I know you didn't ask, but just saying it to be nice..) :)

Anycrap, if you're itching to make stuff & don't have a reason & are looking for a good excuse, give it a try. Ya never know, you might make a friend, get ideas to get those creative juices flowing, stuff like that!


Well, hope to one day figure out how to download the pictures I've been taking with my camera phone ( I know I should just go & get a REAL digital camera....) but for now I'll keep pluggin' away at this....Baby Steps, Baby Steps! Have a wonderful day everybody!

Laters,
Tina

Happy Valentine's Day....

Here are some Hawaiian words that might be helpful for today:

Aloha-(ah-loh-ha) A greeting or farewell, can also mean love
Honi-(hoh-nee) a kiss
Ku'uipo- (coo-oo-ee-poh) sweetheart, sweetie
pu'uwai-(poo-oo-vai) heart





Whatever you & yours do today, hope you have a most enjoyable Valentine's Day!
Malama Pono,
Tina

Today's Hawaiian Word...

Hana lima (ha-nah-lee-mah) Handmade, manual labor, to make with the hands.

in other words, pretty much what every crafter does (or hopes to do ) everyday. Working with the hands. Whether it be sewing, cooking, scrapbooking...you know who you are & what you're addicted to :) but you all Hana Lima.

I never really thought of myself as an actual "crafter" I love to make things, I sew (not as well as some of my haumana, but the things I have made so far, doesn't fall apart or anything like that...) But I usually look at others (like, people at craft fairs) & think of "them" as being a crafter...but if you've ever seen my closet, you'd think I just robbed a Jo-Ann's or Michael's, I mean I have stuff that I've never even dabbled in yet, but I got it just-in-case! I have cross stitch stuff ( which I do..) Glass etching stuff (which I have tried) beading ( do that too) have all kinds of yarn & knitting needles & crochet hooks ( haven't even started that yet) & let's not even bring up the fabric ( my husband thinks I'm a dragon guarding my horde when it comes to fabric...sad thing is he's right about that one...) so I guess I really am a crafter! This past Christmas was the first time that I actually made about 90% of my gifts ( & surprisingly, the receivers seemed to like them...at least what I have heard so far...) So I guess what my babble is about today, is it so wrong to be called a crafter? Nah, I think it's a complement & I feel honored to be in such ranks! So go make something today & be proud of what you can do. My wish for you all is that you never lose your abilities to use your talents! Have a wonderful day & go "Hana Lima"

Laters-Tina

Hawaiian word for today...

Well my intention was to post a new word for each day ( at least for this month...) but already life got in the way & I have been unable to post for the last couple of days (how rude for life to just take over like that...) Anycrap...finally getting around to posting today! (I know, about time...) but here is my word for today (freshly borrowed from Ulukau-hawaiian online dictionary)








au.makua
1. nvt. Family or personal gods, deified ancestors who might assume the shape of sharks (all islands except Kauai), owls (as at Mānoa, O'ahu and Kaū and Puna, Hawaii), hawks (Hawaii), elepaio, iwi, mudhens, octopuses, eels, mice, rats, dogs, caterpillars, rocks, cowries, clouds, or plants. A symbiotic relationship existed; mortals did not harm or eat aumākua (they fed sharks), and aumākua warned and reprimanded mortals in dreams, visions, and calls. (Beckwith, 1970, pp. 124–43, 559; Nānā 38.) Fig.., a trustworthy person. (Probably lit.., au 4, group, + makua, parent.) See pulapula 2. hō.au.makua To acquire or contact aumākua.





Ok, so roughly an aumakua (ah-ma-coo-ah) is what you could call a guardian of sorts. (linked to the gods naturally) I was always told each aumakua had a specific way to help the ones they are guarding (like, I know on my grandmother's side of the family, the owl (pueo) is our aumakua, & the pueo protects you in your journeys...so they could help you to not get lost, to have safe trips, etc. & on my grandfather's side it is the shark (mano) & the shark is supposed to protect you in the water, stuff like that)they can appear in dreams, literally appear & they could also do harm to those who would try to hurt you as well...a very handy spirit to have on your side! So, I bet you're wondering why I chose this as the word of the day, well, that will have to wait for tomorrow (or actually later on today... will post a picture to answer that...) Till then you'll just have to trust me on that one....



Well the last couple of days have been a wee bit chaotic over here ( in a good way) with catching up on some projects that I've been putting off since the holidays, like finishing the curtains that I was supposed to make BEFORE the holidays started ( only got the front room, kitchen & family room done...still need to do the dining room & the girls bedrooms, so have been getting that all together...) Also finally stripped the desk we picked up for the little queen of the house (found a REAL cute old fashioned school desk for Jade on one of our thrifting adventures ...)it needs a good painting, so finally got around to stripping the old paint off & will hopefully get to painting tomorrow, went to see a doctor (long story on that one, will fill in laters ) :) finally cleared up my craft area, put all the like items together (fabrics all washed & sorted in clear zip bags, beads with the beads, sewing notions all in reach...stuff like that) Got a new sewing table in my little corner, so actually have room to work on stuff...& have just been running around like a nutter...so now at 1am, I'm finally getting caught up on my blog!



Anywho, sorry for all the babble, I promise this will make more sense once I'm fully awake & post pictures to match all the babble!



Till then, hope your aumakuas help (kokua) you out today & always ( see how nicely this is all starting to fit?) Have a great day!

Hawaiian word of the day....

Kokua (koh-ku-ah) help



& who doesn't need help every now & then ( mentally, physically, etc...) whether it be to help tie a shoe, help set the table, help getting a link to appear on a blog (hint, hint), help is often needed & sometimes even granted. But for now, try to kokua whomever may need it whenever they may need it. Sometimes the one granting the kokua is such a wonderful feeling to themself as it is to the one they are helping! If that made any sence.



Laters!

My First Ramblings

Aloha Y'all,

Well, I'm giving it a go. For those who do not know what I mean, I promised myself I would try to do something different this year. Instead of making a list of resolutions (which I knew I wouldn't be able to keep...) I promised to "try" new things. ( that way if I didn't get them done, I wouldn't be so down on myself for making promises I couldn't keep....) No, this year I decided to take "baby steps" & just try to do something different. So I wanted to start a web site, but didn't really know where to start ( & really didn't want to bug my nieces & nephews, who know WAYYYY more about computers than their old fart Aunty....) So, after lurking at other people's blogs, I figured, "HEY, maybe I could do that!" So here's my first "baby step" I'm trying out this whole blog thingy to see if it'll work for my way of keeping in contact with those far away (mainly family, friends & haumana...) & keeping in touch with new friends & haumana & trying to make this whole "wonderful world of Aloha" type of vibe.

Still in the process of setting up my blog, so have LOADS to write about ( & for those who know me best, this probably is a great way to let out all that babble that I have stored inside...)

So get ready, get set & let's GO! Here's a start to a new year!

Malama Pono to all