By Gabrielle.
Hello, Friends! How are you? Are you ready for the weekend? I’m about to shut down my laptop and get packing for my trip to Ethiopia. I’ll be bringing along the scarf above. It’s made by the women at FashionABLE and they include a hand written note(!) with each one. So sweet it made me catch my breath! During our trip, we’ll be meeting with the women who make these scarves and I’m over the moon about it.
You know what else I’m packing? A flashlight! I’ve been told power-outages are common and I might want a flashlight for midnight trips to the loo. : ) What about you? What are you looking forward to this weekend? While I get packing, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
- Not everyone is always looking at you.
- Team spirit.
- Turning a private book collection into something a bit more…private.
- Manners on. Manners off.
- Rethinking sleep.
- Your personal valet.
- If you’re ever at a loss for words, here are the best ones.
- Things her mama taught her.
- Turn your tweets into a song. Thanks, Angie!
- Here’s something new: I’ve retired from Babble’s Family Style blog. Instead, I’ll be writing a column for Babble Voices called Celebrations. Stay tuned for links!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Have a safe and wonderful trip! I’m looking forward to hearing about it.
Meanwhile, the team spirit video made me smile! WONDERFUL!!
It’s so uplifting!
I took a flashlight to Bangladesh and slept with it. There was no way I wanted to put my feet down on the floor without knowing what the bug situation was like without being able to look at it first – and I wanted my flashlight to be right at hand. Mine was also a shake one so I didn’t have to worry about the batteries wearing out.
Have a wonderful trip – can’t wait to hear all about it. We are off to the cottage by a lake in the Ontario woods for our Thanksgiving weekend.
A shake one is a good idea. If I can’t find one, I’ll plan on packing extra batteries.
The photo of things her Mama taught her gave me goose bumps, Gabrielle. I love it! I’m going to gather my thoughts and see if I can make something like this for my mother and grandmother for Mother’s Day.
Best wishes for a safe and happy trip!
Isn’t that beautiful! It would make such a neat tribute for Mother’s Day or Christmas.
Have a wonderful trip! My brother lives in Kenya, I hope to visit someday soon. Also–the manners off/manners on is genius.
I’m so curious what my kids would do if we tried manners off / manners on.
Enjoy your trip to Africa! In August, I visited Kenya and Tanzania for the first time and was overwhelmed with the beauty!
I had my fair share of stomach aches on the trip. For my next trip, I’m going to bring a travel mug, mint tea, ginger chews, and anything else that makes a stomach happier.
Mentions of ginger chews are giving flashbacks to morning sickness. : )
Have a great time in Ethiopia. I was there in 2009, and was amazed at how happy everyone was, despite the poverty. I hope you enjoy the wonderful food, but just know that Kitfo is raw beef . . :)
Our friends work at Fashionable. Britney and Ian are their names. You will love it there. You will want to buy a scarf in every color. Have a wonderful trip.
Thank you for the link to Fashionable. What an awesome company. I’m thinking these will make perfect Christmas presents.
I ordered a fashionABLE scarf based on your rave reviews, and I just received it in the mail and the quality is beyond subpar. As much as I love the message and the fact that making these scarves provides women in Africa with employment… sending a scarf full of multiple snags is not okay. They scarves look amazing online and in person are a huge disappointment.
Hi Sandy. I just read your comment and was saddened to hear you weren’t happy with the scarf you received from Fashionable.
Have you had a chance to contact them and let them know you’d like a replacement or a refund? I have no doubt they want to make sure you’re happy with your purchase.
Though no company is perfect, and I believe you when you say the scarf arrived with multiple snags, I think your experience is an exception.
I’ve personally purchased at least a dozen Fashionable scarves, and I’ve seen at least a hundred of these scarves in person, and I found the quality to be excellent. I feel the scarves are far more beautiful in person than they are online, and I recommend the company with confidence.