New Project / Free Download: "Everything" + Lullabies

In 2012, upon hearing that my friend's sister and her husband suffered a miscarriage, words began pouring into my mind and within an hour, "Everything" was written. A year later, they asked if they could share the song with other families who have lost a child. I re-recorded "Everything" along with two other lullabies I had previously arranged, and am now releasing that as a free download. Please feel free to share it, as that is it's purpose-- to hopefully bring comfort to families who are grieving.

I, Allison Barnes, arranged and recorded "All the Pretty Little Horses" and "Hush Little Baby." I also wrote an additional ending to "Hush Little Baby."

"Everything" was written and sung by me, Allison Barnes, with guitar by David Rose.

Download the album here.

"Olive Us" and Positive Familial Interactions

Meet the Blair children of the new short film series "Olive Us."

According to the FAQ's, Olive Us "will encourage your family to get up and do or make or move... We aim to show healthy, happy relationships between siblings. We sometimes feel worn down by the super-sarcastic dialogue we hear on shows aimed at kids — especially between brothers and sisters. We want to share a more positive take." I love this, and I am excited to see what they come up with. You can view the first episode here.

A Family Tree

A couple weeks ago, I won a giveaway on a blog, which was basically the most exciting moment of my life. But beyond that, the product I won was mesmerizingly beautiful, so it was even more exciting. I present to you, my family tree:

It has my brother and I, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents. I love it so much, as does my entire family. We are finding a frame for it now, and it will hang in my family's new cabin in the mountains to make it more of a home.

One of the best things about the family tree, though, is it's completely customizable. I did five generations, but you can do as many as you want. You can have as few as 7 names, and as many as 45 names (maybe even more!). You tell Wendy what you want, and she has the magic to make it happen.

Check out Stem & Leaf's Etsy page for more info!

In a related note: if you have never looked into your family history before, I highly encourage you to start. You will be addicted. I love it. And to get you started, simply google image search "pedigree chart." One step further? Check out the largest free genealogical search, FamilySearch.