I Think I Have a Problem

I'm obsessed with hot pink and lime green! Is there a 12 step program for color addiction or am I on my own in this?

These are some pots I painted for my Mom's outdoor dinner party this evening. She's planning to put some plants in them and use them for centerpieces on the tables. (By the way - don't you just love that awesome baker's rack? Mom keeps trying to paint it and I keep talking her out of it - I love the rusty, aged look!!) I painted 4 pots but I didn't get a shot of the last 2 because they were still drying when I was ready to shoot some pictures. They're just plain terracotta pots and saucers that she picked up at Michael's yesterday afternoon. I painted them using regular acrylic craft paint, so even though they've been sealed inside and out with spray varnish, there's no telling how long the paint job will last.

Anyway, I thought they turned out cute and wanted to share!

More Beads - Yep, Lily!!

Sorry that it took a little longer than I thought to get everything listed. Dean is sick with what we think could be the flu and I'm feeling achy and miserable myself. I've finally got all of today's beads up in the Boutique, now I'm going to go back and add some bead measurements!

Click HERE for the beads!

New Beads Tomorrow!

Yep! I'll have more new beads to list tomorrow. I'll have everything photographed and ready for sale by 1:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, May 30th. Hope you'll stop in and check out the goodies!

I Want One...

A Flower Tower!!

And yes, embarrassingly enough, that IS a picture I took of a picture in a magazine. Just be happy that I cared enough to crop out the splatter marks from where it was sitting on the counter as I thumbed through while cooking last night!!

More Lily Beads!

I've added a nice handful of new beads to the Boutique this morning. They're mostly more Lily beads, but one Molokai focal did manage to sneak in the mix!! I'll also have a few mixed sets available (only a few, though) either Friday or Saturday, so check back for more information!

Take me to the beads!

Oops!

I know I said I'd have some more beads today, but that was before I discovered the kiln still at top temperature this morning! Today I'm busy with some belated Spring Cleaning, so I'll make a little more tonight and tomorrow night and list more beads on Wednesday!!

And Another Thing....

There will be more beads available on Monday - Memorial Day!!

Lily Beads Available!

I just added some new summery beads to the Boutique. Hop over and check 'em out!

jenagirlbeads Boutique

What I'm Reading...

I guess I should title this blog entry "What I Just Finished Reading". *grin* I checked this book out of the library yesterday afternoon and finished it last night. Yeah, I inhale books - especially when I find the subject interesting. While I don't know that I'd be willing to forgo electricity and only use things that were available by the year 1900 for an entire year (even if I did get a book deal out of the experience), the idea of eating what you grow and being more self-sufficient is highly appealing.

This book isn't a "how-to" manual, but rather a memoir of one man's year-long experiment living the life of a 1900's dirt farmer in the Shenandoah Valley with his wife and young son. That said, I still would've liked more details of how they did things, instead of merely reading: "We surpassed our goal by preserving more than 350 jars of food, including corn, squash, okra, pickled cucumbers, dill-seasoned pickled green beans, and more than 100 quarts each of tomatoes and green beans. We made three dozen jar of blackberry jelly, put up fourteen gallons of apple cider, dumped a bushel-and-a-half of potatoes in the bins, stored pumpkins and winter squash and onions...". I specifically would've loved to read more from the wife's point of view. I'm curious about things like if she found it difficult to learn to cook using a wood-burning stove and how did she make the marvelous sounding goat cheese mentioned over and over in the book.

All in all, a nice little book!

Oh yeah, and Dean? I want a root cellar. :-)

Busy Working

I just wanted to let you know that I've finally picked a color scheme for June's beads - wahoo! No, you didn't read that wrong, there will not be an enormous Boutique update for May. With the kids' school "year end" activities and the duplicate order situation, I guess I just kinda ran out of time!

No worries though, there will be a few beads available for purchase in the next few days. Keep checking in for your chance to get some Lily Quickies!

Show & Tell

A belated look at the bracelet I made for my Mom for Mother's Day. I just used Cabana Boy beads (obviously!) and lots of silver and thought it turned out pretty nicely. As I've said repeatedly, I'm no jewelry designer. I prefer to make the beads and leave the design part to more capable hands than mine. As long as my mom is happy with it - that's all I care about!

The only problems I can see are:

1. I'm quickly running out of those filigree-looking silver beads and as I went in on an order with a customer of mine, I have no idea where to order some more!!

2. I have no idea what's going on with my camera. What is with the focus - or should I say lack of focus - here? I only took this same flippin' photograph eleventy million times and this is the best of the lot?? I suppose I have had the camera for several years now - maybe it might be time to replace that bad boy...

Arggggghhh!

Oh well, time to go get ready. I won't be home today until much later. It's Field Day at the elementary school (yes, it was supposed to be 2 weeks ago, but we had to reschedule so Noah could build the Ark in the back field) and I promised to help any way I could! Plus, how else am I gonna see all the kids running around in the tie-dye shirts I made?!

Arizona Pictures

My parents are on vacation in Arizona this week. Dad has been sending me a daily photo taken with his iPhone - usually a highlight of that particular day's sightseeing trip. I find it rather telling that today's photo is of lunch being prepared. So...were you hungry, Dad??

5/16 - Sedona


5/17 - Grand Canyon


5/18 - Monument Valley

5/19 - Lunch at Mystery Valley

Last Week of School

It's a little hairy here, now that we're into the last couple days of school for the kiddos. I'm doing a lot of last minute running around and helping out as much as I can.

Everything on the *jenagirlbeads* front should be back to normal by the weekend. I can tell you that everyone's beads have been mailed out, so be sure to check your mailboxes in the coming days if your beads haven't already arrived.

For some reason, I ended up with quite a few duplicate orders this last time around. Either my shopping cart wasn't updating quantities correctly or several people ordered the same beads at precisely the same time. Whatever happened, it sure made it interesting come time to pack the beads and mail them! But hey - on a good note - I've discovered that quite a lot of people really like the Cabana Boy color scheme!!

Boy, do I need some caffeine right about now!!

Today's the Day

My husband's paternal grandmother died on Mother's Day and today is the funeral. She had been sick for quite a long time and in and out of hospice care, so the death wasn't a surprise but the day she passed certainly was.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day! Serve your Mom breakfast in bed. Give her a big bunch of flowers you picked and an over-the-top homemade card. Take her out for brunch and surprise her with a little something special wrapped in a great big bow. Whatever you do today, tell your Mom how much you love and appreciate her - that's what I'm gonna do!!

I'll be back to updating the blog on a daily basis by Wednesday. See you then!

Up to My Ears in Tie-Dye...

Just exactly what it sounds like!

It's that time of year again - Field Day at the elementary school