Snuggle Buddies

Ella and Satchel getting cozy on the sofa. Despite the somewhat long-suffering look in his eye, the cat LOVES to be carried around and loved on like this. Ella is always happy to oblige.

Happy Birthday, Davis!

It's that time again - birthday for my monkey boy. Happy 8th, Davis!

Dean's taking him to the music store to play with the drums, electric guitars and whatnot for a while so I can wrap presents. I'm sure he'll enjoy it because that boy LIVES to be loud. *grin* We're having the whole family birthday party later tonight and I know he's on pins and needles trying to figure out what gifts off the list of things he'd like (that grows exponentially every day, I might add) he's actually getting!

Dana Leach - September Bracelet of the Month

Option #1 - all round beads


Option #2 - all tile/Kalera beads


Detail shots below:


I'm making the beads for Dana Leach of Charmed Designs - September bracelet of the month. She always makes the loveliest jewelry and I'm super excited to see what she's going to do with my beads. The cost is $100 and it includes a bracelet made using your choice between these 2 sets. These particular beads are exclusively available through her, as I'm not going to be duplicating them to sell through my web page.

If you're interested, you can get all the information on Dana's site, HERE.

It's Raining...

Still!

*sigh* I know I said I like sleeping listening to the rain on the roof, but during daylight hours - it's a completely different story. Cloudy, overcast days seem to siphon all the "oomph" right out of my attitude and leave me grouchy and irritable. Plus, I've got beads I need to photograph and e-mail and now I'll have to wait until it's at least a lighter shade of gross outside before I can even attempt any shots.

In good news, at the risk of being branded a "goob", Tilly is staying after school for the first dance of the year. She doesn't now which (if any) of her friends will be there, but she's hoping to get a chance to hang out and talk to people. She complains that during the school day they've only got 4 minutes to get from one class to the next, which leaves zero time for socializing, because she's usually sprinting from one side of the building to the other. My response is the same one I hated hearing when I was a teenager: "School isn't supposed to be about socializing - you're there to LEARN."

*gulp*

Apparently, the curse works and I actually HAVE turned into my mother.

Happy Birthday, Tilly!

Happy 13th Birthday, sweetie!

And no, that crazy/gorgeous confection isn't Tilly's cake, but I bet she'd like it! Tilly (and Davis both) have requested carrot cake this year. Yum! (We're all for stealth vegetables in this house - it's the only way my husband will eat them!! *snort*)

Anyway, welcome to your teenage years!!




Now, if anybody needs me, I'll be in Tahiti...

Cool Bento Box

I always loved Calvin & Hobbes. I was looking for a comic strip about all the blasted rain we've been having and stumbled across this. Too cute!

Sorry!

I realize I haven't posted in a couple days. It's just been busy around here and I'm playing catch-up. I'll be back to posting everyday hopefully starting tomorrow!

Quiet Sunday

While the boys are off running errands, the girls are at home. So far, we've played for a bit in the garden, done homework and partially gone through closets checking to see what still fits and what can be donated. I'm about to head up to the studio and make some beads - after I figure out what to fix for dinner.

I made the funky little jester's hat-inspired bead (pictured above) on Friday. Just piddling around, trying to think of different bead designs to try when I make the next Boutique beads.

Thirteen in FIVE days!

Talk about a reality check! I find it hard to believe that my darling firstborn will be a teenager in just a few short days. Lord, give me strength...

Supreme Purpleness

For Kate, who has an affinity for all things purple, pictures of the hyacinth beans. There's a pair of them currently growing like mad up the topiary forms on either side of the picture window of the garden building. (Boy, that was a long sentence!) Even the veins in the leaves are purple!

The pods are actually edible, but no one has the heart to eat them because they're so pretty! Plus they're a little dangerous, as most beautiful things generally are. They would be fine if eaten fresh, but the dried beans have high levels of cyanogenic glycosides and would need to be boiled before they'd be safe to snarf. Did you know that most members of the rose family, including peaches, almonds, raspberries, apples and plums, also have some level of cyanogenic glycosides in either their fruit or leaves? Yep!

Well... that was a cheery thought, right? *snort* Anyway - they're pretty and they're purple and make lovely climbing vines.

Oh and lest you think I was kidding yesterday... This tangled snarl is my tomatillo patch!

Salsa Makin' Time!

I know you should only grow things in your garden that you intend to eat. And I do intend to make the effort, but when I planted 4 tomatillo plants, I had NO IDEA that would result in a harvest of a metric ton of tomatillos! Why did I plant 4? Well, I had heard (erroneously, as it turns out) that they were finicky plants to grow, so I planted extra in the hopes that at least 1 plant would produce. Uhhh...oops? At least now I know better and won't go quite so overboard next year! In the meantime, I'm gonna find a good recipe for salsa verde and then see what I can do about learning how to can all the extras. Anyone good at canning that can point me in the right direction?


I planted 3 jalapeno plants in raised beds and they've done very well also. I think next year we'll double or triple the number of jalapenos and try to pickle/preserve slices. My kids are heavily into nachos and we never seem to have any extras laying around. Plus, we make Pioneer Woman's poppers on a fairly regular basis and you go through a LOT of peppers that way!!

Chili Rellenos, anyone? (I know most people probably use Anaheim, but I like Poblano.) I also planted 3 poblano peppers and WOW!! I love peppers and this kind is darn tasty - very thick and sweet with just a hint of heat. If you dry them, they're called ancho chiles and are awesome in tamales! I'm going to try fire-roasting, cutting into strips and preserving them. My Dad has this awesome recipe for Pasta Veracruz that he made up that uses them roasted and it is sooooo delicious. I'll get him to write it down for me and then I'll put it up on Radish Roses.

I did multiple/staggered plantings of tomatoes this year. Now that the first wave of determinate "Patio" tomatoes have spent themselves out, we're about to get our second flush of fruit from the other varieties we planted. There are about 8 plants growing right now, both determinate and indeterminate and I'm ready for more 'maters! Don't those look good? I'm thinking we might eat some fried green tomatoes with dinner sometime this week! Sounds weird, I know, but they are awesome!!

Darn. Now I'm making myself hungry!

Dangly Bits

I wired up a bunch of the Autumn Glow mini spacers and made a super quick pair of earrings. I like how swishy and swingy they are! Next, I'm making a necklace using the etched AG beads (or maybe a bracelet - we'll see) and the mini spacers, so look for pictures soon...

Right now, it's time to go get ready - I've got a big morning planned!

Want!

Fossil Blackburn II tote

Why?

'Cause it's orange and I love it! Also, I have completely worn out the orange bag I usually carry. *sigh* And it's orange! Did I mention I love orange?

Canon SD960

Why?

Well, I need a new camera because at some point my Mom is gonna want hers back! And hey, how can anyone not like an aqua-y, turquoise-y camera? And if for whatever reason (perish the thought!), you're not a blue girl, they've got it in pink, silver and gold!

"Neve" by Gabriella Rocha

Why?

Do I really have to explain this one? They're haircalf leopard print for heaven's sake. Plus, ankle strap! I'm in love!!

Flower Pots

I have 2 of these pots - 1 on each side of the walkway that leads to the front door. I love the combination of orange, cobalt blue and the variegated foliage of the iris in the back. As I was editing the pictures, it occurred to me that I never finished the planting! I always meant to go back and add a draping foliage plant in a bright, chartreuse green to spill down the edges of the pots. Oops! I'll have to remember to do that next year.

It's looking rather grim outside this morning (as you can probably tell by the pictures up there) and it smells a lot like rain. I'd better go get in my morning walk while I still can!

Sunday

Autumn Glow Mini Spacers - $50
Now available in the Boutique

Got up and made waffles, cleaned beads and started laundry before everyone else woke up this morning. I love early weekend mornings when the house is cool, quiet and still and I have time to myself to plan the rest of the day and think of the weekdays to come. Sometimes I sit down and plan the menu for the week. Sometimes I make a list of all the things I need to get done. This morning, I sat down and planned out the garden for fall. I'm going to put in more green beans and English peas. I wanna get some onions and garlic in the ground to overwinter and I'll get more lettuce started in a few weeks.

Now it's time to run to the store and get more bread for sandwiches. It's nearly lunchtime and everyone's stomachs are starting to growl!

Worst. Patient. Ever.

*sigh*


He doesn't listen. He just doesn't listen at ALL. Dean is supposed to stay off his knee, keeping it elevated and icing it down for 20 minutes out of every hour for the next 48 hours. In reality? Not quite. I guess whatever meds they gave him when they did the surgery kept him from feeling too much pain and so he tried to do more than he probably should've.

Now, he tells me that when he rolled over in his sleep last night, the pain was sharp enough to wake him up and so NOW he's laying in the bed with ice like he should have all day yesterday. I still can't get him to take one of the pain pills the doctor prescribed, saying that it doesn't hurt all that badly. (Dean has no great love for prescription medications, except maybe antibiotics.)

I'd better go see if I can get him to eat something for breakfast. Too bad I can't tuck pain medicine into a piece of cheese and sneak it to him the way I do the dog! *grin*

I don't have any pictures of beads I've made lately because I'm still working on orders, but I wanted to show you something. So, at the top are a couple shots of the girls (including one with my mom!) when they went to Isle of Palms/Charleston with my parents last month.

Fun Friday

Here's a fun video I shot yesterday afternoon of The Girls under the blueberry bushes. There used to be neat mounds of mulch surrounding each bush (I know because I put them there this past Spring!), but our ladies have discovered the joys of a good dirt bath. Let me just say, I wish I enjoyed taking my baths as much as they enjoy theirs! And while I'm in a confessional sort of mood, I'll also share that this was the fourth and final video I shot of them doing the same thing. Also, I spend an inordinate amount of time watching the chickens doing ordinary (to them) things. It's endlessly entertaining! Like having a Ringling Brothers clown troup living in the backyard but better because there's no awful face paint. *grin*

We got a phone call informing us that Dean's knee surgery has been bumped up by several hours, so it looks like I might be back home and playing Nurse Ratched - oops, I mean Nurse NIGHTINGALE sooner than I thought. Keep us in your thoughts, ok? Men, and Dean in particular, aren't known for being the best patients. Bopping him over the head with something, although tempting, probably isn't the best way to keep him in bed and off his knee. Or IS it...?

I Got a Blog Award!

Kristen from MJM Jewelry Designs sent me a blog award! Thanks so much, Kristen!!

Now, I'm supposed to share 5 things that I love. Usually, I'd say that I love my husband and my children. And I'd mention that I love that I get to do something I enjoy doing every day. I'd probably say that I love living in the South. And I'd tell you that I love vacations hanging out on the beach, preferably somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico where the water is crystal clear and warm as a bathtub. But you all know that already, right? So today I wanna go a little off the beaten path. What else do I love?

1. Going to sleep listening to the sound of rain outside.
2. Piling up on my bed with the kids and reading out loud to them.
3. The cool, crisp feeling of an Autumn morning. (It's coming - I can't wait!)
4. Halloween
5. The very first bite of apple pie a la mode. Yum!

Now I'm supposed to pass this along to my 10 favorite blogs. Here they are in alphabetical order:


52 Cupcakes
Craving Comfort
Go Fug Yourself
little cotton rabbits
Orangette
Rebecca Danger
the fine art of confectionary
The Pioneer Woman
Sand & Sea Designs
West End Designs

Well, that was fun! Thanks again, Kristen. Dean is having surgery tomorrow, so it was really nice to have something else to think about for a while! *grin*

Sharing Time

I got a package of artisan-made murrini recently and I just got a chance to play with it last weekend. The murrini was very well made and definitely in colors I prefer, but I've got no knowledge of how to work with the stuff. I broke most of the pieces from thermal shock before I got it smooshed into the bead and when I looked it up on the Internet (after the fact, of course), I read I'm supposed to be preheating the pieces I intend to use on a hot plate first. Oooooh...that makes sense.

It didn't turn out to be the best bead in the world and this is the only side (out of 4) that the murrini was centered correctly and not smudged. But you know what? I think the design has potential - I just obviously need a lot more practice.



Woohoo! I just noticed that this is my 200th post!

It's Tuesday!

This is your friendly *jenagirlbeads* Day of the Week announcement. Click on the giraffe picture for more information than you ever wanted or needed on Tuesday and its origins!

You're welcome. You know I'm just here to help! *wink*



Oh yeah, and I'm mulling over my next Radish Roses post..

First Day of School

The kids and I woke up at 0-dark-thirty this morning. I was scared of oversleeping and the kids were all excited about getting to class and seeing their friends for the first time in months. It felt weird being up literally before the chickens! Since May 23, 2009 (last day of school), I haven't even set my alarm to go off before 6 a.m and even then I had the bad habit of hitting the snooze alarm a couple of times before getting up. *grin* And of course, the girls would've stayed in bed until mid-morning all summer long if I had let them. Davis isn't much of a sleeper - he'd rather hop out of bed and hit the ground running. (You can squeeze a lot of video game playing time into a day if you start early enough!)

Now I find I have my mornings to myself again. I'll do my normal early morning walk and then I think I'll add another once the sun starts to go down. In between, I'll make beads and get supper started. During the summer, sometimes we wouldn't even eat dinner until 7:30 or 8 p.m. Since the kids are complete bottomless pits, there were usually several snacks in between lunch and dinner! Now I'll aim to be feeding people around 5 p.m. With an 8:30 bedtime for the kiddieboos, you just can't wait 'til much later.

Gosh, the house sure is quiet right now! It's kinda relaxing and creepy at the same time. I'll get used to it soon enough, I'm sure.

Okay, well - time to go get started on the "alone" portion of my day!

Miss Sophie

Here's a quick shot of Sophie in the yard. The other girls have wandered off to see what bugs they can scratch up under the blueberry bushes and magnolia trees. I got a picture so you can see her without the hardware cloth of the coop interfering.

See what I mean about her pitiful tail? She's got 3 feathers on the left and none on the right. *pout* They'll grow back, of course, but in the meantime she looks so sad!

Into The Sunset

We sent the kids with my parents yesterday morning. They went to breakfast at Sugarcakes on The Square (I was sorry to miss that trip!), shoe-shopping, the mall, to Target and Costco. While they were doing the last minute back-to-school errands, Dean and I drove the hour plus that it takes to get to Cedartown. As it turns out, our suspicions about the real sex of Nadine and Bella was correct. They are roosters. Or more correctly, cockerels. They won't be considered roosters until they're 12 months old. We figured out what was going on very quickly when the kids were wondering out loud why "Bella" was trying to get piggyback rides from the other hens!

As heart-breaking as it was, we had to take both the boys - now called Ned and Beau - back to the breeder where we got them. Where we live, it's against zoning to have roosters. Most likely because of the noise they make once mature, although we hadn't heard even an attempt at crowing from either of our fellas. (We figured that it was better to go ahead and return them before we started getting complaining phone calls!)

There were lots of tears from the kids (and more than a few from the adults) and a flurry of last-minute snapshots to put in Ella's memory book. I had called Darren, the breeder, the day before explaining our situation. Our main concern was that the boys get to live a good life rather than being killed and eaten immediately. Darren assured us that he would be able to find someone who'd be glad to have our boys without the threat of execution looming over their fine feathered heads.

Once we got to the feed store that Darren and his wife own and showed them the birds, Darren did a double-take, pronounced them handsome and announced that HE would be keeping the cockerels. *sigh* Sounds like they'll get to stay alive and spend many years getting piggyback rides from the hens in the poulty yard at Darren's farm! It was more than we could've hoped for and helped assuage the guilt we were feeling about having to give them up.

As we were getting ready to leave, we were offered the choice of more chicks or a rather bedraggled chicken in exchange for our boys. We hadn't figured on bringing any more birds home, but on seeing the sweet girl in the pen, we decided to take her. And honestly, we figured that it might help the kids to adjust to the loss of Beau and Ned if they had someone new to baby and love on. Sophie has lived a hard life in her first 14 weeks. She was crammed in a pen with 40 other chickens and is missing most of her tail feathers. (Chickens will squabble and pull out each others' feathers when they are in cramped, overcrowded conditions.)

Darren's wife bought several pullets from the man who had raised them from chicks purchased from Murray McMurray hatchery (he was the one who had crammed them together, not Darren or his wife or MM hatchery) and brought them to the feed store pen to sell. There were 5 in the pen on Friday when someone came in and bought 4. Sophie was the last one left unsold and I imagine it was mostly due to her ragamuffin appearance.

Ironically, she is a Columbian Wyandotte, the kind of hen I moaned about wanting when we got Pearl (thinking she was gonna be a white Leghorn) at the chick giveaway this Easter. Pearl has turned out to be Buff Orpington (wahoo!) so we didn't have a white hen. Now we do!

Sophie will look like this once she has matured and her tail feathers grow back:

But for now, she looks like this:

See the almost complete lack of tail feathers?

And here's a comparison shot so you can see how much bigger Fifi is than Sophie.

Fried Day

Autumn Glow bead set - $36
now available in the Boutique

School starts back up on Monday and I have to say - it'll be a relief! We spent the early part of the morning at Elinor and Davis' school, getting classroom assignments, buying uniform shirts and PTA memberships, talking to the other moms and checking in with last year's teachers to say "Hi" and see how they were doing. Both Ella and Davis were beyond thrilled at the teachers they've got. Davis is in 3rd grade now and ended up getting the teacher that Elinor had when she was in 3rd. The teacher is an absolute doll, I just wanna keep her in my pocket! Ella is ecstatic because the teacher she got is the one she has been hoping and praying to get all summer long. I don't know her as well, but she seems to be very personable and all the other mothers I've talked to have had nothing but good things to say about her. So we're off to a good start! This is Elinor's last year at the elementary school and she's really excited to be "top dog".

Tilly will be in 8th (eek - one more year until high school!!) and we picked up her schedule after leaving the elementary school. We wandered the halls until she found all her classes. The school is 3 stories and spread out, plus her classes don't seem to follow any kind of natural flow, so it looks like she'll be doing her best speed-walk to get from one room to the other in the allotted 4 minutes!

After orientation was over, we met my Aunt Virginia for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It was a joint celebration for both her birthday (Aug 6th) and the end of Summer vacation. Much chips and salsa was snarfed, along with oodles of good conversation. Then, we headed home and hopped in the pool for a couple of hours while I gleefully reminded my children that this was probably the last weekday that they'd be able to swim with school starting on Monday. That was probably a little mean, but I did remind them afterwards that until it was too cool to swim, they'd still have the weekends!

Now it's time to cook dinner and then make beads. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

So Sad

You know how you may not know someone, but by reading about their exploits, triumphs and losses you begin to feel a kinship? I've felt that way about Elden and his family from Fat Cyclist ever since I stumbled on his blog a few years ago.

My husband enjoys cycling, as do I, although neither of us are as rabid as is considered the norm among other bikers we've met. But it has been fun looking at the world from Elden's perspective and following along with his bike lust, acquisitions and just plain silliness. (Seriously, nuke-ing old Shot Blox to see what would happen and videotaping so you can share it with the world? Hilarious!)

I've also been reading about his wife, Susan, and her fight with cancer. I celebrated with them for Susan's good days and grieved for her bad days. Susan died last night. My heart breaks for her husband, her children and their family who lost such a special lady way too soon.

Bead-making Weekend

This weekend I am busy making beads for orders. Just thought I'd share a picture of the Tropicana florals I've made so far. Don'tcha just love orange and pink together?

Dean is taking the kids down to visit his parents so I can get some torch time in today (instead of only working this evening). I guess I'd better go get started!