Boutique Announcement

New beads will be available for purchase on Wednesday, April 15th!!

Weird Week

How it got to be Thursday already is a complete mystery to me. I haven't gotten nearly enough done for it to be only 2 days to the weekend - yikes! I'd like to speak to the people in charge and request one more Tuesday and Wednesday to be tacked on at the end of the week so I can actually get something accomplished. Deal? Oh yeah, and since the weather today is so gross, what with all the rain and tornado warnings, I don't think today should count because I can't even seem to get motivated enough to make my bed. Or tomorrow or Saturday, since they're also forecast to be yucky, depressing weather days. Only pretty and sunny days should count towards my week. So, could you just tack on the extra couple days and make sure the weather cooperates? Thanks!

Seriously. This morning, I feel like one of those coma patients in the movies that wakes up only to discover they've been unconscious for years and years instead of a day or two. Very disorienting.

Tilly's first track meet was on Tuesday and we all thought she did very well. She has never done any kind of distance running before, only what was necessary for playing tennis (her first love). It's kind of odd really, when she went to try out for the team, she had told the coach that she was primarily interested in the sprinting events. (I know it's going to sound biased coming from her mother, but she truly is a wicked fast sprinter.) She made the team, obviously, but what they've got her running are the 1600 and 3200 meter events. (That's the 1 and 2 mile runs for those of you who, like me, don't "do" metric.)

So, after one whole week of track practice (insert heavy sarcasm here) they had their first meet. You cannot imagine how incredibly proud I was, cheering from the stands as she chugged along. She didn't win either race, but you know what? She FINISHED them both and that is what matters to me.

"The Light.....It Buuuuuuuuuuuurns Us!"

Just got back from ye olde annual eye exam with my wonderful optometrist, Dr. Long. As usual, my pupils are dilated to the size of saucers and will be for the next several hours. Also as usual, I have the instant splitting headache that accompanies too much sunlight sneaking around the edges of my darkened lenses and assaulting my defenseless eyes.

I'm going to go lie down for a while and give my eyes a chance to rest and recuperate.

Yeah. It's Me.

Sorry about the extended silence. *sigh* As usual, I just get so caught up in my little world sometimes that I forget to check in. I've been busy finishing a large order for a super sweet (and patient!!) lady. (You know who you are - thanks sweetie!!)

This morning, I took Tilly to the orthodontist to get the rest of her braces put on. She's had braces for a year now on St Patrick's Day, but they only put brackets on some of the top teeth so they could make room for new teeth coming in. Today, they expanded the top wires and added braces to her bottom teeth as well. She was really excited and kept saying "I love my braces, I'm so happy!". I told her that I was going to remind her that she said that this evening when she was trying to get to sleep tonight!! Bwahahaha!! (I had braces foooooorrrreeeeeeevvvvvvvveeeeeerrrrr when I was her age, so I can relate...)

Sad thing is, by the time we're done paying for Tilly's braces it'll be time to get them for Elinor. And then it'll be Davis' turn. And then Dean has expressed interest it having his teeth fixed too! Looks like the orthodontist WILL be able to retire early after all!

Floriferous

These pictures are of beads I just finished that were a special request from my mom. I really, really, REALLY like how they turned out and I'm mulling over making a few sets to sell in my Boutique. Would there be any interest in them?

Before you answer, keep in mind that they are quite time-intensive and the deep pink glass that I used so freely I can't get any more (and is therefore extremely precious!), so these beads would be more expensive than my usual bead set prices. How expensive? I'd probably ask in the neighborhood of $90-100 for this set of 5 beads. So - still interested?

If You Give a Kid a Camera...

Tilly asked if she could borrow my camera Saturday night and I agreed. While I was pulling images off my memory card this morning, I stumbled upon the series of shots she had taken. It's always interesting to me to see what she finds a worthy subject to photograph. There were shots of the power lines and trees across the street from our house (I'm assuming she meant to capture the sunset on the horizon, but didn't take the camera off auto-focus. *grin*) and pictures of the funky crow sculpture (which I absolutely love!) in the bird bath, but my favorite of all of them was this picture of the moon. Click on it to see the bigger version - you can even see some of the craters on the bottom right side!

I think somebody is going to be getting a camera of her own soon, don't you?

New Beads Going Up!!!

I'm in the process of adding new beads to my webpage right now. C'mon over and see what I've got!

jenagirlbeads boutique

Midnight Lotus Trio

Midnight Lotus Harlequin Beads

Yum!!

Midnight Lotus Sneak Peek

I only wish that uploading the pictures to Blogger didn't completely wash out the vibrant colors in this series. *sigh* That bubble gum-looking pink on the lilypad flowers is actually a shade of eye-popping fuchsia!

Slight Boutique Tweak

As I sit here, snarfing sushi for lunch, it occurs to me: There's no way I'll be ready to update the Boutique on Thursday. I don't even have my Early Bird specials ready to go! So, I'm pushing the date back by 2 days - more than enough time to get my ducks in a row (sorry about the proliferation of bird talk - I'm loving my new chicks!!) and restock the Boutique.

So - the date for March's Boutique update is now Saturday, March 7th. I'll be sending out reminder e-mails on Friday.

Tune in for a sneak peek at March's beads tomorrow. The new series is called Midnight Lotus!

Gratuitous Chick Footage

Because you know I just can't help myself...

But good golly, aren't they adorable??

Snow!

As you might imagine, we don't have snow very often. When it does snow, it's a wonderful surprise and the kids have a tendency to go a little nuts. Here's a quick video I shot this morning.

That's our old barn in the background. It's been here for ages, since when the property was a farm - complete with milk cows and chickens. I guess things really do go in circles, although I can promise you we won't be getting any dairy cows. Chicken poop is one thing, but cow patties?? Uh - NO.

Boutique Update and Chick Chat

Hello everyone!!!

We've been so busy with chick-related stuff that I haven't had the time to update my blog for a while. Yes - we got chicks!! We have Mimi, the Australorp, and Fifi, the Barred Rock. In a few weeks we'll be picking up Lola, the Rhode Island Red and the Silver-Laced Wyandotte who is, as yet, still unnamed. (Although we are leaning very strongly towards Nadine.) So far, I'm loving it! And I have to say, they are just as prolific at making poop as I had expected. Rather than being disturbed - I'm thrilled!! I'm ordering a compost digester this week so I can use the chicken droppings, along with our household waste and grass clippings to make compost for the garden.

My next Boutique update will be on Thursday, March 5th. And I will probably have a few Early Bird Specials on Tuesday, for those who happen to be at the right place at the right time!