jenagirlbeads

Zebra Bead Demo

2010-06-29T12:35:00.004-04:00

(Click the thumbnail above to go to the video!)

Tilly and I jury rigged a didymium filter for her Flip video camera (using painter's tape to hold a lens from a spare pair of lampworking glasses over the video camera's lens) and wanted to see if it worked.

It does. Yea!

Now I just have to figure out something interesting to do... Is there any kind of bead you'd like to see made?

Working On It!

2010-06-16T08:46:00.003-04:00

I know it's been over a week since I added any new beads, but I am working on some new sets to post later this week.

In case you're wondering why it has been so quiet around here, this is the reason: my "To Do" list. I swear the blasted thing grows exponentially while I sleep, along with all the wire shirt hangers and unmatched socks!

Notice anything particular about it? Like, how so far this morning, I've only managed to get ONE teeny, tiny thing accomplished? Grrrr!

Give me strength.

Button Me Up!!

2010-06-02T09:15:00.000-04:00

Beads and Buttons!!

New Beads!

2010-06-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

Beads!!

Can't Help Myself!

2010-05-27T07:14:00.000-04:00

Apparently, I have a mini obsession with watermelon tourmaline right now. I Googled images last night and found a couple more that I thought were absolutely lovely! Obviously. these aren't mine. But I wish they were!

I Love Watermelon!

2010-05-26T16:07:00.001-04:00

Watermelon Tourmaline, that is. (The real stuff makes my stomach hurt - weird, dontcha think?) Not these beads though, they're completely painless and twice as delicious!

Boutique

By the way, this is what slices of real watermelon tourmaline look like. :-)

Movie Tuesday!

2010-05-25T11:17:00.003-04:00

Today is $.75 movies all day long at the local dollar movie theater. The kids and I have never seen the new Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp, so we're heading to see it in a minute. When I get back, I've got these floral beads to post and a super set of pink hollows!

Sunday Hollows

2010-05-23T17:10:00.002-04:00

Saturday

2010-05-22T15:49:00.003-04:00

Feeling All Hollow Inside

2010-05-21T11:39:00.002-04:00

No, I haven't gone "emo" on you, I just got a bit carried away making hollow beads last night!

Hollows

This is what happens when I set out to make a pair of hollow beads for earrings. Lots and lots of extras!

Summertime Brights

2010-05-20T12:29:00.002-04:00

New Beads!

We're in the final homestretch! Tomorrow is the last day of school for the kiddos until August 12th. Today is Honor's Day at the elementary school and Ella is excited about doing the 5th grade Walk of Fame. (They get to parade around the entire school while everyone claps as a "goodbye" to the place they've spent the last 6 years.) It was funny watching her get ready for bed last night. She's highly organized (unlike her flighty mother!) and gets her clothes laid out for the next day before going to sleep. My uber-tomboy pulled out a DRESS and HEELS to wear. Seriously! This is the child that puts on pajamas as soon as she gets home from school - no joke.

It's going to be interesting next year with all the kids in diffrent schools for the first time. Tilly will be at the high school (yep, a frishy-froshy-freshman - Eek!), Ella will be over at the 6th grade academy and Davis will be at the elementary school for the next 2 years. *sigh* My babies are growing up!!

I've got beadie goodies on the backburner while I finish up some orders, but I'm planning to get some new stuff up over the weekend, so I hope you'll check in again soon!

8th Grade Dance

2010-05-14T19:54:00.000-04:00

Tilly went to her first dance tonight. My little girl is growing up! Can you believe she'll be in high school next year? *sniff*

Parti All the Time!

2010-05-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

New beads!

Thursday Beads!

2010-05-06T08:22:00.002-04:00

I'm putting up these beads in the Boutique today. What do you think of the mossy background? I dug it up from around the roots of the oak tree in our yard and put it in a terracotta saucer. Let's see if I can keep it alive!

Can't stay and chit chat - Davis' field day is tomorrow (eek!) and I've got shirts to tie-dye! (procrastinaaaaaation - it's a killer!) I'm taking pictures of the process to bore you with tomorrow morning. Am I not thoughtful??? ;-)

Monday Fun Day

2010-05-03T08:24:00.000-04:00

New Beads Up!

2010-04-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

*jenagirlbeads* Boutique

More Petaluma Beads Coming!

2010-04-30T07:48:00.003-04:00

I've got bunches of beads to clean and photograph this morning. 3 more strands of Petaluma beads and a couple strands of matched Petaluma earring beads. They'll be up before 10 a.m.

Thinking in Flowers

2010-04-28T08:35:00.000-04:00

Added 2 more sets this morning before leaving the house. Hope you like these! I'll be adding a couple more sets each day, including focals and (hopefully) some sets of paired earring beads. Click the disk bead picture on the top right side of this blog to be taken to my website.

Back to Work!

2010-04-26T14:01:00.001-04:00

It feels a bit odd to get back to the business of beads after being gone for so long! Odd, but in a good sort of way, if that's even possible. Instead of killing myself to make 800 bead variations on a specific color palette (as I am wont to do), I decided to just work with whatever colors appealed to me for however long they appealed to me. When I get tired of working with one set of colors, I put them away and then try something different.

I'm working on photographing and listing the beads I've made recently so make sure to stop by often and see what's new!

Where'd the Time Go?

2010-04-22T15:26:00.002-04:00

A very wise and talented man once said "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". I couldn't agree more! Since the last entry, I've had a serious case of double pneumonia that knocked me out of commission for the better part of 2 months, we've discovered that my eldest daughter has chronic migraines and hypoglycemia, and on Easter Sunday we (quite unexpectedly) had to put our much-adored miniature schnauzer, Gracie, to sleep. This has NOT been a good 2010 for our family so far. But I've always had the feeling that bad things happen in threes, so I think we should be good for a while, right? Right?! Why'd it get so quiet in here?

I have decided to return to school and pursue a degree in nursing, but no worries - I definitely will still be making beads. I love, love, LOVE making beads, but with this economy... Blah, blah, blah, how many times have you heard THAT expression recently?! Seriously though, how on Earth would I pay for college if I no longer made beads? Yeesh!! I'm showing my age here, but the last time I was enrolled, colleges still used the quarter system and my tuition and fees for a full load was about $700, not including books. Now? It makes me a little green around the gills to think about the checks I have to write to the Registrar's Office. Ouch!

But back to the beads, I'm going to be putting some new things up very soon. Like maybe, tomorrow?

The Verdict?

2010-02-11T07:19:00.000-05:00

Pneumonia. Double pneumonia.

No wonder I feel so awful! I've had a shot and a breathing treatment and I go back for more of the same today. I think I'll just lay low and recuperate for a few days. Maybe I'll feel better and can make some beads late this weekend - I hope so. I miss melting glass but I know better than to even try right now - I can't stop coughing long enough to make an even spacer bead, much less something complicated!

Sick As a Dog

2010-02-10T08:21:00.001-05:00

Going back to the doctor's office today to see what is wrong with me. I cough all night and can't get any sleep - despite the fact I've been on DayQuil, Mucinex and Sudafed for practically 2 1/2 weeks. (Not all at once, obviously!) The glands in my throat are swollen to the point where it's painful to swallow and I'm just plain miserable.

Back in a Bit!

2010-02-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

Made 2 strands of beads this week and was happy with how they turned out! I'll put them on the web page after I pick up the kids from school. ;-)

Checking In...

2010-01-28T06:02:00.001-05:00

I know it's been a little more quiet around here than I had said it would be. The reason? My lovely family (Davis excluded) has shared the stomach virus they had and so now I've got it. Woohoo....

Midnight Lotus Disk Beads Listed

2010-01-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

I got some more beads listed this morning. Lilypads and Saturn beads will be up tomorrow. I've got an idea for what I think will be some more cool beads in this color combination, but I'll have to experiment and see what they look like!

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

2010-01-22T08:01:00.002-05:00

...go often askew.

With apologies to Robert Burns, who definitely wasn't talking about posting beads on his website, but whose poetry nonetheless sums up my morning so far.

I had intended to put a bunch of new Tropicana at Midnight beads up this morning. Triangle disks, striped disks, lilypads and a Saturn bead or two. But... someone forgot to run the ramp-down program on her kiln last night. Oops! So, I'm going to put up the 3 little triangle disks I had already made and then list the rest of them tomorrow morning.

Tropicana at Midnight Beads! (and now more!!)

2010-01-21T10:35:00.003-05:00

I've just posted these new beads in the shop and there will be more beads added tomorrow!

Boutique

New Beads Going Up!!!

2010-01-20T14:21:00.001-05:00

jenagirlbeads boutique

I have some new beads I'm listing today as well as tomorrow. Now that the cold snap has broken, I'm thinking Spring and made some beads with warmer temperatures in mind. I hope you like them!

Cha-cha-cha...Changes!

2010-01-13T12:53:00.001-05:00

This week begins the changeover to the new blog. All bead, glass and business-related posts will remain here on the *jenagirlbeads* blog. All personal and family-related stuff will be moving over to the new Frugal Fulchers blog. So, now you have a choice! If you want just the facts about the beads (where they are, when they're coming, etc..) without having to read my whining about sick children, then bookmark this page.

If however, you like reading my whines, rants and vents...Well, you're probably family or maybe just a glutton for punishment! You sickos (just kidding!!) should bookmark THIS page to keep up with all the shenanigans here at Casa Fulcher.

Neverending Story...

2010-01-12T10:06:00.005-05:00

I loved that movie as a child, but as an adult I find the concept somewhat annoying. No, not the actual movie - that is still sweet. But the idea of something that just keeps repeating over and over. In my house, that seems to be illness. Tilly was home yesterday because she was complaining of a sore throat and had a pretty bad cough. The doctor diagnosed her with strep throat and pneumonia and stuck her on antibiotics.

(*Side note - we were all pretty freaked out about the pneumonia diagnosis because a very dear family friend was admitted to the hospital late on Thursday evening of last week with a cough and difficulty breathing, diagnosed with double pneumonia the next day and died in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Julia was only 60 and was expecting her next grandchild in the next few weeks. She will be greatly missed!)

Cut to this morning , and now Elinor says her throat feels like she's trying to swallow broken glass every time she swallows. Back to the doctor, yep - more strep but thankfully no pneumonia. Prescribes antibiotics for Ella. Doctor is not impressed with the lack of improvement in Tilly's case and the fact that the strep swab came back immediately positive again. (Don't ask me - I have no idea how cultures work or how long it takes an antibiotic to work!) Soooooo, he changes her antibiotics again and orders another day or two of home rest - for both of them. Now all I'm waiting for is for Davis to get sick and the Fulcher family children will have won the Illness Triple Crown yet again!

Getting Back in the Saddle

2009-12-30T12:16:00.003-05:00

After a holiday full of joy, love and sadness, we're getting back into the groove again - slowly. The kids are still home and will be until sometime next week. I'll be back full-time then! Until then, here's video from Tilly's new Flip camcorder.

Busy Weekend

2009-12-07T12:09:00.002-05:00

Elinor is part of a singing group at her elementary school and this past week and the next couple of weeks marks the "busy season" for her. They've had their Concert on The Square last week and yesterday went to the Governor's mansion and sang for Sonny Perdue and guests at the lighting of the Christmas tree on the mansion property. (I'll be scanning the newspaper for photos, as she said there were several journalist taking pictures.)

We made a family outing-type evening of the Concert on The Square, going early to eat pizza and window-shop in all the stores that had holiday expanded hours. We had a blast and took oodles of pictures, of which I've shared the 2 shown above.

More Sale Beads!!

2009-12-03T10:32:00.015-05:00

Take me to the beads!!

I got fed up trying to photograph beads in the (almost) non-existent daylight yesterday and I wasn't having much better luck with the OTT light inside. Soooooo... I waited to finish posting beads until today. I hope to have everything finished by this afternoon!

Movie Night... Inglourious Basterds

2009-12-03T09:49:00.006-05:00

Last night, Dean and I went over to the neighbor's house and watched Inglourious Basterds on his freakishly large televison. It was pretty obvious that we were watching a pirated dvd because it isn't released until Dec 15, there was no disk menu when we turned it on and the video quality was "eh". All that said, it was a pretty typical Tarantino movie - lots of violence and a bizarre, convoluted story. I loved it! Watching Brad Pitt mangle a Tennessee "mountain man" accent was the best fun I've had in ages!

Tarantino movies are hit and miss with me. I enjoyed Resevoir Dogs but hated Pulp Fiction. I liked the first Kill Bill (although I've watched them all) but turned off Death Proof about a third of the way in. This movie I really did like and now I wish I had seen it in the theater. Maybe I'll start watching the listings for the $1 show to see when it shows up there!

LOVE

2009-12-02T11:20:00.006-05:00

These make me smile! There's like 50 million spacers in those tins, dontcha think? Well, not really - it's more like 150 (yep, I counted). Don't they remind you of candy?

Rainy Wednesday

2009-12-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

It's a crummy sort of day for taking pictures, but I'm gonna do my best! Beads will be coming throughout the day, check back often!

Tuesday Drive-by

2009-12-01T09:32:00.003-05:00

Just making beads, baby!! Hope everyone has an awesome day!

Not For the Faint of Heart (or Stomach...)

2009-11-30T09:38:00.004-05:00

Universal Yuck Face

Seriously, do NOT watch the video I just posted if you are easily grossed out. Tilly and Ella took this of Pearl, our Buff Orpington hen, laying an egg yesterday. Yep, they snatched her out of the nesting box (where she had managed to get a little bit of privacy), flipped her upside down and filmed her in the act. And here I get irritated when someone tries to talk to me through the bathroom door...

I don't want any nasty e-mails or comments because you can't say I didn't warn you.

Yuck.

But don't worry, it won't keep a single one of us from eating eggs! :-)

More Beads and "Black Weekend"

2009-11-26T21:45:00.002-05:00

I've added some new beads tonight that I hope you'll like. Also, as a nod to the traditional "After Thanksgiving Day Sales", I've decided to have my own! From now until Monday morning, all the beads (with the exception of the the already bargain-priced beads on my Sale page) have been discounted! Yep - even the brand new beads I'm listing will be marked down! I know - WOW!!

Also, after this weekend, the catalog pages will be closed for several months while I make new series beads and work on submissions for some magazines and a (cross your fingers) proposed book! So if you want beads, now's the time!! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T07:15:00.002-05:00

Enjoy your day!!

Calypso Lentil Trios

2009-11-25T11:25:00.003-05:00

Of course I noticed the fingerprints all over that bottom lime lentil AFTER I get the beads posted! Hahaha...if I wasn't so pressed for time, I'd redo it but honestly? I was glad to get the computer to myself for 20 minutes with the kids home all week! If I take any longer and keep them from playing "Happy Aquarium" on Facebook any longer, there's bound to be a riot!

Just...WOW

2009-11-25T09:57:00.003-05:00

I got this link in my e-mail box this morning (Thanks Uncle Walt and Eric) and am completely blown away - no pun intended.

Fan Death

I've checked with Snopes.com and while the e-mail circulating that this is actually possible is false (duh, really??), apparently this is a real concern in Korea and the Wikipedia entry is indeed genuine.

Seriously?

Wow.

Calypso Beads are Coming!

2009-11-24T11:11:00.005-05:00

I made beaucoup mini beads yesterday using Calypso colors. Aren't they pretty?? You know, I love making spacer beads, they're very zen for me. When I'm stressed out, I zone out and make more until I'm in a better mood and then I have all these yummy baby beads in my kiln the next morning. It's a win-win!

Think I'm kidding? Let's do the math: there are over 100 spacers per tin and I made 6 tins worth of beads yesterday. And the best part? I feel fabulous this morning!! :-)

More Calypso beads will be available tomorrow - probably trios and lentils!

Fun With Chicken

2009-11-23T08:25:00.005-05:00

I was cracking up while taking these pictures. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "playing with your food", doesn't it?! Just kidding, we'd never eat the girls - just their deeeeelicious eggs!

The hen used in these pictures has not been harmed in any way. Lola is our fabulous stunt chicken and can even do a quite convincing version of "play dead"!

Now that is a very fine hat. Something tells me it won't keep your ears warm this winter though...

When I was editing this picture, I mistook Ella's arm for another chicken leg and it kinda freaked me out for a minute until I took a closer look!!

Practicing Hamlet's soliloquy. Lola playing the part of Yorick, of course.

Ella makes a fantastic Dr Evil. She said any two-bit villain can have a lap cat. She prefers a lap chicken!

Studio Clean-Up!

2009-11-20T10:43:00.009-05:00

11:29 am - There are more new beads coming, but the camera battery just died and it's one of those rechargeable types. Soooo... I'll update the rest of the beads once the battery is all juiced-up again!

I took a quick time-out yesterday from making beads in order to round up all the extra beads laying around my desk and workspace. I tossed all the yucky, wonky ones (and there were quite a few due to the "new concentrator adjustment period", you know!!) and then put together sets and pairs of those that I thought were usable. Even better, they have all been priced at what I consider "sale" prices - enjoy!

I'll be cleaning, photographing and posting them throughout the day, so check back often!!

Take me to the SALE beads!!

monday - wahoo!

2009-11-02T09:31:00.002-05:00

I'm actually happy about it being Monday for the first time in recorded history, I think!
I've got tons of stuff to do today and tonight I've got tracking numbers to e-mail to about 6 people, so check your e-mail boxes later...

See ya ladies!!!

Bouncey Bouncey

2009-10-30T08:02:00.002-04:00

I know I've been quiet this week, just up to my eyeballs in dealing with stuff I couldn't put off any longer. I've got a ton to do this morning, so I'll leave you with a short video I took yesterday.

This is my Miss Tilly doing a standing back handspring on the trampoline at cheer last night. Go Tilly!

And a big "Thank You!" to Coach Rico there in the background. She wouldn't have done it if she didn't trust you to not let her fall!

We Have a Drawing Winner!

2009-10-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

We have a winner for the Fairy Dance bead set! Congrats to to the author of comment number 23 - Linda V!! Please send me your mailing address at jenagirlbeads AT gmail.com so I can send out your beads!

Thank you to everybody who participated!! I had lots of fun reading all the wonderful comments you all left and I will definitely be doing another contest again very soon!!

More Beads

2009-10-23T13:33:00.003-04:00

I'm playing around with new backgrounds for bead photography and I have to say - I really like this one! Of course, it won't work with every bead color but it is definitely funky and different.

And yes, the beads are for sale. I'm posting them now.

Yum!

2009-10-23T10:23:00.010-04:00

I love Glee.
Love, love, LoVe, Loooove, LOVE it!
There - I said it.

Here are some of my favorite clips from recent episodes:

Ummmm... yes, please!

I enjoy Kanye, but I think this version turned out WaaaaaaaaaaaaaY better. Plus, that adorable teacher is dancing all over the place. Can I have one of him, too?

Sorry! Fox yanked the video. :-(

Ha! Just found another!

The Female of the Species...

2009-10-22T14:46:00.006-04:00

Kinda random title, huh? Well, I've been sitting here drawing a complete blank for today's title for quite a while now. I decided to name today's entry whatever the next thing was that popped into my head. I've been watching Jeeves & Wooster dvds recently (I adore that program!) and the way Bertie makes nicknames for everyone and uses abbreviations repeatedly just cracks me up. Hugh Laurie is a real treat! Anyway, in one episode Bertie says "the F of the S is more D than the M" and that popped into my head just a second ago. Yeah, I know... I don't know how my mind works either!

Anyway, remember that the bead giveaway will be open until Saturday morning. For those who have asked - yes, you can leave a comment once a day on anything "fall" related and that will count as your entry. Just make sure you comment on the "October Bead Giveaway" blog entry. Good luck!

October Bead Giveaway!

2009-10-21T09:14:00.007-04:00

Comments are now CLOSED

What: I'm giving away this 5 piece set of Fairy Dance series beads!

When: Saturday morning, 10 a.m. eastern (10/24/09) by random drawing.

How: It's easy to enter! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog entry (not via the web site, please - it's too hard to keep up!) telling me one of your favorite fall things. You could tell me your favorite fall food or recipe, your favorite memory, or maybe your favorite thing to wear - whatever! Be creative!

Rules: One entry per person, per day. So you have a chance for 3 entries - 4 if you're up early on Saturday and beat me to the drawing!

So, start commenting!

Wanna Win Something Cool?

2009-10-21T08:00:00.007-04:00

My friend Cindy, of sweet bead studio, is having a giveaway on her blog! You'll never believe all the awesome stuff she's giving away - check it out:

(the following prize list is copied from Cindy's blog)

Grand prize:

- A copy of Easy Wire 2009

- 36 piece 1/8″ Letter and Number stamp set

-Eurotool metal punch

-110 piece copper washer set

-Sheet metal: copper and nickel silver

-18 gauge pure copper wire, 10 yard spool

Tadaaaaaaaaaa! And I know everyone wants a chance to win, so the lucky 2nd place winner will win a copy of Easy Wire 2009.

Would you like to know how to enter the drawing? I bet you would! Click on the magazine cover above or right HERE to be taken to Cindy's blog entry with all the pertinent details. Good luck!!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-21T07:47:00.003-04:00

The kids were off on Monday, so we drove to a nearby pumpkin patch. While the kids were running around finding the smallest and largest pumpkins, I wandered around snapping pictures of things that caught my eye. My favorite thing there wasn't the corn maze, the scarecrows or the enormous hay bale spider (although they were all pretty darn awesome) - it was this scale. I can't think of anything that I would need to weigh that would require this monster, but I think it's beautiful in its own old, rustic (yet functional!) way.

And yes, I'll give away something today. Right now, though, we're waiting for the sun!

Back to School...Sorta

2009-10-20T08:21:00.005-04:00

This is going to be a weird week, I'm afraid. The middle school has conferences all week, which means early release. Tilly goes to school at 7 a.m., I blink, and then I'm back sitting in carpool to pick her up around noon!

I was planning to have a bead giveaway today, but it all depends on whether or not I can find the camera! I guess I could just describe the beads and go from there, but I would like to post a picture. I'll update later, when I know for sure.

*UPDATE* 5:53 p.m. -
I found the camera!! Thank heavens for that, but now it's a little too late to take/crop/post pictures. I'll do the give-away tomorrow morning!!

Happy Monday!

2009-10-19T07:30:00.002-04:00

I've got a lot to do today and the kids are out of school, so this is another drive-by update. I found this old, weathered chair in the barn last week and just had to figure out some way to use it. I'm debating whether I should sand some of the more distressed parts smooth and then paint it or if I should just leave it alone and enjoy the rustic vibe. What do you think?

Bead giveaway tomorrow, by the way. Make sure you check in!

oops!

2009-10-18T10:46:00.003-04:00

Sorry to everyone who got multiple e-mails this morning. It really wasn't my intention to drown you in messages from me!! I couldn't get VR to work for several hours, so I panicked and did a manual mailing. Next time, I'll be more patient...

Saturday Stock Up

2009-10-17T13:30:00.003-04:00

It's been quite a while since I had any new beads to put up, but I managed to make a few yesterday. I'll be posting them to the Boutique in a little bit!

Birdie Cuties

2009-10-16T10:49:00.007-04:00

Ostrich

Emu

I know this is apropos of nothing, but I've noticed I'm really starting to dig birds. Big birds, little birds- doesn't matter. Then I found these pictures on Google this morning and fell in love. While I think they're both absolutely adorable (love the eyelashes on the ostrich!), I want the emu in the worst way!! A whole flock of these running around the yard would be hysterical and awesome - and just think of the omelets I could make...

Anyway, the kids want pizza for dinner, so I've gotta go set up the bread machine and make the dough. Later!

We Have a Winner!

2009-10-14T19:08:00.005-04:00

Wow - you all are good! The house in yesterday's blog entry was from Practical Magic. There were several entries via the comments button on my web page as well as the ones here on my blog, so I wrote every one's name on little slips of paper. Tilly drew a name this afternoon and the winner is... Maggie F!!! Congrats, Maggie! You won a super cute assortment of Halloween beads! (wait til you see the witch's hat - it's a killer...)

Thank you to everyone for commenting! I'll do another giveaway again really soon. :-)

Can You Guess the Movie?

2009-10-13T08:42:00.005-04:00

It's one of my favorites and I watched it yesterday while working. Send me your best guess via comment. I'll select one of the correct entries tomorrow for a free beady goody of my choosing.

Oh and guess what else - it's NOT raining right now. Wahoo! I know I'm going on and on about the rain, but you try living with a roof that keeps leaking no matter how many times it gets worked on. It's frustrating!! :-P

Confidential to Agent 99

2009-10-08T08:56:00.006-04:00

---------------------start message----------------------

***Pssst!***

The chemicals are starting to do their trick.
Don't pet barking spiders - they bite.
Maintain radio silence.

That is all.

----------------------end message-----------------------

Do You Even Need to Ask?

2009-10-07T08:11:00.007-04:00

I will say, although Daniel Radcliff will never be my idea of a drool-inducing man, he has certainly improved over the years. And who doesn't look better wet? (...or dirty - see my Mike Rowe/Bear Grylls obsession here. Okay, Ewan McGregor is there too, but I think any woman with a detectable pulse would agree that he's a hottie.)

I remember these umbrellas being huge when I was in elementary school. Of course, they were probably big before that, but I either wasn't alive then or old enough to notice. I always wanted one but never did manage to convince my mother to get one for me. The fact that I used to forget and leave things everywhere never occurred to me as the reason why she wouldn't buy one. (Seriously, I once left my purse in a restaurant when I was, oh, about 12. We were coming home from a horse show ((I used to show Tennessee Walkers when I was younger. The racking competitions were always my favorite.)) and I left it hanging on the back of my chair when we left. About 50 miles later, I realized what happened, so we turned around and drove back to get it. Now that I'm a parent, I kinda wonder at why we drove all that way just to retrieve my pocketbook. If I'd never remembered I left it, all I would've lost would have been some hair ribbons, a blue lucky rabbit's foot key chain and a pot of Carmex - oh yeah, and the purse.

Even if I wasn't always losing things, my mom was more of a poncho girl at heart. Maybe she would've let me have one of these??

UFOCAP? Seriously? That's the best name they could come up with? Dude, I've got eyes - it's a ponchbrella. Or maybe it's an umponcho. How 'bout we just call it "an invitation to get the snot beaten out of you by the school bullies"? Yeah - that's PERFECT.

Not Great, But Better

2009-10-06T07:51:00.008-04:00

It's now Tuesday and it's - SURPRISE!- still raining. It hasn't been the monsoon of 3 weeks ago (with massive flooding and serious storm damage), but it is tiresome and annoying - especially when your roof is messed-up and leaking! Yes - still leaking.

I'd take pictures to share, but I haven't bought myself a camera yet and my Mom's camera is currently out of the country. She and my Dad went to Paris with another couple. They've called and texted a few times, so I know they're having fun. (Yesterday, they took a high speed train to Brussels and Bruges and spent the day there.) Mom's birthday is on the 10th and she's always wanted to go, so it's her birthday present this year.

Sorry, the picture above isn't from the 'rents but from Google pics. Dad was going to send some shots he'd taken using his iPhone and then found out that it would cost something like $20 per gigabyte to send and thought the better of it.

That's all for now, I've got to go regroup and decide what to do with my day. Right now, I'm wrapped up in 2 blankets and a sweatshirt and all I really feel like doing is to go back to bed.

Monday Morning

2009-10-05T08:07:00.001-04:00

Hmmm... well it's Monday, it's morning and it's raining. Again.
Right, well - I've got beds to make and laundry to do. Then I'm gonna try and make some beads. Hope your day is a good one!

Wednesday Drive By

2009-09-30T08:06:00.004-04:00

I'm here, I'm alive and I'm working like a maniac. I don't feel really chatty right now (more like overwhelmed and depressed) and haven't felt that way for a while, so I'm gonna keep my updates short and sweet until I feel more like myself.

That said - THANK YOU to everyone who has sent such lovely e-mails, especially about our cat, Freckles, dying last week. It meant a lot to me that so many people took the time to send a message. So, again, thank you!

Miss You

2009-09-25T08:01:00.006-04:00

Between working on the house, Ella's birthday, schools being closed and the kids home, really bad storms and storm/water damage and our cat, Freckle, dying - it's been a bit insane this week. I'll be back on Monday after I take a couple much-needed days to myself.

Can you believe that there are still whole parts of the interstate closed because it is underwater? There's a school in the Metro that you can only see about 2 feet of the roof sticking out of the flood waters that surround it. Absolutely unreal! Oh and get this - MORE RAIN today and this weekend.

I'm gonna have to check my toes for webs... At least that'd be helpful!

I miss the cat. :-(

New, New, New!!!

2009-09-13T16:06:00.003-04:00

A bunch of NEW silver pieces are now available in the Boutique. Go check 'em out!!

BOUTIQUE

Halloween!

2009-09-11T17:18:00.003-04:00

I love, love, love Halloween! It's my absolute favorite holiday. And since I already had the Kalera press out making the Lily Floriferous set for an order, I figured, "Hey - I should make a couple more Halloween-flavored floral tiles!" So.... here they are!

I'm gonna go stick 'em up in the Boutique in a bit. The single bead and the pair are a "one of" but I will take orders on the trio. You know, just in case you were wondering!

Beautiful Day

2009-09-10T16:11:00.001-04:00

The sun is shining again and things are looking up! This poor butterfly has had a rough go of it too, if that big chunk of missing wing is any indication. Geez, if I was a better gardener, those butterfly bushes would be deadheaded. Oh well, I'm waaaay too busy to play in the dirt right now!

All current orders will be shipping out next week or so. I'll be sending out e-mail notifications as they are mailed!

Plugging Along

2009-09-09T11:41:00.004-04:00

Halloween Floral
$12

Still making order beads! Made this cute kalera-shaped floral yesterday before turning the kiln off. Isn't it sweet and Halloweenish?

Playing Catch Up

2009-09-08T10:42:00.002-04:00

I'm feeling much better now. Whew! You know, I was in bed, absolutely miserable, for a whole week! The first day I started to feel human was yesterday (which by the way, was my birthday - wahoo!) and now I'd say I'm 85% recovered.

I've got a lot of work to make up for now that I'm a week behind schedule. So, I'll pop in and update the blog daily but they the posts will be short and sweet so I can spend most of my time torching.

Glad to be back!

Sick

2009-09-02T15:04:00.002-04:00

Sick as a dog. I'll be back in a couple days when I'm feeling better.

Snuggle Buddies

2009-08-30T13:50:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-08-29T14:12:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-28T21:25:00.009-04:00

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...

2009-08-28T08:33:00.005-04:00

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!

2009-08-27T10:03:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-27T08:57:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-08-26T19:00:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-23T15:01:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-08-22T14:53:00.006-04:00

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

2009-08-21T09:54:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-08-20T09:21:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-19T07:55:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-08-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-17T07:58:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-16T11:18:00.007-04:00

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.

2009-08-15T09:40:00.006-04:00

*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

2009-08-14T06:41:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-08-13T07:47:00.007-04:00

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?

Going to sleep listening to the sound of rain outside.
Piling up on my bed with the kids and reading out loud to them.
The cool, crisp feeling of an Autumn morning. (It's coming - I can't wait!)
Halloween
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

2009-08-12T09:04:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-08-11T08:30:00.008-04:00

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

2009-08-10T07:54:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-09T12:45:00.006-04:00

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

2009-08-09T09:45:00.010-04:00

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

2009-08-07T16:58:00.006-04:00

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

2009-08-06T11:08:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-01T13:12:00.002-04:00

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!

Bead Sale Ends Today!

2009-07-31T07:28:00.006-04:00

If you want to place an order for the beads on sale in the catalog, today is the last day to do so. I will be leaving the beads available for order for a while longer, but they will return to their regular price tomorrow, August 1st.

Bead Catalog
(click the link above)