Moving Things Along

Some shapes for freeform crochet

A box of patterns I still need to get listed

A crocheted bag that I need to finish lining and add handles to. Did you notice the earthy colors? I'm ready for some bright summery ones now!

I'm sorting through all my stash for things to go up on my Destash Etsy. I have quite a few books, patterns, magazines, and not to mention they creative "stuff" that has been stashed away for years that I'm finally realizing I'll never use so I might as well see if anyone out there wants it.

I have been crocheting like a mad woman over the last couple of months. Lots of flowers and circle like thingy's to make into free form clothing, like vests and jackets. I was desperately looking for a book on making bullions and spent a good hour just surfing the web thinking that I would be able to track down a copy of Bullions & Beyond by Prudence Mapstone only to find that the book was out of print and almost impossible to get my hands on. As a last resort I decided to do a search on Ravelry. If you are into crochet or knitting this site is a MUST!! Not only did I find some excellent information on Bullions but I also found Prudence Mapstone and her website which sells a downloadable copy of Bullions & Beyond! Now I'm a happy camper!! Check out her site. She does some of the coolest freeform crochet & knitting! Anyway this was something I did a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm drifting into knitting too. I haven't knit in years but I like the idea of mixing the two together plus it gives me more variety with what I'm doing which does & doesn't feed that need to bounch all over the place.

Anyway that's it for today.

A Precarious Net Connection....

My Latest Plant Additions.....something low maintenance.....

Yummy!! From Trader Joe's and dirt cheap!!

My last batch from the kiln!

And a stamp I work on while I'm waiting for the internet to work! Cool isn't she!!

The internet issue has been going on now for about a week. I'm not calling again yet, because the outages are much less frequent, however if it doesn't stay on track soon I'll be back to the phone calls.

The weekend was extra busy between Chinese food on Friday, for 2 of my sisters Birthdays, and then dinner with the in-laws on Saturday. We always have a wonderful time visiting and the boys have a ball playing in their backyard with their cousin David.

The rest of the weekend was spent on the yard and house.

On the creative front I have been jumping all over the place. The good part is I'm actually finishing things that I've started. The bad part is that I'm still having trouble staying focused on any one thing for a long period of time. I'm beginning to think that this could be related to peri-menopause. I know that no one wants to hear about it but at 44 years young, I'm well into the throws of all the fun, with nights sweats, hot flashes, mood swings and a few other things I dare not mention. I'm really not apt to take any medications and am looking into natural remedies at this point. To say that I don't trust the medical community would be an understatement, since "they" almost killed my Mom several years ago and with drug companies pushing or being "pushers", to make, sell and get people addicted (or dependant) on their medications, I think I would be much better off sticking to natural medicine.

And on the word from my Aunt, both she and my Grandmother survived it just fine with out any manufactured hormones. I believe her words were "Isn't that what wine and chocolate were created for?". I do wonder if that was maybe the orgin for chocolate being created. So that men could give it to women during menopause, followed by some wine : D........

Speaking of wine. I intend to be conducting a little wine making experiment of my own. Since we have an abundance of dandelions, I thought I would try my hand at making some Dandelion Wine. The internet is full of recipes but I looked for one that was as basic as they come. No expensive equipment and kind of a quick make (1 month or more). The equivalent of Apple Jack if you know what I mean : ) I also found a recipe for some quick wine made from grape juice at the same site. Just click on the Dandelion Wine link. I'm hoping to get a batch started this coming weekend, I'll keep you posted on the results. Remember this is just for fun!

Anyway, I'm really trying to work on staying focused. I do remember a time when I was a child that I didn't have any problem working on things for hours as a time but since having kids of my own it's become an issue. Even when the kids aren't around I have trouble staying on task for more than 20-30 minutes except with lampworking. I can get in a good 2-3 hours session but don't last much longer than that. More recently (last couple of years) it has really become an issue and it's starting to drive me a bit crazy because I really want to start focusing on my art but seem to bounce around not quite finishing anything. As I said above, though.....this is something I'm really working on, so you should see me posting a bit more often.

Sooooo...... the pics above are recent events. Plants, wine, some lampwork and a stamp (in the process).

Enjoy your evening!

The Internet......

Not that I don't love my DSL connection, every 3 months or so it decides to start acting up. It's really subtle at first. A random outage here and there and then one after another, after another. It usually lasts about 3 days at which point (usually the 2nd day) I call our ISP and complain to which they seem to think I'm the one with the problem. Granted I've reset and rebooted everything at least a half dozen times. When I called yesterday, (and I find it ironic that when you call the automated voice tells you that you can find help on the internet, do they really think I would be calling if I could get help through the net!!!!) the system that tests your line found a problem. What do ya know!! I finally get a tech on the line and they end up booting me back into the main menu. At this point I figure that they know I've got a problem so they will get it taken care of.....so far, so good, today!!

Back later.....

Spring Has Sprung!

After what seemed like a waayyyy too long Winter, it seems that the chill is finally starting to disappear. The ornamental plum is finally blooming and the Chinese pear is budding. I'm sure we'll still have a frosty morning now and then but Spring is definitely in site.

Sorting through the house is a slow process. According to this book (Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui). The first thing you should do is clear all of the clutter from behind your doors. This is a little easier said than done. What is interesting though is that I had started doing that exact thing even before I read this book. I still have a few doors to go though so we'll see what the results are later.

In the meantime while I sort through all the other "crap" my desk starts to accumulate things again! I swear that it's a paper magnet! So I'm back at that too. It's the nerve of my business so I NEED to keep it clear, no matter what.

I got one lampworking session in and haven't had a chance to sit at it since. I tried to post pictures, but Blogger is acting up tonight so no pics! Sorry! I'll see what I can do tomorrow though.

So for tonight I'll just make this a short post because I wanted to add pictures. So I'll be back tomorrow or this weekend!

Take care!

He's On His Way!

It's been a heck of a week but the Easter Bunny is on his way!!

Happy Easter & Enjoy your day!

The Weekend Is Here!!

Not the week for Spring Break! It was probably 95% rain plus my middle guy (Duncan) spent most of the week sick. Next weekend will be Easter so I need to start preparing for that too. I don't have a single peep or jelly bean around. Give me a stale peep and I'm happy for at least a minute or two!

I still have lampwork sitting in a bowl of water.........crochet rings that are ready for Etsy.......and, well, the boys being home, proved to be a bit bigger of a distraction than I had anticipated.......

Next week will be a little more "even".

Soooo.......

I did our taxes today. I'm so glad that's out of the way!!! It's one of those things that hangs over your head until you get it done and the closer it gets to April 15th the more stressed you (I) get.

It snowed again today. Didn't stick but it's back to burrrr!! Yesterday started with rain but ended up Sunny and WINDY!!! I was going to get on and post but decided against it after the lights flashed a few times.

Tonight I'll be heading to the store after Jimmy gets home. Have I mentioned that I'm carless (not careless) for the moment. This will hopefully be short lived but for now I make due and "steal" Brandy's when I can or wait for Jimmy to get home from work. It's not a big deal but it will be good when I do have a reliable set of wheels to use.

A little crochet ring above and I'll be adding inexpensive readers (Granny's) to my creative side (Etsy).

Uh Oh......

It looks like my oxy generator may need servicing. Dang! I'm going to try and give it another run this weekend but that may not be possible since I have a sick boy.

I did get a small hand full of goddess's and the like made. A couple mermaids too. The mandrel dip I use for my glass rings sucks, so I need to find something new. I've been losing about half the rings I make to being stuck on the mandrel and then having to be broken off....ARRG!

So this weekend is dedicated to getting Duncan well again and seeing what I do about my generator, and getting the beads I made cleaned and photographed. I'm sure there will be some crochet in there somewhere too.

Speaking of crochet here are some wire crochet rings I've been playing with and...........



My youngest son (not the sick one) in a surprise moment, cute huh!

I'm Lampworking Again!

I'm doing other things too, but it had been months since I sat in front of my torch and it feels darn good!!!

This week I was able to squeeze in a couple of hours on both Monday and today. I'm hoping to add a couple more on Friday. Sometimes that's all it takes. I'm experimenting with enamels and I cannot tell you how fun that is. The only bummer is that a couple of hours isn't nearly long enough! Oh well, I'll take what I can get! :)

The one picture above is of my nice "clean" lampwork area, ready to go!

The other is a copper wolf pendant I made awhile back. I'll be listing that on my Etsy in the next day or two. I also have a tiger in the works.

My Mom came by today and saw some of the crochet rings I've been making and promptly bought one. I love my Mom, she's truely one of my biggest fans! Of course I think she may be a bit biased ;)

So that's my little update today, yeah!

Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Snapping Pictures & Getting Down To It!

Keep watching......

My Ode To Orange On Etsy

I'm working on trying to post my link to my Etsy Treasury. "I know you don't like orange" is the title. Being a lover of orange and sort of yearning it because it reminds me of Summe, I'll at least lead you to the link......I know you don't like orange

Check it out if you have a minute or 2. I realize now that if you don't post regularly (On Etsy) you are probably not going to get the recognition you need to make it a success there.

I picked up some office supplies today and am ready to get back to business this coming week. Yeah! It's about damn time! (my words)

Enjoy your weekend!

I'm Almost There!

My desk is almost to the point of "perfection"! I use this word very loosely, but it works for me. The whole house is still recovering from Springing forward.

We still have some snow on the ground, from our little mini storm on Monday (I was wrong about the last storm). It caused school to run 2 hours late and on snow routes Tuesday. I don't think I'll say that "I think this is the last if it." Should that cause a foot of snow next weekend. Now it's just clear and cold.

I have a half dozen crochet necklaces, chokers and bracelets. However none of them have closures yet. I'm torn on what to do but it looks like I may do several different things and see how each works out.

I'm also taking an online class over at Crochetville.com on publishing designs. I figure it's the motivation I need to actually "push" me into it. Pushes can be a very good thing, especially when you're dragging your feet. I know that once I do one, it will motivate me to keep it up, or I'll decide to go in another direction.

Things are really looking up with getting the junk out of here. I've got the Blind coming again next week and I should have another bag to go. I'm taking an (almost) no holds bared approach to clearing the clutter and our next book club book is "Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui" by Karen Kingston. It's Spring Cleaning time too, which coincides nicely with the coming season.

More after recovering for the time shift.....

Did You Spring Forward?

Most people have remembered by now, but it's one of those things that's easy to forget until you wake up on Monday and find you're an hour late for work or school. Luckily the boys are out tomorrow for a teacher in-service day.

It has been a lazy day in general today. I picked up the last of a small birthday celebration for the boys yesterday and set up my Dollar Tree mini tripod for my camera (took 10 sec to screw it in). I've set up a new spot for photos right next to my computer but I had to put a few things there to keep the cat from lying in it when I'm not around.

The snow is pretty much gone. I'm hoping this is the end of it until next Winter. I don't have a problem with the snow in particular but I do not like being cold. I'm ready for a bit of a warm up and we have decided that we need to stock up on at least a couple of cords of wood, maybe 3 to get us through (next year). It's a hell of a lot cheaper than electric!

I've always had a bit of a yearning to live in California. The other half of my gene pool (father's side) is down there and I was born there, although I was too young to remember when my Mom moved back up here. The weather has a major appeal, plus family, not that I don't adore my family here, but most of Cali does not get the extreme weather we get here. Plus, I always liked the idea of having palms, lemons and hibiscus growing in the yard year around and not seasonal.

A long time ago, about 10 years or so, I used to do a lot of gardening. When I got divorced that went by the wayside because I put so much energy into the kids, and having a garden is like having children only you do it (in Washington) for a few months of the year. Over the last couple of years I've slowly started to feel the need to re-connect with the earth again. I have always seen, and felt a certain joy, and work too (does that sound like raising kids?) in having a garden. Year around would be wonderful.

Don't get me wrong. I do love it here and the change of seasons are wonderful but sometimes you just feel your roots calling you.

No worries. We are not going anywhere..........at least not in the near future.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.......

It's been too long, but I did get the "new" computer up and running, although I don't think I can do the hand me down thing again. I'm just going to have to splurge on a new one.

While I was setting up I ended doing a total re-arrange of my desk and although I've still got a couple things spread out here and there, it's much better than it was. AND I've started working on cleaning and organizing cupboards all around the house.

My Lampwork area is ready to go to, but my metalsmithing area still needs a bit of organization. Slowly but surely my house is getting to the point of me being able to create without feeling guilty. That's a big YEAH for me.

I also, after a lot of talk and no action, am finally actively working on a pattern/tutorial for submission to a magazine.

We are a little more than half way through the school year and you can feel the kids (and grown ups) chomping at the bit for Spring to get here. We've had a couple of really nice days but for the most part Winter is hanging on. It has even snowed twice over the last couple of weeks, including today.

So I'm back to it, and things should start to even out again to where I'll be posting more often. Don't give up on me yet ;)

No Excuses

There are none for not posting regularly again. I've decided to just take it as it comes. I'm in the process of getting ready to upgrade my computer and this requires a bit of work and dedication.......there are a few things I HAVE to do:

1. Finish cleaning my desk (takes motivation and half a day, this includes organizing).
2. Back up my current computer, (am figuring out how to use my current IP for that).
3. Set up new computer to meet my needs (means that I need to reformat the hard drive & load all required programs that I need back onto computer) this is not a newly purchased computer.


That being said, it's not really a big deal other than getting motivated to get it ALL done!

Do I sound lazy? Maybe........There are a few other things lurking in the background one of which, as you know is pictures. A big SORRY! there for not finishing with my desk sooner. That's part of the deal with doing IT. Once I have my desk the way I want it, I'll be able to set up and take photo's of the "stuff" I'm working on right there at my desk. As you can tell by the lack of pictures is that I have "yet" to do that. You would think that it would be even more motivation but right now I just get overwhelmed thinking about it........

Anyway it's Sunday night and tomorrow is a new day sooooooo............

Hopefully more tomorrow???

Stay tuned!!!

Winter Is Still Here

Did the groundhog say there would be 6 more weeks of Winter? I'm pretty sure that's what were in for here. It's freezing and snowy but thankfully not to much is sticking.

We are heading to the school for a Winter concert tonight. They usually last about an hour.

More of an update tomorrow....

Just A Day......

Spent playing with music (mp3 and m4a) and learning that having lots of music is cooler than I thought (i.e. If I like the music, and the variety I like is large) Rock, jazz, oldies and more...... sorry kind of off the path but Jimmy brought home some music and after fighting it, I'm finding that enjoy having it, just as much as him. Some of the music I like/love is Seal, Sade, Bread, Scorpions, Creedence, Matchbox 20, Beck, Train and I can't go on because the list is way too long! They barely scratch the surface. This (for me) is an excellent creation music mix.

Anyway the rest of the day was spent dropping boys off at B-Day Parties and then going to Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree.

More tomorrow.....

Keeping Up.....

During the last few weeks that I have been absent, I have started to write posts several times. "Started" being the key word then I would get side tracked and would completely forget until I had closed everything for the night. Now I just want to let you know that I haven't forgotten about my blog. I intend to start posting again regularly and have been working hard to wean myself off of the internet except to post things and blog. It is funny though how a few emails can suck you right back into it and, again another hour has slipped away.....arrrgh!!

I had a Birthday pass. I'm now 44 (eeek!) not a bad thing. Let's see if I can remember how old I am for the rest of the year. You know that for woman, they (whoever they are) are saying that the 40's and 50's are the new 20's and 30's. Hmmm, I'll have to think some more on that one!

I've finished a few projects, I know you've heard it before.....but......I..........promise to post photos.....SOON!!!

I NEED to start listing again and have found some vintage clothes that will probably go into "YourCreativeSide" Etsy. The only bummer is I don't have anyone to model them since my boys don't really enjoy putting on woman's clothing but I'll do the best I can to show them in a good light.

I've been crocheting flowers like crazy and actually found a bag of a bunch that I made a couple of years ago. Forgot all about them but they will work wonderfully for jewelry and embellishments. It also made me realize just how much I love colors! Bright mixes of it! I have a few bags of embroidery thread and pearl cotton and it makes me feel good just to look at the mix of colors.

I'm still working on clearing things out and make a little more progress everyday! Yeah! I still have some left over filing to do in order to free up my jewelry area plus I've needed to move my photographing station. It takes a bit of space because I use a lampshade to help with the lighting. It works wonderfully but I ended up having to find a new shade because Jimmy couldn't stand the smell of the one I was using. Something about the plastic. The new space has to accommodate both the shade and the light that goes over it and I want it to be on my desk for easy access when I'm working online. The mess on my desk is "mostly" gone but there are still a few things "hanging" around that need to be put, thrown or just recycled away. I think I'll start on that now.

More later!

Still Cleaning.......

I started with the bedroom closet. This was a sizable undertaking. I finished, almost, except for the top shelf, which requires that I stand on a chair the whole time. Since we can actually walk into the closet now, I think I made pretty good progress. That lead me to cleaning up my sewing area (still not done) and then to behind the bedroom door, (for all practical purposes, DONE) and now I'm in the office (way far from being done). My office is the mess that I've dreaded the most, why??? Because of paperwork and filing, a couple of my least favorite things in the world to do. I've started and that's a good thing because now I have to work on it until it's done, yeah (said without enthusiasm). At least I'm posting (big grin)..........just a little procrastination.

A sample of what's in my desk drawer.

Back in a day or two when I've dug myself out of this mess.

Paper Work & Cleaning

I have paperwork that needs to be done! It's one of those things that eats at the back of my mind and ruins everything until it's complete.

Cleaning & sorting, work in somewhat the same way but without the urgency.

These are 2 things that I need to get done in order to move on with my other things. Well, mainly the paperwork(because there's a deadline). The cleaning is an ongoing project and never seems to get completely done, but since there are certain things I'm not able to do because the mess got in the way........say sewing. I can barely get to my sewing machine because it's surrounded by "stuff" that needs to be sorted through.

In the meantime I'm going to post some photos for thought or whatever.......

Buddies......I know, I post more photos of my pets than my kids but that's because I have a bit of a phobia about posting photos of my kids on the internet.......cute, aren't they!

A portion of a free pattern from Lionbrand. I'll show the rest when I'm done. Should be sometime next week, after the darn paperwork!

A tiny portion of the mess on my desk. I'm too embarrassed to show you the rest :O

Doesn't everyone use breath mints while talking on their cell?

Too Busy........

Lately it's always something that gets in the way of creating.......but I'm finding ways to work around it. Tiny ways, like crocheting or wire working when I'm waiting for the computer or talking to someone.

There are a couple of creative competitions fast approaching so I want to get entries completed for both. One is Bead & Buttons, Bead Dreams Competition. Deadline is April 6th. And the second is for Jewelry Lessons, Valentine's Challenge. Deadline February 1st. My idea for Bead Dreams is off from what I usually do, but the Valentines Challenge will be a ring of some sort.

I know I've been promising pictures but I've had kid things going on for the last few days. Lot's of Birthdays stuff, making cupcakes, going to the school, dentist appointments and some general shopping, while I have the truck to use. Tomorrow will be a bit more calm since I will be without a vehicle and all the "outside" the home stuff will be done (for now).

Gotta run! Back in a bit.

The Month Of Birthdays

January is that month for us. Two of my boys have birthdays, my Mom, my Dad, a brother, Me and probably a couple I've forgotten (sorry). We are heading out to dinner tonight with my Mom and Dad to cover most of the kids. Chinese, Yummy!!!

The boys were out of school on Friday due to flooding of the roads around us. The rain let up a little yesterday but between the snow melting and the rain, this is the worst that we've seen in quite a few years. The boys now have 4 days of school to make up. I wonder how many more there will be this year.

I finished my route on Wednesday. It has been a little strange and my body is still adjusting to not working in the middle of the night. I'm trying to stay up a little later but want to keep a bit of the going to bed earlier schedule, because I like getting up early in the morning for my quiet (work) time.

I finished another cowl in a dark blue. It had adjustable button closures. I'll get a picture tomorrow but don't know how well it will show up with the dark blue. Dark colors are seldom
good for photo detail.

Speaking of dark colors, I'm back to black for my hair. I had quite the "stripe" running down the middle. Biggest that I've had in awhile. Looked kind of cool with a headband, but not so much when it was down. My hair has gotten really long and tends to look messy when it's not restrained in some way......I think it's time for a trim.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Amazing Dog

Sorry the picture's a little on the dark side but the dog isn't eating the cat. There is no growling or snarling involved either. We were amazed at how tolerant she was although she did eat a little faster when the kitten started trying to horn in on her meal. And they do play together too!

Did you have a Happy New Year? Ours was very quiet. Jimmy went to bed early cause he had to work and I stayed up (slept in a chair) in the living room while the boys challenged themselves to stay awake until midnight. The oldest and youngest made it. Then I woke up as the fireworks were going off and headed out for my route at about 1am.

I've given my notice and have been training, what is referred to as a "prospect" for the last 3 nights. She's a nice girl but was looking a bit harried last night. I told her she would need to drive it tonight and I would ride shotgun. Well she called earlier this evening and said that I should dress warm because her heater is broken in her car. Bummer! I don't think it's going to work out, unless she can get her heater fixed SOON. I'm going to talk to her tonight about it, but I do not relish doing the route in an unheated car in 30 degree weather and I don't think she would last much longer than a week or two in this weather, if that.

I haven't had a chance to lampwork in the last couple of weeks. Two of the boys headed back to school today but kindergarten was canceled because school started two hours late due to being hit with another 3-4" of snow last night and then rain that turned into a slippery mess this morning.

The crochet is going well and I'm working on several patterns. I've been testing the headband by wearing it on the route. I'm really pleased with how it's holding up but want it to have a little more stretch (and return) and am thinking about incorporating sock elastic into the design. I'm also working on another cowl that has an adjustment option on it. I'm working hard to have something to show by the end of the week.

Have a nice evening & keep checking back.....

The Snow Is Going......

Slowly but surely the snow is disappearing. The route is almost back to normal but a few back roads are still pretty icy and slushy. Even the kids want it gone. I'm wondering if we are going to see another storm or two before the end of Winter, since technically, Winter wasn't here when this one started. The kids already have 3 days to make up for school, of course, at the time they think it's great, until the end of the year when they want to be on Summer vacation.

Oh, and yes the back deck did cave in under the weight of the snow. The house is fine (it's a rambler), although we are discovering a couple of roof leaks. No broken pipes from the cold and thankfully we are back up into the "balmy" 30 and 40 degree range.


I have been designing and crocheting headbands and a bracelet. I'll have a picture of one of the headbands this week along with some lampwork Goddess rings that I made awhile back and just got around to cleaning yesterday. I just started listing Goddess pendants on Etsy along with re-listing some of my rings. I have a new ring design in mind for a very cool adjustable ring that I've done a couple of prototypes and really liked how they came out. More of those to come! My new moto for Etsy is "Goddess's, Rings & Crocheted Things". I will be slowly adding to Etsy and really working on promoting it.

I told you I applied for an online position around Thanksgiving, well I didn't get it, sooooooo I'm going to give it another shot and a little different approach. I noticed that they still haven't filled the position and I still think it would be a perfect fit.

Off to start dinner. Enjoy your evening!

There Really Is A Santa

Did you have a good Christmas? Ours was nice and surprising. When we got up to do the route and I opened the front door there was a surprise on our deck (see photo), a motorized mini bike for the boys with a helmet and a letter from Santa. We had no idea it was going to be there and a sneaking suspicion of who left it. The boys are thrilled but won't be able to try it out until the snow is gone.
Speaking of snow we had a good 15-18" if not more. Our back deck is up past my knees which puts it around 20". It started melting yesterday and the roads are a bumpy, slippery mess! It took me 4 hours to do a two hour route this morning.

About the route, after a bunch of BS which basically tells us that the the newspaper really could care less about it's carriers (explains the high turnover), the weather, the fact that everything is suffering (the kids, the house and my art) because I'm tired all of the time and that Jim will be working out of town again, it looks like I will be giving notice.

Add to that we have one more new family member. His name is Shadow. Thankfully Sheba and him get along great except when Sheba is trying to steal whatever Shadow happens to be playing with.

Gotta run, it looks like our back deck has collapsed from the weight of the melting snow.......

Stop Snowing Already!

It's slowed down but hasn't quite stopped yet. I can hardly believe the weather! Jimmy helped me on my route last night and we discussed whether it was worth it for me to continue. First I have to work towards something else to fill the $ void that it will leave. For what I'm being paid I don't think that should be too difficult. It's also eating into other areas of my life with the family. This, I (and everyone else) do not like in the least. Lately I'm in a perpetual state of tiredness and the days seem to slip away because I rarely feel like doing what I want to be doing, such as creating and selling.

For now I must continue. It requires 30 days written notice to call it quits.

Tomorrow I will get some more pictures of the snow. The power never went out which is a good thing but it sure blew last night. Yesterday, I ran out to the store and when I tried to come home there was a tree down on one of the roads which made me have to back track and take the long way around.

Time to go finish up some crochet projects and then it will be time to hit the sack for another night of paper delivery in the snow, yeah......

I just heard round 3 is on the way......aaaak!!!!

The Big One.....

We are already covered in snow. In fact it looks a lot like Alaska. The weather people are saying that we are going to be hit with more snow and high winds tonight so we could lose power for a bit. I'm being optimistic and hoping it will blow "gently" over.

My route has certainly been an adventure and I've learned a few things about myself. At this time last year you wouldn't have caught me dead driving around in this kind of weather. Now I know that I "can" drive (slowly) in it. If I had to live in Alaska (not that I want to) I could. Chevy Colorado's handle like a dream in the snow. And I will not be doing this route by this time next year!

I applied for an online position around Thanksgiving. They just informed me that they are considering other candidates at the moment but that my application is in a pool if these others don't work out, darn!

I lost my internet connection for about 3 days this week and not having a connection drives me a little bonkers. As you can see I'm back up and running but may be out of the loop again if the power goes out. Of course, this would be the perfect opportunity to spend some time creating, by lantern or candle light.

Justbeads is still down, bummer! This is the worst time for them to be off line but I'm pulling for em! In the meantime I will be trying to list on Etsy if time allows.

A few pics of Goddess's (the red one is sold) and the snow that's hanging around.

Off to try and finish up some shopping before the "storm" blows in.

Have a great weekend!

It's Freezing Here!!!

The middle of the night is in the teens and the days are in the 20's......personal opinion......it sucks!!!

Along with the cold we have snow on the ground and more to come. Doing the route, I have now learned to drive in it. All the carriers got threat letters before the snow hit, reminding us that we have a contract to carry out and if we don't deliver during the snow we are in breach. I knew this already and figured that I would just muscle through. Turns out that our little Colorado is a dream in the snow!! I haven't missed a day yet! The forcast is saying we are going to get another 6" tonight, so far there isn't a cloud in the sky, but the big storm is predicted to start between midnight and 4am. Personally I'm ready for 45 and rain. What can I say, I'm a warm weather kind of girl but I just happen to reside in Washington, of course our Winters don't normally get this cold!

I'm putting up a couple of pictures of the Goddess's I've done but nothing is up yet. JustBeads seems to be down. I'm not sure what's up but I haven't been able to access it in a couple of days. I've been playing with some raku and lustre glass but Connor has been home the last couple of days because school has had a late start (due to icy roads) and they canceled all of the half day kindergarten classes, so lampwork isn't really an option. I've been doing some crochet and working on some jewelry but to be honest the house went to Hell over the last couple of weeks and I've been trying to play the catch up and keep up games of laundry, dishes and vacuuming up dog hair. Sheba is working out wonderfully, by the way. She is truly a dream and settling in more and more every day.

Now is the time that I should have loads of things listed and it just didn't quite work out that way. Next year will be the year for that!!! I'm just going to continue to plug along. Everything will work out as it should! I'm concentrating on the simpler things right now with Christmas just around the corner. However with 8 days until the big day my stress level is climbing slightly. I'll get pictures of the big storm if it blows in.

Enjoy your evening......

Meet Sheba

The newest member of our family. I told you we were going to adopt a dog from the local pound, well that wasn't quite what happened. I belong to an online group called freecycle, I believe they are nationwide. You can post things that you don't want anymore (no garbage) but they must be free. I saw a post last week for a two year old white shepard female, to good home only. The post had been up for about 5-6 hours when I saw it. I love shepards!! Had one when we were kids and have always been partial to them. They really are my favorite breed of dog. Well assuming, and this is what usually happens with freecycle, is that if you don't reply the second you see the item go up, it's usually gone. I'm not kidding! Most of the time I don't even pay attention to what's offered and have been contemplating canceling my membership because the emails can quickly fill your mailbox, especially on the weekends, so this was kind of a fluke that I even noticed. I assumed she was gone already but decided to reply anyway and mentioned that we had recently lost a dog and that I had 3 boys who love dogs and was she good with kids and both indoor and outdoor? I didn't hear anything back for about 3 days..........see! I knew it! She was gone! Then all of a sudden I got an email saying they still had her and yes she had been raised with kids and was both indoor and out. WOW! But I needed to pick her up right away. I replied with, that I wanted to at least bring a couple of the boys out to see her (make sure she really is friendly with kids) and then I would decide........no answer.........another 3-4 days goes by and I email again. This time she says come and get her or she's gone! Now I'm leary...........what the heck! Ok?? I call the woman and she says that she has cancer and 4 kids to take care of and that Sheba is just too much work. I tell her I'll come out the next day. I end up bringing both older boys and the woman says she won't be home but her daughter's there and we can get Sheba from her. We show up and the house is dark. I ring the doorbell 3 times and I can hear the dog come to the door (no barking though), I peek through a little side window and there she is! What a pretty girl! No barking or growling, either. I go back to the car and tell the boys we are going to wait because it appears that no one is there. We wait about 10 minutes and I decide to go ring the doorbell again. This time I can hear footsteps and by now it's dark enough that I can see the light of a TV on. I get on my cellphone to call the woman and as her # starts to ring the girl opens the door. Sheba comes out and meets us and I tell the girl we'll take her. She isn't crying (that's a good thing) and she goes and gets a lease and collar for her. She jumps into the car with no hesitation (was it meant to be??).

We are on our second day with her and she is absolutely wonderful!! The kids shower her with attention and she hasn't even growled or looked cross eyed at them. Honestly........I'm trying to figure out why they got rid of her. She's well behaved (they had a Pomeranian also, that belonged to the woman, that they were going to keep), house trained and beautiful, but she's on the skinny side though, seems to be perfectly healthy otherwise. The money that we saved by not going to the shelter will go towards a check-up for her. Interesting, eh? We couldn't be happier and hope that she has many years ahead of her.

I have some lampwork Goddess's done. Not many, because I got the throat/cold thing that was going around. Kind of like a cold but with a raspy throat. It still put me out of it for a couple of days and I'm not completely recovered yet.

I should have some new stuff up on both JustBeads and Etsy within the next couple of days.

Off to get a little more rest and crochet for a bit.

Have a great day!

More Gloves

Now all of the boys have fingerless gloves. Plus, I believe there is another pair hanging around somewhere. Add to that a cowl (still needs a button) and a headband that still needs to be braided and assembled. I'm trying to resist buying more yarn right now and just using up what I have. It's not as bad as I thought. I think I went through my stash about a year and a half ago and thinned it through Ebay. Am I regretting that now......maybe a little. Of course that just leaves room for more cool yarns, Right!!

I'm still working with the glass too! Do you like my Christmasy Goddess's? I have more waiting to be cleaned. Not all Christmas ones. Are the weeks flying by now? I know I will be running out at the last minute to pick stuff up. Today I'm hoping to get a few things too. The stores don't seem as busy these days, do they? I think most people are trying to conserve a bit. I myself am trying to be a bit more decisive so I don't freak at the last minute about whether I have "enough" for each kid. I do look forward to Christmas, in general, but I REALLY look forward to the day after! And no matter what the kids always have a great time!

Maybe we'll get a tree today.

Enjoy your day!

Have You Started Shopping Yet?

I envy the people who do their shopping all year long and are done before Thanksgiving, much less Christmas. One of these years I'm going to do that!

After having a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving at the In-Laws (Thanks Al & Marlene!), we are now heading into the Christmas Season. At our house it's showing already in barely contained excitement at how close Christmas is, though not close enough for their taste. This coming weekend we will see about getting a tree. Jimmy thinks we should make our ornaments this year so we are ALL going to contribute to that project. I'll take pictures of what everyone comes up with. On a crafting note. While we were at the Al & Marlene's we started discussing craft shows. Can someone tell me what happened to all the ones that were on DIY & HGTV??? They used to show all sorts of different ones but on the rare occasion that they do now, it's usually in the middle of the night. What happened to the "Creative Spirit" of both those channels. Now a days they seem to be oriented to home improvement and the like. Can anyone afford to improve their home these days??? Anyway we were just wondering.......

On my creative front I have 3 pairs of fingerless gloves done and one cowl (pictures this week). A few glass creations waiting to be cleaned and a hankering to get lots more of everything done! In between I'm back to organizing again.

My oldest, and only, Darling Daughter turned 20 yesterday. Boy do I feel old! Her, I and my Mom headed out to lunch (a very cool sushi bar) and then a little shopping (Old Navy) for her day. She didn't think that turning 20 was that big of a deal. She said it just means that she's out of her teens, though most people have thought she was in her 20's for the last couple of years. She's a good kid and for her 21st Birthday we are planning on heading to a winery in California. That will be here soon enough!

Enjoy your day!

Finished The Gloves

I finished the fingerless gloves and am quite happy with them. They work perfectly and I will have to make more but alter the pattern (I don't prefer the open back). The gray yarn and blue buttons are just some "stuff" I happen to have around. For the next pair I will take more care with picking buttons to match the yarn. The gray works nicely for what I'm doing but they need to be washed frequently because of the dirtiness of the papers. So I will definitely need to have spare pairs around. Plus Duncan went with me and has now requested a pair for himself. I'm working on a collar too, that's kind of like a mini scarf. I love scarves but hate the way they hang down and get into stuff and I tend to live in them during the Winter, so I'm going to try out a mini one and see how it goes.

I made some Holiday Goddess's the other day and am really pleased with how they turned out. I should have those up tomorrow and will be making more this week before Thanksgiving.

We were going to have Thanksgiving at home this year but my wonderful In-Laws have extended an invitation to us and we are taking them up on it. We are really looking forward to it!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Skinned Knee & Dorkism

Ok, you would think that in the 40 odd years I've been around that I have learned to walk well enough without falling down. Apparently not since I took a tumble yesterday and actually skinned one of my knees and a hand. It was right after my littlest got on the bus so, thankfully, he didn't see me. My first thought after OUCH! was, yeah! I didn't rip my jeans. Weird, huh? Then I limped back home to repair the damage. By last night I was wondering how I was going to function. I couldn't believe how much a knee could throb and swell. My daughter gave me a couple of Aleve and I hit the bed at around 7, wondering how I was going to manage my route today........well low and behold, my knee feels MUCH better today. It is still a little sore and I've noticed a couple of other bruises, that I didn't notice yesterday but I'm so glad it seems to have recovered. 20 years ago I would have barely flinched at a skinned knee. Amazing the difference the years can make.

So, since I didn't finish my JustBeads listings yesterday, I added the last few this morning. Sorry about that!

Gotta tell ya about something interesting that happened this morning. Our truck has a digital thermometer in it and when I walked out of the house this morning I noticed that it was shockingly warm and the sky was clear. When I started the truck the gauge read 59 degrees. That was about what I thought. The wind was blowing too and it was a warm wind. We live up on a hill so as I drove into town, which involves going down hill the temp began to drop. By the time I got into town, about 7 minutes later, it was 37 degrees and flashing "ice". It was very bizarre, to say the least, and of course by the time I got back from my route (3-1/2 hours later) it was 34 degrees at home. Just had to mention it. Weird huh? I swear I was awake when this happened :0.


Today I'm going to squeeze in a little more lampwork and finish up my fingerless gloves. They are very basic. The pattern came from Lionbrand. Tons of free knit, crochet and craft patterns (If you're into that). Plus lots of cool ones you can buy and, of course, there's the yarn. Have I told you about my yarn stash.......never mind........I'll save that for another time. So a picture of the gloves tomorrow.

TTFN
(tah, tah, for now)

I'm not a snob......or am I??

A bitch, yes, but not a snob..........I don't really talk to the other people that do routes at the same time as me. I made a choice here. I go there to pick up my papers and get the job done! Not to socialize and smoke (I am an ex smoker, but it doesn't bother me that other people smoke), in the freezing cold. Plus, I'm just not talkative in the middle of the AM hours. Add to it, that there was really only one woman there that I liked. She disappeared last weekend and I heard the "chat group" saying this morning that her husband had died (bummer). Sounded like it was sudden since I didn't get the impression from her that he had been sick and she looks to be in her 40's like me. Anyway I chose not to go up and ask what had happened because, if she comes back, I would rather hear it from her than from the people passing around all of what's going on in everyone else's life, that they work with. Where this is going I'm not sure except that I have found that I just don't fit in with this group. It doesn't bother me at all. These are not people I would choose to socialize with outside of "work" so I choose not to socialize with them at work. Maybe I am a snob. However I'm getting what I need to get done, done and I think I'm doing a good job. I do know people who think it's important to fit in with any group. That they should mold their personality to fit each set of people that they meet and if they don't, they worry that those people "don't like them". I quit caring a long time ago about what other people think of me. I answer to "myself" and feel good about it. My companion, kids and family are the most important things in my life and I realize that I don't make them happy all of the time either. Bottom line I do what I need to, to be happy......everyone else.......well...........we are all supposed to be different, Right?!

Speaking of different......I've made some more Goddess rings. I have a fascination with "pixie dust" right now and am chomping at the bit to get my hands on some enamels, but that's going to have to wait for the moment. I'm slowly adding a shell or two to a growing collection. What I'm going to do with those.....well I haven't quite decided yet. I'm going to be revamping my collection on Etsy within the next couple of weeks. It's all a work in progress.

The green fertility Goddess at the top turned out cool, but unfortunately has a "starburst" of cracks around the cz in her belly button. So she gets to stay with me. The polymer set is one that I did quite awhile a go. The rings are pixie dust Goddess's and one acceptable fertility Goddess (Merlot creme). All of these (except the cracked Goddess) will be up on JustBeads before the end of the day.

That's all I have for now.
Enjoy your day today!

Cleaning Beads & Photographing

Today will be devoted to both of those......yeah! I got to spend a few hours on both Sunday & Monday melting glass. I always forget what fun it is to do this when I spend sooo much time away. I think that I may have to make up a schedule to keep me on track, somewhat. I love variety so I'm thinking that I will devote certain days of the week to certain "things". Hmmmm, will have to work on that thought some more. In the meantime, today will be for cleaning and photographing, just because I need to get it done and it one of those tedious things that "needs" to be done in order to move on to the fun stuff!

Interesting, I have been following some other blogs, plus what I read in the newspaper (I stay away from the news on television), which is only because I deliver it everyday, and I've noticed the word "Fear" coming up a lot. This, of course has to do with the state of the economy. A lot of artist's are being "forced" into finding supplemental jobs because of this "fear". My reason for my job was not, so much because of the economy (or so I thought) but just because I'm sick and tired of worrying every month about whether or not we can make ends meet. So I figured that if I could find something that wouldn't interfere (too much), with the kids and my routine that it would be nice to finally be able to work to play "catch up" instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul every month. Plus with Christmas just around the corner, that added to the motivation. I do think that all the "Fear" that is being reported by the media is creating a domino effect. If the media focused on the good instead of the bad more. I think that people, in general would be in a better state of mind and that the economy would feel the effects of that instead. Has anyone noticed the price of gas lately?? It's almost under $2 a gallon here, YEAH!! Or how about that you really DON'T need a lot of money to have a WONDERFUL Christmas. We have had a couple of years being "dirt" poor, through the holidays and you know what?? The kids still had a great Christmas!

This year we are planning on making ornaments for the tree. Everyone in the house can contribute and you can make them out of just about anything. The kids love the idea! We've decided that we (in general) are just going to try to focus on being more positive!! I think I'm going to have to quit reading the newspaper. So for today, try to think of the good things instead of the bad. This economy is NOT going to last forever! It's going to upswing SOON!

Ok, off my soapbox for today. Check back tomorrow for new goodies!

My Route Continues

I'm really enjoying having my boys tag along on the route with me. They only get to "work" on the weekends and only one at a time. I've started rewarding them with an Egg McMuffin. For the moment they think that it's a fair trade. But I'm sure they'll start asking for $$$ soon.

I've decided that I need some fingerless gloves and a hood of some sort for working these routes. I've been looking at some crochet patterns for something quick to "stitch" up. Or maybe even a sewing pattern. It's getting cold enough to where having a little extra help staying warm on the route would be nice. Actual gloves are not an option because of the handling of newspapers. And a hood that will actually stay on my head would be wonderful with all the rain and wind. I think a raincoat would be a little too bulky with getting in and out of the truck.

I'm still lagging in the lampwork department. Every time I make plans to sit at the torch something comes up......but.......tomorrow is looking good for some time. We'll see! I'm really into Goddess's, shells & my Tree Goddess Beads. I also have a couple of ideas for new ones. Of course I always have ideas for something or other. I'm telling ya, I need at least 48 hours everyday!

I wanted to add a couple more people that I love in the pattern department too......Knit Art By Grace, Iza Malczyk & Julida Designs. You'll notice that they are not all jewelry but a variety of patterns that have interested me. I could offer a ton of other artists but I spend far to much time on the net as it is so for now have fun checking these ones out.

Stormy Season Is Here

It starts with loads and loads of rain then it clears up and the wind BLOWS and it gets down right chilly. You would think that living in the Pacific Northwest, I have no right to complain about rain and I'm not really complaining. Rain in and of itself isn't so bad. In fact a lot of times it's nice, especially when you're looking to stay in and create. But add some wind and the cold. Maybe a power outage or 3 and I've had enough! I start pining for Spring! Luckily for us we live up on a hill so flooding is not an issue unless you count the creek that runs the through the yard and other than giving the kids something to get muddy in there's no threat there at all. So the stormy season is here and it's just time to ride it out.

I actually got to lampwork a little last weekend. I'm also working on several tutorials. The first will be very basic and I'll build from there. This is something I've been talking about doing for a couple of years and now I have no more excuses! If I can publish a couple before the New Year I'll be very happy!! Tutorials are all over the place now! Coming up with something new is the fun part. It has been interesting watching people price them. I was really excited that another lampworker was making a tutorial on one of the floral pieces she does until I saw the price. I do feel that people can price there tut's for what ever they like, but when it's overpriced I think it motivates people to work at "figuring" it out instead of paying for it. I was willing to pay what I thought would be a reasonable price. Needless to say, she's sold very few tutorials in comparison to those that are priced "reasonably". This is, of course, just my opinion and as I've said everyone is free to price their work at whatever they think it's worth. There are tons of fabulous tutorials for great prices out there so look around. These are some of my favorites: JewelryLessons.com has tons and this will be one of my venues for when I'm ready. These are just a few of the artists I would highly recommend for their Tutorials: EarringsByErin, Eni Oken, Cabisuteria, (Christina Amador), Gailavira, Mary Lockwood, and Christi Friesen just to name a few. This is a very small mix of what's out there. So if you're looking for tutorials there's lots out there to choose from and the price range varies greatly.

No pictures today. I need to etch a couple of things and will most likely be lampworking again this weekend. I'm looking to start playing with enamels soon with my glass and am using pixie dust on a regular basis. New stuff coming soon! I should have at least one tutorial done by the end of this month (fingers crossed).

Add me to your favorites if your curious.

Have a great day!

Change Is On The Way!!!

Just a quick note today to say how relieved I am that Barack won. I think we have been long past due for a change (at least 8 years worth). But after the fiasco of the last election I was a little worried at what the out come might be. Needless to say it was a wonderful overwhelming response that this country is READY for change! And yes, I did vote.

Moving on to behind the scenes. This week has been crazy and I'm slowly making progress on the jewelry/lampwork front. I'm hoping to get my torch lit up this Friday but that will depend on how the day goes. I'm volunteering for about an hour in the morning for Connor's class while they have an Art Docent come in. She was looking for a couple of extra parents to come in and help with a project they are doing. Sounds like fun, so I'll be there. If I don't get a chance to torch on Friday I'll definitely be squeezing in a weekend session. I have a couple of requests and need to get busy melting glass.

Pictures up above are of sets that will be going up on JustBeads sometime within the next couple of days.

Time to go get dinner started. Have a great evening!

Featured Artist For Just Beads!!

Yes, Me!! I'm the featured artist for November for JustBeads.com! I'm thrilled! Can you tell? Just click on the link at the top left of their home page.

Now that the contest is over I can also post pictures of my entries for PCC (Polymer Clay Central) monthly challenge. I had been thinking about entering one of their monthly challenges for ages but finally got around to it when they made is so that you could send your photo's online. I didn't win but that's ok, it was fun to do, and I'm thinking I will probably be entering more in the future even though they've returned to the Snail Mail entries. So keep an eye out for more of me in the future.

Those were my surprises that I was waiting to tell you! An excellent way to start November!! It would be even better if I could spend the day creating but alas I desperately need to restock our pantry today. The natives are hungry and complaining that we have nothing to eat in the house, so off I go. It will probably take most of the day but hopefully I won't forget anything (seems to happen even when I have a list). The one store that's the most fun is Trader Joe's. I love it!! Filled with unique, yummy and great priced goodies. Dakota claims he's going to work at one when he's old enough. Hopefully they will have one a little closer to us when that time comes.

I'm off to take care of business, enjoy your Saturday and don't forget to Fall Back tonight!