last week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Gina from Indiana ~*~*~
Congratulations Gina!
This week's FREE BEADS
monday night
FINALLY!! FREE BEAD WINNERS!!
May 22nd
~*~*~ Jennifer from New York ~*~*~
May 29th
~*~*~ Sarah from ? ~*~*~
June 5th
~*~*~ Floss from Pennsylvania ~*~*~
June 12th
~*~*~ Maria from Luxembourg ~*~*~
CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!!
I'm thrilled to be finally caught up. Here's this week's FREE BEADS!!
I can go relax for awhile. Oh, and if May 15th's winner can please email me, I'd appreciate it. I forgot who won! It's been that long!
Stay tuned...
tuesday night
Well I still don't have FREE BEADS ready. Last week was Patrick's 8th grade graduation and there was something going on EVERYday. Everything was actually quite fun but I needed a few days to decompress.
My summer has officially started. Yea! Yet I haven't really slept in yet. I still feel like I'm playing catch up. One those things is catching up on my site. I'm going to try and tackle the torch in the next couple of days and finally start getting through some custom orders.
I still haven't decided what to do with my site. As silly as it sounds, now that I have my email working not only on inbound emails BUT outbound as well makes me consider keeping it. Silly how I make these life-changing decisions, don't ya think? But I felt like it was a sign. So I am going to try and devote a couple of days a week this summer to getting beads made. Now it may only be a couple of hours 2 days a week but it's more than I was doing before. I cleaned the garage yesterday and was eyeing my work station with a bit of sadness. I do reallyl miss it. My fear is if I got rid of my site, I'd never make beads again. So although my decision isn't final, I'm thinking about sticking with it. Plus I've had some very encouraging emails. Thanks!
Stay tuned....
tuesday afternoon
Finally! I got my email address to work. So you can use the link on my free beads page. Ugh...I'm so relieved! Maybe I will stay around after all? This could be a sign that I should!?
tuesday morning
I'm having terrible troubles with my email still. So if you've tried to email me or have sent me an email through my website this past weekend, chances are I didn't get it. I've been working with the help desk to resolve this but so far, nothing.
I have a feeling it was something I did when I went into my "cpanel" which I should have never done. The very phrase "cpanel" should have told me to stay away. Sounds too NASA'ish.
And since I'm on the subject of my website and it's problems, I wanted to mention that I may, again MAY, be shutting down my site. I know. TOTAL SHOCK! Especially for me now that I've said out loud. I've been really bad about updating my blog, my free beads and my bead specials. I don't feel like it's serving any purpose.
My thought is that I can use etsy to sell beads when I have them. I'm just finding that I'm not having the time I need to devote to this site and it's just here for no reason. I think the biggest part of the site that I don't like is the blogging. I suppose I can reformat my site with a front page that's more standard. And I just may do that. Yet what else would my site serve than to sell beads? I can use etsy for that. I've noticed lots of lampworkers selling beads on etsy with great success. In fact, I've noticed a couple that have shut down the shopping cart portion of their site altogether to sell only on etsy - their site is just for blogging. But you and I know I'm not good at that.
Again, this is just something I'm thinking about. I haven't fully decided what to do. And to think this all came about with my messed up email. But really I'm just uing that as a reason to finally do it...it's been on my mind for months.
I'm gonna' think about it and I'll decide something soon. Custom orders will still get done at some point. I promise I will work to finish those so please be patient.
I posted a link below with an alternative email address if you want to get in touch with me.
Stay tuned....
sunday afternoon
Having trouble with my email account. So if you email me through my FREE BEADS page or contact page, I probably won't get it. So until I get it resolved, please email me through this link.
thursday morning
Hey gals! Never did get around to doing the FREE BEAD drawing last week. Much of that was because I didn't have any beads to giveaway! My parents were here for a visit so I didn't even think about beads. This week I've been busy with this and that. I still have no FREE BEADS from last week. I hope to make them today or tomorrow. I have tomorrow's FREE BEAD drawing to do as well. It'll get done. I'm just trying to fit it in with all the 8th grade graduation stuff.
I had to send you a link to my friend's site at Pryce Designs. She has the cutest set of Veggie beads for sale. I almost bought them myself! I'm especially fond of the bead in the middle...hop on over and you'll see why. Someone better get over there and snatch them up!
last week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Lori from North Carolina ~*~*~
Congratulations Lori! Thanks for voting!
My mom and dad are visiting through the weekend. My brother graduates with his Associates tomorrow so they came out for that. I've been busy with end-of-the-school year stuff. Seems my son has something going on every day. I'm in charge of concession sales for this Lip Sync program they're putting on Friday night. I really haven't done a thing for it other than send out emails and aquire stuff. It just occurred to me today that I probably need to throw some sort of sign together, get some change, etc. Plus my mom and I are doing some cooking for my brother's get-together after his ceremony. He wants all his favorites...Argentina food - my mom's specialty. So I've got a busy 2 days. I best get moving!
this week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Kayla from California ~*~*~
Congratulations Kayla!!
Next week's FREE BEADS - May 15th
last week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Beverly from Florida ~*~*~
Congratulations Beverly!
and this week's FREE BEADS...
You like that?? Only 5 days since my last update. That's pretty good. AND I have FREE BEAD pictures up - that's even better. Still keeping busy. I just got my notice from Patrick's school that I still need 21 service hours before the end of this month - I only needed 45 for the entire year. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I'm scrambling to get them done. I was happy to get 7 of them done today with a field trip to The Cathedral in Los Angeles. Yet I'll probably get 45 hours alone with Patrick's 8th grade graduation events. I don't get the whole 8th grade graduation. Maybe it's a Catholic school thing? I don't remember anyone celebrating me going from one school to another. They're doing more than I think high school seniors do!
Not much to report on the bead front. Still swamped with custom orders - which isn't a bad thing - I just want to get them done.
Stay tuned.
thursday night
I'd like to think tuesday's post underneath this one was 2 days ago. But anyone that has checked my site in the past 30 days knows that's not the case. Well I finally got my FREE BEADS page updated. I had last week's drawing - finally - and...
last week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Victoria from Indiana ~*~*~
Thanks for the votes!
And here is this week's FREE BEADS
Sorry the picture came out so small. I could have cropped it or not reduced it so much but that's an extra step I didn't want to take. I was happy to get caught up around here!
Been busy trying to get through some custom orders. For those of you waiting, I promise I'm getting to them. I have been so busy with all kinds of other things that I haven't had much time on the torch. I feel like I'm buried in paperwork. My son starts high school in the Fall (Yikes) and getting him registered was more time consuming than I ever imagined it could be. I've been up at that school SO many times. To the point that the counselor secretaries pulled my son's file when I walk in. You know how many kids go through their doors - and they already know me?? I'm sure it's my southern accent. Or the fact I can't get my s*#t together. You wouldn't believe the paperwork! I'd forget ONE thing and have to make a trip back. I turned in his shot records and the gal actually checked it! She noticed I didn't have his most recent shots from this summer. WHO THE HECK knows which shots are due when? So I had to go BACK home, find his records and run back up there. Then I'm turning paperwork for classes but I needed to attach his report card AND his test scores to each class request, so back home I go. And so on, and so on, and so on. It's nuts. Thankfully his school is 5 minutes away.
We're also refinancing our mortgage. I can't believe how much copying, faxing, overnighting, calling, etc. that goes on with that. But we're going to lower our rate by about 1.5% which is HUGE! We're so excited to be saving that kind of money. That I don't mind running around for. Mmmm....what else....It just seems like anything and everything is going on. Had a few birthday gifts to mail out, etc. The days just fly by. But all is well so now that things are slowing down I'll be back at the torch.
I also have FREE BEADS made through the next couple of weeks so hopefully I can keep up on those drawings a bit better. Hope this finds all you beading ladies doing well. It's on to The Office...and I think it's a rerun. I'll leave you with a HUGE time waster. Your kids will like it. Click here and just place your cursor on a box to make music. Create your initial to see what that sounds like. It's fun and pointless. Just what the internet is all about.
Stay tuned.
tuesday night
Hey gals! Sorry I've been a bit absent this week. Didn't even announce last week's FREE BEADS winner. Which I suppose I could do now.
last week's FREE BEADS winner is....
~*~*~ Lisa from Oregon ~*~*~
I didn't get FREE BEADS pictures up last week. It was Spring Break so I took a break from everything. I also had a bit of a cold last week that just whipped me. I'm feeling better and slowly getting back at it. I went out to bead today and boy is it HOT! We had triple digits here today I think..or close to it at least. It's cooling down so I hope the rest of the week will be a bit more tolerable. I've got last week's and this week's FREE BEADS ready to photog which I hope to do by Thursday at least.
I'm working through some custom orders I've taken on yet I will want to work on some new bead specials. The summer is fast-approaching. July will be here before we know it. I'm kind of feeling some red, white and blue beads in the making. If there's anything else you'd like to see in the next update, send me a note.
Stay tuned...
last week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Jennifer from New York ~*~*~
Thanks for voting!
I've had some inquiries regarding custom orders recently. If you're interested in a set, pricing and information regarding custom orders can be found here. I've accepted a few requests this past week so there will be a wait if you're interested in a set.
Contact me if you have something in mind.
on Spring Break...FREE BEAD drawing next Wednesday...and here they are..
this week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Julie from California ~*~*~
Congratulations Julie! Thanks for the votes
and March 7th's FREE BEAD winner is...
~*~*~ Crystal from Indiana ~*~*~
Congratulations Crystal! I held another drawing since the gal that won from that week never claimed her prize.
I'd also like to send you gals over to a friend of mine's new bead site. She was one of gals I used to get together with Jenn when we'd have our bead challenges and other fun bead stuff. Plus she's having FREE SHIPPING on all orders in April. So hurry on over and get a set while they last!
p.s.
I'm having trouble with my site updating sold out items. If you purchase something, please send me a quick email with the name of the set you purchased so I can update my site.
friday morning
New bead specials are up! And I have to thank my brother, Mark, for helping me come up with some fun names for my bead sets! I may have to put him on the payroll!
this week's FREE BEADS
I'm going to draw 2 names tomorrow. The gal that won March 3rd's free beads never responded so I'm going to pick a winner from the names entered that week.
New bead sets updated tomorrow!
Stay tuned....
tuesday night
Beads are ready to go but I haven't taken pictures yet. Between that and getting them loaded here, I'm gonna' need an extra day or two. I'm thinking Friday is more realistic.
Stay tuned...I promise they're coming!
this week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Faith from South Carolina ~*~*~
Thanks for the votes gals!
I've got my bead sets just about all done. I'm going to work on a couple today. That hard part is getting them all photog'd and uploaded here. I'll work on that the next couple of days. So my "goal" is to have new beads ready for sale on Wednesday of this week.
Stay tuned!
tuesday night...over a week later!
Oops. I updated 2 days in a row then you didn't hear from me for over week - not even a FREE BEAD winner update! Yikes. I got cocky there with my movie star story and forgot the reason why I have this site!
Last week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Carlene from Washington ~*~*~
A picture of what she won is on the FREE BEADS page. Thanks for the votes!
This week's FREE BEADS
It's hard to tell from the picture but they're on an orange/red base with pink, orange and green accents. I intended on making the base in red, but some how grabbed a rod that looked red but was really this orange/red color. Not my fav so I'm just giving them away this week. I have since corrected my mistake.
I have about 6 or 7 bead sets ready to go right now. I really want to get about 10-12 so I'm still working on them. I think I'll get them done this week though. I'll try and update this weekend or Monday of next week with new bead sets. So stay tuned!!
sunday update
Can you believe I'm updating 2 days in a row? Well I just had to share my experience from yesterday.
My younger brother, Mark, was mentioning on the way to dinner last night that in the 7 months we've lived here, he hasn't seen one famous person. The rest of us had seen people here and there so he was hoping our visit to The Grove would be eventful. My brother and sister-in-law live walking distance to this area and go there often. They said almost every time they've been there they've seen someone famous. Mark's eyes were wide open all night.
We arrived and thought we'd walk around and check out some stores before dinner. While my brothers were waiting for us outside a store, they saw Andy Richter and Wes Bentley. Mark was thrilled and said the evening could end right then and he'd be happy. Well during our wait for a table at the Cheesecake Factory, my sister-in-law and I thought we'd pass the time walking in to a clothing store near where we were standing. I instantly noticed a tall, super skinny blonde bombshell that looked like she'd have some sugar daddy as her companion. Sure enough I look to her left to find Larry King standing next to her. I had to look twice. One, I couldn't believe it was him and two, whether or not you're a fan you can't deny that he's scrawny and old. Sorry Larry. But let's face it you got the babe with your fame. Not your face. I know that's harsh. You just gotta see this guy in person. Yea I know...he's probably a nice guy..with lots of money and his own show. Yet I can't even really say she was a babe. Her face was so plastic it could have been a mask. Yet by LA standards I suppose she was a babe. Yea, yea..I'm cruel.
We enjoyed dinner and decided to head out. As we approached the parking lot, I remembered I left a bag from a purchase I made back at the restaurant. So we walked ALL the way back. Instead of stopping at the hostess desk, I made my way to our booth hoping to see the bag. Of course it was gone so I thought I'd ask our waitress if she grabbed it. As my brother and I were waiting for her, Michael Sarver and Danny Gokey walked up and sat in the booth right behind us. I about died. I recognized them instantly and just yelled out to my brother "look - American Idols"! How stupidly star struck was I? Yet we watch the show every week and it was just so wild to see them in person. Danny heard me and instantly looked in our direction and smiled really big and said hi. I was shocked. I couldn't believe how approachable they were. I quickly mentioned how we watch the show and how great they are. Danny (love how I refer to him like we're old friends) didn't even hesitate. He walked right over to me and gave me a hug and said thank you. They were so cute. I could not believe how nice they were! I apologized for bugging them and added that they're probably sick of all the attention they get. Instead they both agreed that they love the attention and they're not sick of the attention just yet. We chatted with them for a couple of minutes before we left. Too fun. I must admit I'm not a huge fan of American Idol. I watch it because Mark does. He loves that show. Yet now I'm a little more interested since we're old friends with a couple of the contestants...hee..hee.
OH. And in case you were wondering the hostess did have my bag. Yet had I stopped there first, we would have never met the future American Idol. Oh come on....you know Danny is gonna' win!
saturday the 14th
I seemed to have missed a week here, didn't I. I didn't even announce last week's winner. Part of that is because I emailed the winner but she hasn't responded yet. I like to add the state the winner is from so I was waiting on an address that never came. So I'll go ahead and announce last week's FREE BEADS winner which is...
~*~*~ Kim from ?? ~*~*~
If your name is Kim, check your email for a message from me. It may have gone into your junk folder so check that too. If I don't hear from her in the next couple of weeks, I may have to pick another winner.
And this past week's FREE BEADS winner which is....
~*~*~ Melissa from Indiana ~*~*~
Congratulations Melissa! Thanks for the votes!
I finally got my glass this week so I've started some bead specials. I'd like to think I could have some stuff ready for next weekend, but I'll probably give myself the following week. I'd like to have 8-10 sets to list. So check back then. I have FREE BEADS ready for next week so I'll get those posted in the next couple of days.
We're heading downtown to see my brother and his wife for dinner tonight. I'm looking forward to that. We'll probably head over to The Grove. It's a neat area with shops and restaurants...and the occasional movie star sighting. I did see Kenny G on a walk with some gals yesterday..that was kind of neat.
It's an icky day here...oh..but I see the sun came out finally. Nice. Have a great weekend!
this week's FREE BEADS winner is...
~*~*~ Kathy from South Dakota ~*~*~
Thanks for voting!
Next week's FREE BEAD pictures are below. That has to be a record...having next week's beads up the same day I announce a winner.
Now if I can just get to those bead specials....
Have a great weekend!
this week's FREE BEADS
Well my bead absence certainly showed today. I could NOT 
figure out for the life of me how to upload my FREE BEAD pictures. I had been using my desktop up until we moved. I used to be able to upload photos in my sleep. Yet since switching over to my laptop, that's changed. I've spent the past 2 hours trying to figure it out. And it's not just uploading. It's saving it, opening it in another program to resize and touch up. I was able to save the pictures but then I couldn't find them after that. AH!!! I had to retake pictures 4 times because of that. I finally remembered I used to use a camera cord instead of plugging the SD card into the computer. Once I did that, it started to come back to me. I have 3 weeks worth of FREE BEADS made yet all the fun was sucked out of that with all this camera drama. And the worst part is after all that, the pictures aren't even that great!
I'm really low on glass right now. I have an order I'm going to place this weekend so that will slow down my progress on new bead specials. I don't think I have one rod of pea green. I hope to get that by mid-week so I can focus on some new beads.
Stay tuned!
First beads in over 200 days...
which will be split up into 5 sets of 3 beads for this week's winners.
As you can see I finally got my photo program to work - with the help of my dad of course. I'll be starting up my weekly FREE BEAD drawing next week. AND I already have next week's freebies ready to go. Pictures coming soon.
It's good to be back!
Stay tuned!
saturday, february 21st
So this week's 5 FREE BEADS winners are....
Lisa from Georgia
Maria from Luxembourg
Beth from North Carolina
Faith from South Carolina
Victoria from Indiana
Thanks ladies for sticking with me during my hiatus! I didn't email you guys individually so if you can email me your addresses if you see your name listed, I'll get your beads mailed out this week.
Remember it's only a 3 bead set instead of 5.
I took a picture of the beads in a group but couldn't get it posted last night. I'm working on my laptop almost exclusively and I don't have a good photo program. I can retouch the photo but I can't figure out how to change the pixel size. I tried late last night but was not succesful. So I may have to use my desktop computer for that until I figure it out. I'll work on that in the next few days so I can finally post a picture of some beads. They may already be spoken for, but at least it's something new to look at!
So my plan is to start on some bead specials this weekend. I just can't even believe I'm saying that! So excited! The first few sets will probably be repeats of what I've done in the past. I just want to get back into a comfort zone with making beads before I try something different. Yet it's not like doing so will inspire me to change it up that much. I really don't stray far from my comfort zone. I guess it just makes me feel better to justify copying sets I've already done. Yea, that's it.
Stay tuned!
wednesday, february 18th
Mark this day on your calendars ladies. Approximately 217 days ago was the last time I turned on my torch - until TODAY!! Yes! I FINALLY made beads today!! 15 to be exact. It felt so great. I was surprised at how smooth my session went. I was expecting all kinds of problems but I remembered how to make beads almost like it was yesterday. Don't know what they'll look like as they're still cooling off...but they'll be good enough for FREE BEADS this week!!
I've decided there is going to be a change to the FREE BEAD drawing each week. Instead of 5 beads, I'm only giving away 3 beads each week. I don't like getting stressed out about having FREE BEADS but I can easily manage 3 beads per week. So this Friday I'll be having my first FREE BEAD drawing. Instead of one drawing, I'll be doing 5. There's one catch...the only gals eligible for the drawing this week are the gals that supported me during my hiatus. I kept a tally of gals that either voted or stopped by to check in with me. There's only a handful of you so your chances of winning will be greater. I'll pick up with my usual FREE BEAD drawing open to everyone starting next week.
Having said that, my next task is working on some bead specials. I can't even believe I'm saying that! Don't know when that will be, I'm just glad that I can finally say AND mean it.
Just noticed the time...I'm off so my son's basketball game. Just had to share to some real bead news for a change! Stay tuned.
tuesday, february 10th
I'm happy to report that my work table is up! JP got that finished last night. He still has to put the aluminum covering on top and then I can start to organize my work space. I stopped by a couple of places today looking for a small side table that can hold a few tools and supplies. I don't want to start until I have everything just so. I like my work area very organized. Yet I'm pretty confident that'll happen by the end of the week. There's not too much to unpack and organize. Mainly just my glass, kiln and a few tools. So although I'm not beading today, I really think I will be by this weekend. Yea!
Stay tuned!!!
sunday, february 8th
We're getting closer! I think the garage is as organized as it's gonna' get so we (by "we" I mean JP)can finally start on my work space. JP bought all the stuff and plans to start on it this week. He doesn't think it'll take him that long so maybe by the end of the week I'll be up and running! I can't wait to start beading again. Maybe....JUST MAYBE I'll be able to offer FREE BEADS next week. That's my goal. If all goes well this week I don't see why I couldn't be beading all next week. And you know what will follow shortly afterward....bead specials!! Well maybe I shouldn't get that far ahead of myself. Baby steps.
We gotta build it before they will come.
Stay tuned....
monday, february 2nd
My husband and I are making progress! We've managed to get rid of even more stuff in our attempt to create a workspace in the garage so I can finally make beads. I'm amazed at how we're finding more things to trash after countless purging sessions. Could it be that I'm so desperate to sit at my torch that I'm willing to part with Waterford Crystal? My husband's influence is amazing.
We worked in the garage almost every night last week purging yet again. I love to use the word purge. Makes it so much more accepting versus "throwing it away". If it was up to my darling husband, we'd get rid of everything in the attic and leave it empty. Yet I'm puzzled as to why he thinks just because it's not Christmas that I'd want to part with Christmas decorations? Last I checked, Christmas comes around every year. You gotta store it somewhere. Speaking of which, my small house has taken the fun out of after-Christmas shopping. I didn't partake in one after-holiday clearance sale this year. I usually get a few boxes of ornaments or something - mainly because it's 75% off. Yet bringing it home and seeing the look on my husband's face kept me from going down that path.
So this weekend I kissed my husband on the cheek as he drove away with yet ANOTHER truck bed full of dump food. I don't know where we find it. I think I may have thrown out something the Antiques Road Show would find quite valuable. But I had no choice. I had to agree to throw something out or my husband would probably hold my workspace for ransom. My husband likes a VERY organized, clutter-free garage. And I do too actually. His goal is to get both cars in our very tiny garage. I'm worried 2 golf carts wouldn't fit in there. But if I know my husband it will happen with room to spare.
I think we'll be able to finish organizing the garage this week so my hope is we can start to build my workspace this weekend! YEA!! I'm SO excited to finally pull out all my glass!!! I really hope I'll be torching some time next week. Keep sending good thoughts my way....and as always...
Stay tuned.
monday, january 26th
Hello all! Well of course I waited longer than a month to update - again. I can't believe it's been that long already!
BUT, I finally do have "some" news to report on the bead front. My husband and I are making my work space a priority these next 2 weeks. I had my dear friends from Hollister come down for a visit this past weekend. Aside from having a grand time laughing and catching up, I got to purge! I've had quite a few pictures and knick knacks that I couldn't quite part with. I was hoping I'd walk into my house one day and it would grow by 500 feet so I could keep them all, yet that never happened. So I finally decided that I needed to part with it. What better way than to give them all to my friends. I can't believe how much space I opened up in the garage and attic. Because of that, JP and I will be able to work on a workspace in the garage for me. I'm hoping by next week I'll finally be able to hear the very LOUD hiss of my hot head torch. I really miss it - and won't realize it until I do turn it on for the first time.
So although I have nothing beady to show you - my hope is that by Valentine's Day I can finally have some free beads to giveaway. I suspect I'll have to do a couple of weeks of free beads (ugly ones I'm sure) to giveaway so I can get back into a rhythm of beading.
So thanks for being patient with me and for many of you continuing to visit and vote for me here and there. I'm sure I'm not on any beading lists but I'm there in spirit and that's good enough for me!
Stay tuned!!
friday, december 19th
Hello? Is anyone out there? I think I hear an echo. Oh my it's been a while. So long that I forgot my web address for my admin page. I literally had to try a couple of different addresses. I finally remembered it then almost got stumped on my log-in page. Luckily my trusty computer remembered my ID and password.
My, my. What in the HECK have I been up to? Everything and nothing at all I suppose. It's sad to think it's been that long. My website is my greatest pride because it represents something I love to do so much. I think I just got caught up in getting moved in and once I did, I really just lost steam to do anything. I still don't have an area set up to make beads. I hope after the holidays I'll be able to find an area. JP has an idea to get me set up. I think he's more motivated than I am. I think he knows I miss it.
I made a fun jingle jangle necklace for my mom for Christmas. I used beads I had from a swap with Maria Grimes. After working with those beads, I realized I have to get back to making beads VERY soon. I've realized that I'll never be fully moved in so I might as well just let that go. I'd rather spend my days being creative. It's like a drug. I need projects. I need to be creative. It gives me such a high - strange as it sounds - but so true. So I'm making a commitment to myself that after the new year, my main goal is to get an area set up, albeit temporary.
Plus, Jenn says she and Maria and Patricia are going to have a "Get Beatrice Back" challenge. That will force me to sit down and make some beads. I can't imagine how that's gonna go. I haven't made a bead in about 4 months! Yikes! I think that's the longest dry spell I've ever had since I started making beads 7 years. And OH MY GOSH! I've been making beads for 7 years! That makes me feel old.
Well enough of that. Is everyone ready for Christmas? I'm pretty well done. Once I send all my packages home to family, I feel like I can sit back and enjoy the season. I love to bake but probably won't get much done this year but that's OK. I have the tree up and that's enough this season. We're staying here for Christmas and heading up the day after to go skiing in Mammoth for a few days. It's probably the worst weekend to go but the best time for JP with work being a little slow.
Oh my gosh. Too funny. OK, you'll need back-story....A mom of a girl in Patrick's class called me last night to ask if it was OK to toilet paper our house. It's her daughter's birthday and she is having a sleepover and it's something fun to do. Well in my day you just TP'd a house. There was no asking. And you did it to people you didn't like. Nowadays I think you do it to people you're friends with. And if the asking isn't enough, apparently they come over the next morning to clean up! So that made my decision even easier. Anyway, the reason I'm even mentioning this is that they just showed up. It's only like 10:45! Doesn't this stuff happen like at 2am? And the reason it's even funnier is JP and I are watching TV in the front room. The drapes are open and we can see the front yard - they're right there! JP just looked up at me and said "they're here". He tried to hide his face from laughing. I can see movement but not faces. He said he could see them just on the other side of the window - about 20 feet away - just a wall separates us. I suppose because they know we know they don't need to be secretive. We didn't tell Patrick about it and he's in the other room. Oh girls. You gotta' love'em! Oh..they just rang the doorbell so I guess they're done. Gotta' go check out the damage.
To be a teenager again.
tag, i'm it!
Maria of Gardenpath Beads tagged me for this blogger game. Well, it's not really a game. But rather a ploy to get me to tell you my most secret of secrets. I don't have many as my life is an open book, but I'm a pretty weird gal so I'm sure I can come up with something.
Here are the rules:
1. Link the tagger and display these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself - some random, some WEIRD.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So here's 7 weird things about me:
1. I LOVE corn-on-the-cob with mayonnaise and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese slathered on it.
2. I can't STAND to walk barefoot anywhere. I can walk around the house with socks on, but not my bare feet. And it's not really a cleanliness issue - although I'm like Maria in that I don't like dirty feet. I just don't like walking around with my bare feets! Especially in hotel rooms. You'll never catch me without shoes or flip-flops on there. And don't EVEN get me started on the bedspreads in hotel rooms. When is the last time they washed those??
3. I've never liked to fly, although not enough to keep me home - I'll fly anywhere. BUT, I really don't like flying over water. I suppose I have a phobia of drowning. Yet I'm not afraid of the water! I enjoy boating, skiing, swimming. Strange, eh? It'll surely make traveling to Europe
in the future quite interesting.
4. I don't drink caffeine. None. Not even in my coffee at 6:30 in the morning.
Yea, like I need more ammo to get me going.
5. I'm totally deaf in my left ear. Can't hear a thing - zilch, zippo, nada. You'll always find me trying to sit to the left of someone or at the table where my right ear can catch most of the conversation. And if I can't hear or understand what you're saying, I'll just nod, smile and agree. One of these days
I'm going to agree to wear a puffy shirt.
6. I have a phobia of shower drains. I will never, EVER stand on one. The drain in our shower is directly in the middle of the tile floor. I'm VERY careful to never let my foot come within 3 inches of it. Not even if it's been recently cleaned. I just can't do it.ICK!
7. I have a bionic nose. Honestly. I'm starting to think I've got some growth in my olfactory system. My sense of smell annoys even me. I can smell things you wouldn't believe. I've been smelling the odor from dinner last night in my house all day. Even through the candle I lit!
Well I guess that's it. I'm sure I'll think of some other weird things about me. Although the ones above - especially the drain - are a bit random and odd. If I think of others I'll be sure to add them. My life is an open book for sure.
The harder part of this is not finding gals with websites that I can tag, but gals that actually blog. Many of you have sites but not blogging ones. I'm unsure of a couple of you down below. So if they don't have an area to update this info, pass it on to someone else. And for those of you that go there, at least you can spend some time poking around their site.
So here is who I tagged to carry on this fun little sharing of weirdness:
and even though
Jenn got tagged by Maria, I'll include her so you can read her 7 things. I gotta try that banana thing. Sounds oddly bad but for some reason I bet it tastes good.
Enjoy!
sunday evening
10.26.08
Ew! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've been here. Sorry gals! I wish I could say I've been beading all this time but I still have my stuff packed up. With space limitations, it's become a challenge to even find a place to set up shop. I'm lucky to still be working on a hot head torch - it allows me to hook up a can to my kitchen table ~ which I may do. I'm REALLY itching to make some beads. And since it's been a while, I suspect it will take me a couple of weeks of free beads to get back into a rhythmn.
All is well here. We're settling in quite well. Patrick seems to be adjusting to his new school well and staying busy with social events every weekend. Patrick adjusting was my biggest concern. Everything else is a piece of cake as far as I'm concerned. We're certainly enjoying the family factor living here. Between cousins and my brother and sister-in-law, we're having a good time.
We've managed, or rather JP has managed, to get one car in the garage. So we're making progress. We still have pictures to hang and some organzing to get done but we're close. I'm sitting here watching HGTV as I'm typing this. I'm disgusted at how big homes are for half the price in other parts of the country. Ugh! To have just 500 square feet more - or even a 3rd car garage! Oh well. It's cheaper to get rid of stuff than it is to buy a new home. But we really do like the area.
So stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed that you'll hear from me sooner than a month AND that I'll have made beads!!
monday afternoon
9.29.08
HEY!! I'm alive!! Only about a month later!
It's been so long since I've been here I forgot what my website looked like! Thanks to all you gals who have continued to visit my site, vote and check in to see how I'm doing. It really means so much to know that you poke around here to see what's going on even though I have no beads!
So far, we're settling in quite nicely. My mom was visiting for 2 weeks and was a HUGE help in getting me unpacked. One of the best things I did was insist that my kitchen get unpacked with this move. This is my 6th major move and the first time I requested anything to be unpacked. Typically they just put boxes where there is space and move on. With this move, my driver unpacked all my kitchen boxes (except 3 that we found in the garage behind dozens of other boxes). What a difference that made. The hardest part of a move is taking the time to open the box, dig through the papers to find one spatula wrapped in 10 pieces of paper (you wouldn't want to break a plastic spatula worth $3.99) then continue digging through the rest of the box for more of the same. It was so nice to walk around the corner and see a stack of dishes and cups. I just opened a cabinet and put them away. Awesome!
I think having the kitchen 75% done by the end of the first day helped me feel pretty settled - even with boxes piled high in every room. My mom was instrumental in helping with the rest. Of course we don't have any pictures up and still have corners where stuff is stashed waiting to find a home or the trash. But we're getting there. JP was out of town for 10 days last week so I had to put a few things on hold. Now that he's home we can tackle some of the mess and get things cleaned up. I want to park in the garage so bad! I hope I can by the end of the weekend. JP's a workhorse so I'm sure he'll make it happen.
I can't believe it's been about a month since I've been gone! I miss my friends but we're enjoying the area and Patrick is doing pretty well adjusting to his new school. He's been pretty social, attending a couple of birthday parties and couple of other fun outings. He's also enjoying his cousins quite a bit. We all are for that matter. It's been nice having family down the street.
But even after all those good things, my life is not complete until I get my "studio" set up. We lost quite a bit of space with this move so there's not much space to set up shop. We went from a 3 car to a 2 car garage. Yet I'm hopeful JP has a plan to get me set up. I don't need much space and I actually have an idea that just may work. I'll have to work temporarily in the garage which is fine if it wasn't so hot! It's way warmer here than up North and I'm not liking that. But I'm hoping it's gonna cool down so I can get a work space going. I'm really wanting to get back to the torch so I hope I can get that done in the next couple of weeks.
As usual, stay tuned!
And thanks for checking in!
