Well, It's Friday

Ariel is now an official junior high school student. We went to "graduation", which lasted for about an hour. She got a medal for A/B Honor Roll this past six weeks, and she has a nice certificate that says she has completed elementary school. She and her best friend, Emily, are outside enjoying the pool.

You know how I keep telling you that I'm not stressed? Well, I have this honkin' big fever blister on my mouth that says otherwise. There's nothing like standing up in front of 20 people with a big ole beacon on your face. Luckily the ENT doc gave me some antiviral meds to take and I bought some concealer to kind of tone down the angry magenta color it's sporting.

I'm off to run a couple of errands, then it's back to the creating of kits! Woo hoo! Down the home stretch she goes! Have a great weekend!!!

What Have I Been Dreaming Of?

I've pretty much been dreaming of this stuff, or at least thinking about it --- A LOT! Please take note that I did not say anything about stress. There is still no stress. Stunned and amazed, my family is!
And this is what I would like to do when I come home from seminar. We haven't taken a ride in so long I may loose my Iron Lady status! Hopefully, we will be able to afford a trip this summer.

So today I'm off to see the doctor, then back to some cows in a meadow (you'll see, you'll see). Tomorrow Ariel "graduates" from elementary school. We have been trying to explain to her that this is not as important as graduating from high school, but her teachers are making it a very big deal. *sigh* We are proud of her and of all her accomplishments and will probably take her to lunch. I know she's excited about this, so I'm trying not to burst her little bubble (mean old Mom).

Anyway, I must be off. I'll try to pop back in tomorrow! Have a beadiful day!

Tap Tap, Tapity Tap, Tapity Tap Tap Tap

I am typing away today. I've got one more piece of stitching to finish and type, then I'm putting together all the kits.

Did I mention that the chicken coop and hen house got finished at last? Well, they did. Talk about some happy campers! (and I mean us AND the chickens) I had to take them all into the house the first night. At dusk, they were all huddled in the corner, cheeping for Mama Hen. T-man had to pass them through their little doors and I put each of them on the roost. Then we closed the doors so they would stay in all night. The next morning, we let them out and fed them. We got home after dark Monday and they were all in the house! Smart little buggers, aren't' they? Now they go in each night on their own. They've made it theirs in more ways than I care to describe. But they are happy. And some of them are starting to cluck. My babies are growing up!

Needless to say, today you get another quickie. You do get a quote today, not necessarily an art quote, but it's a good quote:

A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg.
Samuel Butler

Bead it! Now scram!

Got Time For A Quickie??

That's all I have - time for a quickie. There are two more priority projects to finish (as in fringes and photos). Then all that's left is making kits, which is the nasty part of the business, but I'll muddle through as stress free as possible.

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Ours was kind of a mixed venue, but yesterday was nice. We sat by the pool and drank piña coladas. Then we floated and drank piña coladas. Very relaxing.

I'm off. Bead happy!

The Art of Contemplation

I've spent the day contemplating, not my belly button, but where I want to take my little business. I'd like for it to be a big business, but the economy might have to change drastically for that to happen, plus I'd like to remain a one person show. I could be content with money for groceries every month. My biggest challenge is that, in order to succeed, I will need to travel. ugh

I'm talking airplanes, airport security, air travel restrictions, airport traffic, flight cancellations, and new fees that pop up over night. Maybe I could take a train? And I'm a girl who likes sleeping in her own bed. I like sleeping in my own house, where the sounds are all familiar. And I must say, I like sleeping next to my husband, even when he hogs the bed. Yes, yes, I'm making excuses. Probably so.

There are also a lot of steps I can take in cyber space to expand my empire. In fact, I've been making a list and it's grown quite extensive. I keep telling myself (and everyone else) that I'll get to it as soon as seminar is finished. Oh my stars, am I going to busy when seminar is finished! Probably just as busy as I am right now. There's the web site that needs things fixed, there are links to add to the blog, the Etsy store needs attention, etc., etc., etc.

So beadlings, today I have contemplated my life with beads and I still don't have the answer to why the sky is blue, other than it is an indication of where to stop mowing. And yes, I am still in the market for a good, used replicator. Bead on!

Lazy Day

I didn't get much sleep last night. We haven't turned the AC on yet, and it took a while for yours truly to cool off enough to sleep at all. Needless to say, it was so hot that I couldn't keep the CPAP on either. So I'm seriously considering not doing much of anything today. Maybe I'll sit on the floor in front of the television and play video games all day. I haven't done that since, well I'm not sure when.

I've been working on a three dimensional piece and was hoping to have the instructions ready for seminar, but I may have to put it away and concentrate on other things right now. It's simple for me to execute it, but I need to be able to put it into clearly understandable words and pictures and I don't think my time will allow for that. So it's on to the next item on the list.

We now have arugula, radishes and tomatoes coming out of the garden daily. T-man is quite pleased. He keeps telling the hens to start laying. I keep telling him that won't do any good.

I hope you are having a day as gorgeous as the one I'm having here. Your art quote for the day:

You don't know how much artists go through to make it look so easy. It's all in the practice.
Lauryn Hill

Monday Musings

For the first time in I don't know how long, I slept through the entire night and I did it with the CPAP on all night, again for the very first time. I truly do not know what to think of this. It may take a few waking hours to wrap my brain around the concept.

I'm trying to finish one last project for seminar, which will be a pattern only. I may kit them later, but if I do so they will be limited edition kits due to the presence of some vintage beads. We'll see how that goes. And I've got an easy one to finish, which will also be a limited edition due to the presence of some Pam beads. She can only work so fast, you know!

What did I do all weekend? Well, I typed and I stitched. I watched some really bad TV while I stitched. I played with the chickens and the kittens, and that's about it. Pretty boring, huh? T-man has almost finished the chickens' new home and he's complaining that their house may be better built than ours. It's made of insulated tin on a pier and beam foundation, secured so that critters can't get my chickens. There is ceramic tile on the floor (some we got free off Craig's list). We had read on the Internet that someone else did this because it made it easier to clean the hen house. It seemed sensible to T-man, so that's what he did. There are windows for air flow, little chicken doors and a full-sized Theresa door. And last, but not least, they have a big yard. And all of this is being done with the capability to expand and add more cluckers in the future. Yes, that is correct, more chickens next year. And we are again discussing goats. There is a reason, and I'm trying to make it rational.

As some of you know, the light of my life, the fire in my heart, the man to whom I pledged my troth is a doomer. Yes, yes, it's true I married a conspiracy theorist who is convinced the end of the world is nearing. In order to survive, we must become self-sufficient and get off the grid.

Okay, I can deal with some of this. I like being self-sufficient. I like having things that make us the money to obtain things that otherwise would not be obtainable. I like the idea of selling eggs, chickens, veggies, herbs, flowers and goat cheese in order to obtain those nifty, needful things. I like the idea of having a windmill so that I don't feel like we are the majority supporter of the electric co-op. These are good things. So I go along with all the other crap that he believes. That's what love is, kids. So I googled some things yesterday on farmlettes, urban homesteading and the like. Some of it was very interesting (I will not mind having a farmlette) and some of it was a bit over the top. Again, this is what constitutes love in my book. I just go with the flow and tell him when I'm tired of listening to it. *sigh*

Well, I've had my first cup of coffee and if I don't move from here to the sofa, I won't get that project finished. Obviously, there is no such thing as beading elves to do it for me. Maybe I should leave brownies out? Nope, that would just draw ants. Anyway, happy beading to you. I hope you have a lovely Monday.

Sunny Day

It is an absolutely gorgeous day. A front moved through last night. We were spared the really nasty stuff, but it came uncomfortably close to T-man's parents' house

I am still pretty sore and stiff. The bruise is still quite awesome in the depth of its colors, and my ribs definitely hurt. It is time to visit the doc and see what he says. Remember how "weebles wobble but they don't fall down"?? I am definitely not a weeble. The EGA Regional Seminar looms on my horizon. I have much to do, but some of my serenity has returned. I am confident I can everything done well ahead of time. But in order to achieve that goal, I must be off. Check out the links over there -- lots of new posts have been added for your entertainment. Hasta la bye-bye!!

Springtime In Central Texas

The weather gives rise to some unusual blossoms, don't you think?

Actually, we're expecting thunderstorms all day, so my imagination will have to do. The Fire Lily is a new pattern that will be available at seminar and Florella is an older one available on Bead-Patterns. And I've got a few more new ones to put together, so I'm off. Yes, my back still aches. The wrist and tailbone aren't so bad, thank goodness. My back is a lovely palette of black and violet on my pale Irish skin. And yes, I mean black, not blue! When I do something, I try to do it well. And on that note, I'm off to do a few things well. Happy Hump Day!

O U C H ! ! !

Well, I fell last night. I tripped over a loose corner on a floor tile in the kitchen. I scraped my back all the way down the front of the kennel, twisted and landed on my right hand. I've got this huge, swollen bruise on my ribs from my shoulder blade to my waist, my lower back throbs and my wrist aches. I'm pretty sure there will be other little pings as I get closer to the 24 hour mark. I felt scared, pissed and stupid all at the same time. T-man brought me a handful of ibuprofen and made me get in bed. It was close enough to bed time that I didn't argue. I had to get Natalie to help me with the chickens this morning because there was no way for me to do it alone and finish before noon! We'll see how long I sit at the computer today.

Other than that, things are peachy!

How are you're projects just for you coming along? I saw Carol's at the SABOS bazaar. It's pretty cool, and she's on the prowl for more beads like the ones she used. I'm hoping I get a picture to share with you.I'm going to use my Laura McCabe piece, and I can't wait to show it off at seminar. Remember, your deadline is coming up (someone remind me!). Anyway, get stitching!

Looming On The Horizon!

Seminar is just around the corner, and I feel like I have a million things to do with time for only a hundred. My calm has dissipated. My serenity is full of choppy waves. Crapola, what to do, what to do, what to do?

Yesterday was Mothers' Day. I was presented with a lovely breakfast in bed, complete with a vase of pink evening primroses. "Did you know I pulled those out of the yard, Mommy?" She fixed me waffles and an egg, sunny side up. And there was plenty of coffee. Then I spent the morning and part of the afternoon driving from here to Buda, to Austin, to San Marcos. We now have all the parts for the hen house and yard. T-man got a good part of it put up yesterday afternoon while Ariel and I went BACK to Austin to hunt for items to make her science fair project, which is MANDATORY (oh, give me a break!). Unfortunately, Natalie had gone to an out-of-town wedding, but has promised me a belated Mothers' Day weekend. And I'll go visit my mom next week and take her a lovely, living gift.

As for today, I have a bit of paperwork to get out of the way for seminar. Then it's beading. I've got beads for the kits on the way, which will make the end of the week pretty busy. I've got patterns to print and some organizing to do for the table. Fortunately for me, Clara has offered to be my helper for the Fiesta Market portion of seminar. Yeah Clara! She's like me, working from home, and able to help out. And I'll get to spend some more time with the other High Priestesses of the Temple of the Goddess of Beading that weekend. And to top it all off, there are the ladies (and gentlemen) of the EGA to spend time with. But I swear I will sleep for two days straight after I get home.

So, I'm off to do what I must do! Check the blogs over there on the right, as there are many amusing updates. And for all you creative types, here's the quote of the day, week, month, whatever:

When you follow your bliss… doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.
Joseph Campbell

Better Than A Gym

And I'm sure it provides entertainment for the neighbors. It took me an hour to get them all in the pen today. Those freaking Easter chicks are devious. I knew they would be trouble. Anything coming from the BBAB is nothing but trouble. The blue one (Sky) got loose in the house. I got all the others into the crate to take them out except for him. He would not be cajoled, he would not be tempted by food, he just wanted to explore the house. Then he did the same thing outside. And, oh no, I believe Tatiana, my beautiful chicken, may actually be a Tony! We'll find out in a couple of weeks. Anyway, as I have figured it up, I paid $25 to join this gym and in two months it has cost me less than $30. I've lost three pounds since we got the chickens. I know that's not much in your eyes, but for me anything is a great accomplishment, especially since up until now nothing else has worked. Maybe I'll just keep the freaking Easter chickens so I can chase them!

So I'm told today is Friday. I have no idea, as usual. I had to ask Ariel this morning. And as it is apparently Friday, I have much to do today. I leave you with a question regarding color and palettes (this is an interactive post). First I must tell you a story. When I was in eighth grade, I had a favorite winter outfit (keep in mind that winter here means 50 degrees). I had a black velvet skirt and a cream turtle neck mohair sweater. I also had wavy, dark brown hair down to my butt. With this outfit, I would tie yarn hair ties (remember those?) around my pony tail and they were pale pink, pale blue and cream. I thought it all looked so good together. I loved that outfit. Of course, in high school, my multi-colored Peter Max jeans took honors as the favorite thing to wear. Anyway, what was your favorite color combination/outfit when you were just a kid? Inquiring minds want to know!

And I almost forgot. I've got 60 pounds of plastic Mardi Gras beads. I have an idea for using them, but if you have any ideas or want some of them, let me know!

Well Bah

The weekend came and went. I would have been better off to stay home and work on new items for seminar. The SABOS bazaar was a huge disappointment. On the upside, I got to spend time with the other three High Priestesses of the Temple of the Goddess of Beading, I got to see lots of friends I only see at bead shows, and I got one of Heather Powers' sea urchin beads. Mine is even green! Thank you, Heather! And I got to meet her talented hubby and her lovely girls.

My Sonific Songspot is gone. They have voluntarily taken their site down, with a big explanation as to why, which I totally understand. This really sucks, as I enjoyed hunting for good songs, funny songs to entertain you, and even found a few CDs I'd like to add to our collection here at home. Maybe something else will come along.

It's kind of muggy today. The bullfrogs are singing in the creek and the mockingbird that has a nest in my big trumpet vine is a very happy fellow. Apparently there are beetles coming up out of the ground that make a sound which is irritating to Oliver. He spends his days barking at the ground, which can be irritating to me. The kittens are extremely mobile and will chase anyone who walks by them, meowing to be picked up.

I've lost a bit of weight (did you like that segue?), and people ask me how. I reply "I got chickens". Let me use this morning as an example. When we first got them, they were tiny fluffs that weighed nothing, and they stayed in the house. When it got warm, we built them a pen and I took them outside in a cat carrier. The also stayed in the same carrier at night. They got bigger and the carrier got heavier. I would carry them out, sit down, put them in the pen, get up, get their food and water, sit down, play with them and get up. I did this several times a day, mind you. Then I carried them in at night, sat down, got their waterer, got up, refilled it, got back down and played, then got up again. Now they are HUGE. They are using Oliver's portable kennel. They must still come in at night as the smaller ones still don't have belly feathers and they do not yet have a coop, so T-man brings the kennel in, with the chickens in it. This morning (you thought I'd never get back here, didn't you?) I looked out and noticed that their waterer had been turned over, so I went out to fix it. They all promptly escaped. Now picture me, a short, chubby woman in her Garden Goddess jammies, running in circles trying to get all these half grown chickens back in their pen. I got all but one in there. I spent 15 minutes chasing him around and around and around the pen. I think he enjoyed it, and yes I did say "he". It seems the two Easter chicks we adopted are both ROOSTERS, or as T-man puts it, Dinner and Supper. And they are feisty! Plus one of them is learning to crow, which is the oddest sound you'll ever here coming from your kitchen at 6:00 a.m.

So today, now that all the chickens are back in their pen, I will get back to the business of beading and creating beading kits, typing my class instructions for seminar, etc, etc, etc. I hope your weekend was a good one and I hope you are having a great day!

Sneak Peeks

This weekend is the San Antonio Bead & Ornament Soceity's bead bazaar. I'll be there with some new designs of my own, plus I'm doing a trunk shows with items from other designers like Chris Manes of AmuseInk, Deb Moffett-Hall (I will let you know right now that if you want any of Deb's ornament patterns for Christmas get them early as they sell out), Dawn Dalto of Blue Bear Beads, my distributor Tracey Schulz of Threaded Needle Designs, Amy Loh-Kusper of i-bead, Jennie Might of Black Giraffe Designs, and Anne Paxton (unfortunately Anne no longer has a web site). I'm very proud to be representing Threaded Needle Designs again. Here are your sneak peeks.Just in time for Mother's Day, I made "Mom Is Wow Upside Down". Yes, it's kitschy and cute. And who doesn't remember having a ginghame dress in the spring and summer?Everyone says this one looks like a piece of ribbon, hence the name Gingham Ribbon Bracelet. And there are a few others, but I'd much rather you come see them in person. T-man will be with me, the High Priestesses of the Temple of the Goddess of Beading will be there, Pam will be there with new lampwork sets, Heather Powers will be there with some fantastic new sea-themed beads, and my dear friend Carol Wille will be there with her fantastic buttons and glass beads, plus a ton of other great bead vendors.

Come by to say hellow, touch the beads, touch the jewelry or just share a joke. I'll be back here on Monday to let you know how much fun we had. Have a beadiful weekend!