Brrr...

I've decided that next year I need to plan a 3-month break from beadmaking during the cold months. It is just so, so frigid out there in the bead shack, even colder than the outside air since there is no insulation, thin single-pane storm windows, holes in the roof...etc...So the goal is to build up enough inventory to post new beads even though I won't be making new beads. Ha. Better get started on that right away!

We are having a wonderful holiday, with three in a row - Christmas, Tom's birthday, and New Year's. He and the kids have this week off and it is heavenly. He is so relaxed after a very stressful fall season at work. Right now we are sitting by the fire and watching a DVD I got him for Christmas - Squidbillies volume 1. It is a cartoon on Adult Swim, about a family of squids who live in the North Georgia mountains. It is the most crass, equal-opportunity-offensive, funniest thing I've seen in a long time.

We took the boys to see Santa last week and took many pictures, so I will try to get those posted tomorrow. I am still having computer problems, so it's hit and miss for me right now!

So Busy...

I can't believe it's almost Christmas. Between ongoing computer problems, travel, shopping and cooking, and the ever-present sickness in our house, time is flying by and I have way too much to do. I've been hoping to have another auction any day...still hoping...

I really needed a healthy week with both boys in school (next week starts winter break) to get more done, but that was not to be! Sam has double ear infections so he was out yesterday and today. Both will definitely go tomorrow but I will be working all day on another project so it will not put me ahead. I am trying not to stress out too much, with only minimal success.

Here are some pictures from the past month, since I've been promising them for so long!

Thanksgiving with my grandmother...

Thanksgiving banquet at school (Sam is in the back, second from left)...

Daddy brought these back from his trip to Texas...Making (and testing) cookies:

Hunting and decorating the tree:

Doing a little at-home shopping...

Southbound...

Leaving for the airport shortly - to Atlanta for a meeting tomorrow morning - back in the evening, a whirlwind trip.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a busy weekend. Decorated the house and put up the tree last night, and it was a lot more traumatic than I remember last year, but I got some cute pictures - will post later.

So far the broken ornament tally only stands at one (single color glass ball - that's all there is up to about 4 feet) and I am very scared to leave 3 boys here alone for the night. John likes to swish his arms through the branches as he walks by, and that's a big problem. After the one broke last night he said, "Uhhhh-ohhhh....saw-eeeee Mommeeee," in his usual mischievous voice.

Auction beads will mail out first thing Wednesday morning!

New Auction...

Finally! Just started this auction, and it will run through Monday afternoon. I decided to do a 5-day auction because of the holiday.

We are cooking and getting ready to head down the road for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. The boys got so hungry smelling the wild rice cooking this morning (it simmers for like 6 hours) they ate 3 times this morning before noon. Now if I could only get them to eat the rice! If tradition holds, it will only be a matter of time before they eat so much of it I'll have to make a triple batch.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US customers! I am so thankful for all of you, as well as my international friends!

Beads? Please?

Still so much going on here, and few beads to show for it.

After Sam's birthday I needed to get some beads ready for a "small wonders" show at the local gallery, so that was keeping me busy two weeks ago.

Then Tom was out of town for a week, so no beads at all while he was gone.

I have been mentoring a high school student this fall for her Senior Project - bead and jewelry making - so no beads this weekend because she was here for her "final exam."

Today, I was geared up to make lots of beads - the boys both in school for the morning - and guess what?! I got the first phone call at 9:30 (10 minutes after getting home from dropping them off)..."Sam is running a fever, please come get him." He has a cold, but he did not have a fever when he went in! Then an hour and a half after I got back with him, the next phone call..."John is running a fever, please come get him."

Can you say "Aaaarrrrggggghhhh!"

So my new goal is one set for eBay to list before Thanksgiving.

I'm Back...Barely

Sorry for the long pause...lots going on here! I'll try to get caught up, one post at a time.

The 5th Birthday Party was so much fun. Backyardigans everywhere! Sam felt good, John felt good, and we had a great day.


I had the best time making this cake. Thank goodness Wilton makes Pablo, which was the special request...it's the only Backyardigans pan they make!

The robot arm was a HUGE hit...of course...the $5.99 gift is the favorite. So popular that we had to go and get one for John so they can play robot arms together.

Cars/Geotrax was another favorite. I just love that smile.

Here they are playing with another gift...Gnip Gnop. Not to brag, but I am the Gnip Gnop champion of the household.

Oink oink

So we have finally conquered the computer virus and restored everything I lost, as of today...but as of yesterday, we have a diagnosis of H1N1 for Sam. We are trying to keep the rest of us from getting it, but given the way things usually go, that is probably next to impossible. At least John is on Tamiflu...

I am still out of O2 due to a snafu on my part, but I will be back up and running tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, here are a few new focals on Etsy!

Halloween and Flu

Halloween was fun, although very rainy. We went to a neighbor's haunted house - they had the coolest decorations and spooky food I've ever seen...


...then we went to the Carnival at the church where the kids go to preschool...



...and then we went trick-or-treating.


(It is such a nice age...they have no idea that trick-or-treating might include more than going to five houses. Blissfully unaware.)

I had no idea it was the end of daylight savings, but I noticed the clock difference from the cable box right away. That's how out of it I've been, and how much I rely on my computer to tell me what's going on in the world.

Sunday was a cold, dreary day and we noticed Sam was coughing and generally not his perky self. Then this morning, it was obvious he had a fever...102.8. Still coughing, runny nose, stomach hurts. So he is home from school today and going to the doctor this afternoon. A lot of kids at school have been sick and they said they are treating everyone for H1N1 just to be safe. We'll see what the doctor says. I hope he gets better soon because he has a big birthday coming up this Saturday...he is turning 5.

I am posting from my computer but I still haven't gotten everything loaded again, including my camera software. Off to go do that now, and then I'll add the pictures above.

Oh! and I will have new beads, promise...I hope to add 3 new focals to Etsy today, and beads for Ebay coming soon. I just ran out of O2 so I have to get more before I can finish the set I started.

Ugh...From Virus to Virus

Well, I seem to have gotten over my cold, but now my computer is sick. I've no idea how this happened, because I am an extremely cautious computer user...but what my poor laptop has is devastating and it looks like it will require a complete wipe to fix it. I am writing now from our old (olddd) laptop, but this is not where I do any of my work...in fact, the memory is so low on this laptop it isn't even an option for handling it all.

S0 for now this project is all-encompassing...no beads getting made while I figure out what to do (and begin the process of backing up everything so I can transfer it again after the wipe).

Add to that the fall break from preschool for the next two days, and I probably won't have any new beads until the weekend, at least! I am about to cry!

Auction and a Birthday

Here is the set I just listed on eBay tonight, ending Monday evening. I love these beads, and especially because I worked with Double Helix's Olympia Rain, the first time I've used any DH glass. I am only like 4 years behind the curve, but at least I have a good excuse. I actually ordered the glass (which is obscenely expensive) three years ago, thinking once we bought our house and got out of the corporate apartment, I would be making beads straight away. And then John was born! Anyway, it is a dreamy glass to work with, it flows so differently than Effetre.


Tom and I are taking a quick excursion to the mountains to celebrate my birthday. I think it will be only our second trip without kids and we are both looking forward to it.

Finally!

Feeling better, good enough for beads! Update later today...

Still Sickly

Ugh...no new beads. Hopefully tomorrow. The whole house has been sick now, so hopefully we've turned the corner, but not yet enough energy to get out to the studio.

Puniness

Is that a word? Puniness? The state of feeling puny? Anyway, that's where things stand right now...starting with Sam on Sunday (turned out to be double ear infections), and a little something running through John and me - until yesterday afternoon when it hit me full-on. Sore throat and head congestion mostly, but I'm a bit doped up on Nyquil so it's hard to tell.

I listed a new auction on Monday so I'm a bit late in posting it here, but it runs through tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon:


The crud has slowed my work considerably so I'm not sure when my next auction will be. I do have some new focals on Etsy!

Soap Boats and a New Auction

One thing I remember from my early childhood is "soap boats" - which seems to be a phenomenon in my family (poor Tom had never heard of such a thing). It's when you lather up the hair really well, take the lather into your hands, and then set it afloat in the tub. John LOVES soap boats and asks for them at every bath. I hope he remembers them fondly when he's older.

Tom, of course, teaches them other equally amazing bath tricks such as "soap beards." At first John would stick his whole face into the suds, coming up with lather all over his face. Now he has learned to strategically place the suds onto his face - and he insists that you do the same, otherwise he will apply the suds to your face himself. So bathtime has continued to be a very wet, soapy affair.

In other news, here's a new auction. I haven't been this excited about a new design in a while, and I plan to play around with other colors in the future...

Hello Nose...Meet Bead

Friday night, if all goes well during the week (meaning Sam finishes his work and stays "in the green" at school, and John stays off the naughty chair at school) is "watch-TV-in-Mommy's-and-Daddy's-before-bed" night.

So all went well this week! Yay!

(Before I go further let me remind you that John LOVES beads. I let him carry them around, usually one of my larger single color beads. But last night I gave him a small Czech pressed glass disk because he keeps hiding the spacers, and they are expensive!)

Do you see where this is going?

I put them in our bed around 7:45 and went to their rooms to get their pajamas. I came back to our room and sat on the bed, and this conversation ensued.

John: Mommy, bead!
Me: Yes, John, where's your bead?
John: (points to nose)
Me: It's probably in the bed somewhere. Did you drop it?
John: (scrunches up nose and sniffs/blows)
John: Mommy, bead! (points to nose again)
Me: Did you put the bead in your nose???!!!
John: Uh-huh!!!
Me: Oh no, John, did you really? Is it really up your nose?
John: Uh-huh!!!

So immediately visions of spending all night in the ER on a Friday night, just to get this thing extracted, start dancing in my head. I tried to feel it but couldn't...I tried to see it but couldn't...

I took him downstairs to Tom, who was sitting on the couch watching TV. Told him what happened. I laid John back on his back under the lamp and went to get a flashlight. Finally, with a little manuevering of the nose, I could see the slightest edge of the bead...wayyyyy up in there. Tom immediately picked him up and said, "Okay, I'll take him."

Never one to let someone else do what I can do myself, I asked him to wait while I got the tweezers. It was worth a shot.

As I came back downstairs with the tweezers, I heard Tom say, "Yeah, that's it! Woo-hoo!"


Tom had held one nostril shut and told John to "blow hard" and THANK GOODNESS that bead flew right out. Whew and Yay Tom!

New Auction

Auctioning my bead bowl. These are extras, experiments and mini-sets.

Etsy Store

I am working on a project with a potter (more on that later) and the direction this project has taken leads me to the conclusion that I do, in fact, enjoy making focal beads! I've opened the Etsy store...at this point I'll list focals there and keep the sets on eBay, and we'll see how it all plays out. I've added an Etsy showcase to the blog so you can click it and it will take you to my Etsy store. Thanks for checking it out!

My Sweet Little Pea...

...is not so little as of yesterday/last night. He spent his first night away from us (we have been apart before, just never because HE went somewhere) and while it was nice to have some alone time with John, it was very strange to not have Sam here. He spent the night with his grandparents.

When I took him to their house, as soon as I stopped the car he opened the door and said "Goodbye Mommy!" He seemed a little put off that I was actually going to walk him in and not just dump him in their driveway.

We'd tried this before and he made it to 9:00 p.m. at which time he said, "I'm ready to go home now," so we weren't sure whether he'd stay this time or not. When the phone rang at 9:30 last night I thought, "Oh nooo..." but it was just him telling me goodnight.

He seems to have had a great time. I told him that I missed him, and he said "I missed you too Mommy." I continued, "But you had a lot of fun," to which he replied, "Yes, I missed you but I can have fun without you Mommy."

Ouch and thank goodness, all at the same time.

New Beads

Just listed these on eBay...

Hmm.

We've been really busy here the last week, with special orders and other projects taking most of my bead time. I hope to have two new sets on eBay soon! We had a nice visit from my younger brother, who came to go to an all-boy's 4-day weekend with my Dad (and five brothers) in the mountains. I wondered aloud if the younger generation of boys was going to be able to go this year, but I think their trip would have been pretty short with a 4 year old and 2 year old.

Tennis Withdrawal

For at least eight weeks every year I am glued to either NBC, ESPN2, Tennis Channel, or CBS watching the Australian Open (January), French Open (June), Wimbledon (July) and the US Open (August-September). And when I say glued I mean I watch it from the moment it comes on in the morning until it goes off, usually after midnight. I have even been known to get up at 3AM in January to watch the Australian matches live.

So let's just say I am extremely bummed that the US Open has been rained out for two days now! Holding out for Serena vs. Kim tonight...looks like the weather is clearing.

Anyway, for those who didn't come for a tennis update, here are some new beads up for auction tonight!

First Day(s) of School

Sam and John started school this week - Sam yesterday, John today. It's good for all of us to get back to the routine of school in the mornings. Sam is there all five days this year, in preparation for the long days of kindergarten next year. John is in class with older kids finally, which is where he needs to be! They were both so excited they didn't want to eat breakfast, no matter how many times I implored that their brains needed food to be able to think. Sam said "Brains don't eat food!" and then when I asked him where his brain was, he pointed to his foot. I guess it's time to throw some more anatomy lessons into the mix - he has all the parts he can see covered, but not so much the ones inside.

John Hides, Sam Rides

I love playing Hide and Seek with the boys. I am usually the Seeker, and I love hearing John count back as he runs to hide, and then hearing him laugh as I go from room to room saying "Where oh where could John be?!" Their laughing always gives them away...that, and well, John's choice of hiding methods:


As I mentioned yesterday, Sam rode his "new" bike for the first time on Saturday. He got the bike for Christmas but I think - having just turned 4 - he was too young. I was surprised that his Daddy got him a bike (during a without-Mommy shopping trip) but, it was cute to see him excited about getting his first son his first bike. Sam loved the idea, not so much the reality.

Lately he's been watching in awe as our neighbor kids ride their motorized scooter (the skateboard on wheels kind) up and down the street. He says he wants one. I tell him that he has to learn to ride a bike before he can get a scooter, and voila! Sudden interest in getting on that bike. He said, "Okay, let's go out right now! I'm ready to practice riding my bike!" Tom wasn't home at the time, and he was amazed at my ability to get him on the bike, after all this time. Oh, a little bribery goes a long way.

Celebrations

Yesterday we celebrated our 11th anniversary and Sam rode his bike for the first time (pictures later). Tom said it was the perfect anniversary gift...I agree.

I was able to squeeze in some beadmaking time this weekend. I was trying to "stretch" my use of colors to several I don't normally work with, and I'm very happy with the results. I'm not sure the pictures do them justice but they are perfectly delicious in person (in fact, John pointed to them and said "Mommy, Eat!").

They are up for auction, ending Wednesday afternoon...

New Auction

New auction just listed...running through Monday. I almost didn't list these because they are so hard to take a picture of, and I don't think the picture does them justice...the colors are gorgeous.

Healing

Sam is doing well. Sleeping through the night and only a few doses of pain medication over the last few days. And thankfully for all of us, the awful post-surgery halitosis is gone! Whew! I know he wondered why I was constantly putting my hand over my nose when he came near me. Poor fella. He is still swallowing hard now and then, mostly when he tries to eat, but the progress is clear. We go back for his 2-week post-op visit tomorrow, and he is wondering if John will get his tonsils out too...I hope not!

I have been doing a lot of experimentation with beads in the last few days, and a few special orders, so not much to show yet. The weather turned much cooler today so I will be out there later, hopefully making some beads for auction. Stay tuned!

A Long Week

So we're at Day 5-6 after the T&A surgery...where the doctor said it would be the worst before it starts getting better. I have to concur. Sam was up three times last night, each time unable to continue sleeping because of the pain. Thankfully he got back to sleep once the meds kicked in.

Today has been rough, for sure. He hates the taste of the pain killer, I don't blame him. Unfortunately he waits until he is in A LOT of pain before he'll take it, and then it's not as effective.

I was able to get some beads made over the weekend, and they're on eBay tonight, auctions ending Saturday. I got a request for earring pairs, something I rarely do...but it was fun.

Tonsillectomy

Our older son went for a T&A this morning...poor fella...he is hungry but too miserable to eat. Even the chocolate milkshake, his very favorite, was too painful. He seems to be resting comfortably, though, when he is not trying to eat.

He took Monkey with him and when we went into the recovery room, we saw that Monkey was all bandaged up around the neck...turns out they took out his tonsils as well.

New Auctions

Busy weekend to make up for the lost time at the beach! I had a lot of fun with these...




Click any of the images to go to my seller's page on eBay.

Pictures from Edisto

These are a few of my favorites. I am posting pictures instead of being out in the bead shack, where it is wayyyy too hot to make beads right now...my car said 100+ yesterday and today. Last night I went out there and made 1 bead and decided to pack it in...ugh!

And last but not least, the "That's Enough Mommy" look from Sam...



P.S. I saved these all out at 600 x 400 so I've no idea why some are showing up so large when you click on them...