I made SIXTY beads last Sunday. I had planned on making more. WAY MORE. But I made the mistake of going back to bed at 7:30am after getting up to feed the cats. The clock quickly fast-forwarded to 10:15am before I pulled myself out of bed. I never get to sleep in when the kids are home and when they are gone, I have a hard time staying in bed because my body is just used to getting up. An unexpected luxury, although it did cut into torch time.
I got rid of paperwork items on my To Do list, cleaned up the kitchen and then fired up the torch. I spent close to 45 minutes cleaning and marrying rods before I finally got down to business. All said and done, I got a total of SEVEN HOURS on the torch! Woo hoo!
Something to Ponder
!NEXT SHOP UPDATE!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
My Kids Are HOME!
Yesterday afternoon I was filled with nervous energy and excitement in anticipation of seeing my children for the first time in exactly three weeks since I kissed them goodbye and drove away from their tears and sad faces. Tears and sad faces which were quickly ditched for other fun activities like eating rice crispy bars, playing softball, planning picnics on the boat and swimming in the pool or riding in kayaks. Or so I was told. I know that the tears were genuine. At the time. But c'mon. The kids are 4 and 6 and sadnesses are short lived (oh, if only those quick recoveries carried into adulthood).
The three weeks spread out before us like the ocean, seemingly going on forever when we first arrived home. I stayed busy for the first two weeks cleaning out, re-painting and re-organizing Owen's and Chloe's rooms. But each day passed faster than the one before until I was standing at the gate waiting for my kids to walk off the plane (hugs to the ticket counter agent who gave me a pass through security so I could see my kids that much sooner to smother them in smooches!) and surprise Todd, who believed I was waiting in baggage claim...just like I told him moments before when he called me after landing in Atlanta. :) Yes, I can be sneaky.
So here is the video of their reactions walking into their rooms when we got home from the airport. Gone is my anxiety over the tears and stomping feet yelling "This isn't what I WAAAANTED!" As you can see, I had nothing to worry about.
Do you think the right word for this is nonchalance?
BIG THANKS go to Grandma Sharon and Papa Wenzel for taking care of my children for the past three weeks. There may have been some overindulgence going on (doughnuts for breakfast, cake for lunch, rice crispy treats in the afternoon and pie with dinner for example. yes, there was a security breach, so what happened at Grandma's did not stay at Grandma's....much to her chagrin), but I couldn't be happier about my kids getting to spend so much time Up North in Minnesota with their grandparents and getting filled up on their love.
What awesome memories they will have of these times when they are older. I know some of the snippets I remember of my own childhood with my grandparents bring such a warm feeling of complete and total love. With them, I knew I was safe. They loved me no matter what, even when I was six or seven and ruined my Mom's $300 coffee table with fingernail polish remover when she was napping. My Grandparents were there for me on the phone reassuring me that no matter how angry Mom would be, she WOULD allow me to live.
And that they loved me. So much.
The three weeks spread out before us like the ocean, seemingly going on forever when we first arrived home. I stayed busy for the first two weeks cleaning out, re-painting and re-organizing Owen's and Chloe's rooms. But each day passed faster than the one before until I was standing at the gate waiting for my kids to walk off the plane (hugs to the ticket counter agent who gave me a pass through security so I could see my kids that much sooner to smother them in smooches!) and surprise Todd, who believed I was waiting in baggage claim...just like I told him moments before when he called me after landing in Atlanta. :) Yes, I can be sneaky.
So here is the video of their reactions walking into their rooms when we got home from the airport. Gone is my anxiety over the tears and stomping feet yelling "This isn't what I WAAAANTED!" As you can see, I had nothing to worry about.
Do you think the right word for this is nonchalance?
BIG THANKS go to Grandma Sharon and Papa Wenzel for taking care of my children for the past three weeks. There may have been some overindulgence going on (doughnuts for breakfast, cake for lunch, rice crispy treats in the afternoon and pie with dinner for example. yes, there was a security breach, so what happened at Grandma's did not stay at Grandma's....much to her chagrin), but I couldn't be happier about my kids getting to spend so much time Up North in Minnesota with their grandparents and getting filled up on their love.
What awesome memories they will have of these times when they are older. I know some of the snippets I remember of my own childhood with my grandparents bring such a warm feeling of complete and total love. With them, I knew I was safe. They loved me no matter what, even when I was six or seven and ruined my Mom's $300 coffee table with fingernail polish remover when she was napping. My Grandparents were there for me on the phone reassuring me that no matter how angry Mom would be, she WOULD allow me to live.
And that they loved me. So much.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Husbandless and Kidless ALL Weekend
I have a confession to make. When I was driving home from the airport yesterday afternoon after dropping off my husband, the 17 second mark of this commercial was what was resounding inside my head. More than once. I won't embarrass myself by putting a number out there. It's not that I don't love my husband and children dearly. I do. I can't imagine my life without any of them, nor would I want to. But this is the first weekend I have had to myself alone at home in close to a decade. And I am appreciative.
I am enjoying the peace and quiet, with the exception of the barking hound after the random passing mail truck or suddenly mobile tree. I am enjoying listening to....nothing. To the birds (because all of the windows are open). To the ceiling fans (again, because the windows are open and the AC is off). To the thoughts inside my head that aren't being drowned out by the chatter that comes from a 4 year old, 6 year old or even my beloved 44 year old. To the purr of Abbiekins who was my best friend this morning and wanted to become one with my thigh while I sat and read.
What does a temporarily single woman do when given such an opportunity, you ask? She invites her good friend Cas over to share a quiet evening over dinner, beading and some good wine.
She reads, because there is quiet to be found. She takes pictures of flowers in her garden.
Love these little pink flowers!
My one Hydrangea that is actually happy.
My hanging herb baskets that I filled with basil, chives and cilantro on the back porch
An old Halloween decoration that never got put away because whenever I see it, I start singing "I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me"
Phlox
A pumpkin in the making!
She runs the boy cats to the vet to be told this one is a pound fatter than last year.
She takes pictures of her latest beads and then lists a few on Etsy.
She reads some more. She sends encouraging texts to her husband when he is quickly reminded how much work two children can be before they have even gotten out of bed in the morning. She makes a vow to carry her camera around more to capture every day moments that sometimes need a little more appreciation because that's the stuff that makes up her life. She plans the rest of her day around running errands to pick up bridesmaid & flower girl dresses that are now ready for the September wedding of her surrogate sister she has known since the 8th grade, as well as scope out Hobby Lobby for supplies (anything better than gift ribbons for tieing up my beads?). She will play with fire and likely read more of her book in the hopes of finishing it before the weekend is over.
And she will sleep another fitful night in an empty house as she looks at this picture for the one hundred thirty seventh thousandth time since it was received the night before when Todd landed in Minneapolis.
I am enjoying the peace and quiet, with the exception of the barking hound after the random passing mail truck or suddenly mobile tree. I am enjoying listening to....nothing. To the birds (because all of the windows are open). To the ceiling fans (again, because the windows are open and the AC is off). To the thoughts inside my head that aren't being drowned out by the chatter that comes from a 4 year old, 6 year old or even my beloved 44 year old. To the purr of Abbiekins who was my best friend this morning and wanted to become one with my thigh while I sat and read.
What does a temporarily single woman do when given such an opportunity, you ask? She invites her good friend Cas over to share a quiet evening over dinner, beading and some good wine.
She reads, because there is quiet to be found. She takes pictures of flowers in her garden.
Love these little pink flowers!
My one Hydrangea that is actually happy.
My hanging herb baskets that I filled with basil, chives and cilantro on the back porch
An old Halloween decoration that never got put away because whenever I see it, I start singing "I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me"
Phlox
A pumpkin in the making!
She runs the boy cats to the vet to be told this one is a pound fatter than last year.
She takes pictures of her latest beads and then lists a few on Etsy.
She reads some more. She sends encouraging texts to her husband when he is quickly reminded how much work two children can be before they have even gotten out of bed in the morning. She makes a vow to carry her camera around more to capture every day moments that sometimes need a little more appreciation because that's the stuff that makes up her life. She plans the rest of her day around running errands to pick up bridesmaid & flower girl dresses that are now ready for the September wedding of her surrogate sister she has known since the 8th grade, as well as scope out Hobby Lobby for supplies (anything better than gift ribbons for tieing up my beads?). She will play with fire and likely read more of her book in the hopes of finishing it before the weekend is over.
And she will sleep another fitful night in an empty house as she looks at this picture for the one hundred thirty seventh thousandth time since it was received the night before when Todd landed in Minneapolis.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Now for bead pics
There hasn't been much time spent on the torch, but since this is supposed to be my bead blog and not my blog about my kids or their rooms....I thought I should at least show you what has made it out of the kiln over the past two week.
A cool spiral of silver glass encased in clear. I love how the colors change throughout this bead!
A new Pink Ribbon bead or two or three....
A red and black bead to be hung on a black leather cord for my Twitter friend Heather....I had the pleasure of meeting her Up North in a little ice cream parlor with her baby Ms D. Heather also makes very cool cards and sells them on Etsy!
Some new turquoise/aqua/teal core beads that are heavily encased. I had fun making a twisty with an opaque turquoise and transparent teal for the beads on the back mandrel.
It has been awhile since I have made any of my Ocean glass beads. I want to get back to making those again and got a start from a custom order originating in Germany. :)
A cool spiral of silver glass encased in clear. I love how the colors change throughout this bead!
A new Pink Ribbon bead or two or three....
A red and black bead to be hung on a black leather cord for my Twitter friend Heather....I had the pleasure of meeting her Up North in a little ice cream parlor with her baby Ms D. Heather also makes very cool cards and sells them on Etsy!
Some new turquoise/aqua/teal core beads that are heavily encased. I had fun making a twisty with an opaque turquoise and transparent teal for the beads on the back mandrel.
It has been awhile since I have made any of my Ocean glass beads. I want to get back to making those again and got a start from a custom order originating in Germany. :)
Kid's Room Makeovers: Part 2 - Owen's room
This was the view from our hallway into Owen's room. The double window is just to the left of the bookshelves back in the corner. His cool bunk bed took up half the wall.
For most of the three years he has had this bed, Owen slept in the top bunk. It was this past spring that he moved down to the bottom bunk. I suspect he found it easier to sneak out of bed to play with his toys or read books in the sunlight creeping in from the hallway. Yes, I said sunlight. We are wretched parents who kiss the kids goodnight by 8pm so we can have a couple of hours to ourselves.
And a shot of the armoire between the closet & hallway doors. See? Sunlight. This pic was taken close to 8pm the other night. Just wretched!
And looking in again from the hallway to blue walls with red curtains and bedspread. I had not originally planned on painting Owen's room, but thought he'd feel left out if they came home to find Chloe's room painted and his...not. So I pushed and needled him until he broke down from saying he liked his khaki walls to, "Well, maybe I'd like blue with red and black. Maybe. I dunno." And somehow, his room got re-arranged and the bed flipped over so it is no longer a bunk.
The bookshelves flipped over to the opposite wall and the quilt that my Mom made for Owen when he was a baby just shifted over a few feet.
I pulled my old rolltop desk out of his closet since the bed is not sucking up wallspace like before. Now he has a place to do homework, as well as a Pokemon card storage facility.
I like this picture wall, but need to get one added that includes my Dad with Owen (since he's got pictures with all the other grandparents). I bought new frames at IKEA so all the family pics would look better hung together. Not sure if he's too old for the other pictures of the rabbit, rocket ship and dinosaur, but I painted those a few years ago and admit I'm not ready to let go of him being my little boy yet.
I think Owen got the cooler room between the new color and furniture re-arrangement. I like all the pictures on his walls better now that the frames match and are hung in a spot that's easier to see. He also got a new little bedside light and table with two drawers. Very big boy stuff. I hope he loves his new room.
I have had way too much fun these past two weeks painting the kids rooms and thinking about their reactions when they come home. This will be a big surprise to both of them. I had planned to spend much more time on the torch during this quiet time with them away, but ended up spending the majority of my free time in their rooms.
It made me feel closer to them, the things they love and the smell of their hair on their pillows. It almost helped me to not miss them so much.
Almost.
In four days, they will be home again. I can not wait to throw my arms around them and smooch their little faces until they push me away. And then pull them back for more.
For most of the three years he has had this bed, Owen slept in the top bunk. It was this past spring that he moved down to the bottom bunk. I suspect he found it easier to sneak out of bed to play with his toys or read books in the sunlight creeping in from the hallway. Yes, I said sunlight. We are wretched parents who kiss the kids goodnight by 8pm so we can have a couple of hours to ourselves.
And a shot of the armoire between the closet & hallway doors. See? Sunlight. This pic was taken close to 8pm the other night. Just wretched!
And looking in again from the hallway to blue walls with red curtains and bedspread. I had not originally planned on painting Owen's room, but thought he'd feel left out if they came home to find Chloe's room painted and his...not. So I pushed and needled him until he broke down from saying he liked his khaki walls to, "Well, maybe I'd like blue with red and black. Maybe. I dunno." And somehow, his room got re-arranged and the bed flipped over so it is no longer a bunk.
The bookshelves flipped over to the opposite wall and the quilt that my Mom made for Owen when he was a baby just shifted over a few feet.
I pulled my old rolltop desk out of his closet since the bed is not sucking up wallspace like before. Now he has a place to do homework, as well as a Pokemon card storage facility.
I like this picture wall, but need to get one added that includes my Dad with Owen (since he's got pictures with all the other grandparents). I bought new frames at IKEA so all the family pics would look better hung together. Not sure if he's too old for the other pictures of the rabbit, rocket ship and dinosaur, but I painted those a few years ago and admit I'm not ready to let go of him being my little boy yet.
I think Owen got the cooler room between the new color and furniture re-arrangement. I like all the pictures on his walls better now that the frames match and are hung in a spot that's easier to see. He also got a new little bedside light and table with two drawers. Very big boy stuff. I hope he loves his new room.
I have had way too much fun these past two weeks painting the kids rooms and thinking about their reactions when they come home. This will be a big surprise to both of them. I had planned to spend much more time on the torch during this quiet time with them away, but ended up spending the majority of my free time in their rooms.
It made me feel closer to them, the things they love and the smell of their hair on their pillows. It almost helped me to not miss them so much.
Almost.
In four days, they will be home again. I can not wait to throw my arms around them and smooch their little faces until they push me away. And then pull them back for more.
Kid's Room Makeovers: Part 1 - Chloe's room
The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I figured the best time to make that happen would be during the 3 weeks they stayed behind in Minnesota to get spoiled by the Grandparents. That would eliminate any crying or stomping of feet over color selection and guarantee we wouldn't have Pepto Bismol Pink fighting with Vikings Purple on her walls. As a child, my Mom gave me the Pepto Bismol walls that I chose on a paint swatch, God love her. But as an adult, I vowed to myself I would not let that happen. So here are the before and after shots of Chloe's room.
Before, Chloe's room had green walls. All were a light green, with the exception of the window wall off to the right that does not like to be photographed because the lighting screws up my pictures every time. But it is the same green as the bookshelves/headboard I built for her at the head of her bed.
That is her closet door to the right of the dresser and the door to the hallway is to the left just out of view.
There is the rocker/recliner I love. It is so comfy and brings back good memories of Chloe when she was a baby, when I nursed her, and when she wasn't old enough to talk back. And also the quilt my Mom made for me when I graduated from high school. It is not safe from messy cats on a horizontal surface. I love that I could hang it up and still be able to see it every day. Mom put so much time, effort and love into making that quilt for me!
Now two walls are a pale lavender and two are a pale pink. I think the purple really makes the green shelves and her cool IKEA leaf canopies stand out better. There is a rainbow windsock hanging in the far right corner. She picked that out in a shop in Walker when we were Up North. The Cabbage Patch Kids on the left side of the shelves were my first and favorite two dolls as a child. I loved Lavinia and Laura to no end. I still think they are pretty cool and have learned to live with the fact that they will never be clothed again.
The purple matches one of the homes on the quilt. Not visible in this picture, but only due to distance is Chloe's artwork with a ball point pen just next to the calendar by the door. Her handiwork bled through a good EIGHT coats of lavender. Next time I will just use a little KILZ at the start and be done with it!
And a better view of the pink, which is also on the opposite wall with her two windows.
Before, Chloe's room had green walls. All were a light green, with the exception of the window wall off to the right that does not like to be photographed because the lighting screws up my pictures every time. But it is the same green as the bookshelves/headboard I built for her at the head of her bed.
That is her closet door to the right of the dresser and the door to the hallway is to the left just out of view.
There is the rocker/recliner I love. It is so comfy and brings back good memories of Chloe when she was a baby, when I nursed her, and when she wasn't old enough to talk back. And also the quilt my Mom made for me when I graduated from high school. It is not safe from messy cats on a horizontal surface. I love that I could hang it up and still be able to see it every day. Mom put so much time, effort and love into making that quilt for me!
Now two walls are a pale lavender and two are a pale pink. I think the purple really makes the green shelves and her cool IKEA leaf canopies stand out better. There is a rainbow windsock hanging in the far right corner. She picked that out in a shop in Walker when we were Up North. The Cabbage Patch Kids on the left side of the shelves were my first and favorite two dolls as a child. I loved Lavinia and Laura to no end. I still think they are pretty cool and have learned to live with the fact that they will never be clothed again.
The purple matches one of the homes on the quilt. Not visible in this picture, but only due to distance is Chloe's artwork with a ball point pen just next to the calendar by the door. Her handiwork bled through a good EIGHT coats of lavender. Next time I will just use a little KILZ at the start and be done with it!
And a better view of the pink, which is also on the opposite wall with her two windows.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Back from vacation & kidless
We had a WONDERFUL vacation where we took a week and a half off from the world of telecom to drive 1000 miles up to Minnesota to visit Todd's folks in Rochester and Up North (any place North of the half-way mark in the state). We relaxed. We ate. We fished. We relaxed a little more. And then we drove home kidless to enjoy peace, quiet and no whining for a whole 3 weeks. And no kisses or sweet little hugs or soft whispers in the ear at bedtime that "I love you more than pancakes and Pokemon."
I haven't spent as much time on my torch as I had planned. But I'm not going to complain. I have re-painted BOTH of the kids bedrooms, spent much time cleaning out closets and dressers. But the most fun has been spending many evenings at the tennis courts watching my honeys do what he loves. When the kids are here, I NEVER get to see Todd play tennis. But now I can go watch him anytime he's playing. I can join in the guy humor and give teammates grief for wearing pink shoes. I can have a couple of beers with them after they're done playing. And then give them more grief for wearing pink shoes. They are fun & good group of guys, most of them married with kids, but ranging in age from mid 20s to late 50s/early 60s. These are my husbands friends. And like them. All of them. And that feels good.
I will try to post another blog this weekend of the kids' bedrooms before and after shots as many of you have been asking me for this in texts and emails. But for now, here are vacation pics.
Roadtrips are fun!
Sights on the drive up (my hometown)
Another pyro in the making!
Aquarium at the Mall of America was fun. Owen pointed out many fish to me & noted they had EXCELLENT colors for making new beads just like the fish. That's my boy!
Here's that relaxing bit I mentioned :)
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