Finally it is Friday!

What a long week.  It is barely noon and I have logged 50 hours with the real job this week.  I'm done.

Here are some eggs that I made as I was finishing up Erin's.  These are some of the test egg beads I made as part of the approval batch for Holly.   I like that green on the ivory over there on the right.

I had planned to have her eggs ready to go earlier this week, but in addition to late work nights, I have also been battling a fairly constant fever this week.  What is UP with that?  Hard to tell that there is purple in that second egg.  Need to try a different combo.

I am excited for Lorelei to get here this afternoon and spend the weekend.  We are going out for Mexican tonight at our favorite restaurant.  Lori of Waterstone will be joining us.  Yippee!  Tomorrow will be an immersement (yes, that is a word in my world) in Atlanta culture.  Breakfast at Waffle House.  Then over to Marietta to visit a beads shop and see the Big Chicken (a major landmark).  Lunch will be at Chic-Fil-A, another restaurant that is not within her normal driving distance (there is one in Philadelphia close to where we are staying for BeadFest next month!) that she is looking forward to eating at while she's here.  The kids will be returned to my honeys at that point and then we will take off for serious shopping.  She wants to see a bunch of bead stores and maybe hit the outlet mall for some bargains.  I think we will shop until we drop.  There may be some torch time and a video made on Sunday before I take her back to the airport.  I know this weekend is going to fly by.  I want to slow it down so I can enjoy EVERY minute of it!

I will leave you with a few gratuitous kid pics.  The boy child is so excited for 2nd grade.  He met his teacher yesterday and can't stop telling us how nice he thinks she is :)

The girl child (ever my bizarre one) wanted to meet her Kindergarten teacher like this.  Because she is a silly goat.  We were thrilled to find out she will have Owen's Kindergarten teacher.  She runs a tight ship and doesn't let the kids push the boundaries (which my two are so very skilled at doing).

After the teacher meet & greets last night, we had 30 minutes to spare for the pool before bedtime at 8pm.  I love the water/splash/mid-air pics!

I hope you all have a totally fantastic weekend!  Health to you and time with those you love.  I'll see yas on Monday!

Recovering from the Weekend

My weekend started late and ended too soon.  How about yours?

Saturday morning, I headed to the airport and flew up to Minneapolis to retrieve my chickadees.  I got about an hour with my dad/mom-in-law and the kids before the grandparents left and the kids and I board the plane to come home.  It was a short visit, ending in tears that continued a good 30 minutes on the plane.  There were more big hugs in Atlanta when the kids saw their Daddy at the top of the escalator near baggage claim.  Then we went back to another 30 minutes of tears in the car and wails that the grandparents should live closer.  And in case you think it was just me crying and wailing, it was the kids too.  They started it!

Sunday was filled with errands and fun with the Georgia grandparents.  We went on the first major grocery shopping trip in a good month, as well as loaded up on all of the kids' school supplies.  The kids are back at summer camp today.  Thursday is the Meet & Greet at school where we find out which teacher each one of them has for 2nd Grade and Kindergarten and see where their desks will be in the classrooms.  Chloe is very excited about starting Kindergarten and had to have asked my Dad at least 16 times if he wanted to see her bottle of hand sanitizer and the rest of her supplies all bagged up and ready to be dropped off on Thursday.

Four more days until Lorelei flies in!  I can't wait!!!  She is having a Buy One Get One 50% off in her Etsy shop through Wednesday of this week.  Go take advantage of this great sale!  I will be taking her bead shopping on Saturday to as many local bead shops as we can find or our feet can walk through.  There are A LOT in Atlanta, just look HERE!  Between my nearest towns of Marietta, Roswell and Alpharetta within a ten mile radius, there are ELEVEN bead stores!  ELEVEN!  There may not be enough hours in the day.

 

I was hoping to be back on the torch tonight, but am running a 101 fever today.  Not right when I'm working with my windows open, wearing jeans and cold with goosebumps when it is over 100F outside (38C).  Not right atall.

My Friday

Today has been a loooooong day.  I started working before 7:30am and just finished at 9:45pm tonight.  I completely missed out on going to watch my honeys play tennis in his men's seniors' playoff match this evening.  I was bummed to miss that.  Oh well.  Even though I am on call 24x7 with work, I am fortunate to not have too many nights in front of my computer.

But enough of that.  On to what you really want to see.  New eggs, right?  :)

How do you like those gunmetal black beads above?  I think they are so cool!  I didn't even etch them.  They came out with this neat-o satiny finish!  And then that's a little rhubarb strawberry bead with the normal speckles to the right.  Another new favorite of mine!

And here we have more swirly eggs.  Because I'm really digging the swirls!

This is what I saw last night while I was in the backyard mowing the weeds.  I had to run and get my camera so I wouldn't forget how happy this made me.  I don't know if it was because the sun was going down, so the studio lights made it appear so warm and cozy.  Or if it was because I knew once I was done cutting the grass in the front yard that I would be able to get back on the torch.  Or maybe it's just that part of me that loves looking in windows from the outside.  Or maybe it's just because I'm a dork.  But it made me happy to look in through the window.

So I had to step in and take a closer look and then I was even happier.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be catching a flight to Minneapolis to pick up my kids.  It will be very close to three weeks since I saw them last.  I can't wait to grab them in my arms and snatch them up to squeeze them and smooch their cheeks and tug on their hair.  I miss them so.  very.  much.  Lord help me to not hurt my back when I attempt to lift them both up simultaneously!

And for your own amusement, please go read THIS.  I laughed so hard I had tears STREAMING down my face!  Streaming, I tell you.

Streaming.

Random Thursday

This week is flying by.  The weekend is a blur.  I don't remember Monday night.  Wednesday night was the first chance I got on the torch this week. Tonight I will be back on the torch making more eggs.  Tomorrow night I'll be watching my honeys play tennis in a playoffs match with his mens seniors team.  

Tuesday we went to a tennis tournament and saw some big names play like James Black, Mardy Fish, Taylor Dent and Andy Roddick.  They didn't allow SLR cameras, so I took my little Olympus point n shoot and got some decent pics before the sun dropped behind the trees.  Wish I had had my camera when I was standing three feet from Andy Roddick and made eye contact.  It was so cool being so incredibly close to these talented players and watching them play.  Here is a pic of James Blake as he was walking onto the court.

My Grandma is doing much better since her little surgery last week where they put a stent in each kidney artery.  They found a 77% blood flow blockage on the right side.  No wonder her blood pressure was so out of whack! 

Maggie is also doing much better.  The vet drilled out two infected roots and drained the nastiness that had swelled her cheek (you don't even wanna know).  She is now on heavy duty pain meds (two different kinds twice daily) and strong antibiotics for the next week.

A coworker shared this video with me.  For all of you who know softy dads who try to be tough, this is for you.  I am especially amused because my husband has always wanted to be a white boy rapper.  A church in Oklahoma produced this video.  I LOVE the Disney movie scene with the daughter watching her father.  Awesomeness!

Counting down the days....

2 days until I bring my chickens home.  

It has been almost three weeks since I have smooched their cheeks! 

8 days until Lorelei arrives!

I'm so excited and can't wait until she gets here!!!

We will be going out for a Mexican dinner and bead shopping :D

11 days until school begins.

How did I get to be the mom of a Kindergartner and 2nd grader so soon?
The part about school starting back that makes me happiest is that I can get rid of that mohawk on the boy!

29 days until I go to Philadelphia for BeadFest 2010!

Cassandra and I are flying up together.  

We will be camera nerds on the plane because we are sitting next to each other.

We are sharing a hotel room with Lorelei and Nancy. It will be a FUN girls weekend!

53 days until my Grandma turns 92.  Wow!

57 days until the boy child turns 8. 

63 days until my honeys and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

I can't believe we started dating 12 years ago.

It doesn't seem that long at all.

65 days until my baby turns 6.

Christmas will be here before I know it and I barely have any of my shopping done.  I need to kick it into gear.  I also haven't sent out our 2009 Christmas cards yet.  I am so far behind.

Look! Look! Look at my Egg All Grown Up!

Look what Lorelei did with one of my eggs!  I love that it is hanging out with a couple Humblebeads :)  And a Round Rabbit ring.  My little egg is in good company!!

You can see other pics of the bracelet HERE.

On another note, quite a collection of my little black boxes may be piling up on some of your desks.  If you would like to send the boxes back to me, I will take $2 off your next purchase for each box returned.  Just send me an email at kelleysbeadstudio@mac.com if you are interested and need my address.

Monday is Back Too Soon

It was not a beady weekend for me.  I didn't once sit at the torch.  I spent time with my honeys.  

I spent time with friends.  I made these oh-so-incredibly-delicious chimichangas to share with our friends!  We laughed a TON.  

I spent an afternoon with my friend Tabitha wandering around downtown with our cameras.  We first went to Oakland Cemetery, where Margaret Mitchell is buried (as well as other prominent Atlantans like Maynard Jackson and Ivan Allen Jr.).  The cemetery is massive and filled with mausoleums, memorials and statues dating back into the 1800s.

There were hundreds of markers for Confederate soldiers.

There were many headless statues and plenty like this one that were also missing limbs.  Made me wonder what happened to them.

Gates like this were used in the entrance of many of the mausoleums.

Brick foot paths led us throughout the cemetery.  These paths had street names, although cars were not allowed to drive on them.

Many of the angels were pointing up.  Tabitha and I discussed their pointing and decided we were happy they weren't pointing down.

Benches were placed throughout the entire cemetery.  All different kinds.  Not all were in such disrepair.

These faucets were also found everywhere, although I was unable to turn any of them.  I imagine they were originally used to water the flowers brought to the graves, but that is just a guess.

I liked this statue.

And this one, too.

There were wonderfully tall, chiseled crosses.

Hi!

Many of the mausoleums had stained glass opposite the entrance.

This one was my favorite statue.

Then we went to Little Five Points, which is known for being an interesting people watching location.  I liked this fenced off mosaic. 

A violinist and his friend played a guitar non-stop.  The guitarist was barefoot, although I got the feeling it went along with a hippy mentality and not that he didn't have the $$ to afford shoes.

We saw the Vortex, which has the most delicious hamburgers ever.  

Amen!

And lastly, we came to Junkman's Daughter, which is a 10,000 square foot thrift store filled with crazy clothes and costumes.  Any place that has a spaceship flown into their sign is bound to not sell anything close to normal.

This weekend, my Maggie boxer sported a golf ball size growth on her cheek.  The vet treated it as a bee sting on Saturday, but said to bring her back for a dental if it didn't subside.  It didn't subside; instead it grew larger.  So she is in for surgery now to remove this large growth or abscess.

My 91 year old Grandma is also in for a little surgery to install a brand new stent or two in her kidneys.  Hoping that gets her blood pressure under control.  Finally.

As I was driving Maggie to the vet's office early this morning, I passed a couple walking on the sidewalk.  I didn't know them, but was delighted by a very spontaneous wave and big smile from each of them.  They were an Asian couple, likely in their 60s.  They don't know it, but they made my day.

How was your weekend?  Do anything exciting?

Hooray for the Weekend!

I have been burning the midnight oil almost every night since coming back from Minnesota over a week ago.  It is catching up with me, so I am looking forward to this weekend for a little extra sleep.  But also to spend time with my honeys, with friends and as our last weekend home alone without kids.  On the flip side, I am getting so much done around the house and have been stuffing my mailbox full to send things out almost every day this week!

These eggs are on their way to Heather of Humblebeads.  Keep an eye out on her blog and shop to see what she does with these!

These bebe eggs are on their way to Lorelei.  I always love what she does with my beads, so keep an eye on her blog and shop.  I hope they will inspire her and jump into new designs. :)

These pink eggs are getting checked out now.

Getting things listed in the shop the other night didn't happen, but everything is in the shop now.  Finally!

Sea Foam Green Nugget Earrings are listed HERE.

Purpliscious Nugget Earrings are listed HERE

More silver on red beads listed HERE

Raku on melon and mustard beads HERE

Candy nugget beads listed HERE

This worry stone is headed out to Cindy, my winner of a giveaway back in April.  I have felt horrible that it has taken me this long to get her worry stone made in the colors she requested.  The egg beads just took off and this (among other projects and commitments) got put on hold.  Some time last year, I had made a similar worry stone for my grandma that has blues emanating out from the core and surrounded by loads of clear.  I really, really like this kind of worry stone.  I think maybe even more so than so many of my opaque worry stones on ivory or black bases.  I want to make more.  Now that the eggs wait list is coming to an end, I may be able to start focusing on making more of these clear worry stones.  What do you think?

Tonight I will be driving out to see my honeys play in his last seniors tennis match of the season (I'm still confused how 45 year olds can be considered seniors, but whatever).  Tomorrow night we are having some friends over for a Mexican dinner.  Hoping to finish up the last of the yardwork we started last weekend.   Clean out the garage.  Maybe have a spur-of-the-moment garage sale.  Maybe not.

What's on your the list for your weekend?  Anything fun and exciting?  Are you staying cool?

Lampworking Demo at the Woodstock Public Library

I had so much fun this morning at the Woodstock Public Library!  I was part of their educational summer children's program and showed folks how I melt glass.  About forty people showed up and sat on the steps around the patio outside the children's area of the library.  I had to talk pretty loud because all of the air conditioners were lined up along that back part of the building and almost shout once I fired up the torch.  My voice was tired afterwards, but it was sooooo much FUN!

(Photo courtesy of Chuck Anderson/Public Relations Manager - Sequoyah Regional Library System)

You can see my two helpers standing close to the table.  I borrowed my neighbor's girls to help out and also fill that little kid void I'm feeling while my kids are still up in Minnesota getting spoiled and loved.  They did an awesome job making sure that everything I passed out to be touched and inspected came back to me.  Those goggles don't do much for my hair, do they?

After the demo was over, there were a lot of questions.  A lot!  The kids were interested and asked good questions about different aspects of lampworking and also how glass is made by the manufacturers.  The moms also asked questions.  There was not one question asked about something I had already answered...these guys were paying attention!  If only meetings with Q&A sessions at work went so well! ;)

Once we were packed up, I took the girls out to lunch at Steak and Shake.  They loved it.  We shared a mint cookie shake after lunch and that was goooooood.  I had promised their mom a month (or more) ago that I would photograph her girls for her and this was the perfect day.  We took a walk on the nature trail in our neighborhood.  We didn't come across any wild animals, just a biker (he rode down over 20 wooden steps to get to the trail!), a mud dauber and walking sticks.

There wasn't any bickering or whining.  All day.  These girls are not just sisters, but really good friends.  I'm not sure who had the most fun today, the girls or me.

They spent close to an hour in my studio this afternoon, looking at and touching everything.  I let them each pick out a bead from my bead box to keep and that was a long, thoughtful process before they each made their final decision.  

Did I tell you I had fun today?  

I did.  I really did.

Lovelies Going into the Shop

In the midst of working egg orders, I have pulled out my 3/32nd mandrels to make nuggets or some raku rounds.  It has helped break up a rigorous egg making schedule over the last three months, but have also allowed me to continue melting glass after I have used up all of my 1/16th mandrels for the eggs.

These will all be going in the beads shop later today/tonight.

I also made two new pairs of earrings after filling a custom order of earrings in another shade.  These will also be entering my jewelry shop later today.

I made 14 new egg beads last night.  There was one casualty before even getting in the kiln and another during the cleaning process.  Down with bead casualties!  Good news is two more names are off the wait list as of today.  Woot!