It Was a Productive Weekend!

Between Friday night and half of Saturday, I managed to make over 60 new beads.  When I ran out of my 1/16th mandrels for the eggs I started in on nuggets of different colors.  During breaks from the torch (once I fill it up, I give it an hour to soak the beads at 950 degree Fahrenheit before I move the mandrels around so they don't get kiss n dents as I make and add more beads to my kiln) I worked my way through the kids toy cabinets and game closet downstairs.  I threw away a trash bag filled with cheap fast food toys that the kids picked from the Treasure Box at school for good behavior and countless paper airplanes and Pokemon cards.

I know.  I'm a wretched mother because I wait for my kids to go on vacation and then I throw their toys away.  It's just shameful.  But I'm not letting it bother me.  One bit.  I pulled out tons more to try and sell at a garage sale next weekend.  What doesn't sell will go to Goodwill.  So many toys they have outgrown and others that they just don't play with, yet they manage to tell me they are bored some weekends.  We'll see if they have an easier time not being bored if they aren't overwhelmed by so many choices!  

Something else that is shameful is the state of my studio.  I don't know who has been working in it like it's a sweat shop over the last three months, but it is disgraceful (hence the very dark photos because I just can't bring myself to share this mess in full lighting).  There is popped glass and frit everywhere.  Shorts everywhere.  Shorts are the ends of the rods that end up on the table after I have melted most of it and then the heat from the torch starts warming up my fingers a tad too much because the rod is so short.  Which is leading me towards filming a little wedding ceremony.  You didn't know that glass got married, did you?  That's what lampworkers call melting rods together....they marry the short rods to create longer and more useable rods.

Friday night I watched my honeys play in a tennis match.  He's on a seniors team, which amuses me.  The youngest members are 45, which I don't think is very senior.  But whatever, I don't make the rules.  The men ranged in age from 45 to 60+.  They all like to tell each other how old they are and feel, but if you saw them running around on the tennis courts chasing these fast balls you would think twice about calling them old.  They all have more energy than me!  The sky was nasty even before a windy, thundering, lightning storm with very little rain blew through.  The players were thankful they didn't get rained out and I was thankful it passed quickly (weather.com said there were winds up to 60mph in that area!).  After it has blown over, we were rewarded with this lovely sight.

It was a most productive weekend.  I am very pleased with everything I accomplished between 60+ beads, sorting kids' toys and over 5 hours working in the yard pulling weeds, pruning bushes/trees and putting down new mulch.  Todd found another little box turtle in our backyard.  We must be the Turtle Haven!  There was also a dinner out with another couple and one just the two of us.  The house is strangely quiet and empty without our kids, but I am making good use of this time to get stuff done!

I hope you have a great Monday!  I will be on the torch more this week, catching up on more orders and housework.  I may even start to get pics of the girl child into frames so if anyone visits us, they will know we have a five and seven year old and not just a 2 year old boy by looking at our pictures.  :)