Can We Extend the Weekend, Please?

We had absolutely gorgeous weather in the 80s this weekend!  Today is back in the 60s and cloudy.  I want more sunshine, please.

Saturday was filled with driving around on backroads with the kids, one soccer game, two photo shoots and an adult dinner out with friends (from the second photo shoot) while our kids spent the night with my Mom and Grandma. 

I had planned on being so very productive on Sunday, but it just didn't happen.  I was asleep on the couch before 9pm on Saturday night.  And was soon back to sleep soon after waking Sunday morning until lunch time.  Apparently, I needed the rest.  I don't recall the last time (years n years ago) where I slept away a whole morning. 

I had planned on spending much of my quiet time on the torch on Sunday, but that didn't happen.  Nor did quality computer time sorting and editing the 1000+ pics I took the day before.

At this pace, I'm not sure if I will be able to do a shop update on Saturday, March 26th.  But it is my current goal.

I am doing heel clicks while my head is spinning with the thought of our upcoming vacation over spring break.  We will be attending a karate camp as a family.  And then going on a road trip to/through Florida.  Driving to Jacksonville to spend an afternoon on the beach and then dinner with old friends.  Next morning, we'll be making the two hour drive to Orlando to spend TWO WHOLE DAYS AT DISNEY!!  I'm so excited.  I really didn't think we'd be able to go back so soon (as in anytime sooner than 2015), but it worked out for us and I couldn't be happier about it.  The last day of vacation, we'll be driving to Clearwater Beach to spend the day playing in the sand and the gulf before having dinner with a good friend of mine I have known since college.  The drive back from Tampa will be a long one, but so worth it after so many days of non-stop fun as a family.

And I'm betting I will be able to finish my afghan and maybe start a couple of smaller ones for the kids since they haven't stopped asking me to make them their own blankets.  :)

The screws in the top hinge on our pantry door have pulled loose.  I suppose I have too many spices in the spice rack on the inside of my pantry door, so now we have to lift the door up to get it in the door frame to close it securely.  I need to do something about that.  Meanwhile, I'm lifting up on all doors as I close them out of habit from shutting the pantry door.

Promise I'm will be on the torch at least two evenings this week to make new beads and buttons to share with you all.  Hold me to it, please.  Someone come flog me with wet noodles if I don't, ok?

New Beads - Pics Later!

Twenty new beads went into the kiln last night.  Two new sets of beads and one squatty egg.  Pics of those might be shared tomorrow, depending on when I get them cleaned, etched and photographed.

In the meantime, check out one of my eggs in action here that Shannon made!

I think this is a cool tutorial that my friend Keirsten wrote over at Happy Mango Beads.  

I am excited for my friend Lorelei to be teaching at Ornamentea in Raleigh next weekend and wish I could be there!

Looking forward to temps hitting the 80s here tomorrow and this weekend!!!  Wondering if I can finally remove the weather sealant caulk from our windows.  Or if we will drop back to the 20s again this spring.  We are still in the 30s at night.

My dragon's eye beads got featured in this cool treasury.

The afghan has been moving slower this week as our lives got exponentially more hectic and I have also been working more on late night issues for the phone company.  The fabric for my quilt is all washed, but still waiting to be ironed.

You can see all of my favorite pics of those two adorable little girls here from last weekend.  I am looking forward to photographing two more families this weekend.  Working the plan and moving toward my dream.  :)

Holly now has one of her necklaces available for sale that is sporting one of my egg beads here.

My girl child has one very wiggly tooth.  She can't wait for it to fall out.  But not so much that she's willing to tie dental floss to it and slam a door shut.

I have totally stopped keeping up with the 365 Project.  Maybe life will calm down in a few weeks. 

Not sure when I will hold my next shop update.  I'd like to have more than just two new sets of beads to throw into the shop.  These clear sea glass beads are still waiting to find their new home.

As are these etched amethyst beads.

I am so thankful tomorrow is Friday and then the weekend will be here.  Have a most excellent Thursday and may you be struck with the very best luck o' the Irish on this St. Patrick's Day!

Latest on My Photography

This will be the last post on this blog about my photography.  I realize many of you are here for my beads (and some just for Little Horse pics) and do not want to chase you off with my interest in photography.  I wanted to share some of my latest pics in which I am really pleased and share with you my new facebook fan page.  If you like my photography, you can follow along here on my photography blog or here on facebook.

This past weekend, I drove the kids up to North Georgia to hang out with my girl Tabitha and her two boys.  She directed us to this wonderful park with winding railroad tracks, a big creek and a large pasture.

The kids had fun balancing and running on the railroad tracks.

And catching, releasing and re-catching grasshoppers.  My boy child named this one Jerry.

It has been well over a year since my boy child (who is 8) has taken naps.  But on Saturday, he fell asleep in the car driving up to Tabitha's after his soccer game (where he scored the one and only goal of the game and played the entire 50 minutes) and again driving home in the evening.  He was wiped out!

On Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of photographing a friend's two little girls.  I had an absolute blast!

In other news, I did not get any torch time over the weekend (hoping for some of that in the weeknights this week so that I can add some new sets to the shop this weekend).  I did get a little more crocheting done on my afghan, but not a lot.  I am about 1/3 of the way through that little project.  And I started ironing the fabric for making my quilt, but didn't get as far as I had hoped.

Happy Tuesday!  Wishing you all a wonderful week and some of the same gorgeous spring weather that has been blessing my family with temps in the 70s this past week!!!

Afghan in Progress

Here is what has been filling up my free time.  I was so shocked at how quickly crocheting came back to me after not touching a crochet hook in a good 20-25 years.  Now I'm addicted.  At least until this is done.

Right now, it is about five feet long (as far as my arms can reach out to my sides) and a foot wide.  I'm thinking it will probably take me a couple weeks before I finish this.  We'll see.  

I have a bunch of fabric in my dryer waiting to be pulled out and ironed so I can start cutting it up into squares and then piece it together to quilt.  I want to start in on that this week, too.  Just need to find the time.  And time for the torch.  My torch is getting lonely.  It shoots me dirty looks during the day while I'm working.

Find Me Here!

My beads were featured in a little collection this morning on Art Bead Scene here!

Beth and Evie of EB Bead and Metalworks used my eggs in this necklace that is now up for sale.

Holly just used another one of my eggs and promises to make more of these lovelies to put in her shop soon.

HarrietsHaven included my lime-alicious beads in this gorgeous lime treasury.

My Moonrock beads (which are now on their way to Hong Kong!!!) were included in this wonderful treasury.

 

I have not been on the torch at all this week.  I picked up crocheting this past weekend after not touching a crochet hook or yarn in 20-25 years.  I'm addicted and can't put the yarn down in my free time.  I will try to get pics today if I get any decent light so I can share with you tomorrow.  Right now, it is very rainy and grey outside, so my whole house is quite dark.

Hoping to find torch time later this week and next so I can have another shop update on the 19th.  The etched beads from this past weekend flew out of my shop, which tells me maybe I need to be making more etched beads :)

Happy Wednesday!

New Beads! And Lots of Them!

Thank goodness it is Friday!

Good things are happening around here.

For starters, I have 25 new listings going into my shop tomorrow afternoon.

Other exciting things (at least for me) is that we paid off a major bill.

One step closer to living my dream.

I can see so many little pieces coming together.

And the best thing is is that my husband is being completely supportive.

He's not just standing back watching as I work hard to make things happen.

He is helping to turn our life in a different direction.

He is encouraging.

And supportive.

I feel so fortunate.

I wish everyone had such supportive spouses because.  it.  is.  awesome.

Tomorrow morning, we all have karate.

I think the boy child has a soccer game.  If it doesn't get rained out.

My Dad is coming up after lunch to spoil the kids.

Sunday afternoon, we are going to the Alliance Theater to see Honk.

We got a sweet deal on tickets since we saw the Christmas Carol in December.

I think it will be great for reinforcing it's okay to be different.  

To be ourselves.

That we don't have to conform just to fit in.

I ordered a bunch of fabric last night.

Twenty yards of it.

Because it was 40% off.

And pretty.  Oh.  So.  Pretty.

I'm going to make a quilt.

The end.