Taking Stock

Wow, has it REALLY been three weeks since I last blogged here?  So much for that daily blogging and torching plan, right?  Because I haven't been on the torch, either.  Sigh.  

I think by now, we know that when I disappear from the blogosphere it is because I am learning to juggle new things in my life.  And we also probably know from my past history that this learning curve takes me time to figure out where everything fits and how to keep the various balls up in the air while others get dropped temporarily.

Mustard Speckles

It has been two months since I left that corporate world for my family.  I can't believe two months has flown so quickly, but it has.  And it has been absolutely wonderful!  One of my fears before finalizing that decision to leave the phone company was "Will I like this new life of essentially being a stay-at-home-mom?  Will I enjoy the constant company of my kids?  Will I have more patience once the 24/7 pressure of that blackberry is gone or will the little things still stress me out?"  The answers have been yes, yes and yes.  So thankful that 1) I got what I wanted and prayed for and 2) truly do love what I thought I had wanted for so, sooo long.

Raku on Black

So what have I been juggling?  Not so much the kids activities and homework and going to the library (woo hoo!  we are ALL loving going to the library every week!!!), but I have spent hours upon hours working on my photography business.  Before I left the phone company, I spent money and gobs of it on products and tutorials and workshops like it was my crash course through college to get what I needed as quickly as possible and while there was still a bit of a disposable income.  Now that that income is gone, I have been spending time reading books, practicing and watching video tutorials to learn even more so I can be as proficient as possible at delivering the products and services I want to to my photography clients while keeping track of costs and all the red tape that is needed to run a successful photography business.  I am getting closer to getting all my balls back up in the air, but it may be a few more weeks before I get into full swing.  I am so excited about how everything is moving and where I am headed.

Etched Holly & Ivy

I am also excited that I got to photograph the primary model for Studio Waterstone and she even allowed me to photograph her face!  If you're interested in seeing those photos, you can click over here.  The model is just as lovely as her mother.  And even better, she wears the same shoe size as me, so I may be able to steal borrow those awesome boots on her feet!

My Dad came up this weekend and cooked me an early birthday dinner (barbecue baby back ribs, my favorite!).  It was a great day together and a very productive weekend all around.  Much cleaning was going on in preparation for my in-laws arrival tomorrow.  The girl child came running into my bedroom this morning before 6:45am yelling "Grandma and Papa are going to be here in ONE DAY!  Yaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!"   I'm on the same page as her and have been yelling the same each day as we have counted down over the past few weeks.  :)

I am now getting teased that I'm sooooo much closer to 40.  Which I find amusing, as the teasing is coming from those who are pushing 50.  I'm good with it.  Age is just a number and it's not something that grips me.  Most of the time, I have to stop and do the math when I'm asked my age (can you tell I don't think numbers are a good form of measurement?  I don't believe age or salary are good indicators for a person's character.  At all.).  This isn't a monumental birthday or an entrance into a new decade.  But it still makes me reflect on whether or not I'm where I want to be, as well as where I thought I would be.  I can tell you that five or ten years ago, I NEVER would have guessed this is where I would be in my life.  A stay-at-home-mom.  A photographer.  A self-employed business owner.  None of those.  I couldn't be any happier.  

But I also want to keep growing.  I want to be a better wife, making things easier for my husband with fewer household responsibilities so his free time can be spent enjoying our family.  A better mom, helping my kids grow into more independent, responsible, kind and thoughtful people.  A better photographer, as that really is where my passion resides right now over beads and playing with fire.  But also a better friend and daughter, taking the time to write (and send! so often they get written and then get lost on a kitchen counter waiting for a stamp) thank you notes or pick up the phone to catch up (even though I really loathe talking on the phone).  I want to make a difference in other people's lives, whether it is encouraging them to do and be more, inspiring them to chase their dreams or just to be kinder to themselves when a mark is missed.  Because ultimately, I would not be where I am now if it weren't for friends and family members who have planted the seed that my dreams WERE possible, they COULD become a reality and that PURSUING them would be so rewarding.  There encouragement and belief in me has meant so much to me.

So I leave you with one question.  

Who/what impacted you to make a change in your life that you are thankful for now?

Friday Came (and went) So Fast!

Much was accomplished this last week (this was written Friday morning, but the post got derailed when my card reader died and corrupted my camera's memory card in the process, losing many photos.  boo.  hiss).  I made close to 250 beads in three days last week.  Even more miraculous, I cleaned all of those beads in three days.  My dremel died and was replaced.  I removed multiple snakes from the house.  I saved multiple chipmunks.  Or I saved the same one three times in one day.  One was being carried around upside down with his heinie in Jezzie's mouth.  I aided in the completion of a diorama.  I received a shipment of glass...the first one in well over six months.  Sigh of contentment.

I made a couple more eggs and this time shipped some off to Canada.  So exciting sending my beads off hundreds/thousands of miles away when I apply shipping labels and postage.  

This weekend, we celebrated the girl child's 7th birthday with a few friends at the tennis courts (she asked for a tennis party and we were lucky enough to have my Dad up visiting and helping with feeding the balls over the net!). 

Amy of Copper Diem is coming close to celebrating the end of her bead fast.  You can read about it here and how I (along with other bead makers) have been torturing her during this fast.  I can relate to bead fasts and other fasts that have my check card under lock and key.  I apologize for teasing you with my beads.  But thank you Amy and so many others for not only blogging about my beads, but to those of you who have shared links to my beads/blog/shop on facebook.  You all are just the best!

Happy Monday!

This was another weekend of celebrations for us.  Besides disbelieving we just hit our 11th anniversary and have been together for thirteen years, we also celebrated our youngling turning seven years old.  Apparently you wear your pants on your head when you turn seven.

She chose carrot cake for her candle holder and I made a double decker of it in a heart shape for her.  I'm not sure what she wished for and will have to ask her later.  I'm betting it was not anywhere close to her brother's wish last weekend to not be aggravated the rest of the birthday by his little sister.

So many wonderful folks scooped up the batches of eggs last week that now there are only six sets left in the shop.  If you like any of the colors schemes, go grab them now.  Tomorrow they will be pulled from the shop to be re-arranged. 

Kids are off to school and the animals have been fed.  Even though there is a dishwasher full of clean dishes waiting to be put away, it will wait some more.  I'm running off to my torch.  I was so enchanted last week with the the transparent speckles on eggs that I feel the need to make some sets of rounds that could coordinate with the eggs or be just as great on their own.

I hope you have a fabulous week!

Tuesday Beads are Few, So Here is a Random Post :)

I only got this one set made and just a few eggs still waiting to be etched.  Yesterday was mostly a day of errands.  Today is more of the same as I run around town with my Mom for lunch and shopping.  She needs to find a dress for a wedding we are going to together next month.

While I was out yesterday, I picked up this book by Heather Powers.  One of my eggs is shown on page 15 and she uses my headpins in the necklace tutorial on pages 66-67.  It's pretty neat seeing my work on printed pages, which makes me so grateful for those of you who buy my lampwork, use them in your jewelry designs and then submit some of those designs for publishing in magazines or books.  You all are just the best and go far in reinforcing I am where I need to be and surrounded by the right kinds of folks.

Here is a funky lentil which also came out of the kiln.  This is what happens when too much glass is added before forming the lentil shape.  It smooshes out.  And yes, smooshes is the technical glass term for this.

 

For you Nikon fans, I am thinning out my stash of lenses and selling my 35mm/f2.0 lens and my 105mm/f2.8 Micro lens.  They are both in perfect condition with no exterior wear/marks and come with B+W MRC filters over the lenses for added protection, as well as their original Nikkor boxes, manuals and front/rear lens caps.  Email me at kelleysbeadstudio@me.com if you're interested.  They both performed perfectly on my D90 and now my D700.

Yesterday was my Grandma Eloise's 93rd birthday.  We went out for hibachi for dinner together.  She deals with a bit of dementia and Alzheimer's, so it was a surprise a few times throughout dinner that it was her birthday.  She is always in wonderful spirits and has the best disposition.  My kids adore their great grandmother.

Oftentimes she has crazy hair and even crazier clothes.  One is just not a concern and the other makes her happy.  Her memory is pretty much shot and thoughts do not stay in her head long before being forgotten.  But she always knows she is surrounded by people who love her dearly and knows that the feeling is mutual.  She enjoys being with us and hearing the kids laugh.  She is not the same person she was in my childhood.  Losing her husband and her oldest son over the last ten years were hard blows.  While I miss the woman she was, I am so very thankful she is still here with us...celebrating another birthday (wow, 93!), laughing easily and returning our hugs and kisses.  HaPpY bIrThDaY to my Grandma!

This is Me

At 35.

Or maybe a week shy of 35.  But it is a picture of myself that I like.  And I like that I was the one who took the picture.  Most of the time I like what I see in the mirror or in pictures and don't feel I'm overly critical (with the exception of some pics of me and my big horsey grin where I look like I'm getting ready to eat the person next to me because my mouth is so big).  ;)  I also try to practice what I preach to my kids...be kind to yourself.

I don't abhor the greys that have been coming in for years, nor do I pluck them.  I don't mind the smile lines around my eyes.  My belly isn't as firm as a decade ago, but I'm cutting myself a break because a decade ago that belly hadn't carried two children.  However, a note to self is being made to exercise more because it's been 6-8 years since having those children and I shouldn't be using them as an excuse at this point.

Life has been increasingly hectic over the last few months.  Time is slipping through my hands faster than I would like.  I want to hold onto so many moments and not let them get away.  I haven't had time to respond to comments like I used to or would like to do.  I have also increasingly been hearing, "Momma, why do you have to work at night?"  or "Momma, why are you working on the weekend?  It's not fair that we have to leave the soccer game early."  I agree with them.  It tears at my heart to hear these questions because they echo my own thoughts.  I want this to change.  I am praying for a big change in this coming year.

In this coming year, I want to give more.  Give more of my time to my children and my family.  Give back time to myself to be healthier and hopefully happier as a result.  Give my time to my friends.  Give more time to the torch.  For starters, I thought I should start with a little comment love.  I looked at the last 25 comments on my blog.

Then I let random.org choose a number.

When I count to 11, I come to Courtney's name.  So to Courtney, I would like to give a $50 gift certificate to use in my bead or jewelry shop.  It includes shipping.  There is no expiration date, so save it for when you see something you like!  :)

Weekend Tutorial and Giveaway

Hop on over to Art Bead Scene when you get a moment.  Lorelei wrote a great tutorial on making your own photo collage using Picasa.  She was even so thoughtful as to include both Mac and PC instructions.  If you leave a comment on the ABS post, you are entered to win one of my new buttons.

A little catch up from the end of this week.  Thursday was our 10th wedding anniversary and we celebrated in high style when the kids went over to a friend's home (another brother and sister with same age distance as our kids).  Todd and I went through the drive-through.  At Taco Bell.  And we were really crazy and ate in the parking lot.  Then we drove to Wal-Mart to buy posterboard, sharpies and tape to make signs for the garage sale I held yesterday and today.  We were out. of. control.  We can also now walk through our attic again.  Yay!

To make up for our lack of celebratory activities on Thursday, we did go out for a nice steak dinner last night and then a movie.  They undercooked Todd's steak so it was still pink and he REALLY liked it (normally he wants it cooked well done or worse so he knows it won't walk off his plate).  I learned that the trick is dimming the lights so he can't see the pink.  Not that I want my steak mooing, but think medium rare to medium is perfect.  Then we saw the new Ben Affleck movie and enjoyed an escape from our reality.

We stopped at the grocery store on our way home to pick up two sprinkles doughnuts for Chloe to eat for her birthday breakfast as a special treat.  But they were sold out, so I woke up early to go buy two before she woke up.  Chloe is my little rooster and was sneaking up behind me before I had my shoes on.  So she was thrilled to go with me to pick out her doughnuts.  In her nightgown, with non-matching shoes (because that's one of the things that makes the girl child happy these days) and her ostrich named Goggle.  She was happy to stop for sunrise photos on the way home and then eager to help with day two of our garage sale.

The kids had a shared birthday party this afternoon which was a lot of fun.  They enjoyed pizza, cake, laughter, friendship and way too much sugar.  Or at least too much sugar for them because they rarely get candy or anything with sugar.  Which made for two hyper kids and a mom who lost her patience.  Which stunk because I don't like losing my cool.  With my kids.  On one of their birthdays.  I was glad when bedtime came and I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we have all had enough rest and the sugar is out of little bodies.  I was glad that she liked her birthday present, which was a very old, brass ferris wheel that spins when the music box is wound up.  The cars even rock and swing in place!

With that, I will leave you with a picture of Jezz trying to get to the highest point possible on my piano to chase some sort of insect or figment of her imagination tonight.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you all on Monday!

Another Visitor

Yesterday morning while I was working, I noticed a small movement outside out of the corner of my eye.  But then I didn't see anything.  I went back to working and noticed another small movement, but saw nothing that could have caused the leaves to move.  I wondered if the chipmunks were back.  It went on like this for close to five minutes before I saw the source.

He was a little guy, but with beautiful orange markings.

Look at this ridge down the back of his shell!  It's like it leads directly to his tail.

He was a shy guy.  As soon as I touched his shell, he pulled in his head, legs and tail.  Then he closed up his shell.

Tight!

Not at all like the last turtle who probably hunts deer and wild coyotes.

I removed him from the backyard so he wouldn't be harassed by the cats or dogs.  I released him in the side yard and within an hour he was gone.  I just loved those orange spots on his front legs!

Got the latest egg order shipped out yesterday.  It is going all the way to GERMANY to Nicki.  I can't wait to see what she does with them, but I will certainly be sharing pics. 

Todd got home yesterday after playing five tennis matches in four days in the USTA State Championship in Augusta.  His team made it to the finals and lost in third set tie breakers.  If you don't understand tennis scoring, then just know they were close enough to taste the title of State Champions.  And they were pleased.  After driving the three hours back, he was so very sore.  I'm pretty sure that soreness and stiffness will last throughout the week and be a lovely welcome to his 45th year.  Today is his birthday.  Tonight we are having a mini-celebration before going to the girl child's little graduation ceremony from pre-Kindergarten.  The big family celebration will be Saturday night and combined with my Uncle Mike's birthday, since he will be in town.  I will be spending a good four hours in the kitchen making an Italian creme cake for these two deserving men.  I'm looking forward to it!

Today is also the birthday of my good friend Lorelei.  Please stop by her blog HERE and leave your birthday wishes.  I know good things are in store for her this year.  I can feel it!

Tomorrow night I will be back on the torch and making eggs again.  Karyn, you're up next! :D

Where I've Been

After we returned from our cruise, I was in mad-dash mode to get more jewelry made for the craft fair the very next Saturday. Then continued on in that same mode to finish several pieces of jewelry wanted in time for Christmas. Not that this is a valid excuse for not blogging, but I'm going to use it. :D

Below is a floating necklace I made, as well as a matching pair of earrings. A friend saw the beads in my Etsy shop and emailed me "Make my wife some pretties!" And so, this is what came out. I first had to make more of the same beads, since I had only 7 in my shop.


I stared at my boxes & boxes of beads for spacers, but nothing looked quite right. In the end, I decided just swarovski crystals on either side to make into a floating necklace would be the best. Nothing to detract from these beauties.

I haven't been on the torch in three weeks because we've just been into so many other things. We had grandparents visiting (which was absolutely awesome and ended too soon!) and birthdays to celebrate and laundry to do. Oh, the laundry! But I carry my lighter with me in my jeans pocket. It makes me feel just a little bit closer to my torch. Like I could fire it up at any second, if I want to. :)

My Mom's birthday was in the middle of all this, but work was out of control that night as I worked two separate outages until 7pm. Mom had to take over making her own birthday dinner. And her cake. Todd's sister helped with getting it stacked and frosted. Thank goodness for family members willing to help out and takeover when I couldn't be in there. I finished with work just as dinner was being cleared from the table. Just in time for cake!


Look at my Owensk. He just loves to help and jumped right in to secure the clasp on Mom's new necklace that I made for her. :)

Hoping to get back on the torch this week to make new beads. I still have more jewelry orders to fill. And am slowly learning different tricks in Photoshop that are fun (for my family pics, since I don't do anything other than crop my bead/jewelry pics so colors stay true).

I can't believe Christmas is 18 days away. My shopping is pretty much done, but I'm still working on photographs/calendars for all the grandparents. So much to do. So little time.

Are you ready for this Christmas?

Birthday Presents

To myself:

I love the shampoos, handsoaps and lip lubes that Rhonda of In A Lather makes. My husband loves her Clean shampoo, too. He doesn't want to go back to anything we can find at Target.

And from my Mom & Grandma:
Phat Straps makes these FABULOUS camera straps. They detach easily from the camera to be swapped out because she uses great little buckles. This one came lined in soft, minky fabric so there are no rough edges cutting into your neck. LOVE it! (I ordered a similar one a few weeks ago, as well as a couple of lens huggies. Her sewing is top-notch and the lens bags are excellent quality with their silky corded drawstrings and fashionable fabric!)

They also gave me this wonderful laptop/camera bag that I had been dreaming about from Xcess Rize Designs. I love this fabric.
And look at all the pockets inside! So much room and very padded so my lenses, camera and laptop will all stay safe.

I love this new bag and was so thrilled my Mom and Grandma gave it to me. It is perfect for bringing my camera and my beloved macbook with me when I travel. And it came just in time to pack up and take on the cruise. Before you admonish me for not taking complete advantage of this opportunity to relax and unplug (ahem, CZ), I did not take my macbook to check email, blogs, facebook or even my checking account.

I brought it along solely to better learn how to use photo-editing software. Something I very much want to become better at manipulating (family photos, not beads....I want to learn how to make those cool rounded corners and add textures), but have not found any time to learn in the past month that I've had these programs. I'm sure the laptop will be turned on between a multitude of naps and most assuredly with a nearby beverage with an umbrella hanging over the top.

Taking Stock on the Birthday

Today I turn the little three four. One of the few days of the year that I know my age because some family members take fun in pointing it out. Most of the rest of the year I would have to do the math before answering that 'how old are you?' question. Age isn't something that I typically devote much thought. Or perhaps it is just numbers in general that don't terribly interest me because I can never remember my salary when filling out a credit app. Numbers don't define a person very well. My age or how much I pull in doesn't tell you much about me.

So today, I am not celebrating the numbers. I'm celebrating the experiences. What makes me proud. The goodness in my life. And what I have to look forward to in the coming year(s).

I celebrate my honeys and the fact that we're happily married and still enjoy each others' company after a decade of being in each others' space. We have an awesome relationship and give support and encouragement to help the other achieve personal goals. Todd is my rock. Without him and his encouragement, I probably would have never bought all of the equipment to pursue lampworking and find out how much I can be consumed and consoled through creativity.

I celebrate my two goofy kids and the fact that they're part of me. I love seeing them grow into kinder and more caring beings. There are days where they challenge me, when I walk away to take more than 10 deep breaths to remind myself that I'm the adult. They have helped teach me more patience and how important it is to be a role model in showing my love in everything I do. Even in frustration or disappointment, kind words can be found and used. In love.

I celebrate my job at the phone company and the friendships that have formed through common bonds. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian or an artist. The Designated Whipping Girl gig doesn't really fit into either aspiration. But through it, I have found a rewarding career where I feel like I make a difference (for the positive) in building stronger customer relationships. And that feels good. The desire to be a veterinarian dissipated 9.21.91 (ha! one of the few dates I remember. I have to think about my kids birthdays/years) when my Mom and I took our golden retriever in to the vet's office to be put down. I realized I could never do that for other people, no matter how much it would be for the good of everyone. Instead, I have three cats and a hound. For a time, we had ferrets. And that, is enough.

I am not where I thought I would be in life. I never thought I would be a mother. I wasn't ever truly certain I would find such a wonderful life partner. I didn't think I would hold a job in corporate America or be as successful at it as I have in attaining my position. I never imagined I would play with fire. That I would own a two-story home or drive a minivan. That I would worry as much as I do about my children. That I would stop reading/watching the news. That I would cry at the drop of the hat, whether it is watching a friend get married or thanking someone for serving our country. That I would send my designs to other continents or have people in India, Khazakistan, Australia, Poland, Germany, Korea, Finland, Algeria and so many other foreign countries reading my blog. (It's ok to leave a comment and say hi when you stop in. I would love to know your names!)

I wouldn't change any of it. I love where I am in life. There were experiences that I hated at the time, but now I wouldn't change those either. They made me who I am. They brought me to where I am. And that is what I am celebrating today.

I am at peace. And I am having fun. I wish the same for you.

Happy 5th Birthday Chloe!

Today our baby girl turns five years old.


She is many things.

A siller and a goat. A tree-hugger and a fish.

She's a sister and a friend. A daughter and a sweetheart.

She's a tester and a bulldozer. A goofus roofus and a compassionate little being when she sees someone get hurt.

She is bizarre.

Chloe loves animals. So much so that she can't help herself from delivering three quick (and sometimes hard) pats to their backsides.

She is smart. She can write her name and the names of many friends and family members.

She is our Bean.

I can't believe my baby is five already

My Grandma's 91st Birthday

My Grandma was born on Friday, September 13, 1918. She has always looked at Friday the 13th as a lucky day, since she was born on one. Her birthday fell on a Sunday this year. I think making it ninety-one years is pretty lucky. Or more-so a blessing.


My six year old made her a birthday card all by himself and enclosed four quarters as the highest esteemed present he could give her. Grandma's reaction made him feel like the best gift-giver ever.

I hope that I make it to ninety one.
And I hope that I will be as healthy and happy.

Happy Birthday Grandma. I love you so much!

For the Romantics Out There

Take a look at THIS blog post. It is a husband's thoughts about his wife on her birthday and the meaning of the day.

It's right up there with Jerry Maguire and the "You complete me" scene.

My Honeys

He turned 44 yesterday. He insists that he has another 364 days until he can be considered in his mid-40s. I asked if that meant since he's still in his early 40s now & mid-40s don't start until he's 45, if late 40s begin the day he turns 46. The very quick answer would be "No, late 40s do not start at 46." Good for me to remember in case he decides to give me grief in ten years when I hit 44 or 46. I like that he gets to feel out each year ahead of me so I know what to expect. ;)

This is the second year in a row where Todd was gone for the weekend of his birthday. Gone doing what he loves most, only second to his family. TENNIS. And not just TENNIS, but TENNIS at the STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS TENNIS! Todd won the tennis games he played and his team did well overall. Todd drove home Sunday afternoon, napped and chilled. He had his birthday off yesterday and spent a very relaxing day on the couch surfing the web & sneaking in a late afternoon nap. We went out to Five Guys Burgers for lunch, which was nice. For dinner, we had Papa John's pizza and then Ghiradelli brownies with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream....all at his birthday request. The brownies were fresh out of the oven, so some of the candles were falling over before we sang. After getting the kids to bed, we watched the two hour season finale of 24. I'm not sure if Todd felt his day could get any better. Perhaps if tennis was being played in there at some point. Maybe. But he may be all tennis-d out after playing so much in preparation for the state championships.



Birthdays always make me take a step back and appreciate others a little more. For Todd's, I realized that I have celebrated his birthday for the last ten years. I have seen him start off in the world of telecom barely knowing how to operate a computer or send an email to being able to talk in-depth about the latest technologies of how data and video can be sent at the speed of light from one side of the country to the other. He has moved up from a lowly billing specialist (an entry level position at Sprint) to a Service Director and now a Sales Engineer at Level 3 Communications in this past decade. Todd became a husband, then a homeowner, two years later a father and a father to two kids two years after the first. After close to a twenty year hiatus from tennis, he picked up the sport again and quickly regained his passion for being on the court & getting in better shape.

Todd is kind and compassionate. He is fair (both on the tennis courts and in his personal life) and a good sportsman. He is respectful of others' opinions & beliefs. When Owen was first born, Todd worried non-stop that he wouldn't be a good father, that he didn't know what to do or even how to hold Owen. By the time Chloe was born, it was old hat. He held her with one arm and no worries. He can take my kids from their grumpiest and stubborn mood to fits of giggles in milliseconds with just a few words and shaking his body.



Todd and I are very like-minded. We share the same parenting, political, spiritual and interior decorating ideas. We don't argue (I could probably count on one hand the number of fights we have had since we met in 1998). He has been endlessly supportive of my career choices and hobbies. His trust in me that I would not burn the house down and kill us all by moving my studio inside from the garage was phenomenal. I could not have asked God for a better husband, father to my children or best friend.


I hope you had an excellent birthday honeys! I love you so much!

Playing with Fire

Very happy the work day is over with and I was able to move on to the business of being a family. An escalation came in just after 5pm (of course!), so we ended up getting Chloe late from school. But we went out for Mexican and it was absolutely delicious....chips/salsa, margaritas, carne asada and the kids behaved as good as angels (I LOVE it when they do that!). After dinner, we rewarded the kids with movie night and Kung Fu Panda (I have absolutely no desire to watch this and don't want to know why/how it held the attention of my 6 year old the entire time) and Todd ran up to the tennis courts to watch his mixed doubles team play. I met him up there, but too late to see his teammates mop up on the other team. However, I did get to hang out with the guys and enjoy a mug of bailey's & coffee to keep warm. Then back home to get the kids in bed and fire up the torch. I finished one order for big-hole beads and then moved on to playing with Brad's glass again and keeping Wendy's standard operating procedure in mind....the more time in the flame the better. I think I pulled out more creams, blues and greens tonight, but I'll find out for sure in the morning.

I've been wanting to show you how I melt glass, but the video I have is a little too big. So until I make a newer/smaller video, click here to see it on my other website. And here to watch an awesome video of Chloe falling asleep while eating strawberries when she was still just a little bean.

Getting my feet wet in blogging

I'm slowly learning how to move around in this; waiting on the learning curve to speed up! I'm not quite sure why it wouldn't let Marcy leave a comment....I checked all the options and everything shows people should be able to leave comments if they're so inclined. I even removed the CAPTCHA word verification pita. Please email me at kelleysbeadstudio@mac.com if you try to leave comments and experience problems.

In the meantime, between now and the end of the year, I'm weighing the pros & cons of blogspot. Is it better/easier/faster/more/better than my website hosted by Mac and that sucks in a Ben Franklin at the start of every year? I don't know, but I want to explore my options and determine if less is more. Let me know what you think because I feel the onset of butterflies in my stomach thinking about giving up all my pages of pictures. Not that I feel the need to show off all of my work, but that all of the pics remind me of how far I have come and just how much I have really made over the past few years.


Last night I went to the Southern Flames meeting and because I was late counting (and recounting) my beads to give to Beads of Courage, I missed dinner. But it was so worth not eating. First, Robert Simmons did a demo on making glow-in-the-dark beads that are given to the kids who have completed radiation treatments. And then Brad Shute made a coupla beads from the silver glass he makes in the furnace on his front porch. The colors coming out of the glass were FaNtAsTiC! Brad brought a whole box of different batches of his StrikingColor glass to sell. Wendy and I pooled our backpocket cash and bought a half pound. If only we had known to bring more cash! Wendy made the pretty barrel beads and some incredible purples showed up. And I made all the little nugget beads.

I handed over a bag of 260 of my beads to donate to the Beads of Courage program and then we ran out the door and back to my house to fire up the torches. Wendy made close to a dozen barrel beads and I made almost 30 nugget beads with our new StrikingColor glass. To bring out the colors, we had to strike the glass/beads (pulling the mandrel out of the flame for the bead to cool down & lose the glow before re-introducing to the flame again, then repeating over & over). Wendy did this to the max, as she is prone to do because that's what she's good at. Her beads brought out some beautiful purples and other creamy colors. I struck my beads only once or twice and stopped when I thought I was getting ahead because I was seeing these incredible blues and greens. But this morning when I ran down to my kiln like a kid on Christmas, I found that ALL of my nuggets were brown and amber, with just a smidge of greens & blues around the holes. Now these browns and ambers are very pretty and I can't wait to string them up into a new set of jewelry. But it was a little disappointing not seeing a whole batch of green and blue beads when I lifted the lid to my kiln. Obviously an operator assumption gone bad, so I made a note to self to strike the heck out of future beads and like Wendy, I might find some colors other than brown and amber. Also, her encased beads had more vibrant colors, so encasing is on my mental To Do list for my next night at the torch.

Cas and I have set a date of December 6th to host a jewelry party at her home. She's creating the fliers to put out in her neighborhood the week before. We still need to decide on a date to host another party at my home because we're on different sides of the city and want to try to make more new friends & customers. I'm excited, but I need to make new displays. All of my current displays are wire and take up less than a square foot of space. I want something longer and taller that will allow ALL of my necklaces to hang together and with plenty of space in between. Since I LOVE to build things and work with my hands....I'm debating between building a stand with wood or using pipes from the plumbing section at Home Depot. Leaning towards the plumbing section because the pipes and connectors have always worked well as poles and stands for my birdhouses in the backyard. And plumbing would be a lot less precision work on measuring and cutting. We'll see. I need to scope out the plumbing section and see what they have in stock or go for a couple of cool ballisters with a dowel in between.

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday! I'm ready for the week to be over because I'll be that much closer to having reports done for work, the kitchen mess/mail counter cleaned up and the long Thanksgiving four day weekend is just around the corner. Chloe has her swim lesson Saturday morning and Todd will likely be playing in a tennis match. Cas and I are going to a bead show in Gwinnett in the afternoon (I really need more SS crimp clasps for leather cords!) and then we have a couple of parties to go to in the evening. Sunday is another busy day of beads (Wendy and I are going to a Beads of Courage event where we have a two hour window to sit at a torch and play with free glass to make radiation and other beads for the kids!) and then a belated birthday celebration with my Mom & Grandma.....because last weekend I was in Peachtree City watching Todd play in the USTA state championships. I can't wait because Mom is making me my favorite Mississippi Mud Cake. I LOVE that cake....I look forward to it all year!