Bead Model

Chloe came into my office this morning before school & saw these beads sitting on my desk. She thought they were shaped like a bracelet & quickly scooped them up & stuck them around her little wrist.


I explained Lorelei would be sad if I didn't have them in my bag for her when I arrive in Philadelphia tomorrow for the BeadFest. Chloe looked at them for awhile longer and then very gently put them back on my desk.

I love it when she decides to be sweet and good :)

I can't wait to get to Philadelphia tomorrow.

I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!

Making a Glass Bead

Wendy filmed this for me in March 2008 when my studio was still out in the garage. Hence the cramped and messy space, but it was functional. I did not have a special filter on my camera (like the didymium glasses I wear to block out the dangerous rays from the flame), so the bead gets a little lost in the flame. If you had the same view as a lampworker wearing the glasses, you would be able to clearly see the glass melting in the flame. I hope you enjoy watching!



This is what I LOVE to do when my kids are sleeping or when I find free, alone time!!!

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.

New Atlantis Blues

I have made a couple of worry stones with similar designs. I love how the clear looks dotted over the blue swirls. Especially where there is a thin line of black running through the middle.




What do you think? Better on the wood or with the white background?

Sir Paul

It has been a loooong two weeks of sitting on my hands and biting my tongue to keep from telling my Mom that I bought tickets to the McCartney concert for us. I told her she was on a Need-To-Know-Basis and she just didn't need to know details, other than what to wear and when to show up at my house yesterday.

Our good friend Martin was in on it and helped maintain the charade we were going to the High Museum of Art (conveniently at the same MARTA exit) and that they were having an outdoor event, which is why we brought a blanket. The secret was maintained until after we got off the MARTA train at the Arts Center and I confirmed for a concert volunteer we were headed to the concert so we could get street directions on which way to walk. Mom was totally shocked and then so excited.




Seating was unassigned, but we got a decent spot near the top of a hill where we squeezed into maybe three square feet of real estate between other peoples' blankets. An Irish band opened before Paul came on stage close to 8:45pm (lots of waiting and sore/numb backsides from sitting on the ground since 5pm when we were told the concert would start). But oh, was it worth it!




Yes, Paul is older. But his facial expressions and his eyes were still those of the boy from Liverpool, delighting in the response of the crowd and sometimes full of mischief. And that was sexy. Seeing him onstage live (THANK GOD they had two big screens on each side of the stage to show him in clear detail for those of us half a mile from the stage!) and in person was incredible. I was surrounded by so many people who LOVED the Beatles when they were in their teenage years and many of us who were raised on the Beatles by those same teenagers of the 60s. What an awesome energy in the crowd (and no, it had nothing to do with all the joints that were being lit up all over. wow!). It seemed everyone was full of awe and appreciation for this man. His talent. His voice. And his charisma.

Cameras weren't allowed, so I was limited to the camera on my cell phone which is great for up-close, but not for far-away details. Here you can see the two looooong screens hanging on either side of the stage and these are where live video of Paul on the stage was magnified up for all to see.




And here it looks like a blur of lights in the pic, but in person I could very clearly see every detail of Paul. Oh Paul, you still rock!



I haven't been to a music concert in over fifteen years (I know, that's a long time but I just really don't like being in crowds. At all), but this was well worth coming out to see. Walking two miles, sitting on the ground for three hours waiting for Paul and feeling my butt go numb, getting soaked to the bone during a 45 minute cats n dogs rainstorm, standing for two and a half hours while my feet went numb, long port-a-potty lines, walking two miles back soaking wet....none of that mattered.



I got to see McCartney!

And for the second time in her life, so did my Mom :D



p.s. BIG THANKS go out to my husband for staying home with our kids and Martin's son to feed them, entertain them and get them to bed. It was a surprise for all of us that the concert would not be ending until after 11pm and we wouldn't be home till midnight.

Surprise Tickets to McCartney!

I secretly bought tickets for this concert as soon as I found out Paul was coming to town. It's grass seating and I'm packing a blanket. No chairs allowed, which kinda stinks. But does it really matter? I'm going to be hearing Paul sing LIVE! Mom raised me on the Beatles growing up and she saw them in person in 1963. I'm so excited!!!




I think Mom will be stoked when she finds out where we're going. Hoping that realization won't hit her until we're walking up to Piedmont Park and handing over our tickets :)



How could anyone not love this man? Or his music?



They aren't allowing cameras and have promised to search all purses/backpacks.....so my iphone will have to suffice. I sure don't want my NEW camera confiscated!

Concert pics to be uploaded upon my return to the homefront

Are You Ready For the Weekend?!

I have been pumping the 80s tunes this week and thought I'd switch up my playlist so you can enjoy, too. If you don't, then the playlist has been conveniently moved to the top of the page so you can stop listening to the music I love (seriously, how could you not love 80s?).

Oooh, the excitement of peeking into a cooled kiln in the morning!


Hello my lovelies :) (I haven't gotten this welcoming phrase out of my head since I read one of Allison Turner's tutorials yesterday with a photojournal to show each step....I love it and it makes me smile!)

Here is the vast majority of the beads that I made...lotsa bright, summery colors. All on a 1/16th mandrel. I normally work with the 3/32nd mandrels, but trying out the smaller variety to see if that helps stimulate any extra sales.



I also made a new Pink Ribbon bead, this time using the Gelly Pink that I've had in my cabinet but haven't tried yet. I like this pink alot. Reminds me of the Big League Chew that I used to savor as a kid.



My pumpkin just turned orange from dark green this past week and is now bigger than a softball! The kids are excited :)



I am looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow morning, the kids and I will be going for a long walk through the woods to go exploring. In the afternoon, my Mom is coming over and then we are leaving the husband/kids behind for a fun day out together. I have something planned, but it's a surprise.

What Came Out of the Kiln This Morning?

I'm having a hard time turning this calendar page....I'm a sucker for flags and really anything patriotic. This little ferret with his hard hat has been watching me melt glass for the last month and I'm going to miss him. But it is probably time to move on to August.



Here is my torch all fired up from last night. A trusty little Mega Minor burner with a torch-mounted graphite marver for helping shape my beads. Lots of clear rods on the torch table. I try to have them all cleaned before I start melting glass because it seems I'm always using clear on whatever I make these past few months.



Here is everything that went into the kiln last night and I'm pleased with how most of it came out. The butterfly is the second one I have made and it was easier than the first. I have shied away from butterflies in the past because in the Beads of Courage program, they are given to the parents who have lost their children to cancer. But a customer asked that I make a butterfly for her and it made me realize I shouldn't let my emotions prevent me from making something that could mean so much to others who have lost their children. I'll keep tissues close by if I start thinking too much about the purpose of the bead.



I like this worry stone that I made last night. It has a combination of Gaia and Cezanne under a thin layer of clear. While my fingers like the bumpy side better, my eyes like the smooth side the best. There are lines of silver wrapping around the bead that I love.




I was playing around with Double Helix's newest color named Ekho last night and combining it with clear. The purple is the best reaction, but I'm still learning how to control it.




The clouds started moving on me over my lunch hour and blocked out the sunlight just as I was finishing taking pics. I thought I'd aim my camera at the sky for a couple of shots. I may start including these with my Etsy listings just as a fun way of showing what kind of lighting I had when taking the pics. :) I thought it would be cool and isn't anything I've seen other Etsy sellers do (although, I do enjoy seeing pics of their feline Quality Control Inspectors). Think that's a stupid idea? If you do, then tell me why. Just soften the blow with a compliment on my kids. Or you can tell me you like my hair.




Owen lost his last wiggly tooth yesterday. This is the fourth tooth that has come out. He is proud to show off his toothless grin, so it is easier now to get pictures of him. Wondering how long this will last.

Pics from the New Camera

I am having fun playing with my new camera, but it is becoming painfully obvious to me that I have much to learn about how to use it. Thankfully, until I learn how to use all the features and the difference between ISO and f-stops and white balance, it has an auto-focus mode :) It was a rather spendy camera, so I figure I owe it to myself (and the camera) to learn how to use every button and dial (omigosh, there are more dials than I know what to do with on it!) before the year is out. A photography class is likely in store for me.

The girl child and I took a walk this morning before our guys woke up. The sun was shining, but it was hidden from us during our walk on our nature trail because of all the tall trees. While we walked, we enjoyed hearing the crickets sing to us.



My Beanarina at the top of the steps leading down to the nature trail at the bottom of our street.



Cool lichen growing on one side of a little tree stump.



Here is Chloe walking up to the footbridge. It is just at the edge of our little forest of trees after we walked about half a mile under their cover.




This pic better captured the floating water bug than it did my reflection as I leaned over the footbridge where we turned around to come home.



I thought this was a neat leaf with cool spots. Pretty spider on the underside, although I kept a safe distance. I do better with vertebrates than arachnids or some of the unpredictably jumpy insects.





Some quick fancy footwork helped us jump over this guy on our way back home. He was almost as big as my index finger!



Newest beads using Ekho from Double Helix



Here is the same glass encased in clear. Love the purple that comes out! Need to play with this glass a little more :)



My Owen boy is feeling 100% again after being on antibiotics for over 24 hours. He tested positive for strep throat Saturday morning when I took him into the pediatrician's office. They looked at me like I had three heads when I told them my Wendy treated six cases of it on Thursday (strep season starts as soon as school is back in session). But the quick strep test that normally takes 5-10 minutes to show the results turned Owen's little throat culture back in less than two minutes. Poor guy...he just had strep in February. Although, I'd rather it be strep and get antibiotics to feel better in less than a day, than it be a cold virus and treat the symptoms for a week or more.



And the other good news is that the union for the Southeast did not walk out on strike when their contract expired at 11:59pm Saturday night. Which keeps me at home with my family and not climbing phone poles in Northwest Georgia or Oklahoma. Soooo thankful!

Now if I could just kick this sore throat that I picked up on Friday!

Random

I don't have any new bead pics, so I'll just share a few random thoughts. Or maybe more than a few. We're about to find out how chatty I am.....

1.) I cleaned out 36 beads today from two different torch sessions. A good half were beads made to order that will likely be shipped to Germany and Puerto Rico. When on the torch, I was using Italian, American, German and Chinese glass. I considered it an international, multi-cultural night of sorts and blasted the Beatles from my iPod to bring in a little of Mother England.

2.) My Grandpa was in Germany when he served during WWII. He stood in the Eagle's Nest at one point and said the windows were all blown out, but the view was incredible. He snagged a piece of parchment that granted an honorary Chancellorship to AH. Grandpa talked about various German families taking him and some of the other soldiers in and their unexpected friendliness. One family gave him a dagger that had belonged to their son in the German army. That was in the back of my mind when I decided to take German in high school. It makes me sad that I am nowhere close to fluent in the language anymore, but not having anyone to speak it with hasn't helped over the past fifteen years.

3.) I loaned my camera to a friend so he could use the movie feature on it to record the reaction of his 3 year old upon seeing his new Up and Down bed (3 yr old speak for a bunk bed). I helped Martin put the bed together last weekend while my kids either watched on and provided helpful directions like "What have you guys been doing? It doesn't look like you've put anything together yet." We figured it out on our own without the useless instructions and diagrams that came in one of the many boxes.

4.) For months I have been wanting an SLR camera to 1.) take better pics of my beads and jewelry and 2.) to get focused pics of the kids, even when they are bouncing off the walls as some 4 and 6 year olds are known to do. Specifically my 4 and 6 year old.

5.) Yesterday, I broke down and bought a really cool camera on ebay from a camera store in New York. It is a refurb that was a Nikon factory demo and it was an absolute steal. Todd pushed me to splurge on shipping and pay for Next Day air. I called them and they said I missed their 1pm deadline for same day shipping, so I just ho-hummed and paid for ground. Their billing department called me two hours later and said my credit card wouldn't verify, but the information they had was correct and it ran through when we were on the phone. I asked about Saturday delivery, which was rejected but she got approval from the shipping department for a guaranteed delivery of today. The new camera arrived shortly after 3pm and I'm stoked!

6.) The boy child was sent home from After School today with a sore throat and a temperature of barely 100. He's had allergies this week and is over-tired from getting up super early every day (6am is not my friend, either). I think he's just exhausted. I hope.

7.) We have plans to go out for Mexican tonight and I'm looking forward to their delicious shrimp salad with avocados and pico de gallo, as well as the chips n salsa and the absolutely mandatory frozen margarita on a Friday night. Hold the salt, please.

8.) I'm so thankful the weekend is almost here. It has been a long week and I'm looking forward to the downtime. I'm also looking forward to teaching myself how to use my new camera. I may break down and for the first time ever, buy a Dummies book so I can learn how to use my new camera a little bit faster. However, I will not admit to this activity or purchase.

9.) The contract for the 'old' BellSouth union expires tomorrow. If they walk out on strike, I will have to report for strike duty on Sunday. I'm not thrilled with the prospect of climbing phone poles or descending into manholes (manholes and the gases within them terrify the ever-living snot out of me. Six seconds in an environment where other gases have eliminated oxygen causes a body to lose muscular control and deteriorated brain functions, which prohibit one from saving their own ass and climbing back up the ladder and out of the manhole). It has been five months since I learned how to use the test sets for detecting other gases or manhole safety and four months since I went to class on climbing poles and securing ladders to the phone lines in between.

10.) If you feel so inclined to include me (and my family for having to make it without me) in your prayers or positive thoughts, I would be appreciative.

11.) If I don't have to go on strike duty, at this time in 14 days, I will be landing in Philadelphia and staying for the weekend to go to the BeadFest. A few weeks ago, Lorelei asked if I'd be interested in going and I jumped at the chance. I'm more excited about getting to meet her face-to-face than going to the bead show. I have really slowed down on making jewelry since last September (ok, a screeching halt would be more accurate) and so I don't really need to buy any supplies. I'll be on the look out for cool clasps and I'm also looking forward to meeting Andrew Thornton as he'll be working the Green Girl Studios booth.

12.) Plans are in place to make a Mississippi Mud Cake before I leave on the 14th so I can bring pieces with me to share. :) If I can figure out my new camera, there will be an upcoming post with pics of the cake in the making and consumption stages, as well as the recipe. It is my favorite and the cake I always ask my Mom to make for my birthday.

13.) My Dad is driving up on Sunday afternoon to visit and I'm excited to see him. It has been about a month and a half and I miss him. I hope I won't be called to strike duty and then have it be even longer before I see his face. At least he will get to see the kids.

14.) I cleaned up my studio this week and bought new drawers for storing my Etsy beads in so they don't bang each other up. The whole counter space looks much more inviting and I'm hoping to find quality torch time this weekend. New mandrels and a new Double Helix color were delivered this week. I'm inspired with many new ideas of beads I want to make!

15.) I'm excited about the new bead sets I made after I finished with orders this week. Hoping to get them photographed & listed this weekend.

16.) Maggie got her stitches removed today and her mouth checked out for perfect healing since having three teeth removed two weeks ago. Yay Mags!

17.) I had more going on in my head than I expected. I'll stop now. It's almost five o'clock and I hit 45 working hours this week at around 9am today. I'm done.

Peace out!

Bead Results from my Husbandless Kidless Weekend

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!

Encased kiwi


Just Kiwi


Desert Sun Ice Cubes


Atlantis


Desert Sun

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.

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.