7/4/08
Happy 4th of July!!
Dropping in to wish you all a happy holiday weekend! We are busy going to BBQ's and birthdays this weekend. I'm working on new designs and hope to have them up next week sometime. Hallie has the "Joy of Cooking" camp next week which will keep me running here and there for the week. THANK YOU for all the orders!! I have been so busy trying to get them all filled this past week! Travel Safely J
6/20/08
Happy TGIF!
I finally have new beads up.....and lots more on the way next week!! I love it when creativity takes me into the wee hours of the night!! My number one inspiration has always been fashion, the set DATE NIGHT was inspired by a dress/shoe combination that I absolutely love and would buy if I had a couple extra thousand dollars in my bank account AND wanted to be in divorce court ha! SERENITY was inspired by a piece of pottery and PARTY DRESS was inspired by of course a dress! I always like to share my inspiration with you all; sometimes the most unusual things spark a design or color combination. I had every intention of delivering beads to the store today but we have re-scheduled ball games tonight and tomorrow to make up for all the rain days we've had....so I'll be in next week. I will call Kathy with a day when I know for sure. I want to be positive I don't have baseball game.
 We have lots of "happenings" in our backyard! First, does anyone have ideas for how to get rid of bunnies? Humanely of course and without traps. The bunnies have devoured my hard work...every flower I planted in the front has munched to the ground. I'm just waiting for them to find the garden! We also have a baby bird that's still hanging around. Hallie wants to "adopt" it and goes out every morning to check on it and a piece of bread under the tree. I hope the cat doesn't find it! This morning when I went out to water my garden I found a tiny praying mantis...it had just hatched from it egg sack along with 200 others! Our brick wall was covered with them! Hal and I have been watching them slowly progress "together" across the wall and up to the cedar part of the house. When I was a little girl I found an egg sack at my Grandma's house (in the dead of winter) and put into the empty aquarium they had, it was a cool built in thing that my Grandpa made. Anyway, they hatched in the arm house....and were e v e r y w h e r e...crawling out of every crack in the aquarium!! I'm surprised Hallie has not asked to put them in her bug catcher and bring them in. She is the insect collector in this family...not Jesse!
Look for a bead update next week! I will have more silver lined beads too!!
Have a great weekend everyone~
6/16/08
NEW! Beads.......
Yes, yes, I know, it's been a very long time! Finding time to make beads has been very hard here lately. We are just so busy with everything! I was complaining last week that I never have "me" time anymore, then I  started to remember the reasons why I stay at home with the kids...to be a mom of course! How can I complain? I can honestly say that we are having fun, but the minute Ed walks through the door I do a disappearing act!!! My bead room is a complete and utter mess, I've been trying to pick up some projects that I started way back before we moved, which requires dome digging out, and it looks like a tornado hit down there. I will have an entire selection of beads to post on Friday. I'm not sure of the time though. Jess has golf lessons at 11:30, so it will be before or after golf. I will have new silver lined beads also. I have oodles of beads to drop off at the BEAD STORE too, sorry ladies for the long delay...I miss seeing all of you J Things should, I say should, start to slow down a little the beginning of July when j-ball is over and we're not at the baseball field 3 nights a week!
I am sharing pictures today from the bead races last weekend at the  Strawberry Festival. Friday was a perfect day for it, the weather was beautiful! The bed race is just what it sounds like, each team has assembled a racing bed to sprint around the town square and back to the finish line. That's a picture of Ed's team. They did pretty good. The construction of the bed and particularly the wheels is what makes the bed roll faster and turn better. Beds with little wheels didn't do so well, but the large wheels didn't do so well either...it was the "in between" wheels that did really well. Ed's team did pretty good, they placed 6th I think. Of course it was not without injury, Ed pulled, or should I say snapped, a hamstring in the last 200 ft of the race L Saturday was the parade, I thought we had gotten away from all that stuff when we moved from Indiana, not that I don't like parades, I like to "observe" them and not be "in" them. The kids had a blast though, Jess and Joe marched out in front with a Mainsource Bank banner, and Hallie and I (along with all the other little kids) rode in the back, blew bubbles and waved to everyone. It was a long parade...made even longer by the rain! We did see quite a few people that we knew and Hallie felt like a celebrity waving to everyone HA!
The family came up this past weekend for Jesse’s birthday and to  watch him play ball, which was rained out of course, but we still had a good time visiting with everyone and eating birthday cake. Jesse scored a couple of new Wii games, DS games, a fishing pole that "launches" and Bakugaun cards. He was v e r y happy! Ok, that's the short version of the past 10 days......have to get to that torch!! See you all on FRIDAY!!!
6/6/08
Bed races, birthdays & boredom.......
It's hard to believe that my little "baby" is eight today! Jesse was so sweet this morning as I wished him happy birthday...he flashed me one of his big "toothy" grins. We spent the day and evening shopping for his birthday presents and ended up at Friendly’s for ice cream. We bought him a couple of Wii and DS games last light, Ed left instructions this morning to give them to him at exactly 11:21am this morning.......the time he was born J
The “Grandparents” are coming up next weekend to watch one of his ballgames and have a little birthday party for him. Tonight is going to be quite interesting. This is a BIG weekend in Troy….the Strawberry Festival kicks off tonight with a “bed race” around the town square. Ed’s bank purchased a bed and he will be one of the “pushers” tonight. Sounds like fun heh? We have friends joining us to cheer him on and invite anyone else that lives in Troy to join us too. We are all going out for birthday dinner afterwards. Last weekend was the Sex and the City party and OMG we had a blast! I have been very fortunate to have made some very dear friends here, Heidi held the party for all the “girls” and you can read about the evening HERE. Joanne does a very good job of summing it all up, oh...did I mention she does stand-up comic? She blogs like I do....just like she's talking to youJ
We are all in the Strawberry parade tomorrow morning….yipeee!!! The bank has a float and we all have “positions”….I’m on the float (thank goodness), Jesse is walking and holding one end of the banner, Ed & Hallie are throwing out candy. So if you need a candy fix tomorrow morning be sure to position yourself so Ed or Jesse can hurl candy at you LOL!!
 We had major rain here the beginning of the week that flooded the clubs pool and tennis courts L Ed nixed my idea to purchase a $400 dual racing water slide, we’d have the entire neighborhood in our backyard, it would kill the grass, the water bill would bankrupt us…oh, and he wants a basketball goal….not a water slide! So the kids have been “BORED”. You all know what it sounds like….”We’re bored…no one is home…mom, what are we supposed to do?” It’s virtually impossible to accomplish anything. Especially beads…..I’ve been trying trust me!! I’m finishing up the last of my orders and working on new things hopefully this weekend. The silver lined beads were big last week, I still have a couple left and will be taking some to the store along with a couple trays of beads. Sorry for the long delay BEAD STORE GIRLS but I promise to have new beadies to you soon J
I have a couple of cool things I wanted to share that I come across is all my web travels. Awkward situations are everywhere. Whether it’s spinach in someone’s teeth, obnoxiously loud cell phone talking, or bad breath, there are some things you just can’t say out loud! Which is precisely why you use these……PARDON MOI CARDS. I thought they were cute and clever, especially the “Customer is Always Polite” card set.
I also thought THIS was cool from SpaFinder. It’s an “I Will Reflect” bracelet that changes color when exposed to harmful UV rays so you know when to run for cover.
Last….the kids have been begging to go see Kung Fu Panda which launches today. If you go HERE you can start with “Five Days of Fun” free print package with Kung Fu Panda inspired games and crafts, character masks, fortune cookie gift boxes, puzzles and educational material about China…totally FREE! Moms unite and help fight SUMMER BOREDOM!!! If any of you have something to share, let me know! I love passing things along J
I am also sharing more pictures sent by MaryLou of H&H Jewelry Designs on Ruby Lane! She made yet another lovely bracelet and earring set using the Raku pillows!! Thank you MaryLou for sharing!!!
5/29/08
The LAST day of school.....on the brink of summer!!
A very busy day here for sure!! I have that Tiramisu to make for the teacher's dinner on Saturday, Hallie has an ice cream party at school, we're having a water balloon fight as soon a Jesse steps foot off the bus and I'm hoping to take the kids to the pool! Life is good! I am so happy for the summer, you have no idea. It seemed like with moving last year we really didn't have a chance to enjoy ourselves at all. Not this summer!!! I'm going to a friend's house on Saturday for a "Sex and the City" party....I've been looking forward to it for a couple of months. We are having Cosmo’s and chatting it up before we all head out to the movie.
Beads.....I finally have a few silver cored beads up today! I also have watermelons and Pink & Green combos that I haven't had time to silver core yet. I will be adding many more in the weeks to come! I also made a set of "Fondant" beads, I know, strange name, but I've had so many of you refer to them as the "fondant" style bead when requesting new color combos...it just seems to fit them as they are so elaborate! I've been making some fun things with them that I'll share with you all soon. So much is going on here, besides all the "kid stuff"!
I am painting my kitchen in the next couple of weeks. I thought I'd share the progress with you all. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to  make my own kitchen knobs to replace the dated shiny brass ones we have, or just buy the brushed stainless steel....not sure yet. I would love to make some, but that would require a trip to Indy to spend the day doing something I have little knowledge about. Anyway, I'm going with an Italian theme since we have the walls that have been plastered to resemble old stucco with exposed bricks. I just ordered my Pottery Barn lamp I've had my eye on for a while and want to paint the walls a shade of Terra Cotta, or faux finish them to resemble a terra cotta pot. I have ideas and a vision, just need to figure out how to pull it all together.
Have super great weekend everyone!!!
5/28/08
Beads are on the way....along with a few silver cored beads.......................
5/27/08
Quick bead update:::::
Hi all! Just a quick note to let you know that I will be posting new beads tomorrow later in the day! Please be sure and check back!!!
5/24/08
End of the school year....
Sorry to have disappeared for so long! Yes, I'm still here working away....you guys have been keeping me very busy....custom wedding orders.....plunged florals in every color and of course the Catalog and Specials page is almost SOLD OUT! Thank you everyone! I sat down one day to make 15 sets of beads...yes 15 sets.....I made a HUGE cup of  Starbucks Komodo Dragon coffee, to that I added 3 or 4 scoops of Raspberry cappuccino mix....oh, and sweetener too!! I made beads until 2:30am that night!! I couldn't stop! When I finally got to bed, of course I couldn't get to sleep so I had to work in my sketch book....one of my favorite things to do. I am working on some super duper cool things this weekend. I can hardly wait to get started today, even though its Memorial Day weekend and I should be out spreading the mulch (yuck!) with Ed...or at least cheering him on, I have been so busy with orders lately I haven't had the time to work on new ideas. I've been helping out with Jesse's activities at school too. We had "FUN DAY" on Thursday at his school and Hallie has a little party next week. I'm making a Tiramisu for the teachers' appreciation dinner next weekend...lots of things to do before the end of the month gets here!!
I planted a garden last weekend....finally! I'm not sure how that’s going to work out. We have a major bunny problem in our neighborhood. It explains why there are no flowers in anyone's backyard!! Besides the bunnies, we have Daisy the English Bulldog. She just barrels through the "little" decorative fence we put up to keep her and the bunnies out! The weather her has been totally crappy. Cold temps and rain for what seems like forever now!!
Jesse has been playing Flag football and J-ball this year. Tennis and golf start next week after school is out. I also signed him up for a "conversational" Spanish class at the cultural center we have. He'll be able to order his own taco when we go to Mexico ha!! J-ball has been keeping us quite busy, Ed has been coaching everything on top of it. He wants to be involved with all of Jesse's activities J That's just Jesse's schedule....Hallie starts tennis lessons next week too along with gymnastics and a "Fairy" class at the cultural center. They get to make their own wings, wand, crown and a "fairy" box. She's also doing a "cooking" camp at her school! Lots of fun stuff to keep us busy this summer! We really are having lots of fun J
Ok….that’s the short version of what I’ve been up to!! I’m off to the torch to have some fun……………………………..I’m guessing I’ll have a bead update next week……finally!!!
BEAD STORE GIRLS:
New shipment coming via FE EX next week...Tuesday or Wednesday!!
5/8/08
Can you say yee-haw?
First, thank you to all my friends and customers while I worked  through a very difficult time. When it rains it pours and the last couple of weeks have been very trying and exhausting. It’s a huge comfort to know that you all care and support me…..thank you again!!
I am catching up from a much needed weekend away, unfortunately, the weekend was anything but relaxing! It was filled with activities, dinners and sightseeing. I did manage to find an Art Show in Nashville, close to Vanderbilt University. I love meeting and chatting  with other artists. I appreciate the work and love that goes into designing something, and can talk for h o u r s about processes and glass!! We took our TOM TOM that Ed's parents gave to him for his birthday, just let me say one thing....OMG!!! I love this little thing!! We drove all over the place with it and it was "spot on" every time!! Not only does it get you there via the most efficient route but it probably saves the day when it comes to arguing about how to get there....I'm sure you can relate. I'm married to a man who absolutely refuses to ask for directions...as long as we're going in the general direction that's good enough HA!! We did spend an evening bar hoping, I'm totally not cut out for that anymore, Coyote Ugly's scared me to death...no THANK YOU...I'm not dancing on ANY bar or taking my bra off!! We went to the Grand Old Opry one night for a very long concert. The only person I remotely knew was Charlie Daniels and Phil Vasser…if you want to torcher me…..make me sit through a country musical with artists from the 50’s and 60’s!!! It was all fun though J I’m sharing a couple of pictures with you too J
 Everyone has been screaming for beads!!! I know its Mother’s Day next weekend and I have just not been able to make anything new, I’ve been working on custom orders and lining my Pandora beads. I plan on spending a day next week sometime at the bead store and hanging out, but as soon as I say it something will come up so I’ll just surprise everyone! I’m working on a BEACH showcase and already have more JAVA and SILVER wrapped beads for you J
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