Slooooow down

I can't believe it's down to the wire! I mean, all the buildup, all the waiting, all the hype and traffic and marathon shopping sprees and now it's almost here. The older I get, the faster Christmas arrives and the less like an 'EVENT' it seems and more like something I need to write down in my organizer so I don't forget about it. I know, I know....that's just how it goes. Everyone feels that time goes too fast and that they're overscheduled.

But I'm not everyone. It bothers me to see my life racing past in a flurry of packing lunchboxes, doing laundry, running errands, cleaning bunny cages, taking kids to practices and making beads. (O.K., I actually don't mind to beadmaking, but the rest of it is just so..... so.)

What about all the stuff in the middle?

When do we get to do all the other stuff. The cool stuff. Where is the 'beef' of life, if you will. I've been thinking about that these last couple of weeks and so I'm determined to enjoy these holidays and not spend them stressed out, racing around town trying to make everything perfect. Last year, we got so busy we didn't even have time to make the gingerbread house, for crying out loud.

I'm done shopping and I'm going to get everything wrapped today while the kids are enjoying the last day of school. Then, we're going to just unplug. We're going to take a couple of little road trips to visit places I've been wanting to see for a while. We're going to do some Christmas crafts, make that gingerbread house, cook up some s'mores in the patio fireplace, take the dogs to the dog park... whatever strikes our fancy. No schedule, no little calendar book to keep me on track, no stress. We're going to kick back, get the frenzy behind us and just do a little living.

I hope you all do the same.

FREE SHIPPING THRU CHRISTMAS!!!

Yes, it's been awhile. That's because, like everyone else, I've been incredibly busy. And my rationale for not updating my blog has been, "If I don't have time to write it, I know they don't have time to read it."

Howevah...I have an awful lot of Christmas items languishing in my Etsy shop. An awful lot. And, well, it's almost Christmas......so, um, you know.....if you could maybe just stop buy...oops, I mean stop by.

And, starting today,

FREE SHIPPING THRU CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

There are lots and lots and lots and lots of other beads, jewelry and beaded gifts available. Come check it out!

Oh, how they grow!

I hope everyone had a great holiday, filled with food and fun. I know we did. Every year, we trek up to Robert's sister's home in St. Augustine. The day is filled with family gossip, food, football and some Monkey-in-the-Middle. This year, everyone brought their dogs. As our children have gotten older, the dogs have sort of taken their place in some ways. Just like the kids used to do, they ran loose all day, playing and jumping, stealing snacks, bickering when the got over-tired. By the end of the evening, the kitchen floor was wall to wall with sleepy canines. Lots of them. Two pit-pulls, two Chihuahuas, a Husky, an Akita and our yellow lab. That's a lot of dogs, let me tell you.

A tradition that we have is, after dinner and dessert, when everyone is winding down, we all head down to Old Towne, where they light up the city with thousands of tiny lights. We walk through the square and wander through the streets, stop for hot chocolate and ice cream (well, it's Florida!), admire the Bridge of Lions and soak up that last bit of peace before the Season kicks in full speed.

As we walk through the square, I always make the kids stop and climb up on one of the old cannons and pose for a picture. We've done this every year for, oh, about a decade or more I guess. This year, when I downloaded the pictures later, I was amazed by how huge the kids were. I mean, really so big. So I went back, looking for an older picture to compare. The earliest one I could find on my computer was from 2004. It's not very good quality, but you can get my general point.

Wow, that went by quick.

Pondering on it

Like about everybody else in the neighborhood and thereabouts, tonight I'm thinking about what I'm thankful for. I mean, there's momentary thankfulness like, "Holy crap, thank God I didn't run over that kid! Freaking blind spot!!!" and there's the deeper thanks of, "My family is good. We've gone another year and we're all still here, still healthy, still together." But there's an awful lot of in between, right? So much grey, so much that seems trivial but that's not really.

So, here's a few things I'm thankful for:

1. My healthy, intact family. Yeah, I know I already said it, but it's the most important thing so I'm saying it again.

2. My new puppy. This one's healthy and lovey and sweet. Goofy as a three dollar bill, though.

3. My kick-ass husband who lets me melt glass all day every day and never bats an eyelash.

4. My kids who do the same and think my job is cool.

5. Although we haven't been untouched by this diseased economy, we haven't been destroyed by it.

6. For the first time since my daughter was born - I'm withing spitting distance of getting my ass into a size 8. And I mean a real 8, not the fake 8 that's really a 10.

7. That Ullja is getting sued

8. The beach. Honestly, I don't know how I'd live without it. Just knowing it's there is enough to get me through the toughest times.

9. Tomorrow is the biggest pie-eating day of the year. Pie's my all time fave.

10. That the world, though still greatly distressed, seems somewhat more hopeful than it did two years ago when I was having trouble even imagining my children's future.

So, what's on your list?

What color are you?

Do you have a color that's just so close to you, so loved by you that it's more than just a 'favorite'? A color that's truly yours?

I don't mean one that you wear all the time (although, that does count) or that you choose because it makes your butt look smaller. No, I'm talking about the color that's reflective of you, that the sight of alters your mood, brings a private little smile to your senses and somehow soothes your overworked nerves. The color that when you look around your home you realize that - through no intentional design plan - you've surrounded yourself with.

Thank you to Joan Miller Porcelain for this pendant. It's my favorite and I wear it all the time!

Some Things to Think About

I didn't write this and yet I still find it funny. And true.

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer's history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to the ten-page paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this garment... ever.

15. I hate it when I miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. How many ounces of alcholol I consume daily has a direct correlation to how far into summer vacation we are. (This one is mine. It made more sense than the original. To me, anyway.)

19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with a martini than Kay.

Something different (for me, anyway)

I don't do a lot of etching in my lampwork. I love the look of other peoples etched beads, but my own are usually these intricate, multi-layered objects that don't lend themselves to that technique.

But I was playing around with the last of my Gaffer Chalcedony and I was drawn into making a bunch of different shapes and textures, using different base colors, frit, different striking times, etc. After a while, I realized that I was really liking these beads, enjoying the color reactions and all the different shapes. So what turned out as an experiment ended up as a set.

A big set.

I've actually broken it down into 3 different sets, but this is the first one. The overall look was very rustic and eclectic and I thought it would look cool to etch it. Let me know what you think. I have them listed on eBay right now.

~*Autumn Garden*~

What have YOU been up to lately? Seriously.....

Yes, I've seen Rock City. But what else have I done?

This weekend, I had a conversation with a person I hadn't seen in about 12 years. It was awkward at first, the way that kind of thing can be. We chatted about jobs and kids, houses, pets. The usual. But then he asked me,

"So, what have you guys been up to? What else have you been doing?"

And I was silent. I just stared at him, dumbstruck by my inability to come up with an answer.

What had we been doing? Raising kids, working, paying bills. Is that it? Is that all there is? I mean, I used to do things..... didn't I?

I think we're so busy with just day to day, working through it that - somewhere along the line - the living part of life has just faded to grey.

I have a list of things I want to do someday. Places I want to go, where I want to take the kids, things I want to see before I die. But, my daughter is almost 12 now and I realize that most of those things are left undone, still waiting for the right time.

When is the right time?

Why all the 'saving for retirement'? Braces? College? A new drain field?

When does life start getting lived and not just prepared for?

So, please share your thoughts. Maybe I'll get inspired.

P.S., if it's any consolation, after a few minutes, I asked him the same question and he had exactly the same reaction as I did. Silence.....

Fairy Balls....?

Umm.... yeah, probably not the best name, upon further reflection. But, when these beads first came out of the kiln, that's the name that popped instantly into my head, Fairy Balls. However, they shall from this point forward be called ~Fairy Lights~ . They're listed on eBay right now, if you'd like to come check them out.

Have you ever....

had a puppy that was more work than a baby?

Don't get me wrong, Tucker is a great little guy. He's so cute and he's super sweet. He follows me everywhere, gluing himself to my ankles. He's pretty smart and he did finally learn to swim like an actual Labrador Retriever (he used to swim free-style, hauling his front legs completely out of the water and then slapping them back down really hard - creating such a churning wake that he'd nearly drown himself).

It's just that he gets really, really lonely at night. When we're sleeping. Or, when we used to be sleeping. His heart wrenching cries fill the house until not a creature is sleeping, not even a mouse. (except for my husband who, much like when our children were babies, is miraculously unable to either hear or respond to these cries) But after nearly a month, those cries are not nearly as heart wrenching as they used to be.

So puppy is in the garage. I swear, I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm so sleep deprived, I'm afraid we're going to have a case of Shaken Puppy Syndrome soon. Seriously, he's better off out there for right now. Sorry, Tuck....

Woefully out of shape!

I just went for a run, if you could call it that. OMG, I am so out of shape it's embarrassing! Seriously, I could run farther when I weighed 20 pounds more than I do right now. After taking the entire summer and the last 1 1/2 off, I have absolutely no stamina and no wind. Sad!!!

Anyway, I'll keep at it. I love running and I miss it, so I won't give up.

In the meantime, I have a new set listed on eBay. It's made with gorgeous Gaffer Chalcedony. The colors are just amazing and I made them with Zoozi's crystal press, so they have a wonderful shape to them. Very fun.

~*INDIAN SUMMER*~

Something new, something blue

I have about 45 seconds to post this, so no chit-chat this a.m. Must leave plenty of time to guzzle coffee.

After a many month hiatus from eBay, I've finally listed something new.

~Fairy Dance~

Also, I'm in the process of updating the Mermaid Glass website (finally!!!) and I'm starting to list some items there and remember - I always give FREE SHIPPING from my site. Here's a preview of what's there. I'll be adding more items daily.

Back in the groove

Whenever I take too much time off, it feels like I have to relearn everything - how to make beads, how to photograph beads, how to list beads, how to...well, I think you get the picture.

Anyway, after too much time off, I am actually settling back into the routine of it. Last week was my first full week back at the torch. I had some good results and some not so good.

As I expected.

Today, I forced myself to take bead pictures (a chore I hate!) and actually got some things listed. It feels good. It feels 'normal'.

One listing in particular that I want to mention is for a pink and Chalcedony goddess. All profits from this bead will got to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in recognition of Pink October. I'll also match the profits and double the donation. She's in my Etsy shop.

I've also been working on some Pandora-style beads. They're fun to make and very relaxing. They sort of put me in the mood for bigger and better things, so I used them as a 'warm-up' all last week. As a result, I have a ton of them. These are the ones I listed today but, rest assured, there are a bunch more. They're also on Etsy.

Thanks for checking in!

Boys get sleepy

Naps are good!

This is our new puppy, Tucker. We still miss Titus, but Tuck is a sweet little guy and the kids are happy to have a puppy to love. We've had him for a week and he's very healthy, has had his check-up and shots and everything is looking very good so far. He's fiesty, though. Not adjusting to his crate very quickly. Obviously, he prefers the couch!

Something Blue....

Well, after many weeks away from the torch, I'm finally back at it. It's hard, almost like I'm trying to relearn how to do it. And it's weird. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it, how it takes you out of your own head for a little while and actually relaxes you. I wish I'd thought of that a few weeks ago when everything was going crazy around here. It would have helped.

Anyway, I made a ton of butterfly beads to send off to Beads of Courage (and I encourage all of you beadmakers out there to do the same). And I even managed to get some things made to list, too!

I've got this one in my Etsy shop right now:

~Deep~

Check back, because I have quite a few new ones that I'll be listing over the next few days. I've got some focals and some sets, some cutie beads and some organics.

Lisa Atchison

Today's post is going to be about one of my favorite beadmakers -Lisa Atchison of A Touch of Glass Designs. I've been a long-time admirer of her beads. They're amazing - full of beautiful, fluid motion and so much detail. I visit her blog from time to time to drool over her work.

A few weeks back, I was feeling down. Business was slow, personal issues were piling up, I'd just been targeted by the 'Fraud Police', etc... Anyway, I visited Lisa's blog and absolutely fell in love with one of her 'Abyss' beads. I commented on it and asked her about purchasing it. I felt like I deserved a little pick-me-up, and I just knew I had to have that bead.

Well, instead of letting me buy it, she made a gift of it. So sweet! Imagine my joy when it arrived and, not only was my dream bead in the package but another, equally gorgeous creation and a goody bag of fabulous supply samples.

Wow! I have to say it was the most generous, thoughtful thing anyone has done for me in a very long time.

And the beads!!!

If you're a beadmaker, you've probably had this happen: You see someone else's beads -whether online or in person - and you say to yourself, "I could totally make that" and then, very quietly inside your head, you say, "And I bet I could make it better."

Right??? You know you have so don't even try to deny it!

Well, I took one look at these beads and for one of the few times ever, I absolutely knew that not only could I not make these beads better I couldn't make them at all. In my dreams, I make beads like this!

Here are pictures, though they in no way do justice to the true beauty. I'm serious. In person, the color blending is perfection and they're so deep and sparkling you could get lost in them. The details and design are outstanding. They're just...wow.

If you've ever, for one second, contemplated purchasing one of Lisa's beads... DO IT! They're even better in person than they are in pictures - true works of art in miniature. (Although, not that miniature. These are substantial focals.)

Thanks again, Lisa. You're the best.

Of course, now I have a severe inferiority complex and can't even make myself turn my torch on. I mean, seriously, why even bother? : )

Much ado about....

...sports.

Today was incredibly hectic. Connor had his first soccer game at 8:30 this morning. Robert couldn't make it because he had to coach Connor's baseball team practice at 9:00. Immediately following the end of the soccer game, we hightailed it over to the bb fields, with C stripping down in the car and switching over to his other gear. He made it in time to get two base hits and make an out at pitcher during the scrimmage game.

Needless to say, he's whooped.

This all happened because he couldn't make his mind up between playing baseball or soccer. So we told him, since it's the short fall season, he could play both. When I signed him up for soccer, I was given a choice between Friday or Saturday games. I chose Fridays.

He got Saturdays.

All Saturdays.

When I called to complain I was informed by the YMCA, where he plays, that they don't even offer Friday night games any more. Wow. That sure would have been nice of the guy who signed us up to have told us before he took our $160.

So, obviously, we have some conflict. Lots of conflict, actually, but at least we've only got 7 more weeks of this nonsense. Yay!

New beads, just for fun

I've finally pulled myself together enough to list some new beads in my Etsy shop. Nothing serious, just cute and fun. Some of them are for Halloween, some are just for anytime.

Ways to Make Your Family Healthier Without Telling Them

Do you think he knows there's beets in that cake?

After a visit to the doctor informed me that I have borderline high cholesterol, I've been much more careful about my health. Well, not much more careful, but definitely slightly more.

I walk and swim every day, I cut down on caffeine, I don't eat pork and almost never eat red meat (this is hard. I don't like steak, but I might commit a felony for a cheeseburger), I have replaced most dairy with soy-based products, etc... But how, some of you might ask, do you get your family on board? Is it possible to turn a cheese-loving, french fry gobbling seven year old around once you've let him walk on the wild side?

Well, the truth is, I lie to them. Well, not lie. I omit. I haven't tried to break all the bad habits. I'm easing them into it slowly. I thought I'd share a few of my 'omissions' with you.

* And please understand, we are actually a pretty healthy family anyway. I try to grown most of our veggies in my organic garden. The kids eat virtually no fast food, processed food, refined sugars, or white flour foods. They do drink, maybe, a soda every couple of weeks. We eat very little red meat, no processed lunch meats, and they get plenty of exercise. And veggies. I've always made the kids eat what we eat, like it or not. I've never been about tricking them but what I'm doing in the instances listed below is really more of a 'replacement plan'. I'll tell them about it, but it's easier to deal with after than before.

So, here goes.

1. I switched all eggs to an egg substitute. Unless we're having Eggs Benny, that is. They know about this one, but don't care.

2. I refill the Half & Half carton with soy milk. My husband never knows the difference.

3. I make 'chicken' stir fry using seitan. Seitan is a gluten-based meat replacement. It doesn't really have any flavor of it's own but if you cook it with veggies and other great seasonings, it takes on that flavor. Unlike tofu, it has a chewy, meaty sort of texture. I cut it into small pieces and everyone thinks it's chicken. I'm probably going to tell them about this one in a couple of weeks.

4. When I make lasagna, instead of ricotta cheese, I use a little bit of fat-free cottage cheese and silken tofu. Blend it in the food processor until it's a puree and mix in some egg substitute, a little Parmesan cheese, garlic and spices. Blended together, no one can tell the difference. This way, they get some extra protein and vitamins. When I make 'white' lasagna, I add spinach to the food processor, too. My kids don't like spinach lasagna normally, not because of the taste but because of the texture. By blending it up, it just becomes a puree with no texture at all.

5. I make my spaghetti sauce with V-8 juice. I use tomato sauce and paste, too, 'cause toms are good.

6. I add pureed veggies to virtually every baked good. I've actually been doing this ever since Anna was a baby. She'd eat her veggies, but this way she'd get an extra serving or two. It's just a way of adding some extra vitamins and fiber without having to think about it or add it to a meal. They can have a helping of veggies in their after school snack. Some of these they know about, some they don't. Like the beets in the chocolate cake. (Which is weird, because my kids love beets. I should tell them this one. They'll probably think it's hysterical.)

7. I use silken tofu to replace 2/3 of the fat/butter when I'm baking cakes, cookies, etc.. You can't taste the difference at all.

8. I make frozen 'pudding pops' with flavored goat milk. The kids actually like them better than ones I used to make with skim milk. They're sweeter and thicker.

9. I add milled flax seed to almost everything. You can add it to your breading if you're frying or oven-baking something. You can put it in bread, baked goods, smoothies. It can also be used as a fat substitute. Very handy and it tastes kind of good, too. Sort of nutty.

9. I don't use sugar substitutes because they are just full of bad stuff. However, I don't use refined sugar, either. I use turbinado or raw sugar. It's more natural, tastes sweeter, and has fewer calories than refined sugar. I have also tried stevia, but it's got a funny after taste that I don't like. Agave nectar is o.k., but not my fave. I just like plain old sugar, but in limited quantities.

10. And here is my number one tip. My kids like vegetables, but they don't like salad. I don't know why but I do know a trick to get them to eat it. It's actually sort of a trade off - you get them to try something good, but you have to add something not as good to the deal. What? Goldfish. Make a small salad, with a nice variety of veggies that they like, put on a small amount of a good quality, low-sugar dressing, and then add a sprinkle of Goldfish crackers to the top like croutons. My kids love it and we've branched out to trying different flavors of Goldfish. It's not too much of a compromise and they do make whole grain Goldfish now.

Got any tips of your own? I'd love to hear them so c'mon, share.

Hey

I've been out of touch lately because so much has been going on but I thought I should just touch base. This is hard to write and it won't be a long post because I just can't think or talk about this without becoming upset.

If you saw my last entry, you know that we recently got the kids some new pets. One of those pets was a sweet little lab puppy named Titus. What a great little dog - smart, good natured, beautiful and absolutely lovable. Sadly, Titus died on Saturday. He had hookworms when we got him and, for some reason, even with treatment he became dangerously anemic, requiring the vet to administer a blood transfusion. At first, it seemed like this would work but then he began to deteriorate and passed away. We think that it was a negative reaction to the transfusion.

No matter what the cause and even though we only had him for a short time, we all loved him very much and he is being missed greatly.

Where's the beads?

I've had some emails from folks wondering what I'm doing?...What's up?...Where's the beads?

Simple. There are no beads.
I'm not working.

I'm pretty sure that a goodly portion of you know what it's like just before summer vacation ends. The frenzied rush to the finish line - the scramble to get everything inventoried and organized. What do we need? What do we need to get rid of? What fits? What fits but that we absolutely refuse to ever be seen wearing in middle school?

And I'm like that, too, sort of. But, though I'll deny it until the bitter end, I always get a little touch of the weepies at the end of summer. Those children drive me crazy and half the time I'm wishing they were sitting in a classroom elsewhere from me, but I do recognize the rapid passage of time. I know that by next summer, many 'favorite' things and activities will have fallen by the wayside. Grown out of.

Forgotten.

So I try to appreciate this undiluted together time with my kids as much as possible. I try as hard as I can not to be one of those moms that ruins the last few weeks of vacation by constantly reminding the kids that "Summer's almost over. Better enjoy it" or "We have to get back on a schedule so no more staying up late and having 'slumber parties' in the family room every night" or "You're going to be so busy with school pretty soon that you'll wish you hadn't wasted your summer sleeping until noon."

No. Instead, we've filled our last weeks of unscheduled time playing with friends, making homemade ice cream sandwiches and having 'night swims'. We've stayed up really late, eaten pizza for breakfast (I suppose it's technically brunch at 11:00) and played as many video games as we wanted to. We've gone to the beach, we've gone to the movies. We've caught baby lizards, ditch tadpoles and tons of fish. We've hatched butterfly cocoons, we've made soap and we've played super heroes and Dolphin Adventure for hours.

Oh yeah, we've had some other stuff going on, too.

In a move that was obviously fueled by some sort of early onset empty-nest syndrome, I agreed to let the kids get bunnies. They've always wanted them and somewhere in the back of my mind, I suppose I have, too. So we made a trip to the bunny farm.

Meet the bun-bun sisters, Violet and Blackie. Aren't they lovely? And very well mannered.

Unfortunately, the bunny farm was also the puppy farm. Meet Titus. He's one of a kind. And that's all I have to say about that.

So this is why there have been no new beads, no tutorial available even though it's been finished for nearly a month, and virtually no contact with the outside world. I am not working.

Until tomorrow.

Because today is the last day of summer vacation. It's over. I stood on the patio this morning, drinking my coffee and watching the sun rise. I looked around at the empty juice packs tossed carelessly beside the lounge chairs, the faded, half-deflated pool toys (so awesome just a couple of months ago), the rock village and pyramid built and abandoned in the flower bed 'jungle' and I felt almost overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotion.

My son is in second grade now, in an upstairs classroom at the end of a seeming maze of hallways. My daughter is in middle school. Middle School!!! I highly doubt she'll be wanting to play any Ocean Rescue Dolphin Adventure with her baby brother and her mommy next year.

Summer is over.

Kids...what's up with that?

We were able to get away for a very quick mini-vacation at the beach a couple of weeks ago and, when going through some of the pictures I was struck by the differences between kids and us.

For example. Here we have an entire ocean of sparkling blue-green mystery just waiting to be discovered. And where did they snorkel?

In the 4-inch deep tidepool

And here. A huge zoo full of incredible animals. It was one of the best we've ever visited (and that includes San Diego). I mean, just look how close we are to these beautiful giraffes!
But this was my daughter's favorite activity! Here we spent nearly 40 minutes watching the rays swim in circles and 'petting' them. In the wild, my kids are terrified of rays. (It really, really hurts when you step on one.) We stayed in a hotel complex that had gorgeous pools, restaurants, a very cool beachside entertainment complex, water sports and a facility completely dedicated to kids activities. And where did Connor decide was the most fascinating place of all?

He spent so much time in the evenings sitting beside this fountain that other people started taking his picture!

Children's minds are so, so different from ours. Their thoughts are more direct, more elemental and their joys are simpler. It's the old dilemma - which is better, the toy or the box it came in? Wouldn't it be great (particularly in these times!) to be able to shrug it all off and think more like kids? To just stop worrying about getting and find fascination in the wonder of the life that we already have?

That being said, there are some events that are hard to top. Doesn't everybody remember their first major league baseball game?