It's Springtime on the Farm

We went to our favorite little farm today and discoverd two new baby goats and a bunch of baby chicks. "So adorable they would knock your heart out," as Luke said. It's a special day for sure when you get to have a sweet baby goat nibble on your fingers.

5 Good Things

1. it's friday and this hellish week is almost over
2. my dog who is always so happy to see me when I wake up (twack twack thwack goes her tail, and she smiles, and looks into my soul with her eyes)
3. swinging next to Luke and having him look over at me and laugh because he's so happy I'm swinging with him and because my long hair is sticking straight up in the air when I come down and he thinks that's hillarious. (He also thinks it's hillarious that my "big butt" fits on the swing. I told him that's not something he should ever say to any girl, ever.)
4. tarot cards that talk of good things coming. success, money, happiness, peace, rest.
5. only two more nights on lumpy creaky uncomfortable bed.

Happiness Is.

1. A good mocha.
2. Oxy-con compressor ordered.
3. Feist concert.
4. Magnolia is pinker and pinker every day.
5. Only three more nights til I get my new bed.

My Door

And exciting news, Luke and I get to go to a private concert Thursday to see Feist!

And I just signed up for a new painting class: Flower Painting with Acrylics. I hope it's fun - there wasn't much to choose from but I had a credit I had to use or loose.

Yesterday

Frank said to Luke, "Luke, you are the apple of my eye."

Luke digested this for a few seconds and then said, "Dad, you are the carrot of MY eye!"

Some Links and No News

On making an image transfer with gel medium.

Spaceweather.com news delivered to your inbox - today they told me of a solar eclipse, though it's on the other side of the world.

And on the news front... no news. Still waiting. Waiting to hear how the house inspection went - they have til end of day today I think to get back to us. Waiting for the magnolia to bloom. Waiting for the rain to go away. Waiting for my new bed to arrive. Waiting to be all moved and done with moving. Waiting for my coffee to magically get made and delivered to me at my computer. Must go see why *that* is not happening at least.

Luke's Manicure

It's starting to feel like flip-flop season - the sun is out, the days are a bit warmer, I'm sick of wearing jeans and socks and shoes... it's time to get some sun on my toes. But before that could really happen, they needed a bit of sprucing up. It's been awhile between the moving and the moving and the moving. It seems like forever since I did something that wasn't moving related. So I pulled out my polish and took it all down stairs where the boys were watching Harry Potter. I was wondering if Luke would notice, and if he did, would he want his done? I had a feeling he wouldn't, since the last time he painted his toes (last summer) one of his little friends was mean enough to tell him if he ever painted his toes again, he wouldn't be friends with him any more. But I was kind of hoping he would still want to - just because of that boy, and also because we've been doing our toes together for the past 3 years or so. And because he loved it so much before. And because I know he's going to be too old for it very soon.

And YES! he got all excited - jubilant excited - when he saw the bag of polish and toe separators and files and creams... SO excited. He said he wanted to paint his fingernails. I asked him if he'd rather paint his toenails and he got this horrified look on his face "Oh, NO!" he said. His hands instead. I guess he remembered what his 'friend' had said. But because he's so literal, he figured doing his fingernails was ok. And so we did them. And he loved it, and was so proud and so funny and cute, sitting there with his little hands spread wide so he wouldn't mess it up, blowing on them to dry them faster, holding them out to admire how the color changed when he moved them in the light...

When we dropped him off at school this morning I knew he was in for a rough day with those copper penny nails, those nails that changed to gold or green depending on the light - I just knew it was not going to be as cool as he thought it was going to be. And I wasn't going to say it, but then it just came out of my mouth, "Don't let anyone give you a hard time about your nails, ok?" and he pranced off, "Ok Mom!".

And of course when I picked him up from school, the first thing he said was "Hey Mom, you know why those boys were chasing me? It's because of my finger nails. They said a lot of things about them." "Oh? Were they nice things or mean things?" "Not so nice things. They tried to stick my hand in the puddle and wash them off. But it's ok, they didn't come off and then they got over it." I asked him if he wanted me to take the color off and he was surprised and said no - he likes them and wants to keep them on for '10 days'. I'm glad. I feel like we've won a small battle somehow - though I'm sure that war of fitting in with the friends is really only begun.

The Princess & the Pea

After camping out for about a month at the new house, and sleeping on the guest bed, Frank and I have discovered why, maybe, our steady stream of house guests has become a mere trickle: the bed sucks. I figured it had to be getting that way as our bed is also past it's prime and ready to be replaced and is not even as old as the guest bed. Of course our guests have been too polite to mention the problem... and now my back is paying the price. So today Frank and I dropped Luke off at school and headed over to the nearest Sleep Country USA for the last day of their FREE, FREE, FREE sale. Which, it turns out, really means nothing - have you seen the prices of beds these days? Oh my. Thousands of dollars more than I was expecting. Who knew you could easily spend $7K on a matress and box-spring. And what is up with the super tall beds these days? You practically have to jump to get up on them.

So after walking around for a bit looking at all the prices, and realizing JUST how big a decision we were about to make - buying a super expensive piece of furniture that we would (hopefully) be sleeping on for 8 or more hours a day for the next ten or more years... we started trying them out. Which is an odd thing really, laying down on a bed in a public place, trying out all your favorite sleep positions... realizing quickly that all the less expensive (and I'm still talking in the thousand and up range) were not going to cut it... moving up and up. No, too noisy. No, too hard. No, too squishy, No, too pricey. No, too high. No, no, no.

Finally, we settled on a bed that Frank really liked and I liked well enough. We had it narrowed down to two actually. Mine of course was $500 more and had an extra 2 inches of foam. Frank's will do just fine, I think my back is going to be very happy actually... and with the money we saved (haha), we were able to find a new guest bed as well. Though, seriously, I don't think the Brisse B&B is going to be open for business anytime soon.

Gardening

I'm afraid I don't know how to tell what is a weed and what isn't. What if this little scraggly plant I'm pulling out turns out to be a beautiful flower?

What I love: flowers and adobe filters

Woke Up This Morning

Woke up this morning to the sound of "SWAAACK" then a few seconds of nothing... then "SWAAACK". Then "SWAAACK" again with that pause, then again. Then again. And again. And finally the sound of Frank's voice saying "Luke, don't throw that at the ceiling." 'That" being his light up suction cup ball thing. Which he'd been told not to throw at the walls yesterday. I guess he thought ceilings were still fair game. The pause... was how long it took to get unstuck from the ceiling and fall back to the floor.

What I Love

• My son, when he laughs and says "Oh, you funny goose!" and really thinks I'm funny.
• My magnolia tree that is about to burst into bloom
• My husband, who cleans my oven and inhales toxic fumes for me. And is working so hard to make our new house livable.
• My new obsession with my old macro that I finally discovered how to use.
• My new book - lent to me by Lara - which I've only just started but I can tell is going to be a great one.
• Better Homes & Gardens' Garden Plans
• The chocolate plants at Chocolate Flower Farm.
• This Peace Dove weathervane.

   

Book:05

Oh, not a very good read. That's what I get for judging a book by it's cover again - on the run, with Luke dragging me to the kid's section of the store as usual. It said it was a historical novel... one of my favorite kinds of novels... but... no, it was kind of a bad romance book really. I kept saying to myself, I have got to just give it up it's so bad, and then I'd read some more. And then I'd look at it and the other book on my bedside table (er, a pile of boxes, because we are camping out, remember?) and I'd pick the bad romance one. So I did finish it, and I still think it was a waste of many hours - I'm not sure I learned anything of historic consequence even. The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll. It's got 4 stars at Amazon.com - must just be me. I'd give it two maybe. Maybe 3 since it somehow got me to finish it against my better judgement.

Random Stuff

Today we are having the kind of weather that old expression was inspired by: "If you don't like the weather, give it 5 minutes". Rain, sun. Grey, Blue. windy, calm. Sun, rain. And then it changes again. Right now it's sunny. Oh wait. Yup, here comes the rain again. I should think there would be a few rainbows thrown in the mix.



My husband thinks he's going to build a garage from a kit. Sounds kind of fun maybe. I like this one. I'll have to get a weather vane of course - I think I want a blackbird sitting on a heart - I guess I'll probably have to have it custom made.

He also thinks he's going to rebuild my compressor pump. Maybe he can? I'll be ever grateful, especially if it doesn't take a month or two. I'm already grateful that he cleaned my oven for me, saving me from toxic fumes. What a great guy, hu? It truly sparkles. I think I'm just not going to bake from now until we move out.

I'm loving Burt's Bee's Green Goddess Clay mask. Try it - I bet you love it too.

Back to weathervanes. The crow/heart is good, but now I'm thinking maybe a bunch of cats sitting on a fence, singing to the moon? Or... hmn... an orca, maybe, since we are near the beach? OR!!! Flames!!!! Haha... I'll have to draw out some ideas and run it by the "committee" aka, the family. Luke is going to want a horse or a dog. Maybe a flying dog?! Frank is going to want a boat, but I think he'd be into the flames too. Maybe we will need more than one weathervane.

Or maybe what we really need is a Widow's Walk! Ooooh, wouldn't that be cool - I bet we could see the water from up there even. I've ALWAYS wanted a house with a widow's walk. Ever since I was a tiny little girl living at the cape. We would drive past those old houses and every time I would tell my mother someday I was going to have a house with one of those.

More Spring

 

Sigh.

Brought car in because the steering wheel was shaking at high speeds. Thought the tires were out of whack. Not so... needs new struts and other expensive stuff. Why are things breaking down so much??? Oh yes, must be that mercury in retrograde stuff. Doesn't that end soon? The house inspection is Monday - I hope things are on the upswing by then. Weirdness of the day is the buyer's agent called and asked that we clean the oven (it's at least 20 + years old and really, truly on it's last leg - I've been waiting for it to die for 9 years so I could get a new one... though it works better than the new crappy oven I just bought with the new house) so that the inspector doesn't call it out. Excuse me? That's just weird - wouldn't they WANT the inspector to call things out? In fact, I kind of expect the oven to be an issue. And how is it being clean going to make it less of an issue? And the oven really isn't that bad either - I mean, it WILL clean right up - it's not gross dirty or anything, but I'd rather clean it once on the way out than clean it now and then clean it again before we move out - I hate those chemicals. I'm just shaking my head here - what is really going on? It seems like such a strange thing.

No good photos or eye candy today - it's grey and rainy and I'm feeling about the same way.

My Oxy Con

The thing that supplies my oxygen to my torch, in case you missed my saga, has a broken compressor. Frank took it apart to see if we could fix it since we couldn't find anyone in the area who would - turns out if you are not a medical patient using the machine to breathe, no one wants to touch it, even if you are willing to pay good money for it. So here it is, the thingy broke right off the thingy (see my red dots). Now we have a list of compressor parts/rebuilt people to call in the morning - maybe they won't care that it came out of a medical machine that is not being used for medical purposes. At least I feel we are closer to getting it fixed now.

The Plunge

I finally did it, I listed some beads for sale. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to take this plunge, but I've jumped in now, and hope to add even more soon. Check them out if you like!



If you click on the necklace and bracelet pages you will find a couple of new pieces there too. Thanks for looking!

Because...

That other picture doesn't feel like me. But this one does.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Spend More Money.

Frank said look at it as an opportunity. So I am. An opportunity to get two new oxy cons and upgrade to this dreamy torch, called a Lynx. Grand total: $1035.00 plus shipping. But I still want my new camera... and I don't want to drop my old one to get it.

Two More Beady Eyed Girls

Well, I spoke too soon... my perfect day took a sharp turn: my oxygen concentrator decided to start rattling and then beeping and then all was still. Absolutely still. (I think we've been reading too many Magic Tree House books, sorry.) Yes, my oxygen supply is dead. So only two beads got made today, here they are. And I was SO about to get on a roll.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Oh, what a great start to the spring - sold the house (pending inspection and financing, crossing fingers, it will all go well), took down all the wintery cranberry decor and put up fresh green spring/summery stuff - I know - why? if we are just moving? Because it's been bugging me, and it will be at least a month before we can start really moving and if I had to look at a cranberry pillow one more day.... well... it wouldn't be pretty.

So house is all fresh, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, money is coming our way, I'll be getting a new camera soon, Frank will be building a glass-BLOWING studio soon for himself (!), with my lampworking studio next to it, the bathroom at the new house is designed and ready to start building rather than destroying (and money is coming our way to do it!), for some reason I have a TON of energy after months and months of just putting one foot in front of the other, and the sun is shining. I know, I said that already, but it really makes a difference!

So happy spring! I'm off to make some more Beady Eyed Girls!

Introducing...

My Beady Eyed Girls!

The Carnation House....

SOLD!!! We are waiting for the offer to come in now... have to run and get the fax and all that. Whooooo Hoooo!!!! Happy happy happy :D

Tyger Study

Anemone:03

This flower keeps changing and I keep having to take photos of it. Maybe I'm done with her, maybe not.

Photo Friday: Technology

Why is it only the "N" and "M" are worn?

Anemone:02

Posted to Beautiful Sunday.

Anemone

Studio Friday

This is my first Studio Friday entry. The subject is "Black & White" and was pretty easy because that's about all I have in my new studio so far. White walls and my black C R E A T E letters. I like how even though the subject is black and white, color finds it's way in anyway. And how white is never really white.

Beach

Had to run to the post office and since the beach is only two blocks away and the sun was out, we decided to stop by. Luke wouldn't stop moving or give me a regular "face" so here is what you get - this is what he looks like when he's in over-drive theatrics mode and an ultimate in silliness pose. He took one of me too, and it's not so bad, so here it is too. No one ever takes pictures of me - it was kind of strange to see it show up on my computer when I downloaded the pics.

Happy St. Paddy's!

Luke found a pot o' gold at school and I got pinched by three of his little friends because they thought I wasn't wearing green today (except I was, you just couldn't see it because I had my coat on.) Little stinkers!

Here are the photos I promised - my first chicken bead and some more hearts and one robin's egg. Left a few new ones in the kiln - I was making eyes... and things with eyes. Can't wait to see how they come out. I think there's a fish in there too.

Far, Far Away

This ad in National Geographic's Adventure magazine got me today, hook, line & sinker, all I have to do now is book it:


  Wake up.

  Snorkel with dolphins.

  Dive through a shipwreck.

  Gallop on a remote Beach.


  And that's just the first day.
  Anthony's Key Resort


Hmn... Honduras. It wasn't on my list even.



Speaking of exotic places, the Karen Hill tribe now has a blog - check it out, it's beautiful.

Glass Chickens and ABC's

I got to melt glass today. Finally. I've been trying to get out there for two weeks now. I made a slew of robin's egg hearts. And then I made a chicken. I'm looking forward to Friday when I can go back and take them out of the kiln and see how they turned out. Normally I just have to wait a few hours... waiting a few days is going to be pure torture.

Luke and I spent a bunch of time today looking for games that encourage reading/letter recognition. None to be found. Everything is numbers, colors or shapes. So I bought two packages of letter flash cards and I'm going to gesso one side of each of the cards (paint them too if I have to), and then we will have two of each letter and can do that matching/memory game with them. I think that will work because the kid is doing math when we play Sleeping Queens and Shrek Monopoly... he seems to love numbers and has an amazing photographic memory - he's memorized all the monopoly place names and all the chance cards already - you would swear he was reading them when he lands on them, but he's not. So games are working well as a learning tool - time to get going on those ABC's he's been refusing to let me teach him.

I also bought him a toy that is magnets that goes on the fridge and you put the letter in and it tells you what it is, and also sings the alphabet song. He must have played the alphabet song about 100 times in the car on the way home - and was trying to sing along with it. It really makes me mad because if I sing it, he just puts his hands over his ears and starts getting bratty. I guess I'll just take it as a sign I should never sing out loud - they say children don't care what you sound like, but apparently mine does. I would sing to him when he was a baby and he would just scream and scream. So now I will just do the motherly thing and buy him electronics that sing to him instead. Blech. Of course the toy isn't perfect - you put the U in and it say T, you put the A in and it says D. We will be exchanging it for a new one tomorrow - hope it works like it is supposed to or there is no hope he's going to learn that song before Kindergarten starts this fall.

The Universe Has a Strange Sense of Humor

So. I've been waiting all day by the phone for a call telling me we have an offer on the house... waiting and waiting... and waiting... got some work done in the studio, cleaned the house, organized the desk stuff, got the trash out... waited some more...

Then I went and got the mail. In the mail there is a letter - a request to buy our house. Wow! Too bad it's not the house that's for sale.

Still No Word

But keeping my hopes up. They sound like a great family for our old house.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of shots from today - Luke and I went to our old river and collected a few new rocks for the new house. Stackable rocks, moon-looking rocks with craters, rocks with stripes and fun markings... we even found some that almost look like hearts.

Crossing our fingers....

I think we may have a buyer for the house!!!

And a big Happy Birthday to Auntie "M" too :)

Experiement

Paper, metal tape, gesso, acrylic paint.

Sunday

The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Orange rolls are in the oven, coffee is brewing. All is right in my world. At least for now.

Can't Move

So much accomplished today. Major yard work. Major demo work. Major playtime for Luke. A good Saturday all in all.

Some pictures to share:

Here is a corner of my house - the kitchen window, looking out to the street. Spring has sprung. Even if it is snowing, hailing and freezing out every other day.



Here is the demo - one taken standing in my bedroom, one standing in the livingroom. And when I say, in my bedroom, I do not mean in the doorway of my bedroom:





Here's my artsy shot of the day. Some sort of seed pods:



And here is Kesia soaking up the heat front of my fake fire. Yes, it's holiday lights on logs - Frank just think's I'm hillarious. Or something else... I'm not sure what.