9:00pm Freebie winner is posted, and April Freebie is ready...I'm on time for once...!
3:00...i have awakened a monster...the dog has had a taste of how fun it is to ride in the truck (truck truck), and now she jumps in when I open the door - and she won't get out...! I took her to Sonic, and bought her some tater tots- but she just spit it out on my leg (thanks)...when I got her home, I thought she'll be ready to get out - but nope...I ended up having to drag her out of the truck...and after I've returned from Target (bought 3 more Phillippa Gregory books, yeehaw!), she's ready to get back in the truck again...its too hot to leave her in it, so we'll just have to keep her entertained by taking her for rides...good grief...
I am here, but doing behind-the-scenes things...like shipping! yahoo...everything that has sold this week will be gone by today, so if you've been looking for it, its either on its way, or will be this afternoon...
On a related note, in keeping with the Hipster Doofus 70's theme, I am including a 'super secret stash' with all the Hipster orders...a ziploc bag full of green herb...but DON'T smoke it...its rosemary! I gave my rosemary bush a haircut, and the branches have been drying for a week..they smell like spaghetti according to Brian (I have rosemary all over my hands, but still can't smell a thing - so sad)...
Hippy Dippy Weather, dude...enjoy the aroma and don't think I'm shipping illegal goods thru the mail, you hipsters you...
I've selected a new Freebie for April, pic will be posted today...and name will be drawn for the March strand...(I have lots to do today)..
And if I haven't mentioned it, I am going to be away from the torch for a few days, but I'll be back and ready to go in a few days...just time to get a few things done, and it'll be good...you will prob hear from me, but I don't expect I'll have any beads for a few days...I just cleaned my work station the other night and it makes me feel better when the area is 'explosion-free'...hate those teeny bits of glass everywhere..I'm more like Monk than I'd like to admit...
Letha and I went 'junk diving' yesterday and she found me a load of cool old rusty cans, buckets and old silver pieces for my garden...she's a great personal shopper, I'm gonna drag her along more often...at least I don't have loads of plants waiting to be planted, I'd rather have the containers first and load up plants later...Brian has already claimed the large silver champagne bucket - he knows a large cacti he wants to put in it...well ok then...
I gotta get a move on, time to ship, label, photograph, and all that hooha...back later, babies...
Jump in the time machine and travel back to 1973...You'll have a great trip, I promise...grab a Space Stick or some Tang and enjoy the show...cool...mmm...space sticks...used to love those..the vanilla ones were weird but those chocolate ones rocked my world...that, and 'shake a puddin'...good stuff! Need some classic 70's candy?
So, do you REALLY think that votes are what keeps contestants on AI? I think the producers put people in the bottom 3 to get reactions and keep things interesting...its 'reality' tv, people, and you can't let it get boring, can you? McPheever in the bottom three was a surprise, but Ace better get used to the smell there, cause he'll be flyin home soon...ha...
I do believe its time for some sushi for lunch...again...never can get bored with that...
April Fool's day is Saturday (good grief, is it April already?)...Brian won some tix on the radio this morning for the rock band Warrant...he's taking some friends who like those old hair bands...I myself shant be joining them - I have no idea who that band is...I prefer Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, thankyouverymuch...
American Idol last night - blech...were there any good performances? Mandisa! is great...Ace is yuck...and who's suprised that they slammed on Chris for doing his same rock and roll thing? just when they tell you you should 'stay true to yourself', they turn around and complain that you're 'not showing enough range'...smack to that beyotch...!
Phillippa Gregory writes fantastic books..."The Queen's Fool" was entertaining and wonderful...can't wait to buy more of her work...Mary Higgins Clark writes junk...will never buy another of her work...insanely stupid story...stay far away...
Lots of rain, dark dreary day here...fantastic! We've needed it for months...Lake Donner has disappeared, but I was ready to water ski on it...my backyard was thick with water and it was great...now I have muddy footprints all over my kitchen floor...not so great...
Chocolate cake makes for a nice snack while reading Entertainment Weekly...but no gnomes take your empty plate back to the kitchen...bah...
New tornado bracelet, think I'm finally getting the hang of it...still makes me nervous and gives me indigestion while wrapping that wire, but the finished piece rocks...all worth it in the end..
Oh good, Darcy just shook her wet body all over me...she looks like she's covered in tiny diamonds...small kitty prints on my computer...
Beads this morning...two intersting sets...stay tuned...don't run far away...
via USA Today: Well, Bluth fans, it looks like our hopes for more Arrested Development episodes have been dashed. In an interview with Daily Variety, series creator Mitchell Hurwitz said he's departing the Fox comedy and moving on.
"The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return ... I've given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations," he told the mag. "I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn't continue to deliver that on a weekly basis."
...And I was so looking forward to this show continuing...bummer...
10:00 - I've taken pics of the beads, but the pics are way too dark...so i need to reshoot...and while the electricity has remained on, it has flickered a couple of times (even tho the showers are gone - why is that?)...so hang tight, I'll be back in a minute with brighter shots (i hope)...
I'm jumping on early to let ya'll know I have a massive thunderboomer over my house right now...awesome lightining and thunder...so I might be without power in a minute...I have a large set of beads in the kiln, I'm gonna do what I can to get them cleaned and posted, but if you don't hear from me for a bit - I'll be sitting in the dark...literally...
Back as soon as I can...with a houseful of freaked out cats and dog...
I checked the poll results and it looks like the 'beads ONLY' option is the most popular answer...however, the sivler findings and finished pieces answers weren't that far behind...so I'm going to interpret these results as I need to offer beads ONLY most often, with occasional silver findings or finished pieces here and there...which is perfectly fine with me...I prefer to let ya'll make your own trinkets with my beads, but sometimes if I have something I think you might like, I'll post it...
We have more stones for the walkway and my left shoulder is sore from draggins around Texas Iron Stone in a wagon at the rock yard...its really neat stuff, and now my shoulder and back is feeling the pain of hauling it around...granted, Brian did most of the heavy work, but he's not here to complain, and I am, so I will...
I also put together most all the succulents, after deconstructing everything I put together the other day, and drilling holes in all the pieces...I hope I drilled enough holes, they aren't big, but they are many...
Its supposed to rain all week, which would be fantastic..perfect workin' weather...I plan to have beads ALL WEEK, and if I hunt a little, I might find something to post today...lets see what I can find...
The garden show yesterday was fun - and we only bought a single thing! a book on purple martins, since we've had this fantastic house installed in our backyard, and have not a single bird in it...we even put a 'decoy' martin on it this year, but still nothing...Purple Martins return to the same house each year (they winter way down south, I'm not sure where - the book will tell me!), and since we've never had a family, we have none to return to us...BUT, we'll get one, even if I have to drive to all the Purple Martin super secret hiding places and lure them with peanuts and crackerjack...
So, after the show we hit a few of our fave nurseries and picked up some succulents (MORE?!?!)...
and today my job is to rework all the pots and cacti/succulents that I've bought the past few weeks...some of the pieces need some holes drilled in them...I also put a few more purple basil, tri color sage, lime thyme, dill and other goodies in the front yard...and Bagheera needed to roll over some of it and crush them, of course...he was hilarious...Brian picked him up and took him to the backyard for me, cause I was laughing so hard I couldn't get him outta there...the butterflies were warming up their wings in the fennnel after hatching...
The best part is that the backyard walkway is coming along...the weed barrier is pinned in, and the dark grey stones are starting to be placed...we're working on that today, after some much needed breakfast...
But will there be BEADS again? Yes, I promise there will be...after today, I'll be working on beads all next week...I was actually dreaming of colors to pull last night, (in my dream some little kid came in and knocked all my glass on the floor and his mom just told him not to cut himself - "Mind ya don't cutchaseff, Mordecai" haha..a little Raising Arizona reference...)..So we'll see what happens...In the meantime, we're taking pics and i'll post some so you can see what we're doin'...enjoy your spring sunday...
We're off to the yearly garden show...we have friends in from California and are dragging one of them with us...she's an outdoor chick, tho, so she'll love it...wish I had a red wagon, tho..looks like we need to take a trip to get one...hope your Saturday is sunny and warm..or at least sunny...or you're hiding inside staying warm and taking a nap...tweedle dee...
Yesterday my computer was slowly dying, so Brian threw it onto the diagnostic stage and I just got it back this morning...While I had downtime and couldn't hang out online (which I really shouldn't be doing anyway, there are beads to be made), I pulled out an old kit I bought from Lisa Niven Kelley ages ago, and decided to give it a go...I am not good with the 'random' kind of stuff, I like all my beads to line up in a row...I'm an orderly beadworker, I've tried doing the 'freeform peyote' and my head just about 'sploded...so I found these a challenge and just knew I was doing them wrong...as it turns out - you can't do them wrong...they turned out great and I'm tickled purple with the final result...
I kept looking at the beads as I'd make each one, thinking 'good lord, they don't look anything like the cool pic in the kit, I can't do this, I know my limits, I am not a freeform person'...I've taken enough wirework classes to know that I like order...but I just kept plugging away, figuring I would just toss the finished thing in a box if I hated it..or just salvage the crystals and melt the wire down at the smithing torch...BUT a funny thing happened...after I started to put those little twists in the wire, the beads started to settle down and behave...then I blackened them all and they looked like I dug them outta the dirt after 50 years...so I strung the whole thing up and threw it into the tumbler for about 45 minutes...when it came out, I washed it off and this was the finished piece - as Cartman would say 'awesome'...I love it now...even with the small tumbling shot still falling out of the beads this morning, its still a cool piece and I am ready to make another one! Well, I need more wire, but I have LOADS of crystals to make TONS more of these bad things...so if you're looking for something you don't have to be perfect with, this is the kit for you..
I had a GREAT time doing my semi-regular sushi dinner date with my buddy Jim last night...our SO's don't dig sushi like we do, so we are always getting together to munch the stuff, get caught up on our lives and just hang out...I used to work with Jim and realized last night that I've known him for 8 years...we both started at Catapult here in Austin the same week in 1998...we used to be on the 'entertainment committee' planning parties for the company and we made that place a rockin' good time...
This weekend is the big garden show, so I'll be looking for succulents for a really groovy hanging metal container that I've been eyeing for MONTHS...it wasn't for sale for a long time, and then it was, and I snatched it up the other day..but it needs some cacti or low maintenance plants...I also bought an airplant yesterday..I'll get some pics up of it all as soon as I can...woo!!
My plan was to take a nice drive into the Hill Country and pick some strawberries this morning - but its 43 outside...I think the strawberries are already frozen into little daiquiris on the vine...so I shall find something else to do to fill my morning...probably grocery shop...woohoo!
and the herbs will have to stay inside another day before I can plant them..maybe I'll just remove all the basil leaves and make a pesto this morning...ha...
I told ya'll I wouldn't make this an American Idol blabfest, but I will say - 'Yea! Chicken Little is gone!!'...
I took Lady for a ride yesterday, just to get her used to taking trips in the trunk (trunk? did I say trunk? I meant TRUCK!!) more often...she did ok, she was a little concerned, but I didn't keep her out very long, and when she got home, she was SOOO happy and needed to drink a lot of water...I don't want her to be afraid to ride in vehicles and think the only time she goes anywhere is to the vet or a 'bad' place...not that we ever take her a 'bad' place, but she doesn't understand that...I've discovered that she likes Frosted MiniWheats...its rather amusing to watch her eat one...and she's loving this cold weather again, she gets very wound up and runs a lot...she wore us out last night...her Kong frisbee is in ribbons...wacky dog...
I have 4 groovy bracelets ready to offer RIGHT NOW...some organically grown squeezes that I personally LOORVE and hope you do as well...I always start to get anxiety when I put stuff up that I love, cause, well, I never know what to expect..after all this time, I still dunno what folks will get excited about - except Corina and Kim Neely beads - folks sure do be likin those beads, and for good reason...did you see C has a new set up on eBay? rock and roll..
I just brought back a palette of 20 herbs, including 2 catnips...i forgot about them, but boy did Bagheera smell them...I just moved them before he destroyed the entire palette...basil, sage, lemon thyme, lavender, rosemary - its like an herb bar 'sploded in my studio...I was told to plant them outside, so this weekend they are going in the front yard...
its only 51 here, we are all FREEZING again...what is going on? This is December weather, in March...good grief!
I bought a Texas Bug Book and i'm glad I did - I just found out that the 'weird' looking bugs I've been flicking (not killing, just relocating with a fast flick) have been LADYBUG larvae, which of course eat aphids - and here I've been zinging them off the roses..! d'oh...I just assumed a ladybug larvae would be smaller than an adult ladybug, but I was wrong...Bagheera is on the hunt, he just came past me, looking for the catnip...he knows its nearby, he just isn't sure where...this is rather amusing...
A couple of quick shots of the spiral bracelet that I made on Sunday...with the awesome 'rivoli' clasp that I am very happy to gaze into for hours...it reminds me of some earrings I had as a kid, they did the same 'color dance' thing and I guess maybe I never grew out of that...and ironically, the squeeze bracelet I made matches the bracelet pretty well...who woulda guessed...i'll get a better pic so you can see the groovy 'volcano' crytsals that are on this thing, they are pink and yellow and green and fantabulous...
by the way, email isn't working - I can receive messages, but I can't send anything at the moment..and my computer guru isn't on line...
wow, this is EXACTLY what i've been doing today - no computer, no lunch when I was invited today...just the doors open, the squirrels and birds (and cats) outside, and some retro 80's music on the speakers- "You love the hectic pace, but it's important to get a sense of balance back into your life. Time alone is exactly what you require. Turn off your phones, get away from the computer and do something you love."
Shipping day! Loads of stuff will be leaving the building today...whew...
Lots of lightening and thunderstorms last night, but pretty sunshine today...love those light shows, and I'm always curious how the plants and flowers do thru the storm, but they all seemed to be fine...one year, around Thanksgiving, we had a terrible flood here, it took me 2 hours to drive 8 miles home that afternoon...and one of our trees was split in half when we finally made it home...our neighbor was nice enough to cut the split part away, but I didn't want to lose the whole thing...its now repairing itself and in a few years, it'll be completely healed...Mother Nature is awesome...!
Sounds like purple, lime and blues are requested...and I happen to have those colors sitting on my table at the moment!
I do have something to show ya'll, I made another spiral bracelet from Lisa Niven Kelly's site...I've made two so far, and this one is my favorite..probably because the clasp is one that i've been lusting after since I saw it last year at B&B...I'll get that up eventually..but first - breakfast and next, shipping!!!
rock on sistas...peace out...
We're not working on our yard this weekend - its been raining since yseterday morning...its wet and goopy out, we can't dig, we really can't plant, we can't shovel and move gravel cause the pathway needs some attention before we can do that...so, we're stuck inside..which isn't so bad, but I can feel us all going kinda stir crazy...the dog is having a cow, she wants out, but she doesn't like to get wet...so she dances inside, wanting us to do something about the rain...
Brian tracked in mud all over the kitchen and front room, so I wet-swiffered that last night cause he has a friend coming over and I was afraid it wouldn't get done...so at 11:00 last night, I'm swiffering the kitchen, but it wasn't so bad...that wet-swiffer is pretty fun actually...
I worked on some stuff yesterday, but haven't even pulled it outta the kiln yet, we woke up really late (I was reading my Queen's Fool book till 2:00am!) and I can't believe its as late in the day as it is already...
I need to break out some of this new bullseye I bought from the local beadmaker, there's lots of purple, but are ya'll sick of all the purple by now? should i work in the lime and yellow green instead...? time to do *something* tho, eh?
Some new yardwork pics from some of the stuff we did last weekend...
12:12 - Ready! go see if you find a scratched or dented beadset you like...
Perhaps you remember the last time I did this...I've dug up bracelets and goodies that I've had sitting around getting dusty and taking up space...I've cleaned them off, no cooties, and will post them here in a bit...These aren't really scratched or dented, but there might be a flaw on a bead here or there...I'll point out the flaws (if any) so you won't be surprised...But first, I gotta take care of some business here...my hair is drying w/out any goop in it and if I wait too much longer, it'll look like Roseanne Rosannadannas...
Ace in the bottom three last night...that cracked me up..did you see his face? He seemed shocked...Well, his songs the past few weeks were awful choices, sung awfully...ick...I'm glad Melissa was punted, no surprise there...the next few weeks will be boring - the necessary folks will go - and then we'll get down to the good singers and it'll get interesting then.../american idol rant off...
And the purple just keeps a coming...when i get in a groove, I can't stop myself...rock on...
If you're as big an Anglophile as I am, enjoy living vicariously thru the Londonist website...'knobhead'? Calling the Beatles 'overrated crap'? (that's blasphemy to me)...Your city might have an 'ist' website too...Austinist is one of my faves..keep up with the 'in' crowd in Austin..alas, I'm not a hipster doofus enough to do what they do, but I like to pretend...
Here's the 'something new' I promised - spacers! Not exactly 'new', I know, but the fact that they are grouped together means you can stock up and practically never run out...ever! Well, maybe never...I would say more, but a headache has just taken over the top half of my brain and I think I need to amputate it for the day...back once the drums stop beating...
I've got some beads, you've seen these before, but I'm gonna try something new in the offering..I need to clean them first, tho, before I'm gonna say anything else...
Dog is digging in the newly planted stuff in the backyard...today one of the garlics next to the roses was laying in the dirt, like a dead bird...I've replanted it, pushed all the dirt back into place, but I've got to keep an eye on her...she gets wound up in the morning with all the delivery trucks that drive down the back street...argh!
If you're bored sometime, visit these blogs that won the 2006 Blog awards...I'm surprised that I already read a good handful of them..that post secret site is pretty cool..i'm jealous of his hit counter - over 25 million hits...blimey!
New bracelets are posted...and all sold..thanks gang!
There's a theme to today's offering...I'll explain it on the Ready for Pickin' page...am watering the front yard - I have to move the sprinkler a lot more now that I have roses scattered all over the place...isn't it funny how I didn't consider that when I planted them...
I feel like I have been kinda lax in getting beads to ya'll of late, so I have a plan..a master plan..a good plan...a plan I think ya'll will appreciate...I'm gonna get down and make stuff this week..and if it goes well, I'm gonna get down and make stuff next week too...and maybe who knows, I might just keep making stuff until you tell me 'enuf, we can't stands its anymore!'...So this morning, its shipping time, and then onto the torch..I think i need to change my propane tank, my flame is getting kinda low..but I have 3 tanks for just such occasions, so that's not a problem...who knows what's gonna happen, where this will take us, how many beads could I possibly make at a time...
but won't it be fun to watch the mayhem...I think so..
And a BIG thank you to Canada for unlocking some of your fine arctic air and sharing with us sweaty Texicans here in Texicanland...Brian I have both have sunburns and really suffered this weekend, but today, its 65 out, I have the doors and windows in the studio wide open, the fans and running, the a/c is off and the sun is hiding..it couldn't be nicer...the dog is rolling in the dirt outside, getting so bad that I had to put the screen door up to keep her from tracking it inside...yet another reason to get down and funky w/ the beads situation..I'm just in the mood...I don't have on the tv or radio, although I'll probably put in some Joni Mitchell and just chill out...sounds like a good day to work...
I have pics from this weekend of all our yard work, if I get a chance I'll optimize them and post for ya...but I need to get this shipping done first...back later, kiddos..
2:30pm - ok, a little bead offering on this sunny Spring day...
Almost 2:00 - we did finish planting everything today, about 12:30 we were done...We've had lunch, Brian is taking a nap and I'm getting BEADS ready...3 strands..there's a story to them, I'll 'splain in the write up...out to take pics, etc..look for them in about 30 min or so..2:30 CST i guess...back in a bit...
Who went to bed at 8:00 last night? Raise your hands...I woke up at 5:15, but then fell back to sleep...I think I slept nearly 12 hours...today, were taking it a lot easier...hopefully we'll be done by noon...
unfortunately summer has hit this week, it was 91 yesterday and 93 the day before...its hot...we have sunburns and are tired...So today, we're putting in the last of my roses, these have been with me since December and I coudln't find a good place for them...so we're putting them in where the blackberries were...except we're ammending the soil a LOT this morning, and roses can take pretty evil soil conditions, so I have confidence that as long as they get water, they'll be ok...
my blackberries died last year when i went to Bead and Button and the other person who lives in this house, but shall not be named, failed to water them at all...in June..when its hot..and they need water...so, I might hire someone to come water the roses this year when I go to B&B this year, so I don't lose them...bah..
Most all the succulents are in their new pots, but I ran out of pots, so I need more...and I'm not in the mood to spend money or enter a nursery at all...I'm ready to clean some beads and make some new ones...I'm tired...can you tell?
We bought some wire fencing and planted two new trumpet vines and stapled the fencing to our privacy fence, and Brian tied up all the vines...they look great...I planted more garlic for the roses in the back, and bronze fennel in the front for the butterflies that are hatching and looking for food and places to hide...anyway, yes, there will be beads today, no I don't plan on going to bed at 8:00 tonight, and I'll be back after these last roses go in...I turned the soil last night, Brian is turning it deeper (we are our own roto-tillers) and next is the turkey compost and rose food...back after i've sweated my breakfast off...woo...
Its noon, and we've made our first return home, with a partial palette of mexican stone...its for the walkway that's been in transition since October or November...now that we have the pea gravel, the decomposed granite and stone, we can finish the dang thing..I dunno how many times I've twisted my ankle or nearly killed myself while tripping in this ditch...argh...But I also picked up some new succulents and sedums and am planting those..oh, and a new rose...like I NEED another rose...but this one is deep red with almost black on the edges of the flowers and its very dramatic..like I NEED another rose...I have my eyes on some others, but the backyard hasn't begun to be dug out yet, so my planting options are limited (they require 4-6 hours of sun a day - not shade)...Ok, Brian is off to pick up the rest of the mexican stone (the truck will only hold so much, its 1700lbs worth of rock), and I'm heading out to plant sedums...back later...beads are still in the kiln...but I'll get them out later...pink, purple and blue...eeeeee......
Us farmers are up early, before the sun is up...Brian has been up before me, he's definitely the early riser, I'm the night owl, but here I am at 6:30, up and moving...He's been in the studio, cleaning up and rearranging a lot of the stuff that's out here, and now we have so much more room...
I can actually get to the cabinets along the walls again...Our studio doubles as a garage, Star Wars storage facility, garden tool warehouse, dog stuff storage not to mention our bikes are here taking up space, and that doesn't include my lampwork area...I'm usually pushing and shoving stuff out the way just to get to a cabinet and barely get the door open, only to discover what I'm looking for isn't in that one, and I have to try a different one...So no, I simply walk to the cabinet, thru the free air, and open a door...its magical...
Last night's dinner was fun, we ate ribs and jerk chiken and meatloaf, and it was all free! gotta love that...we gave our feedback about the food, atmosphere and what we'd like to see on the menu...I do hope this branch of the restaurant survives, it looks like its a large space to rent and I hope that part of town embraces what we in the Central part of town have been digging for years...yum!
And I received the Bullseye collection yesterday, its full of some good colors, some colors I don't use much like yellow and cobalt blue, but I'll figure out something...also some very groovy dichro strips and lots of long pieces of what looks like cut Bullseye sheet glass...All in all I think it was worth the money, and I can't wait to get to it...I did make a few small sets yesterday using some Lauscha that I got in the mail, but those won't be ready any time soon..they're still sitting in the kiln as I'm typing this, and we have a lot of places to hit today, so I have no idea when they'll be ready...
and there ya have it...i'm ready for some pancakes...
I dunno why I'm so psyched that its Friday, but I am...we are doing dinner with Letha and her husband at a new branch of a down home cookin' restaurant tonight and I'm expecting a delivery around noon today of Bullseye glass that a fellow local lampworker is getting rid of (he's going solo boro)...So, that will be fun..in the meantime, I woke up before 5:00am (?) and have gotten a shower and am vacuuming the front of the house...
I picked up a bit of fibres yesterday, ribbon and some silk blends...I tried to steer clear of any wook or fuzzy stuff...I'll get a pic and you can see..(did I type 'wook'??? you know I meant 'wool', right? good grief my typos are silly)
I also have some orders to take care of, so today is 'stay home and work' day..and that's ok...tomorrow is 'farmers market' and 'pick up more elfin thyme' day cause I let the little containers sit unplanted for too long and now that I have planted them in the granite walkway, they've turned black..i think I've killed them...crap...
So there ya have it..back later once I get my hair goop distributed into my mess of curls (driving w/ the top down will knot my hair together like dreadlocks, which I've actually unintentionally had before - I just lop them off in one big cut, which cracks me up)...
I'm up early-early today...thunderstorms blew threw last night and woke me up, but didn't rain enough to do any good...I did get the elfin thyme and bronze fennel into the ground yesterday, so they'll be happy to have the drink...but the trees will need some deep watering...
I'm thinking today is errand day...my car needs washing terribly...and I'm in the mood to pick up some knitting again, but I can't deal with the hot wool and making scarves is kinda pointless when its 87 outside, so I've got my knitting guru looking for patterns for basic beginners like me (knit and purl is all I do, no increasing or decreasing just yet), and perhaps using cotton or some other fibre other than wool...maybe a cell phone cover??
During the two weeks of Olympic coverage that I made Brian peripherally suffer thru while I watched intently (or sometimes not), we happened to stumble across "Monk" on USA Network...I've always liked the actor who plays Monk and I have been aware of the show, but I feel that I don't need to add any more television shows into my world, so I always have ignored it...but after watching a few episodes, I must say we have found it very funny indeed...I think the thing that I am MOST fascinated with is his boss, Stotlemeyer - who as you might remember, was the psycopath from "Silence of the Lambs"...to see him doing 'normal' tv still makes me uneasy...I am never sure...
..when he's going to mention 'oh yeah, was she a big ol' fat girl'? or 'it puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again'...I think he does a great job on the show, he's lost some more hair, grown a mustache, added some weight, almost doesn't look like himself...but that voice is still there...and it still freaks me out...
Isn't Monk just the funniest dude? He yelled at a poor school girl cause her entire row had raised their hands, but she didn't and of course it threw off the balance and made him nervous...'put up your hand!'...priceless...I like that the show is funny, without prancing out every opportunity to show Monk's tics...we know he's got them, but they don't overdo it...I like the little blonde sidekick who calls him 'Mr. Monk'...you don't ever hear formalities anymore, no one ever says 'Mister' unless you are six years old...And Tony Shaloub deserves all the Emmies the voters bestow on him...good for him for getting recognized on a basic cable show, especially after being a 4th level bit player on 'Wings'...Maybe Crystal Bernard will make a special guest appearance as a victim...he could figure out where her career went...
The dentist didn't take as long as I thought - this was just the 'investigate - take xrays, fill in the hole' stage...the next visit, scheduled for next month, is the 'biggie' where they'll take the mold, and do all the work...then there's one visit after that to put the permanent crown on...I know how this works, i've done it a few times, its just been awhile since i've needed to have one done...my 'regular' dentist who I've been going to see since the early 90's has finally 'fully' retired, having been on 'semi-retirement' status for the past 5 or more years...so this is my first visit with the 'new' dentist that bought his practice, but he's a very groovy dude and I feel very comfortable...my fave part- when they give me a radio so I can listen to my favorite local morning show while they dig around in my teeth...excellent..
So, I visited the nursery which is on that part of town and they were out of society garlic (we bought them out on Saturday) but I picked up 4 teeny succulents...and on the way home, stopped at my favorite thrift store and picked up some very old, inexpensive, tarnished silver service pieces, and those will be the pots for the new plants...in fact, a little cream and sugar set was $3.00 for each piece, and today is 'housewares discount' day, so I got them for 75% off...awesome!! I even picked up some weird cups w/ long handles on them and I'm gonna plant in those and hang them on the fence...
But what about the BEADS?? Yes, I have enough for a few sets, should I post them later tonight, or just make more and post everything tomorrow? I'm leaning on waiting to tomomorrow...cause I'm ready to get my hands dirrrrty now...!! wahoo...
10:30 pm A couple of quick messages to ya'll-
I'll be updating after the dentist office..i have to leave here at 7:00am and who knows when I'll be back...3:00pm? Oh no!!
I won't be making any changes to the shipping process until I have plenty of info..right now I'm still using USPS first class, with tracking numbers, etc...
I've got some beads to offer tomorrow, wahoo...not a ton, just a few, and I need to get to bed early - so I don't oversleep...
I'm sorry to see "name edited" killed off on '24'...they were a good character and I enjoyed them..boo...
I need ya'lls feedback, cause this affects you...
I've been getting more and more emails from folks telling me the shipments I'm sending are arriving two or three weeks after the ship date on the tracking number...In all cases, the packages do arrive, safe and sound, but the delay is causing stress for everyone - where are the missing packages, how long will they take, why are they late, what's the deal, etc. etc...
I've done shipping long enough with all my previous jobs to know the post office is not the most timely, but it is the cheapest means of transportation...So - I'm looking for valid, useful feedback from ya'll - is there another source for shipping that I should consider? Do I raise my shipping costs to $4.00 and ship everything Priority Mail? Would 2 day UPS be worth the cost increase to you? I use the mail because its usually timely, cost effective and easy for me to print/drop off the packages...but if this system is not working, and there's a better option that I'm not thinking of, please clue a poor girl in...I'll do whatever ya'll say you want, its more about making you happy than it is me...grazi! (emails or comments are fine)...Oh, and i'll put a POLL up in a few days so you can reply quickly that way...I need more feedback on the new poll I have right now, before I take it down...rock on!
I did end up seeing some of the Oscars, cause I think Jon Stewart is hilarious - but man, did that audience not show him any love...either they were nervous, or pompous (what? actors who are pompous??) and they let him flounder out there...I still think he's brilliant, and he belongs back in New York making fun of those academy idiots...
I was suprised to see "Crash" win - I guess I ought to actually WATCH the DVD that I've had from Netflix for at least a month...The only nominated movie I have seen is Wallace and Grommit...I meant to go to 'Walk the Line' and "Capote" and "Brokeback", but I just haven't gotten outta the house...heck WTL is out on DVD at Target now...bah...
So, as I was eating a tater tot yesterday, part of my molar blew apart...granted, its a tooth that I had a root canal done in 1980, and there's been a temporary filling in it for the past 26 years, so it was only a matter of time before it lost its patience..and some random tater tot was more than it could take...So tomorrow morning I'm getting it looked at...the filling is still there, i'm not in any pain, so that's good...
So there ya have it...anything exciting like exploding teeth going on in your world??
I've built a page full of pics of what we've done this weekend...it doesn't look like much, but why am I so sore??...
Oh yeah, there is a NEW POLL in the left column...rock on...
Ugh...Oh...groan....I am sore literally from my feet to my head...We did find an arch and installed it yesterday, and I planted 23 plants...(ok, some were small, but I was still bending over and digging) and then Brian setup my new compost bin, so I put in a layer of leaves (still laying in our backyard) and realized I had no green material (grass clippings) so I went thru all the grass/dirt Brian had in the wheelbarrow and pulled out anything green or roots-like, and threw that in the compost, we put the rest of that soil on the blackberries (which really need some attention) and after the green layer was complete, more leaves went in...then while Brian was walking the dog, I potted my last plant (an antique rose called Valentine) into a pot I've had on my backporch for like 2 years...
At 8:30 we were so tired that we could hardly watch tv or even speak properly...So this morning, after breakfast, we hit Target for some milk and ended up buying loads of decorative fencing border for the front arch area...the house looks like Mortician Addams lives here - I love it! There's even a decorative ant in the rose bushes now...Brian is finishing the front area, still a little grass to be removed, dirt to be amended and then mulch applied...I on the other hand am inside, after installing the decorative fence edging, my body has said 'no more', so the kiln is firing up and I will be making stuff today...
I'll have pics as soon as I pull them off the camera, we are still in transitional stages with the yard, so the pics are still being shot...and now the dog wants to play frisbee...we found her old lost blue frisbee while putting up the row covering yesterday...it had been lost for 4 or 5 months, we even bought a new one for her yesterday, cause she had destroyed the orange one we bought to replace this blue one...so she is awash with frisbees now...its like having a kid living in our backyard with all the toys we are constantly picking up - ropes, rings, frisbees, Kongs, stuffed animals, tennis balls...crazy I tells ya..
I can't deny it...I'm up early so we can hit the nurseries and I can try to find an arch for my front yard..I have a climbing rose that's just waiting to climb something...I did find an arch two days ago when I was buying aphid killer juice, but I wasn't sure it was the best one...I want to put a water feature inside the arch, but this one had a very cool seat built in...which would be cool to use for more plants, but I dunno...so its time to go look for just the right arch...and more plants...
Yesterday, while plucking caterpillars off the passion vine (a near daily routine) a butterfly hatched from its cocoon while I was standing there...i saw it bust the pod and emerge - only took about 2 minutes for it to be completely out and unfurled...it was awesome!!!
So, I've got things to do, beads to make, plants to plant and dirt to dig...The Mixed Iris Icicles are almost ready to go, and I've got some ideas for new things, so I'll get crackin'...hope you have a good day, even if its snowing where you are...(boo!)...
I did a quick check on the roses in the backyard and the aphids and thrips seem to have packed up and left...I know some of ya'll were concerned that I'm using poisons to take care of them, but I'm not...I'm all about organics - peppermint soap, DE, and even ladybug larvae to take care of the problem..in fact, this weekend I'm planting organic garlic and onions around the plants cause they are repellent/companion plants that take care of the bad guys on their own...if I thought sprinkling parmesean cheese on the plants would help, I'd do it...
Enjoy some pics of what's going on in the yard in the meantime...
Oh yeah! Donner and her Wand of Death have been crusing in the rose patch and spraying every unwanted aphid and thrips that are eating the rose buds...After dousing them with a solution of soap and water, they are all dancing with death and Donner is cackling her wicked wicked laugh...I do love me some dead aphids and thrips (aka 'no-see um's, those teeny white bugs that bite the crap outta ya in the summertime...boo!)...i've got Diatomaceous Earth in my other hand, just ready to dust the buggers next, but so far, the soapy solution is doing wonders...
Brian took a bundle of beads to the post office for me this morning, so the bracelets and first round of mixed iris icicle beads are on their way to ya'll...the other good news, I made nearly all the other orders of icicle beads last night (all that's left are the ink blue/white flowers beads, there were lots of those on order-wow)...so once I make those beads today, I'll be getting the rest of the icicle beads outta here and on their way...the good news about all this, is that it'll free up some time for me to make more bracelets...and beads...and who knows what...
It was 88 here yesterday, after taking the dog for a walk at 4:00pm, she was dragging and panting on the way home, I was sweating and prickly from a slight sunburn...ouch...that's too hot for March! thank god the rest of the week will be cooler...please don't turn up the fire so soon...blah...
I have found a new favorite toy - the Swiffer! I had the duster, but bought the sweeper and wet mop this weekend and it made cleaning the house so much easier...the wet mop is fun, there are 4 AA batteries in it, and you push a button for the solution to spray, then you just mop it up...so high tech...but easier than a bucket of ucky water! I don't have any carpet or kids, so the Swiffer Flicker seemed pointless, my house is about the cat hair and muddy paw prints, so the mop and duster were most needed...and I'm happy with the results...I know, I'm weird...
I gotta clean some beads and water the plants...one of my roses is covered in aphids, little green monsters, so I gotta go blow them off the branches...bah...
Its March 1...are you ready? Spring, birds, flowers, sun...I'm glad to see the trees coming back, the grass getting green, the flowers opening up...March is the best month in Texas, its warm but not hot, and the humidity hasn't taken over yet...I can still straighten my hair easily...sweet...
The Oscars are Sunday...do you care? I used to live for these, but now a days it doesn't do much for me...everyone is processed and plastic...Its always been a popularity contest, so don't bet on these, cause you'll lose...I hear that now Reese Witherspoon is in trouble to win, cause she didn't show up to the Brit (BAFTA) awards show and they are gonna not vote for her - talk about a popularity contest...It should be about merits, but its about a**kissing...blah...Jon Stewart will be funny, tho... I hope he does well...
SXSW is getting geared up here in Austin this month, but us locals stay far far away from it...its a fun time, but expensive, and loud and most (not all but most) of us let all the tourists come and spend their pennies...the Austin cops always freak out and arrest folks for chewing gum too loud...bah...
I've got lots of stuff to do today, so I'll go see what fun things I can find to post for ya, and get to work...its a good day - I'm gonna have an egg salad sandwich for lunch! Nope, it was bologna with some cheddar cheese...yum!
March Freebie is now posted...hope ya like them enough to vote me high on Artzee (Top 25 is always a tougher spot, I'm happy if i'm in the top 15 there...)
