I'm making progress and am happy with how things are going...I'm listening to my Phillipa Gregory books on CD, and I'm up early today...the new cat feeding schedule makes them hungrier than normal, and Clementine has no problems waking me at 5:30 (yesterday it was 4:30) so that I'll get up and feed her...she's so cute and tiny, I can't ignore her...
If you've finished Deathly Hallows and are still wondering about the afterlife of the people who made it out alive, here's a great chat with J.K. Rowling...she answers a lot of questions...
Thought you might be a little interested in the behind the scenes goings on here at Blackberrybeads Studio...this is where I work each day, with my notes, sample beads, tools and trusty assistant...its a good space with good vibes...
I watched the Time Trial at the Tour this morning...It was very exciting, there were mere seconds to be lost...but everyone came in safely in the same 1-2-3 positions, so tomorrow, unless something goes terribly wrong, Discovery Team will have TWO people on the podium including the winner of the Yellow and White jersey - Alberto Contador...Levi has finished 3rd, his best ever...and he may come back and try again next year, as obviously he's in good shape to contend for the yellow...Lance wasn't planning on attending this year, he's been on tour promoting cancer awareness, but with his team (he's part owner) doing so well, he flew out and was in the chase car this morning...I look forward to the end of the Tour tomorrow, I didn't watch as much as I have in the past, but I have been catching up in the evenings with the re-broadcast...I like Bob Roll and he's only on in the evening...he has funny stories and just cracks us up...
I see sun..finally...its sunny and hot...I dunno what this afternoon will bring, but I'll take this for now...
I have lots of work to do this weekend, so you might not hear from me much...time to hunker down..but I look forward to it..and to the next beads I'll offer...its a good day...!
Oh yeah, I failed to mention that last night I had a dream that Darcy was trying to kill me...she could talk (!) and she had a little gun to fit in her paws...I was able to talk her out of shooting me and we played instead ...Darcy is my black and white cat...what does that mean? Is she turning into Oscar, the Grim Reaper cat? I live in a weird world...
i'm lookin' forward to Sweeney Todd!
I know you get bored with my weather reports, so if you might have noticed, I haven't been giving them much of late...but today finally broke me...We've had, according to our local tv weatherman 50 out of the last 70 days with rain...Our yearly average in Austin is 32-34 inches...we've already had over 38 inches and its only July...its raining right now...it rained yesterday...and the day before...and the day before that...What ya'll might not understand is, we normally have over 200 days of sunshine...our summers are normally hot and dry...July gets less than 2 inches of rain a year...I need the SUN! I'm tired of the rain..mostly because I have lakes in my yard...you think I'm kidding, but I'm not...there's nowhere for the rain to go, so it just sits...and then more comes...I saw a toad dancing in one of the lakes last night...he was cute...I'm glad he was having a good time...
Normally you'd hear me groaning about how hot and dry it is, how we've had 25 days of 100 degree weather...that doesn't thrill me either, but I'd love a day or two of sunshine...and a chance to get outside and fill the bird feeders w/out having to put chest-high waders on...the dog is beside herself in boredom...she's never had to spend this many days inside doing nothing...I go on the porch with her, where its covered and she can spend time looking at the horsey and new goats that our neighbors have...(no moo cow, though)...that makes her a little happier...but i can't spend all day out there, as much as I'd like..and I can't leave her out there alone...at least she gets her walks early in the morning before the rain starts up...
Ok then...i had to vent that...
Beads are coming along, a little slower but they're coming...I spent 2 hours getting my Harry Potter iTunes working yesterday - I have to listen to something while working and I find that Stephen Fry's reading works well for me...he reads the UK version of the books...Jim Dale does the US reading (even tho he's British) and while he's very talented, his reading sounds like he's talking to 8 yr olds...which he probably is...so I dumped Jim and loaded Stephen...
I'm gonna see if there's anything swimming in my bead box...
Giant Cupcake! You could bake one of these and a dozen of little ones and decorate them in so many ways...Brian wants one...
Who wouldn't want a fan like this little guy?
We like Oscar the Grim Reaper Cat...
I don't own a VW Beetle, but if I did, I'd definitely get these cute decals for it...MINE!
Deathly Hallows was the greenest book on the market so far...nice...
Summer meals in 10 minutes...I don't condone number 12...
What happens after Deathly Hallows? Rowling spills some secrets...
WOWOWOWOW!!! Did you see that the Rabobank team has pulled Rasmussen from the race? He was leading the Tour and favored to win (once you're outta the mountains, its pretty hard to dethrone the yellow jersey in the last few stages)...While I know there were rumblings about his non-appearance for drug tests this Spring, they let him start the race anyway...Who woulda thought they'd pull him while he was wearing the yellow??? I will say, I am SHOCKED! Plus, its good news for Discovery Team, as they are now in the yellow jersey and might just win this legitimately...
I think I mighta posted this ages ago, but I ran across it again and it still cracks me up...Poor Sahm...
Joni Mitchell has a new album coming out in Sept...sure, its on the Starbucks label, but I'm not one to judge...I will buy a Joni Mitchell album if its sold by "George's Auto Repair and Pancake House"...
Did you see the Tour riders sat in protest at the start of today's race? They are as fed up w/ doping as the rest of us...its not going to stop anytime soon, unfortunately...I wish it would, but as long as you can dope and get away with it, its gonna happen...Look at the baseball dudes who use 'roids...nasty stuff...
Some of our cats are getting fatter than others...they aren't outdoors running, climbing trees, etc. so they tend to eat and sleep more...Clem is still tiny, she's like a feather...We've decided to try 'two a day feedings' instead of the 'free feeding' we've been doing...i hope that'll cut down on the constant grazing some of these kitties are doing...they get so big, they can't clean their fur properly...and we don't need any diabetic cats...
I noticed something really interesting yesterday...after sorting/stringing the first batch of beads, I opened all the remaining orders and made notes about which beads needed to be made...the two batches of orders chose different beads to be made...not all the beads were different, but one group chose lots of the polkadotted beads and the other group chose none..one group wanted more pink beads than the other did...its all coincidence, I didn't separate the batches based on the beads selected, I just found that an odd case...
Paula Zahn or Vanna White?
Some interesting information from J.K. Rowling...who had a reprieve from death (I thought he was gonna die!)...what's she gonna publish next? go see...
Sorry for the delay in updating, I've been massively busy this morning...I've been cleaning beads, stringing, and triple checking the first batch orders to be sure I had the exact right beads...while doing that, a massive storm dumped loads of rain on us, shaking the house w/ thunder, blinking out the electricity and freaking out the animals...they all started to run into one another, trying to get out of the kitchen...and now people are trying to call me, but the cell signal is poor, and well, its like a Keystone Cops movie...I'm not stressed, I'm kinda used to the weather and freaking animals by now, so I just laugh...but i realized - 'geez, I haven't updated and its after 2:00!'...
I found one of my fave bracelets to offer...I made this when we first moved into this house, last year...it was my first set of beads I made, we had only moved my studio here, not any of the furniture or anything else...I think I called the Zoot Suit, but when I pulled it out of the box this morning, it reminded me of a rainbow, so I used the Skittles jingle this time...besides, I could use a nice rainbow outside right now...its been dark and dreary for days on end...I think the sun has forsaken us...not that i'm complaining...it can always be worse...
I'm heading back to the torch to work on the next batch, which I hope to have done soon...I think I need some lunch first...and no, not all the cupcakes are gone yet...
How about Vino testing positive for blood transfusion in the Tour? The whole Astana team has dropped out...and the leader, Rassmussen is in trouble w/ his country for skipping out on doping testing earlier this year...boo...
Today is Daniel Radcliffe's birthday...he's 18...and on a totally coincidental note, I'm baking cupcakes...not birthday cupcakes..no, they won't say "Happy Birthday Harry Potter" on them...I might be a weirdo, but I'm not a CREEPY weirdo...there's a difference...
Yeah, I was massively caught up in Pottermania...So much so that Brian took me BACK to watch the HP5 movie at Alamo yesterday...I've found some other chatsites that aren't nearly as vitrial as the Leaky Cauldron Lounge, and its been nice to read adult response...I've also downloaded a Mugglenet podcast to get their reaction, but haven't listened to it yet...
A bit of rather good news - I'm nearly done with half the orders so far...I'm happy with that...I think I took the right amt of orders for me to handle in a decent amt of time...I'll complete this first half, get them in the mail and get to work on the others very soon...and thank you for being so patient, no one has given me any trouble about delivery schedules...and for that, I thank thee...
Its nice out today, after it rained all day Saturday...that dog is acting oddly, she keeps running to the backdoor to come in, and then she looks outside like she's scared of something she saw...but then - she wants to go back outside again...I went out, didn't see or hear anything unusual...I was expecting a 20 ft snake to be wrapped around her waterbowl or something equally freakish, but nope...just a nice sunny, hot morning...she's pretty trustworthy, for a dog, so I bet something is out there and I'm just not aware of it...maybe its a coven of baby bunnies...soft and cuddly...
Chloe heard me in the back and came running...once she gets inside, she gets so excited that she attacks my leg - especially fun when I don't have jeans on...all claws embed in my leg/knee and my eyes pop wide...then she bites my shin...i guess I look like a scratching post from her level...she's outside eating w/ Jack right now...I on the other hand, am covered in scratches and blood...I just ignore it, I heal like Wolverine...
Comments are working again...
that being said, we are getting spammed heavily from China...not that you'll see anything on the front end, but know that behind the scenes is a war going on, greater than that of Harry and Voldemort...who will survive? my blog, or their spamming comments? I'll letcha know how it goes...
How's your reading coming? I just received my copy of the book in the mail (thought the UPS truck was delivering it...it mighta been in the mailbox for an hour since we weren't checking it every 5 minutes- der!)...I must make a confession, tho...I've already read the book...online...and finished it Thursday of this week...
So yeah, I'm not PROUD of that, but I was one of those 'wimps' who was just afraid that I'd run into too many spoilers to make waiting till Saturday possible...as it turned out, I saw NO spoilers online, even after I read the thing...so, although I suffered from cramped neck muscles, its was worth it...
I have to say, I LOVED the book..it was so much better than books 5 and 6...this one is action-packed, and while not perfect, its still a raring-great story...If you're looking for ALL the loose ends to be neatly tied up and resolved, that isn't going to happen...As in life, things go unknown, just like when you lose contact with your college roommate or wonder what ever happened to that strange boss you had just outta school...you don't know everything in your own life and you won't know everything in this one, but man, the resolutions that you DO get are pretty dang good...
I've been waiting for other folks to finish so I could see what they had to say about the book...and I'm kinda sorry now that I did...I visited one Potter fan site and they are TRASHING and RIPPING apart the book like you would not believe...its really sad...they are mad about EVERY LITTLE THING...I think its because they really dug deeeeep into the lore and expected all of the answers to come in book 7...but unless book 7 was 1200 pages long, it just wasn't gonna happen...and they feel gypped...which is too bad because they aren't looking at the book for what it is - a wonderful end to a wonderful series...I ran right along w/the trio and didn't look back...and I hope you enjoy it as much...
If you feel like talking about it, email me...my comments are down and I don't wanna freak anyone out...and if you judge me poorly by having read the online book, so be it Jedi...I did what I had to do to keep from having my experience wrecked...I didn't let loose w/ any info and I didn't steal the book - we have 2 books in the house...I look forward to turning each page and reading it again, tho...the 'proper' way...
A quick HP quiz...I shoulda known them all, but I missed two questions...d'oh!
Tonight is the big night..midnight...I'm staying home, as my copy arrives tomorrow via UPS...maybe even 2 copies, as I ordered another so Brian can read it along w/ me and we don't have to share...but I ordered the second one late and it may not come till next week...d'oh!
Its dark and gloomy here...its been a fantastic Spring/Summer and I mean that..normally we've had at least 30 days of 95+ weather and this year - we've had NONE! I think today's high is 85 or something crazy...so its been cool and overcast and wet...something we've longed for for years, during our drought...I can't complain...
Chloe is inside, I didn't expect to see her, so she's a funny little surprise...mostly she and Jack Bauer stay outdoors, but she's gotten used to coming in and out...we had her checked for all sorts of diseases when we had her spayed, and she came up clean...even for the HIV/Leuk that cats can carry...so we aren't worried about her w/ our indoor kids...she has taken to biting our shins when she gets excited...she loves on our legs, then 'wham' we get a bite...it makes ya jump...
Last night was the finale of the World of Pop Culture...good show, good ending...I still didn't get far in the online contest, I missed a question about what rapper Mariah Carey worked with on one of her songs...I'm not a big fan, and had no idea...my guess didn't pan out...no $2500 for me...!
Looks like the comments section is temporarily broken and we aren't able to fix it...will have to wait for the developer to do something...I will sit in my cave and wait for an Owl to deliver a note from Sirius or Lupin...
The movie was great fun...the feast was mighty tasty...the audience was smart and happy...Brian got buzzed off all the wine and I drove home and we talked about the movie the whole way home...
I feel like I'm talking to the wind, so I'm gonna go make some beads...hope someone's out there...hellllooooooooooooooo......
I've seen this site referenced twice in the past 24 hours...Once on Time.com and again on EntertainmentWeekly.com..so I guess I should share it with you cause it is pretty funny...if you like cats...
I did say that I'd have some beads to offer inbetween filling the C&C orders, and here's me making good on my promise...I built these beads based on the beads in the C&C sets, so if you missed out on the first offer, or if you're just a fan of squeeze, or if you want something to match what you've ordered, this should cover all those bases...
And I kept meaning to show ya'll the 'master shake' that we bought at Alamo Drafthouse when we went to see Aqua Teen:TheMovie a few weeks ago...he's got a pink straw and a sassy look on his face...He' my fave Teen...it was filled with a disgusting 'key lime pie' flavor shake - ugh...Brian drank it for me, thankfully...
I do love some good trivia...I've been playing along with VH1 World of Pop Culture...the show has been fun and I really hate the music categories cause I don't know any contemporary pop music any longer...Last night there was a contest between two dudes and they could not answer ANY of the six questions about songs from 2006...
I didn't feel so dumb watching that...But after the show, the contest opens - 25 questions, you try to get as far as you can...The East Coast contest starts at 9:00pm and I can usually get to about questions 12 or 15 before they ask me something so stupid that I can't guess right...
Last night I stayed up late to play the West Coast version as well, and I managed to answer ONE question correctly before I was punted out of the game...ONE...ONE...I was kicked out when I didn't know the company that the Dad on "Silver Spoons" owned...I didn't watch that show and its bad enough that no one talks about it now...Do you know? I lost on the East Coast version on the questions "What was the name of the AMC Car that Wayne and Garth drove?"...I guessed "Schwing-Mobile" but that was wrong...at least I got further into that game than ONE stupid question...d'oh!
The beads are coming along...tonight is the Harry Potter feast, so we are heading out early...I'm driving and Brian will drink all my wine, as usual...he has the resistance of a gunslinger from the 1880's...he can drink more than anyone I've ever seen, and still walk and talk like a normal human...still, we don't take chances, he has no problem letting me drive when he drinks...thank god...
I've read on two different websites that the entire Deathly Hallows has been leaked online...I suspect its been taken down, as Scholastic has some lawyers hot on the trail of the person who posted it (going directly to the website domain where it was uploaded), but I bet the info is out there...So, beware!!
We all know air-brushing goes on in magazines, but I've never seen a 'before and after' illustrated thusly...fascinating, isn't it?
Yesterday was 'one of those days'...you know...you want to work, you have things to do and everything gets blown out of the water...I did get beads made and I'm happy with them, so that's the best part of it...but after taking the dog to the vet (she's fine, just overweight), my truck would not start...it started just fine at 6:45 to take her to the vet, but I couldn't go pick her up...Brian had to come home at lunch and we picked up the dog, then jumped the truck and took it to the shop...mind you, none of its near our house, so we were on the road plenty yesterday...we finally got home at 7:00pm...I decided to call it a night, watching World of Pop Culture (which then didn't take me into the online game when it should have, so I missed out, bummer)...anyway, at least the truck is in the shop...I think it just needs a new battery...and maybe some new brake pads...
Today is another day closer to the new HP book, and tomorrow is the feast...man, time flies...
I'm having fun making the beads, I don't have an idea when they'll be ready, so just hang tight..its still early in the game...I got a lot of the pink beads done yesterday...the lentils, I'll save till last...they are the trickiest...I'm already thinking of new color combos to do this again...I'd love to offer this again next month...
Katie sent me the 30-Second Bunnies doing Napoleon Dynamite...hilarious!
Dog is at the vet getting her checkup and all the extras...they're even gonna clip her toenails..no more 'click click' on the tile floor...she loves people, just not other dogs, so I've warned them...we took her in before the other folks brought in their dogs, but I have a feeling they will bring her right out into the waiting room this afternoon when its full of dogs and it'll cause a problem..no matter how much I tell people about how much she doesn't like other dogs, no one listens...
I got the weeds mowed and it was a massive undertaking..some of these weeds grew so big from all the recent rains that they would not let me chop them down...they'd lay down, and the mower would just strip the leaves, but they'd pop right back up afterward...and pulling them by hand - it was like trying to pull a tree out of the ground...bah...but at least the a/c unit is 'vine-free'...and all is right with the world...
I was on one of the Harry Potter sites over the weekend and they showed a store in the US that already has their boxes of books - and they'd opened them to inventory them...which means of course, YOU KNOW someone will open a book and post all the spoilers...I'm just warning you - stay off the boards...
I've signed up for a new book-rental service that Helen told me about...Booksfree is very similar to how Netflix is done, although it seems that most of the books aren't recent releases, but for me that's not a problem because I'm so non-read that every book is 'new' to me...I have 35 books in my queue already! Three of them showed up (Hercule Poirot and David Sedaris) and I'm gonna try them out on my computer today...I like the plans they offer, the disk return is free, I hope the company grows and becomes popular...
I bought all sorts of fruit yesterday..plums, peaches, bananas, strawberries, grapes...I was craving fruit...time to go clean them and devour...yum...
I love Nigella Lawson..her food looks great, I've bought her books but have I made anything? of course not...I just caught her Nigella Feasts show on tv this morning - she made chili w/ corn bread, guacamole, and a black forest cake truffle w/ cherries...oh man...tasty and delicious (looking)...
Its sunny out and I really really need to get some of our weeds undercontrol...we had our fill of Harry Potter last night, watching the 4th movie and an A&E special behind the scenes show...so I guess that'll do for now...Time to get the gloves on and mow...hope your Sunday is more relaxing than mine...
Noon - BZZZZZTTTTT...no soup for you! We got to the theatre early, and it was closed, so when we went back, there was a line- and the tix were all sold out! Everyone bought theirs online...i checked the website, and it normally will say if a show was sold out, but nothing was marked sold out, so I figured there were some tix, but no...not at all...oh well, guess we'll wait till Wed night for the feast after all...we did get the samplers and exchanged some stuff for Brian's birthday so it wasn't a wasted trip..now that we're back home, its dark and stormy out..again...maybe I can pull weeds tomorrow...sigh...
We are gonna make an attempt to see HP today...I dunno if it'll be sold out or not...and my samplers are ready, so time to go pick those dudes up too...and guess what...its raining again!?!?!?!? sigh...
I've had a great time hearing from everyone about the beads, Beth put together an awesome Excel spreadsheet for me after she saw my sad little attempt...Excel does many magical things, but I am not one to make it happen...so she put all the right pieces together and I am grateful...
On an amusing note, from what I can tell, it looks like the most requested bead is D3...who woulda guessed??
5:15 Friday and we are CLOSED- I've got my fill of orders for now, so if you didn't get yours in today, don't fret...I'll see about accepting orders again...first I need to complete the orders I have and see how long that takes me...Also, while i'm busy behind the scenes completing these orders, I do plan on posting at least a squeeze bracelet or some beads now and again, just to keep things interesting...why not?!?
3:05- Wow, I must say ya'll are doing GREAT with the order submissions...! and I have to say 'thank you' for not asking for lots of customizations - i always get in trouble when I change colors and make mistakes...I am about half way to the number of orders that I feel comfortable in taking, so I'll leave this up for now, but i might have to close it before this evening/tomorrow...I'm happy to hear from so many of ya'll who like this idea, I think I'm going to like it and want to do this on a regular basis...I say that now...ha!
1:01 Sorry for making you wait, these pics took a lot of time to get right...I've posted the beads...the pic is LARGE, so you'll have to scroll...I'd rather you SEE the beads, than make the pic too small..The pricing code is explained, how to order is explained, but I'm sure I've forgotten lots of stuff, so just email me and we'll figure it out...hope it makes sense and that you find something you like...lets get to it then, eh?
Alrighty then, this is gonna be a little different for me and you, so we'll all go slow and see if we can figure this out...I have roughly 45 beads that I'm gonna post and let YOU tell ME what you'd like...What I'm also going to do is take a variety of SAMPLE pics to help you with your designing needs, just in case you aren't sure how some of these beads might look with one another...you can order a sample as shown if you like, but don't be afraid to change out beads or come up with your own...ask questions too...
I don't know how long to leave these up for orders, so we'll just go with the flow...I'll have a few more boring instructions on the pickin page once they're posted...
So, take your time, no rush, you won't miss anything...
Oh, I DO have some icicle beads, but not nearly the selection that I'd like, so figure I'll have more coming up...I also need to make some spacers, I missed those too...too busy coming up w/ fun beads...heh...
back soon...
I just read that in Britain, many of their book sellers don't have any clause signed to keep them from selling Harry Potter 7 before they ought to...so, be warned, you might see/hear/learn spoilers WAY before you get the book next Saturday...I'm gonna start my self-imposed ban on media coverage just to be sure...
Its funny about waiting for stuff...when I was a kid, Christmas could NOT come fast enough...December 1st felt like it was a million days away from Christmas...as I get older, I find that stuff sneaks up on me TOO quickly...like its already July and the Tour de France is going on and Brian's birthday is coming up (he just went in for an early birthday present installation on his car the other day, we're spreading the birthday wealth)...and yet, I'm stuck in the waiting game again...I couldn't WAIT for the new Harry Potter movie to come out, and now its out (and I haven't even seen it yet!)...I just received a phone call that 3 samplers I've had in the framing store are ready, something I've been waiting for for WEEKS and weeks...
and i'm still waiting on Harry Potter book 7, which is only 8 days away, but feels like FOR-EVER...and so, I wait...but I think we might sneak into HP5 this weekend, if the crowds aren't too bad...and I know we are going to pick up the samplers this weekend...it might rain (again?) so we'll stay indoors...
speaking of, my garden is growing, but its overrun with weeds...the recent rains have made everything grow, including the weeds and grasshoppers which are now 3 inches long (ha, more like 2 inches, but still they can carry away a can of soda if its full! no lie! seriously!!!)...huge...my dill is spent, my fennel is rotted and eaten away to nubs, the coneflower are suffering, its bad...and its supposed to rain this weekend, so how can I get out and cut the weeds back? maybe I'll just get wet...it could be worse- everything could be dried up and crunchy...
I've got 29 beads that I'm happy with, 6 extras, about 10 that I don't like and another 22 that I made after watching World of Pop Culture on VH1...the 22 are all the same style, so i don't really count those as 'beads', I mean they are, but they aren't individual...they look great as a bracelet on their own, tho...the kiln is firing up and I'm making more stuff today including Icicle beads for ya'll who have the hardware...and if you don't and want some, that's fine too...they have a larger hole to fit on the silver earring, but you could use them for loads of other designs...I'll see ya'll tomorrow, and you don't have to wait too long!!!!
Former First Lady, Ladybird Johnson has passed away here in Austin...while I am not fond of politicians in general, she was a very nice lady who did wonderful work to keep Austin beautiful with green spaces, wildflowers along the roadsides and hike and bike trails in town...Brian did some work at her apt downtown, although never getting to meet her (she was 94 after all), but he worked with her daughter to get computers and phones working...I appreciate someone with an appreciation for gardening and beautification and preservation...I hope we can keep the green spaces green for us and those who come after us...
UPDATE on today's progress...I have been working all day and have a kiln full of beads...I am actually running out of room...so I'm going to work another hour and pick up again tomorrow, after I can take stock of what I've made today and 'fill in the gaps' tomorrow...
As far as Friday's posting - you won't have to worry about missing anything...I'm trying something new for me- I'm going to post the beads and let YOU decide which ones you want to purchase...build your own bracelet, so to speak...I'll probably leave the page up a few days, until the orders are beyond my wildest expectations, and then I'll get to work on what ya'll order...this way, you can choose only however many beads you want (and only spend as little as you want)...I'll double check the total with you, send a PayPal request for the amt (with shipping and TX taxes, yeah, bites) and once you pay, I'll get to work...so even if you place the order, you don't have to pay right away, you can wait a few days...However, don't wait too long, cause I'll pack up these rods eventually and move onto new colors...anyway, that's the plan, Stan...groovy...
Time to get down to work...have you seen Harry Potter yet? post your thoughts!!
Ironically (coincidentally?) I've had numerous emails regarding Icicle beads, so YES, I will definitely post some on Friday...some may match the beads, some might be bright summery colors, who knows...but i'll getcha some listed, indeedy do...thanks kids!
I'm off to Austin for a little birthday fun for Brian...we really don't spend much money on big purchases, and when we do its always 'practical'...no, you won't find 3ft tall solid gold candle sticks on our fireplace mantel...but Brian has had his eye on something fun for his car and seeing as how he's in it at least 2 hrs a day coming and going to work, it seems like an appropriate, logical, practical gift...
I will have beads on Friday and I'm going to do something a little different, for me...I'm going to have a selection of beads for you to choose from and you can mix/match your choices...choose one bead or 20, its up to you...I'm going to make a variety over the next few days and 'take orders' for them...so, if you've ever wanted a chance to get exactly what you wanted, here it is...I might even leave the page up for a while so you can come back and browse at your leisure...
I've read 2 Harry Potter movie reviews and both of them were 'ehhh'...nothing much about how the movie looks, just that they are tired of the same old formulaic story...the thing is - the story is from the book...its not like the director had a lot of choice in what story to tell...I still like the look of the 3rd movie the best, its weird and funky and unusual...I expect I'll like this next one, tho...I mean, c'mon...its Harry Freakin' Potter!
Last night was a great 'catching up' night full of sequels...Harry Potter 3 was first up, and then Bourne Supremecy...I've already seen these movies countless times, but they hold up and are always good for more viewing...I think we ought to watch HP 4 tonight to get ready for HP 5...I doubt we'll do the Wed debut (Brian works from home on Wed and he needs to be near a phone/computer the entire day..he really does work!), but perhaps this weekend...we are still scheduled to see it on the 18th, but that's just TOO far away...I think the trailer looks great...as does the Bourne Ultimatum...We almost saw Transformers yesterday but decided to stay home and do chores which we really did!
My Horn sewing cabinet that has been sitting in the kitchen since March was finally hauled upstairs...its heavy...my back hurts...we also put down some more of our area rugs that we've been tripping over while rolled up...we moved a buncha backstock of glass so the last of the carpet could be removed in the spare bedroom...I even found some glass that I've been looking for for over a year...sweet...Brian vacuumed and went grocery shopping and I changed litter boxes and made dinner...the new Horn cabinet is awesome, it has a hydraulic lift for my machine, so I can raise/lower it for use...lots of drawers and cubbies and a nice swing out space for the serger...the cats LOVED it, they had to come and investigate it...Clementine has claimed it as 'hers' and yelled when I took her off it...
I like productive days...we really need to weed, after all the rain we've had, but its so humid and full of mosquitoes that we don't have the energy...even when its dark, its still miserable outside...such is the summer in Texas...I'm firing up the kiln and seeing what trouble I can get into...Clem is trying to steal my cream cheese...another normal day here...
We were on our porch the other day and up over the railing comes Stu the Walking Stick, just cruising along...they move pretty fast, really...it was like one of those 1950's Sci-Fi movies where the creature comes over top the hill and is 800 feet tall...he just came right up and over the porch to say 'hi'...we got a few pics of him and put him back into the plants to find food, cause there isn't much to eat on our porch, really...all the good stuff is in the yard...I don't know what walking sticks eat, but I know they are a natural predator of hummingbirds...babies, in the nest..so are praying mantises..(mantii?)...
Yesterday was a very 'lucky' day for us, we stayed inside and just hung around, doing whatever we felt like...I watched the Tour and we've been watching the ABC Family Harry Potter weekend...not like we don't have those movies to watch on DVD, but they are showing clips of the new movie and that's fun to see...I think we may be doing chores around the house today...really...no really...we'll see...
I got up to watch the Tour this morning, but came in on the very end...these early sprint stages aren't really all the fun for me till the very end...I can actually feel myself starting to disconnect from the Tour...the thrill of watching Lance outpace his rivals is no longer a draw and while I enjoy the Tour, I don't find the need to get up early each day to watch it anymore...I'm not surprised, tho...
I love dates like this...I am not a numberologist (is there such a thing?) but I don't understand the power of magic numbers...But I do enjoy it when numbers 'line up' and since we rolled into 2000, we've had lots of fun opportunities for number situations to occur...i hope today is a lucky day for you...go win something exciting!
I'm up early to get ready for the Tour de France to start...8:30am-1:00pm...It always means 'summer' to me to watch the Tour...and after the Tour is over at the end of July, it means FOOTBALL season! This year is truly flying by at the speed of sound...wow...
Cubes and Donuts beads for your viewing pleasure...I just couldn't put these colors away w/out making a few sets more...really sparkly, they remind me of the carribbean ocean...
Brian brought home the Powerpuff Girls first season DVDs last night...I've already watched 4 episodes...I had to quit before I watched them all in one sitting...the point is to watch them while making beads...I can't believe they are from 1998...67777777777777777777777888888
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88888888888888888888888888 <- That is Clementine walking on the keyboard, looking for left over breakfast...her nose might be little, but it works really well...
Does anyone know of an online BOOK rental service, like Netflix? I've checked out Audible.com, but they want you to buy credits - 1 credit=1 book and each credit is $15.00...I'd rather pay a fee and rent 3 books a month, like Netflix does with movies...I'd need something compatible with iTunes/iPod...anyone? anyone using a neato program? suggestions? ˇAyúdame!, por favor?
Did you see last night's ABC News? Charlie Gibson showed a picture of a bank thermometer in Nevada (Las Vegas maybe?)...128 degrees...! That is insane...Other hot spots nearby were 119...I realize its the desert, I realize its a 'dry' heat, but still...no one wants to live in 128 degree weather...I will take our downpouring rain (another day today!) any day...Droughts, heat, beat-down sun is a drag...I am feeling your pain, truly...
You know...I think Al Gore III and the Bush Twins should get together and throw the most amazing party, don't you? They obviously have all the good drugs and hooch...and are party people...and know how to get their groove on...What is it with Presidential kids who are wacky? You KNOW they learned it from their parents...sent to bed at 8:00pm and having to listen to the party going on downstairs...
Oh hey look - its raining outside...
Yesterday was my Melting Pot holiday...I bought kolaches (pigs in a blankets) from our local shop owned by a Korean family...at lunch we tried to eat sushi, but the restaurant was closed, so we hit PF Changs, which I realize isn't really authentic, but those Dan Dan noodles are pretty awesome...but for dinner- well, we forgot to eat dinner...ha...
A few firecrackers went off, but mostly the animals survived w/ no adverse affects...We found a snapping turtle while walking the dog yesterday, I guess he came out to see the show too...
Enjoy your 4th...don't go blowing yourself up...see ya'll tomorrow...
I don't even watch LOST but this had me crackin' up...
I missed questions 15 and 20...how many can YOU get right?
Its been raining for the past 2 hours here...(4 times so far today that I've counted)..the sun is long gone and my backyard looks like a lake...'they' say its 71 outside, but its 100% humidity...feels good and gooey...if the humidity would go down, I could open the doors and enjoy the sounds of the rain...
I'm here, just working behind the scenes today...are you ready for your big day tomorrow? hot dogs, potato salad, fireworks, cold sodas/beer...maybe a trip to the lake? We tend to lay low during this holiday, but at least this year the ground is wet enough that there shouldn't be too many grass fires from stray bottle rockets...one year our nasty neighbors in Austin shot off hundreds of bottle rockets - most of which ended up in our backyard...we were SO GLAD to see those idiots move away...they would fire off such HUGE fireworks that the entire block would come out of our houses to see what exploded (and not in a good way)...I called the cops on them one year (Its illegal to set of 'works in the city limits) and they just laughed at me - the cops...yeah...how very Austin of them...
anyway, we DO have hotdogs here in the house and I made brownies yesterday and there's enough water in our birdbath that we can pretend we're at the lake...I think it'll be a good day all around...
Beads are posted...hope you find something summery and fun!
On a somewhat concerning note - my email connection is still very POOR with Roadrunner...delivery is lagging and I'm concerned about receiving your PayPal notifications on time...so for today I will babysit the PayPal website and mark items 'sold' based on how they drop into the queue there...
What this means is, I need to find a place to post my beads that's not reliant on crappy email service...Therefore, I am going to start posting on Etsy AFTER today...in order to purchase items on Etsy, you have to have an account (just like when buying on EBay)...Its free, and painless and I'm not trying to make this harder on you, really...Actually by my posting new beads on Etsy, you won't be forced to campout at your computer waiting for the beads to go up...I can post there at anytime, you can buy at anytime...Plus, it alleviates the whole 'someone else bought those before you' emails tha I have to send occasionally that we all know SUCK bigtime...So, please be warned, and setup your accounts if now...there are lots of really cool goodies on Etsy that you might be interested in anyway, so I'd do it just for the fun of it...I've found some awesome earrings, handpainted prints, rings, books (Mr. Toast!) and pins (Uglikitty) that I've enjoyed...I think you would too...
Yes...there are beads in the kiln! I haven't even LOOKED at them yet, so lets assume the beads are decent and we'll have a good morning...I have a lot of work to do, so as Ahnuld says - "I'll be bahk"...
I did try to make beads after we got home from the movies...it was a long day of errand-running and visiting, then the movie (the theatre was packed for a 3:30pm showing of Live Free or Die Hard)...So when we finally got home, i fired up the kiln and made 4 really sorry ass looking beads...I finally quit when I managed to stick the rod of Terra to the two beads I had made on the mandrel...when I cannot make spacers properly, you know its time to shut it down...
In a bit of defense, I must say I bought a new shield for the torch, and its taking a little getting used to..I have to hold the rods and mandrels at a different angle and that's what caused the mayhem...
So today I'm gonna give it another go and see what I can get done...First, tho, some breakfast..when you eat at a 3:30 movie, you aren't hungry for dinner, and then breakfast rolls around and you're starving!
The dog is barking at our neighbor's mower...another day in the country...at least its sunny...