UPDATE 12:21 - I've added a link on the left column for my Great-Spectaularrrr mailing list...I've been testing it this morning, and it seems to work..(the subject line is auto-filled so your message will automatically filter to a special folder and I can add you to my list)...AOL users, i don't know if you're able to send an auto-filled email (in the past you emailed me angrily that you couldn't) so please just create a new email and put "B3MailingList" in the subject line...C'mon everyone, lets see what this puppy can do...!
This morning has been a crash course of learning...I was able to check my website for a while, then it was gone...I figured it was a hiccup in the connection, since I could see other websites, and occasionally my host server will lose connectivity, especially on cold, snowy winters (they are located in Canada - yes, I host my site a million miles away from where I live - isn't technology cool)...After about an hour, I heard this faint voice in the back of my brain saying 'didn't you get an email a few weeks ago, reminding you to update your credit card on file'...oh yeah...while the domain renewal isn't for another few months, my credit card expires at the end of this month (technically yesterday), and I plum forgot to update it on file...logging into the account was another interesting adventure, as the password/id they issued in the email a few weeks back wasn't the log in info I needed...go figure..so I had to hunt that down...but all is right with the world, I am back online and am pleased...
Let's talk about the English Tweeds, shall we?
I have confused more than one person as to how exactly I accept orders, when I open the ordering, and how I go about closing down and moving onto a new color scheme...so, perhaps I can explain that now...
I realize that the one thing I really need to do in all this ordering business is to have a mailing list where I can send you notifications of when the beads will be available...I've just never found the means to add the code to my site, so i'm going to just do the 'old fashioned' method of have you send an email to me, and I'll add you to my mailing group...That will keep all interested parties aware of my plans...I have been assuming that most interested parties who want to order beads are actually visiting the site on a fairly regular basis..and I do try to post ahead of time when I'll be opening/closing the orders, so you can submit accordingly...this last 'round 3' that I offered was just because I wasn't sure if there were still any interest out there...with the past two offerings (cowboys and clementines, and autumnal equinox), I received emails throughout saying 'if you're gonna offer these again, I want in'...so I knew there was interest..but with the Tweeds, it was quieter...I didn't get as much feedback, so I figured interest was waning, time to move into new colors...I figured I'd just toss out the possibility of a round 3 'just in case', but when no one responded (which didn't surprise me or offend me) I figured I was right - time to move on...so I closed the Round 3 and was ready to move on...I've since heard from 3-4 folks who were in fact interested, so I'm completing their orders, since I'm still working in the colors for me cause I like them so much...so, if you missed out on the Tweeds and want some, shoot me an order ASAP...no problem...and in the meantime, I'll add some code where you can be added to my Great-Spectacularrrrr Email List for Blackberrybeads and you won't miss out on the notices...sweet!!!!!
I heard you loud and clear...no requests for new English Tweedies, so I shall move onto a new color scheme...I am still playing in the Tweeds just for myself, cause I just like these colors - they go with everything and I've always been partial to the cocoa color as you probably can tell...so give me a few days to get my new beads up and ready for you...probably some time next week (late) but I'll post the progress here, so check back and see when I'll be ready to take orders...
Guess what major celeb couple has been spotted not far from my house...Brangelina!! Apparently Brad Pitt is filming a new movie w/ Sean Penn in Smithville Texas, and Angelina and her son Maddox were spotted by locals in the Wal-Mart yesterday, shopping for toys...I know the hotel where they're staying, but I promise I won't get arrested for stalking them..actually, I'm respectful of folks who are just trying to go about their business, I don't bother celebs for pics or autographs...so they have nothing to fear from me...but how cool is that to have them poking around in the small Texas towns...cool...
Ok, I dunno how much interest there is for a Round 3, but I thought I'd at least throw it out there before shutting down the English Tweed color scheme...so, if you missed out the first two times, or if you just want to pick up a few more before these are gone, submit your orders now...get them in fast, cause if no orders roll in, I'm moving on to new colors...I had a color scheme in my head, but I've decided to push it aside for yet another color scheme that I think will be popular...and I'm looking forward to working with these new colors, so my foot is tapping and I'm waiting patiently...hop to it little bunnies...
I know you get tired of my weather updates, but bear with me on this one...I found this pretty interesting myself...on Monday our high temp was 92...last night our low was in the high 20's...thats like a 70 degree difference in 48 hours...geez...92 in Feb is just all kinds of wrong...ridiculous...not unheard of, apparently it was in the 100's a few years back in Feb...it doesn't bode well for our summer...last year we had floods, this year we'll have drought...i'm gonna be watering my dusty garden everyday just to keep it alive...course, I could be wrong..i hope I'm wrong...
We don't have the heat on in the house (a/c one day, heater the next, our unit is confused enough), so the cats are huddling in the sunbeams, blankets and cuddling with each other...its gonna be like 70 today or some such, i just don't see the need for the heater...my space heater and kiln and a few extra layers will keep me warm...maybe a cat or two...
I ordered some new fancy parts for my car and they should be arriving today...a new fancy red gear shift and leather skirt under it...I suppose I coulda gone yellow or blue, but with the Vampyr teeth and red light kit around them (at night they glow red), I thought maybe red would be the best option...I'm looking forward to snazzying up my car...a brand new car cover will keep it clean, I'm gonna get it detailed and then cover it up like a bear in hibernation...take it out 1x a week to keep the engine lubed and the tires moving...good times...
Sorry for the size of the Knitting Nerd image - I'm still figuring out how iPhoto works on the Mac and I'm not very good at it yet...but I like the decal and she's got a sister called Crafty Geek that you might like too...
I am really bad about buying fruit, letting it sit on the counter (as I've heard refridgeration for some fruits is not recommended) and then watching said fruit spoil...bad bad, i'm rather ashamed...so, after buying a $4 smoothie at our local ice cream shop, I decided to make my own at home...and use the fruit before it rots away...
Having never made a smoothie before, but figuring it probably wasn't as complicated as say, erecting the Chrysler building, I looked up a few recipes last night and decided to give it a whirl this morning...
One banana, a few strawberries and blueberries, some orange juice for tang, a few ice cubes to thicken it up, it came out pretty nice...I didn't add all the sugar that some recipes suggest - I mean, seriously, I should just eat a big bowl of cereal if I want lots of sugar...I'm trying to go more 'natural' and less processed in my food choices...this coming from someone who has eaten many a PopTart...
I bought the new Nigella Express book (recipes from her FoodTV show) and she has an avocado bruscetta that I had to make the other day...one avocado, mashed w/ a splash of lime juice and salt, spread on a piece or two of sourdough bread...that's it...tasty and delicious...she suggests them for breakfast, but I say 'anytime' is the right time...if you want to snazz it up, add some crab salad or chopped tomats or maybe some chopped olives...I'm sure Whole Foods have plenty of funky options to choose from...I love goat cheese, so I sprinkled some on mine and had a few ripe strawberries on the side to clean my palette...quite a nice meal...
I love to watch food shows, not all of them but a certain select few...Good Eats, Nigella (anything she does will draw me in), Barefoot Contessa, Ellie Krieger, Everyday Food (on PBS), America's Test Kitchen, sometimes Paula Deen if I can stand to listen to her down home twang for a half hour...she does like her butter...
I hope you have something tasty for lunch today, go out and treat yourself to something good for you too...make it an event...eat the rainbow!!
So, after a 'serious' night of movies, I ran across this little gem of a little girl describing Star Wars (episode 4, you remember, back in 1977) and I think she does a great job describing the movie...I'm not usually one for precocious little kids, but I can appreciate ones that make me laugh...and she makes me laugh...I always imagine what Christmastime must be like for households with little kids like this - it must be a hoot...anyway, hope you enjoy her...
I enjoyed the show, I muted the boring speeches from folks I didn't know and turned over to Masterpiece Theatre to finish Mr. Darcy and Pride & Prejudice...there are some great lines in that show, even Brian was laughing...but I caught all the major awards and am pretty happy with who won...no upsets, no disappointments, a good time was had by all...
Was it necessary to seat Jack Nicholson in the front row, when nominees didn't even get to sit up front? Bah....
ETSY UPDATE: I'm updating my Etsy store with new beads from the English Tweed series...some new round beads that I didn't even offer in the English Tweed group, a squeeze bracelet, a couple of beadbox bracelets, and a few reactive glass squeezes...I'll put up a pic when I'm at my other machine, but the store is being updated right now...neato...
Just cause I can't pass up a reason to post pics of Johnny Depp or Javier Bardem...I mean, seriously...
I enjoyed Juno the other day...it was funny, not treacly, there was some strife and struggle, humour and giggles...I thought it was much better than Little Miss Sunshine, which i found to be blah...I think we're gonna go see There Will Be Blood, which I've been wanting to see since I first saw the trailer for it...it just looks good...
Twill be 84 today...if you're buried in snow, come on down and see us...I'm puttin the top down and goin for a spin...should be nice...
So remember me telling you that this town we've moved to is full of older, republican folks, right? nothing wrong with country folk, we are living among them and they are very nice, if not completely straight laced and lacking a sense of humour about most things...Anyway, Brian and I went over to the library so he could vote, and I kinda hung in the background while he got his ballot and all...the ladies at the tables who were handing out ballots then looked and me and asked if I wanted to vote, and I said very loudly "No, I'm a Communist, I don't believe in voting"...EVERYONE in the room (not many, maybe 8 or 10 people) stopped and turned to look at me...I was laughing, of course...and then they realized I was joking and all laughed too...I figured it was probably the most interesting thing that's happened to them all day...
I picked up the Vampyr from the shop, we took her in to have some maintenance done (new plugs, fuel pump, gaskets, timing belt, engine stuff) along w/ some replacement weatherstripping that's falling off the roof and buffed out my headlamps which had gone cloudy...she drives GREAT now and I don't want to sell her and buy a new car...I think i'm just gonna keep fixing her up (the window tint is peeling, blah blah) and make her look good...a few thousand dollars in repairs sure beats many thousands for the next years, right? and with only 36K, she's practically brand new...i'm gonna get a car cover to keep her clean until we can get a garage built in the side yard...we've been checking out various builders to get a nice sized space that won't cost us 30k...maybe something by this Spring where we can store our garden tools too...I'm ready!
I think we're heading outside to work in the yard...its beautiful, 75 or something and we've got work to do...
I've been making some random beads at the torch w/ the English Tweed color scheme and will be posting them on Etsy over the next few days...I've only got a few small strands at the moment, and a few lentil bracelets, but i'll have more to offer soon...and a new color scheme for ordering as well...I'm not quite done enjoying this neutral tweeds just yet, tho...I really like this color palette...don't I say that about everything?
Will you be watching? I like Jon Stewart so I might tune in on and off...we all know the middle of the show lags to the hilt, and all the really exciting stuf happens in the last 30 minutes - at 2:00am! Anyway, I hope Javier Bardem wins for No Country...he was fantastic...I've read enough articles about votes to know that its NOT about the most worthy, its about who the voters like...Did you see Alan Arkin win for Little Miss Sunshine last year? I like Alan Arkin, but that role was not Oscar worthy...he's done much better work in other films...but I guess the hate for Eddie Murphy was strong enough to vote against him...no wonder he left the show after he lost the Oscar...ha...
Didn't watch the debate last night, knew I'd catch up on all the analytical aspects afterward...What was with that last part Hilary said about 'no matter what happens, we'll be fine'...is she conceding the race now? MSNBC has an article about how much her campaign is spending on hotels, consultants, etc. and apparently its draining her resources and not doing her any good...Who's in charge of her $? If they can't run a tight, smart, financial-wise campaign, what's gonna happen if she gets in the White House? I dunno, these are just things you gotta ask...I don't know the details about Obama's campaign, maybe he's just as bad about his spending too...Crazytown...
I made lots of lentils while watching Murder, She Wrote...man, I can get a lot of work done while watching that show..i guess cause I don't have to look up to see what's going on and I dearly love Angela Lansbury and her sensibility...Sure, the hair and makeup is wacky, we certainly didn't dress well, but thought we did...still, its fun to watch them again...
70's all this week...my garden is gonna go nuts...and I can't wait!!! I'm already driving by the nursery to see if I can get any plants for my yard...I need to wait...
So, you might have heard there will be a presidential debate here in Austin tonight..the whole town is going bonkers over it, and that's cool..The area where the debate is held holds about 3000 people...only 100 tickets have been released to the general public (the rest are for high paying supporters, I suspect)...over 43,000 people signed up for the 100 tickets, which is pretty amazing to me..CNN, in their wisdom, saw the interest and released an additional 100 seats to the public (so kind), but some of THOSE tickets are going FOR SALE through a local ticket broker (reputable)...the catch is, they are selling for $2000 for general admission and $4000 for 'VIP' seating...good grief!!! Who would pay for that kinda price when you can sit and watch the thing for FREE at home? And now I hear that CNN didn't want the tix to be sold...its a crazy world out there...
Foggy and wet, the dog doesn't want to go outside to play...can't blame her...
Mylar balloons rule...the frog balloon I bought for Brian on Valentine's Day is still floating around, looking brand new...remember when we'd get a bunch of the regular balloons and after a day they'd be floating about halfway down the wall, and the next day they hovered over the carpet...a few days later they'd be all shriveled like an old lady's hand and you'd just toss the whole thing out...not any more, my friend! With mylar, your balloons will last for months! hope you don't get tired of Valentine's in July...
I noticed two new cats in the backyard, staking their claim at the food bowl we keep stocked out there...a large blond kitty and a long haired black kitty...they were having words, but they ran off...too many cats in the country, I want to round them all up and get them all fixed...cats should not live in the wild, scrounging for food...the kittens Brian took to the farm a few weeks ago (the black and white brother and sister) are doing well, meeting the other cats and farm animals and finding their way around...they're gonna have a good time on the farm...!
I saw this commercial the other day and it made me laugh...If you don't know who Michael Bay is, perhaps you've seen some of his movies...Armegeddon, Bad Boys, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, Transformers...and if you haven't seen his movies, consider yourself lucky (the only one on this list I've seen is Transformers and it was fun)...
We walked from our house the library in town to cast our Early Vote (cause you KNOW voting day in Texas- March 4- is gonna be a madhouse, indeed!) and it turns out, the early voting in our town is only on Thur, Fri and Sat...we are small potatoes out here!! So I guess I'll saunter down there tomorrow...pretty funny...
the garden is starting to sprout pretty vigorously...I hope we don't have a March freeze to wipe it all out...I saw a big floppy butterfly in the yard as well...its still barren on the trees, the sky is silvery-grey, but its warm and humid and Spring is coming round the corner fast...
I think I'm gonna go play on the torch and see what happens...hope you're having a good day too...
Yes, that's right! The beads are made, cleaned, strung and I'm in the middle of packaging/shipping them to all you little fuzzy crickets who placed orders with me...Look for your package in the next few days...yeehaw...
3:30pm - I WIN!! After spending the past 2 hours trying to rectify this problem with the PO, I was able to get your packages in the mail and they actually backed down...amazing! I printed out reports, showing how much I paid for the postage, delivery confirm and insurance...I TOOK MY COMPUTER with me, so I could show them exactly the way Stamps.com fills in the fields (its not like I'm randomly picking the price, its all hardcoded into the fields, based on the weight, size, zip code, etc.)...I even updated my Stamps.com program to be sure I was using the latest version...Apparently the insurance that Stamps.com charge is not as much as the PO is charging currently...BUT, that's not my problem! If the PO is licensing Stamps.com to represent and collect the fees for them, then they need to figure out how to get their numbers synched...In the meantime, I'm gonna continue to use Stamps.com...I was HAPPY to show the employee the exact way I fill in the fields, that I'm NOT using 'letter', that I'm NOT trying to get away with paying 41 cents for a 3.50 package...
Now that she's wrecked my afternoon, I think I'm gonna fire up the torch and burn something...
1:36pm AHA! I have something to talk about! I just took ALL the packages to the post office where they quickly devised that I was CHEATING them of postage because my Stamps.com label says 'no surcharge' on the top...therefore, they think I'm not paying for the proper amt of postage OR insurance...Of course when I asked them to scan the barcode to PROVE that I DID IN FACT put enough postage and ins on the package, they told me they weren't able to do that (I guess the scanners on their desks don't scan barcodes like the ones at Target do)...
They are CERTAIN that I chose LETTER as my choice in Stamps.com when in fact I chose PACKAGE and am indeed sending the packages using the correct choice...They had the audacity to tell me 'the post office is losing a lot of money' when I said that I've been using the same program for the last 5 years with no problems...
So now, I'm home with ALL YOUR PACKAGES printing reports from STamps.com to prove that I have indeed selected 'package' and to show how much I've paid for everything...(nearly 30.00 in postage alone, not to mention the mailers, boxes, printer ink, paper, bubble wrap, etc. etc.)...What's ironic is the package I sent to Canada is cheaper than the package I'm sending to Austin...how's that for losing money?
Anyway, I am pissed off right now at how they've treated me...SO RUDE to accuse me of trying to rip them off and acting like I'm at fault because THEY can't be bothered to get their act together...Its not my fault that Stamps.com has a 'no surcharge' line printed on the label, they are a licensed USPS vendor - take it up with them if you don't like it!! Geez...I'm looking for ammunition cause I'm ready to go postal on these idiots...seriously...
Mondays are always a bit of a weird day for me..i have a standing appt in Austin every Mon morning, so I don't sleep well on Sun night, for fear of over sleeping and missing the appt...once I'm free, then i can't decide if I should stay in town and run errands or get some sushi or just come home...mostly I just wanna come home and get my day started...sometimes that doesn't happen until 2:00 or later...today I came home and HAD to VACUUM or I was gonna go bonkers...I do love the Dyson, so...and I love the house in general, and the town is quiet and slow and sunny most of the time, and the garden is starting to sprout up pretty seriously, so I enjoy being here...I gathered up loose things that blew around the yard over the weekend, and saw dandelions growing like crazy...
I also have a mysterious plant growing in the compost pile...I always ejoy seeing what has taken root and started to grow...we had lots of pumpkin stems one month, and now its some other plant going crazy in there...our Christmas Tree is decomposing in the pile, and makes for a really nice mulch to grow under...We also have a volunteer Oak tree that's growing in the compost in the front yard...and he's really happy! and about 4' tall by now...
Other than that, the kiln is fired up and if I can just get the cats to simmer back down and go to sleep, they won't be meowing and bugging me...attention, attention, they crave attention as if they've never been petted before...good grief..
Mr. Possum arrived on the porch the other night...I brought in the catfood, so he'd have to go find another food source...maybe some grubs in the dirt...
the blackberries are growing, the roses are putting on new shoots and the neighbors new Beagle is barking his head off again today...I am learning to hate that dog, and its not his fault...he needs to stay indoors during the day if he can't shut up while outside...he's making us all crazy...be quiet dog!
Its taken a few hours, but it seems as though my Dreamweaver is up and running on the Mac, AND I'm able to edit photos using my old software for now, until I get more familiar with the Mac editors...so things are moving along and I'm glad...
We've been working in the house, starting to remove the last of the carpet downstairs...between a big dog who chews on rawhide and sleeps on the carpet, and the cats who leave mystery deposits here and there, the carpet really needed to go...its a small enough room that we can easily lay down carpet down the road, but we like the hard wood floors and I'm happy to lay down some area rugs to warm the place up...its all good...
Its also much warmer here today, sunny and nice...after yesterday's storms and hail, its nice to see the sun again...
We're still working on the red velvet cake from my birthday..tasty!
Ok then, I will be finishing up orders and mailing this week...yeehaw!
I will eventually put a new picture up instead of Amelie on her Christmas presents...but my Dreamweaver files have been copied off my PC and not yet downloaded to my Mac..I am truly in limbo and while I can update this blog, I cannot make any changes to the rest of my website...I hope Brian will work on that sometime today, tho...cause I missed posting silly Valentine pics...
Eventually the Democrats will move on from Texas and the stupid television ads will cease...in the past few years, we've been spared any heavy-duty campaigning here, but this year with the race so tight, both Dems are setting up headquarters here, both are debating here and geez, both are pummeling us with ads...make it stop, please...(I'd be saying the same thing if the Republicans were running ads, thankfully they are not...I'm an equal opportunity scrooge- I dislike all politics equally)...
Eventually I will get my chores complete - vacuuming, dumping litter boxes, laundry but for now I'm hiding out enjoying our new furniture and this sexy new beast of a computer...
I knew as time went on, I'd bond with it and fall in love with it more and more...and while it has a few shortcomings that I'm having to get used to (the right mouse button DOES work now, but I still can't get my PC programs to work in the Parallels window properly)overall it rules...I'm now looking for sexy laptop bags to carry it around in...I have no means to cart it off with me at the moment - must remedy this...
Eventually my new personalized license plates will arrive...I ordered them for my birthday...after years of wondering what plates would be accepted by the State (Texas is really picky about their plates, booo), they now offer the ability to check availability online...so I busily typed in 'Vampyr', 'Beads', 'Donner', 'Vampir', and the only one that was taken was 'Vampyr'...Can you believe I could have 'Beads' on my car??? But I chose 'Donner' instead...we'll be adding a 7th letter to the plates soon, I probably could have 'Vampire' if I wanted, but if/when I ever sold my Miata with the fangs, I don't think Vampire would be suited for another car...so I went generic...I think I did ok...
Eventually the sun will come out again...the sky is silvery-grey, its wet and cold and wintery...exactly the kind of weather we like in February...I'll take it! The dog went mudding on her walk, running thru mud, getting all dirty like a 4x4...she's inside now, after sitting in the backyard for an hour, waiting for the sun...she hates staying inside, and I wish she had a nice day to chase the squirrels along our fence, but Spring is almost here and she'll be chasing them soon enough...
Last year for my birthday, Brian bought me my first Apple product - a Lime Green Apple nano iPod...it was the beginning of my slippery descent into the Mac kingdom that I have happily skipped myself right into...He also surprised me with two rocking chairs for the porch that we have yet to paint or stain, but they are used 90% of the year and we love them...So, this year, we dove much deeper into the Mac kingdom, buying a whole entire computer, and last night - we bought two wingback chairs from Target...chairs and computers, two years in a row...I sense a theme...The Target furniture are from their World Bazaar series, much like Bombay Company or World Market and a bit like Pottery Barn, we've been eyeing these leather wingbacks for weeks, but we knew they'd go on sale at some point, so it was just a matter of timing it right...last night Brian wandered into the store and there they were, 50% off...can't beat that!
So, we loaded up on chairs, a table, a lamp and a small cabinet that we'll put all our tv components into, so they'll be out of sight and make the room feel more like a room and not the deck of the Enterprise...Lights blinking, red, yellow, blue, green digital numbers displayed, its like something out of Star Wars...tomorrow its supposed to rain and be really nasty out, so we'll spend the day organizing our living room...fun!
Thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday, another year has ticked off and I came thru it unscathed...good times...
Its a good day...flowers, candy (Dove, yum), a sunny day, the cardinals are chirping at the bird feeder and the cats are playing in the sunbeams...I may have to venture out in a little bit and pick up some things for the day...I am always surprised and a little amused when I read how much other folks really HATE this day...I guess the pressure is too much...I don't try to look at it that way, I learned long ago to just make it whatever you want...if you want a big shebang, make it for yourself! If you don't have a significant other, then go have a nice dinner w/ friends and chill out...I guess the whole 'you don't have a significant other, you're a loser' factor is strong in society...I've never felt that myself...I always liked being independent and not bothered about having a boyfriend...its rather liberating, actually...
So, that being said, go buy yourself a big box of candy and gorge yourself silly...Go buy yourself a pair of diamond earrings, or a new puppy, or a new car, or sign up for a class, or whatever it is that you want...why not...spoil yourself if no one else will...no apologies!!
Brian's been doing a bang-up job of moving my myriad of folders from Outlook and Outlook Express...its taken literally DAYS to move over all my info, iTunes, and various crap...and its still not all done...I still can't update Dreamweaver just yet, the files are in transit, so I can't use them on either machine...that'll be resolved eventually...He's supposed to install Parallels for me, which will allow me to run a PC environment within the Mac world, thereby allowing me to use Stamps.com to print labels and watch movies instantly on Netflix, neither of which are Mac compatible...its taking awhile, but it'll all be there eventually..
and has he said 'once we migrate you over to the Mac, we aren't migrating you back'...no kidding! this is not an easy task, and I'm not asking to go back...I'm absolutely infatuated with my 17" glossy screen, its like looking into the future, all shiny and bright...me likey!
But for now, I'm writing to you on the PC since he's knee-deep on the Mac...at least something is working, that's all I ask for...yesterday I could not connect to the wireless, it just wouldn't connect...reboot, nothing...try passwords, nope...then last night, it locked me out entirely...nice...then this morning, it was allowing me on again...crazy!
As far as business goes, I'm still working on the beads, but I'm making great headway and am happy with the results...The next few days are All Nuggets and Lentils, All The Time...For those of ya'll who might have missed this round, I'm not sure I will open a Round 3, unless there's plenty of demand for it, and I don't know that there is...so my thought was I'd post some strands on Etsy for ya'll who'd like some of this color scheme, and that'll let me move onto the next color scheme, which i've already got in my head...I'm glad ya'll like this 'pick and choose' method of ordering beads, it seems to work out well for both of us - you get exactly the beads you want and I'm able to make exactly what you want instead of being left with beads no one wants...thankfully that doesn't happen often, but its a different bead-world out there than it was 5 years ago - i read on Kate McKinnon's post yesterday that she spoke to some beadmakers at Tucson who are afraid they might not be able to stay in business, and I have to say I'm thankful ya'll are still here with me...rock and roll!!!
YEA! Now the obnoxiousness can begin - the Beagle from Austin - "Uno" has WON Best in Show at Westminster! That rules...the audience gave him a standing ovation...crazy...Let the Texan bragging begin...heh...
I've lived here long enough to consider myself a 'Texan' (or Texican as John Wayne liked to say), and can make fun of our state...Right now the buzz is all about how "Texas will decide the Democratic Nominee" and 'Clinton/Obama will debate in Texas'...it makes us sound like the fate of the free world depends on how we vote...chill out, I say...Its all good...relax...Oh yeah, did I mention that Clinton/Obama will be debating here in Austin on Feb 21? The town is abuzz about it, and I can see why...I'd love to go see it, but there's no way I could get closer than 20 miles to the chaos that's gonna abound...did I mention that I hate politics? Crazy, no?
the other thing that's being touted is one of the dogs that's up for Best in Show at the Westminster show (the finale is tonight) is from Austin...Which is cool and all, but you'd think they were sending him up on the next Space Shuttle the way the newspaper is freaking out about it...chill out, I say...relax...
Things are moving slowly, but forward, with my conversion from Dell to Mac...Brian has been spending lots of time filling in the gaps...some of it is researching how the new operating system and how Macs work in general...so there's a large ramp up curve...I won't be surprised if he buys himself a Mac just so he can play in this world, cause its pretty cool...I'm still not used to the lack of 'right click', cause I LIVE with that on the PC...but its ok, i'm finding my way around...and I'm keeping Amelie from crushing it when i close it down...she does love to lay on closed laptops...
Its cold, rainy and windy...last blast of Winter, perhaps...I hear it'll be sunny and 65 later, but right now it looks doubtful...I do like the rain, tho...rain is good...
The migration from my old Dell to my new Mac is coming along pretty quickly, but not everything has made the move yet...I am discovering some of the apps that I know and love are not Mac compatible...therefore I'm having to do some round abouts to get what I need...as a result, I'm unable to process pics, run Stamps.com for shipping and update my website...the good news is - it'll all get fixed soon...the bad news is, you might have to bear with the pic of Amelie on the site for a few more days...Hope you can stand it...
I am loving this new machine, tho...I used to use Macs way back in the day (1990, 91) and at one time I owned a litltle iMac in blue, but they weren't powerful enough to satisfy my computer need for speed...So its kinda fun to be back in the land of single-clicks (what, no 'right clicking'? how can you get anything done? its killing me)...I like the simplicity of it all (although I've already managed to lock the whole thing up and have to remove the battery to reboot - just like my Dell!), and I hope it brings me years of great joy...we shall see, shan't we...
Now that the Writer's Strike is officially over, the writers will be back to work by Wednesday...but will your favorite show be back before Christmas? Check this list from TV Guide...apparently the hour-long dramas won't be seen before September (Heroes, Pushing Daisies, I'm looking at you)...Oh well, as long as 30 Rock comes back, we'll be good...we've done really well this Winter, we've been watching other cable shows, Netflix movies/tv and Dr. Katz...he rules...
Some days (most days) start out quiet and slow, and build to a momentum...yesterday we flew out the door and didn't get home until late...but we had a great time...it was a road trip to San Antonio, after I picked up Amelie from the doctor- she seems great...they said they removed lots of the sludge from her, and she was pumped full of fluids...she seems back to normal, running around and being her sassy self...
After she ran under the bed to settle down, we headed down the road to San Antonio for a day trip, hunting for the elusive MacBook Pro 17" Glossy screen...there seemed to be none in Austintown, and we located a few after hunting online, so off we went...
Its been ages since either of us had been to SA, but we're still pretty familiar with the town in general, especially the North part where we've been to Fiesta Texas and various yarn shops...Brian used to do consulting for David Robinson (of the Spurs) and he lives in the same general area, so it was just a matter of using my iPhone to map our location and find the shops we were looking for...And we had a blast, the Apple store was jammed with folks, but we dodged in and out w/ our goodies, then off to a PF Chang's lunch, then off to the Mini dealership for a quick test drive (the Mini Cooper S is really fast! and fun! and there were a bunch of Mini's in the dealership for servicing, so we could see variations of choices available...neat!)...And a stop at the massive outlet mall to the Polo shop to stock up on bath towels and then a jaunt home...
I think today we are staying home and I need to give the yard a good soaking...the blackberries are starting to put a few little sprouts on them, and everything needs a good drink...Nigella is making a peanut butter fudge sauce...she's such a goddess...
The Fatty has landed...after yesterday's visit to the vet, it was decided that Amelie needed to go in for surgery to clean out her bladder which seems to still have 'sludge' and maybe a few small stones in it...she's been on meds for the past 3 weeks as well as specialized food, but it made no difference...so today they are going to flush her bladder and if that doesn't clean it out, they'll bring out the light sabres and take care of business...I had to fast everyone overnight and that is always a fun time...instead of waiting too long, i scooped up Chunky Monkey and whisked her to the vet before she knew what was going on...I picked up a hot chocolate and was home before 8:00am...nice...
Its both James Spader's AND Eddie Izzard's birthday today...what a good day it is...
Amelie has been on medication for her UTI for nearly a month now, and today I'm supposed to take her to the vet for another checkup to see how its working...however, she's hiding under the bed and won't come out...she gets so wise to things, its amazing...not one other cat is freaked out, worried, scared or hiding from me...but she is...how do they know? I'm thinking its because she knows she's sick, but it could be that she's been to the vet more than any of the others recently, so she just figures its her turn...whatever it is, I'm giving her some time/space to lure her out from under the bed and then I'll spring into action..it might be noon before she ends up at the dr.s office, but we'll get there..
it was 82 or something evil yesterday...i was sweating and I didn't appreciate it...the cold cold winds have blown back thru, its cold again and I'm grateful...I had even taken my space heaters and put them away, thinking we were done with winter...I'm glad to have to plug them back in...
I saw this pic the other day and it made me laugh...which reminds me, if I posted a pic or video here and you want to know where it comes from so you can view it over and over again (the Potter Pals I've been watching way too much myself), just lemme know and I'll point you there...and if its a pic of something you can always right click and 'save pic' to grab it...sharing is caring...
I had seen this viral video a few weeks/months ago (its had 50 million hits, so I guess its been out a while now) but I find videos with 'precious children doing precious things' to be tedious...however, Pearl is not exactly 'precious' while she demands her rent money from Will Ferrell...I think you'll find it funny and cute (or die?)...AND, if you're a fragilian and can't handle a little kid saying big kid words, you may wanna pass on it...just giving you a fair warning (if you're reading my site, you probably aren't a fragilian, but ya never know)...
In Honor of Will and SNL, here's a fun quiz for you to match the soundbite with the character...Bill Murray's Lounge singer, Ed Grimley, The Sweeney Sisters, good times...
I ran across this game and thought it was interesting...I'm not very good, am still learning how to play, but if you are bored and feel like watching pretty colored balls fall into place, give it a whirl...
I doubt many of ya'll will be glued to the tv, in fact, you'll probably go out and shop while your spouses are parked in front of the game until 10:00 tonight...so go, and spend your money and don't feel guilty...
I found some more pics of the Super Bowl rings...I like sparkly things, and these are about as sparkly as you can get...I think Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson wear their Cowboys rings, and they are as big as hubcaps...crazy...
I bought lots of hummus fixins last night, some chips and cheese pizzas, so we can have a little celebration, but we're gonna clean house (I can hear Brian scrubbing the floors in his office now that the kittens have vacated) and work around the house...
1:30pm While waiting 90 min for my car to get inspected, I had a number of orders roll in, so I am officially 'closed' on Round 2...lemme get these completed and we'll see if there'll be a Round 3 or if we just move on to the new color scheme...
Its sunny here, did the Groundhog see his shadow in Gobbler's Knob?? I hear that tomrrow is supposed to be 80...yes...that's not a typo...if that's 6 more weeks of winter, I'll take it...actually, I remember when it was 80 in February back in '95 or '96...it was also hot as hell that summer, no rain, severe drought...my garden might dry up by June...80 in Feb is no good, but tell that to my friend Coleen who's currently in minus 40 degreee (-40) weather in Cananda...i'll take the 80 and shut up now...
Brian rounded up the two kittens we've been fostering for the past few weeks/months and is driving them outside Dallas to their new home...a coworker's mom has a farm and she's always looking for farm cats to keep the vermin population down...we figured this will allow the kittens to continue living with each other, they'll get to hunt in the hay, sleep in the warm sunbeams and befriend some horses and goats...I think they're gonna love it...who wouldn't wanna live on a farm if you're a cat? Good times...
I've been thinking of a new color scheme for my next Pickin's...something spring, and yet classic you could wear any time of year...I think you'll like it...but I need to complete my work in the English Tweeds first...i've really been enjoying them, and the new nugget shape too...if there are any shapes that you think would be timeless, classic, let me know...i've got loads of presses here that I never use at all, ever...and they aren't cheap, so I have to pick and choose them wisely...but I'm always open to suggestions...!
Another year, another opportunity that I've not taken...eventually I'll make it to Tucson...I've never been for the gem show...when i first heard about it, I knew I would never get out alive...and then I heard stories of a couple of local Austin girls who went w/ their $2000 budgets...one spent $10,000, the other spent $12,000...so I took that as a warning to Stay Away!! that I could Never Get Out Alive!! I know when I see a big booth of pearls or silver findings or god forbid tourmaline (preferrably whiskey tourmaline) strands sparkling in my face, I'm a gonner...
But something has shifted in me...I've gone to Bead and Button show twice now and while the first time I bought more than i needed or used (which is why I sold most of it here to ya'll), I did just fine the next year...in fact, i came home with MORE money than I spent...I didn't go loopy at the booths, I didn't spend all my money on lampwork beads, I didn't freak out...Now that I've felt the restraint gene kick in, I think I could tour Tucson w/out buying $10,000 worth of stuff I don't need...is that just wishful thinking? I don't worry, and maybe that's why I should worry...I'd still like to fly in for a day or two, although I'm sure there's nowhere to stay in town, I'd have to end up in Tombstone for my lodging...is Tombstone cool? it just sounds cool to me...I love old-time Western towns, and that one seems like it'd be fun...