Sunday, June 21, 2009
More about Right Angle Weave
Yesterday I found a pattern online by Nancy Zellers and went to a bead store in Arlington to buy the right number of crystals and gold beads to make this bracelet. I started it at noon, and finished about four, so that didn't take so long! Practice makes perfect. This is definitely wearable, and I even impressed George!
Right Angle Weave
The moral of this story is: from little acorns mighty oaks do grow.
At the Bead and Button Show in early June, I rather impulsively signed up for a class called Rings and Bling, with a beautiful picture of a bracelet made with beaded rings. I show up for the class, taught by one of the great beaders, Jeannette Cook, and found out that I was in the right room, but the wrong class for me. Everyone was very nice, but I found out that Jeannette had sent an email to everyone who signed up for the class making sure that they were proficient at right angle weave before they showed up to try to make the project. Since I had signed up at the registration desk, I didn't have that information. I decided to stay and take the $140 (3 hour) class anyway, and Jeanette gave me kind and patient instructions on right angle weave beading. It was a little like showing up for a writing 101 class and find out it is being taught by James Joyce. Oh well.
I have been struggling to learn this weave, and decided to jump in with cube beads and try to make something. I have the next project all lined up, with pattern and Swarovski crystals, but I needed to get the rhythm of this stitch first. Everyone says that most people have trouble learning right angle weave, and I think they are right. But at least I had a famous teacher to help me as I muddled through.
Today I started and finished this practice bracelet. It is made with Soho cube beads in brown, closed with a black crystal. I don't know why I chose this particular shade, but I sort of like it. It looks like something Abby on NCIS would wear.
So, this is my little acorn of a bracelet, with lots of beautiful projects in right angle weave to follow soon!
Have a great day.
At the Bead and Button Show in early June, I rather impulsively signed up for a class called Rings and Bling, with a beautiful picture of a bracelet made with beaded rings. I show up for the class, taught by one of the great beaders, Jeannette Cook, and found out that I was in the right room, but the wrong class for me. Everyone was very nice, but I found out that Jeannette had sent an email to everyone who signed up for the class making sure that they were proficient at right angle weave before they showed up to try to make the project. Since I had signed up at the registration desk, I didn't have that information. I decided to stay and take the $140 (3 hour) class anyway, and Jeanette gave me kind and patient instructions on right angle weave beading. It was a little like showing up for a writing 101 class and find out it is being taught by James Joyce. Oh well.
I have been struggling to learn this weave, and decided to jump in with cube beads and try to make something. I have the next project all lined up, with pattern and Swarovski crystals, but I needed to get the rhythm of this stitch first. Everyone says that most people have trouble learning right angle weave, and I think they are right. But at least I had a famous teacher to help me as I muddled through.
Today I started and finished this practice bracelet. It is made with Soho cube beads in brown, closed with a black crystal. I don't know why I chose this particular shade, but I sort of like it. It looks like something Abby on NCIS would wear.
So, this is my little acorn of a bracelet, with lots of beautiful projects in right angle weave to follow soon!
Have a great day.
Otter Cabin
In two weeks George and I will be at our cabin in Northern New Hampshire. It is fun to think about. We have been going there for a week each summer for the last eight years. We take our fishing gear, a sweatshirt with a hood (it gets cool up there), our fold up chairs and lots of books.
It is very peaceful and this year we have reserved a cabin that we have never had before, Otter Cabin. It is the small older cabin just a few yards from the water. At night you can hear the loons, and it was a high point of our visit two years ago when we saw a mother Merganzer and her 24 ducklings swim by. Loons come very close to us when we are fishing off the dock in the evenings. For $50 we can rent a boat and go out onto the big lake if we want. Sometimes we want, and sometimes we don't bother. The lake is 150 feet deep in places, and the fish are very far down, so I wouldn't say that our chances of catching anything out there are very good. One year we surprised everyone by bringing in a beautiful 19" lake trout.
We love the fishing, and it is fun to concentrate on something entirely different than the stuff you think about every day. All we have to worry about is our line and whether our bait is still on the hook.
It is fun to putter around and look at all there is to see. We have seen bald eagles, loons, moose, deer, rabbits, and all kinds of things. The birdwatching is good right around the cabin too, and George always has peanuts out on the cabin steps for the resident chipmunks. TV is spotty, there are no cell phone towers, and there is only one station on the radio, so we don't even bother with all that. Instead we play Cribbage and read and just enjoy nature. It is a very quiet place, and all the people who like to drink beer and party stay somewhere else. The evenings are perfectly quiet and if you want to "party" the only place to go is a local pizza pub that is pretty quiet too!
It is good to be able to go this year and not worry about things at home. I'm really looking forward to long days in the sun with a good book, and some fun hikes and picnics. Canada is not far away, and some years we drive 30 miles into Quebec to St. Patrie to a favorite little restaurant where everyone speaks French.
I'm really looking forward to our quiet and peaceful vacation!
Have a great day!
It is very peaceful and this year we have reserved a cabin that we have never had before, Otter Cabin. It is the small older cabin just a few yards from the water. At night you can hear the loons, and it was a high point of our visit two years ago when we saw a mother Merganzer and her 24 ducklings swim by. Loons come very close to us when we are fishing off the dock in the evenings. For $50 we can rent a boat and go out onto the big lake if we want. Sometimes we want, and sometimes we don't bother. The lake is 150 feet deep in places, and the fish are very far down, so I wouldn't say that our chances of catching anything out there are very good. One year we surprised everyone by bringing in a beautiful 19" lake trout.
We love the fishing, and it is fun to concentrate on something entirely different than the stuff you think about every day. All we have to worry about is our line and whether our bait is still on the hook.
It is fun to putter around and look at all there is to see. We have seen bald eagles, loons, moose, deer, rabbits, and all kinds of things. The birdwatching is good right around the cabin too, and George always has peanuts out on the cabin steps for the resident chipmunks. TV is spotty, there are no cell phone towers, and there is only one station on the radio, so we don't even bother with all that. Instead we play Cribbage and read and just enjoy nature. It is a very quiet place, and all the people who like to drink beer and party stay somewhere else. The evenings are perfectly quiet and if you want to "party" the only place to go is a local pizza pub that is pretty quiet too!
It is good to be able to go this year and not worry about things at home. I'm really looking forward to long days in the sun with a good book, and some fun hikes and picnics. Canada is not far away, and some years we drive 30 miles into Quebec to St. Patrie to a favorite little restaurant where everyone speaks French.
I'm really looking forward to our quiet and peaceful vacation!
Have a great day!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Three little pigs.....er
I got to stay home from work today. I had a project that needed to be finished, and I took a day off to accomplish that. It was a beautiful sunny day. Looking out my kitchen window this morning, I saw a very cute sight. We have three...count 'em, three baby woodchucks living under our garage.
This is a disaster. A couple of years ago, we had a family of woodchucks with two babies, and I spent an unemployed summer looking at them and enjoying their antics in the warm sun. We thought we had gotten lucky and that our resident family of woodchucks had moved away. There was no real damage to the flower beds and vegetable garden last year. Of course, we didn't temp them with the stuff they really love to eat. Woodchucks love zinnias and lettuce and tomatoes and hate snapdragons, coleus and begonias.
We have tried lots of remedies to get our resident woodchucks to move on. Our neighbors have reported that they have woodchucks in their garden. We were quietly convinced that it is not the neighbors who "have" woodchucks, but that our brood of woodchucks prefer to eat out.
We will be going on vacation in two weeks. Our tempting little tomato budlings will be out there all by themselves, waiting for the voracious appetites of the three little pigs...er woodchucks.
This is a disaster. But, boy, are they cute!
This is a disaster. A couple of years ago, we had a family of woodchucks with two babies, and I spent an unemployed summer looking at them and enjoying their antics in the warm sun. We thought we had gotten lucky and that our resident family of woodchucks had moved away. There was no real damage to the flower beds and vegetable garden last year. Of course, we didn't temp them with the stuff they really love to eat. Woodchucks love zinnias and lettuce and tomatoes and hate snapdragons, coleus and begonias.
We have tried lots of remedies to get our resident woodchucks to move on. Our neighbors have reported that they have woodchucks in their garden. We were quietly convinced that it is not the neighbors who "have" woodchucks, but that our brood of woodchucks prefer to eat out.
We will be going on vacation in two weeks. Our tempting little tomato budlings will be out there all by themselves, waiting for the voracious appetites of the three little pigs...er woodchucks.
This is a disaster. But, boy, are they cute!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Cat on the ceiling
We are quietly sitting in the den tonight and boom, we heard a noise. Simba the athlete cat had jumped from a table to the top of the china cabinet. He is 7 feet off the ground, and at the very least that is a four foot leap straight up. And I'm sure this wasn't the first time he had done this. We waited to see how he would get down. Quiet as a mouse, he jumped from the top to the medium level on his cat condo, another six feet or so across the room. Foosh. Down. No problem. Supercat!
Have a great night.
Have a great night.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Home from the bead show
The Bead and Button Show ended on Sunday, and we flew home on Midwest. The flight was terrific and we were home on time and happy. I mention that because my flights to anywhere usually end up in tales of woe, but not this time!
The Bead and Button Show was awesome as always. We had four days of wonderful classes, and fun shopping for beautiful new beads from artists and vendors who come from all over the world. This is my fourth year, and I was better able to handle the big hall this year, and got around to almost every booth. There are 450 vendors, so that is no easy task. It was great to see friends I hadn't seen in a year, and to buy a few beautiful lampwork beads from the artists who I know. I also found the silver prices irresistible and stocked up on some beautiful silver pieces. I bought Hill Tribe and Bali, and visited some sellers twice to get more. The silver wire which I need for wire-wrapping pendants and for making Viking Chain were half the price of anywhere else, and I had dreams about going back and buying more, so I did.
It is wonderful to be with thousands of other people who love making jewelry as much as I do. We always visit the tool and wire booths, and talk about our latest favorites and see the new products. I bought a cutter and a round nose pliers to die for. These tools are the Cadillacs of jewelry tools, and it takes a few years to afford them. But they are so fine and precise and the cutters cut like butter. Incredible.
I have my work cut out for me to make more jewelry and get some pictures on the web and have a couple of jewelry shows. My creativity is unleashed and I have three new techniques under my belt; the right-angle weave stitch, silver metal clay and the double Viking Chain. Taking classes from the pros really makes you feel like a pro, and learning new techniques gives me confidence and the power to be even more creative. Time, time, I need more time!
Have a great day.
The Bead and Button Show was awesome as always. We had four days of wonderful classes, and fun shopping for beautiful new beads from artists and vendors who come from all over the world. This is my fourth year, and I was better able to handle the big hall this year, and got around to almost every booth. There are 450 vendors, so that is no easy task. It was great to see friends I hadn't seen in a year, and to buy a few beautiful lampwork beads from the artists who I know. I also found the silver prices irresistible and stocked up on some beautiful silver pieces. I bought Hill Tribe and Bali, and visited some sellers twice to get more. The silver wire which I need for wire-wrapping pendants and for making Viking Chain were half the price of anywhere else, and I had dreams about going back and buying more, so I did.
It is wonderful to be with thousands of other people who love making jewelry as much as I do. We always visit the tool and wire booths, and talk about our latest favorites and see the new products. I bought a cutter and a round nose pliers to die for. These tools are the Cadillacs of jewelry tools, and it takes a few years to afford them. But they are so fine and precise and the cutters cut like butter. Incredible.
I have my work cut out for me to make more jewelry and get some pictures on the web and have a couple of jewelry shows. My creativity is unleashed and I have three new techniques under my belt; the right-angle weave stitch, silver metal clay and the double Viking Chain. Taking classes from the pros really makes you feel like a pro, and learning new techniques gives me confidence and the power to be even more creative. Time, time, I need more time!
Have a great day.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Safron
It is hard to get a picture of Safari (we sometimes call her Safron). She is elusive and turns away when the light flashes. She is our smart and curious kitty, one year old. She knows everything and often helps George read the Sunday paper. He suspects, however, that she is only looking at the pictures.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wire Lace Dragonfly pins
Last year at the Bead and Button show I bought some kits from Alacart Clasps to make Dragonfly pins. I never made them all year and I really wanted to try them before the next show. They are made with wire lace, wire and Swarovski crystals, and I got up at 5:30 this morning and made these. They are fun to make and rather pretty, don't ya think? I'm off to my local bead store to show the owner and see if she wants me to pick up some kits for her.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Just kitties and me
George is at a church Synod conference in Sturbridge for three days, and here it all about the kitties. I don't have to worry about an alarm clock. They hear someone rustle in the bed, and they are on it! They usually wait until about 5:30 for their big group hug however. Simba is always first. He angles himself over my body so his head is laying upside down and dangling off my side, and his belly is sticking up in the air ready for rubbing. I hold his head in my left hand and stroke with my right. I told George that petting Simba is like playing a guitar. This is entirely Simba. He loves to be petted upside down. He stretches out like the limber athlete he is. No matter if he slides off the bed, he just hops right up again.
Safari brings her string toys up and starts rattling the bells. Time to wake up, mom! She plays with anything she finds, and last night was having a gay old time with a plastic wrapper from a scarf that Mike bought me at the British Museum. Nice and crackly. Safari comes up on the bed in the morning, and squeaks just once, just to say hello. This is the only time she makes that particular squeak sound. And then, being the curious kitty that she is, she's off to look out the window, or find a bell toy, or wander to the top of the stairs to wait for me to get up.
I am driving to work instead of carpooling with George. That is a big deal. My car gets so little use these days that the brakes aren't getting enough lubrication and the brake light comes on. And they are new brakes! We really do have to take my car more often. Since George got his new Honda, my car drives like a haywagon in comparison.
Off to work. Thank Goodness It's Friday!
Have a great day. (Kitties, I'll be home again soon.)
Safari brings her string toys up and starts rattling the bells. Time to wake up, mom! She plays with anything she finds, and last night was having a gay old time with a plastic wrapper from a scarf that Mike bought me at the British Museum. Nice and crackly. Safari comes up on the bed in the morning, and squeaks just once, just to say hello. This is the only time she makes that particular squeak sound. And then, being the curious kitty that she is, she's off to look out the window, or find a bell toy, or wander to the top of the stairs to wait for me to get up.
I am driving to work instead of carpooling with George. That is a big deal. My car gets so little use these days that the brakes aren't getting enough lubrication and the brake light comes on. And they are new brakes! We really do have to take my car more often. Since George got his new Honda, my car drives like a haywagon in comparison.
Off to work. Thank Goodness It's Friday!
Have a great day. (Kitties, I'll be home again soon.)
Monday, May 25, 2009
A short trip to Maine
George and I decided to go on a short trip to Maine today to get some clams. It is a beautiful, cool, sunny day, and it seemed impossible not to get out there in it. The weather has been beautiful all weekend, and the sun is bright and the sky is blue. I have decided that my ideal temperature is somewhere between 67 and 72. Any hotter than 72 and I start complaining, any cooler and I'm still complaining! I get harder to please as I get older.
No trip to Maine is complete without a stop at a clam shack. We went just into York Beach to find this one, and it was homey and nice. The clams and my fish and chip plate were delicious, hot and crispy. We stopped at the Crate and Barrel outlet store at Kittery and bought a clear lucite lemonade pitcher...a sure sign that summer is coming.
George is napping, I'm blogging and getting ready to go read my book, a yummy one about Isabella de Medici and medieval Florence. Yum.
Have a great day.
No trip to Maine is complete without a stop at a clam shack. We went just into York Beach to find this one, and it was homey and nice. The clams and my fish and chip plate were delicious, hot and crispy. We stopped at the Crate and Barrel outlet store at Kittery and bought a clear lucite lemonade pitcher...a sure sign that summer is coming.
George is napping, I'm blogging and getting ready to go read my book, a yummy one about Isabella de Medici and medieval Florence. Yum.
Have a great day.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Bead and Button Show
I am getting excited about my trip to the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee in two weeks. It is the largest bead show in the country, and besides having a huge market at the convention center in downtown Milwaukee, they have hundreds of classes taught by top notch instructors. I am taking two classes; silver clay and viking woven chain.
Just looking at the list of vendors makes me want to swoon!
Have a great day.
Just looking at the list of vendors makes me want to swoon!
Have a great day.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Linked In
Today I opened my account on LinkedIn. It seems to me that in a recession there are certain businesses that are going to thrive, and one of them is anything to do with networking. When I was looking for a job a couple of years ago, the counselors at the employment service were adamant that networking was key. It was a concept that was foreign to me. I didn't know many people that I thought could help. I did manage to expand my horizons and actually went on a job interview arranged by someone at my church.
So I have a LinkedIn account as of today, and I'm not sure what I will use it for, but communication with each other can't hurt. I'm thinking that there are a lot of jewelry designers out there who would love to be linked into each other. I've taken another first step to openmindedness and am trying something new.
Have a great day!
So I have a LinkedIn account as of today, and I'm not sure what I will use it for, but communication with each other can't hurt. I'm thinking that there are a lot of jewelry designers out there who would love to be linked into each other. I've taken another first step to openmindedness and am trying something new.
Have a great day!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Happy Birthday Michael!
Today is my son Michael's birthday. He was born a few years ago...something like 36 I think. Whose counting? It seems like yesterday. Michael was born on the first day of the Watergate hearings in 1973. I woke up at 5 a.m. with what I thought were contractions. I had thought that about three weeks before and had gone to the hospital and was sent home again. That cured me of any wish to rush to the hospital this time. I sat on our living room couch, and counted the contractions by the clock while I watched the first day of the Watergate hearings and all the machinations that went with that. It was a historically significant day.
There didn't seem to be much to do but wait. Finally, when the contractions were five minutes apart, I called Bob at work and told him to come home. He was there in half an hour, and we got into the car to drive to St. Joseph Hospital on the lake shore in Chicago. Bob had taken driving lessons just so he could drive me to the hospital, but when we got there we had to parallel park. Bob wasn't very good at that, so I got behind the wheel and finished the job.
The nurses were pretty sure that I would be there for a long time, and told us to relax in the room, and left us there. The contractions were strong and frequent, and I was pretty sure they were wrong. I called a nurse. They checked, and boom, I was being rushed into the operating room. People were flying around, and Bob came in the room in a blue shower cap and blue booties, which was very funny and I laughed pretty hard, and that pretty much did the trick. I was introduced to a doctor I had never met before. Things were going so fast I wasn't sure I needed a doctor. A very large nurse with a wide girth held onto me, and I pushed and Mike was born. It all went very fast. The nurses cleaned him off and handed him to me to lay on my stomach and I didn't want to ever let go of him. All in all, I was in the hospital for an hour and 45 minutes!
Mike was 9 pounds 5 ounces at birth, and I had no drugs of any kind. We did it all together. It was a day I will never forget and the best day of my life. He was happy and round and pink and hungry. I had to learn how to hold a baby at my bedside by a helpful nurse. I didn't have a clue, and Michael didn't either, so we learned together. He was a big happy baby, and beautiful in everyone's eyes, and he still is today.
Happy Birthday Michael. I love you.
Mom
There didn't seem to be much to do but wait. Finally, when the contractions were five minutes apart, I called Bob at work and told him to come home. He was there in half an hour, and we got into the car to drive to St. Joseph Hospital on the lake shore in Chicago. Bob had taken driving lessons just so he could drive me to the hospital, but when we got there we had to parallel park. Bob wasn't very good at that, so I got behind the wheel and finished the job.
The nurses were pretty sure that I would be there for a long time, and told us to relax in the room, and left us there. The contractions were strong and frequent, and I was pretty sure they were wrong. I called a nurse. They checked, and boom, I was being rushed into the operating room. People were flying around, and Bob came in the room in a blue shower cap and blue booties, which was very funny and I laughed pretty hard, and that pretty much did the trick. I was introduced to a doctor I had never met before. Things were going so fast I wasn't sure I needed a doctor. A very large nurse with a wide girth held onto me, and I pushed and Mike was born. It all went very fast. The nurses cleaned him off and handed him to me to lay on my stomach and I didn't want to ever let go of him. All in all, I was in the hospital for an hour and 45 minutes!
Mike was 9 pounds 5 ounces at birth, and I had no drugs of any kind. We did it all together. It was a day I will never forget and the best day of my life. He was happy and round and pink and hungry. I had to learn how to hold a baby at my bedside by a helpful nurse. I didn't have a clue, and Michael didn't either, so we learned together. He was a big happy baby, and beautiful in everyone's eyes, and he still is today.
Happy Birthday Michael. I love you.
Mom
Saturday, May 16, 2009
A new word on a Saturday morning
It is only six a.m. this morning, and I have already learned a new word. I think it is a beautiful word. It is a Yiddish word: Chazzerai: (khaz-zer-rye) literally, pig slop. Any kind of garbage, whether it's junk food, shoddy merchandise or stuff of little or no value. "I never watch TV any more. All they play is chazzerai."
I learned this word in an article in the New York Times. I read the newspapers online while I wait for something to happen on Farm Town. (Don't ask.)
I was reading an article about life in the Hamptons this summer, and the recession, and that people who are having outdoor parties are simplifying and are not decorating their party tents with a lot of "Chazzerai" I can see all kinds of uses for this word. I have a closet full of it. I collect it like a maniac. I have jewelry that I made that has too much of it. Pig Slop? Well, I guess you could call it that. I seem to have a lot of stuff around me that has little value to anyone else. I look around the room, and see many things that others might consider pig slop. But to me, it is a little nicer than that. It is my Chazzerai collection. I like it.
Have a great day.
I learned this word in an article in the New York Times. I read the newspapers online while I wait for something to happen on Farm Town. (Don't ask.)
I was reading an article about life in the Hamptons this summer, and the recession, and that people who are having outdoor parties are simplifying and are not decorating their party tents with a lot of "Chazzerai" I can see all kinds of uses for this word. I have a closet full of it. I collect it like a maniac. I have jewelry that I made that has too much of it. Pig Slop? Well, I guess you could call it that. I seem to have a lot of stuff around me that has little value to anyone else. I look around the room, and see many things that others might consider pig slop. But to me, it is a little nicer than that. It is my Chazzerai collection. I like it.
Have a great day.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Back from New Orleans
There are lots of things about the Big Easy that aren't that easy, but we had a great time. It takes some planning to actually see alligators and casinos and eat shrimp at Deanie's on Lake Pontchartrain. We ventured far off the beaten path on this trip and had a grand time. We had a funny little orange Kia, and we explored a lot of places we didn't get to go to on other trips to New Orleans. I was able to find a wonderful bead store on Magazine Street, have a pedicure across the street with the locals, and have a very memorable lunch at Commander's Palace. I even had a massage at the Riverwalk while George shopped for a Fleur di Lis whirligig for his garden. I think, after five trips to New Orleans, we are finally learning our way around.
The weather was 85 degrees and sunny with a drippy dew point of 70. New Orleans is a lot hotter than Massachusetts, and that's the way we like it. It was fun to wear shorts and sandals and hide under our straw hats. The casino is air conditioned, and we found a couple of machines that gave us more quarters back that they took. Amazing. I won't say we made a profit, but we didn't lose anything.
We had oysters at Acme Oyster House, a great barbecue shrimp lunch at Deanie's, and muffalata sandwiches at Joe's in the French Quarter. We listened to Cajun radio on our way to Breaux Bridge, where we knew just where to look to see the alligators. We took pictures of the beautiful old trees outside Laura Plantation, and took a tour of the Creole house. We watched boats on the Mississippi and managed to stay far away from the motorcycles at Bike Week New Orleans. Who knew? They neglected to mention that it was Bike Week in any of the online tourism sites. But the noise didn't bother us that much, because we were ensconced on the 33rd floor of the Marriott in a beautiful corner room that was cushy and cool. A wonderful trip! Worth savoring. I want to go back!
Have a great day.
The weather was 85 degrees and sunny with a drippy dew point of 70. New Orleans is a lot hotter than Massachusetts, and that's the way we like it. It was fun to wear shorts and sandals and hide under our straw hats. The casino is air conditioned, and we found a couple of machines that gave us more quarters back that they took. Amazing. I won't say we made a profit, but we didn't lose anything.
We had oysters at Acme Oyster House, a great barbecue shrimp lunch at Deanie's, and muffalata sandwiches at Joe's in the French Quarter. We listened to Cajun radio on our way to Breaux Bridge, where we knew just where to look to see the alligators. We took pictures of the beautiful old trees outside Laura Plantation, and took a tour of the Creole house. We watched boats on the Mississippi and managed to stay far away from the motorcycles at Bike Week New Orleans. Who knew? They neglected to mention that it was Bike Week in any of the online tourism sites. But the noise didn't bother us that much, because we were ensconced on the 33rd floor of the Marriott in a beautiful corner room that was cushy and cool. A wonderful trip! Worth savoring. I want to go back!
Have a great day.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Overpacking
I have a problem. Every time I go on a trip, I always say I'm going to pack light. And almost every time, I go with a bulging suitcase with just a few extra outfits thrown in. I almost always come back with clothes that I never wore. I don't understand why I can't learn to pack light. It always seems to me that I may have to change clothes in the middle of the day, or I might spill something, or I don't know what the weather will be.
I'm packing for five days and I know I have too many clothes plus as many shoes and sandals as I can squeeze in. Last time we went to New Orleans, it was August and hot as blazes. Everyone was having trouble with blistered feet, and even your most comfortable sandals rubbed the wrong way. The line at Walgreen's for blister meds and band aids was long. I talked to other travelers, and it seems that in the heat, feet swell just enough to rub on shoes. I ended up wearing every pair of shoes I brought, because some cause blisters in one place and some in another. So that is my justification for taking 3 pair of sandals and two pair of tie ups on this trip. I may need them. And I'm wearing my orange Birkenstocks. Why? Because I can.
It is my vacation and I'm looking forward to walking by the Mississippi and waving to the Calliope player. I'm looking forward to eating a mufelatta at the Central Grocery, having soft shell crabs at Mother's, and going to Commander's Palace for a fancy Saturday lunch. It is going to be really fun. We also plan to get to a bead store on Magazine Street, an Asian Festival at the Audabon Zoo, and an evening trip on the Steamboat Natchez.
Sounds like I'm going to need a lot of clothes. Right?
Have a great day.
I'm packing for five days and I know I have too many clothes plus as many shoes and sandals as I can squeeze in. Last time we went to New Orleans, it was August and hot as blazes. Everyone was having trouble with blistered feet, and even your most comfortable sandals rubbed the wrong way. The line at Walgreen's for blister meds and band aids was long. I talked to other travelers, and it seems that in the heat, feet swell just enough to rub on shoes. I ended up wearing every pair of shoes I brought, because some cause blisters in one place and some in another. So that is my justification for taking 3 pair of sandals and two pair of tie ups on this trip. I may need them. And I'm wearing my orange Birkenstocks. Why? Because I can.
It is my vacation and I'm looking forward to walking by the Mississippi and waving to the Calliope player. I'm looking forward to eating a mufelatta at the Central Grocery, having soft shell crabs at Mother's, and going to Commander's Palace for a fancy Saturday lunch. It is going to be really fun. We also plan to get to a bead store on Magazine Street, an Asian Festival at the Audabon Zoo, and an evening trip on the Steamboat Natchez.
Sounds like I'm going to need a lot of clothes. Right?
Have a great day.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
A rosary
I have a lot of really nice people who ask me to make things for them. This is the first time I have made a rosary. It is not a great picture because we are leaving for New Orleans in one day, and I don't have time to set up my little photo studio in the dining room. But I wanted to take a picture before I deliver it tomorrow.
It is exciting to take another trip, and I'm looking forward to some warm weather (usually too warm), and a nice ride on a riverboat and lunch at Commander's Palace.
Have a great day.
It is exciting to take another trip, and I'm looking forward to some warm weather (usually too warm), and a nice ride on a riverboat and lunch at Commander's Palace.
Have a great day.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Pretty tulips
George went out this morning, unbeknownst to me, and took these early morning pictures of our tulips. The day was very bright and hot today, almost breaking a record. It was close to 90 this afternoon. The tulips were enjoying the first bright summer day of the season. It isn't summer yet, but its a'commin.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Our weekend trip
We had a great time on our weekend in the White Mountains. It was peaceful and beautiful, and unusually warm and sunny. We had a great time looking at the beautiful early Spring scenery. And no crowds. The B&B was empty except for one other couple that were never there, and we had the run of a beautiful home in the mountains with all the amenities. It was a great trip. Here's some pictures. I'm going to go unpack.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Friday, April 24, 2009
White Mountains B&B
Today after work we leave to go to a bed and breakfast called Sunny Grange in Compton, New Hampshire. This is at the southern end of the White Mountains. I always love driving up there because the mountain scenery is so wonderful, and being able to stay a couple of nights at a nice place and be close to the Kangamangus Highway is going to be a special treat.
We are packing a fan. The weather is supposed to be in the eighties, although we are having trouble believing that it will actually get that warm. I am packing a light sweater and a sweatshirt just in case. Sunny weather has been a rarity around here, and the weekend is supposed to be really delightful. Few people on the roads because it is school vacation week here and about every third desk at work is empty.
Sun in the White Mountains is something you can hardly even dream about when you make a reservation two months early. I fully expected to try to have fun in the rain, and we are bringing our books, my knitting, our Cribbage board and my beading. No reason not to bring the stuff I love. My overpacking is always a little more rampant when we go on a car trip and there is always room for one last thing. Do I bring a hat? I think so!
Off to work, but with high hopes for a wonderful weekend! See you Monday.
Have a great day.
We are packing a fan. The weather is supposed to be in the eighties, although we are having trouble believing that it will actually get that warm. I am packing a light sweater and a sweatshirt just in case. Sunny weather has been a rarity around here, and the weekend is supposed to be really delightful. Few people on the roads because it is school vacation week here and about every third desk at work is empty.
Sun in the White Mountains is something you can hardly even dream about when you make a reservation two months early. I fully expected to try to have fun in the rain, and we are bringing our books, my knitting, our Cribbage board and my beading. No reason not to bring the stuff I love. My overpacking is always a little more rampant when we go on a car trip and there is always room for one last thing. Do I bring a hat? I think so!
Off to work, but with high hopes for a wonderful weekend! See you Monday.
Have a great day.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
My Heart
I am always looking to see what other fiber artists are doing. I found a lady on Etsy who makes lampwork beads and fiber dolls and hearts. I don't know what else she can create, but I bet it is a lot. I opened the package and found this heart, which I had bought from her on Etsy.com. It is really beautiful and so inspiring. I wrote her a thank you note and hope to meet her someday since she lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Maybe she will be at Bead and Button. One of the fun things about being in the creative community called Etsy is getting to know people who just can't help but make beautiful and creative things.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Crowds
Yesterday my friend Connie and I went downtown to Boston. Connie and I have a secret vice: Neiman Marcus. A couple of times a year, she and I go to Copley Square to walk around the fancy stores and get ideas. Both of us make jewelry, and there is one good way to look for ideas, and that is to watch the crowds of people who have the money to shop at Neiman Marcus. Walking through the cosmetic department is a little daunting. Women want to hand me little cards with fragrance on them to entice me to spend $300 on something that smells really good. It occurs to me that these women have a lot in common with the homeless people who hang out in front of the White House in Washington DC. Both have their own smells, and both are a little scary.
On the drive through Boston, it quickly became apparent that we had forgotten about one key detail when planning our outing. This is Boston Marathon weekend, and there were millions of people milling about, walking the streets, eating in the outdoor cafes and trying to avoid the perfume ladies at Neiman Marcus. I'm not afraid of crowds, but I was pretty daunted by all these people. First, I knew that they were mostly runners and their families. You could tell the runners because they were proudly wearing their yellow plastic bag with shoulder straps that said John Hancock, Inc. on one side and The Boston Marathon on the other. Those yellow bags, which probably cost the companies fifty cents each. were worn at great cost to the runners in sweat and tears. They were very proud of these bags. I also noticed that a lot of people looked like they were no stranger to Neiman Marcus. There were a lot of fashion forward people in that crowd. Traffic was horrible, but the people watching was really great.
We went to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. Getting a table was too long a wait, so we sat at the bar and watched the delicious puffy pizzas going into the huge ovens. It was fun to eat our delicious salads along side runners who looked like they had lived on lettuce for most of their life, and who were no stranger to rough roads in rough weather. Something about marathon running makes people very lean and hungry looking. I think I could take a lesson from them, I need to be more hungry! Everyone was in a festive mood, and it was unusual for me to be in that place, since I usually avoid crowds and downtown Boston like the plague.
So, today I will take a little inspiration from all those lean and hungry looking runners and spend a little time walking around the block.
Have a great day.
On the drive through Boston, it quickly became apparent that we had forgotten about one key detail when planning our outing. This is Boston Marathon weekend, and there were millions of people milling about, walking the streets, eating in the outdoor cafes and trying to avoid the perfume ladies at Neiman Marcus. I'm not afraid of crowds, but I was pretty daunted by all these people. First, I knew that they were mostly runners and their families. You could tell the runners because they were proudly wearing their yellow plastic bag with shoulder straps that said John Hancock, Inc. on one side and The Boston Marathon on the other. Those yellow bags, which probably cost the companies fifty cents each. were worn at great cost to the runners in sweat and tears. They were very proud of these bags. I also noticed that a lot of people looked like they were no stranger to Neiman Marcus. There were a lot of fashion forward people in that crowd. Traffic was horrible, but the people watching was really great.
We went to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. Getting a table was too long a wait, so we sat at the bar and watched the delicious puffy pizzas going into the huge ovens. It was fun to eat our delicious salads along side runners who looked like they had lived on lettuce for most of their life, and who were no stranger to rough roads in rough weather. Something about marathon running makes people very lean and hungry looking. I think I could take a lesson from them, I need to be more hungry! Everyone was in a festive mood, and it was unusual for me to be in that place, since I usually avoid crowds and downtown Boston like the plague.
So, today I will take a little inspiration from all those lean and hungry looking runners and spend a little time walking around the block.
Have a great day.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
My hobbies keep me sane
I can tell I am feeling better because my little feeble mind is brimming over with creative ideas. I have so many projects that I am having to write them down in a special notebook. I can't stop making socks! This new yarn is hand dyed merino and tencel (which I guess is like a nylon, which helps things keep their shape), and it is my favorite color of spring green. The yarn has a shine to it that most don't, and I'm really enjoying it. This yarn is made by a woman who owns Minds Eye Yarns right here near Boston. I need another skein! The price is $22.00 per skein, and if I drive over there, I can save the $5 shipping. She sells on Etsy, and the site is Mindseyeyarns.etsy.com. Pretty stuff!
I have started a Knitting Group at my workplace. Yesterday we had seven people come to the hour long lunch time meeting. People bring their projects or their interest in learning how to knit. Yesterday the mail room guy came. I tried to show his large basketball-adept hands how to hold knitting needles. I showed him the basics. He fumbled some, but said he would be back next week ready to try again. After the meeting, I had four other people ask if they could join. so now we have 16 people on the list. It is nice to get together for something other than work discussions, and people are really enjoying getting to know each other. I think the group is going to take off. I bring knitting patterns, books about knitting, yarn and needles for beginners and people are enjoying it.
I have eight jewelry orders to work on this weekend, included two repairs of hand-knotted pearls. I need to stop knitting socks and get on it. My great friend Connie and I signed up for our jewelry classes at Bead and Button in Milwaukee this year. We will be there for four days and I can't wait. There are hundreds of jewelry classes taught by the best jewelry designers and teachers. The classes cost between $115-$250 and up, and we each signed up for two, so it is no small decision to make. They are all wonderful classes, and the teachers are world renowned. People come from all over the world to this mecca of American jewelry shows. We leave on June 4th on my favorite airline - Midwest. This year one of my classes is in metal clay, and I will learn how to make silver leaf elements for earrings and a pendant in metal clay. I have to bone up a little before hand, and get my hands on some good metal clay tools. Oh, it is so exciting!
I can tell that I am coming out of the dumper, as I say. I still think about my mom all the time, but underlying all my thoughts about her, I can feel my energy level bubbling up. I don't want to stop thinking, I just want to stop feeling bad. If all these projects keep me sane and healthy, then it is a wonderful thing. Anyone need a pair of socks?
Have a great day!
I have started a Knitting Group at my workplace. Yesterday we had seven people come to the hour long lunch time meeting. People bring their projects or their interest in learning how to knit. Yesterday the mail room guy came. I tried to show his large basketball-adept hands how to hold knitting needles. I showed him the basics. He fumbled some, but said he would be back next week ready to try again. After the meeting, I had four other people ask if they could join. so now we have 16 people on the list. It is nice to get together for something other than work discussions, and people are really enjoying getting to know each other. I think the group is going to take off. I bring knitting patterns, books about knitting, yarn and needles for beginners and people are enjoying it.
I have eight jewelry orders to work on this weekend, included two repairs of hand-knotted pearls. I need to stop knitting socks and get on it. My great friend Connie and I signed up for our jewelry classes at Bead and Button in Milwaukee this year. We will be there for four days and I can't wait. There are hundreds of jewelry classes taught by the best jewelry designers and teachers. The classes cost between $115-$250 and up, and we each signed up for two, so it is no small decision to make. They are all wonderful classes, and the teachers are world renowned. People come from all over the world to this mecca of American jewelry shows. We leave on June 4th on my favorite airline - Midwest. This year one of my classes is in metal clay, and I will learn how to make silver leaf elements for earrings and a pendant in metal clay. I have to bone up a little before hand, and get my hands on some good metal clay tools. Oh, it is so exciting!
I can tell that I am coming out of the dumper, as I say. I still think about my mom all the time, but underlying all my thoughts about her, I can feel my energy level bubbling up. I don't want to stop thinking, I just want to stop feeling bad. If all these projects keep me sane and healthy, then it is a wonderful thing. Anyone need a pair of socks?
Have a great day!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Finished my socks
One thing about having a long wait at the endoscopy department yesterday is that I finished these socks in record time; two weeks.
These are hand dyed merino yarn. It is kinda funny - strange, not haha - that it costs $22 for a skein of this yarn and takes many hours to make them, and you can buy a pair at K-Mart for $2. But...look at 'em. Anyway, knitting keeps me sane, and you can't put a price on that!
Have another great day.
These are hand dyed merino yarn. It is kinda funny - strange, not haha - that it costs $22 for a skein of this yarn and takes many hours to make them, and you can buy a pair at K-Mart for $2. But...look at 'em. Anyway, knitting keeps me sane, and you can't put a price on that!
Have another great day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)