Beading Therapy

So, after my little breakdown the other day, I picked up this pattern by Carol Dean Sharpe and started stitching. It was incredibly therapeutic. Made me feel like I was accomplishing something, even if nothing else was working!

I decided to use these transparent gold lustered Delicas for the main color. I've had them in my stash for years, and they were absolutely perfect paired with the dusty rose lined and cream opaque beads. It worked up much faster than I thought it would - now all I need to do is figure out what kind of a clasp I want on it. I might get some of those cool basket-weave ends from Designer's Findings and use a magnet clasp. Or I might make my own toggle.

Ohhhh, so I went to bed last night feeling sort of like I was running a fever. Achy, warm, and just not at all well. Colden woke up around midnight and then again around 5, but he spent part of the night with his little toddler foot right in the middle of my back. When I woke up this morning, I was still feeling warm and achy and queasy to boot. Tom's mom, who turns 70 today!, offered to take Colden for the day, so I have spent most of this day in bed, nursing cold drinks and taking Motrin to keep the fever down.

So, while I spent the day in bed with Moose, I designed three or four new patterns that I'll publish on About.com later tonight or tomorrow, and two of them I plan on making up and writing complete directions on how to make the projects.

And maybe tomorrow I'll tackle that perpetual pile of clothing next to the bed that Colden so enjoys climbing. He reminds me of a little miniature mountaineer when he does that. Can't be good.

Having a beading breakdown.

Nothing that I have been trying to do today has come out right. I spent most of the day working on a tutorial for African Helix, but when I slid the beadwork off the stick, even though it was beaded in the right direction and looked perfect on the stick, the panels popped, not the piping! So frustrating. That's the third time I've tried it in two days, and I am at the end of my rope. (No pun intended.)

So I thought I'd take a break and work on the bead embroidered bracelet tutorial that I've been writing for the last week. I went into Stealth Mommy Mode, snuck into Colden's room while he was taking his nap, and carefully removed a bag of smallish cabochons from the cabinet without waking him up. I pulled out the E6000 and a toothpick, and....glued the cabs on the wrong side of the Stiff Stuff.

So at that point, I was ready to throw myself out the dining room window and down into the newly landscaped herb garden where Tom was working. Instead, I decided to work on a peyote stitched cuff bracelet designed by Carol Dean Sharpe called "Dissections". I got it as part of a trade we did back at the beginning of March, and it and the beads have been sitting on my work pad for a month now. I figured, I can't go wrong with good old two-drop peyote, can I?

I'm pleased to report that I've completed the first 1 1/2" of the cuff and that I love the design. I'll have to post a pic later tonight. The colors I chose - a creamy AB, a metallic raspberry and a lined dusty rose - look as if they might smell as good as my favorite rose and sandlewood bubble bath.

And a bubble bath sure as heck sounds good right about now...

Sleep Deprivation and Mommyhood

Everyone told us when I was pregnant that once Colden hit four or five months old, he would start to sleep through the night and we would be back to getting six or maybe eight hours of sleep a night. Great, right? So we used that thought to comfort ourselves through the first four months of being parents, when Colden needed to eat every two hours, and we found ourselves sleeping whenever we had fifteen minutes to spare.

When he was about five months old, he did start to sleep longer, and at first, like any new mom, I would find myself waking up at two hour intervals anyway, and creeping into his room to check on him and make sure that everything was okay. (Which it always was.)

And then my mom got sick and went into the hospital down in Galveston, and Colden and I went down there to see her, because we weren't sure if we were going to get to see her again. I stayed with my sister, and my sister found a pack-n-play for Colden to sleep in while I got the air mattress on the floor of their spare room.

Colden did not like that pack-n-play. The first night that I put him in it, he just screamed and screamed. Not wanting to wake up the entire house, and desperate for some rest after a twelve hour trip from upstate New York, I put him in bed with me and let him sleep there. For the remainder of my trip to Texas, which was the last time I saw my mom, every night I would tuck Colden into bed next to me to comfort both of us.

The day after I got back to New York, my mom passed away, and Colden did not want to go back to sleeping in his crib. Again, mostly as comfort for me, I would just tuck him into bed next to me and Tom at night and let him sleep there.

Because he was sleeping right there with us, he got used to being able to nurse all night, on demand. And I, desperate for sleep, would very often just let him nurse as I went back to sleep, thinking that it would make all of us happier people.

Eventually, it started to wear on me, being constantly on call for Colden 24/7. When we tried to get him back into his crib, it was horrible for everyone. He would scream until he made himself throw up, which wasn't fun for him, and certainly didn't let Tom and I get any sleep, anyway. I just couldn't bring myself to let him scream it out every single night because I just felt like that was cruel, but he wouldn't sleep longer than an hour at a time at night in bed with us, anyway.


Finally, in January of this year, right before his second birthday, I set up the Big Boy Bed in his room, made up with all sorts of his favorite comfy blankets, his stuffed animals, and a warm pillow. At first, he resisted it, but then once we instituted a new bedtime routine, he started to fall asleep on his own, in his own bed, clutching his Eeyore or his Po or his birdie.

It wasn't perfect, though, and we still have yet to get through two nights in a row where Colden does not wake up calling for "Ma-ma" and wanting a cup or bottle of milk. Some nights, I am just too exhausted to put him back to bed and we let him get back into bed with us. And then lately there have been nights where he will kick me and Tom, pull my hair, and generally thrash about, making all of us miserable and sleep-deprived the next day.

It's getting so hard to function during the day when I only get three or four hours of sleep at night. We put Colden to bed at eight, usually, but then I try to stay up for a couple of hours and finish up whatever work I didn't get done during the day. Bu the time I'm ready to go to bed at ten, Colden is usually awake and crying for me, so I have to put off going to bed until I can get him back to sleep, usually in our bed, which means that once again, Mommy gets about six inches of bed and four inches of covers in which to make herself comfortable. And when you add a 90-lb Moose into the mix, well, I get even less space to sleep.

I know I'm not the only one with a toddler with sleep issues, but it's really starting to wear on me. If Tom goes to Colden, Colden just screams his head off, this high, shrieking primal scream, and Tom can't do a thing with him. If Tom tries to change his diaper, he kicks and rolls and frustrates the hell out of Tom. If Tom tries to do bedtime routine with him, he can get as far as turning off the light, but then Colden won't get into bed and just cries for Ma-ma until I pick him up and rock him in the rocking chair for a few minutes before tucking him into bed.

The last few days, Tom said something to me about the circles under my eyes getting worse, and truthfully, I hadn't looked into a mirror in over a week, so I had no idea. As I was getting into my shower this morning, I looked, and I didn't like what I saw. The circles ARE getting worse. I look as if I've got two black eyes, and lately, I'm so tired that when Colden wakes up in the middle of the night, I get angry and swear a lot because all I want is to just go to sleep.

The other day, I was so tired that I took a three hour nap alongside Colden after we had our lunch. I regretted this later when I realized that after I got up, did the dishes and straightened up the house, cooked dinner, did the dishes again and got Colden into bed that I had a huge pile of work and emails waiting to be finished. That's the trade-off: I can take a nap during the day if I can stay up late at night and finish my work, but then the problem becomes what happens at night when Colden wakes up and then I can't get any more sleep. At the risk of using a cliche, it really does become a vicious cycle, and it ends up with me getting no sleep and getting stressed out about losing my job because I can't keep up with the work.

I would love to hire some help, just someone to come in to the house two or three mornings a week to be a mother's helper and amuse Colden while I got my work done, but when I'm making $675 a month and trying to pay off medical bills from two years ago still, who can afford it? Daycare is absolutely out of the question because we certainly can't afford THAT, and the nearest licensed daycare is either in Lake Placid or twenty minutes in the other direction up in Clintonville.

And then this last week, something has changed in Colden's bedtime routine with him, and I can't figure out what it is yet. Last Sunday night, Colden would not go back to sleep, no matter what I did, unless I stood up with him and carried him throughout the house. I thought I might lie down on the couch with him sprawled out onto me, but the second I sat down on the couch, he woke right up and started screaming again. Finally, around 2:30 a.m., Tom intervened and got Colden a bottle of milk and a snack of cheese, dried cranberries and Goldfish crackers. He sat him up in our bed and put on Baby Einstein, and Colden sat there and giggled at the television and ate the entire bowl of snacks. I was in tears by that point, and I just desperately wanted to be able to close my eyes and go to sleep without a little foot kicking me in the back or little hands pulling at my hair. (Colden has this weird comfort thing about my hair, and yanking on it and rubbing it between his fingers is apparently a source of great comfort to him.)

Last night we had another one of those nights where Colden would not go back to sleep. He went to bed a little before eight, and Tom and I tried to snuggle up a bit and re-connect with each other, but I was so tired the second my head hit the pillow that I just fell asleep. Colden came into our room around eleven and was awake until at least two. We changed his diaper, we got him three bottles of milk, but he wouldn't go to sleep until we put on Baby Einstein and Tom got him another snack of Goldfish crackers and dried fruit.

Sometimes when I do have the opportunity to go to bed early, I lie there awake, because it feels like my brain is telling my body, "Don't even think about going to sleep - you'll just have to get up in an hour!" And that is extremely frustrating because I want to sleep, I need to sleep, but I just can't do it. Sometimes I will take a warm bath and I can feel myself falling asleep in the tub, and then I get out, ready to lie down and sleep, and of course, that's right when Colden wakes up and we have to start all over.

I know I'm not the only person on the planet who has a toddler with sleep issues. We feel as though we've tried everything: we have read The No-Cry Sleep Solution over and over, we have kept charts and logs about Colden's sleep or the lack thereof, and we've tried everything we can think of to create a soothing, predictable and relaxing bedtime routine for him. But the kid just cannot fall back asleep by himself. I'm thinking that this may be the time when I consult with the pediatrician, even though the last time I talked to her about it, she advised me to let him cry it out, and I am definitely NOT comfortable with the thought of causing my kid distress like that.

Last week, I had to go to a singing group rehearsal on a Wednesday morning, and I seriously had no energy and could feel my eyes closing as we sat and tried to come up with a repertoire for our upcoming gigs. I just have no energy left for anything anymore outside of work and Colden.

This morning, Tom went off to do maple sugaring for our friend in Paul Smiths for the day, and we won't be back until late tonight, if we're lucky. I just have to see how I can best get through this day - it's going to be hard. I find myself stressing out again over the pile of work that I have waiting for me this week, and I'm finding it hard to control my temper after having about three hours of sleep last night. I don't know if I will let myself take a nap when/if Colden naps this afternoon, or if I'll keep myself awake and see if I can get some sleep after Tom gets home.

Either way, there's things that gotta get done...

My Health Care Rant (For Those of You Brave Enough to Read It)

So, this whole thing with the health care debate and this health care "overhaul" really has me angry. Really angry. Angry to the point where I can barely think of anything else, so I am going to let it all out here for the world to see. And if you get a little angry after reading this, well, good, because I think this is something we should be angry about.

I've heard over and over from people who are against health care reform that they do not want to be told by the government what they can and can't do. These are mostly the SAME PEOPLE who have no problem with the government telling other people what they can and can't do, though. Legal abortions, anyone? Why is it okay for the government to outlaw abortions but not okay to tell people, "We need to help others with health care." Oh, right, it's a religious and moral thing. Well, how moral is it to let hundreds of thousands of people get sick and die every year because we aren't willing to pay a few bucks more out of our own pockets every month? Is that okay with God? Worry all you want about the unborn, but screw the folks who are here, and living, and trying to make ends meet day after day with their families.

For those same people who don't want to pay into a system that they will never use, here's what I have to say. Do you have some crystal ball that lets you see into the future? Are you so positive that you will never be in dire need of health care? What if you lost your job and had a catastrophic illness while uninsured? I'll bet you would be pleased as punch to have someone else to help take care of the health care bills while you could focus on recovering and getting back to being a productive member of society. Unless, of course, you have a small personal fortune set aside for unexpected health care costs, and then, hey, all the best to ya.

What about your tax dollars that go to roads, bridges, and schools that you will never use or even see in far flung states? What about tax dollars that are spent overseas on American interests? THOSE tax dollars are okay, but tax dollars spent on providing health care to middle class Americans is just awful.

If you don't want the government to tell you what to do, fine. Let's keep importing those toxic toys from China and those contaminated vegetables from South America. The government even tells you how fast you can drive. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?

What about prescription drugs? Is it okay for a company to just start selling a drug in this country without any say by the U.S. government?

Oh, wait, you say it's okay for the government to tell you what you can and can't buy and how fast you can drive? Why is health care any different?

The bottom line is that, whether you like it or not, if you live in this country, the United States government tells you what you can and can't do in a million small ways every single day. And now they are trying to say, hey, if you pay us a few extra bucks every month, we can make sure that you will not lose everything that you have worked for your entire life because of one catastrophic illness.

The thing that bothers me the most is people who say, "Well, I've got good health insurance, why should I pay for someone else?" to which I say, first of all, you ALREADY pay for "someone else" through your Medicaid and Medicare taxes. With any luck, you will never become so desperately poor that you need Medicaid. So why should you pay for people on public assistance to have health care? Because there's nothing you can do about it?

Why do we have this mentality when it comes to health care that, "I have mine, screw everyone else?" Are these people who need health care bad people? Do they deserve to be sick? Do they deserve to lose their homes, their cars, and their personal belongings because of bad luck? Why are we so afraid to help people who truly need it?

Now, I have to admit, I'm not happy about this new health care "overhaul". I don't like the idea of the insurance companies still being in charge. I don't like the idea of the government simply requiring everyone to buy health insurance from a private companies.

Which brings me to those stupid "death panels" that were so talked about. Okay, if the government sets up a public option for health care, then the big, bad government will decide who gets treatment and who doesn't. What people don't realize is that the insurance companies already decide who will get treatment and who doesn't.

Has your insurance company ever decided to not pay for a procedure, test or treatment that your doctor recommended?

Mine has.

Have you ever been told that the insurance company won't accept your application because of a pre-existing condition?

I have.

If you want to talk about "death panels", how about those bureaucrats at the private insurance companies who decide that you can't have your next round of chemotherapy or another dialysis treatment? These guys AREN'T EVEN DOCTORS. They don't have medical training. They are MBAs. Do you want some guy from Harvard Business School deciding what medical treatments are best for your cancer? You don't? Oh, well, then, I hope you have about a million dollars socked away to pay for it yourself.

I think the main point I want to make is that in this country, we have this horrible attitude of "It's not my problem." When, exactly, does it become your problem? When YOU lose your job, your health care, your house, and your belongings? By then, it's too late.

I am no fan of Washington politics, but I do give my elected representatives kudos for doing this the best way they could at this point in time. I would really like to see a public option offered. Read that carefully. Public OPTION. Not "REQUIREMENT". A public option would mean that if you needed it, yeah, it would be there for you, and if you didn't need it, someone else who did need it would be able to use it. Why is that so bad?

Just how much do people think this is going to cost them? Are we talking thousands of dollars a month? Some people already pay that just for their health "insurance". Think about it: what is a safety net for your health and your well being like that worth to you? Ten dollars a month? Twenty? A hundred? A thousand? What is it worth to someone else? Personally speaking, I would gladly pay an extra twenty dollars a month right now to ensure that my family and I never had to go without health care.

I'm not saying that socialized medicine is perfect. It certainly isn't. But why, in the most prosperous nation in the WORLD, do people avoid going to the doctor until they deem it worth the cost of a co-pay? What is wrong with the current health care system that people still die from pneumonia because they can't afford to see a doctor?

So, there. Those are my feelings about this whole health care debacle. I think it's about time we did something in this country, the most prosperous country in the WORLD, to make sure that no more of our children die because their parents can't afford to see the doctor. It's time to make sure that the insurance companies stop running the show and let the doctors decide which treatments are best for serious illnesses. It's time to make sure that not one more person or family loses their house, their life savings and their personal belongings because they had the bad luck to get sick. It's about time.

I'm live!

I am live on About.com! Yippee! I got the confirmation email on Friday while I was at the Elizabethtown farmers market that my site has gone live. Wow! Now all I have to do is keep it going. Not hard, right? If you are interested in receiving it, just go to the About.Com Beadwork site and enter your email address. The newsletter will be sent automatically every Monday. That's all you have to do!

I know it's not even nine a.m. right now, but I've already edited and sent out my first newsletter for About.com, logged in to the forums and made a few posts, paid the phone bill, ordered my supplies and materials for kits for the Syracuse Gem & Mineral Show, ordered a few pendants from Beadin' Path for the Soft Flex Flex Your Creativity contest, ordered new light bulbs for my photo lights, and managed to stitch a few beads on my piece for Scarlett Lanson's Use the Muse II contest. So now I've got to pack up Colden and head up to Plattsburgh to do some grocery shopping (we are in dire need of dried cranberries and Cheerios!) before I settle down to do some more serious work this afternoon.

As July 11 draws closer, I am getting more and more nervous about the Syracuse Show. I'm so excited to be teaching there, and I think it's going to be a great time, but I am also worried about my sales. I seem to have lost my sales mojo at my farmers markets this year, although I'm hearing that from everyone at the markets. I'm hoping that I do well in sales at the Syracuse Show, not just because I need to pay the bills, but also because I still see sales as confirmation that my work is good. There's this little part of my brain that says, "If it won't sell, then it must be junk." Even though I know that that is not true. It always feels like personal rejection when I have low sales. It's like the customer isn't just rejecting my work, they're rejecting ME. At least I'm not the only one to feel like that - I've read alot on the Beading Daily Forums about other bead artists who feel the same way!

BUT, on a more positive note, even though we are coming up on the Fourth of July weekend, I have a new project to post on my blog, with a tutorial! (As soon as I figure out how to post a document on the blog, LOL!) It is for my necklace called "Lucia", and it was created entirely with beads that were supplied to me courtesy of Auntie's Beads.

I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, considering that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I started it!



So, stay tuned for the directions as a downloadable file.

Oh, my. I think Colden just dumped an entire can of breadcrumbs into Moose's water dish. So I think I had best be signing off for now!

Going Live!

Kind of ironic, the term, going live... But that's what I'll be in just a few days on About.com!

Getting ready to go live was sort of like an out-of-body experience for me. Learning how to write for the Web was a very eye-opening experience. I would spend hours in front of the computer, editing photos, and then uploading photos and text in a variety of different styles on a huge server.

Yesterday was crunch day. I had to "publish" the bulk of my work so that the training editor could turn my site over to the tech support people. I spent, literally, four or five hours in front of the computer, completely absorbed in sending information into cyberspace. And after I finished up, it felt a little weird to come back into the "real" world.

It wasn't like becoming completely absorbed in a piece of beadwork. Even when I lose myself in the little piles of sparkly things on my work table, I'm still vaguely conscious of my surroundings, and will very often converse with whoever is around - even on the phone. But writing and editing photos, for some reason, causes me to shut myself off so I can really concentrate. I will usually plug my earphones into the computer so I can listen to my iTunes while I work, and the outside world just...disappears!

At any rate, I will be sure to let everyone know when the site goes live! There are going to be lots of great tutorials on there, and lots of my original designs for my fellow beaders to create.

I am really excited about this new opportunity. I love the idea that I can take what I know and put it out there for other interested beaders to use. I have always loved teaching and sharing knowledge, and I think that that is extremely important among artists. I don't believe in keeping secrets when it comes to art and craft. So now I get to reach out to thousands of people who all love beads as much as I do!

Syrcause Gem & Mineral Show

As I might have mentioned before (maybe once or twice!) I'll be teaching on Sunday, July 12 at the Syracuse Gem & Mineral Show in Syracuse, N.Y. I'll be teaching a 3-hour class on how to bezel a gemstone cabochon with peyote stitch, and I'm very excited! It should be a great show all around - I've never attended this particular show before, but I've heard that it is very family-friendly with lots of activities for the kids. If I'm still teaching there in a few years, when Colden is a little older, it would be great to bring him for the weekend.

So, if you are going to be in the Syracuse area during the weekend of July 11 and 12, contact the Syracuse Gem & Mineral Society for more information and registration. I believe that the cost of the class is going to be pretty reasonable - around $30 for the class. I will have two types of kits available for the class - one that includes everything needed to make the projects, including a gemstone cabochon, a matching strand of 4mm gemstone beads, Delica beads, seed beads, Stiff Stuff, ultrasuede, thread, needles, a clasp and stringing materials for $45; and another kit that includes just the Stiff Stuff, ultrasuede, thread and needles for $15. I will also have a great selection of my other kits available for purchase at the show. And my good friend Jen will be assisting me at my booth while I teach and do some demonstrations during the show. (Yes, her name is Jen, and no, I'm not developing a split personality, although some days I do need to be in three places at once!)

This past Sunday I did my first farmers' market at Marcy Field in Keene, N.Y. There was a Kite Festival as well that day, sponsored by the East Branch Friends of the Arts, a local non-profit arts group from Keene Valley. It was pretty crazy - when I arrived at 8:30 in the morning, it was raining pretty hard. I thought, how are they going to fly kites in this kind of weather?
But they did fly kites! The weather finally started to clear up around 2:30, after I was all packed and starting to head home.

This week, I will be doing three farmers markets in the area - I'll be at the Willsboro Farmers Market on Thursday the 25th of June from 9 am until 1 pm. This is a new market for the Adirondack Farmers Market Cooperative, and it is held at the little grassy parking area across from the Old Adirondack Factory.

Then I'll be at my regular markets in Elizabethtown on Friday the 26th from 9 am until 1 pm and at Marcy Field in Keene on Route 73 from 9:30 am until 2 pm.

And during the week, I'll be getting more inventory ready for the Syracuse Gem & Mineral Show as well as continuing to work for About.com! (The About.com site isn't live yet, but it should be before July 1!)

Right, so, when do I get to sleep?

My lampworking studio

Back in 2003 (it seems like a long time ago!), Tom and I moved into our little house here in Jay. One of the things that drew both of us to it was the workshop in the garage - Tom was thinking about a place for his tool collection, and I was thinking about a place to put a torch and a kiln. (The kiln didn't come until much later, though!)

Tom built me a beautiful workstation.















We installed a ventilation hood and after we got the kiln, Tom built a table out of a leftover door. When I took up fusing, I set up my glass cutting system on the table next to the kiln. What I love about it the most is the beautiful view of the Jay Mountain Range that you can see out of the picture window!















(It's not the greatest picture, but you get the idea!)

So, now that I'm starting to gear up for the Syracuse Gem & Mineral Show, I am thinking about what kinds of inventory I want to bring to sell at the show. I think I am going to have a large selection of my handmade glass beads, probably a few bead pens and magnifying glasses, a large selection of kits and instructions/patterns, and a few finished pieces made with gemstone beads. I'm very excited about this show! It will be my largest show ever, and I think with the help I've received from Kathy and Ruby at the Northern Adirondack Trading Cooperative, I think it is going to be a great show for me.

LARAC Show in Glens Falls!

So, because I have a lot of writing to do today, I thought that I would "warm up" by updating my blog with all the pictures from the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council's June show that I attended this past weekend in Glens Falls!

The closer we got to the weekend last week, the more the forecast called for rain and thunderstorms, which made the prospect of sitting at an outdoor art and craft festival for 8 hours a day less than appealing. However, on Saturday morning, it was clear and cool and beautiful, and by the time I was set up at the City Park in Glens Falls, the sun was shining and the sky was clear!

My new displays looked awesome in the sun! I had a great mix of pieces out for sale - everything from a $400 beadwoven choker based on a piece of African artwork to some simple fused glass pendants for $15. I did receive a lot of great feedback on my work - one woman, a seamstress who happened to stop at my booth, asked me what kind of machine I used to get my stitches so even on the backs of my bead embroidered pendants. She almost didn't believe me when I told her that I did it all by hand. I just happened to be working on a cabochon necklace and I showed her the technique that I used to create the pendants, and she was very impressed.












































I knew that Claudia Chandler of "Completely Claudia", one of my fellow Adirondack Etsy Team-mates, was going to be at the show, so I stopped by her booth on Sunday and took a few pictures. (Which was good, she said, because she and her husband had forgotten the camera!)


Claudia had been looking at one of my handmade glass bead necklaces, so I traded with her. I picked out one of her gorgeous baskets (to be incorporated into my booth display this summer!) and two notecards for two special friends.




















And then there were my wonderful "neighbors". One my right was Ray and Ruth Woodcraft from Connecticut. Ray did beautiful handmade wood products like lazy susans, cutting boards, coasters and decorative items. Ruth, his wife, did lovely jewelry made with crystals and gemstone beads, all knotted on silk!















On my left was Wilfred Charbonneau who did beautiful antler sculpture from natural antlers.
















His daughter and I traded - a dichroic glass pendant for this pair of awesome antler moose earrings!
















So, even though my sales weren't what I had hoped they would be, I still had a great time and made some new friends.

Up next this weekend: I will be at the Elizabethtown farmers market again this Friday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. And then on Sunday, my first day at the Keene farmers market on Route 73 at Marcy Airfield from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. They are having a Kite Festival for Father's Day, so cross your fingers that the weather holds up!

It's not pretty, but...

This is the piece that has taken over my life since yesterday morning. The beads are all courtesy of Auntie's Beads, and the piece is one that just sort of came to me as I was looking at the beads online. I just sort of wondered how I could stitch them so they would all fit together. Once I got that figured out, I had to figure out how to connect them so that they didn't flop around. And I think I've almost got that figured out! Then I just have to figure out how to attach the clasp, which I haven't decided on yet. It's a work in progress, but it's so much fun! The little netted connectors work up really quick, and I love the way they look with those red diamonds.

So, when I'm not obsessing over this piece, I am finishing up my new displays for the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council's June Art and Craft Festival this weekend. Tom constructed the panels for me out of foam core and L-brackets. Last night after Colden went to bed, I covered them with a layer of thick bunting fabric, and then today I will finish covering them with a bright turquoise fabric. They will be attached to my table using c-clamps and alligator clamps, and the necklaces and bracelets will be pinned right to the foam core through the fabric. For earrings, I am going to tie either end of a piece of fishing line to two jewelry pins, add a drop of glue so that it doesn't slip, and then fasten the pins into the backside of the board. They'll also allow me to stick little notes about each one right on the board, and I think I will also add a few little accents to the table, like a vase with a few eucalyptus branches or some silk flowers.

My little man was "helping" me when I tried to cover the boards yesterday morning, so that's why I waited until he was asleep! He was so pleased with himself!

And, of course, I've been posting all over Facebook about the show that inspired these new display panels! The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council is having their June Art & Craft Fair this Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., at Glens Falls City Park in Glens Falls, N.Y. I've heard from a couple of people that the city has recently made some great improvements to the park, and I'm very much looking forward to selling my work at the fair! The weather right now is calling for a 20% chance of rain with highs in the low 70s, so as long as the rain stays away, it is shaping up to be a beautiful weekend.

So that's all for now! I've got a million things to finish up today, so I need to get off the computer and get back to work!

I can't believe the weekend is over already!

This weekend just seemed to fly by. Crazy. It was absolutely beautiful yesterday, and my band, Sounds of the Northway, played a great gig in Willsboro at Noblewood Park on the shore of Lake Champlain as part of the Quadracentennial Celebration of the discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain. The wind was whipping off that lake, and when it let up a bit, the sun baked us. I alternated between wearing a fleece jacket and wearing a sleeveless shirt. When I got home, I discovered that I had a tiny little bit of sunburn. Not bad, but I have to be more careful. I forgot how easily I burn!

I think tomorrow is going to be a picture day. I removed some work from the Adirondack Art Association Gallery in Essex in preparation for the big show in Glens Falls this coming weekend, and tomorrow I am going to set up my lights and my light tent and take some good photos before I put them out for sale again. I also finished two or three new pieces that I need to photograph before I put them up for sale.

This is going to be another busy week! I've got my final preparations for my new displays to finish up (thanks to Tom!), a few more pieces of jewelry to finish, some photographs to take, some writing to do for About.com, and some freelance work I need to continue. I'm not sure if I'm going to go to the Elizabethtown market this weekend - I might be better off skipping it and staying at home, but on the other hand, it does give me some time to bead outside and a chance to socialize!

I know there was more that I wanted to write about here today, but it's too late, and I'm getting too tired. I think I need to go curl up in bed with Tom and Colden and Moose and see if we can keep warm tonight. (Gotta love the Adirondacks - it's going to be forty degrees and raining tonight, so it's not just chilly, it's DAMP and chilly!)

This is how my dog spends the summer.

Seriously. His favorite spot in the entire house is on that first step of our back porch from the kitchen. I don't know if the concrete is cool, or if the breeze is just right or what, but that is where you can find Moose most hot, lazy summer afternoons.

As for me, I spend my summers a little differently now!

Lately, I feel like there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything that needs to be done, nor do I have the energy to accomplish what I need to. I suppose that's just part of having a toddler. Not that I would trade Colden for anything, but the one thing I am looking forward to on my travels this summer is getting a full night of sleep!

Speaking of my travels, my first big teaching gig is coming up in July! I know, it seems far away now, but yesterday I realized that it's already JUNE!

My first big teaching gig this summer is going to be at the Syracuse Gem & Mineral Show at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. I don't think they've ever held classes at this show before, so I'm honored that they asked me to teach there this year. I decided that, since it is a gem and mineral show, to teach a 3-hour class in bezeling and bead embroidery using gemstone cabochons. It won't be a very intricate project, but it will give the basics for how to bezel a cabochon using peyote stitch and how to create a lovely little ring of accent beads around it. I will have a supply list for students who sign up early for the class so that anyone who wants to can bring their own materials. Or, as usual, I will have complete kits available for students who want to purchase all the materials from me on the day of the class. I should have several different gemstones available in several different shapes. The kits will also include thread, needles, backing for the cabochon, a piece of Ultrasuede or Sensuede and coordinating seed beads. For more information about the show, you can check out the website of the Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse. The class will be held on the morning of Sunday, July 12, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. There are only 10 spaces available for the entire class, so if you are interested, contact the Gem & Mineral Society and sign up quickly!

I am also feverishly continuing my preparations for the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council Spring Craft Show on June 13th and 14th in Glens Falls. I'm very excited to be participating in this year's spring show, and I hope to be able to participate in the fall show as well. I have designed (in my head and in my sketchbook, at least!) a new set of displays that I want to have finished this weekend. I am also working on some new bead embroidered pendants, bracelets and earrings that will be for sale at the show. Here is a sneak peak of one of the pendants:
I stayed up waaaaay too late last night working on it. I finished the embroidery today, and then also finished the onyx cabochon that will hang from the bottom of the pendant. Tomorrow, I hope to add the fringe and then I also hope that some inspiration comes and wacks me over the head for a cool strap to go with this piece! I really do love it - I may have to make a custom toggle for it, now that I think about it.

And then, in the middle of everything, Tom showed me this picture the other night:


We have a catbird nest in the blackberry bushes outside the garage! Tom said that when he went back to look again yesterday evening, there was a fourth egg in the nest. How beautiful! I'll have to check back with photos when the babies hatch!

So, it's after ten o clock, so I think I am going to turn in for the night. Lots to do again tomorrow, and I need to get whatever sleep I can!

Another first birthday party!

Now that all of our friends have kids, we've been going to a lot of first birthday parties lately. It's a lot of fun - we love seeing Colden play with other kids, and I like talking to other moms.

Yesterday, we drove down to Dolgeville for Cody's first birthday party! Cody is the little boy of our friends Amy and Andy, and the last time we saw him was at Tom's surprise birthday party last July when Cody was only about seven weeks old. He was so tiny! Yesterday, he was walking around and giggling and mixing it up with the dogs. Tom and Amy tried to get Colden and Cody to play together, but they were't having any of it with each other. Too cute!

Colden was great in the car. It was a long ride from Jay - almost four hours. Colden didn't start to fuss until about the last half hour of the ride when he just wanted to get the heck out of that car seat. I can't blame him - I get antsy when I sit too long, too. I finally appeased him for the last leg of the journey by giving him a box of Kleenex and just letting him take out tissue after tissue after tissue. It was actually kinda cute - he kept wiping his nose with his finger like he was trying to use the tissue but couldn't figure out how to get it up to his face.

At the party, Andy brought out Cody's little "four wheeler", and Colden loved it. There were little buttons on it that made noise and Colden loved climbing on and off of it. I think we're going to have to get one for him now!

We left after the cake, since we had a long drive ahead of us, and I was sure that Colden was starting to get worn out. Sure enough, we were no sooner at the end of their driveway when I turned around to look at Colden and he was completely conked out. Note the pile of Kleenex on the seat next to him!

So today Tom was going to plant the tomato, eggplant and pepper seedlings in the gardens, but there is a frost warning for tonight with temperatures supposed to be in the twenties, so no seedlings today. He might cut the grass later, but the sky is full of low, black clouds, so that might not work, either.

Whatever happens, after he gets done in the garage, he has promised me as much time as I want at the torch today. Yay! So I hope to have some new glass beads done today. I've been thinking that I am going to make some pendant and earring sets - one big focal for a pendant and two smaller, matching beads for earrings. I've got a lot of work to do before my big show in Glens Falls on the 13th and 14th of June!

My new job!

Back in January, I noticed a post on the website Beader's Showcase that the website About.com was looking for a new Guide to beadwork. It looked like something I'd be able to do, so I filled out an application one morning while Colden was napping and Tom was at work. It said that it could take six to eight weeks before applications were reivewed, so I figured it would be a while before I heard back. Still, the OCD-part of my personaliy kept sending emails to About.com to check the status of my application! Finally, in April, I was notified that I had been accepted into the first part of their training program, where I would create content for the website and then have it reviewed by an editor.

After I finished that two-week program, I was notified that I had been accepted into the second part of the training program where I would publish my content to a "dummy" site set up for me. That, I have to admit, was a little harder. I had two tutorials - one for a bracelet and one for square stitch - and they had lots of photos to upload. There was a batch upload tool, but it didn't work for the training process, so I had to upload each photo one at a time. I did most of the uploading late at night after Colden and Tom were asleep. And I thought the content that I wrote looked pretty good on the website. Still, there was that part of me that kept thinking that the job was going to go to someone else. At least, I told myself, I would have lots of great posts for my own blog if I didn't get the job!

But then after I submitted everything and got the kinks worked out (which there always are when publishing to the web), I got the notification that I had been hired as the new About.com Guide to Beadwork!

I am so excited to be the new Guide! I have so many ideas for projects and tutorials for stitches that I love. I have a million projects that have been sitting in my sketchbook for such a long time now, and now I get to bring them to life to share on About.com. I really want to make the site accessible to both beginner as well as more advanced beaders. I also want to have a lively forum going on there where people can post about the projects, the products or anything they have on their minds that is bead-related.

The site isn't live yet - I've been working on creating some new content and getting it on the site. I'll get the first set of instructions from my editors either tomorrow or early next week, so I'll be sure to let everyone know when the site goes live!

My show season continues this week and next week on Fridays at the Adirondack Farmers Market in Elizabethtown. Then on June 13 and 14, I will be showing at the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council's Spring Craft Festival in Glens Falls. You can find more information about the show and get directions on the website for the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council. This is the first time I have done one of their craft festivals, and I'm really looking forward to it!

Other things I want to mention:

Scarlett Lanson of Beadwork magazine has launched her second design competition, Use the Muse II! I participated in the first contest and had a great time - I'm looking forward to ordering my kit for her second contest. I don't know if I'll actually submit something this time, but the kit for the first contest was loaded with gorgeous beads, and it was a fun challenge to use the Muse component. You can find more information by checking out Scarlett's blog, "The Beader's Muse".

And on a more musical note (get it - musical note?), my little folk band, Sounds of the Northway, has received a second grant from the Open Meadows Foundation to help us with our newest recording project. We are compiling a repetoire of songs all about women's history. These are songs that we have been singing for years, and it is our plan to distribute the CD to local schools and do a series of live performances to promote the disc. We'll probably be going back into the studio in August or September to start recording. We'll be using Charless Eller Studios of Charlotte, Vermont again - they were the studio we used when we recorded our 2006 CD "Water, Women and Song". You can see more about the group on our website (which I really need to update!), Soundsofthenorthway.com.

I think that's long enough for today's blog post!

What a nice weekend!

So, on Friday evening, we dropped Colden off at Tom's parents for a little while and attended the opening of the Adirondack Art Association Gallery on Main Street in Essex. It was great to see Dee Myers, Sharon, and to meet Connie, the new gallery director. Dee's work was just gorgeous - there was a beautiful watercolor piece of a flock of sheep that I would love to own when I get rich and famous, but for now, I'll just have to make a few more trips back to the gallery to see it before it comes down.

This is a picture of Lake Champlain, taken from the deck of the gallery. It was a beautiful night. We didn't stay too long, because we needed to get Colden before bedtime, but it was a nice night for a drive, and Tom got to meet all the folks that I've been talking about since last summer.

On Saturday, Colden and I went into Lake Placid with Tom and Colden and I went for a walk around Mirror Lake while Tom worked at the plant. Sunday was a nice, laid-back day, too - we did some work in the gardens and made preparations for dinner on Monday with Tom's parents.

Monday was great. In the morning, I put a load of glass in the kiln and did something a little different. I had this bag of millefiore that I got from Delphi Glass back in March for the class I taught at North Country School. The kids had a great time with them, but they didn't use them up, and I had no idea what to do with them, until I decided to just throw some on a piece of glass, fuse them, and see what happened! The results were quite nice, I think. I made nine pendants, and one pendant and earring set that I think I am going to keep for myself unless someone offers me mad money for it! Ha ha ha! Oh, and I forgot to mention that these will be for sale shortly on my Etsy shop and at my farmers' markets. If they sell quickly, I may have to get more millefiore or learn to make them myself.

Then on Monday afternoon, we went over to Tom's parents' house and hung out for the afternoon. Tom and his dad put a swing up in the backyard for Colden. It's one of those plastic bucket seats, and his dad got it from (where else?) the thrift shop in Wilmington. We put Colden in there in his little sun hat, and pushed him around for a while, and he just loved it! It was so cute! He loved it so much that we brought the swing home, and Tom is going to put an extra beam on the pole barn so that we can hook the swing up here for Colden. Once we managed to coax him out of the swing, he tore around the living room, trying out his newfound climbing skills on whatever was standing still - including me, Tom and Opa! What a cutie pie...

I sold two beading kits over the weekend on my Etsy shop, which was a nice surprise. I have to ship them out this afternoon on my way to rehearsal with the ladies in Willsboro. I also have to remember to take the books and movies back to the library and return the Netflix. And I wonder why I can't remember things lately.

Anyway, I've got a wonderful announcement to make later on. Hope I can do it today, but if not, definitely tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Busy, busy week!

Now that my market and show season is here, I have to try to get back into the routine that I had down last summer - although this time around, it's a little trickier with a toddler running around! Anyway, this past week has been a blur - I've been trying to get some new pieces finished to put in the Adirondack Art Association gallery in Essex. Their grand opening in their new gallery space - the Olde Firehouse Gallery - on Main Street in Essex is this Friday, May 22 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Since it is a fundraiser for the Art Association, there is a charge - $25 per person or $40 per couple, which includes a food and wine tasting and a fine art print as a souvenir. I am very much looking forward to going to the opening with Tom - Colden will be at Oma and Opa's for the evening.

For the AAA gallery, I made three more pairs of Swarovski crystal earrings in crystal AB, blue zircon, and my favorite, padpradascha.







































I also created this beautiful embroidered pendant with a custom-stitched toggle clasp made from a yellow turquoise (which is actually a form of the stone serpentine with a matrix of hematite) cabochon and various yellow turquoise beads. It was so much fun to make - it kind of made itself! I named it "Not of This Earth" because it just looks so alien to me.







I am also going to display this red and gold bead embroidered piece that I call "Sangreal" for "royal blood" because it looks to me like a beautiful piece that ancient royalty would have worn. The straps were fun to come up with - for inspiration, I went to one of my favorite books, "Beaded Cords, Straps and Fringe" published by Interweave Press. I was looking at the satin beaded cord, and got the idea to make peyote stitched sliders embellished with red Czech glass drops for the bottom. I also had the idea to make a series of satin necklaces using the same technique - I'll post those and directions for them when they are finished.

Oh, and one more piece that is still in production. This one has kind of a funny story to it. I had this wonderful idea for a piece using Swarovski crystal frames and tiny 12mm Rivolis. I went ahead and bezeled 25 tiny little Rivolis and ordered the crystal frames. When I tried to assemble it the way I had envisioned it, nothing worked. I finally said to heck with it, and tried to figure out what to do with 25 tiny little bezeled Rivolis! So here is one idea that is working quite nicely. Not my usual thing, the Swarovskis, but I kinda like it. If I finish it, I have a beautiful pink taffeta blouse that it will go with very nicely at the opening tomorrow night. And I had an idea on how to use the crystal frames, but that's a post for another day.

I'll be at the Elizabethtown farmers' market again tomorrow morning from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. selling my handmade jewelry. It's Memorial Day weekend, so it should be a busy market. I am really looking forward to seeing all my farmers' market friends, including the woman who sells locally produced fruit wines. My favorite is a green apple Riesling that goes down way too easy - I just might have to buy a bottle for this weekend and next weekend when we are going down to Dolgeville to help our friends celebrate their son's first birthday!

The farmers market season is here!

Wow. I ran around like a madwoman on Thursday night, trying to finalize what I needed to bring with me, and I knew in the back of my head that being the first day of the market, I might not have any sales at all. I don't care who says what about a show where you are trying to sell products, any kind of products, there is always just the chance that even if you do everything right, you won't have a single sale. I've had shows like that.

At any rate, I wish I had taken some pictures. It was a great time. I saw a few of the nice folks from last season in Elizabethtown. Maple syrup, beautiful hand-turned wood bowls, lots and lots of flowers and baked goods were all for sale. It was, admittedly, a slow start to the day. One of the vendors quipped, "Why did we set up today?" But it turned into a busy morning a little later on, after the sun came out and people realized that the markets were open.

Next weekend will be a busy one for me. I will be back at Elizabethtown on Friday morning, and then Friday evening I will be attending the grand opening of the new Adirondack Art Association Gallery on Main Street in Essex, where some of my work will be on display along with that of lots of other talented North Country artists. I can't wait to see - they have moved into the old Firehouse gallery on Main Street this year, and the building is gorgeous. Beautiful, open, light interior with a lovely deck overlooking Lake Champlain and - best of all - an apartment on the second floor where artists (like me!) will be holding workshops all summer! I can't wait for Tom to see it, too. It's just such a gorgeous space, the Art Association really did well to rent it for the '09 season.

So, with that, I will be signing off for now. Colden is fast asleep next to me in bed here, and I have a little more writing and figuring out to do before I can try to get some sleep. Lots of exciting things to write about in the next few days, and some project instructions are coming, too!

Interview with Right as Rain Creations from Etsy!

Well, since it's been a while, and I really can't talk much about some of the projects I'm working on right now, I'll post another interview with one of my fellow Etsians!

This seller, Right as Rain Creations, is a fellow Etsy mom! I came across RARC when we were chatting in a "Springtime Babies" thread on the Etsy Forums. She makes great bath and body products, many of which I have listed on my Favorites on Etsy. (And one of these days when I have a little extra cash, I am going to treat myself to some of her milk baths!) So, without further ado, here is the interview with Right as Rain Creations on Etsy!

1. What is the name of your shop and what items do you sell?
My shop name is Right As Rain Creations and I sell handmade bath and body products, which I make from scratch!

2. How did you get started in your craft?
My husband is an artist and photographer, and we did the craft fair circuit for a few years when we were first married. I noticed that items under $10 sold best so I looked around to see what wasn't represented. I saw lots of soap sellers, but no lotion sellers and since I am very particular about lotion, I thought I'd try my hand at making my own! After considerable research and messing around with a recipe, I had perfected it by the next holiday season and was ready to sell! By the following holiday season, I was online and started adding many more products.

3. Where are you located?
I am in beautiful Bellingham, Washington, USA

4. Do you have a day job or is your craft your primary source of income? If
you do have a day job, what is it?
In addition to running my business, I am an at-home mom to two little boys and a baby girl!

5. What is your favorite part of your craft?
I'd say my very favorite moment is when I am stirring a fresh batch of lotion and it turns creamy. It is tough to describe, but beautiful to watch!

6. What is your least favorite part of your craft?
Cleaning up afterward, hands down! :)

7. Do you listen to music or watch t.v. while you work? What do you like to have
on in the background?
Personally I prefer music, but since I usually work after the kids are in bed, my background sounds tend to be whatever my husband is watching on the DVD player (we don't have television channels).

8. Given all the bad news circulating about the state of the economy lately, how
do you see handmade items fitting in? Are they more or less important?
My hope is that as the economy turns down (hopefully only temporarily!) that people will see the value in handmade. Sometimes spending more is the economically best choice if you are getting a quality product that will last much longer than the commercial alternative.

9. What inspires you? What motivates you to create?
I am inspired by the endless possibilities of products and scents out there! I am motivated by my kids, as my income is our fun money! :)

10. What are your favorite materials to work with? If you are a visual artist,
what colors inspire you? If you are another type of artist, are there any
scents/sights/sounds that inform your work?
My favorite thing to make out of my product line is my lotion - it was my beginning, after all! I love discovering new scents. I have to rein myself in, because time-wise I can only offer so many choices and I only have so much room in my cupboard, but I still find that every time I run to my local supply shop, I come home with a new scent, whether I need it or not!

11. What is your favorite season and why?
I am a total and complete autumn girl! I love the turning colors, the crisp air, and the crunch of leaves beneath my feet.

12. And because I’m such a foodie, if you could have anything you wanted fordinner, cooked to perfection, exactly the way you like it, what would it be?

Oh, crab and brie bisque for starters and a medium steak with melted bleu cheese on top and a buttery twice-baked potato on the side! I gained at least three pounds just typing that, lol!

So make sure you take a gander at her shop, which can be found by clicking this link:
Right as Rain Creations on Etsy

Some funky new colors!

So, now that I'm a few months into my color studies with Margie Deeb, I felt like experimenting with some of my new-found color skills!

I've been trying to work on a new series of bead embroidered pendants, and this one with the red stone is so not like anything I've ever done before. I had originally thought of doing red and black, but after doing the coloring exercises from Margie, I decided to use a beautiful, bright, light gold to contrast with the red, and I threw in a little bit of bright, sparkling pink. The cabochon in the center is a piece of Malyasia "Jade" that I've had in my stash for a while now. It just seemed to work so well on the shape of the brass form from Diane Hyde. I'm going to try to finish stitching the other half of the piece tonight so that I can back it and start fringing it. Here's a shot with the palette of beads that I chose to use for this piece.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I am in the middle of doing some one-on-one color work with Margie Deeb. So far, it has been a fantastic experience, and has been as much fun as it has been enlightening! The coloring exercises she has given me are so much fun - it's like I'm five years old with my crayons all over again! Margie does some incredible work, and I am thrilled that I have been able to get her feedback on my work and my use of color. Her website is MargieDeeb.com, and you can find lots of great information there. Her Podcasts are great, and her books are even better!

I have to apologize for the delay in getting that project up here that I promised in my last blog post. I have been working on something sort-of-top-secret (which is, I suppose, like being a little bit pregnant) and I've been directing more time to it than I thought I would. But if it all works out, I might have something very exciting to post here in a couple of weeks.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather in their part of the world. It is beautiful here today - a little bit sunny, getting warm, and all the green buds are out on the trees! Hooray!

It's not spring, it feels like summer!

It's been a crazy weekend here, with temperatures up in the 90s. Yes, you read that correctly - the 90s!!! But as I sit here, I am watching the clouds rolling in over the mountains a few miles west of here, so with any luck, things will cool off after the storms they are predicting this afternoon.

Anyway, I think I mentioned before that I am now involved with a program thought Artbeads.com that they call "Blogging for Beads". They send me great new products to test, and I blog about them! I think it's a pretty cool deal. I received my first package of beads from them a little over a week ago, and finally had a chance to sit down with them this past weekend.

These little beauties are made by Toho. They are called hybrid beads, because after the glass seed bead was made by Toho, they were sent to the Czech Republic where traditional bead finishes were applied. The colors I recieved were stunning! Everything from a marbled hematite to a gorgeous transparent pink and gold luster. I came up with the perfect project for them, which I am finishing up after I finish this blog post, and I will post the directions and the supply list later. They really are incredibly consistent in size and color. I think I'm going to have to order a larger quantity of one color, as it's going to work out perfectly for another larger-scale project I have going on right now.










They are incredible for beadweaving. I used them to make a sample for another project I'm working on right now, and they click together almost as nicely as the Toho cylinder beads, but because they are slightly rounder, they give the work a more organic feel. And those colors - wow! The finishes are just beautiful.

Once I complete the project later this weekend, I'll make sure I post full directions and a printer-friendly file for you to download and share.

Tom is in the kitchen making dinner for us tonight. We're having Breakfast For Dinner - omelet made with our fresh eggs, Tom's killer homemade pancakes, oven-fried potatoes, and of course, our homemade maple syrup!

Is it spring yet or what?

Well, we had a couple of nice-ish days, some sun, temperatures slowly climbing out of the forties, and then this morning, SNOW! But, it's to be expected in the mountains, and I wouldn't have it any other way, even when I've got Spring Fever and I've got it bad!

This spring, we did a few things to celebrate the changing of the seasons. First, I went up to the local tractor supply store and bought a dozen new baby chicks to supplement our flock of ten laying hens. We love the fresh eggs, and Colden loves watched the chickens! These little sweeties were adorable, all fluffed out - by now, they're almost ready to go outside during the day, as soon as the temperatures warm up a bit more.


Tom tried something new this year, too - his father brought home a little plastic bag full of metal cones. When Tom looked at them, he realized that they were taps for trees to get sap. So he went out to the little strip of forest at the very back of our property and tapped the trees to get sap to make maple syrup. It was quite an adventure - lugging back big, heavy pails and jugs full of sap, and then boiling it all down. Tom decided the best place to do most of the boiling was out in the garage, and he set up a little station with our portable grill that just happens to have a gas burner on it.
First, he filtered it to strain out any stray bugs or other nasties, and then it went into the large metal pot you see steaming in the picture. After he boiled it down to a fairly low level in the pot, he brought it into the house and did a final slow simmer on the stove until the syrup was thick and dark. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup, and I think we ended up with about a gallon and a half of syrup, including the bottles we gave away.

The forecast for tomorrow is going to be warm, in the 70s, and reaching 80 on Saturday! I am excited about the prospect of being able to open all the windows in the house again, but at the same time, I don't want it to get any warmer than that. I am a cold-weather creature, for sure!