Only In Virginia....

Last Sunday we took a few of the kids to hike to Spy Rock in Nelson county, VA.  It was quite the hike...complete with everything hurting by Monday morning!  On our way down what we thought at the time was only a thunderstorm graced us with torrential downpour!

Here's a few highlights:

Definitely worth the hike!

Breathtaking views from atop of Spy Rock.

Only a 10 year old thinks that running on top of a mountain is a great idea!

Great spot for a nap.

On the long, albeit scenic drive home, we encountered numerous detours due to downed trees.  No problem...we're flexible like that.  My heart lurched when I glanced to my right and noticed a 10 foot wide path right through the middle of a countryside church.  I didn't take any pictures, as I was always told by my mom "not to become an obnoxious tourist during someone else's misfortune."  Turns out we just missed a tornado by about 15 minutes.

Tuesday morning was like Christmas in my mailbox!  I received a few expected packages and also my Bead Soup beads from my partner Tari Sasser!!!  Woot-woot!

I quickly snapped some shots (next post...stay tuned) of the colorful ceramic creations she sent, and got to work.  I stepped out on the back deck so a few of my pieces could take a quick dip in liver of sulfur when the ground started shaking...and the dog and I were slowly getting shaken off of the deck.  Yep....what everyone has watched on t.v. for the past 2 days....earthquake in Virginia....epicenter approximately an hour from us, in Mineral, VA.  Now, a 5.9 quake is a just a Sunday picnic out west...not so much for us east coast country folk!  We've had a few aftershocks...the worst being around 1 a.m. last night...but now we've moved on to bigger things heading our way today....hurricane Irene!

My lights are flickering as I type...so I'm going to batten down the hatches for now....

It's Moobie's Day!

So very hard to believe that my baby Grace is 10 today!  I still can't account where the time has gone.  She stole my heart then, and continues to do so every single day.  If it wasn't for her, chances are I'd be back in an office working, and still complaining about being miserable.  Would you like to hear the story?  There's always a story...

A little over a year ago (March, 2010 I believe), I was sitting on the bed (no studio at the time), making beads, and playing with the polymer clay that I'd had for years.  She came in, sat down beside me and asked me what I was doing.  I distinctly remember my exact words to her; "playing with beads and clay when I should be looking for a job!"  Sweet thing that she is, she gently took the piece I was working on (an epic fail, I might add) and said to me in the most confident voice "you don't need a job Momma, you have talent!"  That was all it took.  If a 9 yr old can have that much faith, why couldn't I?  It didn't matter to her the logistics of it all, or any of the hundreds of reasons why it wouldn't work out...she simply saw what could be.  She still teaches something new every day (in fact, all of my kids do.)  So, it was only appropriate that we coined the business after her nickname gone horribly wrong!

Anyway, today is her day!  No more single digits!!  Happy birthday Moobie Grace!!  Keep shinning "Baby Moo!"

Have The White Jacket Ready

Just a quick post to let everyone know I'm still here, drowning...but still here!   I've been working myself into a frenzy (think Tazmanian Devil on steroids) this week over the the upcoming art show.  I don't know why I do it to myself...ok, ok I'm fully aware why I do it!  Because, while I'm completely non OCD in every other aspect of life (don't listen to the rumors), when it comes to my work and how I present myself I drive myself a little batty (I can't imagine how I come across to everyone else)!  Redesigning, adding new work, organizing, photography, double/triple checking everything, obsessing over minute details that no one will ever notice...except me!  And, don't even get me started on pricing items...definitely not my strong point in this circus/jewelry business endeavor, so I put it off until the last minute!

Then...Wham!  It dawned on me this morning I don't have a single ring made (to fill my new ring displays)...nor do I have any ring blanks.  Which then brought about another maddening check of my entire stock.  Which turned into a dash to order those, and twenty other things I didn't know I needed...darn Etsy!  So, all in all a half of a day wasted!!!

I did have time however to snap a couple of pictures...

Teal blue with pale lime flowers

Jade & porcelain bead accents

This picture drives me insane because the swarovski crystals appear to be an orangey color instead of the identical shade of the red clay in all 80 pictures I took (told ya, I'm a tad anal!)...

Backtracking here.  The corsage I made for my daughter's prom last weekend.  I'd forgotten all about the pictures I had saved until now...

Just a close up of the center of the corsage.

And because I love y'all a sneak peek of something new I've been working on!  Faux wood...I love the combination of dainty flowers and rustic wood...well polymer clay manipulated to vaguely resemble wood like formations.

So, the coffee is hot (yes, @ 10:40 p.m.) and there's work to be done!  Lucky for me the kids are on spring break next week and I can work through the night if needed be....hmmm this seems like deja vu of last year.

Now, should I let my husband know that I've planned for him to build new displays and framework this weekend, or surprise him come Saturday morning?



Senior Prom - April 16th, 2011

Just thought I'd share a little of my weekend...

6 Homecomings & 4 Proms later...we have finally reached the finish line!!!

The Three Stooges!  I'm not sure what I'm going to do next year without these 3 around. (L to R:  my daughter & my 2 that I didn't actually give birth to, but are still mine)  This was upon arrival...all elegant and proper...

Which quickly turned into typical silly girl antics

And got progressively worse as we were waiting out the tornado warning.

I asked for a nice picture...

I'm not sure if she lives in reality

I'm assuming the silliness continued into the night...I didn't stick around!

Her corsage that I made for the big night.  We've done local florist corsages for many years, this year she wanted feathers and not for it to look like everyone elses.  Hopefully we accomplished just that.  Of course I couldn't NOT add my own touch to the flower's center!  I also made the boutonniere but didn't get a good picture.

Darn...I just realized I have 2 more daughters & my son to go through all of this with!

Sidetracked

The past few days have really gotten me anticipating summer...I even let the dog lounge on the threshold of the open back door (Shhh...don't tell my husband)...the warm breeze and the scent of freshly cut grass lifted my spirits, until I had a few buzzing little companions longing to join me, which then brought about the all too familiar "OMG!!-there's-a-bee dance!"   They did however give me inspiration for the day.  I had the cutest brass bee charms by Vintaj  left neglected by winter's fury that have been just been waiting for their day!

I've also been racking my brain trying to come up with unique color combinations for upcoming shows.  All too often I realize after the fact that I gravitate towards certain colors....which nine times out of ten is some variant of green.  A coral red puffy lentil with the palest periwinkle blue.  I love the monochromatic flowers & leaves.

Finished with periwinkle glass tube beads.

From here I got sidetracked playing with the settings on my camera.

Ok, enough of the overgrown, weed ridden backyard!  If paranoid schizophrenia is genetically possible in canines...our pooch could be the poster child...errr...dog!

He hates the lawnmower...passionately!  It doesn't have to be in motion for him to launch into attack mode.  We've even  been known to pull it out just for the sole purpose of entertaining ourselves!