My computer is kaput. I am not entirely sure how often I will be blogging because of this, so I will see ya when I see ya.
I will check in on FaceBook once or twice a day (because I am an addict)...and will check e-mail once a day too...thankfully the girls have a computer I can use for those purposes. It took me too long to write this so I am not so sure I will use theirs for blogging.
I think there is a glass of Whiskey with my name on it!
Summer is here which means I won't be on the computer all that much. I will do my best to post once a week, but even that might be too much for me. Just the word "Summer" conjures up childhood and carefree days. It evokes the thoughts of long journeys and wide-eyed exploration. It means never knowing where you might wake up in the morning because of the lack of schedule. And it feels like that good weary waterlogged sensation from so many hours spent in the water. There were several summers, after college, that I worked out in the real world. Those summers were tough. We made the most of those weekends, though :-) Then came this stay-at-home-Mom gig and Real Summer came flooding back into my life. I enjoy every moment of this seemingly open-ended time of year. So to kick off the down time, I am featuring a necklace I had no idea meant summer to me until I wrote all this just now. I made it on Tuesday. It is a spiral rope of greens and gold and purple. I was sure it was going to be plain...no extras. Then a bulb went off...Lampwork! I looked through my stash and found several beads to go with it. But I found that I could not commit to any of them. Then I thought in an odd unsure voice, "Polymer?" And these Gypsy Trade Beads ~ from the hands of Erin Fickert-Rowland of Elysian Studios Art~ slid onto the thread and it was a very unexpected but truly welcome choice. The word Gypsy and the colors of the meandering rope all seem Summer to me...with a slight hint of very early Fall, but let's not worry about that yet!
*Appreciate what you have. Want for less...unless it is beads or music.
Rain. I guess today is a day to be thankful for it. The state I love the most is on fire again. And here we are getting hit with wave after wave of rain. But today, I am ok with the rain.
And I am ok with my speck of a house. Because I have one and it is still standing. It has not burned in forest fires or been sent into splinters by tornadoes.
*Appreciate what you have. Want for less...unless it is beads or music.
My house is itty bitty and only has one bathroom but it has a front porch, so that is all that really matters to me.
Manhattans, coffee, guacamole, ice cream, red red wine, pancakes, beading, reading, deep conversations, funny stories, long deep silences, The Bug practicing her violin...it is all so much better on the front porch.
When I was growing up, my family had a summer bungalow with a fantastic screened in front porch, 8 rocking chairs, a glider and a chaise lounge. The perfect time on that porch was in the rain with a book. I would rock for hours and read and listen to the rain. But really, any time was the perfect time when I was on that porch. The back porch was screened in as well and had a huge table with benches. I am not sure how many people we could cram around that table. It seemed like it extended and shrunk according to how many people were there. It had a door to the kitchen, and a great serving window to the kitchen. My bedroom had a window which opened onto the back porch...most convenient since there was a bed on the porch too and my boyfriends would sleep on it when they were staying over. I could go on about that house and those porches, but it is a tender subject for me and I have a lot to get done today, so I do not want to get too emotional right now.
When I first heard this song in the early 90s, it instantly took me to the front porch I grew up on. It is still a favorite of mine. Oh Lyle...you know how to do it for me ;-)
And during the winter months, when porch season seems so. far. away., I listen to this exact version while I make dinner and sing it LOUD. Lyle's co-writer on this one, REK, has a totally different take on the same exact song. And it is the version I need when the weather is 20degrees, snow and ice...fun, lighthearted, pickin' and grinnin'.
What is your favorite, comforting place in your house, or houses or your past?
*Appreciate what you have. Want for less...unless it is beads or music.
I skipped Sari Monday this week and am also skipping Thursday's Thing* tomorrow, so I thought I would slip a little something in today.
These are some of the rocks I got at the Jersey Shore last month.
The first one is called Manhattan Schist. I am told that "they are known for their presence of visible flaky or tabular minerals aligned in a cleavage. Rich in Micas" (Thank you, my dear friend, for that info :-D They didn't teach us that at GIA. And Thank You for the shore getaway :-D ). I used Erin Fickert-Rowland's Gypsy Trade Beads in this necklace. Love them so much!
I also put Swarovski bicones and steel colored seed beads on Fireline to complete the chain.
It was VERY hard to photograph this one, but trust me, This Rock Shines!
I E-6000ed the black rock onto the grey and used Beadalon and Peanut Beads for the simple chain.
More E-6000 on the orange and white rocks. Grey/brown matte seed beads and frosted white peanut beads on Fireline for the chain.
All simple stringing...just letting the Rocks be the Stars...and those Beautiful Gypsy Trade Beads!
Thanks to JWM and to Erin for making these necklaces possible :-D
This roll is worth 10 points. But for me, it isn't about the winning (the first to get to 100), it is about the cuteness of the pigs and us cheering for them. And the mindlessness of the game. And how well they travel. When we hit the road, we bring the pigs, Yahtzee dice, and cards.
Funny, when we traveled in my Corolla, we packed it to the top. When we traveled in my Explorer, we packed it to the top and beyond. When we travel with my CRV, we pack it to the top. When we travel with the BirdMan's truck, we fill the whole flatbed to the top of the cap. And above the cap. Whatever space we have, we fill. I am sure if I got a Corolla again, we would pack it to the top, but we would be packing less than if we took the truck. Our ability to acclimate is what I like best about these people :-)
What mindless games do you play?
What games do you travel with?
*Appreciate what you have. Want for less...unless it is beads or music.
