A Little Tennyson for Your Day.

Watching Penny Dreadful with the kiddo last night Ferdinand Lyle quoted Tennyson "It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all." We've all heard the quote many many times, and it dawned on me I had never read the entire poem prompting me to google it.

This truth came borne with bier and pall,

I felt it, when I sorrow’d most,

’Tis better to have loved and lost,

Than never to have loved at all–

O true in word, and tried in deed,

Demanding, so to bring relief

To this which is our common grief,

What kind of life is that I lead;

And whether trust in things above

Be dimm’d of sorrow, or sustain’d;

And whether love for him have drain’d

My capabilities of love;

Your words have virtue such as draws

A faithful answer from the breast,

Thro’ light reproaches, half exprest,

And loyal unto kindly laws.

My blood an even tenor kept,

Till on mine ear this message falls,

That in Vienna’s fatal walls

God’s finger touch’d him, and he slept.

The great Intelligences fair

That range above our mortal state,

In circle round the blessed gate,

Received and gave him welcome there;

And led him thro’ the blissful climes,

And show'd him in the fountain fresh

All knowledge that the sons of flesh

Shall gather in the cycled times.

But I remained, whose hopes were dim,

Whose life, whose thoughts were little worth,

To wander on a darkened earth,

Where all things round me breathed of him.

O friendship, equal poised control,

O heart, with kindliest motion warm,

O sacred essence, other form,

O solemn ghost, O crowned soul!

Yet none could better know than I,

How much of act at human hands

The sense of human will demands

By which we dare to live or die.

Whatever way my days decline,

I felt and feel, tho’ left alone,

His being working in mine own,

The footsteps of his life in mine;

A life that all the Muses decked

With gifts of grace, that might express

All comprehensive tenderness,

All-subtilising intellect:

And so my passion hath not swerved

To works of weakness, but I find

An image comforting the mind,

And in my grief a strength reserved.

Likewise the imaginative woe,

That loved to handle spiritual strife,

Diffused the shock thro’ all my life,

But in the present broke the blow.

My pulses therefore beat again

For other friends that once I met;

Nor can it suit me to forget

The mighty hopes that make us men.

I woo your love: I count it crime

To mourn for any overmuch;

I, the divided half of such

A friendship as had master’d Time;

Which masters Time indeed, and is

Eternal, separate from fears:

The all-assuming months and years

Can take no part away from this:

But Summer on the steaming floods,

And Spring that swells the narrow brooks,

And Autumn, with a noise of rooks,

That gather in the waning woods,

And every pulse of wind and wave

Recalls, in change of light or gloom,

My old affection of the tomb,

And my prime passion in the grave:

My old affection of the tomb,

A part of stillness, yearns to speak:

‘Arise, and get thee forth and seek

A friendship for the years to come.

‘I watch thee from the quiet shore;

Thy spirit up to mine can reach;

But in dear words of human speech

We two communicate no more.’

And I, ‘Can clouds of nature stain

The starry clearness of the free?

How is it? Canst thou feel for me

Some painless sympathy with pain?’

And lightly does the whisper fall;

‘’Tis hard for thee to fathom this;

I triumph in conclusive bliss,

And that serene result of all.’

So hold I commerce with the dead;

Or so methinks the dead would say;

Or so shall grief with symbols play

And pining life be fancy-fed.

Now looking to some settled end,

That these things pass, and I shall prove

A meeting somewhere, love with love,

I crave your pardon, O my friend;

If not so fresh, with love as true,

I, clasping brother-hands aver

I could not, if I would, transfer

The whole I felt for him to you.

For which be they that hold apart

The promise of the golden hours?

First love, first friendship, equal powers,

That marry with the virgin heart.

Still mine, that cannot but deplore,

That beats within a lonely place,

That yet remembers his embrace,

But at his footstep leaps no more,

My heart, tho’ widow’d, may not rest

Quite in the love of what is gone,

But seeks to beat in time with one

That warms another living breast.

Ah, take the imperfect gift I bring,

Knowing the primrose yet is dear,

The primrose of the later year,

As not unlike to that of Spring.

I'm doing a little better these days, working has helped. Being around people when I wanted to crawl in a hole and die has helped. I've lost more than 40 pounds and I can see myself in the mirror again, I've aged some these last few months. He's aged more. I don't know what exactly the future brings, but after the past few months I'm sure I'm ready for some good things to come my way. My schedule changes every week so trying to get back into a routine has been a little difficult. Some days work is all I can manage, others I look forward to trying to figure out a routine again. One thing I have learned is I don't need to be on the computer all the time to make sales, but it does increase the frequency when I do come online and do a little something.  Thankfully sales have been fairly steady, little lulls here and there but enough to allow me to make so I don't go crazy. My muse allowed me to make a sweet simple pair of earrings the other day and I fully intended to make another to list but haven't found the time do so yet. At least they're planned that's more than I've done in awhile! 

Be kind to yourselves. Love one another

Oil next time!

Of Poetry, Ideas, and Talismans

Poem 2 

He’d finally found his freedom

but he wasn’t really free

He watched her walk away

and said it was meant to be

The years had slowly passed

but his heart, it grew heavy

knowing how he’d wounded

his true love, his one and only.

He’d plunged the dagger in her chest

twisting it so slowly.

He knew the pain he had caused

still, he blamed her for it solely.

~~ Dana  2016

I’m thinking this is turning into an epic rather than sister poems, I feel there’s still a bit more of the story to write. Or maybe an entire collection, who knows. Definitely been a good outlet for me lately though. The inspiration could evolve into a series of dagger jewelry or hearts, oh or both. hmmm may have to play with this idea a bit more. We’ll see how it  evolves.

This weeks Year of Jewelry piece is a talisman for myself A simple stack of gemstones from top to bottom Moonstone, Rose Quartz, Garnet and Labradorite. There are a number of books and websites that list the mystic and or healing qualities of the various gemstones. I used to have several of those book marked but a couple crashes and a couple computers later I’ve lost more bookmarked sites than I can remember. So when Pearl over at the Beading Gem posted this particular website   I thought I’d  take advantage  while I  was thinking of it and chose my stones for my talisman.

talisman |ˈtaləsmənˈtalizmən|

noun (pl. talismans)

an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.

If you remember my goals and aspirations for the year you already understand my choices. Strengthening those good things in my life. and making a pretty little something for myself at the same time :)

Moonstone- Divine, Harmony And Feminine

Moonstone is an excellent stone to use in meditation to understand oneself. Moonstone supports the heart as it stimulates the mind, soothing worry or anxiety, and bringing out the best in people. Its loving energy promotes the Divine in all situations. It helps to strengthen intuition brings balance and harmony. It soothes stress, anxiety, women's hormones it enhances intuitive sensitivity via feelings and less overwhelmed by personal feelings. Greater flexibility and flow with life It reminds us of our own worth and divinity. It invokes sensuality and gentle passion. It enhances and makes aware the power of the Divine feminine.

Quartz- Amplification, Clearing, Cleansing, Healing, Power, Energy

Clear Quartz stones are one of the most versatile stones in the mineral realm. It easily enhances any intention focused through it. It also amplifies the energetic properties of any stones it is used with. Different formations of quartz have other associated properties: Ancient Japanese believed quartz formed from the breath of a white dragon, and regarded it as representing perfection. Quartz is a power stone. It has been called the "Universal Crystal" because of its many uses. It enhances energy by absorbing, storing, amplifying, balancing, focusing and transmitting. It channels universal energy. Quartz also enhances thoughts, as they are a form of energy. Because it directs and amplifies energy, it is extremely beneficial for manifesting, healing, meditation and protection.. Due to its ability to balance, quartz is excellent for harmonizing and balancing one's environment. Quartz is also good for energizing other crystals. Quartz is also a stone of clarity, which dispels negativity and clears away negative energy. It can be used to purify and clarify on the spiritual, mental, and physical planes. It is powerfully protective because of these properties. Quartz enhances spiritual growth, spirituality and wisdom. Because it clarifies thought processes and emotions, it can increase inspiration and creativity. It can also help particularly with concentration, studying, and retaining what one learns. Quartz is also a stone of harmony because it balances energies, and is even helpful in romantic relationships.

Rose Quartz -Unconditional Love, Friendship and Self- Worth

Rose quartz is a beautiful translucent pink stone that radiates the energy of unconditional love. It is the best crystal for healing anxiety because it replaces worries and fears and brings in feelings of calmness and reassurance. Rose quartz is often called the "Love Stone." Its energetic hallmark is that of unconditional love that opens the heart chakra. This makes rose quartz a stone for every type of love: self-love, family, platonic, romantic, and unconditional. As a variety of quartz, rose quartz has high energy, and this strong energy can enhance love in virtually any situation. Rose quartz is used to raise self-esteem and a strong sense of self-worth. Its loving energies teach us to apply this love to ourselves and thereby find ourselves more worthy. Emotionally, rose quartz is used to balance emotions and bring peace and calm. This calm emotional balance brings stress relief and easing of anxiety.  All these things carry energies of forgiveness, tolerance, and compassion to the fore, enabling us to see the good in both others and ourselves.     

Garnet- “Stone Of Health And Passionate Devotion” - Love, Emotional Harmony, Vitality And Passion

The stone of passionate devotion: to your family, your friends, yourself, and your own purpose in life. Attracts profound love, gives persistence, cures depression. The Garnet is a stone of purity and truth as well as a symbol of love and compassion.

Garnet is a powerful energizing and regenerative stone. It balances, strengthens and protects. Garnet sharpens your perceptions of yourself and other people. It dissolves ingrained behavior patterns that are no longer serving you, and helps you let go of obsolete ideas. Garnet removes inhibitions and taboos, opening up the heart and bestowing self-confidence. It revitalizes feelings and enhances sexuality, bringing warmth, devotion, understanding, trust, sincerity and honesty to a relationship.  Red Garnet controls anger, especially toward the self.

Labradorite-  “Bringer Of Light”, Protective And Positive

Labradorite is the most powerful protector of the mineral kingdom, creating a shielding force throughout the aura and strengthening natural energies from within. According to an Eskimo legend, the Northern Lights were once imprisoned in the rocks along the coast of Labrador. It is told that a wandering Eskimo warrior found them and was able to free most of the lights with a mighty blow of his spear. Some of the lights were still trapped within the stone, and thus we have today the beautiful mineral known as labradorite.  Labradorite is said to provide quick relief from anxiety, hopelessness and depression, replacing them with enthusiasm, self-confidence and inspiration. It is said to dispel negativity and to bring clear understanding by enhancing clarity of thought and improving one's ability to cooperate with others in harmony. Labradorite stimulates intuition, especially the art of “right-timing”. 

What stones would you use if you could choose in a talisman for yourself? Let me know in the comments

Thanks for stopping by!!

Leather! I’ve Got More Leather!!

I received this glorious box of leather from Endless Leather last week.

 Just look at all the gorgeous goodies! I can’t wait to get in there and create some beautiful jewelry with it! You can’t really see it in these pictures but the cork has gold and silver in it, it is sooooo pretty! 

I have ideas, oh do I have ideas!!

Here I am with this box of gorgeous cords and still kind of stuck for an idea for this weeks Year of Jewelry piece. We even have color prompts for stuck weeks and that didn’t get the ball rolling. I looked on the desk at my UFO’s and meh I don’t feel like stringing, or weaving, I made simple earrings last week, what to do what to do? Hmmm what do I have left in this basket? Oh yeah! The embossed butterfly…… I wonder if some of the blue leather will match the turquoise color of the glass beads. 

Perfect match!

This is a Nappa Leather cord  and oh my, this is some of the softest leather I’ve ever felt, and it lays along the neck just beautifully.

I’ve got all kinds of ideas from bracelet wraps to necklaces for this gorgeous gorgeous stuff! You’ll be seeing lots more of this as I have a couple different colors and I’m really excited about using more of it.

Before I leave you for the week, let me share a little funny.

The hubs and I have been having some very serious discussions as of late, this morning was no exception. I got up walked over to him. Held his face in my hands and raised up to tip toes so I could look him in the eyes. I say to him "I love you. I need you to know that I know you have....F'ING CALVES!" Both calves cramp up dropping me to my knees, still holding his face in my hands we both twist over. The hubs cracks up, this intense romantic moment has been turned into much needed comic relief. He looks me in the eyes and says  " We are a pair, and this is our life"  I do love that man.

Cherish these moments, these are the ones that keep you going when all else feels lost.

Thanks for stopping by!

We'll see you next time!

on Building, or Finishing Another Room

Laying the tile in the Laundry Room

It’s been awhile since I wrote a post on the goings on around the house. Mostly because it’s been largely quiet. The weather wasn’t co-operating there for awhile for the outside projects and the hubs has just been too busy or too tired to work on the indoor projects. Which leaves me to do all the work and I start to feel unappreciated being the only one so everything comes to a stop. sigh

This last week the stars aligned just right and everything fell into place. Not only did the hubs get some more of the trim up around the doors, he capped the end of the wall in the kitchen - originally there was going to be a book case there but the wall is not just out of plumb it’s crooked. 

We’ve run into this a lot more than we should’ve. Never hire someone who wasn’t on the short list just because you have to wait on the ones who are on the short list - HAVE PATIENCE.

Anyway, so the bookcase was eliminated from the cabinetry and the pantry cabinet got bigger but that left the end of the wall unfinished. The hubs capped it, finished the trim on the outside of our bedroom door and started the trim around the doorway to my office. Best of all, we laid the tile in the laundry room! I think I mentioned I had started the tile sometime back and was just waiting on the hubs to lay down some more backer board so I could get to the end of the room before moving all the appliances across the room before working on that side. 

The hubs cleaning the tile after I grouted. I mopped two more times after that.

I asked if he wouldn’t mind and we just ran with it, got the whole room finished!! Yay! That’s two rooms 100% completely finished! I love my laundry room now! En suite bathrooms are next, flipping coins to see who gets to go first lol There has been some rumblings about not being able to use the bathroom while it’s being tiled - oh how quickly they got used to not having to share bathrooms!

Sterling Silver and Labradorite
Red Buds are blooming! There's a honeybee in the pic too :)

Year of jewelry, it’s week 11 and since I was busy with the laundry room I opted for something simple this week. Sometimes though, simple is just the ticket, I LOVE these earrings. Sterling silver and Labradorite, that flash is just gorgeous isn’t it? It’s one of my favorite gemstones to work with, and I never seem to buy it, I just don’t know why. I need to correct that and soon!

That’s it or today, Thanks for stopping by!

We’ll see ya next week!

on Creating Efficiency, a Theme on a Goal

My new posts will feature the things that inspired my jewelry.

One of my goals this year is to be more efficient with my time in order to free up more time for the family. 

I’ve noticed more posts on FB doesn’t necessarily equate to more interaction. In fact I increased postings before Valentines and my stats dropped. So a high frequency of posting isn’t necessary at all, but a good quality posting still is. 

I opened a Hoot Suite account for scheduling purposes but I still haven’t used it. I have however started working on putting together some posts and trying to work out a schedule that doesn’t put the same post everywhere at the same time - no one likes that either, or at least I don’t, maybe no one else actually minds and I’m just weird that way. What “my” audience does seem to really like are in progress shots and inspiration posts and gasp posts about me? lol I don’t know why that surprises me, but it does. I kind of like it though. It’s like I’m finally finding that little something I’ve been hunting for.

The whole less posting thing has freed up a bit of time for me, and I feel more productive with my time when I am online and posting. More importantly my family is happier with my increased presence and availability for them. And THAT is what it’s all about. 

Aventurine Gemstone Donut & Silver Stampings

This weeks Year of Jewelry piece is a green Aventurine donut adorned with silver plated stampings, a sterling rolo chain and a couple sweet crystals in a matching green. I believe this one is running off to live on the east coast fairly soon but if someone were interested in a similar necklace I can easily pick up another gemstone donut or two…. or more. As pretty as it is in Aventurine, think how sweet this could be in the soft pink of a Rose Quartz! Or how fun a composite Turquoise would look with it’s metallic veining! I might have to buy some just so I can play with it now, I wonder who has some Mojave Turquoise available?? What do you think? Blue, Purple, Green? Or the heavy black matrix with pops of blue/green turquoise? I am really going to have to check this out as soon as I'm done posting here.... or after I get back from the post office... customer service first, shopping second.

Thanks for stoppin by!

See ya next time!

Hand Crafted Holidays 2015 : Week 4 Mixing Bowls

The Hand Crafted Kitchen

As you know, my daughter is a ceramicist and she has made several bowls for me that I use in the kitchen on a regular basis. There is nothing quite like a hand thrown bowl to mix in, you just know anything made in a hand thrown bowl is made with love. 

A hand thrown mixing bowl is just heavy enough to bring back all sorts of memories of helping Grandma in the kitchen, whether taste testing, measuring ingredients, or as head stirrer of the bowl. That solid bowl is a keeper of some of our best memories.

So I have poked around Etsy and Amazon to bring you just a few of my favorites today.

Leslie Freeman Designs on Etsy

Gentlemanly Pursuits on Etsy

Jan Fairhurst Pottery on Etsy

Paige Hickey Pottery on Amazon

Theresa Chang Ceramics on Amazon

I hope you make many new happy memories with them as well.

The holidays are about sharing and caring, and I’d like very much to get the word out that hand made is heart made as is the holiday season. 

SO, If you like this post, and I hope you do! Please feel free to share it! Blog about it, Tweet it, Pin it, Instagram it and give it a shout out on FaceBook. Don’t forget to come back each week for another post in this years series: The Hand Crafted Kitchen

Thanks for stoppin by!

We’ll see ya next week!

Week 1: Vanilla = http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com/2015/11/hand-crafted-holidays-2015-hand-crafted.html

Week 2: Aprons = http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-hand-crafted-kitchen-week-2-aprons.html

Week 3: Mixing Spoons = http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-hand-crafted-kitchen-week-3.html

Week 4 Mixing Bowls = http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com/2015/12/hand-crafted-holidays-2015-week-4.html

Just Keep Swimming!

Along with all the hand made goodness that has been consuming my life for the last couple of months I’ve decided it was time to give myself the gift of a lighter smaller stronger me.

I’ve always been very hands on in the construction of our house. When we started building it was really no different, I was very hands on and adamant about being environmentally conscious with the products we used. Having a big house made it even more so important as it’s a bigger footprint to be responsible for.  I even went so far as to source standing dead timber for our logs. 

Not wanting to use any more chemicals than absolutely necessary I opted for borate treating my sill plates over the arsenic filled pressure treated lumber for the basement. This meant my personally coating each piece of lumber with borate and while I was flipping 16 foot boards so I could coat the other side I tripped over a stack of boards the builder had set behind me. I went down, now maybe I would’ve been able to save myself had I not been holding a 16 foot board but all I could think of at the time was not braining myself with it so I held on. I held on as I felt the pop, I held on as I felt the burn. I held on as I hit the stack of lumber and slid sideways to the ground. 

My knee has never been the same and every time I’ve tried to get back to the gym or start running again my knee would tell me about. I’ve always been all out and gung ho so at first I thought I just needed a little more time to heal. Then I started gaining weight and the extra weight made it ache and I’d try to get back to the gym. Creating my own special downwards spiral. The more I tried, the more it hurt, the more I didn’t try, the more it hurt.

After several false starts - if you’ve been reading my blog for a long time you might even remember reading about some of them. I finally decided I needed this to be about the long term, slow and steady. No more all in or go home. That attitude had me going home and not achieving my goals - I don’t like not achieving goals. If I was going to make this happen I needed to allow myself to go at a slower pace. But going at a slower pace meant I needed some accountability, some one to keep me on track and give me a nudge every so often.

Every night as I drift off to sleep I think of the things I am grateful for. Special blessings of the day, some ordinary, some small, some big, reminders of the many things and people who are the good in my life. Sometimes I release things to the Universe, leave it up to God’s hands if you will. On this night I decided to release it and just do but I could use a little accountability to help me along. The next morning I had an e-mail from Bill Phillips on being over 50 and getting back to the gym, a challenge and a FB group to help keep you accountable. Believe it or not I had to take a couple days to think about it! My own personal GodWink as my friend Chris would say, and “well I just don’t know”…. I asked my son if he might like to be my work out buddy, he was my best  buddy when he was 4.  He and the kiddo had been working out together in the University gym but she graduated and he didn’t want to go alone so he’d been working out in our gym in the basement and hinting he needed someone to help keep him on track too. Make that a double wink.

So! Here we are about 5 or 6 weeks in, my scale hasn’t budged much but my measurements are shrinking, my clothes are fitting looser, my face is slimmer, I have a lot more energy and I’m a lot happier. My knee only hurt until I realized, it was the wrong knee and it was all in my head - just a little psychological self sabotage, a body at rest tends to stay at rest until a greater force comes along to change that.

But, a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Quoting Dori, Just keep swimming!

My 25th anniversary is coming up this next year…. I’m thinking Jamaica sounds like just the place to be for that! 

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming!

Have a great week! Thanks for stoppin’ by!

We’ll see you next time!    I think it’s just about time for our annual Hand Made Holiday Series!  

Goings On....

I’ve been hinting at lots of things keeping my attention away from blogging and making. I’ll admit it one too many things in the air and something is bound to get dropped, I know my limits and while I do push them they always push back lol So today, I’ll tell you about a couple of those wonderful things that have been perking around and about.

One: College finances have had me running in circles. My youngest is about to graduate, he’s been on scholarship this whole time but one of the rules to his scholarship is you apply for a Pell grant. They want to be sure you have every financial opportunity to help you succeed. This year the rules have changed a little bit on the University side of things, they want a whole lot more paperwork and we’ve had to jump through hoops as we’re self employed and just don’t have the paper work they’re asking for. I have provided all the alternatives necessary but it’s a pain to have to go round and round (especially when it’s ALL on file already) and it’s just emotionally draining and pretty stressful when they start talking about making him drop because the paperwork isn’t in order. But, he’s graduating this year! woo! I'm so Proud of the kid! He’s worked very hard for this.

Paige's Pottery She's on Etsy too HERE

Two the kiddo, my middle, graduated last school year, has finally gotten her kilns (yes TWO of them!) and has been ordering all the goodies she needs to get up and running. We have boxes everywhere right now, it almost looks like Christmas has come and gone! I’m excited for her, she’s been a little down, not being able to play in the mud but her face is becoming full of happy again and that makes me very happy! — first firing delayed there’s a problem with the plunger that turns the kiln on/off and the second kiln has the wrong plug, both fixable just means a few more days until her first firing, and she has boxes of clay calling her name. 

Three, The Artisan Group. I joined nearly a year ago. I’ve sat back and watched how things were done. Felt overwhelmed at times, felt so not ready at others and I have learned quite a bit. Enough so that I  took the plunge and sent some things in to stylists for Bones and Mariah Carey’s newest movie project. I have no idea at this point if either will use what I sent, but it’s very exciting for me to even be considered.

Four Amazon! I’m thrilled to announce HandMade at Amazon is now Live! You’ll now be able to find me there as well as on Etsy. This has thrilled and scared me simultaneously and so far it’s a been very very good thing!  I’ve been contemplating Amazon for quite some time now, I’m thrilled they’ve opened Hand Made and that I’ve taken the plunge. I’ve made several sales already and I gotta say I’m really enjoying that! I get the feeling this is just the tip of the ice burg….. lots of good things coming!    My Shop:  Wind Dancer Studios

It is by no means finished, I’ve taken over 400 photos, edited most of them and have only managed to list a handful of items. But, now I want to overhaul my Etsy too. After 400 clean no prop photos, my Etsy storefront feels….. cluttered. So my mission is to continue loading Amazon with pretties I think will do well there and now freshening the look on Etsy. Eventually I think I may want them to be unified in look and that may keep me busy for quite some time! 

And now that we're mid-way through October I really need to get my mind wrapped around the upcoming holidays.  Pull together some wonderful handmade goodness to share with you.  I've been sharing my inspirations lately, I think holiday gifting ideas will blend nicely. I hope you've had a chance to see all those gorgeous photos I've been sharing on my FaceBook page if you haven't, why not? lol 

So that's just some of what's been going on around here, never a dull moment it seems. 

Thanks for stoppin by!

We'll see you next time!

I'm Late, I'm Late .....well ok Not Yet!

Change it Up Hop Next Week and I'm blogging this instead of working on my piece!

cue hysterical laughter

I'm heading back into the studio so I can work on my wonderfully awesome creation!! at least I hope you'll think it is :) I just keep getting side tracked with all the other wonderful stuffs going on right now. Which will all make for wonderful blog posts as they come to fruition but until then.....

I just wanted to remind you that next weeks blog post will be on Friday the 25th instead of Tuesday.

I mentioned it on FB but haven't said anything here. The kiddo got her first kiln! She's busy making up a list of needy things so she get her first firing under way and we're flipping coins inside/ outside where do we want to let it cook. I think just outside her studio window where she can keep an eye on it and the hubs is thinking IN her studio where she can keep an eye on it. We shall see where it ends up, your guess is as good as mine! Her studio will be directly beneath mine, so I can stomp the floor and she can poke the ceiling as we create lol  I should poke a hole so we can have tin can phones!!

Back to work I go. I also have a ton of photos to take...... another blog post!

Thanks for stoppin by!
See ya next time!

of Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tonight is Fajitas, last night Spaghetti and Meat Balls!
When the oldest moved out her coffee pot went with her,
a Menu Board is now in its place.

I had the most amazing dinner last night!

It wasn't at a restaurant or anything fancy, it was just spaghetti and meatballs. But it was the first time I've had spaghetti and meatballs in 25 years. haha I haven't had it since I dropped a forkful in the hubs lap on our first date!

He's my hubs he did in fact ask me out for a second and third date after that. Though I thought for sure he wouldn't, lovely klutzy move that was.  How's your dinner? Oh it's good. Want a bite? Sure, drops it in his lap.......facepalm

But back to the story. Since the oldest has moved back out again, I've been busy cleaning and rearranging furniture and cleaning some more. The weather has finally cooled off a few degrees - meaning it is finally below the 100 mark again so I've also been puttering about in the garden. All this moving about is getting the energy levels up and the mood lifted and I'm having a little fun again, see my new menu board?

The kiddo and I were discussing Pinterest and my recipe pin board when my son pipes up he's been watching Alton Brown's Good Eats. We got to talking about how fancy doesn't make the food good and how sometimes just a few basic ingredients can make something simple really good.

About this time the hubs pops in and heads to the freezer to get an ice cream. Nothing but an empty box, uh oh! The last grocery trip only resulted in half the list, sauce but no noodles, bell peppers but no steak etc.  So the kiddo jokingly asks does this mean we can have spaghetti for dinner? Dad doesn't like spaghetti, he says he only likes it with meat sauce and I make it with meat sauce but he won't let me make it. To which he answers Meat Balls, it needs Meat Balls.  25 years and his complaint was he wanted the meat to be in the form of a ball? Go figure lol But I agreed to meat balls and he agreed to spaghetti!

He runs to the store gotta have that ice cream! And I hit Pinterest for a meat ball recipe -

Let me just say, Best meat balls I've ever had!  It tasted like we were eating at a restaurant. Nothing fancy, just spaghetti and meat balls, mashed potatoes, salad and french bread. Ate til we hurt, and still wanted more.

I had never made meat balls before last night, and they were so easy and so delicious! Man I love Pinterest! In case you're wondering here's the BOARD. I try to check for duplicates, they do find a way in every now and again and I hate a link that goes no where so I always check those before I pin. Cookies have their own board and Alex and I have decided we need to start a board for those recipes he finds and wants to try so they don't get lost on Facebook where he usually shares them with me.
I have lots of other boards too if you care to take a peek.....

Thanks for stoppin by!
We'll see ya next time!

Today's To Do's

I had the idea for todays post, even had it partially written in my head. Then I had to head into town and run a couple errands. When I came home I needed to order a new printer to replace the one that died a couple weeks back. By the time all that was done I completely forgot what todays topic was.

POOF

GONE

I've sat and tried to remember what it was but it just isn't coming to me.

Oh wait! I think it was customer service and being in business means you need to be nice even though you want to be rude and sassy. It was a thought  I had while reading advice being given to a frustrated seller in a group on FB, boy that advice was full of sass!! I'll have to write that down for fleshing out later or I'll forget.... again!

So today then? CATS!

Not really, my oldest has moved out again. I rearranged the furniture (makes the living room feel bigger) and I need to make sure to get those things she had in my kitchen packed up so the oldest has them for her new apartment. My brain has just been a little preoccupied with other things.

It's not that the blog isn't important, it's just that sometimes other things are more important, like my family. That's the way it should be for all of us. Family first.

So I'm off to my kitchen today, packing up the things she left behind. I'll miss seeing her here but I'm awfully proud of her. She's going to do wonderfully I'm sure of it.

Have a great day, hug those you love!

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!

Me and the Boy - a Little Family Time

US Golden Dollar  & Quarter  Dollar Coin Rings

I've been busy but my muse has been quiet. I can make while not entirely "woohoo I so want to do this", but I prefer the woohoo. It keeps everything fun, which is why I do this. My stress levels have been higher than I thought they were I guess, I pushed hard at the beginning of the year and I enjoyed that, but I underestimated the amount of down time my muse was going to require afterwards.

So you can understand how happy I was when I told my son I was planning to make some rings over the weekend and he piped up with, "Can I make some too? I still want to learn to make some coin rings. "

And that is just what we did!

First we picked out some coins to use. He has wanted to turn his golden presidential dollar coins into rings for quite some time now. We also picked up a Quarter and a Mexican Peso. I have a Casino token around here somewhere I had planned on using, but somehow it got missed. Maybe next time!

Then we gathered up the tools needed, he went downstairs and picked up a drill and I pulled out my punch set. Marked the centers of the coins and got our holes started. Not without casualty though, I apparently opened my punch set upside down so Alex used it that way and mushroomed one of my punches. oops, ah well that's how you learn ....

Forming the ring on the mandrel.

We used a hammer on the quarter and gave it a textured finish that is really pretty and then switched over to wood and leather mallets for the Peso and the Dollar so we wouldn't destroy the details of the coins.

Peso Ring

We only set out to make them to fit his fingers so there are things we would probably do differently if we needed to size for a specific size smaller than that but it was a great learning experience for us both. And he hasn't taken any of them off, except for washing hands etc, since we made them.

Wearin o' the rings, just sounds good doesn't it :)  Looks good too.

That's how we spent our weekend. How'd you spend yours? Feel free to tell me in the comments or on my page on FB. I'd love to hear from you!

Til next time!

Thanks for stoppin by!

of Flags and Heritage and Love

My G-GrandFather Adam Rott born in Russia 1884
Immigrated to the Dakota Territories in the US the same year.

I’m going to touch on a topic that may be, well is, politically charged. This is simply my view, you may share it or maybe not, but it is mine none-the-less.

I am for lack of a better phrase, an American Mutt. I am not a “purebred” by any means. My family has been here so long that we predate the conception of the USA. Seriously, I have DAR lineage as does my husband, though technically that would be SAR. For those not in the know, Daughters/Sons of the American Revolution, descendants of patriots and/or soldiers of the American Revolution on the rebelling side. I have Native American heritage as well, obviously also predating. I have generation after generation of immigrants to this country of ours. So much so that I can’t really identify with any of them. Nothing more than stories have been passed down, cool little tidbits like we're descended from Robert the Bruce, one G-G Grandfather could speak 13 languages and was a professor before coming here and another was stoned to death for swimming in a white man's swimming hole, but no important traditions or culture. Just that family is what matters in this world.

My family is a very long list of immigrants. Family matters. So I take great offense when the politicians/or their pundits begin spewing the noxious verbiage that immigrants are what is destroying the fabric of our nation.  EVERY LAST ONE OF US is a product of immigration. Exceptions to any Native who is not of a mixed heritage. You and I are not destroying our country, neither is anyone else looking for a better life.

What could destroy this nation is the notion that left and right aren’t flip sides of the same darn coin. We will rip ourselves apart if we don’t all come to this realization. All this venom has us on the brink of a virtual Civil War. Pointing fingers and blaming each other for the actions of our elected officials and their pundits. 

My family has lived in most parts of this country North and South, and yes when it came time for the American Civil War, they also fought North and South.

My G-G-G-Grandfather wearing his Civil War Confederate uniform in this family photo taken in Mississippi.

Some of my family fought under that Rebel flag, I don’t pretend to know the reasoning it was not a story that was passed down. In fact it was never discussed at all that I’m aware of. I only know of it from my own research. To me, that flag was just a part of history. It meant nothing more than an act of rebellion. In my eyes it stood for nothing more than a final rebellion against authority. Had any family history been passed down in regards to it I might have felt differently about it but that was not the case. My guess is, it wasn't the case for most other folks either.

While I was still researching my ancestry on Ancestry.com I found a record I hadn’t seen before. Spelling variations in this line had made searching an adventure to say the least. I clicked to view it, a Slave record. I thought at first maybe someone in the family had been indentured for some time. Imagine my utter dismay when I discovered it was a recording of my family members ownership of slaves. I was immediately sickened, my stomach was doing flips and tying itself in knots. You can’t own another human being, it goes against everything I know to be true and yet, there it was.  My brain tried to reconcile this, purchasing their freedom so that families could remain together. That’s a noble thing right? Always the optimist and seeing the world through mine own eyes, historically I know the odds of this are slim and it saddens me still.

I live in the South and I am proud to call it home for so many many reasons, but that flag holds no loyalty for me. It never meant more than a last act of rebellion.

Juanita is a friend of my Aunts for as long as I can remember. She has the most gentle voice and she was always just the sweetest person. I didn’t know it at the time but she was the foundation of my beliefs in equality. She wasn’t anything ugly at all,  She was Juanita. A beautiful human with a beautiful soul. How could anyone hate that? How could anyone hate her?

To know that a flag whose meaning to me was simply of rebellion was used to hurt and oppress the likes of Juanita and countless others like her, hurts me. It holds no loyalty for me. Go ahead, return it to history. 

That doesn’t mean I think we should destroy it. To forget the past is to doom ourselves to repeat it. It doesn’t mean I no longer love Gone With the Wind either. It’s still quite the tragic love story. But we learn and we move on, and in the words of Scarlet, we live another day.

Thanks for stopping by and for listening to me ramble on yet again!

See ya next time!

edited to add this post I found on FB, as I believe it bears repeating:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-metta/i-racist_b_7770652.html