Kids, Glass, Life

Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, Valentine's was a week ago, but due to my crazy life, I didn't get to share any pictures or decorations until now, and I promised my Mom she would see them. :) I found lots of great ideas on Pintrest, and loved what I was able to add to the decorations I already had. I made Pumpkin Waffles for dinner which a few of us had been craving for weeks! So yummy, and I will post the recipe soon. :) I found some great free printables from Pintrest that I made up as 5 x 7's and framed.

Love One Another (scroll down the page, on the right hand side)

I love this pillow that my Mom gave to me, thanks again Mom!

I also was able to use scrabble tiles as decorations, which since I always have at least a few games on hand was a fast and easy way to add some new fun decorations.

I painted a scrabble tray red, and then spelled Valentine on it.

I bought a small square wood plaque for under $1 at JoAnn's and then painted it black,

glued on some paper and spelled out Love and You in scrabble tiles. Don't you love the quilted heart block? My Mom made that as well. My Valentine Subway Art printable was found here.

This year I wanted to do a dessert table for my kiddos with some of their favorite treats, but because I didn't feel great, and knew I was hosting Book Club at my house, I did the table a few days later. It may have been late, but everyone loved it!

I hope you and your family had a great Valentine's Day as well.

My girls handed these out to their friends at school. :)
We cut slits in the pictures above and below their hands
so that they were holding pixie sticks.

Bead Soup!!!

2012-02-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

It was so awesome to come home to from Texas to find my Bead Soup waiting for me. I tore right into it, and love what Jennifer sent me. There is Amethyst chips, Cape Amethyst, crystal, pink Jade, a cool handmade clasp, and a cool focal and findings from Fallen Angel Brass. Oh, and I can't forget the awesome silk ribbon from KAS Beads. :) Here is my soup, and I can't wait to play with it, I have pulled several strands of my lampwork beads out to see what I can create!

Look what else Jennifer sent, this great lampwork dangle necklace!

I love it and it is so fun to wear!

Thank you Jennifer!

To see what Jennifer said about the soup I sent her, click here!

Trunk Show at The Bead Factory!

2012-02-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Wee Gems and Charmed Pennies Trunk Show

at The Bead Factory
5705 N 26th Street
Tacoma, WA 98407

Saturday, February 11th

10:00 - 4:00 pm

I am so excited! I have been asked to do a trunk show at The Bead Factory in Tacoma, WA. I have been a vendor at their Puget Sound Bead Festival for the past few years, and it is one of my favorite shows to do, so I am thrilled to have this chance. You can find Charmed Pennies and scrabble tiles at their store year round, and I will have a huge selection there at the show as well., I will also be bringing my Wee Gems. I have a batch of fabulous tiny lampwork acorns that all I have left to do is to epoxy the bails into them, and they will be ready! I will also have hearts, frogs, and lots of bead sets as well. Here are some pictures of my items in the store.

a small selection of Charmed Pennies and Scrabble Tiles

An Alice in Wonderland Charmed Penny and necklace!

Look at all those pearls!!!

If you have never been to The Bead Factory, I recommend going as soon as you can. They truly are the nicest bead store I have ever been in. Their selection of beads and findings is incredible, and the staff is just as amazing. I actually started my journey in beads in their store, many years ago now. Who would have ever guessed that a quick stringing lesson, a strand of pearls, and a few findings would lead me down the path it has, with me returning as a visiting artisan. Truly, it has been an amazing journey!

Our First Winter Storm

2012-01-31T16:00:00.000-08:00

This post may be late, but I wanted to share the craziness and beauty of the first storm of the year. On Jan 16th, we had our first snowfall, and school was delayed 2 hours. That was the only time school was in for the week. The rest of the week was canceled because of the crazy amount of snow and then ice we had. It was beautiful, the girls loved to play in the snow, and we all just stayed home and didn't go anywhere as the roads were pretty dangerous.

After the ice storm, power was out for almost 200,000 homes in the area. We are lucky that we live on the same power grid as the fire station, so we lost power several times, but never more than 10 hours. A lot of my friends weren't so lucky and were without power for 5 days. The beauty of the frozen trees came at a hefty price, so many trees snapped in half under the weight of all the ice. Thankfully we didn't lose any trees, just lots of big branches.

During all of this, I also packed in the dark to got to my sister's home in Texas. Some wonderful friends agreed to take me to the airport on Thursday morning because neither of our cars would have made it, and sadly once we were 10 minutes away from the airport, my flight was canceled. By Sat morning, most of the snow and ice was gone, and I was happily boarding my flight to Texas.

Bead Soup is in the mail!

2012-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say that my bead soup is in the mail and on its way to Jennifer. I had fun picking out beads in the dark before I left on my trip to come to Texas. Once here, I was happy with the beads I picked and was able to come up with what I hope will be a fun soup for her. Here is a sneak peak at her soup!

I get to play in the 5th Bead Soup Blog Party!

2012-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

I am so excited, I am on of the lucky 200 people who was picked to participate in this party! Lori Anderson of Pretty Things puts this together and does such a great job that she had over 350 people wanting to participate this time. So we all signed up knowing that there was a chance we wouldn't get to participate this time, well, at least not send out soup, but I know I would still be blog hopping to see all the fun even if I wasn't picked!

My partner this time is Jennifer Justman of Souls Fire Designs. Turns out Jennifer lives in the PNW as well. She is in Oregon, so she was also hit by the crazy weather we have had. We have a lot in common from our love of designing jewelry, of course, to favorite colors (blue) and a love of reading. I can't wait to put together a fun soup for her. :)

I think this is my favorite piece she has in her etsy shop right now, I can't wait to see what she will do with the soup I send her. :)

Ceramic Gemstone Dark Brass and Silk Bracelet: Flower in Winter

Christmas Glass

2011-12-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

This year I was able to purchase some Groupons to use at a local Hot Glass Shop so that I was able to take my family there for their first hands on experience in a hot shop. They could choose to make an ornament, a float, a candy dish, or an egg. Once they decided on the shape, they were able to pick up to 2 colors of frit to work with. Then it was just a matter of waiting until it was their turn. It is truly a easy experience for anyone to do. You have a glass worker who handles the punty, the glass, and gets that starter bubble going for you (they make it seem so effortless, but from experience I can tell you that it is not!). Then they hook up a hose and from that you blow into it, and help to create your piece. It is magical, and this way, you know you will end up with a great piece that will be well shaped and beautiful. We can't wait to see our finished pieces!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T18:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas is all about family and traditions to me. I have to be honest and say that my favorite part of Christmas is actually our Christmas Eve traditions. We each get to open a gift on Christmas Eve. What is in those gifts is never a surprise, as we all look forward to our new pj's. After they are opened, we all go and change into them and gather around to listen as we tell the Christmas story from Luke. Every year that is when in truly feels like Christmas.

What follows is also tradition, the putting the kids to bed. Waiting for them to come downstairs, just one more time for something, and back up they go. Once we are assured they are asleep, the wrapping begins. Why I never can get things wrapped before Christmas Eve is a wonder, but there it is, and every year it manages to get done.

This year Christmas morning was even more crazy than normal as we still have all 6 puppies (they weren't ready to be sold yet) so before all of the festivities began we had to get the puppies out, play with them, clean up their beds, and get them back in before they could ~~attack~~ unwrap the presents. :)

Next, we get to take part of a virtual Christmas morning with whatever family is up and ready to go. We log onto Oovoo, and this year were able to video chat with my parents and my Aunt and Uncle who are visiting them, and my sister and her family. It was so much fun, and a bit crazy, but a neat way to be able to share the fun and excitement that the kids have.

After that, we got ready for Church were we were treated to a wonderful choral presentation by our ward choir that I truly loved. Back home for our traditional dinner and then to our friends, the Smith's for games and more visiting. While we are not with our families, we are spread out over several states, I love that I do have friends here who are like family to me and we are able to spend holidays with them as well.

I truly hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well. I am truly thankful for my Savior and that we are able to worship him and to celebrate his birth.

Charmed Pennies Etsy Sale

2011-11-25T00:11:00.001-08:00

I am having a huge sale on my Charmed Pennies in honor of Black Friday. Use the coupon code THANKSGIVINGDAY50OFF (during checkout) to save 50 percent off all items! This is the perfect chance to pick up some fun gifts for your family and friends. If you are a Primary or Young Women leader this is a great time to pick up 2012 Theme charms or CTR tie tacs for your groups, this is my lowest price! They are perfect for New Beginnings gifts as well.

Take a look at a few new designs!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:30:00.001-08:00

Last year a few of our close friends and us got together for Thanksgiving, and we had a blast, so we did the same thing this year.....but our group grew to 35! There was a lot of fabulous food. We had 2 turkeys, 1 ham, mashed pototoes, stuffing, creamed onions, green bean casserole, candied yams, homemade orange rolls, corn, deviled eggs, cheese and cracker plate, feta stuffed mini sweet peppers, green salad, a jello salad....and then of course all your holiday pies! There was also a yummy slushy raspberry and pineapple drink that I need the recipe for. After we all ate, the kids all made gingerbread houses. They all had so much fun! Kids are so creative.

I will be posting pictures soon, they are on both my camera and our friends.

I am truly grateful this year for so many things, especially for my family and friends. I don't know how I would have managed these past few months without all of their help. The simple and kind act Sandy straightening my hair before surgury so my curly mane would be more manageable afterwards to Amber who is a hair dresser washing my hair for me as it was next to impossible those first weeks to do it myself. Jan, Jaque, Megan, and Sandy driving me to and from PT and even just taking me to Target! Colleen for massaging my shoulder and helping me regain the full movement of my wrist, Nicki for my new favorite blanket as I was always cold because of the never ending ice packs. I know I am missing many people, and I am grateful for all the prayers and well wishes I recieved.

My family was incredible. Chris had to step in and take over all my rolls, chauffer, cook, maid, you name it, he had to do it all. The kids have been amazing and so good about doing whatever I needed them to do so that I could let my arm heal. They helped me "be good" when I wanted to push the envelope. I think they enjoyed being somewhat in charge of their Mom. :)

So thank you, I couldn't have done it without all of you!

Feeding Frenzy with the Pups

2011-11-14T22:26:00.001-08:00

I just had to share this video. The pups were all lined up at the edge of their box, and wanted out of their box since Mom was jut sitting out of reach. Well, I pulled them all out, and the feeding frenzy began. Apparently Sterling has a very strong jaw! :) Enjoy!

Give Thanks and be Grateful free printable

2011-11-14T20:50:00.001-08:00

What a crazy 2 weeks it has been! The girls and I had a get away to the beach and had a blast. The puppies eyes are all open, and they have started to try to walk and play with each other. And then I messed up on my meds by trying to lower my dosage to fast. Funny thing, you can't do that. It has really messed with my productivity this past week, but I am finally back to feeling like myself. As I was back to sitting on the couch, and I will admit to feeling sorry for myself (I am pretty independent, and have really disliked not being able to do things for myself - can you believe I am looking forward to the day that I can put my hair up in a ponytail again without help?) and realized that I truly have so much more to be grateful for.

A big blessing is that my arm is getting better. I can move my arm in one way, almost 3 times as high as I used to. It is giving me hope and incentive to keep going to ~~torture~~ physical therapy so that I will keep on improving and once again have a normal range of motion again. I am also grateful that my family and friends have been so supportive of me during this time. Nothing like being 30 something and grounde from driving! LOL!

For Thanksgiving, I wanted to offer something to all of my fans and followers as a thanks you. I appreciate the support I have received here on my blog and Facebook pages I really do appreciate each and every comment I receive. I created this poster for you. It is in the Keep Calm and Carry On spirit. Just click on the image so it opens in a new window, and then right click and save the file. It is sized for 8 x 10. I hope you all enjoy!

I've linked up with these great parties!

Puppies! week 1 update

2011-11-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a week and a half since Roxy had her pups, and we are officially in love! Roxy is being absolute fabulous Momma to her pups. They are all doing great, a couple are gaining weight a little slower, and so we have supplemented them twice, just to help keep them on track. They don't seem to like it, but Roxy loves the formula! LOL! She licks any tiny drop right off of them. :) Here are the pictures and the puppies stats at birth, and one week. Hopefully I will get the 2nd week update up on day 14 LOL!

Pup 1, a boy, weighed 4 ounces at birth, and at week one weighs 8.9 ounces.

Pup 2, a boy, weighed 3.875 ounces at birth, and at week one weighs 6.5 ounces.

Pup 3, a boy, weighed 4.24 ounces at birth, and at week one weighs 8.6 ounces.

Pup 4, a girl, weighed 3.375 ounces at birth, and at week one weighs 6.9 ounces.

Pup 5, a girl, weighed 3.75 ounces at birth, and at week one weighs 6.4 ounces.

Pup 6, a boy, weighed 4.75 ounces at birth, and at week one weighs 8.5 ounces.

A couple of pictures to help with scale.

Newborn

Week 1

Travis's 14 year old hands, putting pup 5 in basket*.

*Week one pictures are in a small Parsley booking basket from Longeberger that measures 9" long, 3 3/4" wide, and only 2 1/2" high for the basket & 5 1/2" high to the top of the handle.

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. My kids had a great time! Daylyn and Allison went trick or treating with their Dad while Tyler, Travis and I stayed home and passed out the candy. We have a tradition of chili and cornbread for dinner. Chili is one of Travis's favorite meals, I so I walked him through making it step by step, and he did a fabulous job, it was great! Have to say that it is one of my favorite meals as well.

Here are the kids all dressed up and ready for fun!

Arggh, I'm a Pirate!

A full moon Fashonista (aka a tween werewolf).

Our mystical Mage.

Hurricane Candlestick Tutorial

2011-10-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

I found some great candy jars on Pintrest, and after lots of shopping, I gave up on finding jars that had lids and decided I would go more traditional with hurricane lamps.

Materials:
Set of 3 candlesticks - Wal-Mart $15
Hurricane glass, 3 sizes from Jo-Ann's $20 (I used a 40% coupon on one of them)
E6000
Ribbon
Oil-Rubbed Bronze spray paint

1. Gather all your supplies.

2. Clean the glass well to provide a clean surface for the glue to adhere to.

3. Put a line of glue around the top of the candlestick.

4. Put candlestick on upside down Hurricane glass.

5. Realize that the glue is removing the paint from your candlestick.

Pull it back off, and wipe off the glue.

6. Take candlesticks outside and paint with favorite paint,

Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint.

7. Wait for paint to dry, then repeat steps 3 & 4.

8. Once glue is dry, wrap glass with assorted ribbon and you are done!

Halloween "Mantle"

2011-10-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have wanted a fireplace mantle for years and this year, after rearranging furniture, yes I rearranged furniture again, I still don't have a mantle, but I do have a place to decorate, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I found a great Halloween subway art free printable online at The Crafted Sparrow. Of course I also have loved searching for fun things on Pintrest, and put my own spin on a couple of those projects as well. So what do you think?

We Have Puppies!!!

2011-10-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

What a crazy, wonderful experience this has been! Roxy went into labor on Friday night, so Chris and I took turns staying up with her as she didn't want to leave our sides. We tried to get her into the whelping box that we had set up in my office, but she wanted to be in the front room. So, we grabbed everything and brought it out there for her. At 6:51 AM, her first pup was born, We helped her with the first 2 pups as they were both breech. Her last pup came at 9:57 AM. She had 4 boys, and 2 girls. Daylyn and Allison were in awe of the experience and were wonderful helpers by recording the pups stats for us. :) So without further ado...here are her pups.

Here she is with her first pup, a boy!

Puppy 2 is a boy as well.

This is her and the pups home for the next few weeks.

Our incredible Roxy with her sweet little pups.

Sisters & Tomato Soup

2011-10-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

There are moments as a parent that just make you smile. Tonight was one of them. I don't know how many of you have daughters just shy of 2 years apart. If you do, you know they can be best of friends one minute, and the next? Lets just say there are tears, yelling, and the end of the world in the next minute. Today was one of thosers days, and then I walk into the kitchen and there they are....together, smiling, and working together to make dinner. Maybe it was because it is one of our families favorite meals, but tonight simple tomato soup and grilled ham and cheese brought the girls together, and warmed my heart.

Bead Soup Blog Party Giveaway Winner!!!

2011-10-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to each and every one of you who came by to party with me! Your kind comments truly made my daysas I received them. It has been hard not being able to melt glass and play with beads, and the comments really have helped me stay positive through this. I am also so excited to get going on the book suggestions. I had read one of the books already, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and had forgotten how much I liked it, and am looking forward to reading more. Who knew that good pain pills would cause such drowsiness and even blurred vision? I didn't but it has finally gone away and I was even able to finish a book I started before the surgery!

With all that said it is time to announce the winner of my Bead Soup Blog Party Giveaway! Do you remember what the prize was? Here you go! A mini acorn, your choice of 3 Charmed Pennies pendants (I can put a favorite saying or even your logo on one if you want!), and a set of pandora style beads.

and the drum roll please ...............the winner is Sweet Freedom!

Please let me know what images you want for your Charmed Pennies!

Thank you all again for participating!

Puppies

2011-10-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little dog Roxy is having puppies. Here is the x-ray taken today so we would know how many puppies to expect. I knew 2 for sure, thought probably 3.

So can you tell how many there are in there?

Want me to show you?

I numbered their heads, there are 6 puppies!!!!

All I can say is Oh my word......

The Good, The Bad, and The Clumsy

2011-10-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Looking for Bead Soup? Click here!

This week had been pretty crazy. It started Tues morning when I went to see the doctor to follow up on my surgery. It is looking good! Found out that they did more than we realized. Apparently there is only one other repair that they can do to the shoulder. Yikes! They repaired cartilage, tendons, ground down bone, etc. Once I am fully healed, I will be feeling a ton better! I am able to get up and stand now without much discomfort. So exciting! I am even allowed out of my sling for little bits at a time. My favorite activity is to just let my arm hang, and do a gentle circle swing that is one of my exercises. It stretches the arm out which feels great after having it in the sling all day long.

For several weeks this summer, my family and the Smith’s have been getting together for dinner and TV on Tues nights so we could watch one of our favorite TV shows, Eureka. So we were all there and had a great time. I decided to stay later (kids had to get home and get to sleep for school) and Colleen would bring me back home. As we left her house, I managed to step on the edge of her sidewalk and roll my foot completely. It was as ungraceful as you can get. Weds morning I decided that I should probably go get my foot checked out since it was still hurting even with the good pain pills I was on for my shoulder. Sure enough, I managed to sprain my foot. Go ahead, laugh, don't hold back, I haven't! Lol! You should have seen the x-ray tech’s face when she called my name and I got up to go back there. She looked at me, my chart, back at me, and I said, yep, it’s me. She looked so confused, and I don’t blame her, she was going to x-ray a foot, and here the person coming toward her has a pretty massive sling on her arm. Lol! I have decided that I should change my middle name to Grace. :)

For the most part, I really am doing much better (foot aside). Several friends have even commented that my speech is no longer slurred from all the pain pills! Lol! I am very glad to be off of one prescription completely and the time is getting longer between doses for the other. I am even holding decent conversations again,Tyler said I sound like me again. I asked him if that was a good thing, and he said yes. :) I have also even brought the laptop to the couch so I can blog hop, and even be creative and work on some new penny designs. Roxy likes to help, by laying right next to the computer. Love that puppy. Here is a sneak peak of some Halloween pennies as well.

Thank You!

2011-09-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Looking for Bead Soup? Click here!

Just wanted to post a thank you for all of your kind comments, and I love the book suggestions. Can't wait until I can keep my eyes open for more than 20 minutes without falling asleep. Normally I could have easily read 3-5 books, I read really fast, but so far? only about 20 pages, and about 6 hops for the bead soup. I am also very grateful for my friends who have helped by bringing my family dinner, lunch, and even doing my hair for me! I have loved getting the emails and notes on Facebook and with texts. I am feeling very blessed by all help, love and support that is being offered on my behalf. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. I really do appreciate all that you are doing.

Bead Soup Blog Party and Giveaway!!!

2011-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is finally here! This process has been such a treat. From anxiously awaiting to see who my partner would be, trying to pick out the perfect soup for that partner, and of course anticipating my own bead soup arriving. My partner, Laura Twiford, did a fantastic job with the bead soup that she chose for me. She found beads that I love, but probably wouldn't have picked out for myself. Close friends know that I like blue, aqua, turquoise, teal, ... are you sensing a theme here? LOL! By sending all these great blue beads paired with copper beads and an incredible hand-made focal, she has helped to push me in new directions, lots of copper and recycled glass.!I hope that she had as much fun playing with her soup as I had playing with mine

Here is a picture to remind you of the bead soup that I received.

For my first piece, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the gorgeous etched copper focal with a sweet bezel set turquoise stone. Everytime I came into my office I would sit and fiddle... moving something here, moving something else there for over a week before I was finally happy with it. I initially wanted to make a "show stopper" piece, but finally realized that I loved the beads and the pieces too much to make it something I could only wear every once in a while. In fact it has already made its debut at church. Without further adieu, here it is!

I seriously love it, and it matches over half my wardrobe!

Next up I have another necklace. I used a single ceramic bead from the soup that matched a strand of shell beads that I had picked up months ago without knowing why (I am surely not the only one that does that!). I couldn't believe it when these went together so well.

For my last piece, I used some of the recycled sea glass, copper beads, and paired them with a few of my boro beads to create this fun bracelet. I can't wait to wear it, I just have to wait for this darned arm/shoulder to heal up!

I want to thank our fabulous hostess, Lori Anderson for all the hours of time that she put into arranging this for all of us. I can't wait to see everyone's creations!

Be sure to check out Laura's blog, here, to see what she created with my bead soup. I love what she did!

I also want to do a give-away as well. After all every good party has a favor!

How To Enter (give away is open to everyone, not just Bead Soup Blog Party participants:

Leave me a comment here and/or become a follower of my blog (one entry)
"Like" Wee Gems Designs Facebook page (one entry)
"Like" Charmed Pennies Facebook page (one entry)
Spread the word about this giveaway on your blog, facebook or twitter (one entry)
Since I am recovering from surgery and am desperate for something to read, leave me a comment with some of your favorite books in it (one entry). I love mysteries, novels, suspense, ... pretty much anything PG-13. LOL!

So there you have it, five different ways to enter:) Leave me a comment letting me know how you entered.**I will announce the winner in a month on October 17th, giving us all plenty of time to visit all of these fabulous blogs.** Please check back to see if you have won or with a way to contact you if you win!.

Now for the prizes! A mini acorn, your choice of 3 Charmed Pennies pendants (I can put a favorite saying or even your logo on one if you want!), and a set of pandora style beads.

Be sure to check out the rest of the party!!!

The Hostess, Lori Anderson and her partner, Manuela Wutschke

1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York
2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson
3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino
4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner
5. Amanda Cargill Austin and Charlene Sevier
6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins
7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor
8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen
9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller
10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare

11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman
12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps
13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka
14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson
15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy
16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price
17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland
18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John
19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel
19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel
20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou

21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase
22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb
23. Barbara Blaszczyk and DaviniaDesign
24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall
25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll
26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley
27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala
28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman
29. Beth and Evie McCord and Erin Prais-Hintz
30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle

31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen
32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards
33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson
34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier
35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander
36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye
37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock
38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone
39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf
40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi

41. Cherrie Fickand Cathie Carroll
41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick
42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg
43. Chris White and Norma Turvey
44. Christa Murphy and Kathy Alderfer
45. Christie Murrow and Dana James
46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins
47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford
48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis
49. Christine Hendrickson and Debbie Goering
50. Christine Stonefield and Dee Wingrove-Smith

51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes
52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher
53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya
54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk
55. Cristi Clothier and Kathleen Robinson Young
56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent
57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj
58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman
59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald
60. Deci Worland and Lara Lutrick

61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner
62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert
63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez
64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris
65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith
66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday
67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman
68. Erin Fickert-Rowland and Geanina Grigore
69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones
70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz

71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim
72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable
73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag
74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post
75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton
76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter
77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride
78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller
79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley
80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson

81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor
82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen
83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman
84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy
85. Jennifer VanBenschoten and Kim Hora
86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg
87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann
88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay
89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh
90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski

91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan
92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean
93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis
94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt
95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski
96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio
97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts
98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker
99. Kari Carrigan (you are here)and Laura Twiford
100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck

101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto
102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark
103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika
104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen
105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec
106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson
107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long
108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson
109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney
110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson

111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger
112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy
113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw
114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher
115. Lesley Weir and Liz DeLuca
116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser
117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse
118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington
119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton
119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter
120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson

121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir
122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank
123. Lori Bowring Michaud and Marci Brooks
124. Lupe Meter and Norma Agron
125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe
126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon
127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore
128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller
129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke
130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson

131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum
132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr
133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp
134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara
135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James
136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz
137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi
138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman
139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper
140. Mary Hicks and Laurel Steven

141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner
142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners
143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy
144. Missy Rappaport and Norma Agron
145. Molly Alexander and Poranna
146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell
147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry
148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson
149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna
150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers

151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari
152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan
153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag
154. Pat Haight and Mary McGraw
155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka
156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe
157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain
158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins
159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub
160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya

161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs
162. Rochelle Brisson and Sheryl Stephen
163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell
164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams
165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin
166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small
167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner
168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk
169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley
170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley

171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman
172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin
173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor
174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa
175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton
176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin
177. Sweet Freedom Designs and Tammy Jones
178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser
179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk
180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager
181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad

Bead Soup Sneak Peak!

2011-09-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for tomorrow for the party to begin! The timing for me couldn't be more perfect since all I can do is rest. I will just enjoy taking my time (the time I manage to stay coherent anyways) blog hopping! Here is a sneak peak at what I've made.

Surgery

2011-09-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am having surgery to fix a long time injury that I have lived with for at least 7 - 8 years. I fell (read - tripped over the stump in the middle of the back yard) while playing softball in the back yard with my boys all those many years ago. I have worked around the arm, shoulder, and everything for a long time, but this summer while getting ready for a show, I woke up and was in incredible pain, and couldn't move my arm at all. A quick trip to urgent care had me on muscle relaxers that helped a little bit but not much, so I was at the orthopedist 2 days later looking for more answers. They found a calcium deposit in my shoulder. They gave me some pain killers, and the option of a cortizon shot (I didn't do that) and I was on my way.

After a month had passed, I was doing much better, had regained most of the movement I had before, but I was still in a lot of pain. I went back to see if surgery would be an option to get ride of the calcium. A friend had been through the same thing, and it worked great for him. He didn't have any pain after that. So I went in for an MRI to see what was going on, and to my surprise found out I had broken my collar bone (way back when) and had a half torn rotator cuff, and my bicep tendon was partially detached as well. No wonder I have had so many problems.

If you were to fold your arms and place them in your lap (at the 90 angle), I can only life my left arm about 2 inches away from my body in that position. Pretty darn sad huh. Well I can't wait to have it all fixed. I am going to be a good girl and listen to my dr's and do my physical therapy, and with luck, be all fixed up in 2 months. The hard part is being in a sling for 2 months.....me? not be able to torch, bake, etc? It is going to be a long 2 months, but it will be so worth it.

9-11, A Day of Remembrance

2011-09-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Where were you 10 years ago? On any given day, most of us wouldn't remember. Life just goes by, day by day, and life is busy. Then you have an event that changes the world. Not only do you remember where you were, but what you were doing, who you were with, and you realize just how precious life is.

I woke up with the phone ringing. A phone ringing that early in the morning, is never a good sign. I picked it up afraid that my husband had been in a car accident. He told me to turn on the news, and I did and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I then called my sister's house to tell her and my Dad to turn on the TV. My Dad and Grandpa were visiting us in Washington. I remember her asking me why she needed to turn on the news, and I didn't have the words to describe what was happening. I just told her to turn it on. We were soon all gathered at my house, and watched with disbelief as the events of 9/11 unfolded before our eyes. I didn't send Tyler to school, He was just in Kindergarten, and I wanted all of my kids home with me where I could see them, hug them, and know they were safe. I remember stamping butterflies for a handout like a crazy women, I had to do something, anything, to try to create some order amongst the chaos of emotions I was experiencing. I remember wondering why, why did something like this have to happen.

Today on Facebook, my Aunt Joy shared a note that I wanted to share here. I am sure many people had the same question that day and in the months to come. I have a simple faith, but it brings me much comfort and hope. The note reminded me to remember not only the tragedy, but our hero's and the miracles of that day. I am forever grateful to all of the hero's that day. The first responders, the brave men and women on the plane who fought to save lives. To the people who helped each other on the streets of New York. To everyone who reached out to help their fellow man by offering first aid, water, or even a shoulder to lean on. I remember you all, I will not forget.

"Where is your God today?"

I had a very dear friend question my faith in God right after the terrorist attack on America. Her question was simply put, "Where is your God today?" She was very hurt, as all Americans were, so I tried not to react defensively.

Since that moment I have prayed and grieved over the disastrous events. However, I believe I have the answer. I know where my God was the morning of September 11, 2001! He was very busy.
First of all, he was trying to discourage anyone from taking this flight. Those four flights together held over 1000 passengers and there were only 266 aboard.

He was on 4 commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the family members who was called by a loved one on one of the high-jacked planes said that passengers were screaming in the background. On one of the flights he was giving strength to passengers to try to overtake the high-jackers.

He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World Trade Center. After all only around 20,000 were at the towers when the first jet hit. Since the buildings hold over 50,000 workers, this was a miracle in itself. How many of the people who were employed at the WTC told the media that they were late for work or they had traffic delays.

He was holding up 2-110 story buildings so that 2/3 of the workers could get out. I was so amazed that the top of the towers didn't topple when the jets impacted. Although this is without a doubt the worst thing I have seen in my life, I can see God's miracles in every bit of it. I keep thinking about my friend and praying for her every chance I have. I can't imagine going through such a difficult time and not believing in God. Life would be hopeless

As I, like most other Americans and people World-Wide, was watching and listening to the horror that took place on the East Coast, I hear many people ask the question posed in the subject line. I was reminded of an interview with a Holocaust survivor that was asked the same question. Her response inspired the following words.

Where was God in all of this? God was in the rescue workers who were running into the buildings as most people were running out. God was in the flight attendant who called her husband as her plane was being hijacked to tell him that she loved him. God was in the two men who carried a wheelchair-bound woman down 70 flights of stairs to safety.

God was in the people who stood bleeding, in line to give blood. God was in the strangers in cars, picking up strangers stranded in the city and taking them home to their families. God is in the people who are begging to volunteer, to do anything to help.

God is in the thousands, if not millions who are flooding blood banks thousands of miles away to help people they have never met. God is in the people who are comforting someone even when they don't know what to say. God is in the people who watched and cried for people who may remain anonymous in name, but never in their sacrifice.

God is in my neighborhood where I see flags waving from every home. God is in the men and women, looking at 110 stories of rubble, and seeing only the opportunity to find survivors.

God is with the heroes, most of whom will never be on the news, whose stories will only be told to their closest friends and family; but who saved someone's mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son, husband, wife, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, cousin, lover, colleague, acquaintance, teacher, mentor or friend with a single act of kindness, compassion and bravery.

God was not in the hearts of the people that caused these inhumane events. God was where he was needed the most.

by Weller J. J. Bishopp

By: Author Tom Baker

First Day of School

2011-09-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that yesterday was the first day of school. Summer seemed to fly by so quickly this year. I think part of it was that we didn't get "summer" weather until the last few weeks. It is always a happy and sad day for me when the kids go back to school. Happy because they love it. They are ready to get back into a normal schedule, see their friends, and okay, mostly see their friends. Happy for me because I have to admit, I love the quiet house! Sad because there is no more sleeping in, and it is another milestone in their lives which quietly points out that they are growing up too fast.

The boys weren't thrilled to have to get their picture taken for the blog, but I did get "smiles" out of them. Tyler is a junior this year. I can't believe it! Its ACT/SAT time and time to start the serious look at colleges. He is taking 3 AP classes, and is in ASB. I am hoping we survive this year! Travis is officially a high school student as well, starting his freshman year. He lucked out and is able to take his advanced Algebra at the jr. high, and doesn't have to run to the high school campus like Tyler did. He is thrilled to be in Mrs. Elliff's honors class again, and I am too. Both boys will have had her for their 7-9th grades.

The girls were more happy to pose for me. I literally finished their hair bands just minutes before I took the picture and sent them out the door to catch the bus. :) Both girls have the same teachers they did last year. Our school is trying it out, and I have to say I love the idea. The girls and their teachers already know each other, so the first few weeks aren't all about figuring out the learning/teaching styles of each other. Daylyn is in 6th grade and is looking forward to another fun year. She can't wait for choir to start. Allison is in 4th grade. She came home so excited because she already made three new friends. So far the year is off to a great start, lets cross our fingers that it will be smooth sailing all year long!

My Bead Soup is here!

2011-08-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! My bead soup arrived the other day, and I love it! It came in the coolest canning jar that matches my office perfectly, and is filled with fabulous beads! I love the focal, it is etched copper with a bezel set turquoise gem. There are ceramic beads, copper beads, and chrysocolla beads. I can't wait to play, my mind is whirling. And there are even some shy beads that fell under the tissue paper who didn't want their picture taken. LOL! I love my goodies! Thank you so much Laura! Check out the soup I sent her. My bead soup for Laura :)

I've fallen in love....with a spray paint!

2011-08-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever come across a product that you fall in love with? Well I have! In some of my blog hopping, I heard about Krylon's Brushed Metallic oil rubbed bronze spray paint. I loved the results I was seeing, so I just had to try it out. The results? I am in love, and think I will be buying this by the case! I keep looking around my house wondering what else can I paint. :) My favorite transformation so far? My piano light. I love the shape of it, it puts out great light, but it was dated with the brass finish. A couple of coats, about an hour of time (including the drying) and I have a new light! What do you all think? I will say it again, I'm in love!

My Bead Soup

2011-08-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

I have to say I had a lot of fun coming up with my bead soup for my partner, Laura, I had fun reading her blog, and love her macro photography! Check it out! Souvenirs From Life I must have had 12 different piles of beads all over my desk. I hope she has as much fun creating with them as I did in trying to put it together for her. :) Here is a sneak peek! :)

Bead Soup Blog Party

2011-08-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be a participant in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party! I followed the last party and had so much fun that I decided I had to play this time. She has sign up for the party, and then pairs all of us up with a partner. We then send each other a fun "bead soup" which we then get to create a piece of jewelry from. The day of the party we share what we made!

I just received my partner, her name is Laura Twiford, and her blog is Souvenirs From Life.. I love the vintage pieces she has created in her etsy store. I can't wait to put together a fun soup for her!

Where have I been?

2011-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I have posted anything to my blog! I had a crazy busy spring, and just got way behind and felt like I didn't even know where to start. Today, I am starting fresh, I will try to go back and add things from the past few months, but I am not going to feel guilty for letting my blog go for the past few months, okay, several months! LOL!

Some things I will try to blog

Daylyn's first solo!
Allison in her Pirate play
Both Girls birthday's
fun YW activity
Texas and California trip
The Puget Sound Bead Festival
there must be more, but my brains has stopped working. :)

Acorns and Cupcakes!

2011-03-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

This fall I had a blast making tiny little acorn pendants, I made over 100, because they were just so much fun to make! I was thrilled by the response of customers at the bead shows I was at. I finally took some pictures of them, and am excited to share them with all of you!

Of course anyone who knows me, knows I also love to bake and one of my favorite things to make is cupcakes. So, tired of trying to find where the kids have hid the toothpicks again, I made myself a cake tester, and what is on top? A cupcake of course! I hope to have the acorns and cupcakes up on etsy a little bit later. I am off to help a friend organize her bead stash. :)

Yep, I am a mom of 4

2011-03-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

This week has been one of those weeks, where I really know I have 4 kids. Some weeks go by just fine, everything pretty much goes along like it should, then you have last week. Not bad, just super busy. Lets see, we had a play, a leadership lock-in, lunch with a friend, making caramel apples and cupcakes at another friends house. Let's not forget mutual, piano, school, orders, basketball, and oh yeah, one sick kid. LOL! I do have to say that I am so grateful for my kids, my life would be very dull without them to make me smile, laugh, or just go crazy!

Blog Give Away!

2011-03-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Melinda from Under My Umbrella when she saw my Charmed Pennies on Etsy. She saw the pendants I made for the YW Theme for this year. She asked if I would be interested in doing a give away and of course I said yes! So head over to her blog to find out all about the giveaway. There are a few different ways to enter, and good luck to all of you! Here are a few of the things I am giving away.

Bethel School District Art/Technology Show

2011-02-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

For the past few years I have been privileged to be one of the artists at our school district's Art/Technology show, and I love doing it. While they don't let me actually light my torch there, I bring my torch, glass, tools, and I have several beads that I made up in step by step so I can do a "cold" demo for the kids. I also have my computer up and playing a lampworking dvd so they can see the glass in action. The kids seem to love watching the dvd and love seeing the glass that I create with. There were a lot of people there this year, and everyone seemed to have a great time. I was pretty busy the entire show, so I had Daylyn go and take pictures of all the cool things there. They have all sorts of things going on through the day, including robotic competitions. Here are some of my favorite things that she took pictures of.

Love the plastic wrap guy!

Lego Robotics

Pop Can Art

Science Fair Project

My booth, you can see the torch, glass, etc in the bottom right corner.

Snow!!!

2011-02-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

I mention yesterday that we got snow. Well the girls had fun playing, they even had a short little snowball fight, imagine such sweet girls throwing snowballs at each other! LOL!

Ready....

Set....

GO!!!

New Beginnings

2011-02-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

Last night was my ward's New Beginnings Night for our Young Women, and we were thrilled that we were able to have it. You see, it snowed yesterday. A big storm was hitting our area, bringing lots of snow, and we were worried that mutual would be cancelled, but the weather held out it just long enough for us to have our night. Thank you for prayers being answered! :)

Our theme for the night was Treasures and "We Seek After These Things" to go along with this years theme of "We Believe" from the 13th Article of Faith. - We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. This is a night that we introduce the theme officially to the girls and have the opportunity to meet the girls who will be turning 12 this year and joining Young Womans.

For the invitations, we gave them treasure maps printed on brown paper bags, with the edges burnt, and tied with a ribbon. We decorated with brown and gold with treasure chests with coins inside that had pictures of Christ, the theme, and all of the action words from the Article of Faith on them along with a penny pendant necklace for the girls. The big treasure chests were our gift to the incoming girls, and we had smaller treasure chests for all of our current girls. Inside each treasure chest was also a picture to remind them of the treasures that they should be seeking. I got the image from Under My Polka Dot Umbrella. I was thrilled with how they turned out.

Our YW President spoke to the girls about how they are each a treasure and of great worth to our Heavenly Father. She also read the book, I am a Child of God by Wendy & Michael Nelsen, to the girls to finish her talk. I hope our girls know just how much we love and truly treasure each one of them. We then showed the video of the theme from the church.

Next was my most favorite part of the night. A parent introduced each of their daughters to us so that we could get to know them a little bit before they join us. I loved watching the girls as they listened to their Mom or Dad tell us about the things that they value or treasure about their daughters. I think it was a good reminder for me to remember to tell my kids the things that I love about them, I don't think I do that enough. Next, our Bishop spoke about the 13th Article of Faith and what those words really mean, and how we should try to do/be those things. We concluded with a video of our Young Women and served refreshments. It was a wonderful night, and I am so glad so many of our youth came last night and braved the snow to come. I hope they all enjoyed the night as well.

My regret of the night? I wish I had more pictures. In all the rush of finishing projects for the night, I forgot to charge my camera! LOL! So I will end with this picture taken a few Sundays ago. What exactly does it take to get ready for YW on Sundays, bags, lots of bags! These are almost all of our bags, I think this only has stuff from 5 out of the 8 of us. Crazy isn't it! :) Oh, and there are the invitations in the bottom right hand corner.

Office Makeover Part 3

2011-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

The office is slowly coming along. This is where it was 2 weeks ago, when I left to go and hang out with friends for a week. Chris, Tyler, and one of our friends, Rob, installed the laminate sheet. It was nerve wracking to see them cut this huge piece ( 5 feet by 12 feet) down to the right sizes. This was a much less expensive route to go than just ordering the counter top, that would have been over $700, definitely not in my budget! LOL!

Once the laminate was all in place, it was time to lift the cabinets up and put them in place. Chris, Tyler, and Travis had to work together to lift up the second one, it was heavy!

Doesn't it look great?!?!?!!! Here it is with the counter finished, and the big cabinets in place. Next up is building the shelves that will run from one end to another in between the 2 cabinets. I can't wait for all that storage!

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

2011-02-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Thompson, was an amazing woman, incredible cook, and just an elegant woman. I cherish the recipes that I have from her, and this is one of my favorites. It is for a sugar cookie that is light and crispy, and as a bonus to my busy life, makes about 100 each time, so I have plenty to share between the kids and their classrooms.

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup softened butter

1 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups and 4 tbsp flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp salt

1. Cream together white sugar, powdered sugar, butter, and oil in a large bowl.

2. Add 2 beaten eggs and 2 tsp vanilla to creamed mixture.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix together. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until all the flour is incorporated into the batter.

4. Roll out dough into heaping tbsp's. I use the Pampered Chef's small scoop.

5. Once dough is all scooped out, roll to make balls, and then roll in granulated sugar. I like to use sprinkles with colored sugar to make them more festive, but then again, I have already revealed, I have a slight sprinkle obsession. LOL!

6. Place rolled dough on cookie sheet, and then press flat with bottom of a cup. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Enjoy the cookies!

Craft Show with my Sister

2011-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Last year, my sister began a new business called, Lil' Miss Mae, selling accessories for babies, kids, and even me! I love the hair bling! I was so excited to be able to be there with her as she had her first official show. She had done an Open House for her Mary Kay and had her things out as well. When I saw the picture, I immediately started ~~thinking~~ okay, plotting how I was going to "redo" her display. Thankfully she wanted me to! Here is her before, and then the after. :)

Before

After

Learners Permit

2011-01-26T05:57:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that it has been 16 years since I first held Tyler in my arms. He is now 5'11", still growing, and yesterday his Dad took him to the DMV to pick up his learners permit. It is unbelievable to me that this day has arrived. I am thrilled for him and scared for him. It is an exciting time for him and us, but I am in awe that it is here.

Cake pops for a wedding

2011-01-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to be asked to make treats for my friend Jerri's daughters wedding. Originally we talked about Rice Krispie treats dipped in chocolate, but then I asked if they had ever heard of cake pops. They hadn't so I sent them to Bakerella to see them, and of course once they saw them, they loved the idea! I had never made that many cake pops before, but they turned out great! If you haven't heard of cake pops before, check out this site, Bakerella, to learn how to make them. That is the recipe I used for these, and they were yummy! To turn the cake balls into pops, you just dip the sucker stick into chocolate and then into the ball, just like I did here. I was thrilled with how they turned out. Besides, I got to go shopping and get sprinkles! Have I mentioned I love sprinkles?

Seriously, I have a sprinkle addiction. LOL!

The color of the wedding were blue, green, and silver. I made a custom mix of sprinkles, and got to work the day before the wedding to make 212 cake pops. What do 212 cake pops look like?

all rolled out and ready for sticks

some dipped, and some waiting for the white chocolate and sprinkles

all wrapped in cello bags and tied with a silver twist tie

I was thrilled how they turned out.

Of course I forgot my camera, so I grabbed this picture with my phone.

Those cupcakes were yummy!

The wedding reception was a lot of fun, and people loved the cake pops! I was in the kitchen with my friend Donna, helping serve the refreshments, and we had a blast! We don't get to see each other often (just on Sundays when I am running into the library to get copies made, and then off and running again), so it was a chance to just hang out and catch up. I wish my best to Taylor and Derek, I was honored to be part of your special day if even just a small way.

Office Makeover Part 2

2011-01-24T03:11:00.000-08:00

So far the process has taken a week, and this is what we have done up to today.

emptied office - the contents of which are now everywhere downstairs. Don't enter my home without donning hazard gear!

painted the walls.

built and installed the base cabinets

painted base cabinets

stained 3 pieces of pine for the counter tops - turned out so pretty!

installed the pine for the counter top

removed the pine from the counter top - looks like it was quilted together, and not in a good way. We will use the pine to build Tyler a head board, night stand, and possible a book shelf so it won't be wasted.

Good friends came over and gave us some ideas for the counter top

3 trips to Home Depot and the laminate sheet is ordered

mdf is glued together to create a very strong top

repainted under the counter top - I had it white, but needed to be the blue to match the walls. It didn't look right the other way.

oh, and during all of this, I had sales on etsy, so I am working on top of whatever surface I can find. In one picture you can see all the orders ready to head out the door. Crazy!

Here is the paint, it is still wet, but I love it! It is what is painted in our family room as well.

Here are two of the pieces of pine that I stained. They turned out beautiful!

The cabinet bases are installed, and I have one of them painted.

Here I am trying to get packages out the door for my etsy orders. It is crazy trying to do with everything everywhere! LOL!The room with paint under the cabinets. It gives it more of the built in look this way, and oh so much better! Isn't it crazy how different the wet paint to dry paint looks? This is what the color really looks like. :)

Office Makeover

2011-01-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

My office has been my pit of despair for a while now. Piles of beads, pendants, scrabble tiles, everywhere, not to mention the paperwork, was all out of control. Part of the problem was I didn't have enough shelves to put all my trays. It is always bad after the busy holiday season, which of course is my busiest time of year where it is pretty normal to spend at least 10 hours a day from Oct - Dec working on something or other related to my business. So, I finally decided enough was enough and I wanted a new office space with more storage, work surface, and lighting, and I am getting it! We are building cabinets all around 2 walls, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Here are some of the inspirations I found for my new creative space. :) I can't seem to get them to show up as a slide show, but here is the link to my idea book.

my office/creative space idea book

Now, for every great makeover is the dreaded before picture. I can't believe I am going to post this, but what the heck right? LOL! I bet most of my creative friends all have a space like this where they create. Hopefully theirs aren't as bad as mine is. I will say this in my defense, this is as bad as it has been in forever, I just had no time or energy to even try to put things away after finishing things up for orders, and shows. So here it goes.

My computer area where I do all my listings, photo editing, well all of the "work" part of my job. LOL!

This shows the jewelry creating area and to the left are shelves that are home to many things. You name it, it is probably there!

The tall cabinet is home to scrapbooking supplies and the lateral file is home to shipping supplies and of course my photo set up.

So there you have it, my disaster area that has been driving me crazy. It is no longer there, but now everything that was in there is now all through out my entire downstairs as we are in the building process of the new office/creative space. Can't wait until it is done. I want my kitchen table back! LOL!

Office Redo

2011-01-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

2010-12-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving Day with friends. I will be adding pictures as soon as I return home, they are on the other camera!

It's Sticking!

2010-11-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, those are the happy sounds I awoke too. The girls were overjoyed that it was not only snowing, but sticking. :) I on the other hand wasn't thrilled. I had the last day of my show to do, and snow is not bead buying weather. Now that it is Monday however, I love the snow! I am thankful for the 2 hour delay that the kids had for school, we all needed to sleep in. Here are the girls as they are walking down to the bus stop. Allison of course already had a snowball!

Charmed Pennies

2010-11-19T04:22:00.000-08:00

I have been having fun the past few years making and selling scrabble tile pendants at the shows that I am at. They have been a huge hit. I wanted to do some in a round shape, and after a light bulb, finally went off, I started using pennies to make the pendants on. They are an even bigger hit than the scrabble tiles. So today, I have been tripping over pennies all over my house.

First I have to clean them up, and then sort through them picking out the "pretty" ones. Then I get to play.

Here are a bunch of pennies done, just have to wait 24 hours for the epoxy to set.

And here are some Charmed Pennies all finished up just waiting to be put on etsy later this weekend.

Mom, I have no socks!

2010-11-15T02:08:00.000-08:00

This morning, I am very thankful for the fact that Allison was getting her shoes and socks on 15 minutes before the bus came, not at the last possible minute which happens a lot! Turns out she has no clean socks. They are all in the washing machine. So, I grab the hair dryer in one hand, the iron in the other, and with a minute to spare, she has on toasty warm socks, and she and Daylyn are off and running down the street to catch the bus. I am a little worried though, she loved the warm socks. Hope this doesn't mean she will want them warmed for her every day! LOL!

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T03:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at the girls school, they held a Veteran's Day assembly. Daylyn's choir sang 2 songs, and Allison gave a little speech. Here what Allison wrote, with just a little help from Mom and Dad.

All of my Great-Grandpas served in World War 2. One commanded a sub chaser, one was a medic, and one flew in a a torpedo bomber. Both of my Grandpas served as well. One served for 20 years in the Air Force. My uncle also served in Iraq. They have all worked very hard to keep all of us safe, just like our soldiers do today.

Please help celebrate the hard work they do for us. What they do for us is so special, we should help them back. Help give gifts, send letters, do whatever you can. If you have someone helping, when they come home, throw a party.

They risk their lives for everyone,. So everyone should do the best they can, to be the best person they can be. So please help us celebrate Veterans Day.

Thank you.

Bagel Pizza's

2010-11-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

The other day Daylyn asked if she could make dinner. I have to be honest, as a busy mom, sometimes I don't have time to have my kids make dinner. I just need it done, and done fast, but I actually had time to have her make dinner. She wanted to make one of our families favorite easy dinners, bagel pizza's. Here she is making them.

Bagel Pizza's

small bagels

jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

shredded cheese

turkey pepperoni

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bagel halves on a cookie sheet. Spoon spaghetti sauce onto the bagels, sprinkle shredded cheese on, and then your turkey pepperoni or whatever other toppings you love. Bake for about 8 minutes, then take out and enjoy!

1. Place bagel halves on pan, and spoon on spaghetti sauce.

2. Sprinkle on some cheese

3. Add your toppings, we love turkey pepperoni!

4. Taste testing, got to make sure that the turkey pepperoni is good!

5. Bake in oven until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Thank you for a wonderful dinner Daylyn!

and my favorite picture where she is saying, "Mom, my cheeks hurt from smiling!" :)

Show Schedule

2010-11-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for me to be busy! If you are in the area, and would like to come and see me, here is where I will be at....if you want to schedule a show, just email me and let me know!

The Original Mt. Country Christmas Bazaar

November 5-6th

Fri ~ 6-9pm

Sat ~ 19-4pm

at the Eatonville Lions Club on Carter and Rainer in Eatonville, WA

Thie show is a special event sporsored by Dr. A.W. Bridge Orthopedic Guild in support of Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.

Sassy Mei

November 11 -13th

Thurs ~ 6-9pm
Fri ~ 10-6pm
Sat ~ 10-4pm

at Sawyer Crest Homes in Maple Valley, WA

Spanaway Lake High School 29th Annual Holiday Craft Fair

November 13 -14th

Sat ~ 9-5pm
Sun ~ 10-3pm

Bellevue Bead Festival

November 20-21st
Sat. ~ 10am-6pm
Sun ~ 11am-5pm

at the Meyedenbauer Center
11100 NE 6th Street
Bellevue, WA
www.bellevuebeadfestival.com

The Yarn Deli

December 1st

Weds ~ 11-9pm

515 New Jersey Street, Suite C
Redlands, CA

Taking Time...

2010-11-02T04:42:00.000-07:00

I was reading a friends, Rebecca's blog today and she wrote,"Why is it so easy to sacrifice our time for others but so difficult to sacrifice it for ourselves." It is true. As women we were so many different hats in our lives, wives, moms, daughters, sisters, and friends. Many of us work and volunteer and serve in our communities, schools, and churches. Most of the time there is very little time left at the end of the day, and if there is, we probably just want to sleep or do nothing. There is a simple joy in doing simply nothing. We need to remember to take care of ourselves, that we are just as important as the people we serve. What a great example we can be to our children if we let them see that Mom is important, her dreams and goals matter.

I think it is an important lesson to show them that when we do take time to put ourselves first, once in a while, that we are reaffirming who we are. We were someone, an individual before we married and became parents, and it is important to not lose sight of that person. When we do this, we will be more able to continue to serve those we love. We can only go on so long without taking care of ourselves. So today do something for yourself, take a few moments, remember your dreams, and make a plan to realize them. You and your family will be blessed for it.

Trick or Treat!!!

2010-11-01T02:40:00.000-07:00

What could be more fun for kids than dressing up, and getting candy with friends? My kids and I had a blast this year. Travis went out with a couple of friends from school, the girls and I went with one of their friends, and Tyler doesn't go trick or treating anymore, but helps hand out candy for us. Here we are all dressed up and ready for fun...well, except for me. I am really in costume the entire year, and on Halloween, I can reveal my true self! :)

A spunky witch!

A Gothic Empress!

Harry Potter!

Any guesses? He is a "cereal killer"

and more pictures

[slideshow]

Halloween Brownies!

2010-10-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

One of the kids favorite parts of any holiday are the parties at school. We try to send in goodies with them. This year Daylyn took the Marshmallow Mummies that we made earlier, and Allison wanted to bring brownies. I am sure that many other busy moms out there know that helping our children make things takes more time than just simply making it ourselves, but in my quest to have and create more memories with my kids, I thought it would be fun to have her help me make them. She was thrilled.

Read instructions

Pour brownie mix into bowl.

Crack and add eggs.

add water and oil

stir, stir, stir!

Pour the batter into pan and bake. While brownies are baking, run upstairs and get dressed for school!

Let brownies cool and frost with orange frosting of course.

The big decision, what sprinkles to use?

(I have a sprinkle addiction, so there is normally more than one choice available. LOL!)

Sprinkle away!

Smile, and look what you did. :)

Halloween Fun

2010-10-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

Friday night, our Primary had a Halloween Carnival for our kids. I know my kids had fun, especially the girls. The boys had fun too, they got to scare kids in the Haunted Alley. I took some fun pictures of the girls that night. I plan on taking some more pictures tonight as well of the boys. :)

Mornings at my house...

2010-10-28T01:02:00.000-07:00

Friends and family know that I am not a morning person. I also know that I set the tone in my home. So, while I still would rather work most of the night and sleep in, I don't have that luxury anymore. I try to be happy, cheerful, okay, not cranky in the morning, so that the mornings can run smoothly. Do I always succeed? Heavens no, but at least I am trying right? My oldest son, Tyler, is going to seminary, so I get up early with him. He is like me, not a morning person, and I have to make a public apology to my parents, I am so sorry for all those "fun" mornings that you had to deal with me getting ready for seminary and school. I am lucky that Tyler is better at mornings than I was. Though we did learn the first year, that both of us awake at 5, not a good thing, so we changed things up. Anyways, here is a typical morning at our house...crazy huh?

4:51- alarm goes off so I can wake up Tyler, and then back to sleep.

4:57 - alarm goes off again to make sure Tyler did get up and I go back to sleep. He is like me and can "wake up", have a conversation, and still be pretty much asleep. My parents would watch me get up, walk across my room, turn off my alarm, and never wake up!

5:15 - Actually get up and go downstairs to spend some time with Tyler and say our family prayer before he heads out to seminary. This is where I am very blessed. Our friend is one of the seminary teachers and lives in the neighborhood next to us, so he picks Tyler up everyday. Because of him, I don't have to wake up all the kids, pile them in the car to drive Tyler to seminary. If you are a mom that has to take your kiddo to school and wake up all the younger siblings, you know what a blessing this is, Thank you Bro. Smith!

5:30 - Go back to sleep.

6:00 - Alarm goes off yet again to make sure Travis has gotten up for school. Now Travis is a morning person. Most of the time he is up before his alarm even goes off, and is pretty much cheerful from the minute his eyes open. It is wonderful! And then, back to sleep again!

6:55 - Alarm goes off for the last time, and I get up and wake up the girls so we can pile in the car to take Travis to school. We have our family prayer in the car on the way to school. Last year I was really good about helping the kids learn an Article of Faith as well, and I don't know why we got out of the habit, but I think we will start again tomorrow. It really helps to set a good tone for the rest of the day.

8:00 (tues and thurs) - Take Daylyn to school for choir practice, and then Ally and I come back home.

9:00 - Girls catch the bus to school and then I have an entire 5 hours before I run to the school to pick up the boys from school.

* Note*

The craziest part of all of this, is that most nights I don't get to sleep until midnight! Sleep is over rated right? :) I know I am not the only mom out there that has crazy mornings, and I think it is amazing what families accomplish every day by the time the kids head off to school. Give yourself a hand, or a pat on the back for all you do everyday just to start the day. I think we all deserve it! Oh, and a secret that can make the morning easier....always have chocolate available!

Who knew? My daughter, the songwriter...

2010-10-26T00:43:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter has taken to writing her own songs lately. She writes down the lyrics, and walks around the house singing them. Here are a few of her latest ones.

I have a heart

and no one can see it.

I love my family

and my friends

and my teachers.

------------

A bird, a blue bird

a blue jay, a blue jay

Look at it fly

Here it tweet

You see the nest

there are eggs

its hatching

Blue jays yeah!

---------------

and of course she had to come up with a Halloween song as well. :)

Halloween Boo Boo

Scary Hide Hide

Help, Help

AHHHHHHHH

Halloween

AHHHHHHHH

BOO!!!

Marshmallow Mummies

2010-10-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

A few times a year, I get to play in the kitchen and make treats that my kids just love. This is a new treat this year inspired by a picture in a magazine that I saw at my friends house, thanks Jan! They are fun and easy to make, in fact, we even had our young women make them at our Harvest party. :)

What you need to make these:

bag of marshmallows

big round sprinkles

white chocolate

sucker sticks (I get mine from Jo-Ann's)

styrofoam

small bags to put them in after

1. Melt white chocolate. I use a sugar dish, and melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it is done, stirring each time. I then place the sugar dish on a candle warmer to keep the chocolate warm.

2.Take Marshmallow, sucker stick, and dip end of stick into melted white chocolate, and push into marshmallow. Set on wax paper to let white chocolate harden.

3. Once you are done inserting all the sticks into the marshmallows, you will dip the entire marshmallow in white chocolate.

4. Once marshmallow is covered in chocolate, place 2 round sprinkles on the marshmallow to make the eyes. (You can also just put sprinkles all over the marshmallow as well, very cute!)

5. Place mummy into styrofoam to the chocolate can set.

6. Once chocolate has hardened, Dip a fork into the white chocolate and use that to drizzle white chocolate over the marshmallow to create the look of a mummy.

7. Set mummies back in the styrofoam to set. Once the chocolate has set again, place your mummies into a small bag and tie with a twist or ribbon. Aren't they cute! Now present them to your kids and enjoy their reaction, or for a fun family night, have them help make them!

Jewelry for me...

2010-01-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

Many of my glass and jewelry friends will understand this. We have a ton of beads and jewelry around, and most of it is for sale. Well, I have to admit that I don't have lots of jewelry. I have a few great pieces that go with the majority of my wardrobe, and that is that. So today I have to say that I am feeling pretty lucky. After we got home from church, I changed into jeans and a great new shirt that I received for Christmas. Well, I didn't have any jewelry for it, and you know... sometimes it really does come in handy being a jewelry designer and glass artisan. I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I ran downstairs, and grabbed my favorite heart that I have made. (I have brought the heart to shows, but it never has seemed to make it actually to the table to be for sale.) I really wanted to keep it, but didn't have anything to wear with it. Well, now I do. I turned it into a quick necklace and paired it with some crystal earrings, and a fused silver bracelet that I made before, voila! My outfit is complete!

Shopping... a date with Day

2010-01-03T05:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a fabulous day! I hate to admit it, but it has been forever since I was able to just go shopping with one of my girls without a "reason." Normally that reason is a birthday gift for a party they are attending. And lets face it, the boys don't really like to shop. Well, I was on the hunt for white candy for Young Womens and decided to have Daylyn go along with me. We had a blast! We found the candy, Wintergreen LifeSavers, and then we went to the Mall. We found ornaments for us and my Mom's tree for next year at Target, had a yummy chocolate at See's, and found a sweater for Daylyn and Tyler at Old Navy. While we were there, Daylyn ran over to a post to see how big she was, and I just had to snap a picture. I can't believe how tall she is getting!

After the Mall, we went to the Ram's for dinner, which is Daylyn's favorite restaurant because she loves their grilled cheese sandwiches. It was wonderful to just spend the time with her. We used to take the kids on monthly dates and as life got busier, we got out of the habit. I think we are going to have to start those dates again. She loved it, I did, and I know that the kids will all benefit from spending one-on-one time with mom or dad.

2010 is here!

2010-01-01T05:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't believe another year has come and gone. It has been a rough year for so many of us, and I am thankful to have last year behind me. Lots of good things happened too, but I am always ready for the fresh start that a new year brings. Looking back at my last year resolutions, I only did so so, but that is okay. I did what I could, and while it could have been more, that is what life is about, learning and growing.

One goal that I did meet was being able to take the kids on a surprise vacation when we took them to California and Disneyland in April. That was an incredible trip, and we had a blast! My parents came with us and were able to experience the fun of watching our kids discover the magic there. :)

The best part of last year though for me was something that didn't even happen to me directly. My sister and her husband were chosen by a birth mom, and were able to adopt a sweet little girl. It has been an incredible journey for them and I couldn't be happier for our entire family as we welcome Katie into our lives.

For this year? I have many of the same goals. This is the year that I find a better way to balance all aspects of my life. Simple right?

So my goals...

Fitness - thanks to my friend Annette, all of you can join me as I use her fantastic site, My Fitness Trainer (now Free!) to continue my quest to get into shape. I will also be going to the gym 3 - 5 times a week, eating healthier, and just trying to "move" more. As I do this, I know I will feel better and have more energy that will help me meet my other goals.

Business - a simple yet hard goal. List more, work more consistently throughout the year so I don't need to put in 12 - 15 hour days the last 3 months of the year, and try to get more wholesale accounts.

Family - spend more quality time with them. Sounds simple right? It isn't. Working from home means there are no set hours, you are always "at work", and have you met my boss? She can be slightly demanding at times, okay, most of the time! LOL! It is hard to have set hours to work on the torch or in the office taking pictures, working on listings, etc. I need to find a way to set hours to work, and try to work only when the kids are at school or asleep. It won't quite work that way, but I need to get closer to that this year.

Kids - I want this new year to provide new experiences and opportunities for growth for them. The girls are taking piano lessons, Daylyn is taking violin, and I want to find something that the boys would like to do. Now don't get me wrong, the boys are loving school, involved with clubs there,and of course Young Mens, but if there is something else they would like to do, I want to find a way for them to do it.

Church - I love my new calling as Secretary for the Young Women in my ward. I want to work harder this year with the girls as they work on their Personal Progress. I want to find fun ways to motivate them, and provide assistance to them as they work towards their goals. It is a wonderful program, and I know I learned so much as I earned my Medallion, and I want the girls to have that experience as well.

So there it is, in black and white for all to see. The kids have their resolutions too, and with hard work, I am hoping we can all achieve our resolutions and goals this year. Good luck to all of you as you greet the New Year too, and may it be a wonderful year for all of us.

Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter

2009-04-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

So, I am at my friends house as we are having a beginning blog class for our ward. There are 6 of us here, and we are having a great time creating blogs for those of us who didn't have them before tonight. I have to admit to being surprised that it has been since January since I last posted. I have been on Facebook, and I think that is why I haven't updated the blog. It is so easy to just do a one sentence update there, and now I have heard of Twitter. I am debating whether or not if I should sign up or not. Do I need another way to stay in touch? Is it overkill? Or will it just be fun. I love Facebook and that I have been reconnecting with friends. So the question is how many ways do I need to stay in touch with friends and family? I guess I will just have to wait and see.

New Kitchen Chairs

2009-01-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

I am just thrilled! When we bought our kitchen dining set, we loved everything about it, except for the fabric on the chairs. Well, I finally recovered them today. They went from a boring beige pattern to crimson red with caramel stripes. I was very lucky and found the fabric on a price reduction for $20 a yard at JoAnn's and then it was on sale 50% off! I was able to pay just over $20 to recover all 6 of our chairs. I don't know why I waited so long, it was fairly simple to do, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Here are the before and after pictures.

Laughter, Dinner, and Friends.

2009-01-24T03:10:00.000-08:00

It is amazing how a simple night out can be just what you need. Last night Chris and I went out to dinner with our friends the Browers and the Smiths. We went to Red Robin's and had a great time! We shared stories, ate, and spent most of the night just laughing as we learned more about each other. I came home feeling like I could take anything on again, it is wonderful how a simple break from the normal and taking time out for yourself can rejuvenate ones spirit.

Today I feel like I can get so much accomplished. I woke up to a sale on Etsy, and I can't wait to go and make more things for my store. The house is relatively clean, and I think I can squeeze some torch time in today in between loads of laundry. I really want to make the kids their worry stone hearts today. I have many already made, but I want their input on their own hearts, and if they want to brave the cold garage, I will even let them help make it! I really want it to be special for them, as I told some friends; I want it to be a tangible reminder of how much they are loved.

Later on tonight, I think we will go and rent a fun movie to watch with the kids, or just have a family game night with them. They have been good kids, and I think they deserve a reward and I think that kids need to be reminded that they are loved and appreciated just as much as their parents need to hear that as well.

My friend, a Bead Star!!!

2009-01-18T04:27:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest things to come from making jewelry and beads, is the fantastic friendships I have made with ladies from all over the world. Most of us met online at Lampwork Etc which is for me kind of like the office water cooler. It is a place to share, learn, and yes, just chat and share our lives. One of these friends, Lisa Liddy won!

Her entry in the Hearts category of BeadingDaily.com's contest received First Place. I am so thrilled for her. Lisa is a very talented jewelry designer who has a fresh and unique approach to her own style. I am always excited to see what she has come up with. Here is a picture of her winning design, it is simply gorgeous! Here is the link to her blog post where she announced winning the contest.

Goals - first update

2009-01-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a week since I set my goals for the year, and I thought I would see how I am doing. So far so good, except I didn't list anything new on etsy last week. I did reopen my store though since I had it in vacation mode while I was busy in December with all of my shows, and had never gotten around to reopening through the holidays. So that is my main goal this week, to list in my etsy store. I listed 2 fun frog pendants today, and I have a boro set, and a Valentine Viking knit bracelet all ready to go tomorrow. I even have the pictures done for a bracelet for my website! Woohoo! Progress!

Date Night

2009-01-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

Last night was Chris and I's first date of the New Year. We also had decided that on one of our bi-monthly dates, we should invite another couple to go with us. Tonight the Martinson's were able to join us and we had a great time. We went to this little Mexican restaurant in Sumner called El Charro. I love their food especially since they currently don't use any peanut butter in any of their sauces, I am allergic and you would be surprised how many places do! We then came back home to check on the kids before heading back out to their house to watch Eagle Eye and have some chocolate creme brule that Jaque had made, so yummy! It was a great movie and we hope there may be a sequel, they left the possibility open at the end of the movie. Overall though, I think the best part of the night was just getting out of the house, and getting to know friends better. I do have to say that my favorite part of the night was when their daughter decided that she was a "Kari fan," and then cuddled up with me for a bit. I have to say that I am a Morgan fan as well. :) Oh, and I can't forget about when Tyler called us to see when we were getting home. I thought we were the parents, do we have a curfew we don't know about? LOL!

Northwest Flooding

2009-01-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

I am grateful that I am not in danger of any of the flooding. My heart goes out to all who are having to flee their homes to get to safety. While I can't do much, the girls and I made over 200 cookies tonight to take to our Fire Station for all of the emergency workers. It is so little, but it warmed my heart especially as the girls talked about how they are thankful for all those workers, and that they hope they will like their cookies. Daylyn even said maybe she would grow up to be a dispatcher so she could help more. I am hoping that by having them help in this small act of service, I am helping to teach my kids gratitude to all of those first responders whose job it is to help us, and who do it so well.

Here is a link to the story.

Our Holiday Baking

2009-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

I know this is late, but what can you do. We had a lot of fun baking this year. We made gingerbread, chocolate Rolo, chocolate mint, and of course sugar cookies. Last year I also discovered a great caramel recipe and we made lots of caramel as well as gourmet caramel apples that were dipped first in caramel, then white chocolate, and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. They were sooo yummy! The kids gave those to their teacher for Christmas presents. It was a lot of fun baking with the kids. They all were involved from cutting out the cookies to decorating them. Of course their favorite part is still eating the cookies, and I have to agree with them! It also felt more festive this year as I had just painted the kitchen red 2 days before Christmas! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Tyler

Travis

Daylyn

Allison

The cookies!

The Gourmet Caramel Apples for gifts

The Biggest Loser

2009-01-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

I love this show! I think it is so inspirational to so many of us. A bunch of friends started our own Biggest Loser tonight at the gym. We weighed in, took a BMI measurement, and of course the before pictures. It is going to be fun to support each other through the season (we aren't voting each other off ) as we try to get in better shape. Wish me luck, I want to win!

Back to school, back to reality.

2009-01-06T02:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the kids went back to school. Everyone woke up in great moods, everything went as smooth as it can in the mornings, I was thrilled to say the least. Fast forward to this morning....let's see, we all went to bed earlier, and yet everyone (except for Travis who is always happy in the morning) was totally dragging, tired, and yep, grumpy! I was so hoping that with the new year was going to come great mornings, but it looks like reality is just this. Life is normal.

I shouldn't be surprised since the kids had 3 extra days of Winter Break because of school being cancelled because of the snow. 2 1/2 weeks of freedom, sleeping in and staying up late had to take its toll. I miss the kids being at home, but at the same time I am glad they are back in school because that means we are getting back to our regular routines. Tyler is the only one who isn't thrilled to be going back to school, but that has more to do with having to get up early again. I asked if he would be glad to be going back to school if classes started at 10, and he begrudgingly said yes. Poor kid is just like me and is a true night owl. Staying up until midnight is pretty normal for me, and there are even times when Chris gets up to go to work at 3 a.m. only to find me still up and working on the torch!

New Year Resolutions

2009-01-03T03:44:00.000-08:00

I thought I better actually write out all my resolutions/dreams for this year. You have a better chance of succeeding if you do. I also figure by posting them here, I will be more accountable for them.

My New Year Resolutions

Spend more quality time with my family

A Family Vacation full of surprises for the kids.

Have dates with Chris at least 2 times a month, this does not include going to Fred Meyers together!

Have Mom/Dad “dates” with the kids again. I really miss this.

Hit the gym 5 times a week, not 3, I am determined to lose the last of this weight!

Declutter the house more – we have too much stuff!

Organize my office and studio so I can be more efficient with my time.

List something new on etsy at least 4 times a week.

Post to my blog at least once a week.

A New Year, a new me...

2009-01-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

I have so many dreams for myself and my family, and I am determined that this is the year that we make a few of those dreams come true. One of my most important dreams or goals, is that I want to spend more quality time with my family, not just spend time with them. It is easy to spend time with them, after all, I am home when they get home from school right? I am spending each day with them...or am I. For instance, yesterday I made crepes for dinner. As usual, I had my MP3 player on and was listening to a book while cooking. Normally, I am in the kitchen alone while cooking, but with crepes, you make them fast and serve them up as fast as the family can eat them, and boy do they! (Who says it is only teenage boys who have a huge appetite! When it comes to crepes, the girls can eat almost as many as the boys!) When I was down to the last crepes in the pans, I took off the player to sit down and eat with the family. As I did, I realized that I had just missed out on some quality time because I was "plugged in." Yes, I was in the same room with them, but I wasn't really there. I had missed out on all of their conversations all because I didn't hit the pause button. Now, I am not going to give up my audio books, but I am going to be more selective about when I am listening to a book rather than my family.

Busy days, birthdays, and Mother's Day

2008-05-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. I don't have any excuse other than the fact that life is really busy these days! Field trips, end of school activities, and of course trying to figure out child care for the kids while I leave on a fun trip. I am headed to California to see my parents, then off to Texas to visit my sister. I will be doing shows while there (one at The Yarn Deli), so I have been working in the studio every spare moment I have.

It was also my youngest daughter and my birthday yesterday. She had a Princess Party, and it was a blast! She had friends from church and school come, and they were all thrilled to be princess. :) It was a busy, fun filled day, but I will admit to being tired at the end. I will try to get pictures up soon. I am glad that at this point in her life, she is happy to have our birthdays on the same day. I think I am the lucky one though, I got her for a birthday present. It doesn't get much better than that!I

Today at church, we celebrated Mother's. We were treated to wonderful talks, and my favorites were from the youth of the ward. We also enjoyed music by the Primary and Young Women. During Relief Society, all the ladies were treated to chocolate dipped strawberries and cake. We had a great time visiting with each other. My favorite part of the day was listening to all the kids sing, "I Often Go Walking." As a child this was one of my favorite Primary songs and I was teary eyed today, listening and watching my own kids sing the same song that I remember singing to my Mom. It is amazing how life can come full circle.

I had a few minutes to edit a few pictures, but loved the way this one came out. Ally and I get our picture taken together every year as birthday girls, this years came out really cute! I love her "toothy" smile. :)

What are the different ways you diversify your business?

2008-04-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

This is the topic of the week at Flaming Hot. Most of us sell our beads and jewelry online, however that isn't always enough. I have a wholesale Children's line of jewelry that doesn't include lampworking at all, but it is what lead me to start lampworking in the first place, so I am forever grateful to that line. I also have a wholesale line of knitting markers that is a lot of fun as well. I also look forward to the selling at different shows in my area. I love getting to meet my customers face to face and enjoy the reactions of them as they say, "You make the beads?" I always carry some glass and examples of beads in the stages of making a bead so that I have a tangible example of how I create the beads. This helps them understand the process of lampworking better and they can appreciate and understand why my items are more expensive than a lot of the other jewelry at the shows. My other favorite way of selling is to do home shows. It is a win win situation for all involved. The hostess earns a pair of free earrings, a discount on her purchases, as well as earning free money based on the sales at her party. Her friends get to come and visit, shop, and snack on good food. I get out of the house, and once again, get to meet my customers face to face, and create new friends. I always have a wonderful time at these parties. In the end, the best way to diversify my business is to keep an open mind, to look for new and different ways to market my products. I only wish I had enough time to implement all of my ideas. Time does get short in a house with 4 kids after all!

Allison's first beads!

2008-04-09T02:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Allison got to make her first beads! Needless to say, Mom held her hands over Allison's. She had a lot of help, and was never without my hands on hers at all near the torch. She is not ready for that, but had a fantastic time! She first made the bead on the left, then the right, and then asked if she could make a froggy bead. It took me almost 4 1/2 years to work up to that, and here she is on her first day, wanting to try anything! I should be more like her in that way, not being afraid to explore new ideas and techniques. Anyways, I told her that if she made the base bead, that Mom would put a frog on it for her. She was delighted and quickly picked out her colors. After I made the frog and put it in the kiln, she went inside for about 5 minutes. She than came out and declared," I think the beads are done now, can we get them out?" LOL! She wasn't thrilled when I told her they wouldn't be ready for her to see until the morning. When she woke up this morning, the first words out of her mouth were, "Can we get my frog out of the kiln now?" She was so excited when I answered yes! Here she is with the beads right out of the kiln, a close up of her beads, and then her with her beads and frog all dressed up on a necklace. It was so much fun to see her excitement. She wants to make more beads today, I may have created a monster!

Back to reality

2008-04-07T03:19:00.000-07:00

Reality came at me early this morning as I woke up and realized that Tyler’s alarm clock hadn’t gone off for school, so I scrambled quickly out of bed, woke him up, and wished for a few more days of spring break. After a glorious week of sleeping in, no one was ready to go back to school today.

The kids had a good spring break filled with friends, movies, and of course, they played a lot of Wii. It would have been the perfect week if I hadn’t thrown my back out on Wednesday. Chris was sweet and stayed home with me so he could drive me to the doctor’s as there was no way I could drive. They loaded me up on muscle relaxers and pain killers that knocked me out each day. I don’t remember the last time I slept so much. I was finally able to start moving around well on Sat. and I snuck in some “therapy” otherwise known as torch time. I had to make more frogs, I just can’t seem to stop making them! Here are some of the new ones.

One great thing about my back going out was that I was able to get some reading in. I read the last book in the Tally Whyte series, "The Bone Man." I loved it! If you haven't read the series by Vicki Stiefel, you should check them out. I sure hope there are more of these books coming soon as I want to know more about Tally and where her life takes her.

LEST Featured Artist

2008-04-01T02:22:00.000-07:00

My friend, and fellow lampworking artist, Nicole Valentine is featuring a different artist from the Etsy street team LEST on her blog. This month I was chosen as the featured artist.You can read the post here. I think this is a great idea and it perfectly timed as LEST is having a Welcome Sale that starts today and runs until April 7th, be sure to check out all the fantastic artists who are participating!

Spring Break

2008-03-30T03:58:00.000-07:00

My kids just started their Spring Break. I have to laugh about it because this is a picture of the weather Friday afternoon as "Spring Break" began. Not looking like spring yet here, although it is warmer today.

Friends, Flowers, and Frogs!

2008-03-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day today has been. I was able to attend a baby shower for a friend today from my old ward. It was great to see her and other friends that I don't get to see as often as I would like. She is having a little girl after 2 boys, so as you can imagine everything was pink and purple. This little girl is going to be a girly girl one way or the other!

On the way home from the baby shower, I stopped at a store and picked up a bunch of Fuchsia's to plant in my hanging baskets in the front yard. I stood in line for about 15 minutes in the cold waiting to get them "planted" for me in my pots before I realized that I was freezing standing there in short sleeves in the drizzling rain, and that I could just plant them later at home. I hope that I don't kill these flowers as I tend to have a black thumb.

When I got home, I was anxious to get my new beads out of the kiln. The other day I asked some friends on LampworkEtc. what I should make, and one of them told me to try frogs. Well, I never have tried them before, so after spending an hour or 2 searching for my Passing the Flame book that had a tutorial in it, I went out and made some. I made 11 frogs, 9 made it into the kiln, and 2 lost toes the next day! LOL! So, I had to make more yesterday, and practice is helping. This time the frogs bodies are larger than their feet, and all of their toes and fingers are still on! Here are yesterday's frogs, fresh from the kiln. These little guys are so much fun to make, so thank you Josie for giving me that push I needed to try them!

A baby?

2008-03-26T03:29:00.000-07:00

My sister just called with the best news! She just received a call from her adoption agency with the news that we have all been praying for. They may have a baby! The birth Mom is having the baby today and is looking at their profile. We are all just so excited and praying that this is the child they have been waiting for. When I told Allison and Travis, Allison asked," Is the baby in her tummy or the other way?" We have been trying to explain adoption to her and I think she understands. Now we are all on pins and needles as we anxiously await more information. Kim, if you are reading this, don't wear out a path in your carpet!

UPDATE:

Well, my sister just heard that they weren't chosen for this baby. It is breaking my heart for them. I have so much admiration for my sister though. This is what she said in an email: "We just found out that we weren't picked. We have a strong belief that the right baby will come to us at the right time. Guess this one wasn't ours." My little sister is so strong, and I am so proud of her. She is going to be an incredible Mother when the right baby arrives.

Easter

2008-03-24T03:45:00.000-07:00

My Mom and I were talking the other day about how there are certain orders to things in life. For instance, when Easter is. It is suppossed to be the arrival of spring, General Conference, and then Easter. Sometimes Easter and Conference end up on the same Sunday, and that is great. However, Easter coming before Conference? The kids even felt that Easter came way too early this year. That still didn't stop them from making sure their baskets were ready to be filled by the Easter Bunny though. When the kids all woke up, they were happy to see what had been brought for them. However we weren't happy to find out that Travis had been awake off and on since 3 a.m. feeling extremely sick and Tyler was feeling worse as well. As a result we had to call and "uninvite" our friends, the Welsh's from coming over for dinner. It still worked out as we sent them dinner and they sent us dessert. We were just unable to enjoy the meal together.

Travis, Allison, Daylyn, & Tyler

Chris and the girls went to church, and I found myself wishing I could be in Utah with my brother John and his family as their new son Chase was being blessed today in church. I heard it was a great day for them. I can't wait to get to hold little Chase myself. He was in Grandma's arms when I talked with her yesterday.

Here is the family after Chase's blessing:

Dad, Mom, Sharley, John, Kelsie, and Chase.

and a close up of little Chase...

As they day came to a close, we gathered the family together to enjoy a gift brought to me by my visiting teacher. It was a basket containing 12 numbered Easter Eggs. As we opened each egg, there was a small item inside along with a scripture, telling the story of Christ's Resurrection. As we each took turns opening and reading an egg, I was so thankful that my children really do understand the reason we celebrate Easter and that it finally felt like Easter.

Hearts, flowers and more

2008-03-22T03:31:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at the torch yesterday! I made hearts with tiny rosebuds, raised florals, and even played with a little bit of Kronos (a super silver saturated glass color) from Double Helix Glass I love their glass! Today I will get all of these wrapped up into stitch markers for The Yarn Deli. They have such a great store. My Mom introduced them to me a few years ago. I don't knit, but love visiting their store.

Spring has arrived or has it?

2008-03-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to snow falling. Yes, snow. It is suppossed to be spring, but alas no one seems to have told Mother Nature. The kids were thrilled of course, and I am just grateful it isn't sticking. It is going to be a cold day here for sure. Soon spring will actually arrive and bring with her color and warmth. Until then, we are going to continue to bundle up, drink hot chocolate and wish for spring to arrive. I am looking forward to those warmer days to arrive so I will no longer freeze in the studio. I just peeked out there and the kiln is at 46 degrees! I think I will go out and make make floral beads today so even though there are no flowers blooming yet in my garden, soon my kiln will be full of them!