Jewelry for me...

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

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!

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

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

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.

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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...

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

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?

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!

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

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

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!