Monday, December 17, 2007

Merry Christmas

Wishing all my family & friends a very Merry Christmas, may the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts with peace & happiness this coming season.

All the best for a happy, healthy 2008..

My DH Joe found this little light thingie (official name) that turns while the lights change colour some time ago. This year when I got out my beaded ornaments, he chose a clear glass one covered with silver lined beads & clear crystals to sit atop of his 'light merry-go-round' & made a short video for me to share with you all

I guess he should have had some Christmas music playing but hey it is what it is

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The weekend at the beach

Was windy as all heck!!

We had high winds of up to 80 MPH this past weekend & woke yesterday (Monday) to no electricity - YIKES!

&

NO WATER - Double YIKES!

We did have bottled water & the holding tanks on the moter-home were full so we were able to make tea & coffee out there - thank goodness for small mercies, eh? I cooked spaghetti bolognese for dinner out in the moter home last night & Joe took a bowl of it over to our elderly neighbour, so that she would have a hot meal too. Vida told me today that is was the best spaghetti she'd ever had but I'm guessing anything would have been welcome on a night like last night ~ grin

The water was out because a tree had gone over pulling the water pipes up (just inside the property line so it is our expense - yikes again! Joe made a temporary fix & we have the insurance man coming tomorrow to see about them paying for the trees in front (beach pines) to come out as there are 4 & while only the first 2 are over, the other 2 are also showing signs of disturbance to the roots so are a problem now as well - Widow makers is what Joe calls them

The trees are actually in front of my MIL's house but we share the water line ;9 Our house is the white looking one to the right of the picture..

The power came back on this morning around 10 am thank goodness, Joe had got the fridge in the motor-home going yesterday afternoon & we put all the perishables out there, so didn't lose any food at all which is a good thing, eh?

A friend's daughter had her 11th birthday last week & I made her a couple of things, can you tell that pink is her favorite colour?


I have started making some Christmas themed jewelry & lots of ornament covers as a friend is going to host an open house for me at her Motel sometime after Thanksgiving weekend. So keep your fingers crossed for me that I'll have good sales ;9 I'll share photos of that stuff later when I get done with them all

Friday, November 9, 2007

Eeww

Do you travel?

Do you stay in hotels?

Check this out eeww

Under the Sea for October

I used a fish cut from some of Laurel Burch's fabulous fabric for my Under the Sea BJP for October. Laurel passed away in September, so this is my tribute to her & her wonderful art...

Isn't Laurel's choice of colours fabulous?

The fish was backed & lightly stuffed with fiberfil to give him a 3D effect. His body is bead embroidered & the fins are woven with Peyote stitch, which allows them to 'float' as fins should.

You can read Laurel's Obituary here.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Joe's news

It turns out that the tumor that Joe had removed is the lowest grade of Lymphoma there is. It is a very slow growing cancer & the Dr assured Joe that people with this type of cancer usually go on to live several more decades.

To which Joe replied that; as a 60+ year old man, several more decades is a good thing.

He had a PET scan of the lymphatic system, done on Thursday so we should hear the results of that by mid next week. Depending on the outcome of that - we are believing that there are no more tumors - Joe will have some radiation treatment to the area where they removed the tumor & that should be that...

What a wonderful outcome, eh?

An added bonus to all of this is that Joe has had chronic sinus problems for over 10 years getting worse each year & it seems that this tumor was the cause of it all, as the sinus problem has cleared up! That is a huge relief too..

My dear Mother has improved somewhat too & is able to walk to the dining room for meals witht he aid of her walker & encouragement from the assistants at the home. She is getting more & more frail as time goes by tho & it makes me regret being so far from her..

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

October what a month!

Ok this month started out with Joe having a tumor removed from his sinuses - yeah scary, eh?

Next the drainfield for our septic failed & now we have a HUGE mess in the back yard.. Argg!!

This is looking down at the house from the top of the garden at the back... It is a pretty good pic too of the finished roof & deck, Joe replaced the original roof over the hot tub & the decking around it too so that it all matched the additions we made a couple of years back.

Still work going on in the South end ---> like a window to go in that wall & a built in closet/storage for stuff that needs to live out there on the deck as well as a laundry tub as there is none inside the house a fact that seems odd to me ;9

It was an easy if messy fix & while the backhoe is here we are adding an extra hole full of rock for all the rainwater that comes off the west side of the house & the roof over the deck. This should help keep the yard a little less soggy over the wet winter that is in store for us compliments of La Nina..

I imagine the backyard will be something of a mud hole for most of the winter but we will cope ok, worse things are happening elsewhere right now. Like the horrific fires in Calafornia, my heart goes out to those folk who have lost their homes & those in fear of losing their's. Thank God there are not as many lives lost as there were in the last big fires they had down there..

Anyhow back to Joe, we saw his Oncologist today about the tumor they removed from his sinuses 3 weeks ago... He has a form of lymphoma, exactly what we don't know yet... The Dr was concerned because the 'almost cancer' lump they took (back in February) was from the left side of his neck & this was from the right side of his face, he seemed to think this odd as it is unusual for these things to be both sides of the body at once kind of or something

Like Joe says, he is nothing if not unusual.

He has to have a PET scan which is a scan of the lymphatic system to see there is anything else there - He had one of these done after we got back from NZ last April - & it showed nothing, so so much for that!! But this thing they removed must have grown quite fast, another thing that appeared to worry Joe's Oncologist.

He also has to see Dr Nichols an Oncologist who specializes in Lymphoma & incidentally treated Lance Armstrong, the famous cyclist who won the Tour de France several times, so we know he is good!

I'll let you know when we know more, please keep Joe in your prayers he is pretending to not be worried but he is & so am I

Oh yes, my dear Mother is not doing well at all, she had a clot removed from her ankle area a few weeks back & now has cellulitis & is not able to get up & walk on that leg at all, I spoke with the manager of the home where she lives this evening & she tells me that the antibiotics are working as the cellulitis looks to be clearing up, I hope so, that is a wicked infection. Her poor old body is starting to shut down & that saddens me more than words can say.. I fear I will be on a plane winging my way to New Zealand very soon

I am making progress on my 'whatever month' page for the BJP - I am so far behind that I need to look at another way of keeping up... Bead more often? LOL I'm trying to ha haaa

I hope to have some pics of what I am working on now to share after this next weekend

~smiles~ Ellen

Saturday, September 29, 2007

July done OMG!!

Finally I have something to share - This is my JULY page..

The starfish was made as a separate piece & then attached after he was beaded



He will eventually live in this frame but I have a lot of embellishing to do before he is completely done


So today I also finished a Caterpillar Bracelet that has been sitting waiting for the last 3 inches to be done for longer than I care to admit LOL




I recently bought a new wrist support, which is especially for sleeping in & I am pleased to say that it's making a LOT of difference in the pain level in my hand. The wrist support is padded so that the metal bar which keeps your wrist straight doesn't dig into your flesh - that's why I gave up wearing the last one I had - but this one is so comfortable & I no longer wake up with pins & needles in my hand.. I can now sit & bead without pain - YAY!!!!!

Hmm... I don't know why my pictures won't open to bigger pics when you click on them, if anyone can help me with this I would very much appreciate it

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Yay - it's not migraines

About 2 weeks ago I was waiting for the garden hose-reel to wind back up, when the wind caught the lid on the box it lives in, at the same moment I lent over to untangle the hose. It fell on my neck, missing my spine thank Goodness. It caught me on my neck behind my ear & knocked me to my knees & I must admit the air was pretty blue for a while as I realized I wasn't bleeding & not seeing double.

This lid measures 28" x 36"

If you look real close you can see the flimsy hook just below the top right corner.

Now I am keeping that huge heavy lid up with this big plank

I have had awful headaches since but knew they weren't migraines & most of my days since the accident I have felt like I was hungover - not the nicest feeling in the world.

I saw my Dr yesterday to find out what was up & he tells me I have damaged a nerve that goes up the outside of the scull, so I am on some anti-inflammatory capsules that hopefully will heal the nerve.. But I am so happy it is not migraines & hopefully the headaches will start to go soon

Monday, September 24, 2007

Time for a change

I have worn my hair long for years now & it had got to the stage when I pulled it back that my head hurt. So I decided to have it cut short.

My dear Mother should be happy as she always tells me she likes my hair short, so Mum this one is for you..

Before

After
I have been getting horrendeous headaches (not migraines) the past couple of weeks & I don't normally get headaches at all so today I am going to see the Dr to find out what this is all about.
I am not able to concentrate on one thing for long & have been spending increasing amounts of time lying on the bed unable to do anything, not even bead!! So enough is enough. Keep your fingers crossed that the Dr finds the cause of these damn headaches

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Disappointing but such is life

Well after starting out so well with an early bid, the necklace didn't get any more bids so went for a mere $50. I hope whoever won it realizes what a bargain they got..

Would I take part in another of these projects? You bet I would as even tho the outcome was disappointing, the process was fun & I made some new friends along the way..

Monday, September 10, 2007

The auction has begun

Please take a look at the auction for the 'Charmed Life Necklace' which has started on E-bay..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260158499739

If you can't bid please forward it to family & friends who you think might be interested in owning a one of a kind necklace & helping out breast cancer research at the same time

Friday, August 31, 2007

A Charmed Life...

In April 2006 an online friend Cyndi Lavin of Bead Arts invited me to join her and a few of her other 'on-line' friends to take part in a collaborative charm necklace which we would offer for auction to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

First we voted on a theme and colour scheme for our charms, we chose the ocean for our theme, which led to a palette of blues, purples and greens for our charms.

This is what I made..

I used some Paua shell from New Zealand with seed beads and Swarovski Crystals to compliment the gorgeous blues, greens and pinkish purples in the shell.

When the charms were completed we sent them on to Cyndi, who then assembled them into the necklace.

We each got to wear the necklace to an outing, it created lots of interest where ever it went. I wore it to the local Rotary Club's annual Oysters and Art Auction to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club. The photo my dear husband took of me wearing the necklace was a nice shot of the back of my head but we can't see the necklace Joe! LOL

You can see the necklace I donated to the auction here.

Cyndi contacted Belle Armoire who featured it in their 'Simply Charming Collaborative Art Necklaces' in the Sept/Oct issue of their magazine. Sadly the photo they took does not do our necklace justice - plus THEY SPELT MY LAST NAME WRONG...

Here's a picture I took of the necklace “A Charmed Life” will be auctioned off, starting Sunday, September 9 and ending on Saturday, September 15, on eBay.

Search for it using the phrase “a charmed life necklace breast cancer”

Please share this information with your family and friends and mark it on your calender, so that we can get lots of people bidding to raise money for Breast Cancer Research, a cause that has touched all of our lives in some way.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Housekeeping...

I got bored with the colours of my blog so played around with the templates & as green is my favorite colour this seemed the perfect set up for me..

Freebird has this link to Bablefish on her blog & I thought it would be a cool addition to mine too, thanks Freebird ;9

I did get some beading done over the past couple of days & the starfish is almost done. Then I need to attach him to the page, I plan on doing a bit if beading to highlight the 'waves' in the ocean of the background fabric before I attach him tho & then it will be done.

Of course I still have to do August's page & here we are almost into September - I don't like being behind, so hopefully next month will see me catching up. Don't any of you hold your breath tho LOL

Today (already the 27th down under) my baby is 37 - Happy Birthday Elizabeth..

Oh my, how you have grown, I am so proud of the Woman you are..

Saturday, August 25, 2007

A little bit of Saturday night silliness

Clearly a slow Saturday night in the US.... said Bobbi LOL It sure is Bobbi..

Anyhow... Lora has invited all who want to play to a mini contest & the winner will receive one of her beaded face pins check it out here

That sounds like a good deal to me, thanks Lora ;9

So here it is..

SCATTERGORIES... & it's harder than it looks!

Here are the rules:

* Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.

* They MUST be real places, names, things ... NOTHING made up!

* If you can't think of anything, skip it.

* You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

* If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry but you can't use my answers!

My name: Ellen

1. Famous Singer/Band: Ella Fitzgerald

2. Four letter word: Easy

3. Street: Egmont Street

4. Color: Ecru

5. Gifts/Presents: Ear warmers

6. Vehicle: Edsel

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Ear-rings

8. Boy Name: Eric

9. Girl Name: Eva

10. Movie Title: East of Eden

11. Drink: Earl Grey Tea

12. Occupation: Engineer

13. Celebrity: Ellen DeGeneres

14. Magazine: Elle

15. U.S. City: Ellensburg (Wa)

16. Pro Sports Teams: The Eagles (Philadelphia)

17. Fruit: Eggplant

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Empty gas tank

19. Something You Throw Away: Empty toothpaste tubes

20. Things You Shout: Eeek!

21. Cartoon Character: Elmer Fudd

Yeah I know I should be beading but well, ya know LOL

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Thursday Dahlia

I picked the dahlia this afternoon so that the next one will have enough room to open
Here it is, Thursday 23

Of course it needed a big vase but I didn't have anything to put inside to hold the bloom up straight... Thank goodness for husbands, Joe managed to construct the perfect 'frog' to hold it up straight in the vase... Thank you dear ;9

I saw my Endocrinologist today, she's pleased that I have lost weigh, plus my cholesterol & triglycerides are both at excellent numbers, which pleases me very much too.

I'm going to bead for a while & maybe I'll have a progress pic tomorrow..

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

It's done

Well not really done but it is open completly & now the bud next to it is beginning to open as well, so here is the last pic..
Wed 22 Aug

I plan on doing some much needed garden work today & hope that these grey skies don't decide to open up & rain on me. I guess I can bead if it does rain ;9

I did manage to get a bit of beading done last night but I'm not taking any more pics until it's finished, so stay tuned...

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Tuesday Dahlia


We've been getting rain during the night since last Friday & my garden loves it!
I do too, as God has been watering the garden for me..

Here's the Golden Emblem Dahlia this morning...

It is 8 inches wide!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Jazz & Oysters

Yesterday was Jazz & Oysters at the old Oysterville school, an annual event here on the Long Beach Peninsula, which is organized by the good folk from Water Music Festival


My husband has been a volunteer at Jazz & Oysters for several years but this was my first year helping out.

I worked at the dessert table & boy oh boy there were some tempting delights, all donated by local Bakeries & Restaurants!

I only had two plates honestly!

This is how we cook oysters up here on the Willapa Bay, where some of the finest oysters in the Nation are grown by the way ;9

Although the day started out damp & grey, by noon the sun had come out and with it came many locals... ...to listen to the Ron Steen Trio & the beautiful voice of Marilyn KellerI was lucky enough to speak with Marilyn, who told me she has been singing since she was a child & that she learnt to sing in harmony when she was in kindergarten.

Of course that meant I didn't get any beading done this past weekend but that's OK, I'm planning to make up for lost time this evening

Here are two photos of the yellow dahlia...

taken this morning
& again this eveningIt's really got a grow on now & that bud next to it is getting bigger by the minute!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Dahlia Sunday 19

Here's day 3 of the yellow dahlia, it has 2 more petals open..

Last year my girlfriend gave me a Hollyhock she'd grown from seed & which I put in a part of the garden that is a work in progress, not much has changed in that corner since last year - Except the Hollyhock, which came up from last year's seed & there are close to 30-50 plants there now LOL

They're such beautiful purple flowers I had to share them with you.....

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Golden Emblem Dahlia


I've decided to share progress pics of my huge yellow dahlia as it opens, I've never seen one this big before & to think it started as a tiny tuber I got at the supermarket a couple of years ago...

Friday 17 August

Saturday 18 August

The flower that's opening now is just over 2" wide & the bud next to it is just over 1" wide.

I'm wondering if the slender stalks will be able to hold the flowers up once they are fully open. Time will tell, won't it?

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Making Progress..

Here's a progress pic of my starfish, three points done & two to go. I think the center bit will go faster, the points are tricky to bead.

Well I had my appointment with my Neurologist yesterday & he wired me up & sent some electric shocks thru my hands to find out what the problem is with them >OUCH< It is Carpal Tunnel & my right hand is far worse than the left. He said that he wants me to have a steroid shot in my right wrist first & if that relieves the pain then in 6 months or so to go ahead & have the surgery - I am not a big fan of needles but if that's what it takes to do away with this problem then that's what I'll do but I might leave it for a few more weeks yet

I have to share these pics of my Phoebe with her Catnip plant which is in bloom at the moment

Of course just a taste of catnip takes her back to kittenhood & dust baths

You can see how well my thyme ground cover is growing to cover the patch where nothing would grow except weeds, it should cover that area totally by next summer which will mean NO MORE DUST OR MUD, boy am I looking forward to that!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Making progress with July

My July page is under way, it's moving slowly because I decided that each bead had to be stiched on one at a time - Nothing like doing things the hard way LOL

I'm happy with how it's looking so far so that is a plus, isn't it?

I made a 'starfish' & lightly stuffed it & I'll attach it to the page once it's beaded..

I'm not sure if I will bead on the acutal background, maybe just here & there to add a bit of sea like sparkle to the wavy blue lines - time will tell, eh?

On Wednesday I go to Longview -about 2 hrs east of here - to have the neuropathy in my hands assessed.

My Neurologist has the MRI that was done recently & his nurse told me that it does not appear to be from the damage to the vertebrae in my neck, so at least that's a good thing & it's not Carpal Tunnel either so what the heck is it?

Hopefully it is something that can be fixed.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Oh, oh it's August...

Happy birthday Stephen - It's hard to believe so many years have passed since I first held you in my arms but you'll always be my boy, my boy, my pride & joy...

Myself & my 3 children all have our birthdays within the space of 2 months so of course it's always a special time of the year for me

OK, back to what keeps me sane - My beads!

I've decided to stay with my original 6" x 4" size for my BJP page - thank you all for the encouragement ~smile~
This is for July

& this is for August

I recently bought Stitch Magic by Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn, which is a wonderful publication if you love to play with fabric & fibres.. My August page is the result of my first attempt at some of the fun things in the book, so stay tuned

Friday, July 27, 2007

Where did July go?

This month has flown by so fast..

I had my birthday, went to the Puget Sound Bead Festival, worked & gardened a whole lot.

I also beaded but I have not even finished the page for June, let alone start July's page & I feel like such a flake - I am rethinking the whole thing as I really want to be part of the BJP & not a drop out. I need to make my pages smaller as right now, the time I can spend beading is limited to a few hours in the evenings that I don't work at my part time job. My daylight hours are spent out in the garden & as this is income related I can't trade the spade & pruners for my beading needle as much as I'd like to.

I started with pages that are 6 1/2" x 4 1/2" I planned to make them 3D & set each of them into a frame but that will have to be another time as it just isn't happening right now, time is not being my friend

This is the page I started for June & as you can see, I still have a long way to go....
So rather than be behind forever, right now I am going to go look at the fabrics I have & decide on a smaller do-able size for my pages & I will work out how to display them later

I did meet Robin at the Puget Sound Bead Fest although I think she wondered who the heck I was at first as I kind of joined a group of folks who were talking to her -I was waiting for the right moment to introduce myself but it didn't go as I had hoped, as Robin thought I was part of the group - I kinda felt like I had my foot in my mouth, oh well worse things happen as sea, right?
I had a wonderful time at the bead fest, I took an all day class with Judy Walker on the Friday. Cyn, one of my friends from up in the Seattle area had also signed up for the same class, so we got to spend some beady time together. I also got to spend time with a couple more of my friends from the Seattle area, Helaine & Sassy Sharon. I also shopped 'til I dropped LOL & came home with with a nice stash of new beads that made me feel quite decadent - And because I have been so busy I really haven't done more than look at them all

OK, I'm off to find what I can do about some smaller pages that I can actually complete in the meager time I have to bead at the moment

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Beading & STUFF

Back in Nov 2004 a group of online beading friends (about 30) from 8 different states & Canada got together for a Retreat at the beach where I live. We had a super time, 3 days nights of beads & laughter, friendships were born & memories were created. We also started a Beaded Doll Round Robin, which because life happens has been extended several times but is nearing the end at last. I am working on the final doll to come to me & should have her on her merry way by Monday all being well & good. Then I can get my head around my BJP page for June ;9

This weekend is the Relay for Life & I signed up for the team from the Assisted Living Center where I work.. I am fortunate as no one in my family has had Breat Cancer but I have friends who are survivors & have lost one friend & it is for Crystal that I am walking.

Speaking of walking, I am finally losing weight - I've been using the gym at work since February & not only am I losing weight, I've also lowered both my cholesterol & blood sugar. It feels good to know I am doing the right thing for my body, it took me long enough tho - laughing at self.

I am also getting caught up with my gardening chores but there are still a good number of plants waiting for bigger pots or to be planted somewhere. I took a bunch of photos of my garden last week & must put them here so I can share them

Oh yes & my friend Joslyn who just welcomed her third beautiful son into the world, also won the Bead Art 'Through the Looking Glass' challenge, with her piece 'The Red Queen' Congratulations Jos!

Husbands!

Today DH went to pick up an old dentist chair - He sells old STUFF on E-Bay -
Anyhow instead of waiting for his buddy to come by & help him off with it, he rigged his block & tackle & was hauling it off by his self. Only it didn't go as planned & THANK GOODNESS I was home.
He has a nasty gash above his eye and another level with the outside corner of his eye. No stitches but I did convince him to let me cover the worst of the cuts (said eye is now black & swollen)

You'd think by the time a man is 60 + he would KNOW not to do things like that

This is the reason Women out live men..

Martha Edlin's Casket

What an amazing show of skill Martha Edlin's Casket

I found this on one of the beading forums I visit when I should be beading

Monday, June 18, 2007

80,000-year-old Beads

Yep you read right, 80,000 year old beads.

That was a headline on yahoo news this morning so of course I had to check it out..

It goes on to say:- Even the very first modern humans may have spruced themselves up with beaded bling. So, check it out for yourself...

Since beads have been around for that long I sure don't see them going out of style any time soon, do you? LOL

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

A false start

Well I've been at a standstill with my pages which has been frustrating.

I want to make 3D beaded art quilts so I got the fabric I thought I needed & off I went.

But when I started on my 'first' page I realized that even tho this has a kind of 3D aspect to it, this is not what my mind's eye saw.

Although it doesn't show in the picture, the mermaid & seahorse are attached with a felt backing, so that they are raised slightly but not with the effect that I wanted to achieve.
Also, I was going to have my journal as a book with the pages attaching to the left of the beaded page & that no longer appealed either.

Today I checked out my friend Grace's blog & was encouraged to name my journal, thinking that would aid my Muse who seems to be in hiding at the moment - Thanks Grace
So now, I'm working on a new start with a new slant & hopefully I'll have something to share soon

Saturday, June 2, 2007

LOL at myself

Ahh talk about Women changing their minds, well I guess I am the classic example LOL

I got started on my June page for BJP but as I worked on it, I realized that it was not what I wanted to do... So for the past coulple of days I've been brainstorming my ideas & have totally changed my thinking

Oh well, better now than later I guess & at worst I've added to my fabric stash, which is a good thing ;9

Tune later in for further adventures..

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Mermaids on my mind

I've lived most of my life near the ocean, so chosing a theme for this journey of Beaded Journals was simple - Mermaids - For me, they are part of the wonder of the ocean along with the countless fish & plants which are hidden beneath the waves.

We might live on a dead end road, off a dead end road; as my DH likes to put it, but it's still the beach & for those of us who create art; be it with fabric, fibre & or beads, our little sand spit has it all.

Those of you who were here for our 'Beading on the Beach' Retreat (Nov 2004) will remember Anna Lena's the fabulous Fabric & Fudge shop that we have down here at the beach..


I sure wasn't disappointed when I called in there today to see what I could find with an ocean flavour. Near the back of the store was a fabulous display of just what I was after & as you can see I had no problem choosing what I wanted for backgrounds on my journal pages. I also got a few other interesting fabrics but you'll have to wait to see them & no I didn't get any fudge ;9

I have made a couple of other mermaids & there are several others which are WIPs sitting around waiting for more beads. Here is my first one.

Robin Atkins' very talented brother Thom makes the most delightful beaded art quilts & they are the inspiration for my goal on this year long journey. I usually totally cover my dolls with beads, so not beading the whole thing, will be something new for me. At this point I think my pages will be done in book format but time will tell, won't it?

On another subject I have finally started to lose weight - YES! - I am down by 5 lbs, I knew it had to happen but it seemed to be taking forever. I really like the ellipitical & I get the best workout on it.. I know this weight loss thing is better when it's a slow, steady process but it's hard not to become impatient & wish for a 'miricle' pill that would magically melt pounds off over night.

Ha, if wishes were pennies.....

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Time flies....

Gee it's now more than a week since I began this blog.. Time sure flies when you're busy & I have been busy in my garden & have peas, sweetcorn, lettuce & tomatoes planted so far along with carrot & radish seed all in a row - well 2 rows really - we are looking forward to eating salads from my garden this year, I have only ever grown tomatoes & swiss chard before so this is a new adventure.


I have been beading too & have all but finished a doll that I started for the Bead Art Forum's Beaded Heart Swap - due back in February but I lost my inspiration for a while. Anyhow here she is.... Miss Heart of Gold I'm kinda pleased I didn't get her done for the swap, as she is much bigger than the hearts that did make it in time. She stands a little over 5" tall & is 2" wide - She still needs a few final touches but I couldn't resist showing her off
I still have to get what I am doing for Robin's Bead Journal ready & I still haven't worked out how to post on the Bead Journal Project yet. I guess I need to ask someone how to go about doing that... OK, that was easy Bobbi helped me out, thanks Bobbi ;9

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Here I go - my first blog

I live at the beach in the bottom southwest corner of Washington State, with my husband & Phoebe the cat..

Life is pretty busy right now as I've decided to grow plants to sell next spring, so I'll be keeping busy this spring & early summer, getting lots of cuttings in the ground. My DH is my biggest fan, as well as the builder/handyman who makes all the bits I need work.

I'm also a hopeless bead addict so any 'spare time' I have is spent beading. You can see most of my beaded creations here, enjoy. I have decided to join Robin Atkins 2007 Bead Journal Project - it's not like I have nothing to do but I think it will help me to grow as a Bead Artist.

Well that's it for today, I need to lose about 30 pound - thats about 14 kilos for the rest of the world- so I'm off to the gym - good news tho, my cholesterol & blood sugar are down to acceptable numbers at last, so this exercising I've been doing really does benifit the body. Of course I knew that already but sometimes we have to beat ourselves over the head before we really listen to our inner voice.