Kindness...

Oh Nancy...too kind you are!

Check out her blog to see what she has said about me and the swap! I stole this photo from her site to put in mine for this blog post. She did a great job showcasing her gorgeous earrings! You need to check out her etsy site...RoundRabbit, she has some incredible pieces in there.

Just like candy, you can't have just one!!

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Today in another day at home...I crave these days when I can just spend the day here. I am such a homebody, I love my house, my animals and my people!!! I love puttering around and making headway in the organization that I am STILL currently doing. I also love the fact that I can create at home and do not have to drive anywhere to do it if I don't want too. Hopefully, just hopefully this afternoon I can get some pottery done. I was in the studio last night until about 9:00. I started a couple of things that I have up my sleeve so be sure to check back for the finished pieces.

One thing in particular is a combination of clay and gemstones....ooooooo!!!!

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Well, gotta run. I have a ton of business tax stuff to do...our appointment is at 5 and yes I am a procrastinator!!! It doesn't help that I lost all my information when our computer crashed a couple months ago!!! Ugh!!

My Miserable 1/2 Monday

Here is what I woke up to yesterday morning...snow! Blustery, freezing cold snow. I almost though for one brief moment that Spring was just right around the corner but I guess I was wrong. It was like this most of the day with a small amount of accumulation. Quite pretty actually but too cold. Upon waking and seeing this, I tried to rise the child from his bed. It took a good 1/2 hour to get him up and then he preceded to tell me that he did NOT want to go to school. This turned into a full blown meltdown for an hour...crocodile tears and all. I had to take him to school and walk him to his classroom and explain to the teacher his mood. Of course when he got home from school he was all smiles and happy. See what happens when you have more than one day off from school!!!! UGH!!!

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Off to the studio I went. It was my day to work the workshop hours and tend to my duties as an assistant. A job that I actually love to do. Yesterdays duties consisted of mixing 2 high fire glazes...weighing out each chemical (makes me feel like a drug dealer when I do it), mixing them with water, sieving them 3-4 times pending on the chemicals, cleaning the bucket it was in, working the old bucket of glaze into the new bucket and so on...that took up most of the time. After that was all said and done I mopped 3/4 of the studio and then after hours glazed my own things. Fun, fun!! I love it!

When I let myself into the studio first thing in the morning I was welcomed by this box of goodies on my shelf. Nancy from Round Rabbit had a trade last week and I was lucky #1 to sign up for it. What a great box of goodies I got. A Beautiful heart shaped dish with incredible glaze on it, 2 bags of tea, a luscious bar of soap and even a chocolate (minus in the pic because I ate it). I was soooo happy and made my day. Now I feel like such a lump because of what I gave her. My very first trade and I blew it. I should have gussied up my trade but I didn't and Nancy I am sorry!! I know now need to step it up...the thought did cross my mind but in my haste I just left it on her shelf. Forgive me :). I'll make it up to you...although I do like what I gave her...any earring holder which you can see its mate on my Thistle Farm site.

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Well happy Tuesday to you all...

What a not so productive day so far. I guess that is what Sundays are all about. Being lazy and just hanging at home...which sounds fine with me except more than likely I will have to venture out in the blustery day. I'm not quite sure what the forecast calls for but the snow is flying out there. Up north, way up north in New Hampshire they are getting 12-18" today. I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that is not us!! I really don't mind the snow or winter for that. It is time for me to regroup, refocus and energize myself for the Spring because with my yard, the inside work and and projects goes to pot Spring, Summer and Fall.

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I plan on re-inventing my gardens this year. One in particular is the garden of weeds and this garden has so much potential. I really want to create a cottagey feel to this garden with lots and lots of focal points. It is already broken up into several gardens all in one but the mad chaos that is out there now needs some desperate TLC.

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On another note later today will be spent tending to my kiln. I keep pushing this poor thing and one of these days it is just going to kaput on me. I need to totally rebuild it but it is so stinking cold in the barn where it is stored, I plan on waiting til it is a least 50 degrees out and I have the extra $$ to spend. I am doing a small bisque load in hopes I can beat the gas kiln firing and final loading. Unfortunately I love, I MEAN LOVE, the gas glazes which tend to be earthy colors...reds, browns, rich yellows, greens and blues. The last firing I did almost everything was glazed in those earthy tones. That is why it is so hard to get new items up and listed on my etsy account on a regular basis. But I guess when they are finally fired I will have a ton of work to do. Photos, resizing, listing and publishing. It all takes time...

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The above kiln lot consists of a sugar and creamer (up front), vase, canister, mug, 3 butter dishes, a bunch of conversation blocks and two larger bowls.

Fun, fun, fun...

wish I could do it all day long!!!

Long Day in NYC

We decided to head to NYC on Monday with 3 other families, so a total of 5 children and 6 adults. It was a great day with so many sights and sounds of the big city. It was Graydons first time in the city and boy did he have an interesting day. The day started off at 7:00 in the morning...we headed out riding with the "R" family in their car. He stopped along the way in Tannersville, PA for a greasy breakfast at the local diner. Mushroom and cheese omelets in their fancy...afterwards we headed into the city via the

Lincoln Tunnel...
We arrived at the Museum of Natural History close to 12:00PM and were welcomed by a long, very long line to get in. Strollers and women with killer spikes on galore! We headed off in our lage group starting off on the first floor...mistake!!! We should have started off on the 4th floor...DINOSAURS! Well needless to say the natives were getting restless. There is only so many stuffed dead animals in their natural habitats that you can see with a bunch of 9-ish year olds (there was a 7 year old and a 12 year old too). We split into 2 groups...me in one group :) and the rest in another. They head to an IMAX movie about dinosaurs and I headed to the butterfly conservatory. Needless to say both could have been avoided completely. Both were extra money and both were not worth the xtra $$. While I was on my own I hit the 2nd floor to see the main lobby area that included this dinosaur...Pretty overwhelming standing underneath this monster. Can you just picture yourself in a field with this standing over you and no where to run...YIKES!!!

After finally getting our wits about us...we headed to the 4th floor to see the saurs! Graydon snapped this pic of me curiously enjoying this dinosaurs rear-end...what's wrong with me?

Of course we had to find Dum-Dumm...get me Gum-Gum!! The kids and BIG kids alike were on a hunt for him before we hit the subway!! Those of you who do not know this particular guy...check out the movie Night at the Museum with my fav

Ben Stiller!!

Then off to the subway to China Town. Graydons first trip on one and he was thrilled. Can't you tell by the look on his face? One of our rides resulted in watching 3 young boys break dancing and doing flips...the group enjoyed that performance!!

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So to China Town we went...the death hold that my son had on my arm almost the whole entire time was a little comical. Picture this...both sides of the sidewalk lined with Asians and African Americans hocking whatever they could. Literally there was just enough room for one person to walk through the middle. I did end up supporting them by purchasing a DVD of Twilight which has heads in the bottom of the movie, a hat and a pashmina. While going through China Town we saw many different sights and sounds...table after table of Buddhas, carved wooden figures, Pipes, Bongs and even glass Penises (?). Huh...you learn something new every day!! The kids had their eyes covered by the adults. The adults couldn't stop looking!!!

We ate at this fabulous restaurant in Little Italy called ...opps I can't remember the name but it starts with the letter P. To start we had calamari and bread with sun dried toms in oil. Then out came our meal with very healthy proportions....YUMMM!!

After dinner we headed to the Rockefeller Center to climb "the Rock". Well the elevator did the work for us and let me tell you, it took off like a bullet UP!

Our view from the top was spectacular! Graydon didn't realize we were on the roof until Todd told him and he about dropped to his hands and knees. You had a 360 degree view with even another level to go up. Kim and I ventured up there to find the breeze was so little and it was extremely peaceful. Really almost surreal to be up that high. I even got to see the Statue of Liberty...amazing!

After "The Rock"...the kids were dying to go to Toys R Us in Times Square...at that point the adults hit the wall but the kids were off and running once they hit the doors. We headed to the 2nd floor to where the Lego creation were....somebody has too much time on theirs hands to design this (note above).

Upon leaving Times Square Graydon got a little quiet and I asked him what was wrong...he replied "Can we come back soon...I like this place!!

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Me TOO!!!!

The end!

We are off to take a bite out of the...

Big Apple!

See you tomorrow!

Project(s)

The chair story...

Once upon a time there was this girl who really wanted a chair and ottoman in her living room. She looked high and low for the right kind of chair. Her mother-in-law has the perfect chair she so desires but to no avail it was completely out of her budget. The girl had even threatened to steal it while her in-laws were on one of their vacations...

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Valentine's Day rolled around and the girl and her husband went to three different stores to find THE perfect chair. They were either uncomfortable, too squishy, too large, too long of a wait to order a chair, too crappy made...bummed out the girl in the very last store had a light bulb experience.

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It had dawned on her that the perfect chair was sitting right under her nose and she had completely forgotten it. Up in the rafters of the barn sat a chair for years and years. Four years ago this girl had pulled the chair down by herself (and almost killed herself while doing it) and used it for a design element in her annual Barn Sales. Sure people had looked at this poor pathetic looking chair and even inquired about it but the girl refused to sell the chair. At one point it was even a bed for her stray barn cat who the girl knows enjoyed it.

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Poor chair the girl thought...can I save it and turn it into a beautiful piece of furniture for the room? She asked her husband to bring the chair down from the barn and proceeded to scrub this chair with soap and water. Pail after pail of dirty water went down the sink and the girl began to see how beautiful the wood on this chair was...

Stay tuned for the continuation of this story

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Needless to say this is what I will be up against this week amongst several other projects I have to do. I plan on recovering the seat with new batting, foam and material...which by the way the seat is out in the driveway airing out. I also think I need to put some kind of sealer on it because as much as I scrub I keep pulling out what I thought was dirt (it was in the beginning) but now I think it is old finish and stain. I even have the material in my stash of fabric to cover the seat. All I have to buy is the foam and batting, oh and fake leather if I plan on fixing the back. I think a nice comfy pillow for the back and were are in business!!! Yahoo!!! I even found an ottoman for $49.00 at Home Goods that should match...if not I'll recover that too!

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Tomorrow we are off to New York City with some friends and their girls. It should be a GREAT time!! Graydon has been jonesing to go for a long time so I think we are going to hit the Museum of Natural History, Empire State Building, China Town and Little Italy. Maybe a few stores in between!! I'm sure I'll have stories to tell when we get home. Which also reminds me of our horrible Valentine's dinner story I need to share with you. It's a doozy!

That will be another post all in itself!

V-Day

To all of you Cupid's out there...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today for me will be spent at the soccer dome for Graydon's tournament. Not quite how I pictured V-Day to be but I'll enjoy watching my kid play his heart out. I asked him to score me a goal for my Valentine's present. Of course he agreed to try and that is all I can ask of him. On this wonderfully bright sunshining morning we woke up early and Graydon gave me a handmade card that was so cute. He made it while I was treating myself to a new haircut and color job (stay tuned for a photo). Those pesky grays are getting pretty bad on top of my head. I really needed the little bit of pampering I had after the week I put in. On top of that I am so very happy to be having at least 3 days off to enjoy my house and get some projects done around here.

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What prey tell must you ask I am doing...well I would like to do some painting and re-arranging of a couple of rooms...organizing as usual and maybe some framing of some new prints I have ideas on. On top of that my pottery wheel is calling my name for a new idea I have...stay tuned for some new photos of it.

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Meanwhile...I hope you and yours have a very wonderful "Love" day!

2-fer

Ok I took this quiz...so try it
What Girl Scout Cookie Are You?
(I was secretly hoping to get the peanut butter sandwich!!!)

You Are Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Do-si-dos

You are easy going and naturally happy.

(most of the time)

You don't need a lot to make you smile.

(I guess that is true)

You genuinely care about people and are a great friend.

(I do, I try)

You're always doing your best to make the world a better place.

(I try but what if I forget to recycle something...opps)

Even though there isn't an immature bone in your body, you still are like a big kid sometimes.

(why not all the time...life is too short)

Why make life complicated when the best parts are actually quite simple?

(Simple is my life)

You enjoy the small joys of life.

(A cookie makes me happy)

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NOW GET OUT THERE AND BUY SOME GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FROM YOUR FAVORITE BROWNIE...

AKA Shea, my niece!!!

A Sunday Recap

Yesterday was Great! I stayed in my pajamas all day long and played! I did end up doing some house things like dishes and laundry but for the most I hung out, played on the computer, listed some items on Thistle Farm and ebay, I played on the Wii Fit and created these four butter dishes.

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The one in the upper front left is an oak leaf and acorn butter dish using actual acorns and leaves that were then molded into plaster. I pushed the clay into the relief to form the leaves and the acorns. Behind that is a conversation block that I have been making. As fast as I make them they sell. You can group them or use them individually. Each block has a different pattern on it and saying. This one happens to say "Dream".

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Today was a busy day as usual. I worked at our pottery studio (Roberson Museum) this morning from 9:30-12:30 and then stayed until 1:30 to glaze a bunch of pieces that I fired in my kiln this weekend. It is so much fun to be able to take a lump of clay and mold in into an object that is functional. It is also satisfying to use a piece of your own pottery to either eat from or cook in. I guess it is the sense of pride I take in all my pieces. Sure there are some that I don't mind getting rid of but I know the person that they go to will appreciate the time it takes to create it...at least I hope!!

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On that note for all of your creators of art...rock on!!

Busy...Busy!

I have been so busy yesterday and today with work and soccer games but I have managed to get a couple more new listings on Thistle Farm. Stop by and take a look at this really cool website. It is a great place to showcase your talent and also make some money doing it.
I have been experiencing problems with the lighting in my lightbox. I want a true white background and seem to not be able to do it. If anyone out there in blogland has any tips for me I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!

Mini Shop Update

I took the month of January off to re-group, create pottery and build the lightbox so now it is time to get back to work. I have newly listed some new pottery to my shop.

You can see me on Etsy...Thistle Farm.

I will be listing new and exciting things in the next coming months. Please check back often to see my creations. If there is something that you might like to see that I do not have...drop me a comment and I shall try.

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Thanks for taking a look!!

A sad day in the life of a 9 year old

How sad is this face I must ask you? When I picked Graydon up from school today he told me that his friend Thomas was moving and today was his last day in school. He is seriously bummed about this, can't you tell. What can you say to a 9 year old except give him a hug and tell him that he can call him anytime he wants. I feel so bad for him, this look just makes me want to cry!

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The beginning of this week has been a little busy. I was home on Monday, cleaned the house, laundry and dishes and then made a bunch of pottery. It keeps accumulating on my shelves in the basement. I have well enough to run the kiln and maybe that is in the cards for tomorrow. Yesterday was work all day with exhaustion last night. On top of that I didn't sleep much last night so hopefully I will be in prime form for pottery class tonight. This is our new semester and I have high hopes for myself!!! I want to create a full line of pottery depicting nature. I have a little idea up my sleeve so stay tuned for that. All in all it has been an OK week, 2 more days to go for the weekend and 4 more days until I'm officially off the cleanse. I have been really good about what I eat and I really am not craving junk now. I sure do miss my peanut butter though. On top of that I started exercising...nothing strenuous since that is what the cleanse says to stay away from but I feel good and that is all that matters!

So it is official...Super Bowl Sunday is underway and I am hiding in my office for the time being, that is until I get summoned by my 9 year old for some ridiculous commercial. I could really give a hoot who wins the Bowl...the parties are always fun but no one seemed to be having one this year. Totally fine by me!! I would just prefer to stay home and veg. My book and bed are calling me soon. I am half way through the 3rd book in the Twilight series and am looking forward to reading the last one. I gotta see if Bella turns into a vampire!!!

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Anywho, what's with the cake you might ask? Well it is a cake that I made this morning for my friends mom who turned 80 and they were having an open house for her at her church. The flavors are chocolate and vanilla with vanilla pudding filling...yummm!!! So needless to say after I got done frosting this very heavy cake I had some frosting left over so a photo op was in order...

Just in case I need to send a birthday greeting...opps, I forgot to light the candle.

Darn!!!

And here is little Holly enjoying a sweet treat.
You know just in case I need to send a birthday greeting to a cat lover....

What's this??? A wing....yup, I made chicken wings tonight. They were a baked version and boy were they tasty. The recipe was on Martha Stewart Friday and looked soooo yummy!! Here is the link http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spicy-sweet-chicken-wings?lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=showmain_tv_the-martha-stewart-show. I don't know how to just put an easy link in here. Anyone who knows, please give me a shout. I need help on it. Now back to the wings. They were sweet, tangy and a little spicy. It came with a really good dipping sauce recipe but they were just fine on their own. I also made chili for the guys. I tried to pick the beans out so I didn't have the carbs but I ended up eating a few. The cleanse I am on is going OK now. I experienced a problem last week and I think it was due to not having carbs in my diet. So I started incorporating a little tiny bit each day and I feel much better. Two weeks tomorrow under my belt and the next week should go by fast...I hope!!

Bird vase again....well there is a reason. I actually built myself a light box tonight. It was pretty simple using foam core, packing tape and lights. The total I think came to about $40-45 and hopefully will kick me in the butt to photograph my art more. The lighting is a little yellow for me so I think I need to play around with the settings on my camera. Otherwise it is a great investment. It is totally collapsible and I even have a place to store it. Thanks to Lorelei for the tips and idea and Michelle for a few reference websites.

Here it is....a little dark around the edges but all in all great!