WHO MADE THIS MESS?

I'm getting ready for a show.  I'm not a well organized beadmaker.  Truth be told, I work much better under pressure.  However, I don't work well without supplies and right now the 25 handmade toggles I ordered are still sitting in a flooded Thailand.  They were suppose to be shipped September 25th but as of yesterday they were still at the point of origin.  My heart s sinking, since these toggles are beautiful and I think they add a special pizazz to my beads.  If necessary I will take the toggles off my own bracelets, but I haven't kept that many, so it really won't help much.  I guess I better order some ordinary toggles huh?  I know some of you are wondering how I know what I have in my studio considering the disarray you see in the pictures, but trust me I know where everything is, and I WILL find it........eventually :)

COLOR

         
This is my newest addiction, crocheting.  The yarn I am using is from New Zealand.  I found it on the Internet, where else :)  I also made a new friend.  Her name is Helene and she hand dyes all of her yarns.  This yarn is all cotton and it is beautiful.  Here is a link to her store and this site is her blog.  She's also on Facebook.  I just ordered some more yarn from her to make more "things".  I'm telling you, retirement is wearing me out.  I've been taking a knitting class, but I like crocheting better.  There's only one hook to keep track of and it takes less time to make hexagons and squares than it does sweaters and scarves. I have found that it is the color that draws me to most of the crafts I get involved in.  When I first learned to knit and crochet, colors like those above were not available in yarns.  Actually I think the world is a lot more colorful than it used to be.  Look at these hats that Helene makes.  When I was a kid we wore plain colored things.  The whole world is just prettier now don't you think?

                                           

SIGNAGE

                                                          

I found this on Facebook and couldn't resist.  One person I would recommend highly is the truck driver who stayed right on my bumper as we traveled over Mount Eagle, in Tennessee, on the way home from Atlanta.  I was driving in the left lane, along with 6,311 other cars, as we passed slow moving trucks who huffed and puffed their way up and down the winding roads.  Apparently this truck was not as full and the driver was hell bent on going as fast as he could until he got to the next upward climb.  It was terrifying looking in the rear view mirror of my Mountaineer and seeing nothing but the grill of a 16 wheeler. It was white knuckle driving for a good 15 minutes.  I don't want anything bad to happen to him, just a little reminder that he is big and scaring us little people. Am I the only one who remembers the days when truck drivers were polite?  They flashed their lights when it was safe for you to come back into the lane after you passed them.  When your kid pumped his arm out the back window the truck driver would blast his air horn.  My son could occupy himself for hours seeing how many drivers would respond to him. Now when I'm on the road, I feel like it's me against them.  I miss those earlier times.  I wonder why things changed?

GETTING READY

I really don't mind fall, in fact I kind of like it, but I dread winter, and since it follows fall I'm kind of ambivalent about the season.  However I have certain things I do every fall in preparation for the cold days ahead,  First I make applesauce.  Lots and lots of applesauce.  So far I have 10 medium sized containers in my freezer, and I'm not done yet.  My grandparents made applesauce and I loved it then and I love it now, plus it's so simple to make.  I get at least 3-6 different kinds of apples, cut them in quarters (no peeling), add a little water and cook until done.  Then run through a food mill, add sugar, put it in containers and freeze. Next I make vegetable soup and chili and freeze them.  I am now ready for cold weather.  Believe me these are not the only foods we eat during fall and winter, but I love knowing that if I don't feel like cooking (and after 42 years of it those feeling are much more frequent) there is something in the freezer.

KATE

                                                   


This is Kate, my oldest granddaughter.  Today she is six years old.  I remember when her daddy was six, it was just yesterday wasn't it?  I remember when I was six too.  That's a whole lot of sixes that went by  really fast.  I love that it's all ahead for Kate.  I wish that I could go through life with her all the way, but know it isn't possible.  So now I just try to make a whole lot of good memories for her, like I have of my grandmothers.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl. You are my sunshine.

THE BEAD FAIRY

Sometimes she's good to me and other times she eludes me for weeks.  Where does creativity go?  There are nights when my mind can't think fast enough about the beads I want to make, and then weeks go by without a spark of inspiration.  I use quilting books and fabrics as tools sometimes,  I might have an idea about what I want to make when I sit down at my torch, but usually that's not what I end up making.  Often where I intend to go with the glass is not where I end up.  The beads at the left were just going to be two or three colors when I started making the discs, but before I knew it I was thinking of Fiestaware and all these colors wanted to be beads...see, the bead fairy, she had a hold on me.  I always work at night, usually from 8pm until 2 or 3 am.  I'm just a night owl and honestly I don't even begin to feel human until about 4 in the afternoon.  I like working at night.  The phone doesn't ring, Honey Bunny is doing his own thing, it's just me and the torch.....and an occasional moth or bug, who insists on flying through the flame.  Now that can scare the creativity out of anyone!  Anyway, maybe for a little while I will be able to make some beads that I like.  That would sure be a welcome feeling.

                                         

SISTERS

I'm so lucky I have a sister.  We are three years apart and I am the oldest.  When we were young I mostly thought she was dragging me down, you know, the tag along when you were with your friends.  We're so dumb when we are young, at least I was.  We had the best time during this visit.  Here we are. She's in the purple, I'm in the green.  While our husbands bummed around we went to quilt shop and the St. James Art Fair, which is the highlight of fall here in Louisville.  Mostly though we just talked and laughed and remembered.  I did re-teach her how to crochet.  My hubby took this picture because he thought it was kind of amusing, and truthfully it is. Just give two old gals a crochet hook and some yarn and they're happy!  The three days flew by.  I wish we lived closer.  I'd love to have her tag along with my friends and me:)