It's the SS Annette

SS = I'm still Sick (but improving) and we've got Snow again (with more on the way)… ho-hum…

And that's how I'm feeling, ho-hum.  I'm sick I'm staying out of my studio & I have projects I'm really wanting to work on… grrr!!

So what have I been doing?… reading, promoting my jewelry on Google+ (or at least trying), making lots of soups & bread (did I mention we have snow again), doing laundry, checking Facebook & Pinterest, blogging… and basically just trying to take it easy & get well.  Kitty has been loving it… she likes it when I sit with a book… she knows then that she has a lap for a while…  I've also been drinking too much coffee - yep, my life's pretty dull right now… but at least I'm awake.

Jeff has been busy as ever, his hockey team made it to the final championship game in their playoffs & they lost by a slim margin - so they came in 2nd in their division - not bad.  I think this year Jeff is starting to feel his age with the hockey, he's talking about making some changes, but he's talked this way before & still gone back to doing the same thing - he really enjoys his hockey & his team-mates (one is his brother Brian).  I didn't get to see any of the playoffs, yep… too sick to sit around a cold arena!!

Jeff's still prepping for a band concert later this month & a choir concert (me too w/choir) early next month, and with work this means a very full schedule!!

Jeff & I need to work on some curriculum, some Bible Lessons, we're going to do this in tandem sharing themes & applications - Jeff for a Jr/Sr High boys group, me for Jr/Sr High girls.  At this point we're still at the prayer/contemplation phase. I'm looking forward to this!!

I'm planning on coffee with a friend tomorrow, to talk a bit about the curriculum I just mentioned… I hope the snow storm blowing through tonight doesn't mess that up - the forecast is 8-12 inches with locally higher accumulations… ho-hum (about the snow)...

Also on my calendar: I'm planning on lunch with my son Tim on Monday, I really look forward to getting together with him - we always have such wonderful visits!!  I'm trying to work things out so that I can get my Mom out for a visit this summer to celebrate Tim's 30th birthday - so I need to talk to him about what he & Marta (daughter-in-law) have planned.

Enough for now… back to shamelessly promoting my jewelry… and the dryer just beeped...

The Ugly, The Bad, and The Good...

I know, I know… I got it backwards… but then I get things wrong quite frequently, and I like ending with good news… so there!!  :P:::::::   (Those not in the know the :P is a smiley-variation, me sticking out my tongue, and the ::::::: is the splatter from me giving you a raspberry… clever huh?  (I digress))…

Ok… so the Ugly:
Came home from the grocery store to flakes flying in the air… yep snow… again… and also to kitty puke on my carpet (1 room in the house is carpeted (white of course (I digress (once again))))…  There's nothing I can do about the flakes… I cleaned up the kitty puke (we have friends coming over tomorrow (getting ready for a music ministry (will I ever stop digressing (I guess the answer is no!))))

Now for the Bad:
I've been having trouble with a piece I'm working on in the studio, her name is "Grace"… named initially after Grace Kelley, but now coming to mean God's Grace instead… and I've not had the chance to fix her because… I'm sick (again (sinus infection (again (these digressions are getting a little wacky (but I'm wacky (and I've not even taken my Dayquil (at least not today (went to the doctor instead))))))))  Perhaps I have a fever???  Could that explain it???…

On to the Good (you knew I'd get to it (didn't you? (I had to, you know (being that the title said so (now what was I going to say… (oh, yeah, the good))))):
Bread (not just any bread (white bread (sandwich loaf (soft crust (fluffy (airy (wonderful (yummy goodness (Jeff's gonna love it!! (recipe here (stop sniffing/licking your screen))))))))))

Hey!!  I thought I told you NOT to sniff/lick your screen!! (sheesh (some people (just when you think you've got things figured out (now where was I going with this line of thought? (whoops! lost it! (time for me to take some Advil & get a nap (Zzzzzzz…..

Wondering why I've been quiet?

Well… I've been busy getting my little business going, but that's just a bit of what was keeping me away… mostly I was sick, you know, the snot-nosed-shuffle-around-in-my-pjs-and-whine routine…

I'm feeling better now, so I'm hoping I'll be better about keeping this blog going…

Spring is on the way… I'm saying that hopefully since we still have a significant snow-pack here in Minnesota, but things are starting to melt and (gasp) we're actually seeing ground in a few places (very few, but it's something)…

Soon I will be busy out in the yard again, I'm still toying with the thought of starting a few things from seed… but maybe I'll just buy some young plants once the danger of frost is past (tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, cucumbers, and such)….

I still have a couple huge long-term yard projects to complete:

• finishing the brick edging around my flower beds - I hope to get this done this year
• cleaning up the woods - this is an ongoing project that may never get done, but I can dream can't I?

I have friends & family that are planning visits this Spring:

• my friend Dan from New York is coming to see the Twins/Mets series here & will stay with us as well, I look forward to catching up with him
• my in-laws Ken & Susan are coming out, they still have lots of friends & family in this area, they will mostly stay with us, we're hoping to catch a play with them & take them out for a nice dinner (or two)

I'm hoping to get my Mom to come out here sometime during the Spring… but she's not wanted to travel this way for a while… I may end up traveling out to see her instead, we'll see.

My little business has an interesting side-effect… I have the best excuse in the world not to have a manicure :)   If you weren't aware I have a love/hate relationship with manicures… I love how they look, but I hate the feel of polish on my nails… and besides I always wreck my manicures within a day or two :(   But working with the grinding/sanding equipment does nasty things to my nails, so I'll just keep them trimmed & clean - and avoid all the drama that I associate with manicures.

Now that I'm thinking… I'm going to need a pedicure soon… soon we'll have sandals weather & I like my tootsies looking cheery…

Boy am I wandering all over in this blog post… as for other happenings in our lives…

Jeff is getting ready for a dramatic production on Good Friday, he gets to play John the Beloved in a production at our church… he had to learn to get in touch with his "agitated" side, that's pretty tough for a guy that's basically unflappable… but with a little coaching he's got it figured out :)

Jeff is also busy getting ready for a band concert, and he's playing trombone for church on Sunday (Easter), and we're both getting ready for a choir concert that's coming up in May…

Jeff's hockey team made their playoffs… so Jeff is just a busy guy all around these days!!

On Friday last week, my first day feeling significantly better, I made 10 batches of bread (20 1/2-sized loaves) for an event at church for which a large number of college students needed to be fed… needless to say, with college students there aren't leftovers :)

Today I got back into the studio after almost 2 weeks away due to being sick… it felt good to get back to it… I spent the day working on my torch-fired enamel… I'm enjoying the Easter-Egg like colors on these hearts...

Ok… enough rambling for one day… until next time….

I Did It!!

I Did It!!  I can't believe I actually did it!!

Today, that's right, TODAY I got my Art Blog ready to sell some of my Jewelry… Yep, I finally finished getting all the pieces in place to start my business…

This is SCARY!! (Deep Breath, Deep Breath, …)  Ok, I'm still in one piece…

Phew!

Pictures & a Link…

Follow This Link to Artful Romp Studio Items For Sale page…



Still scared… but very excited!!  (could you tell?!?)

Happy Pi Day!!

It's here, that most wonderful day of the year, the day we celebrate by indulging in that wonderful high-sugar / high-fat treat known as Pie… Why?… to honor the fact that it's Pi day!!

March 14th, 3.14 in geek-notation, roughly represents the number we geeks know and love as Pi…

So, in honor of this day I'm going to share a few of the cute things I saw at illuminations (follow link to find originals)….

Jeff & I celebrated by going to dinner, and having Pumpkin Pie for dessert (we shared).

But before you indulge too much… just remember…

Happy Pi Day!!

Today in the Frozen North!

Oh Snow!!  Oh Snow!!

That's right, the big storm that was supposed to hit Monday (and didn't) hit today instead…

This was the deck this morning… with about 5-6 inches of fresh snow on top of the mounds of left-over crusty stuff from previous snowfalls...

The birdbath remains unusable by our avian friends - I got a birdbath heater, but not until after things had frozen solid for the year, they'll just have to wait for next year!

When Jeff left for a dentist appointment about 7:30am the plows still hadn't come by… but he had removed what he could...

It is the sticky wet kind that clings to the trees… and gets heavy...

These tree branches caught my attention out in the woods… they made Jeff & I a Valentine, we enjoyed this together before he left… do you see it?

Later in the day today a few more inches had fallen, and the wind had blown the snow around a bit (see the arms of the deck chair in the middle of the photo - compare to the first photo)… it's a cinch we won't be using the deck for a while… no need to go wading… speaking of wading...

After the plows came by the first time I ended up wading at the edge of the driveway, trying to clear a swatch wide enough in case I needed to go somewhere & for Jeff's benefit when he got home… I was trying to be careful because of the cracked rib I got a few weeks ago, so I was just pushing the worst onto a section of the driveway I didn't think we'd need today.  I'd barely started when my neighbor & his grandson saw me & came over to help… Kermit & Cameron blessed me & are my heroes!!  Praise God for helpful neighbors!!

Oh, to be so Content!!

Sometimes I wish I were more like my cat Oreo… her needs are simple: food, water, clean litter, a scratch behind the ear, a rub on the tummy… and tuna of course.  Don't get me wrong, she can be demanding, but her demands are pretty basic & she keeps life simple.

The other way I wish I were more like Oreo, I wish I could nap like her… I only seem to be able to nap when I'm sick, and I don't get sick very often…

This was Oreo earlier today, all curled up and dead to the world sleeping peacefully in her little heated kitty bed (Oreo will be 13 next month - that's 91 in cat years - so she's earned her heated bed).

Oreo is all warm and tucked in, she's not wanted to go outside this Winter… and yes, it's still Winter here… she's gone outside in previous years, she has caught Voles that she's located through the snow, but she's started to show her age - napping more & wanting the fireplace on - and she no longer wants to subject herself to Minnesota Winters to engage in hunting activities.  Not to worry, she still likes to hunt the laser pointer at night when her Daddy plays with her.

This is a picture of what it's like outside today, March 1st, way too early for Spring here… yes, the Chickadees (and a few other bird species) stay through the Winter here…

Ok… that's what Oreo has been up to… as for me I'm still working on building up my Jewelry business, no I'm not selling yet - still waiting for some legal paperwork that should be here any day.  Today I went and checked out a Craft Show, I've been checking out Arts & Crafts shows to see if they would be right for me, no luck so far… problem is I'm a bit limited due to a Sun Allergy & will likely need to restrict myself to inside shows.

I've also been building up my inventory of pieces that I plan to sell eventually, at this time I have 6 completed Necklace/Earring Sets & 1 more that's nearly complete.  I'm still pretty slow but getting faster, and I'm trying to make sure to keep my calendar clear so I can dedicate time to the studio - but I have other interests & obligations.  I'll need closer to 120 pieces before I'm ready to do an Art/Craft show, so I've got a long way to go if I'm going to go that route.  I have other options as well but I haven't pursued them yet simply because I don't have enough inventory.  It's hard being at this starting point, wanting to sell because it would be nice to recoup equipment costs but knowing I'm not ready to go full steam ahead, and having to wait for all the legal stuff to be in order.

We've got other stuff going on as well… Jeff's got his work (of course) and the Community Band he's in… we're prepping with the Church Choir for Easter and for a concert in May… I'm gathering some things to send down to Haiti with a group of short-term missionaries… tomorrow Jeff & I will give blood at a drive that's being done by a family we know… and we're praying about going on another mission trip this Summer… and then there's the Bible Study I'm teaching most Sundays, as well as the occasional (volunteer) jewelry repair job for my local Ten Thousand Villages store.

We're expecting some visitors over the next couple months, my friend Dan may be coming out to watch the Mets beat the living daylights out of the Twins (or at least that's the way he'd like to see things go).  My in-laws, Ken & Susan, will be coming out to visit - they'll stay with us at least part of the time.  I'm hoping we can get out to visit Jeff's Mom in Georgia sometime in early Summer or in Fall (Jeff's work will dictate when this happens).  I'm always trying to get someone in my family to come for a visit… for some reason they just don't like to travel out here, even though everyone that's been here loves it here… oh well!

Well, as you can see my life just isn't simple… and I keep very busy… oh, the life of a cat sometimes seems so appealing!!  Until I think about hairballs… then I'm more content with my lot… I have a very lovely and blessed life, sometimes I just need a (not so subtle) reminder… Thank You Lord!!