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Sunday ~ February 1st
A beautiful Aurora Borealis display ~ courtesy of National Geographic
All day long I've been thinking that it's still January. It wasn't until I stopped to look at the calendar minutes ago that I realized that we're into a new month - yeehaw! I love February ~ it's the last real month of winter & the anticipation of Spring is blatant around here, between the kitties, Chris & I. We are all longing for the snow to melt & the green to show.
This morning I found a bug grooving along in a kitchen cupboard, which propelled me into a fervent cleaning spree. I'm sure for some, spotting a little bug is no big deal, but if you find a bug in your cupboard in the dead of winter... well you know that it didn't just accidentally take a wrong turn when the front door was open. He's been living in there, somewhere & that's not good. So I cleaned out the cupboard & then decided to keep going... 8 hours later, I've washed out all the cupboards, the drawers, the fridge, the oven & I just have the garbage area to contend with. So far I haven't found any of Mr. Buggy's relatives, which is a relief, I like my bugs outside, thank you very much.
For all you Super Bowl partiers, check out this genius snack tray, wow, that's taken it to a whole other level! |
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Monday ~ February 2nd
Here's to 8 remarkable & zany years ~ Happy Anniversary Hon! |
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Wednesday ~ February 4th
Chihuly Exhibit, Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
An unexpected trip is in our foreseeable future. Chris & I will be flying to Phoenix in March to visit family & then taking a car down to San Diego to stay at my Aunt & Uncle's condo by the beach for a week! I would love to hear from you if you've been to San Diego. Any "must dos" or special places you've discovered (great neighborhoods, day trips, restaurants, gardens, beaches, live music venues...etc.). Feel free to email me at carrie@beadtree.net with any tips, it would be muy apreciada!
We've never been to San Diego so we don't really have an agenda yet, but I do hope while we're in Phoenix that we have the time to check out the Chihuly Exhibit (picture above). Combining two of my favorite things (glass & gardens), I know I would love it!
A really weird thing happened this morning. Shortly after Chris left for work, I heard sirens in the distance. I was half asleep at the time & drifted off until a little later when I turned on the radio before getting out of bed. They were talking about a road block on my street "while police investigated a collision". I bolted out of bed, dressed & went out to make sure that nothing had happened to Chris... it was kind of serial & scary. Thankfully, I didn't see Chris' truck but I did see a car that had plowed into someone's snow bank. It turns out that a man in his sixties clipped a parked car, veered into someone's yard, crashed & died. Not sure who it was or why it happened, but I am relieved that it wasn't Chris. Too bad for the guy though.
So I've been in a bit of a bead slump since after making all those amber & amethyst beads. It was getting a little frustrating every time I sat down at the torch to come up with something new, but last night I think I broke the slump. I found some Spring colors that work together & a shape that works with them & now I'm working on the design. Maybe by the weekend I'll have something to show you. |
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Sunday ~ February 8th
Spring Rain
As promised, pictures of some of the new beads I've been making. These pictures just don't capture how vibrant & fresh they are in person. When I look at them, they make me happy inside, that's the effect they have. I'm sending these beads to my mom so that she can make jewelry for the show we're in on the 26th & 27th, however, let me know if you like these ~ carrie@beadtree.net ~ if I get a lot of positive response, I'll make more after the show & offer them up here.
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Chihuly Exhibit, Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
Another beautiful photo from the Chihuly Exhibit in Phoenix, glass is such an amazing substance, do these glass streamers remind you of the balloons they use to make balloon animals too?
Thank you for the feedback on the Spring Rain beads, I will definitely make some after the 27th & have them available here, perhaps in smaller strands, so stay tuned for that.
Also, thanks for the tips on San Diego ~ so far the most recommended place to go is Hotel del Coronado & it wasn't even on my radar. It's a resort hotel built in the late 1800's that is renowned for it's charm & beautiful beaches. I'm thrilled to add this to our itinerary, thank you!
Tomorrow, my mom & I are introducing the 2 guinea pigs to each other. We've had Dr. Snuggle Pants in quarantine because of an ear issue, but we think it's o.k. now & we're ready to put them together with the hopes that they will become bosom buddies! Wish us luck. |
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Friday ~ February 13th
It's Friday the 13th, and yes, I've got a scary story for you...
Just look at this guy, seems all innocent & sweet, right? Well don't let those beady, little eyes fool you, there's a whole new side to him that, quite frankly, Mom & I are shocked about. The introduction of the 2 guinea pigs didn't go so well... at all. In fact, after a few moments of pleasantries, they started into the bizarre behavior of trying to figure out who was going to be the dominant one, which included hip swaying, straddling, scent marking, growling, nipping & even some blood. We threw carrots & peas & hay into the ring to try to distract them, which kind of worked at first, but after an hour, they took it to a more serious level with the dreaded teeth chattering, which we had read, indicated bad stuff was going down. It was at that point that we had to separate them before they went at each other's throats. And I have to say, this little guy up here was persistently aggressive. We now have a new name for him, it is no longer Dr. Snuggle Pants, instead, his new name is Dr. Death. How can something this cute be so hostile towards another fellow guinea pig? This is definitely a case of don't judge the book by the cover!
After we separated them, we put them both in the big pen but added a partition in the middle, which Mom calls "the Berlin Wall" ~ *sigh*. And they continue to growl & hip sway every time they catch each other's eyes... so now what? We're really not sure. We're going to do some research & see if there is a way to get them to make nice. If you're familiar with this situation, I would love to hear your 2 cents.
Speaking of scary, have you seen this shark attack video?
And here's another scary thing (Seriously people, "a comedy act"? I would say more like a cruelty act although I did laugh quite a bit watching this, Go Killer Willard!).
Hey, here's a fun thing to do. In the Google search bar, type in your name & add "likes" afterwards & see what happens. I typed in "Carrie likes", hit the search button & came up with a whole list of things:
1. Carrie likes cupcakes (this is true) 2. Carrie likes him (also true) 3. Carrie likes Red Barn Steak (?) 4. Carrie likes having family close by (true too) 5. Carrie likes the stage because she wants to be noticed (no, definitely not me) 6. Carrie likes Sexy Time Inc. (huh?) 7. Carrie likes pigs (only when they're nice to each other) 8. Carrie likes rock (& or roll) 9. Carrie likes beer a lot (wow, how did they know?) 10. Carrie likes to do weird things (like buy aggressive guinea pigs)
And so on... it's fun, now it's your turn.
I have pictures of jewelry to show, maybe tomorrow though, it's time for a little soak in the hot tub. Have a great Friday! |
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Valentine's Day
Chihuly Exhibit, Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
Happy Valentine's Day to you ~ whether you're with someone or not, this is a day to treat yourself & fill your heart with some happiness, because you deserve it. Eat lobster, go skating, watch your favorite movie or stay in bed & read... do something you love, promise me please.
On my agenda today: yoga, then Chris & I are going to look at bath fixtures (not very romantic, but exciting nonetheless), & tonight we are going to a wedding, which is all about love so it should be a really nice day.
O.k., something to share, I love this. |
February 17th
As promised, some pictures of the new jewelry made with those "Spring Rain" beads I showed you earlier. Above, a cluster of goodness & below, some individual shots:
We've changed the name of these to "Piccadilly Circus" just so you know incase I refer to them as so in the future. These particular pieces will be available at the Teacher's Convention here in Edmonton next Thursday & Friday. And later on, I'll try to get some up here for purchase too, I think everyone interested should have one of these ~ they really do vibrate with a happy mojo!
I'm barely, just barely staying above the water now. There's so much to do, all the wheels are spinning at full speed & I'm hoping no more things break down or unexpected appointments pop up. If I can make it through this crazy patch of time, the end reward is our trip in just over 2 weeks ~ I can hardly wait! |
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Thursday, February 19th
Garden Pot ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." ~ Anne Bradstreet |
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Saturday, February 21st
With all the photos of guinea pigs as of late, I was thinking that you might be missing Maggie, so here she is, in all her sleepy splendor. I'm not sure if I've shown this photo, but I think it's worth an encore if I have.
Speaking of pets, we are going to try to put the guinea pigs together again today. However, this time Chris & Molly are going to baby sit because it's not for the faint of heart. I just can't take it, seriously, I am such a wimp, so I'll clean the cage while they square off & figure out who's top pig... I hope it works out.
My friend, Tamye pulled off a surprise birthday party for her husband last night, which always impresses me as I've tried the surprise birthday thing before & it never works. One day I'll get it right, it's definitely a goal of mine... Anyway, I'm so proud of her & I'm thrilled it all worked out.
Tomorrow we're celebrating my mom's birthday with brunch & bowling ~ no surprises but definitely some good times.
Hey, have you ever played Mystery Case Files? They're hide & seek computer games. I love them, but the last two, Madame Fate & Return to Ravenhurst are phenomenal. I warn you now though, these are serious (good) time wasters, but isn't that what weekends are for? |
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Monday, February 23rd
We have reason to celebrate! The boys are together & they seem to be doing well. It took a little time to establish their rolls, but Hugzies is definitely the dominant one. Who knew that all along, "Dr. Death" was just bluffing. He is totally Dr. Snuggle Pants again & mom now calls Hugzies, "Hugz the Hun".
Here's proof of the happy couple:
Yeah!!! |
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Tuesday, February 24th
Minoan Crete Beads
Here's some new beads to look at. I like the colors ~ shell-like & watery with lots of shimmer. All of these have been sent to my mom's to be converted into wearable jewelry, but if you like them, let me know (carrie@beadtree.net) & I'll make some of these along with the Piccadilly Circus beads. I'm hoping that after the show, I'll have some time for a little sale here before we leave. This is the "plan", but my ventilation system broke yesterday so I have to get that fixed before I torch again ~ inhaling silver, glass dust & propane is not fun.
We're working on last minute details today. Tomorrow we finish pricing & will set up at Teacher's Convention & then we'll fine tune that. Thursday & Friday we're working the booth. Personally, these sales are absolutely nerve racking for me so I'm really looking forward to Saturday.
O.k. I better get crackin', I have over 40 beads to clean today, yesterday was a serious marathon! Hope you're have a great week. |
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Thursday, February 26th
O.k., this is really just a quick drive by before bed just to share this wonderful photo I've been hanging on to for a long time, I found it on the web some time ago & can't remember the source, but here it is anyway:
It's just so magical. And you know what else is magical? This:
Oh to dance like that. They practically float on air. |
