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Sunday, March 1st

        Tulip ~ Mom's favorite flower

A shout out to my mom, it's her Birthday today ~ Happy Birthday to you!

We met some really nice people, sold some jewelry & made some contacts at Teacher's Convention ~ all in all it was a pretty good experience.  Now I have the daunting task of cleaning my studio up before I get back at it & my fan is still busted so it looks like I'm going to be ordering a new one online (any advice from fellow Lampworkers would be appreciated).  Sadly, this means no new beads until we get back.  It's probably just as well; I have a lot of things to sort out before we go including taking my car in since the break light has been on for over a month now, yikes.

Chris & I went to see Gran Torino last night.  It's one of those films you keep thinking about, long after it's over.  I woke up this morning going through some of the scenes now knowing the final outcome.  Clint Eastwood's character, Walt is so interesting.  He's an old, crusty man who says outrageously offensive things, but you can't help but love him.  Considering the heaviness of the movie, there's a lot of humor in it too.  Heck, I would pay the admission again just to see the scene where Walt takes Thao (Toad) to the Barber shop to teach him how to talk like a man, it's good stuff.  Have you seen the movie?  What did you think?

Hey, did anyone go to the Winter Light Star Party out at Elk Island last night?  I really wanted to go, but with the wind chill we figured it would have been painfully cold.  If you did, can you tell me about it, it sounded like a lot of fun gazing at the stars in the "dark sky preserve" with a bunch of astronomers.

Everybody should see this:

Tuesday, March 3rd

So I was going through my deleted emails that you have to manually delete again with Microsoft Outlook & I came across a link to this beautiful horse.  Her name is Panda Rose.  Isn't she magnificent?

And look at this magical photo, it's like she's right out of a fairytale. 

I always wanted to own a horse.  I was a rider & jumper as a kid & then took it up again for a session in my twenties, but since, apart from the occasional horse trail ride, I haven't really been around horses.  One day, maybe if we move to a warmer climate, I will get a horse, that would be a pretty good thing.  Anyway, more pictures of Panda Rose & her brood can be found here.

Thursday, March 5th

      Oceanside Pier near San Diego ~ photo courtesy of my mom

Well we're off for 10 days, I've never seen Chris so excited before!  I mean, he always gets revved up before we go on a trip, but this time he's been counting the hours down for a week!  And I swear he's literally vibrating with anticipation & he's making funny little noises that I can't quite interpret, just like a guinea pig would make before it was fed timothy hay.  I'm thrilled too, it will be good to get out of the cold & snow for a wee bit, it's been a long winter.

By the way, if you're interested in booking a private party with us, here's the scoop:

• Come to our studio (in Edmonton) & see how I individually handcraft each glass bead

• Check out our latest jewelry, "Hot off the Press"

• We provide wine & h'orderves for you & your guests

• Hostess receives $150 towards any jewelry purchases

• Minimum of 8 people

And we have a special on right now ~ if you book before Mother's Day, we'll give the Hostess an extra $50 Bead Tree money so that works out to $200 worth of free jewelry!

This is a very unique outing & a chance to pick up your own wearable art or buy something special for someone you love.  Email me at carrie@beadtree.net & when I get back, I'll get in contact with you to set a date.

O.k., that's it, I'll be back with pictures & stories.  Have a wonderful week!

Tuesday, March 17th

                        Abandoned Stairway ~ Catalina Island

I'm back!  We had a wonderful vacation & I guess we missed some seriously nasty weather too which is an added bonus.  I've started going through the photos from the trip, over 400 of them!  Hopefully I'll have some pictures up here soon.  In the meantime, Happy St. Patty's Day to you!

Monday, March 23rd

                                 Solana Beach Sandpipers

Click on the picture above to see some highlights from my recent vacation.

Tuesday, March 24th

Today's the last day to vote for your favorite Island Caretaker on the short list for the Best Job in the World.  I voted for number 2 ~ Mitchell because who doesn't love a guy who can make a musical for his job application?  But if I could have voted twice, I would have also voted for number 20 ~ Marcella.  They're both Canadian so maybe I'm a bit bias, but I thought their videos were really creative.

Wednesday, March 25th

99 Things...

* Bold indicates things I've done.
* Italics indicates things I haven't done but would like to.
* Plain text indicates things I haven’t done and never want to do.

(Psst... it's fun, play along with me)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (in the Grand Canyon was the best)
3. Played in a band (2 bands "Enema for the People" & "Stabbed By Mistake")
4. Visited Hawaii (Oahu twice, would love to go again & check out a different island)
5. Watched a meteor shower (on the roof top of a friend's)

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/World (Disney World when I was a kid)
8. Climbed a mountain (hiking trip with my cousin Curt ~ 80 kilometers later, a burger never tasted so good)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (took singing lessons & we each had to sing a solo, I sang "Desperado" by the Eagles)
11. Bungee jumped (in Queensland, New Zealand)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (took the train across Canada & slept sitting up, uncomfortable for sure)
21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked (through Europe, alone & with friends... wouldn't recommend it though)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (*cough, hack*  I'm doing it right now... just kidding)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden a Gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (the green hills of Scotland)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (tried at least to teach myself sign language.  To this day, I still remember the alphabet but that's about it)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (my brother-in-common-law bought one at an auction & picked us up in it to take us to the Willie Nelson concert.  We even tried to park by the back entrance, telling security that Willie ordered it just incase... they didn't buy it, funniest ride ever)
47. Had your portrait painted (that's a given, my mom's a painter)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling, haven't tried scuba diving yet but want to)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (karate)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving (New Zealand)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (out of the Grand Canyon)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Edward the delusional Rooster who thinks he's a Chicken Hawk)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (pet store when I was 17 because I refused to wear a skirt instead of pants)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (Toyota Tercel both times)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (in the armpit, that one hurt!)

Thursday ~ March 26th

     Rainbow in the Arctic ~ photo courtesy of National Geographic

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.  ~ Mark Twain

Friday ~ March 27th

Help Wanted...

I'm trying to pick out a vanity for our bathroom & I've fallen madly in love with this one that I found in a book.  I've been scouring the internet for a look-alike with no luck so far.  Have you seen anything like this around?  If so, can you please email me at carrie@beadtree.net.  It would be very much appreciated.

Also, Zocalo's in Edmonton (their website does not do them justice) has a tulip festival on right now, which I think means loads of tulips for sale.  Zip down there if you can, it's a wonderful store & they make really good lattes & it might help a little with the Spring Fever if you're ailing like I am.  I'm going to check it out this morning.

Oh, I'm making beads too, lots & lots of them for sale soon!

Saturday ~ March 28th

Tonight from 8:30 - 9:30 ~ make a statement by turning off your lights.