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Wednesday ~ Rocktober 1st
Glass beads shimmering, Spanking new out of the kiln, Waiting for a home.
It's October! Or as we like to call it in this household, "Rocktober"! Chris & I love this month for so many reasons. Just to name a few, it's autumn & autumn is so darn pretty; it's time to visit our favorite German restaurant to celebrate the good things in life like dumplings, beer & goulash; it's also that time of year when we have backyard fires & roast Bratwurst. And the best part of October.... it's squash season!
Look at my preciousses! Aren't they "gourd"geous? I'm really excited to try these, especially that beautiful Turban squash in the front!
Lots of other things going on right now ~
My nephew is getting married in Mexico on Monday ~ a big congratulations to Scott & Lindsay. I will be thinking of them. They are celebrating their wedding here on Halloween, which we'll be attending in costumes (currently our costumes are a secret, but I shall divulge at a later date).
Chris gets his cast cut off on Friday & they'll decide then if he needs a new one or if he's good to go. Here's hoping for a fast recovery!
I signed up for adult tap dancing classes a couple of weeks ago & last night the teacher announced the song we are going to perform in April... it's called "Big Mama" from the Broadway musical Chicago. We have a man in our class (a self proclaimed "token bloke") that she's going to dress up as Big Mama & supposedly the rest of us are dressing up as prostitutes. I'm really scared about the whole thing... Has anyone seen this musical, any insight? It's going to be o.k. right?
It's absolutely glorious out, with record temperatures all week of 27C degrees (80F). This is making it challenging to work inside when there's lots of work outside to do & the perfect weather to do it in.
How's your autumn transpiring? |
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Thursday ~ October 2nd
Bacon ~ Rosanna & Matt's wiener dog
Incase you are as stunned as I am with some of the things going on right now, I introduce Bacon ~ the Super Dog, here to relieve a little tension.
And another stress release ~ Jon Stewart, he's really the best. Watch him on The Daily Show (in Canada, you can enjoy him here).
It's beautiful out so Chris & I are going for dinner tonight at our favorite place, the Hotel MacDonald, the lounge's patio, which happens too look over the river valley, is still open & the "Nature Drama" is peaking right now! |
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Friday ~ October 3rd
Edmonton's River Valley
A view from the patio where we ate dinner last night ~ our stunning river valley & the Edmonton Queen Riverboat, which unfortunately wasn't running because it was a Thursday (a big mistake in my opinion on a night like last night, I'm sure they would have sold out).
Having dinner on a outdoor patio in October in Edmonton is unheard of, seriously, so we really reveled in the rarity of the moment & the magnificent backdrop. The weather was so beautiful that I took my jacket off while we were eating, just because I could. And the icing on the cake, there was a piano player who played fabulous music all night long including one of my favorites ~ "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
Chris & I in the garden at Hotel Mac
Have a wonderful weekend. |
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Monday ~ October 6th
Mom & Molly at their wedding
My mom sent me this photo last week; I think Molly's son-in-law, David took the picture but I sure wish I had. Anyway, I think it's wonderful so I thought I would share.
Burning Bush
The leaves are turning & falling quickly. Despite the warm weather last week, there's no denying that we are in the thick of Autumn. I'm making beads & listening to Water For Elephants on audio. My kitty is napping in the sun & I can smell the savory roast that I put in the slow cooker this morning ~ it's a cozy day. |
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Thursday ~ October 9th
Statue ~ photo courtesy of my mom
"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles" ~ Charlie Chaplin |
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Sunday ~ October 12th
Above: photos of new beads ~ my mom is going to make some pretty things with them. I just realized that I haven't mentioned the dates of our jewelry show in Edmonton this year. It will be November 14th (Friday evening) & November 15th. If you aren't on the invite list & would like to be, please email me so I can add you.
It's Canada's Thanksgiving on Monday ~ hope you have lots to be thankful for, I sure do. Happy Thanksgiving! |
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Tuesday ~ October 14th
We went out to Pat & Ken's (Chris' parents) for Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday. We ate turkey & stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, turnips & of course homemade pumpkin pie, all of which was delicious, but that wasn't the only highlight. Before we got there Pat & Ken had raked up all their leaves into a huge pile & hid candies underneath for the kids to find.
You can tell by Sunshine's face that it was a huge success.
Today I'm feeling very fortunate because I have some gorgeous new glass to work with ~
And also because I will be voting later this afternoon. Even though the party I'm voting for doesn't stand a chance, I still feel very privilege to be able to vote. |
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Wednesday ~ October 15th
Poplar trees by the river
Jen Gray made a fantastic video from Squam. It's a slideshow of the cabins, the lake, people walking in the woods, teachers...etc. & there's even a picture of my mom & I (we're at the 3:57 mark). Click here to see it.
Chris & I forgot to take our pumpkins in before the first hard frost on Saturday so we won't be carving them for Halloween, which is too bad after coddling them all summer.
On Monday I spent some time in the yard ripping out frozen flowers & I came across a snail in the rock garden! We have slugs, but I've never seen a snail here & I have to say they look a whole lot better with a shell on their back than bare naked. When I lived in England, I remember while walking, every now & then I would hear a crunch & kind of cringe so maybe it's not good if we start seeing more of these guys around. Here's a picture I found on the web that kind of looks like what I found in our garden ~
Pretty groovy, has anyone else in Edmonton seen these in their yard? If so, email me please.
I'm very glad the election is over! It was so annoying to hear the sound bites of party leaders complaining about other party leaders ~ is there another way you can sway my vote, because bashing each other just isn't working. I do have to say that I'm happy with our own constituency. In a sea of blue, there is now a little island of orange. Linda Duncan won the Strathcona riding, yeah! |
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Saturday ~ October 18th
I'm making lots of beads & my mom is behind me promptly snatching them up for jewelry. I'm the rabbit, she's the greyhound. I'm just barely staying ahead of her so today I'll be making more beads.
I'm reading this captivating book called Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones & this morning, my sweetheart brought coffee to my bedside table because I wasn't quite ready to put it down & get out of bed. I'm a very lucky girl!
Hope you're Saturday is treating you well. |
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Tuesday ~ October 21st
Northern Flicker ~ photo courtesy of National Audubon Society
I've been seeing lots of birds in the yard lately including Pine Siskins & Juncos, which means winter is approaching. I also saw two migratory juvenile Bald Eagles circling above the house the other day making that awesome screeching sound they make. And for the last week, a Northern Flicker has been coming into the yard looking for some eats so I'm going to make the suet treats they liked so much last year. Incase you're interested in making your own suet, here's the recipe I used:
2 tbsp. corn oil 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup peanuts (without the shell) 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup crushed eggshells (optional) 1 cup vegetable shortening
* Mix all the ingredients together.
This amount will fill 2 square cages full. You can double up & store extras in the freezer because you'll be surprised how fast the woodpeckers, chickadees & flickers go through them ~ happy bird watching! |
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Wednesday ~ October 22nd
Fading Hostas ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy
The sunshine harvests Yellow & orange splashes, The color of squash & pumpkins.
Mist off the river Rises like a ghostly vapor, Smudging out the valley floor.
Frost ices dogwoods & rosehips, Leaves crunch & cranberries rot, Autumn passes with a breathtaking swan song. |
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Thursday ~ October 23rd
I've been playing with a new silver-blue color that I really like called Triton. It turns several shades of blue & also silver. I used Triton in all of the above beads but depending on the application & heat, I got several different reactions.
Last night I ran out of propane while making a bead. What a bummer! I was working on a bead for quite some time & right before I was done, the propane runs out ~ I hate when that happens. Oh well, I guess I best be off to get some more. |
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Saturday ~ October 25th
O.k. Chris "I like dogs, not cats" is going to kill me for this, but the cute factor is off the hook for me so I just have to share this photo.
By the way, why do cats need cuddles when you're trying to read? What is that about? I remember during my university years, studying was quite a challenge with Maggie trying to flop all over my books:
Some things never change... |
Sunday ~ October 26th
Pop Art Beads
Above, some beads I made this week, revisiting a previous design (view here). I had so much fun making these beads again that I just couldn't stop, aren't the colors striking?!
It was sure windy yesterday ~ gusts up to 90 km per hour, yowzers! All my lanterns outside fell down, but luckily none of them broke. Some of the suet bags I put up in the lilacs are now lying on the ground & our thin, newly planted trees were bent right over during the worst of the storm, but they're standing straight up again so I'm relieved. Chris' parents lost a tree though, a big poplar ripped right out of the earth ~
Incredible!
Now that the weather is turning, so are our thoughts ~ to warm, far away places. Chris & I are planning a little trip for our anniversary next February, perhaps Maui or Cozumel? Although price is definitely a factor, I would love to hear any insight into either of these places if you've been. We both love snorkeling, beachcombing, hiking, lush forests, good food & adventure. |
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Monday ~ October 27th
SNEAK PEAK PREVIEW WEEK!
With our Open House a little over 2 weeks away (Nov 14th & 15th), I thought I would show some of the new jewelry up for grabs each day for the next week. If you want to come to our show, please email me & I will make sure you receive an invite.
Just made, a creamy pink & amethyst glass bead bracelet with glass pearls ~ very hip, feminine & comfortable to wear.
And a pretty new necklace with silver, seed beads & a pink glass bead. More sneak peaks tomorrow! |
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Tuesday ~ October 28th
Above, 5 handmade glass beads with striking lines of black, white ivory & silver paired with Bali silver beads. The versatile black bracelet adds the wow factor to both classy or casual wear & black is always a safe bet for gifts.
Above, Judy matched one of my zebra glass beads with a stunning zebra lace agate bead. |
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Wednesday ~ October 29th
We have oodles of gorgeous twilight blues. Metallic swirls, silver starscapes & sparkly Milky Ways ~ all captured in one of a kind, handmade glass beads & accentuated with crystals & silver.
And we have matching items for those ensembles that call for more than one piece of jewelry to highlight them! |
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Thursday ~ October 30th
More pretties up for sale at our Open House November 14th & 15th. |
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Halloween ~ October 31st
Sorry for the late start this morning. As I might have mentioned before, Chris has Fridays off & despite my efforts to treat Fridays like a regular work day for myself, we have fallen into this wonderful little Friday morning tradition of sitting in the hot tub with our coffee, watching the Blue Jays at the feeder & listening to audio books. Today, we started listening to a new book, Into the Wild, & we got so caught up in it, we didn't leave the hot tub for almost 3 hours, so now I'm playing "catch up". Have any of you read the book or watched the movie?
On with the SNEAK PEAK PREVIEW WEEK:
We have lots of beautiful silk neck ties, in an array of seasonal colors ready for purchase at our Open House November 14th & 15th.
By the way, I've had inquiries regarding the availability of beads & jewelry on the website. I will be responding to all your emails a.s.a.p. but until then, just a general note, I will have jewelry & beads up for sale on the website later in November after the show & as soon as I get a chance to make more beads & post jewelry photos, so if you can't make the show in Edmonton, you will have an opportunity to pick up some goodies for Christmas regardless of where you live.
Hey, it's Halloween!! Chris & I exchanged "ugly candles" earlier this week ~ a long standing tradition where we both go out & find the silliest candles around to give to each other for burning in our pumpkins. Below, this year's discoveries ~ a green brain sherbet for Chris & crayon style ghosts for me.
Hope you all have a frightfully good time tonight! |
