Gem Miner's Jubilee...

What a fantastic weekend! Four of us Susquehanna Sizzlers spent three days up in Lebanon, PA selling beads, laughing up a storm, and telling people about how addicted we are to fire!

Here I am looking pretty geeky with my beads. (Man, I really need to do something with that crazy hair!)



We had one table set up for our beads, which didn't seem like enough with all the cool beads that Ann brought, but we filled the space up nicely. To the side of us we had another table set up with a Hot Head torch so we could demonstrate bead making. Fire really attracts a lot of people! It was fun to explain the process to people, and by Day 3, I was taking requests! I made a roller skate for one person. That was an interesting experiment!

Here is Maryanne showing off:


We plan to be here again next year...bigger and better!

My favorite Davidisms...

Davidisms make me smile. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. "Amadoo" -- As in, "I want to play with the stuffed amadoos!"
2. "Space Shovel" -- As in, "I want to fly in the space shovel."
3. "Keesel" -- As in, "Be keesel not to drop your cup!"
4. "Stinky Beans" -- As in our favorite pizza place, known to everyone else as Stevi B's.
5. "Possadoo" -- As in, "It's hot. Can I eat a possadoo?"
6. "And Nemo was his Dingle!" -- Ah, yes, a true classic childhood song... "There was a farmer who had a dog and Nemo was his dingle, D-i-n-g-l!
7. "And called it Macadoni!" -- Another childhood song... Yankee Doodle and his Macadoni.
8. "Flush a mote" -- His Papaw's fault... back in the day when toilets were called commodes.

And my favorite of all favorites....
"Mommy, I really miss-ed you today!"

Crazy Whirly Squirrely Time!

Okay... I'm trying something new... the art of managing time.
HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHA!!! Yeah, right! Somehow though when things get whirly squirely, I kick butt. But when I have plenty of time on my hands...nothing gets done! How is that possible?

Some of you may know this already...some of you do not... but I'm going through a big, big change right now in my career! What has transpired over the past week and a half, (Yes, that was really fast!), has been really exciting for me. I am joining a very reputable court reporting firm in Baltimore, MD. Even though it means 58 miles of driving each way, the rewards are so much more. I will be stretching and improving my skills by taking cases that are more technical or medical in nature and more demanding in terms of attorney expectations. I will also have a greater need to bring my equipment closer to current industry standards. Yes...more bells and whistles on my steno machine and more powerful translation software for me! Woohoo! I am so excited because this is the opportunity for me to become the court reporter I have always known I can be.

Kiln-fresh beads!

I managed to make more than just three beads yesterday...and I also managed to stay awake!! Yes, my finger is healing nicely, for those of you who may have heard about how I dozed off while making a bead and put my hand in the flame! That's what I get for trying to make beads that late at night! It is not something that normally happens, and I have to be really careful with my hands -- especially since I have a deposition to record on Monday morning!

So here are a few of the kiln-fresh beads from yesterday's session...

Laura gave me a rod of this beautiful blue. She said it is a Moretti/Effrete alabastro. I have avoided alabastro because most people call it "alabastard", and it usually is followed by the grumbles of having a difficult time working this glass. Even though the viscosity is a little more challenging on my torch, I found that it did not pop, boil, bubble, or burn for me at all. I was being very cautious with my heat though, keeping a nice medium flame. I think I may have to order me some of this lovely color.

I don't usually do holiday or seasonal beads, but with Gem Miner's next weekend, and Halloween just around the corner...heck, one little ghost won't hurt, right? Last year I made two matching bats, and that was the extent of my Holiday Collection. I don't know what I was going for with the lime green heart...something mod and funky maybe. What do you think?

Kitty-tastic belly laughs!!!

If you need something to make you smile...no wait....if you need something to have you rolling on the floor.... visit:

http://www.stuffonmycat.com

A nice way to end a Saturday...

Thank you, Mr. Clokey...

I remember as a child waking up early on Sunday mornings... very early! Mom wasn't ready to move yet. So I plopped myself down in front of the television and watched Davey and Goliath. Anybody remember that? It was a little animated series about a boy named Davey and his dog Goliath. It always had a moral lesson to teach. I can't say for sure what those were, but I'm hoping they rubbed off on me without my knowing it! ha ha

Later as a child I would be in the living room of my grandmother's house in Gardena eating quesadillas and watching Gumby. I actually was about 14 at the time... but Gumby was still pretty funny. I think what made me laugh was the movements. One episode that stuck out in particular was one where Gumby was holding onto a run-away lawnmower. The way he crashed through the wall of his house and ended up head first in his TV had me rolling on the floor. My grandma thought I was crazy.

A month or so ago I came across a $2 DVD at Wal-Mart of old Gumby classics. David and Sammie thought they were hilarious. This morning Samantha asked me to put Gumby in for her. She has been mesmerized... long enough for her to forget all about the fact that her brother is away from home at a friends house. I haven't heard, "Mommy, I miss Da-did," in about 30 minutes now! Thank you, Mr. Clokey for giving the world Gumby and Pokey! LOL!

Chalky Hoppy Children Smiling

David somehow knows all about the art of hopscotch, but I have no idea how! He made a crazy kind of zig-zag hopscotch on the sidewalk. He drew boxes all the way up to 14, and they went in all sorts of strange directions.



He even tested it out to see if it worked! He's such a sweet little guy!



Samantha's interpretation is a lot like how she writes her name..."Squibble Squibble Squibble". Her version is much easier to hop on though.