Last Day

Today is the last day of National Blog Post Month. I made it... all 30 posts. And you know what I learned in the process? This blog helps me stay busy and on track. I don't know if many people actually read this blog but I know that the few who do also help me stay on track with their wonderful words they share with me and their beautiful blogs I love reading.

Yesterday was my father's birthday and tomorrow is my mother's. There won't be a post tomorrow because I will be driving up to see them (it's been a while since I've been to see them... I have my reasons). But I'm going to try and keep posting regularly. No disappearing. Not from this gal.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! Thanks for sticking with me :)

A Handy Tip

RH bought me some glass beads and they came in a plastic tub. At first, I didn't think too much of them. They were made in India which you would think would have me all goo-goo eyed, but most of them were chipped and they had a funny residue on them (which smelled like oil so I suppose it was oil). But, there seemed to be a few treasures in the bunch.

I knew I had to get the residue off but wasn't sure how to go about it. We'd just bought some hand wipes and I snatched up a few and decided to give them a try. You know what? It worked like a charm. I picked through the bunch looking for beads that weren't chipped. I ended up with a beautiful batch of shiny glass beads.

It was interesting. The dark blue bead in the middle and the one off on the upper right corner seemed black at first but they're blue! And the pretty round blue bead in the lower left corner? I saw a tutorial in the latest Bead Style that would be PERFECT for that bead.

Ahh... Happiness.

Oh Buttons, I Missed You

I had meant for today to be a day of Etsy posting. However, I didn't get home in time to catch the sun light. Shorter days... blast.

I did manage to finish up a pendant I'd started yesterday. Even made it a full-fledged necklace with a chain and everything. And do you see that? There's a BUTTON there! I missed my buttons. And I figured out how to work them into these pieces I've been doing. :)

Copper wire with seed beads and an amethyst chip. Smokey purple crystals and copper chain finish the necklace.

Did you have a good weekend?

A Newfound Love

Usually when I'm creating (jewelry, sketches, etc.), I have a movie playing in the background. Because my disc drive on my computer has finally decided to crap out on me, it's been music lately. I have trouble finding something to listen to because sometimes I get distracted by a good song and want to dance or sing or sometimes (and this happens on Pandora), I skip songs until I find something I like and then when that song's over I might skip again if the next is a dud. Blah. These moments of singing and skipping add up and bug me! I love music as much as the next person, but jeez. What is my problem? :P

At work, most everyone has read the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. There's something like 12 books out right now by him and I have been wanting to read them but have other books I'm reading as well. I feel left out when people start talking about this awesome series. So, one of my friends offered to let me put copies of his audio books on my iPod.

I'm not big on the audio book... or rather, I wasn't. I thought they'd be distracting. That I wouldn't be able to actually pay attention to the story or I wouldn't be able to pay attention to my work. So, after a few weeks of saying no, I finally went up to him the other day and gave in.

I got home from Thanksgiving around midnight. I wasn't sleepy so I thought I'd play around with my beads and maybe give the audio book a try. Before I knew it, it was 4am! O_O Can you believe it!? The only other thing that lets me work that long is the Lord of the Rings special feature discs and after three or four hours, I have to change the disc! Wow. I think this thing might really work out.

I'd like to get Harry Potter on audio. I think that would be fun to listen to. Anybody have any suggestions on what audio books would just rock my world?

Giveaway Teaser

Did you know that CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it's tv tables, a dollhouse, or a baby stroller? I recently purchased a beautiful bag and plastic storage box for my jewelry kit and you know what? I thought I would share the love!

Coming in the next few weeks, I'll be doing a giveaway! I'm deciding what to give away from the awesome sites but when I do figure it out, you'll be the first to know :P

Here are some thoughts:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some fun turkey facts I compiled from a quick Google search:

• Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
• Oh hey. Turkeys fly :P (Silly, I know, but hey, they're HUGE! I didn't think they could fly! It says commercially raised turkeys can't fly but still... I like learning.)
• They can swim too!
• They can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour and can burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.
• For their first meal on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets.
• 50% of US consumers eat turkey at least once per week.
• Turkeys can see in color.
• Male turkeys (toms) gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.
• Around nineteen million turkeys are eaten each easter, twenty-two on Christmas, and FORTY FIVE million on Thanksgiving!
• Turkeys' heads change color when they become excited.
• Turkeys have a wingspan of about 4.5 feet. I am 5 feet tall. Wow.
• The thing that hangs from the top of the beak is called a snood. Nice word.
• Scientists believe turkeys have been around for over 10 million years. I wonder how big they were then O_o
• A group of turkeys is called a rafter. Most people call them a flock or a gang but the official term is rafter.
• It is possible for a turkey hen to lay a fertilized egg without mating. This process, called parthenogenesis, also occurs in some invertebrates, fish, and lizards. For turkeys, this process always produces male chicks. These male turkeys are no different from male turkeys hatched from mating.
• It takes about a month for a turkey egg to hatch.
• Peacocks aren't the only birds who use their fancy tails to attract a mate. Each spring, male turkeys try to befriend as many females as possible. Toms puff up their bodies and spread their tail feathers just like a peacock.

Hope everyone has a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving! Eat tons and enjoy your day!

Beads, Buttons, and Poker

RH and I were playing cards last night (he kicked my butt at War). Before we dealt out the cards, I wanted to pull out the above beads for a project I have in mind. Out of his mouth comes this: "We could totally play for beads and buttons." Instantly, I thought of playing poker with my beading heroes and friends, using beads and buttons as our currency.

Oh, I'd probably lose. I suck at poker. I have a terrible poker face. But, still, fun to think about.

RH and I discovered we like playing Go Fish. Ahh... to be in love. :P

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!