Thick silver foil combined with glass and frits makes the nicest organic effects. These are some of my pre-power outage beads. I haven't been to the torch for almost three weeks now and I am anxious to get out there. Matt brought me a new space heater for my studio for Christmas. I will be toasty warm out there :) We had a great Christmas with our extended family and we are looking forward to a nice quiet New Years Eve.
Lately this has felt a bit like "Kris's weather blog" So I may as well update you all while I am here. We've had snow twice in the last week ~not your regular south sound winter event. It has been very cold and icy the last two days. Yesterday my car door was frozen shut I couldn't get the lock to turn and when I finally did the door wouldn't open! But of course it finally did and off I went to my day job. I can hardly wait for spring to arrive.

Honey, Tacoma Tent and Awning called, They want their canopy back.
What an amazing series of storms we have had in the Pacific Northwest. Record rainfall followed by record flooding. Then came the winds. First one storm then another then the third and strongest. I am not sure how high the wind speeds were, at the storms peak most power was lost and no measurements were recorded. I belive 70mph plus is what has been reported by the local news. Over a million people were without power from Canada down to Southern Oregon including us. We also lost our internet service it just came back this morning. I work in the local hardware store and we fired up the generator a few lights and the cash registers, Passed flashlights amongst ourselves and and helped wherever we could. We ran out of generators, propane and D batteries right away. People are generally good natured and helpful to each other and it really is heartwarming to see and hear. Our local radio station has made it easy for the needy and the helpful to get together. They are broadcasting when people offer help and what and where it is, if you call they give phone numbers out. We shared our generator with our neighbor. Matt hooked up her heat and fridge as well as ours. Our power went out on Thursday night before I got home from work. I thought I would have a little time because the worst of the storm wasn't supposed to come until after midnight. When the weather started to change we had weird violent weather squalls, mad rushes of wind, torrential rain and lightning in unexpected areas. Sammy went to stay with her cousin who never lost power because they are so close to the substation. I worked friday and most of Saturday with no lights. Saturday night we had power back at home and celebrated by watching a movie! Some of the people I work with still don't have power and it is Tuesday the 19th. WE are expecting another storm only 30 mph winds though that doesn't seem like much after last week. Matt and I also became grandparents on Wednsday~ Woohoo!!! Alena was born by emegency c-section when her heart rate dropped too low. T.J. and Kendra are such proud parents and I am so proud of the two of them. What a little beauty! Yes I am biased... so? Lifes a blur!
I am so glad to have my internet service back,and thankful for heat and light. It has been one long eventful week.
Merry Christmas!!!!

Ahh we contininue to wait for the birth of our first grandchild. She was due to arrive on the 5th but they are never right on time are they? The kids were over tonight and Kendra will be induced early wednsday morning if she hasnt given birth by then. So Matt and I will be Grand by next weekend one way or another~ And some will be Great :) It is all about waiting and wondering. You wonder when... You wait to see.
Sammy has developed her own unique personality. She is really a study in contrasts. Just today Matt pointed out that she was carrying a hot pink purse in one hand and Godzilla in the other lol . She said to me the other night "Mom I don't feel any older, I still feel eight not nine." my advice to her was to concentrate on staying in that eight year old frame of mind and not to worry about feeling any older until she is about 45 or so.
Christmas preparations I always think I have more time and energy than I do. I just run out of both way too soon. Matt has put decorations and lights up outside, it is really pretty at night. Our whole neighborhood looks so festive :)
It is great to be right here right now.
still waiting...

I meet the nicest people! Sometimes we are unexpectedly blessed with a new friend, sometimes it is just someone passing through your life. It is always a joyful thing for me. I am delighted and surprised by the kindness of others. Easy to please, just be nice... hehe thats me. Doesn't get much simpler than that I suppose. Just a short happy thought from me today~ I will post more this weekend.

Another Grey Day in the Pacific Northwest. I managed to get a lot of those things on my chore list done yesterday. Woohoo! I listed a lot of new items and loose beads in my Etsy shop. The Christmas tree is decorated. Now if I could just get someone to fetch some groceries while I go out to the studio and get busy. I have a couple of special orders I should be working on today so one more cup of coffee and I am off to glass~land :) I have to admit sometimes posting here feels like I am talking to myself hehe... Does anybody read my blog? Chime in, speak up, helloooo??? Is anybody out there...

Help has arrived! Finally the new hire is in place. Poor guy, his first day we had so much snow that 3/4 of the staff called in. He showed up though :) I was sick the day after that and I am still fighting the remnants of the worst head cold so far this season. Ugh... The snow washed away when it got up to a sweltering 40 degrees on Thursday and things seem more normal weatherwise here than they have for a while. I think we had a years worth of weather all in one month. Life marches on.
Our first Grandchild is due any day!!!! Doc says she's a girl A girl. I can hardly wait for her to be born.
Today we are putting up the rest of our Christmas decorations and hopefully I will be able to get the rest of my etsy shop done. I have still got a lot to add and some tweaking of words here and there. Who am I kidding? Done? Maybe I will get a good start on whats left though.
Meanwhile I am enjoying the most delicious coffee thanks to our next door neighbor. She is so incredibly generous and shares things with us often like this yummy coffee. Matt and I are very blessed with wonderul neighbors ~The bad one moved away~ hehe :)
Here are some Pix cause every story needs eye candy!

Listening to the news this morning you'd think the whole west coast was a solid sheet of ice from Oregon to Canada. We got snow late last night and then the temps dropped down into the teens early this morning, thus the sheet of ice. Now, my fear of ice driving or being a passenger in icy conditions is HUGE. I was in three ice related accidents in a two week period. One of them included being run over/into by a spinning pinto station wagon as I tried to run out of its way. I am pretty sure she hit me while I was in mid-air. Needless to say I didn't leave for work this morning I am home getting caught up here.
Sammy, excited by all the snow hopped out of bed at 4:00 am turned the bright hall light on fed the dogs and turned them out (including putting Glorias' coat on) I couldn't believe she was up so early and then I made her wait until 8:00 for the rest of the humans in the neighborhood to get up before we went outside. Poor kid she was "snow" excited she was fit to burst.
I finished listing ALL of my bottlestoppers over at the Etsy shop and may do a bit more editing and adding of other items later. I also divided things into sections. I am really having fun with the whole thing since they updated to V2. Not a plug to make you look it is just something I am really enjoying doing.

Let it *Snow* and other random thoughts~
We woke up yesterday to about two inches that melted away over the course of the day. this morning it is a sheet of ice out there and school is two hours late. Just a little bit ago we had another mini blizzard it blew in here and covered everything with a fresh skiff in about five minutes flat. Hmm... keep my little girlie home or send her out?
The coffee just tastes better on days like this. Right about now I wish I had a cozy wood stove out in the garage~studio It would make it so much easier to talk myself into melting some glass today! I must as I have orders to fill.
I have also been busy adding more things to the etsy shop this morning. Mostly keychains and later some bottle stoppers.

Giving Thanks~ I am thankful for so many things I don't know where to begin, My family is healthy, I am thankful. My pets are healthy, I am thankful. My Friends (sorry the pets got mentioned first didn't they :) are healthy and I am thankful for that as well. Most of all I am thankful to just be
yep just to be...
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you~

An Old favorite of mine~
The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.


The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

It is all about the weather lately... Yesterday was no different. We had very strong winds throughout the state. The worst of them were up north I think the strongest gust here was somewhere between 50 - 60 mph. We lost power for about 6 hours. Matt hooked up the generator and we watched news and kept the cold things cold :) Then the cable went out too so we played Sorry with Sammy until bedtime. Matt won~ Power came back on in the night and the heater coming on was a welcome sound. My Etsy shop is back up and I really like the new format they designed. I will be adding some loose beads soon. Take a look!

And then the winds came... It was very windy throughout the night. Matt and I didn't get much sleep. Sam slept like a little log and we didn't hear a peep from the dogs either. Sams lunch is made her breakfast is eaten and she is out the door with her daddy. Off to school~
I am just sitting here sipping my coffee trying to get motivated to go out and cook up some beads.
We got our electrical problem taken care of for the time being. There is a "bad ground" somewhere between the house and the transformer. They came out yesterday (Sunday can you believe it?) and put in a temporary transformer until they can get back out and do a wire trace? We lucked out they were in the area doing a repair and just happened to have the transformer for some reason or other. I guess what the guy meant to say was " We don't usually show up on Sunday within 20 minutes of your call." hehe...
Have a Great Day!

Hehe... my day started with the news that my usual route was "closed due to flooding" I always get up a little early so I can have a coffee and catch the news. So I jumped into the shower after I finished debating with myself about whether I should even go down the hill. I finished up and grabbed the camera and headed out. Now about halfway down the hill there was a flashing sign that warned of the closure. Thing is at this point you can no longer exit! I was chuckling to myself. Traffic was very slow, everyone was funneling through the small town where I work. All of the highway traffic down Main Street Sumner. I was happy to have a few backroads to follow. I finally got to work after 45 minutes this is normally a 10 - 15 minute drive~ getting home took 2 hours. The damage to me personally was small, my family is safe and dry our pets are cozy in our home. I just spent more time driving than I usually do. My friends however had some stories to tell. A dike gave out in Orting and the river came up suddenly and quickly. Animals and homes were lost. It breaks my heart to hear about the animals, somebody thought it was a good idea to tie them up. I am heart sick over that. A sweet little backyard creek turned ino a raging torrent of water washing away years of love and care, the damages are still being assessed.

Be thankful for the peaceful moments in your life,

hug your loved ones as often as you can,

and above all Don't get so attatched to your "stuff"

you don't get to keep it in the end anyway.

A "little" flooding here. My fifteen minute drive to work turned into forty five and coming home was even more fun (read dripping with sarcasm) Boy the things we take for granted like getting around easily, electricity, warm heat and water from the tap~ I took some pictures of the flooding and will share all the drama when I am not so exhausted :)
((Hugs))

Life is about adjusting whether it be adjusting your outfit to the weather or an attitude adjustment. Learning to accept and adjust isn't an easy lesson but it is a worthwhile one. I was reading some life lessons written by my little circle of friends. Mostly it was about things you realized at the age of forty that you wish you'd realized sooner. For me it was about realizing that I can't control and am not responsible for the actions of others. Whew what a load off! I am excited to say that Everything isn't my fault. Except for the fact that now I am writing in italics yep that is my fault. LOL I am such a computer illiterate. Just ask my brother I send him blank e-mails all the time. Well thats about enough of this~
Night!

Lately I've been checking this out: http://www.wavelit.com/?ch=Wildlife&sh=africam
It's fun to take a peek at the animals when there are some. I was just watching some gazelle and baboons. The sounds are fascinating, the dogs think so too. I also like to go and look at Petes Pond They are taking that one down soon for the rainy season.
Today we are facing flooding here speaking of the rainy season. The weather folks are saying this will be the worst in over ten years. Yikes!
Here are some more bead pix to soothe your senses~

Driving upstream! That was what coming home felt like tonight. We have had torrential rain and warm wind for most of the afternoon so lots and lots of water running down and across the roadways. I left work around 4:30, just in time for the last bit of light to leave the sky. Some how I ended up on the freeway behind a motorcycle at first I kind of dreaded that thinking the last thing I ever want is to run over some poor guy that tips his bike over. I pretty much decided he was probably safest in front of me (I leave lots of room) Just as we started up the hill he almost lost it and then he kind of slowed w a y down like he was going to stop Yikes! he finally got himself stabilized after a moment or two and we proceeded on up the hill. I sure hope he didn't have much further to go. I am really happy to be home safe and sound. The first big winter storm is supposed to hit Sunday night into Monday so batten down the hatches ~
Here are some more bead pix to keep you happy :)

Well I thought I'd give it another shot so here they are? :) I am off to do a small local show today and I hope it goes well. I am actually hoping somebody else cancels so I can even get in hehe not the way I really like to plan things so I'll just be waiting to see...

I can't get the pictures to load
~Sorry~

We had our first good frosty cold snap this week. Burr... I wasn't ready for it. I have to adjust my timing when I make beads they need to go from the flame to the kiln a wee bit quicker when it is that cold or annealing cracks appear. I got out of practice over the long hot summer and had two beads from Mondays session that had cracks. Ah well maybe it is time to turn the heat back on in the garage :) I also had a little piece of glass snap off and land right on my lip this week ouch that hurt. Luckily my fingers were so cold I could use them for ice hehe. Today it is pouring buckets of rain and a bit warmer out Yay! Here are some shots of beads currently up for auction on Justbeads~ Seeya!
Kris

I have been busy with my good friend "the flu" this week. Maybe I am just getting a bit worn down trying to do to many things? Hmmm... I don't think that'll stop me though :)
More to come soon~

Many of you know I go to Dewey Beach Delaware with my sister every October for the annual Greyhound Gathering. There is always an adventure or drama of some sort waiting. One year there was a hotel fire and I went into the office and helped myself to the keys with the blessing of the local police. I was looking for a master key and the jackass in charge was outside on the phone with someone? Anyway this year it was the weather. My first Nor'easter made quite an impression on me. Being on the Delaware coast with high winds and rain during one of the seasons highest tides~ wow! The bay crept up onto the road and toward the ocean at least a few blocks. The tents everyone vends out of were taken down partly by high winds and then by choice because of the danger. Vendors scrambled for new locations and many found them. We found out where others were located. Folks had come to shop specific vendors, some have quite a following and I was happy to be able to tell them where they were. We stayed in a condo this year and that sucker rocked and spun in the wind like a cruise ship. It was partly on pillars and really got moving, heck that thing was moving the first night we were there before the real winds came :) I thought my room was haunted and really had to work hard to convince myself otherwise and not run screaming down the stairs. Stupid wild imagination. I for the life of me could not figure out why my bed, which was still, would suddenly flutter a bit wtf? I thought something was wrong with the box spring and all kinds of things anything, but haunting? That takes the cake hehehe...
Dewey 2006 What a ride!

ackkk... Where did the summer go? We are actually enjoying sunshine and 70's this week. Good thing because I have big beads to make and chilly weather would cause more thermal shock and all, you know. I hate dodging hot exploding glass! Dewey is looming and of course I have a last minute idea Fueled by Sue~ my sis. I am making beads like mad and surely will be exhausted enough to sleep on the flight out, I hope as it seems I won't have a chance to run out and buy a novel for the plane. Maybe I have something in the "Donor box" Books I'd never choose for myself but am trying to read so I can "broaden" my horizons. Whatever... some are really great and then there was "Sex in The City" I barely got through the first chapter not enough to keep me interested I guess, Must've been a heckuva show though? I am excited about the dicro images and can't wait to see what kind of a reception they get. I will be schlepping all the loose beads along as well as the Seattle Lampworks Jewelry. I have a couple regulars in Dewey not like the "famous" people though :) You know who you are!! I aspire to join the club but as long as I have to keep my day job I guess I'll just be bringing up the rear~
Love to you all, see you real soon!

Things accomplished hmm... Today I organized my Bullseye Glass. It is my favorite to work in the flame. I keep wandering back to my first love the wildly exotic and tempermental Effetre but using it just makes me love my stable and steady Bullseye more, I don't love the Effetre less I just love the Bullseye more...
All sorted and tidy just as I like it. I can't cook unless I clean the kitchen first either, wonder what that says about me? Last week I ordered some Dichroic images with my own art on them! I was so excited to have this done. I got them on Thursday and used some today with a new bead press I ordered especially for the dichroic images. They are the biggest beads I have ever made. I keep thinking to myself "That isn't a bead it's a frisbee!" :)

Today is the day~ Perfect for pictures of the Rose that grows because of Grace. A Little pictorial tribute to Grandma and the love of growing things I inherited from her. I'll start with shots of "The Rose" A little pink bud and a rare second blooming for fall~
A Picture of Grandma as a girl~
A picture on the cruise before she passed.
I can see it in her eyes...
I am so glad she got to go to Mexico that one last time she was so excited about it when I telked to her before she left her spirits were higher than they had been in months, the doctor had just declared her Cancer Free for the second time in her life. How ironic that she would die from a massive heart attack. I am so thankful we were close at the end and I talked to her often. I am especially thankful for that last phone call we had :)

Cool crisp autumn air~ Woo finally :) I love a cool feel to the morning air it is so refreshing. Work is still rough as they haven't replaced my buddy yet and vacations must go on. I keep looking behind me to see if I have worked my ass off yet....hmph no such luck, ahh well such is my life.
I took pictures of the monster rose but haven't put them into the computer as of yet so you'll just have to live with bead pix again unless I can find something else of interest to put up.
I have been reading an excellent book I discovered in my grandmas things. It is inspiring in a way that I feel is very personal as if it were written for me. The book is called Simple Abundance I am sure it was popular a few years ago as the title was familiar when I first noticed it. It isn't what I assumed... What I am trying to say is it is helping me see things in a new light and the path is clearer. The entry for September 8th starts with a quote from Helen Keller "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable." and then further along is this " Perhaps you're skilled in one occupation but not thrilled about using those skills anymore. Some other work does secretly thrill you . But the stakes seem too high."
Yep I am thrilled, not so secretly, by lampwork and glass and some of the stakes are high.
Saturday is Grandmas memorial it has taken a long time for everyone to prepare for this.
She passed away in April and I miss her every day. She was a wonderful woman, a perfect lady
and an awesome fisherman ;)

The temp is up around here again! Pacific Northwest types are mostly cool weather kids and the heat just messes us up. I am not complaining just stating fact. Air conditioning isn't in every home like other parts of the country although it is becoming more common. Usually we go to the grocery store and hide out or head to an air-conditioned movie theater. Ah well... It is supposed to drop twenty degrees by wednsday and lightning storms are expected. Nothing compared to what I have seen elswhere mind you. Monsoons in Colorado who Knew? that was a scary and exciting experience for a sheltered mild weather girl like me.
Time is flying and I have much to do. My girl goes back to school soon and I have beads to make and laundry to wash... work is chaotic right now because we are short-handed and folks are on vacation.
Gloria is snoring sweet little sleepy head dog :) Must be rough, all that playing she was doing earlier.

Vacation never seems long enough when you are working for someone else~ Mine is over already. There were three of us in my department, two full-time and one part-time. A few days before I went on vacation my awesome full-time co-worker gave his notice. I knew he would be gone before I got back from vacation. Just knowing that was stressful enough but I also came back at the start of one of our big yearly sales events. Whew, and you wondered why I have been so quiet lately hehehe... Gonna be pulling some extra hours here and there until my buddy is replaced so I won't be posting very often I guess I'd rather melt glass if I have spare time :) Speaking of which I got my hands on some of the Kronos glass everybody has been admiring. A bit of a learning curve to striking it but the extra effort is worth it~

The evening air is heavy with the heady scent of lillies rosemary and lavender. I went out into the back yard, my secret oasis. We have a portion of our yard that is fenced for human use only. It is here I have planted a small herb garden some flowers and occasionally vegetables. I also planted a rose here. Well lets get that story straight right off the bat, it planted itself. Yes really. Once upon a time there was a farm in the valley (My Grandparents) They had a large pink shrub rose that her mother had given her. It grew and grew out of control and beyond belief. then the interstate came (I-5) the neighbors across the way "sold" their farm. Somewhere here things get fuzzy either my grandpa got tired of tending this particular rose and pitched it over the freeway fence or the fence went right over where the rose grew. Either way it was always there growing on the fence year in and year out. Grandpa passed away and Grandma finally sold her home. My mom took cuttings from the rose. She passed me a styrofoam cup with a stick in it. Of course I thanked her. All the while thinking "are you out of your mind this will never grow." So I took it home waited a few weeks and had space in a strawberry pot so I stuck it in there. It grew a few spindly little branches and she always asked about it so being the good daughter that I am I took care of it and watered it. Matt and I moved into our home and eventually sat the spindly rose in the strawberry pot out in the oasis next to the brick patio with the bench. The radiant heat from the patio must have been what that little squatter was waiting for. Suddenly (I am not kidding) It burst forth with all these huge healthy canes and I said to Matt "We better get that thing planted it is huge and outgrowing the pot. " I tried to lift the pot and it wouldn't BUDGE. The rose grew right into the ground in two months flat after squatting in that pot for four YEARS! We broke the pot up, put lots of soil around it and gave it a good downward shove. Then we built an arbor for it. It is really immense~ I was just out trying to toss the errant vines up and over or at least head them in the right direction. Now I can see why Grandpa might have tossed it over the fence. Boy it sure smells good out there.

Upper 70's all week~ Thats Vacation weather.
Sorry I disappeared for a few days. There was a comment posted in my blog trying to sell something I don't know what? So I deleted that post I may not continue doing this if it happens again. It really bothered me and I don't know how to prevent it :) Anyway this is the week of vacation I have been looking forward to for a while so~ Seeya!

Nothing quite like writing a long thoughtful blog entry and trying to post it and it just never shows up. Even though I got the message "blog 100% published" Funny thing is I was writing about being challenged in the tech world and having to learn as I go. I have learned all of my posting and photo skills from reading and applying what I have read. Sometimes it doesn't work or the info wasn't complete and I retry and reload a lot. If I don't do something often enough the new skill gets lost in my memory and I have to relearn it :)
It is finally cooling a little bit here and I am grateful. I am sorry for the people suffering in other parts of the country though.
Global Warming or Earth Cycle?

Ahhh finally a break in the weather. I awoke to a cloudy sky this morning and I am enjoying the delicious cool air. My puppies will be feeling more comfortable as well. The heat doesn't agree with them and they have been a bit off all week. Well more than a "bit" but hey I won't go into that here.
Me and the computer, ugh somedays I am so tech challenged. It kind of sucks, I have learned on the fly just picking up info wherever I can and trying my best to put it to good use. If I don't do something day in and day out I forget how. New info replaces the old I guess? Does that mean your mind can only store a limited amount of information? Darn I am only forty and my head is full already. I feel like the "PC" in the PC / Mac commercial I have been seeing lately. Was I doing something?
Have a great Day~

Some of todays beads.
All better. I think I will go swimming now~

I don't know if my computer is having a meltdown or what This is my second attempt to post today. I went out this morning and made beads before it got too hot. My Etsy link isn't working so if you went to see my five minutes of publicity and couldn't get there from here I apologize. They must have changed something it worked last time I checked. Well I am going to post now o my fingers are crossed that all goes well this time :)

Somedays a girl can't help but love a little extra attention. I just surfed over to see how things are looking in my Etsy store and somehow one of my pieces has ended up being featured on their home page :) Made my day!
Sue and I did a home party this afternoon and had a blast. The hostess is a friend of hers and she is just the neatest gal. Lucky for us she has A/C or I am sure the party would have been a bust. It is at least 100 degrees out here at my place right now. I was anxious to get home and make sure my dogs were allright. Of course they are all fine and clueless because we have A/C at our house too and it is located in their room. I let them out and Sparky (doofus) went out and laid down on the brick patio in the sun. He's black and has longish hair and you cannot tell me he was cold. He was reluctant to come in and I had to offer him a cookie, sheesh... Do you think it was a ploy? He is really the smartest of them all and it wouldn't surprise me if he has learned to reason and think logically, maybe I should change his name to Spock? Thank God he doesn't have thumbs or he would probably steal my car keys and go to Burger King.

The Hot days are here! It is supposed to be upper 80's low 90's today and tomorrow. I don't do well in the heat, who does? At least it isn't terriby muggy here like some places. Mugginess is just plain oppressive. It is like moving through hot thick wet air. Oh wait a minute that is what it is, LOL So I am preparing to go to my "real job" we have no AC but on the upside it is Payday. My vacation will start in about three weeks and I can't wait, we are going camping at the lake with friends and we will also be hitting the Frantz glass partay~ Woohoo!

Morning! Thought I'd say "Hi' before I take off today. What can I say in five minutes or less? I am exhausted Matts' back went out sometime in the middle of the night so we were up most of the night with his pain. I wish there was more I could do for him. Where did I leave that magic wand anyway? He had surgery on it several years ago and probably needs another surgery or a new spine :) He is a man and is behaving like one. Doctor I don't need no stinking doctor. Right before he had the surgery he collapsed on our front patio while building a deck. He was using an electric drill at the time and there was water on the patio. I thought he had possibly electrocuted himself so I didn't want to touch him. He wouldn't answer me because he was in such great pain and couldn't speak. I was yelling at him to tell me if he was okay or I was going to call 911. He finally answered and it was his back not electricity. We laugh about that now, my son even poked him with a stick I think. It was NOT a bit funny at the time.

Well it is working up to a really hot weekend and I am not looking forward to it. Who wants to fire up the torch on a ninety plus degree day? Probably me because I am crazy and driven like that. Besides it gives me an excuse to hop into the oversized kiddie pool we picked up last summer. Twelve feet across and thirty inches deep ahh bliss... perfect for cooling off. I am almost looking forward to the heat just so I can have a "swim"

I have been out in the garage tonight sorting out some of my Bullseye glass. I got some heavy duty cardboard tubes at work and Matt cut them up for me. So I got some free glass storage who could ask for more? It was motivating ... a little :) I got all of the opaques sorted, now I just need to get some pvc for the transparents. The frantz Bash is coming up in August. It is such a great time and I can't wait. I am really going to make more of an effort to talk to people this year. It seems that is the one thing I always feel like I missed out on when I get home. Last year my dad came along as well I am hoping to get him to come again this year too.
I have a few new auctions up here : http://www.justbeads.com/search/search_results.cfm?search_text=mattskiss99&search=GO go see~ I am off to bed now, sleep tight I know it's early but I get up at 5:00 am most mornings

Matt and Samantha stayed at Matts' grandparents house last night and I hardly slept. Coupled with the heat today wow I am ready for a nap I tell ya. I had a fairly productive day at the torch and will probably be up at midnight when the kiln is done running so I can snatch the beads out and look at them. Getting the beads from the kiln is almost as much fun for me as making them. Nothing quite like seeing the end results :) There is not enough coffee in the world to keep me from taking a 10 minute nap right now I really think I am going to go take one. I will list some new auctions in a bit at least one small one anyway.
Enjoy your night
Kris

Morning! Just thought I'd come in and say "Hi" while I have that last cup of coffee before I go to work. It is cloudy this morning and supposed to clear up later. I hope it doesn't get muggy before the sky clears. We'll see :)

I recently started putting items on etsy.com that would be under mattskiss99.etsy.com I am enjoying the newness of it and have really been working some long hours with photos and descriptions. I hope some of you can find me there. It is really an awesome sight everything is handmade except for some supply items. Just amazing how many talented people are in the world.

We went blackberry picking last night! When we first arrived we stopped at the usual spot. Now bear in mind a spot is only good until the trees start to get tall and the clearing fills in again. The trees in our spot are about seven or eight feet tall now. Matt and I were both walking along the edge looking and he got into the brush a little. He kept trying to tell me that the berries weren't ripe yet. I was almost ready to pack it in when this guy drives by sees my milk jug (berry holding device:) He said something out and out of his car window he was waving a berry stained hand. My hope soared I told Matt and Sam to hop back in the car. We went up the road and found some power lines and a gated road. Of course we went around the gate and up the road. Matt and I picked more berries between the two of us then we ever have. It was amazing. I hope the berry stained guy doesn't mind, that was probably his "spot" berry folks are a little territorial. Sammy had a great time too she said it was her best berry picking ever. Of course just as we are really getting into it she had to go potty. No way was she going in the woods. So off to the park we went. Almost two gallons of berries! Somebody is getting pie this winter!

My sweet Reba! She always looks like she is crying because she gets hair in her eyes from shedding. If I could only get her to stop shedding :) She is the dog of my heart. She won't give kisses except on the most rare and special of occasions. She doesn't take food from strangers no matter how good it is. She is my appointed watchdog. when she came to our home we were literally full up. I was busy working and my daughter came trotting in and said "Daddy got another puppy." I said "No way you are kidding" she said it again "Daddy got another puppy" Now bear in mind that he has sworn to me "I am NOT a dog person" yeah right... He picked up the second dog we let in. Anyway I just couldn't belive he had gotten another dog~ puppy no less. we had barely gotten Gloria house-trained She was our third. So in comes Matt (sworn "NOT dog person") with this stiff scabby puppy. I was a little horrified. He was on his way out right away so he just kind of dumped her in my lap and took off. She had a collar on and as I took it down to the second wrap around her neck I could see it was really a cargo strap held on by a safety pin. She had a sore between her shoulder blades from the fleas that covered her sweet little body. Ugh... I just couldn't get over it. I put her in the sink and scrubbed her. She just stayed stiff she wasn't liking that at all. (She still hates a bath and will sit down right away.) So these days she lays around wags like mad if I so much as glance in her direction. We joke that she wags like a fish out of water, she gets her whole body going and you can tell she is so full of joy she could just burst. Oh and the topper... she will drink my coffee if I leave it unattended, she loves it. I couldn't believe it the first time I caught her because she is our picky dog. Yep she is my secret favorite~ don't tell the others.