Paideia Academy

Bike

2010-07-20T21:01:00.000-04:00

More Sparkle

2010-04-23T13:12:00.001-04:00

I forgot to include this pair of earrings with the last pictures of earrings that I recently made. This pair says “Spring Time” don’t you think? I love the combination of green and purple and these earrings are fun to wear, I especially like the movement of the dangling crystal at the end.

Earlier this month Eric took the kids to Richmond and I had a free day all to myself. Joy! I remembered that the bead store was having a wire earring class, so I made a mad dash out the door and hoped that I would make it to the store in time to take the class. With only seconds to spare before the class start time, I ran into the store, breathlessly asked if I could still take the wire earrings class. The store owner tried to stifle her giggles, and informed me that particular class was scheduled for the following Saturday. Unbelievable. LOL with me.

Since I was already at the store, why waste the trip when there were lots of beautiful beads in all colors, sizes and shapes just calling my name PLUS there was a enormous amount of dichroic (pronounced dye-crow-ick) beads for sale in the store that day. I was drawn to the dichroic display, so many to choose from, I narrowed my selection down to these three pendants.

It is hard to tell from the picture but the small pendant on the left has shimmers of pink, green and black, the one on the right features green, blue and black. The larger pendant has red, blue, pink, green and purple. Not sure if I will hang the pendants from a stand of beads or use a chain or perhaps a combination of the two. Oh, I should mention that I did go ahead and sign up for the upcoming wire earring class!

Here is little information about dichroic beads:

Dichroic is a glasswork technique, either blown glass, fused glass or glass beads, which contains many small layers of metal oxides which give the glass its luminous multi-color and 3-dimentional look. The word comes from the Greek Di for two and Chroma for color, as often the dichroic technique is viewed at different angles which gives the appearance of two or more colors. Pretty neat huh!

Going Green, Sort Of

2010-04-20T19:07:00.001-04:00

I hope that your week is off to a great start! I wanted to send out a quick note to let you see the new earrings I made, of course I think that they are super cute, but I always do. Let me know what you think.

These little beauties are made with emerald Swarovski crystals and sterling silver, they are a gift for a friend. This was the first time I've used the emerald crystal, the color is lovely – I can hardly wait to use them again.

I took a wire class Saturday, I will post pictures and tell you about my wonderful wire adventures later on, it was a hoot and I even saw two friends that I haven’t seen in ages. In the class we made wire coils, and as you can see I still have coil love. I made this pair last night just for fun. The copper coil rest on a green shell coin, I even made my ear wire.

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

2010-04-06T16:48:00.000-04:00

Let me introduce you to a great blog,The Pioneer Woman. I found the blog through another blog that I subscribe to (right now I can’t remember which one!) anyway, the blog had a link to the Buttered Rosemary Rolls the PW made and my mouth watered just looking at the pictures -- I just HAD to make them.

Do you know that I’m a fake baker? I am, sigh. But this was right up my alley, frozen dinner rolls. Even I can do these.

The recipe calls for sea salt and fresh rosemary, of course I had neither, but that did not deter me from tackling the recipe, I used crushed rosemary that I had on hand and just omitted the sea salt, I may try to remember to pick some up later on.

At first I had planned to make a large tray of these, but thought about my thighs and quickly decided it was best to just go ahead and make them in a cast iron skilled like The Pioneer Woman! I made eight, so that everyone could have two, and there would be no leftovers, and pretty much followed PW and the package instructions:

Grease the iron skillet with olive oil.

Put the frozen dough balls in the greased skillet.

Cover with clear plastic wrap, next time I will use a dish towel and see which method I prefer. I placed my covered skilled in a draft free place for 3.5 hours.

Look how plump they are after the rising period. Big as a cat head biscuit (that’s what my Granddaddy called my Grandmother big biscuits; homemade of course she was not a fake baker!)

Melted 2 tablespoons butter and brushed on top of the rolls after they rose.

Sprinkled some crushed rosemary on top, and baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I’m now inspired to start a little herb garden and so the next time I make the rolls I will have the fresh rosemary, but for now its McCormick.

Yum! Give them a try and let me know how many thumbs up you received from the family.

Thanks Pioneer Woman, I’m now a huge fan of yours and enjoyed perusing your blog.

Headboard Reveal

2010-04-02T17:21:00.000-04:00

Eric has finished staining and sanding, and staining and sanding the headboard, he even set it up last night while I was out. I think he was going to wait to see if I noticed… you bet I noticed, just as soon as I walked past our room and started squealing in delight! It looks GREAT – good job babe!

Here are some of the pictures hubby took of his very first headboard.

The wall color really makes the headboard pop, don’t you think?

Now if I can find some new bedding to replace the old comforter set that no longer matches since we painted the room. Keep your eyes open for a chocolate colored comforter – NO flowers, NO paisleys, NO big pattern – these are my marching orders from hubby, so far I haven’t found anything to fits the bill, so keep an eye out for me okay -- I'm really over our current set.

Be blessed!

Game Time Baby

2010-04-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

I have been a huge fan of the NBA for years, and cheer for my beloved Washington Wizards (I guess I like the underdog). On Saturday, March 13 Eric and I attended our first Wizard’s game, the Wizards hosted the Orlando Magic which features Dwight Howard and Vince Carter (you will see that I like both players). The Wizards lost but it was a good game, and Eric and I had a blast!

Washington has had some major obstacles going on in the organization this year: the death of owner Abe Pollin, injuries, the franchise player Gilbert Arenas is suspended from the league, he almost received jail time on a weapons charge, there was a major trade of three key players, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and my favorite Antawn Jamison and MORE injuries.

Outstanding half time show - kids!

Trying to get a good shot of Orlando's Vince Carter.

Superman, Dwight Howard

The Wizards logo.

Still trying to get a good shot of Vince Carter, never did - but I do like the effect on the shoes.

The new additions to the Wizards lineup.

Amost a good shot of Vince.

Last night Washington had the first win for the month of March, we beat New Orleans 96 – 91… we’re on a winning streak!

All About The Girl…

2010-03-31T20:16:00.002-04:00

photo courtesy www.pachd.com

Big day for Nicole yesterday, she had a field trip to The White House and The Smithsonian. She has been looking forward to this trip for weeks now, I don’t think it even bothered her to wake up in the wee hours of the morning. They went in style too, no big yellow school bus, they had a charter bus, WOW!

Nicole said she really enjoyed the trip, her favorite room at The White House was The Great Ball Room. The class had hoped to see the President or First Lady like the group from last year but that wasn’t to be the case this year.

Another of her cool things was listening to one of the parents who chaperoned, apparently he has a passion for history and was giving the scholars a interesting history “lesson”. Nicole said, “He was telling us about history, and he’s not even a teacher!” Who says a child can only learn sitting in at a desk in a classroom? LOL

Nicole had a band concert last Thursday, this was a county wide concert of the elementary, middle and high school band students, and way cool for her because she got to perform at the high school, her biggest venue to date!

The Purple Princess is doing well in school, she made the honor roll this last grading period, and honorable mention the first grading period. That’s the latest news on the girl!

Have a great evening, I'm off to watch the Wizards basketball game. See ya!

Eric The Builder

2010-03-24T18:47:00.000-04:00

Eric has been hard at work making a headboard for us. Here are pictures of his handiwork...

Saturday he did the sanding and started staining the headboard, he still needs to put on the clear coat and buy the scroll work that will go on top.

Hubby really enjoys making furniture really building in general, he has made several tables, a bench, a riser with drawers for our front load washer and dryer, he has done a couple of decks, finished two basements and a shed, just to name a few things he has made. I think that now he wishes that he would have built his shed a bit larger and put power out there so that he would have enough room for a woodshop - maybe he will have a remodel project sometime in the future!

Here is the sketch he whipped out of the back of paper.

My handy man!

They Arrived!

2010-03-23T12:29:00.000-04:00

The earrings I won in the Crystal Allure Studio Blog giveaway arrived yesterday! The earrings are called Tracy Iolite Earrings and were made by Jewelry By Jackie.

When Stephanie at Crystal Allure contacted me to let me know that I had won the earrings, you KNOW I was thrilled, but in the back of my head I thought I remembered that someone else had won. Well it turns out that indeed someone else did win, but never contacted her to claim the prize. I’m feeling extra special!

I love everything about the earrings, check out that wire work, yep, Jackie made the leaf connector, as well as the ear wire. They are so elegant, the iolite briolette gemstone is lovely, its blue-violet in color and will go perfect with so many things – I’m wearing them today (big surprise huh!).

Thank you to both Crystal Allure and Jewelry By Jackie from one happy bead lover, gorgeous earring wearing mama!

Pretty Things

2010-03-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

Hey take a look at my recent creations, the first pair of earrings I made as a gift for a friend. They are just adorable made with Swarovski bicone and round crystals along with a Turkish silver connector. Perfect for Spring!

This pair I made for myself, I needed a pair of all silver baubles and came up this, I just love these stunning Bali beads, what detail. So cute.

My friend Curtis was telling me recently about how his wife won a trip for the family to Boston, and Los Angeles. She has even won a trip to PARIS, money, electronics and money. I lamented that I never win anything – well all that has changed, last week I found out that I won a pair of earrings from a blog contest that I entered! I’m giddy with excitement and can’t wait for them to arrive. I will share pictures once my goodies arrive. Yippee!

Unexpected Visitor

2010-02-23T20:15:00.001-05:00

We noticed a tapping at our front door, when I first heard it, I thought it was Eric doing something in the office, but he said that he was not making the noise, and in fact the noise was coming from outside – turns out we have two Eastern Bluebirds tapping on the front door! Are they trying to built a nest? Perhaps they just like the brass door knocker? Well, we still don’t know why our little feathered friends keep tapping on the front door, but they do it daily and only to the front door.

A couple couple of weeks the public schools had a two-hour delay due to all that snow and my neighbor called to see if her son could come over and get on the bus with Nicole while she went to work. Sure, I say, just send him over. She told me that she was going to feed him breakfast and then send right him over. So when I heard a tapping at the door I go to the door expecting to see Michael. Do you see where this is going?

No Michael, just that blasted bird! Oh no – we both had one of those panic moments and I think I even screamed (stop laughing, you would have too!) I’m thankful he didn’t fly into the house, I don’t even want to THINK about that scenario.

The pictures were taken while the bluebirds were on “break” from all their knocking. My crazy critters!

And The Winner Is...

2010-02-08T16:35:00.000-05:00

We have a winner in the Birthday Earrings Giveaway.

Here's another look at the earrings...

First, I want to thank everyone who took part in the giveaway, I've been overjoyed by the wonderful comments, the happy birthday wishes and of course the encouraging comments about the earrings (I've been grinning from ear to ear!), you all are THE BEST!

Drum roll please.......

The winner of the is Devildogwife! Yeah!!! Doing the happy dance!!!

Note to DDW: E-mail me your address and I will mail the earrings ASAP.

Be blessed!

ReBecca

Blizzard of 2010

2010-02-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

Friday the National Weather Service forcasted 12 or more inches of wet snow and high winds, possible power outages for our area. Let me tell you, they got it right on this one! It has been snowing since Friday morning and the snow will continue through sometime tonight with more snow expected Monday! Hopefully, we will not loose power, we do have a generator but my concern would be the the lack of heat!

These two kind of look like they are kissing or sharing food, but the birds are getting kind of chippy.

These two are getting along.

The view from the back door.

Carndinal in the snow.

We have a tree stump next to the closet tree – it is completely covered!

I have trouble taking pictures of the Blue Jays, they see the slightest movement and take flight so this was a huge victory for me.

Here are some birds forging for seed on the ground. Eric forgot to pick up more seed for the bird, so later on I put out some bread crumbs for our feathered friends.

Here are my guys shoveling the driveway.

Birthday Earrings Giveaway

2010-02-02T15:52:00.001-05:00

February 1 was my birthday and to help celebrate my special day I will be doing a giveaway for this pair of handcrafted earrings designed and made by me. The earrings have a romantic feel to them, and features sterling silver Bali beads and ruby quartz beads.

How can you take part in this giveaway? I'm so glad you asked – it's really easy, here is what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Be a current subscriber to this blog – leave a comment letting me know that you are a subscriber.

3. Sign up today to be a subscriber to this blog – leave a comment letting me know that you signed up.

4. Tell a friend about this blog or about the giveaway – leave a comment that you told a friend about the blog or the giveaway.

Easy right? You have the potential to leave 3 comments and with each comment, your name will be put in the drawing for the earrings. The giveaway will end Sunday, February 7 and the winner will be announced on Monday, February 8. All comments need to be on this post. Please make sure that I have some way of contacting you should you win.

Be blessed!

ReBecca

It's Snowing!

2010-01-30T15:19:00.000-05:00

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Here... it's SNOWING! The flakes have been falling all morning, and at one point we thought that the white stuff was tapering off, but no the snow continues!

Enjoy your weekend.

ReBecca

Changes...

2010-01-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

We withdrew Gene from public school on January 19. Gene has been struggling with focusing in class and the middle school work load from the beginning of the school year, and add in behavioral issues – just not a good fit.

I decided to go with BJU Press Distance Leaning/online for Gene, and I think this will be a good fit for us. Our materials arrived Tuesday and we started rolling on Wednesday, we didn't do all the subjects so that we could ease into this new program. I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Be blessed and have a great weekend.

ReBecca

Spelling Bee

2010-01-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Today was the Spelling Bee at Nicole elementary school; she was really excited this morning and didn’t seem the least bit nervous. There we 20 kids participating in the Bee - my heart went out to one boy who was painfully shy when the time came for each participant to walk up to the microphone to state their name and grade, he looked as if he might pass out, and it took him several minutes to build up enough courage just to say his first name (you could barely hear him), then there was another long pause prior to his saying his last night, and then he finally got out his grade – bless his heart.

Nicole spoke into the microphone like a pro (that public speaking class last year paid off!) She had great diction, and seemed comfortable. The first word to stump one of the students was corduroy; don’t ask me why I remember that, maybe because I was wearing cords.

Nicole made it through several rounds before the dreaded word neutralize, shattered her plans. She is so much like her Daddy… “You all must be going for second place, because I’ve got first all hemmed up”, that’s a paraphrase from the great Larry Bird, but it is a perfect fit for Eric and Nicole!

She did manage to make it off the stage and walk over to me BEFORE the tears over took her. She collapsed on my lap and had a good cry, but quickly pulled herself together and watched the rest of the Bee. I was so proud of her, being 1 of 20 from the entire school to make it to this round of the Spelling Bee, what an accomplishment! Way to go Nicole!!!

When there were only two students left things became very interesting, in one round they both missed the word and it went back in forth with the painfully shy boy and another boy. In the end the shy boy misspelled his word, the other boy was able to spell it correctly, plus his next word and was declared the winner! It was great fun watching the whole process.

TTFN!ReBecca

Becca's Bracelets

2010-01-22T08:43:00.000-05:00

A couple of month back, my Mother wanted to make herself a new bracelet. I had some round 8mm and 6mm (or was it 6mm and 4mm!) Swarovski crystals in my stash so I mailed them to her.

When I laid out the beads I REALLY liked the look and the sparkle, so I decided that I needed to make myself a bracelet using olivine crystals.
Here is a picture of my bracelet; I used Swarovski bicone olivine crystals and Swarovski light grey pearls along with sterling silver findings.

Pearls are one of my favorites, I think every woman should have a beautiful pearl necklace; they are timeless and can be worn with everything from jeans to an evening gown.

I have a pearl necklace that I’ve had for years and two pair of earrings that I made myself but I didn’t have a bracelet. In my head I see two bracelets that I want to make, one is a double stand and the other one was this one…

Psst...My birthday is coming up, and I will be doing another earring giveaway – so be on the look out for that.

Have a great day!

ReBecca

Try This Slow Cooker Recipe

2010-01-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a new recipe of sorts with you. One day I was in Wal-Mart, trying to decide on what to prepare the dinner that night. I found myself in the spice aisle and ran across Slow Cookers Italian Herb Chicken envelope by McCormick’s.

Here is a picture of the seasoning packet:

The recipe calls for chicken (of course), fresh mushrooms, stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. Well I had a bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic on hand so I added those as well as diced jalapeno peppers and some other spices and it turned out GREAT.

Here are the directions:
1. Place chicken (I used boneless skinless thighs, family pack) and vegetables (sliced mushrooms, bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic) in the slow cooker.

2. Mix seasoning packet, tomatoes, tomato paste and diced jalapeno peppers (I used 2 tablespoons) until blended. I also added black pepper and about a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to this, we like spicy. Pour mixture over chicken and vegetables. Cover.

3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. The packet recommends not to remove the lid during cooking, but I like to stir once or twice so that everything blends together.

4. Dish up and enjoy! I served mine over fettuccine and had steamed broccoli – so good, it got rave reviews by my gang, Eric even asked me to make it again!

You can use any chicken parts or vegetables you like to give it your signature. Give it a try and let me know if your family gives it a thumb up or down.

p.s.

I’ve tried to remember to take a picture of the dish all pretty on a plate but can never seem to remember until AFTER I finish, but trust me it is delish!

ReBecca

Bees & Birds

2010-01-19T20:27:00.001-05:00

Nicole was in her grade level Spelling Bee at her school, she was suppose to be a alternate, but was able to take part in the Bee. Today she brought home a letter from the school saying she has earned a spot in the school Spelling Bee! Way to go Nicole. The Spelling Bee will be Friday, so be in prayer for her success.

Congratulations Purple Princess!

On another note, here are some pictures that I took recently of our little feathered friends. My favorite shot is the second one of the Robin, but I just love the very vocal Cardinals.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

I hope this finds you and your family happy and in good health. I also hope that you had a blessed Christmas and are enjoying the New Year!

Eric was busy over the Christmas break, he painted and laid the flooring in the basement, and now we have a finished basement. Yea. Well, almost finished basement, he still needs to complete the bathroom, add the baseboards/trim and doors, but it is now a clean and usable space, so I'm thrilled. Here is the grand tour of our basement.

The kids have the main room; in this picture you can see the table for games, behind that is their pool/table tennis/air hockey table, and a sitting area.

Here is the computer area, and where the kids practice their music.

This is the same area, just from the other side of the room.

The next room is the school room.

Another view of the school room.

One more view of the school room.

Here is the fitness room. Now this was the first room Eric finished, but once he started framing it was more like a storage area. This is a multi function room, fitness area on one side, the other side has a sitting area with television and there is also a crafting table.

Here is a view of the fitness area.

Looks good huh! My man is so handy, I wish I could say that I was right there sawing and hammering, and working side by side with him during this project - my role was consultant. Ha ha ha!

Have a good one!

With Love...

2009-12-05T14:44:00.010-05:00

I've been side-tracked and haven't been making very much jewelry in the last few months, but I did want to share two pair of earrings that I made with lots of love for two friends. The earrings have the right about of shimmer and sparkle, don't you think.

Enjoy!

Our First Snow

2009-12-05T14:11:00.020-05:00

Today we had our first snow!

It started off by raining this morning, later on we had a mix of rain and ice then those big fat fluffy snow flakes. We are suppose to get 1 to 3 inches of snow today - it is so beautiful. Here are a few pictures that I took earlier today.

Mr. Cardinal looked so handsome for Mrs. Cardinal and the other birds around the feeder today.

Happy Saturday!

How was your Thanksgiving?

2009-12-04T19:42:00.001-05:00

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and took a little time to thank God for all the many blessings he has bestowed on you – I know I did (and do)! My mother was able to visit for a week; one of these days maybe we’ll be able to talk her into staying for at least two weeks. My mom helped me prepare our Thanksgiving fest and we had Eric’s parents and niece Lindsay join us on Thanksgiving Day. Another blessing was that my brother and his family were able to come down Saturday - we had four generations here, of course I missed the photo opportunity (gee!)

My mom gave cooking and baking lessons while here, I learned how to make her macaroni and cheese and pecan pie, it is going to take a couple more lessons for me to get the dressing down. Eric wanted to watch her make her family favorite Sour Cream Pound Cake, he didn’t have a good experience with that cake the first time he tried (LOL). Nicole made those tasty sweet potato muffins again this year, this time Gene wanted to join in to help out.

The school year for the kids has been just rolling along; we’ve already received their first report card. Nicole is adjusting well, she made only one C on her report card and that was in reading, seems the purple princess was not interested in turning in her reading logs. She is all excieted about her upcoming band concert at school.

I really believe Gene thought public school was going to be like all fun and no work, he is struggling with several issues - it has been really draining, please keep him in your prayers. He also has a band concert this month, this will be his second concert and the other 8th grade band students were able to practice and play with the high school band during half time at one of the football games.

We’ll I’m off for now, I’m watching the Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors (NBA), the Wizards are losing so I’d better scram so that I cheer them on!

Happy Birthday Nicole!

2009-10-27T19:42:00.018-04:00

Guess who turned 12 on Sunday. Princess Nicole! Time is just flying by.

Here is her birthday cake... so yummy!

Happy birthday Nicole!

Sparkle for the Ears

2009-10-05T14:23:00.014-04:00

Check out the pretty crystal earrings that I made as a birthday present for my super duper friend Carla. I wanted to make her something neutral that would look lovely all dressed up or dressed down, and this is what I came up with. Just the right amount of sparkle I think. I used Swarovski crystals in mocca and golden shadow and sterling silver.

I made these bad boys for me (grin)! I already have a pair of cute pearl earrings but wanted to make a pair that were a bit larger and had some sparkle, what girl doesn't love sparkle. I used a coin freshwater pearl and a Swarovski crystal rondelle bead along with sterling silver.

Just a little sparkle or the ears!

Band Members

2009-09-17T16:46:00.027-04:00

My kiddos are making a smooth transition to public school, which is a huge answer to prayer! Both are proud members of the band at their schools, Gene is learning to play the trumpet, his class meets daily and Nicole is learning to play the flute, her class meets weekly, or at least I think that will be the schedule - they just met for the first time on Tuesday.

Perfect For Tasha!

2009-09-11T09:11:00.002-04:00

Have you ever saw something that instantly reminded you of someone? It happens to me on occasion, like when I see sunflowers I always think of my friend Tracey, Sour Patch Kids candy reminds me of Lindsay who loved the candy when she was younger. You get the idea, well I saw a pair of earrings in a jewelry design book called Perfect Match Earrings, Designs for Every Occasion, (one of my favorite jewelry books), I instantly thought, "These would be perfect for Tasha!"

I made them yesterday while waiting for Gene's bus to come (he thought they were pretty by the way) - nothing like waiting until the last minute to get a gift ready; her birthday is Saturday! Tasha said that her favorite color is hot pink, so I used fuchsia Swarovski bicone crystals. The bicone crystals compliments the marquise shaped links perfectly, don't you think?

While I was arranging the earrings for their photo shoot, I came up with my own design, using all the same elements. Can you guess the arrangement? Leave me a comment if you think you know what the design is. Heck, just leave me a comment if you like them or even if you don't! I would love to hear from you and get your thoughts on the earrings.

I have a couple of unfinished jewelry projects that I'm working on, one is a beautiful labradorite necklace and I'm also working on a bracelet with those FREE lampwork beads I won. Hopefully, I will finish the bracelet this weekend, can't wait to show you. I'm off for now, have a super day!

First Day of School

2009-09-08T20:59:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of school for my kiddos - first day of public school, first day of riding a school bus, well first day for Gene anyway - Nicole missed her bus, the driver was WAY early, but she did get to ride the school bus home. Both kids enjoyed their first day, came home all smiles and full of chatter about this and that.

Here is Nicole after she got off the bus, she had quite an entourage waiting for her, three of the neighbor kids, Gene and me! All the kids (and Mom) were so excited to see Nicole and hear about her day, it was so cute.

I did manage to get a picture of Gene before we left to walk to the bus stop, I had planned to take pictures of him getting on the bus, but didn't think he would appreciate the "Mommy Moment" so decided just to take his picture before we left the house.

Back to School Survival Bag

I made the kids a Back to School Survival bag, click here to see where I got the cool idea. The picture above is all the loot for the bag, I had the hardest time finding those fruit roll ups and just could not find Hersey's Hugs, so I used Hersey's Kisses instead. The bag is filled with the treats and a letter from to encourage them to do their best at school and to always remember the Lord is with them. Here is list of the things I put in my bags.

Back to School Survival Guide

Fruit by the foot - Put your best foot forward

Pencils - We think you are sharp!

A rock with the word prayer written on with a simple sharpie

A lollipop - to remind you to stick to the scriptures to help you "lick" any obstacles this year

Eraser - to remind you you can start each new day with a clean slate

Rubber band - Stretch your mind this year

paper clips - You have all the tools to hold it together

Hershey Kiss - Just some extra kissess when you need them

Smarties - Smarties for the smartie

Tootsie Roll - to remind you to roll with the punches this year

Sponge - to remind you to soak it all in this year

Almond Joy candy bar - We hope this year brings you great joy

I printed out the cards using business cards on the computer, and used both glue dots and squares to adhere the loot to the business cards. The next time I do one of these I will skip the cards all together and just add the list/meaning to the body of the letter. Of course the bags were a big hit with Gene and Nicole, yeah - all my hard work paid off!

Bikes and Back to School

2009-09-02T15:19:00.007-04:00

Can you guess the bicycle that belongs to a boy?

This is classic. Eric told me to look out the window, the two girls have used their kick stands and parked their bikes all neat and nice. The boys (there is another one laying on the ground but couldn't get it in the picture) just let their bikes fall where they stopped. Funny eh?

Back to school is just around the corner, the kids start the day after Labor Day. Tonight we will be going to Gene's orientation at the middle school, Nicole's orientation will be Thursday morning. My guys are really excited about going to public school for the first time.

I've been asked so many times about what my plans are now that we will no longer be home educating the kiddos. To be honest, I haven't given it much thought. After the kids get settled into the new routine of "going" to school, then I will give more thought and prayer to what is next for me.

Well I'd better get my hips up and finish dinner, have a super duper day!

New Wheels

2009-09-01T11:05:00.013-04:00

Eric has new wheels! He bought a motorcycle yesterday, it's a Yamaha something or other. Here he is after unloading it from the trailer (smiling is not an option!).

Yeah a helmet. I don't understand why that is not mandatory in every state.

I didn't realize it was so much to do in order to drive a motorcycle. Eric took a motorcycle safety class on base, then took a written test at DMV to get her learners permit, I think he said that in 30 days he can take his road test. A lot right? Eric is as happy as a clam, even though you can't see the happy on his face in the pictures - he's happy on the inside!

Get Together

2009-08-23T11:05:00.003-04:00

We've had a mini family reunion with Eric's sister Julie and her husband Steve who are back in the states, we all gathered in Richmond last Monday, then got together again yesterday in Yorktown. Steve and Julie will be heading to Germany, and hopefully we will have an opportunity to visit them before they are transferred. Here are some of the pictures that I took on Monday, enjoy!

Lindsay with Grandpa. Smiling for a picture is not an option for Grandpa!

Lindsay with her pooch Benson.

Julie, my fabulous sister-in-law.

Lindsay, Eric, Julie - can you believe Eric is smiling!

The siblings: Eric and Julie - nice.

Julie and Steve, what a good looking couple.

Lindsay, Benson and Grandpa. Everyone looks happy except Benson.

Lindsay and Benson. Benson is happy to be home with mom and Spider Pig!

Grandpa Jimmy.

Some Jewelry!

2009-08-15T14:04:00.017-04:00

I has been awhile since I posted any pictures of jewelry that I've made, so I thought that I would show you some of the things that I've either made for myself (smile), given away as gifts or just made 'cause. Click the picture if you want to make the image larger.

These are my new favorite earrings and crystal. I promise it looks SO much better in person. To me they are just stunning and looks perfect with a suit or your favorite pair of jeans.

Rectangle Millefiori glass bead with a Swarovski crystal. These were for me, and everyday last week I wore only these earrings, because they fit perfect with every outfit PLUS they are pretty.

Brown mother-of-pearl earrings, so cute! The coin shaped beads I picked up on my last trip to Florida on the clearance rack, I'm so glad I picked them up.

Teal Swarovski crystals dangling on a heart chain, very sparkly.

Fuchsia lampwork bead on a kidney ear wire. These are my little cuties.

Carnelian gemstone with sterling silver. So pretty. I just love the way this necklace turned out.

Made these for my sister Shirley, she said that she needed a pair of earrings that she could wear with anything - I love how things always work out!

Delightful - Bronzite and turquoise, so elegant. I've done a variation of these before, by I thought they would be perfect for the recipient.

Red hot Swarovski crystals with Bali ring and bead caps.

Here is another variation of my new favorite crystal bead, love it in this color as well. Simply a stunning pair of earrings.

Teal lampwork bead with cool ear wire.

Fuchsia lampwork and Swarovski crystal with the cool ear wire. I love swirls!

Did I mention that I love this bead! Here it is again with a crystal bicone. Lovely.

Thanks for taking a look, hopefully I am going to post more pictures next week. Have a great weekend.

Color, Color, Color!

2009-08-11T16:03:00.023-04:00

Can you guess what I've been doing?

Yep, we have finally gotten around to painting those bare white walls in the house. We started back in July and painted the half bath this rich brown, the paint color is called latte, we also switch out the hideous Hollywood lights put in by the builder. Then the we headed upstairs to paint the kids bedrooms and the guest room, I still need to accessorize the rooms but the painted walls look outstanding.

The next room to paint will be the master bedroom and bath. Eric picked up the paint for both rooms last Friday, and I was suppose to start painting the bathroom today, but that hasn't happened, so maybe I will get around to it Saturday.

For our bedroom we choose a neutral, it is a chocolate brown with a tan color for the bathroom. But, I've been thinking that maybe we should just paint one wall in the bedroom in fear that four walls painted chocolate brown will be to dark.

We had cranberry walls in the dining room of our last home, it was georgous, but I'm not sure I want to use the same color here, I'm leaning towards rich golden yellow, Sahara Sunset is the name of the paint color, and I'm going green for the office. Our two story living room and hallways will be the last on the list and we are still pondering the kitchen.

I'm listing the paint color/name to help me just in case I forget to write them down:

Gene's bedroom: Respite (Sherwin-Williams SW 6514)

Nicole's bedroom: Wisteria (Sherrwin-Williams SW 6822)

Half Bathrom: Latte (Sherwin-Williams SW 6108)

Guest Bedroom: Relaxed Khaki (Sherwin-Williams SW 6149)

Master Bedroom: Belgian Chocolate (Lowe's/Olympic Paints D26-5)

Master Bathroom: Pony Tail (Lowe's/Olympic Paints C15-3)

The Beads Arrived!

2009-08-11T15:49:00.011-04:00

The yummy beads I won from Bead and Save arrived yesterday, they are gorgeous! The four extra beads that Bead and Save included are a perfect compliment to the others, I am SO looking forward to using them in an upcoming project. So pretty.

Meet Benson

2009-08-10T18:32:00.024-04:00

This weekend we dog sat for niece Lindsay, I was a little nervous that Benson would have an accident in the house, plus he was already a bit sad because Lindsay's other dog was at Grandma's house, so he didn't have his play mate and big brother.

Benson such a good boy, no accidents or any bad behavior the entire weekend. He just wanted to be right under you, or at least in the same room with you, plus he wanted lots of petting. As soon as you start petting him, he rolls on his back so that you can rub his belly!

Just love those flop ears!

This was too cute - I guess his elbow was a bit itchy, so here is Benson trying to lick his elbow. Silly boy!

Bead and Save's Giveaway

2009-08-06T19:03:00.002-04:00

I won the Bead and Save Giveaway! Can you believe it - Yippee!!

The Beading Gem Journal hosted a lampwork bead giveaway with Bead and Save and I found out yesterday that I was the winner. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait to receive my beautiful prize, are these lampwork beads yummy or what!

The Beading Gem Journal is one of my favorite beading blogs, and is usually the first e-mail I read each day. I have to admit that I was not familiar with Bead and Save prior to the giveaway, but after checking out their online bead store and making out a "must have" list, I'm sure I will be a loyal fan and customer.

What will I make with my yummy beads? Not sure, I will play around with the beads and then decide what direction I will go, oh I almost forgot to mention that the owner of Bead and Save e-mailed me and said they included some extra beads to go with the lampwork beads! How thoughtful and generous is that.

Thank you, thank you The Beading Gem Journal and Bead and Save!

Playing With Clay

2009-08-03T15:08:00.022-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I took a polymer clay class and made my very own beads! I had never worked with polymer clay before so I was thrilled to get the chance to learn something new and make my very own beads (look out HGTV's Carol Duvall). I did have the forethought to bring my camera, and here are a few pictures I took.

Here is my pendant after I had worked the clay, which really means running it through a pasta machine a few times.

The instructor is very resourceful, here we have the beads on copper wire skewers, I just loved her "baking boat" for the oven.

Looks like a toaster oven, right? I thought so to, but alas it is a polymer clay and craft oven.

Here, the handy-dandy get the hot stuff out of the oven paddle is a shoe box top! Recycle and reuse is the name of the game - love it. Here are my pretties fresh out of the oven.

Ta Da... The final product after they have had their clear coat. I used rubber stamps to get the swirls on the front and back of each bead, I also used some embossing powder to give the beads some shimmer. Right now I'm not sure how I will use the beads, I do have enough to make a necklace, bracelet and earrings, or perhaps I will make a necklace and earring set, still pondering what other beads I will use as well.

My instructor does fabulous work, and I could not resist buying these two pendants. She originally planned to make them into pins, but I asked her to drill a hole in the top so that I could use them as a pendant, the lighter background one looks like mother-of-pearl, so tweet.

Anniversary Trip

2009-08-02T15:43:00.002-04:00

Eric and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on Friday, July 17! My how time flies by, it really doesn't seem like we've been married THAT long. We took the the kids down to Eric's parents on Thursday evening, and they didn't return home until Sunday afternoon. Yippee!

Friday morning we got up and I made my man a hearty breakfast, I'm talking a real breakfast not my usual cold cereal and fruit. After breakfast Eric had planned a day trip to National Harbor in Maryland. This was our first time going there, friends from church said they had gone and enjoyed it, so we thought we would check it out. Here are some pictures of our outing...

This the the Gaylord, we took a little "tour" - it was fabulous inside, WOW was the extent of my comments as we walked through the lobby, trying really hard to look like we belonged there!

Not sure what this plant is, looks like tiny tomatoes doesn't it. The Gaylord even has great plants.

And check out the water feature leading up to the lobby doors. They even had a fountain...

The "sailboat" on the Westin was cool, don't you think?

Here is the man in the sand sculpture, but it looks more like man drowning, but what do I know!

We saw some young kids sailing, they were really pumped up for their sail.

Of course I had to take a couple pictures of my feathered friends...

We noticed that the boardwalk was littered with clam shells, then realized that the seagulls were dropping the clams on the boardwalk to open them, clever huh! Here is one of the clever birds feasting on his bounty.

I had planned to include pictures from our wedding, but I haven't had a chance to scan the pictures in yet, hopefully I will get around to it soon.

Live blessed!

The Pampered Princess

2009-07-06T10:05:00.005-04:00

Friday, Princess Nicole had a little bit of pampering, she went to the beauty shop and had her hair straightened. This is no easy or quick task but she enjoyed every minute of it - well she didn’t really care for sitting under a hair dryer, but loved the end results. I know the stylist was ready for a long break after working on Nicole’s head!

She was grinning from ear to ear the entire day! She really looks like a big girl with her new do.

God Bless America

2009-07-06T09:26:00.006-04:00

God bless America with --

Peace for all who are troubled;

Grace for all who are needy;

Courage for all who fear;

Strength for all who are weary;

Faith for all who are seeking;

Hope for all who are uncertain;

Protection for all who serve;

Wisdom for all who lead.

-- Roy Lessin

Live Long and Prosper

2009-06-18T14:03:00.008-04:00

Saturday our family had an extra special treat, we went to the movies. We love going to the movies, but the price of admission for four people PLUS snacks is outrageous, and we often just wait until the movie comes out on pay-per-view or television. But we splurged Saturday and went to see the Star Trek movie, afterwards went out for dinner and then headed to downtown Fredericksburg for a walk.

Birthday Celebration

On June 2, Gene turned 13!! Where does the time go? He wanted to go to Ryan’s, the all you can eat restaurant for his birthday dinner. He didn’t eat as much as we thought he would, but he did enjoy himself. Happy birthday Gene!

School

We are on Week 30 of our studies, the end is near! Right now I’m trying to get all the assignments entered into Home School Tracker, I’ve already requested the remainder of the books we will need from the library, printed out all the TOG student activity pages, worksheets and evaluations needed. We will be on school break next week and will have only six more weeks left on our school year. Normally, I would be deep into planning and preparing for our upcoming school year, but we will not be home educating the children next year. This decision comes with mixed emotions, but I won’t get into it right now, maybe later.

Leaning on the Lord

Life has been moving way to fast for me for the last several weeks, our Pastor died, my sister-in-law, Marcia had a stroke, she was diagnosed with cancer last year and we also found out that the cancer has spread. I’ve several friends who are also battling cancer and are dealing with the loss of loved ones. I’m thankful that I/we have the Lord to lean on and depend on during these difficult times.

I had a mole removed from my right eye lid last Monday, I nervous – not about having the mole removed, but HOW they were doing to numb the eye lid. Everything that came to mind was painful. The day of the surgery the nurse told me there would be a Texas size bee sting, but after that all would be okay -- then gave me some eye drops. I told her that the drops were not painful at all, feeling proud that I handled the drops like a big girl ONLY to find out that she was not talking about the little old drops, but the shot to numb my eye! My heart sank… It WAS a Texas size bee string, and I had to be told to relax – are you CRAZY, you try to relax with a needle sticking in your eye lid. The pain only lasted for a few seconds then I was able to “relax” and the doctor could get down to business. Did I mention that I don’t do pain well LOL!

A Day in Westmoreland

2009-05-31T14:10:00.044-04:00

Saturday we headed to the Westmoreland State Park, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and was just what I needed.

I didn't have on the proper shoes so we didn't walk any of the trails, but toured the park and was able to walked the beach, then cooled off with some tasty ice cream.

Here are some kids enjoying the water

What a treat to discover this osprey nest on the top of the gazebo at the end of one of the piers. Only wish we could have gotten a tad bit closer - but I'm not crazy, and was thankful that I had a camera with a zoom.

After we left the State Park, we drove over to the Westmoreland Berry Farm to pick strawberries. Yum!

We also bought some honey, sweet potato butter and blackberry preserves. One day I will try my hand at making my own jelly or preserves but it will not be this day! Looking forward to trying the sweet potato butter, I'm a huge fan of apple butter but have never tried sweet potato butter - I will let you know how well I like it. Can hardly wait go back to the berry farm!

Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2009-05-12T10:22:00.002-04:00

This has to be THE best cookie I've ever tasted! Our friend Chris baked these delicious cookies and was kind enough to send over a batch. Did I mention Chris is my new BFF! Here is the recipe, do try them and let me know what you think. Thanks Chris!

Absolutely Amazing Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This wonderful, soft chocolate chip cookie recipe is a variant of the urban legend about a person who supposedly asked Mrs. Fields or Neiman Marcus for their secret chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients and Instructions:

1. Cream:
2 cups butter or margarine (1 pound)

2 cups white sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

2. Then mix in one by one
4 eggs

3. Next mix in
4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

4. And then add
5 cups "blended" oatmeal (process 5 cups of oatmeal, regular or quick cooking, in your food processor or blender until the consistency of course flour)

5. Next, add
1 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or use another bag of chips)

1 12 ounce bag milk chocolate chips

3 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

6. Roll the chocolate chip cookie dough into golf-ball-sized balls (or use ice cream scoop) and bake for around 10 minutes at 375°. They will be browned but still soft inside.

Note: You can also substitute brickle chips or peanut butter chips for the nuts or some of the other chips.

The recipe comes from Extreme Chocolate

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T08:34:00.016-04:00

Mother – A Blessing

A wonderful blessing which everyone has,

A gem much too precious to lose,

A flower so perfect we hardly can name it,

Even compared with a perfect white rose.

So here’s to this one who inspires our good,

This treasure, unlike any other:

God bless her and keep her, whatever betide,

This Angel on Earth called –

MOTHER

– Author unknown

WORDS

The greatest word is God.

The deepest word is Soul.

The longest word is Eternity.

The swiftest word is Time.

The nearest word is Now.

The darkest word is Sin.

The meanest word is Hypocrisy.

The broadest word is Truth.

The strongest word is Right.

The tenderest word is Love.

The sweetest word is Home.

The dearest word is MOTHER.

– Author unknown

Strolling Down Memory Lane

2009-05-09T18:06:00.003-04:00

When we were home in March, I begged Ma to let me take one small photo album and about five loose pictures with me, so that I can copy my favorite ones and have them at home. It was a L-O-N-G pause before she said yes (YIPPEE!).

Because my scanner is acting all hinkty, I had to take the pictures to Wal-Mart to scan and put on a CD. It has been a thrill to stroll down memory lane with these photos, some were taken way before I was even born, but I remember the stories behind them and just love the people in them. Now, I will see if I can get Ma to ship me another photo album, humm....

Here is a picture of my brother Bill, he was such a tiny baby, the doll was my sister DoRetha's - one of those walk and talk doll babies and Bill didn't seem to care for the doll.

My brother Bill and sister Shirley...

More little half dressed Shirley and Bill. Notice in this picture Shirley has on dress shoes with her diaper, Bill still doesn't have on any shoes!

Shirley, me, and Bill. Ma made the dresses that Shirley and I are wearing, everyone thought we were twins. Are you kidding me!

The girl sitting on the floor is my sister DoRetha, my brother Joe is on the couch and you can only see half of Grandma Mary.

My brother Joe and Grandma Mary are being silly next to Grandaddy Bill and little Bill.

Bill and Grandaddy walking. I believe the story is that Bill started walking after my grandparents left! I've always loved this picture.

Granddaddy Bill, Grandma Mary and Bill

Bill, Shirley and me, Slocomb, Alabama. This is in front of my Grandparents house.

Me and Daddy in front of Aunt Annie's house, Detroit Michigan

Me, Daddy, niece LaTressa, sister Shirley and the little boy is cousin Reggie.

Ma and Granddaddy Bill.

Father and son - Granddaddy Bill and Daddy, with little Reggie.

Ma and Daddy all dressed up. I just love the dress my mother is wearing and look at the skinny tie Daddy is wearing!

All Ears

2009-05-09T11:20:00.002-04:00

Wanted to share some of my latest earrings, the first pair I made for myself they are long and dangley and as cute as can be. Made with Swarovski Siam helix crystals, and sterling silver. This is the first time that I've used the helix shape beads, they are very eye catching, and I'm looking forward to using them again, especially with a larger bead.

click picture to enlarge

You know that green is my favorite color - but I can't figure out why I had not made myself a pair of green earrings. Huh. Well that problem has been taken care of, I made these stunning earrings with the oh so pretty Olivine Swarovski graphic and round crystals and sterling silver components.

click picture to enlarge

This gorgeous pair I made as a gift for a friend, faceted amethyst quartz and sterling silver components. So very pretty! I love the the Bali flower bead, they pair quite nicely with the faceted amethyst gemstone.

click picture to enlarge

The Wild Women of Lake Anna

2009-05-06T14:03:00.002-04:00

The Wild Women of Lake Anna by Linda Salisbury was the featured book for our Mother, Daughter and Dessert Book Club. We meet last night and had the honor of having the author join us for our meeting!

Here is Mrs. Salisbury....

We started the meeting off with a little ice-breaker, Shelly the facilitator of the Book Club had this little bingo type game for use to play, which was a lot of fun and got everyone up and mingling. After our ice-breaker we had a chance to share what we enjoyed about the book afterwards had time for a question and answer session with Mrs. Salisbury.

The Wild Women of Lake Anna is the first book in a series of 6 right now, the author is working on book 7 now. What was so cool for me was that the story takes place not too far from where we live - Lake Anna. There is mention of other familiar places like Fredericksburg, Mineral, Route 522 and a few other places in our neck of the woods! I also learned that Virginia was ranked third for gold mining, the author said people are still panning for gold around Lake Anna!

This was a delightful book about Bailey Fish, who is eleven and has to leave her home in Florida to live with her grandmother Sugar, while her mother goes to Costa Rica. Bailey has to put up with a bully, and the bully's father is out to get Sugar. Baily learns she comes from a long line of "wild" women who are courageous and adventurous. Both Nicole and I enjoyed reading the book and are looking forward to diving into the other books in the series.

Family Bracelets

2009-05-04T19:05:00.009-04:00

For Mother's Day I made my mother-in-law and mother a family bracelet. I've been playing around with the design and finally decided on the final one this weekend. Take a look and let me know what you think.

This very dainty bracelet was made for my mother-in-law, I used Swarovski bicone crystals to represent the birthstone of Eric, his sister Julie, as well as his parents. The bracelet also contains Freshwater pearls, and sterling silver beads and a cute little "Family" bead as a dangle.

click picture to enlarge

Here is the one that I made for my mother. Swarovski bicone crystals represent the birthstone of my six siblings and parents. I also used sterling silver beads, the dangle bead on this one has a heart on one side and "Love" on the other.

click picture to enlarge

Around the Bird Feeder...

2009-05-01T19:00:00.023-04:00

Here are some pictures I took this week around the bird feeder, enjoy!

I will start with the pest, look how comfortable these pesky squirrels are. They are sprawled out eating the bird feed. Why!

We had a new arrival to the bird feeder, this is a male Hairy Woodpecker

And another newcomer was a male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, this little one has come by several times this week.

One of our favorites, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

We were so excited to see that the Hummingbirds have returned, not quite sure what kind this is, but he is a beauty.

Here is I think my first picture of a Blue Jay, he must have eyes in the back of their heads, because when I even move to get the camera, he will fly away. We usually only have one Blue Jay at at time at the feeder, but earlier this week I saw a couple, very exciting - but also camera shy!

New Eyes!

2009-04-30T19:03:00.017-04:00

Nicole with her new glasses!

During Nicole's physical last month she had trouble with the eye portion so the pediatrician wanted me to have a through eye exam for her. This came as a shocked to me because I had not noticed any vision problems with her - with Gene is was crystal clear the boy could not see well.

The Princess handled the exam and all the waiting like a big girl, she is nearsighted and will not have to wear her glasses all the time. Boy is she excited and proud of her new specks!

Training Day

2009-04-28T20:11:00.018-04:00

It seems like only yesterday when Gene was a toddler pushing his Lil Tyke lawnmower around the yard, boy did he loved that thing.

Not sure if this lawn mover gives him the same thrill. Probably not! This was Gene's first lesson, he kept looking around to make sure that Nicole was watching him, then after his arms starting getting tired, the sweat was pouring off him, and having to go back over areas, he decided to start paying attention to what Dad was telling him.

He did a good job and you couln't tell that a rookie had cut the grass. Nice work Gene!

He is looking forward to using the riding lawn mower, but I don't think that will be anytime real soon!

Another Excellent Crock Pot Recipe

2009-04-27T18:30:00.008-04:00

Need another good chicken crock pot recipe? Here is one that I got from A Year of CrockPotting. I've made this twice now - it is simple, tasty and not a lot of ingredients.

I used skinless chicken thighs each time, and today because I didn't have any fresh garlic I used Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Crock Pot 20 to 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

3-4 pounds chicken

1 large onion, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon pepper

20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

Directions:

Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into crock pot, on top of the onion.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook chicken-on-the-bone, the more tender it will be.

Guess What I Did This Morning?

2009-04-27T16:43:00.029-04:00

I went to a water aerobic class at the YMCA!

I have been wanting and saying that I'm going to start taking the class, but for some reason or rather excuse I've not made it, but today was my day. YIPPEE!

I wanted to go to the 8:30 am class, but that didn't happen, first I couldn't find my lock, Eric called and told me where I could find a lock, but didn't know where the key was - went into search mode for the key which didn't take as long as it could have.

The next assignment was packing my gym bag, which I don't normally do since I just take a Zumba class and come home to shower, by this time it was clear that I was not going to make the 8:30 am class and quickly decided the 9:30 am class was going to work WAY better for me!

To my surprise it was a large class, the instructor was super, and took much pity on this poor not so graceful swan. One particular lady introduced herself to me and was very helpful during the class, she looked and sounded very familiar but I could not place her. So I asked her a few questions, trying desperately to figure out where I'd seen her - nothing. It wasn't until I was in the parking lot leaving did I remember where I meet her - she was my instructor for a wig jig (beading) class I took several months ago!

I really enjoyed the class, even though I felt a little awkward doing some of the moves, this was a great work out, I love, love love the fact that it is a full body workout that is easy on the joints. I'm hooked!

Trying to find LESS of myself!

Bird Bird

2009-04-13T11:33:00.004-04:00

We always enjoy going to the marina in downtown Panama City. On this visit we saw three pelicans and a crane, not sure what kind of crane this is, if you know please pass on the information to me.

At first we couldn't figure out why he held up one foot, then noticed he had fishing line or some sort of netting wrapped around his leg. Of course I wanted to dash over and remove the line, but didn't want to get pecked to death in the process. Be sure to click the pictures to enlarge, it is a beautiful bird.

See his little head feathers blowing in the wind.

There was a couple fishing a few feet away from the crane, their little dog was hiding behind a cooler trying very hard to be brave as the crane walked toward them! We didn't stick around to see the show down.

Celebrating Easter Every Day

2009-04-13T09:02:00.002-04:00

Luke 24:1-9 (NASB)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

"He is not here, but He has risen Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."

And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

The Easter story is a message of hope. Yet many people celebrate this holiday with only chocolate bunnies and egg hunts because they do not know its real purpose. The gospel is precious information that Jesus asked His followers to spread widely (Matt. 28:19). He expects that each of us will be prepared to answer those who are curious about the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15).

Christianity is unique. Other religions and belief systems have a “doer” philosophy. In other words, to achieve eternal life, a follower must follow leaders’ instructions, adhere to rules, and/or give as much as he is told. The Christian life also includes good works, obeying commandments, and tithing. However, these activities are the result of serving Christ rather than a supposed method for reaching heaven. Instead of placing our hope in human ambition and diligence, we recognize Jesus as the only path to God.

Jesus Christ’s primary purpose in coming to earth was to die for mankind’s transgressions. Had He stayed in His tomb, everyone would be responsible for his or her own sin-debt. But Jesus conquered the grave, which means that His followers can too. Those who believe in Him are released from their death penalty and invited to spend eternity with God.

What are you doing with the amazing message of God’s love? The commission to “go and make disciples” is meant to be an integral part of every believer’s life. We should share about Jesus while at home, at work, among friends, or pursuing hobbies. In other words, we are to celebrate Easter every day.

- Source In Touch Ministries -

Garden of Crystals

2009-04-09T11:12:00.005-04:00

I made this necklace for my mother-in-law's birthday present. She wanted a necklace that had a lot of color and a chain. The necklace features round faceted 8mm and 7mm Swarovski crystals in a variety of colors, sterling silver components and sterling silver rectangle chain. So pretty!

click picture to enlarge

This is another one of those pieces that can be add sparkle to everyday jeans and tee shirt or sparkle when you dress up! Jane really liked the necklace, she wore it the next day to church!

The Cake Maker

2009-04-08T11:42:00.008-04:00

Here are some creations by my favorite cake designer and maker, Alexis - when we arrived for our visit she was busy thinning out the fondant for her latest cakes. Here is her popcorn cupcake, she made two but her Dad ate the other one! Is she good or what!

click picture to enlarge

She also makes cookie bouquets, this is one she made for her Dad's Valentine's Day gift. Wow.

I was trying not to bother her while she was working, but really enjoyed just watching her work. She had ssuch concentration as she pipes the icing on the cake. She was decorating this cake for a Army Reserve unit that was returning from deployment.

We had to leave before she completed the cakes, I'll have to check back with her Dad to see pictures of the completed masterpieces.

Blueberry Swirl

2009-04-08T10:10:00.002-04:00

My sweet friend Carla who is one of my biggest fans and gives the best hugs, commissioned me to make the yummy Blueberry Swirl necklace set for her. This is a gorgeous necklace set, of blue swirl lampwork beads, Czech pearls, Freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver components.

This is the third set that I've made using this combination of beads, each set is a little different from the others but all are simply elegant.

click picture of enlarge

The necklace set was a hit with Carla, here is what she said, I'm trying hard not to gush with joy!

Boy are they YUMMMMYYYY!

I love them. The colors are extraordinary! Not only are they beautiful, but they are FUN!!

Thank you so much my friend. I can't wait to wear them this Sunday ;-)

What An Opportunity!

2009-04-01T11:15:00.015-04:00

Don't you love seeing and hearing about kids doing the right thing? I certainly do! When my friend Tina sent me her annual "what's been going on with us" letter, she told how excited daughter Catherine (age 13) was being accepted into a leadership program with People to People where she will represent our country in a three week trip to China this summer. Here is the the letter from Catherine telling all about her big news!

Hello it’s Catherine,

I have some exciting news! I have an opportunity to go to China and I’m looking forward to your support. The organization hosting my trip to China is People to People - which represents the culmination of President Eisenhower’s lifelong crusade for world peace. He felt very strongly that everyday citizens of the world wanted peace and could attain it much more effectively without government interference. In January of 1956, President Eisenhower held an international conference at the White House to meet with the top 100 business leaders in the United States to help him form the organization to be called People to People (for additional information please see www.studentambassadors.org).

I have been recommended by my teachers to attend this trip due to academic status and leadership skills. I will visit China from July 24 – August 9 of 2009; while there I will go to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Xian. The total cost of my trip to China is $6,739.00 which is due in May of 2009; therefore whatever support you provide should be received by May 1, 2009 at RR 2 Box 2676, Cresco, PA 18326 (please make all payments payable to Catherine R. A. Fornwald).

This trip will allow me to:

* Develop the global mindset and critical thinking skills that will become valuable to my college and future pursuits.
* Make social studies personal by comparing cultures and traditions with a host family in Shanghai.
* Go beyond the history textbook, seeing firsthand the Terracotta Warriors of Xian, the Great Wall, and other ancient works of art.
* Gain an appreciation of Chinese politics and ask questions of a government expert in Beijing.

In preparation for my visit to China I attend monthly meetings with twenty other Student Ambassadors and our two local People to People Leaders. To communicate while in China I have been learning Chinese and I have completed the People to People Student Ambassadors Certifications in the following subjects:

China Food and Customs
China Geography
China History and Government
China Religion and Art
China Daily Life
Your Home Stay
Hotel Procedure Safety & Behavior
Standards for Success
Staying Healthy
Money Matters
Making the Most of It!

Also please send me your e-mail address so I can keep you posted as I prepare for my journey and share my report & photos upon my return. Between you and me my parents (Mark & Tina) are so proud of me, but I think my brother (Alexander) is just glad I will be gone for 17 days!

Thank you in advance for your support,

Catherine R.A Fornwald
People to People Student Ambassador
My e-mail is craf@ptd.net

New Necklace Sets

2009-03-28T11:30:00.003-04:00

Here are two necklace sets that I made while on vacation, let me know what you think - I think both are yummy!

Coffee & Cream
Beautiful brown swirl lampwork square beads, Czech round glass beads in two colors, mocca Swarovski bicone crystals, sterling silver components and a silver plated clip-on ear wire.

(click picture to enlarge)

Calming Aqua
Materials used in this set are aqua faceted rectangle quartz, aqua quartz faceted round beads in soft shades of aqua, blue, green and lavender, clear Swarovski round crystals, clear seed beads, sterling silver components, and silver plated clip-on ear wire.

I have to say that I really like layout and beads for this necklace, the colors are very soft, you just feel more relax just looking at it!

(click picture to enlarge)

Skating Day

2009-03-27T20:57:00.045-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some of our pictures from the trip to Florida - it has been a hectic week and boy I'm so thankful that today is Friday!

We enjoyed a day at Rocket Lanes in Panama City Beach - my gang really like this place because they have arcade games, bowling, skating and billiards all in one place.

The first thing the kids wanted to do was roller skate, despite the fact that they are not very good at it! It took them a L-O-N-G time to make it around the rink, they held onto the wall and the benches the entire time. Eric had to don skates and help them out.

Look closely at the picture below, can you tell me why they left a ladder on the skating floor when they have skaters? Unbelievable. The kids had to go around the ladder, which was not easy for them. Once Eric put on his skates, he moved the ladder off the floor.

The picture of Eric and Nicole "couple" skating was priceless, but it turned out all blurry, here he is trying to coax her off the rails.

Gene wanted to go fast, while holding on to the rails!

Eric is a excellent skater, me... well I can skate but not as smooth as Eric, and I can't skate backwards - never could, even as a kid. Eric tried to "Shoot the Duck", but discovered that move was no longer in his repertoire! But he still looks good skating!

After the kids got tired of skating, they headed straight to the arcade room, while Eric and I opted for bowling. Here is where everyone really enjoyed themselves! I couldn't manage to bowl one game above 99 but I still had a good time!

We're Back

2009-03-24T19:00:00.018-04:00

Last week we were in beautiful Panama City, Florida vising my Mother - had a good time, stuffed our faces, enjoyed seeing family and friends and got in some fun activities. Hopefully, I will get around to posting the pictures this week.

Take a look at what I saw this morning when I opened my blinds. This little girl stayed around grazing for a long time, and didn't seem to mind my taking her picture. She looks very different from the deer that usually come around, but still a cutie.

Here are a few of the many, many pictures that I took, I had to try several different modes on the camera in order to get a somewhat clear picture, I'm so thankful for digital cameras! Enjoy!

Week 19

2009-03-10T16:50:00.007-04:00

We are in the last week of Tapestry of Grace, Year 2, Unit 2, which means we are at the half way mark of our school year. Yippee! I still have not managed to pull off a unit celebration like Tapestry suggests, but we will be off next week - so the kids and I are happy about that.

Our achievement test arrived in the mail last week and we will be doing those soon. My plan is to do the test the last week of March. The kids don't care when we do them, they see it as a easy week of school, because we test for a couple of hours and they have the rest of the day off.

Nicole and I have a girls night out this evening. We signed up a Mother & Daughter Book Club at the library, and tonight is our first meeting, our invitation says that we will get to tour the newly renovated library, enjoy some sweet treats, and of course get our book.

We were suppose to meet last week, but because of the ice/snow and the parking lot of the library not being cleared, the coordinator called to let me know know the meeting was canceled. I will try to remember to take my camera to snap a couple of pictures, we're so excited!

Missing My Hour of Sleep!

2009-03-08T18:14:00.025-04:00

Did you remember to change your clocks last night? We did, and boy was hard getting up this morning!

I'm so proud of myself, I did manage to drag myself from my bed this morning, fix a cup of English Breakfast tea and start preparing our Sunday meal of broiled pork chops, green beans, and rice. All that before going to church! WHEW!

Here are some of my feathered friends that I took last week, all the snow is gone and we are wearing t-shirts this weekend!

I think the Cardinals are one of my favorites, maybe because they are our state bird, but they are fun to watch and listen to. Doesn't Mr. Cardinal look dapper, what a nice contract with the snow.

Today, Eric took down the almost dead tree on the side of the house, the top of the tree came down last. Gene, Nicole and two neighbor kids helped to cart the smaller debris off to the woods in the back yard - without being asked!

Black Histry Field Trip

2009-03-04T11:36:00.041-05:00

February was Black History Month, and to celebrate we took a field trip to The Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, in Richmond. This was an extra special field trip because it was planned and organized by my dear hubby. And he took off work and drove us! Here are some pictures of our outing.

The front of the museum...

One of the first things I noticed when walking into the museum was this quilt. It was donated by the Sisters of the Yam Quilters Guild and was to be raffled off. I could see this breath taking quilt hanging in my living room, too bad I didn't win.

We walked in the museum just behind another home school family and was able to take the guided tour together. Here is our tour guide talking to the group. The museum features history from the Jackson Ward community of Richmond, which was a "city within a city".

They have a portion of the Woolworth's counter where black students staged a sit-in until they were served.

The sewing machine and iron displayed reminded me of my Grandmother's.

Here is Nicole paying attention to the tour guide...

This was painted by someone who had traced his family history.

Gene reading about Rev. John Jasper and the churches in Jackson Ward...

There was a quilt that represents the slaves on board a slave ship, you will have to click on the picture to get a closer look.

We forgot to ask what these hanging things are, I think it is tobacco, but not sure. I did like the little log cabin. That would be a nice project for Gene and Nicole to make one.

This was cool, the wall hanging was made out of wood.

They have the shoe shine kit and a tuxedo of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, I took a picture of the display, but it didn't come out well.

The gift shop had beautiful handmade beaded jewelry, the kids saw them and called me over. I saw a purse I wanted, but it was way to small for me - I need a bucket kind of purse.

After we left the museum we headed to The Croaker's Spot restaurant for lunch. The wait was LONG, but the food was good, we were all ready for a nice long nap after lunch!

Cakes Galore

2009-03-03T11:35:00.020-05:00

I wanted to share some pictures of a couple of cakes that our God-daughter Alexis (age 14) made. She is selling some of her cakes, but some are make and eat for the family. She is also preparing dinner for the family. Oh how I wished we lived closer (smile)!

Here is a Dora the Explorer cake...

A wedding cake...

Cheeseburger cake, the bun is cake and the rest is fondant icing...

Way to go Lex! I love them all. Yummy! Wouldn't you like to take a big ole bite from the cheeseburger cake?

Happy Beader!

2009-03-03T10:08:00.002-05:00

Here is a necklace and earring set that I made for my mother. It is a belated birthday gift of sorts, I bought her a dress suit for her birthday, and this is Part II of the gift. I didn't make her a bracelet because she made one while she was here that will go with this set.

The necklace is made with Picture Jasper in round and oval shapes, black glass cubes, Swarovski crystals in Mocca, Bali sterling silver flat beads and the focal beads are lampwork glass square black with brown swirl dots.

The earrings has the focal glass lampwork beads, Mocca crystals and Bali flat beads all wire wrapped on a silver plated dome shaped clip on.

click picture to enlarge

This is bold and beautiful! I have drooled over these Amazonite beads for awhile and finally bought some. I love the color variation in each one, really stunning. I wire wrapped these gemstone with Swarovski crystals. These were for me!

click picture to enlarge

Here are some earrings that I made as presents for two friends, and I think these are my new favorite earrings, love the graphic crystal.

The first pair is made with 12mm Swarovski Jet graphic beads and Bali sterling silver flat beads I used the dome silver plated clip on.

The second pair is made with 12mm Swarovski Golden Shadow graphic beads, Bali sterling silver flat beads, sterling silver round bead and the dome silver plated clip on.

Both pair are neutrals and can be worn with everything, I hope the ladies will love and enjoy wearing them.

click picture to enlarge

Eric dropped me off at the bead store Saturday, while he and the kids went to Lowe's and I picked up some yummy beads that I can hardly wait to make something with.

I also found out that my dear hubby doesn't like the beads with dots. Of course I love dots and swirls! Check out my finds from the bead store, the lampwork beads were on sale and they had so many to choose from - all calling my name, the green strand is Olive Jade and the blue strand is Blue/gold glass, but it looks like silver specks inside the glass beads - Eric loved this stand of beads, he said the jade was okay!

click picture to enlarge

March in Like a Lion!

2009-03-02T21:05:00.004-05:00

March started with a loud roar in our neck of the woods, we have had a winter storm with rain, ice and SNOW!

We had a tree on the side of the house loose its top, it was by God's grace that the falling limbs missed the side of the house by a few inches. Eric had no more said "I hope we don't have any trees fall and hit the -" That was a far as he got when we heard the thud of the fallen limb. Here is a picture of the topless tree I took this morning.

Here is the part that fell...

The kids didn't want to go outside to play in the snow (crazy huh!), so I only have pictures of the birds. Here is a female Cardinal, she was very aggressive with the other birds about getting her share of the seed.

Did I mention it was also windy!

We had some bird seed down in the basement, so I had Eric open the back door and pour out a couple of cups of seed for the birds.

Waiting patiently for their turn to eat...

Blueberry Swirl II

2009-02-27T11:05:00.004-05:00

If you have been reading my blog for awhile this should look familiar to you, I made something very similar for my mother when she came up for Thanksgiving.

Ma showed her Blueberry Swirl set to a friend and the lady wanted me to make the entire set for her! You know that I was grinning from ear to ear when Ma told me this!

click picture to enlarge

It is slightly different from Ma's Blueberry Swirl set, but just as yummy!

Tables for Jane

2009-02-26T10:23:00.016-05:00

Eric's mother asked him to make her a coffee table and two end tables for her Christmas and birthday presents. He finished and delivered the coffee table before Christmas and delivered the end tables this past weekend.

We forgot to take pictures of the coffee table after it was all finished but here is a picture of it in the staining process. He also bought two wicker baskets to go beneath for storage.

Here is a picture of one of the end tables

Here is what it looks like with the basket.

My handy man! Did he do a good job or what! He wants to redo the end tables he made of us, but I like them as is. He is really enjoying working with wood and his power tools. I think he really needs to add on to his shed and build a proper workshop, maybe that will be his project after the basement is finished and the deck! Speaking of the basement, he has finished hanging the sheet rock, the next step is to tape and mud.

Everyday Sparkle

2009-02-26T09:48:00.018-05:00

I normally do not like to post pictures of jewelry I made for someone until after they receive them, but here are the earrings I made for the give-away I offered earlier this month. The winner was CAB, who hasn't sent me her mailing address. So hopefully, she will read this post and e-mail me her address!

The earring are make with Swarovski crystals in clear cubes and clear faceted round crystals, along with Bali sterling silver flat spacers, 2mm round sterling silver round beads, all wire wrapped using 22 gauge sterling silver wire and a French ear wire.

These are so lovely - boy do they sparkle! They can worn with everything from your favorite comfy blue jeans to a evening dress.

I Can See Clearly Now

2009-02-20T18:47:00.004-05:00

Click picture to enlarge

Is this a beautiful lanyard or what!

Robin called and said that her clear lanyard broke, and she saw one of my lanyards and wanted me to make one for her. YEAH!!

Not that her lanyard broke, but that she wanted me to make something beautiful for her!!

The lanyard is made with a lovely mix of glass and seed beads, the focal bead is a beautiful blown glass cone shaped bead.

Enjoy Robin!

Woody!

2009-02-18T17:46:00.004-05:00

We have a winner!

2009-02-06T20:26:00.025-05:00

A big thank you to everyone who participated in my very first giveaway. I really appreciate you taking the time to post a comment for me. I'm so excited to announce that we have a winner...

CAB, who is a faithful reader and has posted many comments that are always such an encouragement to me.

Congratulations CAB!!

Discipleship Class

2009-02-06T10:17:00.005-05:00

Eric and I are participating in a Discipleship class at our church. The class started in October and is a 18-month long course, with a separate class for the men and women. I'm not sure how many resources we will use, but we completed our first book "Lessons on Assurance" before Christmas, and are now on our second book entitles "Growing Strong in God's Family". Right now we have five Bible verses to commit to memory, they are:

Assurance of Salvation: 1 John 5:11-12

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12 (NIV)

Assurance of Salvation: John 16:24

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:24 (NIV)

Assurance of Victory: 1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

Assurance of Forgiveness: 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

Assurance of Guidance: Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

When we first started the course, I was having a hard time with the verses, I kept mixing in the King James version in when I was saying the verse in the New International Version. I think the hardest part for me getting the references, but finally the light came on and I've got it. We had a Sword Drill at the church of all the Scriptures - the men against the women and I'm delighted to say that the women won the contest!!

As I was doing my lesson this morning, the book had a powerful statement:

Christ is present in all Christians;

Christ is prominent in some Christians;

But in only a few Christians is Christ preeminent.

Something to ponder...

Princess Practicing

2009-02-05T14:04:00.004-05:00

Here is Princess Nicole striking a pose with her viola. I was too lazy to actually walk downstairs to snap some pictures while she was doing her daily practice, so she just played a little for me upstairs. Doesn't she look so cute!

No pictures of Gene, because instead of practicing he was downstairs listening to the radio. Unbelievable. Lord, give me strength.

More Snow

2009-02-05T09:08:00.002-05:00

When I got up Tuesday morning it was snowing! How pretty. It snowed for a good little while, with big fat fluffy flakes but the snow was over before we headed out to the kids music class and by the time we got to Fredericksburg there was no evidence that it had snowed there.

We had a few visitors to come by for a little snack, and I do mean little snack because we running low on bird seed.

Monday the children went to the dentist for their six month check-up, they both had a good report, the dentist did encourage them to floss twice a day. Nicole said the hygienist told her that she had excellent oral hygiene. That was music to my ears since her last check-up reveled she was only brushing her front teeth. Got to keep the pearly whites, white and healthy!

There was a little boy at the dentist office who was a riot. After he finished his check-up he joyfully proclaimed to EVERYONE in the office that "I'M DONE!", "Now I can go to Old McDonald's!" LOL! I do believe this was his first trip to the dentist, he was very talkative, but was a sweetheart and just made my day! I think his mother was about ready for nap time!!

Wednesday it was my turn to be in the dentist chair, I to had a excellent report - no cavities, super job on flossing and brushing - love my SonicCare toothbrush. The ladies at my dentist office are so sweet, they always comment on how well behaved my children are. They don't know that I always remind Gene and Nicole to "act like you've got some sense" when we go anywhere and they normally do.

Terrific Teal!

2009-02-04T14:30:00.001-05:00

click picture to enlarge

Check out the necklace set that I made for my friend, Mrs. Jones. This beautiful 20.5" necklace features a black, white and teal pendant, Swarovski Indicolite (teal) bicone crystals, Swarovski Cream Pearls, Black Onyx (dyed) ovals, sterling silver corrugated saucer beads, Bali sterling silver flat beads, sterling silver round beads and a sterling silver clasp.

The earrings are made with Swarovoski Indicolite teardrop crystals, sterling silver corrugated saucer beads, Swarovski Cream Pearls on a sterling silver French Wire. The earrings turned out better than I hoped, I love the shape of the teardrop crystals with the pearls, very feminine.

A Star Is Born!

2009-02-03T17:00:00.014-05:00

Eric called me today to let me know that our friend Chris' dog Stormy is a celebrity. Stormy has the cover of a bag of Southern States dog food, click on the link to check him out. Mr. Stormy is a therapy dog, with a vest full of credentials, and is as cute as can be. Way to go Stormy! I just want to know when I can get your your pawtograph?

Fireproof

2009-02-03T15:30:00.018-05:00

Friday our church had a couple's movie night and showed the movie Fireproof. What a great movie, with a excellent message! Here is what the official Fireproof web site says about the movie:

The latest theatrical blockbuster from the creators of Facing the Giants, Fireproof is an action-packed love story about a firefighter, his wife, and a marriage worth rescuing! At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron) lives by the old firefighter's adage: "Never leave your partner behind". At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules. His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt has to face his toughest job ever, rescuing his wife's heart. Rated PG.

On Saturday morning the church had a Fireproof workshop facilitated by our Pastor and his wife, we had a great time, I really enjoyed the discussion part. Eric and I will be doing the The Love Dare. The Love Dare is a 40-day guided devotional that will lead your heart back to truly loving your spouse while learning more about the design, nature, and source of true love.

If you have not seen the movie or read the book, I would highly recommend it. Looking forward to starting some fires with my hubby!

Giveaway

Don't forget that I'm having a giveaway on my blog, all you have to do is leave a comment and your name will be entered in the drawing. The prize will be a pair of earrings handcrafted by me. The drawing will be Friday, I'm so excited!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-02-01T16:34:00.043-05:00

Today is my birthday!

It is amazing how fast birthdays seem to roll around, when I was a kid they seemed to take forever!

After church we headed to my favorite restaurant Famous Dave's for my birthday lunch. While the waitress was showing us to our table we saw our former Pastor and his family having lunch. What a great treat to see old friend on your birthday. We've not seen Pastor Tom and Jackie in over a year, so it was great to see them again and also see their brand new granddaughter; we miss everyone over at GRCOG.

I've opted not to have a birthday cake this year, but I did get a slab, I mean a slice of pecan pie to go, so I will enjoy that yummy treat later on tonight!

Big news...

I'm having a give-a-way in honor of my birthday. The prize is a pair of earrings created by little ole me. All you have to do is leave a comment. The drawing will be Friday, so if you have never left a comment before, now would be a great time to start. Come on and show me some love!

I'm off for now to get ready to watch the Super Bowl!

Don't forget to leave me a comment! Be blessed.

Crock pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken

2009-01-29T12:58:00.001-05:00

Have you discovered the blog A Year of Crockpotting? I found it by visiting one of the blogs on the Tapestry of Grace blog roll (I can't remember which one right now). I'm always looking for a good chicken recipe, and found one for Crock pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken on the site and thought I would give it a try.

I did tweak the ingredients a bit - adding more cayenne pepper, thyme, black pepper and chili powder (I recipe calls for chili peppers I used powder), also I used a oven stuffer roaster. I had never used a whole chicken in the crock pot before, but this will be one recipe that I will make again and again. Very tasty, my crew really enjoyed it, I served roasted potatoes and green beans to go with our meal.

You can do all the prep work the night before by cleaning the chicken, and peeling the garlic and onion and measuring and putting all the dry ingredients in a glass container. The next day you would only need to do the rub process, stuff with the onion and garlic, turn on the crock pot and go do your thing. Give it a try and let me know how you enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to checking out more on the blog and spicing up my cooking skills.

Here is my version of the recipe:

Crock Pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken

1 whole chicken (I used a oven stuffer roaster)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder (I used Hot-Mexican Style)

4 whole garlic cloves
1 yellow onion, quartered

Directions:
In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out.

Put the 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.

Tuck the wings behind, put the chicken breast-side down into the crock pot.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8 hours. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.

It Snowed!

2009-01-28T09:52:00.029-05:00

Yesterday we had our first snow! I was beginning to think that we would not get any snow this winter but finally it came and talk about beautiful! Of course we didn't get just snow, had to have that nasty ice in the mix, so many accidents occurred yesterday.

The kids didn't go out and play in the snow yesterday, they were not feeling well. We all have been sick. I took the children to the doctor Monday because they have this dry cough that would not go away. The doctor said all sound and looks well, just a dry cough and recommended some over-the-counter cough syrup, and told me to also try giving them honey to coat the throat. Hopefully this thing will run its course and my home will be a healthy once again.

We are back in the groove of school after our wonderful three week break for Christmas and New Year. Our first week back we started our Tapestry of Grace, Unit 2, and thankfully we have had a pretty light schedule for the first three weeks.

Gene is two weeks away from completing his Teaching Textbooks Math 7, once he is finished with that he will start Pre-Algebra. I tell you I love, love, love this curriculum! It has turned my struggling in math child who would take for EVER to complete his math assignments, and barely made a C, to one who enjoys and is confident in math and is now a A/B student. Now, he did have a couple of weeks were his grades dropped dramatically, I think he was down in the basement playing instead of working but thankfully he has come to himself and is back making excellent grades in math!

The kids have started taking a Beginning Stings class, and are learning how to play the viola. We had major drama getting an instrument, they both wanted to play guitar, but the music stores do not rent guitars, and Eric and I didn't want to invest that much money on two guitars not sure if they would want to continue with the lessons and practice. The second choice was the violin, but we couldn't find their size to rent, so our third option was the viola and the third try was a winner. If you are not familiar with a viola it looks like a violin, only larger, I will post pictures later.

They are enjoying the music class, and are really into the learning process, and remember what the instructor tells them, which is always a good thing, and practice about 30 minutes each day.

As you can see from the pictures, we have many bird come to our feeders yesterday. We normally have five doves visit, but yesterday I counted 11 all gathered under the feeders! I just saw a beautiful male cardinal, he was so lovely with his bright feathers against the white snow - I missed the shot because my camera batteries are charging up (argh!).

I'm off to get a cup of tea, hope you enjoy the pictures of our feathered friends. I do get a kick out of watching them! Be blessed.

Stylish Time Pieces

2009-01-20T10:00:00.012-05:00

I truly love the classic combination of black and pearl, and so does my friend Tracy who commissioned me to make a black and pearl watch for her mother as a Christmas present.

The material used in the watch are large Czech faceted beads, Swarovoski cream pearls, black faceted beads, Bali silver flat and rondelles beads, and a sterling silver lobster claw.

click picture to enlarge

After Tracy ordered a watch for her mother she hinted to her husband that she hoped Santa would bring her a watch just like it for Christmas. Being the great hubby that he is, David contacted me and ordered one for her! Here is the watch for Tracy, just slightly different, from her mother's, both are lovely.

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The material used in the watch are large Czech faceted beads, Swarovoski cream pearls, black faceted beads, seed beads, Bali silver flat and rondelles beads, sterling silver lobster claw.

90th Birthday Bash

2009-01-09T11:30:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday we had the pleasure of attending Eric's Great Aunt Mary Jane's surprise 90th birthday party!

Mary Jane is very spry and looks great. Her children showered her with pink and white roses - a couple of the grands were in tears. The food was delicious, the fellowship wonderful, we even saw someone who we attended church with years ago, that was an unexpected treat.

My mother-in-law Jane who is Mary Jane's oldest niece, got up and shared words of love for Mary Jane. Jane is not one to get up in front of others to speak, so this was huge for her, and not only did she do an excellent job, her words were elegant.

Here are a few pictures for the birthday party...

Happy birthday Mary Jane!

Lovely Aqua and Blue

2009-01-08T09:27:00.003-05:00

Here is my Christmas day project, this 18" necklace features faceted aqua quartz gemstones, Czech glass beads, berry colored freshwater pearls, Bali silver flat beads and sterling silver round beads and a sterling silver clasp.

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I bought a necklace display to aid in taking better pictures of the jewelry, but the one I choose gives off a nasty glare, I bet I took about 50 shots and this is the better one. I'm sure if I was more camera savvy this would not be a problem, but since I'm not - I will improvise!

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Here is another look of the necklace on a different background...

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And the matching earrings, dangling from a Christmas bow...

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I made the next necklace set for Eric's great aunt for her birthday present. The necklace is made with sodalite gemstones in ovals and round, Czech glass beads, Swarovski white pearls, and a sterling silver clasp.

Did you notice my little improvisation with the necklace display, I used one of Nicole's shirts - no glare!

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The matching earrings with the oval gemstone, sterling silver round beads all wire wrapped on a silver plated clip-on earring wire...

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Fruit of the Spirit Bracelet

2009-01-07T11:20:00.009-05:00

Nicole ordered this beautiful Fruit of the Spirit bracelet for her mother. The bracelet stars nine 6mm cube Swarovski crystals, sterling silver round beads, Bali silver flat beads and a sterling silver heart toggle clasp.

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Here is what each color of the bracelet represents:

Love - Red

Joy - Purple

Peace - Blue

Patience - Pink

Kindness - White

Goodness - Light Pink

Faithfulness - Dark Green

Gentleness - Light Green

Self-control - Yellow

Thank you Nicole, I'm sure your mother will love her new bracelet!

I Won!

2009-01-07T08:54:00.016-05:00

Happy New Year!

Rejoice with me, I won the BeadL*Jewlz Bead Challenge! And yes, I'm still grinning from ear to ear!!!

My bracelet was paw selected by Boscoe the cat! I already received a 20% coupon for entering the contest and the grand prize is a $25 gift certificate. Oh my - free money to buy more beads, this is a dream come true! I'm making a list of beads I've had my eye on for my shopping spree!

Here is another look at the bracelet I designed....

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Blessings from the Lord!

Cute Key Chain

2008-12-30T09:02:00.001-05:00

I needed a new key chain and had the bright idea to make my own, this beading thing really is handy! I looked through my stash of beads and nothing jumped out at me, so I headed to the bead store hoping something would call out to me. I was drawn to this kind of funky lampwork rectangle bead that has a thumb indentation and a nice swirl of grey, brown and tan.

The materials used for my cute key chain are a sterling silver heart charm, Swarovoski mocca bicone crystals (that are being swallowed up by the large hole in the rondelle beads, you can just see them peeking out at the top and bottom), sterling silver saucer and round beads, lampwork flower rondelle and rectangle beads, the whole thing is wire wrapped using 22 gauge sterling silver wire.

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You like? I think it turned out very nice! Just as cute as can be.

A Gift of Love

2008-12-29T15:40:00.010-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Gift of Love

Christmas is a gift of love

That can't be bought or sold,

It's ours, just for the asking

And it's worth far more than gold;

And this priceless gift of Christmas

is within the reach of all,

The rich, the poor, the young and old,

The greatest and the small;

So take God's Christmas gift of love,

Reach out and you receive,

And the only payment that God asks

Is just that you believe.

-Helen Steiner Rice

I pray that you are enjoying celebrating the birthday of Jesus and looking forward 2009! We are having several lazy days and enjoying being off work and school, I did manage to sneak in two days at the gym last week and even worked out this morning.

Our Christmas day was nice, I opted out of preparing the traditional Christmas dinner and had broiled steaks, steamed shrimp, roasted potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, and spicy green beans. We had the pleasure of having niece Lindsay with us this Christmas.

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John 1:14.

Glamorous on a Chain!

2008-12-22T15:02:00.024-05:00

My mother-in-law needed a pair of black and red earrings, so I made these little dangles for her using silver-plated clip-on ear wire, black Czech glass faceted round beads, Siam Swarovski faceted round crystal, sterling silver flat and round beads all wrapped with 22 gauge sterling silver wire. They were a big hit with her.

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This next piece was a lot of fun to make and I am really pleased at how it turned out, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. I love interchangeable jewelry, and wanted to do something using a sterling silver chain that had interchangeable pendants. Here is my latest creation...

The first interchangeable pendant features a large Swarovski copper crystal, with three dangles that have beads in brown, copper and cream, various shaped sterling beads and lobster claw clasp.

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The second one has a large red and black ceramic hand painted bead as the center piece with three dangles that include black and garnet beads, various shaped sterling silver beads and lobster claw clasp. Even the back of the necklace has a bit of sparkle, I wire wrapped a Swarovski faceted round crystal to enclose the end of the chain to sterling silver lobster claw clasp and eye.

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I've worn the necklace with the crystal pendant two or three times, and received many compliments on it, I got a "WOW" from Eric the first time he saw it! Glamorous on a chain.

Chocolate Beauty

2008-12-21T17:50:00.023-05:00

My mom wanted to learn how to bead, so I told her that a bracelet would be a great first time project, our first step would be to pick out a color to work with and that was easy because she bought a new suit while she was here and wanted something to go with the suit, so brown was the color choice.

The next step would be the "hardest" - coming up with a design. So armed with all the brown beads that I had on hand she played around with the beads until she came up with a looked she liked. Ma went with a random monochromatic pattern of glass beads in various sizes, shapes, and to give it a little more sparkle she picked beautiful mocca Swarovski crystals along with a sterling silver toggle clasp. Take a look at her beautiful chocolate bracelet...

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Another happy beader!

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Red Hot!

2008-12-11T15:30:00.015-05:00

This is a scrumptious Siam bracelet and earring set with Swarovski cube and bicone crystals, Bali double square and flat beads, Sterling silver beads, tube, ear wire and clasp. You have to see this one in person to appreciate the beauty. Feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge.

This set would be perfect for your:

birthstone
the birthstone of your children
your favorite color

Embroidery Lesson

2008-12-11T11:41:00.028-05:00

While my mother was visiting with us for Thanksgiving, she taught the kids how to embroidery. We went to one of the craft stores and purchased a kit with the design stamped on the pillowcases, ours is called Passion Flowers. The kit included two pillowcases and instructions, I purchased the floss separately, only to return home to find my stash of floss in my cross-stitch bag. We choose to get only one kit, just in case they didn't really want to do the craft.

I was a little surprised that both kids were excited about learning how to embroidery, we thought it would take them at least a couple of day, perhaps even weeks to complete the project, but no - they would have finished in one afternoon only I made them pack it up so that we could have dinner! Here are a few pictures of Gene and Nicole's first embroidery class, taught by their Grandma Agnes:

Knot tying was the only tricky part for both. Ma taught them to tie a knot every few stitches, so that in case a section was accidentally cut the whole piece would not unravel. Good tip!

The kids did an excellent job. They wanted to do more, so we went back to the craft store the next day to purchase another set of pillowcases.

Holiday Bead Challenge

2008-12-05T11:11:00.001-05:00

BeadL Jewlz, one of the bead stores in Fredericksburg had a Holiday Bead Challenge. They wanted to see how many different styles of bracelets can be designed using the same beads. You could not duplicate the two samples the store provided for inspiration, and you had to use all the green fire polished beads, and some of the red seed beads and bugle beads. We were free to add our own sterling silver, gold filled or copper beads, and a clasp.

The deadline was November 29, and I have had my beads for awhile but only started my bracelet Thanksgiving day, just days before the deadline! My first design was a double stand and was all finished except for crimping the last crimp bead, and while doing that I cracked the tiny seed bead and couldn't salvage the bracelet. Then I had another design pop into my head, use copper wire to make dangles - Eric said they looked like resisters so I didn't make anymore. Then finally I just went with my favorite mode - plain and simple, and here is what I came up with....

Friday, Eric dropped on my bracelet off at the store and Monday my mom, the kids and I went to the store to check out all the designs. They only had four bracelets submitted. The two bracelets on the left (top and bottom) are what the bead store designs. They all are beautiful...

Here is Boscoe, the bead store "manager", he is a full-figured kitty that is SO lovable so I had to add him.

I really enjoyed the Bead Challenge and I'm looking forward to the next one, they are thinking about Valentine's Day. Next time, I will not wait until the eleventh hour to make my project!

Blueberry Swirl

2008-12-04T15:00:00.003-05:00

My mother was able to come up to spend Thanksgiving with us again this year! She will be 83 in February - hard to believe because she looks much younger.

I wanted to do something special for her, so I made her a jewelry set to go with a outfit she would wear to church while here. The set features 6mm Czech Pearls in Royal Blue, 4mm Freshwater Pearls in Peacock, 6mm round Montana Blue crystals, large Glass Beads in a puffed square and a puffed heart, Sterling silver round and flat beads and Sterling silver clasp.

Here is the 7" bracelet, I really like the oval Sterling silver clasp, it would have been nice to have a square shaped toggle, but didn't have one.

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The crystals really sparkle in this 20" necklace.

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Here are the earrings that mom designed using Silver plated pierced look clip ear wire. The bead store didn't have any Sterling silver clip-ons, they came four in a pack so I have enough to make my mother-in-law a pair earrings as well.

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I forgot to take Mom's picture Sunday while she was wearing everything - aah. Trust me, she looked great! While I has happily beading, mom was teaching Gene and Nicole how to embroidery, I will share those picture later.

Home Baked and Yummy!

2008-12-04T09:37:00.025-05:00

I got a new recipe from a friend and wanted to try them out for Thanksgiving for my family, I was just about to start getting out all the ingredients when Nicole asked if she could help. This is a FIRST, so I told her "Sure, go wash you hands!".

I wanted to double the recipe, but if Nicole had known in advance that math, and more specific FRACTIONS would be involved, I don't think she would have volunteered. This was a great lesson! For some reason I don't think my kids realize that math is math - whether a lesson for school or life.

I could only find my Pampered Chef muffin stone (I've still not unpacked everything from when we moved!) Eric and Gene went to the store to buy us another tin, and arrived just in time for the last filling. Here is Nicole eating the leftover sweet potato...

Look how pretty! Of course everyone had to try one or two after they cooled!

I got the recipe from my friend, Devildogwife , they are easy and extremely good, they were a huge hit at our house. Here is the recipe in case you would like to try it, be sure to let me know if you make them!

Sweet Potato Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cup flour

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 Cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 Cup vegetable oil (or preferred oil)

2 Tbsp evaporated milk

1 Cup mashed yams

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in sugar, eggs, oil, and milk. Stir in mashed yams. Grease muffin tins and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes. Cool in pan.

Note: These freeze well, so go ahead and make a double or triple batch.

Enjoy!

Glamorous Garnet Earrings

2008-11-25T10:15:00.003-05:00

I had another opportunity to make a pair of earrings for my friend Natalie (yeah!). She saw my blue ones and said she wanted a pair just like them, only in red. Here they are, and very glamorous I think - red always seems to give me a little more pep in my step when I wear it!

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The materials used for these glamorous earrings are Garnet 12mm faceted round Czech glass beads, 5mm sterling silver corrugated round beads, Bali flat spacer, 22 gauge sterling silver headpin and sterling silver lever back ear wire.

Happy Birthday Jimmy Lee!

2008-11-24T11:20:00.013-05:00

Yesterday was my father-in-laws 75th birthday! We went down to spend the day with him and my mother-in-law, along with niece Lindsay. He wouldn't smile for me on the first picture, but when I told him to say "Apple Pie" he quickly corrected me and said "Lemon Meringue Pie!" and couldn't quite contain a smile at the mention of his birthday pie!

Happy birthday Jimmy Lee, we love you!