Happy New Year's!

That's it, that's all I've got. :)

Cute of the Day

Our little princesses, looking all obedient and innocent. It only took 17 shots to get a decent one!

The 99 Things Meme

Julie at Art of the Firebird posted the 99 Things Meme. I love these sorts of things.

The 99 Things Meme

There’s a meme going around the blogosphere where you go through a list of 99 things, indicating the ones you’ve done, the ones you haven’t done and never ever want to do, and the ones you haven’t done but would like to do. Here’s my take on the list, with:

Things I’ve done in bold. (I've made them bigger, too. The bold doesn't show up very well.)
Things I haven’t done but would like to do in italics.
Things I haven’t done and never, ever want to do in plain text.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band — or musical.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain. (Skied down a couple, though.)
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. (Rather disastrously, but it was blessedly brief).
11. Bungee jumped .
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitchhiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden a Gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49.Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. (www.one-earedpig.com)
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

If money is tight this holiday season,

consider putting your pet to work. :)

Quote of the Day

Fall in love or in hate. Get inspired or be depressed. Ace a test or flunk a class. Make babies or make art. Speak the truth or lie and cheat. Dance on tables or sit in the corner. Life is divine chaos. Embrace it. Forgive yourself. Breathe. And enjoy the ride...

-- Solbeam

Art Fire

I just opened a shop at Art Fire. Hopefully, I will get my shop up and running soon!

Land of the Lost

As a result of yesterday's post, I now have the Land of the Lost tag line stuck in my head.

Back To The Land of The Clear-Headed

Hola! I'm back yet again, and hopefully I'll be around to tend to my sad little blog. I've had gall bladder problems recently, and had it laparoscopically removed the day before Thanksgiving. The surgery itself went well, but 24 hours later I ended up in the ER with what turned out to be a bile leak. They fixed that right up with a stent, and I was able to come home last Sunday. I've spent the last week sleeping. And sleeping. And sleeping. I am starting to feel more like myself.

What does your Birthdate Mean?

- March 19 -
You are kind hearted and very friendly. You love attention, and you are always daydreaming in your own world. People gravitate towards you.
Positive Traits: leadership, self-confidence, charisma, vitality, enthusiasm
Negative Traits: arrogance, selfishness, overconfidence, flippancy, rebellious
'What does your Birthdate mean?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Julia at Art of the Firebird posted a link the 'What does your Birthdate Mean?' Normally, this sort of thing just makes me chuckle. But this one, holy cow. The positive & negative traits are definitely me.

I'm Baaacckk...

Well, kind of. I have been under the weather for the past week or so, but I am beginning to feel better. Or more accurately, I am sick of laying around & doing nothing. :) So, hopefully I can resume my desire to post here once a day. Heck, I might even make some beads tomorrow. *gasp*

despair.com

It's O.K. to Say No

I read an article on www.cnn.com today titled, "Ten guilt-free ways to say no". The opening line, 'Thinking you are a bad person for saying no is a symptom of "the disease to please." ' was *so* me for most of my life. Although I've come far over the years, I can still fell guilty when I tell someone no. Check out the article, it has some great tips.

Today's Cute Fix

Quote of the Day

"This is a land of dreams and fire."

-- American Gods, Neil Gaiman

Happy Birthday, Dad

I've been spending a lot of time with my Grandmother the past few days. She had to go to the ER on Friday, but she is on the mend now. Dad's birthday is coming up, so I thought I post this picture, because Dad really looks like Grandma in this picture.

Happy birthday, Dad. I miss you.

Digging Through Some Old Pictures

I was digging through some old files, and came across pictures of some of my first beads. I'm glad I still have some of the pictures, as most of the beads are long gone.

I've Been Tagged!

Tagging is a blogger's game. You tag someone by leaving a comment on their blog and letting them know that they have been tagged. When you have been tagged you post several random, weird, or whatever facts about yourself. Then go tag seven other blogs. Post the URLs of the blogs you tagged. That's it!

I was tagged by Mary Beth at Novembers Fyre Studio (beautiful beads!). I love to talk, but I have a hard time sharing, so here goes!

1. I love to write, and then I shred what I've written. I've been doing this since middle school. Aside from a few school papers, there is no record of anything I've ever written.

2. I love quotes. I currently have 2 notebooks full of quotes.

3. Books bring me comfort. I have to have books in every room. Just touching books brings me comfort.

4. My two favorite movies of all time are The Little Princess and Hellraiser.

5. My first dog when I was little was named Sadie, and she looked like Benji.

6. The coolest muppet *ever* is Grover.

7. After waffling for over 20 years, I have finally decided on a tattoo. Now, I just need to figure out where, get the $$$, and find a very reputable artist.

The seven people I am tagging:

Vonna

Linda

Hannah

Scott

Robin

Lara

Amy

Camp Dipwad

A few weeks ago, I spent the day with some of my beady-eyed friends at the West Michigan Glass Society in Kalamazoo. Fire, food, and friends!

Dawn & Sandy (*not* the Evil one)

Don't worry, Michelle, you *probably* won't blow up... :)

Vonna & I taking pictures of each other. (yep, we're dorks)

Mike giving us a glass-blowing demo. (SO COOL!)

Because I can't resist a good cheerleader joke...

I have a feeling...

she will always think she is this tiny...

So I owe Elena a Book...

Friday night, I came home to Kaylee running around the house, NOT locked up in her crate. After a moment's panic, I realized the house wasn't nearly as trashed as it could have been. Unfortunately, I had books in the living room on the floor. Books that are not mine, but belong to Elena. *sigh* Suprisingly, she chose to chew on only one. Could have been worse...

Pink and Shimmery

This is one of my favorite focals; I just listed it on Etsy. I am not normally a pink person, but I really like how the dichro shimmers just below the surface.

Friends and the WMBE

I had the West Michigan Bead Expo yesterday. My friend Elena and her daughter Emily helped out all day. We had a spectacular time! We munched on some of our favorite goodies, and Emily did an excellent job of packing my sold beads for customers. Thank you, Elena & Emily!

Kill the Wabbit

Two dogs, one wabbit. Good thing the wabbit has two ears...

Quote of the Day

"If you can't control your peanut butter, how can you expect to control your life?"
-- Calvin & Hobbes

West Michigan Bead Expo

West Michigan Bead Expo

Where: DeVos Place Convention Center
303 Monroe Ave,
Grand Rapids, MI
When: Saturday, October 11, 2008
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Admission $3.00

West Michigan Bead Expo is an exciting opportunity for bead and glass lovers to meet and purchase the work of over 50 artists. Available for purchase will be handcrafted lampwork, ceramic, fused and polymer clay beads as well as sterling silver, semi-precious stones, and Czech glass beads. Many artists will also have finished jewelry pieces for sale.

Quote of the Day

"Some of the most wonderful people are the ones who don't fit in boxes."
-- Tori Amos

Quote of the Day

"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called *everybody* and they meet at the bar."
-- The Drew Carey Show

Time Flies When...

well, it flies. Where has the past week gone?

Party Dog

This is what happens when Doug watches the dogs.

Cute Overload

All together now:

"Awwwwwww..."

Procrastination

I signed up for the West Michigan Bead Expo at DeVos Place practically a year ago. It is just 2 1/2 weeks away now. I have an 8 foot table, and enough beads for approx 2 feet of table. *eyeroll* I would have to take the next 2 weeks off of work in order to be properly prepared.

Bead -n- Run

Kaylee & Xena are napping, so I am going to run to the grocery store.

Kaylee

This is our new Yellow Lab puppy, Kaylee. She is 9 weeks old, and quite the handful. I will share more later.

Frosty, Deconstructed

This is a wine collar and stemware charms set I made for the UW Silent Auction. These beads are mine. I wanted to do something seasonal, and put a twist on it. So, Frosty, Deconstructed was born. I tried to do a melting snowman, but it looked more like a pathetic ghost. That bead met an explosive death in the quench jar.

Think Pink

This bead isn't mine, but I wanted to show off the pendant I made for our United Way Silent Auction next week. The bead is by Fay Katherine. Her beads are delicious!

Does This Diaper Make My Butt Look Big?

My cousin Lindsay is expecting her firsct child in December. My little Octopus is all grown up. *sob* Her baby shower was this weekend, and it was great to hang out with the fun-crazy side of my family. :)




Who can resist ice cream cake? It had Godiva chocolate ice cream in it.... Between Milwaukee last weekend and ice cream cake this weekend, I am surprised my clothes fit at all. My scale is cowering in the corner, dreading my next step-on.

Give Blood. Give Life.

Although standing on my soap box is not in my original Blog Plan, I want to take a moment to hop on it anyways and give a shout out to for people to get out and give blood.

According to the American Red Cross, 95% of Americans will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives. Only 5% of Americans give blood. Do the math. Admittedly, the conspiracy theorist in me has issues with statistics thrown out by groups touting their own needs. This is one case, though, when it doesn't bother me. There is a need. Our hospitals have blood for patients because people donate blood. Period. Think about 5 people you love. Now, think about losing one of them because the hospital didn't have enough blood. Could it happen? Who knows. I don't want to find out.

Give Blood. Give Life.

Giving Up on Scary

Yeah...I've given up on scary.

Ahhh, Nostalgia

VH1 Classics is playing 80 Hours of 80's Videos this weekend. Good thing we have a DVR, or I wouldn't accomplish a damn thing this weekend.

Joe!

Chaos Everywhere

Feeling a bit overwhelmed and burned out by, well, everything at the moment, I thought I would post one of my more soothing beads. It has a base of etched pink glass, and floating on top is Khaos (the manufacturer's spelling, not mine). I love the Khaos on this bead because it refuses to etch and go all soft and complacent and nice, just like any self-respecting Chaos should.

Spooky...

Those of you who know me well, know I tend to be a bit macabre. I enjoy the darker side of things; spooky, gory, messy, and bloody are usually important components in my choice of movies and books. One of my favorite movies is Hellraiser. Another one of my favorite movies, however, is The Little Princess. (In a throw down between Pinhead & Shirley Temple? Shirley Temple, hands down. Nobody that cute can't be anything but Pure Evil.)

So when I set out to make some scary Halloween beads, do I reach for grey and black and blood red? Nope. I create a fiesta-colored monster that makes you want to cuddle with it, not run screaming from the room...

Bead Pretty. Buy Bead.

I love making beads. One of the reasons I started this blog is to develop my severely malnourished "toot your own horn" ability. I can babble on incessantly about so many things (Cliff Claven, anyone?), but when it comes to 'me', I have a difficult time.

Having said that, however, I am just posting a beadie, and then it is off to beddie-bye for me. :)

Quote of the Day

"Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things."

-- Denis Diderot

Quote of the Day

"Those who danced were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."

-- Angela Monet

Why one-eared pig?

My grandmother gave me Pig when I was 10, shortly before she died. He is a Gund, and started his journey as a soft, fuzzy, dependable friend who loved me unconditionally. His fuzziness is long gone; he is grubby, has holes and only one ear (there is a second ear... somewhere). His dependability, however, has never waivered. In middle school, I used to name him after boys I had crushes on, but the identity crisis wasn't good for his self-esteem. 29 years later, I still sleep with him (much to my husband's chagrin).

Love me, love my Pig.

Quote of the Day

"I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."
-- Steel Magnolias

When I can't be creative...

I enjoy the words of others. I love to write down quotes, any kind of quotes: witty, funny, sad, morbid, wacky. When all else fails, they save original thought.

Here is one of my favs:

"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on Earth. So what the hell, leap."
-- Cynthia Heimel

Time to sound brilliant?

Hard to believe, but I actually have nothing to say. I'll work on that...