Binge and Purge, or Prune

I am usually more of a binger than purger - I'm a saver and a hoarder - but today I am purging -- or pruning.

Cleaning out, letting go of, dropping, re-evaluating.

I've recently been purging the files on my computer ( I actually defragged my computer last night!), old clothes from my closet, magazines from overflowing boxes.....weeding, sorting, lightening the load. Sometimes its because a period of usefulness has passed, or items are just outdated, no longer relevant, or we've grown (sometimes in a bad way, sometimes in a good way!)......

and today I'm purging some blogs from my reader.

For many of the reasons stated above.

Some are no longer relevant, or they are outdated (no posts in ages), or I've grown in different directions....or we've just never connected.

Not that I expect to connect with every blogger that I follow!

Some blogs I follow for informational purposes, some blogs because they inspire me, but some because we connect. Its that connection that makes blogging so special to me. The other stuff is great, but connecting with others - it makes me happy. I've always been a people person.

There is one more reason I'm purging - sometimes associations are just negative.

Either directly or indirectly.

Little bits of toxicitiy - to our spirit, our inspiration, our creativity, our selves.

Sometimes its not intentional. I realize that.

However, I also realize though that its important for me to take stock of what I choose to include in my life. Make no mistake - each association is a choice.

And it is important to choose wisely.

For me, this means taking inventory every so often. Not as in a list of what's been done or said....sometimes growth comes from struggle and trial - so its not an absence of conflict - it is looking at what factors help me to be more, to be better. . . . and what ones leave me feeling worse for the wear in some way.

To me it feels good to purge every once in a while. Not only does it remove the old, but it makes room for the new -- for possibilities, promise, hope.


Like pruning a plant.


Cutting back can lead to an explosion of newness!


And that is something worth getting excited about!


When was the last time you pruned or purged?


Maybe its time for inventory and reflection....







Or maybe my life was just getting old and stale.

;-)

Janice

Spring - is it here?

Its been a lovely week here - the weather has been really beautiful, if not a little bit HOT. 

Seriously, we don't normally have a long spring here in MD - blink and its about over, but this was a blast of heat that took even us by surprise!! 

This is what my car thermometer looked like on my way in to work 2 days ago at just before 9am 

and then here it is today about about 9:15 am

We had a few really hot nights making sleep a bit difficult......and then, rain 

and an almost 30degree temperature drop overnight. 

Gotta love it! 

Spring means a lot of things......fresh air, flowers, buds on trees, green grass, pollen (yes, along with the 'fresh air' there is pollen!) and bugs.

And critters of all sorts really.

But the bugs........ohhhhhhh, the  BUGS.

This year we have new bugs. 

Apparently a transplant from Asia. 

And they are ALL over the place.

this one was in the sink the other night.

 A face only a mother could love.

And then this little guy was in the kitchen last night.
I almost stepped on him, he's less than an inch long I would guess.

I've named him Mason

as in jar.

Which is where he will remain until I get home from work and can put him someplace safe. 

You see, its not safe IN the house with this one roaming around......

although, yes, here she is outside.

So maybe its not safe out there either.

Except when she's out there, she only wants to be in here

with her best bud in the world.

In their favorite chair in the world.

Doing their favorite thing in the world.

OK, back to spring.

This is what my car looked like when I left work yesterday:

gross huh? The pollen is NUTS right now.

I started to draw a picture

then wondered what the heck I was doing and quickly decided I better get my tail home and make dinner.


Seriously though - despite the bugs and the pollen, we have been enjoying the outdoors.

well helloooooooooooo little dog.....

because you are cute and your breath doesn't stink you can tickle my ear

You, on the other hand, keep your distance.

Seriously.

Like maybe on the ground is better.

yea, I put the stinky dog on the ground!

Whatcha gonna do about it?

ok, Mom, you know I'm only kidding!!

good thing buddy,

he's stinky.......

but he's cute.

Like you.

Sometimes stinky,

but always cute.

now where was I going with this post.....?


I forget.

must be all the pollen.

And I think its turning my hair grey.

Or maybe its that I haven't dyed it in a coon's age. (what does that mean anyway?? Coons age....?)

so, what do you think - let the grey keep on growing?

Tell the truth now! I'm toying with letting it grow ALL the way out this time. 

I keep getting stuck about half way and then reaching for the box of dye. 

I don't mind the total grey - its the areas of DARK hair that bother me, 

I don't ever recall having dark hair before...and I'm not sure I like it. 

It just doesn't seem ME

and if there is one thing  I gotta be - its 

ME!!!!

~Janice

What a day!

My early morning started off much the same as it always does.

I was greeted by this LG:

as I am each morning because he sleeps in the bed above me!

I probably never mentioned it, but several months back he asked if he could sleep with me one night. We do that occassionally.....but then we decided he'd sleep in the top bunk. (I inherited a bed like this. - futon/bunk combo - full at the bottom and single at the top)

Then he never left. 

He's been sleeping there for months. 

A couple of nights he has had a sleepover at a friend's house and I've actually missed him being there! His tossing and turning and sniffing and yawning and breathing......little sweet sounds of love that just envelope me and make my heart oh so happy. 

Anyway....my day started with his sweetness and went on fairly routine from there until I got to work.

that is when I got my foot hooked in the rubber doormat outside the main entrance

of the building where I work.

It was not pretty.

There was a gentleman coming out -- and here I was falling in.

It was not pretty. (did I say that?)

I stumbled....

I bobbled....

the automatic door opened for me

and I literally FELL right on through

and down right hard.

 The poor guy coming out did his best to help me

or get out of the way (I'm not entirely sure)

but in any event, I went down

all the way down.

Thankfully I am unscathed.

Just a little discomfort in my right wrist but nothing to complain about. :)

A few years back it seems like I was falling frequently.

Step off the curb, and down I'd go.

Trip over a rock and BAM! I'd be on the pavement.

Always takes me by surprise. One minute I'm upright...

and the next

I'm not.

Anyway, it was an 'interesting' start to a busy day.

I did take a lunch break and used a few minutes to work on my website.

I redid the 'about' (me) page.

Since I know many of you reading are fellow jewelers/metalsmiths, maybe you could take a look and see what you think?

Offer comments, suggestions, laughter?

Go here to view it.

The rest of the site is a bad mix of old and new - so no need to tell me about all the oddness there - I'm not quite done tweaking yet to get everything in all streamlined with proper linkage and navigation -
but it IS getting there!

If any of you have any suggestions about design of a website in general - that would be great too!

Thanks

~Janice

:|: Insert snappy title here :|:

I've been remiss at posting and it will probably continue. I'm les tired. But no time to take a nap! Too braindead to even come up with a title for this entry!


I just have so much going on at home right now - - - and I haven't had the 'umph' to write. Seems my get up and go got up and went. lol I haven't been chatty and I've been seriously disorganized with this big kitchen renovation going on. I have been keeping up with my favorite blogs and a handful of forums, but I'm not posting much in response to anything.



I continue to do a lot of thinking. Much of it about where I spend my time, who I spend it with, and the positive or negative impacts it has on me and my life. Slowly I've come to the place where I'm ready to let go of some things and move in somewhat different directions. I'm seeing things more clearly, seeing people more clearly. And you know what? It feels really 'healthy'! Like these are things that are going to enhance my life, my well being, and hence those around me.

And its so interesting to me that it seems like its all coming together around the holidays and then the new year around the bend.....feels like a fresh start. I've completely changed my way of eating (RAW rocks!), bringing more health and vitality into my life. I'm phasing out some activities and relationships and bringing in new ones. I'm setting new goals for myself, both personally and professionally - and its not all just 'because'.... you know, when you make goals because 'its the new year' or because there's a goal meme going around...for me, this is not because of the new year or anything else.

Its been organic. I feel like there have been lots of little changes going on inside of me that are seemingly unrelated but are all on the verge of coming together. Little things that are having an effect on other things.....whether its cummulative or causative, I don't know, but I believe things are going to just explode in the new year as things continue to solidify.


Its been a hard year in many ways, change often doesn't come easy - but God is SO good.

So unbelievably good. I am blessed beyond measure. I know that. And to know that is a gift. God continues to open my eyes and change me and I am SO thankful for that.

We won't have a kitchen tomorrow - well, not one to speak of, no oven, no table, maybe no water in the kitchen. Its definitely going to be a VERY different Thanksgiving than any we've had in the past. I think thats a good thing. Sometimes we need to shake things up a bit. To get our sights set on things that are really important.

What's important to me?

Faith, Family, Friends, Health, Hope, Shalom

I'm not sure that there is anything else that I can't fit under those headings.

I still have no witty title for the blog entry today....its just me, sharing from the heart.....a glimpse into my head.....into my journey. Ahh, my journey - that reminds me. I really am thankful for those who read and comment here. For those who have been a part of my journey into metalsmithing, which is what this blog started as....chronicles of my journey into metalsmithing. Its grown to include more and more of my personal life, more 'me', and I am really, really, REALLY thankful for the people I've come to know through this blog. Even if you've only commented once, its been an important part of my experience, of my journey. So thank you. All of you.


((hugs))


In regards to my journey, I sometimes forget just how much metal I've moved over the past 4 years. I hit mosaic in my photo editor the other day, in one partial album - this is what happened.



And this is just one tiny part of one small album on my hard drive!



Amazing.




Here is another one - some rings I've made:




WOW. I think I've made progress.....









~Janice

I can't, I won't, no........

I was all set to post today about my surprise upon discovering I'm featured in an Etsy Treasury; and then I was just going to ramble on about 'nothing'. But then I was reading something on the internet and had a flash of awareness.....which we'll get to in a minute.

First the treasury - yay! Purple is my favorite color - though green is quickly encroaching on purple's #1 status....So this treasury made me smile - big! It was curated by a member of BEST . :) Check out BEST: http://www.baltimorecraft.com/

SO happy to be included!

Moving on to my internet experience - so I have been confronted lately with a recurrent sort of theme - reading about people who are living 'counter culturally'.

Those who have decided to shuck 4 year degrees and/or conventional lifestyles in one way or another. . . . and some of them are downright cool, but all of them seem to have this 'liberating' quality about them. AND, they are making it work! My initial thought is always, 'wow', 'cool', 'looks like they are so happy', 'looks like fun'...........and then right behind that comes...

" I can't........"

"I can't..........'xyz'"

"I can't 'thus and such'"

and then I had a sudden awareness of how I often I say "I can't". I think I am going ot BAN those words from my vocabulary. They stink!

Now, I am a big proponent of learning to say 'no'. Or even - "I won't".

Some people have a hard time saying 'no' but I have learned that it is essential. And I really do know how to say 'no' now - without added qualifiers, excuses, or ancillary comments. "No" can stand alone. No is no.

And "I won't" is great too - I won't allow this or that or I won't stand for this or that....etc.

But - "I can't" ..... hmmmmm, I don't like it so much. Its so.....umm,powerless?
Maybe that is what I don't like about it. It seems to be full of a sense of powerlessness. What happened to the days of "I can do anything!" ??

Can I do anything? (could I ever???)

I am speaking apart from the idea of "all things are permissable though not beneficial" as in 1 Corinthians 10:23 -- certainly I'm not debating that.

I'm speaking of ability, abandon, drive, devotion, freedom......TRYING.

I'm thinking of norms, expectations, responsibilities, committments....DARING.

Can I do anything? Am I able to make a radical change in my life if I so chose? Would I choose it? What holds me back?

Is it that I can't...........or that I won't?

And what about things that aren't radical? What about more commonly acceptable changes - little dreams - is it that I can't? Or that I "don't"...or that I "won't"? And what holds me back?

Do you ever wonder about these things?

Are you living your dream? If not, what parts are missing?

What would need to be different?

Why not make some changes?

WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK?

Lately I am wondering.

A lot.

TGIF?

~Janice

Addendum - before I hit post, I got lost in another endeavor and I got to thinking about dreams and life -- and Randy Paush came to mind. I haven't thought about him in quite a while. I never met the man, but he tends to leave an indelible mark on one's memory. He lived a rather conventional life but he lived it with an unconventional passion. He lived his dream in many ways - he took chances and was unperturbed by hearing 'no'.

I want to be more like that. :)

No TFT Today

Sorry all - no tales from last night.

I had a busy day yesterday - blood work in morning, worked all day, left early for my son's school play at 5pm, then we grabbed a bite out, got home, it was still early, tried to hit the bench, but just wasn't into it. I did clean/organize some stones...but didn't accomplish any real work.

Guess my mind was on the MRI for this morning.


Had that this morning - it went fine. Contrast (and the machine) made me a little queasy/dizzy...but not too bad. They didn't wisk me away to the ER or anything - so there was nothing horribly acutely wrong. Results should be sent to my doc within a week.

The pics are from Monday night baseball game/team pics.
Its been a busy week - Monday I went to the doctors in the afternoon then to the baseball game/team picture night (I had snack duty as well as sort of 'coordinator' for pics). Then Tuesday early morning bloodwork, worked all day, left early for son's play in which he was Norman, the mule - then grabbed dinner out. Wednesday morning MRI. Queasy..but at work fine. Tonight should be fairly quiet. Then tomorrow we're in court in the morning, then I'll come in to work.

Then its FRIDAY!!! whew. I can use a long weekend, and wow, I think I just may get one!! I think I'm taking off Monday for the holiday weekend. yay me!

Had to say goodbye

Well, this weekend was a whirlwind that began with us back at the Animal Hospital Friday night. Missy had another episode Friday evening while I was preparing dinner. Unfortunately she didn't come right around like she usually does. And, new symptoms, her back end went completely out, she was paralyzed from the hindquarters back basically. She also seemed uncomfortable, evidenced by some whining with inspiration. Her breathing was labored, so by ten after 7 we were in the car back to the Animal Hospital. We were there until 11:45 when we finally had her put down. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with her without extensive testing which probably wasn't going to lead to treatment (in our case) and so we finally made the decision.

Talk about hard. Gut wrenching. I miss her. She was so different from any other dogs we have had or have now. she was just sweet. A sweet little loving dog.



She had perked up a day or two before and I snapped this pic while she was lying at my feet. This is how I hope to remember her, not the flailing, weak, pained (confused?) little dog we sat with in the ER Friday night.





We didn't get in bed til after 1am Friday night and I was up for baseball early, at the field by 9:30. And on with the rest of our busy weekend. Sam attended a party on Saturday in Annapolis, on the water - on a PIRATE ship. (maybe not incredibly 'pc' right now - but it was fun). We really enjoyed that...but I was so tired. Technically Missy was my daughter's dog - and I had the task of telling her - over the phone - about Missy's departure. She took it fairly well, but it must be hard when you have to hear something like that over the phone and can't be there.


It has been raining for a few days and is supposed to rain the remainder of the week. Kind of fits my mood.


I missed my first "Snafu Sunday" - hope you'll bear with me. I'm trying to get back on track, taking care of a few things, letting go of a few things. . . . giving in to some limitations in my life right now - paring down, re-organizing.


Hope you all are off to a good start to the week. Funny to see how many people were a big fan of the retractable sharpie - isn't it cool that little things can be so exciting!! :)

OK - I'm back to attach one pirate picture -more will come with a whole recounting of our adventure. ;-)

RRRRG!

Janice

TFT - or - Its Raining again!

Yep - more rain. :)

Last night went well, all things considered.

Leftovers didn't go quite as planned, a slight detour but still got to the bench by around 7pm I think.

Unfortunately my son didn't give me quite as wide a bearth as he usually does and so my work was oft interrupted.

Then a mildly disturbing/unsettling call from my daughter further threw me off track.

Top it all off I spent some time searching for a ring finger sizing doo-hickey thing (yes, I did find it - success!) but in the process of moving things around, I took a small towel with about 6 pieces of jewelry on it, a few misc. stones, and some findings - I brought all the corners up and carefully moved it off my bench and left it folded up on a desk nearby. Sounds good, right?

Well it was, until..............during my search I thought "aha, it might be under there!"

and I quickly snatched up the towel, completely forgetting I had items wrapped up - FLING! they all went flying.

grrrrrrrrrrr. I'm an idiot.

So back to the bench - I spent some time trying to find JUST the right stone for Candace's ring...and more time trying ot decide what/how to make it - contemplating a departure from my norm, then though, no - maybe my norm is good - the process will go smoother, and that may be what is expected, something that is 'known' as 'my style' (if I even HAVE a style!).

I was mildly perturbed at myself that I couldn't seem to find a blue stone that I liked -- in the end I did find one though in a container I had almost forgotten about - YAY! And I did get Candace's ring almost done - just need to do some polising/finishing and set the stone. I'm excited - I hope she likes it!

I began two more pieces - one a ring and the other, well, I'm not sure - it was going to be a ring, but it grew and now I think it may be a pendant.

I ended up taking a little potty break (TMI?) at about 10pm - I thought it was so much later - and got sidetracked in a convo with my Mom, so I never made it back to the bench - well, just long enough to take some things out of the pickle and rinse them. Then it was lights out and back upstairs to watch a re-run of Law and Order with my Mom (we are so pathetically hooked on that show).

In other news.....well............hmmmm....ok.........ummmm, welll........hm.

I'm leaving work early today to be in court - my daughter has an appearance this afternoon....maybe I'll just leave it at that. Please keep us in prayer - I don't even know what to tell you to pray for....peace of mind for all of us I suppose.

I was reading a post today, maybe it was over on Nomadic Creations..? About slowing down, seeing our surroundings, being aware of the beauty around us --

so I'll leave you with a photo I took a few years back after a rainstorm - a rainbow as seen through the trees in my yard. Kind of fitting for me today - a good reminder of God's promises. :)

~Janice

Feels like all I ever say is....

'its raining'. Well, it is. Raining. HARD. I actually kinda like rain at work though - I have two HUGE windows in my office (I'm spoiled, I have a door too, lol) and the rain slowly slides down in these long snaking lines, its really cool to watch.

Got some seeds in the ground this weekend. My first REAL garden in over 30 years! Last year I dug up a little 2x2 or 3' plot and planted a few hot pepper plants, a green pepper, purple pepper, and two tomatoe plants (yuck, tomatoes! they were for me familia). This year, I have about roughly 10x10' plot. I have planted carrots, lettuce, beets, and peas - so far. I also have seed for two kinds of squash, zuccini, cucumbers, watermelon, cantelope, and something else...then I will buy plants for peppers and tomatoes (tomatoes - YUCK!). I bought 5' high fencing that I need to put up (with the help of my father) and then its water, weed, and wait. I'm good at the first two, the last, no so much. I found out last year that I am a REALLY impatient gardener. REALLY impatient. So this year I am bracing for the wait. We shall see how that goes.

I mentioned in a previous post that I purchased some polishing tools, little wheels, brushes, some sandpaper, etc.

Today you get a peek at it all. Fun huh?

I decided last week that I am going to really focus on a few things - I've dubbed them the 3 R's.

Recycle, Reclaim, Reuse

First - Recycling scraps. I have been a hoarder of scraps. I contemplate sending them in for refinement (and I may do that) but I am also considering doing some melting of my own, for either water or broomstick casting and to create my own ingots and drawdown for wire or sheet. In addition, I am going to be using some of this scrap to create a new line of organic, rugged jewelry.

Second - Reclaiming old pieces. I have pieces from the early days that I just wasn't happy with. I either lacked the proper tools or the proper knowledge to make the pieces 'sales' worthy. Although others may have thought they could go out the door - not me. I won't put something out there I'm not happy with. Over the past week I have been going back and looking at those early pieces with new eyes (and new tools in hand!). I believe I will have several of those pieces to present for sale soon.

Not for sale, but here is a success of a finished piece that had been laying around - it got a makeover in the process, but retains much of the original design.

Then.

The problem?

I just never added the dangles or finished the backs (there were some blobs on the back that needed filing). So they have sat (for about 2 years..?)

Now.

I really liked the finish on the first ones (the texture) however when I went to work on the backside, I broke a post off the back, then broke the second one off. (WTH??) They had been spot welded, not soldered, and I probably didn't use the right settings to have a secure join. Sooooooooo, I had to solder. That created all kinds of problems and ended with me putting the 'hanger' back on one earring and then the resultant sanding I nicked the domes, so I just went with it and used a bastard file to texture the domes. They still need patina. will repost when I get that done.

Third - Reuse. I am trying to learn from the works of others, people who inspire me with their use of found objects. I am not 100% convinced that I have the eye to see what these things can become, but I am committed to trying, and seeing where I can go with it. My first reuse project has to do with an old leather pair of shoes. We shall see..... ;-)

I'll leave you with a shot of my little guy on Easter. :)

ok, 2 shots - I'm a sucker for this guy. :)

Good thing since I feel like all I did this weekend was run him from one thing to the next - soccer game and a baseball game on Saturday, then we had church on Sunday morning and he had AWANA Sunday evening (which I stayed for part of and ran the drill press for their derby car work night! I luvs me some tools!!)

Have a great day!

Janice

Happy Tuesday!

It's Tuesday, it's raining, I'm at work -- all is right with the world..? NOT!

I can't seem to shake this icky, sort of melancholy feeling I've had lately. I hate it. Its disturbing to say the least. I guess part of it is that I have a bunch of things hanging over my head and they are weighing on me. Heavy, heavy, heavy. UGH.

Add to that the fact that I'm not eating right, so my sugar is up and my energy is down -- thankfully my weight is holding steady. The forum migration went ok but we are still ironing out glitches..........and I have GOT to do something to break out of this mood because, quite frankly, enough is enough already.

I took yesterday off and it was great to be home and tend to some things, like going through PILES of paperwork, picking up my daughter's car from the car doctor, organizing some of my son's school papers (included writing checks for school pictures and boxed supplies for next year), doing ALL the laundry in one day (YAY!), etc. You'd think with those accomplishments I'd feel great. Not so. Came down with a HORRID headache last night and couldn't wait to get in bed. Slept well, woke to rain.

Read a few of my favorite blogs this morning which should make me feel good, but, well, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I see everyone's pretties and I feel so unaccomplished, so unproductive.....and I see new tools (yay LISA!) and I'm happy for them, cuz I loves me some new tools too (and indeed, I recently received the SAME letter stamps!)...but then I get that twinge of, yep, I'm gonna say it - tool envy, jewelry envy, everything envy. And then I feel like an ungrateful something-or-other. So, one thing I can do to start to bring this around is to share my gratitude.

I am, by nature, a thankful person and normally a glass-is-half-full person - so firstly, I am thankful that the good Lord created me that way and that God continually opens my eyes helping to keep me that way. I am thankful that these episodes of whiney-woe-is-me-life-is-hard-I-feel-icky-might-as-well-go-eat-worms don't come very often.

I am so utterly thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful Lord that I am financially stable, especially in today's economy. I am thankful to be where I am today.

Today that is about all I can firmly say without feeling hypocritical.....without feeling the need to edit.

Oh, oh, OH. And I am thankful that today is Tuesday - because if all goes even slightly as planned - I get bench time tonight!!! YAY!

Happy Tuesday all! Here's hoping you all have a great day and go forward with an attitude of gratitude.

Out of sync

This week has been T-totally out of sync for me. So I didn't do Tutorial Tuesday and I didn't do Tales From Tuesday (had a brief encounter with my bench on Tuesday night, but nothing worth writing about)

So, why am I so out of it? I must be getting old...or something.

I travelled this past weekend - to visit my incredibly talented friend Christy. Christy lives near VA beach and is an awesome metalsmith, but not just that, she's an awesome lampworker, but not just that, she's an awesome potter, and stained glass-er, and many other things -- but mostly she's an AWESOME person and friend. yay! Our good friend Lisa, another AWESOMELY talented metalsmith, joined us as well. It was a great weekend of creating and commiserating and laughing and.........it was just, well AWESOME (sorry, had to do that) anyway you get the idea.

Not only was it great to create with these ladies but it was just good to talk. To share tips and techniques, but also our lives - the good, the bad, and everything in between. What women can do, will do, do do....how strong we really are, our capacity to love and forgive and endure. It was really a great time for me. :)

Unfortunately I came back to a migraine...and then one thing after another that had piled up while I was gone - like a boatload of laundry, and a bajillion papers from my son's school, and 2 new birthday invitations..etc etc. So, I'm still trying to get it all sorted out and get back on top of things....well, as on top of it all as I've ever been which is really something like being precariously perched on the side of a mountain made of melting swiss cheese - thank goodness for the holes, they give me something to grab on to!

Before I left I made some changes to my blog - notably the background.

Can you say "ooohhhh...aaaahhh"? (come on, it will make me feel good)

I made it myself which just tickles me to death since I know as much about graphics as I do about March Madness (I just know its something about basketball...) rah! rah! And that Morgan State is in the mix???

Happy Thursday all! :-)
~Janice

In cognito? and apologies!

If you thought I dropped out of sight - i.e., I was following you and then I wasn't -- its not so!! There was a weird glitch or something (OK, I probably zigged when I should have zagged) and it made all of my 'follows' go 'anonymous' - which means I was following you 'in cognito'!!! But I never stopped loving you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize if I caused any confusion or hurt! I'm sorry!

I have some blogs on another reader, just because things here were getting over whelmed. I don't always comment, but I read more of you than you know. :)

And as long as I'm sort of on the subject of apologies. Wait. First - thanks Chloe for alerting me that I had gone stealth!

OK, back to explanations and apologies.

I have to give a widespread apology for errant posts, comments, or lack thereof. I admit it, I"m an overachiever and I seek to follow/read too many people and too many places and am often multi-tasking when I do it. This occassionally (maybe more than I know) causes problems as my comments are not on target, topic, or aren't always thoughtful. PLEASE know that it is never my intent to be callous or rude, but I do believe it is disrespectful to not given my whole attention to a blogpost I may be reading. So, I am avowing to read in depth prior to commenting anywhere. I will still be reading, but I won't allow my chaotic life to spill over into yours so I may be commenting a little less.

Sorry. and (((hugs)))

I've decided...

........that I must be part fish.

Seriously.

Ya know how 'they' say don't overfeed your fish? Do you know WHY 'they' say that? I think its because fish will just keep eating.

Whatever you give them, they eat it up.

It can make them sick. It may even be possible that it could kill them. Well, it hit me today as I pulled out piece of pizza number 2, that I must be a fish, or at least part fish.

I normally eat very minimally at work - my orange mango yogurt with Go-Lean Crunch mixed in it and then a half a sandwich for a late lunch. Today I didn't have time to make my half a sandwich so I grabbed two pieces of left over pizza. When I got hungry this afternoon I pulled out one piece and left the other wrapped up. I ate the one and then PROMPTLY retrieved the other and quickly threw that one down too.

And thats when it hit me. If I have it with me, I'll eat it. I must be a fish.

That's sad. Just sad.

Although....ya know......I AM an avid swimmer. ADORE the water, parents thought I had gills I took to the water so quickly as a young child and I began competitive swimming shortly thereafter - I actually swam for the same club as Michael Phelps here in Baltimore. Probably could have been a contender (said with a brooklyn accent) but then I became a teen and gave it all up....hmm, but I digress.

So besides being fishy...I've been BUSY.

Doing what you may wonder? I know you are wondering, even if I can't hear you....because surely it can't have anything to do with jewelry. I've been so non-productive lately.

But, wait, it IS jewelry!! YAY!

I have like 3 pieces in the works. Ok, to some of you that is nothing. I know. But come on! Remember, I work full time - with a 40 minute commute one way - and I'm a single mom...so ya know, my time is tight.

And fish are slow with tools.

But I hope to have pictures tonight! So stay tuned! :)

Cooking therapy

Some people shop, some people drink, some people eat - I cook. As therapy.

Ok, so I do the others sometimes too, especially the eating part...but I love to cook - I can lose myself in the kitchen with 4 pots going, counters strewn with chopped food, open jars, knives, spoons and the oven pre-heating.

Its chaos. And I guess, in part, that is why its therapy for me - I lose myself in the chaos.

It consumes my mind, offering me the opportunity for intense focus; and frees my mind as I stand stirring a pot waiting for that right moment to pull it off the heat.

Such was the therapy today.

From church I went to the grocery and then home where I put away the groceries and then immeidately turned on the stovetop, put a pan on, tossed in a stick of butter (ok, a little more than a stick) and watched as the first sizzles turned into bubbles and then the slow melting of the block down into the pan.

Next came the sugar. How much sugar? I have no idea. Lots. I dumped it in with the scoop from the canister. Twice. So we've got lots of butter and lots of sugar rolling away in the pan as I whisk, whisk, whisk. And its calming. Watching the two become one - and turn a delightful brown color...its like being in a trance.

A dash of salt, a few drops of pure vanilla and we're almost there. I take the pan off the stove and contemplate the thick syrup which is beginning to harden into a semi-crunchy block. But I dont' want hard today. I need soft...comfort. So as the mixture begins to cool I go back to whisking. but now I have the milk at my side.

A little splash, a flash of boiling bubbles and foam, a lot of whisking; and then again another small splash, lots of fireworks and whisking. Over and over. There is something so calming about the repetitiveness of this task. Finally we're at a point of soft creamy caramel delight. I find an old small glass pitcher. Like that old handmixer, its been around for a long time. I pour the caramel into it and set it on the counter where the light streaming in sets the caramel sauce to glowing and casts long shadows on the counter.

I'll probably dip some tart apples into it tonight - that will be part II of the therapy. Or maybe I'll heat it and pour it over some vanilla ice cream.

Either way I'll enjoy it tucked up in a blanket on the sofa with the lights down dim and the soft glow of the colored Christmas tree lights reminding me of the holiday coming soon - which reminds me of the birth of Christ - and THATs the real therapy. The love, hope, peace of Christ.

Christmas, Jesus, Hope.

Wow, that was quite a journey! I kind of feel like "If you give a moose a muffin...." One thing just leads to the next.....

I knew this morning that I was cooking to cope - to relax, to take my mind off things, for just a little while - it was therapy. Because we're just a bit stressed here. Tomorrow is a big day, its going to be a hard day....a really really hard and sad day. No matter the outcome.

I know we'll be ok.....but today we're all coping in our own way.

Janice

Side note - SHOES!

I have another growing passion.

In addition to handbags I seem to have a growing fondness for shoes.

Not that it will ever be anything too out of control...I don't think. But its fun.

And I have begun purchasing quality shoes in addition to my $14.99 specials from Payless. So this weekend I took a trip to Pennsylvania to hit the Dansko outlet. I bought the shoes to the left (in brown leather, not the suede pictured here)

Oh.

my.

word.

I was so unprepared for this outlet store.

They recently moved into a new showroom which is spacious, very organized, and it just has loads of pizazz. They have artwork, sculptures and trendy furniture. Its just FUN. Its a happy place. And they sell happy shoes. For happy feet. or, well, to make feet happy anyway.

A lot of women with foot problems turn to Dansko shoes. They have such a great support for the arch and sliding your foot into them is like wearing a soft cocoon on your foot. They just 'fit'. They feel good.

My mother who was nearly crippled with a horrible case of plantar fasciitis took to wearing them 3 years ago and her feet are just about 100% back to normal. And that didn't happen over time, it was noticeable the moment she began wearing them. However, she has only been wearing the clogs. And 3 years of clogs with every outfit, every day...well, it gets old. You can imagine. Right?

So Saturday we braved the cold, got in the car at 8:20am, and drove up to the outlet.

We trekked, we tried on, we triumphed!

We each left with 4 pairs of shoes. FOUR!

But such bargains!! Normally priced from about 145.00 - 175.00 a pair, we got them for a median price of about $67.00. Whhooohoo! And considering we each carried with us a 100 dollar bill that my brother had gifted to each of us last Christmas for Dansko's - our out of pocket could be rationalized!

Here are the rest of my lovelies...

I got these in the color and material shown - brown suede and leather.

These I purchased in black brushed leather...however, these shiney brownish ones are really nice too!

And these, as shown which I am wearing to work today!! They have a 3" heel which is PERFECT for me. And they are so comfy!

OK, back to regular schtuff. I just had to share.

Can anyone else relate to a passion for shoes?

Rain Day - YAY!

I know, I know. I really am an oddball. But I love the rain.

I used rain as inspiration in this piece of jewelry a couple of years ago and think I may be able to come up with something new today inspired by the rain I'm watching from my desk.




I enjoy watching the raindrops trail down the window, slow and graceful.
Oh, and the sound of rain falling. I also appreciate the softness the sky takes on when its raining. No glare, no harshness, just a pale grey or dark blue. Its all so gentle. And the ripples on a lake or in puddles on the street. So calming as they begin as a tiny point and then undulate outward, getting larger as they push out from their centers. (photo taken in street in front of my home)






Of course things are different when its a thunderstorm! But - I love those too! The rumble of thunder in the distance and then the CRACK! as the lightening splits the sky. The wind whipping through the trees.


The sheer power and the display of it all - its truly 'awe'some to me.



In either case, after the rain the world often seems to have an instant 'freshness'. The plants perk up, the air is cleaner, the sun comes out, and its reminds me that there is life after the storm. That there are cycles to life. Thats a good thing to remember I think. No matter how dark the skies, how long the rain, things will be clear again and fresher than before. Rain rejuvenates.
(photo taken from my front porch looking up into the sky following a hail storm)

Its also an awesome opportunity for puddle jumping!!!!!!!!! How fun is that?
(photo taken of my son's feet when HE was puddle jumping one day!)

So while there are some down sides to rain, I guess I tend to be a 'glass is half full' kind of person. I choose to look at the 'up' side of things. I hope to capitalize on the positive things in life and use them as inspiration.

Enjoy your day today - whatever the weather!!

~Janice

Cast my vote!

Yep, I did. Its been a busy morning already!

I took my daughter to work at 0730, voted around 08somethingorother, filled up with gas @ 2.39 a gallon (not too shabby!) and am now at work having my first cup of coffee of the day. You heard me, my first cup.

Why you may ask? (I could hear you thinking it) Well, its because, on top of EVERYTHING else.......my microwave died on Sunday.


Dead, out, kaput. Niente. Gone.

Oh how I need another one. Sometimes you don't truly know what you have until its gone. So true.

I went to prepare dinner for the doggies last night. They eat a combination of rice and dog food - never cold, always slightly heated, enough to take the chill off. I had to heat their rice and dogmush, umm food, on the stove! Eeewwwww. How gross.

So this morning I just didn't have time to heat coffee in a pan on the stove at earlyo'friggin-clock - especially considering all the pots and pans are dirty as we're heating EVERYTHING on the stovetop.

Right now I am turning blue fervishly blowing on this 20oz cup o'joe hoping to get it in my system asap. Speaking of colors....

Random happy smiley thing today? I painted my nails last night, while sitting in front of the tv. They are red. Dark red. I haven't painted my nails in just about forever. Its somewhat strange, but oddly 'happy' too to look at them dashing over the keyboard. I know they won't last one day, but its fun for now. :) I'll take it off tonight as I am sure it will be dotted and spotted with chips tonight. And, *cue broken record* I hope to get to the bench tonight!! That would REALLY do a number on them. Might as well strip 'em bare when I get home.



So back to voting. All went fairly smoothly. The only problemo is that apparently they have TWO precincts voting in one building. One if the cafeteria and one in the gym. So I was in the wrong line for about 20-25 minutes before they sent me out to the correct line. Grrr. I was a bit steamed. (remember, I'd had NO coffee yet!) Once I got to the correct place, I was in and out in under 5 minutes. Really. I knew what I wanted to vote, which categories I was skipping, and so it was wam! bam! thank you ma'am. (sort of..) I have my sticker and I'm good to go. Well, now that I have my coffee. MMMMMM, coffee.

Life is good. :)

Have a happy smiley day!

~Janice

Sunday Snapshots

I just got home from church and its only 11am which is neat because I usually grocery shop after church and don't get home until much later (and really I've been home for a half hour already). I've still got laundry going and we have our final soccer game of the season at noon then the team is going to Pizza Hut (oh joy) and then I'm signed up to volunteer at youth group at church tonight (double joy). So its another busy day.

Yesterday, in addition to everything else, I picked the last of the veggies from my garden. I was truly surprised that my little cherry bomb plant was still popping out peppers....and lots of them! After picking them all off the plant, and picking the last little wimpy purple beauty, we yanked up all the plants and will turn the soil and then seed it, because, dun-dun-dun -- we've dug a plot three times the size for next year! YAY!

Who ever would have thunk it? Me, gardening!??!! I never would have thought it - but I really enjoy it. These cherry bomb peppers are really hot - even the one's that haven't turned red yet will have some heat. mmmmm.

While we were digging around in the garden, we found an artifact! lol My son is taking an archeology class at school and so we excavated this and he will take it to school on Thursday to show his teacher. Kinda cool. :) Its part of an old horseshoe.

Gotta run - have clothes to fold and then head out for soccer.

Maybe bench today? Maybe? (or tonight..?)

Janice