Back Again This time in November

  Hello,  as usual I'm a little behind.  That just means I'll have more to catch up on.  Wow, has it been a busy spring and summer.

  As you know, my daughter had a new bundle of joy on the away.. well.. he arrived on Oct. 5.   
Welcome Owen Paul


That now makes me a grandmother of 4.  Busy, Busy....

I would like everyone to know I did behave in my next 3 shows in the spring.  Just about the time I think I'm ready to quit I have good shows and ("they suck me back in")   
Most of my summer, however was spent goofing off.  Babysat the first part, then squeezed in as many vacations as we could.
  Tiny, cute little waterpark with the kids in June.

And Garrett said the nachos were  goon ..  Noah was far to busy to be in many pictures as more than a blur. 

Dickey and I went to Co. in August and had a wonderful time.  New 4-wheeler did great once it broke us in. 
Then, in Sept.  I escaped to Oregon for two weeks.

It was wonderful.  No kidding, I picked up 80 lbs of rocks. Plus driftwood. 

I have managed to squeeze in two shows and a little work along the way.

I'm even planning on going in the studio tomorrow.  Maybe even work.  Maybe!!!

It's A Miracle

Haha.  It's a miracle.  I spent the ENTIRE day in the studio working.  Seriously, all day. (cooking supper doesn't count)  I finished 12 new 3'd flower panels and 3 fleur de lis panels.  I should have an entire day tomorrow, so I CAN DO IT AGAIN!  I will even have some new pieces for my next 3 shows.  I worked yesterday, but I'll be honest, most of the morning I spent working in the garden and then put a few frames for 3'ds together and I crashed at about 5:30. Not an overwheleming amount  accomplished.

   I'm trying to get all the things I can't do with babies in the studio done and save the things I can do with them around for babysitting days.  That explains the huge mountain of clothes I need to fold, waiting for babyday.  hahaha  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

   Next week is going to be a crazy week anyway.  Medical tests for my mother (heart cath) sometime during the  week, babysitting 3 days, Picking Noah up from school, and taking him to tutoring and trying to work and pack up for a 3 day show that starts Friday. Need to go shopping and fix the broken glass from the last show.  (and no, I didn't throw it)  Thank goodness Dickey's off this week to help.

Taking off to Lafayette will be a relief.  Three whole days in my booth.
Bring on the Margaritas

April// /WOW/ How did this happen?

Suddenly we're halfway through April and I'm sitting here wondering what happened.

Well, Since Jan., found out there's a new grandbaby on the way. Found out 2 days befor my daughter started back to school. This makes me chief babysitter for 1 2yr old now and then add a infant after November.

Things are getting interesting around here.

Started my spring garden. Everything was growing great, lettuce, broccoli,

spinach, everything except the peas. Something kept eating my peas. They never made it over 2 inches. Somewhere out there is a REALLY fat rabbit. I'm considering rabbit stew.

Even with all my distractions, I'm finding time to make some new pieces. I've added baby gates to the studio to section off "safe" areas. I can wrap glass pieces when they are with me. You can IMAGINE how much help that can be, and sometimes if they are playing, I can sneak on the other side of the barrier and do some cutting.

I have a friend who keeps telling my I'm winding down.

I'm starting to believe her. Just can't keep up the working pace and don't really won't to. Maybe focus more on galleries and less on shows, just picking a few shows will be much less stressful.

Did a first ,a couple of weeks ago. In the 18 years I've been doing shows, I've never left early.....till now. Beautiful show, soooooooo slow and I just reach my snapping point. Decided to take down Sat evening when the show was over. My family thought I had lost my mind, maybe I had (menepause is hell), but I don't regret my decision. We spent the next day on the beach with the grandbabies and had a blast. The economy has changed the shows and I'm not going to beat my head against the wall fighting it.

I do have 3 other shows scheduled this spring. Maybe I'll behave and stay in place. Next is International Festival in Lafayette, the last weekend of the month. Lots of stages and music and magaritas. That could help.

After that, Fest for All in Baton Rough the next weekend and then

Canton, in Canton Ms. the Thursday after that.

Then comes SUMMER!!!!!

January

I can't believe that January is almost over. Where did it go?

I have been busy, even in the studio. There are stacks of masks to fire, one in now, and several more waiting. I did rush to take glass down to New Orleans before the BCS game (what a disaster), and I started a new large panel yesterday.

Outside of the studio, I've accomplished a little more. My flowers are starting to look more like someone is unsuccessfully trying to improve them, instead of their just being abandoned. I've gotton peas, snap peas, spinach, brocolli, beets and lettuce in the garden and started more seeds.

I finally finished the wall of many colors, ending up with a light green I really like. So much better than the 12 different testers I had painted all over the wall for the last few months. And I babysit a lot. They are so much help, I pick it up, they pour it out. I've been sorting piles of misc. household stuff into bins, just imagine a 2 and 3 yr old HELPING, hahaha

I have to pick a new home improvement project to begin. I think I will write them all down and put them in a bowl and have my own little work lottery... That may work great, it beats my usual method of running from one project to another, finding another {pretty kitty} and never getting QUITE finished.

Oh, Well, I know I have too many irons in the fire, but I better put that electric one to work soon or I'll be sorry.

Laisser le bon temps rouler or Let the good times roll

See ya soon.

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
We had our traditional family Christmas party tonight. Too much food and lots of kids running and playing. Transformers and dollhouses everywhere. Now, all the babies are home, waiting for Santa. Noah is the most excited. The other two are a little young. Wouldn't you know it, toys everywhere and the two little ones are playing with plastic ornaments and tissue paper. hahaha Tomorrow everyone has family to visit and I am going to RELAX!!
I guess I'll get back to the studio eventually, but first I'll have to clean up the wrapping paper disaster.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.

Running out of time

I truly thought that finishing shows earlier this year would leave me sooooo much more time to organize and finish Christmas decorations. Well, the joke's been on me. I stay overly busy, but nothing actually gets accomplished. I have been spending a lot of time with my 3 little helpers, but they really aren't that hard to work around.

I only have 3 more things to finish in the studio, naturally they are supposed to be Christmas presents. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. I did have a pleasant surprise yesterday. A customer came out for one small piece, ended up with 3 pieces, one of them larger.

(Pralines , cranberry chocolate , date roll cookies)

What I have really been spending the majority of my time with is "THE CANDY MAKING" It has really taken on a life of it's own. What started as me learning from my Grandmother has morphed into a yearly marathon of sugar dipping endurance. The last few years, we make a party of "Opening Day". My close friends, Terri and Lauren, and my parents come to help, laugh, throw things and generally see who can make me snap first. Even in the decibel registering melee that follows, we accomplish a lot.

Still to do:

Finish making candy...finish cleaning the disaster from making the candy... decorate the empty tree...wrap ALL the presents...make the rest of the presents so I can wrap them...shop for groceries so I can cook Christmas eve...ship presents...visit family...cook, work, clean, cook, stress, clean, cook................ HAPPY HOLIDAYS YA'LL

Show time

Took glass to Gallery 459 in Lafayette today.

The show will be Saturday from 6 - 8 pm at the gallery on Jefferson St. (459 Jefferson St.) to be exact.

One piece didn't make it intact. The largest piece, naturally. I may try to repair it by then, but may not have time. Also took a good bit of glass to Sans Souci gallery. An assortment of things from fused fleurs to 3-d's. Even some Christmas trees.

I REALLY need to make more purple and gold to take to New Orleans before Christmas. With the BCS national championship on Jan 6 and all those LSU fans in town, need to stock up Adorn on Royal St. Tiger's eyes, lots and lots of Tiger's eyes. plus fleur de lis, LSU wind -chimes, and all things purple and gold.

Finally started Christmas shopping today, Online on Amazon doesn't count. I'm actually looking forward to pulling out the tree tomorrow and starting to decorate. Noah was disappointed with our sparse decorations last year, so this year I'm going all out. Big tree, little tree, lights ( I probably have enough for a landing strip in there), garland, doing the whole works. Dickey may not be so enthusiastic when I tell him we are doing the outside too, but he'll get over it. It's probably best if I stay off the roof.

I want to wrap my crepe myrtle with lights tomorrow and freshen up the rustic log reindeer , if it stops raining. It's the unwrapping that gives me problems. We may be the Griswold house by the time I'm through.

I also have to find time for the "candy making extravaganza". Seems to grow exponentially every year. I'll need supplies sometime this week, may need a bigger van, hahaha.

Ok so that means tomorrow is "clean the disaster day"

Thursday is "buy more stuff day" (candy stuff)

Friday is "make stuff with the stuff day"

Saturday is "Dress up and Party day"

Sunday will be " baby watch day"

Monday will still be "baby watch day"/ maybe

cook a little

Tuesday will be "cook a lot "day

Wednesday will be "OH MY GOD< ITS BEEN A WEEK AND THIS IS ALL IVE GOTTEN DONE" day

Better known as abject panic day

There's more gifts to buy, more gifts to make, more glass to deliver,more glass to make, more house to decorate, more house to clean, more candy to make, more presents to wrap, more, more, more, more

And now that I have thoroughly freaked myself out. I'll take a deep breath in.

Let it out slowly. and repeat after me

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night