New pieces!

Well, here's a few more pieces of jewelry I've made - as promised. I had a few issues with the "stone glue" - ok more than a few - my fingers have "fuzzies" all over them from being glued to the "jewelry blanket" - the little mat I work on; my one bracelet is crooked, there's little tiny beads all over the floor - somewhere - I can't really see where - and on and on. Yet I still seem to enjoy pursuing this creative venture. We'll see what happens - my fortune cookie recently said versatility was one of my best traits, so who knows!

Busy Day!

Today I had to be at work at 7:30. As some of you may know, sleeping was a challenge in Pekin (where I live) and surrounding areas last night due to a chemical spill at a Cilco substation near here. Supposedly it was not natural gas, but chemicals, but it smelled like natural gas, stung my eyes and gave me a headache. Anyway, I digress. I hopped out of bed today, knowing it was going to be a day full of fun and adventure. I worked until noon, picked up Tracey and we headed over to Peoria to meet some of my children at a formal wear store as yet to be unpublicized (waiting on that ring to be on that finger!) where at one point I overheard someone say to a male employee, "can you take off your shirt so we can see what pants that are pleated look like?" That didn't quite come out right, I don't think! Anyway, after we did all the damage we could there, we headed over to the rock show. This is the first one I've attended since I tried my hand at making some jewelry pieces myself and I have to say, it was overwhelming! I usually don't even stop at the booths that have jewelry making supplies and so there was sooooo much to look at - it was a little over the top for me. I was looking also for some heart beads to make some pieces of jewelry for that same as yet unpublicized event, but didn't find those yet. I did purchase a couple strands of beads to try my hands at some more jewelry making as well as a couple cabachons (those are stones used for making pendants that are flat on the back) , so we'll see what happens! Then off to a wonderful dinner at Olive Garden - I haven't been there in ages and the food was spectacularly fabulous! All in all, it was a very fun day. Pictures of my jewelry creations to come.

Rock Show!

Yay! This Saturday and Sunday is the rock and gemstone show at the Brandywine Holiday Inn (or what used to be, I guess) in Peoria. I am soooooo excited. Of course, you already know I love, love, love, looooooove rocks, but also this time I have another motive. I have begun to make a few pieces of jewelry and I prefer to use stones and stone beads as opposed to plastic or glass beads, so usually when I attend rock shows I don't even bother to look at the vendors who offer jewelry making supplies - now I am excited to include those in my gandering! I'm sure it will be fun and I can't wait to see all the cool treasures that are just waiting to be found. I have another agenda also, in that, there is a very big event looming on the spring horizon in my household that has been "kinda" kept under wraps in that we haven't publicly announced it yet and it looks as though I will be making some jewelry pieces for some gifts for that event and I am very excited about that as well. Come on out and look at all the cool rocks this weekend - it'll be fun for sure!

Disappointment????

I'm not finding my life very interesting - at least not to write a blog about anyway. I keep thinking, "oh, no one is interested in that" or "who cares about that". I'm at an age that, well, let's just say (without naming my specific age if you don't mind!) I always thought my life by this time would be really different that what it is. It's not that I'm so disappointed at how it's turned out, because I am way more fortunate that alot of people - I know that and I'm grateful for what I do have. But I thought at this age, what I'm doing would be different - you know, that I'd be travelling (at least more than the once every few years I get to go somewhere for a day or two); that I'd have more free time to shop for bargains and bless people I know with little surprise gifts; that I'd have a house where I could have visitors and people come stay for a few days here and there - I don't know. I guess when I was younger, this age looked more glamourous, more settled, more financially secure, more doing what I wanted to do. I am extremely fortunate that I get to work in a field that I absolutely, positively, unequivocally LOVE - that makes it so much easier to get up and go six days a week! I am especially thankful and appreciative of that each and everyday. I don't know - maybe I'm just in a funk, as they say. That doesn't happen to me very often, so I'm not sure how to handle it. Perhaps some ice cream will do the trick????

More jewelry!

Had kind of a long week - just stressful, so I've been doing some "jewelry therapy" today - it's fun. I wish I was more creative, but hopefully ideas will come to me easier as I do more. I did actually sell a few pairs of earrings - that was nice! It seems like practice makes better is the adage for this activity, but just the feeling that you've accomplished something is rewarding.

Friday night outing!

School started this week for my little nephew and niece. So tonight we went to Steak 'n Shake for dinner - just the three of us. As of Wednesday, Maria was not sure she was going to go on Thursday. But she did. Here's a synopsis of the conversations leading up to and including tonight's dinner.

"No - I didn't brush my teeth at school, I forgot my toothpaste". "There's no pillows at school, you just lay on your towel". "Stick out your tongue - if it's white, you're sick". "I made some bears at school, but I had to leave them there to dry". "Aren't we going to a movie?" "When your sandwich comes up here (points to chest) then pretty soon, all your food will come shooting back out - and that's bad". 1st person - "Guess what I'm saying" (nothing is said, mouth just moves) "Guess - it starts with straw and ends with berry". "Everytime you eat a frenchy fry, wash it down with a drink of water". "Aunt Debbie, can you see what's wrong with my milkshake? I've sucked my straw flat and it still won't come out". "Recess is the time when you should go around and ask new people to be your friend". 1st person - "I ate some green things at hot lunch at school". 2nd person - "They were peas". 1st person - "Yeah, like I said some green things". 1st person - "I'm full - let's take this 1/2 of cheeseburger home to Apollo and Emma". 2nd person - "That's not very much for two people". 1st person - "We'll cut it in pieces because they can't come with us until they're taller". And, of course, my favorite, a very loud and lively rendition of the "Cheeseburger" song from Veggie Tales. After dinner, we drove through Pinky's (Tremont's local ice cream shop) and got ice cream for Terrance and Maria and 2 things of ice cream to take home for Apollo and Emma. Terrance ended our time by saying, "Aunt Debbie, let's do this every weekend!" Hmmmm.......

Eggroll Monday!

Tonight we made eggrolls - now I know, it's a tradition for our Christmas dinner that we make eggrolls, but we just kinda had a hankering for them now - in the middle of the summer! The kids all came over - I have to admit, I sorta cheated and bought absolutely everything I could already chopped, sliced or diced, since I had to work all day today. But it turned out well. We only had one fo-pah - we didn't realize one of the pans of oil on the stove was turned on and after awhile, well you guessed it - it burned! Oh my! The smoke wasn't too bad, but our eyes burned and burned and burned for literally hours. We opened up all the windows and doors - it was terrible. Didn't stop us from eating, though - no siree! We wiped our eyes, then ate a few more! It was fun. I love having all my kids home with me! It is a rare treat that I cherish.

Adventure Day 2010!

Yesterday marked the 1st anniversary of "Adventure Day". It's a day where just about anything goes for my nephew, Terrance, and his friend Josie. They are a year apart in age and great friends. Adventure Day is designed as a carefree, fabulous day where we just have fun before school starts. Josie's dad, Dave, joins us and the four of us set out on an adventure filled with very few rules and lots of laughs. Wherever our brains can take us, that's what we try to do and where we try to go! Yesterday we started at Dave's house, visiting with Josie's kitten, "Oreo", then to Casey's to gas up the car, and yes, get some bottled water and some snacks for the day ahead. Then off to bowling, dinner, a drive by at the sprinkler park (lots of little kids - we decided not to stop and get soaking wet for the next leg of our adventure), miniature golf, playing in the park, then closing out the last leg of our adventure at Cold Stone Creamery for some ice cream. Here's a few pictures so you, too, can experience our adventure if only by proxy! Enjoy - we sure did! (oh yeah - I have no idea why that one line is underlined - can't figure it out -sorry!)

Terrance and Oreo

Josie bowling

Terrance and the "second" ball he decided to try

Our bowling team

Terrance at dinner

Josie and Dave at dinner

Miniature golf

Miniature golf

Miniature golf

Miniature golf

Miniature golf

Inside the "cave" - outside is the waterfall

Ending with ice cream - yummmm!

Change

Change is difficult - I've said that a million times at least, it seems. Even if something is not the best for us, it seems like it is hard to make a change and go a different way. With another great sadness invading our home this weekend, it has caused me to ponder relationships and insecurities and changes all over again. Why are we such creatures of habit? Why is it that we feel so much safer when we're in control and things are, shall we say, "as they have always been"? Of course, when talking about broken relationships, there is also the obvious emotions of missing the person you've grown to care about and have spent time with, but then there's also the practicality of doing things alone or in a different way than you have before - we just don't seem to like it, do we? Everything new seems to put us out of our "comfort zone". I'm not trying to belittle the heartbreak of a broken relationship, but I also have to wonder how much of our pain is because everything is scary and new and different. I know when I got divorced years ago, part of my "discomfort" and pain was exactly this - I was now solely responsible for three young lives, aged 7, 9, and 11; I was required to go to work, make arrangements for the kids, and on and on - things would never be the same in our lives. It was scary and uncomfortable. I remember my dad giving me perhaps the best piece of advice that I received during that time. He told me to try to see this as a new beginning - that I could do and/or be anything I wanted. Maybe if we were able to look at all the changes that come our way with "unsettling" consequences as opportunities to do anything we wanted, we would at least be able to embrace the change, and it might be a little less uncomfortable for us.

It's hot!

Whew! What a couple of really hot days we've had! They've been a couple days full of "adventure" for me! It always seems my life "on the outside" is a reflection of what's happening inside. What I mean by that is this - I've been struggling with some things emotionally lately - just kinda been mad about the way some things have gone, and now things "on the outside" have started deteriorating, too. Hmmm..."change your thinking, change your world" comes to mind. Anyway, twice in two days my car wouldn't start so I had to find someone each time to jump it. The first time, a light had been left on, so I just assumed the battery would charge as I drove the car to Peoria to do some on-site chair massages & all would be well. After all, car batteries last a looooooong time, right? Like forever, in this girl's mind anyway. Well, I was right...until the next day (today). When I got ready to leave work for lunch, oops - "click, click, click" was all I heard when I turned the key. Now, as you know if you've had to depend on anyone for anything lately, people are not real excited about taking time out of their busy schedules to help someone else. However, both times I did find someone to help me get the car going and this time I drove straight to Walt's Garage (shout out - thanks Walt and Sam!) where I had to purchase a new battery. Yay! Car is up and running dependably again! Then yesterday, I was in a store in Peoria and I ran into a woman I haven't seen for years - unfortunately, it was a woman who never liked me and was pretty vocal about her dislike. I couldn't believe it! As she stood in line behind me to pay, I felt like I was transported back 30 years! I was fidgety and nervous, looking all around. So much so that I left without one of my sacks and the cashier had to chase me out to my car! Way to avoid bringing attention to myself, eh? It seems sometimes old habits do die hard! Such are the adventures life is made of! Could there be a connection between the "turmoil" in my mind over recent events and the "turmoil" with my car and shopping experiences? Don't know, but I'm going to keep my eyes open and see what I can find out. In the meantime, my thoughts shall turn to being only positive for the weekend, in the hopes that all will be grand!

Still trying...

Ok - I'm still making some effort to try to make jewelry. Now, I'm not trying to go into another business or even trying to make a variety of items - my goal is much simpler than that. I have some stones that I love to have with me - I have bowls of them sitting around, which is nice. I can pick them up and look at them, roll them around in my hands. I used to carry some in my pocket until my son commented that he thought our pants might fall down if we didn't quit adding to our pockets full of rocks, and I kept forgetting they were there and washing them when I did laundry. So, I decided it might be fun to be able to wear some of these, therefore I'm trying to wire wrap them into pendants and earrings. Here's a picture of a few of my latest attempts. I find that a hobby is good for the brain, and a nice distraction to real life. I also find it's sometimes annoying for these short, chubby fingers! Oh well, when that happens, I put all my pretties back in my box and return to visit them another day.

Celebrate!

Today we got together after church and celebrated Barry's 28th birthday. There was ham, cheesey po's, broccoli casserole, salad, rolls, deviled eggs, and pineapple upside down cake. It was all yummy! We played our favorite game (which involves, of course, much laughter!) and had planned to take a new family picture, but Amanda had to scoot off to work, so we didn't get that done. We tried to snap a few pics, but they were all fuzzy except these three, which sum up the rest of the afternoon! We decided we don't have to wait until Christmas to make egg rolls again, so picking that date is in the works. I so appreciate my kids taking time out of their busy schedules to get together once in awhile with me and each other. Family is very important and I especially enjoy spending time with them as they're now grown adults. Very nice ones, I might add.

Ahhhhh!

I am soooooo frustrated! Here I am, trying to make some pieces of jewelry, and I'm going nuts because I just end up with a loose stone and these little piles of wire all over the table! It looks so easy, but ends up being so hard! I hate it when I set out to do something, then can't. Surely with more and more practice, I should be able to master at least the most basic of wrapping some stone hearts, don't you think? Surely I'm not too old to learn a new trick, here, eh? Add to that fact, I was supposed to go to the grocery store hours ago (actually I had intended to go last night, but that's one chore I detest, so I put it off as long as is humanly possible!), and now I can't even point to my lovely pieces of jewelry, saying I spent my time making those! Oh well, I guess it's off to the grocery store I go, and maybe I'll try my hand at some jewelry making later. Sometimes I find it's best to get away from something stressful and re-evaluate it another time!

Remaining friends

I used to think that none of my "real" friends would hurt me or let me down - that I just had to find the people who wouldn't hurt me and become their friends. As I've grown older and lived more and hopefully matured and become wiser, I realize this thought to be inaccurate. I wish it were true - then you would just have to go on this massive search for those certain people who cared enough about you never to hurt you. What I have come to realize is true, however, is this: everyone will hurt you and/or let you down. We are all human and for a mass variety of reasons we will eventually, if not consistently, do things that are hurtful to others. Sometimes we don't even mean to or are unaware that we've done something hurtful. The secret then, is this - find the people who you can forgive when they hurt you, just because you want to keep them in your life. I don't think most of us purposely hurt our friends and family - it just happens as we try to survive, try to take care of ourselves, let our insecurities take over, and just plain give in to our selfish nature. I am, of course, not talking about being ignorant and not standing up for yourself and not setting a boundary to rid your life of toxic people. I'm talking about not expecting perfection from fellow humans. Therefore, when you find someone whose friendship is worth keeping, even though you sometimes have to overlook small comments or actions that are hurtful, hang onto them. After all, no man is an island - we all need friends to lean on once in awhile.

Day Off!

Due to a bunch of unusual circumstances, I had today off of work! Of course, I didn't know it was going to be a day off until yesterday, but still, it was nice, since I work on Saturday, to have a day to move a little slower and just chill a bit. And what I can tell you is, when you have a day like this, it goes alot faster than a day at work - ha! I ran a few errands, ran to the store, and voila! day's over! It's unbelievable how fast time flies! Tonight I'm hoping my Cardinals will pull out one win against the Astros, eating some soup, and doing some knitting. All's quiet on the home front tonight and for one night, that's just ok.

28 Years Ago Today!

28 years ago today, my first baby was born. After nine months of literally throwing up every single day, our little guy was on his way here. Back then they didn't tell you if you were having a boy or a girl, but we just knew he was a boy. We had been calling him "BJ" for months - short for Barry Jon, his assigned name. Here he was - 2 weeks late, or right on time, however you look at it. As soon as I woke up, I was amazed at how little my feet were - they had swollen until they looked like balloons with little vienna sausages attached to them! But I digress. Barry was perfect - we counted his toes and fingers, looked at his little body, and couldn't believe how blessed we were. He had darling dimples. We had to stay in the hospital for a week, and I remember when we left the hospital, we stopped by the Tremont Park for a family reunion and my dad admonished me sternly for having the baby out! We tried to do everything correctly - trouble was, everyone seemed to say something different was correct! But we survived, and this tiny little bundle we were now responsible for became the very focus of our existence. Memories flooded my mind all day today of his younger years, all the years playing hockey, all the fun we've had together. There have been hard times, too, of course, but we've weathered them together. I feel very proud today as I look at this little "baby" of mine who's grown into a fine, responsible young man - and he's cute, too, if I do say so myself! (Actually two of my customers even tried to hit on him once because he's so cute - before they knew he was my son - ahhhh! ) So here's to you, Barry, on your 28th birthday. You are a wonderful human being and I am very grateful for the privilege of being your mom. I love you. May you have many more years filled with happiness and success!

We did it!

First of all, sorry for the quality (or lack of) of this picture. Saturday was the day we'd been waiting for - our wire wrapping class! Now, I have to say, I'm not so great at it - yet! But I think with some concentrated practice I can at least accomplish what I wanted, which is to wrap some of my stones so I can wear them as pendants. Also, if I can acquire a knack for doing it, and if I could part with some of my stones, they would make great gifts. The heart at the top is the one I did in class - a little too much wire for my taste - I like the wrap to be simple, so I can see most of the stone. The other three are my first ones on my own - practicing. My friend Tracey and I tried to figure out some other techniques - we watched videos on you tube, looked at pictures on the internet, Tracey even "unwrapped" one she had previously purchased (although looking back, that might not have been the wisest move - ah!). Anyway, I think it's always fun to learn something new and good to challenge my brain. We had a good time and hopefully some profitable things will come of this new skill! Oh yeah - and I am going to have to purchase a couple little tools - how fun is that!