New Things

It's been a while. I needed a bit of a break from the blogging. For a while there, nothing was really reportable. Nothing new. But you know, life can't always stay that way. Here's the update since the last entry.

I've still been fusing glass pendants. It's a nice hobby to release some creative energy. I've had some success selling them at school, and I've gotten around to inquiring about becoming a vendor at the Alton Farmers Market. We'll see....

Randy's also been doing some soul searching with his career ideas. After a couple graduate classes (which he aced, by the way) and observations, he realized that teaching was not for him. I'm proud of him for trying something completely out of his comfort zone. He's proved to himself that yes, he is smart and can do well in school. But he really didn't want to spend so much time jumping through hoops just to graduate and possibly not get a job. Plus, the big pay cut becoming a teacher was going to hurt, too. So, he'll stay where he is. I'm relieved he's figured it out in a short amount of time, and now, we've got some extra funds from saving for school to use up.... can you say vacation??? We'll see. At least he's happier now. 

We also (finally) adopted our Mabel. She's no longer a foster pug.... she's found her forever family. It's wonderful to know that she'll be treated well and given so much love that she missed out on for the first 5 years of her life. Such a sweetie. This is now our life...

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This week is the first week back from spring break, and the kids are reminding me why I dread coming back to work. In a week's time, all rules and sense of good behavior have fluttered out of their little heads.

However, working with little ones always seems to have its entertaining moments, even when no kids are around. For example, the other day I had used some flash cards to quiz the children on their letters/sounds and sight words they were supposed to be practicing over break. This morning, when I came in, I realized that I had randomly set the flash cards on the whiteboard ledge. These were the two cards facing up....

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How appropriate. Life just makes sense sometimes...

Spring Break Re-cap

Where did the week go? My first spring break as a workin' woman flew by, mostly because I kept busy. The vacation included two trips to my parents' house (one planned, one not), making glass pendants, cleaning, organizing, and planting. Overall, it was a great time to have off. The weather couldn't have been better.... sunny and warm most of the days. Here are some of the pics that commemorate my time off

Our newest addition... 2008 HHR. It was a great deal, and Randy's truck is about to die :(

Embellishments! The creativity abounds!

The first pendant I made for myself. Love it!

But, if you'd like something like it, too, I customize them!

A lovely spring day

This week is my spring break, and so far, it's been a perfect combination of getting things done and getting absolutely nothing done. Today started early with Sophie whining at 4:45 am. I guess I forgot to let the pooches have one more chance outside before bedtime, and so she was doing the potty dance with her whimpers. But, with our dogs, if one is up, then all are up. So, everyone ate and went out in the early morning hour. It was back to bed for us shortly thereafter with three pooches in our increasingly small queen-sized bed.

Needless to say, I slept in until (gasp!) 9:30. That's a rarity nowadays. I've been conditioned to get up at 6:30 on weekdays and 7:00 on weekends. No fun, but it's routine. Alas, it is spring break, so some sleeping in can be forgiven.

Just about when I decided that the day was going to be a wash, I got a bit of inspiration to plant the beans and snap peas that were about ready to choke each other in their starter greenhouse. So, raking, tilling, and planting occurred. It felt really nice to be outside on a day like this. Warm, breezy. Spring is here. I've been in the soil to prove it.

I also caught up with a high school friend, which is rare, as I only still talk to one high school friend on an annual basis. Sad, but that's life. It's okay, we always fall right back into the groove of things. That's nice.

And I rounded out my afternoon with one of my favorite thing.... reading in the sun on our deck. I got a few chapters done before a pesky wasp drove me out of my own space. Although, he's the one with the sharp thing on the end of him.... he can reign for now. I have a plan for him if his kind dominate summer like they did last year. I hate wasps. Plus, the pugs can only take so much heat.

All in all, a wonderful spring day.

New Favorite

I've been making pendants like crazy lately. It's been fun to design something and see how it turns out after the burning process. I've had some great success by taking them to my work. So far, I've had 9 sales in total, so I took time today to restock my etsy site.

I've been trying something new, and I really like the way it turned out. I've been adding embellishments to the pendants, and I love, love, love the way it's turning out! This one, in particular, is my favorite!

My first etsy sale

It feels so good to make a sale on etsy! I've finally found my craft... and business is booming. I've already sold 3 and have orders for 2 more. I might just be able to start living the dream :)

A Sale!

I've made my first glass pendant sale! Hooray. While not an etsy member, my first customer is my SLP mentor at school. She saw the etsy site and is buying the Spring Stringer, which seemed to be a big hit with everyone. So, I don't have to worry about shipping and all that jazz... on Monday morning, my customer will have her item hand-delivered. No extra charge :)

I've dedicated all of today to stocking the store, so please take a second and check it out! I'm very excited about my new hobby!