I just finished the yearly really big glass show I do, and it went quite well. Almost as well as last year, within $100 worth in terms of sales. In this still sluggish economy, I’m totally down with doing just as well as the year before.

I think next year, I am ready for my own booth. And the plans for that are already afoot. I’m going to change my work, again, which is always a healthy thing to do, make new things, try new ideas. I’m going to lift my work even higher in terms of overall finished pieces…which will raise prices a bit on some work. But other pieces will stay in a more $40-$80 range, and of course, earrings for even less than that.

So I have a lot of R&D to do…when I have time.

Today someone came out to look at the backyard, as we need a new wall back there to replace the one I helped remove when I was 6 months pregnant, made of railroad ties and full of termites. It will be replaced with stone, and hopefully in the next couple weeks.

Spring is here. While I was gone in AZ the leaves popped and today is a lovely, warm day. I am making soup tonight, Derek is napping and should wake up soon, I want to go out and play in the afternoon sun a little more before I have to come in and cook.

All these plans…some for the next hour, some the next few weeks, some for around this time next year.

It’s fun to make them, even more fun to see them through!

Tonight, after Derek goes to sleep, I am going to make this. to eat for dessert tomorrow. I am so busy these days, I don’t cook much to enjoy the process, it’s mostly about a scratch dinner that is also quick to do with a toddler underfoot. So tonight, once he is asleep, I’ll work on this recipe.
DLJ works late every Wed. He goes in right after lunch, and comes home late at night. I really have come to enjoy this arrangement. I get him at home for half a day, once a week. He gets time to work on his projects at work when no one is bugging him during working hours to do something else. I get my “alone” time every week to do what I please, be it work, or just reading, or, like tonight, mindful cooking. The days are getting easier, Derek as a toddler is a challenge, of course, but he is not 100% needing me every moment anymore. I get little breathers here and there to type, or do a quick cleaning chore, or just a moment or two to look out the window and think. It’s nice to finally be here…where my world opens up again.
We are in the middle of a lot of little house projects. Repainting the kitchen and some trim needs to be done, and we selected the color, at least. A back wall in the garden needs to be put back in. Those are the two projects I have for the spring/summer. Part of me wishes for a newer house that doesn’t need as much upkeep as ours. And if I had to do it over, I’d stay strong and wait for one with a more mid-century look than what we purchased. But overall, I do enjoy this house. And I don’t need the house of my dreams for my first house, certainly. Despite the work this house sometimes requires, it does make me feel more like we really live here, but taking care of and improving it. And even though I do get a touch of wisfulness when I visit friends with a more modern, or less-work house…what I have is a less than $700 per month mortgage for over 2k sq. feet, which is plenty of room for all of us, and a low payment that is a locked in amount that brings more peace and ease of living than a house with little work to do.
Next week Derek and I are going to Tucson to see my parents, while DLJ stays home. I know he will miss us, but he will have plenty of time for his projects he never has time for while we are around to distract him, like cleaning the garage and maybe finishing the great toolshed he built out back over the past couple weekends. And we will enjoy the desert weather. It has been raining here a lot, as it should this time of year. I appreciate it, and so do my plants that I don’t have to water every day (yet) but a small break of sun will be great for us.
That’s the news. Slow, and happy, pretty much, in our little corner of the Pacific Northwest.

I haven’t played in my studio since before Christmas, I have been so busy and the rain has been relentless. I still love it though, the sound of it on the roof and hitting the lawn outside doesn’t get old. I would like a nice, sunny day, however.

I told Derek today we were going to get some salmon for dinner, and he added, “get bacon, too?” I guess he takes after Dad. I like New Seasons bacon, it has no nitrites in it, but I didn’t have the time to trek over there.

You know,  this quickly turned into  a very boring domestic entry. I actually have a lot going on in my brain right now. I am supposed to go to London in February, a very, VERY short trip. It was short by my decision, so that Derek, who has not been away from me for more than about 10 hours, wouldn’t have to deal with my absence for too long. I could have stayed longer with my friend Thomas, but we are planning a trip specifically to stay with him in the nearish future, and I felt like I couldn’t do that on my own without the family, also a reason for cutting it so short. But now, it’s in upheaval in my head for several reasons. Being away from Derek, being someone who hates flying and cannot sleep on planes then dealing with jet lag, plus being on gig-time while I am there, as I would be helping out and enjoying a very special sold out gig of a very special friend’s…and not have much time to do anything else. Combine that with not having a hope of recovering with a day of sleep when I get home (re: Derek) and  the eco footprint of such a long flight for such a short time, plus United screwed up the schedule and is sending me both there AND back on different flights with different layovers in different cities than I booked with…

I’m still struggling to decide. I know what my gut says, and usually my gut is the “GO GIRL, GO!” type and this time…it’s whispering something else instead of that.

I have a little more time to think on it. Either way, I win, and either way, I lose.

Anyway. I have to get in glass/demo/informal lecture mode now, to teach some folks tomorrow about how fun working with molten glass is!

p.s. BT has a new album coming out! Makes the BT/Dolby tour seem so far away, yet the days on the bus just like yesterday all at the same time. I am very much looking forward to it.

I love making my glass straws, I just wish I had more time. There is a due date for items to be in a local museum in a few days, and I have nothing new for it. I WANT to give them something NEW…very recent…but I may not have time. I have some good stuff in stock…but…

And then I want time alone. Time to just be. But if I take time to just be, I am not taking time to create. And I miss creating. It’s cold now down in the studio, so creating takes a little forethought to turn the heater on. I think I need to make a “Cave night.” Something a friend of mine has. Something another friend calls “bro-ing in.” I need a night to bro-in.” Or I will go mad. And I must create on that night, not sit and do nothing. The sitting and doing nothing should be daytime, during a Derek nap. Fridays were supposed to be that day…but it never happens. Hm.

So, while I would like a pony, I would also like:

A whole day to myself.

A disk cutter (saving up for that.)

Coffee that hasn’t gotten cold by the time I get to it.

An extra day every week to just be with DLJ.

One more REALLY warm day.

Drinking chocolate.

A chasing hammer.

TIME. MORE, MORE, MORE time.

I have some neat news, but it’s not completely sorted out yet. Soon.

But hey! I have a bead in a magazine! The Winter 2010 edition of <i>Bead Unique</i> has one of my focals in it. I am doing a holiday show Dec. 6 downtown in Portland, and it will be nice to have a newer magazine to display with my work. Oy. I need to finish my brochures! Another thing on the list that never ends….

So this is shorter than I wanted.

I got my first set of needles today for knitting, that are my own. I am going to try to make Derek a simple scarf for my first project. But I have to remember how to cast on, I may try tonight. My friend who taught me the beginnings of knitting helped me today to pick out my yarn and my needles and is up for a refresher one evening next week.

Too short, sorry. Must rest.

Last week we went to Breitenbush and soaked in hot springs and slept in tents and hiked and drank fabulous filtered water from the nearby river. It was excellent.

This morning DLJ put the final waterproof seal on our back deck…a couple weekends ago he and my Dad sanded and re-stained it. It looks great and this was one of our 3 projects for the summer to complete, and the biggest one. The other two, one is almost done, that was repainting the bathroom. That is complete, I just need to repaint the cabinet and put on the new glass knobs I made myself for it. And the last one is repainting the front door, which is not done at all, but luckily is a one day job.

Derek turned two last week, and had a fine party and fun with friends and family. It moves so fast. I am glad he still nurses with me, loves to nurse and snuggle in the mornings and late afternoons, and still sleeps in his crib. He has his whole life to grow up, and I’m very content with him taking his own time with things. I can’t believe how fast it goes and it will only go faster, so each stage is precious and well-loved.

I’m at a cafe, and need to be writing instead of blathering here, so I will end for now. All is well. I hope all is well with you, too.

Last week we went to Breitenbush and soaked in hot springs and slept in tents and hiked and drank fabulous filtered water from the nearby river. It was excellent.

This morning DLJ put the final waterproof seal on our back deck…a couple weekends ago he and my Dad sanded and re-stained it. It looks great and this was one of our 3 projects for the summer to complete, and the biggest one. The other two, one is almost done, that was repainting the bathroom. That is complete, I just need to repaint the cabinet and put on the new glass knobs I made myself for it. And the last one is repainting the front door, which is not done at all, but luckily is a one day job.

Derek turned two last week, and had a fine party and fun with friends and family. It moves so fast. I am glad he still nurses with me, loves to nurse and snuggle in the mornings and late afternoons, and still sleeps in his crib. He has his whole life to grow up, and I’m very content with him taking his own time with things. I can’t believe how fast it goes and it will only go faster, so each stage is precious and well-loved.

I’m at a cafe, and need to be writing instead of blathering here, so I will end for now. All is well. I hope all is well with you, too.

Last week we went to Breitenbush and soaked in hot springs and slept in tents and hiked and drank fabulous filtered water from the nearby river. It was excellent.

This morning DLJ put the final waterproof seal on our back deck…a couple weekends ago he and my Dad sanded and re-stained it. It looks great and this was one of our 3 projects for the summer to complete, and the biggest one. The other two, one is almost done, that was repainting the bathroom. That is complete, I just need to repaint the cabinet and put on the new glass knobs I made myself for it. And the last one is repainting the front door, which is not done at all, but luckily is a one day job.

Derek turned two last week, and had a fine party and fun with friends and family. It moves so fast. I am glad he still nurses with me, loves to nurse and snuggle in the mornings and late afternoons, and still sleeps in his crib. He has his whole life to grow up, and I’m very content with him taking his own time with things. I can’t believe how fast it goes and it will only go faster, so each stage is precious and well-loved.

I’m at a cafe, and need to be writing instead of blathering here, so I will end for now. All is well. I hope all is well with you, too.

My straws are selling very well. This is good. Practical item, not like jewelry. Which is also selling pretty well, even in this economy. I can’t complain.

I got a used drill press which will allow me to do a LOT more with metals in my work. Yay.

Today is Copper River Salmon day. Once a year we splurge on the really good stuff, both since it is so good, and also to support wild caught salmon as an industry vs. farmed. We buy wild whenver we can. So dinner tonight will be yummy. When Derek wakes we will walk to the store that has it, and he can have a cookie. Then back home and run around, I guess.

Tomorrow I get stitches out of my thumb. Yay. And I need to finish a large straw order, and take photos of the straw carrying cases, and make dinner, and…and…

it’s good to be busy.

This weekend, since the kiln issue is as resolved as it is going to be, I am going to set up my new torch. Finally. I am looking forward to that!

Today we were at the coast. Derek had his first in-the-ocean experience and really had a great time! He was cold but didn’t want to leave, but walked up over 50 steps all by himself back to the car.

These two pictures are from the beach:

He just kept pointing out into the water saying “Wow” and “More,” wanting the little waves to come in again. He watched paddle surfers and ran around the beach, until he found the water around his shoes, that is. Then that is all he wanted to do. Ocean boy!

We had a lunch of breads, meat and cheese in the back of the car before we went down the stairs to the beach. Dinner was BBQ from Riptide, just down the street.

More later, my chocolate chip cookies are just out of the oven!