Still Working...

I finished a couple of rings yesterday; sizes 6 and 7.

Small Planet

A new video is out by Ferraby Lionheart,who is an emerging talent on the music scene, and a friend of mine from high school.

Artist Spotlight

I thought I would post about some of the artists that I liked at the show this past weekend. I'll do two now, and maybe some more later.

Erin Jones is a talented young artist that Seth and I have the privilege of knowing. I have done a couple of Express Art shows with her. You can visit her website here.




Patricia Deleon Alfonso was one of my favorite artists there this year. She does encaustic painting, which is an ancient style of using pigmented wax to create the images. She had some pictures of women that were gorgeous and I wish I could find a better/bigger image online, but I couldn't find a website for her. The image on the left is from here and is clearer there, although smaller.

Back to Work...

It's after a big weekend and I'm exhausted, but I have no time to relax because I have a show coming up! Here are some new pieces:

Artclectic Weekend

I finally have a moment to sit down, so I'll give you a little update. Seth's show has gone great. I was able to go the the patron's party on Thursday night and after getting all the kids off to each of their sleep-overs Friday night, I was able to go for the end of Friday's party. After the party ended, Seth and I went out to celebrate the sale of several paintings. Seth is at the show again today and was there yesterday too. I took the kids last night to get a glimpse of the show and to do some of the children's workshops, then we all went out to get a bite to eat as a family. Well, the kids and I are on the way to church, so, ciao!

Quick Hello

No time for a post; busy day ahead.

(photo from Daytona beach)

Show Preview

Seth has taken all of his paintings and is off to load them in, hang them and do a lecture at USN. I got a few pictures yesterday despite the rainy lighting (I was hoping for some good sunshine for the pictures...but I'm thankful for the rain anyway). Here are a few of my favorites. He has almost 40 pieces for the show.

Puppy Love

Emet loves dogs. He used to be afraid of them (especially ours who are like two big monsters) but lately he has grown past his fear into an uncanny infatuation of all things canine. We left him with my sister when we went on vacation (thanks Annalise!) and he became fast friends with their cock-a-poo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) so close, in fact, that he would share anything with that dog!


photos by Annalise (thanks!)

Art Show Coming Up!

Not only am I getting ready for a jewelry home show the second week in November, but this week I am also helping Seth get ready for Artclectic at USN. I'm going to just help him finish the edges and get the hangers put on, catalog everything and try to keep the kids out of his hair while he puts on the finishing touches.
I'll do a preview of some of his work for the show sometime this week. If you live in Nashville, think about coming out this weekend. It's a great event!

artclectic 2007 Dates and Times

Thursday October 25th

Patrons’ Party $100 per person
(reservations required)
6:00-9:00

Friday October 26th

Education Day
Community Party
$10 per person (pay at the door)
6:00-9:00

Saturday October 27th

Show open to the public 10-6
New! Studio Days


Sunday October 28th

Show open to the public 11-3
New! Studio Days

A Good Gift Idea

The mother of a friend of mine sells scrap booking supplies from Creative Memories. If you love to scrapbook, or if you never have but want to start, this is a very good source.
There are products to add to your collection, there are kits to help you start and there are easy drop in albums that don't take much work or time. I was thinking that a scrapbook would be a good Christmas gift (Shh). I might get some stuff...but I can't tell you why...

Nothin' to say...

Well, it's official; I have nothing to blog about today. I have no interesting links, nothing important to say, no bits of wisdom and nothing new going on in my life. Except that I parted my hair on a different side for the first time and incidentally, it feels really weird, kind of like cutting long fingernails down to the quick. So, there it is. Not much of anything. I am thankful for my life though, and I guess that's something...

God's Creation

The beach is a great place to teach the kids about who God is. I was able to talk to them about how God never changes, about his great mercy and love and about His beautiful creation. I want my kids to see the miraculousness of nature and praise God as the ultimate creator. These are some of my favorite nature shots from this past week.




Look closely at this last picture of the bird. He has just dived into the ocean and he has caught a fish! You can see it in his talons.

We're Back!

We had a great time on our trip and although we had time to relax, I am so worn out today! I need a vacation from the vacation! Here are a few pictures, and I'll post more once I've had a chance to go through them.

Bye for a while!

We are headed to the beach for one last splash before cooler weather hits, so no more posts until we get back next week. Feel free to browse my older posts and my favorite blog sites while I'm gone, and I'll leave you with a little of the new jewelry I've made this week.
Sterling silver circle with 14k gold accent(the center of the flower is gold):

Sterling silver branch with nest, flower and copper bird:

See you when we get back! Have a great week!

Happy Birthday Kaleb!

Since Kaleb turns 11 today, I thought I would write 11 things that I love about him.

1. He loves to read and he goes through at least one novel a week.
2. He stands up for kids that are being made fun of at school.
3. He knows more about animals than I do.
4. He has confided in me that his goal is to get a full scholarship to collage.
5. He loves God and he is always asking questions and reading his Bible to further
his knowledge about who God is.
6. He loves his brothers.
7. He has listened to me read out loud: several Alice in Wonderland books
(two by Lewis Carrol and at least three by other authors), six Harry Potter books,
The original Peter Pan, The Chet Gecko Series, The Hardy Boys, Eragon, The first
four Chronicles of Narnia, and lots and lots of other books.
8. His job is to feed the dogs and he does a great job.
9. We just received his achievement test results and he scored well above advanced
in every single category.
10. He has been faithfully practicing his saxophone and he is getting better and
better at it.
11. He loves our family and he prays for us almost every day.
Well, there's eleven things. I know I could think of a lot more. I love Kaleb so much, not just for his achievements (but I am proud of those) but because I know his heart. He desires to be the man God made him to be and to get to see that worked out in his life on a daily basis is such a huge blessing for me. I love you Kaleb!

The Saturday Party

Tomorrow is Kaleb's birthday. We had a family party on Saturday and Kaleb got to invite a friend to spend the night. My Dad's parents were here from Indiana, so they also got to join in on the fun. In fact, it was Grandma who made the Angel Food Cake!
A couple of months ago Kaleb had decided that he wanted a Harry Potter First Year party because he was turning 11 and that is how old Harry was when he got to Hogwarts, so I had planned to do wands, brooms and the sorting hat etc., but about a week before the party, Kaleb said, "Mom, I'm not so sure about a theme this year." I said, "What do you mean? What about Harry and turning 11 and all that?"
"I'm just getting older, you know." he replied.
So, the theme went out the window, but Kaleb said he had a great time at his party (and we had a treasure hunt, because he's not too old for that!)

Plan To Carry All

Seth and I are planning to take the kids to the beach over fall break, so this week I am planning everything that we need to take with us to make make this a dream vacation. I have been searching around the house for little zippered totes that we can store our cell phone and keys in when we are on the beach, because we certainly don't want any more accidents. I also really need a camera case. Here is one that I found on Etsy and they can custom design it to fit my camera (I also like the other stuff they have at this shop, Working Class Heroes.)

I could also get a normal case. This one is a Tamrac, but it just doesn't thrill me. Does anyone else have any good sources for a cool camera case?

A Mom's Overture

I heard this on the radio this morning and laughed so hard I cried. Music by Tchaikovsky, lyrics by moms everywhere, comically put together by Anita Renfroe.

What's for Dinner?

My kids love this chicken dish and I am very glad because sweet potatoes are so good for them!

Moroccan Tagine
A tagine is a traditional North African stew that is slow cooked.
Prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 60 minutes
1 tsp. olive oil
3 lbs. chicken (I like to use skinless thighs and skinless breasts)
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. each cumin, paprika, and pumpkin-pie spice
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)
Cilantro for garnish
1 box (10 oz.) plain couscous, cooked according to directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches, then transfer to a large baking dish. Add onion and spices to skillet and cook until onion is tender, about 6 minutes.
2. Add broth, sweet potatoes and raisins to skillet and bring to a boil. Pour over chicken in baking dish, cover, and bake 60 minutes. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with almonds and cilantro. Serve with couscous. Makes 6 servings.

Uh Oh

My husband has been painting for a show this month in his new studio. The baby loves his new studio and is constantly trying to spend as much time as he can in there. The room is not entirely baby proofed, so if you spend anytime around my house, you will often hear the words "Where's the baby?"

He fell in to a wet palette of paint the other day. Luckily Seth was in there to rescue him (and all of our stuff and the new room from paint damage.) Good thing for Emet, this is the shirt he was wearing: