Whitney Street Studio

February 1, 2010

Shania will be leaving us today. I've known it was time for quite a while now but had to wait for Bill to accept it was time.  Watching and knowing the time is coming doesn't make it any easier of course.  Shania was out of the same litter as our first dog, Daicey, who we lost to cancer in 2006.  We'd gotten Daicey at 6 weeks and then the family who had Shania was planning to have her euthanized in 1998 when we found her mere days before they were to let her go.  They said she was a biter. What she was, was an untrained puppy who hadn't learned not to nip at your ankles when she wanted to play.  Puppy teeth sure are sharp!  But puppies can be trained. So we took her knowing that if she really was a biter, we may not be able to keep her either. I just couldn't accept that the sibling of our dear sweet Daicey was just too terrible so I insisted we take her. We saved her life. 

Although there were many fights, she and Daicey were two peas in a pod.  When Daicey took ill and had to go in for surgery, Shania stayed at the window, watching and waiting for her return. On the day we lost Daicey, Shania sat in the driveway for hours, watching and waiting. She did this for weeks. When we finally brought her inside each day she would sit and watch out the window. She missed Daicey as much as we did.  Shania had always been the "child" while Daicey always acted like the older sibling.  The moment Daicey was gone, Shania stepped up to the plate to watch over us.   She had floppy ears and never raised them to listen for anything. But the moment she realized it was just her, those ears stood right up so she could listen and alert us.  The German Shepherd in her took over.  

She was never your typical German Shepherd. When one thinks of a GSD, they think strong, beautiful gait, long tail, pointed ears with an agile grace about them.  Not Shania. She was a gompy, clutzy, floppy eared, playful pup.  Up till a year ago, people never believed us when we mentioned her age because she played like a puppy.  She just didn't have that refined grace about her that you think of when you think of a classic GSD.

Since there were 2 of us and 2 of them, when Shania arrived in our home, she'd more or less become *my* dog, while Daicey became Bill's.  We both loved both dogs equally but they each clearly had a favorite.  When Daicey left us I worried if Bill would ever bond better with Shania.  It was instant. The moment Daicey was gone it was as if Shania knew he needed her now more than ever. She'd seek him out whereas normally she'd come to me first. Until her health began to fail, he'd take her everywhere he went.   The moment he opened the car or truck door, even if he was just reaching in to grab something with no intention of going anywhere, she would jump right in as if to say "we are going for a ride, Dad, aren't we?"

When the baby came home this summer, I'll be the first to admit, I hardly had enough time on my hands so my quality time spent with Shania dropped to next to nothing.  Earlier in the summer when we rented the movie Marley & Me, I swore that this would not happen. I swore than Shania would still be my number one girl. But then I delivered a 2 lb 10 oz baby who needed extra care. I spent the summer out of town while Bill and in his absence, his mother, took care of Shania.  When I came home with a 4.5 lb baby, by the time I fed her, pumped, got her to sleep it was time to start it all over again.  My time with Shania suffered and as badly as I felt about it, this tiny little child needed me more.  I always hoped Shania would understand but I do have terrible guilt over it. 

The two dogs were so very different. Shania loved going for walks and tended to stay close, whereas her sister always wandered too far out of our line of vision.  She hated the water, whether it was the beach, a bath or the hose.  Her sister loved playing in the water. And Shania never pretended to be a good watch dog. She was a big chicken and would run and hide if she sensed danger. 

Shania loved squash. Yes, you heard me. Squash. The moment I cut into one, she would lie by the oven until it was done.  Of course, we did all we could to spoil her rotten!  She was a good dog.  We sure are going to miss her. 

November 12, 2009

Hi everyone! As you can tell we've been busy busy busy. Our last journal entry was on June 15. We've had some major things happen over the past few months that have changed our lives forever. Magdalena Grace McQuilkin is the newest member of the McQuilkin clan. She was born on June 25, 2009 at 2 lbs 10 oz. Melissa and her were in the Maine Medical Hospital in Portland, Maine until July 28,2009. A few months have passed since Magdalena came home and she is doing wonderful! Last week she weighed a whoppin 10 lbs 6oz. She's now a jumbo baby. She has a smile that melts your heart! Here's a picture of her in early July and one that I took on Nov. 9. What a difference a few months can make.

We do have some bead news to announce. We have spacers on sale on Ebay and Etsy. We're cleaning out our inventory and have marked spacers as low as $7.50 per 12. Go check em out.

June 15, 2009

I'm sure many of you have noticed that instead of listing beads daily, I've been listing them midweek, generally on Wednesday's. This is working well for me so I can squeeze in ample time to do my school work. For those of you who don't know already, I am taking classes full time again (after being out of school for, yikes, too many years to keep track of!). This week, however, we are taking our niece camping so I won't be around much Wednesday so I will list beads on Tuesday instead. I'm planning to send you all an email to confirm that the newest beads are listed so you won't miss them.

I honestly think we went a wee bit overboard with our sets for this week though. Instead of having lots of low priced sets, I noticed both of us tended to make these ginormous over the top sets. I will be curious to see how you all like them....gorgeous show-stopping, eye-catching strands of lovely beads. One strand is pure shimmering golden Aurae, one strand is pitted "aged" ruins, one set is an exotic strand of leopard spots and the final strand (not including what's in the kiln today) is 3 glorious strands designed around a drop leaf Aurae bead. Beautiful beads for your jewelry designs!

I'll try to get those listed early evening tomorrow and then if time permits, will try to get an email out to everyone to let you know. I will be in and out on Wednesday....I have a doctors appointment in the morning, then we're going to head out of town to Kohl's and Target then on our way back home, I believe we will pick up our niece, Emily. Hopefully we will have some decent weather for camping, otherwise I may just have Bill pitch a tent in the backyard.

Hope you all have a great day!

May 22, 2009

I'm not sure why, but I got up much earlier than usual this morning so I've had ample time to come up with some things to journal about today. I've got a glass related story to tell and a frivolous fun thing to comment on too. Shall we start with work or play? I vote play!

Handbags will be the topic. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a thing for bags and shoes. I am somewhat limited as to what I can wear for shoes because I live in the boonies and even if I could afford it, there simply is not one occasion I could wear a pair of strappy 4" Christian Louboutins. Furthermore, many places, my own driveway included, are unpaved. Could you see me attempting to walk in such a pair of shoes? So although most would say I have a shoe obsession, my shoe collection pales in comparison to those who work or live closer to the city. I tend to stick to shoes that are going to be practical for my lifestyle. Plus, last year I was prescribed orthotics to insert into my shoes for a knee problem I was experiencing. Suddenly shoe shopping became more of a chore and far less exciting so I just simply stopped buying shoes and focused my obsession on handbags.

When I was younger and waited tables and lived with my parents (aka had far more disposable income than I do now) I had a killer, and I mean killer handbag collection. When I moved to Maine I didn't have as much money so I stopped buying new bags and hadn't noticed that the price of designer bags skyrocketed so one summer I sold off my collection of Fendi, Furla, Coach and other bags. I decided to replace the Fendi first...cough, cough, I hadn't realized that in the years I wasn't paying attention to fashion, Fendi bags went up in price significantly! I had to admit to myself that I was no longer in a Fendi budget but rather, more of a Target budget. I am not a true handbag snob. If I see a gorgeous bag at Target and it's well made, I will buy it...what I won't buy is illegal counterfeits. If I want a designer bag I will save up and get it rather than buy a fake. But fortunately for me, sometimes I find something I like at places like Target. My Mom is a huge Vera Bradley fan so I have amassed quite a collection over the years, but for me and my style, Vera is not an every day type of bag. I will wear one if it goes with the outfit I'm wearing that day but I won't wear it for weeks and weeks.

Thus far we know my bag collection contains Target and the likes (Marshall's, TJ Maxx, heck, even Walmart), Vera Bradley, and what I hadn't mentioned yet is that I also have a few carefully selected high end designer bags...just a few. I'm actually now noticing that my bag collection is *just right*. I have a bag to suit my needs regardless of occasion. For everyday purposes, I think I have everything I need now. I almost cannot even think of another bag I need. If I was independently wealthy, there is one truly frivolous bag I would buy but it's nothing I need. If you're curious, it's the Louis Vuitton Sofia Copolla leather satchel in Jasper, which is a lovely rich shade of earth toned red. But alas, the bag is nearly $4k so I will never, ever own it. I am fortunate to own a couple Louis Vuitton bags, one of which has made its way into my life as my daily "go-to" bag but I also have a few other designer bags that really round out my collection making it damn near perfect. I'm at that point now that I don't look around my closet wishing I had this or that to carry today...instead, I look in my closet and think, "ah, just right...that's the bag I need for today!"

With all this talk about bags, I do know a few of my die hard readers are going to email me to ask which bag I will be wearing today. Today I will continue to wear the LV Speedy bag (which is the one I referred to as my everyday "go-to" bag) but plan to switch to either the sapphire blue Botkier Sasha or the cappuccino Rebecca Minkoff Morning After mini mini bag for the weekend...depends on what our weekend plans are as one of those bags is much smaller than the other.

Now back to the work stuff. It's just a bit of commentary I have been pondering. Those of you who have been with me a long time know I tend not to jump on the bandwagon when the newest, most popular glass colors come out. I tend to stick to the tried and true colors. If I had to choose my favorite colors if I could no longer have anything else to melt, I would have chosen a couple select colors from Caliente Glass, including Autumn Harvest and Cuban Cigar. But alas, Caliente no longer produces glass cane. A few years back there was an influx of what you sometimes hear me refer to as "boutique glass". Glass made by very small independent artisan companies. Oftentimes, the glass these companies produce is reactive in nature, making it much more exciting than the standard crayola colors from Murano. Caliente was one of those companies to produce exciting colors, but for one reason or another, this company never became quite as popular as some of the others, such as Double Helix. I would say Double Helix is by far the most popular and consistently puts out some exciting new colors. I have rarely purchased their glass though...not because I didn't like it, but the palette from Caliente suited my style more.

If you've been buying beads lately, you know the newest, most exciting color on the market is Aurae. Again, I never/rarely buy Double Helix glass and I tend not to jump on the popular glass bandwagon but since I can no longer get my coveted Caliente Autumn Harvest or Cuban Cigar, I decided to bite the bullet and order Aurae as well as a couple other reactive colors (Aion and Triton). Each color is lovely and produces some very nifty effects. I'd certainly repurchase these colors. I don't normally list beads on a Friday but I might just go ahead and list some of the beads made with Aurae for you later today.

The beads made with these colors certainly are gorgeous, yet I still find myself pining for the complex hues and stunning reactions from Caliente that truly no other glass manufacturer seems to produce. The demure opalescence and the mirror finish gold that Aurae produces just pales in comparison to the violet sheen produced when Caliente Cuban Cigar is reduced...or the plums and pinks produced when Autumn Harvest is tweaked in just the right manner. Don't get me wrong, Aurae is a stunning color that I am more than pleased with...I guess I am just feeling pouty over the loss of my beloved Caliente.

I know, I know, I need to just get over it and enjoy what I have in front of me. Double Helix does produce some amazing colors so rather than buck the trend I should just enjoy the amazing glass they have to offer and stop pining for more Caliente. So for now, I have joined the bandwagon and have several lovely colors to work with from Double Helix. I guess the view from up here (on this bandwagon, of course) ain't quite so bad, is it?!

It looks to be a nice sunny day today so I will get some photos of the newest beads I've made with Aurae and will try to get those posted later today. Hope you all have a nice weekend.

April 27, 2009

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April 22, 2009

Today's agenda is posting beads, reading...studying...reading...studying. Exciting, eh?! I do have 3 really beautiful sets to list though. I worked in 96coe glass yesterday, which for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, the only thing that's important for you to know is it's a different color palette than I usually work in (well, there's a lot more to it than that, but that's the only part that makes these beads different than what I have been making lately.) . Actually, it used to be what I worked in exclusively for a few years there but this spring Bill and I decided it was easiest if we stuck to one particular line instead of buying one type of glass for me and another type of glass for him. This has worked out fairly well so far, but it's a bit unexciting for me. I guess it's not always about me, is it?!

We had Swedish meatballs for dinner last night. They were oh so yummy. That is one good meal that you can make with soy sour cream. I can hardly wait till lunchtime to have some leftovers! Boneless, skinless breast of chicken is on the menu tonight but I haven't quite decided how I'm going to cook it. What I do know is I am going to cook up those beautiful little brussell sprouts I picked up at the store the other day to go with the chicken. I feel like I have so little free time lately and I've been cooking a lot of the same old stuff night after night. Once this semester is over and before I begin the next one I'm going to pour through my lovely cookbook collection for some new ideas. I got the coveted Silver Spoon Cookbook for Christmas and haven't made a thing out of it yet! That's going to change...there's an entire chapter on risotto dishes. I'm quite excited about that.

Another thing I'm going to do when the semester is over is read. Read for enjoyment. I do read a lot right now, but the books I'm reading have titles such as: Calculus of a Single Variable and Discrete Mathematics. Wonderful text books but not exactly what I want to curl up on the couch with on a rainy day like today. I have a stack of books I am wishing to read but as this is my first semester back at school after graduating college over 15 years ago I am struggling getting back into the swing of things so I need every spare moment to keep up. Maybe that's the difference than the first time around...when I was younger, I guess I didn't care so much if I got a C on an assignment - C is passing, but this time around I guess I am striving for more so when the going gets rough I'm not out partying with friends, instead, I am up till 2am working on math assignments. I wonder if that's any indication that I'm getting old. Or maybe it means I've passed the threshold and I am officially considered old. Yikes, now that I think about it, I am getting old. I have a milestone birthday approaching this summer. I'm in denial but that may be a story for another day. Today I must run...I have a full plate today. Be sure to check the auctions later today for the newest bead listings! And have a great day.

April 20, 2009

I'm up fairly early today because I need to get back into an early morning routine by the end of the week. Since I've been working from home I've just been getting up whenever I wake as opposed to setting an alarm. As most of you know, I am enrolled in classes and since I live so far from any schools, I have to take scheduled proctored exams out of town. I have one coming up at the end of this week and in order to be there in time I have to leave the house at 5:30am, which means I have to get up and shower around 4:30am. Yikes! That is EARLY! Since we normally stay up until 1 or 2 am, I really need to break out of that habit for the week and go to bed at a reasonable hour so that by the end of the week, it won't be such a strain on my system to get out of bed at 4:30am. All I can say is I am so eager for the end of this semester. Early into it, I had trouble with time management and I think that set me back a little. I am feeling a little stressed out getting the last few assignments finished in time.

I stayed up late cleaning beads last night to get a head start on today (because today I want to focus on schoolwork rather than glass work). I have 3 new sets to post that I am really thrilled about. I will probably post those midday so I can focus on schoolwork this morning while my mind is relatively fresh and clear. Two of the sets are colorful sets of sliders -- large enough hole so you could fit them on your Pandora bracelet if you wish, or just slide them over a cord, chain or hemp. I'll photograph them on my Pandora bracelet, which I must admit is a bit of a pain in the butt. My bracelet is essentially full so every time I want to photograph beads on it, I have to unscrew umpteen charms and then rescrew them back on so I can wear the bracelet. I think it's time I invest in a spare to use just for photographing beads. The other set is quite a large set...11 tiles and 12 rondelles, plenty to make a necklace with! I did a custom color for the stringer designs on a base of teal. Can you say, "Stunning!"? Unfortunately, these will come at a higher price tag because it took me an entire torch session to make them. They were worth it though.

I've been doing a lot of the freeform ancient type of thing lately, so it was a fun change of pace to do something more structured with that set of tiles and rondelles. Bill tends to stick to the more structured thing too, he has difficulty forcing himself to do freeform. He had a gorgeous freeform set up last week that sold quickly. Sometimes you just never know what is going to sell well from one week to the next.

So our agenda for the day is for me to study and finish up a dreadful math assignment while Bill makes beads. After that I will photograph and post beads. It is yet another gorgeous, sunny day so perhaps there will be time to spend outside too. No idea what we're having for dinner yet. Hopefully I will feel inspired when I browse the aisles at the market, otherwise it could turn in to a soup and sandwich type of night! Hope you have a great day. Be sure to check out eBay later this afternoon for the newest listings!

April 16, 2009

You have to admit, I am getting a little bit better about updating this page just a little more regularly than I usually do. Weekly is an improvement. Quite honestly, I have so little new news that it's almost too much if I post more than once a week.

We went to RI to visit my family for Easter. We left a day earlier than we'd usually go so we could go to dinner at the home of a college friend. For several years after college we'd stayed in touch. She and her husband (who was just her boyfriend then) used to come to vist Bill and I every year -- this time of year as a matter of fact. Somewhere along the line, after we got married, we kept in touch less and less. It was such fun to get together after a few years time of not seeing one another. The following day rained, snowed, sleet...and wind...all day. We'd planned to go to Brenton Point to watch the waves crashing along the rocks and to let Shania do some running. That plan was shot, so instead we just stayed home. Easter was a full house, which isn't the norm. First, this was the first time in years the entire family was together for a holiday...usually one person is missing. Mom was thrilled to have all of us home on a holiday. Then my sister Jackie had her step-grandchildren with her and they range in age from 1-6 yrs old. I've never seen my parents home full of kids like that. It was maybe a little overwhelming for Mom but it was a lot of fun none the less.

Other than that, nothing too exciting going on. Tonight's dinner is going to be chicken enchiladas with extra jalapenos. I crave jalapenos more than any other food strangely enough. This will have to be our last evening having chicken or I fear we may start to cluck. Last night we had chicken marsala with cranberry candied roasted carrots and roasted reds, the night before that we had Avneet's Curry Milk Chicken with saffron/clove rice. I love Avneet's curry dish -- she was an exchange student here from India and I was fortunate to try several of her dishes while she was in the states. This is my favorite and super easy. I had her look at the selection of curries available at Penzey's and choose the right ones for me to buy. For this dish she suggested the Maharajah Curry, which is heavy on the saffron. Now you see why I fear we may begin clucking...3 nights of chicken in a row. Time for me to make something else, don't you think?

This is a random funny thing. For those of you on Facebook I am sure you are familiar with all the games and quizzes that people do. A few of my friends/acquaintances have been taking the "What Dog Breed Are You" quiz and I must say that it's uncanny how accurate it is. I nearly died laughing when I saw that one particular acquaintance was described as some breed of dog that is said to be intimidating or something like that. I swear, those who have taken the quiz it is brutally honest about their personality so it makes me quite scared of taking the quiz myself. What will it say about me...will I be a mean, brutish pit bull or will I be a meek, spineless little teacup type of breed?? I know there's no truth to these things but I swear to Bob, those who I know who've taken it, it is absolutely accurate...and not in a good way. I'm bound to cave because I am curious since I do love dogs. Speaking of which, mine is costing me a fortune. Her arthritis meds just went up...but she needs them. I'd rather shell out the extra cash and watch her frolic and play than have her sitting around being lethargic because her joints ache. She's a good pooch and she's old. She deserves the good drugs!!

Alrighty, I suppose I better run and post the newest beads. Be sure to check them out shortly!.

April 8, 2009

We have a crazy busy day ahead of us. I have a meeting for school and two assignments I'd like to finish up before heading out of town tomorrow. I have beads to clean and list and laundry to do. I've got a load in the washer now and then 2 more loads after that...hmmm, why so much you might ask? A couple of items are new and are dark...very dark, so they need to go into a load alone, currently a load of colors is in the washer and I have a load of whites too. I'm not sure what time we'll head out of town tomorrow...probably mid-day or so, that way if any payments or orders need to be shipped we'll be able to get those out before we leave. We have a few packages going out today too, but those will definitely go today.

Before I forget, I must tell you...on my last entry I'd mentioned that I'd be making tuna steaks for dinner and my drama over getting it right. I think I finally got it right! The tuna was done to our liking and not overcooked, which is a huge pet peeve of mine when it comes to cooking fish. I did a thyme olive oil rub on it and served it with the yummiest polenta ever. Dinner was so good, we pined for it again for days. You don't even want to know what we had for dinner last night. Bill is easily pleased I think...I could slave over the stove spending an hour at the counter rolling out gnocchi and he loves it, but I could open a can of something and he loves it just as much. Yes, last nights dinner came in a can. We had brown bread (in a can), Bush Baked Beans (in a can), and red hot dogs (no can...lol!) -- he hoovered that meal down like there was no tomorrow. Now I know, if I don't feel like cooking and he's ravenous, I should just run to the store for beans, brown bread and franks. Talk about a no brainer! I'd never eaten brown bread before. My mom had served it when I was a kid -- with franks and beans of course, but I never tried it. I was a finicky eater. I am sure it really peeves my mom now that I will try (and like) just about anything but I wouldn't eat a thing as a kid. No idea what to have tonight...something easy that won't leave us with leftovers since we're headed out of town tomorrow.

Have you checked out the new beads I've been working on, Ancient Ruins? Love, love, love them. it's sort of a spin off of the Verdigris Treasure Series. I have all of them listed on eBay right now. They are very different and honestly look like ancient beads. Lots of watchers and only 1 bidder. Does nobody else love ancient beads besides me? Be sure to check them out. I have another set of them to list today. And something a bit more mainstream to list too...boro Wonky Coins as I know everyone loves those!!

So we'll be gone till Sunday. i'll try to respond to emails while I'm away but I'm not making any promises. This will be the first trip in the last 2 years that we get to really take it slow and enjoy ourselves. Normally it's a whirlwind trip of hurry to get there, hurry to see everyone and hit the road to get back home. This trip won't be like that. We'll get to spend time playing with my sisters grandchildren who we don't see often and my great niece and great nephew from Maine will also be there...we're going out with some college friends one night, I'm getting a haircut at my mom's old salon and I fully intend to walk on the beach and drive around the Ocean Drive...things we don't venture to do when the summer crowds are there in full force. And if we stay an extra night as we're discussing, we'll hit The Pelham to see my old best friend who has a gig there that night. I really want to go see him but not sure if we can swing the extra night or not. We'll see.

Alrighty, lots to do...better get going.

April 3, 2009

We're having our spring sale right now but since we don't have a shopping cart on the website anymore, we're doing it on both Artfire and Etsy. The prices shown on both sites are already the reduced rates. If you purchase over $100 in beads I will refund the shipping fee. Also, since both sites are independent of one another, they both charge shipping...if you purchase something from both sites, I will refund the duplicate shipping charge. You can choose 1st class shipping for $2.50 or Priority shipping for $5.00 or for orders over $100 Free 1st class shipping. Be sure to check it out:

Etsy Store

Artfire Store

Today is my day at the torch. It is a rainy dismal day so it will be interesting see what my inspiration for the day will be. I'd like to go back to my roots and do some of my signature type beads, but quite honestly, those higher priced, more elaborate beads aren't selling right now. Many of our current buyers are looking for more of the simpler designs to incorporate into their jewelry. I suppose it's easier to design around a more mainstream beads. Making a set of signature style beads means running the risk that it's priced too high to sell in this economy. Ah well, such is art...sometimes you have to make what speaks to your soul even if it means it's worth more than the current market will bear. Only time will tell what will speak to me while I'm at the flame. Wish me luck for today!

Last nights dinner was a tequila chicken pasta dish with lots of jalapeno's. Yum. Don't ask me what the recipe is called...I followed a recipe online for it once and have just made it to our liking ever since. I love to buy cookbooks but I am not one to follow a recipe too well. I generally will follow the recipe fairly well the first time, and from there on I just wing it. Tonight is a Friday during Lent so fish it is. Tuna is on the docket for this evening but I haven't decided what to do with it yet. I don't do real well with tuna. I struggle to find the exact amount of minutes to make it to our liking. Give me some basic white fish like cod or haddock or give me some salmon and I can make those to perfection each and every time...but tuna and swordfish, any of those meatier fish, I struggle. It's interesting to me...growing up we ate cod all the time...I mean, ALL the time. But I have never ever, not once, seen it at the stores here in Maine. Haddock is the closest variety here in Maine. Strange.

Alright, I have a ton of work to do today. The semester is winding down so all I have left is 2 essays for one class, 2 lessons for another class and one exam for the final class. I already finished 2 other classes -- I'm taking the classes online so I get to go at my own pace, hence the reason 2 classes are done already. The class with 2 essays remaining has been the bane of my existence! Uuuugh, I will be so thrilled when that class is done. Alrighty, off to work...both schoolwork and torchwork. Have a happy weekend.

March 2, 2009

We're in the midst of another snowstorm, yet again! This one is being touted as such a huge storm by the newscasters but I hate to tell you, after 23" of snow last week, it would have to be really huge to top that. Our forecast actually only calls for something like 10-15" depending on where you check the weather...they all say something a little bit different. Regardless, it's just enough to be messy out there today. I'm not sure if I will bother to venture out or not.

Bill's out getting an oxygen tank. He'll be filling the kiln today and I will make just a few beads I have left to make for an order I'm working on. My game plan for today is to list beads -- we have a lot of beautiful things lined up for this week and to work on my class assignments. I have one assignment that I would love to just take a failing grade on and move on to something new...but alas, I just can't so I will work on that stinking assignment until it's completed. Come hell or high water, I am finishing that assignment today. I'd also like to get a copper bath going for some pieces ready to be electroformed. As you can see, my plate if full for the day.

I mentioned having lots of beads to list, but I'm not going to be listing all of them today. I'm going to stagger them over a few days time when I list the new beads made each day. I'm really pleased with what we have so far for the week. Be sure to check them out each day!

I'm thrilled to see so many people becoming fans on our Facebook page! Thank you very much. If you haven't seen it, Click Here . I believe you need to be logged in to Facebook to access it. You can also access it by doing a Facebook search for Whitney Street Studio. Be sure to stop by to check it out. I have some photo albums up for you to see and I'll be sure to add more photos in the future. I'm thinking I might add a Figural/Sculptural Category on the album. I've been challenged by a friend to make a sculptural bead. It's one of those things I can do, but choose not to. Some of the sculptural things I've done in the past are wedding cakes, Our Lady of Guadeloupe and Our Lady of Fatima, a crucifix, and the very best and largest piece was a Dia de los Muertos wedding couple consisting of a male skeleton wearing a tux and top hat with his arms intertwined with his skeleton bride in a white wedding gown and cascading veil. Once I completed the more complex figural beads, I moved on to new things. But I have been challenged to make a "Lover Boy" Bead. My friend Paul is nicknamed Loverboy, which is a story for another day. He's asked me to make a bead of him, to which I replied: " I don't make sculptural beads." He said he has faith in me, he knows I can make it...yes, the truth of the matter is that I can, but I choose not to do sculptural. So now it's been on my mind for days. Do I make it, don't I make it. I suppose that yes, I will make it after all, but I have to be in the right mindset to do it. Since I don't do sculptural regularly it's not something that comes easily and I find that I have to have every last detail worked out in my head or on paper beforehand, whereas I normally sit at the torch and let the glass and flame tell me what to do. To do something sculptural I have to ignore what is inside of me and maintain a structured game plan...I have to maintain a certain level of control instead of just going with the flow. So while I procrastinate on making a Lover Boy bead, I think I will compile some of my best pieces to put onto the Facebook page. It's fun to revisit old styles. At any rate, be sure to check out the Facebook page if you get a chance!

Well, as I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of things to do today so I better get to it. Be sure to check it all out later. And have a great day today!!!

February 26, 2009

I'm thrilled to see so many people becoming fans on our Facebook page! Thank you very much. If you haven't seen it, Click Here . I believe you need to be logged in to Facebook to access it. You can also access it by doing a Facebook search for Whitney Street Studio. Be sure to stop by to check it out. I have some photo albums up for you to see and I'll be sure to add more photos in the future.

Today I have 4 new listings to post on eBay and a few things to add to Etsy. Bill takes care of the Art Fire account and he didn't mention if he'd be listing anything new there today. I'm thinking it's not likely. But be sure to check out eBay, Etsy and Facebook, of course.

I'd love some assistance on dinner tonight. We'll be eating venison steaks. I haven't eaten venison in years and quite frankly, I tried it back when I still had an aversion to meat. I didn't eat meat when I met Bill, aside from chicken and fish. It was partly because the looks of raw meat turns my stomach. After we'd lived together a couple of years Bill asked if we could have steak for dinner one night. I went to the store to buy it and couldn't even stomach it to look at it long enough at the store to buy it. I had to go home to get him, have him pick it out and buy it and when we got it home, I had to have him cook it. It took me several years to get past this aversion and I now eat beef, but it's not something I'd be inclined to have frequently. So at any rate, my dislike of venison stems from my aversion to beef. Now that I actually like beef, I am hoping I will find venison palatable enough to enjoy the meal. I'm at a loss over whether to just cook it with a little Chicago Steak Seasoning from Penzey's, which is our favorite, or to just season it with herbs and make a red wine reduction to drizzle over it. or whether to do something entirely different with it. If you are an eater of deer steak, let me know what you have for ideas. I'm open to suggestions! This may be a nice afternoon to flip through my favorite cookbooks for ideas.

Well, I have a lot of things to post today so I better get to it. Be sure to check it all out later. And have a great day today!!!

February 24, 2009

It's Bill's birthday this weekend...well, not exactly. He's a leap year baby so he only gets a real birthday once every 4 years. Last year he turned 9 so I guess that officially makes him 9 & 1/4 this year. Our niece Pandora is thrilled she is older than him...she just turned 10! So anyway, on leap years I try to do something significant. One year I had a big party -- it was our first year in this house and I'd never owned a house before so i didn't know how many I could comfortably entertain. I quickly learned how many people were just too many to entertain...I'd invited too many people. Four years later I decided we'd do something low-key...we went out for a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant out of town and I'd booked a Mediterranean Cruise with a few extra days layover in Barcelona. Unfortunately, life threw us a curve ball...a very big curve ball...and we never did go on the cruise. I'd have loved to rebook the cruise, but quite honestly, I don't want to jinx it and end up with another crisis again. So here it is, mere days before his birthday and I have planned nothing and I have bought him nothing. I am just at a loss as to what to do. If Saturday arrives and I've still got nothing, we will probably just head up river to the local hangout to spend time with friends. Not my first choice, but as you can see I am not drowning in an over abundance of good ideas. Breathe...there is still 4 days to think of something. Yikes...welcome to my life as a procrastinator.

So I told you about the big snow yesterday. It took Bill all day to clean the driveway and the roof. He was dragging by the time he'd gotten to the roof...I'd have wished he'd done the roof first while he was still alert and had energy as we live in a very tall house. Normally, I hate having him on the roof because it's quite a drop should he fall. If he were to fall off that roof in the summer, there is no way he'd escape injury...it's inevitable. But with so much snow, the ground is much closer to the roof this time of year. Actually, he goes up to one section where 2 roof lines meet and does his work from there so the snowbank beneath that area is huge. Huge I tell ya...it has almost blocked all sunlight from penetrating my french doors. In some areas, the banks are higher than the first story, just because that's where the bulk of the snow from the roof lands. But to see that you can step off of the roof and on to a snowbank is quite comical.

Since he spent the day working outside, I filled the kiln with bright, cheery colors. It's kind of a 3 part set of mix and match beads, sort of like the clothing line Garanimals....lol. I could put all the beads together in one super-sized set but it's just too many beads to make it feasible to pair them like that...so instead, I'm going to split them into 3 different sets. I'll post them later on today. My other plans for today is some copper painting that I never got to yesterday and updating the specials page with new beads. Yay, we love new beads! Be sure to check back here later today to see the new beads on the specials page and then check out the new eBay listings for those cheery bead sets I made yesterday.

And have a great day today!!!

February 23, 2009

Holy Mother of Pete, that's a lotta snow! In the 8 years I've lived in this particular Maine town, it has never snowed quite this much. This is what I call Sugarloaf snow. Sugarloaf is the ski resort I used to work (where Bill and I met) that is an hour from here in the mountains. They get snowfall like this on a regular basis but here in the valley, this much is just not that common. Okay, a foot of snow is common but 2 feet and more is just not that common in the valley. I don't know what the official accumulation was, but it looks over 2 feet to me. You be the judge...

Bill had grand plans for the torch today but he's out snow blowing the driveway and when he's done with that he'll be on the roof cleaning snow off. I had grand plans to work on photos and listing things on eBay, Etsy, and Art Fire, but I hate to see the kiln sit empty on a workday so I am filling it for him. I have no idea what I'll make today because I wasn't in a beadmaking mindset. Oh, the other thing I had on my agenda today was copper painting some pieces that are destined for the electroforming bath. Gosh, I haven't electroformed in eons and I am long overdue for a piece. If you're not familiar with copper electroforming scroll to the top of this page...the bead in the upper left has been electroformed. When it came out of the copper bath the edges were a bright copper penny color but we all know I prefer aged things so I ammonia fumed the piece to get this stunning aged patina similar to the color of the Statue of Liberty. It's amazing what ammonia fumes can do...lol! If they do that to copper, one can only wonder what it does to one's lungs?! Yikes!

I forgot that some of you are foodies. Last night we did deep fried chicken tenders with a spicy rub from Penzey's...Galena Street Rub...and french fries. The fryer smell gets to me so I just picked at it but that means there's plenty leftover for lunch. Yum. Tonight we're having tuna steaks. I haven't thought that far ahead to determine how we'll cook them or what to serve with them. I am craving asparagus but I just don't have access to nice fresh, thin-stalked asparagus right now so that will remain just a dream and a craving. More than likely we'll do some sort of rice or risotto and I have no idea what veg yet. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Okay, as Bill would say: "less talking, more working" so I guess I better wrap it up and head to the workbench. Hope you had a great weekend and an even better week! Enjoy the day!

February 18, 2009

I'm going to have a few things to post later today. I have quite a bit posted on etsy now and Bill has been working at getting things onto Artfire, which is also new to me...so I am going to focus on eBay today. I'm not sure if I will get torch time today or not. Yesterday was a fairly short session because I ran out of oxygen and then we lost power. Fortunately, we are on the same power grid as the fire department so we are absolutely never, ever without power long. Once, a few years ago, a transformer blew up the street and the power company was here so quickly. If I lived anywhere else in town it could take hours to bring the power back up, but not on my street...I think the longest outage we've ever seen was under an hour. So anyway, that put a damper on yesterday.

Luckily, I was on my last 2 beads of a really fantastic set. I'd already named the set before I made it -- I'd named it after a song and sought out to make beads based on that...but then the funny thing is that very song came on WHILE I was making the beads. The odds of that happening are astounding. With the number of songs on my ipod, I think the odds were something like 2800:1. Perhaps I should've played the lottery yesterday!

I have a ton of things to do today and not enough hours in the day, so I'd better run. Be sure to check out eBay this evening to see the new listings. I will have several new things to list from both of us! Hope you have a great day.

February 12, 2009

I don't know if I will get around to doing photos of the beads Bill made yesterday. I am off to a bad start today (I think I fried my laptop) so I am running a bit behind today and feeling a little less than inspired. I do have beads to show off though! I have a set of beads that I think is already sold so I may not bother to show you that one. But I also have a set of Bill's that's very pretty in shades of blue and 3 focal beads I made. I think I will post some new specials too and as much as I hate to pull down the photos on the Beads Page, I just may update that page too. Pulling them down seems like an end to an era for me. I am currently working in Effetre glass (more commonly known as Moretti) and the beads on the Beads page are all done in the veiled glass canes from Gaffer and Caliente and saturated canes from Kugler. My heart still longs for those 96coe glasses, but it just made more sense financially for Bill and I to work in the same brand for the time being as far as buying new glass is concerned.

Be sure to come back later today to see what changes I've made. I should have things up to date by the end of the workday. My agenda for this evening, is Shaky Pete's Shepherds Pie. Shaky Pete was the nickname of a roommate Bill and I had years ago. His shepherds pies were not the old run of the mill meat, corn and potatoes. It's more of a meat layered with a creamy sauce, topped with spinach then very garlicky mashed potatoes. Way yummier than the corn version. I was a smarty pants yesterday and thought I bought all the ingredients for it so I wouldn't have to go to the store again today...but I'd forgotten I'd used the last of the potatoes. You can't make a shepherds pie without mashed taters, can ya now? So off to the store again today.

Okay, lots of updating to do today. I better get to it. Keep your fingers crossed for my laptop please. And have a great day!

February 11, 2009

I can't chat long. I have an assignment I really want to get a handle on. It's not a fun one so I really have to stay focused on it...once I start, I want no interruptions so I'm planning to sit in a quiet room with no distraction. I struggled with finding some of my sources for the assignment but fortunately I reconnected with someone from high school via Facebook and he is currently a librarian. His grandmother lived down the street from me but we had a different set of friends growing up and in college my new college friends were in his social circle. Facebook has been a fun way to connect with people! So anyway, I knew Ed was a librarian now and contacted him with all the source information on the article I was in search of and lo and behold, the article was in my email this morning. Thank you Ed!

I have a couple of killer beads to show off later today. And I had a kiln full of evil "Pandora" beads. It's a tricky kiln striking color that is supposed to range from lovely shades of green, blue, purple and red. If you leave the beads in the kiln x amount of time you'll get blues, leave them in x amount of time you'll get greens, etc. Nowhere in the striking order did I see the details stating leave in the kiln x amount of time and you will get poop for a color. Yes, that's what I got...a pale poopy/pukey brown. Hey, I like brown...brown pairs of so nicely with pinks and aqua's but this shade of poop brown is entirely unappealing! I will refire them in the hopes that I get some other color. So there will be no sneak peaks at this set, that's for sure!

Alrighty, time to get to work on my school stuff! I just posted some new things on Etsy and plan to post a thing or two on eBay later this afternoon. Be sure to check them out!

February 10, 2009

I'm having somewhat of a difficult time getting used to doing the journal...don't hesitate to remind me if you see I've been slacking on it. I'd enlist Bill to do it but as you know, he's a man of few words so he'd do it alright, but his daily journal would contain about a dozen words. It's say something like "Nice beads to list today. Check them out. They're blue." He hates writing creatively...he's a matter of fact and to the point type of guy. We won't even start on my wordiness...lol!

So I think I'm getting the hang of Etsy. We've been listing beads on both eBay and Etsy and some specials here on the website. I see that Etsy is getting more traffic than eBay lately so I may shift my focus over there. If you have a preference, by all means, let me know. We don't want you to have search all over the place to find our beads.

I'll be listing some of Bill's florets on Etsy, but I don't believe he has any sets ready to be listed today. I won't list much as I have some school work that needs to be done that I've procrastinated on. My own fault, I know, but this assignment partly hinged on a previous assignment, which I only just got the results of today. So now I can dive in to the next assignment that I'd dawdled on for so long.

Our kiln is full...mostly full of experimental's so only time will tell what we'll have to list tomorrow. I worked on round beads today...round, the real thing round...not the skinny sided rounds. Keep your fingers crossed for those. I worked in some reactive colors that I'd bought for Bill, just to see if I could make them dance. If they danced anything like I dance, it won't be a pretty sight. I also made a couple of large focals using a Zoozii's press that I had Amy make especially for me. It was one of her classic shapes but in a larger size than she usually sells. Alrighty, I have to run. It's dinner time and I have nothing planned out yet. Yikes, it may be something simple tonight!

Have a great night and be sure to check out both eBay and Etsy tomorrow for the newest listings (see links in sidebar on right).

February 7, 2009

When I was working elsewhere, time dragged on and I found myself wishing away the day. "Is it time to go home yet?" But now that I'm home I don't know where the time goes. Just a moment ago it was Monday and I blinked and here it is Saturday already. Where did the rest of the week go? Between my class work, running errands, cooking, housework, beads, the bead cleaning process, photographing, posting, etc, the days have just flown by without a moment to spare. Yikes, I could use another 4-6 hrs in a day to accomplish all the things I wanted to accomplish. I know, I know, I could clearly add another full hour to my day if I didn't check Facebook! I'll work on that.

This week I decided that maybe Bill and I missed our calling as far as glass is concerned. My issue is that I tend to move on once I've achieved something. I was just telling Sylvie the other day that one of my career goals was to get accepted into The Buyer's Market of American Craft (aka The Rosen Show), which is a juried high end show. I did. I got accepted. I did the show once, the summer of 2002 and I never did it again. I'd met my goal of getting accepted and I moved on. I do this in many ways in life, but let's not go there. As far as creating things with glass, I don't do sculptural, we all know that. But one day I wanted to. I did a quick sketch and I worked it out. That week I not only made the one thing I'd had in mind, but I made it twice, and made several other sculptural items. Once I felt like I could do it, I moved on and haven't done a single sculptural piece since. But when I look back on those images, they were good, darn good! I think I should consider doing some more sculptural pieces and perhaps develop a series...maybe I'd missed my glass calling when I moved on and didn't consider them as a viable option for myself.

Then there's Bill. He makes our bread and butter pieces...the tiny usable beads that everyone needs for their jewelry designs, yet so few beadmakers bother to make. A beadmaker is an artist, not a production worker...Bill, on the other hand, can do production like I've never seen before. He can fill 2 kilns with spacer beads and floret beads (his best selling style) without a single yawn or complaint of boredom. Ask me to make more than 3 of something and I get antsy from boredom. Not Bill. Thursday he announced he was going to work out of his box. Yeah, right! Working outside of his box usually means working in drab colors rather than the vibrant contrasting shades he usually chooses. I can't tell you how many hours it took him to fill the kiln. It was far longer than he'd ever sat at the torch so surely he must be on a roll. When he pulled the beads from the kiln, I honestly couldn't believe these beauties were the work of his own hands. He'd done lots of this and that, but there were 4 truly exceptional beads in that batch. This style was/is his calling. These were huge beads compared to his usual tiny spacers, even big compared to the beads I usually make. I didn't even know he could make beads this big. If I thought I could convince him, I'd like an entire strand all for myself to wear in one super chunky neckpiece, but alas, he is smart enough to know these beauties are meant to be sold.

We haven't photographed these beads yet...partly because we can't decide whether they need more beads to make them into a set. The artistic vision we both have is to make this a strand of more beads, yet business-wise, we both know, the set will be more affordable with fewer beads. But what makes it so phenomenal is the pairing of multiples. Think of it as seeing a dot on a piece of paper...it's nothing, but then look at one of Seurat's paintings, which is made up of dots and suddenly it is a masterpiece. Alone, these beads of his are nice...but paired together, they're astounding!

Maybe tomorrow I will have photos to show off of his newest beads. In the meantime, I am busy listing things on etsy, which is new to us. If you are an etsy shopper and have any helpful hints or tips, by all means, let us know. I'll try to work on the specials page as well, but give me some time. And while I do this, I am mulling over an essay assignment that I need to submit today. I finished it last night but reworked it a bit today and wanted to step away from it for a while before rereading it one final time to be sure it's ready to submit. I've got my fingers crossed that it will need no further revisions. If that's the case, then I've got to move on to some chapters on induction in my Discrete Mathematics book. I tell ya, just a few extra hours in my day would suit me nicely! Hope you have a great day!

February 4, 2009

I spent the day at the torch today while Bill cleaned beads (and the kitchen too!) I stuck to some relatively basic styles since I'm a bit out of practice. Susan K, if you're reading this, I made a set of Verdigris Treasure beads, but did them a little differently than usual. I made a set of Tahitian Pearl rondelles, some colorful Wonky Coins that will become sea glass coins and I did a set of organic green and ivory, but will have to look up the name of the style -- I forgot what I used to call these. The kiln is full and I'm pleased with what's in it. I don't know if Bill will get around to listing the beads he has or not, so be sure to check back later or tomorrow.

I realized last night, the thing I have missed most is cooking -- not cooking a basic meal that one cooks after a long day at work, but a more elaborate meal. I used to work a lot of morning shifts, which allowed me to cook, but my schedule changed in the summer and since then I have had mostly evening shifts, except on the weekends. When I leave work at 8pm and get home at 8:30pm, the last thing I wanted to do was make gnocchi from scratch or spend 3 hrs braising short ribs, or do a slow simmering marinara or putanesca sauce. I enjoy cooking...I enjoy the process. Last night I decided to do a paella because I had just gotten an order from Penzey's, which included some saffron, a tiny jar of course! (I never said I was rich...lol!) I tried to stick to as authentic a recipe as possible but cheated a little on making the sofrito - oh, and I didn't have any peas. I swore I had some peas in the freezer, but I was mistaken. For the most part, I did everything accurately, but I rushed along the sofrito step and to get the richness in flavor in my tomato mixture I added just a spoonful of sofrito from a jar. It was delicious.

I haven't decided exactly what I'll prepare tonight, but I know it involves salmon and maybe brussel sprouts for veg. I'd like to do a risotto as a starch but we just had rice last night in the paella. I already have plans to make a marinara from scratch tomorrow. I can't tell you how excited I am to have the time on my hands to make a spaghetti sauce finally. It's not overly time consuming, but it's just something I never seemed to have the time for with my inconsistent work schedule. Enough about food....are you hungry yet?!

Tomorrow I'll post the new beads so be sure to check them out! Hope you have a great day today!

February 2, 2009

Today's been a nice lazy day off for me. Bill took the day off too, but he's busy cleaning snow off the roof, which if you ask me, is more work than his usual workday. I don't envy him...this is a crappy task, yet it has to be done. Our house is three stories so it's a real chore climbing to different levels, ladders on roof tops, etc. He'll be sore tomorrow I bet!

I'm in the mood to revamp the website. As some of you may recall, I get in this mood every couple of years and completely redo the site. Usually I rebuild it from scratch, but this particular site you see here was a template, which made it quick and easy, but the set-up is a little busy for my liking. I think I will spend a little time over the coming days just whittling down and getting rid of the excess here. Bear with me as I do a little revamping.

Bill has a bunch of very colorful beads soaking and waiting to be cleaned. He'll probably post those tomorrow, although I can't be certain because he has an appointment out of town tomorrow. I'd do it for him, but I also have an appointment out of town, but not in the same city as his appointment so we can't even carpool to our appointments. If either of us is back in town at a reasonable time, we'll get those new beads listed. Be sure to check them out!

November 29, 2007

Today I'd planned to make beads. I heated up the kiln, fired up my torch, and lo and behold, I am out of oxygen! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Bill has the truck today so I couldn't pick up another tank so I hope he can grab a tank for me Saturday morning so I can torch on Sunday. I had an all around crappy day so I'm just going to be petty and blame him for using up the oxy...lol. Well, he did make beads last so clearly he emptied the tank. Really, that's the truth. Although, it wouldn't bode well to blame him for real though because he can retaliate and refuse to pick up the tank of oxy for me and then I'd really be bummed.

Instead of making beads today I cooked and cooked and cooked. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration...I just cooked and cooked. I made a curried chicken salad and Coq au Reisling for tomorrow nights dinner. Bill gets home from work earlier than me tomorrow so he can just reheat that and all he has to worry about is making a veggie and potatoes. The chicken salad is for sandwiches for lunch. I peeled some clementines too. He won't take fruit that requires any work so I felt if I peeled them for him he'd be more likely to eat them.

I am in search of a soft gingerbread cookie recipe. If you know of one, please let me know. While you have your recipe box out, I'd also be interested in a soft lemon poppyseed cookie recipe. Last lemon poppyseed cookies I made were a bit crunchier than I like as a rule. So if you have any ideas, let me know.

November 3, 2007

Some of you may have realized by now that I have had a smidgen more time on my hands lately and have managed to get some torch time in. Right now I have some beads soaking, waiting to be cleaned so they can be posted for you to see. I haven't decided if these beads will become one fairly big set or a series of smaller sets. I'll wait to see how they all look together and go from there.

Looks like snow out there today. I'm in between a rock and a hard place because of my feelings towards snow. I love snow and all, but I loved it much better when I was self-employed and could walk everywhere I needed to go. Now, being employed elsewhere, at a company that relies on snow through the winter months, I must do my part and wish for snow...however, as most of you may recall, I drive a Mustang, which is damn near useless in the snow. The road to work is winding and twisty. My Mustang surely won't cut it.

I have been looking at cars but that's as far as I get. Dang things are so 'spensive, Lucy! I better start saving my pennies. And it's going to take an awful lot of pennies to buy me a new chariot!

I have to run. Have to head to work today. I'll try to get those beads cleaned and posted over the next couple of days. I don't think I will bother doing the bulk mail list to let you know. I just did that the last couple of times since I hadn't made beads in such a very long time. I knew you'd all need a reminder that I am alive and well.

Hope you have a great day today!

January 21, 2007

(2/12/09 - I decided to keep this days entry here because of the cute pics. Who doesn't love seeing cute pics of my Shania and a tiny puppy?!)

Another week has flown by and I think I'm doing pretty well squeezing in time to make beads and list them on eBay! I have one new set posted and a couple sets of Bill's too. I have some relists up with nice low prices so be sure to check those out too. I made beads yesterday but those are for a SOMC so you won't get to see them. It's all I can do to keep up for now, so no new SOMC subscribers for a while. Once my new schedule kicks in in March I might have the time but not right now.

We almost got a new puppy, against my will. I'm not ready for a new dog yet. Bill is. We have known for a number of years now that we will get a jack russell when the time comes. Wouldn't you know it, the girl I have been catching a ride with on snowy days has 2 jack russell puppies she's selling. Strangely enough, we got our Daicey and Shania from her husband years ago, in fact, Shania was his dog originally but he took ill and had to get rid of her -- she went from family to family until we found her. So now it is 7 years after we got Shania and we have come full circle and run into Randy again since he's married to someone I work with! So anyway, they have the two puppies. One is a tiny little short haired bugger...the other is a bit bigger and he is long haired. I love the little tiny short haired guy, while Bill loves the long haired guy. So anyway, Friday it snowed so Bill was dropping me off at their house to catch a ride in to work. On the way there we discussed it and I said I wasn't ready for a puppy yet and that I don't think we can afford it. Bill has been out of work for 8 weeks now (and unable to collect unemployment due to his lying, cheating employer) and so money is very tight right now. Plus, we have my car in the shop and that's going to be a hefty bill when we finally get to pick it up so financially, buying a puppy right now is out of the question. But they said we could borrow a puppy overnight if we wanted to help our decision along. Again, I say no puppy, but Bill really wanted one. So I head out to work Friday morning while Bill stays behind to discuss it with Randy. Apparently he leaves with a puppy. I know Bill...I was certain he'd not just left with a puppy that day, I was certain he'd left with the little short haired guy I liked so much. How else was he going to sway my nay to yay?! Yup, sure enough, that's what happened. Want to see the cute little guy:

Pretty cute, eh?! So I'm sure you're thinking we are the proud new owners of a little puppy by now. We are not. Apparently, the little guy was far too much work for Bill alone all day Friday while I was at work. The little guy got into everything since we weren't planning to get a puppy yet we hadn't puppy-proofed at all. Shania wasn't crazy about him and played too rough with him. And in the end, I think Bill knew we couldn't afford the price of the puppy at this moment. So the puppy went back to Randy when Bill picked me up Friday evening. I must admit, I was sad he had to go.

But I'm not entirely a big meany! I have a plan. Bill doesn't read the journal so I'll just tell you. (Note to Bill: if you have happened to read this far for some strange reason, go away...stop reading...I have something private to say to everyone else. It's a girl thing ;-) LOL...that's sure to scare you away!)

Okay, now that I'm sure he's not reading, I am going to see about getting him a jack russell for his birthday, which is coming up at the end of February. (PS don't mention this in any emails to me either -- he sometimes loads my email for me midweek!) My sister has an in-law that is a jack russell breeder. We may not be able to get a dog in time for his birthday but he could get an IOU. At any rate, we would know the dogs background and history and it would buy me some time to be able to afford the things a little doggy needs: a crate, shots, neutering, etc. I think right now the timing was just off. I'm sure Shania would adjust to a new dog, but we weren't ready to make the transition with her just yet. At the end of February I will be approaching the time when I go to my new schedule at work where I will have more time on my hands to spend at home with the doggies. Mom said she go in half with me on the cost of a new doggy for Bill's birthday. I'll keep you posted on this of course. For now I'll leave you with another picture of the little guy. They call him Uno because he has only one spot. He sure is a cutey-pie, but I'm relieved we don't have a new pooch just yet! So here's another picture of him...I'll post another one on the Home page as well. Have a great week!