It is Labor Day weekend and believe me; I have labored! Working in the shop long days, cleaning out the fridge at work of unidentifiable green hairy food, ( who knew cheese could turn such colors? ), chasing after customer's pets whether they be the four or two legged kind and trying to keep up with all that needs to be done. I swear, I am the queen of list making and now another thing to do has come my way ... coming up with a theme involving bees and cats for next year's county fair. Oh, and I have to keep it clean, kids are involved, so no birds and the bees jokes. Maybe in dreamland tonight an idea will drift into my head.

I did manage to finish knitting 2 baby hats though out of Koigu wool. I love that yarn but don't stock it in my yarn shop as the company NEVER returns calls! Sheesh... now I am working in Noro wool which I DO carry in my DIVA shop. I love to knit with small needles and skinny yarn. If only knitting would burn an extraordinary amount of calories. Lois

I love it when my friend Lita visits! We laugh, talk all at once and make dolls. When I finally get my little felt beaded doll finished; I will post her picture here. We also watched Hillary Clinton's speech at the DNC in Denver. That woman rocks and I could not help thinking that SHE belonged on the podium accepting the nomination for president. I felt that way right up unitl she said are you in this for me or for the struggling? She is correct. I need to support the democratic nominee and get those republicans out of the White House. She is an awesome woman and I am sure we have not heard the last from Hillary Clinton. That thought gives me hope with a capital H.

Back to Lita, we just don't see each other enough but we have made a promise to go to Alaska next summer. Have a great tomorrow, Lois

My just fired PMC pieces that now wait to be tumbled and cleaned up. I will make one of a kind pieces from some of them and cast others for charms.
This is Kathy all the way up here from Palm Springs working feverishly on her PMC chain. She did not want me to take her picture but I managed and I think she looks very artistic and inspired!
This is a picture of Andrea on our afternoon of PMC work. It's a great way to spend a rainy, Sunday afternoon.

NEW BEADS!

New beads have arrived today! I love the having of new beads. I like them in the living room all snug in thier boxes until I figure out where they need to go and how they should be displayed and sold. These beauties are heading for the shop and my website. We have 120 mass of new beads! That's a lot of glorious glass! I also can't wait to get started making things with the beads and already I am envisioning jewelry, earrings, necklaces, rosaries and charm bracelets. Yum! How fun is all that? Lois

It is Friday and a busy day is lying in wait for meet with the painter, electrician, a tenant, a jeweler friend and attend to the shop and customers. Good thing I like full days. Most exciting, is that my caster called and my new white bronze pieces ( charms & components ) are shipping out today! I can hardly wait! A picture will be coming soon on this blog. Have a great one - Lois

This running several shops is exhausting! I love everything about owning my own business and indeed, every time I am at work it all feels like play but tonight after 4 hours of display work I am just beat! The cases all look terrific though and I just need to make more jewelry. The bad news about today is that the dogs rolled in something awful and smell so bad they are sleeping outside tonight .... rain or no rain! PHEW! What is perfume to a dog is torture for a human nose. Good night all! Lois

Something to Crow About

I bought this book in a local gallery, Raven Blues and for anyone who knows me; it is a cinch that this book was written just for me! I love crows and ravens and all that they are. Their sleek color, wise ways, playful nature. I like hearing their conversations early in the morning from the warmth of my bed through the open window. I have also spent hours drawing them; trying to capture in my absurd renderings a drama of crow-dom. Off to an evening of knitting while it is so sweet and stormy here but mild and very windy. xxoo, Lois

These wonderful purple and yellow flowers were a surprise gift from my husband! I love flowers and one of my favorite color combinations is purple and yellow. Washington state Husky colors although trust me, I am not a sports fan at all!

As a footnote, our lives are still on hold regarding Phil's anneurysm. The BIG appointment was to be yesterday but the CT machine broke down and all appointments were cancelled. Our next available one is mid September! This waiting is endless..... but reminds me to take pleasure in all the small, sweet treasures of daily life together. Have a great day, SWAK, Lois

Rain, Glorious Rain!!!

It's raining and an even bigger storm is supposed to blow in tomorrow with winds to 40mph. It feels great, my kind of weather, the misery that drew me here and keeps me here. I love the rain, the cooler temperatures and even the little bit of lightening we had last night was exciting and rare. The evening seems so quiet with the rain, not a bird singing, nothing moving outside, all is peaceful almost like winter's first snow. Ahhh... I love it! I want more! Lois

IT's HOT!

Oh my gosh but it is hot here in the normally much cooler northwest! I am glistening with sweat and the only place to seek out air conditioning is Safeway or the car. Who wants to drive around to be cool? All I could manage to do today and am still doing; was to sit in front of a fan, under a ceiling fan, with a weak cup of iced decaaf tea, knit and watch stupid movies! I even watched the Nancy Drew movie. Now how crazy is that? sign me, HotChick!

for the moment ...

... my laptop is working and I can perhaps post a thought or two, maybe even a picture! It was hot here today, not a pretty, feminine hot either but a sweaty, beads stick to my skin I don't want to wear or do anything kind of hot! I did not even go into the shop today as Kathy said the lobby was 86 degrees ( ! ) when she came into work! I am not a pleasant person in the deep sweaty heat of August. Worse, tomorrow is to be even hotter. I should not complain though as we do not get hot here that often, thank goodness! Tourists always say, " why,this isn't hot you should be at my home in Alabama or New York or anywhere but here. " If I wanted to experience that kind of hot; I would live there. Thank you kindly, but I will just stay here ... for now!

I found these paintings while surfing the net and I like them even though I am not quite sure why! Wishing you a cool and pleasant tomorrow, Lois

A Screamingly Frustrated Entry

This is how I feel after being on hold for 1 1/2 hours trying to get through to the appointment desk at the imagining center at Swedish Hospital in Seattle for my mammogram! And ..... after all this waiting .... I STILL COULD NOT GET THROUGH!!!! AAARGHHH - how are you supposed to take care of yourself! I wrote them a letter telling them how I felt and I guess I will have to try again tomorrow. I even made a rosary while I waited on hold!! AND! THE CALL WAS LONG DISTANCE!!! DOUBLE AARGH!!!

In Case You Are Wondering ...

what happened to my entries ... we have been very busy getting ready for the county fair! Jacob and Phil are very involved with 4H and the Paws 'n Claws cat building so they have been painting, cleaning, displaying and grooming, the cats that is for the fair! Poor kitties, being on display all day in their 1950's inspired cages!

I will post more arty things in the next few days, I swear, I will get back to being uber creative! have a great day! xxoo, Lois

After All

After a firm talking to myself my mood has improved and today I think I will not scare anyone I am dealing with! HAHA! Here is a wonderful picture of my brother, Bob and his wife, Barb, that they sent to me. Aren't they nice looking?! I am so happy to know them and Barb sent pictures of flowers and other animals. I love flower and animal pictures! I am posting 2 flower pictures that sent me to fantasy - I want to live in Alaska now land. ( They live in Alaska. )

Ye Gads! Everything has Frustrated Me Today!

What a day! Everything has been an effort to get anywhere! From signing in on my blog tonight, ( what the hell !!! ), to trying to make an orthodontist appointment for Jacob, to oil leaking in the old subaru, to the yarn I am knitting with being a tangled mess! Did I make someone in the universe mad? What do I have to do for penance? And why do I have to do penance? My dang laptop has even decided it will only work in the office now so I can not watch the idiot box and type away on this machine! Aarrgh! I surrender! Someone tell me what I need to do to make things right again!

I keep repeating the mantra .... it's all happening for a reason .... this too shall pass... maybe it is just PMS ..... everything is fine .... breathe.... breathe again ..... Lois