Ike Was Here

I know from the televised reports in Texas that the destruction is unbelievable! So, I know that my complaints about how bad we were hit here in MISSOURI.....yes, Missouri, will be on deaf ears. But, can I not complain a little?

No electricity, no hot water, no sump-pump to work without electricity, no internet, no phone. Leaking basement, water coming in all 3 outside facing doors, gutters flying off, neighbors outdoor furniture traversing through the air, BBQ grills also flying by the house, 3 trampolines went sailing by too. Well, really, anything in the neighborhood NOT nailed down was lost. My outside flowers......all gone. Hummingbird feeders......gone.

The upside to our weekend? Look at that sweetie in the first picture! This was just one of the animals at the Parents As Teachers Diego Party!

Here is Maddy with Diego!

And she was not as fond of the baby Chimp as I was!

And this is ALL she wanted to do at the party. Swing, swing, swing......with daddy standing near. It really was a very nice party. They had huge Diego puzzles, cats and dogs from the local humane society, balloons, snacks, juice, make-your-own Diego vest, jungle painting, animal search, and LOTS more! Great fun!

So, the only new jewelry I got in was one pendant, one pair of earrings and I had just started some custom Mother's Rings when we lost electricity for the second time Sunday. Let's hope me week goes better!


But in all seriousness, I am truly sorry for all of the families in Texas that are enduring this hard time. I can not image what it must have been like there if it was this bad up here in Missouri. You all are in my thoughts!

Have a great week everyone, in case I do not get to make it back here. I have a full work week ahead of me! Take care!

Warmly,
Leslie

Full Weekend........Fun Weekend!

Hello all! What a weekend! My mother came in for a visit. She had a complex surgery on her hand weeks ago and was just now able to drive her car. She was not released for even a few days and she was on the road here to see "her baby girl". Ahem.......not me.....the other one.......yes MY baby girl. You know the one I gave birth too. The one who I labored with for 20 hours. The one whom I love more than life itself. The one who is 3. The one who was HOLY LIVING HEATHEN this weekend! Yes that one. My sweet Madelyn was AWFUL this weekend! Please, someone tell me that this is normal, 3 year old behavior! Talk about your Dr. Jekyll Mr Hyde! Whew.....I am beat! I even overheard my mother on her cell phone talking to her long-distance "boyfriend" about my dear little girl acting "bratty". Ahhhh! The "B" word! The worst thing you can call a child! Man-o-man has she put me through the ringer this weekend with her ups and downs........"Love you mama! Your my best friend!"........two seconds later she spits at me! YES! SPITS! What the heck is she picking up at that preschool? Anyway, enough of that, or I will have to go into detail on her punishment for that one!

Oh! The above picture is another story......long story short, my dear sweet FIRST Robin disappeared many weeks ago, right after I posted about her on my blog. Her nest sat empty for many weeks, but I figured I would leave it there. You know, just in case. Well, the last few days I have witnessed another robin flying off every time I pull in the garage. My husband decided to check Saturday and look what we have!!!! Doesn't it seem late to have eggs? Oh well, I will take what I can! The FIRST Robin never moved when we went outside or used the garage. This NEW Robin flies off every chance it can. I have threatened to call the DFS, as I believe she is abandoning her babies WAY to much.......I mean really.....what would you have me do?

I have had many requests for pictures of the jewelry orders that I have been filling. I am so happy to say that I am being kept VERY busy with each delivery I make. As I deliver, I get new orders.........YEAH!!!!! I am by NO means a photographer, so please bear with the pictures. Also, I forgot to buy lithium batteries for my camera, going on a week now, so many of the first orders did not get photographed.......sorry! But you will get the idea! I also want to put in that while I love making custom "family" style jewelry, my love is REALLY for the organic, artisan style of jewelry design. I just love in general that there are those out there that actually like my work! So, here goes.......
Custom order for Vivian. Double strand Sterling & Swarovski bracelet. First strand her children. Second strand her grandchildren.
Mother's Rings....Front row Sterling & Swarovski mothers/grandmothers rings. Last row September birthstone ring and a custom Swarovski black and sterling stardust ring. Sorry again about the picture, as it REALLY does not do the crystal rondelles justice! My mother loves these as she, as well as MANY others, suffer from arthritis and these stretch to fit even then most swollen-knuckle days!
Custom necklace for co-workers niece. Sterling name blocks and Swarovski June birthstone on stretch cord with sterling lobster clasp, as per request. She bought one for her granddaughter years ago and asked me to make one for her niece for her dance recital this coming week. Turned out MUCH better than the picture!


And you get the point I am sure. Don't want to bore you all to death! More custom orders for mothers rings, mothers bracelets, grandmothers bracelets and just bad pictures in general...........beautiful jewelry though! Too bad my pictures do not do them justice....they sure do sparkle and the colors of the rondelles just pop! Each one is so special to every person I return it too. They just gush which makes me EXTREMELY happy! I love making someones day. You know I love my "day job" as a community education nurse, but what I teach is depressing sometimes, so this just makes my day!

I hope this satisfies everyones wishes on seeing what has been keeping me SO SUPER busy most nights after work. My husband, by the way, has been MORE than wonderful in helping with the regular household "stuff" that needs to be done after work while I have been in the studio finishing orders! Thank you Tim!

I sincerely hope that everyone had a great weekend. I did not get into a lot of what we did as a family with Nana this weekend as my post has run on long enough! Just know that we really enjoyed having her and we miss her already! You all take care! Much blessings to everyone. Go forth and create. Have a great week and if you have any questions about the "family" jewelry contact me or leave a comment! Or just leave a comment on your opinion of the jewelry........that would make me happy too!

Warmly,
Leslie

Tiny Bubbles......

Beautiful weather, dinner Friday night with family, great food and wine, a little crocheting, some reading, relaxing, bubble blowing, sprinkler play, dancing, and just spending time with the hubby and baby.............That's what great weekends are made of!


Good times had by all! Oh the weather was fantastic even though the forecast called for storms we had a small burst of rain for a couple of minutes and then sunshine again. We seemed to have been surrounded by huge cumulus clouds, but they just passed us by. They sure did put off some beautiful lightning shows though. Here are some pictures from the weekend.....


A beautiful little gift from mother nature after the short rainfall we had. Look close and you can see it is a double rainbow. We could not get the whole rainbow in the picture but the entire arc was there!





















A little lounging and a little ballet dancing to start off our Saturday. Isn't she sweet? I mean really....




A little time in the sprinkler in her new 2 piece suit.


Oh, and there are tons more pictures, but I will not bore you. Just know we had a great weekend and I am hoping you all did too. It was nice not to have an agenda or somewhere we all had to be. Back porch sitting is so much fun, but maybe it is because we never had one before until now.......so this is out first and we are loving it! By the way isn't that a nice fence our contractor put up for Maddy? He was such a great guy and really conscience of the fact that we had a little one. He did many things like this just for her and for us without even being asked. They are like little gifts.....

You know I spoke of my father and his long time girlfriend Patty coming to visit over Memorial Day weekend. Patty has a 6 year old grandson named Cody. Cody was Madelyn's age when he was attacked by a neighbors Pitt Bull which went through 2 fences to get at the little guy. He was left, at barely the age of 3, without an arm. Read here about his new arm.


One of us is always out on the patio with Maddy and I know that a fence does not take the place of diligent parenting and of course I have nothing against dogs of any breed, as we are an animal loving family, but I will say the fence makes me feel better knowing it is there. Maddy has no fear and is our little "darter". Exhausting is what she is at times! So, does it keep animals out or keep her in? Either way, I love the fence he put up for us! It made for a great time this weekend! I do not think she liked her sprinkler as much as she liked last years wadding pool, so I see us getting another pool this year. She did however use the sprinkler to drive her tricycle through, like a car wash. Now if we could only get her to put our vehicles through it....hmmmm.....we'll work on that one.


Have a great week. I will have jewelry pictures soon as I have been swamped with orders after last week and I am loving every second of it! Let it never stop! Go forth and create! See you all soon and enjoy!



Warmly,

Leslie