A Non Typical Day in New England in March

It is incredibly warm here today. In fact it is hot! I can not believe it is March 18th. This time of year we are usually buried underneath mounds of snow with temps beginning to warm up into the 40's. There is NO snow and the temp reads 77 F right now! INCREDIBLE! Incredibly gorgeous that is! We are very happy New Englanders!

The unseasonable warmth has inspired lots of project around the homestead. Today's projects include.....

Starting some seeds. Some of the beauties that will growing in my garden this summer. 

Taking a photo of this guy .... "No don't take my picture."

And taking him back to his dorm after spring break.

Getting ready for the summer season. :D We set up the new summer resort. The last one got destroyed in an unusually early October snow storm, that was the only snow to speak of this winter season. (picture me doing a little happy dance.)

Bringing the deck seating out of winter storage. So we don't have to sit on the floor in order to eat our dinners on these incredibly warm evenings, when I insist we have our meals outside.

A bit of basking in the sunshine (she looks hot, doesn't she?) and taking this girl for a walk. She is going in for surgery tomorrow to have a tumor removed. So I am going to hangout with her today while my husband takes son 2 back to college.

Now I need to go find my shorts so I can get outside for a walk. More happy dancing. Have a great day!

Favorite Things Tuesday July 19

Tuesdays are a great day to show off a few of my favorite things. Since we are in the middle of summer let's celebrate today with a summer theme.

I LOVE to drink iced tea all summer long. Even though I'm from the Northeast I visit the south often and have learned that the proper name for iced tea is Sweet Tea. I used to put sugar in my tea and would promptly gain 5 lbs by the end of the summer season. After all sugar water is what hummingbirds survive on, the only problem is I don't burn as many calories as a hummingbird. This summer, instead of using white, processed sugar I am using Agave Nectar. Let me tell you....it is GOOD stuff. I don't notice any difference in flavor, it is even a tad bit sweeter and yummier. So far I have eluded any weight gain. This is a very good thing because I LOVE my sweet tea!!! I think I will be giving agave nectar a try in my baking as well. It is so much better for you than processed sugar. I buy my agave at Costco but I have seen it at my local grocery store too.

I am so into turquoise this summer. Any and all accessories turquoise is right up my alley. I found these perfect summer accessories in dachuksb7196's shop on Etsy. Her crocheted item pieces are simply beautiful. She has some fun, sexy items for the one in your family that loves to be barefoot.

In keeping with the turquoise summer theme I created this bracelet in a style similar to Chan Luu, but ofcourse added my own lampwork beads to it. A wrappable bracelet which creates stackable layers. I will definitely be making more of these. If you have any color suggestions please let me know, I will be happy to put something together for you. I plan to list my leather bracelets on Etsy but it is likely I won't have time to do so until the middle of next week.If you are interested in more info on this bracelet please contact me on my Facebook Page, Ema K Designs. 

As always, thanks for stopping by and visiting with me. I look forward to your comments.

Murrini Summer

Summer is underway and last Saturday I received my very first order of purchased murrini. For some time now Lauren of Maybeads has been blogging about murrini, you can see her Murrini Mondays blog. All her blogs and beautiful creations have convinced me that the time has come for me to give murrini a try for myself. However, with it being summer my kids have been keeping me busy and I have not been able to get myself behind the torch this week.

I am looking forward to a weekend full of fun 4th of July activities. However, in the back of my mind I am also looking forward to the week after the fourth. This is when I will finally get a day or two to use my new murrini. The following are some of the beautiful murrini pieces I purchased from Lori and Kim.

Aren't they beautiful? I feel like a little kid with a new toy. I can hardly wait to get these beauties on a bead.

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge Summer 2010

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge
Summer is here! So how appropriate that the Fire Divas put a call out to Jewelry Designers for the challenge theme of SUMMER. What does summer mean to you? Show us with your beautiful jewelry creation featuring Fire Divas' lampwork. Head over to the Flickr site to see many beautiful jewelry pieces made with Fire Divas' lampwork to inspire you! You have the chance to win some incredible prizes from the Fire Divas!

Now for the details:

All submissions must feature Fire Divas' lampwork. We require the name of the Fire Diva who made the beads used in the submitted piece, so if you submit something, please be ready to provide that information.

We will allow one submission per person per contest, and a maximum of two photos per submission. Entries may be submitted here (http://www.flickr.com/groups/firedivachallenge/) for approval, no later than July 15, 2010. Please include, in the comments section, the following:
Information about the beads:
Description of the piece:
Inspiration for the piece:
Submissions will not be approved without all of this information.

Fire Divas reserve the right to approve or reject any submissions.

Fire Divas reserve the right to modify or cancel the challenge at any time.

The winners will be determined by an open poll which does not allow multiple votes.

Ok, go have fun creating, and good luck to all who enter!

On Tuesday I will post a picture the prizes offered...there are lots of goodies.

It happens every summer in mid-August

Every summer in mid-August I hit the wall. My frustration level becomes far too high and my patience much too limited. I know why this happens and I will explain later but this year when the s#*t hit the fan (which happened last weekend) I decided to do something about it NOW rather than later.

Here's my story....

My kids get out of school for the summer in mid June (the date can vary widely depending on how many snow days we have over the winter) and go back to school in very late August or early September. Summer is a fun and exciting time. We all look forward to having a break from the school bell time clock and routine. I can honestly include myself in that statement because I do look forward to having my children all to myself. The summer becomes a crazy but fun schedule unto itself; constant sleep overs here, there and everywhere, daytime swims, nighttime swims, hanging by the fire pit, vacationing, camping, biking, hiking and yes too many video games.

As a stay at home Mom I love the summer routine. Here it comes...the big BUT....but by mid-August I crack. I long for me time. Time to create, time to exercise, time to be quiet, time to listen to MY music as loud as I want...just plain time to be me on my own terms, even if it is only for a few hours a day. I have learned over the years that by the middle of August my cup is empty. I have nothing left to give. I usually hang on by a thread for two or three weeks. This year I sat for a while in a self pity session whining to myself about all the things I want to do and don't seem able to get done. In the middle of my mid-August melt down I decided it didn't have to be this way, I could take action.

I did something I have never, ever done in my life.....I went shopping. I have never shopped because I was emotionally distressed for any reason. Really...never!

I have been considering redoing my bedroom for over a year and could never find exactly what I was looking for. Well wouldn't you know there it all was in one store on that one particular day. The sheets, the comforter/bedspread, decorative pillows, lamps (which perfectly matched the shade type in other areas of my home and I LOVE them.). Everything in the exact color scheme, theme, and style I have been looking for. I couldn't believe it nor could I resist buying it all. I know, I know I really shouldn't have given my mood but I did and I am really happy with all my purchases. What does this mean? I believe that the universe aligns itself to what you want and think about. On this day I decided to take care of my desires and there it all was waiting for me to show up. (Too bad the universe didn't send extra cash my way to cover paying for my desires...maybe it is on its way to me at this moment.)

Over the last few days it occurred to me...I need to pay attention to me more often. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of family life (any caretaker will understand this) I need to get off the tread mill once in a while and check in with myself. In checking in I found out I was not taking care of myself. I was not making myself happy. Time to reassess the direction of my days.

I did just that. I have begun a morning routine of rising before the rest of the family to take some time to find that quiet time. I have set limits for the upcoming week, everyday doesn't have to be all about the kids..Mom gets some time to create and time to just get stuff done. This way we can ALL be happy.

So today I am creating some resin bottle cap pendants. Stay tuned...I will blog about this process later this week and have photos of the completed pendants.

So I end with the old adage we all know well:

If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.