Love-2-Bead

Long time no blog!

2012-01-09T00:27:00.002-07:00

I think I win the prize for going the longest time between posts. This has been a busy, busy time for Coop and I but darned if I can remember all we did! We had a grand time at Indian Market with our daughter Lee Ann, her husband Wayne and Ali's husband Jeff. Ali was teaching so she couldn't come. The guys went trout fishing one day so Lee Ann and I went shopping. In November Coop had to go to Window Rock to visit with the Navajo Nations computer group. We took a couple of days to play in Gallup. I thought I had seen a lot of Indian jewelry here but I saw more in one trading post than in our entire city. And did I buy something? No..... but Coop bought me a pair of earrings and TWO beautiful old pawn silver bead necklaces for my birthday! Then came Christmas with a visit from Ali, Jeff, Olivia and Cooper. We had a wonderful time! I guess that brings me up to date!

The one pretty blossom rose bush

2011-07-10T12:08:00.003-06:00

Five years ago we planted a rose bush. I could hardly wait for it to bloom. It had one beautiful blossom on the top and one pitiful blossom below. Those were the only blossoms for the first year. The second year it had one beautiful blossom on the top and two pitiful blossoms below. The third year..... you've got the idea now. Last fall we cut the bush all the way down to the ground. Before we could replace it the bush was back as big as ever. This was the fifth year and sure enough we got one beautiful blossom and five pitiful ones. This photo is of the one good blossom. If you have any idea about why this happens please tell me. Perhaps the rose bush hates me! Perhaps the rose bush is trying to drive me crazy!

Sam & Sassy

2011-07-06T07:53:00.002-06:00

Sassy doesn't look like the pitiful dog Coop rescued does she? Please don't mention short legs in front of her. She has no idea that her legs are too short. She thinks she is going to win the Westminster Kennel Club show this year!

If I Didn’t Have A Dog or Cat....

2011-06-24T19:20:00.001-06:00

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I could walk barefoot around the yard in safety.

My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be hair-free.

When the doorbell rings, my home wouldn’t sound like a kennel and I could get to the door without wading through all the fuzzy bodies who beat me there.

I could sit on the couch and my bed any way I wanted, with out having to take into consideration how much space several fur bodies need to get comfortable.

I would have enough money to go on a real vacation , and no have guilt.

I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: “out,” “sit,” “down”, “come,” “no,” “stay,” and “leave it ALONE.

I would not talk ‘baby talk’. ‘Eat your din din’. ‘Yummy Yummy for the tummy’.

My house would not look like a day care center, with toys everywhere.

My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, G-O, R-I-D-E.

I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.

I’d look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading ‘mud’ season.

I would not have to answer the question: ‘Why do you have so many animals?’ from people who will never know the joy of being loved unconditionally by the closest thing to an angel they will ever encounter.

How dull and empty my life would be!!!

Catching up

2011-05-17T14:29:00.003-06:00

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I haven't posted to this blog in ages. I do have a good excuse. Coop and I both have been suffering from shingles. If you've ever had them you will understand. Coop had a worse case than I did and they settled in his eye. Eeeeekkkkkk. He is finally over the worst part and his vision is back to normal.

Sassy and Sam have become great friends! They have their jobs sorted out now. When they hear a evildoer outside both will run to check. Sam stays and barks to keep the evildoer at bay. Sassy runs as fast as her little too-short legs will go and tells Coop that they need help. Being the resident dog-spoiler he goes to help them. So far we have not been invaded by a single evildoer. Thank goodness for two small white dogs!

I've been working on a really crazy necklace. With any luck I may be able to finish it. When, you say? I have no idea!
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Sassy Update!

2010-12-30T17:45:00.002-07:00

Sassy is a totally different dog now! Sam taught her to play with toys so now we listen to a lot of squeeking. She has been groomed twice but it will take about a month for her hair to grow enough to get a Bichon look. The groomer had to cut her hair about 3/4" long because of the matts. The black "halos" around her eyes are the same on both sides. The photo makes them look goofy! She walks on a leash and loves to go everywhere Coop goes. She goes into stores and visits with everyone.

We drove to Hallettville, TX (14 hours away) to celebrate Christmas with our entire family. We spent one night in a motel both ways. Sassy behaved as though she had spent her life traveling. She played with everyone and laughed until I thought her mouth would be sore!

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it feels to see a smiling little girl instead of that little creature we brough home.

Update on Sassy

2010-12-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

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Sassy was spayed Monday and spent two days sleeping. Yesterday she was up and running! She is becoming a real love bug too.

She is learning quickly but everything is all new to her. At first she was terrified of her harness and leash. Today she put her head down to get into the harness and didn't fight the leash one bit. Whew! Coop walked to the office with both of dogs and she walked by Sam with no problems. Sam is doing his best to get her to play chase today. She just doesn't get the point of that game!!!
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Poor little dog...

2010-12-05T13:18:00.002-07:00

I hope there is an extremely hot place in hell reserved for people who neglect animals. We found out about this little girl a few days ago and brought her home. It's hard to believe but she is a Bichon Frise like our dog Sam. Beneath the long hair and mats there is a sweet baby. Her name is Sassy. She has been used for breeding too many times. I wasn't sure Sam would accept her but I promised her that if he didn't we would find a good home and she would never, never be neglected this way again. Sam is accepting her very well. She didn't know how to play so he is teaching her. She has been to the groomer once and already looks much better. I think she is going to live with us forever.

WELCOME HOME SASSY.
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The cruise that almost wasn't!

2010-11-29T18:57:00.007-07:00

I have photos on my web site. Click here to see them.

The cruise that almost wasn't!
or
Lucy and Ricky go on a cruise.

After hours working with the Delta international operator Coop finally got tickets for the cruise. We were flying first class using our Frequent Flyer points so it was hard to get tickets so near to the time we wanted to go. We couldn't get tickets to Venice so we booked them into Rome. It's a couple of hours by train from Rome to Venice. All is well. Life is good!

We got our itinerary from Delta and it was exactly when we wanted. We were to fly into Rome on Nov. 10, take a train to Venice and spend the night. Two days isn't enough time in Venice but I'm not sure if two weeks would be! We got reservations for a beautiful hotel about half a block from St. Mark's Square! All is well. Life is good!

And then...... we found out that Delta had forgotten about the pesky old international date line when they sent the itinerary. We weren't going to arrive on the 10th but on the 11th. Wahhhhhhh. Oh well, at least we will have a few hours in Venice. All is well. Life is good!

And then...... we took a shuttle train (30 miles) from the Rome airport into the city. That train ran late (it is Italy, you know, not Switzerland) so we missed our train to Venice. Not only was the train late we couldn't figure out where to board the Venice train! Thank goodness a young man came by wanting to take our luggage. He spoke better English than I do. We were a long, long way from where we were to board the train. We finally got to the right track and you guessed it, we had missed the second train! The trains run every 30 minutes so I had time for a small nervous breakdown. This train was a local, not an express so we stopped at every village. It was a long ride but we finally got to Venice. All is well. Life is good!

And then..... we couldn't find the dock for boarding the cruise ship. We were quickly running out of time. We had to check in by 4PM or the ship would leave without us. We hired a speed boat to take us to the dock. Two small problems; he couldn't go fast in the city and we didn't have our money changed into Euros. He took us to a bank and Coop got Euros. Tick. Tick. Tick. The clock is going faster than we were. We finally got out in open water and he kicked that boat into high gear! We arrived at the luggage check in with 28 seconds to spare. That's right, I said 28 seconds! We then had to walk two looooooong blocks (cobblestones) to the ship for the final check in. We made it!!! All is well. Life is indeed good!

My birthday/half price sale

2010-11-01T13:33:00.002-06:00

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My birthday/half price sale is over for this year. Wheeeeee! I shudder to think of all the problems I had this time. Thank goodness beaders are patient people. Everyone was so nice. Half way through the sale I swore I'd never have another one but I will..... maybe..... maybe not!

If you purchased patterns during the sale I thank you for the purchase and for having patience!

2010-10-04T12:06:00.003-06:00

Ruth Shadar (Israel) sent a photo of a quilt she made using one of the patterns in my stained glass book "Les Femmes." Ruth took the pattern to a new level! I love the tiny quilt on the wall beside the mirror. I love the red high heeled shoes. I just love, love, love this quilt!!!

Indian Market Photos

2010-09-28T17:50:00.001-06:00

The SWAIA web site has posted tons of Indian Market photos. You'll see beadwork in most of the categories, especially in the clothing category. Grab a cup of coffee, some yummy chocolate and enjoy the photos!

http://snipurl.com/179t7b

The saga of the Santa Fe ristra thief.

2010-09-18T15:33:00.003-06:00

For years we have had three ristras hanging in front of our house and buy fresh ones every year. Notice that the previous sentence used the past tense "had." As we were leaving for Indian Market a man stopped by our house. He said he was a ristra maker and would have some fresh ones for sale the next day. The ones we had were ready for the trash so this made me very happy. When we came home that day damned if he didn't steal them while we were gone. Suzanne was not happy. Coop was not happy.

Coop went to the Farmer's Market the next week and bought 3 new ristras. They were the most beautiful ones we have ever had. Tourists make a habit of taking photos of our house because of the ristras. The tourists were stopping to take photos again. Suzanne was happy. Coop was happy. The tourists were happy.

Three days later a thief took them while a woman was at the back door asking Coop for directions to someone's house. I haven't seen Coop this mad many times in all the years we've been married. He got in the car and saw the man walking down the bottom of the arroyo across the street. He had the ristras on a long pole so obviously it was a planned theft. Coop told him to get out of the arroyo and bring them to the car or he was a dead man. I'm sure he thought Coop had a gun. Thank goodness Coop didn't have one or he might have shot him.

Coop brought the ristras home and hung them with strong wire wound around the top. He took pliars and mashed the hooks so someone couldn't lift them off. Now our beautiful ristras were safe.

Suzanne was happy again. Coop was happy again. The tourists were taking photos again. Nice ending to the story, right? Well, it's not the end. A few nights later the SOB came back with wire cutters and stole the ristras again. He had to have come before or he wouldn't have known to bring tools.

Suzanne isn't happy. Coop isn't happy. The tourists aren't happy. The end.
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Indian Market photos

2010-08-24T11:57:00.002-06:00

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There are some fabulous photos of Indian Market on The
Newmexican newspaper web site. The beadwork will boggle your
mind!
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Cruise versus nursing home!

2010-08-17T15:04:00.002-06:00

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There will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on reservations at Princess and I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:

1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.

2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week).

3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.

4. They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.

5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

6. I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.

7. T.V. broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.

8. Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don't even have to ask for them.

9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare. If you fall on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of you life.

Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go? Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call the ship.

P.S. And don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side at no charge.

Indian Market 2010

2010-08-13T17:39:00.002-06:00

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Sometimes the prettiest thing you see at Indian Market isn't for sale! I saw this grandfather holding his precious little granddaughter a couple of years ago. Is she the cutest thing or what? She has on a traditional dress and from the silver ornaments in her hair to her little moccasins she is dressed perfectly. She has two turquoise necklaces and bracelets made of silver and turquoise on both her little wrists.

Yes, I wanted to take her home with me!
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Indian Market 2010

2010-08-12T14:02:00.002-06:00

It's almost time for Indian Market and I can hardly wait. The show is August 21-22, 2010. There are gallery shows opening all over town too. There will be 1200 artists from about 100 tribes who show their work in over 600 booths. The event attracts an estimated 100,000 visitors to Santa Fe from all over the world.

Saturday night there is a Gala Auction and dinner. The auction items bring in lots of money that helps fund the show. The items are donated by the artists. Each year there is a collaboration piece with four or five artists working on different compenents of the piece. This year's item is a fabulous butterfly necklace. I am drooling over a red and black glass blown piece decorated with sterling silver and coral. It was made by Robert "Spooner" Marcus, Ohkay Owingeh and Michael Roanhorse, Diné. It is valued at $18,000.00. I wonder if I could sell my car and buy it????

As usual I can't wait to see what Marcus Amerman, Choctaw has made for the show. His beadwork is fabulous!

This event is truly a feast for the eyes and the fry bread is a feast for the tummy!

Glee

2010-07-29T14:27:00.002-06:00

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I'm a fan of the TV show Glee. It's so nice to hear good music for a change. I love when Kristin Chenoweth guest stars.

Yes, I'm a gleek. Are you a gleek? Of course you are! I made some bracelet patterns today for gleeks. You can find the free patterns here!

A joke for you.....

2010-07-21T22:09:00.001-06:00

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A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart.
The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.
'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.
'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans he replies.
'Put them back, we can't afford them demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.
A few aisles further on along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.
What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband.
It’s my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife.
Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.'
On the PA system: 'Cleanup on aisle 25, we have a husband down.'

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Free Flag Tea Light Pattern

2010-06-26T14:50:00.004-06:00

I uploaded a FREE flag tea light pattern yesterday. Make some for your July 4 celebration. Go here and click on free patterns.

2010-06-01T20:35:00.002-06:00

I uploaded two free patterns today. One is Autism Puzzle Heart and the other is Autism Puzzle Amulet Purse. Go here and click on the FREE PATTERNS link. You can make the pieces for yourself or as a gift for a friend. You can make and sell tons of them if you donate the funds to Autism Speaks or another autism charity.

Autism affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys. We must find a cure for this disorder. Our children are crying out for it.

New bracelet patterns!

2010-05-27T18:44:00.003-06:00

I finished some bracelet patterns e-books this week. I have 7 e-books uploaded. I have several more almost ready. It seems to take longer to upload patterns than it does to make them. Perhaps that's because I love making patterns
so it doesn't seem like work! You can see the new bracelet e-books by clicking here.

I've been TAGGED

2010-05-22T16:13:00.006-06:00

Sig from Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time tagged me for this "what if" game:

IF I WERE A

MONTH -- December - snow and Christmas!
DAY- Saturday
TIME OF DAY -- Midnght. I create better at night.
SEASON-- Fall - Beautiful days, the smell of pinon burning in the fireplace and fresh green chiles
PLANET -- Earth since that's the only one I've visited..... that I know of!
DIRECTION- I have absolutely NO sense of direction so I can't pick a favorite.
TREE- Willow - it bends but doesn't break.
ANIMAL- Dogs in general, Sam my little Bichon Frise in particular.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT- I love all of them.
FRUIT- Pineapple and Mango
FOOD- Pasta - Chocolate
COLOUR- Purple - Black
BOOK- I read all the time so my favorite is whatever I'm reading at the time.
SONG Nessum Dorma
MOVIE - Sleepless in Seattle
FLOWER- Lillies
FACIAL EXPRESSION-- The look my husband gives me.... you know the one!

Day Lily Bracelet

2010-05-10T16:22:00.002-06:00

Please don't forget that I'm a beginner with bead embroidery! I finally got a photo of one of my bracelets. It has three Day Lily blossoms. The other projects are going to have to wait for an overcast day because they have lots of bling.

New patterns!

2010-04-23T14:39:00.004-06:00

I uploaded 26 patterns for names and words in Chinese calligraphy today. You can see them by clicking
here.

Now that the upload is done I can get back to working on a bead embroidery necklace. Yes, I'm learning to love the technique! The piece I'm working on isn't a big necklace but so far it's looking good.

April project

2010-04-12T17:30:00.003-06:00

Wheeeeeeee! I finished my April Bead Journal project last night. I'm actually not ashamed to show this project to others. I'll try to photograph all my projects soon. Bead embroidery is definitely getting easier and I am enjoying it now. I got ambitious and started a bracelet last night. This start was a BIG learning experience. I used a beautiful stone oval as the centerpiece. I had a good bit of the bezel done when I realized the stone is too large. I need a curved stone!!! So.... plan B.... I'll turn it into a fill-in-the-blank!

April Bead Journal

2010-04-06T18:13:00.006-06:00

I'm working on my project for April. Bead embroidery is getting easier but my fingers keep wanting to do peyote stitch! We'll see if this old dog can learn a new trick.

I've been busy uploading some new items to my download web site. Take a peek here!

Bead Journal Project

2010-03-27T12:16:00.002-06:00

I'm working on my third month now. My bead embroidery skills have gotten better. I still have a long way to go before I feel comfortable with the technique. Rated from 1 to 10, I started at 0 and am up to 2! It would help a lot had I learned to do regular embroidery at some time in my checkered past. I'll post photos as soon as I get up the courage to show other people. It feels good to learn something new, doesn't it?

BeadFest

2010-03-18T22:43:00.000-06:00

Ingrid Teboe arrived yesterday and we have not stopped talking! We have been e-mailing for over three years. It's so much fun to meet an on-line friend in person. We just got back from the first night at BeadFest. Thank goodness it was only open 4 hours or we would be totally broke! I got to visit with Mary Tafoya, Betsey Ventrella and her husband Mark, Nikia Angel and Marcus Amerman. Can't wait till tomorrow!!!

Wheeeeeeee!

2010-03-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

Coop just had the staples removed from his knee surgery so we are headed home. I can't wait to get to Santa Fe.

On the road again...

2010-02-19T20:04:00.003-07:00

I think I should buy a tour bus, don't you? Yes, we're headed for Phoenix again tomorrow. Coop had a call from Mayo Clinic and they moved his second knee surgery to Monday instead of Wednesday. I thought I had a lot of time to pack and clean house etc. but nooooooo. I've done what I can and said to heck with the rest of it. The dirt will still be here in the same exact place when we get back.

I've packed three big bags with beads and macrame stuff. There is no way I'll need all these but if I don't take them you know good and well I'll need them. I'm working on my Bead Journal Project. I'm totally a beginner at bead embroidery so I've done the frog stitch more times than I can count. I threw my first piece away when it was half done. So far the second version seems to be working.

Olympics and Beads

2010-02-15T13:50:00.002-07:00

I'm still glued to the TV watching the Olympics. My favorite sport is figure skating so I'll have big time fun the next few days. As for beads.... I'm in a big bad bead block. I decided to work on my Bead Journal projects today thinking that would break the block. So far I'm just getting mad! I can't find a decent pair of scissors. I'm sure they are in one of the bags of beads I took to Arizona. I don't want to open every one of the bags. Heavy sigh.

Olympics and Twitter

2010-02-08T21:53:00.002-07:00

4 days until the Winter Olympics! Wheeeeeeee! I can't wait for the games to start. I went to the ESPN web site where they have a Twitter feed. 4 days until the Olympics! I'm following Tannith Belbin, Ben Augusto, Evan Lysacek and Apollo Ono. I'm a big time skating fan. Poor Belbin and Augusto can't get a plane out of Philadelphia and may miss the opening ceremonies.

Anyone else a Winter Olympics fan?

DELETING POSTS

2010-02-05T13:31:00.002-07:00

I hereby declare that Sig Wynne-Evans is a genius! She told me how to get rid of the Chinese posts on my blog. I translated one of them on Google Translate and it was full of X rated things. I tried everything I could and nothing worked to delete them. Sig wrote me and said to look for a tiny trash can beneath the post. I tried it and it worked. Put this in your memory bank in case you find some offensive posts on your blog.
Thank you Genius Sig!

Bead Newsletter

2010-02-03T15:11:00.002-07:00

I just uploaded a bead newsletter full of really good eye candy. If you don't get my newsletters you can read the new one here: http://snipurl.com/u9kyp

I finally uploaded several loom patterns and a few peyote ones. You can see them here: http://snipurl.com/u9l0r Yes, I was on a Southwest kick again! I guess I'll always be since Santa Fe has such an impact on me.

Back in Santa Fe!

2010-01-30T15:22:00.004-07:00

After five days in Phoenix the doctors wouldn't do the surgery on Coop's knee. It seems he may have walking pneumonia of all goofy things. He is on antibiotics now. We have to go back again. My car will probably try to head to Phoenix every time we start it now! Coop's surgery is now set for Feb. 25.

We made it back in time for a beautiful snow! I love snow better than a little kid. I had a whole flock of patterns I needed to prepare for upload so I sat at the computer in front of a window. I watched it snow and worked on patterns all day. Heavenly day!

I have a few of the patterns uploaded and will have more in a few days. I don't have these linked to the opening page so for now if you want a sneak peek you'll have to hit the back button!

Comments

2010-01-30T13:34:00.003-07:00

Wouldn't you just know that my blog would be the only one with comments in Chinese? There are many of them so ignore them. There is an occasional word in English so I know they are bad, bad, bad.

Does anyone know how to block someone from posting?

Phoenix again....

2010-01-17T19:48:00.002-07:00

Tuesday Coop and I leave for Phoenix. He will have the second knee replacement done. This time I won't be afraid. He has done so well with the first surgery he won't get much sympathy from me. I'm trying to get things in order so we can pack the car tomorrow. The big question is which beads to take. I'm going to work on my Bead Journal Project while I'm there. I'll post from Phoenix occasionally and with any luck I won't be whining over my lack of green chile! Yes, I'm taking some with me this time.

2010-01-03T18:05:00.003-07:00

I've been on a designing binge the last three days! What fun! I've got several southwest designs ready to upload. Here's one of them done in the Navajo Ganado Red style. This one is for the loom.

Christmas card for you!

2009-12-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

Sam, my little Bichon Frise made a Christmas card for you!

http://snipurl.com/ttlce

A better day.....

2009-12-16T17:38:00.002-07:00

Thank goodness I'm out of the bah humbug mood today. Several of our presents are now on the UPS truck and we are wrapping the rest to go out tomorrow. Reservations have been made for Coop and I to have Christmas dinner at La Fonda. Anyone want to go with us? I promise I won't be in the bah humbug mood!

Rant warning!

2009-12-15T17:13:00.003-07:00

I need to rant. I went to town today to try to finish my Christmas shopping. I had to get a few small things at Target. I hate going in Target even on a good day because all the fixtures in the store are ORANGE. I try not to look but I think the floors are orange too. Orange makes me mad when it is used in large quantities. Soooo..... I'm shopping and walking from one corner of the store to the other and back. I must have walked a bezillion miles all the while dodging people who were not watching where they were going. I began to feel like the slowest car in the bumper cars rink. I breathed deeply and continued shopping. All of a sudden I saw a woman in a really big motorized chair backing up at warp speed. She didn't glance around to see if anyone was behind her. There was someone there... me! There were too many people surrounding me for me to get out of her way. Thankfully she turned when she got about 4 inches from my legs. It was at this moment that I went into full fledged BAH HUMBUG MODE. Next year I plan to order everything online. It isn't safe out there! Rant over. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Sig gave me an award!

2009-12-08T14:52:00.006-07:00

Sig (Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of TIme) gave me an award! So the way this goes is I am supposed to list 5 things that I like to do and then pass it on to 5 more in my circle of blogger friends. Many of Sig's answers are the same as mine with the notable exception of #3. Sig loves to cook and I hate it. I do love to eat!

1. I LOVE to travel
2. I love to bead.
3. I love to eat.
4. I love to read... a lot!
5. I love musical theatre.

Holiday Gift Game Updated!

2009-11-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

It seems as though one of Santa's elves worked on my computer one night. He uploaded 4 more surprise gifts! There is now a total of 17 gifts. Can you remember where you looked before? The new ones might be on a new page or they might be on an old page. Of course I have NO idea where they are since it was an elf that uploaded them. Good luck on your quest!

http://www.bead-patterns-24-7.com/holiday-game-2009.html

Bead Novels Review

2009-11-28T14:51:00.002-07:00

I just finished reading "Beads of Doubt" by Barbara Burnett Smith and Karen MacInerney and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's light reading; a murder mystery with a backdrop of a bead tea. Barbara Burnett Smith was hit by a car and died before she could finish the novel. Her good friend Karen MacInerney finished the book for her. Her first novel about beading was "Bead on Trouble" which used a bead retreat as the setting. I didn't care for this book as much as I did "Beads of Doubt". Both books are guaranteed not to improve your mind or keep you awake but they are fun.

And then there is "Murder in the House of Beads" A Mystery in Paradise by Mary Jane Forbes. Other than the victim being a teacher in a bead store it has nothing much to do with beads. The murder mystery didn't hold my interest at all. Save your money!

Facebook ad warning

2009-11-21T09:34:00.001-07:00

Friday, Facebook will start using your photo in ads that will appear on the profile page of your contacts. It's legal and is mentioned in the fine print when you create your account. TO STOP....do the following:

Settings,
Privacy Settings,
News Feed & Wall.
Facebook ads (tab).
Choose "NO ONE" and save changes.

***PASS ALONG***

Celebrate!

2009-11-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

Suzanne's Maybe Annual Holiday Gifts Game

This year you are going on a treasure hunt. When you see a little gift box click on it. You'll get a pdf file with a free pattern! Many of these patterns are seasonal (both Christmas and Hanukkah) so I'm starting the game early. The game will end in about 4 weeks. Begn by clicking here:

http://www.bead-patterns-24-7.com/holiday-game-2009.html

The gifts may be at the top of the page...... or not!!! There are 13 hidden gifts. Good luck on your treasure hunt.

Home sweet home!

2009-11-06T14:21:00.002-07:00

We're back at home now. Santa Fe never looked prettier than when we drove in this time. Today is my birthday so I've celebrated by sleeping late and eating green chile breakfast burrito from Tia Sophia's!

If I can work up the energy I'm going to try making a new "bead nest" today. I don't like where I've been working. I need my beads and junk scattered around me where I can reach them.

Headed home!!!!!

2009-11-04T11:28:00.002-07:00

I'm going home, Aunty Em! I've been clicking the heels of my ruby red slippers all morning. It worked! Coop was just released and we should be headed to Santa Fe in a few minutes!

Pinon fire in the fireplace.
Green Chile breakfast burritos
Cool air and clear blue skies.

These are a few of my favorite things!

Green Chile Withdrawal.

2009-11-02T18:35:00.001-07:00

I'm in total green chile withdrawal. HELP! In Santa Fe we eat green chile on our food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We've been in Phoenix 16 days but it seems longer. Do these people know that New Mexico is the next state and there is tons of green chile grown there? I NEED GREEN CHILE. I need it bad. With any luck Coop will be dismissed Wednesday. When I cross the state line I plan to eat lots and lots of green chile. Can I wait that long???

Beaded Art Doll Competition

2009-11-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

Voting has begun for the ALL DOLLED UP: Beaded Art Doll Competition (Land of Odds)
http://www.landofodds.com/store/alldolledup2009contest.htm

There are some really great dolls this year!

Pumpkin contest winner!

2009-10-28T21:55:00.002-06:00

If you need to make a spectacular pumpkin for halloween try this one! Tonight was hamburger/hot dog night in the hotel lobby. The employees had a pumpkin contest and the guests voted. This one looked just like a huge hamburger. She (or he) glued seeds to the top to look like sesame seeds. The meat and veggies were real. There was a small plate of fries made out of the inside of the pumpkin with roasted red bell pepper strips for the ketchup. The drink was made of a straight gourd.

This was a REALLY cute pumpkin!!! I took this photo with my cell phone so it's not the best but you can get the idea from it.

Grand piano and Smile Lady

2009-10-25T17:31:00.003-06:00

Doesn't every hospital have a grand piano in the lobby? Mayo does. The cutest elderly men volunteer to play and they are wonderful. You just know they used to play in a piano bar way back when.

And speaking of piano bars, did you ever notice the "affair hats' women wore in the old movies? They always wore one when they met their lovers in the dark piano bar. Of course they sat in little round booths upholstered in black leather. I know the proper name is cocktail hat but my friend Jane and I have called them affair hats. The woman wearing one in the photo is the "Smile Lady" at Mayo. She is a volunteer who does a Bingo game on closed circuit TV every Friday. It's called Smile instead of Bingo! Is she cute or what?

Arizona sunset

2009-10-23T13:51:00.003-06:00

Arizona sure knows how to do spectacular sunsets!

Coop had surgery Wednesday morning and is doing beautifully. I think he will be out of the hospital tomorrow morning. We have to stay here several more days so he can continue physical therapy. Maybe I'll finally have time to do some beadwork then. I've been trying to do micro-macrame but I can't seems to do it in bits and pieces because I keep losing my place on the pattern. I'll have to start my earring over. I'm working with a beautiful earring pattern I ordered from Joan Babcock. If I can get two done I'll be a happy camper for sure!

Bead/Chile Fiesta

2009-10-23T13:44:00.002-06:00

Bead/Chile Fiesta was over Monday morning. Another year to wait for another one. Sigh. It was such fun seeing old friends again. Bonnie and I had to get up at 4:30 in order to catch a shuttle to the airport Tuesday morning. That was hard to do for a person who doesn't do mornings but we made it. She left for home in Dallas and I left for Phoenix to be with Coop when he had knee surgery.

Bead/Chile Fiesta

2009-10-14T20:21:00.002-06:00

Wheeeeee! Friday is the first night of the Fifteenth Annual Bead/Chile Fiesta! My friend Bonnie Brooks is coming from Dallas tomorrow. I'm a happy camper now. This group of beaders met on the old Prodigy bulletin board years ago. We decided to meet in Santa Fe. I have no idea who came up with the name for the group but it fits. We bead, eat lots of chile and have a grand time. We volunteer to teach classes when we have something to share with the group. This year I'm teaching beaded feathers.

I've got to get to bed and go to sleep quickly so tomorrow will arrive sooner!

Steampunk cakes

2009-10-14T12:16:00.001-06:00

If Baker's Banter didn't have enough cakes for you ttake a peek at the Cakewrecks site. Check out the steampunk cakes. These cakes take steampunk to a whole new level.

Baker's Banter

2009-10-11T13:14:00.003-06:00

Why do I have a favorite blog called Baker's Banter in my list of non-bead blogs, you ask. You know good and well that I don't bake. I barely cook! I have it listed just so I can look at the beautiful photos. Yes, there are times when I want to lick my monitor but I restrain myself. I have been known to drool on the keyboard though. Take a peek if you dare. You might gain five pounds from just looking at the blog!!! Look below the blog archive. Don't forget that I warned you!

I'm home Aunty Em!

2009-10-06T10:03:00.002-06:00

The Beverly Hillbillies packed up and left Phoenix yesterday. It was so good to sleep in my own bed again. We'll be going back for Coop's surgery on the 21st. I plan to totally enjoy my short time at home.

I finally had time to pick up my beads the last day in Phoenix. Naturally I left some essential items for one project at home. Thank goodness I took two projects.

Arizona nights

2009-10-04T22:24:00.002-06:00

I love, love, love the nights here in Arizona! It's cool and the skies are so clear I can see the stars and a HUGE full moon. Last night we sat out by the pool until 2:30. There are beautiful fire pits. A fire, a full moon and deliciously cool nights. Wow!

Not today

2009-10-03T13:45:00.001-06:00

Wahhhhhhh. I thought we've be going home today but we can't leave until Monday morning. I was bored so I made a Smilebox slide show of our super exciting (yawn) trip. And to think we were planning a trip to Italy. Heavy sigh.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Headed home tomorrow....

2009-10-02T19:38:00.002-06:00

We will be leaving Phoenix tomorrow after Coop's last pre-op tests. He was scheduled for knee surgery on the 7th. Our dentist discovered a possible infection in his gums last week. After the lab tests came in sure enough there was an infection that could go to the bloodstream and invade the surgical site. So it's back home for us, lots of antibiotics for Coop and a trip back to Phoenix for surgery on the 22nd. I've never known of a place as thorough as Mayo Clinic. He has been through every test possible, Thank goodness he doesn't have to go through all this again.

We had packed for a 3 week stay and came into this beautiful hotel with a cart full of stuff. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies! Now we get to pack it up and repeat the process again. Heavy sigh. Oh well, it will be worth it when Coop can walk without constant pain.
.

Arizona photos

2009-10-02T19:18:00.002-06:00

The beautiful red rocks near Sedona were awesome! Sedona was a big disappointment. I expected a central village with outdoor cafes. The village went on and on for blocks with no cute little cafes unless they were very well hidden. There were lots of psysic shops, art galleries, fancy hotels and dumpy hotels.

The Palo Verde tree is outside our hotel window. I've never seen a tree with a green trunk, green branches, green leaves all the same color. It's very beautiful. If I were a little green gecko I'd make my home in this tree. No one could see me!

Packing

2009-09-29T13:04:00.001-06:00

Getting ready to pack for Phoenix today. We leave tomorrow. Throwing jeans and shirts in a suitcase is not a problem but choosing which beads to take is a BIG problem. If I take too many the car might not climb the hills. If I don't take enough...... oh, the horror!

Phoenix/Scottsdale the saga continues

2009-09-28T13:43:00.002-06:00

After a couple of changes in Coop's knee surgery schedule we are set to go again. We leave here Wednesday Sept. 30. We will take two days to drive so we won't be beaten to a pulp when we arrive. Sam is going with us so he will have to stop for potty breaks. Sam will spend some time in the Petsmart PetsHotel while we are there. If you haven't boarded your pet there check it out. Sam loves to go there and play with the other dogs. Coop will have surgery Monday the 2nd. He is supposed to stay in town for three weeks after surgery. He will have physical therapy, etc. He will probably be in the hospital three days. They won't let him out until he is totally able to care for himself.

Three weeks in a hotel.... eeeeeekkkkk. We are staying at the Courtyard (Marriott) which is so close you can almost spit to the hospital. It's brand new and beautiful but it's still a hotel. We will have a full kitchen and sitting room. Do those people think I plan on cooking??? I will be taking pounds of beads and my laptop. Those two things just may save what little sanity I have left! And of course there are many, many bead stores nearby. Maybe this isn't going to be too bad after all!!!!

Phoenix/Scottsdale Bead Stores

2009-09-18T12:00:00.003-06:00

Can you imagine how hard it is to be in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and not have time to go to a single bead store? There are tons of bead stores. We were there two days with no time for play. Coop was at Mayo Clinic getting ready to have his knee replacement surgery. Both his knees were injured playing college football. That totally free education is costing him dearly now. Thank goodness there are good doctors that can fix him. We will be back in Arizona in a few weeks and I'll have lots of extra time to play. Watch out bead stores, here comes Suzanne!

El Desfile de Los Ninos

2009-09-12T12:21:00.002-06:00

Just got back from watching El Desfile de Los Ninos (The Children's Pet Parade) and it is really a hoot! Furry, four-legged pirates, bees and super-heroes were seen in the parade. The pet parade featured costumed kids with animals of all sizes. Chickens, cats, kittens, ducks and dogs were dressed-up in outfits ranging from cowboys to ladybugs. Some kids had little wagons with fish tanks and gerbil cages. My favorite "float" was a shopping cart with cardboard on each side painted to look like a stage coach. The "horses" were hitched to the cart but they were two beautiful Labradors! One entry had every character in The Wizard of Oz with the dogs dressed like the flying monkeys. There were cages chickens and two roosters that were on the owners' shoulders. I have no idea how they stayed on. The cute part of this parade is seeing the imagination of the kids translated into costumes. There were dogs from the tiniest Chihuahuas to enormous Great Danes. I don't know how those tiny dogs could keep up but they all did. The dogs were having a grand time and the only sound I heard from them was from one Bloodhound who bayed as he walked. A big percentage of the crowd brought their dogs. Of course Sam had to go. He was so good I couldn't believe it. He sat and watched the entire parade and didn't make a sound.

Web site hell.....

2009-09-10T18:11:00.002-06:00

I feel as though I've been living in web site hell for the past couple of weeks. My host moved the files to a larger database. My site didn't make the move very well. I had no sites for a few days. After doing a tap dance on some heads they got my sites running. Well, at times they were running. I have not had e-mail for at least 10 days. More tap dancing.... and more.....and more and still no e-mail. I pulled the plug on them this afternoon and signed on with another host. I've been uploading web site files all afternoon. YEA! suzannecooper.com is up and running! I'm uploading bead-patterns-24-7 now. After that one is finished I'm going to the house and collapse! Wait.... I'll have a wee drink and then collapse.

Etsy

2009-09-08T15:18:00.001-06:00

I listed some patterns on my Etsy site today. It has been so long since I listed something I forgot how to do it! http://snipurl.com/ro8la

Marcus Amerman beadwork

2009-09-07T11:08:00.000-06:00

Marcus Amerman has a photo of his Indian Market entry on his web site. It is a10 x 26 inch rendering of Buffalo Bill, Brave Chief, Knife Chief, Young Chief, American Horse, Rocky Bear, Flies Above, and Long Wolf inspired by the historic photo of the same. The piece contains nearly 118 colors in the over 120,000 beads.

My lovely picnic....yuck!

2009-09-07T11:00:00.001-06:00

Coop and I have been married a long, long time. I'm not saying how long but I'll give you a hint. Benjamin Franklin was a guest at our wedding. Bennie Baby (that's what I called him) was a great dancer. I digress. OK, you've got the picture. A long marriage that just may have lasted ONE DAY TOO LONG.

Yesterday Coop decided we should drive up the mountain to the base of the ski area and have a picnic somewhere on our way up. I have never been a fan of picnics and that is putting it politely but like a good wife I agreed to go. We packed our lunch and headed up the mountain. It's only 16 miles from my house to the base of Ski Santa Fe area. The catch is that Santa Fe is at 7260 feet above sea level and the base of the ski area is at 10,350 feet. That means we climbed 3090 feet on a road that was switch backs all the way. Thank goodness there was no road to the top of the ski area or that fool would have driven to the top which is at 12,075 feet.

Do you have any idea how many people were camping in the National Forest yesterday? I don't either but I do know that every picnic table and camping space was occupied. Duh.... this is Labor Day weekend. We ended up eating our lunch while sitting on a ROCK. This was not my idea of fine dining.

Sig's trip

2009-09-06T12:46:00.003-06:00

Just looked at Sig's web site about their trip to China, Tibet, Yangtze River and Cambodia. Wow! Take a peek.

No longer sad.....

2009-09-01T21:19:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I was sad because a local bead store was closing. Good news! A local beader has rented the space and will be opening in three weeks or so. It will be called "The Beading Heart of Santa Fe." As if that wasn't enough to make me happy there is a new store open next door to my favorite place for breakfast. It's called "Ritual Adornments." The best way to start a day is to eat a breakfast burrito with green chile at Tia Sophia's and go next door and look at beads!

Computer

2009-08-31T09:10:00.002-06:00

I was having the best time last night playing with my computer. I was cutting a pattern in half and when I hit the delete button I heard a bang and all the lights went out. I though I had caused it! We had no electricity for four hours. This is the second time the city has been dark in the past month. We were having storms so I guess lightening struck something major. I finally got to play with the computer again and wham.... lights out again! Thank goodness for a battery powered laptop! I finally got the pattern done and sure enough the lights came on again. i think there must be a pattern hating gremlin in my house!

Sig's Blog

2009-08-29T16:56:00.003-06:00

I've been working all day getting files backed up so I can install a new computer. Gotta love a Mac. Even a semi-nerd like me can install one!

After this day I was truly pooped and needed a good laugh. I saw nothing funny until I read Sig's blog post today. I almost wet my pants. I'm not going to tell you what she wrote. You won't believe it! Only Sig!!!

2009-08-28T13:06:00.002-06:00

Finally! My web site are back and I can get e-mail. I was beginning to think it would never happen.

Most of the tourists have gone home now that Indian Market is over. Our city won't be quiet until the last part of September but maybe we can get into a restaurant now!

I'm going bonkers!

2009-08-26T12:49:00.001-06:00

My web sites are being moved to a new database. The move started at 6PM yesterday and it still isn't finished. Do you have any idea how hard it is want to read e-mail and can't do it? Am I addicted to the computer? Could be!

Marcus Amerman & Indian Market photos

2009-08-25T20:45:00.002-06:00

Coop's friend Dave Speed was in town for three hours and took some photos at Indian Market. If you click on "slideshow" you'll see big photos. Number 18 is my beading hero Marcus Amerman. That's his photo on the left. I wish Dave had taken a photo of his beadwork. Of course the next time I see Marcus I won't recognize him. He looks totally different each time I see him. I think he is a chameleon! You can see more of his beadwork at RAINMAKER Native American Indian jewellery & art Bristol, UK.

Frybread

2009-08-24T10:25:00.003-06:00

And what is frybread you ask? It's a staple in the Indians' diet. It is absolutely delicious. They make "Navajo Tacos" which has meat (mainly mutton), green chile, lettuce, tomato and beans. Some people like it with honey on top. I like mine plain with a little salt. Here's a recipe if you want to try making it:

4 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder

Combine all ingredients. Add about 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water and knead until dough is soft but not sticky. Shape dough into balls the size of a small peach. Shape into patties by hand; dough should be about l/2 inch thick. Make a small hole in the center of the round. Fry one at a time in about l inch of hot lard or shortening in a heavy pan. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Indan Market 2009

2009-08-23T11:29:00.004-06:00

I went to Indian Market yesterday and as usual I went into visual overload! I visited with Marcus Amerman who had several beautiful beaded bracelets. His beaded panel showing Wild Bill Hickok and the Indians in full regalia from the Wild West Show took second place in beadwork. It was a stunning piece.

Best of Show winners: Navajo metalworkers Daryl and Rebecca Begay won for their silver concha belt, Return from the Long Walk, which also took top honors in the jewelry division.

Best of Classification VIII - Bead Work & Quill Work: Jamie Okuma. Jamie has won several awards in the past including Best of Show with her beaded dolls. Last year she won top honors in Diverse Arts for a piece featuring about 11 beaded Indian cowboys leaning against a fence. Each cowboy was about 10" tall. It was fabulous! I found photos of a couple of the cowboys: Indian Cowboy & Cowboy 2.

Beverly Moran showed several incredible traditional garments with lots of beadwork. She was wearing one and told me it weighed between 40 and 50 pounds. She had two delightful frames pieces with miniature beaded garments. Both were already sold.

Sam Haozous is supposed to have photos on his Facebook page. You can also read his Twitter site as he tweets while walking around the market.

Award winning photographer Ann Murdy has 10 pages of photos from 2008 Indian Market.

Silly me...

2009-08-21T18:38:00.003-06:00

Did you even have a day when you did everything right only to find out it was wrong? That has been my day. I worked almost all day converting one of my out-of-print stained glass design books into e-Book format. I finally finished and realized I had converted the wrong book. The one I worked on is still in print. If I weren't so tired I think I'd beat my head against the wall!!!

Tomorrow and Sunday is Indian Market. I can't wait. I refuse to do any work those two days. I'm going to look at beautiful art work, especially the beadwork. I'm going to eat lots of fry bread. After that I may eat even more fry bread!

Opera report...

2009-08-18T11:33:00.000-06:00

Oh why haven't we been to the opera before now? The music was glorious, the singers superb and the costumes were great. The opera house seats 2,128 plus 106 standees. The audience sat spellbound and there wasn't a sound made. The leading lady really squashed the idea what opera singers are big and fat! She was such a tiny creature I kept wondering where that big voice came from!

Opera

2009-08-17T10:24:00.002-06:00

Today is Coop's birthday. I bought him tickets to the opera months ago. I've never been to an opera. I hope we love it. It's "La Traviata" by Verdi. I love some of his songs but don't know the ones listed. Of course the names are in Italian so I may know them when I hear them.

I have no idea what to wear. The Santa Fe Opera is an open air opera house. There is a covering over the audience and the stage but it could get a wee bit cold tonight.

DARK night!

2009-08-15T13:55:00.002-06:00

The power went off last night. I think the entire city was without power for two hours. Ohhhhh, it was DARK. We finally found our kerosene lamps and three candles. The lamps put out a lot more light than candles. We grabbed the tops of our outdoor solar lamps and stuck them in glasses. I've done this before and it is great. You can't go to sleep with candles and lamps burning but these things are totally safe. Of course we had both TV sets on when the power went off. I fell into a deep sleep and almost jumped straight up when they came back on!

How did/do people live without electricity?

I'm sad today

2009-08-14T11:54:00.002-06:00

I'm sad because one of our local bead stores "Beauty and the Beads" is closing next week. While I wish Madeleine all the best in her new venture in California I'm still sad. I shopped at the store years before I moved to Santa Fe. There is a BIG sale going on for five more days. Do I dare go for fear I'll tear up? Do I dare go for fear I'll buy way too many beads?

Site down time changed again....

2009-08-12T15:47:00.001-06:00

For the third time I have to announce that my web sites will be down. The server changed the dates again.... and again. As of now the sites will be down beginning at 8:00pm EDT on August 21, and continuing into Saturday, August 22.

I can tweet!

2009-08-12T15:46:00.000-06:00

Yea! I learned how to tweet from someone on Beadchat! I had tried almost everything and couldn't do it without working my behind off.

I can now tweet like the birdies in the trees. Now if I only had something interesting to say!!!

Twitter

2009-08-12T10:42:00.002-06:00

I joined Twitter yesterday. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I must be the only tweet impaired person in the world. I have to play "fool the computer" in order to tweet. There are little bitty kids who can tweet. Where is a little bitty kid when you need one? If you want to watch and see if I finally learn to tweet here's my page: http://twitter.com/Suzanne_Cooper

Now it's time for me to quit worrying about tweets and get back to work!

My yard....

2009-08-10T11:17:00.003-06:00

OK, so I don't have a rocker in my herb garden. My dog is a pretty darned cute garden ornament and I have a carved redwood bear. So there Miss Ali!

Ali's yard....

2009-08-10T11:13:00.002-06:00

Just when I was thinking my front yard was looking good my daughter Ali sent photos of her back yard. If I didn't love her so much I might never speak to her again!!! I love, love, love the old rocker in her herb garden.

Web sites going down....

2009-08-05T13:53:00.006-06:00

My web sites will soon be down due to my server moving their data bank. Darned if the haven't changed the dates twice. Wouldn't you just know it would happen? As of now my sites will be down beginning Friday, August 14, starting at 11:00pm EDT, and continuing into Saturday, August 15. I will not be able to recieve e-mail at my regular address during this time. You can reach me by writing SuzanneBeads+++++@+++++gmail.com

I've been super busy this week fulfilling some requests for Switchplate Covers. I think the latest ones will be the last ones. I have the following new e-Books:

Kitchen1 Switchplate Covers
Kitchen 2 Switchplate Covers
Celtic Switchplate Covers
Critters Switchplate Covers
Holiday Switchplate Covers
Southwest 3 Switchplate Covers

Back to beading!!!!

2009-07-24T15:02:00.003-06:00

Wheeeeeeeee!!!! I'm finally back to beading. I've been working on a new bracelet and it's almost done. It feels so good to be beading again after a long dry spell.

I'm a happy camper today for sure!

OK, it's joke time!

2009-07-17T12:23:00.002-06:00

In this life I’m a woman. In my next life, I’d like to come back as a bear.
When you’re a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.
When you’re a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you’re sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you’re mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.
If you’re a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
YUP, GONNA BE A BEAR!

Word Cloud

2009-07-10T13:04:00.002-06:00

I've spent way too much time making Word Clouds! I did this one using bead related words. Click the little photo to see an enlargement. Make your own Word Cloud on the Wordle site! http://www.wordle.net

Two more....

2009-06-19T13:55:00.001-06:00

Did you think I forgot the other two new e-Books? Nope, I just don't know how to put more than two photos in a post! You can see the other two news ones here. To quote Porky Pig"That's all folks!"

Chained!

2009-06-19T13:35:00.003-06:00

Help! I'm chained to the computer and I can't get loose! OK, so I'm really not chained but I might as well be. I've been working on completing some e-Books. I have four new ones on my Bead Patterns 24/7 web site. I've lost count of how many I'm working on. It won't be too long before I see the men in white coats coming to get me! Remember that old song "They're coming to take me away"?

I've also totally revised the web site with button links to make it easier to navigate. I seperated things like bracelets
for peyote stitch and bracelets for loom. Check it out and see if you like it!

Chicken Fried Steak

2009-06-11T11:13:00.003-06:00

"Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas without eating a chicken-fried steak." -Larry McMurtry

At long last, a blog with good recipes for Texas food! It's called Homesick Texan. While I am a happy resident of New Mexico and not homesick for Texas I do miss a good chicken fried steak. it's properly cooked in an iron skillet and NOT in a deep fryer! Check out her recipe index. Just the titles will make your mouth water. Many thanks to my friend Bonnie Brooks for sending me the link to this site. Now if I could just get someone to cook for me I'd be a really, really happy New Mexican!

Old patterns

2009-06-10T11:11:00.002-06:00

I've been going through my old files this week. Some of the patterns I found were done as far back as 1995. Some are horrible, some are good and some will be good with lots of work. It's fun to see what my interest were at various times. One theme runs through all the years. Yes, it's Southwest. Big surprise.... not! I've been interested in Southwest art for many years, even before I picked up my first brush and attempted to paint with oils. That interest has followed me through my studies of painting, metalsmithing, stained glass and now beadwork.

Flower garden.....

2009-06-07T16:35:00.002-06:00

I can't bead. I can't cook. I can't do housework. All I want to do is work in my flower garden! My geraniums are doing beautifully this year. I bought a big Heliotrope plant that has the most beautiful purple flowers on it. It seems to love when I planted it. I know nothing about the plant but I'm hoping it keeps blooming all summer. I could Google it and find out but I'd rather keep hoping for blossoms. I've planted several things, mostly in the reds and purples with some pink and yellow. It's pretty darned pretty if I do say so myself, and I do!!!

My how time flies!

2009-05-20T17:39:00.007-06:00

My poor little blog has been neglected completely for weeks. I do have a fairly good excuse. I've been working on some e-Books. This is a jpg of two of them. I have more new ones on my pattern web site. There is a link to Bead Patters 24/7 under the photo of Sam and I if you want to see more.

And have I been beading? I packed my beads for a trip to Denver and didn't do a bit of work. Coop and I (and Sam, of course) went to see my daughter get her master's degree. What a thrill! We didn't tell her we were coming so it was a big surprise for her. She cried when she saw us!