Midweek Scribbles | Bead Happily Ever After

Lately, I’m . . .

Posted on March 17, 2014 by crystal

Enjoying the longer days now that we’ve sprung forward! It’s lovely to sit down for dinner with the sun still streaming in . . .

Realizing there are no good quality potholders available in the stores around here, so I’m making my own using Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn.
Makes me feel all Little House on the Prairie. 😉

Loving the bamboo-handled crochet hook I’m currently using. It’s the first “comfort handle” hook I’ve ever had and it’s so comfortable that I wish I had bought one a lot sooner!

Disbelieving that I could have a daughter turning “30-something” in a couple of days. Where did the time go? (Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! xoxoxo)

Working on a new beading challenge: twin holed beads!
They’re fun and I hope to have a finished bracelet ready to show you soon.

Admiring (and incredibly proud of) my mother who has been through a nightmare-ish several weeks of lung surgery with complications. Brave as always, she’s set an inspiring example of how to look on the bright side. And in the midst of it all – she asks me how I am doing!!!!

Reminding myself that focusing on life’s blessings and finding cheerful little distractions is the way to get through the challenging times.

What’s happening in your world?

Sending hugs,

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Click the envelope to leave a comment or to read what the other kids are saying! 😀

The Snow Angel

Posted on January 16, 2013 by crystal

Here in New England, we have some winters when we are buried in snow, and then there are others when we escape with very little. The kid in me prefers the snowy winters. I still love to wake up and be greeted by a landscape of frosted trees and drifts of sparkling white.

Of course, snow means shoveling – sometimes lots of shoveling.

When I was a kid, we shoveled our own snow and then were delighted to roam the neighborhood in search of other walks to shovel. We knew there would probably be a few dollars to be earned – and that was all the encouragement we needed! Kids don’t seem to do that anymore, at least not in our neck of the woods. Over the years, Sir Beads has done the lion’s share of shoveling here. He still does – even though I have tried in vain to convince him to sign up for a plowing service.

We had a sizable storm a couple of weeks ago.

After breakfast, Sir Beads was getting ready to go out and shovel when the doorbell rang. We could see the pompom of a knit hat through the window but had no idea who it could be. We opened the door to find a girl of 14 yrs., or so, with a snow shovel over her shoulder. She smiled brightly and asked enthusiastically if she might shovel our driveway. I winked at Sir Beads and he immediately understood that I was “saying” – how can we refuse this very industrious young lady?

She was a hard worker. The snow was heavy but she was undaunted. Every so often, she wisely took little breaks to rest and assess her progress. Midway through, she asked for a snowbrush to do the car! It was a treat to see a kid with such a wonderful work ethic.

When the job was finished, we rewarded her handsomely. After thanking us graciously, she turned and skipped down the walk, suddenly raising both arms – shovel and all – high into the air in a motion that meant: YESSSSS!

At that point, I’m not sure who was more excited – our “Snow Angel” or us! 🙂

Hugs,

Books Bargains Bliss

Posted on April 5, 2012 by crystal

Do you love a bookstore?

I do.

I’ve been known to forget where I am and lose all sense of time in a bookstore. If my family should ever worry that I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth . . . a search party will probably find me contentedly perusing the shelves of a bookstore.

Sadly, several in our area have recently closed and it breaks my heart. Sure, there’s amazon and all the other online venues, but to me that’s not enough. I love the experience of browsing – in person.

Just before the holidays, when the Borders Bookstores around here were in their final weeks, there were “clearance” sales. At first, they were nothing to get excited about – 10% off, some at 25% off. Frankly, those are everyday prices on amazon so I wasn’t too tempted to go on a wild shopping spree. The clerks did say that the prices would drop further as time went by, so I made a point of visiting the store a few weeks later but there seemed to be very little left. I was, however, happy to scoop (at 60% off) a couple of sentimental favorites from my youth.

(These were among the books I borrowed from the library on the very day my mother first allowed me to travel there by bus – solo!)

Anyway, I figured I was lucky to get such a good deal on the “Little House” books, and then promptly put the Borders Bookstore and its closing sale out of my mind for good, or so I thought. As fate would have it, a couple of weeks later, we needed something at the mall. When we strolled past the Borders, we saw huge signs that read: “Last Day!”

I was actually surprised to see the store still open – but obviously it would only be for a few more hours. We went inside. The shelves were incredibly sparse. In fact, most were totally empty. The employees had consolidated all of the stock to the front of the store. The titles, subjects, and categories were in no particular order, but everything was 95% off!!!

Would there be anything in that pile of remainders that was worth taking – even for pennies? Well, you just know I was determined to find out. 😉 It was sort of a treasure hunt with a lot of clunkers in the mix. I persevered and claimed 7 for my own – some of which were unfamiliar but seemed promising during a quick flip-through.

They’re certainly an eclectic mix! (One has been tucked away as a surprise gift for a friend so it’s not in the pile.) Currently, I’m in the middle of the top one, “Waiting” and it’s quite charming. I just love having this little stack waiting for me whenever I’m ready. And the price was so incredibly good! You may be wondering about the grand total spent once the discount was applied???

(click this photo for a slightly larger view)

Can you believe it? I left with an armful of books for $7.76!

I was smiling for the rest of the day. 😀

Don’t you just love a bargain?

Smiles,

That Was A Close One

Posted on October 3, 2011 by crystal

It’s early morning . . .

Crystal shuffles out to the kitchen, still half-asleep.

Sir Beads is already there.

He says: “Oh! Did you want that last cinnamon bun?”

She replies: “Huh??? Ummmm . . . no, not really.”

He thinks to himself: “Whew!”

😉 Hugs,

Uh-oh . . .

Posted on June 10, 2011 by crystal

Friday Greetings!

Let’s begin with a pretty picture and then move on to a funny story, ok? 🙂

Our miniature lilac surrounded by some of my favorite irises.

Sometimes I’m amazed at how goofy I can be. 😉

I blame it on my multi-tasking gene.

For example . . .

I have one of those computer desks (It’s ancient!) that has a built-in space for the printer located right beside the monitor. It’s a convenient spot – no reaching under the desk, or walking across the room to fetch a printed document. I also like that the paper is right at my fingertips should I need to snag a piece for a hand-written note.

It all sounds innocent enough but, believe me; I can turn something simple into chaos at the blink of an eye. The other day, as I was selecting some vintage glass beads for a custom jewelry order, the phone rang. To complete the call, I had to get online and check a file. I absent-mindedly put the beads down on the stack of printer paper. (Bear in mind, the paper is halfway in the machine – all ready to print when needed. I should also mention that these were not only vintage beads, but RARE vintage beads.)

I finished my phone call and then decided I wanted to print the file I had been viewing . . .

All of a sudden (and of course a millisecond too late), I realized what was about to happen!!!!! The beads were on their way through the printer!!!!! I couldn’t stop them.

Ay-yi-yi!

My heart sank.

Usually, Sir Beads is my mechanical guru but he wasn’t home at the time. I couldn’t wait. I just had to see if I could salvage the beads – not to mention the printer!

I unplugged it, turned it upside down, and tried to figure out how to take it apart without breaking it. After several minutes of struggling, would you believe the small zip lock bag of beads popped right out? Incredibly, they were not damaged! I guess the slippery plastic bag helped them slide past the paper rollers without being crushed.

Next, while holding my breath, I tested the printer. It was ok, as well. Talk about lucky! The file I had printed was a crumpled up mess but that was “small potatoes”, as my Dad would say.

I felt pretty dumb relaying the story to hubby that night, but he just smiled and shook his head.

He’s used to it by now. 😉

Enjoy the weekend!

Hugs,