Happy Thanksgiving!

I feel like I've been remiss for not posting more here, but the bead cottage is pretty much done and things there change so slowly that it's not worth posting every day. I hosted Thanksgiving for my family again this year. We had the same crowd as last year and had even more fun together. I wanted the house to look somewhat festive so we got our wreaths last weekend. It was so cold the day we put them up. Originally I wasn't going to put one on the gable end of the bead cottage but it so needed it that Bob relented and got me one. Charlie put it up for me on Monday. Here's a picture of me with my mom and sisters.

Bead Cottage Pictures

Here are pictures of the inside of the bead cottage. It's freezing out today and I made beads very comfortably. The studio is messy and disorganized right now because I have no storage. Over the next few weeks, I'll be thinking about the best way to store my tools and stuff. I don't want to rush out and get something to find that I don't like it after all. So these pictures are taken in each corner and the last picture is the view from my torch.

Almost done

Kirby came and put in my speakers, so now I can play my iPod, or watch TV or listen to NPR while I make beads. It's like he was reading this very blog and answered the wish I posted just last night. I was going to make beads this afternoon but since the sound guy was here, I couldn't really. Maybe Monday, since I'm busy all weekend.

Plus I still have to move the rest of that glass. That is not fun. Not fun at all.

Beads!

These are beads that have been soaking since mid-September. They were still hard to get off the mandrels, believe it or not. Actually three of them are new beads, made in my bead cottage. The first one I made is the one on the left. The other two are at the top, under a blue flat bead. I made one bead today and moved a little glass. I'd like my sound guy to come and put in my speakers so I can listen to the radio or some music. That's the last creature comfort that is needed in the cottage.

Woot!

Here I am making my first bead in the bead cottage! I haven't moved all the glass yet or all my other stuff but I had to try it. I made three. I'm definitely keeping the first one, and I'm putting it with the first beads from my garage studio. This is so exciting! Bring on the snow!

Brotherly Love

Gary (the cat) just loves Barney (the dog). The other day, I caught Gary several times sidling up to the already sleeping Barney to sneak in some cuddle-time. At last I was able to take a photo. Barney, when he's awake, tolerates Gary's rubbing on him to a certain point, but is likely to lunge when Gary crosses Barney's line.

On the bead cottage front, the dumpster went away the other day. I was just able to catch a photo as the truck pulled out of the driveway. Goodbye, dumpster! Today Artie the plumber came to install the gas lines and regulators. Tomorrow I'll be connecting the torches and testing them out.

Sunday musings

So Robert and I started moving our stuff into the bead cottage. First came the kiln and then the glass storage cabinets and the workbench to put them on. Then Robert brought in his anvil into the forge area. I don't want to move too much stuff in because they still need to get up on ladders to finish the lights, fans and sound system. The less that's around to break, the better.

It's only 5:30 pm and it's dark already -- has been for an hour. I love the extra hour in the day today but I don't like the early sunsets. We've already had our supper because we had no lunch and with the extra hour, we were extra hungry. So we're just going to have a quiet evening at home. We'll probably have a fire in the fireplace and watch the football game.

Martha came over this afternoon and we restrung her fake pearls. It was fun and now I want to start beading with small beads again.

I can't wait to vote on Tuesday. I hope and hope and even pray that the election goes the way I want it to. I don't really want to get political, so I won't say which way I'm leaning. Suffice it to say that this is the most important election that I think I'll ever vote in.

I haven't put up pictures of my dogs here in a long time, so I'm going to find one and post them now.