The Greening and Cookie Madness..

Hello there! I have been a busy girl lately. I have found my way out of the mile-high stacks of Girl Scout cookies that completely engulfed my house. My days have been filled with sorting, counting, and organizing!

I had a good helper, although she wasn't very good at counting- she really just wanted to have herself a cookie snack.

In the midst of the cookie madness, I have managed to squeak out a few new designs.
I love these new earring creations!




These green ones are my new favorite! They look so old and mysterious!


This beautiful matching necklace and earrings are created with vintage carved bone beads.
The necklace features an old locket.


These designs are now available in my shop.
More new designs are on their way soon!

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Spring is very, VERY slowly headed my way.
Here in Michigan, it takes a little longer for Mother Earth to shake the Winter from her hair.
The cold sinks deeper into her bones and it is harder for her to stretch her limbs and awaken.
The wind is still bitter and the air still crisp,
but...
there are signs of green just beginning to show.


Tiny green sprouts are emerging from a blanket of last fall's brown leaves.


The greening has not yet made a huge impact on the landscape. This field remains unplowed, but in a few months it will be taller than myself with green cornstalks.




We have discovered a fox's den. Soon this will be hidden among the knee deep grasses, but we shall keep a watchful eye to see if any new pups appear.

Arriving home a few days ago, I was greeted with an extra sweet surprise. A package was waiting for me from my dear friend Julie of MermaidenCreations. She makes the most magical soldered jewelry featuring feathers, snakeskin, even Waterhouse paintings (not to mention her witch hats-yes, I will own one someday!)
Last summer I had found this beautiful yellow butterfly wing and mailed it to her for her secret stash.
(Doesn't everyone have a stash of wings, bones, and other treasured oddities?)
Well, she created a pendant from my butterfly wing and sent it to me!
Isn't she sweet?
It is like having my own little piece of Spring to wear and I simply adore it!

I promise not to stay away too long, and will post some pictures of my creations in the works very soon!

Awaiting Spring

Well, the wheel of time is turning away. Turning the hours into days and the days into weeks. I started the year well enough, with new and creative ideas and projects brewing. But then a curious thing happened. I got caught up in meetings, household chores, deadlines to meet, and the general mundane tasks of a hectic life. And I have lost track of the time.

But, with the new season coming there is new hope! I shall slow down. I shall get more sleep and take better care of my body in order to be my best! I have big plans for the coming year, and aim to share those plans here with you.

As a much needed day out, my family and I went to our favorite museum- The Grand Rapids Public Museum. We are members here and go quite often. The Bodies exhibit was visiting and I planned to take pictures and share them with you. Alas, picture taking is not allowed in the exhibit, and so I have none to share . I will say that if you have the opportunity to visit the Bodies exhibit near you, you should go! It was truly amazing!

The Victorian Carousel is so beautiful and the kids love to ride it. I think my husband does too, he always insists on riding with my son.

They have a beautiful section that replicates the city streets in Victorian times. We could wander there all day. I love visiting all the little shops to see how different things were.

I love these boots! They also have a whole wall of interesting hats from around the world.

A huge whale skeleton hangs from the cieling. My husband and I were here late on evening for a laser light show in the planetarium and they had a wedding set up on this lower floor. It was so beautiful looking out on the river with lights twinkling everywhere. There is something almost comforting about being amongst all these old artifacts and pieces of history.

My favorite section is the natural history and taxidermy section. The kids love to look at all the animals and birds. My husband and I usually find a seat in this section and let the kids wander, it is so fun to see them excited about learning.

I have also started a Daisy Girl Scout Troop at my daughter's school. After asking at the Council about a troop for my daughter to join, they said they had nothing for her, unless I wanted to start a troop. My mom was my troop leader when I was a girl, and I figured it was my duty to pass that on. So I jumped in! We are having a great time!

I am looking very forward to spring arriving. I think that a bit of my frustation was cabin fever. I can't wait to dig in my garden and to smell and feel the dirt. I have big plans for my garden this year! I think I will mostly concentrate on greenery. Ferns, Ivies, trailing tendrils. I have a vision in my head of a cool, lush, green surrounding and I am prepared to work for it! We still have several inches of snow, but I can see the grass peeking out here and there. I do know one other creature who is looking forward to spring- my sweet girl, Jezebel. She is definitely a warm weather dog!

Spring Beauties

Why do I love it so much when my hands are dirty? Digging into the Earth is such a stress reliever for me. I have been very busy lately digging, pruning, and weeding. I have also been planting my vegetable garden, which has been expanded thanks to my husband's workout with the rototiller.

I love to make homemade salsa, and my family devours it. A few years ago I started planting a "salsa garden", full of everything I need to make my salsa~ tomatoes, several different varieties of peppers (including habaneros), cilantro, onions, and garlic. The only thing I need to buy for it is limes...Michigan's harsh climate does not support citrus trees.

This year I expanded my veggie garden to include beans, peas, spinich, lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, broccoli, swiss chard, and of course my lovely asparagus patch (my favorite). I do not have enough room to grow melons or corn, but we have the nicest farmer that sells his produce in our village square and we buy melons and corn from him.

I also have a nice herb garden with chives, mint, lemon balm, oregano, several different basils, several sages, and am hoping to expand that (maybe not this year) to include lavender and dill.

Having a garden is a work in progress and each year I find something that I want to change or add. My yard and gardens are like a huge art project for me. Our yard was pretty much void of any flowers when we moved in, save for some daffodils. I have planted over one hundred different varieties of flowers in our yard and have had so much fun making it beautiful. I have big plans for our yard in the future...now I just need to get my husband to weld some garden art and trellises.