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!

Remembering...

Halloween is past, and November comes with it's cold bite and frosty mornings. I have had to dig out knit hats and mittens for the kids to take to school. Can you believe it is November?
The holidays are right around the corner now, and the time seems to fly by faster each year.

Does time go by faster as we get older because we appreciate it more? Or do we appreciate time more because it goes by faster as we get older? Anyway, I wish it would slow down.
I wish I could freeze it right now, with my daughter reading beginner books
and her front teeth missing.
I wish I could freeze it right now with my son learning to write his name and him still wanting to hug me all the time.

I have been thinking about my grandpa alot lately. He passed away while I was on my honeymoon. He didn't get to come to my wedding because he was in the hospital. I hate that he never met my husband, and that my kids will never get to meet him.

He introduced me to Willie Nelson (the only country music that I will listen to) and I thought this song fitting for today.

I also am missing our sweet furry baby, Scotta. She was a 100# Boxer lapdog. She was so lovey and funny. It has been 5 years since she passed and my husband and I still laugh about things she used to do.

So today , on Dia de Los Muertos, I remember my loved ones who have gone
and I will hug my loved ones who are still with me,
and tell them that I love them.

Birthday Earring Give-Away!!

Six years ago, I got the best birthday present anyone could hope for. I got a sweet, chubby little bundle of joy. Ok, not so little...she was almost 10 lbs. She was so sweet and cuddly, and she was so chubby she almost couldn't open her eyes! I was told I would not be able to have children and I read and researched natural fertility treatments, and did everything I possible could to have this little girl. Being born just days before my birthday we have the same astrological sign...aquarius. If you know anything about aquarians, you know that they are both rebellious, creative, and must have the last word (read mouthy). Her and I butt heads alot! Whenever I am mad, or frustrated with her, I look at this picture and remember those first few days when we were deliriously giddy with new baby fever (those precious days before reality and exhaustion set in).

So, in honor of our birthdays, I am starting the 1st annual birthday give-away! It begins today on my daughter's birthday and will end on my birthday, February 6th. Up for grabs is a beautiful pair of copper earrings. They have pretty little denim colored blue glass flowers dangling from the bottom. The rosy copper is the result of an afternoon spent with my torch...molten copper turns rosy-red if plunged in water. They are slightly over 2.5 inches long.

To qualify for this give-away:

Please read all entry rules! If your blog is private, you must leave an email address for entry to count. Each entry must be left in a seperate comment to count.

♥ You must have an accessible blog, or leave an email address.

♥ You must become a follower of my blog.

♥ Visit my Etsy shop http://www.gypsymoonart.etsy.com/ Leave a comment here about your favorite item.

For extra entries (leave a seperate comment for each):

♥ (1 extra entry daily) Tweet this message: RT @GypsyMoonArt Enter to win earrings! Visit http://www.gypsymoonart.blogspot.com/

♥ (1 extra entry each) Mention this give-away (including the URL to this post) on Myspace, LiveJournal, or your blog. Make sure to leave the URL(s) to your post(s) in your comments!

♥ (1 extra entry) Follow me on Twitter @GypsyMoonArt

♥ (1 extra entry) ♥ my Etsy shop http://www.gypsymoonart.etsy.com/

New Facebook rules prohibit me from mentioning my fanpage in blog give-aways, however, if you want to become a fan, I won't object. :)

This give-away ends on my birthday, February 6th. The winner will be announced February 7th. Good Luck!!

Busy as a Bee...

Well, the holidays have passed, but things haven't really slowed down for me. My daughter's birthday is in January and every year, immediately following the holidays, I begin birthday shopping and birthday party planning. This year she will be 6, and we are having a princess party with 8 little divas. We are busy making a paper mache pinata, and making decorations. My daughter wants a desk for her room. Being the tightwad that I am, I had an old desk in the basement from my great-grandpa's house. I began sanding and painting it white, and am going to hearken back to my muralist and faux finish painting days and paint a little scene on it for her. I think toadstools, fairies, and flowers are in order for a 6 year old princess. Her room is already full of my art with a castle, magic tree, dragon, and frog prince painted on her walls. I'll be sure to post pictures as I finish it.

My husband (he is known to most as Pudge) is working on a welding project for me (have I told you all how awesome he is?) He is making me a tree jewelry display for my art shows. It is nearly finished...we ran out of metal rod and had to get more. Here are some action shots of him creating my tree in his studio.

I can't wait until it is finished!! Oh, if he only knew all the projects I have in store for him! Hopefully I can talk him into making a garden arch for me.

Also this week, I have become a member of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy team- "FAEteam". I have been wanting to be included in this group for a while, and am so excited at this new opportunity! Everyone I have met so far has been so creative, inspiring and helpful! They have given me such a warm welcome and I am looking forward to working with this great group of artists.

I recieved a beautiful little package in the mail this week. It was from MiddleEarths shop on Etsy, we exchanged jewelry creations. She creates beautiful little bits that seem to be a piece of the Shire itself. I received in the exchange a mossy little beauty that looks as if it is covered with dew and fairy dust. So magical!! I sent her one of my blue eye rings. It was so fun to trade with a fellow artist! Here are a few pictures I snapped of her magical creation~

She such a friendly and creative person! You can find more of her creations in her Etsy shop: http://www.middleearths.etsy.com/

Stay tuned later this week- I have plans for a birthday earring give-away! I will also post pictures of my jewelry tree and my daughter's finished desk. The energy of the upcoming Imbolc holiday has a hold on me and I have 100 things going on at once! Now, let's see if I can get them all finished...

Yule Goodies~

*Our resident snow fairy*

Well, I had the most wonderful weekend with my family. Part of what I love about this time of year is the nice times at home wrapping, baking, making cards, and playing in the snow. I am a homebody, I'll leave the busy traffic and last minute shopping madness to others. Obviously, the holidays have become much too commercial, and in my opinion there is nothing like a freshly baked plate of cookies, or a gift that is made from the heart. Our tree has become heavily laden with paper snowmen, and santas that my daughter, the budding artist, has cut out and decorated. Apparently every square inch of our tree wasn't covered, so she decided to fill it up. My husband was on wrapping duty this weekend and our tree now looks like it is being held up by presents.


I spent alot of my weekend in the kitchen. I made snickerdoodles, chocolate-pecan fudge, yummy homemade turtles, my famous salsa, and chicken spaghetti. I still have to bake some bread, make a pecan pie, and a potato recipe that I will take for our big holiday dinner later in the week. I thought I would share my turtle recipe with you all. They are SO simple and delicious! If you need a last minute treat to give away or take to a gathering, these are amazing and easy peasy.

TURTLES

*waffle pretzel

*Rolos (any carmel filled chocolates will work)

*halved pecans

Heat oven to 250º. Lay pretzels out on baking sheet and place one carmel/chocolate on top. Bake until the chocolate just starts to melt. This was about 3 minutes in my oven. If you let it go too long, the carmel spills out and won't set up. Remove from oven and immediately press a pecan half into the top. Let them cool and firm up.

These are so delicious, I had a hard time keeping my hands off of them! But then again, I have absolutely no will power when it comes to chocolate. I have given up trying to fit into that little dress this holiday and decided to enjoy myself! Curvy is in...at least that is what I am telling myself! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday!

Home Again, Home Again Jiggety Jig

Well, our successful roadtrip is behind us now, and all that remains are the hundreds of pictures that I took, and one huge mountain of laundry. Despite the fun and excitement of vacation, the mountain of laundry and the task of unpacking upon return are enough to turn me into a hermit. I stuffed myself with my inlaw's amazing homemade pecan pie, biscuits and gravy, and TWO Thanksgiving dinners...I won't even admit how much weight I gained in one week. My sales were a success while I was gone, and I returned to ship packages to Italy, Germany, and Greece, among other locations. This was quite exciting to me. I'm going global, baby!! And the winner of my give-away on Mrs. B's blog was announced...congrats to Hillary in Illinois.

I was suffering from withdrawl symptoms after not working with wire for a week. So as soon as I got home I ran to my studio and twirled around in circles. The whole thing was reminiscent of the scene on the mountain top in the Sound of Music, until I saw my kids eyeing me, mouths agape. I dove into a project (in between loads of vacation laundry) and created a few lovely goodies. I still have a few more, in various stages of completion, laying amongst the piles of clutter on my work table. But I am home now, so they must wait no more! It is good to be home!

<

Happy Thanksgiving

OK, so it is a week away. But I must take my leave, lovely blog companions (a big hello and thanks to all my new followers!), for tonight, my husband and I will load our two sleeping children into our vehicle and venture on a cross country road trip to spend the holiday with family. My internet presence will be scarce for the next week as I stuff myself to the max with southern cuisine and turkey dinners...did I pack my elastic waist pants?



My Etsy shop will remain open, and I will be checking emails and convos, shipping will resume on Nov 30. I wish everyone a warm, happy, and safe holiday with your loved ones. May your days be filled with naps, lunch-time cocktails, and pecan pie.


On a parting note~ be sure to check out my Celtic Triskele pendant being given away by the lovely Mrs. B on her blog Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom.

Tipping My Hat...

Being from a military family, I simply cannot let Veteran's Day pass by without discussing it. My family has many members who have served this country, including my father and my husband who were both in the Army, and my brother is an active duty Marine Corp officer. I was born on an Army base in Stuttgart, Germany where my father was stationed, and we moved quite a bit when I was very young until my father joined the civilian life once again. My dad is now the Head of Veteran Affairs in the county where he and mom live. He is very good at what he does, and he loves his job. My family is very patriotic and I was raised with a large sense of respect for members of the military.

Now, here is the conundrum. I don't believe in war. Well, I guess I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Being a Medieval History major in college, I know alot about medieval warfare, and I love it. I love reading about ancient armies, and military strategies. I love reading about early cavalry and ancient weapons (my husband and I have actually discussed building a trebuchet, but that is a story for another time). I mean, what would the Legend of King Arthur be without a war with the Saxons? I realize that war and dispute has gone on as long as humans have been on this planet. It is part of our nature. This point is proven to me everyday as I watch my children fight over space and possessions.

So why do I have such a hard time with this subject when I know and understand it? Because it has hit home with me. It has affected my direct family. My grandfather and my uncle both fought in WWII. I have heard amazing and aweful stories about what they endured and know the effect the war had on them when they came home (my uncle came home with only one arm). More recently, my family has sent my little brother off to war. Twice he has gone to Iraq (or the "sandbox" as he calls it) to fly his huge helicopter in this seemingly neverending occupation we have gotten ourselves into. We don't always know exactly where he is, so everytime a helicopter crash is reported on the news we sit on the edge of our seats...waiting. My mom and I message back and forth "Have you heard from him?" It is a roller coaster ride of emotions when he is gone. He is most likely going to Afghanistan next spring.

So regardless of my feelings toward our government and the agendas and conspiracies that shape this nation's history, I highly respect the men and women who put their entire life on hold while they put themselves in harm's way, and their families who ride that roller coaster of emotion whenever they watch their son or daughter leave. It takes a special type of person to make the sacrifices that our military members make. My hat is off to you. Thank you for your service.

Pictured from top to bottom:

*My dad- David Welihan (Army)

*My husband- Jason "Pudge" Lovorn (Army)

*My brother- Jayson Welihan (Marines)

*My grandpa- William Welihan (Marines)

Balancing Act

Family VS. Work


I was graced with having almost no will power when it comes to certain things. Chocolate, for instance, or good beer (especially a really hoppy one with a nice bitter kick to it). I also have a keen sense of procrastination. I am a master at putting things off until the last possible minute. The combination of these two traits can be lethal when running your own small business. Add into the mix two wild little ones who need my attention, and it is a wonder anything gets accomplished!



I have been forced to devise a way to keep myself on task. It has been a daunting task for me- I am not a Type A personality. I am the true definition of Aquarius...free thinking, rebellious, I do things my own way , always need to have the last word, never do things by the book.



I have started writing everything down. My wonderful husband bought me an organizer in which I keep track of all of my important dates and events. On this I keep track of my daughter's kindergarten events, classes that I teach, upcoming art shows and deadlines, etc. I usually carry this with me and it has come in very handy on several occasions. I also have a notebook that I leave on my jewelry work table. I use this to keep track of incoming orders, making sure to record the order date and date needed. I try to jot down one or two goals to finish that day. I also use this notebook to sketch any ideas, and write notes to myself. Each day I check my notebook to see what I need to work on first. I don't give myself a strict time schedule during the day that way I can do a jewelry project, then play with the munchkins for a while, then do another project. I can adjust my day and spend a little more time on one thing and a little less time on others. Since I run a busy household, I also keep track of things that need to be done around the house. I write down things that need to be done on a daily basis, such as appoinments. I also write down a few weekly projects. These I work on over the course of the week as I have time, like cleaning out a closet, or organizing my kids' winter clothes.


My system is not fool proof, by any means. But it works for me. Most of the time...unless I settle in with some chocolate and a good beer next to my husband. Then it will have to wait until tomorrow.