We only had one day of rain, but the rain was beautiful and the days since have been gloriously cool. The dogs are loving the temperatures, and my son has been out playing every day. He has a bow and arrow that he loves to shoot and is an accurate shot, so he has been practicing all week.

I finally finished up a couple of necklaces and a couple of bracelets finished, this one is 6/0 square clear, silver lined beads with 10/0 square clear with silver lined beads for trim. The fringe is glass and crystal beads with 11/0 clear with silver lining seed beads.  I like doing these but I really prefer using 11/0 triangle beads for ribbon peyote stitched necklaces. I think they lay perfect and add such a cool texture.  These beads aren't bad though, they are fast and lay pretty cool.  I made a couple of bracelets out of 11/0 seed beads and one out of 6/0 seeds. I think the larger beads are just not as pretty as the smaller beads, but they do work up so fast, I guess I can't complain. 

The last classes that I taught we started off with 6/0 seeds and  worked one ribbon necklace then I taught a round peyote pouch with peyote ribbon for the necklace. I had the students work with a round plastic bead that was equivalent to an 8/0 and I decided that we wouldn't waste time on that project going to a smaller bead, only one of the students really wanted to learn the stitch anyway, sooooooo, we went right into the matching bracelet for the first necklace in a 10/0 seed bead, with trim that matched. It wasn't  a great thing I am afraid. 

My director asked me to submit my Fall schedule and  syllabus, and I am hesitant to commit. We have discussed having a class for Floral Design that is not just a home use class but an actual accredited course. I was asked to organize the whole course... which I could do, given a budget, given a guarantee that we will actually commit to the course, given that the college will  dedicate classrooms with the necessary equipment and necessary support.  *sigh* I haven't gotten very far with the course. I can't find anyone that is willing to commit to teaching or support, I can't find anyone that is willing to take a chance on the college committing classroom, budget, anything...  One wants to wait on the other, and the college wants me to do this on my own time.  I don't mind so much if it means that I will gain something in the end, Seriously, I don't want to be such a mercenary about this whole thing, but it is a job. It is my livelihood, I am after all a widowed mother and  I need to have income and if I am working on something that has taken many hours so far and come to nothing... I could have worked on jewelry or quilts or something else and made some money off it...  or I could get a real job, as right now is the time, there are hundreds of jobs open and I decide to teach? ****sigh****
Anyone have some advice?

Sorry for the ranting and raving, just it seems that I am kind of at a crisis.  I feel that I am kind of lost right now.

I have been working a lot lately, just have been negligent in writing. I had hoped that having a way to share my work would be relaxing... ha! I have finished at the college for the semester... I have two workshops coming up this Summer, but really, I just want to be done. I went to the doctor today and he is going to do surgery on my eyes over the next month so maybe by the end of Summer... I'll be able to see again!  For all my whining, I am really ready to have it done. It is getting harder and harder to work.

So here is a picture of one of the necklaces I taught this semester, I'm adding more fringe to it. It was difficult to find the beads that I wanted in the amount that I wanted.... since I didn't know the class size until the day before the class... soooooo, I used these since there were tons I could 
 purchase locally. I had a couple of students that were dissapointed that the beads weren't going to be exactly the same as the picture in the brochure. So, I suppose a disclaimer would be appropriate from here on. 

I have also been working on a necklace that is 6/0 square beads, clear with silver lining. I kind of like the square beads, though I adore 11/0 triangle beads more than anything else I think! 


OOOOOOOOOO! (squealing like a little girl looking at Justin Bieber)  We have had rain all day!!!! It started in the night really, I probably would have slept through it but the dogs kept running in wanting to be reassured that everything was fine, no booger bear was coming for them.  They were so funny, but not in that haha sort of way... more in that hmmmmm sort of way when you are tired and want to sleep but they were just goofy.  So the temperature has been low and it has been a blessing since we have been over 100 already. My yard is lapping up every drop since I haven't watered the grass in maybe a year? We are rationing water, which means we are down to watering only 2 hours per week, with some fines involved if you get caught watering on off times (or using a water sprinkler).  I, however have been pretty good about sticking to my no water policy. I will only water trees, since you have to have a couple of trees in your yard... I refuse to allow them to dry up. I have lost 4 rose bushes, 4 shrubs, and all my potted plants with exception of the crazy poinsettia from Christmastime. For whatever reason, it has new leaves sprouting

Off to bed with me now! I am sleepy, or my eyes are just really tired... oh the torturous things they do at the Ophthalmologist's office :{