Hubby Keeps Me Happy

My wonderful hubby Know's what it takes to make me happy...flowers..no. Tool's hell yeah!!

He surprized me with a wonderful heavy duty pair of metal shears...they are huge about 13" in length. Now I won't have to wrestle with that well loved but really old pair I have been using. They will cut up to a 16 gauge ...tried them on 24 gauge ..they cut like butta!!!

Spring is finally here although we have a bit of a cold snap going on now. My flowers are all comming up and I'm curious to see what's all there.

I have been busy with custom orders and getting the shops and galleries stocked for Mothers Day.

I'm still playing with glass powders and inclusions. And been working on designs made with heavy gauge wire. Also been working on jewelry made from recycled computer parts and plan to post some soon.

Spring....I want you now!!

This winter has been extremly cold and snowy. We had a few warm day's that took care of a majority of the snow that had built up....and made me even more anxious for Spring. We are in our second day of a winter storm lot's of cold winds and ice coating everything. I have been dreaming of Spring and planning my gardens and working on some things to decorate them.

Thought I would share a picture of concrete and stained glass stepping stones I made....maybe they will help some of you dream of warmer weather.

Now I'm off to fire some parts for some fused glass wind chimes....I will be sitting next to my kiln enjoying the extra heat and patiently waiting for Spring!!

January in Wisconsin

It's been a little cold and snowy...great weather for staying in and working on projects. Although a did get a few pictures of the snow the other day.

My thoughts have been on spring and warmer weather. I am starting to think bird baths and wind chimes.

I continue to play with powders and inclusions after a trip to the Science and Surplus store. I found different sheets of mica and a textured one I really like...creates lot's of bubbles though.

My husband is really getting into e-cycling and I am finding all sorts of neat little do dad's for jewelry, stuff for great tools, and stainless steel rods for making large hole beads. I think I am going to take them to a shop, get them cut into small sections and welded on regular bead mandrels. They are rather heavy as they are now. Also to buy them it's about $10.00 a piece, so hopefully I will save myself some money.

I am still working on healthier living and my healthier version of my favorite enchillada casserole was a hit :) Thought I would share the recipe...very easy and inexpensive.

ENCHILLADA CASSEROLE-LITE

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Lg. onion

1/2 c. chopped green pepper or mix of chilli peppers.

2 - 15 oz cans tomato sauce.

1 cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar.

2- 15 oz can black beans, or other pinto and kidney work well.

1 -15 oz. can whole corn

1 sm. can sliced black olives.

1-2 Tbl. chilli powder

1- 2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder.

med size pkg. corn tortillas

2 tsp. olive oil... or any light oil

salt/ pepper

In a large skillet over medium high heat brown turkey with onion, salt, and pepper. Add spices, tomato sauce, corn, beans, and black olives. Cook on medium low heat till heated through, set aside. * mixture should be the consistency of chilli .

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray then layer a thin layer of sauce mixture, 3 layers of tortillas another layer of sauce, then a thin layer of cheese, another layer of tortillas, repeat layers. Cover with tin foil.

Bake at 350 degrees 45 min to 1 hr.

Great served with lettuce, tomato, avacado slices, and reduced fat sour cream.

The kids and hubby are good.. and so is the dog...life goes on...as I patiently wait for spring!

Into the New Year

Well here we are well into the New Year. The holidays and my daughters birthday were really nice. Just us, no big hub bub...Although I did do alot of baking and cooking, we just hung around in comfy clothes, had a great meal, some game playing, and we watched a couple movies together. Very relaxing.

On the glass side: I have finally been doing a little fusing in my new, fairly well organised studio!

I made a bunch of different ornaments for gifts.....think I might put some out for sale next year.

I have also been playing with mica's and inclusions....and worked up a bunch of ideas for tiles...sorry not the greatest picture.

Tonight I am making my favorite enchillada casserole. I adjusted it to be lighter and healthier...we will see what the family thinks. I am also trying to prepare myself mentally for my 15 yr old's sleep over this weekend ;-) and patiently waiting for spring.

Doggy Rescue Update

Well Ruby has had her surgery and is healing nicely....It is so nice to see her feeling better.

She is just the sweetest dog and such a good girl. I can't wait to see what she will look like when her grows out...she just gets cuter everyday.

On the glass and jewelry end: I made a trip to the recycling center...what a great place. I found lot's of small cool metal pieces. A whole bunch of different metal wire in heavy and thin gauges. I also found some items that I think will make great tools for my lampworking.

On the home front: We had a wonderful thanksgiving...very quiet and relaxed. Just the four of us and my daughters boyfriend.

We have had the tree up for a couple weeks and me and my youngest have been working on the menu's.

The 24th we are having a birthday party for our oldest who will be 20... (omg how did that happen so fast.) We make her favorite meal and a special cake and put up balloons and streamers in front of the Christmas tree. lol. This year we are going to do something with red velvet cake...could be scary with Michelle in charge..lol.

On the 25th we will celebrate Christmas. I am hoping to talk the family into duck instead of our usual ham...we will see.

A Doggie Rescue

Time has been flying by so fast here. I am still working on my workshop....it has been a little tougher than I thought trying to cram all my hot working supplies into one room. Hopefully that will change in the spring when I build myself a hot shop.

We had been looking for a little dog since we moved here ...we have a 25lb weight limit where we live now. Instead I had a little dog that found me and desperatly needed care. A 6 year old Lhaso Ahpso mix who was badly neglected. She was a matted dirty mess from head to toe. The groomer shaved it off in one big sheet right down to her skin. Both the vet and groomer said it took her over a year to get that bad. She was dehydrated and half starved and needs to gain about 1/3 of her body weight. She was in terrible pain and just had puppies 7 weeks earlier. What we thought was Mastitis from her puppies being ripped from her without being weened, turned out to be a Hernia the size of a baseball on this little 13 lb. dog. The vet felt she had probably had this for quite some time and that it had gotten much worse with her last batch of puppies.

The surgery costs a measly $300.00 and without it she would have eventually died a horribly slow and painful death from jnfection and starvation.

Her Previous owners make me sick and I hope they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

For us....we are so happy to have her, she is just the sweetest, funniest little dog....pity stole our hearts the second we saw her.

Here are some before and after pictures of Ruby

A Doggie Rescue