New Year,New Stuff

I've been giving a bit of thought about the new year coming. Time to shake out the cobwebs that have been taking up residence in my head and change things around some. I
figure my blog is a good place to start. I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with the look just yet but hopefully my blogger buddies will keep coming back to check things out. In the mean time I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with many blessings.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

"GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE."
Tiny Tim

Cookie time

Christmas is near~~~~do you know how I know this? We spent the day baking hubby's yearly oatmeal,chocolate chip cookies. He baked and I ate them, that's where the "we" comes in. They are so good and chewy and smell divine. He likes to bring them to family, the people he works with and we also take and deliver them to some of our neighbors.So, Merry Christmas all....I'm going to grab some more cookies!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Ben Stein's Commentary on Christmas
I found this commentary at Nomadic Creations http://stacieflorer.typepad.com/nomadic_creations/ and I liked it so here it is..
my two cents.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession :
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina ) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it. no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,Ben Stein

Ring-linga- ling

I just finished up with these two rings. Both are fabricated with sterling silver and the charms that I made to solder on are also of sterling. They're custom made for my clients two daughters for Christmas. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

This one is for the youngest daughter who wanted a butterfly.

This daughter is a musician and wanted a treble clef.

I enjoyed making these and I'm planning on making more~~~~especially the butterfly.....

O.K. back to decorating the house for Christmas. If I don't focus I'll never get it all done.

Christmas Parade

Today was the day that Santa Claus came to Shelbyville!!! A good time was had by all....There were dogs and horses and miniature horses! Tractors and marching bands. And, it was cold!! And fun. The marines started it off.

I just love,love,love living in a small town.

I really got into the Christmas spirit today. I feel so blessed and grateful that I'm here and it's now.

And here's is Santa!!!! He comes to town on a fire truck!! Merry Christmas, Ho,Ho,Ho!!!

Good News

Well, the Christmas spirit is upon me. I'll be in the studio all the rest of the day today. Fortunately, the weather is grey, rainy and chilly. Good studio time,not very tempted to go out and about.

I also want to announce that I've been lucky enough to get my jewelry into Damselfly Studio and Gallery http://www.damselflybeads.com/1601.html in charming Midway,Kentucky.


Midway is the cutest little town. There's a train running right through the middle of it and it has shops and restaurants so you can spend a day there browsing (And hopefully, buying.) I feel as though I'm walking around in another century when I go there.


Here are a few of the pieces I've placed there.

I made this one with Argentinium silver with Garnet beads.

Here's one with silver fused to copper for the pendant. I made copper beads and those are Unikite beads at the ends of the copper beads. The chain is sterling silver...........

Remember this one from Deryn Mentock's http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/ summer challenge? I've finally decided that I can part with it. I can always make another, right? Although it won't look exactly the same.

And finally, a close-up of one the the fused silver to copper earrings. So, if you're anywhere near Midway, Kentucky do stop in at Damselfly.

More later, gotta get to work!!