I've Been Hiding

I have been going through some stuff. Mostly internal. I have felt overwhelmed. Several friends have gone through, or are still going through, TOUGH times. Times are hard. Lots of folks are struggling harder than usual. Life is a big stress sandwich right now. I have a handle on what "triggered" my own personal recession. It comes back to my attitude and my relationship with the Lord, as usual. Working on it.

Does anyone else have fears about where our country is headed? I see things happening that when I put them together with other things that are happening - it makes a very scary scenario. And no one is talking about it. The media has their own scenarios - but no one puts together the same things I'm looking at.

Like us borrowing money from the Chinese. Since when was it a GOOD idea to borrow of money from our ENEMIES?? What are they going to take when we can't repay the billions we've borrowed? Which pieces of real estate are they going to what as collateral? How many states?

And opening relations with Castro and his brother. I lived through the Cuban missile crisis. I was in middle school. I went to bed at night, listening for missiles flying overhead. We had nuclear drills at school, where we dropped and covered - like that would protect us from the nuclear blast. Who thinks opening relations with them is a good idea??

Who are THEIR friends? Well, Hugo Chavez supplies their oil at a huge discount. Castro is Chavez's hero. Who does Chavez have on his friend list? North Korea. All the folks in the Middle East that want to see us buried. And WHY would these folks be interested in a little Caribbean island dictator? Certainly not for his vast wealth! Could it not be for the location of his island?? To give them a closer launching platform for all the good will they have for us? That was Kruchev wanted. Do we not learn from the past?

I'm watching my mom's funds evaporate at a time when we need them to provide nursing care for her as she declines. Who knows what to do? I don't. The only secure thing is that the house is paid for.

I just wonder what others are thinking, feeling. So - I'm sticking my nose out a little and writing.

Invasion of the Bead People!

I love this little guy - he looks like he has his hands in his pockets!

Ah-oh....

I am going to my first bead and gem show this coming weekend. I'm so excited. (No - the picture isn't real. It's my son-in-law teasing me about my new obcess - oops - hobby....)

Moara ( the lady I met when we visited Frances and Alice) gave me a beading magazine and fliers to upcoming beads shows nationally. She said the selection and bargains were amazing. There are three in Oregon this year. I missed the first one and the next one is in Hillsboro this weekend. Just what I need - MORE beads! (I can't wait!!)

Guess we're going to see the grand kiddos! Have an early Easter with them (this is their spring break week). suggested, since it is conference weekend that we make it a Grandma's Easter and the REAL one will come later!

Tom found a Spider man Easter pail for Cayden. (Isn't that just the most obscene thing ever? Celebrating the Savior's resurrection with Spidie???) Of course we bought it. Now he will get to see Cayden's reaction! We went more traditional with the girls' baskets.

Chrissy's Beads

Here's what I've come up with so far with the beads Chrissy sent me. Here's your preview, Redhot!

I re-strung this one and added the barrel aqua bead to the necklace.

This is some of the greens I got in Moreno Valley.

This is the re-strung version of the necklace that started all this madness. I saw these badge lanyards at the local hospital gift shop before Christmas. I got a couple and my girls liked them. They were a little spendy to buy individually and I thought "I could make those...." Now I have 30 pounds of beads......(jk!!)

I like this better - it's not so heavy and gave me enough flower beads left over to make a pink/coral version! (not strung yet)

This is what I came up with for the frosted beads. Hope you like it, Chrissy .

Funny how the color changes depending on the background!

This is my favorite. I wouldn't have picked the beads on my own, but I ended up loving them. That's the fun of sharing and getting others advice and taste. I won't have been that daring and I love the look!

These beads are just beautiful with all the marbling in them. They are about the size of watermelon seeds and just gorgeous.

Beading is a Disease....

And I am afraid I have caught it!

A month ago, I broke down and bought some more beads. This is what my supply looked like then.

This is what it looks like now:

When I started home from our trip (after finding the Super Joanne's Craft store in Moreno Valley), I could hardly fit my collection in the duffel bag I had brought for the trip. (Don't leave home with them....) Tom swears he hurt his back just lifting it into the van.

I tried something I had seen a friend wearing - combining wire work with beads. If you look, you can see the wire wrapped around the base of the threading hook. I liked the look and wanted to try it. I'm not totally happy with the colors in the necklace yet, but I really like the pendant effects.



I re-strung one of my first projects, the jade and jasper beads. I wanted it a little longer and wanted to give it the appearance of having knots between the beads. I really like how it turned out. I don't know how to do the knots yet, but the small black beads did what I hoped they would.

I made this as an experiment. I wanted a "classy" basic necklace and ended up liking the result more than I thought I would. I have gotten compliments when I wore it.

I'll post some more pictures tomorrow. Chrissy sent me some beads that she picked out and asked me to string them for her. I'm excited with her choices and what I've come up with so far.

Homecoming

Given the chance for a road trip and visiting California, the only thing I was concerned about was - are you ready for this? My bulbs! I was half afraid I would miss their full blooming, after all the time I have waited. Did it keep me from going - obviously not!

BUT - I couldn't wait to see what they looked like when we drove into the driveway. And this is what I found!

I was SO happy! There are advantages to the cool weather and cloudy skies on the coast. It makes spring last longer. I will definitely do this again this fall! What a payoff! And the tulips are up, but haven't bloomed yet! Their buds are huge, though! Chrissy - spring WILL come there. Wish I could send this to you.

War Memorial

When I was trying to decide between moving to Utah or Oregon, back in 1997, I made a trip during Spring break. We stopped and explored many places and took copious pictures. One place we were advised to visit by my friend, Anne, was this war memorial just north of Weed and east of Granada, CA. When we visited it, it was just a few statues in the middle of the sage and pines. I'm not even sure it was marked.

I was deeply touched by the display. I have told many people about it. When this trip became possible, it was one of THE things I wanted to visit again. I have been haunted by this sculpture. It just touched me in a profound way. It is titled "POW/MIA"

At the time, people had just left various tributes wrapped around the one post. There were metal bracelets left - the type I wore in high school. We made a commitment to wear the soldier's name until they were found or returned. It made the offerings personal to me. Now there is a large collection.

I wanted Tom to see this and it had the same impact on him that it had the first time for me. Very powerful image.

Another one I remembered was the one titled "Nurses." The women vets of Vietnam were often overlooked for their contribution. And the impact what they saw and those they served had on the rest of their lives.

This is "Coming Home." It speaks for itself.

The girls wouldn't recognize the memorial now. I didn't. It has grown and is very manicured. The new displays are just as touching. This one is titled, "Live LZ."

This one is "The Greatest Generation."

This one is a tribute to the Korean War. I have forgotten the name.

This one is "All Wounded Warriors."

This one was hard to capture. It has a different perspective from every angle. It is "The Why Group."
Another new addition to the park is that it has become a veteran's cemetery.

From the past and the present.