Friday, November 13, 2009

Well, we went to Shreveport 5 times and they did nothing! Everytime we go they just schedule another appointment. Yesterday we had to be there at 8am for blood work because she was supposed to have surgery next Tuesday. We had to leave the house at 5am. When they saw her, they didn't do bloodwork and rescheduled her for Dec. 4th.
Today at about 3:30pm she started hurting really bad, so i took her to the ER here at home. Whatever the mass was, it has ruptured, and now she's in the hospital so they can monitor her red blood cells and make sure she's not bleeding internally. If she is, she'll have emergency surgery.
I am very mad about all of this. It is ridiculous what she's been through!
I haven't been blogging, or working on new things lately because I just don't seem to have the energy. I feel very down and out, but it's nothing new to me and it will pass eventually.
I hope you are all well and don't ever have the healthcare problems that we've faced the last few months!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Update

We got an ID and I took my DIL back to the doctor in Shreveport. The drive was nerve-wracking! It rained all the way there and back, but when we got there it was STORMING! There were tornado warnings and it was bad! We had to park in the paid parking lot and walk a long way to the office. A very nice man drove by us and handed us his umbrella! I could have kissed him! It was a thoughtful and sweet thing to do. :) My son had given his umbrella to another student at college because his was stolen while they were in class, so maybe it was "pay it forward" for that.
They saw her this time and we have to go back next week for simple surgery so they can look inside with a scope. At least something is finally being done!

I have a few orders to work on today, and I need to be in the shop, so I'll make this short.

Here's my newest weird bug
I think it's a type of Sphinx moth but I'm not real sure. It looks like a jet plane to me! It was really neat, and weird!


Saturday, October 17, 2009

I'm Having A sale!

I decided to have my own little Weekend Deals sale! It's a BOGO sale. Buy one item at regular price and get one of equal or lesser value at 50% off!


Maybe it will generate a sale or 2.

In other news: My DIL's mother finally got her birth certificate, after we've been trying to get her to for 2 years. Now I'm taking her to the DMV on Monday to get a photo ID then we go back to Shreveport on the 22nd. Maybe this time they'll see her!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A Vent on Healthcare

or the lack of it!

This is a rant because I'm so mad and frustrated I want to cry.

My daughter in law has a mass in her lower abdomen. I sent her to a doctor here in Columbia, with a blank, signed check on me, to pay for whatever they had to do, and they wouldn't see her because she doesn't have insurance. What kind of crap is that! Is insurance better than cash? Well, we finally got a doctor here at home to see her, and they did x-rays and ultrasound, but can't tell what it is. They set up an appointment at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport, 3 hours from here. I took her over there today, because her mother said she couldn't take off work. The poor child is terrified that she has cancer, and needed her Mom, not her mother in law. But, I'm all she had so... We get there and drive around for 30minutes trying to figure out how to park. All the lots were gated and required an access code. We did NOT have an access code, and have no idea where you would get one, so we finally found a pay by the hour lot about a 1/4 mile from the clinic. It was over 90 degrees today, but we walked over there, sat for an hour, only to have them tell her, no, they won't see her because she doesn't have a photo ID.
She doesn't have one, because her mother left her birth certificate AND her social security card in her purse, in an unlocked car, and guess what! Her purse was stolen! This was over a year ago and she hasn't gotten a copy yet! The hospital where she was born says her BC was never signed, so they won't give out a copy without proof of parenthood. She was adopted, and doesn't even know her real mother. Her adoptive Father lost the adoption papers! I swear to you, I want to choke the living shit out of her family, if you can call them that.
This afternoon, after the day from Hell, her mother calls to say she did get a copy of the adoption papers and will TRY to get her birth cert.
But get this, we walk ALL the way back to the truck, pay to leave the parking lot, and WHAM! I'm rear-ended! AGAIN! It's not a really hard hit and I pull up to exit the lot and stop to check my truck, and the poor woman hits a pole. Her brakes had failed, so when I pulled up her car took off again, and to keep from hitting me again, she hits a fence post! I was so hot, tired, and aggravated by the health care crap, that I just told her not to worry about it. We managed to get her car out of the way of traffic in the lot, and I left. My brakes have failed before, so I know it happens, and it's scary. Now I get to buy a new rollpan(specialized bumper that tucks under the tailgate, for you non-car people!:) and get it painted, again.
I feel like crying!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Stones

I don't have anything new, but I did start something this afternoon, after I finished up my orders. I'm making a setting for the half cylinder Rosettea Picture Rock. It's so gorgeous! I thought I would show you all some of my latest obsession. I am completely addicted to stones! I have quite a stash now.

I bought this gorgeous Pinolith Jasper from Stone Clouds on Etsy

These awesome Rosetta Picture Rocks




and this gorgeous Bird's Eye Rhyolite from Hans Westermark Stones

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Bug That Isn't

I don't have any new jewelry today, but I have been in the shop working! I actually got a few sales. YAY!

So I'll just show you a stange little "bug" that probably we all know and grew up with.
The Pill Bug but known around here as the Roly Poly!

From Wikipedia:
Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of the family Porcellionidae, members of this family can roll into a ball, giving them their common name of "pill bug", or the more recent and increasingly popular terms, "doodlebug" or "roly poly" which have been used regionally as early as 1968.
The best known species in the family is Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill bug. These arthropods commonly feed on decaying vegetation and are found under logs, under animal excrement, garbage pails or any other place where moisture can be found. Moisture is essential to pill bugs due to their breathing organs, which are like gills. Although they often thrive in damp areas, pill bugs have often been known to live in dry beds. Their defensive posture is curling up into a ball to present their armored exterior. They are the unique prey of the woodlouse spider and play host to specialized parasitoids in the fly family Rhinophoridae.

It is only about 1.4cm long and is most closely related to crustations like crawfish and brine shrimp, so it's not really a bug at all!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Finally..

I had one sale today. It's the first one in a week! I sure do wish it would pick up again. I have college to pay for and things to buy! :)

I did manage to make a few things today. I finally made another Poppy necklace, and I intend to make a ring to match.

and this Relic necklace from the book "Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet"

A pair of Picasso finish Czech glass earrings in crimson red

and this pair of Blue Crystal Luster fire polished czech glass earrings

That's about it for my day. Real exciting huh?

Friday, October 2, 2009

Attention Gail...

This is just for Gail at 13 Flowers Journal. I can't comment on your blog! There is no comment button. I wanted to tell you your rings from yesterday are awesome and I love the copper etching!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

WOOHOO

I actually accomplished something today. I took pics of my 2 new rings and got them listed in my shop, finished a necklace that I had laying around for over a week, got pics and listed it, AND made a pair of earrings and got them listed too! I'm on a roll! LOL

Here's a Morrisonite Jasper ring

A Mexican Crazy Lace Agate ring

Volcano Cherry Quartz necklace

and last but not least, fire opal Czech glass earrings

Now if i can just figure out how to get folks to buy the stuff...

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

WOW

It's been almost a month since my last post! My husband has been home for 3 weeks, so I haven't gotten much done.

My Etsy shop is DEAD right now, and 1000Markets isn't any better. You'd think I'd have tons of new stuff to show, but no, I don't! I did make 3 new rings, and have some more stones almost ready to set. I only got pics of one ring though. I'll take the other's tomorrow.

Here's one ring

It's Baltic Amber and I really like it.

And here's a weird bug for you!
The Cotton Boll Weevil


The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) is a beetle measuring an average length of six millimeters, which feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central America, it migrated into the US from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all US cotton-growing areas by the 1920s, devastating the industry and the people working in the American south. During the late 20th century it became a serious pest in South America as well. Since 1978, the Boll Weevil Eradication Program in the US has allowed full-scale cultivation to resume in many regions.

It is much smaller than it looks in these pics. 6 millimeters is TINY! I have no idea why he was on the side of my house that night, but he was, so I took his photo!

Oops! Almost forgot my new favorite pair of earrings! These leaves reminded me of Elephant Ear plants, so I added a "drop of water" and the stems.




Maybe now that I have the whole house to myself I'll get a lot more done!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Weird Bug

I found this moth on the porch of my shop, (which seems to attract a lot of weird bugs for some unknown reason!)
I have no idea what kind he is, and I didn't find it online. Maybe one of you can tell me!
It's about an inch long with those very weird hairy legs. When I touched it, it flew away, and it's wings were a gorgeous reddish-brown when open.



I worked a little bit in the shop today. Not on orders, unfortunately, but on some things I've put off for a long time!
I found these awesome little intarsia globe beads on Etsy, and since my boys always tell me that I live in my own little world, I had to have them so I could make my little world real! :)

LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALE!!!

I'm not in the gift guide, but I am having a 15% off sale through the 7th.
Come by and check it out!


Monday, August 31, 2009

Almost Autumn!

Fall is in the air, and I'm so glad! I LOVE Autumn!

The trees are much prettier in their colorful clothes, the air is crisp and clean. It's just wonderful!

These are some leaves I found in my yard, and the last thing is a Persimmon that fell from the tree by my house.





I was in the shop all day, working on orders, and when I finally finished, I realized I had made a stupid mistake! I had 4 stamped stacking rings, with names on the front and dates on the back. All of the dates are off center! So tomorrow I'll make them all again. (Sigh) Never work when you're really tired! :)

Oh, here are my new favorite earrings! I made them a couple of days ago. I can't decide which ones I like the best.

Friday, August 21, 2009

College!

I feel like my life is spinning out of control right now!

My youngest starts to college in a couple of weeks, and it is horribly expensive! Tuition and room and board were mostly paid for by the scholarship and Tops, but the supplies and books are ridiculous.

I bought him a new Macbook for graduation because I knew he needed it for college. Now I've had to buy an $1800 Adobe Creative Suite 4 for it! Everyone in the Tech School of Art has to have that program plus a $200 printer. At least it came with a free Wacom Intuos Tablet.

Today we spent a chunk on art supplies for class, and now we have to stock his dorm room. Thank God most of this stuff is a one time deal! I couldn't do this every 3 months!

If you have small children, and you expect them to go to college, start saving up for it NOW! It is not cheap!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Weird Bug

The Jumping Spider (Metacyrba genus)


Jumping spiders, all of which are in the family Salticidae, are among the most interesting spider groups to watch. Jumping spiders come in many sizes and color patterns. Active hunters during the day, they have good eyesight, relying primarily on movement to locate prey. They stalk their prey before attacking in a fast leap. Jumping spiders put out a line of webbing when they jump and can sometimes be seen dangling from this silken dragline after a leap that fails.
Many jumping spiders are bold, stocky and often brightly colored. They often have conspicuous bands of black and white on their bodies or legs. Others have velvety red abdomens and some even have metallic colors on the chelicerae. Jumping spiders have eight eyes, with one large pair in the front. Like most spiders, jumping spiders are not considered hazardous to humans and are unlikely to bite unless cornered or handled.

My son found this little guy dangling from his hair! He was tiny, about 4mm long. The reason I knew he was a jumping spider was because while I was photographing him, he leaped at the camera! I've seen lots of black and white, hairy jumping spiders, (and been bitten by one!) but never one like this.

My hubby went back offshore and will be gone a month this time. I'm working a little, but I've only been doing what I have to do. I'm burned out right now, but I think it's just the heat in the shop. I don't want to work!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Blog Giveaway By Nova Design

Nova Design is giving away a gorgeous pair of earrings and I want them! :) So I'm blogging about her blog! http://nova-designs.blogspot.com/2009/08/amazing-blog-giveaway-for-my-silver.html You may notice she is included in my treasury, too, but that was before I saw the giveaway!
Anyway, check it out, but DON'T enter! :) I want them! LOL

Treasury

I snagged a treasury on Etsy yesterday! At first it said I didn't get one? When I checked today, there it was! So here it is, check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=74452
I would post a pick but I don't know how :(

UPDATE! I did it!

Monday, August 3, 2009

WOW

I'm really falling behind with my blog!

My hubby has been home since June 13th and I can't seem to find time for everything.

I've been working in the shop everyday, but it's mostly orders. I made a few new simple necklaces, but that's it! Right now I'm working on a huge order of earwires, which is not something I normally do. For one thing, I hate making them, and it takes a WHILE to make 100 of them!

I did make this bracelet as a special request. It says There, But For The Grace Of God...which has always been a favorite phrase of mine. I think I'll make one of these for me!


I'm not going to bore you all with necklaces, but I will show you a new bug. I don't have a problem finding those!

This one is a Reddish Brown Stag Beetle that landed on my shirt one night while I was eating a salad. He was so heavy, I knew it was something big! This guy was about an inch and a half long and over a half inch wide! Scary but harmless.


Lucanus capreolus
Reddish-Brown Stag Beetle

When confronted by people, the male beetles may rear back their heads and open their mandibles, but actually these pincers are capable of little more than a very mild nip to a human.

Male Reddish-Brown Stag Beetles fight with other males of their species over females.

These adult beetles are nocturnal and feed on tree sap. They are also attracted to lights. The larvae feed on the decaying wood of tree stumps and fallen logs.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Another Weird Bug!

The Walking Stick

The Phasmatodea (sometimes called Phasmida) are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects (in Europe), walking sticks or stick-bugs (in the United States), phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects (generally the family Phylliidae). The ordinal name is derived from the Greek "phasma" meaning an apparition or phantom, and refers to the resemblance of many species to sticks or leaves. Their natural camouflage can make them extremely difficult to spot.


I found this one in the doorway to my shop one morning. It was not a good place to hide so I moved him to the grass, where you can barely see him!
I've found a lot of walking sticks here, but they were green, brown or green and brown striped. This is the only cream-colored one I've seen!


And this is an anole lizard, that eats bugs! I love lizards, too!


And this is my baby, Oscar. The wonderful weinie dog! He sleeps in some very awkward positions!

I've been really busy with orders this week, so I've had several stones just sitting on the bench, with the bezels all ready to solder. Maybe this weekend I'll get them done!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Weird Bug Of The Week

The Robber Fly (Asilidae)


It took some searching to find out what this one is! I finally found it!
This one was in my house one night last week. My son and I took pics then took it outside. It was a really weird looking bug!

Here's the info from Wikipedia:

Insects in the Diptera family Asilidae are commonly called robber flies. The family Asilidae contains about 7,100 described species worldwide. All robber flies have stout, spiny legs, a dense moustache of bristles on the face (mystax), and 3 simple eyes (ocelli) in a characteristic depression between their two large compound eyes. The mystax helps protect the head and face when the fly encounters prey bent on defense. The antennae are short, 3-segmented, sometimes with a bristle-like structure called an arista. The short, strong proboscis is used to stab and inject victims with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which paralyze and digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied meal through the proboscis. Many species have long, tapering abdomens, sometimes with a sword-like ovipositor. Others are fat-bodied bumblebee mimics. Adult robber flies attack other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, ants, dragon and damselflies, Ichneumon wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders.

I don't like the fact that they kill butterflies and dragonflies, but the others I can live without!

Not a lot going on around here besides work, but that's a good thing! I'm just chillin' in the house right now, cause the shop is a sauna in the afternoons. If you have any extra rain, send it my way! :)