OMG June is halfway done!!

How the heck did that happen???? I gotta enjoy this summer more!

I have been having a great time making more jewelry and getting it up on my Etsy site. Todays new item are necklaces in pewter and copper and I learned how to age the metal using a boiled egg rather than that nasty liver of sulphur stuff! The copper turned out with a beautiful patina!

Time to be adding in some more pewter. Won't be long and I will have to heat up the little cast iron pans and pour the plaster for more goodies. The necklace I put up today was an old casting of a tree sculpture I did. After 20 years it's still one of my favorites, but I have always been partial to trees!

With the regular rain and heat the garden and the flowers are going to town. I need to bring up last years photos and compare I know we are way ahead of schedule. I have blossoms on the tomatos and a baby acorn squash growing. Randy almost has the 3rd aquaponics unit ready for outdoors. I will have to take photos of the first two units. We have been adding lettuce into our sandwiches from the LSB. The plants being grown in natural sunlight upstairs are doing very well.

Now I have to figure something out for Fathers Day for hubby. I am not sure what, and I couldn't say on here because he does lower himself occasionally and read what I waste me time on! (His perspective of course!!!LOL). So off to work on some glass in the studio I am sure we will be off and running tomorrow!

Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

A new week begins!

How are you enjoying your summer so far??? Mine is doing well and I am making strides to make the most of my days.

Saturday I joined Heather, Kirk & Xavier and attended the Worlds Longest Breakfast table in downtown Battle Creek. Thousands of people will come out if you offer them free food! It was a good start to the day and the cereal, milk, bananas, juice and Pop Tarts filled the bill.

I have been playing with a lot of different jewelry lately. Loading up my Etsy Store for some sales. Sunday I went off the deepend and came up with some recycled designs.



I enjoyed every minute and I enjoyed smiles and laughs to boot. I did a bracelet out of a yogurt package and stamped stainless steel, plus a pair of earrings out of cascading water bottle pieces.

Today I need to dip mandrels and get back in the melting frame of mind! I hope you all are having a great beginning to your week and enjoy each moment as it comes at you!

Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

Rainy & Hot and Melting Glass

A few days around the house are scheduled and I am so looking forward to it! More jewelry, more listings, more beads and I won't be able to work outside to screw it all up!

Hubby, I and Xavier made it to Courtney Kiefts graduation open house last night. PLD was super, and it was nice to see Brig, Angie, Gordon (Angies new hubby), Sandy, Doyle, and the rest of the family! PLD got his cake so he was a happy camper.

This morning I am going to try to attend the Worlds Longest Breakfast Table in downtown BC with Heather and family. That should be fun as long as the rain holds off!

I have been making jewelry, and making beads, even some beads made specifically for jewelry. We will see how it goes!

While doing my mornng check of Face Book, I ran across a pile of photos from the theatre group in Creede. There was a beautiful photo of Todd's latest set. Check it out, the realism with all the goodies is great. You really think you are in the Gym. It's the Putnam County Spelling Bee set!]

I am off for my second cup of coffee! Have a great day and huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

If this is Wednesday it must be trash day!

That might be the highlight of my day! But heck first the trash, then the yardwaste and finally the recycleing truck. Wednesdays are always busy!

Been busy working on some things. I hauled out the pewter, put some stuff in the tumbler, reworked some pieces and updated it to todays jewelry styles. I don't think there were many French Wires for earrings when I cast some of the earrings! LOL I told Todd what I was up to and he said he remembered helping me with it. Heck he was only 6 back then!

I got a great new cookie jar, a present from Xavier and Heather. Now I must figure out something good to put in there. Not, tooo good Grammie will eat them all!

We celebrated Miss Kylee's 2nd birthday on Sunday. I can't believe she is already 2!! She does keep us from slacking and for the most part is a joy to be around. She does have her moments! LOL

I am off to have my granola, melt some glass, make some jewelry, and maybe cast some pewter! The temps are suppose to get warmer so that will be good too!

Dilly

Assistant Fish Wrangler signing in!

We moved the little tilapia today. All 34 mostly caught in the net one at a time. I think I did one double catch and Randy might have done two, but it was a slow process. Those are quick little buggers! We lost a few so that is what prompted the moving them on up to a larger tank. We knew getting into this whole Aquaponics thing we would kill us some fish, even before we did it for food. So now the little fishies, which have doubled in size already are swimming in their 20 gallon bottle-ponic unit! I hope they like their new home.

I stopped at the pet store when we made a trip to Charlotte this morning. I picked up some cuttlebones to mess with and try my hand at casting pewter again. I did this almost 20 years ago when we lived in Port Huron. I actually took a class at the local community college and I have a entire ingot plus more pewter that I have moved several times. Yes Randy there is a reason I keep hauling all this crap all over! LOL

Right now we have severe thunderstorm warnings out with 1" of rain in an hour being forecast. So time to batten down the hatches and make like a duck! The only thing we have to worry about is water making its way into the studio. We are probably 100 +++ feet above the Kalamazoo and BC rivers, so no worry for us on that count!

While we were at the pet store we picked up some goodies for Miss Kylee who will celebrate her 2nd/14th birthday tomorrow. Either way she is either in the terrible twos or a teenager so we are in for a wild ride with her! LOL

So off to move the lawn furniture around and help hubby mow the yard. He mows and I move the stuff I have in the yard so he doesn't piss and moan too much!

Big Huggies all around to everyone!
Dilly

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Only in the mid 70's a slight chance of rain...I am loving it! Because of all the rain everything is emerald green and the plants and garden are growing like crazy!! I even had a couple of fresh ripe strawberries off the vine.

We do have a doggie under the weather. Tail between the legs, head down and only comfy sleeping straight down. She must be feeling better she ate OK, and now she is laying all sprawled out! We are keeping a close eye on her!

Nothing much new around here, the talapia are growing, the worms are composting, the plants in both Aquaponic units are growing very well! Time to build the 3rd unit that is a barrelponics set-up for outside. That will really get us ready for the big set-up for the basement this fall!

I will be potting up some seedlings today. I found a wooden thingy (the best I can describe) that you use to make plant pots out of newpaper for seedlings. I am not all that thrilled with the results from the rock wool pots. Everything seems to be scrawny and stringy with it! Always ready to try something new!

I'll probably run to Horrocks to pick up a few more annuals I have been slowly adding them to the beds around the yard. Maybe some more impatients for my wooden wheelbarrow! Then spreading more mulch and digging out the area under the smoke tree for mulch. There you have my daily menu of things to do! LOL

Have a wonderful day and Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

Rainy Days and Tuesdays always get me down!!! Not really

Yup it's raining out, but that means the humidity is down and it's only 70. For me that is just perfect. Plus I don't have to water the gardens! Call me happy yippy skippy!!!

Sorry I haven't been on here lately lots of new things to report though!!! We had a great Holiday weekend. I got Phase #1 done of my front yard landscaping. I just need more plants and to install my pretty little fence once I get it painted! Such an improvement over what we moved into only 2 years ago!

I ended my weekend by riding up to the Ludington area with Heather and Xavier to pick up their new puppy. Yup Heather finally came to the decision. I am so happy for them such a cutie too. His name isn't decided on but somewhere between Dude and Buttons! He is a 14 week old Affenpinscher/Poodle mix.

We finished our 2-Liter Pop Bottle Aquaponics set up and it's working great in the upstairs back room with the sliding glass door supporting it with natural light. The broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce look like they are doing great! Next a big tomato set-up outside to prepare us for the winter when that entire setup will move to the basement. We certainly have learned a lot, actually more than we ever thought!!

Meanwhile the LSB down in the dining room is finally got it's PH levels under control with larger plants, fewer fish, vinegar baths and removal of a green worm. Who knew that my gardening duties would be many! LOL

The summer looms ahead with lots of work on the house. We must resume painting the house, continue with Phase #2 and #3 of the front yard! Plus manage to enjoy ourselves but that is pretty much covered with spending time with Kylee (who will be celebrating her 2nd birthday on Sunday) and Xavier who always makes our day even with his new LOUD voice!!

Have a great day everyone and huggies all around!
Dilly