She's Aliiiiiiiiiive!

Yup, yup, yup, it's winter, and I'm taking it easy. Haven't done much this winter, besides get sick and organize... And work, of course. But, occasionally, I've had a few good times thrown in, just for good measure. Or should that be balance? Too many people around me are losing balance. And that balance line is so fine, that most of the time, we cross it without taking much notice. You just wake up one day, and poof! You're totally off balance; your life has become nothing but sickness, or work, or children, or school. You kind of forget You. What You need. What makes You tick.

I've taken some time off for self-reflection. I'm searching deep within, looking for that once brilliant spark that has recently eluded me. It dawned on me that the one constant thing surrounding me was excess. Too much stuff. Borderline pack-ratting. Tiny collections in over abundance. Here, there, everywhere. And it wasn't just me. It was all of us. Little Highness has taken to collecting any and everything tiny. Littlest Pet Shop, Ponyville, My Little Pony, Barbie, you name it, it's hiding in a corner around here somewhere.

Me? Oh, you know how it goes. Why, just last night, I was looking at photos of when my bead stash was just a baby. You remember those days, right? Back when all of your beads fit in the original little ziploc you bought them in (Hah! you just had ONE of each color!), and you could stow two bags per compartment in that embroidery floss organizer you stole from you mom... Now? Hm, now is a totally different story. I need 4 large 'parts' cabinets, multiple screw-in stackable units, drawers, drawers, and yes, more drawers over flowing with beads. Beads of all colors, shapes and sizes. And let's not forget the semi-precious stones and pearls I've accumulated. They are perfectly organized in colorful, labeled boxes, where I can find them at a glance. My finished pieces are also stored this way. Makes things so much easier. Order is my friend.
...
Oh, and don't get me started on hubby's hobby now. You walk in here, and you KNOW a fisherman occupies the premises. And he's not messy about it, he's also a fan of order. Of course, I like to think that that's a bit of me rubbing off on him. 'Cause when we first moved in, his fishing stash was all over the place.

We all like to have our own little areas, where we can look at it and feel 'that's mine'. I think everyone needs a spot like that. It's just that after 10 years, and a six-year old, everything was starting to jumble into one big mess. So, yeah, the last few post were about cleaning and organization, but I strongly believe that neatness should be a part of creativity. I mean, yeah, I've had some gorgeous serendipitous pieces come out of my occasional disorder, but I mostly prefer to know exactly where to find what it is that I need, right there at my fingertips.


Anyway, enough about this cleaning chit chat. I'm doing other things too. Last Sunday was Samantha's birthday. We decided to go celebrate at Fivebucks with a little treat. I also gifted Sammie with one of my own beaded beads, with a silver snake chain. I brought a little candle to top her cupcake. One of them little melted-caramel infused chocolate thingies.

The bead.
Made with jade, bone, hematite, silver and glass.

She liked it! She liked it!

Wednesday brought on some seasonal weather. No school buses, so the little one was quite happy to get a cab ride to school. I spend the day in the shoppe, packaging headpins, eye pins, and jump rings. Not much happening, what with the roads being barely navigable. I don't think the camera could do the view justice, but I tried. The wind was incredible. Blended with the powdery soft, and terribly abundant snow, all I could think was 'wow'... I was amazed that within not even 30 minutes of being cleared, the sidewalks were already covered in about 1/2 of snow.

Thankfully, I was safe inside, sipping on some yummy tomato soup, coffee, and munching on some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. My Pinkie by my side, playing a seemingly endless loop of fantastic music, via my USB stick. Yay for Moi!

Oh, and good news, I finally sent the contest winner her prize this week. Ever wonder what lives in Jewels' purse? Take a peek:
Tissue, fruit cup, wallet, cell phone, MP3 player, crochet hooks (natch), Purel, agenda, note cards, and my business cards. My camera of course, but you can't see it here, since I'm using it. LOL! Joyce, your parcel should arrive within 5 to 10 days. Oh I can't wait. Let me know when you get it Joyce.

And, since I'm in an artful mood, I thought I'd share some of Mimi's latest creations. I've recently supplied her with some plasticine, which I like so much better than play doh, since it never dries. We're discovering that different color pigments affect the clay differently, the warm colors are easier to manipulate out of the package, but the cold colors need some kneeding to get there. Poor Mama's got some tender hands... Well, it's really got the Little Highness' creative juices flowing. Remember now, she's only six. she used one of her little figurines as a model, and made this fantastic bunny. I certainly was impressed.

Which reminds me: Easter's coming.