Chat…Just Because

I hope everyone’s summer has been smashingly great so far ! I’ve been keeping busy with the new puppy, keeping up with Elyse (who was in rehearsals all of June for ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.’ She was The Candyman, and a sassy one at that. See pic below.), keeping up with Madeline and her preparations for leaving in September (to attend school in LA), keeping straight where Parker is at any given time (he’s been working a hockey camp out of town for a few weeks), taking care of myself (down 30 pounds and counting), spending time with Don, and in general, enjoying life.

Some wonderful news: Madeline graduated high school on Memorial Day and we were thrilled by the surprise announcement that she was named salutatorian in her class of 308 students, with a GPA of 4.6! We knew she was oh so close to the top, but the announcement that evening caught me off guard. While she received her medal, the assistant principal read a prepared speech that Madeline had written earlier in the week. It had come down to her and another student for that particular slot, and so they were both asked to write speeches. Of course, I got all weepy and then they asked her dad and I to stand up to be recognized. We were in an arena! Madeline even had trouble picking us out. It was very emotional for me and her dad. Such a proud moment. And she worked so hard during all of her school years, particularly high school. She absolutely deserved it. (And she was such a stinker for keeping it from us!! But looking back, I’m sure she didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up in case it didn’t work out.). She also received six honor cords for her efforts.

Believe it or not, it’s mid-July and I have YET to get to the pool or any body of water in which to swim! That’s ok though. I do love swimming, but really need to watch my time in the sun. But we have been out on the bikes a few times (even with Tucker in his little bike trailer), and of course hiking. No wineries yet though! Boo. Not really on the Jenny Craig plan now, is it?

On the jewelry front, I am in the early stages of developing ideas for a Web site and blog refresh and will need to enlist the help of Don to get that accomplished when the time comes. One of my major hurdles with this is coming up with a graphic concept that represents Just Because Jewelry. I’m not a graphic designer, so I feel somewhat limited when it comes to conveying what I think I’d like to see. I know that once I figure it out though, things will come together quickly and this is what excites me and keeps me motivated.

Also, I’m planning several new pieces for the collection and they’re in the ‘on the board’ phase, meaning, the beads have been selected and are on the design board waiting for me to arrange them in the most pleasing manner possible. It may take a few days or weeks for that to happen, but getting the beads out is the first step.

Of course, I’ll keep y’all posted on my progress and not go so long between blog posts. Just a reminder, if you are on Facebook, I would be so happy if you would please stop by my Just Because Jewelry fan page and become a fan!

Until next time … have a beautiful day!!

February will be quite the busy month for me and my family. Aside from the ongoing activities of our kids (hockey games and practices, voice, piano and acting lessons, and play practices), I’ve added regular workouts out to my schedule and expect to dedicate some time to planning some home improvements and a trip or two.

We also have Adam making his return home from his tour of duty in Iraq; Madeline is auditioning for colleges every weekend in February, and we need to travel out of town for two of them; Don has a birthday this month; and of course we can’t forget about Valentine’s Day. It is also the anniversary month of when I first started this blog! I can hardly believe I’ve been doing this for a year! (Hmm, a celebratory giveaway may be in order here in the very near future … ) 

I’m also pondering some design changes to the blog and the Web site. These may take a while to implement since I’m no graphic designer, but I have a few enhancements in mind I think will freshen things up a bit. Let’s keep fingers crossed that I can get through the month smoothly and accomplish a few things!

My friend over at Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags recently ran a blog post that lists 99 possible things to do this year. While I mentioned in my previous post I’m not one for resolutions, this is fun little exercise, the best part of which was that I didn’t need to come up with the 99 things! (I have my own personal list I’d like to focus on for the year, but I’m only on number 42.) So while I continue to expand my list, here is the premade list with the items I’ve completed in bold.

You could do this on your blog, or just have fun comparing notes with your friends and family!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii and danced on a lava cliff with the roar of the Pacific below (I wish!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (not quite; Disneyworld, yes)
8. Climbed a mountain (does a six-mile hike in Colorado Rockies count?)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (ok, it was a fleeting moment, but it happened)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (nope, just in Las Vegas)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (I did a voiceover for a commercial)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (walked on the edge, but didn’t swim; too smelly)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Ok, so here’s one from my personal list:
Spent a month vacationing in the Mediterranean with my family on a friend’s yacht (preferably, my friend George Clooney)

Can you add one (or more) of your fun things you’d like to do to this list?

- Finished decorating the tree … finally! (Photo doesn’t do it justice.)
- Completed about 85% of the Christmas shopping
- Bought some extra supplies to fill a jewelry order
- Did the week’s grocery shopping
- Took the girls for eye exams
- Had Starbucks — Saturday AND Sunday
- Folded three baskets of clothes
- Delegated the housecleaning to the kids
- Read Madeline and Elyse’s latest issue of their HS newspaper
- Caught a cold

Not a long list, but definitely covered a lot. This week will be short for me, and next week, I start a nice stretch of time off from Christmas until January 5. Ahhh, looking forward to it!

I think many people have heard of picnik by now. You know, the free photo editing site that you can use to manipulate your uploaded pics? Totally addictive tool, and highly entertaining if you haven’t tried it yet. But I created these a few months ago on a site called PhotoFunia, a variation on the picnik theme.

Too cute! And fun!

Last weekend, Don and I took the kids to Eckert’s Orchard in Belleville, Illinois for some apple picking family fun. It was a stunningly beautiful morning that day, with full sun, blue skies and warm temperatures. I think we could have stayed there all day. I haven’t been apple picking in years, so I was really looking forward to the whole experience. I was the designated photographer for the day, so here’s the fam, minus me (Don, Parker, Madeline and Elyse).

To get started, we were directed to a short line, given our picking bags and told that if we filled the bags, we would have about 18 pounds of apples. Eighteen pounds! What the heck would we do with 18 pounds? Good info to know though, so we all agreed to exercise a little bit of restraint and NOT fill ALL of the five bags we were given. Bags in hand, we waited for about two minutes for the tractor thingy to fetch us, and then climbed aboard for the short ride to a specific portion of the orchard. On that particular day, we were picking Golden Delicious apples from four rows as instructed by the older Eckert’s welcome lady, who was chomping on one as we were clamoring to get off the tractor.

We settled on our row and started exploring all of the trees, walking quickly by the first several since we figured everyone who gets off of the tractors with little tykes in tow, go immediately to those easy-to-access trees. About halfway up the row, we all began our searches for the perfect Golden Delicious-es.

Eventually though, we succumbed to the curiosity of how they actually tasted when plucked right from the limbs. I’m telling you, if you haven’t picked an apple, fresh off of the tree in a while, go do it. I’m not even that huge of an apple fan, and my apple of choice is Fuji (which weren’t available to pick until Oct. 11!), but these were so crunchy, juicy and sweet, I couldn’t believe it. We all had to sample the apple-y goodness. I ate two. Right while we were standing in the orchard (as most people do). They were deelish!

Once we agreed we were ready head back, we waited for the next tractor outta there and had a lovely ride through another part of the orchard. We wound up with about 12 pounds of apples — still a lot to consume — and picked up a few extra pumpkins (there’s a pumpkin patch section there also) for the porch. What a great way to spend a few hours together!

I would love to attend Saint Louis Fashion Week, October 6 through 12, however, will be unable to do so this year. Dern! This event keeps growing though, and I suspect that given the caliber of designers that participate, will get exponentially larger as it goes on. It’s going on my calendar for next year as an event to be seen!

Without so much as a sideways glance, it appears summer is moving on and fall is knocking at our door already. You can tell by the explosion of art fairs, festivals, cooler evenings and brisk mornings. Won’t be too much longer and the leaves will begin their vibrant display of changing colors! Don’t you love the smell of firewood burning on a cool autumn evening? Loving this time of year!

But back to the fairs and festivals. We’ve hit two of them already. So much fun to see all of the amazing creativity that comes out of those. Check out this pair of silver earrings I bought from my metalsmithing teacher, Nikki Nation. She had a booth at one of the art fairs and I was able to see all of her terrific pieces. Aren’t these great?!

She’s in the process of moving to Colorado, and I wish her much success. I hope to showcase her Web site when it’s up and ready (plus I’m sure her photos will do these earrings justice!).

In the meantime, I’ve been putting together some great autumn-inspired pieces that I hope will be ready very soon. Lots of bronze pearls and beads, the gorgeous reds and oranges of carnelian, agate and gold coral. I can’t wait to show these to you!

What is it about fall that you love or inspires you?

In no particular order, these were some of the activities that we had fun with on this Labor Day weekend: A visit to Montelle Winery (again); two-hour bike ride; grocery shopping; long walk; watched the sun set (see photo below); laundry (ok, not THAT fun); laughed with the kids; laughed with my man; bar-b-qued pork steaks (a St. Louis favorite); relaxed; read; went for Starbucks … three times; tried some new recipes; ate gyros at the Greek Festival — yum! Thanks for the picture, Elyse!

Check out the crazy clouds in this sunset I caught on our back deck on Friday evening. It’s a bit grainy (I shot it with my iPhone), but the contrast of blue and pink was amazing.

Did you do something special this long, luxurious weekend? We should probably have 3-day weekends at least once a month to maintain health and general well-being, don’t you think?

Hope you can bear with yet another post with a few more picturesque shots. I promise, I DO have jewelry in the works that will be available shortly, but I just can’t resist taking advantage of the amazing weather we’ve been having here lately. We’re taking every opportunity to get out when we can!

A few weekends ago, Don and I were able to enjoy an invigorating hike through nearby Castlewood State Park. The St. Louis Metro area is home to so many city and county parks, and we are fortunate to have any number of them we can reach within a short drive. Castlewood is about seven miles from us, and you’d think we drove for hours to get to this lovely retreat. We often take a 3.5 mile hike through the woods and up the bluffs overlooking the Meramec River. So quiet and peaceful … except when the train goes through. We like to bring lunch with us and eat on a perch above the train tracks and river.

According to the park’s Web site, “between 1915 and 1940, thousands of St. Louis residents traveled by train each weekend to the Castlewood area for water fun, dancing and clubhouse partying. Today, the 1,818-acre Castlewood State Park preserves the history of the former resort. The park stretches for nearly five miles, straddling both sides of the Meramec River. It incorporates much of the old resort area, including the grand staircase that once led revelers up to the large hotels and clubs. Although the hotels and clubs are gone, the staircase and the lure of the region remain.”

Don and I totally dig hiking other parks and recreation areas when we have the opportunity to travel. Colorado is one of our favorite places to explore, and we did the 1.5 mile hike down the Grand Canyon a few years ago with the kids (hoping to get to the bottom one day soon). Do you have any recommendations for hikes in your hometowns that you could pass along? I’d love to keep them on my list of Trails to Experience log.