The final coat of mud!

Chris finished taping and applied the final coat of mud last night. After Christmas, he will spray the texture on the walls and then I can paint and start moving in!!And here is Chris's ever present helper, Carly. Although I think she just likes to stand next to the heater :)

Michael's Holiday Band Concert 12-20-07

Michael had his 7th grade Holiday Band concert tonight. Doesn't he look handsome??

But it's clear why he likes band so much, look at all the cute little flute players in front of him!

Looks like we're going to have a White Christmas after all!

Other than a couple little snow showers that promptly melted, it was beginning to look like we weren't going to have a White Christmas. I was getting mad! Finally, I got what I wished for, and then some... We got about 12 inches of snow in about 24 hours time.


And this is what the poor Camry looked like... It won't be driven again until spring because we took the insurance off of it so we could save money with the new truck. Then in the spring, we'll take the insurance off the Explorer and only drive the Camry and Escape (better gas mileage).


And this is a vew from our road. Look at the pretty pink sky in the background.

We're supposed to continue to get snow off and on for the next 7 days. So, the moral of the story is to be careful what you wish for!

We swore we would never have another car payment, and look what happened!

But the winter months are upon us and we really needed another vehicle with 4wd that was a little more reliable. So we bought this cute little 2008 Ford Escape. It has all the things we really didn't need (sunroof and satelite radio), but they sure are kinda nice!And here is how the shop is progressing. We got the drywall done last week:Chris and I did most of the taping and mud work today. I'll get some pictures up later.

Our Family Picture...

Well, we managed to catch some snow real quick to take our family picture. It snowed 4 inches last week and then rained that evening and melted it all! And this is the total shot of our driveway. Chris was about to plow it. Good thing he didn't since the snow was completely gone the next day!

Keeping out the cold...

Today, we completed the last bit of electrical, ran the propane pipes inside and most importantly - insulated it! There is one more wall to finish, the wall between Chris's and my side and we will be ready to drywall next weekend.

The Siding is Complete

Today, we finished the siding. The outside is as done is it will be until spring. We will probably put the trim around the seam at the top where the 2 siding sheets come together, but not until after the holidays.

This is Chris warming his hands at the fire pit. It was about 25 degrees today.

This is Chris hanging the last little piece on the back side corner.

We went to Lowes and bought 40 sheets of drywall and 18 rolls of insulation. So that 's what we'll be doing next. But the great thing is it will all be indoor work from now on.

Let it snow!!

Let it snow, because we're almost done! We have half of the siding up and will finish the siding this Sunday. Saturday we are going to purchase the insulation and drywall and we will start that on Monday. We already have my heater, ventilation hood and a cabinet for the inside.

I really think I may be able to work in here after the first week of December. However, it is getting pretty cold here. It snowed 4 days ago and the snow has not melted yet. It has been between 25-30 degrees in the daytime and in the low 20's at night. Brrrrrrr!

Let there be light!

And there was!

Chris had run the wires to the studio, but tonight he made light happen!

Biggest present I ever wrapped!

Today, we wrapped the shop with house wrap. It is supposed to seal it and make it retain heat better and keep moisture out. It was like wrapping a giant present!

We did manage to hang 2 sheets of siding, but it was dark at 5:00pm and it started raining and we decided to call it a night. Sunday, we will hopefully get the rest of the siding done so that we can begin to focus on the inside.

Windows, Doors and Electricity!

Well, Sunday and Monday were very productive despite the coldness. It was a beautiful day to look at, but the temperature was about 50 degrees. But we had the fire-pit going and at least it wasn't snowing like Boris the weatherman said! So, here are some updated pictures:

We got 2 brand new windows and doors for the front. The back 2 windows we got at a salvage yard. We couldn't find any thing that matched for the front and had to spend the extra $$ for new ones. Also you can see my light switch box for my lighting, ceiling fan and outdoor light.

And!! I get my very own breaker box. I have a lot of energy eating devices, like my kiln and oxygen concentrator and ventilation fans, so I won't have to worry about blowing breakers.

It's been a while, and so much has happened

Well, I have been neglecting my blog, MY BAD! Since I last blogged, we went to California for Chris's brother Todd's wedding. I took a lot of pictures, but here is the bride and groom - don't they look great together!

And Chris and I had sooo much fun with our 2 neices, Jillian and Haley. This is my most favorite picture that I took, it is of Jillian blowing bubbles at the wedding:

Notice her bracelet? She made it herself! I was busy making jewelry for my Sisters-in-law Brenda and Casey and Jillian wanted to make one. So, she sat next to me and I helped her and within a couple minutes she informed me that she wanted to do it herself! And that she did! She did a beautiful job and even made a bracelet for my daughter. She is only in kindergarten, but this child has an eye for design and she did it all, even did the crimp with the pliers! She is too smart for her own good and Brenda will have her hands full with her (well, I think she already does!).

Our shop is coming along swimmingly! Here is the pictures since last month. We put a metal roof on it and it looks great. This Sunday, we will do the electrical and add pipes for the propane for my torch and heat. We will also put in the doors and windows.

I have 5 walls now, 4 outside and one in the middle.

This is Chris finishing up the roof beams.

And here is my pretty new green metal roof!

We Got Walls! Well, 2 of them any way!

We had a regular assembly line going today. Chris did the calculating, measuring, nailing and all the brute labor, I did all the cutting and Meghan (15 year old daughter ) did all the wood bringing to myself and Chris.

This is what it looked like after the front wall was done. We will have 2 doors and 2 windows on the front. Chris gets the left 1/2 and I get the right 1/2.





We finished the back wall and were done for the night around 7:00 pm. So this is what it looked like after we finished the back wall. The front wall is 10 feet and the back wall is 8 feet and we will have a slanted roof to the back so the snow will fall off the back and not on our heads. Next summer when we do all the finish work, we are going to add a porch to the front.





This is what it looked like from the inside. We were just lucky that it was a gorgeous day out today. It was probably about 65 degrees, which was about perfect. I wasn't hot or cold.

Floor Boards

I have to admit, at first glance, it doesn't look like we got much done. You might be thinking "Whoopti-doo, they just put down some wood to make the floor. Well, there was more to it than that...


We had to put 12x12x2" paver bricks around the perimeter and up the middle of the floor platform to make it level and to keep it from sinking in the dirt and becoming un-level in the future. What a pain! And when I say "pain" I mean pure physical pain! We had to dig under the platform boards and position the bricks, then pound dirt under the bricks with a rubber mallot to raise or lower it depending on what the little level said. And, despite what everyone may think of me, I am NOT 1/2 a bubble off, I am .2 of a bubble off!

But it was a beautiful day, unlike the day before when we had to light up the fire pit to stay warm. We are hoping to be able to get the lumber to do the walls on Sunday and Monday.

Finally! We actually started construction today!

This is a view from the back porch. It was very cold today so you can see our little patio firepit is going to keep us warm.

Under my hubby's side of the building will cover our water well pump.

The total structure size is 12 feet wide by 24 feet long. We each get 12x12. Mine is going to be my glass studio and my hubby's will be his work/tool shop (since we don't have a garage yet). Tomorrow we will finish the end and sheet it with floor board.

Shibby gets Kitty Crack (aka Cat Nip) from Summersea

I hate to admit it, but my little kitty is a Nip-Ho! Now, my daughter's cat, Jasmine, is far too refined to behave like this. She will wait until no one is around, then she will start rolling in it! This fine blend of Cat Nip came from Tracy who has an ETSY site at http://www.summersea.etsy.com/ Thanks Tracy! Shibby (named after the appropriate movie Dude Where's My Car) and Jasmine thank you as well!

The Old Shed is All Gone!

Well, as of Monday (Labor Day) the Old Shed is all gone! It has been re-assembled on the back side of our property and all of our storage boxes have been moved in. This Saturday, we are going to buy the wood to make the floor platform for the new studio/shop. In the picture where the toolbox stands with the tarp over it is where our well and pump is. So the new structure has to go over it to protect and keep it warm in the winter. But it is coming along!

Having a bad day...

What get's me through my day? Well, depends on the day... But today it's Etsy and a 32oz Iced White Chocoloate Cherry 5 shot Cappo from my favorite Coffee Shack (Villagio Espresso in Sunriver Oregon).

Thunder and Lightening!

Believe it or not, this picture was taken at about 11:30pm! We had quite a lightening storm last night. I went out with my camera and just started clicking shots at the sky to try to catch the lightening and this is what I caught... It looks like daylight! As a contrast, look at yesterdays post with the picture of the blue sky and clouds which was shot earlier in the day from when I shot this. In Central Oregon, we always say "enjoy the weather now, because it can change in 5 minutes", now I photographic proof!

Here is a picture of the Goddess bead I made yesterday. She is very pretty and I am pleased with how she turned out.

This is a look at the glorious sky today! Isn't it wonderful??? I could watch these clouds all day. This shot was taken about 2:00pm, it is now 5:30pm and it is raining and thundering. The thunder is just rolling and rolling, it is spectacular. We haven't had much rain this summer, so I LOVE it when we get a shower and it is even better with thunder and lightening. The only bad part is that it is 91 degrees out there, so it's very humid.

I did manage to get quite a few beads made today. I made a Sunflower Goddess bead that (if she makes it out of the kiln ok) is stunning. Making Goddess beads is difficult because I like to use Bullseye glass, which is a harder and stiffer glass. This means I have to make even more effort to keep the bead a consistant heat to make sure it doesn't crack while I'm creating it. Each Goddess takes me 30-45 minutes depending on the detail of the bead.

And, for those interested in how my studio is coming along... Here is this weekend's progress:

The only thing left now is the back half of the shed. What we figured out while dismantling it is that the original shed was added on to at a later date. The picture of my hubby on the top shows the front half, the bottom picture shows the back half after we removed the front half. My dad came and hauled away the majority of the wood for fire wood in his garage, so that was nice to not have to haul to the dump!

Fall is coming...

It's getting darker, faster now... I know this because we left last night to take the canoe out at the same time we always do, aroung 7:00pm and it was getting dark 1/2 way home and was totally dark by the time we rowed into the boat launch. But wow! I got some really cool pictures. We are going out again tonight, since the moon is nearly full to get some more moon shots.

The mountain is Mt. Bachelor, which is a huge tourist attraction here. In the winter time, the skier/snowboarders come and the rest of the year the biker/hikers come. Sunriver, where we live, is a resort town where the tourists come to stay and play. Great for business - but sucks when you need a quick gallon of milk!

OK - Don't Laugh! Here is my Studio...

Yep, it's a 1960's Prowler travel trailer. You can stop laughing now, and the answer is "NO!" I am not going to change my name from Dragyn's Fyre to Trailer Trash Beads!

My husband tore out the cook stove and sink inside and set my torch up under the hood vent. And, all you lampworkers out there, I know this isn't proper ventilation. I am painfully aware of it when my chest starts burning and I get light headed after a couple hours at the torch! Actually, in the day time, with nice weather, it's pretty well ventilated when I open all the windows and leave the door open. I have a tiny fan above my head that blows the air around and I open the little crank vent in the ceiling.

You can see my little kitty, Shibby, in the first picture sitting on the chair outside the trailer. I didn't realize she was there until I was checking out the pictures.

But the good news for me is that we are in the process of tearing down the old shed in the back yard to build a new studio. We just bought this house last year and it doesn't have a garage, just a car port. My hubby has no place to put his tools, and I have no place to torch. So we are building a 12x24 building. I get 12x12 and he gets 12x12. The main problem with my trailer is that it is WAY to freakin cold in the winter to make beads. So, we are fighting time to get the new building done before the weather turns. But this is a picture of the old shed - which is where the new one is going: