Ice Curtain and Studio Pictures

We have many icicles around our house, but today this is what appeared outside our back door. The Ice has formed on our outdoor party lights (that we should have taken down before winter hit!). It looks like an Ice Curtain, pretty cool, aye?And here are some better pictures of the inside of my new studio. Chris and my mom went together for my birthday to buy me a really awesome new digital camera. My old one was really on it's last legs. So I went from 4 megapixels to 8 megapixels.

This is my work area. It's a mess right now because it's not nearly complete yet. We just got it done enough for me to start working again. I am going to add more wall cabinets and also I am going to add pegboard with special loops to hold my glass on the wall to the left of my torch area. And when Chris get's home from training he is going to move my propane outside for the torch. It's a dangerous "No No" having it inside like this, but I couldn't wait to start making beads.This is a shot of the pretty aspen scenery picture that my mom painted for me. It matches my walls beautifully. And the curtain on my window I made about 10 years ago. I just love the fabric so much that I have kept the curtain that long!

This is my propane space heater and my other window that is very dirty. I really need to put some kind of window treatment up soon because at night it gives me the creeps because it's like a giant black hole in my wall. We have the propane run outside for the heater, as we will with the torch propane. In the spring, we will have a large permanent propane tank installed. Then I won't have to lug propane cylinders to the gas station anymore - they will come and fill me up.

More friggen snow!

I am really getting tired of blogging about snow... I just wish it would go away now - it's not magical when I have to get on a quad and plow it away!! But, I took a cool picture of my house today with some awesome icicles. It kinda makes my house look like a Swiss Chalet. Keep in mind that the snow below the window is about 3 feet deep!

Have you ever actually SEEN a snowflake?

I always thought to see a snowflake, like they are always shown in science books, you would have to look at one under a microscope. Well, today it is snowing a very strange light snow and when I got in my truck you could actually SEE each individual snowflake. They kind of looked like tiny little dandilion seeds that you blow on to make a wish. And when they stuck to my windshield, you could see each little arm and all the little branches. It's too bad I have such a crappy camera and couldn't capture it better :(

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! Does not begin to describe the cold!

Please note the - negative before the 14.6!! It was 14.6 degrees below zero when I took Meghan to the bus stop this morning. The truck just made groaning noises when I started it. Well, I think I have had about enough of winter and I am ready for spring.

Withdrawals got the best of me tonight...

I finally got to make a few beads tonight. It has been about 2 months since I last made beads and I have been going nutts! Chris got my torch and ventilation hooked up this weekend for me. I finished painting it (deep wine on the walls and golden yellow for the ceiling - looks better than it sounds). So tonight, I grabbed a few rods of glass from the old trailer/studio and tried everything out and it worked like a charm! Sadly, my bead-making-skills aren't what they used to be and I will need a lot of practice! So, this week I will start bringing all my glass and tools in and I'll be back in business.

You've got... SNOW?!?!

Yes, we have snow. Lots and lots of snow. Chris is away training for his new job and of course that is when Mother Nature decided to have a major winter storm. I got home from work on Tuesday to find that the Snow-Plow-Man had plowed a 5 foot wall of snow in front of the driveway! I couldn't get the truck in so I had to wade thru it. Then, when I tried to plow it, the Quad chose to die. So I gathered the kids up and we spent the night at Mom's house. The next day I was able to get the Quad running and plow the driveway so I could get in and out. Meanwhile, Chris is having fun at the beach!

New Year - Lots of Snow!

Well, it is officially 2008. We are bringing in the new year with a major change for our family... Chris is going back to Staples. After leaving Staples, he realized rather quickly that the grass truly was NOT greener on the other side. He will finally have his own store. He will go back to working hours that allow him to actually enjoy his family and be able to live life a little bit. There will be significantly LESS manual labor - his knees and back were really beginning to become an issue for him. And as an added bonus (but wasn't his deciding factor to leave BB&B), more money.

My glass studio will be done by this weekend. Chris will be spraying the texture on the walls tomorrow night and I will be able to paint Thursday and Friday and can start moving in Saturday. Finally! I have been going through major glass withdrawals.

And here is what our weather has been like... This is Chris plowing (or is he playing, hard to tell!) the drive way. We currently have over a foot of snow on the ground.

And this is what happens when the ice melts a little bit... Icicles! How would you like to have this one fall on your head???