Almost have plans for new kitchen finalized - French Bistro!

     No cork floor - way too expensive and it sun fades!  So, I'm back to the black and white checkerboard floor that I've wanted all along anyway.  I'm going the "french bistro" look with cafe chairs and tables rather than a large dining table.  I think cafe tables are more cozy than seats at an island or a large table.  We hang out in the kitchen (like nearly every family does) but I want to sit relaxed like in a wonderful cafe or bar!  Right now we will be making the cafe table tops out of the white Corian also - little round 24" or 36" tables, and have at least two of them!  For fancy dinners we can throw a white linen table cloth over them and pull them closer.

      My cafe chairs, as shown above, will arrive the 27th.
      The wood in the kitchen will be red oak and the dining area will be mahogany.  Then, of course the white Corian counter tops and I think I'll go with white ceramic brick tiles for back splash and the tiling under the stainless steel fume hood. 
      Then hubby and I got a great idea - we have a door going out to the garage right in the middle of the kitchen.  I wish we could move it!  We've tried everything and every way to move it but it involves just way more than we want to get into.  So then we thought why not change the door, maybe make it out of oak to match the cupboards (but trying to match hinges and door jams is a big pain) or...  paint it with blackboard paint and use it like a menu/message board!  I think it would be so fun to put a cute menu in colored chalks on the door, notes to each other, shopping lists, etc.   Am I crazy or is that not a fun idea?  (Ok we need to think that one through thoroughly but I still like the idea). 

  I haven't told the hubby yet that I will need new dishes - something bright and colorful.  Oh yeah!

I HAVE NO KITCHEN

By the end of Sunday, Dec 12th, my kitchen looked liked picture #1 above.  We sold the kitchen to someone who will put it in rental property (?)  Ok, it is going to a new life - recycled and all so I am proud of that - but EVERYTHING went.

I have no sink, no range, no microwave, no fridge, no dishwasher, no cabinets and

no countertop.

We made $300 on the deal however! and the new owners did all the work - SWEET.

After I came home from work Monday, the kitchen looked like Picture #2.

We are removing the soffit, the tile, one small wall and the old pantry/closet.  Yuck - dust and insulation everywhere!

But it is all progress

I have a new JennAir gas range (36") stainless steel, in my front room and the exhaust hood is coming today (also Stainless Steel).  We haven't finalized all the design yet but there will no longer be a pennisula and the new pantry will be built in next to the fridge.  The countertops will be white Corian. The back splash will be tiled but probably pencil tile made of white marble, gray glass and beige marble to pull all the colors together.  The kitchen cabinets will be red oak and the dining room will be mahogony to match an anitque hutch I have - so I guess I'll need a new dining table and chairs to match the hutch. 

I'm looking at cork flooring - we'll see how that goes.

Anyway I'll keep updating pictures if I can find my camera and my computer... that's the part of remodeling that drives me nuts:  WHERE IS EVERYTHING?

But again, thanks Murray District for not letting me retire - all this money you could have saved is now going to a good cause:  ME!

Sometimes You Just Need a Good Story:

  I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked.  "Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
              After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
              By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
              There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
              ''Would you carry my bag out to the car?'' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.
              She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. ''It's nothing,'' I told her. ''I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.''
              ''Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, ''Could you drive through downtown?''
              ''It's not the shortest way,'' I answered quickly.
              ''Oh, I don't mind,'' she said.  ''I'm in no hurry.  I'm on my way to a hospice."
              I looked in the rear-view mirror.  Her eyes were glistening. ''I don't have any family left," she continued. ''The doctor says I don't have very long.''
              I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.  ''What route would you like me to take?'' I asked.
              For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
              We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
              Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
              As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ''I'm tired. Let's go now.''
              We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
              Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
              I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
              ''How much do I owe you?'' she asked, reaching into her purse.
              ''Nothing,'' I said
              ''You have to make a living,'' she answered.
              ''There are other passengers,'' I responded.
              Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held on to me tightly.
              ''You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,'' she said.
              ''Thank you.''
              I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
              I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
              What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
              On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.
              We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
              PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

It's BALLET season again!

Did I ever mention how much I love ballet?  How much I wanted to take dance lessons as a child but my mother kept telling my my legs were too thick and I was too short!  

So I got the piano lessons instead - which wasn't all bad.  I love the piano also and lessons taught me concentration, memorization skills, and how to practice, practice, practice and patiently wait for the results. 

In fact, I was the only one of my brothers and sisters who didn't quickly tire of their lessons - whether dance (my TALL with thin legs sister hated it) or piano.  So my mother gave me the family piano and then many years later as an adult, when I loaned my youngest sister the piano for her daughter to take lessons while my hubby and I remodeled our home, my mother gave away my piano.  I'm still in shock and pain over that one....  oh well, with all I learned from piano lessons I was able to graduate from college with a master's degree and now make enough money to buy whatever damn piano I could ever want!

Oh, but I digress, Carmina Burana opens this Friday, Oct 29th I have like really up-close seats for the hubby and I  can't wait!

 I took a friend to see a ballet rehearsal last week.  Imagine sitting on folding chairs about 3feet from real live ballet dancers whose sweat and pain you can see in their muscles and faces as they practice, and practice and practice until the get the perfect results!  What dedication those artists have for their craft.  They could all just be sitting at home watching TV but instead they choose to dedicate themselves to give some beauty to people like me who have too thick and too short of legs to ever be good dancers but who dream and live that beauty they create.

Be brave, be grateful and go buy some ballet tickets this season!  I suggest if you are a first timer - be sure to go to Sleeping Beauty in Feb of 2011.  That one is both fun and beautiful and a good way to break into Ballet. Do it - you owe it to yourself and these fine artists!

Picture Time!

Grandson on the left!

And grand-niece on the right.

Born within a week of each
other.

Am I lucky or what!

Fratelli's Ristorante 9300 So. 1000 East

Just one thing to say - Wow! Loved it, Loved it. (Thank Amy for the head's up on this one). But save room for desert - hazelnut Gelato! lemon Gelato! (you actually get 3 scoops of your choice). A very pleasant restaurant that made me believe I was back in Italy...

I had to add a copy of the poem I was assigned to write for my 7 year old niece, Karmen so she can read it again. She gives me (the teacher) homework assignments, you see. After all, she did write me a book about my cats that I begged her to write!
So my first poem back to her was:

I have a young niece named Karmen,
Who's sweater she couldn't get her arm in.
She struggled and pulled
and she yanked and rolled
So we now put a sock on her arm to keep warm in!

Karmen said I got an A+ on this one - so there you have it! I must be teacher's pet!

Yeah, I know, I'll stick with the science job thingy.

bracelets made from wedding announcement

As I promised, here are the five bracelets I made from a wedding announcement.

They really are beautiful and I hope the recipients love them as much as I do!

If you read the earlier blog about these, the wedding colors are light gray, eggplant purple and silver. The paper beads are the tube beads, the brides have her name and her new husbands name on a bead. The purple I found to go with them as satin string beads.

Put a few silver and AB swarovski with them and TA DA.

Now a life time keepsake.

P.S. for fun, try the blog: catalogliving.net What a hoot. someone takes catalog pictures and then writes lines about them as if it were a couple talking about their daily lives. A quick fun read! - see my link on the left or just type in your address line: catalogliving.net Thanks Amy for the info on this blog! love it!

Too many decisions - Life isn't easy!

I just received the 3rd book in the Hunger Games series today in the mail, "Mockingjay". This is a very popular book at the junior high I work at so I have to read it - plus I liked the first two in the series so... no problem, right? Not quite!

I also received in the same box, the 3rd book in the Dragon Tattoo series, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest". Now I REALLY like that series and can not wait to read the 3rd and final! But, hold on, it is still not that easy...

I also downloaded "The Secrets Monkey Island special edition (1 and 2) to my ipod touch! I started playing these games back in the early 90's and passed them on to my nieces and nephews and am so thrilled they have been re-worked and up-dated to be glorious in detail so I can see them so well on my little Ipod Touch screen that I just can't believe it.

I have worked months on the puzzles in the past. I have dreamed of playing these games again. If you are not familiar with them, you really need to try them. Lucas Arts! App download for less than $10.00 each - best entertainment around.

BUT WHICH SHALL I DO FIRST? WHERE DO I START?

Oh and school started again - yes, I had to set up rolls and emails and wash and press clothes and go to bed EARLY and all that but only so I could read a bit and then play a bit of a game before bed.

Life is just not as easy as it once was. Too many choices.

Remember when there were only 3 TV channels - and one was junk like Eugene Gelesnik talent showcase!

And yes, I am almost done with the wedding bracelets - which really have to be done before all the other fun stuff. But I think I'll get "Mockingjay" out of the way - easy read. Start "Kicked the Hornet Nest" and play "Monkey Island" one half hour before bed to "get my eyes tired"!

Sounds good, huh

"Terry dear, can you please do the laundry, vacuum and fix dinner tonight? I'm way busy! - with work and all!"

Wedding announcement paper bead bracelets! and other blurbs

I got a call out of the blue from a customer who would like bracelets made for a bride, her bridesmaids, her mother and soon to be mother-in-law. The bracelets are to have beads made from the wedding announcement. Colors are a very soft gray and aubergine purple. The bride will have paper beads with her and new hubby's name on them and the other women just get the edge of the paper where a silver streak will zip across the bead. I found some gorgeous purple satin string wrapped beads along with some small silver seed beads to go with them. The above picture is of the ingredients so far! Come back in a few weeks and I'll post pictures of the finished products!

And yes, new grandson is now 11lb 8 oz. If I can ever get over this nasty cough and stuffed nose, I'll go kiss his little cheeks! He is such a sweet, happy baby!

School has started again! and I have the 3rd book in the "Hunger Games" trilogy coming any day now - a real favorite of my junior high students! Planning is started for a trip to Scotland and No. England for probably July or Aug of 2012! So life is good.

As far as my IIH condition (I refuse to call it a disease - see:www.ihrfoundation.org), after a brain MRI this summer, I definitely have an "empty sella" and "dilated optic nerve sheathes". But at least I am not dripping CSF fluid and my headaches seem to be under control at the moment so we are making some progress. I will have 20 lbs off by Jan. 1, 2011 or else! Check back on my progress there also.

I'm a Grandma! finally! ok, step grandma, but I'll take whatever I can get!

My stepson's wife just had their baby this morning. A 9 lb. 14 oz., 22 inch long baby boy named Parker Hub Wright.
Mom had to go Cesarean Section but seems to be doing OK.
I'll get to see her and baby in a few days, I hope.
The new Dad says little Parker Hub is blonde.
If you know Cody, the dad, that's a real duh... Cody has nearly white hair
and his wife is dish-water blonde -
so no dark hair, dark eyes like Grandma Brenda.
Oh, well. I can still spoil him crazy!

Just a thought on "use-it-or-lose-it"

Yeah, I'm getting older. I don't mind it really, in fact it would be funner if I didn't hurt so much whenever I try anything.
Case in point: My shoulder has been giving me trouble for about a year and a half. It really got bad this last spring so I thought with all my scientific wisdom, I said; "I'll just try not to use it as much as possible until it heals". Sounds good right? WRONG. Don't do it. By end of June, I could barely move my arm at all. No motion whatsoever. No overhead movement so I couldn't even shave my armpit. Now that is the pits! Couldn't touch my back, couldn't comb the top of my head when the blow dryer was in the other hand. Great! So off to the doctor and to the physical therapist. I now do exercises twice a day, ice my shoulder and finally I can lift it once again, can't touch my back much yet, but I'm getting there. (My niece is a physical therapist and I think I must now tell her publicly how much I respect her occupation!)
Then I found an old book I've had for years, a book of stories and poems on old age called, "When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple". Are you familiar with this?
Here are a couple of my favorite poems from the book

A Place for Mother by Joanne Seltzer

PRELIMINARY ADVICE
Remember how you once went shopping
for the right nursery school
and when the teacher asked you
if your child was toilet trained
you lied and said she was.

Use the same strategy
in shopping for a nursing home.

Later - when you are told
of Mother's incontinence -
you will clench your fist and shout:
"What have you done to my mother?"


MORE ADVICE
Have a daughter-to-mother talk.
Ask her what she wants.
If she doesn't know
ask her if she's happy.
She will either say
she doesn't know
or she will be silent.
Tell her how much you love her.
Promise you won't forsake her.

To top it off, why not have a necklace made for her with your words on paper made into beads for her to wear, or even better: vice versa, have your Mother write something for you and have that to keep to remember her forever.... just a thought -
see www.bowenwright.com for ideas!
email me at: bbwright98@hotmail.com

Don't read the book, "Stuff" unless you have time to clean!

I just finished the book, "Stuff, compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things". I read it in two days - very, very interesting. Case studies of people with hoarding problems of all kinds were discussed, then how they were treated (if they could be treated), and what might have started their hoarding. But what it did to me was make me feel guilty. I don't form deep bonds with stuff but I do get lazy and defer sifting out unneeded stuff until I need the room or I'm re-modeling or something. But as I would read this book, I felt the need to get up and clean something out - like all my old saved letters and cards. Those of you who got some really old letters returned to you, I hope you can pass them on as historical treasures to your offspring. It's not that they didn't mean anything to me, it's that now they need to be returned and not simply destroyed like my closet full of useless cloth scraps. I'm just not going to make that quilt I always thought I would! (I didn't throw away ALL my scrap paper for making beads! but it is whittled down to a manageable size now!)

I'm still only doing special order paper bead necklaces as I take it easy this summer. I hate not being at the People's market and other fairs but I found that the heat really bothers my head and headaches so check out the links to pictures of necklaces I have made and see if there is something you need for all the ladies in your life to make them true RECYCLERS!

New info on Intracranial Hypertension

http://www.wix.com/ihbrainpain/race

For those of us held down from carrying the burden of a medical condition called "Intracranial Hypertension", here is a web-site for a big fund raiser going on in September for this disease. I would LOVE for a cure in my lifetime - I say, "No more CSF leaks", no more headaches!

Every day, women, men and increasingly, children, are
diagnosed with intracranial hypertension.
They suffer with this "invisible" illness,
and battle the pain, vision loss, as well
as devastating financial and emotional impact.
Most feel that they are alone in their struggle.
But they are not.

IH Awareness Month is a TIME FOR HOPE AND FOR ACTION.
And...it is only 3 months away! This September,
please join us and make your own
personal pledge to spread the word about
intracranial hypertension and the need for research
to find better treatments and a cure:
www.ihrfoundation.org   

Since now you know someone with it - ME!

I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Ireland because of new surgical techniques and new
drugs for my condition. I think there are many more out there who need to be
diagnosed and need treatment.  Thank you to my doctors for finally getting
me back to a working condition!
(See archived posts in Mar 2010 to view my CSF leak caused by IH).

New ideas for recycled paper pendants from Ireland!

So yes, I am home and ready to get back to work making necklaces from recycled paper. I searched Ireland high and low for ideas (and for fun). I have to practice a bit but I think I found the perfect idea for pendants that I can make from paper - St. Bridgids Cross (or as they say in Ireland: Cros Naomh Bhride). We'll see how that goes and get some sample pictures on the blog ASAP.
I think I need to open a little shop in Ireland and sell my beads, of course I'd have to live there year round - wouldn't that be heaven!
I have pictures I will post every now and again so as not to bore the readers but one of my favorite is a video I took of a 5 day old Falabella pony. This is the smallest breed in the world (from Argentina) but there was a little family of them at the Irish National Stud. This is a farm where world champion racing horses are kept and breed. It was an amazing place but I had to take the video of this little pony that was 8 lbs when it was born!
Here are some other beautiful pictures of Ireland:

last 2days in Ireland... no one has screens on windows because of too few bugs -is this the perfect place or what!

Hi from Derry, Ireland - also called Londonderry, All I can say is GORGEOUS!

this is live in the air heading for NYC-I'll update as I can! wahoo

Cancer Wellness House and Idle Chit Chat

On August 14, 2010, the Cancer Wellness House will present the 14th annual Survivors at the Summit. This inspiring event symbolizes the challenges individuals and families experience when faced with cancer.
I have just mailed two sets of necklace/earrings made from recycled paper and cloth scraps to donate for Prizes and Gear Giveaway for this years event. I gave necklaces last year and feel this is a really good experience for many of us out there who are or have been affected by cancer.
Check out: www.cancer-wellness.org and click on the "Register for Survivors at the Summit" to learn about the event and see if it is something you may be interested in being part of.

I've been very busy with spring cleaning - my back hurts, my shoulder aches, so I thought I ought to take a break and catch up with the old blog.
First, I cleaned out my arboretum (a fancy name for my closed in back porch in which I grow plants and carry out the messy part of bead making.) I try to bring in all my geraniums from outside every fall and then take them back out in the spring. Well, I think this is the last year for that. I have some geraniums that were at my wedding 29 years ago! I think that is remarkable but also borders on hoarding...
But they are a messy living thing, they drop leaves and then bugs and snails often hitch rides inside with them. I just decided this spring that I want the space to work in my covered porch this winter and the geraniums will just have to be bought new next year. I'm sorry for offending some recyclers... So here's a picture of the new, tidy workspace. (I still have to have some plants, for pete's sake - just not overrun by them.)

Next, take a look at my poppy's this year! Wow! The color is unbelievable. They don't last too long so you have to catch them at their peak and this is the weekend.
The last picture is of my wonderful daughter-in-law, Mel with my new grandson getting ready to be born. She is due the end of July! I can't wait. I also have a new grand-niece due the end of July, double bonus month!

But then Ireland is in 5 days, that will hopefully take my mind off
the impending births for a few days!

Trip to Ireland draws nearer!

School finishes on June 3rd this year and....
yes, I leave on June 5th for Ireland! Not many days now! I'm hoping the volcano in Iceland doesn't delay the arrival into Ireland, but I don't care if we can't leave and return to Utah for several weeks after expected return date, that would be such a shame to have to extend my stay!

We'll be flying into Dublin and start the trip from there - two glorious weeks touring Ireland. I have to plug the company doing this trip, the head planner is Ray Taggart from "Pixel Foto and Frame" on 90th south and State Street in Salt Lake City. He is a professional photographer so he takes groups all over the world about twice a year on these photography trips. They are "all inclusive" trips -all meals, all tours, all entertainment is included in the price which is great for some one going alone like me (husband won't go, says he hates flying for that long). I've done trips where we just winged it and found places to stay when we got to the cities, I've done trips on tours that left you half a day to yourselves to plan stuff to do, but I'm now at an age where I want someone else to do all the work. This trip has three meals a day, all the tours and evening entertainment! Like Ray says, "you just have to buy the souvenirs!"

I just want to wander and look and sketch (while other do photography) and have nothing to worry about. I'll report back on how great that was when I return.

"Pixel Foto and Frame" is now planning an October 2010 trip to China and Tibet. Last fall Ray took a group to Turkey and he's taken groups to Tanzania, Africa, just to name a few of the places. Maybe you are interested? Give them a call! I'm trying to get them to do Costa Rica before too much longer! Anyway, I'm excited and have started to pack my stuff up so maybe next blog will be the return report!
Slan go Foill (Bye for now)

It's my 13th year of extra life! Thank you doctors, researchers and donators!

For those who read this blog for info about paper beading... sorry, I beg you to suffer my indulgence. I'll get back into paper beading as soon as school is out and I'm back from my TRIP TO IRELAND! I feel the need to slow down and even stop to smell the roses.
Last weekend was a reflective time for me. I happened to be downtown and see the aftermath of the Susan G. Komen race for a cure event on Saturday. It made me stop and think for a moment; to feel the sunshine on my face and breathe the sweet air. And also to look at the love in my husband's eyes.
Thirteen years ago in May, I was doing radiation therapy for my own breast cancer fight. I had already undergone two surgeries - one to remove a lump in my breast and the second surgery to remove the lymph glands under my arm for analysis. I was a mass of scars and scabs and starting to get 2nd degree burns under my armpit from the radiation.
But I never doubted I would recover, really I never doubted it.
Then it was as if the universe decided I needed to be humbled and feel I too was vulnerable. So around a year or two later, I had a routine blood test that showed I had some problems with my blood count. The doctor said it could just be side effects from the radiation treatment and we'd just wait and take another test in a month to see how or if the blood tests changed.
That was one of the hardest months my husband and I went through, I mean as far as compared to the official breast cancer diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer everything went really fast - I found a lump, doctor saw me the next day, did a biopsy right then and there and then surgery within the week - no time really to sit and think about it. But now we had time to think. I got a bit more scared this time. We never told anyone, why have them worry until something was verified. We hardly talked about it ourselves, I could tell my husband was suffering but I didn't want to break down in front of him.
Finally another test and wonderful news - all was OK with my blood work.
Time went by and we got more and more able to go through a day without thinking about cancer.
Then the spring of 2006 my mother passed away. I finally had time to go to the doctor myself and ask him about a lump I could feel under the right side of my rib cage. He felt the lump and said it was about time I had a PET scan anyway. The PET scan can detect potential cancer spot with the use of radioactive isotopes in sugar. The girl doing the scan was strangely quiet after the scan which always scares me. A few days later the doctor says that I have a suspicious spot on my liver and I will need further tests.
The family had just barely watched my mother die from cancer that previous March. My Dad and siblings were still reeling from the shock. I was literally sick to my stomach and this time I cried on my husband's shoulder, I just broke down. He tried so hard to be brave and optimistic but the next couple of months were nearly our undoing. I can't even remember what other tests I had done, but the wait between results, the wait for the next appointment, the wait for the next results were torture.
I decided to go the 268 mile round-trip south to visit my Father for a few days over the 4th of July. Everyone met at Mom and Dad's for the 4th and I didn't want my Dad to feel lonely his first big event without my Mother even though I was going through my own drama. My Father developed a very bad cold on the 4th that quickly progressed to pneumonia and since I am a teacher, it was logical for me to stay and tend to him since I was out of school. Both my sisters who live near, had to work. But I had to leave in the middle of the crisis to go home and get the final results from my liver tests and my sisters gave me a semi-bad time for having to leave. I think I said I was getting a mammogram and the appointments were such a long wait. "I'd just go up to Salt Lake and be right back that same day."
I brushed death aside once again, all I have are some cysts on my liver, nothing malignant!
So here it is 2010 and I have survived well beyond what others diagnosed even 20 years before me where able to survive. The fear is always there, floating somewhere nearby, but because of people willing to donate money for research and because of researchers willing to work for a cure and come up with medicines like Tamoxifen and Femara, I am here today and am well and looking forward to another summer and the adventures it brings. I can't believe my luck but I don't take it for granted! Thank you to you all and your work to give me 13 more years!

I really, really appreciate it!
I think I'll go out and look at the rain one more time before I go to bed!

My Gosh How the Time Flies!

I only have to get up and go to work on 4 more Mondays. (Memorial Day there is no school). I don't know how many days of actual school that is, I refuse to count yet. Midterm report cards go out this Thursday!

I haven't decided what to do with the paper bead business yet this year. I need to rest and recuperate and so have not planned any fairs or festivals for the near future.

But I am leaving for Ireland on June 5th! I'm going with my friend from work. Her and her husband own Pixel's Foto and Frame on 90th South and State Street in Salt Lake City. They do tours all over the world, (Ray took a tour to Turkey last fall and next year they are during a China tour!) But this year is Ireland. The tour is really for people who love to take photographs since Ray is a professional photographer but I'm going along merely for the site-seeing and maybe a bit of sketching. I said that I'm just not really into "photografizing". But I'll take my little sharp shooter just in case. I'm so excited, I want to go sit out at the airport now!

I would like to put more necklaces on Ebay to sell, if you have a special order, I am still doing them - just email and let me know what you are looking for. I just am really enjoying reading books and doing some genealogy lately.
But I did just make a gorgeous green lanyard for a co-worker out of beads from a Mother's Day poem book from the 1970's that I picked up at the D.I.
And I do need to say a special welcome to the family to my grand-niece's new lizard, "welcome Lizzy!"

I'm BACK! I no longer leak CSF fluid!

I'm home re-cooping from surgery at the U of U. (Love that hospital, they are soooo professional and efficient and knowledgeable and... most of all they seemed to have fixed me!)

Other than feeling like I was kicked in the face by a horse, I'm doing great.

Even my teeth hurt, along with a headache, nose stuffed full of who knows what, and no sense of smell what-so-ever.

Believe it or not I can handle all the pains and no smell power as long as I no longer drip.

SO...

Hopefully I can get some jewelry back on Ebay and Etsy in a few days and get my inventory down to a manageable level.

Look for some OUTSTANDING sale prices!

I'm not going to do any fairs or festivals this year.

I will only be selling on-line or from my home to help preserve my health.

I need to teach school at least one more year to make sure the Obama Health plan is up and fully functioning!

Can you believe I just may be able to retire now and actually purchase health insurance - it is unbelievable,

I am SO HAPPY!

Teachers (at least here in my area) no longer get health insurance when they retire yet we have a 30 year retirement plan.

I have 29 years in the system but with no health insurance and 8 years to go before any possible hope of Medicare,

I knew I was doomed.

What company, given the option, what provide health care insurance for a breast cancer survivor with chronic CSF leaks?

Who?

No matter what the cost!

(Which I do have limits on how much I can pay each month!)

So, I for one am so happy with the new health care plan that I just have to keep watching the news like it must be some joke!

I pay for roads I never drive on.

I pay for education for children I never conceived or reared.

So,

I thank all those who will pay into the larger insurance fund even though they may never need the insurance monies themselves so that people like me can have some peace of mind in my senior years and get some help with obtaining insurance

(not GIVING me free insurance - just helping ensure that I can purchase some!)

THANKS.

I need surgery. See my CSF leak

I'm bored, anxious, nervous, and getting stir crazy waiting for surgery. So I took a video of my leaking nose. It does this 24/7 ! I'm saturated with CSF fluid. I often feel like I am drowning. I suck it into my lungs at night while I try and sleep - my lungs burn.
I will get more confirmation on surgery date today but it looks like the 10th or 17th of March depending on scheduling of a little boy with a tumor.
One worry, doctor says if my brain dries out too much, (CSF cushion is too little) my brain could sag into my spinal column and that is NOT GOOD! Meningitis is also a risk but really not such a big of risk. So I stay semi-vertical as much as possible and drink a ton of liquids! I'll get back to beading and teaching when this major inconvenience is finally eliminated! Someone! Find a cure, Please! for Intracranial Hypertension! All my science students, past and present - this is a call for action!

Good news! Bad news. More bad news?

let's see which first - ok, bad news first..... My nose is definitely dripping CSF fluid again. I just got back from the doctor a few minutes ago. It looks like surgery again but the doctor is anxious to try and "in and out" procedure where I won't have to stay in the hospital so long. He will call in a few days with all his research done and finalized to tell me what and when to do this. It is not as obvious where the hole is this time so a bit of glowing dye in the CSF fluid will need to be used - yuck, why me?

Ok, now the good news. I'm going to be a grandmother! I can't believe it! FINALLY. My daughter-in-law just surprised me with the news yesterday. She is due July 22nd. We don't know yet if it will be a boy or girl but I can't wait for either one! This is Cody my step-son, but I raised this kid so his child WILL BE my grandchild!

Ok, now more bad new. We had another fire bomb on our front porch last Wednesday. I called 911 this time! The fire trucks, cops and all. It turned out to be a bomb made of Drano and wood chips wrapped in aluminum foil. There is a chemical reaction with the drano and foil that starts the wood on fire. This time we had quite the burn left on the rug in front of our door. Thank goodness this one was not on the vinyl decking! But who in the world hates me this much?

But, I'm going to be a Grandmother! That beats all! Thanks Mel and Cody!

It's February and the Dang Groundhog Saw His Shadow!

So far this week, I've been to a Yoga session (my sternum hurts. What's with that?).

Some prankster (I hope it is just a prank) left an large aluminum foil wrapped something with a burning top on our front porch. It scorched our vinyl decking a bit. That totally freaked me out and I couldn't sleep much that night.

My hubby got ahold of the police but they didn't seem that impressed or interested. What's with that? They never even told us what was inside the foil - we were afraid to look, not knowing what to expect!

I've had a weird cold that seems to be going around, headache, sinus congestion and super tired - just want to sleep, sleep, sleep! What's with that?

Oh well - Harley-Davidson recycled paper beads are selling like hotcakes the last couple of weeks. I've got to get more made!

A new list of items are on Ebay so check them out. Here is a link to one item. Go to the upper right "info" square and click on "other items for sale" to see all up for auction this week. There are some super good deals!

Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Recycled-Paper-Bead-Necklace-Earrings-Taupe-Turquoise_W0QQitemZ370330864686QQcmdZViewItemQQptZHandcrafted_Artisan_Jewelry?hash=item5639708c2e

Don't forget Valentine's Day - there is still time for a special order or two!

February is the Hardest Month for me - how about you?

January has been so hard and we still have all of February to go!
AND at least there will be a wonderful holiday in February. And of course we must go Green at Valentines! Check out my latest items up for auction on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Paper-Bead-Necklace-Set-Harley-Motorclothes-Mag-copper_W0QQitemZ370327334021QQcmdZViewItemQQptZHandcrafted_Artisan_Jewelry?hash=item56393aac85

Paste the above address onto your browser. Then when the ebay page comes up, look on the upper right corner "Seller Info" click on "see other items" to see all I have at super discounted prices this week!

Or in the Ebay search line just put in: paper beads harley - that will get you started.
There's some red in the list this week!

There is also my Etsy store site. Check it out! No auction, just buy-it-now, no waiting! see the link on the right side of this blogsite.

Back on Ebay by popular demand!

I'm back on Ebay with auction selling. I haven't re-opened a store, thought I'd just go for some auction selling for a while.
Check out the new LOW prices!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Recycled-Paper-Bead-Necklace-Earrings-Harley-HOG-pages_W0QQitemZ370323509290QQcmdZViewItemQQptZHandcrafted_Artisan_Jewelry?hash=item563900502a

just hit the link on the right side that says "see more items for sale" or something like that and you can see all the inventory I have on ebay right now.

OR

just enter: "Recycled Paper jewelry" in the search line and up will pop my stuff.
Thanks for your wonderful interest.

Selling only on www.Etsy.com now - check it out!

I've given up my store on Ebay - too expensive. Etsy is so much better. It is more like shopping in a real store but you don't have to get out of your jammies and slippers!
You can still pay with Paypal for all of you who have an account with them. Or - send me an email (bbwright98@hotmail.com) and tell me which necklace (or whatever) you like and I'll set it aside and you can send me a check or money order!
Don't forget - Special orders are still my favorites! If you have an idea, email and we'll work it out if at all possible.
And may I ask.... "How much longer until the LIVE GREEN FAIR?" That is my next planned booth out in the real world. It is usually around the second week in May. Can I make it that long? I plan on having bounties of recycled envelope, comic papers, and junk mail jewelry. They are the meat and potatoes of my business.
But... stay tuned for more discarded Disney book beads, discarded Bible pages beads and old calendar beads. And some really cool and colorful scrap cloth beads! I have been out scrounging for material and have a lot of new ideas so hang in through Winter, we can make it!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bowenwright