Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Thanksgiving And Loss

This has been a hard year, wait hard doesn't begin to define our year. I think my Daughter summed it up pretty well a couple of weeks ago when she angrily spouted, "I thought 13 would be my lucky year! It hasn't been! It's been the worst year EVER!" Dramatic, not really, you see I had just told her that her Great Grandfather, my Gramps, passed that morning at 10:23. This was October 29th just prior to her favorite holiday, Halloween. How ironic that this year the kid chose to be Queen Mab, who is sometimes seen in literature as the Queen of Darkness. It's been dark alright. The loss of my Gramps was made even more difficult for us to bear because it came on the tails of loosing his favorite pie baker, my Mom. Gramps was in his 90's, my Mom only 67. After having been told just a few weeks earlier that she was cancer free, a second sarcoma was found the day after Mother's Day. My Mom fought bravely to overcome that second sarcoma, but she lost the battle to cancer in June. Is that the end of our yearly losses, of course not. Things happen in 3's don't they!? A week ago today my Husband came home and announced that he just been laid off. Scared doesn't begin to describe having to go through unemployed with the Hubs for the third time in seven years.

So where am I at today, on a day of thanksgiving, after such a tumultuous last five months? I am at peace. The wonderful things that have been happening have been sadly overshadowed by all the pain, but they are there and I'm embracing them. In October my Brother tied the knot with an incredible Woman. It was a wonderful celebration with family, old friends and new friends. In addition to an awesome Sister In Law, I've been blessed with two darling Nieces close to my Daughter's age and an adorable baby Nephew who's still not too busy to snuggle. I scored! My glass has been keeping me extremely busy and all that work has begun to become fruitful. I'm excited that we've only begun this year's holiday season! Funerals and visitations are hard and painful, but they're also a place where people reconnect. I'm grateful for the friends and family that I was able to reconnect with in these last months. Though jobless is a nightmare, so is a job that was constantly stressful. The hubs is choosing to create opportunities for himself in the job world and I applaud his efforts. This will turn into a job that he is energized by, not drained by! My Princess is growing into a brilliant, talented, beautiful teen who I'm very excited to watch become her own person. She's become a driven student, actor, singer and pie baker who is just bursting with potential. The kid may have chosen to be Queen Mab "a fairy of darkness" for Halloween, but Mab was also said to be a fairy who brings dreams to people. We're going to continue our journey with that version of Queen Mab close to us. Let the dreams begin!

Stuffing!

Years ago when I began making Thanksgiving Dinner at our house I decided to do my own version of my Mom/Grandma's stuffing, basically because I couldn't stick my hand into a turkey without gagging. I also did not want one more thing fighting for oven space, hence crock pot utilization! It's now the go-to stuffing recipe on both my and my Husband's side of the family. :)

Crock Pot Stuffing
1 box of Chicken Stove Top mix
1 bag of stuffing bread cubes, seasoned or unseasoned your choice
1 1/2c raisins
2T dry onion flakes
2 cans of Swanson low sodium chicken broth

* Make the Stove Top as directed on the box
* In a VERY large bowl stir the Stove Top into all of the other ingredients and mix well
* Gently scoop ingredients into your crock pot and cook on low for 1-2 hours
* Stir in small amounts of water if it seems to be drying out
* Serve, but don't worry if you're bowl isn't as cool as our CORN BOWL

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Swanson Broth.”

Wordless Wednesday

Whew!

I'm working like a lunatic on all the inventory that I need to begin delivering on 9/1. I can't believe that the Summer is nearly over and the Princess goes back to school in two weeks. Unfortunately this Summer one of the galleries that carried my glass closed so that the artist could focus on her work, but how exciting that I've added three more galleries to the list that carry PickleBerries glass! I'll be taking part in three seasonal boutiques here in Minnesota that begin in September and of course my glass is also in a few more that don't begin until October and November. I don't do many shows, but I'm thrilled to be a part of a carefully chosen few. Mid-September will find me hanging out for four days at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis, MN for The Creative Connection's Handmade Market. Mid-December will find me back at one of my favorite shows, The Minnesota Women's Art Festival. I may, or may not, add more shows, we'll see how things progress! You're welcome to pop over to my website to see where PickleBerries glass can be found.

Voted?

Please feel free to vote for my millefiori earrings on Etsy Voter. I can use some help from my friends. :) I've now dropped to 18th place! http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=88

Etsy Voter!

My daily blog update on Etsy Voter... My green and white millefiori fused glass earrings are in the top eight right now out of 40 pieces. I'd really appreciate some voting love. :)

Custom!

This is the dish that a very good customer of mine commissioned. The dish is a gift and she wanted these specific colors to match other things in the room where it will be displayed. We were both pretty happy with the way it turned out. I hope the recipient feels the same way!

PickleBerries On You Tube!

My millefiori fused glass is now on You Tube! http://www.youtube.com/user/pickleberriesglass My monster of a 12 year old was kind enough to say, "A sideshow making a slide show. Way to go Mom!" Yes, high praise from the peanut gallery. :)