My little butter cup......

We watched "The Three Amigos" the other night and I have that song stuck in my head!!!! So while I was listing this sweet lemon quartz ring, I thought it should be named as such.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43899551

I adore this powder blue adventurine bramble ring! I have been playing with bezel designs :)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43900098

My last fabulous piece of high dome larimar.....

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43900708

And I was finally able to list the picture jasper necklace....

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43901306

Chris made supper tonight while I continued working. We had lightly blackened swordfish with home made mango salsa, brown rice, and sauteed zucchini. It is superdelicious!Will and Danny are in nasty moods. Anymore bologna outta either one of them and I am putting MYSELF to bed! HA! That'll teach 'em..........

***************************edit**************************

I forgot to mention that the following 2 rings are back in my shop as made to order in your size!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43808220

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43905645

okay... that's all folks!

Lisa & the Rugged Old Cross

Chris and I were riding home from Alpha last night and we got on the subject of praying to be relieved of frustration in attempting a specific task. Chris was trying to get a board to snap in at work yesterday. He tried a million times and was growing EXTREMELY frustrated. If this board did not do what Chris wanted it to do, it would mean he would have to rip up almost an entire floor. He prayed for God to help him ease his frustration and he was able to get the board in place. Now, don't get me wrong..... it does not always work out that well. After Chris told me about his day, I was reminded about a very similar problem I have every single time I make a "Rugged Old Cross" ring .......

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43210455

I have made quite a few of these rings on and off Etsy. They are quite popular. I will tell you EVERY single time I am ready to solder the horizontal piece of the cross, the heat kicks it out of place at least 3-5 times. I start having a little fit. I remember to pray for patience. I always remember to pray when I make this ring. When I get frustrated while making other things, I often forget to pray. Crazy huh? Anyway after I pray and take a few breaths I successfully solder the cross in place. I can safely say that I have prayed during the fabrication of every Rugged Old Cross ring. Chris thinks it's a great story and I should add to the item description...
"made with tender, loving prayer". I thought that was WAY to corny.

I made a Rugged Old Cross ring on Saturday. I was flaring the top and bottom and I was apparently using the wrong punch and I got in incredibly stuck....

Will and I tried playing tug of war with it, I tried liquid soap, cut up the length of my pointed finger trying to muscle it off. I finally gave it a bang with a hammer and I was finally free. I thought I may warp it, but it was okay.

(if you are reading this, that is your ring Amy)

Oh my goodness!!!!! No joke, I just looked at my computer mouse and there is still blood all over it from my battle with the cross. Eww.

Such rustic taste

It is POURING outside this morning. It is supposed to rain for the next couple of days. It is so easy to sleep in on days like today (if you have that luxury, which I did this morning). I did intend to get up at 6:30am with the boys, but Chris did instead. I need to work out, package and ship orders, run to the pharmacy to pick up a couple of things..... one being hair color, color my hair (roots), and get to work in the studio. I have Alpha tonight at church. I always look forward to it no matter what kind of day I have had or what kind of mood I am in. There is nothing like helping others and seeing some of them learn and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour. That just beats all.

I did work all day Saturday in the studio. Chris went kayaking on the North Branch of the Contoocook River.

Like I said, it is pouring outside, so I had to take a quick picture of this. I would love to list it in my shop today. Maybe if the rain lets up a bit....... I need to revisit the light box.

These horseshoe bar dangles are a surprise birthday gift for a wonderful lady at Alpha. She has many horses :)

Okay. I must gulp down the rest of my coffee and get off my bum!

Easter color!

Two posts in one day...... can you stand it?!



I have had these two rectangle charoite stones for awhile. Purple jelly beans and Easter inspired me to use them both in these two wonderful everyday, easy-to-wear rings.




http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43545764

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43546527

Protein on a budget

Crock pot Turkey Chili


Here is another protein packed crock pot recipe. There is a lot of sodium in all of these cans, so if you want to cut out the sodium, try and find "low sodium" options or dried beans that you soak and prepare yourself before making your chili.

Ingredients

2 lbs 93% lean ground turkey

1 large sweet onion

2 15oz cans great northern beans

2 15oz cans kidney beans

2 10oz cans tomato soup

1 10oz can diced tomatoes & green chilis

1 8oz can tomato sauce

2 tsp taco seasoning

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

~ Brown turkey and drain

~combine turkey with all the other ingredients (drain all the beans) in a large crock pot

~cook 6-8 hours on low heat

~add cheese/sour cream if desired *I just add a few dashes of Louisiana hot sauce and eat!!

Makes 12 servings

Fat 5.8g

carbs 38.8g

calories 300

protein 26g

ENJOY!!

Straight from the horses mouth....

Hey Y'all

I thought about not blogging any longer, but I think I am going to give it more thought. I feel like I have lost my "want to". We'll see. Most of the time thoughts like this are short lived.

I am doing well. As well as can be expected. We are all settled into our "normal" roles here at home and unfortunately that includes Danny & Chris' explosive relationship. I was hoping that the time they had apart this winter would help. It didn't. I am not sure what we are going to do, but something has to be done. Danny slept at my parents last night and my Dad brought him to school this morning because he was so angry/upset etc. Somethings gotta give. I am not going to go in depth about this because it doesn't feel right to do that here. Normally I don't hold back on my blog, but I have a feeling that somethings are not meant to be aired in this forum. So PRAYERS are appreciated!

Chris has not started work as of yet. I think it will be 2-3 more weeks. We are about 3 weeks behind on bills, so that is a constant stressor. I will keep moving forward and keep the faith. Needless to say I will be having sales incentives in my shop for quite a while longer, I just have to.
I have Alpha tonight, thank goodness. I am looking forward to it. There is nothing like helping others to get out of your own head.

My desperation is your opportunity!

gosh that sounds depressing, but I am not depressed. It is what it is and it will be like this for a while longer.

There is A LOT going on at home right not (nothing to worry about) so I will not be blogging until next week. See you then!!

new vines & brambles

I adore my vine posts! I feel as if I am single handed attempting to brand large posts back into style. Personally, I think these in particular are timeless......

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42650926



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42651493



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42651920

I have a house FULL of teenage boys. I gotta go! Have a wonderful evening!!!!

not much to report

I have not racked up very much studio work time this week. It is much more fun hanging out with Chris. I do need to finish some new vine posts and one large bramble ring I started on Wednesday. Tomorrow I believe I will dive into our 2009 taxes. Hopefully it won't take the entire day, it usually does. Anyway.... not to much to report. Will is home "sick" this morning. Chris got up with the boys and Will pulled one over on him. I would have shoved an Advil down his throat and punted him to school. William is famous for faking sick. Usually Chris would not fall for such a stunt, but he kind of the "new guy" around here :)
I hope you all have a terrific weekend.

Oh Happy Day.......

My dryer is FIXED! Chris was home a mere 32 hours and he diagnosed the problem with out dryer, researched where to pick up a new heating element and installed in the same day. My dryer is now working beautifully! No more schlepping baskets of wet clothes to the laundromat like I have done ALL WINTER LONG. Having another grown up around the house took a couple of days to get used to. Someone actually talked back when I said things (yes, I do talk to myself all the time). Last night Chris made me (and him) sushi. It was scrumptious. He will be making more tonight :)

I like to eat with my fingers........ Chris INSISTED I be more civilized and eat with chop sticks.
He is currently at the chiropractor. His back is outta wack again. It's hell gettin' old, ain't it honey bun??

I have 2 new simple and sweet rings to list in the shop today. I love 'em both. Sometimes I want to go crazy and get really fancy just to see if I can do it. I always go right back to what I love...... simple, rustic, pretty, pretty jewelry.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42423549

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42424213

Needless to say, my emotional state has held steady for the past 2 weeks. Much less up and down roller coaster days. Nice gradual waves are okay by me. The financial stuff does not paralyze me quite as much when Chris is with me. I feel more grounded and less alone in this. I am so glad I have another person to live life with me and go through all of the lovely and difficult parts of life on this earth.

Guess who's coming home?????

YES! Chris has probably left South Carolina by now heading north to home. We made a decision last week that it has been long enough. We have been praying for guidance for the past month about this decision and neither of us really felt moved to a decision. I was risky, but we believe God will take care of us. As soon as we made this leap of faith, Chris received 2 calls for work here at home. He had not heard a peep about work here in New Hampshire for 3 months. As soon as we made a decision, and put our trust in the Lord, He did not make us wait. He provided promptly. I just love it when He does that. I am a grateful woman. So, my man should be home around 1am.

I had a great time at my mom's last night. We went over for dinner and birthday cake. Oh my, this is the Fossil purse Ma gave me. It is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. She has fabulous taste and loves to buy me purses.

I have a lot to do today, so I better get moving!

xoxo

THE WINNER IS.........................

Wynd Fyre Designs

Congratulations! Please email me (click the "email" button on the right side of the page) your address and the letters you would like on your heart.

I am dog tired of being DESPERATE!

but it is what it is and I need to do everything I can to help my family..........

so, play it again Sam.

BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!

I have a March birthday, so I thought I would have a give away. It has been awhile since the last one. Just post a comment and I will add your name to the list of potential winners. If you purchase an item from my shop, let me know, that will be 10 more entries! I will draw the winner on Friday March 5.

*this bracelet will be personalized with up to 3 lowercase letters of your choice*