New Favorite Recipe - Lasagna

I wanted to share with you one of my most favorite recipes right now.  It is crockpot Lasagna.  It is super easy to fix and is delish!

You will need:
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 box of lasagna noodles, uncooked
8 oz. of sour cream
8 oz. of ricotta cheese
1 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
1/3 cup water

Add spaghetti sauce to cooked ground beef.  Put lasagna noodles, uncooked into bottom of crockpot.  Mix together egg, Ricotta cheese, and sour cream.  Layer on top of noodles.  Next layer with ground beef mixture.  Sprinkle cheese over top.  Repeat layers.  Pour water around edges.  Cook on high for about 1 hour and then turn down to low until ready to eat. 

I promise you that you will love this recipe!

November 11th & 12th

November 11th - I am thankful for all the men and women who served so that we might be free.  Happy Veterans Day!

November 12th - I am thankful that I was able to know my uncle, Trevor Dalton.  He passed away with cancer a year ago today and I have thought about him often.  May he RIP!

November 9th & 10th

November 9th - Today I am thankful for the area in the state where I live.  We live in a wonderful place where it is only a short drive to the mountains or the beach and we have all 4 seasons!

November 10th - Today I am thankful for hair color!

This week:

Have you gotten used to the new time change yet?  I haven't!  I was up at 6:30 this morning and then I was ready to call somebody by 7:30 and realized that it was way to early.  I am normally not even out of the bed to see 7:00am!

While we are all getting ready for the new change, there is a lot going on this week at the shop. On Tuesday from 6:00-8:00 I will be teaching the Easy Rivoli Filigree Earring class.  This is a great beginners class and is great for anyone wanting to get started in Filigree.  This class is $12.00 and includes all of your supplies.

On Thursday from 6:00-8:00 I will be teaching the Wire Wrapped Ring Class. This class is $28.00 and includes all of your supplies.  This is a basic beginners ring class.

And finally on Saturday Pauline will be teaching the Treasure Bracelet Class. This is a fantastic new technique class!  It is a lot of fun and you can make a unique and eclectic bracelet in no time at all. This class is $10.00 plus the cost of your kit.

November 7th & 8th

November 7th - I am thankful for the extra hour of sleep that I got last night.

November 8th - I am thankful for the life that God has given me.

I was looking on itunes this week and they had the Sound of Music Soundtrack.  One of my favorite songs on the soundtrack is Edelweiss.  I started doing research and found that Edelweiss is actually is a neat looking flower.  Check it out!

November 6th

Today I am thankful for a warm coat.  We have had the coldest morning I think we have had so far this season and it is COLD!  I am also thankful for a car that has heat!

November 5th

Today i am thankful for sunrises!



November 4th

I am so thankful that on this day each year I get to go with my dad to do something that he really enjoys....going to the Sign and Graphics Show in Charlotte.  This is an industry show that we go to each year to see what is the newest hottest things in signs and printwear.  Its always a good time because we always see the neatest things.  This year the big thing was right up my ally....bling.  Bling was everywhere in the form of softwear that you created templates with and then used rhinestones to fill in the template and put on apparel.  I bought some wonderful Christmas Bling to put on shirts so we will see how it goes.

November 3rd

Today's thankful thing ties in with yesterdays.  I am so thankful that we have the privilege to make change happen.  The peoples voices were heard yesterday and now we have 3 new County Commissioners who I think will do a fantastic job and the best part is NO MORE NANCY P!

November 2nd

I am thankful today that I have the freedom and right to go out and vote.  I went first thing this morning and voted and it was wonderful.  I have reminded people all day to go out and vote because it could mean or loss or win for some folks.  If you havn't voted yet the poles are open until 7:30 so get in the car and go!

30 Days of thanks!

November 1st - I am ever so thankful for two Christan Parents, Kay and Mike Dalton, who taught me the importance of faith and church and giving me the best growing up experience that they could possibly give me. Thank you mom and dad!

Happy November!

Can you believe that it is already November 1st?  This year has flown by! It is 8 weeks until Christmas and we all are going to be busy busy.  Knowing this, I took Jesus and Joyce Meyers advice and I took yesterday and rested and only did things that I enjoyed that I didn't get to do the rest of the week.  I went to church then came home, put my jammies on, read, took a nap, watched a little TV, and then Sammy and I went and visited his grandmother and aunt.  It was quite refreshing and I didn't go to my bead table not even once!  But today is a new day and I am ready to get back to it!  I am working on trying to get the order done for the week and I hope to get a new video done for the website this week.  This week's video is going to be on spiral stitch.  Once this weeks video is posted then i am going to take two weeks off from the technique series and do a video on flat celini and a video on an oval ring that I did a few years ago.  So be sure and be on the look out for these great videos!

We have two great classes coming up this week.  If you haven't seen Novembers Bead Class schedule yet you need to check it out at http://www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com/ . We have lots of great classes for this month and all the classes are easy projects that would make great gifts.  On Tuesday of this week I am going to be teaching Time Capsule Earrings from 6-8. This class is $15.00 and includes all of your supplies.

On Saturday November 6th I will be teaching the Sparkly Beaded Bead Bracelet from 10-1.  The cost of this class is $25.00 and includes all of your supplies. This is a great class but a little more advanced so you will want to make sure that you have stitching experience before taking this class.

We got in the new Bead and Button Magazine this week.  It is an amazing issue that has some wonderful projects in it.  It has an awesome Christmas Ornament Pattern in it that would make a fantastic gift.  We only have a few copies left so be sure and stop in to get your issue today.  While your there be sure to check out our new Ceramic Christmas Beads that are so great this year!  I hope each of you have a great week.

Death

This week has been a hard week for some of us in the beading community.  Jo Harrison who owned Horsefeathers in SC passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday.  It's hard to put into words how much Jo meant to me.  Jo was not only a friend but she was my mentor.  The lord put our paths together only for a few months but I will always cherish those few months!  I clicked with Jo and our relationship was easy. I was able to talk to her about things that I couldn't talk about with anyone else.  We were both in the same business so we talked a lot about that and we found ways to solve problems with our stores.  At the shop everyone always comes to me with their beading questions and problems and it was nice to finally have someone that I could go and ask and talk to.  My sense of loss is undescrible but I will always cherish the lessons I learned from Jo.  She taught me not only how to run my business better but she taught me how to work with wire and be confident at it.  The last project we worked on together was a beautiful wire ring where we made prongs and set a stone in it.  She taught me how to properly do the prongs and how to measure for them.  I had asked her to teach the class for me in November at the store and she was looking forward to it.  I am going to practice the ring some more and teach a class on it at a later date.  I will not teach it half as good as she could but I want the world to learn this last wonderful technique that my dear friend taught me.  I am coping with Jo's death the best way I know how....by beading.  I am working on a project idea that will be my memorial to her.  This project will probably take me weeks or months to finish and it will never be ask good as I want it to be but I hope this will help me to say goodbye.  I will be posting pictures on here as I progress so that you can see this wonderful piece that I will put up at the shop as a memorial to her so that I can tell the world about what a wonderful friend I had!

Weekly Newsletter

Well hopefully by the time you read this I am feeling much better!  Friday I ended up having to go to the Dr because i was feeling really lousy.  Well guess what? I was out minding my own business and the strep bug viciously attacked me and now I am beading and beating it off! Sammy was sweet enough to run the shop for me Saturday so I could re-coup. This gave me time to rest and work on the class schedule so hopefully I will have the November Class Schedule out the middle of next week.

You don't have to wait until November though because we have some AWESOME classes coming up this week.  On Thursday from 6-8 I will be teaching the Scroll Earring Class.  The class is $24.00 and includes all of your supplies.  You don't have to be a wire expert to take this class.  These earrings are super easy to make and will make someone a great gift for the holidays!

On Saturday Kassie will be back teaching another wonderful class...the Nothing But Net Bracelet. This class is from 10-1 and is $40.00 with all supplies included.  This class is a great class to learn net stitch.  Students will have the option of using 3mm pearls or 3mm bicones in their bracelet.  This is a super easy stitch to learn and works up fast.  There are only a few spots left in each class so you better sign up soon to get a spot.  Give us a call at 828-245-0306 to get signed up or go to our website and sign up at http://www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com/

If you look below on the previous post you will see that this week's video has been posted.  In this video I teach you how to make an easy and fun snowflake using seed beads and crystals.  There won't be a video this week as my throat and voice are still re-couping but hopefully there will be a new one next week. If you know someone who doesn't have a computer but you think that they would like the video's then we have just the solution.  DVD's are now available at the shop for each video that we have done in the past 4 weeks.  DVD's are $6.00 with $3.00 from every sale going to a charity. We haven't decided which charity we are going to give the money to yet so if you have a suggestion, please post a comment and let me know.

I hope that each of you have a fabulous week!

Crystal Snowflake Video

Halloween!

So, this is my new costume for Halloween this year.  I have never really gotten into halloween but with town wide Trick-or-Treat I thought that it would be fun to dress up.  LOVE IT!

11 Days gone already?

Its so hard to believe that we are already 11 days into October!  So much goes on this time of year and the days just seem to fly by.  We have 2 great classes coming up this week.  On Thursday I will be teaching the stone wall earrings from 6-8. This is a great class for beginner to advanced beaders.  This class is $24.00 and includes all of your supplies.

On Saturday Amy will be teaching beginners Viking Knit from 10-1.  This class is $45.00 and includes all supplies. Even if you have never touched wire this is a great class to get started with. 

To sign up for either of these classes just give us a call at 828-245-0306 or sign up online at www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com

The donations have started rolling in for the Cancer Awareness Earring Drive but we can never have too many.  Please, if you can, take a moment to make a pair of earrings and drop them off at the shop so that we can donate them to the Rutherford and Cleveland County Look Good Feel Good Programs!

ATTENTION!!! Now that I have your attention you may want to mark your calenders for October 30th!  We are going to have a "Leaky Cauldron" Sale.  We will have a Black Cauldron set up at the register that will be leaking savings to our customers.  There will be no discount lower than 15% off.  There will be lots of 20, 25, 30, 40 and one 50% off purchase vouchers to use on that day.  This will be a great time to get a head start on your Christmas Shopping!  This discount voucher is good for anything in the store except for pre-made jewelry and classes!  Besides, the leaky cauldron may leak out a free class or to, you just never know!

Also, some other important dates that you may want to remember:
Oct 30th Leaky Cauldron Sale
November 25th-28th  Store will be closed for Thanksgiving
December 4th will be our annual Holiday Sale
December 24th we will be closing at 3:00pm
December 25th and 26th we will be closed for Christmas
January 1st we will be closed for the new years holiday

If you look at the last post you will see that I posted our last video. This week's video is going to be on a wonderful snowflake. As soon as Sammy gets it posted I will be posting it here.  If you would like to get a notice of our video's as soon as they become available then become a fan on youtube.com. 
http://www.youtube.com/user/offthebeadedpath  Go to this link and subscribe to our channel.  If you don't have an account you can register for a free one and every time we upload a new video you will get an email notice.

I hope each of you have a fantastic week!

Lacy Spiky Bracelet Part 2 (Net Stitch)

Lacy Spiky Bracelet (Net Stitch)

This week's Newsletter

We have a wonderful class coming up on Saturday!  From 10-1 I will be teaching the Colossal Crystal Necklace.  This class is great for anyone!  Someone told me the other day that they would have no where to wear the necklace but they forgot that they were talking to the girl who wear's her crystals with t-shirts!  This necklace literally can be worn anywhere!  Wear it with a classy outfit, wear it with a v neck t-shirt and jeans or make it longer so that you can wear it over a tutleneck for the fall and winter.  Students will have numerous color choices.  This class is $45.00 and includes all of your supplies.

New Swarovski Colors have arrived!

New Swarovski Colors have arrived! I am so excited.  They are sunflower and silver night.  They are bananas!  We also received in a new shape of bead called a helio.  They are smashing and make great earrings.  Stop by the store to see the new colors in person.

 

Dutch Spiral Bracelet Part 3

Part 3

Dutch Spiral Bracelet Part 2

Part 2

Dutch Spiral Bracelet Part 1

Part 1 of the Dutch Spiral Bracelet
Here is this week's free video.  This is a wonderful dutch spiral bracelet from found in the book "Mastering Beadwork" by Carol Cyper.  You will love this bracelet and you will not believe how increadibly easy it is! Also, it is super fast.

Last Week of September Already?

Can you believe that September is already leaving us and that October is on it's way?  It seems like September just started!  The end of September brings Christmas all too close.  Have you started thinking about your gift list and what you are going to make for people? NO? Well you better get started because with our busy lives time will fly and it will be the week before Christmas before you know it. 

We have some wonderful classes coming up this month to get your mind started in that direction. We have two fabulous classes coming up this week. On Friday night from 5:30-9:00 Amy will be teaching the Fall Foliage Earring Class.  This class is awesome!  Amy will be teaching students how to metal stamp copper with design stamps, how to dome and patina their pieces, how to punch holes in their metal, and finally how to add fun embellishments to make these earrings dazzle.  This is a great class for anyone who wants to try their hand at Metal Stamping. Each student will leave with their own design stamp and more copper blanks will be available for purchase because we know that you will want to make more!  This class is $36.00 and includes all of your supplies.

The Second great class for this week is the Diamond Windows Bracelet on Saturday from 10-1.  This class is $30.00 and includes all of your supplies. This project is so much fun because the bracelet can be made into a ring or earrings or even a necklace.  It has tons of possibilities!  This class is great for beginner to advanced beaders.  Students will need to arrive 15 minutes early to pick out their colors.

Did you see last weeks technique video on the website?  If not, then you need to check it out.  Last week I taught how to do Peyote Stitch.  Sammy is busy trying to get this week's video uploaded.  This week I am teaching how to make a fantastic dutch spiral bracelet that uses size 11 seed beads, size 8 seed beads, and 4mm bicone crystals.  This bracelet takes no time at all to make and it would make a wonderful gift.  Be sure to check back later on in the week and I will try and have it ready for you to watch. 

I hope that each of you have a fantastic week!

Breast Cancer Awareness Earring Drive

Weekly Newsletter

We have an amazing week coming up at the Bead Shop this week.  On Tuesday from 6-8 I will be teaching the Peyote Stitch Bangle Class. This class costs $20.00 and includes all of your supplies.  This class is really fun because it teaches you how to do tubular peyote stitch while making bangles that will be great for those fall out fits.  This class is great for beginner to advanced beaders!

On Friday we will be having our Wire Ring Workshop from 5:30-9:00. This workshop is $45.00 and includes all your supplies.  In this class students will be learning how to make 2 different types of wire rings.  The first is the pharoah ring and the second is a textured spiral ring. Students who take this class will have a blast!

And finally on Saturday Kassie will be at the store teaching the Vertigo Earring Class. This class is great for beginner to advanced beaders!

To sign up for any of these classes you can sign up on our website at www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com or give us a call at 828-245-0306 and we will get you signed up.

If you get a chance, check out the October Class Schedule!  Sammy has the schedule now up and ready for sign ups.  I am really excited about Octobers Classes because we have some amazing one's! 



Only a few more days!

Just wanted to remind everyone that September is halfway over and that only leaves a few more days to get double punches on your punch cards!. Get 2 punches for every $25.00 you spend!~ Hurry in today and get those punches while you can!

Weekly Newsletter

Hello All,
Fall is in the air!  Football season has officially kicked off, the sun is setting a little earlier, and the air is starting to get a little cooler.  I sat outside this afternoon and beaded for a little while and it was wonderful!  I sat there and my heart leaped and was filled with joy at the mear thought of putting a long sleeved shirt or sweater on!  This got me to thinking about all the awesome new jewelry that I needed to get started on for all those fall and winter outfits. These thought drifted me to the October Class Schedule.  I have been on top of things and have already got it finished.  It should be on the website later this week.  Let me tell you...I am so proud of Octobers Schedule and think you will be thoroughly surprised at some of the classes you see.  September is not over yet and we still have some wonderful classes left.

On Tuesday and Thursday of this week I will be teaching the Fall Flowers Bracelet Class. This class is from 6-8 and the cost of basically your supplies.  On Tuesday students will be learning how to make their flower strands.  Then on Thursday students will be learning how to put all their strands together and how to embellish them with wonderful Lucite Flowers.  This bracelet is a great piece to add to your fall wardrobe!

On Saturday I will be teaching Bead Club from 10-1. This class is $25.00 and I have two open spots left.  In Bead Club students make 3 surprise projects for a small price.  I will be contacting those of you who are already signed up around the first part of the week to let you know what to bring to class with you.  If you would like to sign up for either of these two classes give us a call at 828-245-0306 to get signed up or go to the website and sign up online.

Don't forget...the whole month of September you will receive double punches on your punch cards.  So, come in today and get those punches.

September News

I can't belive that September is only a day away!  It seems like just yesterday I was dreading the start of August because it was going to be such a full month.  August turned out to be a great month and now that the Car Show is over it is time to get back to the business of beading!

 

September is Zadok (Z the Bird) and Pattys Birthday.   So In honor of their Birthdays everyone who makes a purchase over $25.00 will receive double punches on their punch reward card the whole month of September.  These punches can quickly add up to 25% off of a purchase. So remember to show us your card each time you make a purchase in September to receive your punches.

September also brings the official end of summer.  We will be closed Saturday September 4th and Monday September 6th to give Patty, Sammy, and myself a break.  We will re-open on Tuesday September 7th at 10:00 am.  

We have a lot of great classes coming up in September with three guest teachers.  Here is a sneek peek at what''s coming up!

To see class dates and times go to http://www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com/  Click on classes and you can see all of our wonderful September classes. Can't come to a scheduled class but you see one you like?  Well then we will be happy to teach you one one one.  Simply call us to make an appointment at a time that is convienent for you.

This week is the last week of our trunk show.  All trunk show beads are now 30% off.  Come and get them while they last.

I hope each of you have a wonderful week!

New Teacher is joining our staff!

I met a wonderful new lady this week named Kassie.  The is a fabulous beader and a wonderful designer.  She lives in Asheville NC and is an amazing person.  Kassie is going to be teaching two classes in the next few months for me.  You will not want to miss these classes. She posted pictures of the projects on her blog this week. To see that classes and the dates check out  http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com/

New NFL Charms!

Well football season is upon us and I know that each of you have a football fan in your lives weather it be a spouse, child, friend, neighor, etc. I was so excited today when I opened up a box and found that some of our new NFL Charms have arrived.  I ordered 6 different teams this week but 3 were backordered. What I did get was our beloved Carolina Panthers, the Washington Redskins, and the New England Patriots.  These charms are fabulous and are NFL licensed.  They are pewter are great for men or womens jewelry!

Speaking of the Carolina Panthers, one of our favorite customers Kim Campbell worked today at the shop making the Loop -de-Loop bracelet in Panther Colors. Kim used the black lentils and 4mm aquamarine bicones. When she left, it was looking awesome!  Way to go Kim and I can't wait to see it when it completed!

Newsletter

Well did you survive Tax Free Weekend?  No worries because school starts soon and a routine will be established for familes all across the county in a matter of weeks.  In other works, things will get back to normal! 

While your waiting, we have some wonderful sales and classes coming up over the next two weeks. First of all, tomorrow,(8/11)  Sammy will turn 30.  He is super despressed and doesn't want to celebrate his birthday.  So, I will turn his gift into a gift for you guys.  On Wedensday the 11th, all Artistic Wire and seed beads will be 30% off!  This discount is only good on the 11th.  This discount cannot be combined with any other disounts.

On Saturday we have a fabulous class from 10-1.  I will be teaching the pebblestone bracelet. This class is $35.00 and includes all of your supplies.  This is a great class for beginner to advanced beaders.

On Tuesday August 17th I will be teaching the Crystal Drop earrings from 6:00-8:30. These are my new favorite earrings!  They are 3D style drop earrings that are awesome!  This class is $26.00 and includes all supplies. 

I hope each of you have a fabulous week!

Tax Free Weekend!

As many of you know, this weeked is Tax Free Weekend.  If you come into the shop this weekend and purchase any Trunk Show beads we will pay the tax for you.  Also, this weekend only, if you come in and spend $20.00 or more on merchandise then you will recieve $10.00 worth of merchandise free out of our overstock and clearance box. Be sure to stop in this weekend and get some goodies!

New Czech Glass Bead Mixes

We got in some wonderful Czech Glass Bead Mixes today.  We got in 7 new color mixes that have all sorts of goodies in them.  I used a package of "Old South East" and made this necklace and two pairs of earrings.  As you can see I still had a lot of beads left in my bag to work with.  Each bag is $4.00 and is just a random mix. These mixes are great for the person who has a hard time putting colors together.  Best part about this set is that I hardly had any money in it.  The beads were $4.00, the chain was $2.25 a foot, and the only other cost I had were my head pins and my ear hooks. Makes for an economical set.

Newsletter for the week of August 1st

OMG can you believe that its August? This year is flying by us! We had our Christmas in July sale this past Saturday and a lot of you stocked up on some Christmas goodies. We sold out of quite a few Christmas themed beads and kits but we will be re-stocking them just as soon as possible. 

We have two great classes coming up this week.  On Tuesday (August 3rd) from 6-8 I will be teaching a class on the Autumn Craze Bracelet. This class is $30.00 and includes all of your supplies.  This has become on of my new favoirte bracelets to stitch because it's so easy.  You can do any design or colors of your choosing.  This is a two needle stitching technique and is great for beginner to advanced beaders.

On Saturday I will be teaching my absolute new favorite bracelet.  It is called the Loop-de-Loop bracelet and it is from 10-1.  This class is $40.00 and includes all of your supplies.  In this class students will be learning how to make a base using size 6 seed beads.  Once the base is completed students will learn how to embellish the base with 4mm bicone crystals. To help keep the cost down students will be using Preciosa Crystal color mixes in the class . This is a bracelet that looks like it has millions of crystals on the top and it feels wonderful when you wear it. To sign up for either of these classes be sure and sign up online at http://www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com/, call, or stop by the shop. 

I, and lots of others, have went Kumihimo Crazy.  If you are unfamilier with this technique well you won't be in the dark long! I am planning on doing a video for the website this week that will teach you this fun new technique.  Be sure to check on the site wednesday or thrusday to see how it works.

Hope each of you have a fabulous week!

New Products!

So excited. We got in the new cross components by Tierra Cast. They are really neat and come in 3 different styles.  Two of the styles are for 4mm bicones or rounds and the other style is for 3mm beads.  They are super simple to make and will make great gifts.

We also have a gemstone trunk show starting this week and the beads will be in the shop for a month. There are lots of different stones and styles.  The price on the strand is an extra 25% off. Be sure to stop in and check out all the goodies.

And finally, Saturday is our Christmas in July Sale.  Just wanted to let you get a sneek peak at our tree this year.

7/24/10 Newsletter

Greetings Friends and Fellow Bead Geeks:

As you can already tell I have changed up the newsletter.  I started using a new format a few months ago but it turns out that it was more trouble than it was worth.  So, each week I will send out an email with a link letting you know that a new newsletter is up.  All you have to do is click and read.  Or, just check back every week for a new post.  I have had to do a lot of thinking over the last few weeks.  I am 29 years old and I honestly cannot tell you an exciting thing that I have done outside of work in the past year.  I have used all of my time and energy and put it into the shop.  With the way the economy has been it has taken every bit of my energy to keep us afloat.  It seems like each week it takes more and more and I have less and less to give. To say the least, I have gotten very burned out.  So, I have decided to step back a little bit, take a deep breath, and look at what's really important in my life.  I have tried to do so much that I have found that what I am doing, I am not doing well because I don't have the time to prepare for everything.    So with that being said, I am sad to say that first of all this Saturday at our Christmas in July Sale, I will not be doing any demos but we will have all of our new Christmas items out and available for purchase. We will have refreshments and free goodies as well as each customer will receive 20% off of their total purchase. This discount excludes pre-made jewelry, consignment, and classes.  I hope that many of you will be able to attend because we have some wonderful new kits for the 2010 season.  Be ready to hear your favorite Christmas Tunes and munch on some Snickerdoodle Cookies! Another exciting detail about Saturday is that it will mark the start of our Gemstone Trunk Show.  One of our distributors is sending us a box this week full of new Gemstone Goodies.  These gemstones are strung on 8 inch strands and no strand will be over $15.00.  We will have the show for about a month but the good beads will get gone fast!

Another change you will be seeing is that I am cutting back on the number of scheduled classes that I teach.  Instead of 3 or 4 a week, you will now be seeing a weekly average of 2 classes.  I know this will work out better for me because I am teaching a lot more one on one classes during the day but it will also work out great for those of you who try and take a lot of the classes.  I am going to try and have a good variety of classes and it is my hope that with having a little bit of extra time, it will allow me to venture into new techniques to learn to teach you guys.  Sammy will have the August Class Schedule on the website later today.  To see the schedule check out www.offthebeadedpathbeadstore.com and click on classes.  There is a new deposit policy so please be aware of that when signing up for classes. To sign up for any of the August classes you can do so online or you can give us a call.  Some of the classes have already started filling up so when you get a chance later today check it out.

We have two great classes for this week.  On Thursday I will be teaching the Crystal O Ring Watch class from 6-8.  This class is $45.00 and includes all of your supplies. In this class Students will learn how to make a beautiful watch band out of jumprings, crystals, and rubber O rings.  Then students will learn how to attach the watch face and the clasp.  This is a really interesting watch band to make and it looks great when you wear it.

On Saturday, along with our sale, Tina will be at the shop teaching how to make some beautiful Wire Wrapped Pendants.  This class is from 10-1 and costs $30.00.  The Class cost includes all of your supplies.  In this class Tina will be teaching students how to skillfully wire wrap a pendant so that it looks amazingly different.  Each piece will be unique in it's own way.  This class is great for students who are wanting to start dabbling in wire work. To sign up for either of these classes be sure to call us at 245-0306.

And finally, we have our last Try-It-Tuesday coming up tomorrow from 4-7pm. This week I will be teaching how to make fun coraling necklace.  Summer is great for coraling effect type pieces and they are easy to learn and make.  Be sure to stop in and learn this new technique.

I hope each of you have a blessed week and I hope to see you Saturday!

Bead and Button here we come!

Ok, so i'm so excited because we leave Monday for the 10th annual Bead and Button show in Milwaukee.  Plans have changed over the last week and now Sammy, Leslie, and I are going to be driving up and meeting Cathy when we get there. Then i have 4 days at the biggest bead show in the world!  I will be giving updates as i can but you know how it is when your having fun.

The first 30 years were great. So why do the next 30 look so blue?

Ok so bear with me everyone. It's been a hard day emotionally and I just need to put it all in words.  Yesterday was Memorial Day at my deceased Grandmothers church so I went with my mom to pay my respects.  My mom and I talked about Death a little but and it didn't bother me until today.  I look back over the last 29 years of my life and it is filled with mostly joy.  I got to grow up with wonderful parents who taught me how to be the person I am today, I got married, built my life, and built a business and career that I love. My parents worked hard to raise me and I am super lucky that I grew up in a household that had two parents who loved me more than they loved themselves.  Up until last year I was fortunate enough to still have my two grandmothers with me. So, why do the next 30 years seem like they are going to be horrible? If I live to see the day my parents pass, in 30 years my mom will be 90 and my father will be 87.  It is possible but in all likely hood they will pass in the next 30 years and I will be left here on this earth to guide my own path.  I will have to bury the two most important people in my life and I will be the one who feels the grief the most.  I will be the one left with decisions on where to bury and how to move on with life without them.  I will be left to make all decisions on my own.  There will be no more picking up the phone and calling mom or dad when I need advice or just need someone to talk to.  How do you deal with that?  How does life go on? I have watched the grief that my mom has gone through over the last several months of losing her mom and I wonder how to you deal with it?  How to you wake up everyday, put one foot in front of the other, and act like everythings ok?  I guess one day I will find out.

Also, I have come to the terms with the hand that I have been dealt in life.  I understand that I will never own a big fancy house, will never be rich, will probably be in debt for the rest of my life, and will probably live the rest of my days in small town friendly.  Last year my husband, at the age of 29,  was dignosed with MS.  The last year has been hard on us.  We have had to come to terms with his illness and what it means for our future.  There have been a lot of fights and a lot of hurt to have to deal with because of the illness.  I understand that there are a whole lot of other illnesses out there that are a lot worse but it is hard for us to wrap our head around the fact that there is not a lot known about MS and that there is no treatment for the disease.  Sammy has to take medicines that will hopefully slow down the progression of the disease but unless god or science interveins his disease will get worse over time. In the next 30 years it is highly likely that we will have huge set backs. I will be 30 next year and I am scared to death to have children becuase of not knowing what the future holds for sammy's disease.  If he has a set back or the disease gets worse how could i possibly take care of myself, sammy, and a child and then at some point deal with the death issue?  How to people have children? It scares me to death to think that I would be responsible for the safety and well being of another human life.  I respect people who have children because I honestly don't know how they do it. How do you raise a child in the society we live in? How do you not run away screaming.  A life of seclusion sounds good right about now . :)

I guess my bigest thought or question is how to I make the next 30 years of my life count? I know that I am not promised tomorrow but looking ahead how do I balance everyday life, business, and family and make the next 30 count? How do I ever spend enough time with the people I love so that when one day they are gone, I will feel at peace and be able to move on? How do you keep moving foward when the future looks so bleak?  I know that the few of you who take the time to read this will tell me that I need to put my faith in Christ and know that one day I will see my loved one's again.  The only problem with that is the unknown.  Lord willing and I somehow make it to heaven, we won't be there to carry on with life, we will be there to praise Christ and all his glories.  When people pass away on this earth is that the last of that type of love that you will ever feel? In that last breath does the love that you have felt all your life from that person drift away?  Do you ever get to feel that again?  The next 30 years look bleak.  How do you deal with that?

It's Good to be Queen!

So I just had a wonderful week and weekend!  I worked most of the week getting the store remodeled.  We worked out butts off and honestly I don't think I knew the extent of what I was getting myself into BUT...i'm glad I did it because the store looks awesome!  I am a proud mama! We re-opened on Thursday and a lot of our regulars came by because they wanted to see all the new changes.  We got a lot of positive feed back so it was nice to hear.

On Friday and Saturday I worked in Franklin NC selling Preciosa Crystals for one of my distributors.  I love working the shows because you can meet some really awesome people. One of the people I was so excited that I got to meet was Jennifer Heymen from Jangles.  Jennifer makes wonderful ceramic beads and buttons. If you have never looked at her stuff then you absolutely must because her stuff is SOOOOOOOO cute!  You can check out her website at http://www.jangles.net/ she also has a blog at http://jenniferjangles.blogspot.com/ Take the time to check it out because you will not be disappointed!

Another wonderful lady I got to meet was Carol Wilcox Wells.  Carol is widely known for her beadwork and makes some breath taking pieces.  She lives in Asheville NC!  She had on a beautiful necklace that I adored and she said that she would be teaching a masters class on it next year at the Bead and Button Show.  Guess I better start saving my money!

And finally, I was going through some old pictures today and found this pic of me at Dolly Wood a few years ago.  They had a place that was selling all kinds of funny hats and I tried on a bunch and had sammy take pics.  I guess I knew that someday I would be queen.  I guess I should have bought this hat because I think it would make a great Beadie Lama hat!

First 5k

It has been a really interesting weekend!  Friday was my 29th birthday and I had a blast.  I was the best birthday that I can ever remember.  Then on Saturday I ran my first 5k at sunshine school.  It was the worst 3.1 miles that I have ever done.  I was not prepared for what was in store for me.  As you can see I was waving and smiling when the race started and then you can see the look of exhaustion on my face as I crossed the finish line.  My trainer David had me to the 5k and I'm sure that he will want me to do the one coming up in June.  I did 3.1 miles in 49 minutes so I guess I will train and try to do a better time in June.  I will defently have to find me some better shoe support because my feet were killing me after the race and then today the tendons in my feet are aching.  Hey...i"m just proud of myself for finishing the race.