Normality and Routine vs. Reality

I WAS hoping for a bit of normality to return to my life after the kids returned to school, however it seems that 'normality' is far from happy to return - it's off being itself somewhere else and I'm just running around from one thing to the other and not getting anything done.

The children, on the other hand, seem to have settled back into the routine of school ... the routine of not wanting to get up in the mornings and the routine of rushing off to the school bus with seconds to spare. Not to mention the routine of not wanting to do their homework.

I've been told by the girls in no uncertain terms that they'd much prefer to stay home and read. (Good for bookstores and libraries but not so good for their school reports I'm sure).

Perhaps we all need a little more R&R (six weeks obviously wasn't enough...) and my R&R is more likely to come when the children are at school and peace reigns over the house. But then a phone call from MIL, or SIL or a request from the accountant or a job to do for hubby because he can't do it - he has to go and plough ... and next thing you know the day is gone and the kids are walking back up the hill after being dropped at the front gate by the school bus. *sigh*

I HAVE made an effort with son though - his performance (at school) dropped off quite a bit towards the end of last year. Our idea that he should be made responsible for his own work (getting homework done in time, projects finished in a half reasonable state etc) kind of failed. In a world of sink or swim, he definitely sank. So now, each day after school I sit down with him at the dining table and get him to show me what he did that day, asking him to explain it to me. If he can't, I endeavour to lead him through, kind a bit like revision on a daily basis. I look at his diary, make sure his homework/project due dates have been notated and make sure he packs the correct books for the next day. I think he's entered that teen fog where they see and hear nothing that doesn't interest them, so I feel I have to do this. Otherwise he may just fall off the planet and not realise.

The girls have been fine with their homework and seem to understand everything so far, so I guess I should be grateful for small mercies.

On the creative front, I did manage an afternoon at my bench recently and made some lovely heart jewellery to celebrate the imminent occasion of Valentine's Day (the photo above is one - its a gorgeous lemon citrine pendant and chain - a whopping 1 inch across, it's big and sparkly and very desirable!

Are you expecting anything for Valentine's Day? My hubby isn't big remembering Valentines (although I do recall a bunch of long stemmed roses that arrived at my work from him one year). But he will go and pick me a red, red rose from the garden on the spur of the moment - just like he did this morning:



And that's worth more than anything, don't you think?

Till next :)
Annette

Valentine's Day on the way and more rain - splash!

Another week flying by. We had around 4 inches of rain over the last week, although most of it fell in one day! The wet, almost misty and warm conditions mean that the feed in the paddocks is bulking up nicely and should see us through the first part of winter. Of course the hay hasn't faired too well. Hubby was actually baling when the rain started, and it didn't just start with a light misty type of rain, it RAINED. So the hay is still on the ground although he's gone to rake it this morning and see if it is worth saving.

I've been working on my site the last couple of days - I recently had an upgrade and things went very strange! So while the crinkles are being ironed out I put up a new pic on the front page. As we're still in high summer here, I think its very suitable, even though my readers from across the pond will be thinking 'that woman is FREEZING'!.

I recently mentioned how we all end up at weird and wonderful blogs by clicking on link after link. Do you ever check where your bloggy visitors have come from or where you are being mentioned? Someone advised me eons ago to register with Google Alerts and so its amazing to see where you get mentioned. Last night I received an alert that told me I was mentioned on the Business Mums Network. Thanks for the mention Melissa!

I've been browsing around Etsy again (that place is just addictive!) and found these cute little owl pins by Spinal Fusion in Chicago. And I bought hubby's Valentine's card from JBART in Washington State and some gorgeous little mini Valentine's from Twig Studio in North Carolina! Wonder what I'll find next week (yeah I know, sometimes I need to close my eyes LOL).

In honour of St. Valentine, today's pic is a BIG sponge coral heart on a strand of stunning pearls. I'm at the Dunedoo Show next week - pop in and say hello if you're there!

Till next :)
Annette

A little about Swarovski crystals

Another week has come around and I find myself, once again, asking what I did with the last week!? I know I have been reading alot. Even hubby has started to comment. I've really only read about 11 rather thick books since Christmas... I have trouble finding time to read the rest of the year so I've got to cram in as much now as I can before I go back to work properly :D

I'm still working on gemstones and getting their information typed up - I imagine it is not a job that is going to happen as quickly as I first imagined. So I'll just keep plugging away at it.

I was asked to be part of a Valentine's Day promotion this week. I don't work that often with Swarovski crystals since gemmies are my 'thing' and I generally prefer to work with natural stones, rather than manmade. But in celebration of the event I have made a small selection of Valentine inspired pieces with Swarovski and silver. You can see them all on my website under Valentine Selection. As you can see from the picture above, they are very pretty and very sparkly!

Swarovski is named after Daniel Swarovski, who invented the first crystal cutting machine in 1892 and founded his crystal business in Wattens, Austria in 1895. The popularity and quality of crystal continued to increase and Daniel's business also branched out into Swareflex (road safety products) and Swarovski Optics (precision optical instruments).

In league with Christian Dior, Swarovski created the famous aurora borealis finish for crystals in 1956. In 1976 Swarovski started making crystal decorative objects and shortly after chandelier components. They have continued, in the years since, to be a world leader of created crystals. Perfect for anyone who likes a bit of 'bling' to enjoy!

Back at the Bench

I'm back at my bench this week and have so enjoyed the creation process once again. It was hard to sit back down after a rather lengthy break, but now that I've overcome that hurdl, I can't wait to get back there! Of course, too many family and social obligations are still to be met and so I can't seem to get back there fast enough for my liking!!

How did you fare on Valentine's day? Did you get a card or flowers, chocolates, jewellery as a gift? I often find the card offerings are a bit boring and in my search for cards, came across a brilliant history of cardmaking on Jenni's Papercraft Designs.

Do you like today's picture? It is a feminine necklace of rose quartz and rock crystal quartz which has been sandblasted to a matte finish with then a row of facets along the rim which sparkle beautifully. Although the stones are quite large, there is a balance of delicacy brought by the fine silver twists in between each stone. It is actually a long necklace which can be doubled as that is a way I love to wear mine, giving it an air of casual elegance.

Till next!

A rainy day and a Valentine heart

*sigh* Its raining. Its been raining for a couple of days. Its not stormy, or even that gloomy, but its constant and its wet. Isn't it amazing how the weather can affect your mood? I feel as if I could curl up on the couch and watch a movie (but the children would jump on me!).

In my need to find something fun to brighten up my day, I found these at Beauty Banquet - these soaps look like food - I swear I could munch right into that coffee cake (but I'm sure I'd regret it!!).

Before the weather turned all dank on me though, the sun was shining and it was positively hot - more like our usual summer weather. The bright clear days and the thought of sunshine glinting off the sea, inspired me to make some simple valentine jewellery. I rarely use anything but naturally occurring gemstones (although some may be treated), but I thought these were so pretty and after all, what better way to get the message of love across than a heart and a sparkling, Swarovski one at that!

Swarovski crystal is the diamond of the manmade crystal world - and many of us would have a Swarovski trinket somewhere in the house. Now because they are so brilliant, they really don't require much extra adornment and are really shown off best all by themselves, so I simply made this gorgeous heart into a pendant with sterling silver and hung it on a sterling silver omega chain.

Wouldn't you like to receive one from your loved one?