I HAVE THE DAY OFF!

 

Yup, you read that right, I have the day off!  

My boss gave me the day off and said, stay home the roads are awful!

We have about 5" of snow, not much for us Michiganders but the roads are pretty slick in lots of places and most of the schools are closed, so it's better to be safe than sorry trying to get in to work.

WHOA what!!!! I know your all saying right now, what work?  I thought you worked from home making jewelry. I did, but a turn of events have changed my path, for the time being, and I am a 9-5 girl these days and working 5 days a week.  

Yup, who woulda thought that!

My daughter asked me at Christmas time  if I might be interested in working for her, I said "sure"!  I thought she was joking but a couple weeks later she said, when do you think you can start work.  Oh geesh, she was really serious and needed help big time. 

By the second week of January I was working 20 hrs a week but my part time jig quickly changed to 40 hrs when positions hadn't been filled.  This old gall is used to working on "artist time", which is anytime I darn well feel like it and I can do that in my jammies or sweats or whatever I like.  Not anymore!!!

 

I know you're all curious what my new job is, and I will say it's certainly not what any of you would expect. I'm doing office work and entering data in that dreaded Excel program that use to give me the shakes and night sweats, along with creating sales orders and purchase orders too. 

                                                       Surprise, surprise!!! 

There is really nothing creative at all about what I'm doing, such a switch for someone who's brain is wired to create! 

However, I'm actually enjoying it and while I haven't been in my studio since last October, I do plan to get back to creating again.  

Lots of new changes are coming for Magdalena Moon Jewelry Designs in 2020.  

I'm not throwing in the towel, but I am making some big changes!  

It's 2020 -  HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  

Where did the time go?  Hope you're all off to a great start this year and have many new adventures in your horizon.

I haven't blogged since September, say it isn't so.  I'm bad.  Shame on me but I really do have a big excuse, and its not a flimsy one either.

You see we had a water leak in our kitchen this summer that turned my world upside down and inside out!

Of course, it had to happen in July! 

Of course, I’m knee deep in creating and designing for my summer art shows!  

Calgon ,take me away!!!  Who remembers Calgon?  Do they even make it now?  Hmm...  

Thank the Lord we have a hot tub now! 

Next step, after a call to the insurance company, was to remove all the carpeting and the soggy drywall.  

So now I'm thinking, why don't we  just make some changes to the kitchen. We talked about doing it for several years but never made any plans, now was the time to jump in and do it! 

        You know the story, one things                           leads to another!

Made a few plans and jumped in with both feet and tore out the old kitchen,   Oh, boy, now I feel we bit off more than we can chew!  





Decided we needed to redo the water lines, move the electrical line and pull out the insulation and re-enforce some other spots too. 

Whew, what a long drawn out process with lots of unexpected surprises. 

                                                                                                                                                                       NOW it was time to drywall!

Our daughter came and worked many nights after work and helped her dad with the drywall.  

She even worked one weekend while we were out of town doing arts shows to get the drywall  done and ready for me to paint when we got back home.

Sure was a blessing to us both, thank you Kelly!  

So now what to do about our cabinets since we changed the layout and expanded the space? Estimates came in at a staggering $9,000 for new ones and that didn’t include the counter tops!  Oh boy, that wasn’t in the budget, what’s a girl to do now?

Grandson Chris to the rescue! He salvaged cabinets from a business that was throwing them out and wondered if we could use any of them!  Even though the wood tones were different, the style was almost the same as our old cabinets and they were just what we needed!  A few needed cleaning & some repairs before I could paint.

I chose Old Violet chalk paint  by Anne Sloan to paint all the cabinets. Coverage was great and wait till you see how they all match They look like new! 

It was a time consuming process and a lot of work for this old gal.  Was it worth it, you bet, they look great. The best part is, it cost less that $300 to paint and wax all the cabinet, verses $9,000 for new ones, yup, it was worth it. 

Then it was time to install new appliances, and our son Scott got in on the act and helped Ken put some muscle into getting that beastly new microwave up on the wall .

Five  months later, it is almost done.  We have a few things to do yet, but even thought it was a real pain (literally) and a lot of work , I’m so glad we did it ourselves.  My only regret is the time frame in which it all took place as I battled balancing time working on the kitchen and designing jewelry.

Can't wait till the floor is in and done, but for now I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN!

Thanks to all who helped, thanks to many tubes of Pain Relief and Cool Azul and the numerous hours spent in the hot tub too!  Dang, we are getting to old for this stuff!

So that’s my excuse for not writing since September!  Hope you all understand! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Oh my, where did the summer go!  Can't believe how time has flown by!  I've done some awesome shows this summer and my last scheduled show for 2019 is coming up this weekend.

The Fallasburg Art Show in Lowell, MI  near Grand Rapids has a great line up of over 100 artists with a great selection of artists from across the country. 

You'll find me and my Magdalena Moon  jewelry designs in booth #41.  Warm weather has returned and the predictions for Saturday and Sunday look great!

                 September 14 & 15
       Show hours are from 10 -5 each day
                      Free admission
                       See you there!

The 2019 Magdalena Moon Art show season is right around the corner. 

Many shows won't send out acceptance letters for several weeks yet, but some are starting to roll in! 

 Here's a sneak peak at some of the shows I'm planning to do at this time, let's hope I get accepted to all of them.  Updates will be made as they are received.

                         2019 Magdalena Moon Art Shows

MAY 25-26                

LEMON CREEK WINERY Art & Wine Festival, Berrien Springs, MI

JUNE 15 

REEDS LAKE - East Grand Rapids Area

JUNE 22                       

OAKWOOD FINE ART FESTIVAL – SYRACUSE, IN

JULY 13-14         

THREE RIVERS FESTIVAL - ART IN THE PARK 
Ft. Wayne, IN

JULY 20-21                  

ART FAIR, Gull Lake, Richland, MI

AUGUST 3-4                     

CHESTERTON ART FAIR, Chesterton, IN

AUGUST 10-11                 

SHELBY TOWNSHIP ART FAIR - (North of Detroit)

AUGUST 17          

ART BEAT – South Bend, IN

SEPTEMBER 14-15 FALLASBURG ART FESTIVAL
Lowell, MI

       

Oh my gosh, I have not blogged since my knee surgery!  SORRY 

So what have I been up to all this time!   

*OCTOBER was spent healing up from the knee surgery.  I worked hard to get rid of that walker!

*NOVEMBER was spent in therapy, two sessions.

*DECEMBER, well a girls got to shop for the holidays you know.  Then there's cookies to make and presents to wrap, oh I love Christmas.

*JANUARY, spent wrapped in a blanket freezin' my tush off and reading review after review on new art venues for 2019.  Filled out forms and sent in applications.  You guys can't imaging how much work goes into applying to these shoes.  Seriously, it takes a lot of time!

*FEBRUARY, disgusted with winter! Freezing rain, blowing snow, oh my.  I was still working on applications and looking for new shows.  Decided we needed to get out of Michigan and head South!  I needed some warmth for my bones and some sun.

*MARCH, back to the surgeon, knee was (and is) still giving me problems, got a cortisone injection , to enable me to walk and play on our vacation without a lot of pain.  Then we were off the next day for over two weeks of fun and sun, sun, sun. Bardstown KY, the Everglades, Savannah, and Atlanta we had a blast.  Bourbon tours, air boat excursion (wild and crazy driver), held my first (and last) alligator, beach time, strolling for hours in Savannah and eating some fantastic food. And we stayed in some great places including this old mansion built in the 1887, wait till you see the pictures.  Oh, my it felt good to get away from it all. 

There is nothing better than a vacation to wash away the cold of winter, the cob webs in your head and refresh your spirit and soul.

Here are some of the great things we did while we were gone.

Spent the day at Clam Pass in Naples FL with Kens family.  Gathered shells, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the breezy fresh sea air !   I could get use to this life style !

The next day we went on a day long excursion.  Our air boat ride through the 10,000 Islands and through the Mangroves was a wild and crazy time.  I kid you not, we did some spins and turns that were not for the faint of heart.  It was lots of fun and I got so wet.   My sister in law, Judy, may not forgive me but I just love this crazy photo of is us all hanging on as we went zipping through the mangroves at a high rate of speed. I have the video to prove it. Would I do it again, you bet! 

Then we were off to see the gators and hold them too! Toured through the Everglades and got to see a couple of Matinees too!
That's Charlie over there on the right, he sure put on a show.  The one I held was about 30#'s and I was amazed at how leather soft their skin was.

While in Naples we enjoyed time with Ken's mom and had late night dinners on the patio and talked with her wonderful neighbors!  Then it was time to start our trek back up North but not till we spent some time in Georgia.


 SAVANNAH HERE WE COME!  Below is the George Baldwin House in the heart of the historic district in Savannah. We stayed on the second floor and called this "home" for several days!  Built in 1887 it still retains all of the old interior, complete with hardwood floors, 4 poster canopy bed and more.

 We were right in the historic district and walked most everywhere we wanted to go.  The azaleas were in full bloom, and there were some beautiful camellias in the parks.
Did all the touristy things: rode the trolley, went to Leopold's for awesome ice cream, spent the afternoon along the river walk, took a tug boat ride, and walked through  many of the town squares, each one is unique and has a story to tell.  We truly enjoyed each and every day while we were there ,the fantastic architecture and Southern hospitality.


Tybee Island was also on our list of things to do!  It's just 20 minutes from Savannah. Our first stop was Coco's,  where we had at a great lunch (best Shrimp Cake Sandwich ever). Then we went on a dolphin watching trip and spent the rest of the day out on the Tybee Pier and watched waves crash on the shoreline for a long time.  A trip to Savannah would not be complete without a stop at Bonaventure Cemetery, you know I can't resist a cemetery!

BONAVENTURE CEMETERY

                                               

And last ,but not least, was our stop in Atlanta  before we tackled the long drive home to Michigan.  We were wined, (bourbon"ed") and dinned while we stayed with my cousin Dawn and her hubby Mike.  We had a wonderful, relaxing time, and shared memories of our childhood days too.

SO, that's it, in a nut shell! 

Where did OCTOBER go???

Today I got around to flipping the calendar page over to November and was perplexed that October had slipped away.  It went by so quickly and yet so much happened.

 I had knee surgery to fix the tears in my knee the first week of October.  I didn't fall, didn't do anything that I can remember other than put my shoe on and bam out went the knee.  It hurt like, well, I don't say those words, but it was bad.  So after MRI's, x-rays and the back and forth medical merry go round, I finally had my surgery to repair the rips.  So glad I didn't need a replacement, I lucked out.  I have a long way to go yet before its healed but I'm getting there and doing small things along the way.   I had my surgery at South Bend Orthopedics and I would highly recommend them to anyone! I've had 7 previous operations, and they treated me like I was their only patient!  Great staff of nurses and doctors.
I rested and behaved a week (I thought that was long enough) and weened myself off the walker.  Was walking pretty good and even ditched the cane .  Since I was doing so well, I decided I'd be able to teach my recycled tin can jewelry class at Buchanan Art Center.  Had a great time but realized I had a long way to go yet.   Patience has never been one of my better virtues but an ice pack has become one of my best friends lately, that and the recliner and a good hot cup of tea!








The second week of the month rolled around and it was time for the family Pier Jerk!  The weather was nice, cool, but sunny. We went on one last pontoon ride and one trip on the jet ski's and then the hard work began.  Out came the boat lifts, the pier, kayaks and boats. The kids and grandkids did a great job helping Ken with all of the work.  Couldn't of done it without all their help. 

Ken took me over to Corey Lake Orchards the following weekend and we bought a bushel of apples and got cider and yummy donuts from their bakery.  Then home to make lots and lots of applesauce for the winter.  We have gone to this orchard since the kids were little and each year they expand and add new things.  I love how it has evolved over the years! 

So fresh apples means, homemade apple pie.  Of coarse, remember my knee is still wrapped up and I need to get the rolling pin which is in the high up cabinets I can't reach.  Couldn't climb up on chair like I usually do and had to come up with another solution. So, what's a girl to do, but improvise!  I thought a wine bottle made a perfect rolling pin to make my pie crust and by golly it worked really well!  Oh, and the pie was good too!

Then it was time for a hair cut! Couldn't take the long hair anymore.  My dear friend Sue, came to the rescue and came over and gave me a new hair do and brought me some banana bread too!  Gotta love  that kind of special friend.  

Spent the last week of the month cutting glass, and more glass for the Kris Kringle Craft show in November.  Had both kilns going and the wet saw humming.  I made 51 new pendants total and even introduced a new "reflections" tree to my work .  

Have some ideas for new designs for next year and can't wait to work on them and see if  whats in my mind works when I put it into practice.  We will see.   

All in all, I think 

OCTOBER

was 

GREAT!!!!!!

Here's a sneak peek of a couple of my new Bronze Necklace designs!

I've teamed warm bronze metal with luscious

creamy fresh water pearls!

Come see what else is new at 

ART BEAT 2018

this Saturday 8-18-18!

Just a few days away from Art Beat!

You can find me and my Magdalena Moon jewelry designs

in booth # 126 just a few booths north of 

the Chocolate Cafe !

The weather looks good, hope you can make it out to the show!

CHESTERTON ART FAIR

JUST ONE WEEK AWAY - LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING MY CUSTOMERS FROM THIS AREA!  LOOKS LIKE THE WEATHERS GONNA BE GREAT! SEE YOU NEXT WEEKEND!

New Designs

Just a few new pieces that are ready in time for the 

Chesterton Art Show next weekend!  

My Next Show

Looking forward to returning to the Domain Berrien Cellars Art , Wine and Music Festival. Thought I'd post the information now before I get busy in the studio again tomorrow and forget.  

Hope to see you there!

CAA Art Show

The 4th Annual Cass Area Artist Art Show is over and I came home with a very unexpected 3rd place award last weekend!  I covet this award as much as my blue ribbons knowing it was from a very special judge, Marie Remington from Buchanan.  She is fair but tough, so when my name was called for 3rd place it was a real surprise.

As a member of the CAA artist group I can say we've come a long way, but have a long way to go yet.  This year the  COA pavilion was completely finished and made a nice location for many artists to set up their displays. I usually set up my own booth at shows, but two weeks ago, I blew out my right knee so being able to set up in the pavilion was a big advantage and a lot less work.

Door prizes, music and pleasant weather made for a good day.  I wish the attendance would of been better, and getting people to realize this is a great little juried show is going to take time. One women I know told me her neighbor, our president Tom Rose, had been bugging her for years now to attend.  She said she was shocked to see the caliber of artwork and had no idea what a great show was right in her own back yard! 

Each show I do has its special moments and this show had one of the best.  The CAA has door prizes that are drawn every half hour and I donated 3 necklaces.  There was a father and his two daughters who stayed most of the afternoon and after each drawing his youngest daughter would go up the door prize table and say, its still here.  They stayed most of the afternoon until her name was drawn and she excitedly went up to the table to collect her prize.  It was one of my necklaces!  Her father told me she had wanted it so bad and so he stayed in hopes she might win it.  He asked if he might take a picture of the two of us as she had wanted to meet the artist.  Another goose bump moment in my life as an artist.

I want to thank my daughter Kelly and granddaughter Keirsten for giving up most of their day and helping me get through the set up and show with my bum knee.  You both made it easy for me to continue doing what I love to do.

If you weren't able to attend here's just a bit of what you missed: