Blogging seems like a fun idea...and I love reading others blogs.  I just never seemed to find my niche in it though.   Food and cooking might be fun to blog about.  I certainly have opinions on it, tho I am not great about writing about research, etc. when it comes to nutrition.  I DO read, and the ideas seem to take root, but I can never recall where the ideas came from.  

My other passion is art.   This past Saturday, Tom and I joined the High.   We saw the Dutch masters exhibit featuring Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.  I love that painting.  It was fun to read more about it, and how it was really just a character study, and not intended to be a master piece painting.   I wonder if that is why the paint has obviously cracked so much.   Its very luminous in person.   He was a master of light and shadow.  Seeing all his, and Rembrandt's paintings in the exhibit inspires me to paint again.  I need to finish the two portraits I have been working on for two years.   I think having to scrape the glass palette again is deterring me from getting started again! 

The kiln is on, and close to firing off.  Its glaze this firing...and clay pipes.  Can't wait to open it tomorrow and see how everything did.  Especially since I finally have made myself a teapot and its in this load....

this and that....

I have been working a lot in the garagio lately. It feels good after being busy for two weeks and not finding time for it. Slump molds and majolica decoration are catching my interest right now. Today I mixed up ten new colors of over glaze for the majolica technique and I am eager to try them out.

One of the things I am in awe of lately is how I keep finding more and more folks who have dabbled in pottery and want to come have clay play dates with me. Its so much fun having folks to work with.

Ok, this is a kind of boring post. Will try and be more interesting in the future. :)

Moving on....

So much time has passed...its hard to fathom. New church, new friends, new work...new wheel. Empty nesters, travel, illness, loss of loved ones.

Kaeleb started school. Bella will be three in two weeks. New grand baby on the way...

May have to start blogging more regularly again. Is anybody listening? :)

Another picture of beautiful Bella.....

Where has the time gone?

I have no idea! My last post was March! Here it is, the end of June!

I am still making cheese. We are now all set up to try some hard cheeses, like cheddar and parmesan. Just need to find the time to do it. (they do seem a bit time consuming!)

I went to Chicago to attend my sister's doctorate celebration party. It was a lot of fun meeting her co-workers and colleagues. She received her doctorate in Reading and Literacy. She worked on her dissertation for five years. Its quite a book, but interesting reading.

I have done very little work in the garagio. Just haven't felt like it. It is crowded down there with a bunch of extra furniture we brought back from Tom's uncle's house. His uncle passed away a year or so ago, and we helped clean out his house when it sold. I have a new china cabinet and dining room table and chairs. New to me, anyway.

The pool is open and I am trying to swim everyday. I caught Ruth and Bella's cold though, and have been trying to get over it before diving in again!

Say Cheese!

I just bought this book from Amazon. I have been curious about cheesemaking since a few of my friends started mentioning it on Facebook. The book arrived Saturday...but my first forage into the world of cheesemaking came Wednesday night. I made a pretty nice ricotta to use in lasagna I fixed for company Friday night. The lasagna was pretty good, and I credit the home made ricotta as the reason. The ricotta was pretty simple to make. You just mix together a gallon of milk and a quart of buttermilk, heat, strain and voila'! You have ricotta- really GOOD ricotta.

Today I attempted Marscapone cheese. I did not do it right and ended up with something that may turn out to be inedible. But I know what I did wrong! I was impatient, and added too much tartaric acid to it, so the end results were grainy. I plan to try again, and adjust the amounts. I only used a quart of half and half, so it was not too much of a waste. If I can master Marscapone before fig season, I will be overjoyed. Nothing is better than fresh figs with marscapone on them- and a tiny carton of it is really pricey.

Tom doesn't know why home cheesemaking interests me. I can't explain it, but it does. As I looked through my cheese cook book, I found dozens of cheeses I would love to try. Who knows...I may even attempt to make a bleu cheese. It would rock if it were to turn out really good. For now though, I am going to stick to the easy recipes.

Maybe I will get a goat.

Time flies....

I have been out of the habit of blogging lately. Life has just been so busy, though I can't figure out why. I went to help Ruth with the baby for a week. I finally got over the worst of my cold, though I still have some congestion.

I have been spending a lot of time playing the new Wii game, Harvest Moon. I think this is the third version of Harvest Moon. I played a previous version on the gamecube back a few years ago. Its a pretty fun game, and I enjoy planting, and harvesting vegetables and fruits on it. I have amassed a fortune. Why can't I figure out how to make REAL money as easily as I do in this game?

I have been totally off in my work. I haven't even touched any clay in over a month. I need to get down to the garagio and clean and organize the area so I can work comfortably. The warmer temps give me no excuses....

Isabella - 2-03-09

Ruth gave birth to Isabella on Tuesday, February 3. She was two weeks early, and weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces. She has a head of black hair like her mom had and her daddy's dimples.

Frydaddy - FRIED!

Last weekend we visited Tom's mother in south Georgia. We used our big 4-Runner to move a few pieces of furniture for her from her deceased brother's house to hers. I found a brand new, in the box Frydaddy in his cabinet, which my mother in law graciously gave to me because I wanted it.

So, I have discovered the world of FryDaddy. The best thing yet to come out of the Frydaddy here has been hot wings. Gosh, they are SO easy! Just fry them ten minutes, and splash on some hot wing sauce, and voila! Better than Taco Mac!

French fries and tater tots are pretty good too. Next thing to try is going to be doughnuts, and onion rings.

I guess we can blame any weight gain on the holidays...

Jamaican Fruit Cake!

Our friends, Michael and Karen, are from Jamaica. Many years ago, when Karen's mom, Miss Hilda was still alive, I was invited to a bake session right before Christmas in which Miss Hilda taught me to make her famous Jamaican fruit cake. I have many fond memories of that party. Like how she would not allow me to measure out 8 teaspoons of baking powder by using a tablespoon measure twice, and two teaspoon measures. I had to measure out 8 teaspoons... And she insisted Karen take the 'eyes' out of the eggs for me. Huh? It was a very memorable afternoon. We loved the finished product. Miss Hilda passed away a few years ago, but her recipe has been passed down to Karen, who maintains the tradition each year of making the Christmas fruitcake.

Today, Karen and I got together and mixed up a LOT of Jamaican fruitcake. It is so much more fun to work together making it. IT turned into an all day affair, but we had so much fun!

We started with creaming the butter and sugar together.



Then adding the 'blind eggs' as I call them, after Karen removed the eyes.






Then, we mixed up the dry ingredients...lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and bread crumbs. Karen follows her mother's methods...you strain the flour and bread crumbs to insure there are no lumps. My guess she did not have a sifter, so she used a strainer. Works for me...



As you can see in this picture, I followed the directions Miss Hilda gave me so long ago and measured out the baking powder using a teaspoon measure!




We mixed the wet ingredients into the dry and added the fruit. This stuff has been soaking in port wine for weeks. Well, actually some of it has been soaking in port wine for several years. I found a jar of fruit in the back of the top cabinet I started soaking maybe as long as six years ago. It was fabulous!



Once we got all the fruit mixed in, and added the browning and vanilla, we had to check for balance.



Karen isn't sure why her mother did this balancing thing with the spoon, but we did it just in case it was important.

Then, we tasted the batter to see if it needed any spice adjustments.



Yum!

Then, we prepared the pans. The fruit cake is steamed in covered tins. We lined our tins with wax paper. Here I am cutting the circles to fit the pans.



Then we spooned batter into the prepared pans, and steamed them in a water bath in the oven.



The finished cakes look wonderful, don't they?




After cooling, and another splash of port, the cakes ripen for a few days. Then, they are gifted to lucky friends and family. Here is half what we made:




Thanks to Michael, who took the pictures for us.

Cold Morning

The forecast was about 19 degrees this morning...but it is a balmy 34 right now. I slept in until 8. Finished my espresso, brought to me by my awesome hubby. I glazed some yesterday before the back started seizing up, and will try and finish up today. If I can get that kiln load done and going, I may be able to deliver an order made Tuesday tomorrow. Wow...I will be almost as good as my potter friend, Gary, who is a speed demon - he seems to get stuff done in record time!

Aside from some stiffness, a headache, and sniffles, I am feeling better. I hope I can throw some today.

Off to find some breakfast!

Teapots, etc.

I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately. Headache and joint pains....and today I twisted my back and now I can barely more.

Good news though is that I got 20 mugs done and ready to fire as soon as they are dry enough. With the rate stuff was drying I may be able to fire them in the morning.

Here are a few pictures of my latest stuff:

The first is a teaset I made for a wedding present for our dear friend Jon and his wife Tiffany.




And these nest two are teapots I made just to force myself to make teapots. For potters, teapots are kind of the final exam. There is a lot of designing that has to go into a teapot, and lots of things to keep in mind about placement, etc. To do a good teapot, you have to be a pretty good potter. I always shied away from doing teapots. Some still little voice told me if I wanted to call myself I potter, I better make sure I was able to master ALL forms...and not go easy on myself. After 40 plus years throwing, I ought to be able to make a teapot! So, I did. I made several. And it was fun.

Sick...

I started feeling bad on Thursday night, and finally called the doctor Friday evening. From the symptoms, we decided it was a kidney infection. After a few days on antibiotics, I feel a bit better, but not totally. I need to go check in at the doctor's office today.

Being sick really cramps my style. I was supposed to host a dinner meeting tonight that had to be cancelled. I was bummed about that, as the menu was Cornish Pasties...a big favorite around here.

One bright spot in the weekend though: My friend Susan was in for the weekend and I got to see her Saturday evening for a few hours.

Another nice thing: I unloaded the kiln Saturday. I had a few pieces where the glaze crawled..not sure why, but hopefully they are fixable....but most of the stuff turned out pretty well. And the wedding gift I was working on is now done and looks pretty good!

The Joy of Throwing

Woo hoo! I spent a few hours in the garagio again today. My friend Katy came over to trim a pot she threw the other day when she was over, so I went down with her and mixed a glaze while she worked. She left fairly soon after she was done, and since Kaeleb was taking a nap, I stayed down there and threw some sugar bowls. I need to put together two wedding presents for the next couple of months, so I am working on tea sets.

I am excited though, as the joy of throwing seems to be coming back! I am looking forward to getting back down there to trim stuff. The rain is slowing the drying time down, and I am getting anxious.

I am looking forward to throwing tonight once I am no longer on duty with Kaeleb. Tonight will be creamers, and trays!

Making Teapots...

I have always shied away from making teapots. There is a lot to think about when making them...spouts, lids, placement...and while I have had a few successes, I have also had a few duds. So, something happened last night. I was making a tea set, and decided to look on the internet for teapot making tips. I found some really inspiring stuff...so when I couldn't fall asleep (AGAIN) I went down to the garagio and threw some more teapots. I think I will make teapots until I am no longer intimidated by them. I feel like a competent potter should not let forms be intimidating. Right?

So, here is a picture of a recent tea pot that goes with the set I have been working on. I am not sure how I will glaze it yet, but I am leaning towards my nice variegated brown glaze.

Getting to work...

I don't get much chance to work these days. I have Kaeleb three or four days a week, and when I have a day off, I find myself running errands, grocery shopping, etc. Not having a car regularly contributes to the difficulty of getting into the garagio. I am afraid I am hopelessly behind on preparing for the Christmas rush. Today, I am going to try and get down there and do some stuff. I need to make a wedding present, and it has to be nice. Really nice. Then I will try and make some smallish pieces like ornaments, and such, for the holidays. This time last year, I was going crazy preparing for a show in November. I kind of miss that frenzy. NOT!

I have a few new ideas I am trying out. For fun, I did a few mugs with animals on them. These were totally inspired by my friend and fellow potter, Gary Rith. (Check out his blog!) I am not going to put these in my etsy shop, but they were fun to make!

James and I have been kind of wrapped up in a new interest. Well, a resurgence of an old interest actually. Legos. We bought the Lego Duplo train for Kaeleb and we have all been having fun playing with it. The Lego site has all kinds of cool stuff on it. You can download a program that allows you to build models, then figure how much they will cost to make. Then you can upload the model, and order the parts! They even will make you a custom box for it. Very cool!

Autumn

The weather has cooled off considerably here. We actually had to close the windows the last two nights to keep from freezing. I like piling on the covers, but they are not enough when it is 40 outside. Brrr! Funny, in four months I will think 40 sounds warm....

I had breakfast with my Favorite Neighbor (tm) this morning. I always enjoy catching up with her. We ate at IHOP. Gotta love those Multigrain pancakes...

Today is my day off, so I need to go to Costco, and run other important errands.

Still need to go find the hammer. The garagio is in desperate need of a good cleansing.

Life has been pretty mundane lately. Playing with Kaeleb in the morning, trying to be productive while he is napping, working on getting the motivation up to clean the studio/garagio. Last kiln load had a few good glaze tests. A few good pieces and more than a few bound for the hammer. I feel rather incompetent when I have kiln loads like that. Feels like I am the only potter I know who has so many screw ups.

Kaeleb is in bed, talking to himself. I should go assess the work needed to make the garagio useable. Find the hammer, yeah. Find the hammer....

It's a GIRL!

Ruth and Erik found out this morning they are having a girl! She is due in February. I can't wait! Pink pink pink! Clothes for girls are SO cute. If I had a car, I would drive over to the store and find something cute for her.....

Sometimes, you feel like an idiot....sometimes you don't.

I feel like an idiot tonight. I had sent five nice pieces of my work to a gift shop over on the coast. They never returned the signed contract as they had promised. This was back in April. I have repeatedly emailed, and gotten assurances that they would put the contract AND a check for a piece that sold in the mail. I never received either. A friend happened to be going to the city the store was in and emailed me to tell me it is GONE. A new store is there, and the old store owners packed up all their consignment pieces and took them with them, where ever they went. I am about sick about it, as two of the pieces I struggled to give up at all, and to have them essentially stolen is more than I can stand. So I am out mega bucks, and feel like a total failure. After a frustrating morning of trying to work, and not being able to produce anything worth keeping, I wonder if it is time to give it all up and forget it.

Time marches on...

And I feel kind of behind here. The run down is this:

Tom got a job offer and starts Aug. 18. He is looking forward to working with the company and thinks the work will be interesting.

Kaeleb turned two Saturday. It is so much fun to watch his development. He is adding words to his vocabulary almost daily. He LOVES cars and trucks, aka car, and BE car! (BIG car)

It is honestly so hot in the garagio I have hardly worked in two or three months. I hope I can get back 'in the mood' soon....

Hopefully, I will keep up more here in the future. I will end with this picture of Kaeleb at the beach in Florida with Laura.

Processing....

Tom still has no solid leads on jobs. Things continue to move along, with recruiters calling and such. The market is just slower than in the past, but hopefully it will not be too long and drawn out.

My life has been incredibly stressful. I am processing through a situation that has left me flattened, my self esteem and confidence, shattered. All the little things continue to go awry and drive me crazy. My oven is broken, four of my ten fish have died over the past few days making me afraid to turn on the aquarium light each morning for fear of what I will find, and I have felt rather sick lately. ( of course, that could be from the stress of all I am processing personally)

Life in the studio has not been fun either. The other day, I finally got a good platter done for a set of dishes I have been dragging my feet on completing. Yesterday, someone bumped the shelf and knocked a vase off it onto the unfired platter, shattering both. I am not sure I can bear the heat and go down and rethrow it.

At times like this, I am very thankful to have a loving and supportive husband. What a rock he is!

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

Getting over the funk....

So I have been in a blue funk lately. It has been about six weeks since I threw regularly...or fired the kiln. I would go down to the garagio...and I just felt nothing. It was kind of weird. I was reasonably sure it would pass, but it bothered me.

In the meantime, life has gone to hell in a handbasket. The dishwasher broke. Erik fixed it, but it took MUCH longer than it should have. And way more money than we wanted. The oven broke- still need to order the part to fix it and thankfully it is an easy, though not cheap, fix. The car broke down on the way to church last week, and had to be towed. The part that broke- the CV joint, was supposed to have been replaced about four weeks ago. Unfortunately, the shop replaced the wrong side. Fortunately, Tom was forceful enough with them that they paid for the tow and fixed the correct side for free.

No solid leads for Tom's job situation, but he does get calls from recruiters, and there are some leads. Hopefully, that will resolve soon.

I got an order for a set of mugs from a friend. It was just the ticket to get me working again. I had to do them quickly, and I was fairly successful which was a great encouragement. I decided to do a set of communion plates I had promised the pastor, and then moved on to a canister for a gift, and a platter I have been putting off making for a set of dishes I have been dragging my feet about finishing. The kiln is on now with a load of glazed pieces, the set of mugs included, and should be out tomorrow.

So, in the midst of chaos, there is a little joy. Glaze kilns are loads of fun- like Christmas morning.

Hopefully, this is the turning point, and the future will be brighter.

Again....

It has been a hellacious few months. I am SO ready for something nice to happen around here.

The last few weeks have brought us some hard times. Tom's uncle Sam Hudson Barker passed away last week. We drove down to the funeral last Wednesday.

Tom's car died three weeks ago, Laura's car died five weeks ago. Tom has been looking for a replacement for his to no avail.

This morning, Tom was laid off.

I really don't have anything else to say. I am overwhelmed. To the point I feel crushed by it.

Kaeleb!

It has been a while since I posted any pictures of Kaeleb. I bought him a bubble mower yesterday. He got to try it out this morning. The bubble aspect is not as good as I had hoped, but he loves the noise it makes and would not take his hand off it!

The Baptismal bowl....

Here are a few pictures of the bowl with lettering. It is not the final piece, as it has some 'problems', but those will be fixed on the final set of bowls. Note how beautifully done the lettering is! Just awesome! Thank you, Michael!

Who knows where the time goes?

That is a line from a Judy Collins song. I like her music. Folksy...

Ok. So here it is May and I have not accomplished much lately. I am still working on the set of sevice for six dishes. I am also working on a set of bowls for the church to use for Baptisms. The bowls have the church logo on them. One is a prototype of what we want them to be eventually- it has a Bible verse around the rim. The calligraphy was done by my friend, Michael Smith. He is well known in calligrapher circles, and his work is extremely beautiful. I am super excited about the piece. It is cooling in the kiln right now...and then I will glaze it and fire again right away. I am aiming at having a bowl ready for a Baptism this Sunday. I will post a picture as soon as it is done.

I am working on a lot of different glaze tests and I hope to have two or three I can use by the next glaze firing. I am working on a light blue, dark blue, and a celadon. I am also searching for the perfect clear glaze.

Life is fun. Now if I can just get motivated to clean the house some....

I feel like a real potter now....

A gift shop in a coastal Georgia town contacted me and asked me to enter a commission arrangement with them. After checking out their shop online, and finding out from a friend it was her favorite shop when she lived in that town, I agreed. I shipped out five pieces to them this week, and I am excited, and a good bit nervous about it. I am hoping and praying they like what I sent, and it sells quickly, and they want more! :)

I tried to send a variety, but all pieces of my floral work which is what they liked that made them contact me.

I wonder how long it takes to hear something.... In the meantime, I am working on a special order of a set of dishes for six.

Day after Tax Day

I am thankful taxes are Tom's job. It would drive me nuts.

I have a glaze kiln cooling. I overslept and missed water aerobics. My second wheel is set up, and a bit of a disappointment. It vibrates, and rattles. I guess my primary wheel has spoiled me. It is the best available, I am convinced. Smooth, quiet, no vibrations at all.

Once I get the kiln unloaded, I need to pack up 5 or so pieces to ship to a gift shop that is interested in carrying my work on commission. I am excited about that, but nervous too. I think it will be a good fit, and I am hoping and praying things sell easier there than online. I think the clientèle will be different, which may be a good thing.

I am working on a few porcelain pieces right now, but the main thing I have on my mind is a set of dishes for a special order. I have plates done, but I still am thinking through how I want to glaze them. Fun....

Here is another picture of one of the raspberry pieces...I am not sure I will sell this one. It might be a part of my collection. :)

And March is about to march out....

I said I would post more pictures once I got them, and yesterdays kiln and the one the day before were really a Christmas morning experience. Check out the new glaze I got the recipe for from my potter friend, Gary.



I love the combination of these two glazes layered. This calla lily jar is about ten inches tall. I like the round shape of it.



The brown glaze on this jar did not break as it usually does, giving a lot of variation in color. The inside looks nicer actually! But, I still love the shape and think it turned out pretty good.



I got an order for a full set of dishes, service for six, yesterday. I can't wait to get started on it! Several pieces, including one or two of these I posted, are going to a gift shop on commission. I am busy, and I am feeling good about what I am producing right now.

March marches on....

and I am having a hard time keeping up!

I wanted to post pictures like I said I would. Life has been crazy. I gave a baby shower for a dear friend on Saturday. Then went to a wedding of a couple from church Saturday night. I am struggling with the sinus infection and the changing weather. Sleeping poorly. Yep, I am whining.

Here are a few pictures from some recent work. I am excited about some stuff I am doing now. I will post pictures of it when I get some.