Not Built for Heat

God made sure I was born in a state that rarely experiences uber-hot weather. Unfortunately, the last few days have been uber-hot. My poor doggies are miserable and can't stop panting. I wish I could pant to cool off!

It was 101 in my town on Friday. The last few days have peaked 95. Inside our living right now it is 91.5 degrees. Nope...no air conditioning. I've been stubborn. It seems ridiculous to spend money on an air conditioning unit that we only really need a couple times a year. But now I'm ready to go get one right now! If only for my poor puppies.

All that Siberian Husky fur isn't cooling. I even put out a couple bowls of just ice, which started melting immediately, and they lapped them up pretty quickly.

I'm looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow...for the air conditioning alone! LOL

Even with the horrendous heat I managed to get a lot done. Hubby and I ripped out the guest room carpet and foam. He pulled up the boards along the walls. And then today a wonderful friend came over and suffered with me to paint the walls. We actually finished. wahoo! So now the walls are a light peach. No more green. And hubby now gets to start working on the new flooring. It is going to be so pretty when it's done.

Now if it would only cool down. I can handle 70s...but 90s, even 80s are just too much for me. I don't know how people do it who live in typically hot areas. Although I guess most folks in those areas have air conditioning. *sigh* I'm dreaming of cool air right now! :)

Insanity Reigns

Have you ever been SO busy that your mind just can't quite focus?

I reached that point last weekend. My mother and sister in law are moving from Pennsylvania to Washington ... in less than a month! I'm very excited for them to come here. Especially because my hubby doesn't have any other family members nearby. Whereas I at least 20 members of my family here.

And while I'm super excited for them to finally get out here, I'm not so excited about the home improvements we need to do. My MIL is going to move in with us for 30 days...which I am guessing will be even longer. I don't mind that part...it's the getting ready part that is freaking me out!

The cats currently occupy our guest room...litter boxes and all. So they have to be moved to the garage. :( And then we have to replace the carpeting (it's needed it forever) so we decided to put in a wood style laminate...ourselves. *sigh*

And of course we have to paint it too. I wanted a nice light violet purple color but we settled on a light peach. Which means we have to prime it first because it's currently a bright green.

Oh, and did I mention the large wooden storage cabinets we bought recently from a coworker? She painted them white and we're stripping them back down to the natural wood. It's currently 1/10th of the way done in the middle of the garage.

And there's always my "real" job and my jewelry. The storage cabinet needs to get finished actually so that I can store some of my jewelry supplies in it. I've managed to take over the living room.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be over 90 degrees. My poor baby dogs are SO hot. Although Quinn likes the heat. It can be 120 degrees on the deck and she'll lay out there baking like a potato! Very odd Husky girl. Kodiak tries to find every ounce of shade that he can. I don't blame him.

Isn't that an adorable face? They're always cutest when they're sleeping.

So...I've vented. I really want to go make some jewelry but time has run out for my day and it's time to go to bed. It'll all start over tomorrow. :)

What Not to Do...

Do you go to art / craft shows or fairs? Do you ever see artists or crafters with items that you either could do or actually do? And do you ever walk into their booth and say "I could do that" or "that's so easy"?

If so...STOP IT!

For one thing, it's incredibly rude. It's demeaning to the person who took the time to create their items and who put a considerable effort into trying to sell their wares.

Can you tell that I had a tough weekend? I was part of an art / craft show that was part of a food festival (one of those 'Taste of' shows). Last year my sales were fairly good, but I also had a couple great customers with large purchases. This year sales were down a bit but that didn't bother me as much as the comments and behavior I witnessed.

I realize that making jewelry is a popular craft and that many talented people exist who make lovely jewelry. A lot of people make jewelry for pleasure and that's great. But it is SO frustrating to have someone come in and examine, literally holding it up to their eye to get a better detailed look, each and every piece in your booth. Getting ideas is one thing, but trying to determine how I did something is another matter.

And if you ask how much something is, please don't DROP it back on the table and say "ew". I mean, really. What you're saying is, "Your work, skill, time, talent, etc. isn't worth that much." *sigh*

But it wasn't all bad. I met some really great people who DID appreciate my work, regardless of what they thought of price. I even had one nice woman ask why something was priced as it was, so I was able to explain the detailed process, the handmade beads, and the time that goes into a piece. And after I explained it she understood and appreciated it even more.

And I did sell items ... and those who bought were aware of the quality and knew they were getting a unique and special piece of jewelry.

Plus I got to hang out with my little cousin who was a HUGE help. I couldn't have done it without her...it's tough to get bathroom breaks when you're by yourself.

These shows are super exhausting so I'm trying not to do as many this year as I did last year. I have another one in two months so that should be enough time to recover. :)

Hope everyone had a great, safe, and happy 4th of July. God Bless America!!!