Had a Great Day!

Saturday March 21 was possibly one of the best days of my life!

I walked in an 8K at the Virginia Beach Shamrock Marathon. This is the first orgaized sports event (unless you count dance class) I've participated in since leaving High School (26 years ago). Unlike sports in school which were belittling, demeaning and just negative this event was encourging, uplifting and highly positive. Even though I was just a walker and came acrodd the finish line 10 min before the race officially ended I still got a "high five" and a metal! There was encourgement along the route by onlookers and participants. Thanks to everyone who made it a great day - especially the volunteers! I can't wait to do another.

What also made it a great day was how I spent the rest of it. Although I was one my own I really enjoyed myself. After relaxing at my brother's house for awhile, I went out to a great pizza place close by - http://www.ynotpizza.com/ . I spent some time and money on beads at a nearby beadstore - http://www.thebeadcottage.com/. After that I spent a while looking for, finding and observing a Pinted Buntinf which was hanging out in a very unlikely place. Reportedly there are three of them but I only saw one male. Very beautiful bird.

I went to my parents' for dinner and mom showed my how to cook Shad Roe. An excellent Southern delicacy. Only available at his time of year. I'm drooling just thinking about it. We're supposed to do it again this weekend.

Fiannly I went and hung out for a little while with my husband and some of our friends at Jamestown Settlement which was having a special event weekend - Military Through the Ages.

Wow! what a day.

I guess I should say that the *best* day was when I got married! Coming up on 15 yrs.

BFAC 2009 project

For several years now beaders from all over the country have honored a friend who died of collorectal cancer by creating beadwork that is auctioned and the money donated for research. Although I didn't know Laney, I wanted to participate in honor of my husband's best friend from collage. I created a tassel with the technique from Robin Adkins in "Beaded Treasures". See past projects here: www.beadingforacure.org

Tag! I'm it!

Heidi (heidibeads.blogspot.com) tagged me for a meme running around the blogs.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Jeez, I'm having a hard time remembering.
Terry and I had just celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, the Library of Virginia (where I work) was still getting used to the new building, and my brother was getting ready to be married. I had started beading the fall before and just discovered the Bead Society of Southeastern Virginia (www.bssv.org), but I hadn't started birding or bellydancing. I hadn't been diagnosed diabetic - that would come in the fall. Ouch, I just remembered - I was either in the middle of, recuperating, from or about to end up in the hospital because of a bout with Reiter's syndrome a.k.a. infectious arthritis. That's how I met my current PCP, who diagnosed the diabetes.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order).
Birdwatching with the Williamburg Bird Club (didn't make it) http://williamsburgbirdclub.org/index.php
Update this blog! Whoo hoo!
Work on Beading for a Cure project. http://www.beadingforacure.org/
Clean out car (not in this heat!)
Clean out backpack (hmmm...maybe)
Go to the bank and go visit the evil empire (Walmart -shudder)

3. Snacks, I enjoy?
Unfortunately, I've yet to find a carbohydrate I didn't love!
Any kind of salty chip, dark chocolate, raisins, bananas, grapes, greek style yoguart (yea! Trader Joe's), nuts and cheese are probably my main list.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
Whenever I daydream of winning the lottery I always come up with:
Invest some (includes paying off debt)
Spend some (Hybrid car! Beads! Bead shop! New Kitchen!)
Give some away (Nature Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Friends of the Blue Ridge, Unitarian Universalist Association, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)

5. Places I have lived?
Hampton, VA
Richmond, VA
Newport News, VA
Williamsburg, VA
Takoma Park, MD
and back to Williamsburg
rather dull...

Who will I tag? I don't know. Stay tuned.

Pink doll

My square for the project is one pg. 3 of the "parade of squares."

It's purple with pink flower sequins and a silver "hope" bead. I think it ended up on the hem of the doll.

Pink Project

Check it out!

Kumihimo

Last saturday I was in Charlottesville for a kumihimo workshop. Kumihimo is a method of braiding particular to Japan. Bundles of silk threads are braided together to create a cord.
A pretty good explanation is at Wikipedia with some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumihimo

My teacher is Norma Shapiro from Roanoke. She has come up with the idea of braiding strands of beads together. This is the second class I've taken from her. In the first class we did a hollow braid with 8 strands. This time we did a spiral braid with 8 strands. When finished it kind of looks like a double spiral chain (http://beadweaverdreams.homestead.com/doublespirals.html).

Will post pics soon.

Beaded woodpecker - "My Grub!"

Hmmmm....

My first attempt at posting a photo.

This is also one of my first attempts at combining two of my hobbies. Charolttes (glass seed beads cut on one side) cover a plastic craft form in peyote stitch, right angle weave stitch and - my personnal favorite - "damn-it-all" stitch, aka "whatever works stitch."

This piece was part of Beadwork IV:The Beaded Figure http://www.interweave.com/bead/events/BeadedFigure.asp