Day 2, 3, 4...?

Geesh, maybe that was a bad idea, makings lists.  The past few days have been a blur. We had to get ready for another show which means a lot of things. Glazing, figuring out what to bring, unpacking and repacking the van, figuring out our new booth design, getting kids organized, emails, hotel reservations, looking over load in logistics... And now planning for how to get any work done over  Spring break with more shows coming up. Most of the time almost everything gets done. But that 'almost' is key. The house is a disaster, laundry has piled up, family birthdays are probably right around the corner or past and I've got nothing to show for it. Not to mention the shows we still need to apply to, Etsy postings, email newsletters, other marketing and of course pottery to be made.  I did, however, let some of it slide on purpose to just enjoy the kids while Sandy was out of town this time. So often I try and squeeze too much in and then just end up feeling terrible that I didn't hang out with the kids enough.  We had a blast just baking cookies, taking walks, talking, reading books, playing, getting hair cuts while watching a movie, went out to lunch and a birthday party today... So much better than trying to do anything else. Sure, I will clean the house...but now I'm too tired!

Day 1....

Alarm at 6:15am....
Wake up routines, kids off to school
I fiddle on the website.
Sandy and I discuss our day over good coffee...
I prep and throw about 20 pieces.
 Sandy hunts for wood at local store...
We discuss more and go out for a sushi lunch. Yum!
After lunch, I head on to hunt for packaging/shipping supplies.
Sandy works on coat hooks.
I gift wrap two packages.
I chat with a friend for lining up babysitting during spring break/summer break
Student arrives. I teach a lesson.
Sandy picks up Maddi from bus stop.
Simon is dropped off from play date.
Kids play with Sandy.
Student leaves.
Sandy makes dinner
I cover my wet pieces from earlier
Maddis does homework
Wash up for dinner
I load dishwasher/tidy kitchen
Stinky Simon needs a bath.
Maddi tells me all about her school friends.  :-)
Kids bedtime.
I respond to emails, work on website.
We prep for glazing day tomorrow
In bed at 11pm.  Tired.

Laundry needs to be folded. Our bathroom still needs cleaning.

Back to it?

I've decided to try this Blog thing again. Whenever I got around to writing something before....I fell asleep.  Then I realized that I didn't want to keep apologizing for lack of time, grammar or complete thoughts so I turned it off for awhile.  Then recently I heard that people who make lists sleep better, and it just so happens that I am a list maker.   Making lists doesn't always help me sleep, but that's usually because I'm thinking of all the things that need to or could be done.  So, I had an idea. What if I were to make a list of all the things we actually did do on any given day or week.  Not full thoughts, just lists and note taking.   I quickly realized that doing this everyday (however romantic that may sound) is most likely an impossible task.  All that would do is be a constant reminder of a promise unkept.  But I will commit to doing it as often as I can for one year.  As I embark on this project I hope it will be interesting to you, the reader.   If nothing else, it will at least be an experiment....
Good night for now...lets see what happens tomorrow...

Inspiration

As artists, we are frequently asked about what inspires us.  We have realized that it is not just one thing or one aspect of our lives that influences our designs. In some ways we are typical artists; always thinking, learning and exploring. In other ways, we are a typical husband and wife raising children, making dinner, paying bills and all the rest. But as to what inspires our art, it is normally a mixture of many things that fall into the cracks of our everyday life.  Our inspirations are nature, art, each other, our kids, dreams, memories, desires, even stress. And the list goes on. However, not all of what inspires us translates literally into our work. Sometimes our ideas come from an inner release from the normalcies of our lives.

Good Morning

We are all sitting around this morning watching cartoons, eating our yogurt and muffins, just enjoying this quiet moment. The last week was filled with Maddi's birthday party and squeezing in all the work we could in preparation for a show next week. Television is a rare occurrence in our house, but we can't help but use it to our advantage once in a while. However, there is never a dull moment around here. Maddi has already found a lightning bug in the house and Simon just turned to me and said that he had a "wee-wee". Looks like my attention needs to be on them.....

Chocolate

We both gave up chocolate for lent.  But since Sandy is not here, I need to only speak for myself on the subject. When we decided, it was a bit whimsical and I must say that my initial thoughts were more about trying to regulate my diet because I have a bit of a sweet tooth. It was only the next day after dinner that my decision hit me. What was I thinking! At night, for me there is a need for that sweet taste of melting chocolate after my meal.  It seems more like a reward for getting through another day. And by that "another day" I mean going through all of the motions and emotions from waking up, to somewhere between just before the kids take a bath or just after they are in bed.  The funniest is when I have sneaked a piece of something and they can smell it on my breath.   I don't need much on most days, just a taste.  It is an instant mood swing...for the better.
I bring this up tonight because it is the eve of Easter Sunday.   I had the job of putting the kids Easter baskets together. We do not give them much candy, but they have been on a few egg hunts this week and their quota of plastic eggs full of chocolate is through the roof!   I realized, as the smell of chocolate was overpowering that Sandy is in bed reading, the kids are in bed asleep; what a perfect opportunity to cheat!  I absolutely did not, and it was not the first time that I could have.  The fact that Sandy and I got in this together really helped curve my temptation.  Maybe because of competition, maybe because "misery loves company." I do know that I have come to terms with a few things about myself. I am honest to a fault on many occasions.  I will never give up chocolate again.

The Kiln Shed

Sandy opening the kiln.

A decent firing with a new piece and many glaze tests.

The glaze turned out beautiful, but it cracked up the side.

The patio.

Our gas kiln and shed is a labor of love.  Sandy built the shed a few years ago and we bought a home made, used kiln from a local camp.  We have continually transformed the kiln from the burners to the chimney, and soon we will be re-doing the top because of a terrible sag. We have had many successful firings and many poor firings.  It's been hard to nail down a red glaze because of the inconsistency of the kiln itself.  We have developed one new glaze pattern, but have not added it to production yet.  The shed sits at the edge of our flat, fenced in area that looks over the woods behind our house.  We created a cozy patio to sit, enjoy and glass of wine and chat while the kiln fires.  There is still a bit of sprucing up that we intend to do like plantings around the base, trim around the windows and to finish the chicken coop. More on the coop later.  We never have a lack of projects around here!