Another year older...

It's my birthday! Somehow, I've marked 34 lighting-quick years on this earth. Last night in our kitchen the conversation turned to a discussion of how old each of us actually felt. My answer, which was mocked as being random, was 24. But it's true. I don't feel as young as 23, but I don't feel like I should be approaching 30 yet either. See, not random at all! But, of course, the reality is that I'm getting close to approaching FORTY! Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves... I'm still in my early 30s. Right?

Ahem.

Last night I got to spend a delightful 3 hours in my studio, uninterrupted by waking babies (thanks to our lovely new roommate!) or homework or household duties. I feel creatively refreshed today! My studio's like a spa for my artistic spirit.

And I finished another piece. This one will be in the shop sometime later today:

Rusticated sterling silver bangle bracelet with sleeping beauty turquoise and rhodochrosite charms. And of course my buffalo stamp on the back of the turquoise piece.  The charms play like chimes as it dangles about your wrist. Jingle jangle.

Oh, and I wanted to share this with you! Guess what the foxy one came across as she was walking up the steps to her building last week:

It's a fox!! Right in front of the door to her office building! There's a whole family of them living in the bushes to the right of this walkway. I told her he came out to greet her because he felt her fabulously foxy kindred spirit!

Okay, I'm off to enjoy birthday festivities. Homemade cranberry upside down cake awaits...

Ahhhh...

What a perfect weekend! Oh my goodness.

Stephanie took me out on Saturday to celebrate my upcoming birthday (it's Wednesday!) and I can't imagine a nicer way to spend the day than the way we did Saturday. Oh! Now I've been spoiled...

Our lovely babysitter, Cynthia, who is now LIVING WITH US!! (Yes, we are the luckiest parents EVER!) had a fun afternoon with the girls while Stephanie took me to Blue Koi (I'd link you up, but their link appears to be down) for a scrumptious lunch of shrimp dumplings and the most tender pot roast you've ever sunk your teeth into (Alice quite enjoyed the leftovers--talk about spoiled!). Our decadent lunch was followed by my first ever visit to a spa! We spent a divine 45 minutes in the steam room, sauna, and rainbath and just when I thought I might melt right into the woodwork, it was time for our facials. Okay, I'm not one for too much intimate contact with strangers (not even a fan of massages here!) but this facial was about the most relaxing 60 minutes I can remember in... well, maybe ever. I swear, if I had one of those once a week I'd never lose my patience again! But I'll settle for once a year.

After our time at the spa we sauntered on over the ice cream place we used to frequent when Stephanie was pregnant with Alice (it's right by the hospital where we spent many hours having our little miracle monitored before her birth) and finished off our afternoon with dessert and coffee.

Contented sigh.

I even got to spend some time back in the studio this weekend. Finally! It feels so good to be finished with finals. I started on a couple of new pieces and am still working on finishing some others that I started weeks ago. Hopefully I'll have some things to add to the shop very soon. I'm working on adding some less expensive pieces as well.

Thanks to all of you who came out for my shop opening last week! And thank you to Aimee over at artsyville for the love!

It's going to be a good summer.

(and in the interest of not leaving this post picture-less, here's a completely unrelated one from the weekend before last)