The Kids are All Right

First of all, the kids ARE alright. Thank you all for your kind words and healing energy for Alice. She is feeling much better and even had her first day back at "school" (ahem, daycare) today. The mamas finally got a little rest and, thanks to our fabulous au pair (sounds much more sophisticated than "housemate who babysits," doesn't it?), we got a much needed night to ourselves last night!

We finally saw The Kids are All Right! I have to say, I went into this movie with huge reservations. When I first heard that there was a movie coming out about a lesbian couple whose kids contact their sperm donor father I was lit with excitement to see it. Especially since the two lead roles were played by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening, two of my favorites! But my bubble was burst when I heard that part of the storyline involves one of the two having an affair with a man.  Thinking this would be just another hollywoodized version of lesbian life (we must want to sleep with men at least some of the time, right?!), I was less enthusiastic about seeing it.

But I had it all wrong! The movie is fantastic and does an amazing job of showing that this family is just like any other. An affair affects them (the whole family) in the same way it would any family. It shows that we deal with the same issues as straight families... the hard work it takes to sustain a long term relationship, the hard work it takes to raise children together...

It made us laugh because we could see ourselves in the characters. We could see our quirks, our flaws, our fights, our kids. It made us laugh at ourselves. And then we left the theater in tears because it made us cry for all the same reasons.

So all in all, a fantastic movie that does a fantastic job of showing a family like ours just like it is:  fabulously imperfect and average.

Go see it!

In other news...

I never did get a chance to list that Indian aventurine ring that I made last week. I was planning to wait and do one big shop update with some other new things, but my plans to actually *make* those other new things got sidetracked by life. So I'll try to add the ring to the shop this evening.

The other thing I finished last week was this custom piece I made for someone special...

Citrine, garnet, aventurine and sterling:

This one won't be in the shop, but I will make more like it in the future.

Right now I'm working on some chunky new rings.

Back in the studio at last!

Spent a few hours at the bench this week... feels so good to be back in the studio after weeks of being away.

Custom order (sorry folks, it's already gone):

Carnelian and sterling. Love this.

Carnelian always looks so rich and juicy! One of my favorite stones.

And while I was at it:

Indian aventurine. Because who doesn't need a little sparkle?

Next week I'm hoping to create a few new bigger pieces so I can restock the shop! Watch this space!

xo

Still here...

And I've actually updated the shop twice this week!

Just a few juicy little treats for you, but something none-the-less!

Teeny tiny little earrings in carnelian and aventurine. There are a few pairs of each available (and I made a pair of each for myself!). They're great little everyday earrings. You'll forget you're even wearing them. As I mentioned, they're in the shop now. I'm still working away on some custom pieces but I wanted to make you (and me!) a little something too.

I have some very big news from last week! Our littlest peanut, Alice, took her first independent step! Those of you who know me only through my blog don't know that Alice was diagnosed with a very serious brain disorder in utero. Doctors did not expect her to survive until birth and warned us that if she did make it, there was a high probability that she would not have functional use of her arms or legs (among other just as dire predictions too numerous to list). Well, Alice is now 21 months old, crawling into all sorts of trouble, perfectly healthy, happy as a clam, and TAKING STEPS!!!

In other news... we are getting ready for a trip to Newfoundland in two weeks. I am SO excited. Most of my extended family hails from the glorious rock but I haven't been since I was teenager. I cannot wait to see it again. I cannot wait to share it with Stephanie and my girls. I cannot wait to take pictures and share them with you. I cannot wait to see all of my relatives, some of whom I haven't seen in 18 years! I can. not. wait.

I will most likely be closing the shop while I'm away. I'll post order/shipping deadlines in the next week or so. I do hope to get a couple of more items listed before I leave but I'm not sure if that will be possible. We'll see. Speaking of that, I'm off to the studio now...

xo

PS: Forgot to mention... At the request of a few people, I've added that little Google Friends widget over on the right to make it easier to follow my blog. So follow me. Please. So I don't look like such a loser! :)