I have been terrible at update this here blog! Sorry! This post is no better — just a quickie to say today is the last day of my 15% off Holiday Sale at http://www.rainestudios.net and on Etsy.

I have lots of new things that I’m kind of wigging out over, check it:

After the sale is over, you can still get 15% off by signing up for my mailing list!

Happy Holidays!

-Amy

One of my goals when we relocated and I went from working full time to full time mom and jeweler — BLOG MORE!

Well here it is almost October, and we can see that that hasn’t happened! I am going to try to do better.

The thing is, we have been having a lot of issues with Ethan at his new school. It would be really helpful for me to pour my heart out and tell every detail and emotion that has been wrung out of me (it’s been quite a lot), and I’ve wanted to post about all the trials several times. However, something has always stopped me. I don’t hide our names on this blog (though I do our address) and we could be easily found by anyone involved.. Not that I am afraid of any retribution, but I don’t want to hurt anyone involved (including ourselves). I have been frustrated with those who still have Ethan’s best intentions at heart, and in venting those frustrations I may hurt feelings.. I’ve always had a rule on this blog: if you write *about* someone, always write as if they are reading it. I don’t think I can do that here.

Also, it is one thing to post cute photos of your toddlers on your blog, but Ethan is 9 now and I have to consider his privacy as well – he may not need/want it now, but in the years to come, he is going to be on the internet increasingly, as well as his peers and I need to consider how much information I put out there (and remember – the internet is FOREVER) that really is personal to him.

So… all that in mind.. It’s been a very hard month. I feel as if we’re out of the riptide however, and making our way in out of the deep. We’ll see how it goes. I am so grateful for the professionals we’ve found in Colorado that are helping see us through this.

Sorry for the silence.. and the lack of details on this situation.

I have started a new jewelry class which is fun and frustrating all in one! I’ll post more about that soon. Today I have to do laundry and cut rings – my jewelry has not been selling (i smell a sale coming) but my supplies shop is hoppin’!

-amy

(image from my etsy supplies shop – yes, I get bored shooting plain photos of jumprings, can you tell? Gotta spice it up somehow!)

So, we have tile in our kitchen, and I like to walk around barefoot. I blame these two facts for the massive callouses that have been growing ON THE SIDES OF MY BIG TOES. I always have calloused feet but on my TOES?? I didn’t want to spend the money for a pedicure, but after one night of bad insomnia where I spent hours just gently rubbing my toes together and feeling the hard skin — I decided it was pedicure time.

First off, they took a cheese grater to my feet.

A CHEESE GRATER.

I know the place I used to go to in VA used some sort of tool with a blade, which is pretty similar — but I swear, I am mentally traumatized now. I may never be able to grate cheese again.

Next, she kind of buffed the sides of my toes, but the hard callouses are still there — mostly because…

They painted my toes before doing any moisturizing! So they couldn’t moisturize my toes, because they were drying from the polish on them!

Anyway, it’s good to get this off my chest. Never going to that place again!

1st world problems, I know!

-amy

The macro lens has not been found, which is why some of these images are … less than stellar. I couldn’t wait any longer to get them up! Right now they are only posted on my Etsy shop (where you can currently use the coupon code “20AUGUST” for 20% off your order!)

These are a few pieces of my new Signal collection:

I have more of these coming!

Well, here we are! In Colorado! We’ve now been in our new house for just over a month. And wow, it feels much longer!

I really wish I had blogged during this whole process, because it has been totally surreal. The weeks before leaving Virginia was filled with “last times” doing this, and “last time” doing that. I do want to write a little bit about it, and plus I have photos. Always good to post photos!

Jocelyn had her ballet/jazz dance recital the week before our departure.

Since James’ company was relocating us, it was very nice to have packers come in and totally pack us up. What would have taken us weeks was done in 2 days. Amazing! We were packed up Thursday June 23 and part of Friday, and then everything was loaded onto the moving truck. We left that evening and headed for Indiana, to visit with my brother’s family. The kids had a blast.

cousins: ages 2-16, all playing legos. only missing 1 cousin who was out of town

trampolines – always fun

Last fall we drove to Utah and tried going w/out any sort of portable DVD player(s). We had the kind with 2 screens that strapped onto the back of the front seats’ headrests and there was always some todo about who got to pick what and Jocelyn would always get bored 15 minutes into her choice and Ethan would be stuck with it and so we just did away with it. We played movies over the car speakers (just from our phones/ipods) and it worked out fine, though this trip we didn’t even do that. There was a lot of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Nintendo DS playing, and the trip really did go well with minimal arguments.

We spent Sunday with my brother’s family, and then hit the road Monday and had dinner with James’ sister in St. Louis. Tuesday we were on the road when our VA house closed (didn’t have to be there, the relocation company handled it all, yay!) and we squealed with delight somewhere in Kansas when our realtor called and told us all went smoothly. Wednesday we arrived in Colorado and Thursday we closed on our new house. Then we had a long 4th of July holiday weekend of spending the days in our empty house or at the hotel pool, while we waited for our household goods to arrive. The moving truck arrived Tuesday, July 5th and there was much rejoicing at having all our stuff, albeit hidden away in boxes!

I have been adjusting to staying home with the kids, and I think we’ve settled into a nice groove — just in time for school to start! Only a week left, and then school begins. I will soon know the feeling of bliss every other stay at home mom feels when the little whiners darlings go off to school!

My Etsy shop and my own website are back up and taking orders — and lots of new things are cooking just waiting to get photographed and posted. Now if I could only find my macro lens…

-Amy

Things have been a whirlwind lately, what with our home going under contract, arranging movers, locking down interest rates, last minute travel to Denver for house shopping, etc etc ETC!! Things are *ca-ray-zee*!!

One thing is sure — My shop will be closed about 3 weeks, from Friday, June 17 to Monday, July 11th (this may change depending on how many boxes get unpacked once we arrive!)

All that in mind, I think now is a great time to have a jewelry sale! All finished jewelry 20% off, from now until I close Friday 6/17:

http://www.rainestudios.net

Recently I received an email from a friend and customer pointing out that what looks like my Shenandoah earrings have been published in the latest Step By Step Wire magazine. The earrings project in the magazine is called “Lace Skirts” by Lauren Anderson, who goes by The Chainmaille Lady on artfire and Etsy.

pg 23 in Step by Step Wire magazine

raine studios’ Shenandoah Earrings

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As we will be moving this summer, and I don’t have the best track record for updating my banner monthly, I’m making this my summer 2011 banner.

View all archived banners here.

In honor of Ethan’s birthday this month…

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