Alone Again

Saturday. That's usually my day to escape for a couple of hours. It's the day I take beading classes at my local bead supplier while hubby watches the little one. Even if I've learned a particular technique before, the class is still fun. I get uninterrupted time to work on a project and great conversation with other women. Granted, they're always 20+ years my senior, but I almost prefer it that way. Older women generally have great life stories to tell.

Today, however, my husband is on duty, so no beading class for me. And William is driving me nuts.

I think the little man is teething. He's so young, though, that I can't give him anything for the pain. So I've spent the past three days listening to him fuss. And fuss. And fuss.

I'm going out of my mind.

It's not that the fussing is so disruptive. I can handle being interrupted during a beading or writing project. It's just that consoling Will is becoming increasingly difficult. I pick him up, he fidgets. I give him my finger or a toy to teethe on, he fusses. I put him down, he cries. And I have trouble telling the difference between his signals for teething and hunger. Sometimes he's screaming before I realize, "Hey, I should get the little bugger a bottle."

Why couldn't I have had just a couple more months of peace?

When I do get a quiet moment beyond the time I spend beading and pacifying Will, I continue looking into grad school. I've decided that I will apply next year in order to qualify for scholarships and additional grant money. Depending on how much aid I can pull down, I may be able to go to school for free. It's looking likely, anyway. I'll also be around the house a little longer to experience some of William's developmental milestones--like when he finally cuts that first tooth.

I'm a little nervous, though, about how much grad school might demand of me. I won't be overloaded with classes, but essays might be a different story. I'm also planning to do the thesis option in case I want a Ph.D. later on. That means TONS of writing and research...and less time for beading and blogging. *Sigh*

As we laid in bed the other night, my husband and I joked (somewhat seriously) about how the demands of grad school might affect our already-limited time together. I suggested that we may have to pencil in some intimacy in my weekly planner between my essays and Will's diaper changes.

No doubt, it's gonna be a wild ride.

Still Waiting

So baby William still hasn't arrived yet, though he's so close it's worrisome. If he were any lower into the birth canal, he'd be waving at me. So for now, I'm just sitting around waiting for labor to start. It's so frustrating. However, if he doesn't make an appearance by the 15th, my nurse will schedule me to be induced. As much as I wish for a natural birth, I can't really risk William getting any larger. I'm beyond huge and walk like an old woman. See?



I celebrated my 27th birthday a few days ago, but had to do a before-and-after day celebration because my husband was on duty...again. Fortunately, his duty rotation was recently changed to every four days instead of three, so maybe he'll actually be around for the next special occasion. Aside from my birthday, he missed Christmas and New Years. But such is Navy life, and I managed to have a decent birthday anyway despite being huge with child and sick with a horrid cold. Besides, I'm proud to have a husband who is serving his country.

In the meantime, I've been going jewelry crazy. I received several jewelry-making books for Christmas and lots of cash for supplies, so I've been making new pieces about every other day. Check it out:

"Party Time" earrings


"Raspberry Delight"
(Yes, I did make that silver pendant!)


"Rose Web"


"Summer Love"


I think making jewelry is better than taking Prozac. Shhh! Don't tell!

Merry, Merry Christmas

Yes, dear readers, I'm still here. I haven't gone into labor yet, although the time is drawing near. I had my first real contraction yesterday, and my back and abdomen still feel tight and achy. We'll see what happens today. I'm sooo ready to meet little William!

Unfortunately, I'm spending today alone in the apartment. My husband was assigned 24 hour duty on Christmas day, so I won't see him until 9 or so tomorrow morning. We celebrated Christmas yesterday by opening all of our gifts. I managed to surprise my husband with an expensive, high-powered flashlight that he had been eying online. The thing can light up a building. My gift? A Plano 777 tackle box from Bass Pro Shop. Now, I know what you're thinking: a tackle box? Well, I've been waiting for weeks to get my hands on it. I'm using it as a bead caddy and tool organizer for my jewelry-making hobby. I spent two hours or so yesterday setting up all the compartments and arranging everything (it's a HUGE tackle box). I was more excited than a kid in a candy store...still am. I'll be making some more jewelry today.

In the time I haven't been blogging or playing with my tackle box, I've been trying to get everything ready for William's (and my mother-in-law's) arrival. So far I've stocked our freezer with 2 quarts of New England Clam Chowder, 24 burritos, 3 nine-inch deep dish chicken pot pies, and 16 chicken burger patties...all homemade by yours truly. I've also been cleaning and organizing the apartment bit by bit. One thing that has helped tremendously: a new computer desk. Up until a few days ago, the computer and all related electronic devices took up residence on the dining table. It looked terrible. When we moved everything to the new desk, I exclaimed, "Wow! It almost looks like people live here!"

As far as my mood...well, right now I feel relatively stable most of the time. The problem is that with the birth approaching, my hormones tend to fluctuate randomly. I'll be riding in the car or cooking and suddenly feel like crying for no reason. It's a bit unsettling.

As far as my dark secret goes, I haven't told my brother yet. I'm waiting for the holidays to pass first. No need to insert drama in what should be a happy time. Ignorance really can be bliss.

Hope you all are having the most wonderful Christmas ever.

Obsession (or Distraction)

I know I've mentioned my new obsession of making jewelry a couple of times, so I thought I would post a few photos of my work. I love this hobby because it distracts me from pressing thoughts, provides a creative outlet, and boots my self esteem whenever I sell a piece...all of which is very good for me.

I also thought that you, my dear readers, could use some distraction as well from my weighty writing.

The "Wintergreen" Set




The "Sweet" Set




Necklace to the "Old Lace" Set


Earrings to the "Elegance" Set


The "Classy" Set


The "Black & White" Set




Thanks for reading!