Tangible Tidbits 2012 #47: Holiday Season Wrap Up

Hi, everyone! I’m really sorry I didn’t get here last week. I actually did write the blog post, but I never got online to post it. Other than access via my phone and a little bit on my Netbook, I wasn’t online for nearly two weeks! :-O My oldest niece even complained to my mother about how slow the Netbook is while she was trying to get some of her homework done one day last week. :-/

Things at the office have been crazy lately – I clocked in 86 or 87 hours in the past two weeks, and my regular work week is usually 25 hours! :P In addition to the regular end-of-the-year surge in activity, we got hit with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The vault of the Depositary Trust Company (DTC) in Manhattan was flooded in the storm...what do you expect with the address of 55 Water Street?...and they began processing the replacement of all of the certificates that were lost/damaged/ destroyed. It’s going to be a long time before any of us forget Sandy, I assure you. :P

I finally repaired my coworker’s Freshwater Pearl necklace on Saturday, and priced out a necklace and lanyard for two other coworkers on Sunday. With working so many hours and Christmas coming up next week – I finished shopping, but haven’t wrapped anything – I will have my hands full this week. My two older nieces are sleeping over on Friday night so we can assemble gingerbread houses and bake Christmas cookies. The baby isn’t ready for a sleepover yet...much less accomplishing anything other than eating, sleeping, and pooping! :)) She will be making her first public debut on Sunday, though, at a friend’s holiday open house. ;)

I posted a new social media poster yesterday...I only have one left, so I have to make some more. :P I’m embarrassingly behind on typing up the meeting minutes from BSNJ’s November general meeting and recent Board meeting. That’s something else I will have to get done this week. :-O

My birthday is next Monday...which also happens to be Christmas Eve...so I may not post until Tuesday. We have our big family celebration on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day is more low-key until Mom and I go to my sister’s house for dinner. So, I anticipate having some time in the morning and early afternoon. Hopefully, by putting it in writing, I will actually deliver as promised. :))

There are no words to express my feelings about what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on Friday. I can only say there are 26 new angels in Heaven...all of whom had no right being called back as soon as they were. My sincerest condolences to everyone affected by that tragedy. Having a "Merry Christmas" will be inconceivable for them, and it will be a really long time before their lives can be put back together again, if that’s even possible. I may not say it a lot, but I am truly grateful for the wonderful people I have in my life, including all of you. :D

Until next time, take care and have a great week! B-)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #43: Hitting the Highlights Post-Hurricane Sandy

I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! :)) As I’m sure you already know, Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey pretty hard. Personally, my entire family – aunts/uncles/cousins/sister’s family were all without power for at least eight days. Luckily, the majority of us got it back within a few hours of each other. At one point, my sister had an electrician hook her furnace up to the generator they bought just before the storm, so they at least got some heat. Mom and I do have a gas water heater, so we could take hot showers. Luckily, my cell phone worked and I can charge it in the car without the motor running, so that was my link to the outside world. ;) We went out to dinner every night and went to bed early, simply because it was the warmest place to be! :P However, we fared much better than the Jersey Shore and other areas near bodies of water. The devastation is unreal…some people are still without power, and many are without habitable homes or any home at all. I can’t even imagine finding sand, dead fish, and boardwalk planks in my living room, as have been reported. As much as we were inconvenienced, we were tremendously lucky. It can always be worse. :-/

I was in the middle of publishing my blog post on Monday, October 29 when we lost power. Honestly, I can’t even remember what happened that long ago, much less what I wanted to write. Here’s a basic list of what’s happened in my life since my last post:

• This is the first time I’ve turned on my desktop since the power went out, although I have monitored my email and Facebook pages via my cell phone. ;) Here’s the latest social media poster, albeit a bit late. :-O

• I couldn’t make jewelry during the power outage because (1) it was dark, and (2) my hands were too cold to make anything! :-O

• My doctor confirmed that I started Perimenopause over the summer. I was not surprised because I had a feeling that it was happening, but hearing it confirmed freaked me out a little. I’m 6-7 years younger than my mother was when it happened to her. As I told my psychiatrist recently, I kind of feel like a phase of my life is ending before I got a chance to really experience it. :( C’est la vie!

• Fire Mountain Gems and Beads has featured me as a Success Story on its website! I’m on a roll! :))

• I started a lanyard for a coworker using my Kumihimo disk yesterday while at the 4th Annual Jewels of New Jersey Show. Even though she picked out the cords herself, it’s bulkier than she expected and I ran out of cord before I could reach her desired length anyway. Back to the drawing board! :-/

• I sold a few pieces at the Jewels of New Jersey show; although not as many as I would have liked. The good news is that the two people who were really excited about my work (Hi, Marlene & Dave! ;) ) are employees of the Monroe Township Public Library, for which the event is a fundraiser. Hopefully, that means they will be there every year! :D Dave wanted two of my wax cast rings, but they were too small. I stretched one last night, and the other one this afternoon. He told me if I couldn’t stretch them, I could make something else for him when I go back to MSU next semester. :D

That’s probably more than enough for now. If I remember anything else noteworthy, I will let you know next week. Until then, take care and have a great week! B-)