Most of my garden is planted and prepared.

More of my garden.

There are a few more plants that have been added, but I’ll show pictures of that later.

On Friday, I went out geocaching and hiking with a friend.  We had a LOT of fun and quite an adventure!  He discovered the clever hide across the street from me (video of that coming soon), found the cache I couldn’t find in the cemetery across from me (yay!), and then we ended up going to a local park.  It’s a BIG local park with a small castle and everything.

First we found this crazy looking tree in the cemetery.

Then we went to Buttermilk Falls.

Exploring Squire’s Castle.

A fun interior shot of Squire’s Castle.

Windows in Squire’s Castle.

Enjoying the view inside Squire’s Castle.

Then we took a while up the path after another cache. This is the path behind Squire’s Castle. It was challenging and I want to walk the whole thing.

Steps lead to somewhere…

Saturday was the weekly craft show at Geneva-on-the-Lake behind the Firehouse Winery.  Aslynn came along and set up with me!  It was, as always, a lot of fun!

Our setup!

I’m not kidding. We have fun. Aslynn made the mask and horns are they are separate pieces. Very light weight, too!

If you were there, you might remember seeing this. Her top hat. Which she will make customs of!

And of course, if Aslynn had anything for me to happily wear, it would be her kitty ears. :p

Father’s Day weekend was spent sitting in the sun and chilin’ with my dad. Other than all of this, I’ve been hard at work creating lots of new things for the Winefest this weekend at The Firehouse Winery!  Come on out, enjoy some wine, and show your support for local crafters!  I’ll be posting a blog within the next day or so to give you all a preview of what I have in store for the weekend! Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy all the pictures! I’ve been a happy clicker.

An artist’s view of the lake last weekend.

It ended up being a cool day, but not freezing.  For some reason, to the south of the band stand (which we were north of) it was perfectly warm.  To the north (where we were) it was cool.  Like, 60′s cool.  Still, a lot of people came out and it was a fun time overall!  I even met a really cool woman who makes pottery that came out from PA and got a couple of mugs from her.  Very nice and talented lady!  I love meeting the artists that show up.  It’s really awesome to see what other things people come up with!

My setup for last Saturday. It’s great when I bring what’s in my mind to life.

Sokka was looking stylish in his goggles…

Also, last weekend, I debuted my latest glass pieces!  I was sooo excited for this!  I keep making more and more as well… so there will be at least a few more pieces debuted this Saturday as well.

My first ever glass ring! It’s on a stretch band, so it fits most fingers!

These are my first pair of glass earrings I’ve made! They kinda remind me of toad eyes, but they’re still awesome!

This is what I like to call my burst pendant. It’s being sold on a chain.

This is my other new pendant! So fun!

This is just the beginning for my glass pieces! There are more to come and more to be debuted at my next show!  So, if you want to get the first peak and dibs, come on out to The Old Firehouse Winery this Saturday!  It’s been confirmed that I will be there not only this Saturday, but next weekend for both Saturday and Sunday as well!!  This weekend will be especially fun because there will be the 6th Annual Fireman’s Roundup Fireman’s Games!  It sounds fun and exciting to watch, so I’m really looking forward to it!  The following weekend will be the two day show for the Wine Festival, so if you’re into wine, you should definitely come out and see what’s there!  Plus there will be several crafters there that weekend as well!  So, come on out this weekend and next!

I’ll be there almost every weekend! Come see me!

I’ve had a long day which you’ll read about tomorrow, so on that note, thanks for stopping by and reading!

Just thought I’d end this with the sunset from the show last weekend.

View from my booth.

Here’s my booth where I was set up with my friend!

Storms over the lake.

Beautiful shot of the storms over the lake.

Yesterday, my head felt all wonky.  I felt dizzy, I slept a lot, and then I had a couple friends over.  We went out for a walk, then I made a vat of sloppy joes and we watched Alice.  All in all, a good night.  Today my head is still a bit wonky, but it’s not as bad, thank goodness. I have a lot to do, but since I feel like off, I’m not doing it today.  I honestly think it’s the weather change that’s affecting me.  The weather changed from high 80′s to high 60′s over night.  Yep!  That would do it.  So, with that, I’m going to go take a really hot steamy shower to try to get my sinuses to co-operate, then I’m going to relax and take it easy some more.  Thanks for reading!

Then, I got a great video of my mom’s new kitten playing with her for the first time.  She keeps getting sillier and sillier, so expect more videos. :3

Meanwhile, I’m set up at the lake today, so come by and say hello!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Thanks for reading and enjoy the cuteness!

So what’s new, you ask?  Here’s what I’ve been making!

Lilac Earrings!

Red Flower Chain Set!

Blue Flower Chain Set!

I also have the flower chain sets available in pink and purple!  There’s only one of each, so get the while they last!  If you’re in Northeast Ohio and are looking for something to do, come see me here this weekend:

I’ll be there almost every weekend! Come see me!

And with that, I hope you all enjoy your weekend and I hope to see at least some of you!! For more fun stuff up for grabs, you can find them on my etsy.  Thanks for stopping by and reading and see you in the next post!

Saturday’s show was a partial success.  We didn’t last the whole day because it was 50 degrees and there were 40 mph winds.  It was an adventure to set up down there.  After we set up, the tents that were between us and the lake moved to a different spot so we started getting the brunt of it and displays and pieces were flying everywhere.  Finally, we asked to move too and we did.  After we got moved and set up all over again, I went to grab some food.  After I came back, I was told we could tare down and we would be allowed to set up free next time.  It was annoying, but understandable.  So, we promptly packed up, I loaded up my car and went home.  I plan to set up again this Saturday, but I’ll remember to bring duct tape to help me secure my pieces from now on.

Sunday had me driving back out to my parent’s house so we could go celebrate my great-aunt’s 100th birthday.  It was very interesting… I have a hard time knowing who’s who because I really don’t know much of my family.  It was fun though!  I met some of my cousins and got to wish my great-aunt happy birthday, so it was all in all a good day.

After that, my dad stopped on the way home to show me the largest covered bridge in the United States.  I got out, walked around a little, and snapped some pictures.  I want to go back and explore the area sometime soon.  :)

The longest covered bridge in the United States is located in Ashtabula, Ohio.

On Monday, I once again drove out to see my parents so we could have a small barbecue.  Dad and I grabbed some burgers, ribs, and mac salad and we had a great dinner!  After that, we stopped at my uncle’s house and much to our surprise, we caught a little kitten!  She is now in the loving care of my parents and their cat Tiger is still… unsure of the little fuzz ball.  She is adorable though and even though she was nothing but claws and jaws when I caught her, she turned into a loving happy kitten literally over night!

Ohai! I’m cute.

In fact, I spent the night that night in case I had to get up and take care of the little one.  Then I worked around their house a little the next morning and helped my mom with some stuff, then I finally went home.  I spent the night relaxing, then ended up driving (yet again) back to their place to help my mom with some more stuff.  Needless to say, today is the first day in a week I’ve been home and just stayed home.  So, I had to do some laundry, some cleaning and such.  Mom stopped by to help me clip kitty nails (I am not a pin cushion even if my cats insist I am), and then she left to go home and take care of the kitten.  I’ve suggested she name it Catsby, but she’s still up in the air about it.

So, to sum up, in the past week I’ve helped my parents out a lot, set up shop at the lake, caught a kitten, and now am catching up on my stuff around my place.  This Saturday, I’ll be setting up at The Firehouse Winery again, so if you’re out that way, stop by and say hi.  I’ll have some new items available as well, but I’ll give you a preview tomorrow.  :)  Until then, thanks for stopping by and reading!

Some pretty flowers I took a photo of.

However, I need to find more proof that I’m right about my findings.  I believe I’ve found my great-great-grandparent’s graves and my mom and I both remember what my grandmother told me about the names and such, but my father and uncle don’t believe they are who we say they are.  I’m positive, they’re not.  So…. time to do some more research.  I WILL find written proof.  Regardless, we planted some flowers on their grave today. We also found my grandfather’s oldest sister’s and her husband’s graves and planted there as well.  I plan to be updating some cemetery websites with the photos I took of the headstones today.  It has an option to update the information and to post photos of the graves, so I’ll be sure to do that.  That way, if anyone in my vast (and I do mean vast) family is looking for them, it might help them to know what the headstones look like.  If they’re searching like I did and the same sites pop up for them, I want it to be accurate.

Yesterday, I also posted my very first ever geocache.  I hid it in the cemetery where some of my family (my closest relatives) are buried.  Why?  Because there isn’t one there and I think it’s a beautiful place.  Most cemeteries have geocaches in them.  Why should that one be any different? Don’t worry.  I am extremely respectful when it comes to the inhabitants with where I hid it.

That night, on the way home, a craving hit me.  I craved doughnuts.  I don’t think I’ve had doughnuts since before my grandmother passed away back in February.  So, I decided to stop at a major doughnut chain to grab a few.  They. Had. No. Doughnuts.  WTH?! So, on my way home, I stopped at the one closer to me.  They were out as well.  I was thinking, does the universe not want me to have doughnuts?  So, I stopped at the grocery store.  They were out too.  There wasn’t even any prepackaged doughnuts!! I knew I should have stopped at my favorite doughnut shop on the way home.  So, I went home without any doughnuts.  I was not amused.

After that, Matt stopped over to pick something up from me and we ate cake at 1am.  I can’t believe I ate cake at 1am.  It looks like my healthy eating has gone out the window for the past week.  That will be corrected after this weekend.  I say after this weekend because I know I won’t exactly be home enough to make that happen.

This weekend, I’ll be setting up at Geneva-on-the-Lake behind the Firehouse Winery on Saturday from 12-8pm along with Clockwork Hearts!  If you’re out that way, be sure to stop by and say hello!  See what we have!  I’ll be working on some new stuff while I’m there that will go up for sale as I finish it, so there will be never before seen pieces there as well!

I’ll be there almost every weekend! Come see me!

So, as for the rest of my weekend, I have some plans but I’ll write about it after the end of the weekend.  So, I hope you all have a wonderful memorial day weekend!  I’d love to hear your plans, so feel free to leave some in the comments.  Thanks for reading!

As some of you may remember, I no longer had a job as of mid-January.  Well, I’m still looking, but I’m also trying to get something else off the ground.  I am now considered a virtual assistant and started up my own company called Danielle’s Virtual Assistance.   I’ve posted a few things on my blog there, and will blog there from time to time.  My most favorite post I’ve posted there recently is when I went shopping with my mother.  Consider it my first ever fashion post.  There was also the weekend of Cinco de Mayo and May the 4th Be With You which is another good read.   This blog, however, will remain my main blog, so don’t worry too much about me stopping posting here all together! I just can’t let that happen!  Be prepared for lots more to come since craft show season has officially started and is now in full swing!

That’s right, I said it.  Craft. Show. Season.  My first show of the season is going to be this Saturday at The Old Firehouse Winery in Geneva, Ohio.  I’ll be there from 12-8 and I’ll be teaming up with Clockwork Hearts for the event as well!  Fun to be had by all!  So come out, listen to some live music, have some tasty food and wine, and check out the craft show and say hi!

Other than working on some new items for my shop, updating it, and working on helping my friends and family with projects and spending time with my boyfrend, that’s about all I’ve been up to.  Not too much to report, sadly.  Either that, or I just can’t think of it right now.  I’ll be sure to write about it if I get the chance.  :p  If you could see my calendar, it’s full of stuff going on, but nothing I’m really going to write about right now.  Oh, and somehow, I’ve gotten myself hooked on Gossip Girl.  This is SO not like me.  I normally hate shows like this, but while I work on stuff, I watch it.  So, on that note, expect more posts to come and soon and thanks for being so patient!  I hope to be back on a regular posting schedule starting with this post.  So, thanks for stopping by and checking out the other blog posts that I linked to and I’ll post about more stuff later this week!

This is rather irrelevant, but…. kitty.

This was not the first time in recent history that I got very little sleep. The thing that happened last week when I got little sleep went a little like this. I went out with my friend Mary, came home at 1:30am. The elevators weren’t working, so I had to climb 5 flights of stairs. I fell asleep around 2:30. Woke up to a nightmare at 3. Stayed awake for a good while. Woke up at 6:30 to a fire alarm because there was a small fire on the 5th floor. Went back to bed at 7, fell sleep around 7:30, got up at 8 and ran out the door to meet up with my mom because she wanted to be in the audience for New Day Cleveland and we were! She was an hour late. I was not amused.

From my seat watching them tape New Day Cleveland.

So, anyway, back to yesterday. I didn’t get much sleep, but my mom was expecting me. So, I hate some breakfast, and took off. I stopped at Aslynn’s and bought a face mask for my mom because she alluded to the fact that we would be dealing with something stinky. Well… that was definitely a true statement. I’ll spare you the photo, but to sum up, lots of mold in a freezer that had been shut off and the door not kept open. Soooooo gross. Yet colorful. Yeah. Let’s say colorful.

After that, we hung out and had some fun. I caught up on The Big Bang Theory, saw my dad, and then went to hang out with my friend Fringe. We decided to go do some geocaching. We found 6 out of 10 we went for and enjoyed some very pretty views!

Taken from a bridge I had never been to.

Another photo from the same bridge as the previous picture.

By the time I got home, my whole body felt like lead, but it was worth it! Otherwise, I’ve been working on a website (nearly done with the content, then I just need to get it all up on there). Still a lot to do! I’ve also been working on some more chainmaille. My latest piece is the Twisted Peacock Necklace. It’s available now in my Etsy Shop!

Twisted Peacock Necklace

So that’s been up with me. Tag is sleeping on my lap right now and across my arms making it hard to type. So, with that, I’m going to end this post for the night. So, thanks for reading!

Breakfast full of yum!

Mini Mushroom & Sausage Quiches

8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup 1% milk

PREPARATION
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray (see Tip).
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have! I plan to make this often! Thanks for reading!!