Cleaning the Beads

I love seeing the difference between a batch of beads straight out of the kiln to when they are cleaned and sorted.  Here is yesterday’s batch of beads; this is what they look like after the kiln has cooled.  The white substance is bead release.  It is used to keep the glass from adhering to the stainless steel mandrels.

Lampwork Beads on Mandrels

After I remove the beads from the mandrels, I place them in a little container of water and clean them with my Dremel rotary hand tool and a diamond BeaDreamer.   I give them a soaking in a second container of fresh water.

Here is the pile of beads after they have been cleaned and rinsed:

Lampwork Beads Drying

They are starting to look better.  I dry them on a paper towel (that I let dry out every time if you can believe that) on top of a kid’s T-Shirt.  This T-Shirt was one of my favorite shirts belonging to my youngest daughter.  That daughter is now 11; I just knew that I would find a use for this shirt someday…

Here is where I let the beads dry completely – in a reused egg carton.  Of course, they dry faster when I don’t spill water into the carton (black and aqua beads in second row).

Lampwork Bead Drying in an Egg Carton

PV2 Daugherty – Day 2 – Graduation

The ceremony itself was quite impressive. Each individual platoon stood and marched to a cadence (lead by their Drill Sargent) onto the stage. Then each individual soldier stepped forward and announced their rank, name, and hometown and walked off of the stage. Families were encouraged to walk to the front and take photographs or video if they desired… which I did indeed desire.

I have a fine video.  I use a Mac and I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t know how to edit it to put a clip onto here.  Isn’t that the kind of thing that a Mac user is supposed to just inherently know?

Daniel and Denise at Fort Leonard Wood

PV2 Daugherty – Day 1 – Family Day

So, you may have wondered what was the reason for my recent road trip. Or maybe not, but I am going to tell you anyway! My son recently joined the US Army and went to Basic Training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. We drove there to see him and his graduation ceremony.

It was great seeing him again; he seems to be quite happy with his army experience so far.  His rank is currently Private Second Class.

PV2 Daugherty

At the beginning of the day, there was an orientation for families. We were shown the different uniforms and a slide show of the different training sessions in which our new soldiers had participated.

They were then dismissed and we were allowed to take them off the base for lunch. Afterwards, we came back to the base, visited the museum, and took some family photos. The time passed quite quickly.

Katie at the Museum at Fort Leonard Wood

On the Road – Gateway Arch in St. Louis

While traveling, my family visited the Gateway Arch, a part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, in St. Louis. It is a fun place to visit, and we did the required things: see a movie and ride the tram to the top of the Arch.

On the way in, we took a traditional family photo at the base of the Arch.

Bunny Ears at the Gateway Arch

The tram to the top was a bit crowded.  We fit 5 of us into it, and we are not small.  My husband was taking this photo and we were encouraging him to move fast to get in before the doors snapped shut.

Tram at the Gateway Arch

Although it was a rainy day, the view at the top was still spectacular. We took some memento photos – bunny ears inside the top of the Arch.

St. Louis from the Gateway Arch

At the Top - Gateway Arch

What really got us excited however, was the fact that we could see our rental van from the top of the Arch.  Seriously, how exciting is that?

The Rental Van

On the Road – Roadside Curiosities #2

Huge Cross

Near Effingham, Illinois where I70 and I57 intersect, there is a very large cross.  It’s 198 feet high and hard to miss.

On the Road – Roadside Curiosities #1

Huge Candle at the Warm Glow Candle Outlet

The Warm Glow Candle Outlet Store has a huge candle out front.  Well, not a real candle, but it looks like a candle.

I guess that goes well with my theme of the outrageously large ornaments.

Finally, a family tradition – an obligatory photo with bunny ears.

Bunny Ears at the Candle

On the Road – The One that Got Away

Yesterday, I wrote about the Warm Glow Candle Outlet Store. My only regret about stopping there? I wish that I would have gotten this ornament too. It’s a flat candy mint; I would have had it hanging in my house all year long!

The One that Got Away - Candy Mint Ornament

Check out my glass beads – (they totally do not resemble these ornaments!) at Etsy or my Spawn of Flame website.

On the Road – Christmas Shopping

Last week, I went on a road trip – more on that later. On the way back, we stopped at the Warm Glow Candle Outlet Store, which is located on I70, on the Indiana side of the Ohio / Indiana border. I was so excited about the Christmas present that we bought, that I guess that I’m telling my travel story in reverse!

First, a little backstory is needed. My in-laws always put up a ginormous Christmas tree. The tree itself is always too tall for the room, which requires lopping off the top of the tree. Gazillions of lights are installed on the tree. Now this means that the tree can only be lit for short amounts of time, because the lights get so darn hot – they even heat up the whole room. Also on this tree are huge ornaments with family members’ names written on them with glitter. And when I mean huge, I’m talking about at least 7 inches in diameter. Each.

The Perfect Ornament

So, at the outlet store, my husband found this and asked if we should get this for his parents.

This was a no-brainer decision.  It is PERFECT!

My, How You Have Grown

This is the same tree that I wrote about last year.  It is much taller and more full of leaves than before; it completely obscures the view from  my bedroom window.  What is particularly perplexing about this is the fact that I have lived in this house for 11 years, and this tree had been about the same size for all of that time.  Why did it change so much this year?

Japanese Maple

When I’m not watching trees grow, I create glass lamwork beads. Check them out at Etsy or my Spawn of Flame website.