Yikes! 2012!

Holy cats, reminded of the fact that I even HAVE this site by meeting an enthusiastic young smith at the local coffee shop yesterday, and checking in today realize I am such a pathetic blogger LOL Well then. A quick entry and maybe later I can upload a picture of some kind...

Last year's student resurfaced and will begin SOLDERING this week! Excitement! And the need to clean up the torch area...

Slow build-up of running schedule from last fall's crotchety SI joint craziness was going fabulously until my feet decided to implode. Magic 8 Ball says that timing is not good- imagine that. New orthotics should be here any day and new shoes to follow that and by God I need to get moving because I called the Horsetooth Half folks and they stubbornly refused to push the race out a couple weeks. Hmph. Just when my training partners and I found the perfect brutal hill to train on!! Breathe. Relax. Keep eye on the fall trail run prize...

Working on square ring for aforementioned training partner. Have made 2 I hated so third time should be a charm. I mean, a ring. You know. Inspired by CRAZY GORGEOUS new Todd Reed stuff (see above, that is his, so not mine!! go to www.toddreed.com for more luscious pics). Why am I not working for him, again? Oh yeah, because I am spread way too thin, that's right, almost forgot for a second there...

Have a list as long as my arm of home improvement projects to distract myself from the fact that I'm about to go nuts with coaching track in a couple weeks. It is MUCH easier to research daylilies and measure for new shutters than to figure out how to teach 50 insane middle-schoolers how to come out of the blocks, stay in their lanes and pass the baton between the arrows while keeping inappropriate comments to a minimum and the kids, well, alive...

Did I mention that I can't wait for track? LOL :)

I hope I hear from you, Shannon! I know you're working but I am flexible, would love to have you getting some creative time in the studio! Someone has to LOL

Slow Down to Enter... The Whirlwind

I have neglected my blog. I have neglected a lot of things in the last few months!! I swear to post new pics in a few days; for now just a little paragraph to check in and process...

Couple seasons of coaching with Team In Training, several endurance events and one mondo trail race (which I pr'd!) and several hundred thousand dollars raised with the North Metro Team to cure blood cancers.....

Check.

Kids back in school, settled into new routines and responsibilities, volunteering in the classroom and next to no tardy arrivals so far...

Check.

Full battery of colds, coughs, and stomach flus contracted, treated and survived...

Check.

Found the flipping leak in my torch fittings, FINALLY!!!...

Check.

Sub license application fully completed and in process at the CDE...

Check.

Moving into the off-season with running and the on-season with the studio...

Double check.... yup, appears affirmative, training to wane and smithing to resume. What other good fun will manifest in the coming months????? Stay tuned...

Skeletons in the ... past blogs...

My gosh! Reading my old posts, and thinking about that Artfire site, which I finally shut down- still haven't found anything I like visually for a website that doesn't involve a fairly major upfront investment in cash. And... I'm just not that serious about selling stuff!! I am obviously terribly, perfectly spoiled by my lovely husband, and someday... in his happy, imminent retirement, when my children are much more grown and independent and less interested in my charming ministrations, I fully intend to spend brilliant and flowing hours in the studio churning out bits of wonder for the world to purchase and allow me to spoil him back. I swear.
For now, the elementary school just doesn't have enough volunteers and... I really like making posters, I'm so not kidding! And skull beads. OH! Shout out to Skullsville, USA- if you ever find yourself in need of very fine skull beads, thank goodness you're reading this- go straight to Warden and get yourself the best: www.skullsvilleusa.com ~ He's got lots of other cool (and also some very creepy!) things, too. His beautiful photos helped us get our beads right!

A Very Successful Event

Whoa!! Our Team In Training fundraiser on Saturday for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raised about $10,000 ~ !!! Amazing!!! I auctioned off a ring and a session of fundamental metalsmithing classes and am so pleased with the results... The woman who won my ring came and found me to model it and she was just so excited about it, it was awesome to see how happy it made her! And the class went to one of my teammates' husbands! He is also quite excited and it is going to be neat to have him in the studio, fresh blood, and gung ho. He was telling me about earrings he'd made for his wife before, some pennies he had just bashed into odd shapes, and he said, "The cool thing was, I was smashing them on cement, and the texture of the cement transferred to the metal...", and I thought, Right on!! This is my kind of metalsmithing! Hopefully this will be a turnaround in momentum out there- I have not been drawn to the studio in the last couple months at all as running has taken over my life and coaching has fulfilled my social needs! I need to go out and clean up, make some mental space for something new to drop in and get building... it's coming... I feel it!... :)

Well Hellooooooo there...!

Can it really be that I have not posted a single thing since Halloweenish?? Someone's been busy...

Six months of volunteering turns into the new dream job.

Nepotism gets me a great gig for the jewels and I can't keep up with demand (-more lessons than can be mentioned encased in that little sentence-).

Endurance training builds and events loom just as the weather will turn stormy!! 8 weeks and counting down to Moab 1/2 marathon...

Finances will have their best year ever in the Process Marks family home~ no joke!

As it is it shall be; how incredibly cool. Much more soon :)

Aaaaaagh! My Arm!!!!

There are at least a million ways to avoid housework, and the studio isn't always where I feel like screwing around. Case in point: after agreeing to lend a hand face-painting at the elementary school's costume-sale fundraiser, I got tired of bats and pumpkins. Started craving something a little creepier. Went to town on myself. Not until I got home!! Too much for the under 10 set, at least, according to the school's Halloween rules (no blood! no weapons! no wounds!!)... I am ashamed to admit I got the ulna and radius reversed, though. So close!!!

More Little Shiny Things

... little earrings for my friend Kristin, which she requested after seeing the ring for my niece on FaceBook... so there IS a use for FaceBook besides wasting time-!

Also finally got a memento mori made for my nephew (containing my brother's ashes). I like the embedded iron wavelength- trying to suggest to the young guy that his uncle might remind him to be strong if for no other reason than that he is lucky enough to still be around...