progress

I just opened up the kiln to pull out some orders I've been  working through and almost forgot that the test pieces with my new inlay were in this firing.  I did some with plain cobalt and water, which turned out fine, just blue, nothing new, and then four pieces in cobalt with frit, which ran beautifully.  I'm so so happy with this.  So much so that this one is mine.  This is also a) my new stoneware- super white, super fine, so much like porcelain in appearance but not as big a pain to work with, and b) the largest piece I've thrown in a good long time- about 14" in diameter.

This week has been full- my new assistant began working with me, taking care of packing orders, wedging clay, and making my hand-built platters.  I've been working through a large pile of orders, making, trimming, cleaning up, glazing.  I can't believe it's Thursday already. 

Have a great end to your week and weekend.  See you next week.

this week

I heard about a big vegetarian Indian dinner in town and it's all I can think about.  Specifically spicy creamy palak paneer with its cubes of crisped salty cheese.

I spent all day one day drawing these blue zinnias on bowls and little custard-style cups.  I like them a lot. I'm keeping this one, but this morning I put the rest of them in my shop
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I've been doing a lot more production-style throwing over the past few weeks and realizing, especially after two large orders on top of another mountainous order,  that I can't really do everything in my studio by myself.  So I asked around about getting help and have some really good options.  I'm excited.

After I got my new running shoes, I found my desire to fun fall flat.  I'm still doing my routine, I just don't want to.  This happens EVERY time I buy new shoes.  Oddest thing.  I wait and wait and wait to get the shoes and then the great running deflation occurs.  Strange, no?  Pressing through it.

I think that's all I have to say today.  Have a nice weekend, y'all.

gratitude

Hi.  Things have been crazy at my house for the past few weeks, in both good and bad ways.  We seem to be in a lull, so I'm going to be grateful and tell you some of the GOOD that's been happening. 

Second week of school completed.  3rd grade teacher is just adorable.  We're excited to go to school every day, and someone has shown respect and gratitude towards his first and second grade teachers every time he's seen them.  That makes me really happy.

I brought home 400 lbs of new stoneware yesterday.  Met my sweet aunt half-way from Nashville because I couldn't get away from home for an entire weekend or fit a trip during the school day.  While on this trip, all of the ladies in my family went here and wandered around the gardens for hours and hours.  I really wished that I'd remembered my real camera, made do with my phone camera, and came away really wanting a rugosa rose that produced giant, tasty, vitamin-packed hips.  While I was gone, my boys stayed home and worked on projects and cleaned the house (!).

I learned how to use my pressure canner and have 20+ jars of tomato soup, 20+ jars of marinara sauce, 15+ jars of regular quartered tomatoes, and this evening my sister in law came over and we finished my box of tomatoes and put up 17 jars of salsa.  I may or may not have given her the canning bug.  I still want to make this.  And she cleaned up my kitchen (I'm on a roll here)!

I've been running all summer (with two weeks off for an injury), hanging out at 14 minute miles, feeling down about it.  The temps broke and I got back to a 12 minute mile.  Last Sunday was really nice, and I hit 10 for the first time since I was 25.  Today?  9.  Stunned. I'm not doing great distances- I try to keep my time to 30-45 minutes, which puts me at 4 miles, tops, but I'm pretty happy with my progress. 

Finally, today I hosted a group of creative professional women for a meet and greet.  We've been talking online for almost a month, figuring out how we could support one another to be more creative, more proactive, more balanced in pursuing our art/craft/creative consulting as a profession, and getting help with concrete issues like liability insurance, licenses, taxes- all the fun stuff.  I think everyone had a ball, and I realized that I've been standing at the precipice of the next step for me, wondering if I'll jump or not, and I'm almost ready to do it.  I'm very grateful for the insight and inspiration coming from that room.

I hope your week is wonderful and I'll see y'all later on.

hello

 

I didn't mean to be gone for quite so long.  School started on Monday.  We spent last week eking out the last bits of summer we could, along with registering for classes, buying school supplies, finding the uniform clothes, figuring out the lunchbox, and and and.  The first three days have been good- and no-homework days mean we go directly from school to the pool.  As sad as we were about school beginning so early, I do love having my "work days" back.  

The weekend before last, I finished painting my studio.  SO pleased with that space.  I still need to finish painting the trim, but I'll finish that up soon and give y'all the grand tour.  The light, bright color helps so much.  

I've begun my annual tomato binge.  I turned a box of tomatoes into 9 quarts of quartered tomatoes in juice.  A second batch became 8 quarts and 13 pints of soup.  Box #2 became 13 pints of thick spaghetti sauce (I learned to use my pressure canner for the soup and sauce).  This weekend I'm picking up box #3 to become salsa and jarred roasted tomatoes (hotwater bath and pressure canned, respectively).  This morning I went down to the canning pantry and straightened everything up, counted my jars to be sure I won't need to buy more (salsa in half-pints, jarred roasted in half-pints and pints).  It feels good to see summer's harvest ready to feed us for the rest of the year.  Once it gets cooler, I'll start making and pressure canning stocks, and I may try my hand at putting up corn and green beans (but I have certain crunch expectations, so I may not do that).

Early this afternoon I listed the first of my modern blue and white pieces in the shop, then threw almost two dozen ramekins that I'll decorate with the blue zinnias.  I'm excited about working again.

Have a great rest of your week, y'all, and thanks for reading.