Buzzard Billy's

This is a photo of a restaurant called Buzzard Billy's in Waco, TX. Bob and I stopped there for dinner on Saturday on the way back from a trip to Austin to visit my aunt Eileen and cousin Larry. We saw a billboard for this restaurant and it sounded intriguing by the name. It's funny how certain names of things like restaurants, movies, books, etc., pique your interest just by the name of it. At least they do for me. I wanted to see it or visit it just by reading the name "Buzzard Billy's" on the billboard. I am hoping that by naming my jewelry business NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things that this will pique someone's interest into looking further. I am closing down my website, but I am still keeping the name and I have opened up a shop on Etsy. My new jewelry website is open for business under the address www.neeneeandcheechee.etsy.com Does this pique your interest into looking at it further? I hope so!

Errand Day!

No, these aren't photos of my newest jewelry creations, but I'll be posting some soon, after I make them. Bob let me use the car today, so I ran various errands. I had a 25% off coupon at Borders bookstore, so I purchased this new book on jewelry -- "1000 Inspirational Jewelry Ideas". I also cleaned out my bookshelf at home and I had a huge bag of books that I'd read that I took to the used bookstore. I received $30 in store credit and $5 cash! I used the $5 cash at Michael's Craft store on some items I needed for my jewelry making. I also had a coupon for 40% off and I saved $1.20 on one of my purchases. Then, I headed to the mall for lunch at La Madeleine's and to walk the mall for exercise and to get jewelry ideas from the window displays. A couple of weeks ago when I ate lunch at La Madeleine's, there was a phone number to call on my receipt and if I called and participated in a survey, I received a free pastry or dessert. I used that today too. I say I had a very profitable day! I'm sure that Bob would tell me that I would have saved a lot more money if I hadn't gone out today at all. But, I really NEEDED the book and a girl has to eat, right?

My New Jewelry Website

I am in the process of closing down my personal jewelry website -- NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things -- and starting up an Etsy store with the same name. I've added a few of my beaded items already and you can access my store at this website address: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7931858

I will be adding new items every day. I read an article in one of my beading magazines that this is the way to sell your inventory.

If you see an item that you'd like to buy, please contact me at neenee@neeneeandcheechee.com

Oatmeal Breakfast Parfait

This is my favorite breakfast. I've been eating this for several years now. I cut the recipe out of a newspaper and it is called "Oatmeal Breakfast Parfait", but I don't layer it in a fancy parfait glass. You mix 1 cup of old-fashioned oats, UNCOOKED, with 2 8-oz. cups of vanilla yogurt. You can add more if you prefer it creamier, or less if you want it drier. Add 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds and 1 8-oz. can of drained, crushed pineapple. I put it in a Tupperware bowl. Put the lid on and refrigerate it overnight. Eat it cold with sliced fruit, such as strawberries. This recipe makes 3 servings. I eat it for 3 days, then make more!

BROWNIES!!!

BROWNIES!!! These are my very favorite dessert. I could eat a whole pan of them every day, I think. I don't make them very often or I'd look like a semi! I have a favorite recipe with a "secret" ingredient. Well, it's not too secret. I like Brownies made with Nestle's Choco-Bake. I can't find that product in a lot of grocery stores, so when I find it, I buy several boxes and I use it sparingly. We had friends come to our apartment on Saturday night for dinner, so I made these Brownies for dessert. I didn't know that Stephen is also a chocoholic, so the Brownies were a big hit! I also got rave reviews on the Chicken Fricassee and the rest of the dinner. I should have sent Stephen home with the remaining Brownies, since he's younger and thinner than Bob and I are. But, I kept them for myself and I ate the rest of them yesterday. Bob had a couple of them too. I felt guilty for eating them, so I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes, but I think the calories in the Brownies and my walk on the treadmill canceled each other out. I'll definitely need to do more treadmill walking today, tomorrow and every day this week. I'd much rather eat Brownies!!

Julia Child's Chicken Fricassee

Last Sunday I went with my friend Kathryn to see "Julie & Julia". Since I LOVE to cook and try recipes, this looked like a movie that would be right down my alley and it was. It was a very funny, cute movie and I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't done so already. When I came out of the theater, I wanted to go right home and cook! I looked at the only Julia Child's cookbook that I own from my extensive cookbook library, and I picked out a Chicken Fricassee recipe that I wanted to make. I had a bottle of white wine in the refrigerator that was left over from our latest dinner party a few months ago. Neither Bob nor I drink wine, so I have to use it for cooking once the bottle has been opened. I love to entertain as well as cook, so I told Bob to ask his friend Stephen whom he works with, to come for dinner and bring his girlfriend. They moved into a house last weekend and they were planning to give us their moving boxes. So, I thought I could at least feed them dinner. They came tonight and I made the Chicken Fricassee. I made some brown and wild rice, sauteed green beans and some French bread to go with it. I made some Brownies and we had vanilla ice cream for dessert. I really wanted to make the whole meal from my Julia Child's cookbook, but all of her recipes have loads of butter, cream and very rich ingredients in them. So, I just picked out the one. Sometime I'll try more of Julia Child's recipes. I got rave reviews on my dinner.

Time To Let Go

This is a photo of Bob's desk and chair. They occupy space at the top of the stairs, on the landing. Bob rescued the chair from the trash at the church where we used to belong when we lived in Dallas in 1996 - 2001. I think he got the chair sometime in 2000. It was very ratty looking THEN and was definitely ready for the trash. But, for some reason, Bob likes this chair, although, as you can see, the arms are tearing. It also has a roller that is off and it is making black marks on the stained cement floor. I asked him the other day if he could please get rid of this chair and buy a new one to go into our new apartment when we move in a couple of weeks. He said "maybe". I think he could use a new desk too, but I'm not going to push that, as this desk belonged to his father when his dad worked in Miami, OK. Everyone has something old and maybe not in too good of shape that they want to hold onto. I even have a desk chair that I rescued from a dumpster in Sarasota. But, mine is in much better condition than this one. But I DO think it's time to let go of this chair and buy a new one.

Wire Inspirations

Ever since I made the wire and bead cuff bracelet, I've wanted to make some more jewelry with wire and beads. I enjoy using wire. I want to spread out and try other media with my jewelry, so this is one of them. Yesterday I ran across a wire and bead necklace on the Internet and after I got into bed last night, thoughts of wire and beaded necklaces were going through my head and I almost got back up out of bed to try something right then. But I didn't want to disturb Bob since he hadn't been sleeping very well. I knew that if I got up and turned on lights downstairs that he'd have to get up too. So, I laid in bed and thought about my new wire and bead jewelry designs I wanted to try. I had the car today, so I went to Michael's Craft Store to look for a pink gemstone for the pendant on my necklace to put with wire. I'd seen some there like what I had in mind. But, I didn't find anything there that jumped out and said "Buy Me". I took a friend to lunch at Steak 'n Shake on my gift card I received at Christmas, then I came home to find that website I saw yesterday with the wire and bead necklace on it. I looked for at least an hour and I saw every kind of wire and bead necklace on the Wide World Web, I think, but I couldn't find THE ONE I saw yesterday! I was sure it was from a book on wire and bead jewelry. So, I drove to Border's bookstore and I spent at least another hour looking through every wire and bead book they had. I didn't find anything similar to what I was looking for. And I didn't really get any inspirations from my hunt either. When I got home, I sat down in my "beading studio" (a.k.a. our dining room table) and I made the necklace in the photo. It is nothing like what I had in mind last night, but I kind of like it. Maybe I need to find some classes in wire and beaded jewelry.

Friends!

Friends! This word is very much in my vocabulary. Any of my friends will tell you this. I work very hard at keeping in touch with my friends. I have even kept in touch with several grade school friends. And not long ago I located a friend of mine I knew BEFORE grade school. I hadn't kept in contact with her or even seen her in over 50 years! But, I did find her and she and her family live just a couple miles away from Bob's daughter and her husband in KS. Keeping in touch with friends is hard work, but I enjoy every minute of it. I email friends and family every day and I write letters and send letters via USPS mail to those friends who have no email. I spend many hours on the computer writing letters to my friends. And I call my friends regularly. I don't mind at all. I value my friendships very much. I can't put it into words how much my friends mean to me. I love every one of you! I have many, wonderful friends that I plan to keep in touch with for many years to come.

This photo is from a photo contest called "Friends" that I entered in 1989. I invited some neighborhood seven year-olds to my house for a tea party so I could photograph them. I went to a Goodwill store and bought dresses, shoes, hats, purses and jewelry so they could play dress-up for their tea party. Then, I took photos. I didn't win the contest, but it was fun. I hope all of these little girls stayed friends.

New Bracelet

Here is a pic of my new bracelet that I just made. Yesterday when Bob and I were at this bead shop, I stopped about 5 seconds to take a look at a similar bracelet that was in their window. They were offering classes on how to make it. I decided to try it myself. I had some wire and, of course, I have loads of beads. So, this is what I made. If you'd like one like it, let me know.

Laughter is the BEST medicine!

Today I met my friend Bradley at Starbucks and we had some iced tea. I enjoy spending time with Bradley, as he makes me laugh. He says I make him laugh too. I guess we are good for each other. Laughing is good for you! It gets rid of stress. Yesterday when I was waiting in the doctor's office, I saw a copy of "Web MD" magazine and there was an article about laughing and how health experts now have PROOF that laughter is good medicine!! Did you know that a good belly laugh can send 20% more blood flowing through your entire body? When people laugh, such as during a funny movie, their blood flow increased. So, this weekend, go watch a funny movie or get together with a friend who makes you LAUGH!

Honeymoon Photo Finally Framed!

After nearly 14 years of marriage -- on August 27th -- the honeymoon photo is FINALLY in a frame! I was talking to Sandy, my ex-husband's cousin, a couple weeks ago at dinner, and she mentioned that she had her grandmother's button collection but she didn't know what to do with them. I told her about these photo frames I saw at Michael's Craft store where you could glue things around the outside edge and then put a photo inside. I told her to glue the buttons around the outside and to put a photo of Grandma T. in the frame. I had planned to do this with our honeymoon photo, but it was one of those craft projects that never moved up to #1 on my list of Things To Do Some Day. Today, I had to go to Michael's to look for a beading item and I saw these frames. It was only $1.00, so I decided I'd better get one and glue the shells from our honeymoon on it and add our honeymoon photo. Bob and I went to South Padre Island for a week in Oct. 1995. Yes, we got married in August, but the honeymoon was planned for October. We had a date set in Oct. for our wedding, but four days before Sunday the 27th, I was getting anxious and stressed about the wedding and Bob asked me what I wanted to do about it. I told him that I just wanted to go to a church and get married without all of the hooplah. I'd done that the first time around. He asked me when I wanted to get married and I said, "How about Sunday?" So, we did! We talked to the pastor and he said that he hadn't printed up the bulletins yet. We walked into the church on Sunday the 27th with all 5 of our kids and some family members and we got up during the middle of the Sunday service and was married. Easy as that! But we kept our honeymoon date in October. When we were in South Padre, we had been taking photos of each other, but we had none of the two of us. I told Bob that we needed at least one photo of the two of us together. So, Bob set his camera up on a fence post, set the timer and ran to get in this photo. We might look a bit older, grayer, and heavier than we did in August 1995, but we're still very happy!!

Doctor Day

Today I had TWO doctor appointments. Last week I had my annual physical and today I went back to get the results of all of my tests I had to take. My doctor is extremely thorough. He's taking a new job in Temple, TX at the end of this month and I sure will miss him! He's THE BEST doctor I've ever had! Anyway, all of my tests were "excellent"! He said that all of my complaints -- rash, allergies, hot flashes, aches and pains -- are minor. I can take meds for all of that, but I don't. I do have some hearing loss, so this afternoon I went to the audiologist. I'd never gone to an audiologist before. He was very thorough too. First, he cleaned the wax build-up from my ears. Whew! There sure was a lot of it! I'm sure I can hear a bit better now. He did lots of hearing tests and he told me afterwards that my hearing loss is hereditary. How he knew that is beyond me! My dad does wear hearing aids and my mother has hearing loss, but no aids yet. My sister has bad hearing, she says. We always chalked it up as yelling at teenagers for my sister. She teaches high school art. My brother is still young yet, so hopefully no hearing problems -- yet. I can get hearing aids for both ears, but they are very costly. With me not working, I doubt it will be anytime soon. And we need a new car before I get hearing aids, I'm sure. So, if you chat with me, please be patient. I probably can't hear what you are saying!

Princess Priscilla in Her Pearls

This is Princess Priscilla in her new pearl necklace. I wrote a blog on July 30th that I had received an email from my friend Rhonda who wanted me to make a pearl necklace for her Chihuahua. This is the first time I had a request for such a piece of jewelry. I think I'll post Princess Priscilla's photo on my website -- www.neeneeandcheechee.com Would anyone else like a piece of jewelry for their pets?

We're Moving!!!

This is the summer for moving. My mom moved last week into a retirement home after being in her house for nearly 30 years. And my nephew and his wife bought their first house and moved in the end of June. Now, it's time for us to move. I HATE moving! I'd just stay in this apartment where we live in downtown Dallas forever, but Bob can't put up with the LOUD music on weekends at the restaurant below our bedroom window any longer. So, we'll move out by the end of August. We will be moving to The Mondrian -- http://www.zomrent.com/themondrianatcityplace/main-page.asp Our floor plan is the Ultramarine. This is directly across the street from where Bob works at City Place. I've been working there as a temp off and on too, so it will be convenient for both of us. Our new apartment will be on the second floor and it is a flat, so no more stairs to climb to get to our bedroom. It is in a very upscale area with The West Village just a block away. There is wonderful shopping there at stores such as Ann Taylor, Borders bookstore and The Gap. Great restaurants too. Well, I'd better start packing! The end of August will be here before I know it!

My New Necklace!

This is MY new necklace. It will not go on the website for sale. I bought these earrings at the Anthropologie store at our mall several months ago, but I've never worn them. I had no other jewelry to go with them. But when I saw them, I thought they were the most beautiful earrings I've ever seen and I HAD to have them! Yesterday, I decided to make a matching necklace. I'm so glad I'm a beader! I can do this! When I was at the Rock Barrel bead shop yesterday, I found some beads/stones to match the earrings. I pondered quite a lot about what kind of design I could do. I knew I wanted to make the flower vase with the flowers in it. (Did you see this? I didn't see it when I first saw the earrings. Only when I went back to buy them did I notice that they are flower vases with flowers.) I made the pendant first, then I designed the rest of the necklace. Now I need a place to wear them. I sure do miss working sometimes so I can get dressed up and wear all of my beautiful, homemade jewelry.

Flower Child

Here is my finished flower necklace that I named Flower Child. It took me a few hours to make, but the finished necklace is a lot better than I even imagined! I'll add it to my website - www.neeneeandcheechee.com -- after I have my next photo session.

Back to Beading!!

I was itching to get back to my beadwork after doing some traveling and other things that required my time. I bought beads for a necklace in Illinois that I wanted to put together (pic not shown), and that started it. Then, my friend Rhonda sent me an email and asked me to make her Chihuahua a pearl necklace. I was planning to get out only the beads I needed for those two projects, but then I received my new "Beadwork" magazine in the mail and I received an email from Beading Daily with an ad for a magazine with an article about Etsy in it. I bought the magazine and then I had dozens of ideas of new beaded jewelry I wanted to make! I went bead shopping on Saturday and I found these colorful, glass, flower beads. I've been thinking about them day and night and planning what I'm going to make with them. Today I asked for the car so I could do more bead shopping. I also want to do more fiber and bead projects, so the photo on the right is one of my projects. I'll post this necklace on my website -- www.neeneeandcheechee.com -- to be sold. I used multi-colored ribbon yarn to wrap the pendant (which is really a large hoop earring I found at Target!). I'll post a photo of my new beaded project made with the flower beads when it's completed.