Well, I'm getting ready to go out of town again. This time it is a business trip with my husband. Packing is always the hardest part. I made a list of the activities and what I needed to wear for each one yesterday. I decided a few years ago not to iron items before packing they only wrinkle again and have to be re-ironed. Now I just plan to iron items that need it once I arrive, then everything looks fresh.

We are leaving early tomorrow morning so I need to have everything together tonight. I'm also planning which jewelry pieces to take along. Then, there is the weather to consider and whether to bring extra clothing should the forecast change. There is a 40% chance of rain on Wed and Fr so I'm bringing a raincoat along just in case. Then there is the outdoor evening reception. Do I need a sweater or a jacket?? How many pairs of shoes?

On most trips I don't worry this much about forgetting something. If I leave something at home that I need I just go to the store and replace it. But this is a more remote location and really no place to shop so I'm planning more carefully not to forget anything.

It's time to stop procrastinating and get packing. Have a good week.

I hadn't been to Wisconsin in five years and the last time I went there was by air. The road trip was long (12 hours to get to my sister's). Of course we stopped several times on the way in. We stopped briefly at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee, but I read the schedule wrong and the Marketplace wasn't open to the public that day. My bad. We did get to see some incredible pieces of jewelry on display in the lobby and a peek at the Marketplace. WOW. I'm definitely planning to go next year.

My sister's oldest daughter just moved to Milwaukee so we stopped by to see her apartment and give her a few house warming gifts. We bought a chair from IKEA for her and of course it needed to be assembled. Not too difficult to do and it looks great. Then we all went out to dinner. We were heading for TGIFriday's when we passed a place called Stir Crazy. It sounded interesting and new, so we tried it. The food was very delicious. Everyone enjoyed their entree choice and it was good to spend time with Steph and hear about her new job.

We then continued on to my sister's house in Neenah. The weather was good when we arrived. The day my niece graduated was a perfect day and the ceremony was indoors so the weather wasn't an issue. Then a cold front moved in and it was "cold". Record low temps while we were there. To celebrate Al's graduation we all went to a "teppanyaki" restaurant for dinner. It was very entertaining and the food again was wonderful. Lots of leftovers for my brother in law to enjoy this week.

My sister took me to the "Glass Onion" bead store. Very cute shop in an old house. I bought some mixed seed beads in green and a few other strands of beads. I probably would have gotten more but it was like an oven in the store. Several other patrons mentioned the temperature to the salesclerk but to no avail. My sister saw the thermostat which was set at 68 degrees but the temp was 83 degrees - hot.

On Saturday we watched the movie "Marley and Me" except for the end. I hadn't seen the movie before but read the book and knew the ending. The Stanley cup finals were on while we were there so we couldn't miss cheering our Red Wings on to victory in Game 5.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. Good food, shopping, and great company.

Off to Wisconsin for a few days. My niece is graduating from high school. My sister is taking me to a shop called the "Glass Onion" I think. They sell jewelry supplies and "beads" (yeah). It should be fun. We'll be going through Milwaukee on the way home. Should we stop at the http://www.beadandbuttonshow.com ?

Top Entrecard clicks for May. Thanks everyone for your support.

Split Rock Ranch 21
Three Fates Design - Beaded Jewelry 20
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FreeCraftFair 15
Margie and Edna's Basement 15
Alterity Art 13
THEME TODAY 13
West of Mars - the Meet and Greet 12
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Want to brighten up your day and put a smile on your face? Look at the Etsy picks at the bottom of the blog.

My oldest son is returning to MI for the summer. We're very happy to have him back even if it's just for a short time.

Last weekend's visit to Ludington and seeing all the lilac bushes in full bloom inspired a new Etsy Treasury_West. Here is the link http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=55396.

Seeing all the lilacs in bloom up in Ludington, MI this weekend inspired my Etsy picks "The Lilacs are Blooming" at the bottom of the blog. Enjoy.

Back from the lake. My son caught a 15lb. salmon. Guess what we are having for dinner?

Just got a Treasury on Etsy. Here is the link if you want to check it out. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=54618
It's many of the items I chose for my Seafoam Favorites here on my blog.

We're going to Ludington, MI for the weekend. Has anyone found beach or sea glass on the shores of Lake Michigan up there? I've been researching sea glass and am anxious to get out on the sand and start searching.

Spent the morning at the East Lansing, MI Street Art fair. Some wonderful pieces of art to be seen. I bought a copper pin from Of Nature www.ofnature.com . It's a piece of hemlock that has been preserved in copper. Very different.

I spent the day at my Dad's condo. We're getting it ready to sell. It needed a new dishwasher installed so I met the installer there this afternoon. With a small bribe he was kind enough to take the old dryer out of the basement. On my way home I stopped at the bead store and bought some additional beads to compliment my Mother's Day gift beads.

Check out my "Seafoam Favorites" from Etsy at the bottom of the blog.

Here are some photos of my Mother's Day gift. There was a card describing each of the stones and where they were mined.

Well, I actually spent an hour and 15 minutes working. The first 30 minutes I kept watching the time but then the next 45 minutes I was so into what I was doing that I lost track of time. I was really focused on my goal and as the author of the book says "working in the present". So tomorrow when I go back to continue I'll use the same approach. I think I can do this.

My husband bought me some beads for Mother's Day, what a sweety. He was travelling in the U.P. of Michigan (U.P. is for upper peninsula for non-Michiganians(?!*) or Michiganders (still trying to find out which is correct). He bought my favorite Petosky stones, some Specular hematite and Jasper/hematite which were all mined in MI.

Well school is done for the summer and I need to clean my studio and put away all my school paraphernalia until fall. I'm reading a book on procrastination (which I am doing right now by blogging). The book says to break every task down into smaller tasks and limit how much time you will spend working. That way it is not overwhelming. So my goal is to go down to my studio and work for 30-45 minutes or get the work table completely cleared off which ever comes first.
Off to clean and then maybe play with my new beads.

I've had a headache all day. Maybe I'll feel like writing tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day! I wish you all a wonderful day.