Sawing and Enameling Weekend

Moving to the computer room - tools and copper

This weekend mom and I worked on sawing out some snowflake ornaments for our last show of the year, next weekend.  But first we had to move all of the tools and copper inside because it is now too cold to saw out in the garage.

Setting up the work bench

Last year mom bought a table for us to use to saw out the copper. We each get a side of the table and then we go to town on the sawing, filing and sanding.

Caught mom in a Zen moment

Mom sure is very intent on that sawing :) We both have head phones that we use because we both like different types of music as we work.

Mom caught me sawing - can you see the saw going up and down - this also
proves I do saw out things - sometimes :)

Me catching mom taking my picture - boy do I look thrilled

We sawed out 10 ornaments but I only ended up enameling eight of them. Let me tell you - I HATE filing and sanding!!!! But I sure love the end results.

Transparent layer goes on first

Sunday is usually my enameling day. Mom went out early and set up heaters for me so I wasn't totally freezing as I was enameling. It actually wasn't too bad out in the garage.

Colored layers go on next

It was a good day enameling. I like working in batches - or like an assembly line. I like to have one set cooling as I put color and fire the next batch - so I am constantly working and not waiting on stuff. I am so don't like waiting!

These are the results of all the sawing, filing, sanding and enameling. I am really happy with them!

All the snowflake ornaments

Whatever ornaments don't sell at our show next weekend I will list in our Etsy store.

So, that was our very busy weekend. It felt good to be creating again. I seriously hope next year is much better than the last two years have been for us in the creation department. Thanks for stopping in and looking at what we were up to this past weekend!

Veteran's Day - Very Special for Me

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I have to say Veteran's Day is very special to me and for any other person who has served in the Armed Forces. I think it is a special kind of someone who serves their country. For me, serving was something I knew I wanted to do instead of going to college. 

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I had no desire to go to college, and I knew I wanted to be a Russian linguist in the Army (I had Russian in high school and loved it). I think it also helped I was an Army brat for 12 years of my life, and I loved every minute of it.
 

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Of course you really don't realize how small the Army is until you get to basic training and find out that your drill sergeant was actually stationed with your dad in Germany. Yes, one of my drill sergeant's worked with my dad in Worms, Germany. I found that out when she took a group of us to get our hair cut and learned about it when I was asking where she was stationed. Yes, it is a small world!

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I was actually 18 when I was told I had to make a will. I remember it was in basic training and I was thinking to myself - "What in the world do I have to leave behind? Who should I make my beneficiaries? What the hell is a beneficiary? Crap, give it all to mom and let her sort it out."

That is really an eye opener to be asked to make a will as a teenager. Of course we had to do that every time we practiced to be deployed, which was about every fiscal quarter - depending on what your post did for training purposes.

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I will never regret my time I spent in the Army. There are so many instances when I miss it still - especially the friends I made. I am sure mom is sick of hearing me talk about the various things I did and things I really shouldn't have :) I feel honored for serving with those men and women every day and I miss them every day!

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I just want to thank all of those who have served our country and those who are still serving.  You all are my heroes!!!

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 And to my personal heroes:

Upper left hand corner: Grandpa Ralph McCord, Marines WWII - served in the
South Pacific; Center: Grandpa Lee Dettlof, Army WWII - served in the
European Theatre; Upper right hand corner: Great-Uncle Gerald Brewer,
Marines WWII - died on Iwo Jima; bottom left hand corner: my dad Ralph
B. McCord, Jr., Vietnam Veteran and served more than 20 years in the Army
(got out a month before I joined), lower center and lower right hand corner,
me - Beth McCord, Sgt., Russian Linguist