A Company Pic Of My New Slab Roller

Remember back in the day that I was talking about rolling out slabs with my rolling pin? Well that’s about to change very soon. Bobby asked me a while ago to do some research on slab rollers and wanted me to figure out which one I wanted. I did my research letting him know the details of the one I wanted and he purchased that slab roller yesterday, thank you so much darlin’. It should arrive in 7 business days and what a treat that will be. The slab roller will produce slabs up to 4 foot long and I can hardly wait! All I have to do on my end is turn that wheel which is a piece of cake and let the machine do all the work. I can adjust the appropriate thickness of the slab and it will do just that. The studio out at the Lockheed Rec Center has the same one I’m getting and I love it, so I kinda already know what I’m getting, a great machine!

Rolling slabs out the manual way entailed so much effort. First things first, It’s always necessary to have a slab with even thickness. In order to do that the old fashioned way, which many potters do, you need to have two long slats the same thickness (I like slabs ¼ inch thick, thus the thickness of my slats) placed on both sides of the clay body. When the pin starts to reach the level of the slats you know your slab is just about the right thickness. I continue to roll the pin till it glides over the slats and the slab is finally to the appropriate thickness. Once I get to that point manually, I feel I’ve done a days work and need a rest. Well almost, but in all seriousness, my new machine will produce slabs so fast and take all the effort out of it for me.

Today I will busy myself in my studio cleaning out bookshelves and preparing to move those out in order to make room for my new roller that I will welcome with open arms.

“Do we have any goodies”? Was the question yesterday afternoon while Bobby was searching the kitchen pantry and fridge. In general, goodies around here signify something sweet to snack on and that’s not something we keep in the house all the time. But I offered to run to the grocery right away to fill his goodie order. I asked him if he would please jot down what he needed on my newly started shopping list. After Bobby’s little jot I asked him exactly what he wanted and his reply was “goodies”. When I came over to further inspect the list, sure enough he had written goodies sending both of us over the edge with laughter. Seriously darlin’ what do you want? He then said cooookieees, we both love the store bought oatmeal chocolate chip refrigerator cookies. The oatmeal recipes that I’ve used don’t come close to these cookies, so I’ve given up making them from scratch.

With that I finished adding a few more things to my list and off I went to the grocery. Albertson’s were out of the cookies so I went on over to Kroger to see what I could find. Kroger didn’t have his cookies either so I picked up his favorite raspberry filled Crispy Cream donuts and finished my shopping. I still felt bad for not getting exactly what he wanted so I plan to make a run to Wal-Mart today in hopes that they have some on their shelves. He’s always good about sharing so I know I’ll get to enjoy them too.

We had a great time with family this past month visiting here there and yon. No matter how nice it is to see family and visit with loved ones, there’s no place quite like home.

Home is where the heart is, just the two of us settling back into our little routine, enjoying each other’s company. Even though the house was clean, laundry finished and the ironing complete, it still took me a couple days to get into the swing of things. I made my way back to bed the last couple mornings after Bobby went to work. I felt quite lethargic, unable to do anything it seemed.

Today is a new day and I finally feel my normal chipper self up and at ‘em no prob. My feet hit the floor with a bounce this morning greeting this gorgeous day with no sign of going back to bed in sight.

We’ve experienced a change of weather the last couple mornings, the air is crisp and cool reminding me that autumn will be here soon. I’m ready to bid farewell to summer and welcome autumn’s bounty. It’s a time of harvest, a time to reap, a time where I look forward to those beautiful crisp days where I feel my soul awaken with new beginnings.

Genius At Work

Bobby got all the software installed and we began to take inventory of the store establishing barcodes for the items.

Training Class

We labeled and began to knock mom’s monster down bit by bit. We got so much accomplished but by Monday evening we were there till midnight working – actually Bobby was the one working on what seemed to be a huge problem. We knew mom’s computer was 4 years old but we were told her computer would be able to handle the ‘POS’ but with all the problems Bobby encountered and dealing with the technicians, we were told she needed a new computer.

Store

Bobby and I came back to TX the next morning feeling a bit disheartened in the sense that mom’s new equipment would not be able to function with her old computer. Mom kept encouraged and continued to enter her items during our absence but we promised her that we would not leave her hangin’ and would return when our commitments were over, and that we did. Bobby and I returned once again to help mom with her awesome new computer and boy did this trip prove to be a great success. Mom already has over 1,200 items bar-coded and should wrap up the rest of her items soon. Bobby’s ‘THE MAN’, the one we all say many many thanks to for all of his hard work – ‘Job Well Done Bobby!’ Can I just say Bobby would bend over backwards for my family providing his knowledge and skills in any way he can. I appreciate that more than he will ever know, mom can call him day or night and he is always ready to lend a helping hand. She is all set up with her new computer ready to tackle all her sales. Her set-up is sweet and her scanner works like a charm, so the next time you make a visit to Historic Downtown to visit her, be prepared to witness a store up and running greeting the 20th Century the way it should be.

Sleek Final Product

Today I’m supposed to be working around the house getting it all clean for our trip which I’m doing. I have my sheets in the dryer, laundry is all finished and my ironing is almost all complete. I need to dust, run the vacuum, clean my bathroom and I’ll have my chores finished.

I got a little side tracked when I watched my favorite show on HGTV this afternoon. I love, LOVE, LOVE Crafters Coast To Coast and tape it every day. Today they featured a potter using something I had never heard of – gloves. Who would have thought of something so genius while throwing on the wheel? I love it when someone else thinks outside the box and I just happened to pick up on it. He never said a word about it but I was completely taken-a-back by how genius it looked.

I immediately dropped everything I was doing and put my work on hold for a min while I went to my studio and had my very own experiment with gloves. WOW! I not only loved using the gloves while I was throwing but I also liked the cleanup afterwards. It always takes quite a little while for me to clean up as I have wet clay everywhere, all up the sides of my arms and the worst is getting all that clay out from underneath my fingernails. I have an old toothbrush that I use on my nails to make them good as new. Today however was a breeze. I finished throwing my bowl, folded in the sides to make an interesting form on the outside, took off my gloves and Ta Da, my hands are CLEAN!

I’ll cover the bowl in plastic to keep it moist so that I can finish it when we return. I plan to add 3 long coiled feet to the bowl once its leather hard and who knows what other details will follow. I won’t be able to smooth the sides ‘til after we return but here is an idea of what I made and what my hands would have looked like when I was finished.

Ever wake up and wonder what day it is? Well that happened to me this morning. I didn’t recall hearing the alarm when Bobby rolled out of bed and I lay there in a puzzled state trying to think for the life of me what day it was. I thought it was the weekend but my I could not get a clear picture. I finally realized it was Tuesday and bounced out of bed to get Bobby’s clothes laid out. I told Bobby about my little confusion and he said… “The same thing happened to me, I thought it was Saturday at first.” I replied “that’s weird we both thought it was the weekend” and he said, “I forgot to set the alarm last night, that must have thrown both of us off this morning.” I finished getting his lunch packed and off to work he went.

I’m finally on Tuesday’s page and getting on with my work for the day.

Pottery, that sounds like a foreign word around here as I have not had much time in the studio all summer. I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio and whipping up a few more purses and what-have-you.

Before I get back to the studio, we have just one more trip to end the summer and then I will be rockin’ in my studio.

We leave for Florida this coming Thursday for a long weekend with my parents. I know you read the lengthy details about our family reunion to Arkansas to see Bobby’s mom and family and I plan to tell more about our summer visits to Florida after we return next week.

Until then, I’m catching up on laundry and will leave the house clean as a whistle so that when we return I can get wrapped up in my clay zone.

Hope you guys have a nice Monday.

After the events in our lives going to and fro and the company…, things are coming to almost a complete halt. Kristy and Adam are getting ready for their journey as I speak and should be on the road in approx 30 min. The strangest feeling came over me that our trips and company are almost over. It’s sort of a good/sad feeling all wrapped in one. I guess a milestone in the sense that Kristy is leaving and I have not had a chance to really devour that one. Our summer visits to ‘Razzoo’s’ (the restaurant where Kristy was a server) are over. Kristy will no longer wait on us with her friendly smile. I will no longer hear “Debbie, how does this look or what shoes should I wear with this outfit, can you French braid my hair…?” I’m going through a reflective time this morning hoping I did my best. I was here for her to show support and provide encouragement. I remember even yesterday telling her how pretty she is and how nice she looked. Those days are over and time for us to turn a new leaf.

I started writing this post about an hour ago and now I’m picking up where I left off. The goodbyes have been said and they are now on the road. I kept taking the last min. pics; I took a pic of them having their last breakfast around the table together and several other pictures. Kristy even wanted to get pics of Adam and me together as well as pics with her too. The sky is pretty blue but inside I feel a cloud hovering and my throat has swollen and I feel that lump way back there in the back of my throat. Goodbye Kristy, we wish you the very best and may you always remember you can count on us to be right there by your side no matter what.

I’m honestly looking forward to just Bobby and me and I look forward to a new chapter in our lives to celebrate the two of us. I’ve been thirsting for our time alone for a little while now and I’ll be ready for him to walk through that door tonight. We have much to be thankful for and I’m blessed to have my very best friend as my husband. We look forward to great days ahead.

They are downstairs at this moment watching a movie with Kristy’s friend Arianne and her Bo Seth. It’s funny how the girls are being silly with lots of chuckles and the guys; well they are talking in normal tones. I hope they are having a good time as these may be the last few days we have Kristy here in our home for this length of time. She plans to stay in MI next summer to work, so the next time she comes home will more than likely be for a brief visit. As life has its cycles so do we, we are at the stage in our lives where we are looking forward to the empty nest and back to us again. Take time to smell the roses as the path along the way changes each and every day.

Texas de Brazil

Our weekend was jammed with all sorts of activities and I feel like I’ve been on yet another vacation having company this past week. Bobby made an appointment with Lockheed and scheduled a family visit and tour of the plant on Friday. Lars, our 17 year old nephew enjoyed this visit especially since he wants to go into engineering like his uncle Bob. Bobby arranged for an extra long cart to escort us around the plant which was a bonus as the plant is one mile long + 50 feet. There was much to absorb and even got to see the new F-35 AKA “Lightning II” full scale model which was really cool. What can I say, Bobby always makes a great presentation and in my opinion, he’s the best tour guide of the entire plant.

After our visit to Lockheed, we took our guests to a very famous mom and pop BB-Q. Now this BBQ is not just any BBQ, it’s down right Texan – all the way! The walls are adorned with many, many mounts and gives the feeling of being in good ole Texas. The BBQ is out of this world as this restaurant is always packed with cowboys and good ole southern gals alike.

After our feast we moved along to our favorite upscale grocery store in Fort Worth known as Central Market. Even my nephew Lars made the comment to me while shopping in this store… “I feel like a bush boy in the city for the first time”. This is a very unique grocery store – more like an experience. The produce selection is unheard of and has the largest selection of freshly baked breads I’ve ever seen in one place. The store houses literally 100’s of cheeses from around the world and has the largest array of olives I have ever seen. Central Market is a place we take all of our guests as one needs to experience this delightful place young and old alike. Central Market offers all sorts of classes for cooking and decorating and I could go on and on about this store… Guess you’ll have to come here to experience this fabulous place for yourself…

Saturday morning greeted us with fresh pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns and several choices of morning beverages. Dan took Lars to the water park and Rita and Bobby worked on an album for ma. Bobby and Rita want to get all ma’s pictures from her childhood to present on DVD to show as a movie. Bobby and Rita also worked on the words to write ma’s life story. We are planning a surprise for ma’s upcoming 80th birthday in October and want to have this arranged for the party. We have a copy of ma’s address book and we are planning to invite her friends for this grand occasion.

Saturday evening we took everyone to Texas de Brazil restaurant in Fort Worth. What an experience for one and all. Everyone is offered the salad bar along with a little red/green card, Turn your card to green and prepare to be swarmed by a troop of carvers generously serving various cuts of sizzling Angus beef, lamb, pork, chicken and Brazilian sausage. These delicious cuts are accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and sweet fried bananas. Turn your card to red when you are stuffed and can’t take another bite and the gentlemen will stop asking if you are ready for more meat. That was a time well spent with family around the dinner table.

Sunday morning we gathered around the breakfast table with a bountiful breakfast and we shared our last meaningful meal together as a family before Dan, Rita and Lars made their way to the airport. We had such a great time with them and look forward to our next visit in the future.

I’m now preparing for Kristy’s boyfriend to arrive today. I have the sheets in the dryer and the house almost cleaned. Adam will be here early this afternoon and I am once again planning for a nice evening meal and should be a great time with Kristy and Adam before they leave for college.

What a terrific evening we had with Rita & Family yesterday. We left for a late lunch/early dinner around 3:00 and then came home to relax, play some chess and catch up with the latest family news.

Dan prepared Swedish pancakes for breakfast which were quite yummy with melted butter, strawberry preserves and powdered sugar. We had all the other breakfast fixin’s to go along with that which made for a very good and filling breakfast.

Tonight we plan to grill chicken and have my twice baked potatoes with some veggies, rolls and a salad. When Rita found out that I love Crème Brulee coffee cream she insisted that we make the real thing for our desert this evening. I can’t wait to try her recipe.

The house is clean from top to bottom and even ran the vacuum again after the crew left for Dallas this morning. My kitchen is clean with the dishes unloaded form the dishwasher and ready for the next yummy meal. I have one more load of laundry to finish and then I can relax for a spell.

We can’t have a family gathering without a little football. The boys are all quite fond of their uncle Bob and want him on their team. Nothing pleases Bobby more than playing ball with his nephews. The boys also want Aunt Deb out their playing too which I normally do. This time I had to decline as I had a little dress on with high heal flip flops which would not work very well in this sort of game. I became the photographer and referee.

Bryant had a little tumble and Uncle Bob procedes to lift him to his feet.

The older guys taking on the younger guys in a very close game.

The younger men were wearing out the older men when uncle Bob anounced that the game would now go to sudden death. Whoever scored next would win the game. The ball went to the younger men and wow did they make a miraculous play to win the game. Great Game Guys!