It's only August! How can summer be OVER?

I can't believe summer vacation is almost over.

YAAAAAYYY!! Oh, don't get me wrong, I love my little girls. But, boy, do they have a way of rubbing their momma the wrong way. Sigh. School starts on August 17th for us. Even my little-bitty girl is going to school this year: Kindergarten. She is very, very excited.

We were lucky enough to be able to take a family vacation this summer. We drove to Florida, to North Carolina, to Tennessee and back home again. The drive was dreadful. The girls had always been pro road-trippers, but this year, well, things were different.

We started getting eggs from one of our chickens this summer too! Three eggs so far. We also lost a hen. Marshmallow, our Rhode Island Red, jumped the fence and didn't return. The remaining four birds are all okay. It was the chicken that the older daughter had picked out at the farm supply store. We'd like to replace it, but an existing flock isn't very receptive to newcomers. What to do...

I made a few jewelry pieces before we left on vacation and two more just the other day. These latter two are projects I found in "Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry" magazine. I used the wire I had on hand which wasn't was called for, but hey, ya gotta make it your own, right? I don't have names for these:

Copper and Glass Bracelet

Copper and Glass Pendant

This one is PERFECT for summertime. It's so beachy! It's a two-strand necklace with glass art beads, pearls, mother of pearl, and other shell bits. The toggle clasp I used is a mermaid. I call this "Neptune's Daughter."

This necklace is very simple, elegant, and versatile. I guess it doesn't need much more explaining. I don't have a name for it yet.

I'm struggling for a name for this one too! I must have title block. It needs something sunny. It's made up of red aventurine and dyed orange jade (which makes me think that it's not really jade...). Maybe "Tangelo" for a name??

This final set has just a tad of goth worked into it. Maybe that's just because it's dark with a big cross. I love it anyway. Everything but the crosses are black nickel.