Making the time and taking the time....it's all worth it!

Well it has been way too long since my last post!  September 2013! WOW. Really!  Have I actually been that busy?  I don't think so, but then again maybe I have!!  I wish that time would slow down a bit for me. As I ponder that thought, I wonder if taking more time out for long and intentional conversations,  spending more time relaxing around a table with friends, and just sitting back and enjoying life,  would slow life down some?  My approach to life has always been to be go, go, go.  I love to be going and doing and accomplishing but I am starting to think that my definition of "accomplishing" may be a wee bit off.  

I remember when my kids were much younger, I had met with a good friend for coffee, she is about 10 years older than me and I always gladly found myself being a sponge during our conversations.  I remember her saying, as she scanned her hand across the table at Starbucks: "Rhodena, this is where things are accomplished; in intentional relationship, spending quality time with one another! Its these talks and these times together where things happen!" Then she gave a sweet little chuckle for what seemed like a dramatic effect, or at least it had a dramatic effect on me. At the time, her comment caused me pause, and in all honesty I am not sure it really sunk in until a couple weeks later.  It has, however, always stuck with me, and yet I know that I haven't always lived with that being a reality in my life.  And when I haven't I have missed out.  

It's not the phone calls accomplishing business or the brief conversations held in the grocery store or foyer at church on a Sunday morning where relationship is "accomplished" (though these times are great and nice and can be very meaningful).  Its not even the small talk banter between us moms at our son's soccer games where relationship is "accomplished".  It is getting together with friends for the sole purpose of relationship.  So, though I have been busy and in busy banter with others, I realize that I haven't been intentional about relationship over these last several months.  Now, intentional relationship has happened, but I am thinking, and believing, and learning that this intentional relationship thing should be a regular occurrence.  Not to freak you all out in our technological age, but I am thinking weekly! Yep, weekly. That's what I did when my kids were young.  I needed that to keep afloat. Why has it changed?  (Should I go for bi-weekly???? See, even I am freaking out a bit here).  Yep, weekly around a table and not with the family at dinner (though that is equally important,) but time with friends, with BFF's!  In thinking on this I realize that I haven't had a Girls Night Out with my BFF's since January. (Thanks Erin, from all of us, for the Jeff Foxworthy GNO. It was awesome!!!) We are normally better than that.  Sure we've called---more like texted which is even less relational--and we've been there for one another, but I am feeling the pull back to the good ole' days of going out for coffee, going out for dinner, real live conversations, vulnerable conversations and a whole lot of fun. Getting together just does that.  

To add to all this,  even though Dave and I have chitted and chatted briefly with friends at church, and sat with other mom's and dad's at soccer games where we have laughed and joked, we haven't, as a couple, just kicked back and relaxed, ate, drank and had fellowship with another couple, around a table, with no other agenda but relationship, for close to the same amount of time!  WOW. (That may have been an incredibly long run on sentence.)   Maybe we've been a little more faithful as a couple but it is so sporadic I feel we are missing out!  That should be a regular occurrence as well.  No wonder it feels like time has just slipped by me since September.  I think I have allowed it to by letting life take over and us not being intentional to "accomplish" relationship. Not to say we have not done anything, the opposite would be true, we've taken a few trips, had a couple hubby and wife weekends away, I've checked a whole lot of things off my to-do list, poured myself into non-profit work, have been busy with normal mom stuff, and of course have spent much needed time in the studio keeping the local shop that carries my pieces supplied with items to sell. (The shop, by sheer coincidence, is called "Table Talk"--they apparently get it!) So its not like I've been selfish or we've been selfish with our time but, for me,  I sure have been unbalanced, and I miss balance!  I miss casual conversations over dinner, or a cup of coffee, dessert and drinks.  No agenda but enjoying friends and doing life together.   I don't even think I realized how much I missed it until I started writing this post!!  

So to my precious hubby, if you read this blog.....if you don't, no worries I got us covered--he's probably freaking out right now :)......we need to reign ourselves and our little schedules in a bit, kick back, relax, get back to "accomplishing" relationship, enjoying life and living it the way God intended for us to live it. Yep, that's what He wants, for us to enjoy life and enjoy the company of the friends He has put in our path!!!  Just as I want my kids to enjoy their lives and be intentional about relationships, our Heavenly Father wants the same for us.  It's been a very eventful winter (extremely eventful!!!), and we now have Spring knocking at our door, so I personally am going to get back to making relationships a priority.  Not just "hey, how ya doing?" relationships or a call or text (way too many texts!!), but table time! Yep, table time.... conversations, kicking back, having fun, experiencing the kind of growth that only friends can inspire us too, and simply enjoying the relationships and friendships that I am sooooo blessed to have.  

Well, I didn't start out with this in mind as a post.  It kind of just went there after I wrote the first sentence.  However, for me personally, it was a good eye opening post!  I am going to share a few pictures of some gems from the kiln----even though the pictures aren't related to anything in the post I will share them anyway! Ha!! I hope you enjoy.  Think about going out for dinner with some friends, or having them over for dinner this weekend and maybe even the next as well.......(now we have to work on Dave's schedule so he has weekends off..... Forgot about that!!!  Oh well, its easy to work around that and it doesn't affect my ability to have a coffee and/or dinner with the BFF's).  

Au Revoir! 
Rhodena

This color combination is amazing.  My favorite blue. 

The always amazing RED!

And these I made for the Lake.  On our last trip up I realized "WE HAVE NO BOWLS!!"

More Pictures for Pintrest

I met with Jim and Tony of Table Talk, Senoia, GA, today and we did a little "photo shoot" for an ad in Fayette Woman Magazine--coming out in October.  (Photo shoot sounds a little goofy but I honestly couldn't think of another way to put it!).  I have to say I really like Jim and Tony.  Tony is decorator extraordinaire.  I suggested he offer his services over the Christmas season to decorate homes for the holidays.  He told me that he actually DOES do that.  Hmmmm.....I think my house would look magnificent if he could have the afternoon arranging and rearranging....it's a cool thought at least.

I brought to the store a few new pieces, two of the new luminaries that I pulled out of the kiln last week, they are amazing, (well I think so and Jim too because he held onto them to sell).  They really look great with the flameless candles in them, I keep the candles on timer so they go off every night when it gets dark. Again, one of those special little things that adds a smile to your face.  Jim also kept some of the yellow pieces that I brought in.  A client had placed a custom order for yellow, so I brought in a cream and sugar set as a sample to clear the color with her.  Jim liked the cream and sugar set so he held on to it.

I took a few photos and started to post them on Pinterest when I decided it would be so much easier to just upload them to the blog and then link from the blog to Pinterest.  So that is what I am doing.  I may end up completing  this over the next couple of days.....or I may get them all posted today, depends on how much time I can carve out to do this.  But either way here are a few to start out with.......

Simple and pure pieces.  

they add so much to any setting.  

Simplicity is beautiful....ahhhh..... 

Citrine creamer and sugar bowl.

Summer's glow creamer and sugar bowl.  Larger version than the Citrine set.

Turquoise on dark clay.

A River Runs Through It creamer and sugar bowl with lid. 

Ravishing Red Sponge Holder.  
Sponge holders are the bomb and so functional!  Trust me they keep your sponge nice...no smellies...and they look good too!

  

THE CUP I ADORE!

So my latest new love has been the "cup" I made.  Well, it started out a coffee mug but got a little off center while I was throwing and therefore, did not quite make the final coffee mug cut.  Since it was a little imperfect, and I didn't want to waste the clay,  I thought "I will make it into a vase and experiment with it". (Novel idea, all my mishaps are now vases.)  Given it was an experiment I went all out, added some slip as texture (sorry for the technical term but that's what I did) and glazed it with a bunch of random colours.  I was curious about how the colours would look combined, how they would react over the slip, and how they would react with each other. This was the perfect piece to try everything out. When I was done, into the kiln it went.

In all honesty when I opened the kiln I had all but forgotten about my experiment.  I unloaded the top shelf, then came to the second shelf and there sat the experiment.  I picked it up and looked at it.  Since I really had no idea what to expect I looked at it and thought "cool--really cool"(and it is, the colors and texture are amazing).  I brought it in the house and sat it on the counter.  It sat there for a couple of days and I just looked at it.  During those couple of days I happen to read a post by a potter who makes his own cups and goblets.  He talked about how he enjoys drinking from his pottery cups.  He said that he uses them for everything from OJ in the morning, to a glass of red wine at night and everything in between.

The Original Cup

Hmmmmm, I looked at my experiment and thought, "this could be a really cool cup!"  I wondered what it would be like to use a pottery cup, I had never done that before. I gave it a try and....ok, can I say I LOVE IT!!!!!  Love, love, love it.  I love it so much I made 2 more.

The 2 new cups

I use my original cup for everything!  Morning, noon or night. It is awesome! It also works great to put some yogurt in the bottom, layer some granola and berries on top and --Bon Apettit!


 Now, when I made the other two cups I wanted to duplicate the first one as close as possible.  I didn't have anymore of the original clay, or the slip that I used, but I had written down the glaze combination.  So, I threw two "random" cups (random because I experimented with the shape and size), glazed them with the same glaze combination as the first and put them in the kiln.  Voila.  Now I have 3 cups!  I still only use the first one---I have been know to have favorites-- but the other two turned out so cool as well.  I am going to "experiment" and make a few more in some bright colors, maybe some yellows or reds, maybe both.  But I have to tell you pottery cups are the bomb!  I think everything tastes better. Seriously!

See the different clay, the original is on the left

The Sunlight shows the colors and texture best. They look great with the yellow!

They look great with the blue green combination as well.  Hello Fall!!!! Yay!

So as we enter into this INCREDIBLE fall season--incredible because I love this time of the year, my absolute favorite!--find something special that brings a dose of joy into your everyday life.  Whether it be a cool pottery mug for hot chocolate or, my new found joy, a pottery cup for sipping something special or eating yogurt parfaits.  It really is the little things in life that make our everyday experiences bring a smile to our face.
Happy Fall!
~Rhodena

 


 

Finishing Touches on the Studio

For the next couple of weeks my kiln is officially out of business. So sad!  Last week I pulled the last load of pottery out of the kiln, unplugged it and put a cover over it--well actually Dave put a cover over it.  It was the final run for a bit, the kiln will not be up and running again until the drywall is up, the walls are painted (me) and the flooring is in (Dave and I). Yay!  Sounds like fun.  I don't know how much time I'll have to do any pottery between painting the walls and installing the floor (yikes!), but I am sure I will make some time to work on the wheel or hand build a few items and get them ready to fire. Pottery is my reprieve and by the sounds of things I will need a reprieve.  

Here are some of the results of the last run of the kiln before it was forced into taking a vacation. The pieces turned out beautiful!  Leaves me wondering if an Etsy store is in order...hmmmmm?  My original intent was to provide an open studio, a place for fellowship and creativity, a place to nurture the soul,  but maybe the addition of an Etsy storefront is not a bad idea.  :)  Something to think about. 

Here is a sampling of the finished pieces.  These colors turned out amazing.  Absolutely stunning!  I adore  turquoise blue, no matter where it is used or how it is used turquoise adds a spark so I decided to add it to my pottery.  WOW!  Makes me want to go on a tropical vacation.  These are so perfect for summer, they put me in the mood for the beach!    

Casserole/Serving dish

Salad Bowls

6 ounce coffee mugs....for an afternoon pick me up

I will get some more pictures posted through out the week.  Thought this would be good for today.  On such a beautiful spring day I wanted to bring a little taste of summer your way.

This makes me think on the fact that life to is made up of seasons (It's been a very reflective day). I know I have been guilty of thinking some seasons are forever (the good and the bad), but that is not true.  Good or bad, this too shall pass. That sounds fatalistic but it definitely doesn't mean that things always get worse--though they may for a time.  There are seasons I have gone through that I thought were the BEST, now looking back on the other side I have come to know they weren't.  They may have been the BEST at the time, but in my journey with God, HE has lead me to BETTER.  Not to say I didn't go through some rough waters to get there. And in dealing with the rough waters, no question about it, they are rough!  For me, if I can remind myself to keep my eyes focused on HIM and then lean back into HIM and trust HIM, the waters loose some of their fury and I can tap into HIM to pull me through. I guess James said it well when he said "consider it all joy when you encounter trials..."  That really is the key, find joy or rejoice in the midst of it all.  (On a side note: I absolutely hate rough waters!!! Just for the record. )

Having said all that--mostly as a reminder to myself--- I want to be one who enjoys each and everyday that God has given me.  To make knowing HIM and knowing HIM in my day my highest priority.  When I do that it makes the good days and good seasons even better and it adds light to the bad days or bad seasons....much like the Turquoise does I guess, adds some light, a reminder that summer is right around the corner.  Keeping my eyes on God and trusting HIM gives a peace and a confidence in the midst of a storm, helps me to know that over the horizon the sun is shinning.

Slow going

Its been a busy couple of weeks on the personal front so potting has taken a bit of a back seat. I have made it out to my "studio"--still in the garage--a few times but it has been rather hit and miss.  We moved the kiln over to the new studio and I managed to complete enough pieces for a bisque fire and then, after a day of glazing, a glaze fire was also completed in the new studio.

The sun was setting and the kiln had heated up to 1083 degrees. 

 As night time came, and the kiln temp reached around 2300 degrees, I looked out my kitchen window and was amazed to find that looking across the backyard I could see the red hot peering out at me from under the lid of the kiln. Really cool!  I went out to take some pictures to share, unfortunately, they only give you an idea of what was there to look at....some things you have to see in person I guess.....here's the best I could do.

It looks like nothing so I hestitated on whether or not to even post, but seeing the glow across your yard is rather cool.  You have to admit that is pretty hot!!! 

And the results.....

I did some experimenting with the kiln settings--ummm--note to self  "just leave it alone". (Fired med cone 6 with a 5 minute hold--should have not done the hold)  I did learn a lot, the bummer is I had a few pieces that the glaze ran onto the kiln shelf.  Oops!  However, the rest turned out great.  Here is a little sampling.

Turquoise and dessert sand on a light weight clay. 

Perfect Good morning, Good Afternoon or/and Good Evening Coffee cups.  

 

SALSA BOWLS!!!!  A personal favorite

 One of my favorite things to make is a salsa bowl.  I think it is because they are so functional!  I use mine for nuts, olives, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.  Anything, they are perfect! (I personally think everyone needs a Salsa bowl and a couple GP-- general purpose--bowls.  For this salsa bowl I used 4 different glazes which produced an amazing color spectrum

I think the greatest reward of potting is when, after you have given your time to mold and create a piece and then you give your time to bisque and glaze a piece, you get to see the finished product. In this case the extra hold time in the heat of the kiln did produce some wonderful results.  However, I think I will put experimenting on hold for a while.   

I guess it is the same as in life, some extra time in the heat can produce a beautiful result, however, I have discovered that, if given a choice, its not necessary to undergo that "extra" time.  For me, I would rather stay out of that time in the extra heat.  Yet for those times when I chose to stay where I shouldn't have, either in my thoughts, my actions, or my situations I am thankful to God that He can make something beautiful out of my pain and out of my bad choices. He knows we are but dust, we will make wrong choices and He loves us no matter what.  Wow.  Nothing can change His love for us.