After a trip to Barcelona, Spain, where I soaked in the works of famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, known for such works as Sagrada de Familia and Park Guell, I created this ring, aptly named GAUDI Ring. This is a limited edition art jewelry ring, available in sizes 5 1/4, 5 1/2, and 6.

I am a big fan of Gaudi’s architectural designs that often reference natural structures, such as trees, caves, and even fruit. So I was thrilled to have my GAUDI Ring included in a collection of handmade works inspired by architecture.

Check out page 84 in the May 2009 edition of the online publication called, VIVA LA MODA. VIVA LA MODA is a new online publication that is filled with dozens of pages of eye candy on the latest handmade fashion-trends, that include clothing, art, crafts, and jewelry! Thanks to Ainhoa, Julie, and all the girls at VIVA LA MODA for choosing my ring and for putting this fun publication together!

Does anyone know if there is a boot camp for cats? If so, my brat-cat pack needs to go for some training. Since when is it okay to wake your human momma up three times in the middle of the night? I think the cats may have me in boot-camp!

SMB is out of town again and I think that may be why they have been acting up. They get extra needy when he is away and they know that I am the softie in the family and will sometimes let them sleep with me. Not this morning! After yelling at them through my sleep-deprived fog, I eventually got up and locked them in the guest bedroom. Take that, cats!

Hopefully, if I am someday blessed with children, I will not be such a meanie mommie. Kudos to all of you parents, particularly those with infants. How do you cope when your kids won’t let you sleep and you still have to get up and function at your job? Does your body eventually acclimate to being sleep-deprived and no longer crave eight hours a night? If I have less than six, I look like one of those zombies in Micael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.

Unfortunately, sleep has been eluding me lately, so I have been extra cranky with the naughty beasts. I’ve picked up extra hours at the day job, meaning I come in earlier and stay later. The stay later part is okay by me, but I am so NOT a morning person! I once read that most right-brained creative types are night-owls. I always get my second-wind around 10:00 p.m., so going to bed before midnight is early for me.

Does the brat-cat pack not realize that I’ve barely slept when they rattle the bedroom door and whine at 1:01 a.m., at 6:12 a.m., at 7:05 a.m.? Either they were trying to weasel an extra feeding out of me or they just wanted to sleep in my bed! The sleeping in bed with me would be fine if only they would SLEEP and not step on my head or purr like a motorboat in my ear, while drooling on my hand or kneading biscuits on my chest.

Yes, we have strange cats. So strange, in fact, that one of them has actually figured out how to open doors. So we have to lock ourselves in the bedroom at night so the little beasties don’t barrel down the door. I wish I had a video of Potter opening the french doors. I’ve watched him do it before. It’s basically a body slam coupled with the precise timing of reaching his right paw up to pull down the latch. (I just realized that my cat might be right-handed, I mean right-pawed). Apparantly they are all right-brained like me, which explains the late-night restlessness… but not their taste in beer…

The fiance and I have been working hard this spring to spruce up the old farmhouse.

Why? You ask.

Because it looks like we are going to stay a while. Not only have our azaelas and hydrangeas finally begun to take root, but I have to admit, that I have been blooming here, as well. Call it a biproduct of caring for the space between and around these knotty-pine paneled walls, but for the first time in my 3 years living here, I’ve truly felt attached to this place. It is no longer just a transitional dwelling. It is our HOME. So we are tailoring it to our needs and fluffing the nest, so to speak.

Also, it must be mentioned that on Wednesday, my parents fly in for their annual week-long visit with us here at Chateau Beck. It’s not that my parents really care what state the old farmhouse is in, but it certainly motivates us to spruce the place up to make their stay more comfortable.

So here’s what we’ve been doing…

SMB not only scraped the paint off all the windows, but he also reglazed them, which is necessary for maintenance, he tells me.

While SMB did that (I am scared of heights), I stayed safely on the ground, touching up trim and painting the floor of our freshly screened-in porch. Thank goodness I am marrying a carpenter, who did all of the framing and screening and hanging of doors, while I was the master painter on this project. He works on the big picture and I do the details. Speaking of details, after the floor was painted we decided to splurge on a new set of patio furniture.

On Thursday afternoon SMB assembled the furniture, so when I came home from work, I was able to put my feet up and enjoy a cold one outside in a mosquito-free haven! Even the kitties got to come out and enjoy the nice spring weather with us.

Well, all but Spout, she is still a little tentative about all the new noises of the outdoor space, but she does peek out her perky white ears from time to time.

I’ll tell you what’s in my pocket! This cute little pocket-scale that I just ordered from Nile Corp.