Well friends, I have so very much to be thankful for and am feeling truly grateful! On Friday night, my bedroom, bathroom, studio and living area were flooded due to a sump pump not running. But there is a lot of fantastic news!

#1 My family, furry and feathered friends and I are safe.
#2 The majority of my material possessions were saved, and are boxed up and sitting somewhere dry
#3 I have been blessed by the kindness of so many family, friends and even strangers through all that has taken place, and am left in a state of absolute awe and appreciation of each and every one of them!
#4 This provides a wonderful opportunity to do major "purging" of old stuff that I no longer need, re-organization of *everything* I own, and even get some new colors of paint on the walls! All of which are things I have been wanting to do, but "haven't had time for"! Time is a funny thing.
#5 Insurance should cover all damage and clean up costs.

To those of you who may be purchasing items on eBay during this time - I have all inventory jewelry safe and handy and should still be able to mail everything out on schedule. My internet connection is limited at times however, so there may be delays in replying to your emails for a while. Thanks for your understanding!

I am hoping to be back in my place as soon as possible, but because of all of the work ahead (sorting, going through everything for insurance, replacing items, etc.) I will be taking some time off of custom orders and probably will not have a Bird of the Month collection on eBay next month. We'll just see how things go!

I wanted to let everyone know about an online auction that will be held from June 25th through July 2nd to benefit the evacuated animals of the devastating Cedar Rapids flood. The website is located at: www.iowafloodreliefauction.com  - please stop by and view the photos and stories of the many people and pets affected by the flood.

Over 40 vendors and artisans have donated items, and all proceeds will go to the "Friends of the Animal Shelter Fund", which has been set up to help these pets. I am happy to be able to participate in this worthwhile cause and have donated the Congo Grey bracelet shown below as well as a light switch plate, so I hope you will go visit the auction, bid high, and help the animals in need! (If you aren't looking to purchase anything, but would like to show your support, you can make monetary donations through the links on the website or by sending in a check to the foundation.)

Thank you!

It's amazing how life for so many people can turn upside down in such a short time. My city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, suffered severe devastation from record breaking floods over the last week. (If you missed coverage on the news, you can view a great deal of footage on YouTube.com by typing in "Cedar Rapids Flood".) It is a difficult time and sad to see so much loss all around, yet we are so thankful that there are have been minimal injuries or deaths.

Thanks so much to all of you that emailed and called to check on me after hearing about the disaster on the national news - I am a bit shaken, but safe and sound! I personally have SO very much to be thankful for, besides the most important fact that my family, pets, and friends are safe, that my home was safe from the flood water. We are thankful to have electricity and phones working and had wonderful news yesterday that the city water is improving capacity so this is going to be a huge help in getting everything a bit more normalized.
 
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, I really appreciate it!