This Week's Blog Post!

Celtic Necklace
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I have created this Celtic knot necklace!

Celtic knots have various meaning so they can be interpreted in different ways. I prefer to view a Celtic knot as a symbol of eternity and the cycles of life continuing on. Available at Miss Val's Creations.

Yoga
So I have not been to the gym in quite a while since I have a day job and come home heading straight into my home office to work on my jewelry business! But a couple of weeks ago I was struggling with the groceries. This was a wake up call!!!! Since going to the gym eats up extra time I am now squeezing in a yoga workout after work via youtube.

I came across these Power Yoga segments which are fantastic and challenging. There are three 30 minute Power Yoga segments I have been practicing. A lot of swears come out of my mouth while attempting the stand on 1 leg and contort your body positions! I certainly can not manage the position shown here from the video clip. My hands can not touch this way! However I now have a new goal of mastering these positions and becoming strong again!!!! This is the first time since my teen years that I have done a backbend. It feels completely unnatural and like my body could break at any moment!

I have always been a weight lifter and really miss the arms I had last summer. But yoga is a smarter way to take care of the body so it will be interesting to see what my arms will look like by this summer! I just do not want them to end up jacked like Madonna’s arms which are a bit too much for my frame.

Inversion Therapy
I have always wanted an inversion therapy bench, particularly now since I am sitting 95% of my waking hours! This is a cool piece of equipment that you hang upside down on. It is a holistic way of reducing back pain, stress, tension, stretching your spine, improving posture, improving circulation and more!

It is recommended to hang upside down for 10 minutes a day but it does hurt my feet and ankles since they are basically holding my entire body weight. So I try to do this a couple of times a day until my ankles can no longer bear it. It feels fantastic and paired with yoga will help me reduce stress and muscle tension that I experience!

Crocuses
I am shocked my crocuses popped up before St. Patrick’s Day!

Mother Nature is acting very erratic this year. She could use a dose of Prozac. I even had all the windows in my house open after work 2 days this week and I live in Massachusetts!

New Bali Findings
I received a large shipment of Bali sterling silver findings which I have finally finished posting! These ear wires and toggles are new inventory in my shop.

However these beautiful ear wires sold out right away! Next order I will need to order many more of this style. They are unique and super shiny.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful, hopefully Spring like week!

This Week's Blog Post

New Bracelets
I just posted a new green aventurine and a new black onyx bracelet! Available at Miss Val’s Creations.


Quinoa Lasagna Casserole
This was delicious.

I came across the idea of quinoa lasagna when reading recipes. The quinoa is layered in place of pasta for a much healthier dish. It tastes very close to regular lasagna but its texture is much different, like a casserole!

We cooked the quinoa first. Then added a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of quinoa. Next we added a layer of vegetables that included chopped mushrooms, diced red pepper and chopped zuchinni. Then we topped that with ricotta and shredded mozzarella.

We repeated these layers until the 13” x 9” pan was full. Then we baked this at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until the veggies were cooked through. Mmmm! Where Jim likes to call our cooking making love in the kitchen, he felt this was wild sex in the kitchen (I agree). It is probably because neither of us had eaten lasagna in a long time!

Leftover Quinoa Idea

There was some leftover quinoa in the fridge to for dinner one night I scrambled a couple of eggs and added them to the heated quinoa with a little margarine and black pepper. Delicious!

Homemade Cheesecake
We had another couple over for dinner last weekend and I planned on checking out a bakery next to our favorite wine store. However when I looked online I read terrible reviews that it is way overpriced and lacking in quality! I looked at their website and they charge $4.75 for 1 cupcake! Is that nuts or normal? Anyway I cannot justify that since I am not wealthy!

So I then decided to attempt cheesecake for the first time!

I have a promotional cookbook from Philadelphia Cream Cheese and thought who better to write the perfect recipe! This one was great since it did not require a springform pan which I do not own since I am not much of a baker!

This is a great beginner recipe if anyone would like to whip up this tasty treat!
6 honey graham crackers crushed (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, melted
5 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 can (21 oz) of pie filling of your choice

Heat oven to 325 degrees

Line 13" x 9” pan with foil, with ends extending over sides (I had to use a 9" x 9" pan since the big one was needed for eggplant parmesan)! Mix graham cracker crumbs, 3 tbsp sugar and butter. Press onto bottom for pan and bake 10 minutes.


Meanwhile beat the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, flour and vanilla until blended. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely and refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake out of pan before serving. Top with filling.

I laughed when writing this because I realized I screwed up badly when preparing the filling. I only used 1 package of cream cheese versus 5!!!! What was funny is that it tasted great and the texture was perfect. So I know that making the recipe accurately will be phenomenal. So I will definitely be trying this again when cheesecake seems appropriate!

Alice
My girl Alice is pretty much afraid of her own shadow. I do not know if she had been abused or was born on the streets, but something prior to my adoption made her this way.

I was so proud of her because she came out from hiding and was letting my friend pet her! She is making great strides to be a braver girl!

Saved Dolphins
If you did not see this video from March 5 yet and are in need of something uplifting, this is worth the 4 minute viewing!

Approximately 30 dolphins began to beech themselves on a coast in Brazil. Luckily there were plenty of bystanders willing to give them a hand. All appeared to be saved and unharmed. It brought a happy tear to my eye!

Have a wonderful week! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Green Aventurine
This necklace has nuggets of unakite and autumn jasper, stones that I typically associate with fall.

Pairing them with green aventurine is making me think spring! This piece is available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Snow!
Let me just say that snow is not my friend. I do not care for it much. However this winter has been so strange that I actually got excited that we had some snow to take pictures of. I do love how it looks just after it has fallen and sticks to trees, shrubs, plants, etc!

For those of you who are not from a snow infested area, this was the good stuff. The good snow is perfect for snowball fights and snowman making.

It is also the stuff that sticks to the trees and plants making them look so pretty! On the other hand, it is the evil stuff. Try shoveling cement!!! Not fun.

Even though I got slightly excited, I still look forward to my future retirement with Jim in sunny Florida.


Oscars
I did not get too excited about any Oscar gowns this year except for Michelle Williams who was wearing Octavia Spencer. If I could have a love affair with a dress, this would be the one!

It actually looked red on my old fashioned television so I was blown away even more when I saw it online the next day! The coral color is so beautiful and I adore the pairing with a pink clutch and pink lipstick. Perfection. She was working it too. Subtly though, not like Angelina Jolie and her strange leg movements. What was that all about?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Speaking of Oscars, this section ties in with the annual awards show.

Yes, the title sounds silly! My mom gave me this book to read since we have roots from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. This novel is unique because the content is entirely letters to and from different people that create the story! This really brought the characters to life!

The storyline sounds depressing. It is about a writer who goes to Guernsey after World War II to learn of the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that was formed during the island’s German occupation during the war to cope with the times. However it is written with lots of humor!

It was the only novel from Mary Ann Shaffer and was completed by her niece, Annie Barrows when Mary fell ill. Mary has since passed but I find it so inspirational since she had been quoted saying that “all I wanted was to write a book that someone would like to publish”. Apparently many publishers wanted to get their hands on this one!!!! We can do anything we put our minds to!

How does this tie into the Oscars you ask? Well I was ecstatic to learn that this novel is being brought to the big screen starring Kate Winslet and directed by Kenneth Branagh!

So it is safe to assume that this will be an Academy Award nominated film. It is due to start filming soon and will be released in 2013. It will be interesting to see this compilation of letters be put to film!!!

Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful week! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

New Starry Set

I picture a girly girl who loves to dream wearing this set! Available at Miss Val’s Creations.

The Butterfly Place
There is an enchanting place in Westford, MA called The Butterfly Place. Jim and I went to this indoor garden with fluttering butterflies!

I just got a new camera in December and only know how to take pictures of jewelry with it so many of the photos are not as focused as I would have liked! I should have read the manual before going!!!

Well fed, chubby birds also live in here.

This place is opened seasonally and just reopened Valentine’s Day so the garden is very young.
It closes again on Halloween so by then the foliage will be huge!

This photo looks disgusting. The butterflies are provided with rotting veggies to munch on.


It amazes me how insects can be upside down like this!

The orange ones were crazy active so they were very difficult to photograph!


There is a pond with some colorful, mean looking fish in here.

This blue guy fluttering had a death wish. He was egging on the fish by swooping down and touching the water and you could see that the fish wanted him for dinner!



Emmett
Emmett behind the curtain.

Emmett emerging from behind the curtain.

Silly little guy!

Thank you for stopping by! I always love reading all of your comments. :-) ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Smoky Quartz Necklace
I love these assembled magnesite beads that are red, brown and grey in color.

I paired them with large 14mm smoky quartz beads to make them pop! This is available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Making Love in the Kitchen
Our favorite Saturday night consists of making love in the kitchen….not literally, but figuratively. Get your mind out of the gutter! Jim came up with this term since we really enjoy cooking together, sharing ideas and accommodating each other’s food likes and dislikes. Of course we do this with the red wine flowing for added fun. It also gives us plenty of time to chat and laugh with each other.

We experimented with Quinoa last weekend by making stuffed peppers and tomato. Mmmm! We sautéed finely diced mushrooms in olive oil and tomato sauce along with grated parmesan. We added some heat to this with curry and chili powder until will were both satisfied with the flavor. The quinoa was cooking while this was going on. Once that was ready we mixed it all together to create a delicious stuffing.

We sliced a red bell pepper lengthwise and hollowed out a massive tomato I scored at the grocery store to accommodate the stuffing. Then we baked this around 350 or so. It took a while to cook. Towards the end we added fresh mozzarella.

Neither of us had experience with quinoa. What a great food! This South American grain is very high in protein, amino acids, fiber, magnesium, iron and more. It can take place of rice for a much healthier alternative. It can be added to soups, salads, stir fries and can even be eaten as a cereal. So we will continue to experiment with this goody in the kitchen.

Grammys Fashion
Here are a few of my favorite gowns from the Grammys. Taylor Swift looks gorgeous in Zuhair Murad. I would have appreciated it more without the train which is distracting, but the gown is stunning regardless.

Rihanna totally rocked Giorgio Armani!

This Alberta Ferretti gown on Kelly Rowland is perfection....my favorite from the evening! I love how it is accented with the bold ring and large earrings.


Stress
It has been a very long time since I have had a cold or any other health ailment and I just read this interesting article that stress can help ward off colds and the flu! I thought it had something to do with drinking a little antioxidant rich red wine each night but maybe it has to do with stress. The wine routine is here to stay though!!!

I basically work 2 jobs so I guess this positive stress and adrenaline is doing me some good!!! Stress also helps prevent tumors (sounds good to me), enhances memory and more! Of course the article does mention that if the stress is prolonged it is not a good thing so maybe the stress needs to be monitored!

Owl Love

I came across these sweet owls on Pinterest. A belated Valentine’s Day photo! .

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

New Lanyard and Eyeglass Chain
This stone is called chrysanthemum stone (I guess because some mums can have similar colors?). Its earthy coloring includes grey, brown and rust.

The gold complements it beautifully but I will also make these in silver which will give the stone a different look! These are available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Bucket List Additions
I added 2 destinations to my bucket list this week. This is Maho Beach in St. Maarten in the Caribbean.

The jumbo jets fly right overhead. How amazing and scary would it be to be lying on this beach with the planes flying over? What a rush! Apparently you feel the heat of the plane and winds of 100 miles per hour!!! This probably includes a slight sandstorm as well.

Jurassic Coast is in Dorset and East Devon, England. Here there are well preserved dinosaur fossil and footprints.

How insanely cool!!! This coast also boasts fantastic rock formations! I think I will be able to talk Jim into both these trips some day. The photos are from Thinkstock.

Organic Wines
There is a wonderful local wine store called the Wine Connextion which Jim and I typically visit on Saturday afternoons when they have complementary wine tasting. Usually we do not discover anything that we love more than our regular red wine favorites.

However this past weekend we both enjoyed 2 imported organic red wines!
We left with a bottle of each and polished them off that night! Good times!
The Conno Sur Cabernet/Carmenere is a 2009 from Chile. The Juan Gill Honoro Vera Monastrell is a 2010 from Spain. They are both bold and full flavored and best of all, under $9!!!!

Pizza
I am pizza obsessed….always have been. This photo was taken after eating a piece! I had not intentions of blogging about it but it was so mouth watering that I had to share it with others who may like pizza topping ideas!

The crust is whole wheat. Then I added a little red sauce and some shredded mozzarella. Then I added baby spinach, chopped jarred marinated artichokes, chopped jarred roasted red pepper followed with more shredded mozzarella and topped with feta cheese. Delicious and much healthier and a restaurant pizza!!!

Glee
Is it me or does Ricky Martin get better with age?

It does not matter that he bats for the other team. He and Naya Rivera did a fabulous duet of Madonna's La Isla Bonita this week on Glee. The writers left things open enough that he should be back! I am so happy to have become a Gleek. The show makes me laugh, it inspires me and makes me want to dance and sing. You never know what song they will sing next!!!

The Safari Chair
This is my safari chair which I had custom made 10 years ago. The fabric was supposed to be for toss pillows only but I insisted on having the fabric put onto this big cushy chair frame.

Of course, Emmett and Alice own it now. An African safari is my dream trip so hopefully someday this will happen (I may need to hit the lottery first).

Thank you for stopping by! I wish you all a week of smiles!