This Week's Blog Post

I hope everyone in Hurricane Sandy’s path made out ok. Somehow my neighborhood was spared from losing power and overall Massachusetts was really lucky. I really feel for those in NJ and NY who still do not have electricity and gas in the area has run out. It is horrible!

New Findings

I have added new gold and silver plated findings to the shop including various headpins, beads, beading hoops and crimp covers.

Less people are working with the precious metals these days due to their high cost and not being able to resell fine pieces in a poor economy. Available at Miss Val's Creations.

Pinterest

If you are wondering if Pinterest works as a marketing tool I got confirmation this week that it does! I had posted a purple awareness ribbon lanyard there that since sold.  

I received an e-mail if I would be making more so I did and now the lanyard is on its way to Illinois.
 

Nevins Manor

Nevin Manor is another gorgeous building in my town. This was built in 1906 as a nursing home and now operates as an assisted living home.

I always have to look when I drive by because it has such a presence on a hill along with those gables.

I don’t know the technical term for these tower features but I know they were used for military purposes on castles. Why does a nursing home need these? It certainly adds to the character!

 

Election Day is finally here Tuesday! It is driving me nuts so I am looking forward to it being over. I have been avoiding Facebook (with the exception of my business page) after seeing things I disagree with. I do feel politics should be kept to oneself unless you have a relationship with someone you like to have healthy (not heated) discussion with.  Either way the election goes is sure to bring on more drama so I will probably continue to avoid Facebook!

Don’t forget to change your clocks tonight! This is when the reality of shorter days really kicks in! Not fun.

Trick or Treating was postponed to tonight! This on the other hand is fun!

Have a great week. I heard something about a possible nor’easter this coming week (that is a crazy storm with lots of wind and rain or snow). These typically involve power and cable outages as well. We just had a hurricane so hopefully this forecast changes!!!! ~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