This Week's Blog Post

Replenished Ear Wires

I received a shipment of ear wires from Bali, Indonesia this week so my inventory is replenished.

Bali wires have always been a favorite of mine for their quality and style. Someday I would love to be making my own ear wires for resale!!!

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

**WARNING** There is a snake in this post!

Jim and I took a ride over to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.  This space is over 2,000 acres of reservation for nature.

Some of the trails are boardwalks through a swampy environment.

Of course I almost fell a few times!

We saw a muddy frog.

As well as a frog who likes to keep clean.

Lots of snakes (the harmless kind).

The deer were not too afraid of us since they feel safe in this sanctuary.

There were happy mallard ducks.

Lots of birds. I envy those of you who can photograph birds. That is no easy task!

Including Woody Woodpecker! Jim spotted this little guy this from a distance. He is super far away so the picture is a bit fuzzy.

I have always enjoyed looking up at majestic trees against a blue sky.

There were many twisted tree formations.

The beavers are hard at work on this land. They even chopped this tree down with their teeth!

The pictures do not due the nature justice. Everything was worthy of gazing at.

I can see that the photos do not do justice since I cannot figure out what I was focused on in a bunch of the pictures! It caught my eye in real life. If I could have had a professional photographer by my side I could have had them capture my fascination!

This walk was perfect. Nature therapy is one of the best forms of relaxation…..right up there with laughter!!!

Jim enjoyed it so much that he brought his son there afterwards and they discovered much more than we did since the place is so vast. Apparently there is a grotto there (not like the Playboy mansion one). They brought bird seed and the birds actually ate out of their hands!

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

The Week in Review!

This past week was nothing exciting. I do feel a need to share my fabulous corn salsa recipe though! I made 2 batches for a Cinco de Mayo party over the weekend....one for a side dish and the other for a chip dip!
It is so easy. Start with a can of black beans and a can of corn:

Then add diced tomato and avocado:

Lastly add scallions, cilantro and dressing then mix it up!

So delicious and healthy!!!
Here is the recipe:
3 tomatoes, diced
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed
1 can corn (11oz, drained)
2 avocados chopped
4-8 scallions sliced (depending on your tastes)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup Italian dressing (I use low calorie)
Great for cookouts!!!

New to my shop are 24kt gold vermeil jewelry findings that were crafted in Bali.

Available at www.missvalscreations.com.
I am quite excited that this tree survived! It is called an Eastern Red Bud. My dad raised this one from an offspring of his 40 year old tree. It was planted last summer and survived the brutal weather!

It has these pretty pink buds all over the branches which will soon turn into leaves.
My little azalea is starting to bud too!

Hopefully by next weekend there will be more of this fuchsia bud popping up!!!
Thank you for reading! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. :)
~Val