Jewelry Favorites

I normally like to keep my favorites to five, but it was too hard to decide on just five pieces of jewelry that I love. Of course, this doesn't include my long-lost wedding set. If you stick with me to the end of this post, you might just get a great piece of jewelry for yourself!

So here they are:

1. Lia Sophia Ring:I purchased this ring about a year ago at a Lia Sophia jewelry party. I love it. I don't own many "fun" rings, but this one really stood out to me. It matches a lot of things I wear and adds a bit of flair that most of my ensembles are lacking.

2. Gold Arabic Name Necklace:This is the oldest piece of jewelry that I own. I got it while we were living in Oman, when I was about four or five. All of the women in my family have a necklace like this, with their name in Arabic. I have worn it so much that the chain is wearing out and becoming a bit skewed.

3. Strand of Mikimodo pearls and ring:My parents gave me this set for my 21st birthday. I don't wear it that often, frankly because I'm afraid of it being damaged or of losing it (which has already happened to a more important piece of jewelry). But these are classic heirloom pieces, which I will one day pass on to a daughter or granddaughter.

4. Gold James Avery knot ring:This is another piece of jewelry given to me by my parents. It was originally an unofficial sorority symbol. But as that time in my life has passed I have continued to wear it and come to appreciate it for its simple and beautiful design. I am currently wearing this ring on my left hand in place of my wedding ring.

5. Bracelet from the Sudan:
My wonderful friend, Jeannie gave me this bracelet for my birthday a few years ago. She has one as well, and told me that the women of the villages surrounded by war collect the stray bullets from the ground. Then, they make these bracelets out of the metal from the bullets to sell for money for their village. They are able to make something beautiful out of something so horrible.

6. Broken China Heart Necklace:I found this at the Utah Art Festival about four years ago. The artist took broken pieces of antique china and made them into jewelry, frames, and other decorative items. Normally I don't like hearts, but this necklace really caught my eye. I love that it's one of a kind.

7. Emerald ring and earrings:
While living in Colombia, my parents decided to purchase emeralds for my sister and I. One of Colombia's major exports is emeralds, so we were able to get beautiful stones at a fraction of the price in the U.S. This is another heirloom I plan to pass down.

8. Pandora (honorable mention):
I call this an honorable mention, because I don't have it (yet). I recently went to an event hosted by Goldsmith Jewelers here in Utah, where they featured this collection. Currently, they are the only ones in Utah who sell this line. With this line, you are able to build your own bracelet or necklace from a large selection of beads. Each of the beads has a meaning to go along with it, so the piece is very personalized.

Here's the fun part: Goldsmith Jewelers is so awesome. Just for coming to the event they gave us coupons to give away for a free strand of pearls. You do have to go into the store to redeem the coupon - so I'm sorry to all of my non-Utah readers.

All you have to do is print it out and go to the store. Feel free to print out as many as you want for friends and family. Click here to download and print the PDF coupon.

To work or not?

This battle has been going on for such a long time. I never thought I would feel the way I do at this point in my life, but I do.

I always thought that as soon as I had kids I would stop working. My mom didn't work, so I never envisioned that I would do anything different. Time with your children is such a precious thing that you can never get back. Especially at such a young age.

But as the time came for little Nathan to enter the world, financial road-blocks prevented me from not working, so I continued to partake in the working world while also stumbling through the beginning days of mommy-hood.

Fast-forward two and half years later, and I am still working. And I love it. I have two part-time jobs, which (if necessary) can be done from home. I am at home with my son two days during the week and also weekends. The husband is at home one day a week and also on weekends. The boy spends one day of the week with his grandmother and one day of the week with his aunt and cousins. It works out really well.

Though I miss him tremendously during the days at the office, I feel like it makes me a better mom. I appreciate my time with The Boy so much more than I would, had I stopped working. I am able to develop my professional career while at the same time contribute to our household income. I have full days of not working so I can dedicate attention to him.

Yes, I'm still jealous of those who are stay-at-home-moms. I envy the time you have with your kids, and the memories you will always have of this special time. The job you have as a mother is the one of the hardest, most important jobs in the world. You are the unsung heros of this world.

But because I'm not a part of that club right now, I am thoroughly enjoying where I'm at in life at the moment. I have two jobs that I enjoy, a husband who's supportive of this decision I've made, co-workers who are understanding that family comes first, friends who I consider family and of course a son who brings me endless joy and love (and often frustration too).

I'm doing the best I can.

Apologies

My apologies for being so absent on my blog. That's what working two jobs, raising a child, and being on a volunteer board will do to you. But NEVER FEAR, for I am back to the blogging world. I have not yet abandoned my internetty friends.

I was watching Oprah the other day and they had an episode on motherhood that had me laughing the whole way through. Confessions from real moms:

"I once made my kids lunch with snacks entirely from my car."

"I didn't bathe my twins for three weeks - I figured the hot-tub would take care of it."

"Nobody told me little boys wake up with woodies. I was freaked out one morning when I came in to get them and they were all pointing at me!"

"I went without diapers for three days using only maxi-pads and duct tape."

It was a great show. First, it made me feel like a really good mom, knowing that I'm not the only one who makes mistakes and doesn't know what in the hell I'm doing. Second, these women came from all walks of life: some working, some young, some with one child, some with several (one had seven!).

My confessions:

When Nate was seven months old we visited Tulsa with him for the first time. I realized early the next morning that we were out of diapers. While BSC ran to the store to get some, Nathan totally ruined his current diaper, leaving us with nothing. Turns out that my MIL had some doggie diapers, which actually worked quite well minus the hole in the back for the tail.

On more than one occasion, Nathan and I have eaten ice-cream for lunch.

One day I let him watch TV ... all day.

I know there are more, these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I wish I would have saved that episode of Oprah so I could watch it every once in a while. It's good to see women totally let down their guard and talk about their total (and often hilarious) falters with child-rearing.

Let's hear it for the moms!

Birthday Wishes

For my birthday I would like some time. If anyone knows of a place where I can buy, trade, or bargain for some extra time, please let me know. This is what I would like to do with my extra time:

Create fun, educational activities for Nathan and I to enjoy when I am home with him
Cook every weeknight
Go to the gym every day
Write real, hand-written notes and mail them to friends
Clean and organize my garage
Document all of my plant-life like Rachel.
Volunteer more
Organize all of my pictures into digital photo books (or maybe digital scrapbooks)
Read the Bible from beginning to end again
Take calligraphy classes
Create my own cookbook (with my own photography and recipes)
Go on a weekly (or even monthly) date with BSC sans The Boy
Redecorate my living room and bedroom (this also requires extra money, so if you know where I could get some of that too, please let me know)
Read two books per month
Go see all the tourist attractions here

I will be waiting for suggestions of where I can find all this time. Anyone?

This and that

Sorry for the increased absence, my mind has been here lately. If you know anything about my husband's family history, you'll understand why it's easy to become wrapped up in sympathetic thoughts for my sister's in-laws.

On a much lighter note, I thought I'd share one of my recipes with you. It's easy and fast. I don't have a name for it, so feel free to give suggestions.

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
1 1/2 cups Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 1/2 cups Italian Dressing
Bag of pasta (your choice, I use linguine)
Package of dried gourmet mushrooms (usually in the same section as the fresh herbs)
Fresh mozzarella balls
Fresh Basil, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Feta

Marinate the frozen chicken in the dressings until chicken is thaw (not in the refrigerator). When thaw, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, reserving the marinade. Cook the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes, add marinade and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes then reduce to a simmer. Add dried mushrooms. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Cook pasta to your desired firmness and drain. Combine pasta with chicken and sauce. Add basil, onions, mozzarella and toss to combine. Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle with feta. Great if accompanied with a spinach salad or topped with chopped, steamed asparagus.

Has Anyone Seen Me?

I was first given here:



Then I went public here:



Made an appearance here:

Sealed love for life here:

You can take a good look at me here:


I became a source of entertainment here:


I was last seen here:

This Little Piggy

BSC has always collected his spare change in a large orange cup I got from my sorority in college. We decided that we needed to start putting this change (which usually amounts to about $85 when the cup is full) into Nate's college fund. And what better way to collect the change than a cute bank for our boy? We have been meaning to get The Boy a piggy bank ... oh since he was born. It was just one of those tasks that wasn't high on the priority list, so it's been delayed for a couple of years.

A few weeks ago we finally found one that we both like. The color scheme matches his room and has been personalized with his name. As soon as we brought it home and Nathan saw it, he lit up and exclaimed "PIGGY BANK!" Really, I had no idea he even knew what it was. So we took the large orange cup full of change and let Nathan dump it out so he could fill the piggy bank.



**I have to note here that I scrubbed his hands after letting him play with all that dirty, germy money.