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.

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?

Favorites for my Home

It's been a while since I did a list of my favorites. This post is dedicated to my favorite items for my home. From decorations to designers.

1. Anna Griffin - What beautiful designs. My wedding invitations, guest book and photo album were Anna Griffin and I still love all of her designs. If I ever see note cards or accessories of hers on sale, I have to buy them. Her colors and designs are elegant yet modern, some are fancy and some are casual. Very high quality, and pretty enough to display with a nice pen on my secretary in the guest bedroom. She now has fabric and other accessories in her collection too.

2. Keurig Coffee Machine - Though I don't have one of these yet, my dad and friend Sarah have one. I plan to buy one for my office when we move to our new space. It makes individual cups of coffee (of which you can choose the size) and cleans itself. No filters or coffee grounds to mess with (unless you make your own pods). It also makes hot chocolate, tea, and other warm beverages.

3. Clothes Drying Rack - I can't find a link for this, but I was able to find a picture. I found this on clearance at Pottery Barn a couple of years ago, and it has been one of my greatest finds. It hooks onto my laundry room wall and lays flat (object to the left) when it's not in use. When I need to air dry clothes or jeans, it folds up and out (object to the right). This is essential for my laundry duties because I can never tumble dry my jeans. They always shrink and become too short. With this rack I can air dry eight pairs of pants at the same time. I used to have wet jeans hanging all over the house, but this has solved that problem. Plus, the design is simple enough to blend in with my blue and white laundry room decor.

4. Sid Dickens Memory Tiles - I have a collection of these tiles arranged above the sofa in our formal living room. I started my collection in college when the antique store I worked at started selling them. I even have a few that are signed by the artist. The tiles are quite expensive, but raise in value after being discontinued. I love them and would have a few in every room if I could afford it.

5. Lampe Berger - Pronounced lamp burjay (with a soft j sound). A couple of Christmases ago my mother in law purchased one of these oil infusion lamps for me (the one pictured below). At first I thought it was just a regular home-fragrance accessory, but after reading the enclosed material, I found out that these decorative fragrance burners help clean the air. They used to use them in hospitals in France in the 1800s. I have one in the main part of our house and one in our basement. I especially like to use them after cooking a rich meal to eliminate the smell from the house. If I don't feel like using a fragrance in the house, I burn the neutral oil which has no scent. The lamps are sold at all different price points.

Things

I copied this from Jenn.

What Have You Done? To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. It's kind of fun!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Rules

Just in case any of you have to be me for a day, here are the rules:

1. Eat the frosting, leave the cake.
2. Only use matching hangers.
3. Sleep with two pillows: soft one on top, firm on bottom.
4. Stay out of the sun.
5. Heat the water for coffee for 3 1/2 minutes.
6. Put on makeup before doing hair.
7. Be early to everything, sometimes too early.
8. Watch reruns of Friends and Sex and the City.
9. Always double the recipe.
10. Wipe down the counter tops.
11. Make lists.
12. Drool over this, and this and these.
13. If it comes in black, brown or purple ... always buy the purple.

To-Do

I'm a list-maker. I have several lists around the house, posted on bulletin boards, typed in my crackberry, milling around my head. This list happens to be in my head and for the first time written down. Obviously some are more serious than others. This is my life's to-do list, blog idea stolen from Nytro (some items from the list also stolen from her).
1. Find my life partner and marry him - Check!
2. Take #1 to all the places I've lived (Australia, Oman, Colombia)
3. Read all the classics
4. Have children - Half-Check!
5. Skydive
6. Finish my tattoo (didn't know I had one, did ya?)
7. Have my house totally and completely organized
8. Go to culinary school
9. Wear a size 4
10. Travel to Greece
11. Go to the Kentucky Derby
12. Accomplish #11 in a designer outfit with a fabulous hat
13. Go shopping in Italy and Paris
14. Take a world cruise
15. Own a successful small company like a shoe store, book store or pastry shop
16. Get my PhD
17. Hold my children's children
18. Hold my children's children's children
19. Be a hot grandma
20. Re-learn the piano
21. See U2 in concert - Check!
22. Travel to Antarctica
23. Become independent of a vehicle
24. Own a vacation home in Tuscany
25. Walk along The Great Wall of China
26. See all 50 states
27. Raise my children to be wonderful, successful and loving people
28. Volunteer regularly - Check!
29. Become friends with Dooce
30. Go on an African Safari - Check! (but want to do it again with BSC)
31. Swim with Dolphins - Check!
32. Learn to quilt and sew like my mother
33. Know that my parents know how much I appreciate all they've done for me
34. Build a house
35. Have my brother in-law be our architect for #34
36. Live in the same state as both sets of parents
37. See the Egyptian pyramids with my own eyes
38. Run a marathon
39. Find a job I truly enjoy - Check!
40. Pay for my children's college education
41. Attend an episode of So You Think You Can Dance
42. Visit my two friends Sarah and Louise, who I've been writing for over 20 years.
43. Trek/Float through the Amazon - Check!
44. Win big on a game show
45. Grow my hair out again
46. Donate my hair again
47. For as long as I can
48. Learn to write in Japanese
49. Visit Ireland and stay in a castle
50. See a performance at the Bolshoi Ballet
51. Become an expert gardener
52. See my best friend get married - Coming Aug. 1
53. See whales in wild - Check!
54. Find a reliable contractor
55. See Seinfeld live - Check!
56. Learn how to make "special" brownies
57. Cook the perfect meal (which may include "special" brownies)
58. See Garth Brooks in concert
59. Be a judge on Iron Chef
60. Learn to relax
61. Have a walk in closet Carrie Bradshaw would be jealous of
62. See my father in-law walk again
63. Get tickets to Oprah's "Favorite Things" show
64. Be financially stable
65. Develop my own pictures in a dark room - Check!
66. Learn to live in the moment
67. Hold a python across my shoulders - Check!
68. See Wicked on Broadway
69. Own a Boxer
70. Own a Husky
71. Own a teacup Pomeranian
72. Spend an entire day at the spa - Check!
73. After kids, have "the girls" lifted
74. Go to an OU championship football game with BSC (and see them win)
75. Hold all possible yoga poses
76. Stop craving sugar all the time
77. Enjoy a full, gourmet, seven-course French meal - Check!
78. Scuba dive - Check!
79. Go to Mardi Gras
80. Learn how to make sushi
81. Vacation in Sonoma Valley and stay at a different vineyard every night
82. Own a pair of Manolos
83. Own a Fendi
84. Go on a shopping spree ala Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman to accomplish #82 & #83
85. Live to see a major disease abolished from the Earth
86. Feel confident in my faith
87. Find a church we both truly love
88. Have enough courage to get a bikini wax
89. Throw a wedding dress party
90. Throw a wine and cheese party
91. Organize a progressive dinner
92. Be more open with people
93. Memorize poetry
94. Dye my hair a fun color ... like purple
95. Be a vegetarian for a year
96. Become a fix-it person
97. Adopt a baby
98. Finally organize all of my pictures in a beautiful album
99. Live overseas ... again
100. Own an original piece of art
101. To be continued ...

My secret indulgences

I guess these aren't secrets anymore.
1. America's Next Top Model - I know, it's totally superficial. But for some reason this show really appeals to me. During ANTM marathons I could easily watch an entire season in one sitting.
2. Cleaning the lint trap in the dryer - it's just so fun!
3. Putting way too much butter on my waffles
4. Vacuuming the ashes out of my fireplace - this obviously stems from my OCD
5. Pulling weeds right after it rains - there's something satisfying about weeds coming out of the ground so easily that makes this normally daunting chore kinda fun.

Thanks for all of your well-wishes for Nathan. He's finally feeling better. After five days of nastiness, his schedule is totally off. I feel like we're back to the transition from two to one nap. I'm feeling kinda yucky today. I really hope I'm not getting what he had.

Annoyances

1. Packaging on toys: By the time I get the new toy open, Nathan is no longer interested and is trying to eat the twist-ties.
2. Wrinkled sheets: Several of my sets of sheets have permanent, accordion-like creases at the top. I don't know why they do this, it really annoys me though.
3. "Smart" printers: Don't tell me that my paper is facing the wrong way and then refuse to print when I loaded it like that on purpose.
4. Gas receipts: They make you pay at the pump, then they make you go inside for the receipt. This bugs me!
5. Birthday coupons: I do enjoy birthday coupons, but I don't like the fact that a lot of them are only valid the week of your birthday. Most end up going to waste because I don't have time to use all the coupons in such a short time.