More Charms

I went to Beth's on Thursday, and we made some more silver charms.  Mine is the A, and the other three are hers.  I love her simple "D!"  

My clay became too brittle and dry to work with, so I was only able to make the one piece.  I attached it to my bracelet that I wear every day.  When I had my bone density scan, the charm fell off.  Thank goodness the technician found it and gave it back to me.  My mom used to say, "You lose more jewelry!"  ha, That, I do!

PS  There's a new "survey" for the blogosphere by Technorati.  If you're interested, you can find the survey h*e*r*e. It takes about five minutes to fill out.

Gifts from Afar

The hub returned from India last week and brought back goodies for all. I've been busy with more important stuff (my family visiting from VA) so I am a tad behind. The kid received this wonderful coffee table book which I have yet to crack.

Saira, who works in the office with the hub, asked for some photos of what the hub found. She was unable to go on this trip and therefore unable to protect my "interests" in shopping. ha. Saira always makes sure the hub gets the right stuff when traveling to India or Pakistan. But the hub did good on his own this time. (I'm sure the collage--above--helped!) Saira will be proud. I know I sure am.

First, the shawls he found are absolutely breathtaking.

The crewelwork is amazing. Look at these colors--mmmmmmmmm.

And this detail.

He found some nice carved wooden boxes which I love. The teenager already grabbed one. And one was sent to the hub's mother with a beautiful coral necklace tucked away inside. I know how much she loves coral so that was on the list of "things" to look for. A big hit for Mother's Day, of course. (No photo, sorry.)

He found some nice silver bangles and a lot of traditional colorful Indian bracelets to give to the girls in my life.

The traditional bangles are made of glass and are normally worn to signify marriage. When I was about 20, my next-door neighbors were from Pakistan. They made their yearly pilgrimage back home and brought back some of the glass ones. The mother, who we affectionately called "momma" didn't speak English. But her oldest daughter came over one day and said they wanted to give me some bracelets. I had no idea they had to "put" them on me. We all, including their entire family, sat in the back yard where the girls put all these bracelets on me. It was so much fun and I will never forget their thoughtfulness. They are so small that once on, they don't come off until they break. I absolutely loved them and wore them for years. I had about four or five left before my wedding day and had to break them off in order to get my wedding dress sleeve to fit. (I had the tradition all backwards!) I was so sad to have to do that. But I saved the broken pieces.

The night before they left, we filled Kelly's (my niece) arm up with quite a few before realizing they were actually metal. I thought they were glass! She said she and MJ set off all the alarms going through security in the airport. Ooooops. My bad. She took some home to her daughter and I have enough left to go around, believe me.

I'm unable to wear them any more because I have to sleep in wrist guards at night because of my carpal tunnel. Fun. So all bracelets must come off every night. Sux. But aren't they gorgeous???? Next time, they will be glass, right hub??? tehe.

The hub asked a friend where to go for the "good stuff." And this is where they took him.

Good stuff indeed! This is my new ring! Wow. The Indian and Pakistani gold is 22K and has a brilliance to it unlike ours.

Hard to tell from this photo, but you know it when you see it. This is my new ring!

I LOVE it!! It is inlaid with enamel. Gorgeous!

Oh my gosh, and these earrings! Oooooof!! Breathtaking!!

The front and back come apart. I remember once of my first earrings for my "second hole" was from India and it too unscrewed. I'm going to have to find that little earring to go with these.

I love the way they hang.

And, take a look at this piece, will ya? I've been wearing this almost every day. It too is very tight but I can get it on and off with a little hand cream and some patience. Gorgeous.

Thank you hub, you absolutely spoil me rotten. Grin.

xo
ro

Bejeweled

The day before yesterday, I took all my silver in to have it cleaned. Tiffany's, little did I know, cleans your Tiffany jewelry for free. Who knew? The hub had received an email stating just that. (I don't even want to be on that mailing list, thank you! DANGER WILL ROBINSON--DANGER!) And so I gathered all my presents over the years from my family.

I used to wear all these bracelets 24.7 until the day (or night) came when I had to begin wearing wrist guards to bed each night because of my carpal tunnel. Loverly. The poor hub had to sleep through all of my clanking all night for years! From the time I was a teen, I always was adorned with bracelets up and down my arm. My mom would always ask me how on earth I could stand them all! lol They were part of me. Oh the turquoise I've lost in those days here and there. I graduated to Tiffany way later in life only because my loved ones spoiled me with these gorgeous classics for a birthday or Christmas present. I don't always wear the charm bracelets, but I always have on my two "good luck" pieces each and every day. One is the colorful bracelet the hub found for me in Brisbane, details here. Each semi-precious stone takes care of different aspects of your life and body. Yay. The little blue topaz is part of a bracelet my friend Pam made for me. I adore it. It also includes yellow topaz (or citrine), my birthstone (top photo).

Now, I always have on my two pieces each day. One is a gift from the hub purchased in Brisbane, details here. Each semi-precious stone takes care of different aspects of your life and body. Yay. Need that, for sure. The little blue topaz is part of a bracelet my friend Pam made for me. I adore it. It also includes yellow topaz (or citrine), my birthstone (top photo). I love the hook detail.

The hub.

And on the other side, me! Look at the wear and tear. Ooooooof.

The hub and the teenager, dually represented.

And flipped, the kid and I.

One of my favorite flowering trees is the dogwood, Virginia's state tree.

And of course, you need a watering can to water the tree, right?

Beautiful! When I worked at the little school in Virginia before we moved, the kid would say he could hear me coming down the hall with all my bracelets jingling. Once I walked into a classroom and a child said, "I thought you were a dog coming down the hall!" ha.

xo
ro

Docta Docta (Nurse, Nurse)

Yes, it's that time of year. How ever hard I try to get all my medical "procedures" set in January, it always seems to either fall into February or March. Today was my yearly girl check up. Yuk. And within a week, time for the smashergram. Always a joy. My gyno wasn't all too pleased with my going somewhere else for my hormones and she is checking my levels as we speak. She's heard some "things" about the hormone doctor I'm using. She wasn't pleased AT ALL with the diet I'm using. Garsh. I just can't win for losing (as my dad would say). Well, I told her I would finish out this diet (only two weeks left) and hear what she has to say about my hormone levels and take it from there. Always sumfin, isn't it?

Yesterday, I went for my yearly skin check at my dermatologist. After reading D's post about how she found a melanoma on a friend, I've been looking more closely at all my freckles, sun spots and moles. (When was the last time you had your entire body checked for skin cancer? Just dewit!) I come from a long line of moley folk. Hate them. During both pregnancies, my freckles/moles (whatever you call them) grew in enormity. Not quite what the ladies like. Gawd. It would take several sharpies to connect all the dots at this point. At any rate, (yadda yadda yadda), I know my face freckles and moles pretty darn well. Especially after having several IPL treatments for my rosacea, I kept photos of before and after. I remember distinctly about two years ago this line of freckles/sun spots (connect-the-dot type) appearing down the side of my face. I had hoped the IPL would take care of them too but no such luck. Anyhoo, yesterday, before my appointment, I noticed one of them had actually changed shape and was raised. They were all quite flat looking before. So . . . one thing lead to another in that office. "Well," I said, "if you're removing that, take this one off too, oh, and this one. May as well get that nasty skin tag while you're at it."

All in all, I had (1) a mole removed from my ear (the one I have ALWAYS hated--the so-called beauty mark when I was once so-called beautiful but now is just an ugly ol' mole).

Then there was (2) the one on my chin which always reminded me of the wicked witch of the South. You know, if it had a hair growing out of it, I'd be all set for Halloween kind. Ew.

(3) The "new" raised one from the connect-the-dots line down my cheek and (4) & (5) were the nasty looking skin tags on my neck that have resembled hickies. I didn't even know they were skin tags. They looked more like sun spots to me. Who knew. Those were frozen off. Ouch. Daig. I've never had anything frozen off before. Like I said, OUCH. As bad, if not worse, than the Novocaine being injected. YOWZA. Breathe Rosa, breathe. So, now I look like I have warts on my neck (will spare you a photo, lovingly), a bloody ear (it bled last night) and red scrappy things on my face. But all is well. Let's hope none of it comes back with any cancers! Gawd, the way we sat out in the sun when we were youngsters, just asking for skin cancer. What was up with baby oil and iodine??? Daig.

K, enough medical procedures (as my brother would say). Let's move on to more cheerful stuff. (You know I have to document every little thing in my life, so please forgive the medical notes to myself.) Right before leaving for Riverside, I received the sweetest gift from Lori Anderson of Pretty Things who I met through One World-One Heart. She is also the one who won my chocolate giveaway. You must go and visit her jewelry site. She sent me two pair of gorgeous sterling earrings.

Now, I have made jewelry before. And I have worked with sterling. And I can tell you that her pieces are simply amazing. They are straight out of a high-end jewelry store. Absolutely perfect in every way.

The sterling is heavy, the wires are heavy and again, they are flawless. I adore them! (Can you tell?) They've been in my ears, up until yesterday -- pre-procedure" on my earlobe. Thank you Lori SO much. These are my favorite earrings! I will be shopping with you from now on. Please, go and look for yourselves here: Lori Anderson Designs. You won't be disappointed, guaranteed!

After a beautiful sunny and quite warm day yesterday here in Nashville, we woke up to rain, ice and snow this morning. I snapped this of my cheery garage corner. Everything is in full bloom, of course. I should actually go out there and cut, at least, the daffodils as I have no fresh flowers in the house at the moment. But, my toes and nose are so cold, all I want to do is crawl underneath the kivers to warm them. And you know what that will lead to. zzzzzzzzzz We'll see.

The teenager comes home tomorrow from University for the night then he and the gang (Lord knows who) are headed to Riverside for their spring break. Lawdy me, keep them safe. You can bet I'll be on the phone with him every day!!!

xo
ro

*Nurse photo at top is from Shorpy's. A delightful collection of photos (mostly from DC) in the early 1900s. Another must-see site!

Twenty Years Ago Today

The hub and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary today. Well, we're not really celebrating today because I am still sick. We will postpone it until later in the week. But, 20 years! Wow. I don't even feel 20 (or at least act it!). hehe.

This is what the hub had made for me in Sydney at Giulians when he was there last year. He had it made in yellow gold, which he knew I prefer. I think it adds to the champagne diamond in the center. I am just in love with it! Am I not the luckiest?

Dinner at Tiffany's

Now, you know it's bad when you receive a special catalog from Tiffany's (that has a price list separate from the catalog) in the mail! Yowza.

Yes, I admit, I have purchased gifts from Tiffany's, especially for wedding presents and good teacher's gifts. I don't ever remember getting anything for myself. (My brother and the hub occasionally spoil me with little Tiffany items.) You used to be able to get a key chain for about $30-$40, a glass paperweight for around $50. I don't know if you can still do that because since moving to Nashville, I haven't had the luxury of running in to buy a gift. That is, until now.

Uh huh, little ol' Nashvul' has opened up a Tiffany's, over in Green Hills, of course, which is right next to Belle Meade, of course, which is where all the really, really rich people live. I mean, really really rich.

I guess since I've been such a good customer over the years, hehe, they sent me this fancy new catalog announcing the opening of their new store. (They also sent an invitation to the opening ceremonies--but I'd be way out of my league in that arena!)

So, tonight, I'm off to have Dinner at Tiffany's--that is, look through the luscious catalog while I nibble at my din din. It's the simple pleasures in life that make it fun, isn't it? The hub will cringe when he reads this post while in Beijing! ha. Might even bring a sweat to his brow. But, he knows I love page shopping (vs. window shopping of the past). So, it's all "gud."

Lo and Behold, The Hub is Home

(A Strong Woman Website)

Sigh. He made it home. A monumental weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Ms. Independent that I am, I always hate to admit that I ever need anyone, right? But, I do, of course. The whole marriage thing is comforting to me. Half-Half. Knowing you always have someone on your side, no matter what. When he's all the way around the world, it's as if I am completely alone (and don't ever tell him), but it's tough. So, I'm happy he's home, the kids are happy he's home, the babies (animals) are happy he's home; and I know HE's happy he's home! I can now relax. Phew! (Funny, but the website in which I found the above artwork is playing the music I walked down the isle to, Pachelbel's Canon--sniff sniff.)

He brought home goodies for us all. The kid got a boomerang and a great book on Australian lighthouses. The teenager got a pair of fantastic (Beatle) boots that he actually wore today. That kid never ceases to amaze me. If I had bought them, they would have been dorky. Go figure.

But, of course, I got the best stuff. He bought this beautiful desk set at Florentine Australia (all Italian). I can't wait to write my first letter with my new fountain pen. I'll have to adjust to using an authentic one, since I'm used to the ones with the cartridges. The ink is a divine blue. Look at the beautiful faces on the ink lid and on the magnifying glass. The letter opener was confiscated at the airport (hehe) and has to be mailed to us. Let's hope it arrives here one day. It, too, has a beautiful face on it. Along with all that, he also found some pretty Italian writing paper.


He found this unique bracelet at Sabai Groove in Brisbane. It came with a description of what each stone represents:

Iollite (also known as water sapphire): Physical--Aids lungs.
Emotional--Promotes curiosity and achievement.
Spiritual--Enhances psychic ability.
Garnet: Physical--Aids circulation, toxicity and strength.
Emotional--Enhances sexual healing; self esteem; love; confidence & patience. spirituall--Promotes spiritual travel and imagination.
Citrine (my birthstone): Physical--detoxifies organs; aids heart, digestion & tissues regeneration.
Emotional--release of negativity and anxiety; enhances self esteem. (Wear at night to prevent nightmares;) warming,.
Spiritual--stimulates mental awareness; life-giving;
Peridot/Olivine: Physical--balances glandular system, aids eyesight, aids tissue regeneration, the heart and liver; purifies the body.
Emotional--Increases intuition and reduces stress and stimulates the mind. Spiritual--Accelerates personal growth and opens new doors of opportunity.

Well, to say the least, I should be wearing this thing all the time!! I couldn't help but think of ms*robyn when I saw all the wonderful cures of each stone. I love the healing powers of just about anything! Hey, I need al the help I can get, right?

He also found this lovely silk scarf (can't wait for the fall!) and this pretty tunic (which I have to lose weight before I can fit into it--wishful thinking hub!). It was made and India and he picked it up in Singapore. Look at the intricate detail of all the beadwork. Wow. Talk about bling bling! (Sorry.)
Poor guy, he's dead tired. He's been fading in and out today. Still up, which is quite remarkable--considering he's still on Aussie time!