What kind of jewelry blog is this anyway?

Painful dinner decisions are always magnified when I wait until the last minute to figure out what to cook. So, whenever I'm running late on the dinner preparation (it's a wonder that we don't have pasta more often), pasta meals always seem to be the easy answer. Plus, when you have little people hovering around asking for food (even though they just consumed a miniature meal not so long ago) it's a good way to get them involved in the cooking process while keeping them occupied. I'm thinking/hoping that they'll be cooking for me & dh in a couple of years. Anyways, here is the rundown of a quickie meal in which nothing needs to be thawed, and your favorite veggies can be easily incorporated into the same dish.

~Your choice of pasta (we usually do penne or bowties but egg noodles was all we had)
~Sun dried julienned tomatoes in olive oil
~cooking sherry
~garlic
~more garlic
~real butter
~heavy cream
~diced or sliced veggies (we used mushrooms, zucchini, and yellow squash)
~extra for hubby's lunch

Saute and toss everything together and you have dinner for a large family of 8 or in our case, a family who eats like a family of 8. The only downside of eating this meal is the cleaning up. Now if only I can get the kiddies to do that.

So, in case you were looking for answer to our title, it's a Foodelry blog. Plus, the more content your belly is, the longer you'll stay and shop;)

Nothing Like Mom's

Why is it that whenever you attempt to cook something made by your mom or dad, it NEVER tastes the same. You can use the exact ingredients, methods, and directions but for some reason, it just doesn't compare to their cooking.

There are some dishes of my parents' that I wouldn't even bother to attempt due to this realization. For instance, I have never tried to make pancit or chicken relleno. And I would definitely, not even bother to try and replicate their recipe for ribs. So, whenever we visit my parents, they always make lots of extra ribs just so we can have some to take home. With that being said, this delicious picture is my parent's ribs, my rice and broccoli (that I can make;), with homemade ranch dressing by the Pioneer Woman . Needless to say, it was just a "little" tasty. Thanks mom and dad!

Hula Panic

One of the biggest fears in hula, other than performing the festivals/competitions, is getting up to the stage to realize that all your hula implements are missing. Well, luckily that didn't happen, but for some reason Milani's implements were no where to be found. For the past month, we searched high and low for the missing uli uli (feathered rattle), pu'ili (bamboo sticks), and ipu (hand held gourd). Strangely, the bag that held all of the stuff was home but everything else was gone. Milani and her dad aka dear husband looked in the car, the garage, the closets and the rooms but to no avail.

It just didn't make sense that the bag was at home but everything else was missing. First off, the hula gear is always in the car. Its permanent spot is in the car just because we can't forget it for hula practice. (Instilled by our previous hula teacher who used to charge money whenever the hula book and implements were forgotten). Secondly, the only time it is ever removed out of the car is if we go away to my parents place or on a long trip somewhere. Of course my mom did not find it anywhere in her house. Thirdly, the last people to see it was Milani and her dad. Thus, it must be dear husband who lost it lol.

Fortunately, his wife remembered that he and the kids went with his parents on a cherry picking excursion, hence, suggested that it might be at his parents. In conclusion, DH has a bad memory but happily, all the items were there. And yes, his wife is taking credit for finding it;)

Happy Anniversary Honey

I want to wish a very Happy Anniversary to my dear husband! Even though the day was actually five days (lol), at least I remembered before you did (this year). As strange as it sounds, hubby and I have been married for 11 years and for the last five or so years we seem to forget our anniversary date. It's not that we forget completely. We always acknowledge it when July rolls around but then for some reason, when the actual day appears, it just rolls right by us. Sometimes it'll be weeks until the light goes on and one of us will say to the other, "Hey, you forgot didn't you?" At least this year, we were only off by a couple of days (smiles).

As DH says, it just goes to show that what happens in our daily life is what really matters. In the big realm of things, there is so much more to think about than dates to remember or dates missed, as in our case. Simply stated, it's enough that the Lord has blessed us with one other and our children. Sorry, if I'm getting a little sappy on you but it's just the way I feel.

Anyways, I'll have to think of something really special to cook for him and the kiddos, so if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know. It's the least I can do for putting up with him, er I mean me, for the past years. I wish that I could post some wedding pics here but they didn't even have digital cameras / video cameras then. (Strange to think that they've only been accessible for less than a decade). Everything is still in a photo album:(.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you back soon.

Directory of Online Giveaways

Another website recently discovered is http://prizey.blogspot.com. And this one is a little dangerous, not as in bodily harm dangerous, but as in addictive dangerous. There are so many giveaways that before you know it, you're trying to enter all the contests. All you do is leave a comment on the blogger's page and you're entered to win the prize. It's fun trying to win the plethora and I mean plethora of freebies ranging from baby strollers to Wii.

From what it looks like, companies are sending their items to bloggers in exchange for advertising. It seems legit enough and all the bloggers giving away the prizes seem to be stay home moms. Their banner claims that they are 100% spam and linkbait free. Although we haven't won anything yet, maybe we'll be the lucky recipients of the Ben & Jerry's Icecream giveaway:)

Feedback for your favorite or not so favorite place

Some time ago, I came across Yelp, a site dedicated to reviews about restaurants, shops, beauty and spas, and nightlife. What's nice about it is that there are reviews in your local area and throughout the USA. Anyone can leave feedback about his or her experience with an establishment. You can also read the reviews prior to going wherever you are planning in order to find out what others think or whether it's worth the trip. I enjoy reading some of the restaurant reviews and there are some people who seem to dine out everyday. They must not have kids -lol.

Anyways, if you're really bored here are some of our reviews. There aren't very many as we do most of our fine dining at home (smirk). Also, three loud children, well mostly two, are better enjoyed at home;)

Post Baby Boomers

Interesting baby news lately (no not me - three is enough thank you), US birth rates are the highest since the early 1960's (baby boomer era), an average of 2.1 per woman. The economic impact of this is highly desirable in industrialized countries because "it means a country is producing enough young people to replace and support aging workers." (Stein, Washington Post 2007). With the boomer generation retiring, there is and will continue to be the need to fill their positions.

"This is a noteworthy event," said John Bongaarts of the Population Council, a New York-based think tank. "This is a sign of demographic health. Many countries would like to be at this level." (Stein, Washington Post 2007).

So what does that mean for us? Well, hopefully, it will keep us busy with our Grandma and Mommy Jewelry:)

Signs that Make You Chuckle

These pics originated from an email that my brother sent. I think that our favorite is the "Govt Warning." Have a good laugh and feel free to pass on the smiles.

Something New to Show You

We are glad to finally have new jewelry to share. With all the personal b-days and new babies, we haven't been able to make anything to sell. So here it is, something for the baby boomers and something for Gen X and Y.

Description for the earrings on the left:
A splendor of subdued colors in icy pink and light mocha encompass these asymmetrical earrings. Each pin was torched, pickled, and securely wrapped around each beaded component. Sterling silver chain was then attached to connect each component. Wire was hand forged into a circle bezel to provide somewhat of a frame for the glass lampwork. Lastly, the earrings were given a vintage patina and polished to bring out the details.

Comprised of lampwork artisan glass beads, sterling silver 925, Swarovski crystals. Since they are asymmetrical in appearance and length, the measurement for one is 4 inches and 3.5 inches for the other. All metal is solid sterling silver 925.

Description for earrings on the right:
Luxurious, rich purple amethyst dangles from our hand forged design. These earrings have been given a deep patina and then buffed for a nice sheen.

These post-back earrings are comprised of sterling silver 925 and faceted round amethyst semiprecious gemstone. They measure slightly over 1.5 inches.

Happy TGIF

Ahh, Friday, for those of you lucky ones that are going away this weekend, where are you going and do you need a traveling companion? ~chuckle~ I found this article by the NY Times on the 53 Places to Go in 2008. Interesting places, such as Laos, being the number one destination. I'd never think of Laos as a vacation spot much less a popular destination. I'll have to ask my Lao friends about that one. Anyways, the article is definitely a guide for the baby boomers.

For the rest of us not so fortunate, we'll be at home tinkering w/ jewelry. Which is not so bad, I guess;) Here's a little something that we custom created for a dear lampworker friend. The necklace is comprised of glass artisan beads, sterling silver, black onyx, and a nice big lobster clasp. Hope our work does her beads justice.

Halo Halo anyone?

One of our favorite desserts made with shave ice, coconut milk, ice cream (pictured with ube), and a myriad of sweet beans. Delicious and perfect for a hot summer day. (Picture by foodtv.ca)

Back from Vegas

Sorry to disappoint all you hotshot gamblers, but we didn't hit the jackpot. In fact, we didn't even go to any of the casinos much less hit any slot machines or poker tables. We were there to visit family. I know it sounds strange to go to Vegas and not do any gambling but Hubby and I just don't have the desire. We did get to play on my brother's Wii (exciting aren't we?). That's probably why we all have sore forearms and shoulders today. Of course, Milani got the highest score on everything - she scored 178 in bowling. Anywayz, hope you all had a nice 4th of July.

Makana (gift) for the Halau (school)

Been working on a few things, one of which was a donation to the raffle for our ho'ike. Here is a pic and description: Sculptural glass flowers in the most delicate colors of rose pink, marigold yellow, and white coconut, adorn this lovely necklace. Coordinated with sterling and fine silver .925-.999, and Swarovski® crystals. This was truly created with aloha as the original was a gift for our halau hula's first ho'ike (recital). Hope you like it whomever won it:)