Surprise gift

I came home the other day with a surprise gift from Mr Hazel waiting for me on my desk: season 1 of True Blood. Very excited. When the dvd first came out I waffled about whether I should watch this show because I felt kind of like I was betraying my Cullen vampires if I got hooked on another set of vampires. But everyone - Alissa and my Twi-geek group especially - kept raving about how good this show is, so I decided to go for it. Mr Hazel knew how much I've been wanting to see this, hence the surprise.

The owls are back

I can't get over the cuteness of these little guys. Every time I look into their tiny little faces I just want to squeeze them silly.

The owls are back in the form of the "Joy" necklace. Paired with white jade beads and sterling silver rings, this piece is a fun way to greet the new season. More details and pictures of the Joy necklace are available at the shop!

PIGS HAVE FLOWN
1. After years of resistance, Mr Hazel finally got a cell phone.

2. I went to the gym today. And instead of watching TV there, I actually got on the treadmill. My coworkers were shocked.

FOOD
The dinner surprise last night was to a fancy French restaurant. It was very Frenchy. Mr Hazel had the onion soup and then the duck confit, and I had the smoked salmon (lox!) with caviar, and then the rack of lamb. I requested it rare and it was as good as can be. I was vacillating between that and the Dover sole, because in every single one of my Regency novels they are always eating Dover sole with a sauce boat. And I wanted to taste what they ate in England in 1815. They also had squab on the menu, but I don't know if I can eat a pigeon (this from the girl who eats anything and everything). Pigeons are rats with wings.

For dessert, we shared a crepe with strawberries. We staggered out of there afterwards and it was a good thing I was wearing a dress - no constricting waistbands to deal with.

TV
We finally got around to watching season 6 of the Sopranos. And I had forgotten what an excellent show this is. Nail-biting moments, laugh out loud dialogue, heart-in-your-throat scenes. In fact, it's so good that we can't just watch one episode a night - tonight we watched two in succession. It's impossible to stop. We have 3 more episodes to go on this DVD set and then we start on the final half, which includes the series finale!

Carnelian bracelet

I finished and photographed this piece and I think it came out well. I love the reddish-brown hue of the stones. This is a bracelet made of carnelian, named "Susan" after one of my funniest cousins.

I'm currently finishing up a few custom projects in the works. My friend Meridith was thinking of getting "Victoria" for a friend's birthday, but was concerned that the green stones might clash with her friend's coloring (she has blonde hair and blue eyes.) So I told her I have several blue stones that may work better, so I'm finishing those up in the same style as Victoria for her to choose from.

Speaking of, Meridith is an assistant editor for TV and her current project, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, is airing on April 12th on the Lifetime channel. So set your Tivos and mark your calendars!

New shop item: chrysoprase bracelet

A new bracelet added to the shop! This one is "Pamela," named after one of my cousins. She features a focal stone of chrysoprase and two white round pearls, on an 8" sterling silver link chain that I got from the gem show. I love this chain - it's very light and delicate and so pretty.

I have the day off today and I had all these plans to be productive, but I ended up napping on the couch with Moxie cuddled next to me while "Price Is Right" was on TV. I'm still not used to seeing Drew Carey's mug in front of that giant wheel, screaming about showcases and presiding over Plinko.

I'm now off to think about some lunch...happy Friday everyone!

New shop item: turquoise necklace

This necklace, "Meridith", is a reworked piece from a while back (it wasn't originally a fan favorite, so I decided to simplify by making it into a straightforward choker). Hope it works better this time around! The stones are really gorgeous - the green is so vivid and fresh.

You can check out "Meridith" at the shop if you click on her picture on the left-hand bar.

Turning to some TV talk, does anyone else watch the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles? Mr Hazel and I love it. I think the best part, at least for me, is that the Terminator - the one originally played by Arnold's character - is a woman! Or, more accurately, a slender slip of a girl who looks like she's anywhere between 17 to 25 years old. And She.Kicks.Ass. Literally and figuratively.

I also love Sarah Connor's character, who's a mix between a sexy biker chick and a warrior queen. She and the Girl Terminator are the central characters, more so than John Connor, and I love how they're the ones who are protecting John and not the other way around. They're smart, strong, fiercely capable women who can take care of their own shit and kick the bad guys' collective asses, all while wearing low-slung jeans and leather jackets and looking damn good doing it.

The best line of tonight's episode (Sarah to her son): "If you want to be a hero, you'd better learn how to drive stick!"

Priceless.

Lastly, I wanted to send huuuuuge congratulations to my friend Stephanie, who just became a new mom over the weekend! Best wishes to the new family.