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!

Red and white bracelet

A new bracelet added to the shop today, featuring a mixture of red shell, dark carnelian, pearls, coral, and white jade. I named her "Pia" after my cousin's baby girl. More details and pictures of Pia are available on Etsy!

And for some exciting spring news, one of my hyacinths has finally BLOOMED! Check her out, isn't this a lovely sight?

The tulips, however, have not yet bloomed (I can't see the bulbs appearing yet), so I decided to wait until I can see some measurable progress before taking more pictures, lest my neighbors think I'm casing the joint.

I am also watching the cherry blossom tree on my front yard like a hawk. The buds have begun to appear on the branches a couple of weeks ago, so every day I am scrutinizing them to see if they're any closer to blooming. I think they said the cherry blossoms are supposed to peak in late March/early April.

Green flower earrings

These are fun - green flower glass earrings with white jade beads dangling from sterling earwires. I called this pair "Jem," after my cousin - who happens to be a boy - but he's funny and a total cutie, so I thought these fun earrings were a good fit.

Jem is now available at the shop!

So after the new year Mr Hazel went into a health kick where he gave up soda and became very careful about my sugar intake (no more donuts, Cinnabon, cake, or sugary drinks - but I did put my foot down on banning dark chocolate. I can't live without dark chocolate - besides, it's good for your heart). Though I highly resent not having my weekly dose of plain glazed Dunkin Donut treats, I see the wisdom of reduced sugar, and today I also decided that it's a good idea to start exercising again.

The only problem is I am allergic to exercise. I did try in fits and starts in the past - I swam and ran on the track in college, took up golf, kickboxing, skiing, and rock climbing in my 20s, and did the treadmill thing for a while. The problem was that I got bored and lazy and would stop. I thought when I took up kickboxing with a friend it would motivate me to keep going, but what ended up happening was I used that hour of class to talk about where I wanted to go for dinner afterwards. It got to the point where I would get so hungry that I wanted to skip kickboxing and go straight to dinner. We also have a recumbent bike in our basement, but I'm currently using it as a laundry hanger.

But this isn't really healthy, so today I decided to pick up my workouts again. My sister is a fitness instructor in her free time (whereas in my free time, I am a couch instructor), so she gave me some good ideas about how to jump start my fitness routine. I thought either I could go to our gym at work - which, if you think about it, you have to be seriously lazy not to take advantage of a gym in the very same building where you work (true story: my old office building also had a gym on the premises - full service, state-of-the-art - and the only time I set foot in it was to get a free piece of cake.) My friend Michele and I were also talking about going to group classes at a private gym, which I admit would be a lot of fun. Additionally, Mr Hazel and I discussed buying a treadmill to put in our basement - um, next to the laundry bike - so I can work out in the comfort of home. Or I could take up running around my neighborhood.

I'm mulling my options.

Let's see how long this lasts before laziness wins once again.

New shop item: flower earrings

This adorable pair of earrings is "Ali." The piece features vintage periwinkle glass flowers, baby pink aventurine, and white jade, hanging about 1/2" from sterling silver ear wires. The real Ali is even cuter in real life!

Ali is up at the shop now so please check out her pictures.

Today's shop heart count to date: 21!

Tomorrow I am planning on braving one of the biggest gem and jewelry shows in the country, hoping to find some cool new treasures. It so happened that last weekend I visited a new bead shop that I've never gone to before and the owner gave me a coupon for free admission to the gem show, so really, how could I not go? So, duly armed with my free coupon, my wholesaler's license, a water bottle, and some snacks (I'm not usually this well-prepared), I will now get a good night's sleep so I'll be fresh and awake for tomorrow...

New shop item: flower earrings

This whimsical pair of "Lisa" earrings is made of blue glass trumpet flowers and white jade. The flowers hang about 1" down and the white jade beads hang 1/2" from sterling silver lever backs. Lisa is now available at the shop!

Also, I took new pictures of Ella. I think these turned out much better!

On March 17, my shop will be the featured shop on the Etsy CREST team blog. More details forthcoming!

Is it really Sunday already? I can't believe how fast the weekend flew by (especially as I had a 3-day one). I'm hoping the weather stays as mild as it has been. I have developed excruciating spring fever.

We also watched "Disturbia" on DVD last night. This one was highly recommended! Shia LaBoeuf isn't your typical hot studly leading man, but he's a cutie nonetheless and has a certain charisma about him, so I'm glad he gets all the hot chicks at the end (as in this movie, and also with Megan Fox in "Transformers"). I can't wait to see him in the new Indiana Jones!