Saturday, January 29, 2011

A Little Bit of Sterling

Willow Leaf Wrapped Ring - $14
I may be partial to this ring's name, (Leave me a comment here if you know why and I'll give you an extra entry into today's Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway!) but I fell for this ring as soon as I saw it. I love the organic feel in the design of the leaves. This ring from The Maiden is easily adjustable too, since it just wraps around your finger! Adjustable rings look a little cheap sometimes, but it's worked seamlessly into the design here, so it looks great! The ring is made of beautiful sterling silver too. The ring will come packaged in an organza bag with a coordinating gift tag, so if you've been looking for a great Valentine's day gift for a lady in your life, you just may have found it! I love Valentine's Day, but I'm not really a fan of the heart-shaped jewelry that's usually pushed this time of year by jewelry stores. I think a piece like this, depicting something natural and living, would be a great sentiment to give to someone this year, to show them you care! Or treat yourself! You deserve it :)

*closed* Pear Tree Greetings Kid's Valentines Review & Giveaway

When I was a kid, Valentine's Day was a pretty big deal. It came just perfectly between Christmas and my birthday in March, so it was the perfect buffer holiday. It's like someone a long long time ago knew that we kids would need another chance soon after to give and receive! Although I do remember the preparations more than the actual day. We got to take time out of the school day to decorate our paper bag "mailboxes" with red and pink construction paper hearts and stickers. I remember going to the store with my mom to pick out my valentines, usually brightly colored cartoon character cards. I loved sitting at the dining room table, signing my name to each card and carefully folding and sealing them with foil heart stickers. Sometimes my mom even bought me a bag of chocolate hearts or lollipops to tape to my cards.

These days, the way Valentine's Day is celebrated in schools hasn't changed much. Kids still spend time decorating a festive "mailbox" to tape to the front of their desks and they still need to find the perfect cards to pass out to their friends.

Recently, Pear Tree Greetings sent me some samples of their line of Kids Valentine's Day cards. Wait til you see them! These are not the same old valentines that we had as kids. These are a whole new kind of adorable!


Pear Tree is really getting the kids involved in these cards. They can be completely personalized with names and photos of your child. They've even made these cool coloring cards! I love that they're so interactive!


These are fun, creative, quality cards. As always with Pear Tree Greetings, these valentines are bright and vibrant on thick card stock. I have been very impressed with the consistency and quality of their product and I highly recommend them. They also have some great variety packs too! If you are tired of the same old store bought valentines and looking for something unique, consider buying from Pear Tree. You will be thrilled with the cards you receive!

They also have a fun selection of Valentine's Day stickers, perfect for sealing envelopes!

Buy It: Pear Tree Greetings offers a ton of designs to choose from. If you're looking to buy, be sure to check Pear Tree's Promo Page for current promotions and discounts.


Giveaway!

Prize: 1 winner will receive 24 free Kids Valentine's Day Cards from Pear Tree Greetings - winner's choice of design! 

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your favorite thing about Valentine's Day! :)

*Be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win!*

Extra Entries: (The mandatory entry must be completed before any of these entries will count. Leave a separate comment for each one you do.)

- Visit Pear Tree Greetings and come back and tell me which Kids Valentine's Day card is your favorite. (1 entry)
- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect. (1 entry)
- Follow Jodibee Designs on Facebook. (1 entry) *Leave FB name*
- Follow Pear Tree Greetings on Facebook. (1 entry) *Leave FB name*


That's it! Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end on Thursday January 3 at 12:00 noon est. I will choose 1 winner using Random.org and contact them via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email or I will have to choose another winner.


*Disclaimer: Pear Tree Greetings is sponsoring this giveaway and supplying the prize to the winner. The opinions here are mine and have not been edited or influenced by the company. I was not compensated for this post.*

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Simply Stated

that's a wrap bracelet in tan - $10.99
I'm loving this faux leather wrap bracelet from Ruche. It's simple, understated, but really classic. Wouldn't it look great paired with a super feminine dress or top? It comes in tan or dark brown. I love the detail of the tiny buckle too -- too cute! Shipping in the U.S. is $5, but that's for orders up to $49, so if you wanted to order a few items, you'd pay $5 shipping for the whole order. There are some great accessory deals here. They also have some really pretty clothes! If you got as much snow yesterday as we did (14 inches!), a little online window shopping just might be your needed cure from the winter blahs!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I'm Back!

Yep, I know. I've been absent for most of January. There has been a lot going on. This is my 2nd cold this month. My dad was in the hospital for a week with pulmonary embolism. (He's home now and doing great, but it was pretty scary!) And it's snowing again. I'm tellin you. I could use a little quiet without any weather or health issues. I've missed the blog, but there's just been too much for me to think about lately and keep up with the blog. But today I'm back. Give me some time to get all caught up and hopefully regular posting will begin tomorrow or Friday :)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snow is Coming!

Many of you already have a layer of the white stuff laying in your front yards. Our snow is supposed to start between 3 and 6pm today and last through the night and into tomorrow. 4-8" of accumulation. I'm kind of over the snow already though. It sure is pretty to watch it come down and it's fun to play in with the kids (or without them!), but I'm not a fan of the shoveling. It's frustrating work that I've never liked. Even as a kid, when kids in the neighborhood went around offering to shovel driveways to make money, I stayed home. I didn't need the money that badly. Now, as an adult, I don't feel any differently. I don't like it. I have to do it, but I don't like it. If I had a snowblower, I might feel differently, but I don't.

I stocked up at the store yesterday, so I have meatless meals for the next 2 days or so. Tonight is Spicy Mac n Cheese and tomorrow will be Black Bean Tacos. At least I have some tasty meals to look forward to while I'm shoveling the white stuff later today!

Stay warm everyone! :)

Friday, January 7, 2011

Veggie Update

This cold is really messing with my head and my appetite, but I'm sticking to my meatless diet. Yesterday I had Amy's enchiladas for dinner and they were pretty tasty. I've been telling myself that this diet will force me to cook more, but so far with this cold, I just don't have the energy to spend much time in the kitchen.

Part of me is confident that it's the cold that's zapping my energy, but there's another part of me that thinks I'm not eating the right kinds of foods and that's why I feel so weak and tired. I'm going to make egg salad for lunch today, so that will give me some protein, but I'm still not totally sure what else I need to be eating to keep my energy up.

To all of my vegetarian readers, any tips would be great! I could use some advice!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Taylor's Eclectic

Blue Bubbles Bangle - $30
I am loving the beautiful jewelry at Taylor's Eclectic. The pieces are colorful and really unique! These wearable sculptures are made with wire and paper, but they are specially sealed to hold up against the worst rain and/or snow. Every item is handsculpted without molds or forms. I'm crazy about bright colors and these are really gorgeous. I've posted some images, but definitely check out the shop to see all of the fabulous pieces. I'm always looking for unique gifts for friends and family and who doesn't love to receive jewelry?!

Pink Sorbet Bubble Earrings - $25
The prices are really reasonable too. Most of the earrings in the shop are only $25 a pair and with only $3 for shipping, these would be a wonderful gift. Valentine's Day is coming too. Do you know a woman who would love a pair of earrings that are festive, but aren't heart-shaped? These Pink Sorbet Bubble Earrings would be perfect!


Taylor's Eclectic also does custom orders, so if these designs have inspired a thought about ordering something custom, feel free to contact the shopowner!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

New Year, New Diet?

So I committed to it. I'm going meatless for the month of January along with my boyfriend. After spending the first 2 days of January with my boyfriend on his meatless diet, I decided that I could do it too. For me, it's a challenge. I've always enjoyed vegetarian food. I have a few friends who are vegetarians and they've made me some amazing dishes. So this is really going to challenge me in 2 ways. 1.) Can I actually go without my favorite burgers and chicken for a whole month? And 2.) Can I actually learn to cook yummy, interesting meals without meat? I'm not the best cook. I try, when the spirit moves me, and sometimes they turn out ok the first time, sometimes they don't. But I'm always willing to try, so I'm challenging myself!

So far, so good. Yes, I know I'm only on day 5, so I won't get ahead of myself, but I don't feel like I'm missing meat yet. Last night, my family ate a rotisserie chicken and the fixings and I had cheesy rice & beans and a Boca spicy chik'n meatless patty. The rotisserie chicken smelled amazing, but I was ok with not eating it because I really enjoyed my own meal. I think that has to be the key. You have to enjoy what you're eating or it won't work. I guess that's really true with any diet. It has to be tasty for you to stick with it.

So I planned to tell you all about my journey from the beginning, but I'm a little behind. So I'll give you a quick recap. Over the first weekend of the year, we ate out each meal. I definitely don't plan on doing that all month, but here's what we had.

On New Years Day, Dan and I went to Perkins and had breakfast for lunch. I had a cheese omelet, breakfast potatoes and rye toast with a cup of hot tea. Dan had scrambled eggs, pancakes and potatoes. For dinner, we tried a new pizza shop in town and got a pie with onions and black olives on it. We also had some mozzerella sticks because we'd been talking about them all day. I know, not the healthiest, but many restaurants weren't open around 7pm on New Years Day, so we were limited. And hungry.

On Sunday, We went to a great taco place. (Santa Fe Taco Co in Northampton, PA if you're local.) They have a ton of great mexican food here and we found some great vegetarian options. I had a black bean taco and a cheese tostado with a side of rice. Dan tried a roasted vegetable taco, which had sweet potatoes, beets and other veggies in it. He also had a black bean taco and a side of rice and beans. We both felt really full and satisfied afterward and didn't miss the meat at all. For dinner that night, we went to Panera. I had half of a veggie sandwich (Panera's Mediterranean Veggie sandwich is delicious if you haven't tried it!) and a cup of french onion soup. Dan had Panera's white cheddar mac and cheese and half of a veggie sandwich too. Then later we stopped at a local ice cream shop to share a waffle sundae. I know, again, not very healthy, but delicious and totally worth it!

So far this week, I'm still doing pretty well. Monday, I made egg salad for lunch (with my new egg cooker and it worked great!) and had a slice of pizza for dinner. My cold has gotten a little worse and Monday was a rough day for me, so I didn't feel that up to eating too much. My sore throat has turned into a head cold, so I'm not feeling very good, but I'm still determined to stick to my meatless diet. Today, I'm planning a wrap for lunch with mozzarella, spinach, tomato and tzatziki sauce. On Wednesday nights, some friends and I go to a local restaurant for trivia night, so tonight I'll be eating out again. The restaurant we go to has vegetarian options so I'll be fine. One of my friends that goes with us is a vegetarian so I know I'll be able to find something, since she does every week.

Have any of you started a new diet for the new year or decided to go vegetarian? Let me know how you're doing! Feel free to vent here too about it. I know I'll inevitably need to vent about it eventually too!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Welcome to 2011

Happy New Year! May 2011 be everything we hope it to be! I have a good feeling about this year. Something tells me it's going to be great! Maybe it's the brand new date at the top of my screen: Jan 1. Maybe it's the fact that today falls on a Saturday and Saturday is my favorite day of the week. Maybe the cannoli I had last night for dessert is still sweetening my mood. I don't know, but I feel like it's going to be a very good year.

Did you all make a new years resolution this year? I tend to make them and then forget about them after about a week. This year, I said I was going to make exercise more of a priority in my life. I wouldn't say I'm out of shape. (I helped carry 2 cords of firewood to the backyard last night before our festivities began!)  I haven't gained any substantial weight either. I just would like to be a little more fit. And I know how great I feel when I'm working out regularly. I'm going to give it a shot and try not to give up on it too soon.

My boyfriend decided that he's going to go meatless for the month of January. He wants to see if it makes him feel better. I'm concerned that he isn't going to get the right nutrition though. Yesterday he made a joke that he's just going to be replacing meat with carbs. This worries me. Even though he was joking, I can totally see him eating spaghetti every night. So I guess I'll be doing some research for him. If any of you have some tips, I'd love to hear them. I know he can get protein from beans and soy, but I don't know much else. I also told him that I would at least go meatless on the weekends. So today being Saturday means that we'll be having salads for lunch I guess. I'm going to check online for some recipes for dinner tonight, and go from there. Wish us luck! :)

I hope you all are having a great morning on the first day of the new year!! I hope 2011 brings you all everything you want it to bring -- including health, happiness, love, luck and lots of laughter!!