Pretty Little Things

I adore jewelry. If it's old, unique, has a story to tell, conjures memories, comes from a faraway land, or was hand crafted, I adore it even more. It's just fun adding a jewelry accessory to an outfit that in all likelihood no one else has.

Check out these two beauties that came into my life this week. I'd say they cover all of the above-mentioned attributes pretty well.

I picked up this pretty thing at a local outdoor concert and festival. Okay, Charlie and I are really trying to cut back on the impulse buys, but come on! Look how cute it is! My Grandfather passed away in 2005. He loved clocks and watches. This necklace makes me think of him. The bird on the chain is a nice touch. Fitting, too, don't you think? I found it at the booth of an adorable artist with adorable jewelry who goes by MD Sparks. A lot of her stuff is made from antique or "junk" pieces she comes across. I bought three necklaces from this chick (the other two were Christmas gifts, so I can't tell you about them). She's got an Etsy online shop, too.

And this pretty thing? I came home from work to find a package from Charlie's Aunt Deb. Treats for each of us from her trip to Thailand and Vietnam! Hooray! I like imagining how it was made, how far it has traveled, and the sweet thought that Aunt Deb put into selecting it for me. I tried to "decode" the Vietnamese on the packaging without much success.

Slideshow: 27 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health

Finally! Health justification for my pure obsession with animals (from WebMD)! This article is great. Pets are my drug of choice for sure. Now...how can I talk Charlie into letting us get more dogs once we get a house of our own? Hmmm....

27 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health

Uh oh! Look What I Did!

My dear, sweet mama never was much into cooking. Poor thing survived years of teasing from her (unfortunately) ungrateful "little birds" about her burnt cookies, scorched okra, ruined pots and pans, and frequent triggers of the smoke alarms.

Seeing the torment my mom went through, I was determined to buck the trend. When Charlie and I received a super nice 13-piece Calphalon Tri Ply Stainless Steel set (a very generous wedding gift), we were ecstatic (okay, maybe that adjective is a bit of an exaggeration from Charlie's point of view). Anyway, I vowed that I would cherish them, wash them with with care, stow them properly, and cook only beautiful, tasty, non-burnt things with them.

I made good of my vow of pot and pan care until this past Friday.

While boiling water to make rice to ease the upset tummy of THIS...

I managed to do THIS...

  

Oh the horror! I had been tending to my porch plants while waiting for the water to boil, when my neighbor sparked up a conversation (I always knew my chatty-kathy tendencies would get me into trouble). And there you have it.

Fifteen minutes of my little 2.5 quart pot being boiled dry was all it took to bruise my aspiring domestic diva ego. I've been scouring the Web to find some magical solution. I even e-mailed Calphalon to beg for mercy, but it seems I may just have to count my losses. Our 13-piece set is now 12, until someday I find it a worthy expense to buy a pricey open stock replacement.

Tears shed. Another lesson learned. And poor Logan eventually got her rice.