New Fall Line of Necklaces, one of them..

Sanscrit Necklace: Sterling Silver with Agate, Turquoise, carnelian. One of a kind.

I Have Waited So Long For You....

When I moved into the cottage three years ago, I furnished with some pieces that had been in storage for almost five years, while I traveled and worked out west. I lived in my 5th wheel RV, and it was an amazing journey. I left Florida and lived from Washington to New Mexico, and in every state in between. I did art shows and sold my jewelry in a few shops and galleries as well. I took a lot of photos and wrote a travelogue which I emailed to friends and family. Perhaps this will become a book, when I find the time.

So much of my place is furnished with thrift store finds, furniture and bric a brac, and textiles, art, and decorations. Each find feels like a treasure, and it is a good way to recycle other people's cast offs. Lately, with each new find, I try and donate things back to Goodwill, since my cottage is pretty well packed, furnished, and decorated, and I am pleased with the results.

My final and hopefully last find is the waxed pine entertainment unit, or armoire, as I like to call it. I waited THREE years to find it. I would not settle on many that I had seen during the three years, even last Saturday when my daughter emailed me a photo of a nice white cottage style armoire, which I quickly dressed and rushed out to go and see it.

Again, I would not settle. So later the same day, when I was driving to Target with my daughter, I decided to turn into the Goodwill store along the way, and quickly did a tour of the store. THERE IT WAS! The wait was over. It was delivered last week, and today with assistance from my daughter, we installed the stereo and dvd player, and my work is now done. I love it.

The Cottage With Agave

Thai Salmon Curry with Fresh Mango

My new friend, another jewelry artist came over for lunch last week and we talked "beads" for almost two hours. She is as passionate about making jewelry as I am. For lunch I made this dish and it was delicious. Easy and fast, all in ten minutes.

3 Salmon pieces, I used Costco's frozen packaged pieces, thaw over nite in refrigerator, about 1 pound

1 small yellow onion, cut in wedges

2 Serrano chillis, cut in 1/4 inch pieces, seeds ok

1 cup of fresh mango pieces, peel first, 1" cubes ( from my Haden Mango tree )

6 oz coconut milk

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp curry powder

8 Thai basil leaves

salt and pepper

Heat large fry pan until almost smoking, add olive oil and onion pieces, salt and pepper, stir fry for 2 minutes, add salmon pieces and sprinkle with curry powder. Fry a few minutes, then turn over. Add the rest of ingredients, lower heat and simmer for another 5 minutes or until Salmon is done.

I served this with a salad of romaine, orange pepper slices, and red onion sliced thin, and a poppy citrus dressing. You can also serve this over brown rice to soak up the sauce, which is very delicious, my left over portion was served with brown rice and hot mango chutney.

Yum to the tenth!