Come Look....

...at my New Listings on Etsy!

I love quality stones. It's obvious the reasons! Luscious and delectable, good quality stones sparkle with the utmost beauty Nature has to offer. It's amazing that God created such glorious things for us Jewelry Artisans to play with, and us women to adorn ourselves with.


















Rain Dance Dangle Earrings - AAA Chalcedony Briolettes and Apatite Rondelles























Royalty Dangle Earrings - AAA Kyanite Briolettes and Labradorite Rondelles

My Sweet Chloe!

Chloe Takes Over Daddy's Chair....
Chloe always sits with Daddy in his recliner. He got up and she stayed put. She usually doesn't get up on the furniture unless one of us are sitting down.

She decided to take advantage of being so stinkin' cute :)

A Gorgeous Morning!

A Beautiful Autumn Sunrise in Louisiana

I woke at 6:30 am. This is the normal time Chloe feels the need to go outside and, well, you know...do her business. My normal wake-up call involves feeling her crawl out of the covers, shake, and lick my cheek. "Ok Chloe, let's go outside", I say.

On Thanksgiving morning, this is what I faced looking off of my front porch :)

God has a way of painting our sky, doesn't He?

We know we have a lot to be Thankful for.
Hubby and I also celebrated our 4-year wedding anniversary on Turkey Day!

Another Side You May Not Know....

Opening Weekend of Duck Season in Louisiana, November 15.
Mollicy Farms - Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge

My First Duck...Pintail Drake!

Yes, I know, how could I shoot such a gorgeous bird. I've always been an "occasional" hunter.
I've only been squirrel hunting and duck hunting though. I could never think about dropping a deer, no way! I'm a Wildlife Biologist by training and hunting is the most effective management tool for controlling a wild population (outside of natural selection). Some people don't agree with hunting, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and thoughts. However, we consume the meat, and prefer wild game over anything that is farm raised and pasteurized. We don't hunt for sport, we hunt for sustenance.

This post is not meant to offend anyone and I apologize if it does. This was a very exciting achievement for me, and my husband was so proud of me!
I just thought I would share it with you!
Even Chloe was intrigued by the ducks!!

Fresh Pralines - Southern Style

~~So, I live in Louisiana...a place known for crawfish boils, shrimp etoufee, po-boys, seafood gumbo, and the infamous concoction of sugar and pecans...pralines.

Figured I'd give it a shot and try to make some fresh pralines. Can't be that hard, right?

A co-worker gave me a recipe for making pralines in the microwave. Sounds easy. And, you don't have to stand over a hot stove top stirring boiling sugar.

~~The steps were easy: mix the evaporated milk, sugars (brown and white) and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 12 minutes. Stir. Microwave on high for an additional 12 minutes. Stir in a stick of butter, some vanilla extract and the pecan pieces.

Well, I never got to the end of the second 12-minute round. I was shelling pecans...looked up at the microwave to see the stuff boiling all over the place. WOW. What a mess!

~~Decided it was best NOT to take photos. It wasn't pretty.

~~I took a break and went Christmas shopping for my hubby since he was at the hunting camp all weekend. Then I decided to go out to dinner with an Aunt and friend.

~~Well, I'm not gonna let this beat me. Everyone who knows me knows I'm a cook....I'm awesome in the kitchen....mostly sweets though :)

Did some laundry, vacuumed the floors, changed the bed linens. Ok. Gonna try this again, but the old fashioned way; on the stove top!

~~SUCCESSFUL the second go-round! Yes, you have to constantly stir the sugary and gooey concoction till it reaches 236 degrees (soft ball stage for you cooks out there). Then you add a couple of tablespoons of butter (don't stir) and let it stand till the temperature drops to 150 degrees. It will look like this:
Once the temperature has fallen to 150 degrees, stir in vanilla and pecan pieces. Stir until the mixture thickens and has lost its gloss, or until your arm is aching so badly that you just can't bare to stir anymore.

Drop by the teaspoon onto wax paper and let harden.

I topped some with a whole-half pecan, some I didn't. Oh, and they're as good as they look :)