Didn't you get the memo?

If you have any children in school, you know that school is a constant source of papers. From homework and crafts to notes from the teacher to Market Day order forms...there's ALWAYS something in my son's folder. Some evenings I get it all out and go through it. Other evenings, I'm lucky to even get the papers out of the folder. Take my being a working mother and combine it with my history of being a paper packrat, and you have yourself one big pile. Most nights, I am able to look through the papers and at least sort out which ones are important. If they're important, but not urgent, I hang them on the fridge.

Last Thursday was Parent-Teacher conference day at my son's school. Probably a week before that, there was a note sent home from the teacher about conferences. I quickly scanned the sheet, double checked that the date and time were what I thought they were supposed to be. I then added the note to the important (but not urgent) ones on the fridge. The day of the conference, when I went to pick the kids up from daycare, I ran into one of the other Kindergarten moms. She was headed in to pick up her daughter, but had her Kindergarten son with her. Being the nosey bug that I am, I asked her why he was with her and not at daycare. "Conferences" she says. "You actually took him with to the conference?" I asked. "Yes, we're supposed to." Oh phooey...how could I have missed this. Oh yes...the note...the one on the fridge that I didn't read. I quickly expressed my gratitude towards her for saving me from embarassment and hurried home to read the note. Sure enough, right there on the page..."This conference will involve student attendance and participation."

Perhaps I will actually have to start reading his notes from school if I want to avoid potential embarassment in the future.

My favorite Super Bowl commercial

What can I say...this hit home for me!!

Bridgestone: Potato Heads

Super Bowl Commercials...my runners up.

E-Trade: Babies

Cash 4 Gold: Get Paid

Sneak Peek

Since the day I released my Spring Floral Bouquets last year, I have receieved some fabulous feedback. Admittedly, I haven't sold nearly as many as I would have expected, but they're definitely a hot item. At shows they're one of the first things on my table to catch peoples attention. These bouquets are definitely a Sapphire Lizard signature item.

Over the next month or so, you will notice a few changes in my shop. I am phasing out most of my gemstone jewelry...necklaces in particular. The Simple Wisdom Collection will stay around and will likely change just a bit. Rings are going to become the major focus for this year.

Now here's the really good part. The Spring Floral Bouquets will continue to be available as custom orders or premade. BUT...some of the flowers will be in Full Bloom this spring. I will be making a new line of floral rings for the spring and they are bigger than ever. There will be more flowers and definitely more sparkle. Look for the Full Bloom line near the end of February!

Tasty Burrito Bowls

I have to admit, I've recently become addicted to steak burritos from a certain national burrito chain. Their steak is marinated in their special recipe chipotle pepper adobo marinade. A while back, I saw a dish on the food network that used Adobo seasoned chicken in a salad. The show host quickly listed the seasonings that were in her Adobo seasoning, but I didn't quite catch all of them. Her dish looked very tasty and sparked my curiosity about Adobo seasoning.

What exactly is Adobo? According to Wikipedia, Adobo is the Spanish word for seasoning or marinade. OK...so that's pretty general. More specifically, Adobo sauce is a sauce or marinade used in Latin American and Southwest U.S.-style cooking. After much searching and planning, I assembled a list of ingredients and went to work. I am really pleased with how it turned out, so I wanted to share it with you.

First, here's your shopping list:
1 can chipotle chilis (in adobo sauce)
lime juice
6-8 Roma tomatoes
1 jalapeno
fresh cilantro
small red onion
6oz. can tomato paste
1 can of corn (I used Green Giant crisp niblets. You could also use frozen.)
2lbs. sirloin (I used tip pan steak.)
romaine lettuce
rice (I used basmati.)
Mexican blend shredded cheese

Other condiments that you likely will already have around the house, but should double check:
red wine vinegar
garlic
oregano
black pepper
salt

Once you have all of these ingredients, you're ready to get started. Finely chop 3 of the chipotle chilis. Place chipotles (plus any sauce that was on them) in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Add 6Tbs of lime juice, 2Tbs of red wine vinegar, 1 clove minced garlic, 2tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Seal bag and mix ingredients thoroughly. Cut sirloin into ~½ cubes. Add to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1hr.

In the meantime, prepare the corn salsa and tomato salsa. Chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and red onion. Drain corn thoroughly and pour into small bowl. To the corn, add half of the jalapeno, half of the cilantro (1-2Tbs), and half of the red onion. Top with several Tbs of lime juice to taste. The corn salsa should be slightly sweet yet also have a bit of heat. In a separate bowl, combine the tomatoes and remaining jalapeno, cilantro and red onion. Top with several Tbs of lime juice and ~2Tbs. of tomato paste. Refrigerate both salsas until serving time.

Now its time to start putting it all together. Heat skillet over med-high heat. Add sirloin and cook until meat is completely browned. Reduce heat and simmer for ~5 more minutes. In the meantime, cooked rice is tossed with lime juice, cilantro and butter to taste. Layer lettuce, rice, meat, salsas and cheese in bowl. Top with sour cream if desired.

on Happiness...

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

~Albert Schweitzer

Fabulous!

Seriously...I have no idea who this woman is, but I do love how she thinks!

"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do;
the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it."

~Mary Wilson Little