*** Memorial Day ***


As many celebrate this Memorial Day, remember the true meaning, and never forget those who returned home draped under our nation's flag with honor.
Thank You to all of the men and women from all branches of the military, the past, present and future who serve our country. We're so thankful for all that you do or have done. 

~ Also a special Thank You to my Father, Father-in-law, Brother-in-law, Nephews, and our Friends, who have served and made many sacrifices in protecting our freedoms.  
God Bless You and Your Families!  
God Bless America!  Salute!








A Day at the Bead Show


~ Bead Show ~
Intergalactic Bead and Jewelry Show
May 19, 2012


*This jewelry maker's adventure place*

I really do enjoy it when the Intergalactic Bead Show event comes around, and I try to attend each time!  I attended the annual  Bead Show on Saturday along with my daughter, and I did find a few new things to add to my bead stash.  I get so many ideas while there too, and always find something I want, or think I need!  I also especially like the shows because some items I just can't find at the local craft shops, and online orders usually have a shipping fee  This is a nice hands on, get a good look at it method of acquiring more jewelry supplies.  There is so much to see there and bling, bling everywhere!  Sparkly, shiny, and colorful beads of all types and sizes, metal findings, chain and wire, and tools too.  Handmade jewelry items for sale also.  It's my kind of place for sure!  


Mother's Day - Photos


~ Mother's Day Celebration~


My Husband and our Daughter shared in my Mother's Day celebration by taking me to one of our favorite Italian Restaurants to enjoy a delicious dinner.


A few photos before going out to celebrate Mother's Day







Mother's Day -Thoughts & Treasured Gifts photos


~ Every day is Mother's Day! ~

Being a Mother is one of the most challenging and rewarding accomplishments of my life.  I learned early on there were really no easy or quick learning guides to go along with being a parent. A measure of love, guidance and discipline put together are my best offerings of advice in the raising of a child. It requires common sense, uncommon patience and extraordinary love.  Be there for them, but don't be afraid to say "no", when you need to.  I always felt it more important to be their mother first, then their friend.  I've also always hoped my role as a mother would have a positive impact on my daughters, and influence their raising their own children.  I am so very proud of my daughters and who they are today!  They're two of my best friends.  They bring unmeasurable joy and happiness to my life, and will forever be a part of me.  My heart is full of love for them.

 I'll always be their mother and now I am their friend... 


~ My Mother's Day Sweet Treasures ~



My oldest Daughter sent me a beautiful Gardenia bush, one of my favorite flowers.
I love it!  Can't wait for it to flower, they smell so sweet.
She is sweet to have gotten it for me and knows I have admired one growing in her yard each time I see (smell) it.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~



My youngest Daughter took me out for a very nice lunch at Marlow's on Saturday.
It was quite delicious, and very filling.  I loved every bit (bite) of it!
We spent a few hours out shopping too. 
We always have a giggle of a good time together.

She was also a little sneaky later and got me a nice nail polish I had looked at and decided not to buy.  Sweet of her to surprise me and make it mine.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~


My Hubby sweetly gave me a new Pandora bead to add to my bracelet. 
It's beautiful - Open Heart and Black Diamonds.  He knows I love hearts, and also black and gold are two of my favorite combinations. 
A very sweet expression of gratitude and love from him!


~~~ ~~~ ~~~



Feeling especially loved...





Happy Mother's Day! My Mother - My Friend




~ Dedicated to my Mom ~

As I was hurrying to finish up my Mother's Day shopping, and preparing of the packages to send off to both my Mother and Mother-in-law.  I paused and thought to myself how fortunate and very happy I am to still have my Mother here to celebrate her and my Mother-in-law too!  Both women have been a huge influence in my life, and in my being a mother.  My Mom has always been there for me, my biggest fan and life long friend.  I learned after having my own kids that it's not the easiest job you'll ever have, and there will be moments of wondering if you are doing it right.  I know too, that my mother only ever wanted what was best for me and loved me through each and every day, and always strived to make me the best I could be.  I am sure I have thanked her over the years, but there is no amount of thanks to measure, along with the love I have for her and appreciation, of her devoting her time, love, and life to being my Mom!

Thank you for the love, guidance, persistence, and discipline, the many nights of loss of sleep and the tears you shed on my behalf, through good and bad, happy and sad, and all the times in between.
Thanks Mom, You're the greatest!
I LOVE YOU!
~Tammy~





Black Bean Salad - Confetti Salad


I love this salad, it's so delicious, it's also healthy, and it's nice and colorful too!  I owe thanks to my Sister for this tasty and healthy recipe.  I altered her basic recipe a bit and made it my own.  I really liked this salad and it was a big hit the first time I made it to take along to a pitch-in gathering!   I've since seen a few different variations of it.
{ Thanks again Sis! :) }

This is a great take along, or take for lunch.  It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but it can be served cold or room temperature.  It can be served as a salad side dish, or a dip with chips.  Maybe even in a tortilla as a wrap, or perhaps enjoyed in pita bread with some low fat cheese and sour cream.  This dish is low calorie and full of veggies and protein!  Good for you and tastes good too, that's certainly a good combination to me!






Black Bean Salad / Confetti Salad


- Basic Recipe -

Ingredients:
2 15-oz. cans black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes,  halved
1 can corn drained or small bag of frozen-thawed
1 small red onion diced
1 bell pepper diced
1 avocado diced
1 jalapeno diced
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro 
(1 cup of rice or pasta could be added also)

Dressing ingredients:
juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small glove garlic minced or crushed
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper -or to taste
1  tsp. chili powder  -or to taste
pinch of salt


Directions:
Combine all ingredients except avocado in a large bowl, mix together and then add dressing, toss well.  Add Avocado and mix gently before serving.  


~~~ ~~~ ~~~

- Altered Recipe -

Large amount for sharing!
Ingredients:
3 15 oz. cans of black beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 cans of mixed yellow and white corn, drained or 1 bag frozen mixed corn-thawed
1 red and 1 green bell pepper, diced or 1/2 each of orange, yellow, green and red for more color
2 avocados, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno diced -optional
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or fresh parsley if preferred

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
juice from 2 limes
1/4 tsp. jalapeno seasoning or cayenne /red pepper -or to taste
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander -optional
1 small garlic glove minced or crushed or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except avocado in a large bowl, mix together and then add dressing, toss gently to combine well.  Best if refrigerated a few hours or over night to enhance flavors. Add Avocado and mix gently before serving.  Serve cold or at room temperature.


This could be altered in many ways, with using different herbs and vegetables or additional types of beans or nuts.  Endless possibilities!...



Enjoy!...


Pinterest - To pin or Not to pin?


Pinterest For those who do not know what it is...
It's a fun and interesting way to save links to items, recipes and ideas found on the internet.  On your Pinterest account you create boards, which are categories, and you pin links to these.  Links of interest to you that you pin.  Pinterest!  As I said, you pin these links to your pinterest spot on your wall boards, this is called pinning.  It's another type of social media as well and you can share your pins with others and vice versa.  Some people really like using it, and some say they spend too much time there.  It can be addictive!  I do enjoy using it also, although I find that all the food I see there always makes me hungry!  

Recently I have been seeing posts and info stating that some people were deleting all their pins, and or their pinterst account due to legal reasons, and or copyright laws.  There were pins showing up notifying people to look more closely at the photos they pin. That pinning them could be illegal, because someone owns that photo, and there might be a copyright on it. It seems that some people just re-pin something from someone else and it may just be a photo someone copied from somewhere, and there is no link to it other than to the person who pinned it.  Pinterst is supposed to be a link to something, as in a website for a business, or a product, recipes, or a blog, etc. 

You can usually find the original source for most photos by doing a search. So this is where I suppose the legal issues come from.  I recommend that you check to see if there is a link to the pin, that it is legit, is from the original source, or pin from sites that have a 'pin it' link on them.  I am not a lawyer nor do I claim to be!  But, I did do a little research on this matter and I found some info that is informative and helpful to make up my mind on this subject, and what actions to consider.  There are a couple links below.  I hope this helps you too!  Pay attention and be aware, and be careful out there!

a-word-of-caution-for-pinterest-users

the-great-pinterest-divide-to-opt-out-or-not



Very Pinteresting...
~Tammy~
~~~ ~~~ ~~~


Kurt's Bistro - Spring Cleaning on the patio


~ Kurt's Bistro ~

Spring Cleaning on the Patio
We excepted an invitation from our friends to join them at this event, and we all enjoyed a nice evening on the patio together.  We certainly got our money's worth! 

Kurt's restaurant down-sized about a year ago, changed locations. and the name to Kurt's Bistro.  We had dined at the previous restaurant many times before and it was always excellent. 
We'll surely be returning to Kurt's Bistro again for dinner soon. They have a variety of menu selections from appetizer to dessert. 

I recommend dining at Kurt's Bistro.
(see link below)



 3, May, 2012


      THURSDAY NIGHT
                ...your neighborhood bistro's
S P R I N G   C L E A N I N G
               on the patio

                                c h i l l e d
     bottled biers & select wine
          plus a grilled brat!

          only $15.00/per person
           Tonight Only!




                    
                    We are cleaning out our cellers to
make room for Summer.  Join us as we ice down a varied selection of
bottled biers and bottles of wine.... fire up the grill... and showcase our
improved patio for you to enjoy.
  Only $15.00 to take advantage of our spring cleaning party
starting at 4:30, Thursday, 05/03/2012

               RESERVE A SPOT NOW
          770.623.4128


check out the menu here!

Kurt's Bistro
3305 peachtree industrial boulevard, duluth ga 30096
770.623.4128







Jewelry by Tammy - Round and Teardrop


A few of my round and teardrop shaped designs.  Some have lampworked glass, which are handcrafted by glass artisans, and often have interesting patterns and swirls of glass, metal flakes or foil, and no two are exactly alike.



Dark blue glass rounds with swarovski crystals,
accented with blue and gold.  I like how the crystals and the
gold bugles add spakle to this!
                                                   


Purple glass teardrops with a look and feel like marble,
accented with purple and gold. 
I like the finished look of this.



Navy blue lampworked glass teardrop pendant. 
I got this sometime ago, I really liked it and had been looking
for just the right color beads to go with it.  It has an almost tranparent look to it.
Accented with navy and gold beads

Purple faceted glass teardrops and black rounds in two sizes,
Two of my favorite colors! 


Frosty white lampworked glass. 
I think they look like little ice cubes.  
Accented with pearl-luster and gold beads.




Nutella - getting a bad rap?


My Nutella is getting a bad rap! :(

This is a bit ridiculous to me!  Ok, well maybe it's not really a health food per se.  People really do need to take responsibility for their choices, though.  Suing the company for claiming that Nutella is healthy?!  Really?!  I know there are many other foods falsely advertised as healthy?  It's not hard to read a label and see what is in a product!  Moderation, moderation, moderation!  Come on people!


I'll admit, I love this stuff, Nutella that is, and I know it has a lot of sugar in it, and per serving that it has 200 calories for two tablespoons!  In fact, I have recently lost fifteen pounds, and on many days for breakfast I'll have a whole wheat bagel thin with a heaping tsp. of Nutella on each half, along with a glass of skim milk! ...Or a snack of a Banana with Nutella on it! 
I shall happily Nutella on!.... :D

(This reminds me of the person suing over spilled hot coffee, ahem... it's coffee, I'm sorry the person was burned by the coffee, but it's supposed to be hot unless you ordered it iced, ya know?!!) 
The real problem, or shall I say crime, is people getting away with these silly lawsuits!




Continuing my love for Nutella!...
~Tammy~


Wine Tasting Dinner



~ Wined & Dined ~

We had a nice evening at a Wine Tasing Dinner at Dominick's Italian restaurant last night!  We enjoyed the delicious food and the wine!  A four course meal was served and a sampling of four different wines, one paired to each course.  We had a great time and even met some new friends that we were happily seated next to for the evening!  We shared many laughs with them! 

The manager said this was the biggest wine dinner they had hosted to date! I think he said they had 140 some reservation requests and they decided to scale it back to about 116 guests, I didn't count but it looked like a lot were there for this occasion!  We have been to many of their wine tasting dinners at two different locations.  The food on this occasion was one of the best to me!  We did enjoy all of the wines, but came away with the Sangiovese being the favorite for the evening! 




The info below is from our invitation!

The Menu


Rock Shrimp & Crab Cocktail Terrine
with heirloom tomato, fire-roasted corn and micro greens.

Folie A Deux Sonoma County Chardonnay

Seductive, complex aromas of honey, green apple, tropical fruits, vanilla and baking
bread introduce juicy apple, pineapple and tropical fruit favors with light butter notes
from partial malolactic fermentation and crisp balancing acidity.



SECOND COURSE
Pan Seared Bluefin Tuna
over roasted fingerling potatoes, panko fried asparagus
and aged balsamic-truffle reduction.

Folie A Deux Sonama County Merlot

Crafted primarily from vineyards in the cooler portions of Alexander Valley, this
deliciously approachable Merlot offers ripe, juicy, black cherry favors complemented
by enticing notes of vanilla, tea and cocoa.



THIRD COURSE
Herb Crusted Lamb Lolipop
over gorgonzola polenta cake, willd mushrooms
compote and caramelized shallot jus.

Terra D'Oro Sangiovese

The 2008 Terra d’Oro Sangiovese is bright and juicy with aromas of cherries, Holiday spices
and sweet blueberries. The palate is warm and inviting with silky tannins and a refned fnish.




FOURTH COURSE
Five Peppers Roasted Bistro Filet Mignon
with roasted zucchini ribons, lobster mashed potato-shitaki
mushrooms napolean and herb-port demi.

Folie A Deux Sonama County Zinfandel

Intense, juicy and jammy, our classic Zinfandel’s bright raspberry and blackberry fruit is
complemented by the characteristic black pepper spice tones that give the varietal its invigorating
zestiness. Tis Dry Creek Valley Zin is the quintessential Folieà Deux wine – i.e., it will impel you to
dance and share a bottle with friends, probably simultaneously!







Not so great camera phone photo!  
It was a bit dark in there, but a little memory from the event for us!



I'll be looking forward to our next wine tasting event!...
~Tammy~



Labels: Wine Tasting

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Tammy is the design enthusiast behind the blog, Tips, Treats & Treasures, where her creativity is explored with a mixture of her artistic abilities and style through her home decorating, thrifty finds, DIY and creative craft projects, along with her family favorite recipes. She shares through her blog her ideas and helpful tips on everything she has learned over the years and much of which she is passionate about in the hope of inspiring others, with her own unique style storytelling.