How was your Valentine’s Day?  Mine was very low key and relaxed.  I’ve been battling a cold for a few days and have lost my voice, can’t breath through my nose, and am generally pitiful. 

Hubby and I don’t normally exchange big gifts on Valentine’s Day but he always does something special.  Today was really cute and unusual.  He got me a candy bouquet in a small white vase.  Each ‘flower’ is a different hard candy in red, pink, or white wrapper.  He also sent me a tweet and a Facebook message at midnight so I would see it when I woke up.  He knows me so well.

I am such a slacker (that combined with the way that I feel) that I didn’t even get him a card.  But I did make breakfast for him…his favorite…grits, eggs, and bacon!  He didn’t seem to mind that there was no card or Hallmark inspired gift.

My son got some wonderfully yummy chocolate treats.  While I am very eco-friendly around the house our food selections don’t really follow suite.  I only buy organic food on rare occasions, I don’t really care about high fructose corn syrup, and I’ve never feared artificial colors.  However, I do understand the reason for concern.  I tried some really yummy organic candies recently by Surf Sweets that are organic and natural.  I didn’t expect them to taste nearly as good as my favorite gummy bears but to my surprise they were really delicious.  I saved some for my son to try but I managed to eat most of them all by myself.  It’s a good thing that our local Sweet Bay also carries them because I have found my new favorite indulgence…and I can feel good about giving it to my son.  I should get some for my best friend too since the are vegetarian and vegan snacks (with the exception of the gummy bears and worms).  If you become a Fan of Surf Sweets on Facebook during February they will donate $1 to The Ocean Project on your behalf.

If I was feeling better this week I would have gotten a little more creative and tried some new recipes from POM Wonderful.  I received 4 bottles of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice recently and I only got a sip of one of them.  My husband took them to work with him everyday until they were gone.  He doesn’t normally reach for the healthy drinks but when he saw that medical research has shown to improve prostate, cardiovascular, and erectile function I don’t think I had to sell him on the goodness that was in the bottle.  Isn’t it funny what men pay attention to?  Look at these fabulous cupcakes that are made using POM Wonderful and pomegranates.  Now…to see if I can find fresh California pomegranates at our local grocery store here in Florida. 

In past years hubby has been a regular shopper at the store with the little turquoise box (my absolute favorite jewelry). 

I have a few pieces that I wear regularly mixed in with a few feel good pieces.  I wrote a few months ago about the Andean Collection and Zulugrass which both support women, families and communities in impoverished areas around the world.  My favorite piece of feel good jewelry still remains my zulugrass bead bracelet set.  It is so durable and the blue/green colors go with the majority of my wardrobe.  On days like today when I pull out the red I only have a few pieces of jewelry with red in them so my Hands Up Not Hand Outs (HUNHO) wrist wrap in red and black is a nice addition.  These wrap style bracelets tie around your wrist with a satiny ribbon and are made by Palestinian women in the Qalandia Refugee Camp near Jerusalem.  I love that all of the proceeds go back to support the artisans and their local communities.   

What do you do to celebrate Valentine’s Day?  Did you get anything extra special?  I’d love to hear about it. 

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Lately it seems like all I’ve written about is cloth diapers and baby stuff but that’s about to change.  Every mom craves to feel like a woman and jewelry is a perfect way to feel womanly.  Unfortunately most mothers of young children don’t get to wear much jewelry in fear of our little ones ripping it off with their little tugs. 

I received a package from The Leakey Collection a few weeks ago and I was skeptical when I opened it to find the delicate Zulugrass jewelry.  When I opened the package a few of the beads fell loose and I was sure this was going to be a disaster around Lil’ B.  I wanted to give it a fair chance though so I’ve worn the strands of Zulugrass almost everyday since then.  I’ve worn them mostly as bracelets but they can be worn as necklaces, arm bands, anklets, waist bands, and hair bands.  The elastic that the Zulugrassis strung on is very strong, it was invented for the movie Spiderman.  Lil’ B pulled at it over and over again and it hasn’t broke yet!  (And trust me a 7 month old can tug!)  As most mothers will admit I rarely take off my jewelry during the day and I am always washing my hands so my Zulugrass was ‘washed’ repeatedly.  Again, the Zulugrass has been tested and passed all of my mommy tests!  The media package I received claims that the elastic will actually hold its shape for over six years even if worn daily in the sun, shower, pool or ocean!  But what makes Zulugrass so special?

Zulugrassis a natural dyed grass bead mixed with glass beads.  It’s lightweight, water resistant, colorful, and eco-friendly.  They are made by the Maasai women of Kenya.  The Zulugrass is a tall grass that grows in Kenya and is harvested and cut by hand.  The founders of The Leakey Collection, Philip and Katy Leakey, worked with the Maasai to design the jewelry that makes up The Leakey Collection today.  This joint venture between the Leakey’s and the Maasai has helped to support and employee the Maasai who were once devastated by a drought.  Today, the Leakey Collection employees over 1200 Kenyans who work in their own environment, often outside in the shade of the acacia trees. 

Interestingly, the Maasai are cattle herders who believe that God entrusted them with the responsibility of taking care of all the cattle in the world.  Their culture is over 800 years old and there are about a half million Maasai living in East Africa today.  I am very proud to be an owner of my own set of Zulugrass jewelry and will continue to wear it proudly.  You can find Zulugrass and other jewelry pieces by The Leakey Collection online and at more than 1200 retails stores.  Locally you can find Zulugrass at the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs and they even sell it at Disney World.

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