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1. Last call for Haiti Donations through my shop. Thanks to everyone who supported the effort. It feels so nice to help, even if it's just a little.

2. So you know how Ina always says to get the "really good" ingredients, and that the mozzarella from the grocery store is just rubber? Well, in an effort to live up to Ina (not all of us live in the Hampton's where there are cheese stores), I made my own mozzarella cheese, you know, from milk and stuff. Okay, so really, Brian did a lot of it. But it was pretty exciting! I am a horrible food photographer, but suffice it to say, it turned out really well. And what did I make with this homemade cheese? Pizza. I know I was supposed to make, like, a caprese salad or something elegant, but we're just pizza people. I will say that everything on the pizza (crust, sauce, cheese) was homemade, except for the pepperonis. And really, who wants to know how that is made? Anyway, it was a fun activity, and if you want to try it, click here for the directions I used. And a special thanks to Mom, who informed me that rennet can be found at the grocery store in the Jello section.

3. Back by popular demand, here are some pictures of my exceptionally cute baby:

More Items Posted

I have a couple of new items posted in the shop, and have at least one more necklace to post before the end of the donation period. Here are a couple pictures, but click here to go to the shop and see what is available.

Thank you to everyone who has made a purchase! It means so much to me.

What I Can Do

As a new mother, I spend a fair bit of time nursing my baby. And to keep myself entertained while doing so, I'll read, surf the Internet, or watch TV. I don't know if you've watched much TV lately, but if you've turned on CNN, it's pretty much constant coverage of the Haiti earthquake and ensuing spiral into chaos. Here I sit on my big comfy couch, in my nice, temperature-regulated, structurally-sound home, feeding my baby, while watching Soledad O'Brien report about orphaned babies in Haiti with no formula.

Que the tears and feelings of helplessness.

It was a familiar feeling. I remembered feeling that way when I read about NieNie's accident. But that familiarity reminded me that I am, in fact, not helpless. DesignMom empowered me to know that even if my talents cannot directly contribute to the cause, there is some way to help. I may not be able to, quite literally, rescue a child from imminent danger like Anderson Cooper, but I have the ability to help in my own small way. And if Larry King can auction off his suspenders for the cause, I can sell my jewelry, and donate all proceeds to the relief effort. So that's what I'm doing. For any jewelry sold in my etsy shop by January 31st, I will be donating 100% of the proceeds. I'll be posting a couple of new items in the shop this coming week as well, so check back regularly.

Make a purchase if you have the means, and please help spread the word through your own blogs, and we can all help those in such desperate need.

Thank you-

Angela