Momma Maven

Awesome Photography Tutorials!

2012-01-20T16:36:00.004-05:00

So Lindsay over at Shrimp Salad Circus put together an awesome list of photography tutorials that I just had to share.

And what else could it be called but...

via guggenheim and edited by shrimp salad circus

Right now she has 12 great links for tutorials on everything from portraits to great beginner tips, so what are you waiting for click on the link and get your cute butt over there right now.

Rainy Day

2012-01-18T15:45:00.001-05:00

I love the color trend of gray and yellow but I especially like it when you add aqua or teal, it really makes all the colors come alive.

Rainy Day by pvdela featuring oversized clutch handbags

Pleated dress
$42 - shopruche.com

Yellow trench coat
£35 - m-butterfly.co.uk

Cole haan shoes
$178 - neimanmarcus.com

ASOS oversized clutch handbag
$36 - asos.com

Diamond jewelry
portero.com

Forever 21 belt
$3.50 - forever21.com

Kids Are Like a Magnifying Glass

2012-01-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

This has been coming up for me a lot lately in one form or another so I thought I'd share something that I wish someone had told me before I had kids. Kids are like having a BIG FAT magnifying glass on the world, your life and especially your relationship with your significant other!!!!!!!

All of us parents see the world differently once we bring that little bundle of joy home, colors are brighter, new dangers seem to creep up all over the place, the simple act of folding clothes can turn into tug of war or dress up with one little tug, many of your favorite hobbies get forgotten or at least put aside to make room for lots of peek-a-boo, sticky fingers and preschool shows played over and over until you start dreaming about them. These changes I expected for the most part, I knew that I'd be setting aside a lot of things for these formative years with my kids and I was excited to do it because I knew all the joys that would replace them, what I hadn't expected was the effect it would have on my marriage, where our relationship was already good it became WONDERFUL, I can't even describe how amazing it felt to watch my husband hold our tiny baby boy and look at him with such pride and love and where it wasn't so great it got frustrating if not down right miserable like how hurt I felt when I realized that his expectations of what his job as a father were compared to mine and that my son liked his uncle better than his dad that first year. (Things are great now though)

Looking back I could have avoided a lot of problems if someone had only told me this secret, my life felt a little like a roller coaster until I figured it out and then my DH and I were able adjust and now life is so much better than it was before kids, it is never boring with them around and they teach me every day, if DH was up for it I think I'd have ten of them, maybe more. I greet them as they get up in the morning with a big smile and an enthusiastic "IT'S MY ...!!!!" not because I'm always feeling that awake and cheery but because they make every day interesting and I want to make sure that they know that I'm always excited to be with them and that to me being their mom is is the greatest privilege.

It just doesn't get better than this.

What I Wore Wed.

2012-01-11T18:07:00.001-05:00

I actually wore this with my carnelian necklace and a pair of bright red orange ballet flats

and the tights were actually gray leggings from target and the dress is one from last spring with the same cut and color except that is has a pattern to it.

My color philosophy for fashion is that I try to always have one color that is a "nearly neutral" The pop of color might be the main color or just an accessory and I might have more colors than three but that is the basic formula I tend to go by.

New Look - from H&M

http://www.hm.com/us/s/02H9VH

Products in this look:

Cable-knit Tights, Dress, Necklacewww.hm.com

Green Soup For My SIL

2012-01-11T16:11:00.001-05:00

My SIL got a Vitamix for Christmas and is supper excited to start making great healthy "raw" meals for her kids and this recipe is her request.

I first started making this back when I was single with my roommate, I found a recipe and found it so delicious, fast and easy to make that it immediately became one of our favorites. I'm showing it in my Vitamix but you can make it in a pot and use an immersion blender just as well.

1- You'll need: Chicken or veggie soup stock, 2-4 greens, garlic, pepper. For the greens I used celery, a green butter lettuce and spinach but I've used collard greens, romaine, cabbage and iceberg, so use whatever you like.

If using a Vitamix heat up the stock before starting to speed things up then throw everything in the blender to taste and blend away til nice and smooth. If you are using a pot and immersion blender then just throw everything in the pot at once and heat up until the greens have wilted and it's steamy then blend.

For the garnish or topping you'll need sour cream, cilantro and garlic, I cheated and used pre-chopped cilantro in a tube and garlic powder because I forgot that I was out of fresh garlic and I love the tubed herbs for convenience.

If you use the powdered garlic this will taste much better if you make it ahead of time.

I know it doesn't look as pretty but I prefer lots of little dots of the sour cream rather than one big one in the middle because it's easier for me to eat it that way but either way you'll want a little bit of the sour cream mix with every spoonful of soup.

This makes a great meal with sandwiches and my kids love it, here are pictures of my two youngest, they practically drank theirs and I really did drink mine.

Enjoy.

Mini Pinata's are AWESOME!

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I found this tutorial from Oh Happy Day through Dollar Store Crafts and it was love at first site. when I was a little girl my uncle introduced us to having a pinata at Christmas and I've loved having them as part of the celebration for Christmas and birthdays ever since. I love the idea of mini ones for each person.

Stylish Hair

2011-11-10T12:22:00.001-05:00

Abby at My Yellow Sandbox inspired me to start doing my hair almost every day with her "30 hairstyles in 30 days" all that took only 10 minutes or less and even with my now shorter hair I can still do some of the styles like this one:

My DH is very happy :)

I Love Soup in the Fall

2011-11-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

And one of my favorites is a really good tomato soup so this time I thought I'd try Simply Modern Mom's recipe for a roasted tomato soup, it sounds simply DELICIOUS!!!

Thanksgiving or Tea Time TeePee

2011-11-01T08:19:00.000-04:00

I know that a teepee makes more sense in the summer but I saw this tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew! and just had to share, I think I'll make it up for my kiddos to use in their playroom.

Paper Dolls Galore!

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

I love paper dolls so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites today.

I love everything from Green Jello With Carrots and their paper dolls are no exception, my kids use these the most.

Paper Thin Personas has a TON of great paper dolls including a recent list of paper dolls from other artists at Deviant Art

HERE one from the list that I really love.

Do you love paper dolls? Please share any that you like.

Oprah's Life Class pt 2

2011-10-25T12:39:00.004-04:00

I am LOVING this class more and more every week. This last week the lessons were on life's calling, aging, "When you know better, you do better", and taking responsibility for your life. watching this week was harder than last because with DH back home from his conference last week he wants me to be with him not Oprah, not that I blame him, so I've been watching the next day with my DVR and the recorded webcast afterward. I've really been putting a lot of thought into my "life's calling" lately so Monday was a good one for me, it really helped m clarify that what I really want to do is something that puts me in a position to meet lots of different people and nurture them. I don't mean mother them, more help them discover who they really are and to feel loved. I don't care if I get paid for it but it is what I want to do.

I loved the following episodes, the aging beautifully class followed by "Miss Representation" documentary on how women are portrayed unfairly and and image based by the media was a great reminder that not just men but we women place so much more importance on our looks then on mens and not enough on the things that really matter like character and intelligence. Taking Responsibility was a great class that I've always thought was really important for people to understand and get out of the "victim mentality" or waiting for others to give you what you want. The episode that impacted me the MOST was definitely "When You Know Better, You Do Better" it was all about how you are not your mistakes and that instead of being a prisoner to them that you need to forgive yourself and realize that not only do we all make mistakes but that we also learn from them and become better. What really struck me though was that not only is that true for me but also that everyone is doing the best that they know how and that anything they do "to me" doesn't really have as much to do with me as it does where they are right now and all the baggage that they are dealing with. If I can keep this in mind then not only can I be more patient and forgiving of others but they also have no power to really hurt me. Jesus on the cross comes to mind when he said "forgive them Father, for they know not what they do" because He would certainly know best just what understanding they really had, no wonder He was able to ask for forgiveness for His tormentors while in the midst of such extreme pain and persecution.

I know that I'm far from perfect and that I won't always have this lesson at the forefront of my mind in trying situations but I am SO grateful for this understanding and the freedom that it gives me o let go of any feelings of hurt and resentment that I have harbored and move forward with love and understanding that we are all doing the best that we can.

Thank you Oprah for my new found freedom.

DIY Dryer Balls

2011-10-25T07:52:00.000-04:00

I love dryer balls and all the wonderful things they do for my clothes and now I love them even more because I can make them myself using The Sleepytime Gal's tutorial for these fantastic felted wool ones.

Check out her super easy tutorial HERE.

P.S. I wrote this post over a week ago and then entered her contest for her "ultimate homemakers giveaway" and WON!!! Yay! Thanks Nicole, I can't wait to get it and use it all.

I also wanted to share the link for the rest of her modern mama homemaking series:

The Home

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Cleaning Station

21 Suggestions for Success, A Printable

2011-10-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

I saw this on The Mustard Ceiling and thought I'd make a couple printables out if it, I plan on framing it and putting it up in my new house I'll be moving in to very soon. I still need to play with it and I'll probably never make it perfect so I'd love it if ou made one yourself and shared a link to it.

Download the first one HERE and the second HERE

A Few Fall Faves

2011-10-20T07:30:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of things I think about when fall comes around, colored leaves, pumpkins, cider, etc. and when it comes to clothes it's sweaters and corduroy so I thought I'd throw together a collection of posts that feature my favorite fall things.

HERE is one from Tea Rose Home from way back in '09

and how about This Post from Ashley at Make It and Love It?

Isn't it Darling?

This Recipe looks scrumptious from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

And Last but not least HERE is Simple Mom's post on 45 ways to savor Fall

So what do you love about Fall?

Beautiful Skirt and Blog

2011-10-18T10:44:00.004-04:00

Tanya Whelan over at Grand Revival has a tutorial for this beautiful Pleated Wrap Skirt that I just can't wait to make, I think I'll make one for me and one for my now three year old daughter, I might even get ambitious enough to make a dress for my baby girl while I'm at it since the skirt is so easy.

She also creates her own patterns and printed fabrics which I LOVE!!! and right now she's having a Giveaway for her new book and fabric line coming out in December.

I hope I win.

1 2 3, Math is Easy

2011-10-18T07:30:00.000-04:00

Does math make you nervous? Do you feel completely inept to teach your children math in any form? Well if you do you are not alone, most of us feel inadequate when it comes to math and esp. when it comes to teaching math but it doesn't need to be hard at all. Did you know that all math boils down to counting, sorting and patterns? Really! Even Geometry, Calculus and Physics are nothing but formulas that are shortcuts to a whole bunch of those two things. Adding and subtracting are counting more or less of something, multiplication and division are just adding and subtracting several times in a row, the rest just builds from there, and patterns and sorting help you memorize certain figures so you can calculate faster.

So, teaching math to our kids is as easy as picking up their toys, counting fingers and toes, stringing beads, and countless other everyday things you can do with your kids.

I have a tendency to turn everything into a game so we do a lot of these things on the fly like writing my kids names and counting the letters or letting my kids help put away the groceries and asking how they think we should sort them. My kids love to think of patterns so we clap, color, stack, and string whenever the moods hits.

These same skills are basic for science as well, mammals, reptiles, birds, are sorting, you can chart how many times they brush their teeth or who likes ice cream and who prefers cake, science and math are very interconnected so it's easy to kill two birds with one stone.

So what do you like to do with your kids?

Oprah's Lifeclass

2011-10-11T22:30:00.001-04:00

Have any of you been participating in "Oprah's Lifeclass"? The first class was on ego and the second, tonight, was on anger, they have been WONDERFUL, so many "aha's".

For myself I've realized that when I feel angry it's almost always a way of avoiding the pain and fear I am really feeling, the anger helps me blame the other person instead of really understanding why I'm feeling so hurt or afraid and then dealing with that instead. It really all goes back to ego, my ego can't take the possible insult and so it focuses on the other persons fault instead of facing the real issue and taking responsibility for my part in it even if my only fault was to allow it to hurt me instead of taking it as an observation or their own issue and moving on.

I can't wait for tomorrows class on "Becoming What You Believe".

A Young Mom's Approach to Talking to Her Kids About Sex

2011-10-06T13:02:00.000-04:00

Tara Pringle Jefferson wrote a wonderful article about how an unplanned pregnancy changed her perspective on how she needs to approach the "Sex Talk" with her kids. You can find it here at My Brown Baby.

I Need a Love Song

2011-10-04T13:10:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for a good love song, however, I can't find a love song that speaks to my DH and me, I'm cheesy, he isn't, I love James Taylor, Harry Connick Jr. and Sting, he loves Coldplay, swing music and Mumford & Sons, it's a conundrum. (I love that word.)

He knew he was going to marry me before we even met, he saw me from the back of an Institute class, I always sit in the front, and went home and told his family that he saw the girl he was going to marry and when we finally did talk it was like I'd known him forever, we went swing dancing the next night, he asked if he could kiss me at the end of our 12 hour date of mostly just talking and I almost said no. I can't explain it but for the first week I kept saying I didn't really want to date him, just be friends, he told me he'd give me all the space and time I wanted and by week two I was asking him if he would like blond kids. We were engaged week four and married at week 10.

He's my best friend and my biggest fan, he can bring me back to center with just a look or a touch and has been able to since the moment we met. He brings out my truest self and wants nothing more than for me, and our children, to be happy.

He also drives me crazy and pushes me in places I didn't know I needed to grow. Our love is better than any love song or fairy tale I've ever heard and harder than "happily ever after". Most of the "hard" is because I want to be the perfect wife for him, I want him to come home to harmony instead of chaos, I want to be a good housekeeper but I SUCK at housekeeping. I want to be everything for him, not because he's everything for me but because he's everything I need him to be and if I was stranded on an island I'd be perfectly happy with just him and our kids for company, he really is my very best friend.

Now add all the nights he's stayed up until 4am talking with me because I was upset or just because. I don't love him "Like a Love Song" I love him with all the best and worst of myself. How do you put all of that into a love song? Maybe I don't really need a love song for him but I'd sure like one, one that tells him all of this and is still "cool", any ideas?

Great Post on Color

2011-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Love Color? Check out this great post about the psychology of color at Style Estate.

Stuffed Toy Pattern Freebies

2011-09-16T21:02:00.000-04:00

You may remember when I made this darling teddy bear for my DS a while back and then I made this elephant pattern and now I have made an option for the teddy to be a bunny and finished patterns to make a giraffe, lion, and a doll so if any of you would like the patterns let me know and I'll send them your way, your only payment is to send pictures of your creations. I make mine out of fleece generally but you can make them out of any fabric you prefer.

A Giveaway at Huppie Mama

2011-09-07T18:55:00.001-04:00

Want to win one of my necklaces? Check out Huppie Mama and enter to win my newest design that is only available through her giveaway until next Friday.

Menu Planning Made Easy

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you but I tend to struggle with dinner time if I don't have it planned out before hand so I thought I'd share with you how I plan my meals to make my meal planning go as quick and easy as possible.

First my Inspiration came from All Things Beautiful's Menu Planner Board

I modified mine a little bit and am still in the process of finishing it so you just get a picture of hers for now. I didn't put the recipes on mine and I am working on adding lunch. I've got 40 meals to choose from and I always plan a few days to come up with a new recipe or try someone else's out but those 40 are my mainstays and still give me plenty of room for creativity. I have a few that use up leftovers, a few that only plan the meat or the ethnicity so that I can make whatever I feel like and still know that I have everything I need on hand. I'm also really flexible with it, I plan it a month at a time but if I'm in the mood for Tuesdays Dinner on Friday then I just switch, keeping in mind what fresh items need to be used up. I don't plan mine with Sides and a dessert but My mom does and I figure some of you might too, so I threw them in my planner as well in case you want them, along with plenty of blank spots to write in your personal favorites.

You can find my menu planner here in Google Documents, I included a blank shopping list as a bonus.

Want Free Stuffed Animal Patterns?

2011-08-19T07:13:00.001-04:00

I am working on making more patterns and have pretty much finished a giraffe and lion to add to my wild animals collection with the elephant but I'm not sure when I'll get around to sewing them, plus I'd love more than one example of each for my shop so if you are interested in them and are willing to send me pictures of the finished products let me know and I'll send you the patterns for free.

Teaching Nutrition to Tots

2011-08-17T16:00:00.002-04:00

Today's post was inspired by Simply Modern Mom's post about the "Choose My Plate" gov. site.

Teaching good eating habits to my kids is easier said then done, my 5 year old son is particularly difficult, he won't eat any fresh fruit and only takes a taste or two of smoothies but he could live off of milk, mac & cheese, and sweets or junk food of any kind. He's not too bad with his veggies, esp. broccoli but he struggles with trying new things and I'm frustrated with how little fiber he gets. This is the same boy who used to eat broccoli like it was candy and ate curry anything with gusto when he was two.

My daughter is easy as long as I keep the food coming in small quantities, she'll eat half a doughnut and hand me back the rest but I have to remind her not to eat the seeds in her apple if I didn't cut out the core, it's pretty great.

So out of frustration came inspiration, I would make a "food rocket" that my kids could put together piece by piece with every meal until it is finished at the end of the day when they add the flame on the end so it looks like it's flying. If they have too many sweets, junk food or don't finish the rocket then they can't add the flame.

Here's my "prototype" for it, I'm working on getting a much cuter version of it.

(Speaking of feeding tots, my 6 month old gags on sweet potatoes but adores broccoli. Go figure.)

Mango and Chicken Thai Pizza

2011-08-15T19:30:00.000-04:00

I LOVE this pizza, it's my absolute favorite pizza of all time.

My pictures don't even come close to doing it justice but I'll post them anyway so at least you have an idea what yumminess you are in for if you make it yourself. This is also part of my Thai Kitchen party recipes so, thanks again House Party and Thai Kitchen for all the free stuff.

I got the recipe for the pizza dough from Goop and I loved it so much I made extra and cooked up a bunch of rounds and saved them in the fridge for later, which is what I used today, it makes it a little chewier but still great. Get the recipe here.

Since the pizza rounds were already prepared and I used leftover chicken I started with chopping up the mango, red bell pepper and cilantro.

I also chopped up the left over chicken to roughly the same size as the mango pieces and then I drizzled some of the Spicy Thai Mango Dipping sauce over the pizza round

Then I threw on the peppers, chicken, mango and mozzarella and I took a heaping tablespoon of the Peanut Satay Sauce and added about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter, their peanut sauce is "currier" than the kind I usually make and a little water to thin it out and drizzled it over the pizza and tossed on the cilantro. Last, I put it in the oven on low broil since everything that needed to be was already cooked so I just put it in until the cheese had bubbled and browned a bit.

VOILA! A super easy and scrumptious pizza that took only a few minutes to throw together.

It was so good I ate two.

Super Easy Beef and Broccoli

2011-08-04T17:42:00.000-04:00

(Sorry about the pics, they're from my phone.)

Simply Asia's sauce pouches are a great way to throw together a meal in a hurry and still have something super yummy. For this one I used the General Tsao's mild pouch which was mild enough for my kids but still something my DH will enjoy eating.

All I did was quickly cook up a nice steak to medium rare, cook it to your preferred doneness, and put it aside.

Then in the same frying pan I tossed in onions and frozen broccoli until heated through, and then added in the sauce.

While the broccoli and onions were cooking I sliced up the steak

I cheated with frozen rice but you can start the rice first and cook up the rest about 15 minutes before you want to eat, then I just plated it up so that it looked as good as it tasted. It was a hit for my whole family, from 2-35 and it only took me 15 minutes. Thank you Simply Asia.

Who Likes Thai?

2011-08-01T18:41:00.000-04:00

I LOVE ethnic foods and flavors so I jumped at the chance to hold a Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia BBQ "House Party" and to let you enjoy some of the great stuff and recipes I got I'm posting all of my dishes here and then I'll have a giveaway at the end so that you can try out the yummy food yourself.

My first recipe I forgot to take pictures of because I had family visting and pictures weren't my first thought but it turned out scrumptious so I had to share anyway. I call it

Thai Mango Chicken

Chicken
Rice (brown, jasmine, whatever you have on hand)
Mango
Cilantro
Red Onion
Lemongrass or ginger
Lite Coconut Milk
Fish Sauce
Peanut Satay Sauce
Mango Dipping Sauce
Optional- Frozen Asian Veggie Blend

My inspiration for this dish was a Thai style pizza I had. First cook your rice, about 4 cups cooked. Saute your chicken until nice and brown, I used 1 pound of boneless, skinless thighs, then take them out of the saute pan. Now drain your pan of any excess oil and put in your rice and red onions, sliced really thin, on medium heat and add about 1/3-1/2 cup lite coconut milk, a splash of fish sauce, 1 tsp. of fresh lemon grass or ginger or 1/3 of dried. Add one to two heaping tablespoons of the peanut sauce and mango dipping sauce and cook down just until the onions are cooked through and the coconut milk has been absorbed.

While that's cooking slice up the chicken, dice the mango and finely chop the cilantro. Once everything is cooked up dish up the rice and top with lots of chicken and mango and liberally garnish with the cilantro. Thin out 1/4 cup of the peanut sauce with a little coconut milk and then drizzle a little of the peanut and mangos sauces over the top of the whole thing. YUMMY!!!

You can add more veggies to the rice or have them on the side as well, I'm a huge fan of veggies and it tastes great either way so I serve them however I'm feeling at the time.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed making and sharing it, I can't wait to share the rest of the recipes I've used/ made up with you.

Hickory Dickory Dock, Or Why Rhymes Are So Important For Our Little Ones

2011-07-13T10:58:00.000-04:00

I always loved nursery rhymes growing up, I still do actually, the rhyme and meter and short silly stories were something I was always clamoring for my mom to sing with me and were a source of plays my siblings and I would put on for my parents. Today my kids favorite nursery rhyme is The Itsy Bitsy Spider because I do the finger play on them with my spider fingers crawling up their water spout bodies and my hands raining down or drying them up, they love it and I love that I can turn it into a tickle game for extra giggles. Who'd have thought that these simple rhymes would be so good for their development as well? I certainly didn't but they help our little ones in many wonderful ways.

When they hear nursery rhymes they hear the sounds the vowels and consonants make in a way that's easy for them to process, they hear different words like fiddle, contrary, fetch, pail, etc. that they don't usually hear, and since they are so short, rhythmic and repetitive they are also easy to memorize so they are often a child's first sentence.

Nursery Rhymes use patterns and many even use counting, size and weight which helps with math skills and they tell a story with a beginning, middle and end which teaches sequence and how to follow along.

Children benefit both physically, and emotionally as well since they develop coordination, self confidence and learn to express themselves as they act them out.

With all the great benefits that nursery rhymes have for our kids I enjoy them even more when I share them with my three. If you want to apply this to the learning triangle you can watch Barney, or a video that uses rhyming, talk about and recite your favorite rhymes, and then act them out or make a book of the rhyme together.

Afraid of Color? Don't Be.

2011-07-08T08:03:00.006-04:00

After a conversation with one of my SIL's, I realized that a LOT of people do not have a natural knack with color, at least when it comes to their wardrobe, this certainly explains the sea of black and brown when I go to church. You see I grew up with both parents being artists and so it never occurred to me that neutral was not merely a personal decision but a common fear of getting colors wrong. I've definitely seen color go wrong like when a classmate chose hunter green and hot pink for her wedding because she was sure that any red and any green ALWAYS go together, the result was truly painful to look at. There is a full proof way to avoid such mistakes though, use a picture, painting or print that you really like for inspiration, a printed cloth is the easiest since even a tiny amount of the inspirational print will help tie the whole look together. Here's an example:

This headband has teal, aqua, black, white and a little bit of pale yellow so you could pair it with this outfit and a yellow skinny belt or yellow clutch purse. I love teal and teal and yellow is a great color combination.

I'll be posting more color combination ideas as well as some "What I Wore" pics as further inspiration as well.

An Easy Principle for Teaching Our Kiddos

2011-06-28T12:15:00.000-04:00

I took a wonderful class that taught a lot about how you can create a full and rich learning environment for your children by using what she called "A Triangle for Learning". Here is the basic idea:

An example: You see an episode of "Curious George" (Season 1 Eps. 11 "Animal Magnetism") about magnets and talk to your child a little bit about what they thought of the show. Later you read a book about magnets like "The Wiener Dog Magnet by Hayes Roberts" which is a very funny story about a wiener dog magnet that attracts actual wiener dogs and discuss it a little bit. You can make a trip to the library for this or already have a book on hand, it's a lot of fun either way but making a special trip to the library every so often for a book about something your child has seen can really make your child feel extra special too. Now that you've done the first two you can do a fun activity about magnets, it can be as simple as letting your child play with refrigerator magnets and see what they will stick to or you can get other ideas from books like "Mudpies to Magnets" or from websites, You can also get a Magnetic Discovery Board or make one yourself.

You don't have to follow in that exact order, or even all in the same day, as long as you do all three, relatively soon, there are benefits for each so do what works for you.

New Fav Dress Shop

2011-06-17T18:46:00.000-04:00

I can't even begin to tell you just how much I love their dresses, I wish I owned one of each of them. They are fun, flirty, and modest with a nod to the old days and still plenty modern, they even have dresses for girls, YAY!!!

I love all of them so much that I'd be very hard pressed to find a favorite there's the Amethyst or Azure Coast (same dress different colors), Da Vinci, Joie De Vivre, and the Marseilles is the dress that first caught my eye and got me hooked but right now my heart is with the Joie De Vivre at the moment, it is the color I'm looking for, easy to breastfeed with and GORGEOUS!

Not only do they have great dresses but they have skirts, swimsuits, aprons and accessories. Can I just say AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Do You Hate Your Body?

2011-06-03T14:15:00.000-04:00

So many women do, why is that? Our bodies create new life, they nourish tiny babies and care for our loved ones, they step up to the plate and keep going on little to no sleep or care because we ask them to. Our bodies are what they are in part because of these things and yet instead of praising our bodies for all that they give us we focus on what we don't like. Here's a great post by Ev'Yan at
"Sex, Love & Liberation" about our amazing bodies.

Remember "Flock of Seagulls"?

2011-06-01T14:12:00.000-04:00

I do and I don't think my baby appreciated it either, do you?

Obsessed With Treasuries?

2011-05-20T18:55:00.000-04:00

Yep, that's me, it's so fun and easy and it only takes a little while to put one together, I promise that I'll temper my obsession though and work on bringing back some variety to this blog.

Aqua and Rose Treasury

2011-05-20T18:50:00.000-04:00

I love this color combination, it reminds me of babies, spring, a garden by the beach, and Victorian romance, it's a classic and it's lovely.

Check out my Etsy Treasury Here

Gorgeously Gratifying Green

2011-05-19T19:27:00.000-04:00

Here's my new green treasury.

Teal Treasury

2011-05-17T13:11:00.000-04:00

Here is my treasury to honor that tantalizing color TEAL

Why Kids Don't Need Toys

2011-05-17T12:12:00.000-04:00

I am a bit of a minimalist when it comes to a lot of things and toys are one of them, yet even with the few toys my kids have they spend most of their play time playing with things that certainly weren't intended to be toys. Here are a couple of pics of my kiddos pretending to be robots. ( Sorry I didn't rotate the first one.)

Two Treasuries

2011-05-12T13:39:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd make an Etsy treasury list for each of the colors I featured in my "Flattering Colors" post so you can see even more of why these colors are so great. The first two are Captivating Coral and Elegant Eggplant with the rest coming soon.

And Now I have Three

2011-05-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

Without further ado here is my newest addition with her two big sibs.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get around to posting pics of my new addition, we were staying at my mom's until recently and I didn't have my card reader or my computer available so the only pictures I could post were from my phone and none of them were quite good enough for me. (I was also exhausted for the first little while after having her but that only accounts for the first month and she's 3 1/2 months now.)

Her birth went so smoothly that I only pushed once(ish) and she was out, I'm very grateful to her for making life with three about as easy as it could be, it's harder than two was for me but I'm loving almost every minute of it.

More pics will be coming soon.

My First Blogger Award and a New One As Well

2011-05-04T17:30:00.005-04:00

I got this last week from "Curiouser and Curiouser" a darling blog that I love

so I was very flattered that she would give me this award

There are rules to the Versatile blogger award which are below:

*Thank the person who gave you the award by linking back to them in your post

*Tell us seven things about yourself

*Award Fifteen recently discovered new bloggers

I think it's a great way to spread the love and introduce you to some new people as well, so here we go:

Seven Things About Me

I absolutely LOVE being a Mom, it's hard, it's never boring, and the rewards are priceless.
I love learning new things, how to do things, why things are, how things work, pretty much anything.
I am a huge fan of the new "Doctor Who" Matt Smith, he's the best one ever!!
I love to read.
I love foreign films
I love Ethiopian, Persian and Indian food.
I love to people and helping them, my dream would be to be able to do so in a large scale through the internet or TV.

Fifteen Newly Discovered Blogs

Instead of giving out the original award I'd like to start a new one called the "You Inspire Me Award" and give it to the bloggers that inspire me in different ways.

To Daydream: Mila's Daydreams

To Make the Best of Things

To Give of My Time and Talents: Design Freebies

To Cook with Daring:

To Make New Friends: Living Graciously

To Create:

To Be In Love:

To Enjoy Life:

To Be a Better Homemaker:

What blogs inspire you? Why not tell them?

Mothers Day Sale

2011-05-02T12:14:00.000-04:00

For the entire month of May I'm having

a sale for10% off of everything when you put in

the coupon code WELUVMOMS at my Etsy shop

Creation Addiction

Almost Neutral Colors That Will Look GREAT on Everybody

2011-04-28T14:16:00.004-04:00

Don't you get sick of wearing mostly Black, Brown, Beige, etc. I certainly do and there are plenty of colors out there that look great on every skin tone and are "almost" neutral because they go with almost every other color out there so they are also easy to accessorize.

I love all of these colors but my very favorite right now would be:

TEAL

Getty Images blog has a great post about this color from January 2009 and Real Simple had an article about it and the other colors and it looks great with pinks and red like you can see here with My Corner of the WWW.

Greens, purples, browns, golds; notice a theme here, it looks great with practically every color out there, especially very saturated or very soft shades. I just LOVE it.

The next color I'm loving right now that looks great on everyone is also Pantones "Color of the Year" for 2011 they are calling it Honeysuckle but I would call it:

CORAL

Isn't it just lovely? You can buy those stunning bangles here. It's great for makeup, clothes, home decor, it's bright and springy, and really perks up everything around it.

It looks Tropical with blues, bright and citrusy with yellows and greens, you can't help but like a color that is so perky and energizing.

Eggplant

is another color that looks great with everything,

I even used it with green for my wedding.

Here it is with orange,

of course yellows are gorgeous and I love it with another color in the Real Simple list, Blush.

Nature has it's own neutral and I love it as well

GREEN

Any green that is bright and saturated like a nice green leaf will go with pretty much anything but emerald and hunter green are probably the most universally flattering. Can you think of a color that green doesn't look great with? I sure can't.

Last but not least I do really love a beautiful deep saturated BLUE

I could have thrown this in with Teal but it's not really the same.

I also agree with Real Simple about Red and Blush or Mellow Rose but I figure that I don't really need to add them here since they did a great job of it already.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lirola?ref=pr_shop

Falling Off Shoulders of Giants

2011-01-21T07:15:00.001-05:00

I don't want this post to come off as a long lecture so I'll keep it really short.

It seems to me that we are becoming a society that is more and more enthralled with who and what is popular or sensational at the moment and less and less concerned with what has come before us and what we can do for those who come after us.

I just want to pose this question.

How can we stand on the shoulders of giants if we aren't even aware they existed in the first place.

A Great Read

2011-01-18T22:14:00.002-05:00

I had only heard of this Grimm's fairy tale once before a long time ago

and then recently my mom recommended this book to me. It was so beautifully written that I was captivated instantly by the artistry of it. There are very few writers anymore who understand that writing is truly an art and that the very shaping of the words can be as beautiful as any painting but here is one woman who not only understands it but is willing to go through over a dozen full rewrites in pursuit of just that and in my opinion she succeeded.

This next book is basically a sequel but focuses on a different character "Enna". Also beautifully written I highly recommend it as well, in fact in some ways I liked it better but you'd be a little lost on a few things if you don't read "Goose Girl" first.

I know I haven't given a lot of information to go on but trust me, you'll love them.

Sorry

2011-01-13T12:21:00.000-05:00

What with moving and a new baby due any day now I haven't been blogging, or even reading all your wonderful blogs, for a while but now that I can use my DH's laptop hopefully I will find time to blog at least once a week. I'd love it if any of you would like to guest post as well, esp. since it'll take all my energy just to take basic care of my three kids for the first couple of weeks after the baby gets here.

I'm working on a new post now, let's se how long it takes me to post it.

A Little Love

2010-11-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

Click For File

Pumpkin Curry and the Joys of Tofu

2010-11-22T08:26:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of my Yummy Pumpkin Curry all finished.

Doesn't it look SUPER YUMMY

All I did was bake a small pumpkin until tender and cut it into cubes, then I added a jar of

"Patak's" Masala Sauce

a can of Coconut Milk

and some extra Lime Juice just because that's how I like it.

From there you can add cooked chicken, shrimp, or the kids and my personal favorite:

Pan fried extra firm Tofu

I actually cut up the tofu into small cubes and pan fry it when I get it and then keep it in the fridge to add to meals or for the kids to snack on, they love it, it's so easy. The best part is that if you do this then instead of slimy, mushy, almost flavorless gunk you get really firm, almost cheesy, cubes that add a great texture and tons of healthy protein to any meal because frying it up cooks out the extra water. For those of you who swear that you don't like tofu, you have to try it this way, it's the only way that I will eat it because I refuse to eat anything I don't like.

Fashion Friday -Make your own Accessories-

2010-11-19T08:11:00.002-05:00

Disney made this DARLING hat from a cardigan for her daughter but it could just as easily be made for you.

and another from Disney

for these awesome headbands

another great hair accessory from "The Crimson Owl"

"A Lemon Squeezy Home" has a few great belt tutorials, here's one that's easy and versatile

Some gorgeous earrings from Sachiko

I am in love with these enamel flower pins from "Jane Avion" and they can easily be made into earrings or barrettes, or other such things.

Here's a simple vintage inspired beaded necklace from "Somewhat Simple"

and a fun necklace inspired by plastic cups that I just had to include by "Aunt Peaches" there are just too many ways I can think of to have fun with this one.

So many great ideas and so little time and energy to do them. I also wanted to show you a great tutorial I found where you turn a plastic headband into a cuff bracelet but I can't seem to find it so if any of you know what I'm talking about and have the link please share.

I have plenty of jewelry that I've made that I'll have to show you sometime as well.

That's Not Playdough

2010-11-16T12:58:00.001-05:00

Part of me wishes I'd taken a picture of this before cleaning her up but I walked into a cute little scene of my daughter making snakes with playdough only to realize that it wasn't playdough that she was using but her own poop. YUCK!!!!!!!! Big brother even piped in and said "Look Mommy, it has seeds in it."

Menu Monday - Sprucing Up Old Standbys

2010-11-15T08:21:00.001-05:00

My kids and I love many of the simplest meals but they can seem a bit boring sometimes and so there are lots of little things I do to give them a simple twist with only a few new things thrown in. Here are a few ideas of things I've done, what are some of your favorite ways to easily turn a boring basic into something a little more exciting?

Tuna Fish and Egg Salad Sandwiches:
It can be as simple as tuna fish or hard boiled eggs mixed with a little mayo on bread or you can use some of these ideas to give it a little more flavor. You can do just one or a few.

Lemon Pepper
a bit of Mustard and Paprika turns egg salad into Deviled Egg Sandwiches
Celery Seed
Turn it into a melt with Toast and a slice of Cheese melted on top
Micro Greens, like broccoli sprouts
Relish, mixed with a touch of mustard and celery seeds makes it taste like a creamy summer salad
Fancy Mustard, like Dijon or honey, mixed in or spread on the bread
Bacon
Tomato Slices
Fresh Herbs like Basil, Chives, Parsley, Cilantro, Thyme
Cucumbers, sliced on top or diced and mixed in.
Radishes, sliced on top
Beets, my kids loved the pickled ones chopped up really fine and mixed in, it turns everything a pretty pink and adds just a little tang.

Macaroni and Cheese:

Most kids could practically live on it but there are lots of ways to change it up a bit, here are a few of my families favorites.

Tuna Fish and Peas, sometimes with Lemon Pepper added
Chili Mac
Broccoli
Cauliflower or Squash puree
Hot Dogs
Bacon
Ham

What are some other simple meals that you love and how do you spruce them up?

Car/ Quiet Book

2010-11-12T22:12:00.003-05:00

I decided that this long road trip for our move back west needed an activity book and as usual I couldn't just do it the easy way, I had to make one myself and now after all my hard work I've decided to share it with you, I'll give one personalized book away.
The personalization includes their name, a picture of the child's mom or dad or both and one other page with one of their favorite things on it. I will also make it age appropriate for ages two up to first grade.

So leave a comment with your email address so that I can contact the winner when I pick them in one week so that you can have it in time for Thanksgiving.

I'll send you the PDF file and then all you have to do is print it out, cut it into 4ths and put it together. I plan on laminating mine so that they will last longer but that's entirely up to you since you will have the file and can print off as many as you like.

You can also buy it from my Etsy shop "Creation Addiction"

Friday Fashion -Refashion-

2010-11-12T09:32:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted anything in a while but I thought I'd post some of my favorite "refashions" I've found recently. One of my favorite things about fashion is that you can always take something old and make it new again or something from blah to beautiful by just thinking outside the box and giving it a good solid Juj. (how do you spell that?)

So here are a few to inspire you to go into your closets, and everyone else's, and rev up those old pieces that you meant to get rid of but never did.

Here's a great one from "Make it and Love it" for sprucing up a plain t-shirt, you could even use it to cover up an old stain, you know you have at least one stained shirt you loved.

And here's a very elegant look that will hide a multitude of sins from "Welcome to the Good Life"

Sachiko from "Tea Rose Home" has this great tutorial to turn a boring sweater into a darling jacket.

"Simply Step Back's" Sweater dress is a must have for the cold weather.

Got an old mens dress shirt with a little pizzaz? Here's a great idea for your DD from "Made"

I hope these got your creative fashion juices flowing, maybe the next one will be for accessories, I saw a DARLING tutorial for a hat made from an old sweater that I can't wait to share.

My Handsome Hubby is 35 Today

2010-10-28T12:29:00.002-04:00

This is my DH and I just before we got hitched, my hair hasn't been that short since.

We met in LV and only dated for 4 weeks before we got engaged and 6 more weeks until we were married, I never thought I'd get married in such a whirlwind fashion but when you find your soul mate fast isn't fast enough, from the moment I met him it was like finally coming home, I could be 100% myself even the parts of me I didn't know were there. He still has that effect on me, when nothing else can bring me back to center he always can.

He drives me crazy sometimes but then I'm sure I drive him crazy at least as much and I wouldn't have it any other way. He challenges me, makes me face things I don't always want to and will talk with me until sunrise if I need to. He has more patience with my quirks then I thought was possible and he pitches in to help me out even when it's all my own mess and he's had a long hard day.

He may not be perfect but he's perfect for me and it's because of all his hard work and ambition that I get to be the SAHM that I always wanted to be.

I LOVE YOU!

I'm JINXED!!!

2010-10-28T12:02:00.000-04:00

So I just found out that my little, growing family will be moving BACK to Utah before this baby is born, this is 3 for 3 for me in moving while in my third trimester. I'm really going to miss Virginia and esp. my midwives and their huge jacuzzi birthing tubs.

I've really enjoyed being here in this beautiful state with all the wonderful people I've met but DH got an offer for a promotion that we just couldn't pass up so off we go again. I'll be busy as a bee organizing, packing and trying not to lose it until we make the move sometime before Christmas. DH has already jumped head first into the hiring process for his team and EG has already made an offer to his replacement so we're on the fast train and I didn't even think know we'd bought the tickets yet.

To my Darling DD

2010-10-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

Today my 2nd baby turns two years old, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes, two years ago today I was blessed not only with a beautiful baby girl but a very short and wonderful labor as well, she was born just 30 mins after getting into the room in the Midwifery Center.

I can still remember looking into her eyes for the first time the moment she was born, I caught her, and she was so completely content and wide awake, she didn't cry at all until they started messing with her and then she stopped the second they did. She's been that way ever since.

She does have her own funny quirks though, she will eat just about anything but her favorite thing is usually whatever you are eating right now, she is a natural at puzzles and she really goes out of her way to be understood when she has something to say. She loves "The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree" and has me read it to her several times every day, her favorite part is the shivers and she shiver right along with them. She loves hats, purses, pretty shoes, make-up, having her nails painted, she even sat still so I could put flowers on her big toes Saturday, she adores Dylan and will wear his clothes just so she can look like him.

Big Brother loves her just as much today as he did when he first saw her and didn't want anyone but him to hold her and he couldn't stop beaming and saying how much he loved her and how wonderful he thought she was.

Yesterday DH played tea party and play dough with the kids and I after she opened her presents and my heart melted all over again for every single one of them.

I don't know what the future holds for her but I can guarantee that she will march to the beat of her own drum and won't let anything get in her way when she sets her sights on something. I love watching her grow and feel so blessed to have this amazing person as such an integral part of my family.

I lova you Bug-A-Boo.

It's A GIRL!!!

2010-09-20T13:06:00.000-04:00

She was very cooperative, in a perfect position with her arms up and a little over her face, and her legs up and ankles crossed, so sweet. We even got to watch her swallow. It looks like she'll be born with only one kidney because she has two very large cysts in one of them but then she has an aunt who was born with only one also so it's most likely genetic; her heart looked so perfect that I couldn't stop staring at it.

Big brother totally lost it when he heard she was a girl, he had his heart set on a brother and Daddy had to take him out of the office because he was so loud, that's my sensitive little guy, so dramatic and emotional.

I'm actually really relieved to find out that the only complication is the kidney cysts, we'll have another ultrasound and a meeting w/ a Pediatric Nephrologist, I was actually more concerned about the possibility of a low placenta and having to have a c-section or that the baby would be really small, since I'm not showing much. All in all it was a good morning.

Half Way Mark!!!

2010-09-17T09:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my halfway mark in the pregnancy, I'm still really not showing that much, I look more like I just have a "mommy pouch" from my first two kids but I'm measuring correctly and this little one is moving around and kicking plenty. I actually wish I showed more but then it's not like it'll stay like this much longer anyway. I need to take pics so you can see.

It's all downhill from here, I haven't had a really bad day in several weeks and the ultrasound is on Monday, I can't wait to see this little one. : D

Girls Night at My House

2010-09-14T17:21:00.000-04:00

I was given the opportunity to host a Durex Girl Talk Party in October and I can't wait to get my stuff and start sending out the packages with free gifts to all my attendees. I'm hosting it as an in person and online party since so many of my friends and family are on the other side of the country so if anyone wants an invite just leave me your email and I'll send one your way.

Favorite Children's Books

2010-09-07T09:43:00.000-04:00

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE books from my childhood is "The Monster at the End of This Book", I love the story and all the great expressions that grover has throughout it, now I read it to my little ones and we do the expressions together and talk about eh feelings that Grover is having, like scared, exasperated, relieved, happy, embarrassed. It's their favorite book right now too, so we read it almost every day.

So what are some of your favorite children's books?

To My Wonderful DH

2010-08-30T15:46:00.000-04:00

I have an incredibly wonderful husband and I'll tell you why, I hate cleaning, I mean HATE, I've been trying to do better and using all the great advice from FlyLady has really helped but I'm just not there yet and what with how hard this pregnancy has been on me I've been doing worse about dishes and anything else that could possibly trigger my gag reflex with the only exception being my DD's diapers, I'm not that depraved.
So what has my DH's response been, esp. since he hates cleaning too? I'll tell you, he's been cleaning everyday for at least 5 min to take care of whatever is in most need of help and attention and then cleaning while I napped this weekend. He hasn't given me a hard time about the mess, he's just helped. It may not always be as much help as I need and he still won't touch the dishes, he hates them even more than I do, but as far as I'm concerned he's still my "knight in shining armor" for coming to my rescue and saving me from the mess that I've been either to tired or too nauseous to deal with. I think I'll keep him, what do you think?

DD and Her Independent Spirit

2010-08-30T09:33:00.002-04:00

You know that song "I Did it My Way"? well, that song sums up my DD pretty well, she knows who she is and what she wants and she'll do it all by herself if you give her half a chance and she's not even two yet.

This past Thursday she insisted on painting her own nails, well, about 3/4 since she's been right handed from six months old,

(all pictures are from my phone, sorry)

and then Friday, when she woke up she insisted on wearing one of her big brothers green t-shirts and tried to get him to change into another one so they could match and then proceeded to get one of my eyeshadow compacts and one of my eyeshadow brushes and brought them to me to see if I'd let her use it. I did, with supervision.

I figure that since she's determined to do it all on her her own anyway I'm better off moderating her efforts than constantly running after her yelling "NO" and finding new ways to keep her out of everything.

(This is her improvising a stool when none were around and

she wanted to play with the bubbles while I did dishes.)

It's a trash can.

I sure love my t-shirt and pearls kind of girl.

Tuesday Movies and Nanny McPhee

2010-08-25T11:08:00.000-04:00

Tuesdays at any Regal Cinemas location is only $5 all day so yesterday was a great day for me to take my kiddos since my dd generally gets too rambunctious and just can't sit through a whole movie. I figured that since I had liked the first Nanny McPhee pretty well and I love Emma Thompson that this one would be a good one to watch at a discount, not super high expectations but I was hopeful.

Well, my expectations were far exceeded, not only did I like this one better than the first but my dd actually sat through the whole movie with very little fuss, I hadn't even bought snacks to keep her happy. I actually cried at the end, I'm pregnant so I may be more sensitive than usual, it really was a great little family flick.
It was very well written and the imagery was just wonderful, I love how they use such bright saturated colors in everything. I give it three thumbs up one for me and one for each of my kiddos.

Souper Cheap Healthy Meals

2010-08-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here typing this while I eat my third bowl of soup, soup is an amazing food, it's comforting, it's filling, it can be hot or cold, creamy or brothy, or somewhere in between, it's really easy and you can make it with any flavors and ingredients you have on hand.

Today my soup was inspired by my kids favorite version of macaroni and cheese, with tuna and peas in it, I wasn't in te mood for a cheese soup and my son wanted couscous in it so I grabbed a can of cream of chicken soup, a can of tuna, frozen peas and whole wheat couscous. I dumped in the can of soup and two cans of water, I only wanted it a little creamy, about a cup of frozen peas and the can of tuna, water and all and put the burner on high. While I was waiting for the soup to come to a boil I threw in plenty of seasonings: Mrs. Dash, lemon pepper, ginger, garlic, onion powder, paprika, chile powder and some lime juice because I was craving citrus. As soon as it cam to a boil I stirred in a heaping 1/4 cup of couscous, turned off the stove and waited 5 minutes for the couscous to cook. VOILA!!! Totally healthy, yummy, filling soup in only 10 minutes. It would have been cheaper if I had simply added some milk and chicken bullion but I was out of milk and the soup was a nice shortcut.

Tuna and Pea Soup with Couscous

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup or milk and Chicken bullion's or broth
1 can of Tuna in water
1 C frozen peas
1/4 cup heaping of Couscous
Season as you prefer, if using a new spice or seasoning be sure to start with just a tiny bit until you get the hang of how much you like.

You could make the whole thing for just over $1 or a little over $2 depending on if you use the canned soup and what seasonings you use. Makes about 5 servings at about $.25-$.45 per serving.

A few other great soup recipes:

Minestrone

Tomato Juice
pasta, like macaroni, shells, wheels, farfalle, etc.
beans, like kidney, black eye peas, white, pinto, etc.
frozen veggie mix, I like the green bean, carrots and pea mix
Onion, diced and sautéed in the pan before adding the juice
Water
Herbs and Spices, to your taste.

You just need to add enough water for the pasta so that it doesn't make the soup too thick but you can cook the pasta separately or let it get thicker, it's up to you. It's really that easy.

Spinach and Bean Soup

Water
Milk
White beans or Black eye peas
frozen Spinach
Celery Seed, just a dash
Herbs and Spices how you like

I actually used cream of celery soup the first time I made it but it tastes great with the milk and celery seeds too. If you have a little one who loves the color green, like my son, you can puree the thawed spinach with a little water for a nice green color.

Chili

Taco Seasoning Mix
Cooked Beans
Tomato Juice
Ground Beef, Turkey or Chicken
Onion

Cook up the meat and onion then add the taco seasoning and let it heat up a bit to really bring out the flavor, add everything else, bring to a boil and you're done.

Cheesy Roasted Potato Soup

In a previous post HERE

Feel free to post your own favorite soup recipes in the comments.

How to Eat Healthy On a Very Tight Budget (part two)

2010-08-23T08:26:00.002-04:00

-- 11 Eat smarter not harder, smaller portions, eating protein first and high fiber last gets you full faster and keeps you full longer; knowing how much you actually need of each food group, like only 8 ounces of protein per day or only 1 1/2 cups of milk for toddlers, all helps you save money and be healthier too.

-- 12 Buy Generic food and store brands. They taste like brand name foods, sometimes better, but they’ll save you money on packaging & advertising.

-- 13  Buy supplements. They can be cheap and make your life easier but make sure the bulk of your diet consists of whole, unprocessed foods. Whey is the cheapest protein you’ll find, put some in a smoothie for a cheap but complete and filling breakfast. Fish Oil is cheaper than fish, so take them when your budget or palate doesn't allow them, just before bed to avoid the "fish burps". Vitamin deficiency is common, Vitamin D esp. right now, so taking a multi-vitamin can help you make sure that there aren't any gaps in your nutritional needs.

-- 14  Buy calorie and nutrition dense foods. Whole milk, potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat pasta & rolled oats are very filling. Fruits and veggies like blueberries and yams are high in nutrients.

-- 15 Always read the ingredients, avoid foods that are full of fillers instead of real food, like most ketchup has a lot of High Fructose Corn Syrup that is mostly there as a filler but Hunt's has one that has no added sodium or high fructose corn syrup and it tastes great too.

-- 16  Shop the discounts, meat, bread, and many other things go for a lot cheaper when they are getting close to their expiration or sell by dates, look for those first.

-- 17 Get the Customer Card and only shop at one place unless you are going there already, you may save a little going to that other store for a couple of items that are cheaper there but once you add the cost of gas, extra wear and tear on your car and the extra time you usually save more by just getting it all at once.

-- 18  *Play the "grocery game", clip coupons and use them in conjunction with sales to get the best price possible. There's a website called The Grocery Game that is a great way to get you started if you think you need help. I started there and now do it on my own and my grocery bills were cut in half while I was actually buying more.

-- 19  Check the unit price, it's amazing how often something looks cheaper but actually costs more when you break it down. Like two boxes of pasta, one is $.50 less but it is actually one ounce less which makes it more per ounce than the other box.

-- 20  Stop buying food out, make your own meals and take them with you instead. Taking your lunch to work, keeping healthy snacks like nuts in the car and your purse can save you from buying

-- 21 Stick to your list and eliminate impulse buying, the easiest way to do this is to do your shopping online and pick up your groceries or have them delivered, you'll save for more on the things you don't buy and the time and gas you save than you spend on the fees you pay for the service. Even if you can't do this make sure that you make a list and keep strictly to it, if it's not on the list it doesn't go in the cart.

*   (Although most of my recipes say how much they cost I am stating the cost without sales or savings, I haven't included how much I saved with coupons or anything I grew on my own.)

How to Eat Healthy On a Very Tight Budget (part one)

2010-08-18T11:18:00.001-04:00

--When you can buy a burger for a $1 or feed a family of 5 for $3.50 using cheap fatty meats and Hamburger Helper but it costs $4 for a bag of grapes or a package of spinach, and $3 for a bunch of broccoli, it can seem like eating healthy is only for those with plenty of $ to spend. I am here to tell you that this doesn't have to be the case, you can eat very healthy and spend less than you spend on the stuff the food industry passes off for food.

There are many things that add to this since most of us eat on plates the size that used to be our grandparents serving platters which gets us eating more than we actually need along with the fact that most of us are filling up on foods that don't give us what we need and so our bodies tell us we are hungry even though we've eaten lots of calories because our food is devoid of actual nutrition. (Did you know that an apple you buy in the store today has as many calories but only half the nutrition of an apple only 50 years ago? So even "healthy" food is lacking in nutrition unless you grow it yourself.) If you eat very much fast food and processed foods, those foods are also formulated to get you to eat and crave them more than you would if they were made more "homemade" style. All of this also has massive effects on our medical costs so we more than make up for what we save today on cheap "food" with what we spend tomorrow on Dr's visits, medication, surgeries, and lost quality of life.

--First thing you need to do when looking to save $ on your groceries while eating healthy is to flip the way we usually think of breakfast, lunch and supper. Instead of eating a big meal in the evening you should eat the way my mom taught me, she said "eat like a king in morning, a queen for lunch and a pauper at night." This way of eating is not only easier on our budgets but is great for our health as well. Proteins like eggs are cheaper than the meats we typically eat for dinner and since our blood sugar levels and metabolism are set in the morning, having a big healthy breakfast sets us up for success for the rest of the day.

--The second thing was already touched on, buying cheaper proteins like eggs, canned tuna, milk, ground beef, frozen chicken, cottage cheese and ground turkey.

--Third, rethink where you buy your food, buy in bulk, if you can't go through some of the things fast enough or it's too expensive to get started then find a friend or two to split it with, sometimes I can buy things at the wholesale clubs for just over half of what I'd pay somewhere else. You can also save a lot buy buying at closeout stores like a dollar store, I've gotten some great pickles at the dollar store.

-- 4  buy frozen and canned, frozen fruits and veggies can be up to half the price of fresh and since most of them are picked when fully ripe and then frozen right away they have more nutrition and flavor as well. Canned foods like beans, tomatoes, peaches, and tuna are great in recipes and on the wallet, canned tomatoes also taste better and have more nutrition as well.

-- 5  Buy whole unprocessed foods like plain yogurt, pasta, rice, beans, oil, nuts, oats, chicken, etc. You can buy these whole foods in bulk as well and store them, since they are your basics you can use them in almost any kind of meal.

-- 6  When buying fresh only buy what is in season.

-- 7  *Plant a garden, when you grow your own herbs, fruits and vegetables it not only saves you tons of money but it has other benefits as well, it can be very relaxing, it adds oxygen, it is very rewarding, and food you grew yourself tastes better and typically has about double the nutrition of fresh produce from the store. I only had a tiny concrete patio one year but I was still able to grow 4 tomato plants, 7 different herbs and lots of lettuce, all in containers. This cost me about $50 to get all the supplies but I had so many herbs that I dried plenty for the rest of the year, enough tomatoes to give away and can some, and the lettuce was so good that everybody I gave some to said that they had no idea lettuce could be so full of flavor and crunchy. I saved about $100 even after subtracting the food I gave away.

-- 8  Plan ahead, make a menu for the week or even month, plan your shopping after making an inventory of what you already have so that you don't buy multiples and waste food. Make double portions and then eat the leftovers soon, freeze them and eat them later or use them in another meal.

-- 9  Soda and other flavored drinks like punch, even juice, may taste great but they aren't so good for you, soda is the worst since it causes you to retain water, retards your absorption of oxygen, and caffeine is a diuretic so it makes you dehydrated. Even juice has the same calories as soda or punch so it's only good in moderation. Instead drink tap water, it's calorie free, really cheap and just what your body needs.

-- 10  Time is also money, keep it simple, instead of making complicated recipes save those for special occasions and make most of your meals with only about five ingredients.

To be continued.

*   (Although most of my recipes say how much they cost I am stating the cost without sales or savings, I haven't included how much I saved with coupons or anything I grew on my own.)

Roasted Potato Soup

2010-08-16T08:21:00.000-04:00

This is one of my family's absolutely favorite soups. It's super easy to make since I start off with leftovers from a previous breakfast. I start by getting my big pot out and saute half a chopped onion and celery in a pan, celery optional, and then I add chicken/ veggie stock, milk, canned cheddar cheese soup, actual cheese and those hash brown cubes you get in the frozen section of your grocery store that I've already cooked up nice and brown for breakfast the day or two before along with just a little bit of bacon. Now is the perfect time to throw in some veggies like broccoli or pureed veggies like cauliflower or yellow squash. Heat up slowly until bubbling and it's done. Top with bacon, a little more cheese and even a dollop of sour cream, as Rachel would say "Yummo".

A couple of tips: If you've ever read the ingredients to Kraft's Macaroni and Cheese you've seen that the cheeses they use are cheddar, parmesan, and blue, I know that the blue may seem counterintuitive but it really adds to the "cheddaryness" of the soup or sauce your making, I also ALWAYS use sharp if not extra sharp cheddar because you can use a lot less cheese and that means you get all the flavor without all of the saturated fats and no gross fats and oils floating on top of your beautiful soup.

I don't know the calorie count but the run down is:

$3 Hash Browns for two meals

$3 Bacon for two meals

$3 Stock

$1.50 Milk

$1.70 Cheddar Cheese soup

$ .50 Onion for two meals

$3 Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan and Blue Cheese

(you only need a little bit of the parmesan and even less of the blue)

Total= $15.70

Servings= about 8-10

which makes it:

$1.50 - $2 per serving

Morning Sickness Ends @ 13 Weeks My Foot!!!

2010-08-13T13:18:00.002-04:00

I've finally gotten over that nagging feeling that I'm going to throw up at any minute 24/7 but what hasn't let up at all and in fact has gotten worse is my gag reflex. Milk of ANY KIND can send me running for the toilet and since two toddlers drink milk at least twice a day I've had to resort to having my DH make up their milk cups for me so that the kids can get them themselves and I have as little contact with the stuff as possible. This sensitivity has posed many new problems, I have to take extra calcium supplements and an extra prenatal vitamin every couple of days.

In addition to my gag reflex I have also developed a very STRONG aversion to anything with sugar in it, this has also made me run to the bathroom to purge any of the sugar from my system and has denied me absolutely all of the sweet treats that I love of which the list is very short. I actually lost my sweet tooth years ago with only a few exceptions that I just could never pass up when available but now even these are just a faint memory until this "sugar allergy" finally goes away.

When you add to this already frustrating list a craving for all things protein, meats, nuts, beans, this has all the makings of a very interesting and very long pregnancy. On the bright side, I'll probably have plenty of funny stories to tell from it though.

Better Than Granola!

2010-08-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

I really LOVE yogurt with granola the only problem is that granola is high in fat and sugar and adding that to an already quite sugary fruit yogurt is just not a very healthy dish so I've been on the look out for an alternative that is at least low in fat, high in fiber and will give me that crunchy nutty flavor that is the whole reason I love granola in my yogurt in the first place.

Well, I finally found something that fits the bill perfectly for me, it's called Uncle Sam Cereal. It's made with toasted whole grain wheat flakes and flaxseed, it's high in Omega-3's and fiber and low in sodium and sugar (with less than 1g sugars). Best of all, the flakes and flaxseed stay crispy and crunchy. Of course I can't really say just how long they stay crunchy since I loved it so much that I gobbled it up pretty fast.

Bookworm Baby

2010-07-27T08:43:00.002-04:00

As a mom and pregnant woman I am really in love with babies right now and as a lover of books of just about all kinds I couldn't help but fall in love with this picture.

You can find lots more wonderful pictures of baby Mila's daydream pictures HERE.

It's Good To Be Home!

2010-07-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

After several weeks of vacation it feels SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD to be back home again. I will post more as soon as I get caught up with everything here but today will be filled with grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, and everything else that piles up while you're away.

BTW, I am pregnant, 12 weeks along.

Bath Towel Coverups from Crafterhours

2010-06-16T13:07:00.000-04:00

I found this through UCreate another favorite blog of mine and these are SOOOOOO cute that I'm just going to have to make some while I'm out here on vacation.

check it out HERE

Extended Vacation!!!!!!

2010-06-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Oh, the perks of being a SAHM!! I'm off on a long vacation with my kiddos, DH will be meeting up with us about halfway through, I'm visiting all my family out west until the 20th of July. I'm going to really try to get a few posts in while I'm out here but I'm not delusional so I'm not making any promises.

Needing a Little Love Today

2010-06-03T09:16:00.001-04:00

I've been feeling pretty awful for just over a week now, I'm sure it's because of my hormones since I miscarried last month and I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant again but I don't dare takt the test only to miscarry again since this would be my 6th, I just can't seem to keep it together today. I'm already crying and I HATE crying, there no logical reason for it, everything is going well in my life except that I feel like crap and my house is falling apart because of it. I'm usually messy anyway but I haven't had a single clean dish in days and I haven't eaten well in more because everything seems gross. Luckily my kids are wonderful and they seem to just take what they can get and give me lots of love no matter what is going on.

My poor family has had to deal with my short fuse for a while now and if I am pregnant it will only continue until I get past the worst part of the MS. I know it will get better, but it feels pretty overwhelming right now.

Thanks for listening to my pity party and whine.

I Can't Wait For Game Night!!!!

2010-06-02T21:19:00.000-04:00

I'm SO excited for my Game Night party, I just got the package today and I've decided to turn it into three nights since, I'll be travelling to see both my family and my in-laws for the next 6 weeks starting on Monday. I had to open the package as soon as I got it and I'm so excited about the new "Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It", it's still got the great stuff from the classic game but know you can also bet on whether of not you think the person will know the answer and can even buy a wedge with your chips if you want, which is good for me because there is always one wedge that I just can't seem to get.

I also got the Electronic Catch Phrase and Taboo games, along with plenty of great snacks to get the party started, I plan on having some fun prizes for the winners too, who doesn't love prizes. YEAH!!!

I can't wait to do more of these kinds of parties from House Party, they have so many great ones, like the Bulls Eye BBQ, Febreze Set and Refresh, Kraft Foods First Taste, etc. (I think DH will really go for the PS3 Party.)

Freckles and Reflections

2010-06-02T09:16:00.000-04:00

I love, love, LOVE that my DS has inherited my "sun freckles", that is, they only show up when we've been out in the sun a bit. They are very light but they are so sweet to me. DS is such a sweet clever little guy, he has an amazing ability to figure out a way to get what he wants, either by moving things to climb up, creating a tool that will do the job or "negotiating" with Daddy and me to get it for him. Although it doesn't always turn out the way he want's it to, I really love his ingenuity, persistance and imagination.

Here's my sweet Little DD with her serious thinking face on, her personality fascinates me, she can be SO serious and so silly, she's the one most likely to run around with underwear on her head to make us laugh and yet she has these quiet moments when she just sits thinking for a minute. She also ADORES her brother, she's the early riser and when he finally get up in the morning she runs up to him yelling his name and gives him a big hug. (*sigh* heart melting)

I feel like my life didn't really, fully begin until these precious babies came into my life, I had no idea how full my life and heart could be until they came in and burst it wide open.

Free Stop & Go Printable Game

2010-06-02T07:52:00.001-04:00

Here is today's free download.

(The link no longer works but if you send me a request I'd be happy to send the file your way.)

Free I SPY Game Page

2010-06-01T12:42:00.005-04:00

I SPY

I have been making things to keep my kids busy during the ALL DAY plane trip in a week and you can benefit.

My kids and I love I Spy, the books, the computer games, everything. This page is ideal for my 19 month old DD who would really struggle with overlapped or too small images. Just click on the picture to take you to download the file. I'll be posting other free activities throughout the rest of the week.

(The link doesn't work any more but if you leave a comment with your email and I'll send you the file and then delete your email so no one can send you spam.)

Unexpected Savings

2010-05-31T08:24:00.003-04:00

I forgot to mention my FAVORITE way to save $ at the grocery store last week but then you might not have believed me then either. So here it is!

Online Shopping and Delivery:

Who would think that by adding convenience and paying for it you'd actually save money too? But you do when you have you groceries "shopped" for you and even delivered. How, do you ask? Well, by NOT BUYING all those little extras that you would buy if you were AT the perusing the aisles while you shop for what you really need.

Did you know that a study was done on our grocery shopping habits and they found that the average trip to the store for just milk, eggs, and bread, which should cost you $5-12 costs $30, that's THIRTY DOLLARS, simply because we always pick up extra stuff we don't need but it looks good, it's on sale and why not? None of us need those extra things and that extra cushion around our middles and on our backsides that come from them.

I have been having my groceries delivered or at least done drive through pick up at the store since my son was born almost four years ago, at first I didn't use coupons or any of my other tips from last week on top of my groceries being delivered but I saved almost half of my bill from before and still got plenty of snacks and "extras". Now that I've added more ways of saving money, I've been able to lower my grocery budget and actually buy more food than I had before. I have a pantry that is always full with a small stockpile of the things I use the most, I never had extra left over before, and I don't have to constantly ask myself what I'm going to fix for dinner or stuff my kids with candy and treats to get them through a trip to the store.

Fashion Inspiration

2010-05-28T09:29:00.000-04:00

I get inspiration from a lot of different people, some famous, some personal friends, some great bloggers as well and it's from this category that I want to share one of my favorite fashion inspirations, Disney at Ruffles & Stuff makes and wears such wonderful things for both her and her daughter. Here are two examples:

Transformed Tank

Shirred Shirt Dress

Aren't they just wonderful? She's such a great example of taking inexpensive, and even thrift store, finds and turning them into gorgeous, fashionable clothes you're very proud to wear and feel oh so beautiful in.

The Way We Learn

2010-05-27T07:45:00.001-04:00

There are seven different ways that we learn according to Howard Gardner of Project Zero at Harvard University, all of us learn well with one or two while others may be really hard. Arming ourselves with this information we can help our children learn how to become better at learning anything by teaching them simple concepts using as many of these ways as possible.

The "Seven Intelligences" are:

Verbal/Linguistic
Logical/Mathematical
Visual/Spatial
Body/Kinesthetic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal

Although everyone learns well through the KINESTHETIC, or learning by doing, very few of us learn well with verbal lecture and since most teachers still use lectures to teach for our children to succeed in school they are going to need to get better at VERBAL LEARNING. You can also help them learn how they can teach themselves through other methods so that they aren't hindered by an instructors teaching method. We can give this gift to our children as we teach them by using all seven ways and paying close attention to what they respond to best.

Welcome

2010-05-26T10:20:00.002-04:00

If you want to be a part of Welcome Wednesday, just follow these 5 simple steps:

1. Follow the Welcome Wednesday Host (Take It From Me) as well as the 2 Spotlighted Blogs of the Week. (These will make up the top three slots on the Linky)

2. Link up your blog name and URL with our Linky. (You only need to add your info once for it to be seen on all the blog hops)

3. Grab our Welcome Wednesday button and include it in a post about the event on your blog.

4. Go to as many blogs on the MckLinky as you want and Follow them. Be sure to tell them you are from Welcome Wednesday!

5. Be sure to Follow back any followers you have gained from our Welcome Wednesday event!

Why I Started Blogging

2010-05-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

Well, the real reason that I started this blog was that I was invited to do a few little spots on a TV show in Utah called Studio 5 back when they were just getting started and I wanted to have a place that the viewers could go to get a little bit more information if they were interested. Then life happened and I stopped doing anymore spots and we moved, I had another baby, etc. so I wasn't doing anything on the blog for quite a while and then one day after I had started selling a few odds and ends on my Etsy shop I decided that there were all these things that I thought about, learned about, etc. that I knew other people could use so I decided to get my butt back in the blogging groove and start up again. It's been a lot of fun since then and though it's always a bit slow going at first I only blog about things I love so it doesn't matter if only 2 people read it or 2000, I'm enjoying myself every step of the way.

Thanks Kristin for your always fun questions.

Check out the other great answers at her Windy Poplars site

HERE

Pictures by My Son

2010-05-25T07:44:00.001-04:00

I love to see the world through my children's eye's and letting my son take pictures is always an adventure for both of us, the things he wants to take pictures of are always so important to him and mostly really funny to me, like the picture below.

Nice shot of my butt, don't you think? Yeah, not one of my favorites but I love that he always wants to take pictures of us and that we're wonderful to him at any angle. When I saw the picture though I talked to him about getting close ups so that you can really see what the subject is, not in those exact words, this was the result.

I could have edited his pictures or at least cropped myself out but I want you to see EXACTLY what he did and I couldn't not post my daughters darling expression, she just adores her big brother.

Saving $ On Your Proteins

2010-05-24T13:34:00.002-04:00

I consider protein to be an essential part of every diet, esp. for kids, but I don't like spending a ton of money on it, and I don't like buying something I I feel was raised in an inhumane and unclean environment. So, I opt for the less expensive proteins for most of my meals, soy, beans, nuts and eggs. Because I get most of my proteins from them I can afford to spend the extra money on cage free eggs and free range, grain and grass fed meats. It also helps that I know I only need 7-8oz. of protein a day so, I'm not loading up on them instead of my fruits and veggies which I need 5 cups of a day.

I'm not a vegetarian, clearly, but that is one way I can save money and eat healthy at the same time.

Stretching Your Grocery Dollar

2010-05-24T08:25:00.004-04:00

No recipe today, instead I thought I'd share with you some great tips. There are several great ways of saving money and frustration when it comes to feeding your family and the more of them you use the more you can save.

Coupons-

This is the most common and obvious way to save $ but there are two ways of doing it and one way will save you hundreds while the other saves you dollars. The most common way of using coupons is to simply use which ever ones you feel like buying at the time, the other way is to make it a game and really use the coupons in conjunction with sales and double and triple coupon days to buy your items for pennies on the dollar and sometimes even free.

A great resource to get you started is The Grocery Game where for only $10 for 8 weeks you can get a list of all the best deals for your store and which coupons to use from your mailed coupons and Sunday paper coupons. With getting only the Sunday paper delivered or at the dollar store being $1 per week the cost to you is $2.25 per week. I saved over $100 dollars my first week alone and only spent about $100, so it's well worth the investment.

Meal Planning-

Planning out your menu ahead of time saves you so much time and frustration as well as $. Just think of all the time you spend staring in your fridge, freezer and pantry trying to figure out what you can make for dinner, and even breakfast and lunch. Well, if you simply make a list of all the meals you can think of that you generally make for those meals then in no time at all you can plan out your meals one, two, four weeks at a time. No more wasted time wondering what to fix and no more wasted food because you forgot it was there or just never got around to using it.

If you need help coming up with great recipes for your meal planning Bust-a-Meal will email you a meal plan every week based on your diet preferences and you can even get the shopping list along with the recipes.

Mise En Plus-

Mise en plus is a french term that means "everything in it's place" and in the culinary world it means having everything ready before you get started so that you can work quickly, that means pre-chopping, pre-measuring, and having every tool you'll need set out and ready when you start to cook. How does this translate into saving you money? Well, if you buy items, like peppers, unprepared and prepare them yourself then you can get them at a lower price and then use them as you need them. For example, I love cooking with bell peppers, so I stock up when they are on a really good sale and clean, chop and freeze them so that I have lots of them ready for me to use exactly the amount I need at any time. (Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet first and then put them in freezer bags so they're easy to use and not frozen in a solid lump.)

Not all foods are cheaper to buy unprepared, for example sliced fresh mushrooms cost the exact same as whole, so if you are going to use them sliced you might as well buy them that way.
Prepping your food early in the week means that you save a lot of time and frustration when meal time comes around.

Recipe Redo-

If you plan on using a specific ingredient or dish that usually has leftovers when you are done then you can save $ by using what's left over in another meal. Use that roast to make a stew, stroganoff or sandwiches, use left over baked potatoes to make potato salad or twice baked, use your stir fry to make eggrolls and the rice for rice pudding or cereal, use that chicken for a salad, use, well, you get the idea.

I hope that these tips help you to stretch your grocery dollar in ways that you haven't before, $ saved in one area means it can be used in another.

We Love Pasta!

2010-05-24T08:02:00.000-04:00

The kids and I love pasta, it's fast to cook up, it's easy for the kids to eat with a fork or their hands and if the sauce is thick, it doesn't make a big mess. This dish here is just my lazy version of Beef Stroganoff, I use Cream of Mushroom soup with some sour cream and milk for the sauce, beef pot roast from a previous meal and green beans, I know it seems weird, maybe even gross, but I just love green beans in my stroganoff, if you don't then just put them on the side. I put in plenty of onion and a little garlic, fresh or powdered, and there you have it, "Lazy Mans Beef Stroganoff". I'm pretty sure the whole thing cost me about $3.50 if you don't count the left over roast and about $5-6 if you do. It fed my kids and me twice which makes it servings for 4-6, so that's only $0.21-1.50 per serving.

My New Favorite Shoes

2010-05-19T15:28:00.003-04:00

I have to say that I am really surprised at just how much I really do love my new shoes, I got them two weeks ago and have worn them everywhere. They feel great, they look great and you can throw them in the dishwasher if they get dirty, I even wore them to church and a friend remarked that she thought they were leather.

Since I also love sales I'm telling you all about them now because they are having a 20% off sale, until Monday the 25th, and some of my very favorite styles and colors are discounted so now is the time to check them out and snatch up a great pair.

Go To: www.shoesthatloveyou.com

Use the promo code: MORECOLOR

Why I Share...

2010-05-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

I know that I have a tendency to come off rather dry at times, and I really wish that I was better at that, but I want you to know that I really love all of you, my family and friends and even those I don't really know, I love knowing that you're on this journey with me and that you have a lot of the same hopes and dreams, questions ans concerns, thoughts and ideas, wishes for our children, etc. that I do. I listen to my friends and I watch them and I see whats going on in the world and I hope that I can help in some small way with things that I do, have learned, and can share in some small way.

I share my cooking...
because I see so many of my friends doing the best they know how to feed their children delicious, nutritious meals and yet they still struggle because they were brought up with their moms cooking things like casseroles made with mostly canned ingredients that are LOADED with sodium and preservatives and they just don't know how to cook any other way or how good and fast cooking with fresh ingredients can be.

I share my "Fashion Tips"...
because I see so many beautiful women with closets full of mediocre clothes that don't fit too well in the name of saving money instead of saving money by making every dollar really count and only buying what they love and feel beautiful in.

I share what I create...
because Who DOESN"T love to show of what they've done? But really, I love to share what I've done so that it can also inspire others.

I share all of this and everything else because in my own small way I hope that what I share has helped you and that I have helped your world be a slightly better place.

Creamy Tomato Sauce & Penne

2010-05-17T08:51:00.000-04:00

My kids and I love pasta and sauce, so most days are some variation of that, for tomato sauces I always add a big dollop of tomato paste because the thicker sauce makes less mess and it also means more concentrated tomato goodness. I am on a spinach kick lately so this sauce is tomato paste, cream cheese, a little chicken stock to thin, herbs and spices, and a little spinach. I thought it looked a little boring with just the sauce and pasta so I added a little cheese for the pictures but you really don't need it. The best part is that the whole big pot of it only cost me about $3 and serves 4, which makes it $0.75 per serving, YEAH!!!

I don't know the calories, but I only put about 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese so it's still very figure friendly.

Fashion Friday - Why Quality is Worth the Cost

2010-05-14T08:15:00.003-04:00

I found this NY Times article through DailyWorth.com and it really explains well why a pair of khaki pants are really worth $550. Although I doubt that I'll ever be able to afford anything that pricey it is a great reminder that "investment pieces" really are worth it if you take your time to find those perfect pieces that will be with you for a long time.

A Perfect Pair of Khakis

2010-05-14T08:01:00.000-04:00

Everyone needs a really great pair of Khakis & these by Michael Kors fit the bill, you can dress them up, down and they are great all year round. Now, all you need is is a super cute print top to go with them, like this from DKNYC

or these from Mod Cloth

Or even these from Kmart

and speaking of Kmart, they've got lots of super cute baby girl dresses for less than you could make them for, like these:

Summer Reading Fun

2010-05-12T10:09:00.000-04:00

I've started the group on good reads and I've found a great book to start us off:

Now I just need your email to invite you to our goodreads group. There is one other option that I plan on doing next, it's a free for all, from picture books to big, thick novels, the only requirement is that you tell us about it.

Kindred Connections -Summer Fun

2010-05-12T09:05:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the week again, I just love Kristin's questions and all the great posts by everyone who participates that I'm just going to have to do this again.

1. How do you most like to entertain during the summer (pool party, picnic, cookout, etc.)? - Or if your situation doesn't allow for entertaining right now, what do you look forward to being able to host?
2. Do you have a favorite summertime dessert?
I really love to have people over, whether it's just to hang out or for a big ol' Shin Dig, I'm all for it. My favorite thing to do during the summer is a cookout, my DH runs the grill and makes his amazing salsa and I get to make my absolutely favorite dessert, sliced baguettes with Nutella fresh raspberries and whipped cream. It's light, fresh, easy and oh so yummy; after all the heavy bbq and sides it's also the perfect finish.

3.What is your best outdoor summer date idea?
Any date with my DH is wonderful but I really love to go down to the beach with him and just talk.

4. Share any outdoor decorating tips/ideas you have...
I'm afraid I'm not the "perfect" hostess because when it comes to decorating, I don't. I find it fun to think up and get the decorations but when it comes to adding that to everything else for the party then I just get stressed, esp. because then I'm trying to keep them away from my kiddos, so I just skip them for stress free fun, maybe I'll get better at that though.

5. What will we find you wearing most in the summertime?
One of my jersey dresses, I'm in love with dresses right now and jersey dresses are perfect for summer, I just got the Old Navy ones that I featured in a Fashion Friday Finds post and I have been wearing them a lot, for $10.99 who cares if they only last me til the end of summer? I also got the purse and a super cute zebra print belt that was on clearance at Target for only $5. I love it when I find great things at super great prices.

Now go to her website and checkout all the other great posts there.

Green Eggs

2010-05-10T08:00:00.003-04:00

My son LOVES eggs and the color green so I used this opportunity to make him "Green Eggs". I've made them for him lots of different ways, a spinach quiche, fritatta with green peppers, omelet with pesto, etc. Today I made them literally green by blending frozen spinach into the eggs and using them to make scrambled eggs, this is actually the second time I've made them and they were such a hit the first time that there wasn't anything left for pictures so I made Dylan take pictures before he could start eating them.

I just put the spinach, eggs and cheese into the blender with a little milk and blended until smooth, then I added some garlic and onion powders with a little salt and pepper. once it started cooking I added a little more cheese. I used Feta because I love feta with spinach but use what you like. The ratio was almost 1/1 eggs and spinach but again do it how you like, it does have extra moisture so you have to cook off the extra moisture once the eggs are cooked but I just put my burner on high, kept stirring and it was all done in a couple of minutes.

One serving has:

2 eggs- 180 calories $.22

1/4 ounce cheese- 20 calories $.13

1/2 cup spinach- 15 calories $.80

splash of milk- @ 15 calories $. ?

herbs and spices- 0 calories $. ?

Total

230 Calories $1.15 per serving

A Little Light Summer Reading Anyone?

2010-05-08T21:46:00.000-04:00

A friend of my from BlogFrog, Kristin, and I have decided it would be fun to have a summer reading group. We will be reading only short, fun, easy books, at least to start, with a weekly discussion question you can answer at any time during the week and a chat at the end of the month for anyone who wants to really talk about the book with everyone. No specific book has been decided on yet so if you have any suggestions let me know.

I can't wait to get started, how about you?

Fashion Friday- Etsy Finds

2010-05-07T07:59:00.001-04:00

Here is a dress that I'm coveting from Lirola, can you tell I'm in love with dresses right now, I promise my next post won't be another dress though. This dress is so versatile, not only in how you can wrap it but in how you can dress it up, down, with a jacket or blazer, it's just such a great classic piece and with the great material she uses and all the care that goes into it you can be sure that you'll get a lot of value out of this one piece wonder. (It'd be wonderful for traveling too.)

And this darling little headband from The Mustard Seed Co's is so sweet, you could wear it with so many outfits it's the perfect hair accessory to have on hand.

And of course I can't help but point out that my necklace kit would be a great addition to this look but then I am a bit biased.

I'm leaving out shoes and purses this time because there are too many options that I can think of that would really set off this combination and I just can't commit to only one or two.

A few of my favorite fashion tips

2010-05-07T07:40:00.000-04:00

Always use at least one classic piece to "anchor" your look.

If one item really makes a statement, then keep everything else fairly minimal. (I really like using one "Statement" piece.)

Don't make everything "match", think more coordinate. If you struggle with this then have one item with a print that you can "pull" colors from like a floral print skirt and then pick out two colors in it to use in your other pieces.

Never wear more than one trend at a time.

Your hair is an accessory too.

Take your time, never buy something just because it's a great deal, buy it because it fits you well and you love it.

So what are some of your favorite tips? What questions do you have? What would you like me to cover, I have a whole thing on "Dressing for Your Age" but I don't want to post it unless there are plenty of people interested. I'm at your service, just tell me what you want to see here.

Who Knew?

2010-05-05T12:49:00.001-04:00

I had no idea that Wednesdays were such a busy link party day but I saw too many that I loved and so here comes another one. This one is from Sachiko at Tea Rose Home and it's a project one which is great for me because that means PICTURES!

Here is the Teddy Bear I made my DS!

I made the pattern and then traced it onto the fleece and sewed right on the pattern line, I get much better lines this way and it goes faster.

Here's it is with my DS holding it, it's not finished in this photo because he couldn't wait to hold it and play with it so I gave in and let him have it and then finished it while he was sleeping.

It turned out so well ans was so easy that I put the pattern up for sale on my Etsy shop and now it comes with an adaptation for a bunny and I just finished making a pattern for an elephant that I am hoping to have up in about a week. (here's a preview)

Thanks for hosting such a fun party Sachiko, check out her party here.