Anthologie

Apple Chicken Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers

2012-03-06T08:01:00.002-06:00

Maggie went through a period where she LOVED chicken sausage. They were an easy thing to stock in the freezer and pull out for lunch. Then, true to toddler form, one day she just was not a fan anymore. So, I had some chicken sausage to use up - this did the trick.

Apple Chicken Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Source: Johnsonville Sausage
*Many companies make apple chicken sausage - we have used both Johnsonville and Trader Joes - however, I don't think anything would be lost by using other flavor varieties of chicken sausage if you wanted a less sweet dish.

1 cup rice
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
2 tsp olive oil, divided
salt and ground black pepper
1 pkg.(12 oz.) Chicken Apple Sausage, sliced on thin bias
1-1/2 cups onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
8 oz.cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup red apple, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1. Prepare rice according to package directions substituting chicken broth for water.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds and veins. Rub peppers with 1 teaspoon olive oil and slightly salt and pepper the inside.

4. Place peppers cut side up in a baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes or until peppers are tender.

5. Meanwhile heat remaining teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté sausage until lightly browned.

6. Add onions and celery and continue to sauté 4 minutes.

7. Add mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender.

8. Add cranberries, apple, apricots, raisins, sage, and oregano. Cook and stir until fruit is softened, about 5 minutes.

9. Stir in cooked rice and heat through.

10. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

11. Fill prepared peppers with sausage/rice mixture. Serve

Oh What Fun (with Pink Eyes)!

2012-03-05T08:19:00.006-06:00

Last week, Maggie was the lucky recipient of pinkeye. We were sort of waiting for it to happen since the kids at her babysitter's house had it. We kept her home one day due to this, however, the bug still found us. We came home on Thursday night to find a goopy pink-eyed Mags.

Even though I read online that most pinkeye is viral and thus just has to run its course, we took her to the walk-in clinic to make sure. Apparently we aren't the only ones who attempt to self-diagnose - the physician we saw said that everyone making an appearance in the clinic that evening cited "Dr. Oz". ha ha ha. She prescribed the eyedrops as we guessed. The eyedrops are a pain to put in, however, four days out, I will say that they do get easier. Unfortunately, the vial that they come in is uber-tiny and thus I don't know that we are going to get to the 7 day mark with enough drops. I wasted about half a bottle of them the first night! Friday morning, Maggie woke up with totally clear eyes. AWESOME. We were lucky in that she had it in both eyes at the same time. We were also lucky that Nate and I did not get it...knock on wood. However, the physician recommended that I wear my glasses for a few days just in case.

I have to say that the whole thing was much less of a big deal that I was worried about. Save for the one day of goopy eyes and the eyedrop routine, you would not have known that Maggie had anything - she was still in a good mood, etc. The doctor mentioned that sometimes kids will get an ear infection with pink eye, however, we escaped that. Phew!

Friday night we had a snowstorm of sorts and woke up to "No" (Maggie-speak for snow. Ever so slightly different from "no" as in NO - it's all about the context, people!). My brother and niece invited us over to their house to go sledding. First we had to get through swim lessons!

We signed Maggie up for swim lessons again. Our first round of lessons occurred last spring when she was 6 months old. Basically we sang songs and held them in the water. I didn't really know if it was worth doing that again since she would be in the same class (Shrimp/Kipper/Inia) but I thought it would be good to at least get her around other little kids. I'm not sure if it is because we are at a different Y now that we moved but the class this time is really well done. They get kick boards, noodles, toys and the piece de resistance - a ride on a double seated raft from one end of the pool to the other at the end of the lesson. Yes. We, as parents, literally put all of our little 6-24 month olds on this raft and hold them on there while we push them across the pool. Sounds lame. Guess what - it is the HIGHLIGHT of the lesson. Maggie loves it. So that is how we start every Saturday morning, after pancakes, of course.

On to sledding. Oh what fun! I haven't been sledding in a long time. My mom, two of my aunts and my god-daughter also joined in the fun. My brother has a great sledding hill in his front yard. He also turned a snow drift at the bottom of the hill into a jump of sorts. My niece and I hit it just right and FLEW at one point - thus my sore neck, ha ha ha. Maggie also enjoyed sledding, unless any of her face touched snow. We were impressed that she lasted almost as long as the rest of us outside. The hard part about sledding with her is that you would have to trek back up the hill, in DEEP snow, lugging the sled in one hand and carrying Mags in the other. WORKOUT!

After sledding, we went in and snacked on some popcorn. We let Maggie try it and she loved it - but not as much as the marshmallows from the hot chocolate!

You can imagine how well we slept Saturday night!

This Week in Hobbies...

2012-03-02T13:43:00.005-06:00

Here's an update on what I've been doing in my spare time over the last week:

1. Crocheting.

I finished this cowl for my friend BCK for her birthday a few weeks ago:

I loved the yarn I used for this: Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino. So soft!

This week, I finally re-started the tote bag I blogged about a few weeks ago.

2. Sewing.

I cut out the pieces for a Birdie Sling for AS. Check out this great fabric I'm using:

3. Running.

I have upped the running factor over the past couple of weeks. We'll see how long this lasts! I am eagerly awaiting daylight savings time so I can run outside during the week and not have to trek to the Y.

4. Reading.

I am reading We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Synopsis:

"Eva never really wanted to be a mother—and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails."

It is creepy, especially in light of the fact of the school shooting in Ohio this week.

5. Television

Ugh. Television typically is not a "hobby" of mine, but I have been on a tear getting The Good Wife seasons from the library. I have made it through Season 1 and the first two discs of Season 2. I am obsessed with Alicia Florek (Juliana Marguiles) and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski). Love watching strong women on television!

6. Blogging

Somehow, M and I figured out how to get a few posts up rehashing Oscar fashion. Check them out over on her blog.

*****

I am looking forward to the weekend after a crazy week. I have a pot of homemade chicken dumpling soup started on the stove for dinner and it is smelling good! Perfect comfort food in anticipation of the snow storm we are supposedly getting in a few hours!

Gold To Me

2012-03-01T11:32:00.015-06:00

Our latest home project is painting our living room. Here are the latest photos of the contents:

So we have reds (chairs), browns (dark brown chair legs and sofa legs, honey colored piano, tanish gold in the curtains), greens (curtains, chairs), golds (curtains, chairs), linen (sofa), white (carpet, wood trim).

The walls are definitely in need of paint and right now there is a lot of white going on which doesn't really look great with the items in there. Both of us loved the color of the lobby of the White Gull Inn. Unfortunately, we did not ask what the color was.

So we are left with trying to guesstimate. Our first attempt is close, but something is off on it.

What color are we talking about? Mustardy, wheaty GOLD!

This has the potential to be fantastic or a fugly mess. As Nate has gone on record to say, "It's a small room, we can always repaint it." Stay Tuned!

Photo Sources (from the top): Pier 1, World Market, Personal, Personal, Tommy Ton, WikiPaintings.org (Van Gogh), Lonny, Elle Decor, Elle Decor, Real Simple, Pinterest
Union Photo,Union Photo

2012 Goals: February Update

2012-02-29T15:01:00.005-06:00

It's the last day of February so another update on my 2012 goals.

1. Movie List. We watched two movies this month, and one of them was on my list! The other one actually was on my list, but not on "THE" list. ha ha ha. So we watched Out of Africa (on the list) and Wall Street (not on the list). I loved Out of Africa - LOVED it. We watched it the night before the Academy Awards - so it was fun to see Meryl Streep win best actress after watching a younger version of herself. I fell asleep during Wall Street. Enough said.

2. Floss Nightly. I did not miss one night in February. However, even after roughly 2 months of doing this, I still have to think about flossing - as in it hasn't become like brushing my teeth, where I just do it. And I won't lie - most nights I contemplate skipping it...but then what would I report back to you all?!? ha ha ha

3. Read 30 books. Again, this equates out to 2.5 books a month. I have read 2.25 books this month:

Bloodroot
How it All Began

And I'm 100 pages into We Need to Talk About Kevin.

4. Half Marathon. I signed up for the first annual Chicago Women's Marathon, as I posted last week!

5. Crafts for Sale. This past month has solidified in my mind that crafts for sale will not happen while I am working full time. Not enough hours in the day. I am working on thinking of a replacement crafting-themed goal.

6. Learn how to use our camera. Nothing

7. Stop complaining about work. I was officially promoted a few weeks ago. Yay! Now I am so busy that I don't have time to complain about work. ha ha ha

8. MKE Museum/Hotspot Tour: This month Maggie and I visited the Schlitz Audobon Nature Center to go for a long walk. It is a great place and we look forward to participating in some of the programs soon. Maggie and I also hit up open gym at a local gymnastics place and story hour at the library. Both were huge hits - I can see her asking for one of those ginormous trampolines for Christmas. ha ha ha

9. Tailor my clothes. No progress

10. Bring back game night. No progress

11. Practice piano. After a great start on this one last month, I didn't play piano once this month. FAIL.

12. Yoga. I registered for a weekly session through work at noon on Tuesdays. I went to the first session. I had meetings during the 2nd and 3rd sessions and then a childcare issue for the 4th session. So yeah. That isn't going so well!

Thanks for keeping me honest!

Hair: It's time for a change

2012-02-29T12:57:00.010-06:00

Bleck. My hair is a digusting mess.

While at a meeting last week, two of my colleagues and I were complaining about our hair. Interestingly, all three of us had the same length of hair - that barely past your shoulders length that just hangs there and ends up in a ponytail 99% of the time.

My goal was to grow out my hair to the length I had it at my wedding - or longer - if I could stand it. This length really isn't much past where it is now. I am now remembering why I hated having long hair and why I chopped it all off upon returning from my honeymoon.

Part of me just wants to chop it all off again. I was talking with a friend about hairdos (right before she chopped hers Michelle Williams-pixie style) and we both commented that our favorite hair-do of mine was at her wedding:

Interestingly, if you ask Nate what his all time worst hair cut I have ever had is - he will respond "The hair cut you had at {JN}'s wedding" (pictured above). HA HA HA. Do guys ever like short hair? NO.

Part of the reason that I grew my hair out was because short hair for me is a lot of effort -there is no ponytail day with short hair - you have to style it, else you end up meeting Carrie Underwood looking like this:

Yes I am hypersensitive to looking boyish. I spent many an adolescent year getting called a boy - not a great time in my life.

Realistically, my hair most of the time looked like this:

Another reason that, I like short hair because I think it detracts from my loooong face. (My sister has another name for it.)

I could go a bit shorter (but not as short as above) with the post-Mags suburban mom haircut:

I think I am most seriously considering bangs and keeping the length - because I know the second I chop it all off, I will be sad that I did and it will be another two-three years of suffering grow-out hair. Here are some of my inspiration photos from my Pinterest Hair board:

Discuss.

P.S. I have often blogged about the fact that I hate washing my hair - currently I wash it every 4 days! FOUR! Woot! I received validation in the form of a Beauty Department blog post today.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

2012-02-29T08:23:00.003-06:00

Let's pretend it's Tuesday, shall we?

We eat a lot of sweet potatoes in our house as they are one of Maggie's favorite foods. I was excited to try a new way of making them with the following recipe.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Source: Everyday Food December 2011 Issue

5 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs)
2 TB butter
4 oz fresh goat cheese
salt & pepper
3 TB finely chopped fresh chives

Topping
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 TB butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet; fold foil around sweet potatoes to form a packet. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.

When cool enough to handle, halve sweet potatoes lengthwise. Scoop out all but 1/4 inch flesh from inside skins. Arrange 8 skins in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish (discard remaining 2 skins). Place flesh in a food processor, along with butter and goat cheese. Season with salt & pepper. Process until smooth, 2 minutes. Add chives and pulse to combine. Spoon into skins.

Stir together topping ingredients in a small bowl until combined and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle panko mixture over sweet potatoes. Bake until topping is golden, 10-12 minutes.

Serves 8

Oscars (Or, GP Knocks it Out of the Park!)

2012-02-27T16:20:00.003-06:00

Did you watch the Oscars? I did! I didn't get to watch as much of the red carpet pre-show as I would have liked, but I have to admit that singing silly songs with Maggie is fun too.

My best dressed was Gwyneth Paltrow. ALL HAIL!!!!!!!!!

M & I did our recap via email this year, which M edited and published on her blog. Hop over there if you are so inclined.

A Weekend With Mags

2012-02-27T12:57:00.005-06:00

Last year, when I returned to work after FMLA, I negotiated to work four long days to have one day off during the week to spend with Mags. I would generally try to make Wednesday my day off to break up my week because working four 10 hour days in a row seemed to get really tiring - I blame pumping for this.

This year, we started a new childcare so we wanted Maggie to get in more of a routine so I switched my day off to Fridays. After 6 weeks in this schedule, I love having Fridays off. I feel like this schedule keeps Maggie more in a routine and keeps me in more of a routine with work. It is much easier to miss Friday at work than a Wednesday. Plus, every weekend is a long weekend!

We had a nice long weekend with Maggie and really nothing else on the calendar - love when that happens! While I did see Michael Perry & The Longbeds with my aunts and cousin on Friday night, I had three glorious days at home with Nate and Mags.

Friday Maggie and I bundled up and headed outside to enjoy the fresh snow. We have had the weirdest winter of almost NO snow. Maggie loves the sled. LOVES IT. She isn't entirely sure of snow itself. She is very tentative when approaching it to walk on it and we ventured into meltdown territory when her mitten fell off and her bare hand touched the snow. Wowsa.

I thought she would enjoy making a snow man since she loves the book, Snowballs. I was wrong. She wanted nothing to do with the snowman. She did let me take this photo of her with the snowman, sitting in her sled, of course.

What it looks like: "Look at this cute snowman Maggie built"!
What the true story is: "My mom built this pathetic snowman and made me take a picture with it as if I built it...like I would get out of this sleigh for that!"

In other news, today's Motherhood Monday post on A Cup of Jo caught my eye - what a beautiful book! I will second the fact that these types of photo books are great ideas. We do not have the Pinhole Press version featured in the post, but we did make a photobook on Shutterfly for Maggie last year. She absolutely loves it. We made a junior varsity version with additional photos using a small old-school photo album recently. Confession - we sometimes hide the photo albums after the 108th time of going through them.

Half Marathon or Bust

2012-02-24T10:29:00.004-06:00

Two of my friends gave me running clothes for my birthday. Awesome! New running clothes have always been a great motivator for me. I was so motivated after receiving them that I officially signed up for the Chicago Women's Half Marathon in June! My friend E is featured in the advertising for the half and invited me to run it with her. I am excited to have something to actually train for and this will also let me cross one of my 2012 goals off the list!

As if that weren't crazy enough, I am seriously contemplating running the Door County Half Marathon in Peninsula State Park in early May. We have been trying to get lodging situated first but if that's a go, count me registered!

I {wanna} Boat

2012-02-23T08:39:00.002-06:00

On my win the lottery dream list of things to buy is a Chris Craft boat.

I can see myself with big sunglasses and my hair in a scarf cruising around the lake.

I think it would go nicely with my other "win the lottery dream list" item: a cottage in Door County. Funny enough, one of the shops we visited last weekend had a Chris Craft circa 1948 INSIDE the store. For DECORATION. Hmmmm....

Ok. Time to go back to work and snap out of it.

Photo courtesy of {this is glamourous}

Spellbound

2012-02-22T10:23:00.004-06:00

Lipstick and I have been having an extended moment.

It all started with this post on See Jane which lists a hot pink lipstick recommendation.

I have noticed a lot of hot pink lipstick in the posts of the "fashion and beauty" blogs section of my Google Reader.

Hmmmm....I think I need to try this.

So armed with a $2 Walgreens coupon and a $2 CoverGirl coupon, I stopped in last month after running at the Y to buy CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Spellbound (thank you Jane!) and CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Flame (they were buy one, get on 50% off!).

I don't think $8 has provided me with that much fun in a long time.

I immediately went to my car and put the Spellbound color on. FANCY. Even with my sweaty, blotchy face and gross hair, it sorta looked good!

I walked in the house and Nate gave me a strange look. "Did you run with lipstick on?!"

Why yes, I lied, I am that woman. ha ha ha

The next day, I tried it out with clean hair, a black dress and a high bun. LOVED IT! Someone at work even commented on it! (Trust me - these things do not happen at my office!)

Thank you Spellbound for making many a day a brighter place in the last month!

Happy Mardi Gras!

2012-02-21T15:24:00.005-06:00

You didn't really think I could go a full week without posting a photo of Maggie did you?!
In honor of Mardi Gras, I'm posting a few photos my mom took over the weekend when Maggie was loving the Mardi Gras beads.

Maggie has been VERY into accessories lately - she loves bracelets, headbands and necklaces. I like to say that she inherited this from me!

And yes. I know that if I see similar photos of Maggie in about 17 years I will not be posting them with pride on my blog! Happy Mardi Gras!

Orzo with Caramelized Vegetables & Ginger

2012-02-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Another all-around winner dinner for us!

Orzo with Caramelized Vegetables and Ginger
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

1/2 pound orzo pasta
grapeseed, peanut or vegetable oil
1 large sweet potato (about 3/4 lb)
2 medium onions (about 1 lb), finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (3 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 TB total)
6 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps diced
1 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB soy sauce
3 big leaves chard or kale, stalks removed and leaves finely chopped (about 2 cups)*
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Cook orzo until barely al dente, about 6-7 minutes. Drain and toss with a generous drizzle of oil so that the grains of orzo are lightly coated.

Peel sweet potato and dice it finely into cubes about 1/4-1/2 inch to a side. Heat a large saute or frying pan (the largest you have - you want plenty of room and hot surface) over high heat. Drizzle in a little grapeseed or vegetable oil (not olive oil: oil needs to have a high smoke point) and heat until very hot. Add sweet potato and arrange pieces in one layer. Cook over high heat until they are beginning to caramelize and turn brown, about 4 minutes. Flip them over and cook another 3 minutes or so.

Reduce heat to medium and push sweet potatoes up in a pile against one side of the pan. Add diced onions to the center of pan and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are beginning to turn brown. Add minced garlic and grated ginger and stir into the onions. Push onions off to the side of pan, next to sweet potatoes, and they will continue to caramelize.

Add diced mushrooms to hot center of pan and cook 4 minutes without turning. The flip, stir and cook another 4 minutes.

At this point, everything should be getting well cooked; the onions should be quite dark brown and the garlic should be golden and soft. The potatoes should be softening.

Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce and 2 TB oil. Pour into pan with vegetables and mix everything together, scraping the bottom as you go. Cook all the elements together about 3 minutes over medium heat. Then increase heat to high, add orzo gradually, stirring constantly. Cook orzo over high heat with the vegetables about 5 minutes.

Finally, toss chopped greens into the ix and cook 1 more minute, or until greens are barely wilted. Turn off heat and add salt/pepper to taste. Serve hot with shavings of Parmesan.

Lovely Weekend

2012-02-20T09:18:00.002-06:00

I don't have any photos to share with you this fine Monday morning. I think slowly but surely the new parent syndrome of constantly snapping photos is wearing off for us...over 17 months later.

I hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was fabulous as it included a romantic weekend away to Door County, courtesy of my husband for an early 31st birthday celebration.

Favorite Weekend Moments:

1. Shopping in Fish Creek, buying myself a great sweater with birthday money, and a bunch of new yarn

2. Shopping in Egg Harbor where I accidently shop lifted - so embarrassing!

3. The shot of bitters with root beer chaser that the bartender was passing around on Saturday night.

4. Dinner at Mr. Helsinki/Breakfast at the White Gull Inn

5. Watching Mags literally shake and squeal from the window when she saw us return to pick her up and not wanting to leave my hug, even for her Daddy (hey - she's been on a huge daddy's girl kick - I see no shame in loving my moment in the spotlight!)

I can't wait to return to Door County with Mags this summer!

Weekly Craft Report

2012-02-17T13:17:00.004-06:00

I will start this post off with a VERY elementary craft: sponge balls!

We try to take Maggie swimming at the Y on a weekly basis. The Y in our new town has an amazing kids swim area and they have baskets of toys to play with. Last weekend, Maggie discovered sponges in the toy baskets and how fun they are to soak up water and squeeze it out. (I just kept telling myself to ignore the germ factor on this one!) I took her to Target to buy a pack of sponges and we made sponge balls for the bathtub. They were a hit! You can get the formal directions from Martha here, however, you literally cut sponges into strips, tie a piece of string around the middle of a handful of sponge strips and voila. Dunzo.

I still am in crochet mode. I finished another cowl for CD's birthday a few weeks ago in a pretty purple color. I am happy that I have enough yarn left over to make myself one in this color.

I did start the bag that I posted about last week, but because I could not find my stitch markers, I started it without them. It was taking too much brain power to keep track of the stitches in my head so I started over after buying a new pack of stitch markers. This one might be a while.

Sorry so much focus on crafts during the Friday hobbies - my free time has mostly been dominated by crafting the past couple of weeks!

Photo Sources: Sponge ball photo courtesy of Martha Stewart, cowl photo is my own

New Chairs!

2012-02-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

We ordered two of Pier 1's Addyson Chairs in Popi for the living room. We picked them up last Thursday evening.

I do no think the website photo (above) accurately captures what they look like - they aren't as garish as that photo makes them look! I had to laugh at the website description, though...

"You don't have to compromise to get what you want. This chair is big and comfy enough for a guy, yet the floral fabric definitely flatters the feminine side. And the colors are rich enough to make you both happy."

...since it has been my goal to introduce more femininity in this house compared to our last house. I would say Nate is definitely not drawn to overly feminine things!

We picked the chairs out during a 10 minute stop at our local store one day after swimming at the Y. It happened to be the last day of a furniture sale (gee, that sounds familiar) and when we found out that Pier 1 does not have a restocking fee, we just went ahead and ordered them.

I love them, Nate likes them, and Maggie is enthralled by them. She is always asking to sit on them and so we will put her on them and she will just sit there like a princess. Sometimes she will point to the other chair to indicate that one of us should sit in that one. Since getting some seating options in our living room, we have been spending a lot of time in here!

View looking right from the front door:

View looking straight on from the family room (please excuse the mismatched curtain tie-backs - they are for function, not fashion at this point!):

Not sure if we will keep this arrangement. We still need more furniture/tables/paint/rugs/decor and get rid of that awful carpeting in here but we're heading the right way. I really like how the chairs look with the curtains!

BirchBox #2

2012-02-15T07:00:00.001-06:00

I am going to recap my thoughts on the previous month's Birchbox as I did not try most of them when I reported on them first.

1. Harvey Prince Yogini.
I was not a fan of this and gave it to my sister, who probably threw it away.

2. Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink.
I liked this color and wore it a few times on the Cruise. After that, I am not sure what happened to it.

3. VMV Hypoallergenics Re-Everything: Face-Hand-Body Lotion.
From last month, "I definitely would not buy this." Well, guess what? I bought the full size product of this one. I started using this on my face and LOVED it. I needed to restock my face lotion and so I made the switch from Kiehls Ultra Face Lotion to this. I was surprised at how big the full-size tube was. More about VMV Hypoallergenics here.

4. Zoya Nail Polish in Kristen
So I painted my nails this blue-grey color. Nate really liked it (which I was very surprised by) and I actually was complimented on it at work. WHAT?! I felt weird the whole two days I wore it. I will say that I thought the nail polish was really chip resistant. I love having my nails polished but my complaint is that they chip so easily. I would definitely purchase this brand of polish but in a different color. This is also a environmentally friendly nail polish. I have noticed Zoya getting props on other blogs too.

5. Recharge Eboost Orange Natural Energy Booster
I tried this, thought it tasted yummy (sort of like an Emergen-C packet) but didn't notice any big energy boost, surprise, surprise.

After I worked my way through the first BirchBox, I was literally counting down the days until the next one arrived. I finally received a shipping confirmation last week and the Box arrived in Friday's Mail:

Here are the contents, again bold text is verbatim from the BirchBox card:

1. beauty blender. this hot pink sponge is a pro favorite that helps your foundation look airbrushed, no Photoshop required. 2 pack, $25.95 I was excited to get this because I have noticed these in magazines and other beauty blogs. However, I recently switched from liquid foundation to Bare Minerals. I might have to go back and try this with liquid foundation just to test it.

2. eye rock designer liner. Stop wrestling with the liquid liner and achieve a perfect cat eye with these single=use stick-on liner strips. 2 packs of 4, $13. In other words, STICKER eye liner. I was cracking up...and cannot WAIT to try these.

3. Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint. The votes are in, and this award-winning tinted moisturizer tops the list. It's our daily shortcut to dewy glowing skin. Full-size, $38. I recently read about this on the Birchbox blog and was really excited that it was in my box. However, it is TINY. I don't know if there will even be enough for one application!

4. Mineralogie Ultimate Cream Concealer. Made with pure minerals, this full-coverage concealer erases under eye circles and blemishes without any caking. Full-size $16. Another one I am excited to try!

5. Chuao Chocolatier Spicy Maya ChocoPod. Spicy and sweet, these artisanal dark chocolate treats are laced with chile and cayenne pepper. Full-size $6. I have never been one to turn down dark chocolate!

6. Birchbox Digital Download. Six free tunes from Green River Ordinance, an indie rock band poised to hit the spotlight. I've never heard of them but am excited to see if they are good. I am not really up on the up when it comes to music so I'll take new music however I can get it!

Tune in Next Month where I provide my reviews on this month's products!

Sign up for Birchbox here.

Old Love

2012-02-14T07:35:00.004-06:00

(Mikhail Baryshnikov & Liza Minnelli, 1980)

Celebrate Valentine's Day with the blog Old Love - featuring photos of celebrity couples from years past. It's sort of like vintage US Weekly in your Google Reader.

Valentine Muffins

2012-02-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentines Day! Nate & I never have gotten too into Valentine's Day, but I find the Valentines and crafts fun to participate in. I have to come clean and say that I did receive some trans-fat filled sugar cookies and a bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day from Mags. Girl knows what her mama likes :). V-day is also a convenient marker on my countdown to my birthday (one week!). What are you all doing to celebrate the big day? Nate & I bought tickets to see West Side Story in April. Would we have done this anyways? Yes. :)

My BIL's girlfriend asked me (jokingly) if I was going to make any Valentine's crafts for Nate. I should have responded, "UM, that is why I had a child." (KIDDING!) I made some photo Valentines for Maggie to mail out to family members and I also made Valentine Muffins for Maggie to take with her to her childcare. I originally had planned on hand-making the decorative muffin toppers. But when life hands you opportunities such as having pre-made cupcake toppers with matching paper holders at Michaels for $1, you don't pass them by. And let's be honest, I don't have enough time to make EVERYTHING I pin on Pinterest!

(Why yes, that is a Victoria's Secret box, cleverly covered in construction paper!)

Lately, Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook has entered multiple conversations from various sources. Some sing its praises, some call it overrated, but my interest was piqued - I did what I always do - added it to my library queue.

The Applesauce Muffins were recommended to me by Silky J via blog comment so that was the first recipe I tried. These taste like cake. Maggie (and we) enjoyed them. The only other recipe that I have tried in it are the Rice Balls...which really ended up being Rice Glop. Translate - disgusting. I don't know if I will get too many more recipes tried before the library due date, so if any of you have this cookbook and have some real winners from it, let me know. At this point, I'm not in love with it enough to purchase it.

Here is the recipe for the Applesauce Muffins in case you feel the need to send Valentine Muffins with your child to daycare :). In my opinion, these muffins are a nice balance between a super healthy muffin and a cupcake. I don't know how long I will be able to get away with substituting muffins for cupcakes so I'm seizing these days when my child sees muffins and goes crazy.

Applesauce Muffins
Source: Deceptively Delicious

Topping
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup firmly packed light/dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TB melted butter*

Batter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or carrot puree (i used carrot)
1/2 cup firmly packed light/dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 egg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

To make the topping, stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the margarine (ahem! butter!)

To make the batter, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. In a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, and egg with a wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix - the batter is supposed to be lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and serve warm or cold.

*The recipe actually calls for "2 TB trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, melted". I have a personal bias against anything other than butter.

Elixir Magic Genes

2012-02-13T07:00:00.002-06:00

For the most part, we were hooked on drugs this weekend, Children's Blue Raspberry Advil, that is. Maggie woke up last Monday and had the snot/cough/sort throat rasp going again, after we had a week break. Friday I jokingly considered taking up nursing again since last winter she was not sick at all, and she has been sick a lot this winter. Nate then wondered if we could dig up one last frozen bag of breastmilk.

That night, we had a bit of a scare thinking we entered into Coxsackie Virus territory after finding a canker sore looking thing under Maggie's tongue. I thought this was a bit of mom-karma coming back to bite me - my manager once told me about how her kids had this at one time or another, and after she described the symptoms I said, "Oh gross - none of my kids better EVER get that." (Yes, I still say stupid things to other moms once in a while!). Thankfully, a canker sore was all that it was - it already is looking much better.

This was the first time that Nate and I could pinpoint the exact second that the Advil worked its magic. Every time we were giving it to her, I wanted to sing from Wicked:

Have another drink, my dark-eyed beauty
I've got one more night left, here in town
So have another drink of green elixir (even though the advil was blue, not green)
And we'll have ourselves a little mixer
Have another swallow, little lady,
And follow me down...

Once it started working, she was all good to go...and 7 hours later, she was fading fast.

We still managed to get some gratuitous Maggie Shots:

When I first posted the photos of Maggie in the shower cap, BCK asked me why I didn't put a diaper cover on her head. It took me several days (literally) but I finally got the joke - BCK was recalling this photo of ME as a baby, when I had a plastic diaper cover on my head:

Funny but when I emailed the Maggie shower cap photos to my dad, he recalled this photo as well. I guess I'll take the blame for passing the weirdo gene on to this one:

Crochet-Mania

2012-02-10T19:14:00.004-06:00

In my opinion, the first Crafternoon was a success. I was a little nervous when I found out that no one else knew how to crochet so I would be the "teacher". My crochet resume was not exactly stellar. However, we went with it and it was fun. One woman even learned to crochet while nursing her 3 week old baby! (ROCKSTAR!) From what I know, two people have finished at least one cowl already! The next Crafternoon is already scheduled in March and the craft is TBD. Woohoo!

Today I bought yarn to make this:

When I am finished (if I finish!), I hope to replicate this super sassy photo, ha ha ha. I subscribe to the Lion Brand Yarn e-newsletter which is how I was made aware of this pattern. It also cracks me up that it uses Vanna White (yes, as in THE Vanna White) yarn. There were a few people at Crafternoon using Vanna White yarn, including myself. I had to go with the Vanna White Glamour yarn called for in this pattern because it was the only "2" yarn available at our Michaels.

The pattern is ranked "Easy" but I'm not so sure about that. It looks like I might be returning to You Tube videos!

Here are my favorite sources for knitting and crochet patterns/tutorials:
Ravelry
The Purl Bee
Lion Brand Yarn
Pinterest (duh)

Anyone have any other good free sources?

Oh, Oh DOMINO!

2012-02-09T08:21:00.002-06:00

I had hoped to blog about our new living room chairs today, but alas! They have still not arrived. I think today is the day that I will get that highly anticipated phone call, so tune in next Thursday to see them (provided we haven't returned them).

Instead, I am going to tell you what you may already know - Domino Magazine is releasing a special issue in April!!!!

I am excited. I have missed Domino, like everyone else on the planet.

And now I might have Domino by Van Morrison in my head all day.

Happy Thursday!

Public Health Ryan Gosling

2012-02-08T07:26:00.008-06:00

My day job is public health. Public health is definitely not a glamourous career - most often people have no idea what you do. And no, an MPH does not equal an MBA on many levels.

But what we DO have is a Ryan Gosling Tumblr.

Ladies (and Gentleman? Gentleman? Do I see a gentleman in the crowd?! - Sorry, OD'ed on Reality Bites in college)...Let me introduce you to Public Health Ryan Gosling.

You all are probably rueing the day I created the "miscellany" label, right?! ha ha ha Happy Wednesday!

Thank you to MM, one of my public health classmates from grad school who posted this on her Facebook page.

Pink + Red

2012-02-08T07:25:00.000-06:00

Pink and red colorblocked outfits are everywhere!

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Of course I had to join in the fun!

Shirt: Banana Republic Spring 2004
Skirt: Divine Consign 2010 Sale
Shoes: Target 2008
Tights: Hue - Boston Store 2010

If you are more of a neutral outfit girl, you can still have fun with this awesome pink + red notebook from Kate's Paperie:

Pasta with White Beans and Broccoli Pesto

2012-02-07T07:39:00.003-06:00

I made this for dinner last night and so many things about it made me happy:

1) It was EASY and FAST to prepare - perfect weeknight meal!
2) My husband, who isn't the world's biggest broccoli fan, loved it
3) My daughter gobbled down three scoops of it. THREE.
4) There were plenty of leftovers for my lunch today.

Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
Source: Everday Food Jan/Feb 2012 Issue

salt & pepper
1 bunch broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
10 oz short pasta, such as usili
5 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 oz Parmesan, freshly grated (1/4 cup) plus more for serving
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 TB lemon juice
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
1/2 small garlic clove*
1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a food processor. Return water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

2. To food processor, add oil, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, parsley and garlic. Puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer pesto to pot with pasta. Stir to coat, adding enough reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce. Stir in beans and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

*I used way more garlic than this because we are afraid of vampires. ;)

Carpe Diem

2012-02-06T09:09:00.004-06:00

As a parent of a young child, have you ever been told this:

"Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

I have been told this and have even caught myself SAYING IT to friends who just have babies. I recently read this article and thought it was well written and honest.

Speaking of time flying, Maggie is two days away from turning 17 months old. Thus, a Maggie Monday post will be coming up tonight!

17 Months!!!

2012-02-06T08:45:00.007-06:00

In two days, Maggie will be 17 months old.

SEVENTEEN MONTHS OLD.

Wowsas. It's recap time already.

FOOD
Not much new here except that we have added a morning snack into the routine. Maggie would "snack" all day if you let her. And boy does she try. She is always going into the pantry to get cereal boxes, raisins, her oatmeal, an onion... Apparently she does this at her babysitter's house too. I find it very frustrating at times and have attempted to move most things out of her reach. Tonight I busted her with the raisins:

She has started to be more finnicky with food - curses! Currently we are on a food strike against one of her MOST favorite foods - bananas. Now when she does not like a food she literally pushes her plate across the table. Sassy. I know.

GROWING
I haven't noticed a ton of growing in the last month. She still is in a variety of sized clothes ranging from 18 months to 2T. Her shoes are still a 5W. We made the switch from size 4 to size 5 disposable diapers.

LANGUAGE
I think this is the area she has made the most progress in. I swear she has a new "word" everyday, which is really really fun (and funny). Her latest is "bye-bye". And although she won't eat them, she does like saying "Banana". My favorite is her use of "tick tock" for clock.

MOVEMENT
Maggie figured out how to spin around in a circle to make herself dizzy. She will laugh so hard when she does it. I also introduced her to "camptown ladies" in which I sit her on my lap and bounce her while singing, you guessed it, "camptown ladies" and "horsey" in which I crawl around on my hands and knees like a horse while she rides on top of me. These games will easily make her laugh and easily make me tired :)

TOYS/BOOKS
Every week, I take her to the library on my day off (Fridays). She loves the library and I love getting new books because I (and Nate) have read the previous ones a trillion times in one short week. We noticed something funny with this last load of books. For the longest time, she has loved books with flaps that you can open. We have not yet gone through any phase where she rips the pages or the flaps - she has always been very good with books. One of the bad things about getting these types of books from the library is that often the flaps are hanging by a thread, re-taped on, or just all out missing. She has taken a liking to two Spot books that we checked out last week. One of the books, Spot Bakes a Cake, has little flaps and when we brought the book home, the balloon flap was ripped off and just placed in the book. I put it aside and meant to tape it on. Well, we read Spot Bakes a Cake about 400 times before I re-taped the balloons on. Everytime we read the book thereafter, Maggie would try to rip the balloons off - as if she remembered that they were not there to begin with and that they didn't belong there. If she got a hold of the book on her own, she would rip the balloons off and bring them to me. "Mom, here you go. Nice try." So I guess I will just re-tape the balloons on right before we take it back.

The other toys that she has been obsessed with are her pull-along snail and pull-along puppy. She loves pulling them around the house, often at the same time:

She has taken a huge interest in sitting on her potty. Yes, we already have a potty for her - we received it as a gift when she was born. When we moved, I just took it out of the box and put it in our bathroom to have something for her to play with in the mornings when Nate and I were getting ready for work (works like a charm, BTW). We started clapping when she would go sit on it so now she will go sit on it and give herself a round of applause. Last night, I walked by the potty and did not have my glasses on. I noticed something dark in it. I will admit that for about 2 seconds I thought "OMG. Did she poop on there?!" not really thinking that duh - she wouldn't have done that herself. I looked closer (meaning I basically had my face in the potty) and noticed that she had put some tubes of lotion in there! Nate and I were cracking up. So the potty in our house multitasks as a toy and a storage unit.

TEETH
She recently gained a lower lateral incisor! The other one is en route. After that comes in, we will just need the four canines and we are DONE until the next set of molars. HALLELUJAH!

SLEEP
We had some trying times this month in that for a two week period, Maggie was waking up between 4 and 5 AM. We aren't sure if this was related to teeth or what but we were thankful when she went back to waking up at her usual time between 6 and 7 AM.

MISC
The biggest change in the last month is that Maggie started new childcare. Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday she goes to an in-home daycare. The woman that watches her has a 3 year old and a 22 month old girl, whom Maggie loves. Things have been working out really well. It has been nice to have a regular routine with childcare and not have to figure it out on a weekly basis as well. My sister still watches Maggie on Thursdays and other family members continue to rotate in if they want to watch her.

I also have been working on walking with her while holding my hand so that we don't have to carry her so much while we are out and about. Previously she would want to walk (versus being held) but would NOT hold your hand. Sometimes this was ok, but other times, like in a parking lot (!), this is obviously not ok. She has gotten better at it over time and it has been nice on my back!

Church has been a little trying lately. We were putting her in nursery during service shortly after we moved. She would spend the whole time in the arms of the nursery caretaker, or else she would cry. We started just bringing her into church (with a bag full of snacks, books and quiet toys). That worked for a while. Lately though, Maggie can only really make it through about 3/4 of a service and then wants to move around more than the pews allow. I totally get this. SO yesterday we attempted going back into the nursery. We had high hopes since she has done SO WELL at the babysitter's house, and no longer cries at all when we drop her off. We dropped her off at church nursery 5 minutes before the service began. You get pagers so that they can contact you if need be. I am not lying - one minute before the service began, our pager went off. The second I went into the hallway, I could hear her sobbing. I did the walk of shame to the nursery while several stragglers gave me the sympathetic look. I approached the nursery and there was Maggie, hysterical and practically hyperventilating (where DOES she get this dramatic flair from?!?!). I felt really bad that we had left her there. We silly parents came unprepared without any assistance and the activity bags provided by the church lasted about 10 minutes before Mags and I were out in the back. We had company - another woman and her son (who was 5 days younger than Maggie) were in the back with us. Church may now be the world's most fun place after that impromptu play date. ha ha ha

She's crazy, and we love her!

Skirt Week Concludes!

2012-02-03T21:38:00.001-06:00

I had to sneak in one last Friday post because I lucked out and the fabric for BLK's skirt came in today's mail - the 4th and final skirt is crossed off the list:

Excited to move on to something besides skirts! Have a great weekend!

Sew-A-Skirt-A-Thon

2012-02-03T07:04:00.006-06:00

You may have noticed that Friday is the blog day that I have the most difficulty doing a regular post with, because honestly, the hobbies are not at the top of my priority list. However, today I am making up for that with TWO posts.

I spent this week making skirts. The hours of 7-10 PM on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday nights were spent playing catch up with skirt IOUs, dating back to AUGUST 2011. (I am ashamed!) I wanted LAST week to be skirt week, but when I went to cut material, I discovered that I did not have enough material for 3 of the 4 skirts. Thus, I was hunting down fabric online. I am lucky that the skirt is really a springy-summery item so that no one really could wear it right now anyways. (excuses, excuses!)

I made skirt kits for my three BFs last August for their birthdays. I finished one in September and then we moved, and then the holidays and... there are those excuses again! I still owed CP & BLK skirts.

1. CP chose the Anna Griffin Cecile in Purple fabric. I bought this fabric a long time ago from fabric.com. Of course, fabric.com no longer had this material in stock, but I was able to find it at Stitch 'N" Time! Phew!

The photo is not that great in terms of quality. The fabric is a light lavender with cream floral pattern.

2. I am still waiting for the fabric that BLK chose - Amy Butler's Soul Blossom in Temple Doors Basil. This also was originally purchased at fabric.com and found at Hawthorne Threads. This one is still on my to do list.

3. AH and I did another round of Craft Exchange in late November. I asked her to knit Maggie a very cute monkey and she asked me to make a skirt for her SIL, H, in honor of her birthday. I sent H a skirt kit in early December. She had her measurements to me within about two days. So much for buying time with that one! Thankfully she was cool with waiting until after the holidays and vacation. I unfortunately did not remember to take a photo of the skirt, but she chose the Aviary fabric by Joel Dewberry:

4. Finally, AH's birthday was in early January and I mailed her a skirt kit as well. She chose the Amy Butler Midwest Modern in Optic Blossom Linen. I have had this fabric in my stash for a WHILE so I do not remember where I originally purchased it, but I was able to get more from Hawthorne Threads. This skirt is probably my personal favorite, but it was possessed by the devil during construction. That is all I will say about that one!

The skirts are based on this (free!) pattern from Anna Maria Horner. They are super easy to make and would make a great beginner project (Ahem, JPL!!!). Plus, the skirts are so comfy. I practically live in the one I made for myself during the warmer months, for example:

Although they are a pretty easy, fast project, I do not recommend making 3 of these things in 4 days. I may be suffering from arthritis in my hands from feeding so much elastic through fabric tunnels. After I take a break from the skirts, I might just make myself another one from my stash of Anna Maria Horner cotton lawn fabrics...and Maggie just might need a matching one.

Until then, I am excited about Crafternoon tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Handmade Ryan Gosling

2012-02-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

Do you...

a) craft a lot?
b) read blogs/pinterest about crafting?
c) have unfinished craft projets around your house?
d) involve your significant other in craft projects?

If yes to any of the above, you have to check out Handmade Ryan Gosling. I was cracking up. Here are a few (ok, a lot) that I found particularly relevant to my household:

Speaking of Ryan Gosling, that guy is in every movie lately! Or, every movie that I have watched lately. I recently saw Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love and The Ides of March. That is a lot of RG action. Not that I'm complaining, of course...

Tangerine Tango for the Home

2012-02-02T07:56:00.014-06:00

Piggy-backing on yesterday's post, the Pantone color of the year extends to home interiors as well. If you aren't one to wear orange, maybe you have some in your house?

Orange is a key color in Maggie's room. When we were planning her room during my pregnancy, we tried for a neutral color scheme consisting of orange and light blue all based around these animal cards from Martha Stewart:

and Amy Butler's August Fields in Tangerine (Home Dec weight):

I LOVE this fabric so it is likely that orange will always be a component of her room.

As for the rest of our house, orange isn't really a key player. Here are some orange interiors I found:

Would you DARE go for an orange bathtub? Me - No way. Even though I think this is pretty, I play it too safe at home. (Now, if I had unlimited funds...it might be a different story!)

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Orange Walls? Side table?

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An amazing orange rug:

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A more subtle take on orange:

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Love this pop of orange:

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If you are really non-committal, you can always incorporate some tangerine tango via fresh flowers...

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...or DIY some orange accent pillows...

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...or get an orange tree!

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In other news, I am hoping to get a call from Pier 1 Imports today telling me the two chairs we ordered have arrived! Stay tuned!

MAMA Online Exhibit

2012-02-01T08:38:00.005-06:00

An off-topic post (thereby creating the label "Miscellany") for you because I still can't figure out how Google+ works to replace the "share" feature Google Reader.

I came across the MAMA exhibit via the Design Mom blog. "MAMA: Motherhood Around the Globe is an online exhibition of global art, voices and ideas" put on by the International Museum of Women. "Visit the virtual galleries to be inspired, connect, and take action on issues that matter to mothers around the world."

Check it out!

Tangerine Tango

2012-02-01T08:20:00.000-06:00

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By now you probably have been made aware that the 2012 Pantone Color of the year is Tangerine Tango. “Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.” (NY Times Q&A with Eiseman here.)

Here are some great ways to incorporate a little Tangerine Tango in your life:

H&M Dress

JCrew Pencil Skirt

Old Navy Coat in Orange Snap

Gap Leather Travel Tote in Festive Orange

Sweater Banana Republic

Shabby Apple El Dorado Dress

Don't really want to committ to THAT much orange? Try a small bit of orange with the following:

Tango Earrings by Tippy Stockton on Etsy

Essie Nail Polish in Oranges

Kate Spade Tabitha Flat

Nars "Babe" Lip gloss

Topshop "Infared"

Gap Sock

Target Scarf

JCrew Belt - Sale!

What are your thoughts on wearing Tangerine Tango?

Pretty Meal Planner

2012-01-31T08:31:00.004-06:00

Meal planning is part of our weekly routine - something that has made the hours between 5 and 6 PM on a weekday much nicer. I have found that it is even more helpful if I assign meals to a day. When I don't do this, disaster dinner week occurs because I look at the list of 5 dinners on the fridge, randomly pick one, and then discover that it is going to take me MUCH longer than anticipated to make or I realize that I don't have the appropriate meat thawed. Thus, I started assigning days to the 5 meals written on my scrap of paper.

I also started noticing that we have much less build-up of food in our fridge and pantry now that we do this. All of the produce we buy gets eaten because it is for a specific recipe. I usually sit down for like 10-15 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday, ask Nate if he is craving anything in particular and then come up with 5 or 6 meals for the week. I write out a grocery list at the same time that I do this for things that we do not have on hand but are required for the recipes.

Last week, I came across this printable and thought it was pretty. Sometimes, I find that having pretty things just makes a sometimes-boring task fun. I printed some out and now instead of trying to locate the scrap of paper with the meals written on it, the meal plan is on display on the front of our fridge.

You can download the file at In Honor of Design.

Photo Source: In Honor of Design

2012 Goals: Month 1 Update

2012-01-30T16:08:00.004-06:00

Can you believe today is the last day of January? Now we can move onto the best month of the entire year - FEBRUARY!

I have decided that I am going to try to do month-end goal recaps for my own sake. Too often in the past I found that I forgot what my goals were by the time the quarter came around so in an effort to make myself more accountable, I am going to recap more often.

1. Movie List. I have not watched any movies from my list because I was too tempted with new releases the last two times we rented a movie - Moneyball and The Ides of March. Must get going on this so that November and December are not crammed full of movies!

2. Floss Nightly. I am KILLING the flossing. I have flossed every night with the exception of 4 nights since Christmas.

3. Read 30 books. This equates to 2.5 books/month. I read two books this month, so slightly behind:

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

4. 1/2 Marathon / Marathon. I have not registered, but I am strongly considering the Rock & Sole Half Marathon on July 23 in MKE. My mind was revolutionized by my monthly High Miles Running newsletter in my inbox which listed the 3 workouts to focus on if you have minimal time to train. I feel like I can safely commit to running three days a week at this point - this may increase come spring when it is lighter longer and I can return to running outside during the week.

5. Crafts for sale. Contemplation continues. This week is skirt week - I am making a swingy skirt every night to finish up the long list of IOUs I have. Last night, I had this vision of having to craft every night after work and it made me tired. I do not know if working full time + crafts for sale is worth it. I realized last night that I could craft things for MYSELF or Maggie with more frequency if I didn't have to use all of my craft time to make things for sale. Hmmmm....the pendulum swings.

6. Learn how to use our camera. No progress.

7. Stop complaining about work. I have made some progress in this, mostly because things have been shaken up at work and I am in the process of getting a promotion. HOLLA!

8. MKE Hot Spots . Nate, Maggie and I hit up the Milwaukee Public Museum last Saturday morning. It was fun! Maggie especially loved the butterfly exhibit.

9. Tailor my clothes. No progress.

10. Bring back game night. Does discussing this in line at Target count?

11. Practice piano. I have been playing once a week, mostly on weekends. I have been working on brushing up my skills using the Masterworks Classics book I had - the last book I used during formal lessons in grade school! I also do chord progressions and sing Maggie's name with each one. She loves it.

12. YOGA! No progess...but in my defense, I am waiting for the new session at work to start.

Crazy Mags

2012-01-30T07:49:00.010-06:00

We had a great weekend with Mags with lots of fun and minimal whining (always a plus in my book). Nate commented yesterday that she is at a really fun age. I agree - it is fun to see what she will think of next - but I also think this is my "hardest age" (so far) due to the fact that Maggie cannot communicate clearly what she wants yet and will quickly go into meltdown mode when we cannot figure out what she is trying to "tell" us.

I have not yet grabbed the camera during a meltdown, but I do have lots of photos of "Crazy Mags". For example, I came upstairs to shower yesterday morning and was greeted by this:

Maggie typically does not like things on her head, but lately the tides have been turning. She played around with that shower cap on for a while and then we put a headband on her for church, fully expecting her to whip it off. Well, she actually would get upset if it fell off! Last week, she played for a while with her owl lovey on her head and her duck lovey in her mouth:

Her other new thing is to use my ponytail elastics as bracelets. She will attempt to put them on her wrist whenever she finds one.

Because they are too cute, here are more shower cap photos:

Crafternoon Crochet Cowl

2012-01-27T07:00:00.001-06:00

When I was younger, I was always coming up with business ideas. There was the time I added lotion and glitter to nail polish and sold it to my friends. Or the time that I was making customized pens with emboridery floss and BIC pens. (The boys loved these becuase I could weave the names of their favorite sports teams in them). Here's one more for you - tribal influenced seed bead bracelets woven on my handmade loom. I could go on, but I will spare you.

More recently, I have had dreams of opening my own fabric + crafting store and/or sewing things for people. Unfortunately, despite a lot of hours spent, I am not that great at drafting my own patterns. It's too bad patterns are copyrighted because I could whip out Birdie Slings like nobody's business!

My lastest pipedream is a combination of party planning and crafting. How fun would it be to open a business and teach people to craft while providing them with snacks? In my semi-delusional head - FUN! In my head , it would be less institutionalized than Michael's and more like coming to your friends house with lots of plush seating...and...I digress.

I have scaled down this idea to starting a craft club, of sorts, which I have called Crafternoon. (Please don't think I am this creative - the term "crafternoon" is all over the craft blogosphere). I have invited about 15 women to my house for an afternoon of crafting. My hope is that we can continue doing it throughout the year and pick various crafts - card making! jewelry! you name it!

I solicited input for the first project and one woman mentioned that she would like to get back into knitting and/or crochet. Well, since I had already wanted to learn to crochet (remember this post), I was sold. We would do a crochet project for our first gathering.

Problem: I didn't know how to crochet.

Solution: You Tube.

I had previously posted about this cowl. It looked easy enough (again, I live in a semi-delusional state at all times) so I bought the supplies over the weekend. After Maggie was in bed on Sunday night, I brought up the cowl instructions on my Ipad and had the laptop nearby for You Tube. In my pajamas, glasses, quilt, with my yarn and two electronic devices, I looked like the crazy cat lady x 1000. Nate saw me and was like "Whoa! Are you rocking dualie tutorials for this thing?!". I explained my use of two computer-like devices.

Well, after a frustrating start and rewinding and replaying sections of You Tube videos OVER AND OVER, I finally got the hang of crochet and then there was no stopping me. I probably could have powered through and finished on the first night, but I went to bed. I finished after about 45 minutes of work on night 2 and wore my new cowl on Wednesday. I am really proud of it!

Now we will have to see how it goes with Crafternoon!

New Seats!

2012-01-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

We added some new seating options to the homestead over the weekend thanks to great deals found at the World Market Furniture Sale. I believe the sale is still going on until the end of the month! I am loving stuff in there lately - our sectional in the sunroom is from there, if you recall. I could have purchased a bunch of home decor accents but I kept it in check.

1. Erin Cute as a Button Loveseat.
I pinned this the moment I saw it because I loved it so much. I thought it was a perfect piece of furniture for us because it is a traditional/neutral color to satisfy my husband and the shape/tufting and unique fabric colored buttons satisfy my tendencies. We bought it for the formal living room area. It looks a little silly as the only piece of furniture in there besides the piano and Maggie's tree fort but eventually it will get there. I will say that the loveseat is a little unsteady - I'm not sure if that is because of our carpet or what. The regular price of this is $449.99 but it is on sale for $399.99 and I had a 10% off coupon so it was down to $360!

2. Espresso Lucy Bench with Pillows
I envisioned this in several places throughout our home and we ended up in the empty space in our upstairs hallway outside our bedroom door. We hung up our Ikea mirror that used to be in our old house's mudroom. I really love how it looks. It is the perfect thing for that space. This was originally $229.99 on sale for $129.99 and down to $116.99 with my coupon.

View from top of the stairs:

View from our bedroom:

3. Man Cave
We moved the furniture that used to be in our formal living room down to the basement. This furniture was handed down to us from my in-laws. It works great downstairs and provides good seating for the new TV! We moved our corner media stand down to the basement as well. We were not using this and it was just sitting in the living room. The coffee table down here moved with us from Atlanta, where we purchased it at some furniture outlet for $80 with a Visa Gift card we won for best (er, only) Halloween costume at our Apartment complex's Halloween party. Memories.

The award winning costume (circa 2003!)

The Internet is Teaching Me Style Skillz

2012-01-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

I made Nate take a photo of my outfit after work last night. (This used to earn me a strange look but he's used to being married to a blogger by now.)

This outfit demonstrates things I have learned on the Internet. Clearly I have yet to learn that outfit photos should be taken at the BEGINNING of the day when the makeup is still fresh and the hair has not reached ponytail status.

1. Pattern Mixing: If you lightly stalk (er...read) enough fashion bloggers, you pick up on the trend of mixing patterns. I like to call this outfit entry level pattern mixing or pattern mixing for the office, if you will. I'm not sure the photo captures it but my shirt is black and white horizontal stripe, and my grey skirt has blue and mustard colored vertical stripes and my tights have black on black argyle. Baby steps, people.

2. Making Old Things in Your Closet New Again. Also dubbed the "closet remix", this is another thing fashion bloggers are always talking about (Kendi, in particular, is good at this). The idea is that most people always wear the same pairings of clothes - shirt A with Skirt B and Shirt C with Pants D. Closet remixing would have you try Shirt A with Pants D, or any other combos you haven't already worn. I don't have the time or the energy, frankly, to go shopping for clothes. So I pretend by making new outfits out of old things, and it surprisingly works! Everything that I am wearing in the photo (with the exception of the cowl) is at least 3 years old. The oldest item is the vintage red Coach purse which I inherited from Nate's aunt Sandy. It is one of my most favorite purses. The skirt is Target, shirt is Jones New York, tights are Uniqlo, shoes are Madden Girl, belt is Target.

3. Crochet! I taught myself how to crochet via You Tube videos over the weekend and (literally) whipped up the blue cowl I am wearing. More on that on Friday.

So many skills captured in one outfit, ha ha ha. Can I put these on my resume?!

Dinner Strikeout

2012-01-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

I had glorious plans to share the recipe for Pea Risotto with Squashy Souffle with you this week. I think I was destined to fail with this one though.

Strike One: I did not read this recipe in advance and because it was from the Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, I incorrectly assumed that it was a 30 minute meal. I went to start it one night and then realized it required an overnight sit so we did not have that for dinner on night 1.

Strike Two: I have "work-night meals" and "nonwork-night meals". Unforunately, I incorrectly classified this as a "worknight meal" and then was cursing my way through both nights that were required to make it. Night 1 required me to make the risotto part. This in and of itself was not difficult but it was not exactly what I wanted to do after I had already made that night's dinner. And the process of making risotto itself is time consuming. I finished the risotto and put it in a casserole in the fridge to finish on Night 2.

You would think I learned my lesson from Strike One and finished reading the instructions. I did not so when I raced home from work on Night 2 to finish this for dinner that night, I saw that it would require a few seemingly-easy steps and then had to bake for 45 minutes and rest for 15 minutes. If you have a 16 month, 3 week old toddler at home you will be laughing right now. I wasn't quite sure Mags would understand, "Sorry Maggie you have to wait to eat because Mommy bit off WAY more than she could chew with dinner tonight". We resolved to do what I never wanted to do - Maggie got her own meal, at an earlier time for dinner that night.

Strike Three: Nate and I were starving as we waited for the souffle to set. Well we waited. And Waited. Put Maggie to bed and Waited. The D*** thing never set. I pulled it out of the oven and just said "I'll make a pizza.". We attempted to try it but it was disgusting, in my opinion. Nate didn't share my opinion (that night) and in an attempt to make me feel better (my editorial), he had seconds. He even put it in the fridge for leftovers. Maybe he thought it would lessen the sting if he pretended he would eat it again?! Days later, he threw it out. By that point, I had a good laugh over it.

Here is the recipe if you dare. If you don't dare, might I suggest the Tortellini Soup over at Annie's Eats? It's delish and super easy! (*Note, I used thawed frozen spinach in lieu of the chard in the soup because I had that on hand.)

Sleigh Riding Cousins

2012-01-23T07:00:00.002-06:00

February 2008: My niece Toni (22 months)

January 2012: Maggie (16 months)

Hilarious that they both had purple snowsuits. It is the same sled. We bought the sled for Toni as a Christmas present that year (2008) and she gifted it to Maggie this year.

And despite what the photo above suggests, Mags LOVES the sleigh demonstrated by this photo:

and the fit she threw when it was time to come inside.

"We got to install Microwave Ovens"

2012-01-19T08:12:00.004-06:00

Sunday was our first day back after vacation. We had planned on unpacking, laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping and getting ready for the week. What we did not plan on was having our microwave die.

At first we thought it was a blown fuse. But after taking it to other outlets in the kitchen, it was evident that we had bought a dud. The microwave lasted two months.

Thankfully I save every receipt of every purchase and after some digging, we found the Lowe's receipt. We loaded into the car and took it in. They were great about returning it and gave us our money back.

We were actually kind of excited that this happened. We were never that thrilled with the microwave to begin with. First, it looked mini in the space and second you had to microwave things for a much longer time. How do I know this? Apparently my husband keeps track of how long it takes to melt the butter for our nightly popcorn snack. This microwave was 60 seconds.

Old Microwave:

We went cheap on the old microwave and did not make the same mistake. Our new microwave looks the same but fills the entire space designed for it. (You will have to imagine this. I did not take a photo). Our popcorn butter only takes 30 seconds now :)

Photo Source: My own
Title: Lyric from Money for Nothing ~Dire Straits

Eau de Amy

2012-01-18T07:45:00.009-06:00

Let's chat about fragrance, shall we?

I think I have confessed my love of perfume via the blog before. Part of me would love to have a "signature scent", but most of me loves having a variety to choose from each day and trying new scents. I can mark periods of my life with fragrance: Clinique Happy and Tommy Girl(high school), Lancome Miracle (college), and Alfred Sung Shi (grad school). And if we go way back, who was also a fan of Love's Baby Soft or Exclamation when they were in middle school?!

The only time I hated perfume was when I was pregnant and the smell of perfume on me made me physically ill.

One of the fun things about cruises is that they have a ton of perfume and cologne on the ship for purchase. I don't think the prices are any different (although they are duty free) but the bomb thing is that my BIL gets a discount on ANYTHING purchased in a Disney store, including cruise. (They also have many perfumes available at Epcot at "Italy" and "France".) Because of this, I take advantage and usually get a new perfume when we visit him.

This cruise I got not one, but two new perfumes:

Chloe by Chloe (Early birthday present from my in-laws!)

This is a perfume that has long been on my to purchase list. I actually used to get really excited when it was in those magazine strips and would rub it all over my wrists.

Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Blanc

I have been looking for this in perfume form since our NYC/Philly trip. BCK gave me her samples of soaps/shampoos from her stay at the Ritz and this was the fragrance. MMMM.

I was very close to buying a third one: Chance Eau Tendre by Chanel. I reigned myself in though.

I tend to like clean, fresh smelling perfumes or slightly floral. Currently on my dresser I also have:
Champs Elysee by Guerlain
Spring Fever by Origins
Tracy by Ellen Tracy
Envy by Gucci*
Malachite by Banana Republic*
BR Woman by Banana Republic*

*Gifts from Nate. Funny enough, these are my least favorite (which he knows - I'm not slamming him on the Internet, people!). I think all three have musk and are in the "oriental" fragrance family.

Do you wear perfume? Which one(s)?

Photo Sources: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photos 3-6 via Google Images

Creamy Spinach Enchiladas

2012-01-17T08:05:00.004-06:00

I had a little bit of a rough start getting back into the swing of things with making dinner last night as the recipe I had planned on making required an overnight sit, which I didn't know about. Then I turned to make these enchiladas and didn't have the spinach thawed so prep time was a little longer than expected. I think this will be a nice addition to the 'quick meals' list in our house. And who knew - Maggie loves pumpkin seeds!

Creamy Spinach Enchiladas
Source: Real Simple January 2012

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
6 ounces Cheddar, grated (1 1/2 cups)
2 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chilies
1 cup heavy cream
kosher salt and black pepper
8 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
1/4 small red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pepitas (roasted hulled pumpkin seeds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1.Heat oven to 400° F. In a medium bowl, mix together the spinach, corn, 1 cup of the Cheddar, and 1 can of the chilies. In a small bowl, stir together the cream, the remaining can of chilies, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2.Dividing evenly, roll up the spinach mixture in the tortillas (about ⅓ cup per tortilla). Place seam-side down in a shallow baking dish. Top with the cream sauce and the remaining ½ cup of Cheddar. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.

3.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the cabbage and scallions with the pepitas, oil, lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the enchiladas.

Photo Source: Real Simple

Golden Globes Fashion Recap Week!

2012-01-16T14:26:00.001-06:00

Hey dear readers!

A little early style for style post for you. Many of you are likely aware that the Golden Globes were last night which means that M and I are back with our post-awards show recaps! Check out our commentary on her blog and stay tuned for more!

Vacation Recap!

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

We were on vacation last week (I set up posts ahead of time on here) and had a great time...save for that 24 hour period that we had the stomach flu. But I'll get there in time...

We left Friday after work. We had specifically tried to get flights around Maggie's bedtime. On the flight to Orlando, she did not sleep at all, but was really well behaved. No crying, whining or anything. PHEW! My BIL picked us up from the airport and we stayed at my in-law's condo Friday night. Saturday we woke up and hit the parks. We went to Animal Kingdom because we figured Maggie would love to go on the safari and see the animals.

We were wrong. She screamed/fussed pretty much the whole time because it was pretty loud. However, we saw ALL of the animals, including not one but TWO baby elephants (LOVE IT!) and we almost hit a giraffe! I have been on that ride a few times before and this definitely was the best one of my experiences.

After Animal Kingdom, we went back to the condo for Maggie to nap and then went to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Family Christmas Spectacular.

Sunday morning it was time to climb into the van and head to Port Canaveral to board the cruise ship! We took the standard photo with Mickey Mouse while waiting to board:

We were on board the Disney Dream this time, which is a newer bigger boat than the one we were on two years ago. Our stateroom was set up really well for having a toddler. The bed was in the part near the door and then there was a room darkening curtain the bisected the room where there was a pull out couch and a pack and play. This way we could put Maggie to bed and still have half the room to work with and have access to the bathroom without waking her up.

The adult kids hit up the Aquaduck waterslide STAT. We were disappointed that we could not take Maggie in ANY of the swimming pools because she was not potty trained. They watched those pools for swim diapers like hawks! At first, I thought this was really dumb - why on a DISNEY cruise do they not have a kiddie pool? But apparently this is a new regulation out of the public health service for all cruise ships. They did have a really great splash park on board with a Finding Nemo theme that Maggie wasn't too sure off initially but eventually was like this:

After the first night on the ship, we woke up at Nassau, Bahamas. We all got off the ship and walked around. Unfortunately you can imagine how touristy the port area is where all the cruise ships drop people off. My MIL, Nate, Maggie & I went a little further out on a walk and that was nicer. It was a beautiful sunny day. Here we are about to walk up the Queen's Staircase:

and taking a nap after:

The third day we woke up and were at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. My BIL and cousin-in-law and I decided that we were going to run the Castaway Cay 5K run, a fun run organized first thing the morning of your arrival there. It was timed, and we had numbers but that was pretty much all for show since it is a "fun" run. It was a beautiful morning and a nice course and I won! My time was 20:40 ish. I say that because I glanced at the clock as I crossed the finish and then realized that I hadn't hit the right button on my watch at the start. My BIL crossed in 3rd place and cousin-in-law in 5th! I was all excited to see if there was a prize and alas! there wasn't. Oh well! Everyone did get a certificate of completion but I do not have mine because we did not check out door on the way off the ship because we were sick (getting there, I promise!). I went back on the ship to eat a massive breakfast and gather up Nate and Maggie to swim on the beach.

Unfortunately the water was cold and Maggie hated the sand so we were in the splash park on the island again!

The next day was a day at sea. We were a little confused though when we woke up and saw that we were back at Nassau. Apparently someone on deck had a medical emergency had to be transported off to the hospital. And then, a crew member on another cruise ship went overboard so all other cruise ships had to assist in the search until the Coast Guard could get there.

The day started out fine. I went for a run on the outdoor track, we spent some time in the Finding Nemo park and then tooled around the ship for a bit. The last night they were having a matinee time for one of the shows so we were going to try to take Maggie to it. I wasn't feeling all that well, and thought it was motion sickness since that was the only day we were really moving. I took a dramamine at the start of the show and by the end of the first musical number, I threw Maggie on Nate and bolted to the room and started a 8 hour puking/pooping spree (TMI?! SORRY). Nate joined me a few hours later. And to add to the fun, Maggie was up multiple times coughing. Neither of us had the strength to hold her so we just heaved her onto the bed in between us. How she never got sick is beyond me. The next morning we were supposed to be off the ship by 9 AM. We could barely move, but made it out to the lobby to meet up with everyone else. MY MIL and BIL were also sick with the same thing and scored some Immodium and prescription-strength anti-nausea medicine for us from the medical ward. We got off the ship and made it back to the condo to lay around for the rest of the day. ICK.

My BIL's GF joined us for the 2nd half of the trip which was fun to see her since it has been a few months. She also graciously gave us her room at the condo and took the pull out couch. The next two days we bummed around spending time at Epcot and Magic Kingdom and the playground in Celebration, Fl near the condo.

We flew home Saturday night and Maggie actually fell asleep, after about 30 minutes of fussing. I think the people around us were nervous.

Maggie was teething and had a cold so she was a little touch and go some of the days - thank God we packed infant advil! It is funny how big of a difference 6 months makes in terms of traveling with her. In some ways, she was MUCH easier to travel with at 10 months compared to 16 months, although in some ways it was more fun at 16 months because she was more engaged. Another thing that is easier at 16 mos vs 10 mos is food. Maggie was just starting table food and still nursing last time we traveled so the food situation this time around was MUCH easier. We tried to keep to her normal routine for naps/bedtime when possible. The girl even made it through ALL four 1.5 hour cruise dinners! Props Mags!

It was also her first flight. I am very happy with how she did, as that was something I was a bit nervous about. We had a direct flight both ways so that was nice. We did not end up buying her a seat and had her on our laps. My in laws purchased a car seat that we had shipped directly to the condo so my BIL could have it ready to go when he picked us up from the airport. (The car seat is just staying at the condo for any future trips, potential future grandkids, and other kid visitors.) We were lucky that Nate's grandparents drove down to FL as they stay there for an extended period of time during winter so they took a pack and play (which is staying there as well), diapers and extra luggage for us. Since we won't need summer wardrobes for a few months, they are bringing it home with them as well. If I didn't have a bunch of size 4 diapers to use up (they are almost too small), I would have just bought diapers down there.

All in all it was a fun trip, and we are very grateful to my in-laws for it!

Crochet vs. Knit?

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Over the holidays, I found out that one of my coworkers knits. Another one of my coworkers expressed interest in learning how to knit and/or crochet and thus we got into a big discussion about yarn-based crafts. My mom taught me how to crochet in college, but I doubt I could now pick up a project and crochet - I would have to youtube some videos to get me back in the swing of things. I have been tempted by a few cowls that I thought were knit projects but actually were crochet. Here are just two examples:
Example 1,

Example 2

I saw these cute crochet headbands (photo below) on another blog last week and that sealed the deal - I was going to re-learn how to crochet in 2012!

Here are some resources I plan on consulting, in addition to my mom:
The Craft Blog Crochet 101 series

Crafty Minx's Crochet School

Do any of you crochet? Do you have a preference knit vs. crochet?

Bed In Front of a Window?

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

I think it is some "rule" of decorating that you are not supposed to put a bed in front of a window. However, I am leaning towards trying to break that rule in our bedroom, particularly after seeing the effect in Emily & Todd's bedroom featured in A Little Green Notebook's blog:

We even have the same bed as them which only helps me envision it for our room even more!

Our bedroom is very odd in many ways and the configuration of it has left us unsure of how to set up the furniture.

1. The room is not a traditional square or rectangle shape - it is L shaped.

2. There is a tray/beveled ceiling that is not centered in the room. Remember how we have that fireplace/alcove area:

The ceiling above this is not beveled but the ceiling on the other part of the room is. When you are in the room it seems that you would want the bed centered on the tray ceiling part. BUT...

3. The room has a double door entrance. Which means that the only position that is not in front of a window is behind the double doors, which means it is not centered on the ceiling:

This is a bit hard to explain over the blogosphere, but it is definitely noticeable when you are in the room. The current set up feels...awkward.

Moving the bed to be in line with the tray ceiling would mean that we would block the smaller window in our bedroom. Normally I would be very anti- this idea; however, the blinds and curtains of this window remain closed 99.9% of the time anyways because this window overlooks our neighbor's house. Also, the window is smaller and not a great source of light.

Other benefits (in my mind) to putting the bed here is that the room would not feel so cut in two and the open space would move from the completely wasted area in front of the door right now to in between the "bedroom" and the alcove" area.

I am still working on convincing Nate to lug our heavy furniture around to play with the space! This is one time where I have seriously considered hiring an interior designer for some input!

Hair Maintenance

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

How often do you get your haircut? I am constantly told that I should go in every 6-8 weeks but I always stretch that to 12-14. The beauty department had a post about this subject last week and according to this, I am in the 8-12 week range. However, before last Thursday night, it had been since summer - 20+ weeks. My ends were so ratty.

What was keeping me from getting my hair trimmed was my usual stylist abandoned ship after giving birth to her second child so I was out on my own. She had given me some recommendations for people within her salon, but the salon was a long way from our old house, and even longer from our new house. I don't recall this occurring when we moved into our old house, but we have been getting these "welcome wagon" offers left and right in the mail, including coupons for free haircuts from not one but TWO salons in the area.

WEll you know me - I am a sucker for anything free. But was I willing to test out a free haircut?! I am still trying to grow my hair out so I rationalized that they couldn't mess it up too bad - I just needed a trim. Before you go on thinking I am a drama queen (;) ), I have had THREE UNEVEN HAIRCUTS since moving to MKE. THREE times where I had to go back to the salon the next day and get them fixed. My cheap side won out - I took the plunge and went with the free haircut.

I am beyond thrilled with my trim. My ratty ends are off, my hair is bouncy and looks healthier than it had in a long time. My layers FINALLY seem to be on their last legs.

Woohoo for free haircuts!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

2012-01-10T08:15:00.003-06:00

Does anyone else think they could serve balsamic vinegar as a beverage in their house? Nate and I took an olive oil and vinegar tasting class once which only served to fuel our love of balsamic vinegar. YUM! The class was hosted by the owner of Oro di Oliva which has two locations in the MKE area. Since then, we have bought our olive oil and balsamic there. Their email newsletter always has a recipe of the month which is how we were notified of this gem:

Braised Balsamic Chicken
Source: Oro di Oliva

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp each of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and garlic salt
pepper to taste

Season chicken with pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in medium skillet, and brown the onion and chicken. Next, pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 15 mins. Enjoy!

**We made half the amount of chicken breasts but the full amount of sauce and served the balsamic tomatoes over brown rice.

16 months - Holla!

2012-01-09T08:23:00.001-06:00

Mags is now 16 months old.

FOOD
I think the biggest thing about the last month is that Maggie will finally try things with peanut butter on them. She used to not really care for peanut butter. Maybe it's the Trader Joe's Valencia peanut butter we bought (it is DELICIOUS!)? As I previously posted, we moved her high chair to the basement this month and bought a booster seat for the kitchen table. She has been doing VERY well with this. Last week, we also started trying a real cup during mealtimes at the table. She has been doing well, but there has been a lot of milk spilled too! I think Nate and I have finally learned the magic amount to put in the cup to start with.

GROWING
Maggie definitely hit a growth spurt this past month. I am not kidding but the pants that she wore on Christmas day were too short on New Years Eve. We put away a lot of 18 month sized things and started on 24 months and 2T sized clothes! I am very grateful we had so many hand me downs - it has been easy to just go in the basement and grab the next sized tub! I have kept an empty rubbermaid in the hall closet where we put all of the clothes she outgrows. Then the next size up tub is also located there where we can grab new things as needed. This system has worked really well!
I tried getting out some of her 12 month sized things that fit her last summer for our vacation. I don't know what I was thinking - there was no way she was fitting into those things! She is still in a size 4 disposable diaper, although we will be moving to size 5 as soon as the size 4s are gone. Her cloth diapers have been on the largest size they go to for a couple months now. She is in a size 5 shoe.

LANGUAGE
She has come quite far in the last month and has started mimicking our speech more and more. Everything is "hot". Seriously, any food you give her she will say "hot" and then blow on it. You give her an ice cube, it's "hot". She even tries to blow the fire in the fireplace out. ha ha ha She also says "papa" and "SHHHHHHHHH" because we gave her some of the dolls she was gifted as a newborn and showed her how to put them to sleep. Ever since then if she hears the word "sleep" she says "SHHHHHHHHHHH" really loudly. Hmm...she will occasionally say "up" when she wants to be picked up but I would like this to occur more often than what usually happens: whining/crying and pulling on our pants.

MOVEMENT
We now run. Hence playing "chase" in the basement. She recently figured out how to sit on something without climbing onto her knees first and then turning around. When she figured out how to just sit down, she was trying to sit on everything. "Where's Maggie?"...oh she's just sitting on the bottom step!

She also now has free reign of the house for the most part. When we moved, we never put up any stair gates (bad parents!). And really, she does stairs very well to the point that we really don't worry about her around them, although we are always there when she goes up or down. We used to have a gate that blocked off the living room/kitchen from the front of the house. It got annoying taking that up and down so we just took it down. With having our Christmas tree in the formal living room, we opened up the french doors between the living room and have kept it that way, even though the tree is down. The only gate we have up is from the kitchen to the butler pantry/dining room.

TOYS/BOOKS
Due to Christmas, we had an influx of toys which allowed us to pack up the old "baby" toys. She now has the Little People Zoo and Little People Farm, two different kinds of blocks - wood and soft foam-like ones, two shopping carts, plastic food, a kitchen set, a tree fort, Mega Blocks, her own cd player (fisher price), the ABC Dinosaur, a Fur-Real puppy (our adopted pet), a Maggie-sized Elmo (pictured above), and some new books. She received a sled too but since we haven't seen any snow yet, I don't know if we'll get to use it! Even with all of her new toys, she still will sit and look at/listen to you read books. She has her favorites too which she will request over and over (and over and over...). Confession: We sometimes hide the books to get out of reading them more than 5 times in a row.

We also have been trying to fingerpaint and color with her. She just tries eating the crayons - which apparently the Melissa and Doug kind are not as tasty. Try telling that to our beast. She does better with the fingerpainting. I cut up paper grocery bags which have worked really well for her masterpieces. We also introduced her to playdoh. She did not get it . I think we were having more fun with the play doh!

TEETH
We had some teething action in the past month, resulting in some sleepless nights. SIGH. The good news is that 3 of her 4 one-year molars have popped through! So she has a total of 9 teeth through - the four top, two bottom and 3 of the 4 molars. The molars have been difficult for us - boo!

SLEEP
We eliminated her morning nap after Thanksgiving. She goes to bed anywhere between 6:30-7PM and is up between 6:30-7AM. She takes a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon.

MISC
Maggie is finally getting hair! I still can't really fit it into any barrette, but it is there! She seems to have darker hair on some days and lighter/more blonde hair on others. There is a patch in the back that is a bit thicker than the rest and one rogue curl.
And that about sums up the last month!

She also likes going into the bathroom with you, particularly if we use the bathroom downstairs. She will wave "bye-bye" to the toilet when you flush it. My sister could not figure out why she kept waving to the toilet until we told her this!

DIY Gift RECIPIENT!

2012-01-06T09:00:00.003-06:00

I was excited to be on the receiving end of quite a few DIY Christmas gifts this year. My sister is also very into crafting. For her, Pinterest + a semester off of school = CRAFT CRAZY

She made my mom and I homemade lotion and laundry soap. My mom and I are obsessed with the lotion. It seriously is so nice - although it is very thick. My dry skin loves it. I suggested that she put in some essential oils to the next batch. Here are the instructions.

The laundry soap is hilarious. The lotion was in these cool jars. Apparently she could not find an adequate "pretty" container for the soap so she gave us Gallon-sized Ziploc bags of this powdered soap. We joked that it was our coke stash for the year. I like the laundry soap, although I am still testing how much to use per load. Here are the instructions.

My FIL always gives the women (my MIL, my aunt-in-law and cousin-in-law) a gift on Christmas Eve. This is always one of my favorite gifts to get because they are usually really "feminine" - hand cream, perfume, accessories, etc. RIGHT UP MY ALLEY! One of the gifts in the bag this year was a purse for each of us...made out of his old ties! He did not make them himself but knows of a woman that does. They are so amazing. I used mine on New Years Eve and got tons of compliments. Unfortunately I do not have a picture to show you yet as the camera is packed for vacation.

Finally, my MIL bought me some DIY salt scrub that she bought at a church fundraiser. I think it has pieces of actual candy cane in it. Last week, I wasn't feeling well so I took a hot shower and used it and followed it up with the lotion from my sis. HEAVEN! This week a recipe for DIY Lavender salt scrub came through my Google Reader. When I run out of the peppermint stuff, I am going to try it. Here are the instructions.

2012 Kicked off with a CLEAN SWEEP!

2012-01-05T11:23:00.007-06:00

I had this grand surge of energy on Jan 2. Our house was a DIS-AS-TER after "i'm too busy crafting to clean/we just dumped all of maggie's new toys in the living room" post holiday craziness.

I could not take it anymore so on Monday morning, I woke up and proclaimed that we were cleaning our entire house. (I think this is officially the moment I will describe to my kids as the day I became a "mom"). No room was getting left behind.

We took down all of the Christmas decorations which normally makes me sad but since I was in CLEAN SWEEP mode I was on a mission. I tackled DRAWERS of paperwork and PILES of paperwork that were EVERYWHERE. Recyled or Filed. Done! I brought out an old shoe organizer, hung it on our mudroom closet door and organized hats and mittens (BTW, this has been AWESOME. I highly recommend).

Then I marched my family down to the basement to unpack the remaining boxes. Even Nate who usually is the motivator to get into CLEAN SWEEP mode was like WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY PILE-LOVING WIFE?! It was like I was Zool from Ghostbusters: "There is no Amy. ONLY ZOOL!"

We unpacked all of those boxes, and got things semi-organized. The basement now is so clean and ready to be turned into a TV room/toy room when we get back from vacation. Maggie LOVES going down there just to run back and forth...and back and forth and back and forth. Need to wear your kids out in a hurry? C'mon over! I routinely have been taking her down there to play "Chase". She has gotten quite good at faking me out and going around me. Oh what mothers do for their children...Ok, I not-so-secretly love Chase. It's like the tree fort - so fun!

After that, I went to the Y to workout. I think I left Zool at the Y because I came home and CRASHED in front of the fire Nate had built for the Rose Bowl. We have been having fires almost every night. So glad a fireplace was on our "Must have" list for a house!

Photo Sources: Hat/Mitten Organizer, Sigourney Weaver Ghostbusters Shot

Birchbox 1

2012-01-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

I received a couple of emails inquiring about the details of the Birchbox contents so I thought I would share them on the Style for Style Wednesdays. Last night I received Box #1.

Box #1 is supposedly a "general" box and you go online to fill out a short questionnaire to have future boxes personalized to you and your tastes. They ask you about your hair color, skin tone, skin type, any issues you have with your skin, eye color and then what type of boxes you want "classic", "adventurous", etc.

Here it is:

First off, I will comment that the packaging is great. Each box comes with a card describing each of the products, as well as how the cost of the full-size item. (If you like any of the products, you can order the full-size product through the Birchbox website and accrue points for more free stuff on all full-size product purchases.)

The bold text is verbatim from the Birchbox card. The text underneath is my personal review of the product, with some input from Nate (who might have been just as excited as me about the arrival of the box!).

1. Harvey Prince Yogini. Take a deep breath and relax with this calming scent. Notes of sandalwood, Egyptian myrrh, and grapefruit will help you feel as good as you smell. 8.8 mL $26; 50 mL $55
No thank you. Based on the photo on the fragrance tester, I was picturing a clean scent. This smells a little floral/spicy to me. It is a little stronger than typical fragrances that I gravitate toward. Nate was not a fan of it either. In fact the more I smell it the more I dislike it.

2. Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink. We teamed up with one of our favorite brands to create this custom fuchsia shade. Apply one coat for semi-sheer pigment, or build it for a hot pink pout. 0.21 oz $20
I love lip glosses so I was excited to see this TINY thing. The color is nice on me and this will take up less room in my quart-sized Ziploc bag than a full-size product for our upcoming vacation. Funny that I had gone to Sephora last night to get some new blush and my new color looked great with this lipgloss. I will have to give it a longer test run to see if I would pay $20 for this.

3. VMV Hypoallergenics Re-Everything: Face-Hand-Body Lotion. Simplify your skincare routine with this all-over lotion, which conquers dryness on both face and body in one fell swoop. 185 mL $45
I was excited to see this in there because I can always use sample sized hand lotions for my purse, car, desk, etc. I may try this on my face tomorrow. As a hand lotion, i was not that impressed. I would definitely not buy this - a few minutes after putting this on my hands, it feels like I didn't put any hand lotion on. (Disclaimer - My skin is super dry, particularly in winter).

4. Zoya Nail Polish in Kristen A beautiful bluish gray, this cool hue from Zoya's new Feel Collection is the kind of understated neutral you'll never get sick of 0.5 fl oz $8
I was not impressed with this color in the bottle - it seemed a little young for me...you know, because I'm SO old, ha ha ha. The more I thought about it though the more I felt like this was a perfect thing to send me - it was outside of my comfort zone and something I definitely would never have tried if I had gone to Sephora to shop for nail polish. I tried it on one finger and still didn't really like it but Nate thought it was nice. I am going to try painting my nails with it once and see what I think with all 10 fingers painted.

5. Recharge Eboost Orange Natural Energy Booster Bounce back post-party with this tangy citrus energy booster, packed with a mega-dose of nutrients 20 packets $28.
Well, I likely won't be using this "post-party" but "post-a teething night from hell" might be the perfect test environment to give this one a try!

There you have it - Box #1! If anyone things they would be interested in the Yogini scent, let me know and I will give you the sample.

Muffin Recipe Request

2012-01-03T12:24:00.004-06:00

Sundays have been regular muffin-making days for a while now. Maggie loves them and they are a good snack for everyone throughout the week. I most often make Mark Bittman's Sweet Potato muffins (or one of the variations) but we are growing a little tired of these. I welcome any muffin recipes you have although I would prefer them to be more of the healthy variety rather than the dessert-type muffins (e.g. Martha's To Die For Pumpkin Dougnut Muffins, pictured below). Send me your best!

12 goals for 2012

2012-01-03T10:40:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I have spent several weeks thinking about and crafting this list of 12 Goals for 2012. Some of them are silly lists within this list (e.g. #1) and others are more serious (e.g. #7).

1. Nate and I have a pretty good routine of having regular movie nights. We alternate who picks the movie because we often have divergent tastes. Once upon a time, I was very serious about watching AMC's list of 100 Best Movies of the 20th Century (I never finished). Then it was "Academy Award Winning Films". This year, I have selected ten movies that I have always wanted to watch as my movie list:

A. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
B. Annie Hall
C. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
D. Some Like It Hot
E. Ordinary People
F. Out of Africa
G. The Sting
H. Unforgiven
I. BUtterfield8
J. The Long Hot Summer

I figure at the very least, there is a lot of eye candy represented in the list above :) If you have any "must see movies" to add to my list, add them to the comments!

2. Floss Nightly. This might be a gross thing to publicly admit on the Internet, but I do not floss daily. Twice a year I get busted on this from the dental hygienist and twice a year I start trying to floss and then fall off the wagon. 2012 will be the year that I get into the habit of flossing my teeth daily! I started this the day after Christmas and have only missed one night so far.

3. Read 30 books. Thirty used to be my annual magic book number pre-child. My post-child years resulted in 28 and then 26 books. I think I am up to the challenge to bring that back up to 30. Otherwise, this might be the first year I don't meet the book goal!

4. This is leftover from last year. I would like to run a half marathon...and I will come clean and admit that in the deep dark depths of my mind, I really would like to run a marathon this year. So goal 4a) Half-marathon. Goal 4b) marathon.

5. Crafts for sale. Last APRIL, I was given a proposition to sell purses at a local boutique. I have not done a whole lot to make this a reality. Yes, I have started doing some of the 6 bags requested, but I always come up with some excuse to not work on these. Thus, my craft goal for 2012 is to get on this. I always say that I would love to get paid to craft but I was not taking advantage of a good opportunity...until now.

6. Learn how to use our camera. We purchased a Nikon D5000 when I was pregnant. No doubt it is a great camera, but neither of us really know a ton about it to make use of all of the features. Sometimes we get lucky and produce a fantastic photo and other times, we have about 5000 blurry photos. There is a local art gallery that advertises some intro Photography lessons that I would like to take advantage of. I don't plan on making photography a hobby, but I would like to know the difference between the "A" setting and the "M" setting.

7. Stop complaining about work. I feel like I spent 2011 whining about my job to whomever was in front of me. Yes, I am in a rut at work. Yes, I have applied for SEVERAL other jobs. No nothing seems to be changing on this front, and largely I think that is because I am indecisive about what I want to do. Some days I would like to remain full time, some days I want to go part time and other days I don't want to work at all. A whole year spent yo-yoing around. This year, I resolve to figure this sh** out, make a choice and then move on!

8. Nate and I came up with this goal together (I think if Maggie could talk she would also have chimed in) - and that is to take advantage of all of the museums, etc in Milwaukee. These are places we "keep meaning to go to" and we also think Maggie is at a good age as well. We are going to try to do one outing a month from now until Summer. Our first two stops will be the Betty Brinn Children's Museum and the Milwaukee Public Museum. We also have a new membership to the Schlitz Auduban Nature Center to take full advantage of in 2012.

9. Tailor my clothes. I have a whole section of clothes that don't fit me properly - mostly skirts. I don't know why I used to buy skirts so big so that they just hang on my hips. This irritated me all last year and so I resolve to get them tailored.

10. Bring back game night. Nate and I used to regularly play games while watching TV at night. We even have this giant list going of who won what. (Yes, we are competitive.) I don't know why we stopped but we're bringing it back!

11. Practice piano. I had years worth of lessons, have lots of music and a great piano in my living room. I got back into playing it fairly regularly over the holidays because of Christmas carols. I would like to keep this up and learn some pieces of music that I have always meant to learn how to play.

12. YOGA! Another one of last year's failures. My workplace has on site yoga lessons during the workday (lunch) or after work. A colleague has routinely done the lunchtime sessions and likes them. The next session starts in a couple of weeks (you have to pre-register) and I am going to join her. I am hoping this will jump start me continuing to practice at home.

As usual, I will give quarterly updates on my progress. What are your goals for 2012?

Christmas Crafting Frenzy

2011-12-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

The week before Christmas was a crafting frenzy at our house. Although I had finished Maggie's Christmas dress earlier this month, I wanted to take it it a bit and put a nice finish on the arm holes. I took advantage of the decorative stitching options available on my sewing machine and did a scalloped edge finish on the arm holes and took each side in about 3/4". I was happy that I did because it fit her much better after that. I was also happy to find a shirt with a peter pan collar (what I originally envisioned) at Gap Kids on Christmas Eve. (Yes, I was one of those mothers that dragged their kid to the mall on Christmas Eve.) When planning this whole outfit out in my head, I also pictured having a red headband and red shoes. The red headband was found at Gymboree and the red shoes at Target. I was really happy with how the whole thing turned out. She even wore the headband for a chunk of time.

My second project was a Birdie Sling for my sister. This was not going to be a surprise gift because it was requested after the first Birdie Sling that I made for her several years ago finally fell apart after daily use. My sister picked out the main fabric (Zu Zu Petals Medallion Olive) and I found a coordinating purple solid to match (purple is my sister and my favorite color). She was really excited about it and started using this daily as well. (Mental note: In about two years, I will have to make her a third Birdie Sling).

My third project was a purse for Nate's cousin. I opted to make her a Frenchy Bag since I had only used the pattern one other time. We wanted to give her a little something for being our very occasional night babysitter. The main fabric is Pop Garden Pop Daisey Green and the coordinating band fabric is Pretty Please Jackie Blue. I was also pleased with how this turned out.

My final DIY touch on Christmas involved using these bird tags on our gifts. This required a printer and a scissors. I was very pleased at how well these printed - they did look like watercolors. I received compliments on them so am planning on using them for other holidays.

Have a great New Year's Weekend! See you in 2012!

Nate's Christmas Present (Subtitle: Why it is a dumb idea to take a 15 month old Christmas Shopping)

2011-12-29T08:24:00.005-06:00

Some of you may recall my TV size ban when we initially bought our first TV on Black Friday 2007. I was on board with any sort of new TV but did not want one bigger than 37" because of our small living room at our old house. Well, talk of a bigger TV was always in the background and then when we moved to this house and there was already a space in the finished basement with speakers wired into the wall, the chatter increased.

Since the basement is, well, the basement and not out in the open, I am ok with a bigger TV. So even though we traditionally do not give each other Christmas gifts, I wanted to get Nate a big TV. I knew he wouldn't expect me to ever buy something like that since I was so anti for the last 4 years. I was going for shock value for sure.

I enlisted the help of his brothers and mother who watched sales flyers like a hawk. Of course the best prices ended up being the week before Christmas. At this point, I had sort of resigned myself that he wasn't going to be getting it for Christmas - I would try for his birthday (March) instead. But I went to Best Buy the Tuesday before Christmas (with Maggie in tow after we had already gone to Target and Michaels) because I knew he would be working late that night.

Well they had a bunch of good sales but I didn't really know too much about TVs. I tried calling BIL #1 - he also said he didn't know much about TVs and that I should try calling BIL #2. Well, BIL #2 was working with Nate so I knew I wouldn't be able to call him so I tried texting him. No response and at this point, Maggie is no longer amused at the wall of TVs and is starting to get antsy.

I finally found a sales person and asked if they had a restocking fee - so that if I bought this TV and it was the wrong size/wrong brand/whatever we could take it back. He confirmed that no restocking fee would be charged until 1/24/12 so we had until then to take it back if we needed to. SOLD! I'll take the TV.

At this point, Maggie is very pissed. They try selling me cords or some crap and I just cut them off saying, "I have no idea what we need - this TV is for my husband's Christmas present and I'll just send him back here to get the cords at that point." I tried to check my phone to see if my BIL had texted me back and in the process of pulling it out of my pocket, dropped it - the cover and battery popped out and went across the Best Buy floor. Maggie's still crying so I just pick up all of the pieces and throw them into my purse.

Ok the TV's paid for... Terrence is going to load the TV into the car. At this point Maggie is screaming. I get her loaded into the carseat, open the back and see Terrence approaching with the TV. There is no way that TV is fitting into the back without putting the seats down. Problem - Maggie's car seat is RIGHT in the middle of the back seat. So I have to now remove the screaming child that I had finally gotten buckled in and attempt to move the carseat. I needed both hands to get the carseat moved because I could not get it unbuckled. So what did I do with the screaming child? I laid her on the floor of the backseat of the car. OH SHE WAS LIVID. Hysterical sobs. After what seemed to be a lifetime, I finally got the damn carseat moved and the back seat put down. Terrence slid the TV in and BOLTED. No "Thank You", "Merry Christmas" or anything!

Now I had to get this drama queen back into her carseat. OH MAN did she put up a fight. I finally got her into the seat (after some wrestling) and the second I started driving she stopped her hysterics and started singing "La la la". I felt mildly better that she was just being dramatic and that I hadn't permanently scarred her with all of my parent-of-the-year actions up to this point!

I got home and now I had the issue of how was I going to get this giant TV into the basement where I could hide it. I unloaded Mags from the car and put her in the house. She peered out the door at me, likely thinking "Yeah right mom. You are not getting that TV into the house." (I was thanking God that she couldn't talk yet!)

I don't know if it was all the adrenaline I had coursing through my body, but I managed to lift that TV into the house and then slide it down the stairs (thank goodness for carpeting) and hide it.

I got upstairs and started to feed Maggie dinner and put my phone back together. I noticed that BIL #2 had texted me back and said that Nate was coming home early. Phew! The TV was hidden - I rushed back out into the garage to get the carseat back in place b/c I knew I would be busted if he saw that the seat was moved. I JUST closed the car door as he pulled into the garage!

I had to keep that TV hidden for five days, which wasn't too difficult since we rarely go into the basement. On Christmas Morning, I told Maggie to take Dad downstairs to show him his Christmas present. That girl loves any excuse to go into the basement so she led him down there and voila!

He was definitely surprised (but did not do the screaming and cheering that I did when I opened my Birch Box subscription) and laughed when I told him all of the above. While looking at the Best Buy ads that came in the Sunday paper, I noticed that the TV I bought was EVEN CHEAPER the week after Christmas. What a scam. I took the reciept back and was credited the difference.

We started cleaning up the basement and organizing/unpacking the remaining boxes down there. We will probably set up the TV when we get back from vacation. Stay tuned...

Subscription Services

2011-12-28T08:07:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I found out that JCrew has a shoe of the month club. Yes for the low price of $1800, you could get a pair of JCrew shoes sent to you each month. File that in my fantasy gifts file.

I discovered this on the Look Linger Love blog where the blog's author, Chassity, posted photos of all 12 shoes she received. Good thing Christmas was over because I did not have Christmas-y feelings while reading her post. I was definitely envious!

While I probably will never be in the JCrew Shoe of the Month club, I am a new receipient of a subscription club: Birch Box!!! Nate and Mags gifted me a one-year subscription for Christmas.

Birch box was one of those "I really want this someday" hints to Nate from June this past year. (I know this because that is when I blogged about them on my old blog.) I am excited to get my first box next month!

11 for '11: Year in Review

2011-12-27T08:45:00.000-06:00

I started creating goal lists in 2009 as my take on new years resolutions. We have four more days left in 2011 but I don't foresee any updates to my 11 for '11 goals. I just started a book (Suite Francaise) and am halfway through a knit crafting project (that damn Herringbone Cowl) but the two goals related to those items are done. Here is my list of goals for 2011 and whether or not I accomplished them:

1. Read 18 books. Revised to Read 25 books
Done and Done Plus 1!

1. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
2. Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins
3. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
4. March by Geraldine Brooks
5. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
7. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
8. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
9. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
10. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
11. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
12. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
13. Bossypants by Tina Fey
14. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
15. The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
16. The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
17. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
18. Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids and Life in a Half Changed World by Peggy Orenstein
19. One Day by David Nicholls
20. Faithful Place by Tana French
21. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
22. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
23. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
24. A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka
25. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
26. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

2. Run a half marathon.
NOT done. My BIL, Cousin-in-law and I toyed with running the Disney half marathon the day before our cruise departs. The very high entry fee changed our minds.

3. Make one thing a month.
If you look at this as did I make 12 things in 2011? Yes - I actually made 14. Did I actually make one item per month? No. I didn't make anything in June, July or October. Summer, Summer, Moving - those are my excuses :) Originally I had indicated that I wanted to knit 3 of the 12 items. I did 2.5 - the 0.5 being my Herringbone Cowl.

4. Work on my posture.
Looking back, this was a dumb goal (Definitely not SMART). How am I suppossed to evaluate this? I don't think my posture has really improved. This is more of a life goal, I think!

5. Drink more water.
Like everyone else in America, I'm good at this during the warm months and not so good during the colder months. I would say this could still be improved.

6. Paint our hallway.
I don't know that I can take credit for this but it did get done - TWICE. Nate painted the hallway of our old house AND our new house this year. I picked out the colors - does that count?!

7. Remove the overgrown, hideous bushes from our front yard.
We moved to avoid doing this (ha ha ha) as this was a goal tied to our old house. We will have some yard work ahead of us in 2012 in the new digs.

8. REALLY clean out my closet.
DONE!

9. Go through the GIANT scrapbooking tubs in our closet.
DONE!

10. Call my sister by her real name.
DONE!

11. Get back into doing Yoga.
EPIC FAIL!

So there you have it. Of my 11 goals for '11, I accomplished six completely (italicized) and 2 sort of. I did not even come close on 3 of them. Next week, I will reveal the 2012 list!

Beef and Sweet Potato Turnovers

2011-12-27T08:03:00.000-06:00

A friend posted the recipe for these on her Facebook page and seeing that they had three of Maggie's favorite foods: Sweet potatoes, spinach and ground beef, I thought they would be a hit. I considered it a bonus that they included puff pastry :)

Turns out, Maggie wasn't too hungry last night but Nate and I were. One recipe fed both of us. No leftovers.

Beef and Sweet Potato Turnovers
Source: Real Simple

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet potato, grated
2 cups baby spinach
kosher salt and black pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed, halved
1/2 cup grated Cheddar

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes; stir in the garlic.

3. Add the sweet potato, spinach, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and toss to combine.

4. Dividing evenly, spoon the beef mixture onto one side of each piece of puff pastry, leaving a ¼-inch border.

5. Top with the cheese, fold the dough over the filling, and press firmly to seal.

6. Transfer the turnovers to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

She's a Big Kid Now! (Sort of)

2011-12-26T16:34:00.007-06:00

Today was a day of moving up in the world for Maggie. She was a lucky girl this Christmas so far (we have one celebration left to go) and received a lot of new big girl toys, including this kitchen set from Santa:

..and a tree fort from one of her uncles. I think it is funny that I have a photo of Nate in the tree fort:

one of me in the tree fort:

but not one of Maggie in it yet! She does like it though! She hung out in it this morning while Nate and I were slow to get out of bed. Yes. This means that the tree fort is currently in our bedroom. I told you we really liked it! ha ha ha

I was looking forward to some new toys so that I could pack up the old toys. I am not in a hurry for Maggie to grow up but I was getting really sick of the songs from the ball popper. She also was not really playing with most of her baby toys anymore. So today we packed a bunch of them up to store until it comes time for a brother or sister.

That's not all we did. We also packed away the high chair and got a booster seat so she can eat with us at the table from now on. She wasn't too sure about it first but once she figured out that she could eat in it, she was golden.

A third thing we did is go through her closet and dresser and pack up clothes that no longer fit her and brought out some new (re: hand me down) 24 month sized things. Finally, we have her crib lowered to the lowest setting.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:03:00.001-06:00

(Mis)Adventures in Christmas Crafting

2011-12-23T07:00:00.002-06:00

My list of DIY Christmas gifts was not large by any means but I managed to procrastinate enough to ensure that I would have nightly crafting time this week.

First up, the coffee cozy. Or crafts gone wrong. Or ideas that sound better in my head than they do in execution. Or gifts you hope no one makes for you.

The backstory: One of my colleagues brought in a paper cup of coffee to the staff meeting. Instead of the usual cardboard sleeve to prevent her hand from getting burned, she had this knit cozy. "Oh man. I should make one of those" popped into my head. (famous last words...) I started scouring Ravelry and came up with this pattern. I was attracted to "quick".

I also thought this would be a good way to incorporate another knit craft in my 2011 repertoire in which I had a goal to make one thing per month and three things had to be knit. Finally, it would be my first project that solely used double pointed needles. My previous experience involved finishing a project (baby hats) with double pointed needles, but never a full project.

I started this on night 1 and finished in on night 2. So it was quick. Unfortunately, it just was a sad sight. First, it was much longer than I thought it would be - it takes up a whole coffee cup rather than a sleeve. (I demonstrated it on a Starbucks grande size cup in the photo above.) Second, you can see where i had to move from one needle to the next - there are three verticle lines showing exactly which stitches were on which needle.

My plan was to give this to my sister - fellow knitter and pinterest stalker. At the very least, she would get a kick out of it. Nate even mentioned that he could see her using something like that and that she probably would like it. (I think he was trying to be nice.)

I gave it to her (from Mags) yesterday morning as it was the last day before Christmas that she would be watching Maggie. She admitted that first she thought it was a wrist cuff. (BTW WHAT is a wrist cuff?!) She also mentioned a useful tip to avoid those vertical lines- move the stitches the needles every so often. In other words - don't keep all the stitches that you started with on needle 1 the entire time - move some to needle 2 and then some from 2 to 3, etc. I will have to try that the next time I pick up the ol' dpns.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-12-22T11:29:00.003-06:00

Has anyone seen the American version of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo yet? How is it?

I loved these books and thought the Swedish films were very well done. Nate also enjoyed them.

Last night, upon seeing a preview of the newly released American film, Nate asked me, "Are you going to watch the American versions of these films?"

I replied, "Yes!"

Nate: "Is that just because Mikael is played by Daniel Craig."

Amy (in my head): "Yes!"
Amy (out loud): "No! I want to see how they compare to the Swedish films!"

The Anti-Clark Griswold

2011-12-22T08:15:00.006-06:00

Our outdoor Christmas decorations are very sad. We tried to just use what we did at our old house on our new. It doesn't really cut it. My favorite Christmas decorations include white lights and lots of evergreen. Next year, I would like to do something along the lines of the following:

I'm hoping there are some good post-holiday deals on wreaths and garland!

Photo Sources: Listed on my Pinterest board

Response to Comments/Emails

2011-12-21T10:53:00.005-06:00

I sometimes have been using this Wednesday space to solicit feedback on a variety of stuff related to fashion and beauty. Thank you for the comments and emails! Here is an update:

1) At the end of October, I posted about facial skin care routines and received some helpful comments and emails which I took to heart. First, I stopped using salicylic acid completely and instead am trying a toner. I also used a gift certificate I had for a facial and the facialist recommended exfoliating more often which I have also done. Finally, tea tree oil was also recommended for breakouts. I purchased a few more products, loved some and hated some and so here is my revised routine which has been working quite well!

1. Cleanse face with gentle cleanser. I still have Cetaphil but have been mixing in Burts Bees Sensitive Cream Cleanser (free tube from BzzAgent) and Aveda Botanical Kinetics Purifying Cream Cleanser (I purchased this kit of samples to test out). I have not noticed a difference from any of these cleansers - I feel like they are all equal. I have been using them more often with this origins facial brush that I pulled out of my closet, purchased who knows when. This has been doing a great job of removing make-up - which I noticed I wasn't really doing that great of a job at removing.

2. I have been trying to remember the words of my facialist and exfoliate more regularly and use an exfoliating cleanser 1x/week. I have various samples of this type of product around my house including the Aveda Tourmaline Charged Exfoliating Cleanser, the Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream, and the Bioelements Pumice Peel (My favorite and the most expensive, of course). I think the origins facial brush assists in the exfoliating too.

3. Tone - someone mentioned toner. I have been using the Aveda toner from the sample kit linked above and I like it. I also have been using straight witch hazel from Target - this is the main ingredient of the Aveda toner and is 1/8 of the price. I also purchased the Trader Joe's Tea Tree Oil Natural Spa face pads, which I have also been pleased with (although they smell terrible).

4. Moisturize - I kept my Kiehls moisturizer and the Suki face oil moisturizers because I like them. I also bought this Vitamin E Oil from Trader Joes to try as a cheaper version of the Suki Face oil and have really loved this - it was $3 and a little goes a long way and my face does not flake off at all anymore!

One request I do have is a recommendation for a mascara/eye makeup remover. I have been using the Up & Up Target brand and it is terrible so if you have one of those that you like, I'm all ears.

2. I also solicited input on swimsuits. Overwhelmingly, the JCrew red halter number was chosen.

I was waiting for a coupon code to order it from JCrew and got my wish on Monday - 30% off and free shipping! I think the swimsuits should be delivered this week sometime. We'll see how it looks on me!

Thanks again for all of your input!

Fudge Disaster

2011-12-20T08:06:00.004-06:00

Many of you know that my mom, sister and I started baking cookies together several years ago. My niece and Mags joined us as well. This year due to insane schedules, we combined the cookie bake with breakfast with Santa and presents with my mom and siblings. One jam-packed day of fun.

Last year, I decided that instead of trying to hunt through piles of recipes each year that I was going to make binders for us with all of the recipes that we use and also give us a place to write notes since we found ourselves saying, "Next year we have to remember to...". I also included a page of photos for each year of the cookie bake. (Yes, I did get made fun of for making these.)

This year we discovered that I made a HUGE error in transcribing the fudge recipe. After making several batches of fudge and letting it cool, we went to go eat it. It was AWFUL. We could not figure out what happened - I knew I had let it get to 234 degrees - I watched that candy thermometer like a hawk!

Well, it turns out that I did not write down the correct instructions for the fudge in the binders! Instead of bringing a portion of the ingredients to a boil and letting them get to 234 degrees, I indicated that we were to put ALL of the ingredients to a boil, etc. Yeah. You do not want to find out what marshmallow fluff that has boiled up to 234 degrees tastes like.

SOOOOOOOO I had to re-transcribe the recipe into the 2011 notes section for fudge. My sister and I were cracking up.

And that is why no one will be getting fudge this year. :)

Childcare for Christmas!

2011-12-20T07:52:00.005-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. It has been CRAZY around here, as I am sure you might be experiencing too.

One BIG early Christmas present that we received is that we found childcare!!!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hunting for childcare proved to be a frustrating process. We had a few in-home places lined up to check out based on some word-of-mouth recommendations. Literally they all cancelled on us THE SAME day. So then we started checking Craigslist. Oh the stories that came out of that one. Let's just say that it was interesting. Our last interview was scheduled for Sunday after church and wouldn't you know the woman was great! Her own two little girls were there (age 3 and 21 mos) and Maggie started playing with them right away - it didn't hurt that they offered her their stuffed puppies. I guess the oldest girl asked the woman that night when Maggie was going to come back and play with them. Awww!

Cross that off the list! We are going to start using her in mid-January after we return from our vacation.

(Maggie loves playing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)

What's for Lunch?

2011-12-13T13:59:00.002-06:00

I bring my lunch from home everyday and eat while I work. I generally have leftovers from dinner but as Maggie eats more and more, we have found that we don't have as many leftovers, or I will often leave the leftovers for her lunch. I have a few things in the recipe rotation that I will make for the sole purpose of my lunches for the week. This is one of those recipes.

Lentil Salad with Carrots and Cilantro
Source: Cooks Illustrated Recipe Tester Program

This recipe works with any type of lentil with the exception of red lentils. Lentils du Puy, sometimes called French green lentils, is our preferred choice. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.

1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
Salt and pepper
2 cups water
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
3 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Place lentils and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover with 4 cups warm (about 110 degrees) water and soak for 1 hour. Drain well. (Drained lentils can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking.)

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place drained lentils, water, chicken broth, garlic, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Cover and bake in oven until lentils are tender but remain intact, 40 to 60 minutes. While lentils are in oven, toss carrots, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne in microwave safe bowl, cover, and microwave until carrots are tender but still crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and oil together in medium bowl.

3. Drain lentils well; remove and discard garlic and bay leaf. Add drained lentils, carrots, and cilantro to dressing and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish and serve.

Maggie: 15 months - Elmo vs. Everything Else

2011-12-12T16:35:00.000-06:00

Today's Maggie Monday features the month-by-month update as Mags turned 15 months old last week!

Elmo
I think officially your "baby" becomes a "toddler" when they are walking, but if you ever have any doubt if you have a toddler, you can consult this handy, evidence-based brain chart:

See that middle spot that Elmo is occupying? That's where we're at folks. We don't really even know how the Elmo-mania started at our house. Maggie still does not watch TV - any TV that we did put on was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse songs. She has ONE Sesame Street book, Shake A Leg, which isn't even that Elmo-centric. Yet, she became stuck on that book and pointing to the red furball the most.

Then we, as parents, did a dumb thing. We You Tubed an Elmo Video to show her Elmo LIVE! Now both the computer and Ipad are called "Elmo machines". If you are not familiar with "Elmo's Song", you might not know that most of the song is a bunch of "la-la-la"s. So Maggie will go over to one of the Elmo Machines and start singing "la-la-la".

Now we hide the computer and Ipad. She seems to get her fix if we sing the Elmo Song.

You can see how excited she was to find a little stuffed Elmo doll in her stocking from St. Nick last week!

Here is a great shot of her watching Elmo on her uncle's cell I-touch

Everything Else
We had Maggie's 15 month well child visit on Friday. Her stats:

Height: 32 inches (91st percentile)
Weight: 24 lbs 3 oz (71st percentile)

We still don't have any words yet beyond Mama and Da. She has started to try to run and it is pretty hilarious. The default is definitely walking. Nate and I think she looks strange when she does crawl because we are no longer used to it.

We have been offering her crayons and fingerpaint. She still has not figured out what to do with the crayons besides eat them. We have her first masterpiece on our fridge with fingerpaint. I guess she enjoyed it but did not enjoy clean up:

Unfortunately we are still dealing with sickness/teething/rxns to vaccinations. Saturday morning Maggie vomited on me three times. It was pretty gross. It definitely was a hair washing day after that!

Last year for Christmas, my in-laws gave her the Little People nativity so she would have it this year for advent. She loves it. We have taught her how to make the animals eat the straw. Her favorite piece is definitely the baby Jesus:

She has definitely loved having a Christmas tree and Christmas decorations around the house. Every night we have to look out our bedroom windows at the neighbors outdoor christmas light monstrosity (think Clark Griswold).

We are still in the process of finding childcare. UGH - this has been such a drawn out process. We had two people lined up for tours that cancelled last minute so it was back to the drawing board. We have three more lined up to do in-home interviews over the next week. Fingers crossed that someone works out!

Delayed Friday Post - Gift List 5: Hobbies

2011-12-12T09:14:00.005-06:00

The fifth and final gift list features four ideas in each of my three favorite hobbies: crafting, running and reading.

Crafting
Have a DIYer or DIY-Wanna Be on your list? The opportunities are endless!

1. Lessons. Lately I have heard this a lot from friends "I want to learn how to {insert craft here - knit, sew}". If you have heard this from any of your friends/family members, get them lessons/classes! Your local craft shops will likely offer lessons. I took knitting lessons with my MIL a few years ago (my birthday gift from her) and the intro lessons were enough to get me started. Note: Often the lessons have a supplies list that you need to have for the first class. You can decide whether your budget allows for purchasing the supplies with the lesson.

2. Supplies! This can be a tough one in the event that you do not know what supplies the recipient already has. This is one instance where I consider gift cards to be ok and not impersonal. Maybe you get a gift card to a really great local fabric store instead of a big box craft store. If your budget is a little bigger, buy them a sewing machine! (It's the gift that keeps on giving, for realz).

3. Project Kits. Many craft stores have these pre-assembled. (The Purl Bee and Anna Maria Horner have some great ones.) If you are feeling crafty yourself, you could DIY a project kit - pick out a pattern and buy the supplies for the recipient. Personally, I really think Amy Butler patterns are well done and are manageable for a wide variety of sewists.

4. Hobby Books. I have a great collection of hobby books going. I usually only buy these when I have bookstore gift cards. Here are some recommendations:
Sewing
The Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts
One Yard Wonders: Sewing Projects that Require One Yard of Fabric
Amy Butler's In Stitches
The Colette Sewing Handbook: For the person who wants to venture into DIY Clothes

General Crafting/DIY
Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts
Design Sponge at Home

Knitting/Embroidery
The Knitting Answer Book: I use this ALL OF THE TIME
One Skein Wonders
Amy Butler's Farmhouse Knits (In case you can't tell, I pretty much just want to be Amy Butler :) )

Reading
Here are some gifts for the reader in your life.

1. The Penguin Classics Clothbound books: These have been showing up on a variety of gift lists for the past several years because they are so gorgeous!

2. Book stamp/book plates. Etsy has a few thousand to peruse. You can also usually find these at book stores and stationary stores.

3. Book light. My FIL got me this one last year and I love it! It works well on those nights I want to stay up late reading but the hubs wants to get some shut-eye.

4. A book you have read and loved. Based on my 2011 reading list, I might consider gifting Unbroken or Cutting for Stone.

Runner
Know a runner?

1. Running socks. Go to a running speciality store and get these. They will be expensive (compared to socks you would buy at Target), but worth it to the recipient.

2. Running apparel. Running apparel is really expensive (in my opinion) and therefore makes a good gift. If you have no idea what to buy, this is where your local running store comes in handy with recommendations. If you have a big budget, pretty much anything from Lululemon is awesome.

3. Runner's World Magazine. Yes, this magazine rehashes a lot of its information but it can be a good motivator.

4. Mile Markers. Know a woman runner? This book is a collection of writings by Kristin Armstorng. Her blog is equally good.

Delayed Friday Post: DIY Christmas Dress

2011-12-12T08:22:00.006-06:00

I had no plans on making Maggie's Christmas dress until I found a remnant of this green and cream checked material with slight silver threads running through it in the remnant bin at Jo-Ann Fabrics. It was a beautiful wool material and I couldn't resist. "That would make such a cute Christmas dress for Mags!"

I threw the material in the cart and then started searching for an easy jumper pattern. I ended up buying the It's So Easy It's Simplicy 2144 Toddler Dress Pattern. The dress took me two nights to make. I modified the pattern slightly because it called for bias tape around the arm holes and I thought that would not look good. I also used a muslin facing for the yoke part of the dress rather than the same material because it is so thick (thanks for the advice, Mom).

I was happy with how it turned out. We test drove it over the weekend at Nana's Christmas party. It is a little big on the sides, so I will need to take it in.

The awesome red shoes are courtesy of Target.

I also clipped a jeweled brooch on to the dress for some added pizazz:

In all actuality it was an old clip on earring that my sister found in this jewelry box she acquired at my great-grandfather's auction. I thought it was fitting for Maggie to wear it since we were going to take another five-generation photo with her great-great-grandfather:

Nate came up with a great name for these photos - the 5G Network. HA HA HA. Love it. We even did a few with us holding out "5":

Latebreaker Addition to Gift List 4

2011-12-08T12:35:00.001-06:00

Daily Candy is offering one year of Dwell Magazine for $12 today!

Gift List 4: The Home

2011-12-08T07:58:00.009-06:00

Gifts for the home are among the easiest to DIY so this list features a couple of DIY options for your consideration.

1. Custom caligraphy stamp. I had been eyeing one of these for a while and when we moved into our "forever" house, I ordered one. No more using those free address labels that we get from our colleges! We ordered ours from this seller on Etsy but if you enter "custom calligraphy stamp" into the search box, you will have oodles of options to choose from.

2. Stationary. I could spend a small fortune in paper stores. Some great local shops are Broadway Paper and Monograham. Paper-Source is a great online resource.

3. Coasters. Rifle has some really pretty ones,
but otherwise coasters are an easy DIY gift. This tutorial looks really easy.

4. Calendar! You can make a photo calendar (parents and grandparents LOVE this!) or select from the dozens of gorgeous options online. This blog features a great listing of calendars - you are sure to find one!

5. Ornaments! Do you know how many amazing ornaments are out there? My favorites are the vintage looking Old World Christmas ornaments. But really almost every store has ornaments - Target has a great assortment this year. If you are up for some craftiness, you can DIY some ornaments out of felt, glass (photo below), cross-stitch or thread.

6. Linens. Napkins, tablecloths, placemats and table runners. All easy DIYs, particularly if you are new to sewing. Here is a great tutorial for napkins (photo below).
You can also troll Etsy and within minutes have a variety of options. Need something really quick and easy? This set from Anthropologie.

7. I shouldn't even have to say this by now....Home-related Magazine Subscription. (You know you are laughing). OK...Martha Stewart Living. This crosses many categories (home, food, crafting) and is my most favorite magazine. It is the only magazine where I keep every single issue and refer back to them often. Little Green Notebook provided a really good list of a variety of home related magazines for Babble as well.

8. Plants or flowers. You can never go wrong with paperwhites, an amaryllis or a christmas cactus.

9. Blankets/Throws. Homemade blankets are so amazing to receive, in my opinion. Nate's grandmother and his co-worker's wife both knit us incredibly soft blankets for wedding gifts while my mom and family have quilted us several blankets for gifts in years past. I still have a blanket my nana made me for my bed in kindergarten. While complicated quilts and blankets may be off the menu for this year, you can still whip up this "11th hour" knit blanket or what my mom, sis and I like to call "cheater quilts": where you basically get two large pieces of fabric, a piece of quilt batting and sew them together. Actually, buying two flat bedsheets works really well for this!

10. Really nice candles. I am not talking glade here. Most home goods stores have a variety of these to select from. Aveda, Origins, or, you guessed it, DIY.

11. Home decorating books. Here are five to consider:
Design Sponge at Home
Decorate
Domino: The Book of Decorating
The Perfectly Imperfect Home
Undecorate

Last Stop on the Tour: Maggie's Room!

2011-12-08T07:00:00.005-06:00

Finally! Maggie's Room. She helped me photograph this, thus she is in some of these photos.

Here is the view from the door:

Here is the view to the right:

And the view to the left:

And standing at the window looking at the closet:

Her room is much smaller than at the old house - pretty much the only person that received a downgrade. She did get basically two toy rooms out of the deal though so I think she'll survive. You can see we sort of decorated it. We hung her animal cards on opposite walls...and ran out of ribbon so it's the alphabet from A through W for now. I have to do something about her curtains. I have the same fabric that we had in her old room that I would like to use. Other than that, her room will probably stay as is until she graduates out of the crib and is potty trained so we can remove the changing table.

Here is a great shot of Nate & Maggie reading shortly after putting up our tree!

Look at that roaring fire!!

Gift List 3: Beauty and Fashion

2011-12-07T20:00:00.000-06:00

AHHHHHHHHH! I could come up with lists of beauty and fashion items ALL DAY. But here are 7 in each category off the top of my head that I have given and received

Fashion
I often get nervous buying clothes for people. First, there is the size issue. Then, there is the personal taste issue. Here are some things that aren't clothes but are in the same ballpark:

1. Accessories - belts! hats! gloves! scarves! jewelry! purses! These are often more afforable that actual pieces of clothing and can be fun to pick out. If you are crafty, you can also DIY some of these items.

2. Fashion Magazine Subscription - Vogue, Lucky, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Elle, W to name a few

3. Socks! Nice socks can be expensive and something that we won't purchase for ourselves. I recently saw these fun boot socks:

4. Slippers! I constantly wear the fur-lined mukluks given to me a few years ago.
LL Bean's Wicked Good Slippers are a nice classic option as well for men or women:

The December 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living had cute DIY Felt Slipper Instructions for the whole family!

5. Bathrobe! Over the years, I have received different varieties of bathrobes and I have loved every single one of them. This one from Garnet Hill is made of cotton and cashmere:

6. ...to that end, PAJAMAS! I am going to go down the comfy cozy route of this topic (hey! this is a family blog!) but just know that depending on who you are buying for, there are roads more scandalous to travel with this one (wink wink). This vintage inspired set from JCrew is fun:

7. Fashion coffee table book. A friend once got me a book of Manolo Blahnik drawings instead of a pair of Manolos. I loved it.
Vogue: The Covers, 100 Unforgettable Dresses or anything published by Taschen would be good bets.

Beauty
In this category, I would go for luxurious items that may be a bit above what you think the intended recipient might buy for herself. One of my friends always gets me some Clinique body product for my birthday (which is usually around Clinique Bonus Time) and gives me the bonus gift! Now that's love.

1. Perfume. You can never have too many perfume bottles! Perfume is a very tricky thing to buy someone, although a nice gift when the scent resonates with the recipient or if you know what they like ahead of time (e.g. We always keep an eye on my mom's bottle of Vera Wang and replace it for her). A good fragrance person might be able to help you out on this one as well. This is why there are those sets of a combination of scents that you can buy. Oh man! Santa used to bring me one of those every year around Christmas! I just noticed this one by Bond No 9 today - pricey, but fun! (CD, remember Bond fragrances?!)

Kai is a nice clean scent and I was going to say that Origins Spring Green is a fairly safe scent to purchase someone but I can't find it on their website! Is it discontinued!?

2. Japanese Blotting Papers - they have gold flakes in them!

3. Gift certificate for a massage/manicure/pedicure/facial. Booyah! Found out this is what my mom got me and my sis for Christmas!

4. Cuticle Oil (OPI) and Nice Hand Cream (LuSa or Aveda). While you're at it, throw in a fun nail polish. OPI's I'm Not Really a Waitress and Bubble Bath are two universal great shades (that are also bestsellers)

5. Some really fun makeup pallette. Nars just released this great collection of six blushes and Bobbi Brown also has this fun Classic to Go Palette or the "ultimate" palette. Last year I bought a version of this Smashbox eyeshadow kit and it is great!

6. Nice soap. Lucia, LuSa, and Fresh all make nice bars.

7. Quality make-up brushes or tools. CD once bought me the Bobbi Brown Foundation brush. I didn't use it for a long time because I didn't want to wreck it. That is how amazing it was.

The Beauty Department has a great list of hair, nail and makeup ideas to refer to as well.

Happy Shopping!

Mascara Showdown!

2011-12-07T19:12:00.004-06:00

I do not wear mascara every day, although I don't know why because I always like the result of wearing it. Laziness, I guess. I really enjoy trying new beauty products, but I have been a regular purchaser of Diorshow mascara through several tubes. The stuff is glorious. However, lately I have been hearing a lot of good things about L'Oreal Voluminous in the blogosphere. One report even went so far as to make this statement about Volumnious: "So good it made me switch from Diorshow".

THAT got my attention. Oh, and a tube of L'oreal Voluminous ($7) seems to be about one third of the price of Diorshow ($25).

VS.

I just might have to give this showdown a test!

What mascara do you wear?

Gift List 2: FOOD!

2011-12-06T07:01:00.004-06:00

A significant portion of my Christmas list always includes food-related items - whether it be eating or cooking! Here are some of my favorite Christmas gifts from past years as well as some other fun things I have spotted.

1. Food processor. I have this one and I have recommended it over and over, time and time again. I love this and use it frequently. It particularly came in handy for DIY baby food.

2. Soda Stream. If you do not have a soda stream, and you drink a lot of carbonated water, you need to get one. We have noticed that you can buy these almost anywhere these days. LOVE IT.

3. Food scale. I asked for one of these last year for Christmas and even I am surprised at how often I use this - so much that it permanently resides on our counter. I find that I often have recipes that call for something in lbs or oz so this is nice to make sure I am using the right amount called for. Mine is from Costco - it is a flat one and was $20. It is perfect. I am sorry that I have no more detail for you than that!

4. Cookie scoop. LOVE THIS! I remember when my mom got this for me I thought, "What am I going to use this for?" It works well for cookies, but it also is great for muffin batter and pancake batter, two things which my toddler loves.

5. City tins. I saw these on another gift list and thought they were pretty cool. Basically they give the recipient discounts at area restaurants. Unfortunately these are only available for Milwaukee, WI and Madison, WI. Yet another reason to come visit WI! Otherwise, gift certificates to restaurants are always a great gift for any occasion!

6. DIY Cookbook. We have been the recipients of different versions of this over the years for different occasions. It works best if you can get a group of people together to submit recipes and then you compile them in one book. You can do it 100% DIY or get a blank recipe book with cards, or if you want to get really fancy, use a web-based company like Tastebook. Including photos is a fun touch as well!

7. Personalized (or not) Recipe Cards. For our one year anniversary, we received personalized recipe cards. They are one of my favorite gifts ever. Now I love giving people recipes for something because I have pretty cards to share them on! Etsy is a GREAT source for these and they are typically VERY reasonably priced. There are several free templates online (example) if you really wanted to be cost-effective!

8. Cookbooks. One can NEVER have too many cookbooks, and often these are something that people will not buy themselves. I like to put cookbooks into two categories: The practical, everyday ones and the ones that are beautiful, special occasion books.
Here are just a few from the practical....
America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (yes, this is the one I am always yapping about)
Simple Suppers
The Cooks Illustrated Cookbook

...and the special occasion set:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Either Volume
The Silver Spoon (Note, I've never cooked from this - but bought it for my mom a few years ago)
Any of the Penguin Great Food books, a collection of cookbooks with writing and recipes from the past 400 years. Aren't they beautiful?

9. Food/Cooking Magazine Subscription. Everyday Food, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Cooks Illustrated are just a few.

10. Spices. Penzey's Spices always has great gift assortments, including smaller sets that are great for coworkers.

11. High Quality Olive Oil. The bottles and oils from Oro di Olivia are pretty and yummy!

12. Cooking Classes. Various restaurants usually offer these. In the MKE area, I have taken them from Coquette Cafe and Il Mito.

13. Food Writing. My BIL gave me Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Collection of Food and Drink one year. For a while, I was giving my mom everything Frances Mayes wrote. Some other food authors/books to peruse: Michael Pollan, Anthony Bourdain, The Best Food Writing of 2011 (and all years prior), or one of my favorites, My Life in France by Julia Child.

14. Homemade food. The Journal Setinel features food "battles" each Wednesday for readers to vote on. Last week's battle was receiving gourmet food or homemade food for a gift. Homemade food won. Jams, cookies, mini breads, granola and infused oils are all easy great options.

15. Apron. These are another easy sewing project (depending on your pattern, at least) that can be whipped up for all of your favorite cooks, and the junior set. If it is a little too late in the game to think about whipping up an apron or two, Etsy has some great options.

16. Good spatulas. My mother and Nana both have done their fair share of gifting these and they are always a great gift. My family members have actually labeled theirs when they bring them to family gatherings.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

I made this for dinner last Friday night and both Nate and I were in agreement that it was the most we ever saw Maggie eat. She literally could not eat enough of either the chicken or the vegetables. I am willing to bet that she out ate either of us. Don't worry, true to toddler form, the next day she wouldn't touch any of the leftovers.

Buttermilk Ranch Chicken
Source: December 2011 Issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray (which I started receiving in the mail and did not order - who's going to 'fess up?!)

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp. dried dill
Salt and pepper
4 thin-cut chicken breast cutlets
2 tbsp. oil

Combine all ingredients up to oil; marinate 45 minutes (or overnight). In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat; brown cutlets on both sides until cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Roasted Vegetables
Source: November 2011 issue of Better Homes & Gardens

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 large red onion, peeled, halved, and cut in 1-inch wedges
1 pound red or russet potatoes, cut in cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 ounce can chick peas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained
2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar or granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Position an oven rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place all vegetables, garlic, and chickpeas in a large shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl combine the oil, rosemary, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over vegetables; toss well to coat.

*Note, I would increase the amount of olive oil used. I used 3 TB and some of the veggies still stuck to the pan.

Gift List 1: The Kiddo

2011-12-05T08:06:00.004-06:00

December is one of my favorite months to get magazines because they all have their own rendition of gift lists. Being a list lover, it's no surprise that I love the "Fifty holiday gifts" or "Best holiday gifts under $10" headlines. So I thought I would do my own rendition of gift lists this week going with the theme of each day.

Since it's a "Maggie Monday", I am conjuring up the gift list for babies/toddlers (6-15 months of age) based on our experience with Maggie in the past year. We received a lot of toys that were for the 6+ month age group for her for Christmas last year, when she was 3 months old. This worked out REALLY well because we could bring toys out of the closet through the year as needed. I realize that this trick won't work for many more years, but it was a nice way to have "new" toys throughout the year.

1. Books. You can never have too many! Maggie certainly has her favorites, and we also go to the library routinely to get some new ones (that is probably more for our sake because you do get sick of reading the same ones over and over (and over and over)). I am not sure about other kiddos, but Maggie has always really loved any books of the "lift-the-flap" variety (example). Dog, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, any nursery rhyme collection (here is one we have), Shake a Leg and Pat the Bunny have been long standing favorites along with these books and these Soft Shapes puzzle books.

2. Walking/Riding Toys. Last year for Christmas, Santa brought the classic Radio Flyer walker. Maggie also has the walking dinosaur. She also was the recipient of her first car for her birthday and loves it. She can't figure out how to actually make herself move in it but she does love getting pushed around in it.

3. Puzzles. We got a lot of puzzles for Maggie's first birthday and they are all hits. One of her favorites is this one, which has nice big pieces.

4. Noise toys. As much as noise toys can drive you as a parent crazy, some of them have been a hit with Maggie. These three toys made the Baby Cheapskate "Toys Kids Actually Play With" list for babies 6-12 months. We can attest to this. Munchkin Music Cube, Laugh & Learn Toy Kitchen and Ball Popper.

5. Things to stack. There are ring stackers, stacking cups, or if you're really creative, oatmeal containers. It doesn't matter. Maggie is still in a "I LOVE STACKING" phase that has been going on 6+ months now.

6. Pop-Up Toy. We bought a toy like this during our vacation to FL last summer. It was an "ok" toy then but lately Maggie has been carrying it around more and more.

7. Balls! Wowsa. We have also been in a ball phase for about 6+ months. Thank goodness for the Oball.

8. Music. For my birthday last year, AH made me a compilation of adult-friendly kids music. We keep it in the car since Maggie can be in the car for a while depending on who is watching her. SHE LOVES IT. I don't really know who all of the artists are but some vintage sesame street songs from when we were kids are on it and she will literally try to dance in her carseat. We also received some CDs of AH's brother which are also fun. In fact, Making Silly Faces was on the Top 10 music CDs in Parents Magazine this December! Music always makes a great gift. We recently set up a radio in our bedroom and Maggie will go and turn it on in the morning while she waits for us to get ready. (It is preset to the Christmas Carols station!)

So now that I have contributed to the mania of buying your kids a million toys, let me temper that with this article which also lists the five toys kids actually play with: Stick, String, Box, Cardboard Tube and Dirt. I think there is only one thing missing from this list: Tupperware. The number one thing Maggie plays with in our house - THE TUPPERWARE CABINET!

Another great gift idea that doesn't lead to the accumulation of tons of stuff is an annual pass to a great place: the zoo, a nature center or a children's museum.

Hopefully She is Still on the Nice List

2011-12-05T08:00:00.005-06:00

Christmas hit our house over the weekend! YAY! Maggie and I have been begging Nate to get a tree since Thanksgiving officially was over. He finally caved on Saturday.

We started the day out with Breakfast with Santa at our church. After some pancakes and sausage, Santa arrived with some jingle bells. Maggie's eyes never left him. She wasn't exactly thrilled to see him, but she wasn't entirely against him either.

We waited for most of the kids to go see him and then Nate got in line. She was all smiles...

...until it was her turn:

Classic. This is one of my favorite photos ever.

She isn't too crazy about our Wisconsin Badger Santa we put on our hallway table. Gee, wonder why?

The Devil Made Me Do It

2011-12-02T12:53:00.006-06:00

AH once called Michael's Craft Store "Lucifer's Lair". I couldn't agree more with her, but will push that to ALL craft stores are Beelzebub's Buildings. Is it possible to leave one without adding items to your cart that you hadn't planned on buying? They have a way of convincing you that you can make EVERYONE on your Christmas list handmade items even if you don't start until December 24. I, for one, cannot seem to turn away from the temptation of so many crafting possibilities! I HAVE to figure out a way to win the lottery so I can just craft all day.

Of course, Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Twelve Days of Christmas sales have not helped the cause. I decided long ago that I needed to STOP adding to my fabric collection so I have managed to stay away from that. However, the more I knit, the more I want to knit and then of course I'm adding 4 skeins of yarn to the cart. Last week I was in the jewelry-making section of Michaels after a Martha Stewart article I was reading had some fun necklace DIYs. SOS! SOS! Can saying a rosary save my soul?!

I have also used the sales as opportunities to stock up on some patterns I have wanted. Thus, in 2012 I predict I will be making the Clover pants, the Ginger skirt, and the Weekender bag.

But first, I have to get started on Maggie's Christmas Dress! 23 more days and counting...

Changes Abound!

2011-12-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, I am still not showing Maggie's room. Not because I am trying to keep something amazing hidden from you, but by the time I get around to blogging, she is sound asleep, making it hard to capture photos of her room. Perhaps next Thursday.

But that doesn't mean that I don't have some excitement THIS Thursday! Lots of changes have been occurring as I have been giving you the room by room tour.

Change #1: New Kitchen Hardware

Nate has been steadfast about replacing the gold knobs on all of the cabinets and drawers. We went with some oil-rubbed bronze handles for the cabinets (Target) and the oil rubbed bronze bin pulls for the drawers (Lowe's). We love how much of a change it has been!
Not sure if you can see the small gold knobs on this picture:

Here are the updates:

This is/was quite a project. The cabinets each needed an additional hole drilled for the knob to handle conversion while the drawers needed some paint and two new holes drilled for the knob to bin pull conversion. He is working on the pantry and desk as I type and then the butler pantry, but is over halfway done! We had to buy a total of 32 handles and 25 bin pulls!

We also have had the sink updated from the gold faucet (that didn't work upon move-in) to the oil-rubbed bronze shown here:

We still have to special order a new cover for the dishwasher drain, which remains gold. Stay Classy San Diego!

Change #2: Eat-In Kitchen Light Fixture

You may remember this beauty of a light fixture that was over our kitchen table:

Well, I couldn't even sell that thing on Craigslist so St. Vinnie's got a nice donation. We replaced it with this fixture we found at Lowe's:

I thought it was so cool combining metal and fabric (the inner portion is a linen drum shade) until my sister pointed out that the pattern in the metal is the exact pattern in our living room curtains. Doh! Oh well. They are far enough apart.

Change #3: Updated Sunroom

Originally we had thought about wicker furniture for this room. Then it worked so well as Maggie's playroom that we decided that at this point in our lives, it would make more sense to keep this room casual. We already will have one formal living room that likely won't get used that much, I don't foresee the necessity of having another formal room.

For the first three weeks of November, World Market was offering 25% off furniture. We kept saying, "We should go check it out" and then would never commit. Finally the last day of the sale, I said that we NEEDED to go check it out. Unfortunately, this was the day before Thanksgiving and Maggie was a WRECK due to sickness. There was no way we were taking her out shopping. I decided to go to the store alone and then call Nate if I found anything good. Well of course my phone died on the way there. I really was picturing a grey casual sectional in the space and lo and behold they had one! It was the last day of the sale and they don't have a restocking fee, so in the event that Nate didn't like it or it didn't fit in the room, we could return it and get our money back. SOLD! (While in the checkout line, I noticed a wall of art. Keep that in mind with Change #4.)

I got home and Nate said, "Oh so you didn't find anything?". I replied, "Yes. I bought a sectional." He did a double take. "We have to pick it up on Friday."

We went to pick it up, got one box unpacked and of course there was a tear in the fabric. UGH. Thankfully, the store had one we could exchange it with so Nate loaded the small portion of the sectional BACK into the car and then made a third trip to the store (which is pretty close by, thankfully).

Voila - the Wyatt sectional in charcoal:

You may also notice that those flowering vines are gone from the walls. Nate found the paint used in this room in our basement so he covered the vines with it to make repainting easier. We want to use a mustard color in this room. And then I want to get these pillows or the curtains made of the same fabric:

We also switched out rugs - the rug in the sunroom used to be under the kitchen table. I like that it has the desired mustard color in it. Also, the khaki jute rug that is now under the kitchen table looks much better too. As you can see, this is still Maggie's playroom :) We would like to find a round ottoman/coffee table that doubles as a toybox for this room yet.

Change #4: Fireplace Art

So, as I said, I was standing in line at World Market looking at a wall of art. I decided to peruse to see if there were any options for above the fireplace. I found this one and it had the colors of the wall! the colors of the brick! but wasn't too matchy! it was a painted canvas (vs a print)! it fit the weird pre-made cut out in the brick! and it was feminine! (I was always telling Nate that our old house was too masculine for my tastes).

I am still working on figuring out how to further style the mantle but we are moving in a good direction. We also started hanging things in the room, which always helps makes things feel more like home.

Change #5: Finished hallway

Nate also finished painting the entire upstairs hallway. At first he had just covered the forest green. The previous owners had left this portion of the hallway white and it looked really disconnected. It looks much nicer now that the entire upstairs hall is the same color.

Change #6: Painted bedroom

Nate also finished painting our bedroom!! We really love the color, particularly with the curtains. We are not entirely sold on our existing bedding with the paint though. We did take both the curtain and the sham in when we asked for assistance in choosing a color. I think the blue is just too much. We may be updating the bedding and using the blue quilt as more of an accent color. We will see. The paint is cool though - it looks brown, gray and pale green depending on the time of day.

Change #7: Fur Rug

My BILS like to point out all the sassy things in our bedroom - the double doors and the fireplace mainly. One of them joked that we should get a bearskin rug for in front of the fireplace and so when the other was home from FL last week he brought a small housewarming present - this rug from Ikea.

HIlarious. Maggie loves it.

So as you can see, Nate has been REALLY busy doing all of the hard work around here. I just blog about it.

Swimsuit SOS

2011-11-30T07:00:00.007-06:00

Our next vacation is planned and mostly booked - we are repeating the extended family vacation cruise that we did two years ago with Nate's family. You may recall that this is the cruise I went on after discovering I was pregnant and ended up passing out and in the ship's emergency room. Good times! I am happy to try cruising again now that I am carrying a baby on the outside rather than the inside. I am hoping that all the nausea I had last time was a result of being pregnant and NOT seasick. This time we are aboard the newest Disney ship, the Disney Dream, for a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas. Thank you to my BIL for getting insane Disney deals.

Thus, I need a swimsuit. Yes, I know my husband is reading this thinking, "You have two drawers of swimsuits at home." Well, I found out last summer that a) hardly any of my swimsuits from pre-pregnancy fit me as my boobs are WAY smaller than they were pre-baby and pre-breastfeeding; b) My pregnancy swimsuit REALLY does not fit me; and c) it's a little dicey trying to carry and play with a baby in the water in a string bikini. The Tosa Pool may have gotten a free show a couple times last summer.

So I am on the hunt for a semi-stylish one-piece swimsuit where I can jump around, go on waterslides and Maggie can pull on the straps and I won't have to worry about any free shows. Here are some options I have found thus far:

JCrew (This is the leading contender)

JCrew (I love polka dots, but fear that I may look too much like Minnie Mouse in this)

Lands End (Is this too boring? Or plain in a sophisticated way?)

Land's End (I don't know that I like how the one top half just sort of hangs there)

I have always wanted a one-piece swimsuit in my repertoire, but given my long torso, I have difficulty finding one that fits. Thankfully, I have noticed that several companies have "long torso" or "tall" options.

Any other swimsuit suggestions are welcome - here are my criteria:

1) NO tankinis. These look great on many people but look ridiculous on me - even my husband (who may still be reading at this point) will likely remember the day he tried to help me find a swimsuit and banned me from trying on another tankini.

2) No bikinis. I have plenty of these.

3) I would prefer to have the top half have more support than a shelf bra - I do not like shelf bras and would prefer not to have a uni-boob -which is the result of me and a shelf bra.

4) Long Torso/Tall Size is clutch

5) Online options are fine but it would be nice if they company offers free returns or has a store that I can return online orders in person. Example - I ordered a bunch of swimsuits last year from Athleta and had to pay to return them all - THUMBS DOWN! This is part of the reason I like ordering from JCrew and Lands End - free returns to stores!

6) If you think it looks like a mom suit, it probably does and then I don't want it.

7) Building off of number six, I don't want any swimsuits with skirts attached to them.

8) No strictly athletic type suits (e.g. Speedo). I already have one of these and I hate it.

See - it should be easy, right?! ;)

Thanksgiving Eats

2011-11-29T10:40:00.002-06:00

I think I am finally breaking out of my Thanksgiving weekend food coma. How awesome is Thanksgiving food?!

We started Thanksgiving off right with pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. We enjoyed them so much, we had the leftovers for breakfasts and lunches throughout the weekend.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Source: My friend AH's Blog

1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2 TB canola oil
2 TB vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
3 TB brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil and vinegar in a bowl. Set aside and let the vinegar and milk fraternize and create some buttermilk qualities. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a separate bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients just enough to get combine (ie, don't over mix!). Cook pancakes however you do it at your home--griddle/pan, etc.

After pancakes, it was time to get started on the dish I was responsible for for Thanksgiving: The Green Bean Casserole (GBC). Since Nate's family Thanksgiving had to serve 26+ people, we needed a double batch. I decided it would be fun to make two separate GBCS: one the GBC the 5 ingredient way (a la Can of Soup and Can of French's Onions) and one GBC made from scratch. I have made the Cooks Illustrated GBC from scratch before and thought it was good, but wanted to try the Williams-Sonoma version a la Annie's Eats so that is the version I made. Here is the recipe:

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Source: Annie's Eats
Ingredients:
For the casserole:
1¼ lbs. green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. minced shallots
3 tbsp. flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the topping:
Canola oil, for frying
2-3 shallots, sliced thinly
Flour, for dredging

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Add the green beans to a large sauté pan and cover with a few inches of water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook until fork tender, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water. Return the pan to the heat and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release most of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots to the pan and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Stir in the flour and cook briefly, about 1 minute. Stir in the half-and-half, broth, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the drained green beans, season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. (At this point, the casserole can be covered and refrigerated.) Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and bubbling (30 minutes if it has been refrigerated).

To make the topping, add some canola oil to a small saucepan to about 1-2 inches deep. Heat the oil to 350˚ F. While the oil is heating, dredge the sliced shallots in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add to the pan with the hot oil and fry until the shallots are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

Sprinkle the fried shallots over the warm casserole. Serve immediately.

The 5-Ingredient Recipe is here.

Each recipe made basically the same size casserole - a 2-qt casserole dish size. I had two identical white Corningware casserole dishes that I put each in - so as not to bias anyone and we served them side by side. There was ZERO of the from-scratch version left and about 3/4 of the 5-ingredient one. I think we have a winner!

We also had a Thanksgiving feast on Sunday where I was responsible for making "the fluff". "The fluff" was one of the very few Jell-O like salads I grew up with and my father loves it so he always requests it. The rest of us only think it is ok, but it is easy to make so I humor him. In case you ever want a Jell-O salad, here you go :)

Pineapple Fluff
Source: I have no idea

1/2 cup water
2 T gelatin (equals two envelopes Knox gelatin (in orange box))
1 can crushed pineapple (the larger sized can)
1/2 cup sugar
1 TB lemon juice
Cool Whip

Put all ingredients except Cool Whip in pot on stove and bring to a boil. Pour into serving dish and let set in fridge. Mix with Cool Whip to taste.

Teeth, Belly Buttons, and MONKEYS!

2011-11-28T19:58:00.008-06:00

Maggie is finally getting over this congestion/cold/teething thing that she had for almost two weeks. Thanksgiving Day was one of the worst days, unfortunately, although I think she stuck it out pretty well. Check out the rosy cheeks in this Christmas Card Outtake:

Thankfully by Sunday, she was on the upswing although still not into the Christmas Card photo trials (Outtake #2):

Her new thing is to show her teeth and actually smile for the camera, which we were only able to capture in one photo out of about 100 trials using the self-timer operation on our camera. Here is another photo of Mags showing her chops:

The other discovery she has made is of her belly button. My friend AH made her a monkey with her mad knitting skillz (example here) which arrived in today's mail. Maggie gasped and said "OH" when we took it out of the envelope. And then it was back to the belly button (notice Monkey on the floor).

Thankfully she gave up on pulling on her herniated belly button and returned to the monkey for some play and we even caught a Monkey kiss on camera.

Those of you that transferred over from my old blog may recall the craft exchange that AH and I did earlier this year. The monkey is part of Craft Exchange Round 2 - I will be detailing my contribution next week after I can be sure the intended recipient received her package.

New House, New Vacuum

2011-11-24T19:56:00.000-06:00

Did anyone go black Friday shopping? I am normally anti-black Friday but this year my husband really wanted a new vacuum cleaner so we ventured out. After about 15 comments on Facebook stating people's love of the Dyson brand, we decided that it was a worthwhile investment. That, and there were a LOT of sales on them today! We left the house at about 9 AM and went to Kohl's. Target had the best price on them (yes, we did compare) BUT for every $50 you spent at Kohls, you received $15 in Kohl's cash (free money to spend there) so with that, Kohls had the best price.

I think everyone around us must already have a Dyson because there were PLENTY of them there. We went with the DC33 model which is a multi-floor vacuum - you can use it on wood floors AND carpet. Nate was so excited about it that he turned around and clocked Maggie in the head with the long box. NICE. Nine minutes in and we already had a Black Friday Casualty.

The line was nonexistent so we walked out and upon arriving home, Nate IMMEDIATELY put the vacuum together and vacuumed the whole house. In every room, Maggie and I got an earful about how amazing it was.

When he was done, he showed us this:

We were totally grossed out. Our old vacuum really was completely useless. Now, even I was impressed (and stopped making fun of him, sort of.)

The opinions expressed in this blog post are completely my own (er...Nate's). We did not receive any free product or compensation from the Dyson company, although if they would like to contribute toward the cost of our new vacuum, I wouldn't turn them down :)

House Tour: Finished Basement!

2011-11-24T19:42:00.000-06:00

People have often commented that they can't believe how organized our house was so soon after we moved. I am going to let you in on our dirty little secret.

(Cue JAWS music). DUH-NA.

(Keep you eye on the staircase on the right side of the above photo.)

DUH-NA. DUH-NA.

DUH-NA. DUH-NA. DUH-NA. DUH-NA.

AHHHHH! It's the basement. Where we literally throw things that need to be packed up (e.g. baby clothes), and keep all boxes we are too lazy to deal with yet. This finished portion is great. The closet has nice shelves to store things and the carpet while not the greatest color is basically untouched and PLUSH. The door in the right hand side of the photo below leads to the unfinished portion of the basement which is where we are currently storing holiday decorations and Nate's tools. There is PLENTY of room for storage in that part. (not photographed).

(Did you also notice that Nate HUNG A PICTURE ON THE WALL?! (above photo) I didn't know this until I went to take these photos and it made me laugh!)

It is very nice to have such a NICE finished portion of the basement. Our old house had a quasi-finished portion but it was still not a place you wanted to hang out in. When we eventually get our act together and get this stuff cleaned up, the furniture that is currently in our formal living room will be coming down here. And MAYBE someday I'll let my husband get a big TV. MAYBE.

gLOVE

2011-11-23T08:50:00.010-06:00

Earlier this fall, I went to a fashion show fundraiser with my MIL, my cousin-in-law and my aunt-in-law. The fundraiser was put on by Goodwill and featured "fashion through the ages" and clothes that people had donated to Goodwill.

You might be thinking, "Why would you want to go to a Goodwill fashion show?". I would challenge you that you probably do not know what you are missing. There were some BEAUTIFUL clothes, particularly from the 20s, 30s and 40s. I am still wishing that I had this white coat with fur collar that we saw.

One common thread throughout all of the outfits were gloves. My cousin-in-law and I were thinking, "Why don't people wear gloves anymore?!" And I'm not talking about gloves in the sense of puffy fleece ones that you must don if you live anywhere that snows.

Lo and behold, gloves in the fashion sense of the word are kind of making a comeback. Bonus points that this also helps us that choose to live in areas where gloves are a necessity October-April.

There are a bunch of fun options in bright bold colors:

Steven Alan

JCrew

Target

Target

If bright colors aren't your thing, there are still some more neutral options, with pretty details:

BHLDN

ASOS

Target

Banana Republic

Or, there is always my favorite: Animal Print!

Banana Republic

Two weeks ago Target had all of their leather gloves on the Weekly Wow for $15. I showed great restraint and only walked away with the hot pink ruched pair above. I went for the bright colors since I already have a pair of neutral brown leather gloves. However, the mustard and plaid pairs above were in my cart up until the last minute. Anyone else find some fun gloves this season?

Drinkify

2011-11-22T09:26:00.008-06:00

Last week, I discovered the Drinkify website, thanks to the Design Crush blog. Basically you type in what music you are listening to and it will provide you will the drink that complements the music.

Since I discovered this in the days leading up to the Avett Brothers concert, I typed in Avett Brothers and discovered they have a signature cocktail:

Wouldn't it be cool if I told you that we actually drank these before the show? Yeah, well, I'm not that cool. I had a glass of temperanillo with dinner and then had a Schlitz Tall Boy during the show...Which got warm before I could finish it because I had so much cheese at Coquette Cafe beforehand. (Incidentally, the food at Coquette Cafe this time 'round was subpar. What happened?!)

I typed in a few other things I have been listening to lately:

Bruce Springsteen apparently requires Cognac, neat.

Florence & The Machine requires red table wine:

Adele has her own cocktail as well:

And Lady Gaga? Straight Up Vodka!

What have you been listening to lately?