In more ways than one!!
You can check out new posts on the new site at:
http://drivethirty3.wix.com/drivethirtythree
So excited to share the new site with you!!!!!
Thursday, June 19, 2014
We've Moved
In more ways than one!!
You can check out new posts on the new site at:
http://drivethirty3.wix.com/drivethirtythree
So excited to share the new site with you!!!!!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
100 days of failure....
Boy oh boy have I really messed up my 100 days of real food mini pledge challenge. Yikes!
When we last left our heroine she was ready to avoid all fast food and deep fried foods. And that was an awful failure. So, we will pick up where we left off, with a Week Four do-over starting on Sunday along with adding in week 5 challenge. Which should be interesting..
Yeah...this should be good. I am, much like Jackson, not a fan of new things, but I will try. Oh yes, I will. Here is a quick run down of some ideas from the 100 Days of Real Food site (because lord knows I need them):
When we last left our heroine she was ready to avoid all fast food and deep fried foods. And that was an awful failure. So, we will pick up where we left off, with a Week Four do-over starting on Sunday along with adding in week 5 challenge. Which should be interesting..
- Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
Yeah...this should be good. I am, much like Jackson, not a fan of new things, but I will try. Oh yes, I will. Here is a quick run down of some ideas from the 100 Days of Real Food site (because lord knows I need them):
- Quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”)
- Barley
- Parsnips
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Steel cut oats
- Papaya
- Brussel sprouts
- Black-eyed peas
- Chickpeas
- Bok choy
- Swiss chard
- Radicchio (pronounced “rah-DEE-kee-oh”)
- Spaghetti Squash
- Watercress
- Dates
- Kiwi
- Eggplant
- Pomegranate (and having the juice in a martini does not count!)
- Fava beans
- Lentils
- Spelt
- Pine nuts
- Star fruit
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Yumminess!
So I've decided to start a new recurring post (I realize how hilarious this sounds given my lack of posting lately) called YUMMINESS!! And guess what? It will be about yummy things. I know.
So, for my first entry, I give you probably the most delicious, moist (proper), fantastic, both my kids wanted more pork chops.
This recipe was included in my Walden Local Meat Co. February share. They do this really cool thing where they give you recipes each month to help you figure out to do with what you got. This month in addition to all the lovely local meats they also sent along some organic rosemary. Well, sort of. See, for some reason my share bag didn't come with any rosemary. The only reason I knew that there should have been rosemary is because the February newsletter talked all about it. So, I emailed Charley at Walden Local Meat to make sure I wasn't missing something. He apologized and said he'd drop some off. I told him it was not a big deal and I just wanted to make sure there wasn't rosemary hidden somewher eand not to worry. So, that night when at 7pm my door buzzer buzzed and I looked outside and saw the Walden delivery truck I was amazed. Charley ran up and gave me my rosemary. It was so nice and so great to meet someone I'd had some email exchanges with.
But I digress...
So, I had all this rosemary, and a bunch or rosemary recipes, and I had some pork chops. So, I found the recipe for the pork chops in a creamy rosemary sauce and went to town. Now, I do not have the recipe in front of me, but it's so easy I don't even need it.
The recipe calls for 2 pork chops, I did 4 and it was fine.
You will need:
pork chops (duh)
rosemary (double duh)
flour
salt & pepper
olive oil
garlic
and for the sauce:
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
rosemary
Start by heating up the oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a pan and saute the garlic. Once sauted, remove garlic.
Sprinkle the chops with salt pepper and rosemary and dredge in flour. Shake the excess off. Once the garlic is done add the pork chops and cook till brown and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes each side. I had a few thicker ones so I left them on for about 10 minutes each side. Remove and put on a plate and tent them. I think this is the most important part as it really locks in the juices and keeps it from drying out.
Now, add the cream, wine, vinegar and rosemary to the pan. Boil for about 10 minutes until thick. Spoon over pork chops.
Seriously. So good. BOTH my kids ate it. And if you have ever had dinner with Jackson you know what a big deal this is.
I highly recommend using fresh rosemary if you can. I think I used about a teaspoon in total.
So, for my first entry, I give you probably the most delicious, moist (proper), fantastic, both my kids wanted more pork chops.
This recipe was included in my Walden Local Meat Co. February share. They do this really cool thing where they give you recipes each month to help you figure out to do with what you got. This month in addition to all the lovely local meats they also sent along some organic rosemary. Well, sort of. See, for some reason my share bag didn't come with any rosemary. The only reason I knew that there should have been rosemary is because the February newsletter talked all about it. So, I emailed Charley at Walden Local Meat to make sure I wasn't missing something. He apologized and said he'd drop some off. I told him it was not a big deal and I just wanted to make sure there wasn't rosemary hidden somewher eand not to worry. So, that night when at 7pm my door buzzer buzzed and I looked outside and saw the Walden delivery truck I was amazed. Charley ran up and gave me my rosemary. It was so nice and so great to meet someone I'd had some email exchanges with.
But I digress...
So, I had all this rosemary, and a bunch or rosemary recipes, and I had some pork chops. So, I found the recipe for the pork chops in a creamy rosemary sauce and went to town. Now, I do not have the recipe in front of me, but it's so easy I don't even need it.
The recipe calls for 2 pork chops, I did 4 and it was fine.
You will need:
pork chops (duh)
rosemary (double duh)
flour
salt & pepper
olive oil
garlic
and for the sauce:
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
rosemary
Start by heating up the oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a pan and saute the garlic. Once sauted, remove garlic.
Sprinkle the chops with salt pepper and rosemary and dredge in flour. Shake the excess off. Once the garlic is done add the pork chops and cook till brown and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes each side. I had a few thicker ones so I left them on for about 10 minutes each side. Remove and put on a plate and tent them. I think this is the most important part as it really locks in the juices and keeps it from drying out.
Now, add the cream, wine, vinegar and rosemary to the pan. Boil for about 10 minutes until thick. Spoon over pork chops.
Seriously. So good. BOTH my kids ate it. And if you have ever had dinner with Jackson you know what a big deal this is.
I highly recommend using fresh rosemary if you can. I think I used about a teaspoon in total.
Monday, March 3, 2014
happy
let's ignore the fact that I haven't updated this here blog in like forever shall we? good, thank you. that makes me happy :)
which my friends is the whole point of coming here today. a few weeks ago a friend of mine posted this challenge on her facebook page. And you know, I love a good challenge..
Yep, it's #100happydays challenge, and I'm all over it.
It's simple, the challenge is to find something that makes you happy every day, for 100 days. Or so it seems. According to the website 71% of people that accepted this challenge failed, mainly siting that they didn't have enough time. No time to be happy? Well that's just silly.
So, can you make the time to be happy each and every day? I bet you can!!
You can follow my posts on instagram, and make sure to post your own with #100happydays
Oh, and if you can't think of anything to be happy about, this should help :)
which my friends is the whole point of coming here today. a few weeks ago a friend of mine posted this challenge on her facebook page. And you know, I love a good challenge..
Yep, it's #100happydays challenge, and I'm all over it.
It's simple, the challenge is to find something that makes you happy every day, for 100 days. Or so it seems. According to the website 71% of people that accepted this challenge failed, mainly siting that they didn't have enough time. No time to be happy? Well that's just silly.
So, can you make the time to be happy each and every day? I bet you can!!
You can follow my posts on instagram, and make sure to post your own with #100happydays
Oh, and if you can't think of anything to be happy about, this should help :)
Monday, February 10, 2014
Eating Real week 3 & 4!
Oh, hi! Remember me? Yeah...unintentional blog break. But let's just get moving right along shall we?
So Week 3 of Eating Real was all about meat. And if you recall, I was super excited because this week coincided with my first ever delivery from Walden Local Meats.
I was way to excited for my delivery. Like couldn't wait to get home. The meats had arrived in a reusable insulated bag and were all labeled accordingly. The nicest touch was the recipe book for members. Each shipment they include recipes to help you with planning on how to use your delivery.
So far I've only made one of my favorite pot roasts. This week it will be beef stew. Next week sausages peppers and potatoes. And I heard from the girl that works there that the meatball recipe in the book is amazing, so we'll try that too. Pretty bummed there wasn't any chicken in this shipment but maybe next time.
The other bummer is they slightly messed up my order. They sent out a survey a week or so before delivery to ask if there were any special items we wanted. They were offering additional ground beef, bones for soup, and their home made rub. I ordered the additional beef and the rub, but ended up getting bones for soup. womp womp. I emailed them the next day and they were super great about it, so I"m really looking forward to my next order since they are "going to take care of me" this month :)
So this week, which will now be week 4 since I got off track there for a bit is a bit of a challenge.
Luckily, I had planned on making home made pizza this week, so we can avoid the extra oil and french fries we usually order with that. However, this Saturday is a big night out (comedy show and dinner with my sister and brother in law) and I have a feeling I'll have a harder time avoiding those, but I'll try!
this most likely will be me saturday. don't judge.
So Week 3 of Eating Real was all about meat. And if you recall, I was super excited because this week coincided with my first ever delivery from Walden Local Meats.
I was way to excited for my delivery. Like couldn't wait to get home. The meats had arrived in a reusable insulated bag and were all labeled accordingly. The nicest touch was the recipe book for members. Each shipment they include recipes to help you with planning on how to use your delivery.
 |
| photo credit: rosecolleran.com |
So far I've only made one of my favorite pot roasts. This week it will be beef stew. Next week sausages peppers and potatoes. And I heard from the girl that works there that the meatball recipe in the book is amazing, so we'll try that too. Pretty bummed there wasn't any chicken in this shipment but maybe next time.
The other bummer is they slightly messed up my order. They sent out a survey a week or so before delivery to ask if there were any special items we wanted. They were offering additional ground beef, bones for soup, and their home made rub. I ordered the additional beef and the rub, but ended up getting bones for soup. womp womp. I emailed them the next day and they were super great about it, so I"m really looking forward to my next order since they are "going to take care of me" this month :)
So this week, which will now be week 4 since I got off track there for a bit is a bit of a challenge.
Luckily, I had planned on making home made pizza this week, so we can avoid the extra oil and french fries we usually order with that. However, this Saturday is a big night out (comedy show and dinner with my sister and brother in law) and I have a feeling I'll have a harder time avoiding those, but I'll try!
this most likely will be me saturday. don't judge.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Eating Real-Week Three Prep
This weeks 100 days of real food mini pledge couldn't be timed more perfectly if I do say so myself.
All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
Perfect! Why you ask? Well, because this week we'll be receiving our first shipment of local grass fed beef and pasteurized poultry courtesy of Walden Local Meat.
I've been, like FOREVER, scouring the interents looking for either a CSA with meat or some sort of access to local grass feed beef and pasture raised chickens. I thought I had resigned myself to picking up a freezer box all the way in RI at Aquidneck Farms (which by the way has THE best meatball mix in the WORLD!). Which isn't a bad thing, it's just getting to RI and the drive time, I was having a hard time figuring out logistically.
I found another great delivery program at Shaw Farm that delivers literally everything from your meats to cheese, milk and eggs and bread. That may be on my list to try out later on down the line.
During all my searching I came across a local company that basically does all this hard work for you. They locate the farms and deal directly with them, getting you all the best product they can and then they deliver it to you. Yes, please and thank you. Except for when I initially came across them they didn't' deliver to my area. But a few weeks after emailing them to get the scoop on how everything works, they reached out to me to let me know that they were expanding their delivery area and that my city was included. Woohoo!!
So, I signed up for a small share (at least 7-9lb) and it will be delivered this week. I can't wait to see what I get and start some serious meal planning for the next month!
All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
Perfect! Why you ask? Well, because this week we'll be receiving our first shipment of local grass fed beef and pasteurized poultry courtesy of Walden Local Meat.
I've been, like FOREVER, scouring the interents looking for either a CSA with meat or some sort of access to local grass feed beef and pasture raised chickens. I thought I had resigned myself to picking up a freezer box all the way in RI at Aquidneck Farms (which by the way has THE best meatball mix in the WORLD!). Which isn't a bad thing, it's just getting to RI and the drive time, I was having a hard time figuring out logistically.
I found another great delivery program at Shaw Farm that delivers literally everything from your meats to cheese, milk and eggs and bread. That may be on my list to try out later on down the line.
During all my searching I came across a local company that basically does all this hard work for you. They locate the farms and deal directly with them, getting you all the best product they can and then they deliver it to you. Yes, please and thank you. Except for when I initially came across them they didn't' deliver to my area. But a few weeks after emailing them to get the scoop on how everything works, they reached out to me to let me know that they were expanding their delivery area and that my city was included. Woohoo!!
So, I signed up for a small share (at least 7-9lb) and it will be delivered this week. I can't wait to see what I get and start some serious meal planning for the next month!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Eating Real: Week Two Prep
Ah, on to another week of eating real. Obviously my week one challenge will continue and I will do my best to get better at eating fruit. Promise.
Week two is going to be pretty easy for me at least.
Week 2: Real Beverages-Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week and drink as much wine as you'd like.
I swear it says that about wine. HA!
The only things I drink are coffee, tea, water and wine, so I'm not too worried. I'm going to do my best to limit the kids juice intake, though its hard when they aren't with me. I have no idea what Mike drinks all day, but I'll find out.
The only real issue I see here is flavoring my coffee. Here's hoping honey will do the trick because it looks like i'm saying good bye to my International Delight and Bailey's flavored creamer...
Did anyone else tackle week One? How'd you do? Share recipes too!! If you made anything from her blog let me know how it turned out!
Week two is going to be pretty easy for me at least.
Week 2: Real Beverages-Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week and drink as much wine as you'd like.
I swear it says that about wine. HA!
The only things I drink are coffee, tea, water and wine, so I'm not too worried. I'm going to do my best to limit the kids juice intake, though its hard when they aren't with me. I have no idea what Mike drinks all day, but I'll find out.
The only real issue I see here is flavoring my coffee. Here's hoping honey will do the trick because it looks like i'm saying good bye to my International Delight and Bailey's flavored creamer...
Did anyone else tackle week One? How'd you do? Share recipes too!! If you made anything from her blog let me know how it turned out!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Eating Real: Week One Prep
Okay, there is literally nothing worse then logging in to make sure the post you scheduled is up and realizing that it is gone. Where did it GO!!! Super sads x 100000
So, I will try my best to recreate the post. here goes.
So, today marks my journey into "Eating Real". I am not going to do this thing cold turkey, so I'm following the mini-plan to get things clean in 14 weeks.
So, the plan I'm following is from the blog 100 days of Real Food and week one of the mini-pledge is to eat fruits and veggies at each meal. So basically I have to eat a minimum of two different fruits or veggies at each meal.
ha!
this is easy for Taylor and even Mike, but me and Jackson (well, with fruit he's good) good luck to us!! I am not a big fruit person and Jackson will only eat french fries, carrots and lettuce. Luckily there are some great easy ideas up on Lisa's blog. So, maybe this won't be so tough after all.
I did some mindful food shopping this past weekend and have all our dinners and my lunches planned out. I know the kids eat a ton of fruit during the day so I'm not too worried there.
If anyone else out there is tackling this challenge let me know, and share some recipe ideas. I need help!!!
I'm so bummed, my original blog post was way better. Well, at least I had fruit for breakfast....
Hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! Let's do this 2014!!!
So, I will try my best to recreate the post. here goes.
So, today marks my journey into "Eating Real". I am not going to do this thing cold turkey, so I'm following the mini-plan to get things clean in 14 weeks.
So, the plan I'm following is from the blog 100 days of Real Food and week one of the mini-pledge is to eat fruits and veggies at each meal. So basically I have to eat a minimum of two different fruits or veggies at each meal.
ha!
this is easy for Taylor and even Mike, but me and Jackson (well, with fruit he's good) good luck to us!! I am not a big fruit person and Jackson will only eat french fries, carrots and lettuce. Luckily there are some great easy ideas up on Lisa's blog. So, maybe this won't be so tough after all.
I did some mindful food shopping this past weekend and have all our dinners and my lunches planned out. I know the kids eat a ton of fruit during the day so I'm not too worried there.
If anyone else out there is tackling this challenge let me know, and share some recipe ideas. I need help!!!
I'm so bummed, my original blog post was way better. Well, at least I had fruit for breakfast....
Hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! Let's do this 2014!!!
Friday, January 3, 2014
Project Life 2014
Have you guys heard of this? Project Life? It's this really cool spin on scrap booking, and you can do it with an album that you can buy at craft stores with all the cool paper goods and templates or you can do it digitally. Though trust me, a visit to AC Moore and I came across all the Project Life products and it was derfinitey a struggle. There was a legit "okay, step away from the display, just back up slowly and everything will be okay" moment. I have a serious love of paper goods and printables (and they are all so pretty!!) and all that so this was hard to walk away from all of that. But, I'm really trying to simplify and purge and teh last thing I need is more paper stuff to take up room that I don't have, so I'm going digital.
"The idea is simple: Photos + memorabilia + journaling together in an album - everything slips into pockets. No requirement to cut or glue or embellish a thing."
And it gets even easier if you decide to do this on your computer (in my opinion). So, while I'm not announcing this as a resolution, I thought it would be fun to take my yearly photo album project and step it up a notch. So, for 2014, every week I'll be creating a page (or most likely 2). It may be full of pictures, or maybe just a few with some journal notes, but I'm hoping it will give us a fun look back on the year. I'm also hoping that it will help our annual album not be all about the kids. I'm pretty sure 2010-2012 don't have any pictures of me and Mike in them. Yikes!!!
Oh, and if you do decide to use the product, let me know and link up so we can help each other stay on track!!!
"The idea is simple: Photos + memorabilia + journaling together in an album - everything slips into pockets. No requirement to cut or glue or embellish a thing."
And it gets even easier if you decide to do this on your computer (in my opinion). So, while I'm not announcing this as a resolution, I thought it would be fun to take my yearly photo album project and step it up a notch. So, for 2014, every week I'll be creating a page (or most likely 2). It may be full of pictures, or maybe just a few with some journal notes, but I'm hoping it will give us a fun look back on the year. I'm also hoping that it will help our annual album not be all about the kids. I'm pretty sure 2010-2012 don't have any pictures of me and Mike in them. Yikes!!!
I'm pretty excited about this, and if you you were once a scrap booker in a former life (aka before kids) this may be right up your ally too, so definitely check out the site, and the digital products. You can even get some freebies to download to get started!!! Becky Higgins (the creator) also offers some pretty cool classes, so I'd check those out too.
Oh, and if you do decide to use the product, let me know and link up so we can help each other stay on track!!!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
resolving
Last year around this time I went all out and proclaimed that I'd make things "easier" and have monthly resolutions as opposed to some grand yearly ones. Well. That didn't work out too well.
This year I'm keeping things simple...
1.) Buy a house
2.) Get healthy (this means eating better/eating "real" and getting back to my pre-baby size)
3.) Watch all of these.
Should be cake.
This year I'm keeping things simple...
1.) Buy a house
2.) Get healthy (this means eating better/eating "real" and getting back to my pre-baby size)
3.) Watch all of these.
Should be cake.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
My 5 Favorite Christmas Songs....some of which are not about Christmas at all
One of the best things about this time of year is the music. Here are my 5 most favorite songs, some of which have nothing to do with Christmas at all.
5. Never is a Promise-Fiona Apple
I know right? Such a great holiday song. I don't know why, but it just reminds me of winter. Maybe it's the video, I dunno. Regardless, it's on my spotify Holiday playlist
4. Last Christmas-Glee
Yes, that's right. Glee. I do love the Wham version, but the Glee one is my favorite. Though my heart does break a little when I think of Rachel & Finn singing together amongst the Christmas Trees.
3. Where Are You Christmas-Faith Hill, kid from the Grinch
Wow, okay, my holiday song list is a bit depressing. I'll make this a tie.
2. Long December-Counting Crows
Another song that has NOTHING to do with Christmas, other than the fact that it's about the month of December. Again, just a wintery song that makes me think of this time of year.
1. All I Want for Christmas-Mariah Carey
There is no justification needed for this song. It is by far the best holiday song ever and as far as I'm concerned the Christmas season does not officially start till I hear this played on the radio.
5. Never is a Promise-Fiona Apple
I know right? Such a great holiday song. I don't know why, but it just reminds me of winter. Maybe it's the video, I dunno. Regardless, it's on my spotify Holiday playlist
4. Last Christmas-Glee
Yes, that's right. Glee. I do love the Wham version, but the Glee one is my favorite. Though my heart does break a little when I think of Rachel & Finn singing together amongst the Christmas Trees.
3. Where Are You Christmas-Faith Hill, kid from the Grinch
Wow, okay, my holiday song list is a bit depressing. I'll make this a tie.
3 take 2. The Waitresses: Christmas Wrapping
At least this one has a happy ending.
2. Long December-Counting Crows
Another song that has NOTHING to do with Christmas, other than the fact that it's about the month of December. Again, just a wintery song that makes me think of this time of year.
1. All I Want for Christmas-Mariah Carey
There is no justification needed for this song. It is by far the best holiday song ever and as far as I'm concerned the Christmas season does not officially start till I hear this played on the radio.
This post is inspired by MamaKat's Pretty Much World Famous Writing Prompts. Check em out!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
holiday shopping for your 2 and 5 year old
I FINALLY started/finished wrapping gifts yesterday. I was hubby and kid free and it was amazing.
I watched 3 episodes of Orange is the New Black and only misplaced the tape for wrapping the gifts 17 times. Go me!
I don't have an elaborate or well researched list of what kids want this year, I just know what my kids asked for and what they are getting. So here she goes.
For the 5 year old boy obsessed with lego's and anything Disney/Pixar..
The Lego City Garage is the only Lego set that Santa will be bringing to our house this year. He got like 3 REALLY big sets last year, and only one is still half standing on the Lego table.
I'm excited for Despicable Me 2 because we haven't seen that yet.
I also got him a bunch of books, and a few that have different plans for building things out of legos.
Oh and he got a sweatshirt.
I watched 3 episodes of Orange is the New Black and only misplaced the tape for wrapping the gifts 17 times. Go me!
I don't have an elaborate or well researched list of what kids want this year, I just know what my kids asked for and what they are getting. So here she goes.
For the 5 year old boy obsessed with lego's and anything Disney/Pixar..
The Lego City Garage is the only Lego set that Santa will be bringing to our house this year. He got like 3 REALLY big sets last year, and only one is still half standing on the Lego table.
I may want this more than my kids. He was flip flopping between this one and Skylanders SwapForce (whatever) but they were both on sale half off, so I got him both. This way he can play his skywhateverstupid game, and I can play Disney. Mind you, the only video game he's ever played is Star Wars legos, and I think Mike did most of the work on that one. Should be interesting to see how these pan out..
He is also getting a few movies...
I'm excited for Despicable Me 2 because we haven't seen that yet.
I also got him a bunch of books, and a few that have different plans for building things out of legos.
Oh and he got a sweatshirt.
Okay, now for the 2 year old that acts like she's 16..
When asked "what do you want for Christmas" Taylor will, without a doubt tell you "baby doll, stroller, pink earrings" seriously. every time. My sister is getting her an American Doll baby, so I had to get an appropriate stroller.
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| http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/doll-pram-stroller/?pkey=e%7Cpram%7C24%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C14&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_- |
This actually isn't the one I got. It's pink with white polkadots, but you get the picture.
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| http://www.tinyblessings.com/childrens-jewelry/child-earrings/flower-earrings/february-birthstone-pave-flower-baby-childrens-earrings-14k-gold.html |
What 2 year old doesn't need $40 earrings??
These are guaranteeing me at least 30 minutes of crying and torture as I attempt to take out her $5 Claire's earrings (that have not fallen out yet!) and put these babies in. This is the gift that keeps on giving.
Another great thing to do with a 2 year old is to take her shopping to the Gap Outlet when the whole store is 40% off. She got her own shopping bag and just walked around and picked stuff out. She also bought a few things for baby peaches....as I found out yesterday. I was going through "her" bag yesterday to get wrapping and was like "oh, I didn't even know she picked that". She's set for winter 2013/2014. Never. Again.
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| i have no idea why it's sideways... |
Friday, December 13, 2013
holiday wrappings
If you are like me, you haven't starting wrapping your holiday gifts. And that's okay (or at least this is what I keep telling myself). It's gonna be all okay.
I am really torn between using all the wrapping paper I already have, printing some, or just using the butcher paper that I have and wrapping all the gifts in that and using really cool tags. The only issue with that, is that 90% of my presents are for the kids, and while Jackson can recognize his name, I doubt Taylor will. Decisions are the worst.
Like trying to decide which labels I want to use.
I have a SERIOUS addiction to printables. I have no idea why. They just make me happy. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday printable finds with you!
The cool thing about searching for these babies was that it introduced me to some cool new blogs, so please check em out!
These babies from Domesifluff are super cute. I printed these out on label paper so I can easily stick them to gifts.
And for some more woodland creature fun, check out these ones (and the wrapping paper!!) from elli
Okay. I seriously need to get my wrapping act together. Good luck to all of those that haven't started either!! I hope these labels help :)
I am really torn between using all the wrapping paper I already have, printing some, or just using the butcher paper that I have and wrapping all the gifts in that and using really cool tags. The only issue with that, is that 90% of my presents are for the kids, and while Jackson can recognize his name, I doubt Taylor will. Decisions are the worst.
Like trying to decide which labels I want to use.
I have a SERIOUS addiction to printables. I have no idea why. They just make me happy. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday printable finds with you!
The cool thing about searching for these babies was that it introduced me to some cool new blogs, so please check em out!
These babies from Domesifluff are super cute. I printed these out on label paper so I can easily stick them to gifts.
I love me some snowman!! These are super cute and wintery fun (from Domestifluff)
These ones from PaperCrave are pretty cool and funky, and come in a few different colors.
I literally just found these now and may go print them. How cute are these woodland/chalkboard ones from lia griffith???
I want my presents to look like that.
And for some more woodland creature fun, check out these ones (and the wrapping paper!!) from elli
Okay. I seriously need to get my wrapping act together. Good luck to all of those that haven't started either!! I hope these labels help :)
Monday, December 9, 2013
Holiday Wish List-for me!!!
It's that time of year folks! That special magical time when bloggers around the world post their favorite things to share with the millions or in my case 5 people that read their lovely blog.
So, without further ado, here is my personal holiday wishlist in all itssadness glory!
I am trying really hard to use my camera as much as possible. I switched from my lovely 50mm to my kit lens, because my 50mm doesn't have auto focus, and trust when I say when you are trying to take pictures of kids and a Rottweiler, you want auto focus. This little baby will do just the trick, and won't break the bank.
I am all about getting fit in the 2014. For reals. I have a lovely FitBit flex, but I really think I want this, their Aria scale. For like 2 months I thought I was doing so good and losting weight, then I found out my scale had been LYING to me the whole time after a visit to the doctors crushed my soul. This thing takes your weight, BPI, etc. and then sends it off to your computer to analyze it. Super cool.
As if my list weren't sad enough, yes, i want a new pot & pan set. Mine is okay, I've had it FOREVER, but this stuff is super cool and safe and doesn't release nasty chemicals into your food.
Wait! It just got sadder. Yep, I want a salad spinner...
If I REALLY wanted to ....wait maybe I will later...I can fill a JCrew cart with expensive craziness and pretend that there is a chance in hell I'd get any of it.
So, without further ado, here is my personal holiday wishlist in all its
I am trying really hard to use my camera as much as possible. I switched from my lovely 50mm to my kit lens, because my 50mm doesn't have auto focus, and trust when I say when you are trying to take pictures of kids and a Rottweiler, you want auto focus. This little baby will do just the trick, and won't break the bank.
I am all about getting fit in the 2014. For reals. I have a lovely FitBit flex, but I really think I want this, their Aria scale. For like 2 months I thought I was doing so good and losting weight, then I found out my scale had been LYING to me the whole time after a visit to the doctors crushed my soul. This thing takes your weight, BPI, etc. and then sends it off to your computer to analyze it. Super cool.
As if my list weren't sad enough, yes, i want a new pot & pan set. Mine is okay, I've had it FOREVER, but this stuff is super cool and safe and doesn't release nasty chemicals into your food.
Wait! It just got sadder. Yep, I want a salad spinner...
If I REALLY wanted to ....wait maybe I will later...I can fill a JCrew cart with expensive craziness and pretend that there is a chance in hell I'd get any of it.
Friday, December 6, 2013
chalk it up
On an extremely dangerous (no kids and a 20% off coupon) trip to The Christmas Tree Shop I was determined to get some new storage for the laundry area. Up until now I've been resuing the 15 billion dish buckets I have from my days as a Body Shop at Home consultant. I wanted something a bit nicer and was digging the idea of something with a chalkboard. I stumbled across just what I was looking for. They were $10 and normally I wouldn't spend that much on a basket, but I was determined to get this project up and running, and I had a 20% off coupon.
Armed with my new baskets, I started the task of emptying out all the buckets, cleaning them out and then reorganizing them. I was hoping I'd be able to fit 8 buckets into the 3 that I purchased but no dice. My first thought was to get more (didn't want to spend the money though) and then I figured I'd just resue the buckets I have and maybe print out new labels, when I remembered something I had found the other day..
 |
| i can not for the life of me find the link for this. sorry!! |
and was like GENIUS!!!
So, I set off on the task of adding chalkboard labels to these plastic dish tubs. I first cleaned them with some soap and water and let them dry.
I then taped one long side and one short side. This way I could change the way I display them based on where I put them (in case they end up somewhere else one day)
Then I opened up what is probably a 5 year can of chalkboard paint that I got from Kelly last year. It looked a little suspect, but I went with it anyway.
And then I just applied some on each of the tubs where it was taped off. It looked a bit bubbly on some of them (old paint maybe?), but I just let them dry and then applied another coat.
Once dry, I peeled off the tape, which proved to be a bit harder than one would think. I actually ended up scoring along the tape first, because if I didn't do that, the chalkboard paint came off with the tape. And here is the finished product, sort of.
Not the most perfect rectangle, but these are going in a laundry closet, that no one really sees. If these were going to be out on display, I probably would have taken more care to make sure the rectangles were rectangles. Actually, if these were going to be out on display I may not have used plastic tubs. HA!
I did find out after the fact that you can buy primer for plastic that will keep the paint form peeling off. I guess I should have googled "how to chalkboard paint plastic" before I set out on this task.
Here are some REALLY bad photos of them in the laundry closet.
The closet is ALMOST done. So close! I have my light dilema to share with you and then I'll clean it out one more time and take some pictures to share.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day. And, I hope those that celebrate it had a lovely Hanukkah!
I feel like getting ready for the holidays is in full swing now!!
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