Christmas

Merry
Christmas

Joy

Things that bring me joy:

• Curling up on the couch and doing nothing but reading all day long

• Snuggling with my nieces

• Chocolate

• looking at old photos
  

• A great movie

• Finishing a project

• Learning something new

• The Sun and it's warmth

• My family

• A great bowl of soup

• God

What brings you joy? I'd love to know.

Want to read some more joyful things? click on over to Barking Mad

(this is not a complete list and it's in no specific order)

Santa Lives in a Cave

A conversation with Pony in the car on the way home from Toddler Time today:

Pony: *singing a Christmas song*
Pony: Santa's in a cage.
Me: Santa's in a cage? Why is he in a cage?
Pony: NO! in a cave!
Me: Oh, a cave.
Pony: I'm gonna sing a song so it can float to Santa in his cave so he can wakeup and then it's Christmas time and then he'll bring me presents! *sings Christmas song again and then some more rambling about Santa in his cave*

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
6. What is your favorite holiday food?
7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
9. Favorite holiday song?
10. Favorite holiday pastime?

1. Books, maybe a cute necklace, bike helmet that fits better than the one I currently have, a bed, a laptop, and a bookshelf.
2. A quilt from my Mom
3. Dresses for the girls, waldorf dolls, jewelry
4. Roller skates
5. A play/makeup vanity, games, cupcake maker, slippers
6. Favorite foods: pumpkin pie and stuffing
7. I'd like to make some twirly skirts for the girls and camera lens bags for my brother.
8. A Christmas Story
9. Favorite holiday CD: Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's Once Upon a Christmas
10. Playing board games with the family

Tale of a Walk in the Woods and Lost Bubbles

On our walk we stomped through leaves

Collected leaves

Watched the water flow under the bridge

Threw leaves into the water

And if you look closely, you can see a bottle of bubbles being tossed over as well. (it's a little white and pink smudge falling from Pony's hand) She held those bubbles for the entire walk until she started collecting leaves. The bubbles ended up in the bottom of the basket covered by leaves. Just as she threw the last of the leaves over she yelled "My bubbles!"

Watching the bubbles float away

We continued on with our walk even though she was a bit bummed at losing the bubbles.

We looked for animals living in trees

And then Pony yelled out "My bubbles!" This time in a happier tone. We looked and sure enough the bubbles were floating by us. We had expected them to be long gone by now. But here they were. I ran ahead to try and get in front of the bubbles and find a place that I might be able to reach them.

Standing on a log in the water holding a large branch waiting to snag the bubbles

Success! I was able to snatch them with the branch and guide the bubbles my direction and rescue them from the water.

Some bubbles were blown in triumph and jubilation and then we continued on with our walk and exploration of the woods.

Cute Dress Pattern Giveaway at Grosgrain

There is a great giveaway at Grosgrain for a set of girls dress patterns. I've been interested in making the girls some super cute and easy dresses.

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/11/handmade-dress-patterns-guest-giveaway.html

and one more:

This one is for a gift certificate to Aunty Ollie clothing store.

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/11/aunty-ollie-100-guest-giveaway.html

Scenes from an Apple Orchard

Pony's New Bed

The bed is here and I've finally put it together. We received a toddler bed from CSNBaby.com to review and it came at a perfect time. Pony is ready for a new bed.

The box arrived and the girls were so excited they danced on it.


I think the excitement might have been more to do with the box than what was inside of it. As soon as I got the box opened and emptied, they took it over.



The bed arrives in several pieces that will need to be assembled. All you will need to supply is a screwdriver. Everything else comes in the box. The directions were relatively easy to figure out but it would have been much easier if it would have contained worded directions as well as the pictures. The directions are all picture based and I do a bit better reading directions and then following along with the pictures.


The only thing that had me stumped for a bit were these thingies. They are used to hold the screws in place or something like that. My brother had to help me figure these out. It probably didn't help that the girls were screaming, the phone was ringing, and the music was too loud. It was a bit hard to concentrate.


The bed is almost complete. Now I just have to join the two halves to make one bed.



A few more turns of the last screw and ...


It's finished. After I had the bed completed, I realized I should have built it in the room where I was going to put it. But with Buttercup's help, we carried it up the stairs and into the room.



The bed does not come with a mattress. You will need to supply that yourself. A standard crib mattress fits and since we are taking down the crib, we used the mattress from that.




The bed is made with solid wood and is very sturdy. So sturdy that I've even cuddled up with Pony in the bed. I wouldn't recommend this for a couple of reasons. First, there is a weight limit on the bed of only 50lbs (I think. I'd have to read the sticker on the bed again) and second, it's a little uncomfortable having the railing poke my back and my feet stick out the sides or over the end of the bed. The girls both fit well on the bed. Buttercup is not going to fit for very long in the bed. She's 5 and has just a few inches of space at the ends of the bed before her feet or head hits the head/foot boards. Pony is 3 and has lots of room still.

One of my favorite features is the removable side rails. Not all toddler beds can have their side railings removed. I figure we'll take these off in the near future. I don't think the girls need them to stay on the bed at night.

The girls both really like the bed so much that there has been fights about who gets to sleep in it. The first night they both laid in it. Then neither wanted to lay in it and eventually Buttercup slept in it and Pony ended up going home later that night.

CSNBaby has a great selection of toddler beds, cribs, nursery decor, baby gear and even toys. If you're looking for cheap baby cribs take a look at their site. They have a large selection of cribs with a current selection of about 500 you can choose from.

*********************
I was not paid to write this review. All opinions on the bed are my own. CSNBaby provided the bed for review.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Adventures in Babywearing Presents the Sakura Bloom Triatholon

If you are interested in trying out Sakura Bloom slings and are willing to take videos, photos and answer some questions, then head on over to Adventures in Babywearing and enter the Sakura Bloom Triatholon.

Pony is Getting a New Bed

Pony is taking a nap in her crib right now but that will soon change. She's getting a toddler bed from CSNBaby.com. I can't wait to show you the bed and let you know my thoughts and share my review.

She's ready for something different. She climbs out of her crib now and I worry she's going to fall and get hurt even though she is a climbing monkey. This bed will be low to the ground and have some side rails so there is no chance of getting hurt when she gets out of the bed.

If you're in the market for cheap baby cribs or know someone who is, take a look at CSNBaby. They have some great cribs, toddler beds, nursery accessories, baby gear and toys. I've looked through their site and saw several things I'd like to have.

*insert witty title about summer fun and blog absence here*

(It's late and I just couldn't come up with an interesting title)

Oh my! I just noticed an entire month went by that I haven't posted anything. I've been trying to squeeze some fun and outside time in these last few weeks (now days) of summer.

A few things I've done

• mini golf
• the beach
• bonfires
• apple picking
  
• visiting friends
• sitting in the yard watching the girls play
• wishing Buttercup a great first day of Kindergarten
• celebrating some birthdays
• lounging in the hammocks
• read some books
• visited with family
• watching Buttercup learn to ride a two wheel bike
• watching Pony dance her socks off
  
• harvesting veggies from the garden and watching the pumpkins turn orange
• getting in a few more ice creams before they close for the season
• I'd like to get some more bike rides in

I've got some photos to share and a few posts to write about some of these adventures we've had this last month. I really didn't mean to be absent for so long but the warm sun was calling to be outside.

My Bike with Basket and Liner

I finally got a picture of my bike with my basket on it. My bike is a Giant Suede W 2007. It's a wonderful bike if your looking for a comfortable bike for cruising around town.

I really wanted fabric that matched my bike for my liner but I couldn't pass up the cuteness that this fabric was.







I'm just waiting for another sale at Joann's and the perfect fabric to make another liner.

Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover Review

This week is World Breastfeeding week Aug. 1 - 7, 2009 and the whole month of August is Breastfeeding Awareness month. It's a great week/month for me to be showing you Bebe au Lait's nursing covers.




Bebe au Lait's nursing covers are made with 100% cotton and feature signature fabric designs. This is one thing I love about their products. You won't find any one else using the same fabrics to make other products. The material is very soft and a great weight and thickness. You can tell they focus on quality with all of their products. Bebe au Lait sent me their Kensington Nursing Cover. It's beautiful! I adore the blue, green and white floral pattern.

photo courtesy of Bebe au Lait

If you've never seen their nursing covers, they have rigid necklines that allow you and your baby to keep eye contact yet still remain covered. I find this feature to be wonderful. You can keep an eye on your baby. Your baby can see you and it allows for some air flow to keep both of you cool.

The cover has a neck strap that you place over your head and behind your neck. There is a set of D rings and a strap that you pull on to tighten and adjust the cover. I do have a bit of a problem adjusting the strap. The strap is tapered and gets wider as you get closer to the main part of the cover. I find that when I pull on the strap it bunches up in the D rings making it harder to adjust. I think I might need to re-thread it and practice tightening it. It's not that much of a bother though because once you adjust it to your liking, you probably don't have to adjust it much.

closeup of D-ring and strap

The nursing cover is a great size. I wanted to see how well it covered me and a baby. I borrowed a friends baby (he's a very healthy 1 year old) and had him lay on my lap under the cover. He was not happy that I stuck him under the cover but it did a great job of covering both of us.

Bebe au Lait has also created a small terrycloth pocket in the corner of their nursing covers to hold breast pads or anything else you might need while nursing. You could even use the corner for clean ups although, I personally don't think I'd use the terrycloth for cleaning up spit up or anything else. You'd have to wash the cover all the time if you did that. But it's there if you need it.

close up of terry cloth pocket

Overall, this is a wonderful product that I think all nursing moms could use. I know that everyone has their own preferences on coverings while nursing. Some use them others don't. I personally think I'd use the cover while out in public and at home probably not.

Bebe au Lait nursing covers are available in their signature fabrics or their organic line which features solid colors. They also have nursing covers available with their original name, Hooter Hiders. You can purchase a cover for $35 - $40.

For the month of August, any customer who purchases a nursing cover from Bebe au Lait will get a free sample of Mustela nipple cream and also receive free shipping. As an added bonus, any nursing cover purchase enters you into a drawing for a gift basket filled with Bebe au Lait and Mustela products valued at $250.

Go and get your Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover today! It would make a great baby shower gift. And if you're not in the market for a nursing cover, I highly recommend their hooded towels. It's the first towel the girls ask for after their baths. Want to read my review of Bebe au Lait's hooded towels?


*************
Bebe au Lait provided me with a nursing cover for review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions on the nursing cover are my own.

BlogHer @ Home Welcome

Welcome to my piece of the internet. I've been here since? hmmm I don't know - brb I'll go look .... March 2007. My first posts were all about the giveaways you could enter and not so much personal stuff, hence the Keeping My Fingers Crossed title.

The giveaway blogging led into a great job working as an Assistant Editor at Prizey. You've heard of Prizey right? It's a great place to find all the amazing and generous giveaways around blogland.

My blog has changed to a more personal blog now and you can find me writing about crafts, my nieces (buttercup, 5 and pony, 2), and relaxing in hammocks my new favorite activity. I think the Keeping My Fingers Crossed title still fits. I'm Keeping My Fingers Crossed about a lot of things. Currently that Pony's fit she's having right this minute will stop!

Feel free to look around and say Hi if you'd like.

Not at BlogHer Parties

Not going to BlogHer this year? Well there are several parties you can attend right from your own home sitting in your ratty old pjs.

Blogher@Home

Blog Hop at Pensieve's

Mom of 2 Boys Wife of 1 and Cozi are sponsoring 15 bloggers not going to BlogHer with $100.

Robyn's Online World is having a twitter party Friday night

Garibay Soup is having a Happy BlogNerd Bash


So if your stuck at home this year and don't feel like reading about all the fabulousness that is Chicago right now then head on over to some of these parties. You don't even have to put on makeup or take a shower.

I'm thinking about going to several of them.

And if you stop by here, feel free to grab a hammock (which has been my chair of choice lately) and some limeade (extra tart) and feel free to say HI.

My Super Cute Bike Basket Liner

I've been a bit busy. Sorry for neglecting you for a bit. But I've finally got my sewing done. It's one of the things I've been busy with. Want to see? Of course you do.

I have a bike that I really like but it was missing something. It needed a cute little basket on the front. I found a white wire basket that I liked but it needed something more to make it cuter. I decided on making a liner for it. So I bought some fabric and have been measuring and cutting and pinning and sewing for the past couple of weeks to get it completed.




And here it is! I think it's adorable and would actually like to make a few more so I can change them out depending on my mood.





My friend went with me to pick out fabric and she decided she wanted a basket liner as well. I actually made hers first. Her basket liner was the prototype which she was fine with. She wanted it sooner rather than later. She picked out some cute fabric that matches her bike pretty well.




I'll post some pictures of my basket on my bike as soon as the weather clears. It's supposed to be rainy for the next couple of days. I'm hoping to get a photo and a bike ride soon.

Fair Food

Photo by moominsean shared via Flickr

The fairs in town this week. I went this year for a specific purpose, the food. I wanted a waffle ice cream sandwich. Have you ever had one? They're wonderful. Two fresh hot Belgium waffles with a slice of vanilla ice cream in the middle. Steaming hot and freezing cold. So yummy.

The $5 admission was paid. We asked at the ticket booth if they had them this year. The ladies said yes they'd seen someone with one just a little bit ago. They directed us towards the 4-H barns. Off we went searching for this wonderful treat we had the pleasure of tasting last year at the fair.

So we walked and searched and eventually came to the end of the food section and the beginning of the 4-H barns. No waffles. So we turn around and go the other way. Stopping to vote for my cousin's baby in the Cutest Baby contest. We passed cotton candy, candy apples, elephant ears, popcorn, corn dogs, fries, fresh squeezed lemonade, funnel cakes, ice cream, ice cream in waffle cones, sausages, more stuff on sticks, and even fried Bologna. No waffle ice cream sandwiches! So what did we do? We turned around and tried again.

No luck. So I settled on a funnel cake. This was the first time I've ever had one. I've had the opportunity before but I've always went with the elephant ear. What did I think of the funnel cake you might be asking (that is after you've exclaimed "what!? she's never tried a funnel cake?) The funnel cake tasted of fried disappointment with a layer of cinnamon sugar. I was really looking forward to the hot/cold sweetness of the waffle sandwich. (okay we get it you really wanted that waffle!) I know that's what's running through your head now. The funnel cake was good. I think it's the last one I'll ever buy. I'm sticking with elephant ears.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjrohde/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Ennui handcrafted leather sandals giveaway from Zuzsi

There's a giveaway for some cute handcrafted leather sandals from Zuzsi. Want to take a look and possibly sign up to win? Then here ya go, visit ennui

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer's Fluff Fridays

I'm not a cloth diaper user. I've used them with friends babies and find them interesting. I think I'd like to give them a try in the future.

I've found a great site with lots of information about cloth diapering, The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. Besides all the great advice and information, they also have a fun giveaway each week for cloth diapers called Fluff Fridays. If your unsure about cloth diapers maybe winning some to try out might be a starting point.

This week, they are offering up prizes from Kissaluvs. They have 2 new products; Marvels One Size Fitted Diapers and Cloth-N-Go Bag.

If your interested head on over and check them out. Giveaway entries must be received by Thursday of that week and winners are announced on Fridays.

Scenes From a Heat Wave

"It's Like a Heat Wave, Burning in my Heart"

It was so hot last week. There were a few days you could hardly do anything. Just sitting still was unbearable. We tried to keep cool any way we could. A lot of those days were spent sitting in the shade, laying in the hammock, eating popsicles, drinking lemonade and tea and just relaxing.

The following are scenes from our heat wave:

The shade from the walnut tree

Buttercup's feet and my feet

The tulip tree in bloom

I was so glad the sun was behind the tree so we could keep cool

How did you stay cool? Do you have any other tips for the next heat wave?

Bikes I've Owned and Loved

I've been working on bike basket liners (post to come) for my bike. It got me thinking about all the bikes I've owned. I think I've owned 3 bikes in my lifetime.

My current bike is a Suede W from Giant (2008? model). I love it. It's one of the most comfortable bikes I've ridden. It's going on it's third year.

The bike I've owned the longest is a Huffy 512st 10 speed. I still have it hanging in the garage. I think it was a birthday present around the time I was 12. I road it all over town. The bike took me to the library and to the corner store the most. It was a bike of independence. I stopped riding it when I got my driving license.

The very first bike I remember receiving was a purple bike with a white banana seat that had a rainbow and a purple butterfly on it. There were also purple streamers from the handlebars. I asked my mom how old I was when I got it. She thinks I was around 6 when they bought it for me. It was a great bike as well. I remember my frienemy down the street had a similar bike but in turquoise.

One of my favorite things to do while riding bikes was to ride to the top of the street near our house and coast down the hill. I believe it's the steepest hill in town. Kids from all over town used to come and ride down it. We'd ride up and down it over and over.

I'm sure their must have been a bike before the purple banana seat but I don't remember it. It was probably my brothers bike (hand-me-down) or just one that was around the house. There were Big Wheels, trikes and other ride on toys available for us as kids.

I wish I had some photos of my bikes when I was little. I don't think there are any though.

What about you? What were your favorite bikes growing up? 5 Minutes for Mom would love to hear stories about your bikes. They are offering 2 strider bikes to 2 bloggers who post about their bikes. You have until July 19.

Bebe au Lait's Buy One Get One Free Deal for June

I just found out about a great promotion that Bebe au Lait is having. Right now till the end of the month, if you purchase a nursing cover or gift set you will receive a free 'mystery' nursing cover with your order. That's 2 nursing covers for the price of 1! You could keep one for yourself and give one away or you could keep both and use them in rotation.

How do you get the free nursing cover? Just place your order for a nursing cover or gift set of your choosing. Then use coupon code "MYSTERY09" at checkout. You will then receive a 'mystery' nursing cover added to your order.

What a wonderful deal. Everyone likes free stuff. Go get yours today because the offer expires at the end of the month (June 2009). You can read more information here for those that like to read the fine print.

Bad Blogger

I'm a horrible blogger. I haven't posted a real post in 2 weeks. Here's some of the things I've been doing:

• Getting ready for Buttercup's 5th birthday party - it was last Saturday and it was a lot of fun and a lot of work.
  

• Reworking my resume and cover letter - I'm applying for a job. I hate writing cover letters.

• Starting a new craft project - I'm making basket liners for my bike. I'm making my own pattern and trying to figure out how to make it work. Maybe I'll do a blog post.

• And a number of other things I can't think of.

I'll try to be a better blogger in the future. Right now I'm gonna go watch a movie

Fun in the Sun

There's a Fun in the Sun carnival coming up at Misadventures in Baby Raising and Alexis aka MOM from Running Away. It begins on June 22 and lasts till July 1. Want to join in? Head on over it looks like it's going to be fun.

60 in 6 Giveaway at A Peek At My Bookshelf

Deena at A Peek At My Bookshelf is celebrating 60,000 hits on her blog with the 60 in 6 book giveaway. Want your chance to win one of 60 books in 6 weeks? Make sure to visit Deena.

Simple Mom's Cloth Diaper Review

Simple Mom is having a great cloth diaper giveaway. It ends tonight so you better hurry if you want to enter.

The Giveaway's 1st Birthday Bash

Hey everyone! I was just wanting to let you know about The Giveaway's 1st Birthday Bash that will run June 5th-12th. Haven't heard about 'The Giveaway'? It's this great blog that has several easy-to-enter giveaways starting every week!

And the Birthday Bash will be the biggest week ever! There are over $2100 in prizes to be given out! Starting with a Giveaway Carnival and giveaway on Friday, June 5th, a Photo Contest on Saturday, Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, regular giveaways Mon-Thurs, a LIVE Grand Prize Giveaway on Friday, June 12th, and Daily Door Prizes. This is going to be HUGE!

For more info on the Birthday Bash, here's the link: http://www.the-giveaway.com/2009/05/giveaways-1st-birthday-bash.html

Remember, it started on June 5th with The Giveaway's 1st Annual Birthday Carnival & Giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment to enter the giveaway. And if you join the Carnival, you get an extra entry!

And if you blog about this too (before Friday, June 12th) (just copy and paste this post), then you will be entered to win the special Early Bird Prize! Just come back here: http://www.the-giveaway.com/2009/06/birthday-bash-early-bird-giveaway.html and leave a comment with your blog post url!

Hope to see you there!
http://www.the-giveaway.com/

Prizey Boogie

Just a little bit of trivia about me:

Most of Prizey's giveaway listings are edited while listening (and a bit of dancing in my chair) to one of my favorite Pandora Radio stations - Boston with a bit of Journey and Styx thrown in.

Currently listening to: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey

and if I'm not listening to that station, it's 70s Singer/Songwriters (Carole King, John Denver, James Taylor, Carly Simon, etc)

So boogie with me while browsing Prizey.

Mad Libs Baby Shower Game at Comfort Joy Designs

I'm participating at Mommie Daze's Virtual Baby Shower being held at Comfort Joy Designs. This is a Mad Lib party game. Want to play along? head over here

I had someone read me the parts I needed to fill in and then put the answers in. Here's what I got (my answers are in green in ()):

New Baby

(Oh My)! gasped New Daddy. It was (dusk) and baby was awake for the (6) time today. New Mommy had been (swiftly) (sweeping cobwebs), but rushed to check on New Baby. "No, no," said New Daddy, who had been relaxing by (gardening). "I'm always (smelly) to help with the baby. I'll go." New Mommy was (tiny), since this was only the (11) time that New Daddy had offered to help. In fact, New Daddy was more inclined to snack on (carrots), while sitting on the (lamp), watching (Bones). New Mommy knew that she should (slowly) accept, because New Daddy might not offer again!

A Conversation with Myself at Kroger

I went to Kroger this morning to buy milk and popsicles (both needed for school this week) and remembered that Jess told me that TurkeyHill teas were 10 for $10 and she had coupons.  So I took a look at the teas and was totally confused by the coupon.  I had to buy 2 to get $1 off.  They were 10 for $10 like I already said so that made them $1 each. 

In my head, I kept doing the math (and talking to myself).  

If you could hear inside my head, this is what you would have heard

me:  "oh, here's the teas"

me:  "yup.  10 for $10 so $1 each."

me:  "Jess said to use 2 coupons and buy 4 teas"

me:  "hmm, which flavors to choose."

me:  "yummy, lemonade tea sounds good.  I'll get that and raspberry, green tea, and should I get orange or peach.  hmmmmmmmmmm.  which.  I'll get peac.......no orange."

checking the coupon again

me:  "the coupon says to buy 2 and get $1 off.  They'd be $.50 each.  That's not free! Jess said they'd be free."

me:  "I don't get it"

I put the teas back because I had melting popsicles in the cart and a hungry girl tagging along.  As I was pulling out of my parking space, I caught a glimpse of a banner hanging on the building.  

me:  " OHHHHHH!  That's right, they double coupons here.  They would be free!"

Went home anyways without the tea.  Fed the girl and put her down for a nap.  I knew I'd be going past Kroger again later and figured I'd stop in then.

So in the style of Jess, I thought I'd post my deal.  

My total bill was $8.36 but after coupons I paid $0.00.  I saved 100% off my bill!  Actually, Kroger paid me.  I used my Envirosax bag and received a bag credit of $.05.  So I walked out of there earning $.05 and getting 2 gallons of tea.  

Lunch Picnic

A few weeks ago, we had an indoor picnic. Instead of serving lunch on individual plates, I got creative and used a divided serving/storage tray. I put a variety of lunch foods in each section and set it on the floor on our picnic blanket and let the girls eat. They loved it!

We had: Cheese-Its, raisins, pretzels, cheese, cucumbers, peanut butter/jelly sandwiches, and jelly sandwiches.

Next time your bored with your same old lunch routine. Try this. The girls ate better and behaved better at lunch. I'm thinking tomorrow we'll have to do this as well. Maybe it will be nice enough we can go outside this time.

From My Mother

Mother's Day is soon and in celebration of my mom, these are a few of the things she's passed down to me:

a love for:

• Jesus
• reading
• family
• chocolate
• coffee

skills:

• sewing
• baking
• cooking
• laundry
  

activities we enjoy:

• biking
• taking walks with Buttercup and Pony
• movies
• reading on the porch
• going to Biggby for coffee
  

things I still need to learn from her:

• pecan pie recipe
  
• pie crust recipe
• how to make a pot of coffee
• sewing (some more advanced stuff)

I know there's lots more things she's passed on to me and many more skills I still need to learn. Thanks for all the things you've taught me and all the love you've given.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you.


Parent Bloggers Network and Johnson's want to know what your mother has passed down to you.

________________

Johnson's second annual Celebrity Hand Me Down charity auction has begun, May 7 at 7 pm PT till Thursday May 14. The auction features items donated by celebrity moms Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba with proceeds benefiting the new global JOHNSON’S® NO MORE TEARS® Clean Water initiative via their well-known charitable giving site, Baby Cause.

this post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of their blog blast for Johnson's Celebrity Hand Me Down charity auction.

Salt: It's What's for Dinner!

You know that practical joke where people loosen the salt lid and watch as someone unknowingly wants to add a bit of seasoning to their food and the entire contents spill out onto their plate? Well that just happened to me!

I'm making spaghetti for Jessica's girls before we have to head to Jazz class. Frying the hamburger, I reach for the salt (the sea salt grinder is near me so I use that) I begin turning the grinder when the entire thing explodes in my hand. Salt flies through the air, onto the floor, onto the stove and a ginormous amount lands in the pot of frying hamburger and I'm left holding the two pieces of the salt grinder with a bit of salt left in the bottom.

After the shock wore off and I stopped looking around for the hidden camera and trying to listen for barely contained snorts and giggles, I started scooping the salt into the sink. I haven't tasted the sauce yet but I'm hoping it's okay . I scooped some of the salt off of the stove and back into the salt grinder but I'm afraid there's not much left.

I'd take a photo but no camera. So just imagine that first snowstorm of the year where everything is covered in a fluffy white snow and now replace the snow with salt and there ya go. That's what Jessica's kitchen looks like.

Hey Jess? You need to add salt to your grocery list next week!

(*edit: The sauce is saltier than it should be but it isn't too bad. Although, I think I might have reached my sodium intake for the month.)

No Photos

Probably no photos with my posts this week.  Staying at Jess's and I don't have any photos with me on the laptop.

My-Kaps for My Keurig: A Way to Reuse K-cups

I have a Keurig coffee maker and I'm loving it. It makes great coffee and I like that my next cup can be a different brand of coffee. Generally though, I only drink one cup a day.

I've been looking for a way to use up the loose coffee that I still have. Keurig does make a reusable coffee filter but I haven't wanted to pay the money to get it. I've been waiting for a sale and a coupon before I purchased one. But I might not get one.

My mom was browsing the internet and came across a really great site that makes little Kaps for spent K-cups. You open up the K-cup and empty out the used grounds. Rinse the cup and let it dry. When your ready for a new cup of coffee, you fill up the empty K-cup with your choice of loose coffee and place the My-Kap (tm) on the cup. There you go. A refillable K-cup.

Are you interested in these as well? They are called My-Kap (tm). They are little plastic Kaps. You can buy one or many of these My-Kaps and prefill youf K-cups or just fill and use as needed. I think I'd like at least 2.

Off to brew a cup of coffee.

Reuse your Keurig K-Cups!

Prizey 3.0 has Launched

Make sure to stop by and check out the new Prizey 3.0. There are some great new features and now anyone who signs up to be a member (it's free), can add a giveaway to the listing (also free).

Vinegar is Not Just for Pickles

Parent Bloggers Network and How I Clean Now want to know your tips and tricks on keeping your house clean.

In our house when a cleaning day comes around, we turn on some ABBA and start at one end and work or way to the other end. Or sometimes we split up the house into rooms and each tackle a section. Or sometimes one person does the picking up, one person does all the dusting, and another does all the vacuuming. Okay, I guess we don't have a set way we clean. But one thing some good music keeps the pace of cleaning going.

One trick I've learned recently is how to make my own all purpose cleaner. It saves money and uses all natural products like vinegar which isn't just for pickles (you should look up all the uses for vinegar. It's amazing what the stuff can do.) I'll walk you through the steps I use to make my cleaner.

Gather your ingredients:

• empty spray bottle
• white vinegar
• water
• tea tree oil (or other essential oil of choice. This is an optional ingredient)

Mix together: a 1:1 ratio of water and white vinegar into the empty spray bottle. I used 1 cup water and 1 cup white vinegar.





*Optional* Place 10-15 drops of essential oil into your cleaner. You could probably use less. I used tea tree oil because that's what I have on hand. Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial, antiviral, and anti fungal oil and I happen to like the smell of it.



Make sure to label your new cleaner and start cleaning.



There was some paint on the door that had been put there by Pony and hadn't been cleaned up through the winter. It's probably been there since last fall. We don't use that door much so didn't remember that it was there until we are starting to open the door to let the nicer weather in. Any way it's been there for a while.







The paint came right off! And the door is much cleaner. No more little finger prints, face prints or paint.

I use this cleaner all over the house. Some people don't like the smell of the vinegar but I don't mind it. I like knowing that if Pony wanted to see how the windows tasted and went up and licked them, she'd not get a tongue full of nasty chemicals.

Now go and clean your house. And if you want, you can come clean mine as well.

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This post was written for a Parent Bloggers Network and How I Clean Now Blog Blast