Gosh!

I walked in on the kids while they were playing with blocks today. They were building homes and shops in a little village created for their ponies and dolls. It was a marvelous "project" that they were working on. I stumbled in on their conversation just in time to hear the Littlest Pet Shop Pony a.k.a "The Shopkeeper" trying to woo Barbie into a purchase, "You're going to love this one! It's Versace!!!"
I almost snorted H2O out of my nose! I don't really own anything designer, I don't watch anything where I think they would have heard of any designers but apparently it's a great tag line to cinch up a sale. Hey, if I was Barbie, I'd be LOVING Versace. :)

I've GOT to get outside!

Oh, so little Sugar Plum Girl woke up in just a diaper but was in a great mood so I popped her in the mei tai and snapped a couple photos in the bathroom mirror--please excuse the Aztec themed shower curtain (not my style but I still haven't really found my style in bathroom decor yet--it's a journey to get away from the land of hand-me-downs aka my home) and the grainy photos but here we are! I'll try to see if I can get some nice, outdoors action shots! Oh, and as a PS, I know that the one shot is really off center, but I didn't mind because you're getting a preview of a dried floral-esque arrangement I made for a whopping $8! I got this fabulous vase on sale and went from there... I'll probably show you more of that when I find a good place in my apartment for the poor fella to live.

Until then, HAPPY FRIDAY!

Dottie or Flossie?

Ok, so I've been on a kick naming things in my kitchen lately... and now my new apron needs a name. I've been considering Dottie, but do you think that's too generic? I mean, with the polka dots and all? I kind of wanted an old fashioned name, maybe something from the 30's to 50's time frame. I'm stuck. What's your input? Oh, and by the way, forgive the less than stellar photos but isn't this apron from Jen absolutely DARLING? I love, love, love it!! I forgot to take a photo of the detailing on the pocket so when Little One is done spunking I'll try and snap another photo. Hopefully I can get a picture of the Mei Tai too--hubby didn't get home till after 9 last night and baby carrier photos with no baby are hard (Little One was snug as a bug in a rug, off in dreamy land). Stay tuned...

Note to Self:

Yesterday I finished up the Mei Tai early enough that I was able to wear it on my way to pick up #1 from school... on my way out the door I discovered a package in the mail that came from Jen in Michigan--it was a fantastic apron from the swap I'm in! I was thrilled!

So the Mei Tai was MUCH more comfy than the other baby carriers I've ever used and Hailey seemed to enjoy it. I'm making a note to myself to try and snap some photos today, of the baby carrier and the apron, to share with you all... stay tuned!

Courtesy a la Christine

A very good friend of mine shared with me her love of fresh cilantro 3 or 4 years years ago. She told me how she loved the extra flavor it added to salad and went on for a few minutes as she picked leaves off of the stems of a fresh bunch of cilantro. She griped about the exhorbitant cost of the herb in our small, out-of-the-way town, reminisced about working at Taco Bell in her youth and then we went on to talk about husbands, children and well,you know... life.
That conversation, years ago, spurned me to make some homemade salsa for a picnic yesterday. I was at the market and saw some ridiculously overpriced cilantro (you see, I live in another small town now while she has moved on to bigger and better cities) next to some very reasonably priced tomatoes and VOILA! The idea was born.
Hubbie loved the salsa. I got a few recipe requests. No pictures... I left my camera in the car and was kicking myself for not taking pictures at the picnic. Well, I'll share my recipe with you at least. It was a spur of the moment, throw it together kind of thing but I'm sure that you can play with the measurements and make it work for you.
Keep in mind, I made this for a potluck, so the recipe yielded quite a bit--probably 8 cups or so.

Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
3 cups frozen corn, cooked
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
5 tomatoes, diced
2 small jalepenos, seeded and finely diced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

I mixed the garlic, cilantro, salt, cumin and pepper well then added in everything else and chilled for a couple hours to let the flavors blend. Enjoy!

WIP

I started on a Scandinavian style Mei Tai carrier Friday evening but Little One decided to wake up every half hour until about 4 in the morning so I abandoned the project and pulled her into bed with me. Desperate times = Desperate measures.
It's pretty fun and I've got some mods in mind. I'll post a link to the fabulous tute when I finish and snap a couple photos for ya'll. :)

Where does the time go?

Look at my little girls... growing up!

Holla!!

Hey all! I am gearing up for the long weekend with the kiddos... I know that we have some random plans here and there, the culmination of which will be a picnic on Monday at a local park. Anyone else have any plans that they'd like to share?
I've honestly been looking to start some family traditions for some of the less celebrated holidays--do you have any ideas or things that your family does to celebrate any of the upcoming "summer" holidays that you care to let me (few but) faithful readers in on?
And what about those of you in the Capital Region that stop on by every now and again? Anything happening locally that you want to clue me in on? Parades? Anybody know of any fireworks or festivities that the kids would enjoy?? Come on now, DISH!

Better Late than Never

Yesterday was so cold, today I was itching for something warm and summery so I thought I'd share with you the dishes that DH and the little ones picked out for me on Mothers' Day. I've been meaning to show them to you anyhow so this was a good motivator for me to snap a couple shots of them. :) I absolutely love the splash of color that they add to the kitchen. I cleared off my bakers rack to use for storing them when they're not in use because it just didn't seem right to hide them behind a cupboard door!


I'm still pining for my KA but I'm so stingy that I'm waiting to get a great deal... good things come to those who wait, right?

Fabulous New Find

I just saw that Coldstone started serving up some Lo-Cal smoothies this week--they're big on flavor, but starting at 160 calories they're not big on your waistline! You can get their NRGize smoothie and add in an energy, anti-stress, protein or antioxidant supplement to give yourself a little boost... I dunno, the Berry Lemony smoothie is calling my name... but every last one of them sounds good to me!
Check out your local Coldstone and pick up a smoothie--in honor of me! ;)