Cricut Machine

I give the girls an option every year to get a large gift or have a birthday party with their friends. Their birthdays are 2 days apart so we usually combine their parties. They almost always choose the large gift. This year they wanted a cricut paper cutter (and we got a great deal on one). We only have one cartridge, and it doesn't work without a cartridge, but I can see how it will be tons of fun once we get a couple more. I really like it! It will be great for school projects as well.

Anyway, as if that wasn't enough, cricut has come out with a CAKE DECORATING machine. How cool is that? It cuts frosting sheets and fondant. I'm in love. Anyone want to go in on it with me someday?

Cricut Cake Cutter

Personalized M and M

My Mother-in-Law mentioned on Sunday that I hadn't blogged in a while. Yes, this is too true! I have been way to busy to think about blogging, but I do enjoy it, so here I am back from my blogging vacation with this fun site I found.

How fun and unique would this be for a wedding or anniversary?

Personalized M&Ms

Cute Baby

I was so excited to get my hand crocheted photo pod in the mail. When it came, it looked like a giant hat, really... it looked like a hat for the jolly green giant. No offense to giants of course. We tried and tried to stretch that thing around cute little Halle, but it would not stay and her poor little toes were getting stuck in the holes. It really did not live up to any of my expectations. So basically $30 crumpled up and flushed down the toilet. Unless of course, you know any giants who would like to buy it. It's probably more for babies that are just born and have their legs all curled up to their body still. She was only 2 weeks old though. Sheesh!

As a bonus, I did find $100 in my camera bag from Christmastime, so I guess I came out ahead.



Luckily, her Mom was showing me a cute gift someone made her (the tutu) and it worked out better than the pod idea. Poor baby probably hated me by the time it was all over. She was a good sport!


I'm jealous of all of her beautiful black hair, isn't it lovely?!

Vinegar, the Wonder Cleaner

We use vinegar for almost every cleaning task in our house... bathrooms, kitchen, dishwasher, mopping, laundry, washing fruits & veges, etc etc... It's super cheap, costs about $5 a year and we put it in spray bottles in every bathroom and in the kitchen. We store 6 or 7 gallons in home storage because it's easy to get and so inexpensive (around $2 a gallon at Walmart).

I did a search last night to see how much to put in laundry loads and I came across this article from Reader's Digest. It's truly amazing the 173 uses for vinegar. The smell is very strong, of course, but the best part is your kids won't be breathing in harmful cleaning chemicals ever. If they use vinegar to clean the temple, then it's good nuff for me!

Reader's Digest Vinegar Article

New Look

I hope you like the new header. I had a designer do it for me. Her name is Amy and her company is Green Lily designs. I follow her blog because she has such fun things and I love to look at them! Her design work is so great and she was super patient with me. Now if I could only figure out how to take off that black box behind it, I'd be in business! The pink is going to change tomorrow to a darker color :).

Red Winter Beauty Princess Costume Giveaway

It's time for another giveaway! This time it's at Mom Reviews and I'm giving away a Winter Beauty Costume. You'll love the new design. This dress would be great to give your child as a Valentine's Day gift or just for a fun dress up!

Baby Pods

I saw these on Stephmodo. Aren't they darling? They are "pods" that are crocheted. I had to have one for my photography supplies, don't you think? I got the last off white one, but I'm loving the green one too.

Don Wanna Lose You

With our 2 year old's birthday coming up on Friday and preschool coming up in the fall, I have been waxing sentimental. He is moving up to a toddler bed and it will be the first time we have taken the crib down because there will be no baby to fill it in the near future. We keep waiting until my health improves to have our last child, but I am impatient and most likely it's going to be a long space in-between our last 2 children.

Anyway, it gives me more time to spend with our youngest when the older children are at school. He's my little buddy and loves to go out and run errands. Right now, his favorite thing to do is puzzles and he will sit for a really long time putting each one together. Some of the puzzles are really hard for his age, but he seems to catch on really fast.

He has been very clingy to me lately. If someone wants to help him with something, he won't let them, and says, "Mommy do it!" If someone is sitting next to me he squeezes in so he's touching me more than they are. There was someone crying on TV and he said, "He's crying cause he miss his Mommy". Today he was sitting on my lap with his sippie cup of milk and he leaned his head back on my shoulder and said in his sweetest voice, "Mommy, I don wanna lose you." I said I could never lose him because he's my boy and that seemed to calm him a little. When I asked him if he would stay two for me he said, "yeah" because I don't want him to grow up too much.

I love my little gentle boy and cuddle bug. I hope he stays that way for a long time, even after he's 3! Happy Birthday Buddy!

Thinking BIG

Wouldn't this 19 inch digital photo frame look stunning on my wall? Since I pay $50-$100 to get a large print of our family every year, this will pay for itself in no time, don't you agree?

STOMP

Last night we went out to dinner at Four Season's Hot Pots in Provo with Steve's parents, one of our favorite hole in the wall type Chinese restaurants.

Then after that, Steve's brother and sister in law gave us tickets to Stomp for Christmas and we went with him and his family as well as Steve's parents. It was a blast! Basically what they do is take common construction site objects and make amazing beats and music using things like garbage cans, brooms, plastic bags, as well as their bodies having a clapping and slapping frenzy...you get the picture...

There is no talking, but they make it really funny in parts. I think I'm 1/2 deaf now though as it is REALLY loud.

We enjoyed it and it was nice to go out and do something fun!

All You Need is Love

I saw these Beetles finger puppets on a post on Twitter (from etsy). Hee Hee, they made me laugh out loud! Someone out there is very creative.

Cinderella Princess Costume Giveaway on Tea Rose Home

I love the blog Tea Rose Home. It's a sewing blog and I'm not very good at sewing, but I love the projects she does. Sachiko takes something inexpensive and makes it look fancy. She's amazing! I have decided to try out being a sponsor for My Cute Dressups on her blog and we'll see how it goes. To kick off, I'm doing a giveaway for a FREE Cinderella dress here: Tea Rose Home so check it out!

Also, on the radar, new styles of dress up clothes coming February 1, just in time for my birthday!

Blentec, My One & Only Love + Green Smoothie Goodness

After 9 months of using my mother's 1970's yellow and brown blender for fruit smoothies every day, I was in total shock and awe of my new toy that came in the mail yesterday. I used it last night and I was so impressed! It turns off automatically when it is done and has a 2 horse power motor, neigh...

I sold a bunch of my kitchen appliances and used a credit I had for Christmas to buy this puppy (I even made $150 more than what the blender cost me). It was well worth it and I'm excited to make dairy free ice cream in it! It also does whole food juices, grinding wheat and grains, smoothies, hot soup, bread dough, fondue, salsa, shakes, dips, and so on.... I have a lot more room in my pantry as this replaces a lot of big appliances.

I did find a great deal on it. It's usually $399, but I found it for $319 with free shipping at EverythingKitchens.com

My neighbor also gave me a good recipe for a green smoothie. I thought it would taste, you know... green and earthy, but it was good! The girls drank nearly my whole smoothie if that tells you anything.

3 cups fresh squeezed oj. I used the kind in the carton.
1 POUND of spinach (whoa baby!)
1 banana

I'm going to try to add ice in the next time I do it, because it taste's better when it's cold. You could probably drop the oj to 2 1/2 cups and do 1/2 cup ice.

Blend...

Anyone want to come over and have a blending party with me :).