survivor fans!

erin saw todd at starbucks tonight & sent us this picture text! (i guess he really does love coffee!)he wouldn't tell her if he won. he said that they don't find out until the last episode airs. does that mean he's in the final two?! i love technology...

hurry!!

you have to sign up by midnight EST! it's the 2nd Annual Holiday Ornament Swap hosted by freshly {blended} & cake & pie! sounds like a great way to dress up you christmas tree plus a good excuse to get crafty!

the big caboose.

i just found this!
would i be crazy?! it would be nice to be able to have the option of a real stroller seat for flynn. plus when i have more kiddies...
i would be a serious mom walking around with one of these.

calling all moms..

i am in desperate need of recommendations. i am going to purchase 2 items this week that i am looking for feedback on.

the first:
a sit & stand double stroller.


i am looking into the joovy caboose ultralight.
the problem i have with it is that it seems that when a carseat is in the front, the child sitting in back has to lean forward a bit. this seems to me like it would be uncomfortable. will that affect my 2 year old? does anyone have experience with this or a better recommendation for a double stroller?


next item is a bebe pod or a bumbo seat.



which do you like best? will i want the tray? & if so, do i want the tray with the toy attachment on the bebe pod plus? & how long will she r e a l l y use it?

opinions please!

i am having a really hard time making a decision!
thanks everyone!

my lucky day.

so this weekend we went to veeda's first annual fall dessert party. it was really fun & a great end to our great weekend. i decided to bring pumpkin gingerbread trifle. a recipe i found on foodtv.com by paula dean. ever since discovering flynn's msg allergy i have become a major label reader & have made vast efforts to make as many things from scratch as possible. i decided to alter this recipe & it actually worked! i won second place for best dessert at the party! i cannot tell you what i boost this was for my self esteem. i am by no means a baker. so.. here is the altered version of the recipe if you're interested:

1 box whole wheat gingerbread mix
1 (5.1) box of vanilla instant pudding
3 cups half & half (to replace milk in pudding instructions)
1 (30 oz) can of 100% pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pint whipping cream
confectioner's sugar (to taste)
1/2 cup anna's ginger thins

1. bake gingerbread, cool completely

2. prepare pudding using half & half instead of milk

3. add pumpkin, brown sugar, & cinnamon to pudding

4. prepare whipped topping using whipping cream & sugar

5. crumble gingerbread & layer across bottom of trifle bowl

6. cover with half of the pudding mixture, then half of whipped topping

7. repeat layers. top with broken ginger thins

enjoy!

the whole wheat gingerbread has really good flavor & the texture totally works for this dish. i also might suggest making your own but this box was as good as scratch on ingredients. i changed the pumpkin mixture to cut back on sweetness after reading reviews & to avoid corn syrup. i also chose to use an instant pudding box so flynn could be even more involved, but i might recommend birds custard mix if you could find it. i think i ll make just the pudding part sometime it was so good!

**i really really suggest those of you with children try making this this year for thanksgiving. flynn l o v e s cooking & was able to help with everything except baking the gingerbread which i did far in advance. he loved crumbling the bread into the bowl, stirring the instant pudding, & even spooning everything into the dish. it was so nice to have him help & not have to worry about him messing it up or getting hurt.

friday's find of the week.

in the spirit of my last post, here is my find of the week.
i had heard of Nikki McClure from my sister a few years ago but never realized her art was papercutting until i found cindy's blog. she has lots of cool cards & books on her site & i encourage you to browse through them all, but i am choosing this book, The First 1,000 Days- A Baby's Journal as my find of the week. The pictures are beautiful & the subjects she chooses for you to record are the simple & sweet things that could be overlooked if you don't make a point to record the memory. it's really sweet & i can't help but imagine giving this to sobe when she grows & leaves me. the pictures really do strike an extra cord on your heart. i love it.

get a new hobby.

(^cindy)
so. i love this blog. as of today i love it even more thanks to an instructional video featuring my friend cindy teaching how to make the beautiful art that she displays on her blog. it's called scherenschnitte & it is a beautiful site. watch the cute & instructional video here.

find of the week.

if there is anything that overwhelms me, it's clutter. ever since i have been trying to be a responsible adult & save important paperwork, it has taken over my house! i have tried so many times to get it under control but it never seems to work. i think i have finally found my system.

in my entry way, i have on a shelf one of these. it is the Real Simple Expanding File System. inside there is a file labeled for each of the types of papers that comes into my home: bills, to be mailed, to be filed, coupons. while i had extra space, i did not include a misc. space. that would be to tempting for me. the beauty of this file is that it can be stored vertically on a bookshelf & labeled to look really nice. the papers are neatly enclosed & not visible so you can store it nicely on a shelf & not have to worry about a filing cabinet. i have one labeled for each aspect of my life that would need filing such as taxes, health, home, ect.

they are a little pricey so i recommend either buying over time or saving up for them. i was desperate enough to invest in the lot. you can find them at your local target store or online.

enjoy your saturday...

kiva.org

i watched this frontline episode with brett a few months ago. we were so intrigued & happy to know there was something like this going on in the world. ever since i was a teenager, i had big dreams of "helping the world". as you grow up, you realize how complicated it is & it's hard to think of a place to start. i recommend going to kiva.org & taking part. it's really inspiring & helps give you the hope of making a difference. watch the documentary to get a feel for the concept of microcredit. it's really amazing.

first post-worthy..

so i have been dreading my first post on my new blog. i have not been in the mood for introductions. thanks to veeda, i found something that got me excited enough to make a post. had my mom been willing, i would have had a cupcake tower instead of a wedding cake. maybe this would have been a better alternative. tell me this isn't the greatest thing you've ever seen..

click here to view the complete genius.