Simply Married

Photos du Jour

2011-05-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

Recipes I'm Lovin'

2011-05-05T05:00:00.004-04:00

Spicy Sesame Noodles

French Style Warm Lentils (Great as a side with salmon)

Baked Spaghetti (we've made this every week for the past 4 weeks)

Spicy Sesame Noodles (Great vegetarian dish, but adding chicken makes it a nice hearty meal)

Spinach Gnocchi (A nice change of pace when it comes to pasta)

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles (try it today for Cinco de Mayo)

I hope these help inspire you for future meal planning!

I'm Up And Watching...

2011-04-29T04:43:00.003-04:00

That is until Sweet A gets up....

Photos du Jour

2011-04-28T05:00:00.002-04:00

Sugar....

and spice....

Decision Day

2011-04-27T05:00:00.004-04:00

The floor guys made their picks and I think we have our paint colors! I was quite impressed with how much thought they put into picking their favorites ;)

I ultimately had final say, but the electricians and floor guys pretty much picked the same ones I liked. Still feel a little unsure... but anything has to look better than this, right?

Can't wait to show you the before and afters :)

Neglected...

2011-04-26T05:00:00.001-04:00

Magazines unread... Magazines still in their sealed plastic bags... Never would have let this happened back in the day...

How Not To Pick A Paint Color

2011-04-25T13:05:00.011-04:00

Way too many choices....

I think my plan to buy a "few" testers backfired on me... Over $100 spent on 17 testers and I am no closer to a decision for our living room... I have paint samples up on the walls all over the house. I finally resorted to asking the guys working over there to mark their picks. Big burly guys apparently have an opinion on paint colors too.

I feel a tightness in my chest... I need to make a decision soon... Like by tomorrow, soon...

While we're at it... here are my choices for the kitchen...

The electricians and I like the second from the right in the above picture... I need the floor guys to mark their picks as well...

I think this is how it's going to happen...

Photo du Jour

2011-04-21T05:00:00.001-04:00

Packing Discovery: Old Pictures

2011-04-20T05:00:00.013-04:00

I found a box waaaaaay in the back of one of our closets... this was a box I never unpacked when I moved in with JG. Going through these old pictures made me smile, tear up and.... in some cases, cringe.

Where shall we begin?

How about prom?

If I could give Sweet A one piece of advice about prom, it would be to go with a great guy friend. No boyfriend = no drama. I had the chance to go to two proms my senior year and had such a blast with both my dates. Both guys were dear friends and I absolutely adored them. To this day if I run into one of them, it's as if no time has passed. What's not to love about that? Now let's look at the pics... and for the sake of others' privacy, I hid some faces... not sure if everyone wants a digital footprint...

This was my prom at RHS in 1995. Had so much fun that night with my buddy, J. But my dress... Well, I loved it at the time... I saw it in YM's prom issue that year (remember YM???). I had to have it. My mom and I went to the dress store, magazine in hand, and snagged it. That skirt was so huge it was up to my neck when I sat in J's car. Loved the top... could do without the Scarlett O'Hara skirt...

This was prom at WJHS in 1995 with my life guarding buddy, K. Do you notice something??? How 'bout those cheeks? Had my wisdom teeth taken out TWO DAYS BEFORE this prom. As if puberty and my teenage years weren't awkward enough... I had to go to this prom, prom, with chipmunk cheeks. My date was a sweetheart and made sure to steer me toward the soft foods section of the buffet ;) Despite my swollen, tender cheeks, we danced our hearts out and had a blast.

I was a lifeguard from 1994-1996. Loved that summer job so much. Couldn't believe I was getting paid to have so much fun. On my days off I would still go up to the pool to hang out. We never really saved anyone... more like grabbed the occasional little kid who ventured too far into the deep section and yelled "NO RUNNING" about every 30 seconds. We also taught swim lessons. I can't believe that beautiful pool no longer exists... and that those little kids are now in their 20's - eek!

This was May '99 and I had just graduated college. I was on my way to my very first official road race. Been a runner since the age of 12, but I never ran any road races until this one. The CVS Marathon/Half Marathon/10K in 1999 was my very first. I did the 10K portion and became hooked. Races have been a part of my spring/summer routine ever since.

More pics to come...

Photo Du Jour

2011-04-18T05:00:00.004-04:00

A personal best....

Packing Discovery: My Life In Books

2011-04-15T08:59:00.012-04:00

JG and I have started the packing process... We figure by doing a little bit each day, we'll avoid the last minute panic mode that we seem to be accustomed to when it comes to packing and moving... First to get packed up? Our books...

I have to say, JG and I love books... and we're thrilled that our little girl seems to have inherited the same passion... Back when a disposable income was plentiful, we would think nothing of dropping cash on an armful of books. As I packed these books up, they seemed to tell a story about me...

I never was into soap operas... until I roomed with 3 other girls who were obsessed with Days Of Our Lives... Guess who soon got sucked in and started planning her class schedule around Days Of Our Lives? Yep. Me. I was hooked and couldn't get enough of the show (and Dr. Mike Horton). I had to have this cookbook when it came out...

Apparently these are from the time in my life (Pre JG) when I was no stranger to the self help section

These are just a few books that I have amassed that show my love for everything that has to do with the twenties....

And books that feed my passion for old homes....

I've always been curious on why people buy the things they do....

More packing discoveries to come ;)

17 Months...

2011-04-13T05:00:00.003-04:00

Here is Sweet A at 17 months... As you can see, getting her to hold still for more than a second is quite an accomplishment these days...

Photo Du Jour

2011-04-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

I'm a little intimidated about this packing thing....

This is our little collection of boxes that we've been storing in JG's office... I'm going to have to just swig a big glass of wine and get started... Soon.

How Customer Service Should Be Done

2011-04-06T16:52:00.014-04:00

In a day where it seems customer service is relegated to a computerized voice that says "press the number 2", it's refreshing to know that not only can you talk to a real live person (and understand what they are saying), but get excellent customer service too!

That was the experience I had when I contacted Philips regarding my Avent Dect Audio Baby Monitor... I registered for this monitor based on the glowing reviews I read online. I ended up receiving it and realized quickly that we really didn't need a baby monitor for our teeny tiny home. It did come in handy for the times I would be outside while Sweet A napped, but overall, this monitor didn't get used too much. So imagine my surprise (and disappointment) when, one day, I decided to turn on the monitor and find that the parent unit wouldn't turn on at all. Completely fried. Now this just didn't seem right... I have used this item only a handful of times... At the urging of my mom (moms always know best, doesn't they???) I contacted Philips and explained the situation. Their answer to resolve the problem? Send me an entire new monitor. Their only request was that I return the old one in the box they would send me. Package just came today, only two days after I called them. Wow!

Thank-you, Philips, for restoring my faith in the customer service industry.

Etsy Love: For Stitches Sake

2011-04-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

What was in the water a few months back??? I know of about a gazillion babies that are about to be born in the next 6 months... Good thing I stumbled across this Etsy shop that just happens to have the cutest hat/booties set I have ever seen! Newborn baby gift? Got it covered.

Why not check it out yourself?

Whaaaaat?!

2011-03-31T05:00:00.004-04:00

Snow.

Now this isn't that unusual for the end of March here in Cleveland... But it's definitely to the point where one says, enough already...

I'm trying to remind myself of the scorcher of the summer we had... This past summer was so hot, that with the exception of our early morning walks and grocery shopping adventures, Sweet A and I barely left our air conditioned house for a solid 8 weeks... Seems hard to believe that heat was an issue as I look out our window today...

Baby Shower Weekend

2011-03-28T08:19:00.012-04:00

I had the opportunity to co host a baby shower for JG's sister, Janie, over the weekend. This is Janie's second child, but 13 years since her first. Time for a few things, wouldn't you say? We held the shower in Cincinnati since that's where most of the family is located. Our guest of honor was a trooper and traveled (with 5 weeks until her due date!) from Arkansas. We held the shower at Essencha Tea House in Cincinnati and could not have been more pleased with our pick. The staff was so accommodating. The food was outstanding and the atmosphere was totally fab. It was perfect for Janie.

Here were two things that were very important to Janie that I had to keep in mind while planning her shower... She didn't want to do a traditional registry and she really wanted earth friendly baby items. What was important to me and the co-host? Staying within a set budget and throw a shower that fits Janie's low key style... Challenge accepted...

Here's what we did:

The most budget friendly and eco-friendly option would have been to send out an evite, but I had to consider the people we were inviting... Not everyone uses that new fangled email thing ;) So we decided to order these invitations from Tiny Prints. As part of their Studiobasics line, we saved money and thanks to the fact they were printed on recycled paper, we saved a few trees too... On the back I wrote the following: Janie is forgoing a traditional registry and kindly asks that you consider items that are organic, earth-friendly or made of a natural fiber. We suggest that you wrap your gift in a reusable item such as a blanket, towel, basket, etc to help limit waste.

Nearly everyone wrapped their gift in a reusable item and it was so neat to see the creativity and thought that went in to wrapping her gifts. The bonus is there was hardly any clean up thanks to virtually no wrapping paper. We made sure that Janie's shower had a personal touch by having my amazing mom make Janie's party favors which consisted of her homemade jam wrapped in crocheted cotton scrubbers (perfect for dishes) and tied together with raffia. My super talented co-host made the centerpieces.

The mom-to-be received some great items, we got to spend some quality time with JG's family and enjoy yet another fab weekend in Cincinnati. Total success.

A few pictures from the weekend:

The beautiful guest of honor....

Holding up handmade quilt from her Aunt Kim...

One of the simple, yet elegant centerpieces made by my super talented co-host...

Homemade jam and wash cloths made by my mom served as our party favors

Sweet A with my mom

A sampling of the gifts Janie received (mostly) wrapped in reusable items...

The Low Down On The New Digs....

2011-03-24T05:00:00.006-04:00

JG and I lost count of how many homes we have looked at over the past 4 years... We looked in three different communities and over the past year, decided that, yep, we love the current town we live in... We love it so much that we are moving only 1/4 of mile from where we live now. Literally, right around the corner...

And I kid you not, we will still probably hire movers...

So let me tell you about our new place. There are pros and cons...

Is it bigger? Yes. By 200 sq feet... We went from 1400 sq feet to a whopping 1600 sq feet ;) But it really does feel much bigger.

Is it old? Yes and no... I'm sure many people would consider it old. It was built in 1940. That's a little too new for my taste, but this home has so many other positives that I can look the other way on that one ;)

Does it have an attic? YES! YES! YES! It's not easily accessible, but we have one...

Does it have 2 full baths? NO! NO! NO! Only 1 full and 1 half, but it's okay... We may add another full bath down the road.

Is it in a great location? Major selling point, ladies and gents... This home is about the same distance from everything I currently love to walk to. The market, lakeside park, bakery, florist and restaurants... all within walking distance... LOVE.

It's all brick which means, virtually maintance free... Hurray!

It has a screened in porch... Hurray!

It has all the bedrooms on the same floor... Hurray!

Thanks to that wicked hail storm this past May, It is getting a brand new roof. Boo-ya.

And... the creme de la creme... An ATTACHED garage for TWO cars! Do you know what a complete rarity that is for this side of town? The majority of the homes in our area have detached garages. It's just how they built them back in the day. The home we are moving out of had a detached ONE car garage that never held a single car while we lived here... Little tykes toys, JG's furniture from his bachelor days that he refused to donate and lawn care items? Yes. Cars? Never. So this attached two car garage thing is kind of a big deal.

We are so excited, but we have our work cut out for us... A couple lived there for 47 years and proudly raised their four sons in the house. We love that it has that history of love and warmth... but the decor... Oh my... Here's a little peek at what we are dealing with...

We're rolling up our sleeves, setting a budget and going to try to update this home's decor the best we can... It's going to require alot of leg work scouring the town for the right handyman skills, alot of free babysitting from my mom and... Craigslist.

We can make this happen...

Ready to follow along?

16 Months...

2011-03-23T05:00:00.003-04:00

I missed Sweet A's 16 month pic during my blogging break...

Where is the little baby that used to swim in size newborn???

Photos du Jour

2011-03-21T17:17:00.006-04:00

To say these guys are lost is an understatement...

I know the whole "local" food movement is gaining ground and all... but this isn't what I had in mind...

Sweet A and I pulled into our driveway to find four wild turkeys strolling down our street... All my retired neighbors were taking pictures too...

The crazy thing is, no matter which direction they came from, they had to cross a very busy street.

Hope they got to their destination and not on the dinner table...

Ups And In Betweens....

2011-03-21T05:00:00.011-04:00

There has been a heck of alot happening in the Simply Married household for the past 6 weeks. The biggie is that we have put in an offer to buy a house and...

They accepted our offer!

Let me share with you how this has all gone down...

About 8 weeks ago, JG and I put in an offer on a place near where we currently live. The seller countered... So did we... She countered again... So did we... She stayed firm. So did we... We could not agree on a price. We walked away. Two weeks later she came back and asked if we were still interested. We said no because....

We had found another place. We put in an offer... The seller countered. We countered. The seller accepted... Hurray!

But... There was this little thing called a house inspection. The house is 71 years old. Stuff isn't perfect and we were expecting that... but the stuff that isn't perfect are biggies... Let me spell it out for you... F.O.U.N.D.A.T.I.O.N issues. Don't even get me started on the electrical... Goodness gracious.... I was trying to not get my hopes up since there was a concern that the deal might fall through... It was like when you just started dating a guy and you tried not to get too excited over things.... And then you suddenly find yourself pairing your name with his last name... And you're only on date #2... What can I say? Sometimes a girl just can't help herself and falls in love. Good news though, the deal on this new (to us) home is moving forward.

So while I should have been blogging, I've been fretting, and when I wasn't fretting, I was day dreaming about decorating this house... and since the entire interior of our house will need to be painted, this anxious first time mama has been researching earth friendly paint options which, by the way, I think I found a keeper... Have you ever heard of Mythic Paint? No? Then go check out their website immediately. Truly non-toxic, no VOC, quality paint. I'm sold. Thank-you, Mythic Paint, for offering a product that allows us to improve our spaces without compromising our health! Now... On to researching earth friendly options to restore hardwood floors. So far, from what I have found, there really isn't any... We'll do the best we can!

We can get into the house to make our improvements in mid April and we'll move in mid- to late-May. We're super excited! I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

P.S.

Speaking of Mythic Paint, did you enter the Mythic Paint giveaway that Mama Told Me is hosting over at her blog? If not, go check it out!

Funny Confession #5

2011-03-18T05:00:00.005-04:00

I know... I know... It's been awhile... I have some explaining to do... but for now, I have my funny confession...

About seven years ago I had the chance to drive cross country while moving my friend from Cleveland to Phoenix. It was an amazing experience, but I wish we would have taken more time to see some sights along the way... I moved her in, got to see the highlights of her new town of Scottsdale, AZ (Gorgeous!) and once she was all settled in, I then promptly treated myself to a first class plane ticket back to CLE ;)

I enjoyed that little adventure so much and over the past year, I have been obsessed with the idea of traveling cross country in a RV.

Seriously.

My dream road trip? Traveling from Cleveland to Lake Tahoe. I originally had my eye on renting one of those posh, nicer-than-my-own-home RV's but a recent post on Apartment Therapy has me rethinkin' things.... I'm kinda lovin' the idea traveling cross country in a vintage RV... It looks so fab... And more within my budget ;) Do you think they have air conditioning (and indoor plumbing)? Do you think there is room for my family and all my makeup?

I'm telling you... That trip is going to happen... Vintage RV (sooner) or Posh RV (later...)...

Have you ever done the RV thing? Thoughts?

A Few New Recipes To Love

2011-02-28T05:00:00.005-05:00

I've saved you the leg work and found some keepers for those recipe files! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Curried Lentil Soup - Found this as I perused my past issues of Bon Appetit... It made me think of the delicious curried lentil soup we had on New Year's Eve. Not exactly like my favorite Indian restaurant, Cafe Tandoor, but not a bad substitute.

Broccoli Cheese Soup - Saw my favorite local grocery store, Heinen's, was having a sale on their organic broccoli... just so happened that Cook's Illustrated published this recipe in their most recent issue... Absolutely fabulous!

Butter Chicken - My all time favorite Indian dish... Thrilled to find a recipe that I can make at home any time I want. Fantastic.

Curried Salmon Cakes - I was a little hesitant to try this at first... Canned salmon? My first thought? Ewwww.... I soon learned that nearly all canned salmon is wild caught. That got my attention... so did the price tag of canned salmon, around $2.50 a can. We tried it... We loved it... We've since made this several times....

Cuban Black Beans And Rice - Had all the ingredients already on hand so I had to try this recipe... A keeper for sure!

Onion Baked Chicken - Our new all time favorite chicken recipe. If you've been to dinner at our home, you've had this... and if you are coming to dinner at our home, you're having this.

Soft Yogurt Sandwich Rolls - Incredibly easy and can be made in a snap. On top of all that, these rolls are super tender and to die for. Perfect for novices of the homemade bread world (like me) ;)

A True Friend...

2011-02-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big texter, but last night I received this text from one of my best gal pals who's also a regular reader of this blog... One of my recent posts must have inspired her...

Set that DVR... Real Housewives of Miami starts TONIGHT!

A true friend, indeed...

Thanks, AHM!

Ugh.

2011-02-21T19:57:00.003-05:00

I usually try my best to keep things upbeat and positive with my blog... But that three letter word you see in my heading pretty much describes how I've been feeling as of late.

But of course great everyday stuff has been happening... I've just been feeling lousy.

Lets start with sleep... What is that again? In the past two weeks, I haven't slept for more than 5 hours at night. And that 5 hours is pretty broken up. Sweet A's teeth... Again...

and...

A tiny cold... Sweet A and I both got taken down by the sniffles late last week... She's zipping along just fine with crusties on her nose while I am dragging from lack of sleep and this head cold. I don't get sick very often, so when I do, I feel it... This has made sleeping a challenge as well....

Those are the two biggies. Everything else is fine... So let me share with you some of the good stuff...

JG, Sweet A and I had the opportunity to get together with some dear college friends of mine and their families... A total complete rarity and it was so much fun! I just wish I didn't feel like complete poop during the whole evening.

Sweet A is starting to say more and more words and learning more sign language. I am in absolute awe on how she absorbs every little thing and how quickly she picks things up. I then need to remind myself and JG that we need to start watching what we say around her... Yikes!

I'm planning a baby shower for my darling sister-in-law (It's her second child, but 13 years after the first) that's going to take place in late March down in Cincinnati. I am having so much fun coordinating it for her and can't wait to share with you how it turned out! Here are a couple of teasers... It's eco-friendly and budget friendly (for the most part)...

That's all for now!

D'Oh!

2011-02-16T19:08:00.007-05:00

Darn you, Boston Marathon... I was saving your 40 - 45 age group qualifying time as my (future) mid-life crisis goal! Who needs plastic surgery or a new Porsche when you can qualify for Boston? I really want that jacket. Now with your new qualifying times, trimming an extra 5 minutes is serious business in the marathon timing world (especially for non-naturally fast people, like me).... Now I'm going to just have to start training sooner.... Like 5 years earlier sooner....

Thanks alot. Botox is looking really good right about now...

My Two Loves...

2011-02-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!

15 Months

2011-02-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-02-11T05:00:00.002-05:00

Today is my birthday, nahnahnahnahanahnah! (That's supposed to sound like Paul's guitar riff...)

I'm 34 today... Eeeeek!

Bring on the mid-thirties! I can handle it ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo

Vote For Cleveland's Most Interesting Couple...

2011-02-09T08:22:00.010-05:00

No. It's not JG and I... Far from it ;)

But, a good friend of mine and her fiance are up for the honors! Valerie Salstrom was the choreographer who came up with our first dance. She owns Get Hep Swing here in Cleveland and is a, *ahem* multiple world and US championship title holder in the swing dance world. On top of all that, she has to be one of the nicest, funniest, and most endearing person you will ever meet! Check out Valerie's story here. But more importantly, vote for them here (the picture at the very end of the sequence)...

Go Val Go!

My Morning So Far....

2011-02-08T11:26:00.005-05:00

6:00 AM - Finally starting to drift off to sleep after tending to a restless baby all night...

6:15 AM - Sweet A gets up

7:00 AM Give Sweet A her bottle

7:30 AM Sweet A pulls a (mostly) empty cereal box out of trash... surprisingly still a great deal of crumbs in box that end up all over kitchen floor

7:35 AM Vacuum kitchen floor

7:45 AM Get Sweet A's breakfast

8:30 AM Fail to stop Sweet A from knocking over plants all the way down our (white) carpeted stairs

8:35 AM Vacuum stairs and hallway

9:00 AM Call pediatrician about a, "what the (insert expletive of your choice) is that???" on Sweet A's foot....

9:30 AM Load Sweet A in car to go to pediatrician

10:15 AM Pediatrician finally sees us

10:20 AM Hold a hysterical Sweet A as pediatrician biopsies "thing" on Sweet A's foot

10:45 AM Take biopsy of "thing" from Sweet A's foot to lab

11: 25 AM Put Sweet A down for nap...

11:30 AM Stepped into our dining room and confronted with what breakfast looked like before I swooped up Sweet A to take her to the pediatrician.... Took a picture to remember this by so when Sweet A and future kiddos head off to school, we can remember the chaos ;)

Photos du Jour

2011-02-03T20:57:00.002-05:00

I think her eyes are the only things that can move....

BIG Sale At Company Kids

2011-02-01T07:42:00.007-05:00

Have you heard? Company Kids is having a HUGE sale! An additional 20% off their clearance prices by using the code, AK20CLEA.

So go!

Hurry!

Stock up on all the cuteness for your little ones!

Guilty Pleasure #8

2011-01-27T07:13:00.006-05:00

I don't watch much television... Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Glee? I've never seen a single episode.... but I never miss an episode (thanks to DVR) of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.... I know quality programming when I see it ;)

I am super excited to catch part one of tonight's reunion drama...

Photos Du Jour

2011-01-25T20:45:00.003-05:00

Words To Live By

2011-01-24T05:00:00.008-05:00

I want to print this out, get it beautifully matted and framed and hang it in my house so I can look at it every day. More importantly, I want my daughter to see this every day... Some my most poignant and life changing experiences have been a result of heeding (some of) the advice below... I still have plenty to work on (helloooo? Stop over analyzing, anyone?)... but I think it's a terrific mantra to live by.

Another Kitchen To Drool Over...

2011-01-21T08:09:00.007-05:00

Oh my.... This kitchen makes me weak in the knees....

One thing I've discovered as I peruse kitchen renovations is I tend to gravitate to white or light colored cabinets, tall (preferably to the ceiling) cabinetry and, of course, farmhouse sinks....

Things I love about this particular kitchen:

1. The light and bright cabinets (love the hints of glass too)

2. The pendant lights over the island

3. Duh. The farmhouse sink...

4. Those floors! I've written about similar floors here

5. I'm really digging the periwinkle subway tile. swoon

Living on a budget: One Year Later... Part 2

2011-01-20T05:00:00.008-05:00

So I let out my little dirty secret... I'm trying to stay within a budget... Here's how I manage to keep my grocery bills in check and still eat well:

Look At The Weekly Circulars: Look... I don't want to be running from here to there all over town either, especially with a one year old in tow. I love my shi-shi fancy pants locally owned grocery store and I want to support them. Especially because if it wasn't for them, I may not have met JG. I also love that they offer curbside grocery loading. So convenient with a little one. But my main goal is to stay within my set budget. I scouted a local large-scale grocery store and took note of the prices of the items I buy regularly. With some products, the large-scale grocer was cheaper, other products were about the same as the locally owned shi-shi fancy pants grocery store. The quality of the big name grocery store's produce and meats can't compete with the locally owned shi-shi fancy pants grocery store's meat and produce. So I shop at the locally owned shi-shi fancy pants grocery store for meat and produce almost exclusively. I also usually throw in a Trader Joe's visit once or twice a month. I find the prices on their organic produce can't be beat (especially the frozen). Depending on what items are for sale each week at each store I try to work out a menu based on those specials and maximize my coupons (The large scale grocer doubles coupons)... Speaking of coupons...

Cut Those Coupons: Oh so important... And it just so happens that an article entitled, 5 secret strategies of 'aggressive’ couponers | Family - The News Tribune was published just a couple days ago in The Chicago Tribune. Perfect timing. Click on the link for the quick read. I also had a light bulb moment when I perused a website that allows you to download coupons and not only print them out, but also load them onto your discount card. That alone, has taken my savings to a whole new level. The following tip is listed in the aforementioned article, but I just did it for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it works. If you have a store coupon (for example Target and Giant Eagle often have their own coupons) you can combine that with the manufacturers' coupon to take the savings to an even deeper discount! Take note that many coupons for organic foods are available through those products' websites. Newman's Own Organics, Cascadian Farms, Organic Valley and Horizon Organic all have coupons that you can print out. Make sure to also check the packages. I've found several Newman's Own coupons that way.

Make Your Own Meals: There was a time when I would actually say to JG, "Salmon Dave's (a fabulous nearby restaurant) again??? We've been there so many times this month!" Oh my... Those were the days... Cooking was extremely intimidating to me, but quickly turned into a hobby that I am now passionate about. Good thing, because eating out costs a good chunk of money... By making our meals at home, I get to sharpen my skills, do something I love, and save money.

Plan A Weekly Menu: How do you know what you're going to buy if you don't know what your meals are going to be for that week? I now plan out a week's worth of meals the moment I get the circulars from the two grocery stores I frequent. I try to include three meat free days each week. I find that it saves money so when we do buy meat or fish we can buy the kind we really want and it's simply healthier than having meat every single day.

Shop For Only A Few Days At A Time: It may not be practical for everyone, but it's a trick that seems to work for me. I also like it because Sweet A and I get to visit the grocery store again (I love grocery shopping). I also find that we don't waste as much food by purchasing for a few days at a time. How many times have you gone into the fridge for your ($2.99 a bunch) organic lettuce only to find it wilted and nasty? By buying enough for three days at a time, we go through everything (most of the time). I try to keep my budget even between the two shopping trips, but sometimes I spend more (sometimes you just slip up and buy that $35 wine) and so it lets me reevaluate my plan. If I need to pull back the spending for that second round of groceries, I might add a "breakfast for dinner", homemade pizza or toasted cheese with tomato soup option to our menu. It has worked out beautifully.

Living on a Budget: One Year Later... Part 1

2011-01-19T05:00:00.010-05:00

Over the past year, I have had a budget that I (tried my best to) adhere to... During my maternity leave, JG and I both knew that getting my old territory back probably wouldn't happen. It's just the way these companies work these days. So while I was thrilled with the idea of being able to stay at home with Sweet A, I was terrified at the thought of being solely dependent on my husband. It just felt so 1950's. For nearly 11 years I made my own money and it allowed me to buy two homes all by myself (one that we still own as a rental), go on nice vacations, shop if I felt like it and spend $200 at the grocery store... each week... for only two people...

Ahhhh.... the good old days...

But my life now is nothing to sneeze at. I may not be bringing in the money that I used to, but my quality of life is so much richer. I love being a stay at home mama... Wouldn't trade it for anything, even with the changes in our lifestyle. But you folks have heard enough about that... Wanna snoop into what my finances have been like?

Here's the deal... For a quarter of what I used to bring in every month, I now use that money to buy groceries, pay the phone/satellite (bundled) bill, pay my car insurance, get my hair cut, pay my cell phone, pay the water bill for the rental property, pay the balance on my credit card (mainly used for gas) and any other incidentals that pop up... and let's face it, incidentals always occur. Now let me be clear... We are not in any financial hardship. And we want to keep that way... Our motto is: Live Lean Now To Live Large Later. We still go out to meet others for drinks and dinner, but we simply don't go out as often. We still buy certain things we "want" and not necessarily "need". We just don't do it as often.

My biggest struggle with the budget hasn't been impromptu shopping trips to Nordstrom, Macys, or any of my favorite online shopping sites... Its been grocery shopping. Over the past year, I really struggled staying within the budget I set for myself for groceries. For those 11 years before becoming a stay at home mom, I never once considered looking at the weekly circulars, cutting coupons, or planning a menu. I think I tried once, but that lasted all of one week... Looking back, I cringe at how much money I wasted. To be honest, this past year had its hiccups... $17 champagne vinegar? Yes we need that... $35 bottle of wine? But it's my favorite. There was definitely a learning curve. My New Year's resolution has been to stay within $100 every week for groceries. I don't know what most families spend on groceries, but for me, I feel that I have to really strategize to make that budget work... Especially when I found out the McCaughey family, of the McCaughey septuplet fame, had a grocery budget of $200 a week... and that's with TEN people compared to the $200 I was spending for TWO. Reality check, noted.

For the past three weeks, I've managed to keep within my set budget. And, please note, that it's extremely important to me that we eat organic as much as possible (at least for "the dirty dozen") for our fruits, veggies, eggs, and dairy. I also try my best to buy organic or grass fed meats and wild catch fish when I can. I have managed to make it work, even with those higher cost items. I find myself getting so competitive with myself to save more this week than I did the previous week and I had my best week yet, $53 saved on this week's total grocery bill. Hurray!

Tomorrow, I will share with you some of the tips that work for me....

Diaper Bag Discovery...

2011-01-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Found all of these during a recent diaper bag clean out....

In case you are wondering, the colors are listed below, and yes, I love them all (when I rediscover them...)

Lip Glosses:

Mage - Smashbox

Pink Shimmer - Peter Thomas Roth

Lip Pencils:

Posh - Benefit

Spice - MAC

LC2 - Shiseido

Lipsticks:

Rose Mystique - Prescriptives

Blackberry - Clinique (a junior high classic that I still enjoy)

Born Ready - Benefit

Lady's Choice - Benefit

Twig - Avon

Toasted Almond - L'Oreal (A classic)

This does not include the stash I have in my purse, car, and backpack.....

I may need an intervention...

14 Months...

2011-01-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

Still A Rookie...

2011-01-10T05:00:00.006-05:00

I've been a mom for nearly 14 months... I definitely know more than I did when Sweet A was born, but apparently there is still room for improvement... Case in point:

Recently, on a particularly chilly, snowy and blustery day, Sweet A and I decided to deliver some delicious goodies to our elderly neighbors. I bundled Sweet A in her warmest hat, made sure she was wearing enough layers, threw on her coat and out we went to pay a visit to our neighbors. The goodies were a hit, the neighbors appreciated the visit and Sweet A was doted on! Success!

Got home and realized Sweet A was barefoot the whole time...

A New Year

2011-01-03T15:23:00.007-05:00

Our holidays were totally fab and goodness gracious did they go by fast! Right before Christmas, Sweet A and I spent a day at my parents' house making cookies and, more importantly, having my mom teach me how to make pierogies. I'm dangerous now... Watch out waistline... Sweet A had her first taste and became hooked. Watch out Cheerios, you have some serious competition... Fortunately, Pierogies are a little cumbersome to make, so it's not like I'll be making them on a daily basis... I think...

My mom's pierogi making skills at work...

My favorite Christmas cookies, Santa's Whiskers

Christmas was a blast and to see it through Sweet A's eyes made it all the sweeter. Simple joys of playing with boxes, ribbons, and paper... Ahhhhhh...

Sweet A checking out the stockings at my parents' house...

On New Year's Eve, JG, Sweet A and I headed to our favorite Indian restaurant and ordered our must haves... Curried Lentil Soup, Saffron Rice, Butter Chicken, Vegetable Samosas, Garlic Naan and Mango Lassies... This was Sweet A's first time at Cafe Tandoor, but I think she would give it two thumbs up because she inhaled everything we gave her. After dinner, we came home and I think we were all asleep by 10:30pm. Bliss (and no hangovers)! ;)

I'm looking forward to all that 2011 has in store. 2010 was pretty sweet and will be tough to beat, but we have some pretty great stuff already lined up for this new year. It's going to be a good time :)

I have a few new year's resolutions that I'm holding myself to:

1. Read all of the user guides for our household appliances and electronics
2. Less social media and be more present (As a result, I may be posting a little less).
3. Continue to try new recipes and go outside of my "cooking comfort zone" to become a better cook
4. Read more books for the fun of it
5. Try to get the grocery bill to come in under budget each month...

Pretty innocent, right? Maybe even a little boring... But, I think they're manageable and will make a positive difference in my life :)

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T07:52:00.003-05:00

Taking a break from blogging for the rest of the year. Hope you enjoy this little clip. This was pretty much our experience this year with our kitty, Lola.

Have a wonderful Holiday!

Kitchen Inspiration

2010-12-22T05:44:00.003-05:00

Over at Apartment Therapy, they listed the year's best kitchen transformations. I instantly fell in love with #2 and had to learn more. Check out the complete transformation of this AMAZING kitchen remodel over at Whatever. I love everything about this kitchen, The hardwood floors, the cabinets, the windows and the cozy chic furniture (the kids and dog are pretty cute too). L.O.V.E.

Before

After

Bravo, Meg! After reading your FAQ's, I know it was a crazy three months (and you lived there the entire time????), but the results are oh so fabulous!

Another kitchen filed in my inspiration folder.

Financial Lessons For A Richer Life

2010-12-16T05:00:00.009-05:00

As this year winds down and we think about the year ahead and the resolutions we want to set for ourselves, I thought I would pass this on... This article is a couple of years old, but the advice is timeless...

I ignored most of this advice in my twenties, but from about age 29 and beyond, it finally started to sink in... In my career, I spent so much time around people trying to outdo each other with the size of their engagement rings, how much square feet their house had, and what label of clothing their kids wore. It was exhausting and mind numbing. I got caught up in it too... I was earning a great salary, I had no dependents, and impulse purchase was my middle name... I was also the unhappiest and most unfulfilled I have ever been.

I live in a small home, the majority of my daughter's clothing is off the sales rack, my wedding band was also my engagement ring... and I've never been happier. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate quality over price. I believe in spending a little more on the stuff that will last, even if that means being patient and saving until we have the money to buy it. We'll eventually get into a larger home, we'll probably do some renovations and we'll still buy nice things, but we won't be a slave to our paycheck. My favorite quote from the article, It's not the house that you buy, but the home you make with your family inside it that matters. This is so true. Wish I would have realized more of the lessons from the article earlier on in my life. Glad I get it now.

Hope you find the article as interesting as I did :)

Friendship and Chocolate

2010-12-15T05:00:00.007-05:00

Shelly and I joined the Cleveland district at J&J about the same time... I knew the instant I met her we would become great buds. Nearly 11 years later, multiple company changes, moves to different cities, weddings, babies and both becoming stay-at-home mamas, we've still managed to stay in touch...

One of my favorite memories of Shelly is Christmas, 2000. It's the year she taught me how to make chocolate candies. It became an absolute obsession. We spent a good two weeks making chocolates at each other's homes for our physician accounts. With wine flowing, Christmas music blaring and devouring bags of Hint of Lime Tostitos, Shelly and I would work well into the wee hours of the night coming up with different flavor combinations and decorating candy boxes. The chocolates turned out to be an absolute hit with our accounts. Ever since then, I've made chocolates at Christmas. I make them just the way she taught me:

Use Merckens chocolate wafers (they are the best)
Invest in the white candy boxes and beautiful ribbon
Use paper wrappers to hold the chocolates and designate a different color wrapper for each flavor
Favorite mix-ins: Cashews and raisins, rice cereal, pretzels, marshmallow, caramels, and crushed up peppermint candy canes
Christmas music must be playing in the background... Wine and Hint of Lime Tostitos, optional.

Every time I make chocolates, like I am this week, I always think of my former co-worker turned dear friend, Shelly. Turns out she's making them this week too... In her beautiful kitchen in sunny, gorgeous Florida.

Here's a crowd pleaser for homemade chocolate peanut butter cups:

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

1 C creamy peanut butter, divided

4 TBSP butter, softened

1/2 C confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp salt (feel free to omit if using salted butter)

1 lb chocolate wafers (I like Merckens)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine 1/2C peanut butter, butter, confectioner's sugar, and salt. mix until smooth. Set aside.

Melt chocolate wafers in either a double boiler or in the microwave. Add remaining 1/2 C peanut butter and stir well.

Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper lined muffin tins (or in paper liners on a parchment lined baking sheet). Top with a little dollop of peanut butter mixture. Top off with chocolate mixture. Refrigerate till set. Store in airtight container. Try not to devour every single one of them.

Should yield about 3 dozen.

Still My Favorite

2010-12-14T05:00:00.003-05:00

Yep, still my favorite Christmas song EVER... I listen to it at least once a day during the holidays...

How can you not love Elton John in all his 70's glory?

13 Months

2010-12-13T05:00:00.006-05:00

My girl could live on just kiwi and Cheerios....

This month she...

Can make the signs for "milk", "banana", "please", and "thank-you"

Will sing if you sing

Can now make the sounds of a piggy, elephant, and owl

Went to her first Christmas party

Is exclusively walking

Ate chicken for the first time

Is now on whole milk

.... Is still not sleeping through the night...

Has five teeth

Holds her hand to her ear and smiles when asked, do you want to call Grandma?

Still in cloth diapers half the time...

LOVES her baby dolls, Baby Bella, Baby Stella, and Dolly...

Loves to look at all the picture Christmas cards we have been receiving

Keep Calm and Carry On Parody

2010-12-10T13:09:00.003-05:00

By now, almost everyone has seen the Keep Calm and Carry On posters that, in some people's opinions, are past their peak. Whether you love them or loathe them (I, for one, like them - carry on I say!) I think you'll get a kick out of these parodies featured on Apartment Therapy.

Etsy Love: Clothespins...

2010-12-10T08:11:00.011-05:00

Yeah, you heard me.... Clothespins...

Let me explain....

Growing up, my mom hung our clothes outside in the warmer months. Crawling into a bed with linens that were dried outside smelled heavenly. I haven't yet found a dryer sheet that can recreate that.

At my request, JG hung up a little tiny clothesline outside (it was hidden from the public) that I used this summer to dry Sweet A's diapers and our pillow cases. It worked out beautifully. We have one in our basement as well that we use to dry our workout clothing. With all the different fabrics and their wicking capabilities, I don't want to mess with ruining them or shrinking them by putting them in the dryer. I just play it safe and hang them to dry.

I stumbled across these clothespins, from The Papered Crown (Check out their other lovely items) and thought they were so adorable! I love when someone takes something so simple and plain and makes it pretty. I then look at the price and think, why the heck didn't I come up with that idea? Oh well, glad somebody had the creative vision.... I bet they would make my hanging laundry look oh so chic ;)

A few ideas I have for these clothespins.... How about hanging a little ribbon in a child's playroom and use these clothespins to hang their works of art? I also think they would make great "chip clips". For an upcoming baby shower, get a specific color and hang little baby clothes from them (that's my mom's idea).

Any other ideas?

Teeny Tiny Tutu

2010-12-09T13:28:00.005-05:00

Thank-you Papa Z and Grandma Tina for my super fun outfit :)

Photos Du Jour

2010-12-08T13:34:00.005-05:00

These two pictures are of Sweet A's play area... As you can see nothing too crazy but looks fun, right?

And the following pictures are of what she chose to play with this morning....

Playing with her coat as daddy put on his coat

Post It notes

My slippers....
The laundry

Gorgeous Homemade Christmas Decorations

2010-12-07T05:00:00.005-05:00

Like many families out there today, we've had to tighten up the purse strings. Going down to one income has taken some getting used to, but getting the chance to become a stay-at-home mom for our daughter has been worth every single sacrifice. We still get to do things we enjoy, we still go out on the occasional date night and yes... I still get the chance to visit my beloved Sephora every now and then. But there have been some areas where we've cut back. One area? Holiday decorations...

Back in the day, if I wanted that gorgeous holiday garland from Pottery Barn, I bought it. Also throw in the cute door mat, the $75 wreath and Christmas mugs designed for that particular year and I was set. Expensive gourmet treats too? Yes, please.

Kinda different these days being on a budget... but not in a bad way. I have to say, the scaled down lifestyle we're living has been very positive. Honestly? I kinda like it. I have such a different perspective on things and a greater appreciation for the little things in life. It has been a blessing... But, trust me, I won't mind when the day comes and we can loosen up those purse strings just a little bit ;)

That being said, I'm not ordering online from Pottery Barn this year... instead we're making many of our own holiday decorations this year. It's been fun, and I kinda like that I am getting reacquainted with my long lost creative side that has been stifled for so many years. It's also been fun doing some of these things with JG after Sweet A goes to sleep. Kind of a modified date night if you will... Not exactly dinner at Cabin Club, but we still get to have wine, great conversation, and the best part? Hang out in our comfy clothes.

Here are a few ideas that I've come across that I think you'll like too!

Super cute (and clutter free) ways to display your holiday cards

Make your own Christmas bulb wreath ( I love this idea)

Modern paper ornaments

Clever ways to decorate with cranberries

Cranberry popcorn garland (A nice little treat for the birds, post-holiday)

Pucker up and make your own kissing ball

Image via Design*Sponge

Thanks Target!

2010-12-06T05:00:00.003-05:00

Unbeknownst to us, Target sends out their packages in it's original packaging. Case in point... JG ordered me a sweet new camera for Christmas. UPS left it on our doorstep... Trouble is, I'm waiting for packages too... Had to look at package. Saw the camera name in big letters right smack on the package. Happy Early Christmas to me! JG had me open it up and start playing around with it. So. Much. Fun.

Best Christmas surprise (even if it's three weeks early) ever. Thanks, babe!

A few highlights from our weekend, courtesy of my new toy:

Ahhh yes..... The famous "Proud Potty Picture"... It's me as a toddler and, thanks to my family, it has been brought out and shown to people over the years... Including the photo montage played at our wedding reception... Thanks to my parents' neighbor, it's now a Christmas tree ornament. JG made it the crowning glory of our sweet little tree....

Lola....

Sweet A taking her friends for a little spin....

One of Sweet A's favorite pastimes... Eating Cheerios

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Sister-in-law, JC!

JC, I hope my big brother has something pretty fabulous in store for you today! No pressure, big bro.

Funny Confession #4

2010-12-02T16:37:00.002-05:00

I just spent $105 on groceries this afternoon and I have no idea what to make for dinner....

Cheerios, I Love/Hate You....

2010-11-29T05:00:00.002-05:00

I introduced Sweet A to Cheerios about a month ago. Up until then, we were using the organic "dissolve in your mouth" type of snacks.... And it was getting a little expensive. Truth be told? I honestly didn't even think of Cheerios... I know some of you just spit out your morning coffee in disbelief with this oversight, but keep in mind, this is my first time as a parent..... And about a good 16 years since any type of babysitting... I was out of the loop on the Baby/Cheerios thing. What can I say? I'm a novice.

One bite of the Oaty circular goodness and Sweet A became hooked... She's now a bonafide Cheerios junkie. And now.... won't eat anything else if those little O's or that big, yellow box are anywhere within sight. We learned the hard way. My little one, who used to gobble up her homemade, organic, nutrient-dense foods like, Broccoli Apple Zucchini puree, Cinnamon Apple Prunes, and Carrot Parsnip Banana, with no issue, suddenly sat there stone-faced when they were offered... But whip out the Cheerios? It's like a rock star just entered the room. Squeals of delight, hand clapping and the sign for "more" occurring all at once...

But here's the thing about Cheerios... They actually are pretty nutrient dense and a great source of iron. They allow Sweet A to work on that motor skills thing and allow JG and I to eat in peace... and speaking of peace, if we are out and about and Sweet A gets a little fussy? A few cheerios makes everything right in the world again...

So here's our compromise... We make sure Sweet A is good and hungry and keep the Cheerios hidden for the start of her meal, and then once she has eaten a good portion of her food, we give Sweet A a handful of cheerios to work on while we eat... It's worked out pretty well so far...

It's all a phase, just like everything else.... Right?

It's That Time Of Year Again....

2010-11-23T05:00:00.003-05:00

We finally got ours... A good three weeks after it was released... It kept selling out the minute it was put out. And it's not even for us (not that I drink the stuff anyways...). It's for my good friend in Philly. She specifically requested it. Yes, Christmas Ale has reached the East Coast.

FYI... I was recently informed by a Christmas Ale aficionado (you know who you are) that this year's version is lighter than last year. Wait, don't fret! Apparently this year's version has more honey in it than years past, so thanks to the increase in sweetness, you can still expect its mind erasing capabilities and wicked hangovers that Christmas Ale is known for. Happy Holidays!

Etsy Love: Christmas Wreaths

2010-11-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

The following are a few Christmas wreaths that I'm currently coveting...

This stunner is a twist on the classic, circular, Christmas wreath. Absolutely lovely. This wreath is by twoinspireyou

This beauty would look amazing against our dark green door... You can get yours from twoinspireyou

I've been seeing more and more of these "rag" wreaths. They look so fun! I just happen to be obsessed with polka dots. This one is from OChristmastTree

This classic cranberry wreath would be stunning against a dark door. Available from TheWrightWreath

Shabby chic from atticwear

Are you in the mood to start decorating for the holidays now? I know I am :)

Funny Confession #3

2010-11-19T13:05:00.003-05:00

I think I am going to sign up for water aerobics with the little old ladies... Seriously.

Funny Confession #2

2010-11-19T13:03:00.004-05:00

I like to take Sweet A swimming first thing in the morning because all the little old ladies doing water aerobics dote on her....

10-5-1

2010-11-16T05:00:00.009-05:00

Ten Years Ago:

I was 23
I had just cancelled my upcoming wedding to my college sweetheart (we were going to get married the weekend of Thanksgiving)
I just moved out of our newly built home (I had just moved in 6 weeks earlier... Oh was it ever good gossip for the neighbors)
I bought a condo in Broadview Heights (I would soon learn this area, although absolutely lovely, was not exactly the hip, happening place to be for a single, young professional....)
I was scared to death to be single after being in a relationship for 5 years
I was scared to death, period.
I didn't know what the future held and that was pretty scary too
I had just gotten transferred from Dayton, OH to Cleveland, OH because I was getting married
I had a new territory and a new district to adjust to
I didn't know anyone in Cleveland. All my friends lived out of town
I was embarrassed that the wedding was cancelled
But excited to be packing for an impromptu trip to Cancun slated for the weekend of my now defunct wedding and pumped my best bud was coming with me
I knew, deep down in my heart, I made the right decision to not get married
Deep down in my heart, I was relieved
I was proud of myself

Five Years Ago:

I was 28
I was now living in my house in Lakewood (a much better choice for a single, young professional...)
I was a landlord
I now had friends in the Cleveland area
I hated renting to my friends
I felt taken advantage of by my friends who were renters
I was a pharmaceutical rep who desperately wanted to leave the industry
Opening my own boutique/having my own business was a dream of mine
I talked to anyone and everyone who owned their own business and picked their brains
I had been on several dates with JG and was "cautiously optimistic" that this was a good guy...
I was impressed that he called when he said he would
I was impressed that he did what he said he was going to do (see above)
I was imagining how my name sounded with his last name
I was fretting about introducing him to my family at Thanksgiving

One Year Ago:

I was 32
JG and I live in the bachelor pad he bought the week we went on our first date. Little did he know that it would eventually house a wife, a cat and a kid.
I had just given birth
My head was spinning over the fact that I had just given birth
I had no idea how to care for a newborn
It looked like I had just had a back alley boob job
I felt like I needed one more day in the hospital
I was scared to death
I seriously wanted my mom to move in with us and stay forever so she could show me how to take care of a baby
I could not believe that JG and I were now parents
I didn't know any lullabies so I just sang the ABC's to Sweet A
I was so sleep deprived it actually hurt
My heart was absolutely bursting with love for my new daughter and my husband
Thanks to raging hormones, I cried at the drop of a hat.. and not just cry... sobbed
I was now a stay-at-home mom (for the record, I really enjoyed my position with my most recent pharma company)
Living on one income was a big adjustment
I knew that being a mom was now my career. Having my own business would come in time.

Today:

Had to stop and think about how old I was... (I'm 33)
My head is spinning over how fast one year went by
Parenthood has introduced JG and I to new friends
Sweet A and I hung out at the library
We went grocery shopping at the very store JG and I met 5 years earlier
I now know several lullabies and sing to Sweet A every night
I have great tenants, who are not my personal friends, in my Lakewood double
Cleaned up my daughter's meal of spaghetti which looked like the equivalent of a crime scene
We're now used to living on one income, but I still have moments of missing my paycheck
Love that we are living on one paycheck during a recession (hurray for deals!)
Thought to myself, this is exactly where I want to be in my life (FYI... I still want that "next house")

A Birthday Gift For Mommy...

2010-11-15T05:00:00.004-05:00

Sweet A with her first taste of cake on her birthday. My mother was certain that the formula of chocolate cake in the evening + baby = a restless night. It was just the opposite. Nobody was more surprised than me....

I woke up with a start on Sunday morning... I looked at the clock. 6:25AM. Normally, I would have been up at least once during the night and/or Sweet A and I would be up for good at this point. I checked on Sweet A:

Is she breathing? (She was)

Does she have a fever? (She didn't)

Is she paralyzed but can still breathe? (I wasn't about to tempt fate with this one... Common sense told me she was fine and I didn't want to chance waking a peacefully sleeping baby and risk losing a few extra minutes of glorious sleep by caving into my anxieties... If by 7AM she hadn't moved then I would prod her...).

Turns out my little one slept through the night by herself. Honest to goodness slept through the entire night with nobody having to pop a pacifier back in her mouth, no rubbing her back to get her back to sleep, and no bottle (we still do that occasionally... go ahead and judge). The number of times this has happened before can be counted on one hand.

I'm not holding my breath, but I just thought it was kinda neat that the day my daughter turned one is the day she slept through the night. I know some of your kids have been sleeping through the night for some time, you lucky ducks you... We didn't get one that does that... So for us, this was a big deal ;) Thanks for the rare treat, Sweet A!

One!

2010-11-13T05:00:00.029-05:00

This photo was taken on November 10, 2009... Three days before Sweet A's arrival... I had gained 50 pounds, was at the point where it ached to stand more than 10 minutes, I hadn't slept in weeks and it was getting hard to breathe comfortably while sitting. I was jumping out of my skin in anticipation, excitement and fear.

P.S. - I miss my nice thick pregnancy hair...

November 13, 2009. Love at first sight...

And today... at one years old... The absolute light of our lives....

It's crazy how this stuff works....

Happy Birthday, Sweet A! You're a dream come true. We can't wait to celebrate (two weeks from now.... shhhhhh... don't tell Sweet A)!

This month she:

Can make the signs for "more", "eat", and "all done"
Can say duck, cat & Lola (you have to listen really closely for the last one but she says it)
Is starting to walk on her own
Really enjoys the zoo
Loves to visit our local library
Is still in cloth diapers half the time
Loves any song that involves hand motions
Can make a fish face (sucking in the cheeks)
Is learning to suck out of a straw
Had her first taste of pancakes
Had her first official kids meal at a restaurant (Buttered Noodles at Sweet Melissa's). It was messy, we cleaned up the floor before we left and were just grateful we didn't break anything... Note to self: bring own unbreakable plate to avoid fear of plate being thrown and shattered in peaceful dining establishment....
Can point to her belly button
Hides her face when she is shy
Can show you the number 1 with her finger when asked, How old are you?
Has five teeth

New Recipes That Made The Cut...

2010-11-11T05:00:00.005-05:00

I've had the chance to try out a few new recipes and have added them as permanent residents of my recipe collection. So without further adieu....

*Click on hyper-link for recipe

Easy Honey Glazed Chicken

Open Face Salmon Burgers

Bean Taquitos With Cucumber Salsa

Halibut With Green Sauce

Image 1 via Martha Stewart

Images 2, 3 & 4 via Rachel Ray

For Real?

2010-11-09T05:00:00.002-05:00

I live in Cleveland, Ohio... We are not known for our weather in November... What a nice little gift this week is!

On my outdoor "To Do" list for this week... (I also know how temporary this weather is...):

Hikes

A trip to the zoo

Daily neighborhood walks

Local window shopping

Grilling

Just soakin' in the sun...

Etsy Love: Baby Booties

2010-11-05T05:00:00.002-04:00

Looking for a unique baby gift that is sure to be a hit? How about these booties I found over on Etsy? They make me giggle.

Hockey skates from IrishHooksAndYarn. FYI... They make them for girls too!

What's not to love about these darling cowboy boot-ies from BabyOasis?

My absolute favorite! These make me smile every time I look at them. You can buy them from archangel.

Don't you just love creativity?

Visiting Bubba

2010-11-04T05:00:00.006-04:00

Sweet A and I got a chance to go to Pennsylvania to visit her Bubba (Great Grandma) over the weekend. The last time we saw Bubba was at Easter. Sweet A had a great time and helped wish her Bubba a very happy 91st birthday :)

Love & Other Drugs

2010-11-03T05:00:00.005-04:00

I have to admit, I'm not a big going-out-to-the-movies type of person... It's way too easy for me to down gallons of that bad for you (but oh so good) popcorn. It's best I just stay away from temptation... But as a former pharmaceutical rep, I'm pretty curious to see this movie... I read the book Hard Sell, upon which this movie is based, when it first came out. It gave me a chuckle because I could relate to some of his stories.

Love & Other Drugs hits theaters November 24th.

Happy Birthday, Darlin'

2010-11-02T05:00:00.007-04:00

Happy birthday to the kindest, most patient, and the most smokin' hot guy I know. Can I also add big hearted? He's the best, people... And he's all mine ;) Looking forward to celebrating with a very special (child-free) night out!

P.S. : We did not send our kid out into the elements without shoes... Sweet A had kicked off her shoes between the boat and this point. For some reason I never noticed until after I uploaded this picture...

Sleep.... Interrupted....

2010-11-01T05:00:00.006-04:00

Sweet A must have some more teeth coming in because sleep just hasn't been in abundance around here... I was MIA all last week because, quite honestly, I was just wiped out. I usually write in the evening after I put Sweet A down for the night, but lately I haven't had more than 5 hours of sleep each night. And that's five hours total. There has been a 2-3 hour window of being awake in between blocks of sleep. So I'd fall asleep at 11pm, get a Sweet A wake up call at 2am, get her back to sleep by 3am but then I can't fall asleep till 4am only to get woken up by Sweet A again between 5:30am - 6:00am. And she has started to take one nap a day instead of her usual two.

By the time I would get Sweet A into bed and clean up for the evening, I was spent.

So that's where I have been. Thanks for understanding :)

A Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:00:00.002-04:00

Sweet A's first Halloween was a success! We put on the least tear inducing costume (we had two to choose from) and off we went trick or treating. Despite the disinterested look... she really did have a great time. Sweet A shrieked in delight every time she saw other trick-or-treaters and enjoyed digging into candy bowls to pick a treat. Girlfriend came home with a bag full of goodies (including 3 full size candy bars - score!) for mom and dad. Good work, kid.

Three layers, a costume change, and one meltdown later we are good to go!

Our very sweet neighbor, Marge, was Sweet A's first stop!
I swear she was having a good time. Honest.

Atta girl... Getting into the Halloween spirit. Now pick out a candy bar for mommy.

Photos du Jour

2010-10-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

Last outdoor bath of the season (we think...).

Thanks for being so gorgeous, Sunday....

Hosing down with Lysol...

2010-10-19T05:00:00.007-04:00

As I mentioned last week, Sweet A had her first noteworthy cold.... and JG and I came down with the same gosh darn thing... We were miserable all last week. Knock on wood, JG and I have been fortunate enough to somehow avoid getting a cold/flu for the past few years. So to come down with something that caused achiness, stuffy noses, and a slight fever was quite humbling. All I wanted to do was curl up on the couch in my pajamas, with a cup of tea, and watch daytime television...

*Sidenote*: Mom... I am so sorry about all those times when I was little and asked you, when you were sick, what was for dinner... and sorry about not letting you take a nap too...

The last time I had some type of significant cold was in February 2005. I came down with the flu.... It was horrible. It took weeks to recover. It was also the season I got the flu shot... Obviously, the shot didn't cause the flu, but either they were off target for that flu season, or the vaccine had worn off by the end of February. My mom came over and took care of me as only a mom can... I remember her stroking my back and how it hurt to have her touch my skin..., my chest ached with every cough... It was awful. But, as miserable as I was, I was able to rest, watch hours of TV, and take care of myself...

Sooooo wasn't going to happen this time... I now had a baby to take care of and a husband who still managed to go to work everyday, but came home exhausted. They needed tlc. It wasn't just about me this time around.

Knock on wood, this cold was nothing like the flu I had back in '05. It was more of an annoyance than anything else. JG, Sweet A and I all had runny noses, tissues were flying about this way and that, and that vaporizer was a hot commodity come bedtime. We got through it, but now, a week later, I find the random tissue in the side of a chair, sleeves of my shirts that have dried remnants of Sweet A's runny nose (I was desperate at times, a mom's gotta do what she's gotta do) and a house that has been neglected from any type of cleaning for a whole week.

I so wish Lysol made some sort of sanitizing smoke bomb.

Come Sweet A's nap time, I'm going to make that cup of tea, turn on itunes to my favorite 90's music and get cleaning...

Photos Du Jour

2010-10-18T05:00:00.002-04:00

A couple pics to share with you what mealtime has been like around here lately...

The rug underneath her chair looks pretty much the same... Oh, I do have a splat mat... I just can't remember where I put it "so I wouldn't lose it"... I'm sure I'll find it once she masters this dexterity thing.

First Steps

2010-10-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

Sweet A took her first steps last night right before bedtime. Eleven months... The cliche, "They grow up so fast"is so true. I now know what people were talking about... Where has the year gone?

Excuse me as I fan the tears of joy from my eyes and go mark this in her baby book ;)

Image via webmd

11 Months Old....

2010-10-13T05:00:00.016-04:00

This month she...

Travelled to Pennsylvania and New York for the first time...

Can roar like a lion, bark like a dog and meow like a kitty...

Her favorite thing to do is roar... Elephants, owls, cows, and ducks all roar....

Has started to stand without hanging on to something...

Took her first boat ride...

Loves to be read to...

Loves to clap her hands to When you're happy and you know it... and Patty Cake

Enjoys a round of Ring Around The Rosie. Loves the fall down part....

Is still not quite sleeping through the night (but getting close)...

Dances when she hears music...

Can shake her booty on command...

Ate kiwi for the first time...

Went to her first Baby & Me class...

Is still in cloth diapers part of the time... (mainly if we are home...)

Shakes her head "no"... for everything....

Had her first fever...

Guilty Pleasure #7

2010-10-12T05:00:00.003-04:00

Whenever this song comes on the radio, I can't help myself... I must sing along to it. Both parts.

P.S.

It's a fabulous song to karaoke to...

The First Fever...

2010-10-11T05:00:00.016-04:00

It happened so quickly... Saturday, early afternoon, we were at my nephew's birthday party. Sweet A was a having a great time playing with her cousins... and by bedtime, my little one had a runny nose and a fever... Her first. I think she caught some bug from our Baby & Me class. She is always putting the toys in her mouth, as do all the other 16 kids, and it makes me cringe every time... It's not going to deter me... We're still going to go (once Sweet A is back to her sassy, non-contagious, self...). I'm not going to cocoon ourselves away like I did when she was first born... but that first fever is scary for a first time mom.

JG and I have been doing the tag team approach all weekend. We didn't get much sleep on Saturday night and he was right there by my side the whole time... We took turns trying to soothe an uncomfortable, tired, stuffed up, and feverish Sweet A... She would lay on his chest while I sang to her and stroked her hair... And something we discovered this weekend? My guy can suction a baby's nose with that bulb thing like nobody's business... He truly has a talent. It was his job all weekend. I Googled, tried to keep things in perspective, and made trips to our local homeopathic/natural foods store...

A few random thoughts about baby colds:

1. The cutesy, animal-shaped humidifiers that one registers for at mega-baby stores are more hassle than they're worth... Don't even bother. Go out and buy the no nonsense, no thrill, easy to clean, cool mist vaporizer.

2. I was surprised to find that with the exception of infant ibuprofen or acetaminophen, no other OTC symptom relief exists for infants. Everything is now for 6 years and older. We turned to a few homeopathic remedies and they seemed to help.

3. Propping up one end of the crib mattress with a phone book does wonders in easing baby's congestion... as long as baby doesn't flip in the other direction... and she will...

4. What did parents do before YouTube to learn how to use the bulb syringe thing?

5. Putting a bed in Sweet A's room, a suggestion of my mom's, was one of the best things we did in getting ready for baby. Thanks mom!

6. Before having a baby, the thought of someone sneezing on me, getting snot on my shoulder, and me wiping their snot off with my bare hands would have sent me into dry heaves... Today? Doesn't even phase me. FYI... We wash our hands like crazy 'round here...

7. Why does everything seem so much worse at night???

8. Babies are amazingly resilient, and forgiving... Sweet A is not a fan of the bulb syringe thing but after a minute of crying she is back to her sweet self... until she sees it in our hands again.

9. Arterial thermometers are the best invention ever... But don't forget to do a rectum temp here and there to make sure things are accurate.

10. Why does this stuff always happen on the weekends when the doctor's office is closed?

Dear 90's Music....

2010-10-07T05:00:00.007-04:00

I miss you...

A few of my favorites...

Disappear - INXS (Had a huge, mad, crazy crush on Michael Hutchence... Hands down, my favorite INXS song...)

Malibu - Hole (Was absolutely obsessed with this song back in the day...)

Celebrity Skin - Hole (Best song to sing at the top of your lungs while driving)

Spiderwebs - No Doubt (Makes me think of Halloween 1996 up at BGSU....)

Whatta Man - Salt'N'Pepa with En Vogue (Reminds me of my senior year at RHS)

Alright - Jamiroquai (Remember dancing to this in NYC. Love EVERYTHING by Jamiroquai...)

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith (Reminds me of the summer I graduated college)

One Week - Barenaked Ladies (Loved when live bands would play this at BGSU)

Another Night - Real McCoy (Makes me think of senior year RHS basketball games. This was played all the time)

Just A Girl - No Doubt (Sealed the deal with turning me into a life long No Doubt/Gweb Stefani super fan)

Walkin' On The Sun - Smash Mouth (This video was always playing in Founders Dining Hall...)

Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch (I always think of my Freshman year of high school when I hear this)

The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim (How can you not dance when you hear this?)

Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz (Remember watching this video for the first time with mouth agape. Was mesmerized...)

Did that take you down memory lane too? What were some of your 90's favorites?

Happy Birthday, MC!

2010-10-06T05:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Tae Kwon Do Superstar!!!

A Perfect Fall Weekend

2010-10-05T05:00:00.008-04:00

We had such a great time with my friend in upstate New York. This trip was originally planned for late summer but was pushed back a couple times due to JG's work schedule. Unfortunately, we had to miss a very special little boy's first birthday party, but we want his mommy to know that we were thinking of them on party day :)

Last summer we visited my good friend, Julie, in July. It was the perfect time of year for sitting out on the deck, enjoying bonfires, boating into town and swimming in the lake. This time around we got to experience the beauty of the Adirondacks in the fall. We were still able to do nearly all the above (minus the swimming), we just had to wear a few more layers...

Sweet A and Julie... Instant buds.

Morning sunrise over the lake...

JG on our boat ride into town....

Family pic....

My dream backyard.....

Ten years ago, I never would have guessed that I would prefer the lake and mountains

over surf and sand.... I am completely converted...

Baby & Me...

2010-10-04T05:00:00.004-04:00

Sweet A and I did our first Baby & Me class at our local library. It was so much fun... and the best part? It was FREE! Let me tell ya something... Now that we are a one income family, and on a tight budget (oh how I miss you, direct deposit), I am incredibly grateful for these free opportunities to socialize with other babies and mamas.

We sang lots of songs, heard a story and then they rolled in a big red wagon filled with puzzles, stuffed animals, and books. The kids went crazy picking out items to play with for the last 10 minutes of our session. The age range with this particular group was about 6 months to 2 years. My little one was a social butterfly and was curious to know what the other kids were playing with. Most of the kids didn't care if another little one took a puzzle piece to look at or picked up a toy they were previously playing with. But then there was... "Little Johnny"... an older sibling of about 3-ish who had tagged along with his mom and younger sibling.

Sweet A meandered right up to "Little Johnny" and helped herself to the puzzle he was playing with. "Little Johnny" screamed, "NOOOOO! GET AWAY!!!" and shoved my little darlin'....

My mommy instinct? I wanted to tackle that little kid and hold him in a half-nelson until he apologized... I'm just being honest. I've never been one to handle rejection well and to see Sweet A get singled out and man-handled was almost too much for me. Can you tell I'm a first time mom?

Fortunately, common sense (and a deep breath) prevailed and I just let it play out... "Little Johnny's" mom promptly stepped in and practically threw her kid in a half-nelson herself and made him apologize. Not really, but I could tell she was mortified and she apologized profusely. I told her it was no big deal (although I was silently sobbing inside) and not to worry about it. To be completely honest, it didn't even phase Sweet A. She had moved on to something else without a care in the world. It got me thinking though... How do you teach this whole sharing thing? I'm sure when Sweet A gets a little older she'll get territorial with stuff as well and we'll have some cringe worthy moments where I'll want to crawl under a rock and beg humanity to not judge me as a mom... So how do you get through that learning curve?

I guess I have some parenting books to read.... Any recommendations?

Weekend Getaway: Adirondacks Here We Come...

2010-10-01T05:00:00.005-04:00

JG, Sweet A and I are on our way to visit a good friend of mine (and that sweet pup you see) in the heart of the Adirondacks. We have our fingers crossed for good weather!

Can't wait!

Summer, Thanks For The Good Time....

2010-09-30T05:00:00.001-04:00

We witnessed, first hand, the rustic beauty of northern Idaho....

Sweet A got to play in the ocean for the first time (and ate lots of sand...)

And mommy and daughter rocked some stylin' hats...

We took lots of road trips.....

And met extended family for the first time... (despite the leery look, we got along just fine...)

We took many a bath outside....

And blew countless raspberries with dad while hanging out in the grass....

We hung out on the swings and took in the fab lake views....

And took a few hikes too..

Another season come and gone. Summer, you were a busy one this year (and a scorcher to boot...). It was Sweet A's first summer outside the womb and we made it count...

My Weekend

2010-09-28T05:00:00.008-04:00

A wedding brought JG and I down to Cincinnati over the weekend. One of my favorite cities. No, really... Not quite up there with San Francisco, Chicago, or little old Burlington, VT (Numbers 1, 2 and 3 in my book)... but I do get excited whenever we get the chance to head down south. When we do venture down Route 71 to Cincy... It's always a gorge fest... Cincinnati is known for a few fab food favorites and JG and I are no strangers to them... Must haves when visiting Cincinnati? Skyline Chili (you can get it up in Cleveland, but you can't visit Cincinnati without going to Skyline. It's an ordinance or something...), pizza from LaRosa's, Graeter's ice cream, and ribs from Montgomery Inn. All hometown darlings of The Queen City.

The wedding we attended was beautiful but the real highlight of the night was that I fit into a dress that I haven't worn since 2002 (when I was 25)! It felt like Christmas. And it didn't just fit... It fit and then some - no need for Spanx. Hell yeah. Thank goodness the Cincinnati gorge fest was after the wedding. Haven't dared tried it back on since we got home....

Getting Over My Dough Hang Up: Pie Crust Edition

2010-09-27T05:00:00.004-04:00

Pie Crust... You either love it or hate it... We've all had the really, really good ones where you practically lick your plate clean to get every last crumb. Aaaaaand we've also had the ones that make you just eat the pie filling leaving the crust as an empty shell.

My mom's solution to pie crust? Buy it.

Pie crust, like any other type of dough, intimidated me. But so did childbirth and we all know that worked out... And yes, it is so easy for me to go around the corner to the store and buy it pre-made. But when your baby is napping and you want to try a quiche recipe... right that very minute... that's when you roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath and face your fears... Iced water, chilled butter, and not overworking the dough... Could I do it?

Through trial and error (there is no success without failure, right?) I finally found a pie crust recipe I like. No, scratch that... love...

It's from Martha... The Martha... So you know it has to be good, right?

Recipe for Pate Brisee

Image via Martha Stewart

Out Of Touch...

2010-09-22T05:00:00.008-04:00

Back in April, JG and I took a trip out to Las Vegas. We had the chance to go to Pure nightclub... you know, the one that is always brought up in Us Weekly or TMZ? That one...

.... And I never felt so out of touch in my entire life...

Let me just say for the record that back in the day, I loved to go out and dance. And dance I did... It started in high school when my friends and I would drive up to Cleveland and dance, glow sticks in hand, at Trilogy. In college, I loved dancing to 80's music and live bands... I've danced until sunrise in NYC, Salsa danced into the wee hours in San Francisco and Philadelphia, danced in Key West under the influence of the best mojitos on this green Earth, and tore up a banquette (literally... It was vinyl and I had kicked off my shoes and was dancing on it barefoot and the friction from my bare feet made hundreds of tiny holes) in South Beach. What I'm trying to say is... I was no stranger to the night life.. I associate that time with being footloose and fancy free. It was fun, I sweated, I showed some killer moves....

I also remember whole songs being played... knowing every song that was played, you know, so you can hit that one move just right at that one point of the song? And although there was some skanky dressing going on in the mid to late 90's and early 00's, most people looked decent...

So it had been a good five-ish years since I had been in any type of dance club when I entered Pure and it was a culture shock to say the least... First of all, I didn't know one song they played and even if I did like what was played, It lasted for only 20 seconds before it was switched. Is that the attention span of the young 20-somethings today? Second of all... Everybody (with the exception of our group) looked like they were from the cast of Jersey Shore... Super orangey tan, super-pigmented, matte, dark brown hair, layers and layers of makeup, wearing Ed Hardy and trucker caps turned askew... I immediately felt out of place... and old... I sat there (in my outfit from Anthropologie) surveying the crowd and trying to rack my brain on how I am now... *sigh*... past VH1. Remember being 18 and thinking VH1 was for old people, you know, like over 25? I can't believe the time has come where I can't even relate to VH1... Let alone MTV....

I may have to start doing some VH1 and MTV intensives during Sweet A's nap time.... Do they even play videos anymore?

P.S.

Don't worry... Ed Hardy, trucker caps, and bad dye jobs will never find their way on my body...

Photo Du Jour

2010-09-20T12:23:00.002-04:00

Can you see my 3 1/2 teeth?

Wallpaper Love: Amy Butler...

2010-09-15T05:00:00.005-04:00

We all know Amy Butler's darling fabric designs... Cute, sophisticated and fun are a few adjectives that come to mind.... In fact, Sweet A's crib bedding is a mixture of Amy Butler's most popular designs... So imagine my delight when I saw this post on the announcement that Amy Butler is now designing wallpaper... Perfect timing considering that wallpaper, in small doses, is growing on me....

I am currently scouting areas in my home to make this work....

The Kind Sign...

2010-09-14T05:00:00.016-04:00

Sweet A was born right during the hype of the H1N1 flu scare. My anxiety was a 25 on a scale of 1 to 10 when it came to protecting her from germs. While out and about, especially at the grocery store, well meaning strangers would oooh and ahhh over Sweet A and, inevitably, grab her little hands... Which, in my opinion, is the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard...

"Wow, she has quite the grip (chuckle, chuckle)" or "Ooooh look at how tiny those little hands are"...

I didn't know where those strangers' hands were before they touched my little one... Did they just touch a package of raw meat? Did they just handle produce that hundreds of others handled as well? Did they touch a door handle? Did they wash their hands after using the bathroom? You just don't know... And while I appreciate their kindness by stopping us to love on Sweet A, as an anxious first time mama, all I could think about after the fact was that I needed to wash Sweet A's hands ASAP and keep them out of her mouth until I could get them cleaned...

Enter The Kind Sign... It simply, but politely states, Your Germs Are Too Big For Me. Please Don't Touch. It does the dirty work for you so no need to have the awkward discussion. It comes in pink, blue and orange. Perfect to keep in your diaper bag to pull out when needed. Now some of you may think it's a little over the top and it just may be... It's certainly not for everyone. But for someone like me, who has a hard time asserting herself in certain situations, it is something I would have seriously considered using back in the early newborn days.

If it's something you'd like to invest in, or give as a gift, you're in luck! It's on sale :)

P.S.

This appears to be somewhat of a hot topic in general... Click HERE for more opinions on the matter.

10 Months Old...

2010-09-13T05:00:00.004-04:00

This month she....

Has 3 teeth...

Lets me brush those three little teeth....

Now has enough hair to get a mean case of bed head

Picks up food with her hands...

Uses a sippy cup at meal times... but it's still a novelty to her...

Is super ticklish...

Has mastered saying mama and knows who mama is :)

Said dada for the first time and knows who dada is...

Split her lip open... Why must the lip bleed like a vital organ???

Had yogurt for the first time...

Still eats whatever you put in front of her...

Had her first tantrum (she's a throw herself on the floor type of gal)...

Hides her face when she's shy...

Getting Over My Dough Hang Up: Pizza Edition

2010-09-09T05:00:00.002-04:00

I made it... Yes... I made it. From scratch. Not take it out of a tube, or a bag, or made my mom do it for me...

I made it.

I don't know why I have been so gosh darn intimidated for so long... I guess it was that whole yeast, warm water and "draft free area to raise" thing that had me feeling a little insecure. It seemed so important to not make any wrong moves when it came to letting dough rise...

Intimidation Number One: I was never sure if I would get the water warm enough, or maybe I would make it too warm... and the thought of getting out a thermometer and checking the temp seemed so labor intensive. So store bought dough it was. Oh, who are we kidding? Up until about 3 months ago it was Donato's Pizza delivery.

Intimidation Number Two: For the past 7 years I have lived in old homes with original windows. The words "draft free" do not apply to anywhere in my living space.

Intimidation Number Three: In attempt to remedy draft problem with the above intimidation, I was scared I would make the oven too hot when trying to create a "warm, draft free area" and ruin any chance of dough raising. Hence, Donato's Pizza delivery it was... Until recently....

I guess I have a new found confidence after doing things in the kitchen I hadn't before (KEEP IT CLEAN, PEOPLE). I've roasted a chicken, I made homemade black bean burgers... and Chicken Tikka Masala (coming in a post soon...). Things that seemed really hard and labor intensive to someone who used to have microwave popcorn with a diet coke and call it dinner. I guess I feel like I can do anything now... Like make my own pizza dough. Something I have been scared to do. After tasting this, I'll never go back to the packaged stuff but I will probably still order my beloved Veggie Pizza, thin crust, light cheese, with extra green olives from Donato's...

Love this recipe from Giada deLaurentiis (every recipe I have ever tried of hers has been a keeper)... I've made it with plain white flour, with wheat flour and with half and half. We prefer the plain and half and half versions to full wheat. To be fair, I'm going to try another brand of wheat flour. The one I used has been in my cupboard since before I was married... I think I had good intentions when I bought it, but alas, it never got used... But why don't you try for yourself and see which one you like best?

Pizza Dough by Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast

2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Pour 3/4 cup warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. KNEAD dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. PUNCH down dough. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. ROLL out dough according to recipe instructions. (Start in center of dough, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them.)

Photos Du Jour

2010-09-07T05:00:00.002-04:00

We hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! We took advantage of the cooler temps and enjoyed the great outdoors :)

Banana Crumb Muffins

2010-09-06T05:00:00.002-04:00

Hands down, my new favorite banana muffin recipe. No need to search for another recipe. Found it. Perfect. Have a few extra ripe bananas laying around? Try it. Now.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.	In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Heard...

2010-09-03T05:00:00.004-04:00

I was in the kitchen the other day and I heard the following dialogue take place between JG and Sweet A as they played in another room:

Sweet A: Mama

JG: Dada!

Sweet A: Mama

JG: Daddy!

Sweet A: Mamamamamamama

JG: Say Daddy!

Me from the other room: Sweet A, who changes all your poopy diapers and gets up with you in the middle of the night?

Sweet A: *silence*.... Mama!

Teeth... Hallelujah

2010-09-01T09:13:00.008-04:00

Two teeth on the top and one on the bottom... All coming in at the same time....

I was starting to sweat the whole teeth thing. I mean, I knew it was going to eventually happen... Its not like I was going to have to send her off to preschool with dentures, but when I saw 6 month olds with teeth and my 9 month old still giving me a gummy smile, I was starting to wonder when the heck it would happen.

Ask and you shall receive...

Three teeth coming in at once at this very moment...

Sleep has gone by the wayside again. It appears that the discomfort is worse at night.

My little girl is a trooper and hanging in there... Except at 3 AM when she wakes up crying in pain.

Holding her and saying soothing words calms her down.

Nothing better than feeling that little head resting on your shoulder... Even at 3 AM.

My New Favorite Site....

2010-08-30T07:37:00.002-04:00

Can't. Stop. Looking at this....

Check it out... DearBlankPleaseBlank

As if you needed another tool to help you procrastinate....

Funny Confession...

2010-08-30T05:00:00.004-04:00

It's no secret that I love to cook and try out new recipes... I love wearing my super cute apron while doing so...

Except...

I think its so darling, I try to avoid getting it dirty....

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