Friday Favorites: Pajama Shirt

I picked up a pajama shirt on the clearance rack at Target a while back, and who knew it would be such a find? I love, love, love it.  As in, I never want to take it off, I do a load of laundry just so I can put it back on again, and I sigh with pleasure when I pull it over my head before going to bed.  Seriously.  The best. fabric. ever.  I will be scouring Target for anything else made of this fabulous, oh-so-soft, comfy fabric....

Friday Favorites: Pinterest Valentine's Day Roundup

***Adam, Linda, Sybil, Douglas...Valentine Spoiler Alert!  Stop reading this post!***

Have you fallen in love with Pinterest yet?  Okay, maybe I was a little late to the game, but I've been making up for lost time over the last few months.  I still have two and a half weeks until Valentine's Day, plenty of time to do all the awesome things I've been pinning... (click on the links in the captions)

To decorate:

Felt Heart Wreath from The Idea Room

Ruffled Satin and Burlap Wreaths from my blessed life

Heart Garland from duitang.com

Kissing Balls from The Idea Room

For kids' school friends:

Free Printable Valentine from The Frugal Girls

Fun Monster Cards from Make and Takes

School of Fish Valentine from Bateman Buzz

Glow Stick Valentine from The Teacher Wife

Monster Boxes from Giggles Galore

Pop Rocks Valentine from Fiskars

Superhero Valentines from Little Bit Funky

For our friends and family:

Blow Me a Kiss Valentine from Bloom Designs

Love Note Cards from Little Birdie Secrets

Paper Candy Pouch from Peppermint Plum

"I love you this much" card for the grandparents from A Day in My Life

For my kids:

Heart-Shaped Army Eggs from Martha

Valentine-y Lunches from Lisa Storms

To enjoy:

Chocolate and Berries Yogurt Dessert by Betty Crocker

Marbled Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites from The Novice Chef

Neapolitan Cupcakes from i heart 2 stamp

Just for fun:

Heart Paper Clips by Design Sponge

and of course,
For my sweetheart (shh, don't tell, I'm pretty sure he won't see this!):

"I love you" Reminder Hearts from Moorea Seal

Okay, maybe it's a little ambitious.  But it's good to aim high, right?  We do love Valentine's Day around here, as you can see in past posts:

Eat Your Heart Out

I *heart* hair!

If you haven't tried it and would like an invite to Pinterest, let me know!  

Friday Favorites: Our Best Bites

So I was reading Make It and Love It almost a month ago and there was something really interesting going on. The bloggers from Our Best Bites started a miniseries called Kids in the Kitchen.  You really should check it out, there were lots of great ideas for getting kids involved in cooking, and a bunch of fun recipes featured throughout the series.  (We tried the "One Ingredient Ice Cream" and it was pretty good!  Next time, though, it will be with Nutella.)  What happened, though, was that I went to the Our Best Bites blog and started going through recipes like a mad woman.  There were a lot of great ideas...yummy ideas...

Here are two of our new favorites:

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

So yummy and addictive.  This made a ton, really a lot of taquitos.  But they went really, really fast.  I think we had about 4 left over, and Adam wasn't even home for dinner that night.  So, so good. 

Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

These were also really good.  I am not a dip-your-pizza-in-ranch girl, but these really must be dipped.  I am well aware of the common opinion that Hidden Valley Ranch made from the packet is superior to Hidden Valley Ranch in the bottle, but our family will just use it from the bottle next time because we like it better.  Just sayin'. 

So, happy cooking, all! 

Friday Favorites: Crafting Blogs

You want to know the source of all this crafty inspiration I've had while I've been nesting?  It's this blog that Haley told me about and I have become addicted to: Make It and Love It.  Seriously, fun stuff on that site.  You should check it out.  But don't blame me if you go out and buy a bunch of fabric and start going crazy making stuff! 

Friday Favorites - Footwear Edition

I am not a shoe person.  I don't drool over Jimmy Choos, and I generally rotate between 2-3 pairs of shoes during a season and wear them to death.  This summer I have invested in about 4 pairs of different flip flops that I like, which is really branching out for me--I don't think any of them are worn out yet!  Here are my favorite flip flops from this summer, the most comfortable, cutest, most versatile of the ones I've bought:

 Teva Olowahu Flip Flops

So, they're nothing fancy--I bought them at Ace Hardware--but I love them!

Friday Favorites: Pregnancy Podcasts

When I was pregnant with Max, who was my third baby, I felt like I knew it all.  From car seats to front packs, putting them to sleep on their backs and when to start solids, breastfeeding to swaddling, I knew it all because I'd done it twice before.  Then, we decided to wait a while before having more kids, and Adam requested I clean out my baby stash in the garage.  I got into the mindset of just moving forward in milestones, not going back to revisit them all over again within the next year.  Suddenly, I was pregnant again and baby #4 is feeling like #1 again.  This pregnancy feels different, has been harder, and with starting over on several pieces of baby gear, I'm having to do research again.  It's also been 8 years since I started amassing my knowledge of baby care, and although I've continued to learn more along the way, the majority of my information comes from when I read the books the first time around.  Did you know I have an "unsafe" crib?  I am that old of a mom . . . .  (I'm also that old of a mom that I'm going to use it anyway!) 

Anyway, spending a lot of time laying on the couch not feeling great has had some upsides.  I passed all the levels on Angry Birds.  Anytime any of the children wanted a story read to them I was already in position and not going anywhere.  I have had plenty of time to research the best double stroller on using the iPad (which Adam actually bought for the business, so I guess I just borrow it!).  And I started to find ways to feel connected to other pregnant moms via my iPhone.  What to Expect.com has an iPhone app that I've been enjoying since week 7 of the pregnancy, and it's even better now that I can post to forums on it. 

In the last couple of weeks one of the moms on the WTE forum mentioned Pregtastic podcasts, and I had to find out what they were.  A bunch of pregnant moms basically come together with an expert and chat about a pregnancy-related topic in each podcast.  I really enjoy the portion of the show where they talk about their ups and downs of the week because I can really relate to how they are feeling, what they are thinking about, and how they are coping.  Another fun pregnancy show is Pea in the Podcast, where a journalist and mom interviews an expert about pregnancy-related topics and shares bits of her own experience on that topic.  Pea in the Podcast is more succinct and to-the-point, where Pregtastic is longer and more like sitting down to chat with the playgroup moms.  Pregtastic also started another podcast called New Moms New Babies, which I'm also really enjoying listening to.  That is even more like sitting down at playgroup, because everyone has a baby, and you can often hear them coo in the background. 

Slowly, I'm figuring out that what I know isn't all outdated, and that while new research is important, a lot of the conclusions new moms on these shows come to I came to long ago (you don't need to buy everything they sell at Babies R Us, but no one can tell you which things will work best for you).  But there is something special about listening to other moms who are doing what you're doing and feeling what you're feeling, and feeling normal and okay because of it.

Dough Girl

Just over a week ago, our friends, Pete and Colleen, came to visit for the weekend.  Colleen is a triathlete, and was racing in the St. George Tri (which, it turns out, she did pregnant!!  Congratulations, both on the awesome time on the race, and the fabulous news!).  It's always fun to see them, but it seemed especially fun this weekend for some reason.  Maybe it was the cookies.  They brought cookie dough from My Dough Girl, and oh my, it's good I don't live near Salt Lake, or I would hang out there, chowing on cookies all the time.  We had Margot, only she had white chocolate mint filling . . . mmmmm, so good.  I know some of you who read my blog are closer than I am, so if you have a chance stop in and try it you should, I hear they give samples so you can try out the different "girls." 

Speaking of dough girls, I am getting quite round these days, and it's not all cookie dough (or ice cream sandwiches--that's a new craving this time around).  Tomorrow I hit 20 weeks officially (the ticker to the right is off by a little bit, but I'll forgive it since it thinks I'm farther along than I really am), which means I'm halfway through this pregnancy.  If you are paying attention and know all about these things, that means I should know the baby's sex, right?  Well, I will find out next Tuesday when I have my ultrasound, so I'll be 21 weeks, but really it only pushes the milestone and makes the pregnancy go a bit faster, so it's a good thing.  I didn't find out with Max until 23 weeks, so I'm not being picky. 

Anyway, here is the first actual belly picture of this pregnancy, so you can see me with a tummy.  It does happen (and it happened faster this time, for sure)! 

Side note: I realize this picture is blurry; it is difficult to take a self portrait, even with a tripod.  I couldn't get the camera to focus, and I didn't trust myself to focus manually, so I kept shooting and running back and forth.  Titus sat there, watching me, perplexed.  It took 16 shots to get myself in the shot, not cut off, without blinking.  It gives me a whole new level of respect for my friend, Cynthia, who is taking a self portrait every day this year, and every one is gorgeous. 

It's hard to blog after not blogging for so long (it's been almost a month!).  I generally tend to skip a blogger's apologies for not posting often enough, etc, because I know that most people have a life and there is no deadline to follow, no one making you do it, so when things get out of control it's an easy and nonessential thing to drop.  So I'll spare you the apology and just say: this pregnancy sucks.  And I do have stuff to blog, so I'll be around, but if it's quiet around here, it might be because I have nothing positive to blog about or I just plain don't feel like it.  Now I'm going to go get myself another ice cream sandwich (those yummy cookies only lasted a matter of hours).

Friday Favorites: Happy Earth Day!

Yes, I realize I'm late, but you can't do a Friday Favorite on a Thursday, right?  (Okay, maybe I'm just a slacker . . . )

I've actually planned on doing a post about this but have never gotten around to it (recycling isn't all that glamorous, I guess).  But with Earth Day this week, I thought it was high time I shared something that makes me strangely really happy every day: curbside recycling. 

If you live in Washington County, curbside recycling is available!  You have to pay for it, but it is available.  In Coral Canyon and Santa Clara it's only $4 a month, and only $6 everywhere else.  They give you one of these lovely blue cans and a magnet showing you what days they pick up (since they only come every other week).  It seriously makes me so happy to fill this can up.  I keep it in the garage, just inside the door from the house so I can just crack the door and chuck it in as I go about things. 

It has taken a bit of getting used to to rinse containers out, but nothing has to be separated.  It's been so nice just to put the newspapers, milk cartons, cereal boxes, and millions of papers from school in there and forget about them--not have to hang on to anything and drive to a binney to shove each thing one by one through those teeny weeny holes, or worse (and more commonly) feel guilty as I throw it all in the trash.  Our recycling bin is usually very full after two weeks, but our garbage can is rarely more than half full, which is a nice change since we were taking two cans to the curb every week before this. 

You can have fun recycling, too!  Click here to sign up. 

Friday Favorites - Altoids

Do you remember when I was pregnant with Max and posted a list of my favorite things in pregnancy?  Well, when I was pregnant with Max Katie was potty trained already and I didn't have to change diapers while I had morning sickness, so I didn't remember something I used frequently when I was pregnant with Katie. 
In fact I had forgotten all about it, gagging through every dirty diaper, until someone complained about that very same problem, and I recommended popping a mint just before changing the diaper.  Eventually a lightbulb went on, and after that I eventually remembered to pick some up at the store (gotta love pregnancy brain!). 

I prefer peppermint Altoids, because they are so strong I really can't smell the poopy diaper at all as I change it--it's amazing!

P.S. Be sure to vote in the gender poll to the right!

Friday Favorites: Spring is coming!

I know it is . . . right?

Just thought I'd post a link to this beautiful peasant blouse that I'm loving the idea of . . . don't know if I'll ever actually get to making it, but it looks so fresh and springy, and so simple to make. I found it linked through Chocolate on My Cranium.

Friday Favorites - Kitchen Tools

In only three days we will embark on a month-long cooking adventure. It seems only fitting that today I share my favorite cooking tools that will help me complete my mission. They are nothing really special, but they make me happy.

First, how I organize and use my recipes. This recipe box was a wedding gift, and I love it. The dividers are homemade from index cards and labels (I was poor and it was cheap and customizable). I predict that it will fill to capacity sometime in 2010, which means it took 9 years to fill it. It holds 4x6 recipe cards, and I only add a recipe when we've already proven it--it has to make the cut before it's in the box. Many recipes have been thrown out, too, when we've replaced them with something we love more. I'd say about 75% of the recipes in this box are printed off Allrecipes, and I've been using the site so long my recipes are in about 4 different formats as they've changed over the years. I continue to really love their site, especially the ratings and reviews of each recipe.

I love my recipe cards, but they do get pretty beat-up, stained, and smudged. Someday I intend to print fresh copies of all of them and laminate them. Because that may never happen, I especially love this magnetic recipe board my mother-in-law made for me this Christmas, that provides a place to put my cards to keep them visible and clean(er). I had a different one that I made, but I just love how sturdy and pretty this one is.

I do occasionally use a cookbook, too, though, and was having all kinds of trouble keeping them open while cooking, until I found that the easel the magnetic board sits in is a perfect solution for this:

Okay, now for the actual tools. There is no way I could bake without my KitchenAid. Also a wedding gift, it has withstood the test of time. You can probably see the black knobs are broken off, but it still works amazing for me. I use it mostly for baking: bread, cookies, batters, etc. For our homemade pizza, it's practically essential.

This is our humble rice cooker. We actually received two of these for our wedding, and kept the smaller one for our family of two. Our family has since grown and it still meets our needs easily. We eat a lot of rice. Adam is a big fan of Chinese food, and he has converted the whole family. We took a Chinese cooking class when Isaiah was a baby, and we did learn how to cook rice on the stove. But we also learned there was no reason to when the rice cooker did it just as well and faster, with less fuss! It also has a steamer, which I use occasionally, especially when we have fresh vegetables from the garden.

Cutting tools. One thing we learned in our Chinese cooking class was that a chef is only as good as his knife. I have pretty good knives, not anything pro quality, but waaaaay better than the $4 knife set I bought in the clearance bin at WalMart when we were first married. The knife at the top is my favorite of the set Adam bought me (for Mother's Day?) in the last year. I keep the blade straight with the steel at the right. The scissors are just handy for lots of things, trimming meat for one. I hate working with meat. Anything that makes that easier makes me happy.

The other cutting tools are more for everyday use as a mom, but they seriously are some of my favorite things, so I couldn't leave them out. A cheese slicer and apple corer/slicer are essentials for snacks with kids. I avoid cutting apples like the plague, so I love making that chore easier. It honestly really helps motivate me to feed my kids healthier snacks. And, as any mom knows, a pizza cutter is the fastest, most efficient way to make any meal toddler-bite-sized. Ours is rarely clean, actually, because it's used so much.

And finally . . .

Yeah, doesn't look like a kitchen tool, eh? It so is. If you've ever been around Max for more than 10 minutes, you know there is no way I could make dinner without him being strapped in (okay, there is: Adam. He really makes it possible). He has a highchair, too, but this keeps him close and involved in what I'm doing, while keeping him from practicing his two favorite pasttimes: loudly emptying everything in the lower drawers and cupboards (tripping Mom repeatedly in the process), and sneaking behind and around Mom to touch the pans on the stove. It's also awesome for snacks because there is less surface to "wash," I can just wipe and go.

So, you saw mine . . . what are your favorite kitchen tools?

Friday Favorites

Isaiah: "You're the best Momma ever!" whispered in my ear, as part of a hug, several times a day.

Katie: "I have tried onions before. They are terrible!" exclaimed with a wrinkled nose, hands on hips and attitude.

Max: "blowing kisses"--holding his hand out for me to kiss

Friday Favorites - From my littlest bookworm . . .

It's been a while so I thought I'd post another installment of Friday Favorites: Max's Favorite Books. Now, Max is not a big book baby. Isaiah and Katie loved reading and would look at books on their own as young as 9 months, just enjoying turning the pages and looking at the pictures. Max thinks they are more fun to bend, step on, wedge into or under things, or, his personal favorite, hit people or things with. So his favorites (to actually read) are very engaging in one way or another. (The pictures are linked to Amazon, if you want to see more of the books.)

I read this to Max only because he kept bringing it to me, and Katie insisted he wanted to read it. I thought, he's never going to sit still for this--he only reads with me with touch and feel books, because they're tactile. But I'm so glad I did! It is hands down his favorite book. He loves music and a good beat, so I'm assuming it's because of the catchy cadence of the words. It makes him smiley and happy every time! The bright colors and geometric illustrations are great for his age and development, as well.

I mentioned Max's love for touch-and-feel, and this one is especially fun because it's also lift-the-flap. Max loves turning pages, so lift-the-flap is so fun to him. His favorite game is peekaboo, so he gets a thrill every time he lifts the flap and I exclaim, "Peekaboo!" And there is nothing quite like baby faces for babies; they're just so engaging. Max has recently started trying to skip pages to get to the mirror at the end--so cute!

This little book is so simple and short, I wouldn't have thought it would be such a hit. My sister, Anne, gave it to Isaiah when he was a baby, and he loved it then. It has miraculously lasted through all three kids (so far, anyway), and it is one of Max's favorites. Something about that fuzz to touch, even though it's the same all the way through, he just loves it. (To be honest, I love it, too. It's just one of those special books that I've read to all the kids, and have memorized now. And I love the excuse to give them a kiss at the end!)

Happy reading!

Friday Favorites - It's a SOUPER time of year!

Okay, if that wasn't cheesy enough, enjoy the cheese from one of these:

Chili and Broccoli Bread (yes, I posted this just a few months ago, it's linked to that post in case you missed it)

Baked Potato Soup and Breadsticks (posted almost exactly a year ago!)

. . . and a new favorite I made Sunday and has the stamp of approval from every single person in my family--not an easy feat, let me tell you! (In fact, it may be a first, ever!) This is a great one to use your slow cooker liner with.

Red and White Chili and Italian-Style Rosettes

Red and White Chili
6 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
2 (15.5 oz) cans navy beans, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (I used it from a jar, but I'm sure fresh is awesome, too)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in slow cooker, stir gently to mix, and cover. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until hot and sauce is slightly thick.

Italian-Style Rosettes
(thanks to Betty Crocker, and to my mom for the subscription!)
1 11 oz pkg (12) refrigerated breadsticks
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (the refrigerated can of Parmesan topping would work great for this, I used real grated parmesan and it was harder to coat the rolls)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate breadsticks and uncoil into individual pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 12-inch rope.
2. For rosettes, tie each rope in a loose knot, eaving two long ends. Tuck top end of rope under the knot. Bring bottom end up and tuck into center of roll, "gluing" with a bit of water (wet fingertips).
3. In shallow dish, combine Parmesan cheese, sesames seeds, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Brush top and sides of each roll with melted butter, then dip into cheese mixture.
4. Place rolls 2 to 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Friday Favorite - Slow Cooker Liners

I don't know how long this product has been around (I may be the last to know about them), but I *heart* crockpot liners! I've always thought cooking in the crockpot was a good idea, but every time I did it I would hate the cleanup so much it would take weeks or even months before I would try it again. Hard, lumpy, stuck-on food and splattered sauces that had to be soaked and scrubbed--blech! Then a couple of months ago I was at Lunch Bunch, and someone was serving something in a slow cooker with what looked like an oven bag lining it. As I stood there studying it, blocking the buffet line, I knew I had to have some. Sure enough, they are awesome! I will never cook in a crockpot without one again. Speaking of slow cooking, here are some of my favorite slow cooker recipes, so if you're like me and never use your crockpot because of the mess, you can try them out with a liner!

Pulled Pork

I don't know if you can call this a recipe, more like a method of cooking meat. When I was telling my sister I didn't know how to cook the boneless pork ribs I had in my freezer, she suggested pulled pork. I made it Sunday and was really pleased with how it came out. I just put the thawed ribs in the crockpot (after lining it!) then poured barbeque sauce over them (about a cup of Kraft Original Barbeque Sauce, but you could use any sauce you like). I set the cooker on low and left the ribs to cook for about 5.5-6 hours. Anne suggested skimming the fat before removing the meat to pull it. Then I took out the ribs and "pulled" the meat (shredded it with a fork and knife) and returned it to the crockpot, stirring it in the remaining juices. I added about another cup or so of sauce, but I would just add it until it's the consistency you like, and let it sit warming until I finished cooking the rest of dinner. It was good by itself, but it's also great on a kaiser or hamburger bun as a sandwich.

Pot Roast

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast is an Allrecipes classic, I don't know anyone who hasn't at least heard of this recipe. Throw in potatoes and carrots about an hour or so before the meat is done, and you have a complete meal done for you!

Lasagna

Lasagna is a bit labor-intensive, so being able to do all the prep ahead and come back hours later with it cooked is handy, particularly on Sunday when you come home from church hungry and don't want to wait another hour or two for your meal. This slow cooker recipe is nice for that reason, and you don't have to take the time to layer it all. However, I'm sure you can use your own favorite lasagna recipe and just cook it in the crockpot instead!

Hot Spiced Cider

It's going to be that time of year soon! (I'm actually really lamenting the end of summer. But fall and winter food is really fun.) This is one recipe that really doesn't need a slow cooker liner, but it is one of my favorite crockpot recipes, and this seemed an appropriate place to share it. Because we're not coffee drinkers, I didn't have a coffee filter on hand, but Shelli (who is a preschool teacher, Katie's preschool teacher) did and informed me that coffee filters are great for all kinds of crafts and projects, so they're not a bad thing to keep around.

2 quarts apple cider

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp whole allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp salt

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 large orange, sliced or quartered with peel

Place spices in a coffee filter and tie in a bundle, securing with a piece of string or a twist tie. Pour cider, brown sugar, orange slices or wedges, and spice bundle in slow cooker and simmer on low for a 4-6 hours. Remove spice bundle before serving.

Happy slow cooking! (I think I'm in the mood for some cider now . . . )

Friday Favorites

Since I rarely have anything to post as a "Friday Flashback," I've decided that I want to start something new: "Friday Favorites." I always have something I love that I want to share with others in the hope that it can make their lives easier or more fun, too, but I feel like I'm bombarding my loyal readers (all five of them) with a commercial marathon when I periodically lump them into one giant list of links. So, I'm going to save them for my Friday Favorites, and you can read or ignore as you like.

Here is my first Fave to share:

The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg

I think we picked this book up at a yard sale, but it is one of my all-time favorite children's books. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story quite well-told. A fun read for Mom and Dad as well as kids.