Etsy #20

I don't know about your household, but in ours, octopuses (octopi?) reign supreme. Darsie has one stuffed creature that she adores...and it is an octopus dubbed "legs". When I saw these, I just thought they were cool, although they may be one of the strangest Etsy picks to date. Check out bunny X productions for interesting polymer creations.

____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches - just what the "name" implies.

#14 Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry - beautiful jewelry

#15 Geek Gear - Mason Jar Night Lights

#16 PhatSheep - contemporary textile accessories

#17 studio m. - art prints

#18 Lemons and Lollis - sweet aand delectable kid duds.

#19 bloodybunny - lanyards, key holders, and other neat items

Etsy #19

Back to the ol' Etsy board. I stumbled cross this shop today and I think that the strawberry lanyards are so sweet. For me it is all about the details and that dangling leaf really calls to me. So, visit bloodybunny for lanyards, key holders, and other neat items.

____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches - just what the "name" implies.

#14 Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry - beautiful jewelry

#15 Geek Gear - Mason Jar Night Lights

#16 PhatSheep - contemporary textile accessories

#17 studio m. - art prints

#18 Lemons and Lollis - sweet aand delectable kid duds.

Coming out of our Thanksgiving Fog

Nothing says classy like a throw-away aluminum roasting pan!

I think my head is finally clearing from all of the tripofan and I can get back to doing what I do best (hahha), blogging. Ok, well posting recipes and Etsy picks perhaps?

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. This was the first Thanksgiving dinner AND turkey that I have ever attempted so waking up Wednesday night/Thursday morning after a particular disturbing dream about how Martha would do Thanksgiving was not entirely out of the ordinary.

It was all to waste because everything came out great. I did this cider-brined and glazed turkey (while I was impressed with how tender the meat was, I couldn't detect how the cider changed the flavoring at all), mashed potatoes made with butter and cream cheese (I made these a couple days ahead and then heated them up in the oven with more butter on top mmm,
gravy from the turkey recipe, this awesome sausage and parmesan cheese stuffing (I made it with all hot italian sausage but next time will do half mild and half hot as a couple of people complained it was too hot. This was another dish I prepped ahead of time and then heated up before dinner), some green salad thing, roasted green beans, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Now I'm enjoying lots of turkey sandwiches, which is really my favorite part of the holidays!

Etsy 18

I am a sucker for cute baby/kid stuff and this Etsy shop caught my eye. Lemons and Lollis makes such sweet aand delectable kid duds.

Seriously, what mama wouldn't be charmed by this or this?

____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches - just what the "name" implies.

#14 Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry - beautiful jewelry

#15 Geek Gear - Mason Jar Night Lights

#16 PhatSheep - contemporary textile accessories

#17 studio m. - art prints

Little nuggets....

I used to drink my coffee black. I also used to date complete losers.

These days, I'm so much more evolved. I drink my coffee laced with sugar and coffeemate creamer. I also married Jeff, who is not a loser, although he did have a crazy college experience.

Maybe I ruined him? Nah, he is still fun loving.

Seriously, black coffee is good but I can't resist creamer with a touch of sweet. It smells so good and looks even better. Bonus points if I have a cookie.

((hold on, pause. I have to go get a cookie))

I don't know how this relates to evolution except I don't buy fat free coffeemate and I use shortening in my chocolate chip cookies. That is, unless of course, we are evolving into complete butterballs.

Darsie just learned that you cannot drink from a cup lying down.

Is it bad to laugh at your kids?

etsy #17

I want to decorate my girls' room in these prints. Sweet Security is my favorite. Check out more at studio m.

I'm off to go make bread, mash potatoes, and brine a turkey.

____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches - just what the "name" implies.

#14 Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry - beautiful jewelry

#15 Geek Gear - Mason Jar Night Lights

#16 PhatSheep - contemporary textile accessories

etsy

With the weather getting more cold and snow flying in some places, this scarf is beckoning to me. Seriously, is this not the most warm and fluffy looking scarf ever? I even like the color. So, head over to PhatSheep for contemporary textile accessories.

____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches - just what the "name" implies.

#14 Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry - beautiful jewelry

#15 Geek Gear - Mason Jar Night Lights

Etsy pick #15

We don't have lightning bugs (is that what they are even called?) here in Washington where I live or in Northern California where I grew up, but these Mason Jar Night Lights kind of made me think of a warm summer evening and catching bugs.


Geek Gear has other fun things to liven up your day, like a Floppy Disc Notepad.
____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches - just what the "name" implies.

#14 Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry - beautiful jewelry

Etsy #14

I love these earrings. If I ever changed my earrings, this is the sort I would wear. They are just so sparkly, dangly, and elegany without being pretentious.

Kneehighs-n-Pigtails Jewelry has tons of gorgeous jewelry at awesome prices. I know a lot of my girl presents will come from here. So don't go and buy everything before me. Save me some of the good stuff.
____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

#13 felted wool brooches

Etsy Pick #13

Anybody else think these felted wool brooches are the neatest accessory? I'm not much for accessories, but I just think these are soooo cool.
____________________________________________________________________

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

#12 Serendipity: Beyond Design - wedding organization

Etsy Pick #12

Do you have a bride-to-be that you are buying a Christmas present for? Well, I think that this Wedding Guest Organizer by Serendipity: Beyond Design would be JUST the present for her (or for an OCD groom). This could help brides across the world avoid "oops" like the one discussed on Swistle.

I promise to blog about more than Etsy one of these days. I have my hands in too many fires at the moment and Etsy is fun and pretty effortless.

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

#11 Wooden Toys

Just call me personal shopper extraordinaire!

Sarah over at No Whey Mama asked about wooden toys. You know, I hadn't even THOUGHT about wooden toys for some reason. I love wooden toys. I prefer them over plastic stuff (who wouldn't?). We used to have a lot of wooden stuff but our other dog chewed them all up. It just seems like they emit a lot more life than plastic toys. It doesn't solve the lead issue, because who really knows these days, you know, but still, they are awesome.

So, here is a small collection of wooden toys that I think are neat over at Etsy.

Fire Breathing Dragon Puzzle

Spinning Tops

Hedgehogs

Baby Rattle

Necklace

Dolls

Double Flipper - this store has TONS of cool toys

Trucks

Hanukkah Square Roots Wooden Play Tiles


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

#10 Elly Nelly - wall graphics

Washington...how do I say this?

I want you back. I was mistaken. I still love you. So, will you have me back?

So, I foolishly put my foot in my mouth and declared that the referendum to instate simple majority votes on school bonds had failed.


Yeah, I should have waited because it passed.

You can't blame me though, it only took them a week to count the ballots (we dont' have polling places, only mail-in ballots).

Ok, end of politic chat, for now.

Washington...how do I say this?

I want you back. I was mistaken. I still love you. So, will you have me back?

So, I foolishly put my foot in my mouth and declared that the referendum to instate simple majority votes on school bonds had failed.


Yeah, I should have waited because it passed.

You can't blame me though, it only took them a week to count the ballots (we dont' have polling places, only mail-in ballots).

Ok, end of politic chat, for now.

Etsy Pick #10

Have I got something cool for you all today (and by the way, I think I just realized that I use "cool" waaayyyyyy too often, I also use "so" too much). Anyways, I digress.

We built our house as an investment and plan to move on to the next project in a few years. What does this mean? No painting anything crazy colors or neat (I almost used cool) murals on the walls for the girls. Basically, we need to keep things in a manner that would appeal to a wide mass of people.

Until now. I found these GREAT wall graphics by Elly Nelly.

How great are these dots or this paisley design? Do you know a kid that wouldn't like geckos on his/her wall? I think this tree graphic might just be my favorite though.

I know of a few blank walls in my house that could benefit from these.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

#9 Annie's Sweatshop - eco-friendly dog accessories

Etsy Pick #9

Now that I am back in the residing with dog world, I guess I have to get with the "buying of silly animal items" madness. Luckily for me, Annabelle is too big to carry in my purse, and I carry a BIG purse.

However, these collars, leashes, harnesses, and other cool dog items from Annie's Sweatshop.

To add to the coolness of these products, they are eco-friendly AND if you send in your leash or collar to be recycled, you get $5 off!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

#8 You and Your Little Brother - Funky stuffed creatures

Etsy Pick #8

I'm used to the lemur on Zooboomafu but this guy tickled my fancy when I saw him. So go and check out You and Your Little Brother for funky handmade stuffed creatures.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

#7 Off Woodland Lane or Sign Language - family signs

Etsy Pick #7

----- here is another Etsy source for similar signage


Once upon a time, Jeff and I used to go to this diner near our old house for breakfast on occasion. They always had these cool signs up for sale that had neat sayings on them. Anyways, these signs by Off Woodland Lane are sort of the same only more cool because they are personalized. And, I think the price is totally reasonable.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

#6 Marymee Studio - beautiful ceramics

So yeah, it is official

We weren't looking, we weren't even considering. We had thought about it as a possibility at some point but not any time soon. So boy were we surprised.

We've officially been adopted by this sweet girl named Annabelle.

Welcome to our home. We are sure you will be a great addition to our family of three girls and one boy. Poor Jeff, overwhelmed by the females (although I know he likes it this way).

There is a super-long story about how she had registration tags but the phone number was expired so I hunted, err... tracked the owner down via Myspace. Turns out it was a PREVIOUS owner but the dog had gone to live with their mom. The mom has some health issues and two other big dogs so she was willing to let Annabelle come live with us. But anyway, she can our house home.

Welcome home Annabelle.

Etsy Pick #6

Did you know that I went to a program for ceramics after high school? It was the California State Summer School for the Arts. You had to submit slides of your work and all that jazz. Looking back, I have no idea how I ever was accepted because I SUCKED.

Anyways, this lady doesn't suck. So go and visit Marymee Studio and check her stuff out. This is one of my favorites.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

#5 Small Beans - adorable children's items

Etsy Pick #5

While I'm not a huge fan of shoes for babies, I do think they need something to keep their feet warm during the winter. Besides, what is more cute than a baby wearing SHOES? It is like dog wearing a hat, just CUTE!.

I saw these and loved, LOVED them! Pink and Green! CUTE!

So, go and visit Small Beans and check out their other cute handmade items like baby toys, cute pajamas, and lots of other cute stuff for really great prices!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

#4 Mikeatron's - hilarious art prints

We've been adopted (I think)

So, yesterday, we had a dog come up to the house and was looking in all the doors and windows. She had tags so I figured she would eventually return to her home. I finally took a closer look at her tags and she is registered two counties away. I called on her tags this morning and she is from Vashon Island, a ferry ride away. They gave me her owner's number so I called but the number is disconnected. I'm going to hang a couple of signs to see if her owner's moved here and she got lost.

Jeff, my husband with the heart of steel, has even fallen for her (although he won't admit it). He made her a bed last night and wanted to know if she needed a space heater out on the porch. He also gave her our leftover rice and meat for dinner.

Etsy Pick #4

Do you love hilarious art prints that are also GORGEOUS? Thank go visit Mikeatron's Etsy shop. Even better for me, he is a Seattle artist and I live just outside of Seattle. So, not only am I buying ART but LOCAL ART. Two wins!

I'm seriously thinking about getting one for my husband to display in his office.

Maybe this one or perhaps this one. I think my father-in-law might enjoy this one.

I might have to decorate D's backpack with these since she is one of FOUR girls in her class that have the SAME backpack.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

#3 Seabreezestudio - great handmade purses, card holders, zippered pouches, etc.

I pity the fool who is....

normal!

Since Darsie has always been so constipated, it is so odd to have Elise who is so (well, kind of) normal, err... regular.

She sure is stinky, though. I blame that on her dad.

Nevermind. Nobody in my family is capable of being normal. I also blame that on their dad.

No poop should ever be that shade of orange nor smell that...intense. Guess it is time for something besides carrots and sweet potatoes.

Oh! My kids are going to L-O-V-E me some day!

I'm breaking up with....

Washington.

Warning...politics (but non-president/war related).

Gah. We are a state of non-wanting-to-pay-taxes-people. Which I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. I don't want to pay them, either, but I DO!

At our last local election there was a bond that the school district wanted to get passed. It was HUGE in dollars but big in what was to be accomplished. In my county, we have the LARGEST 10-12 grade school in the state. And we're not Seattle. We're not King County. This bond would hve provided funds to build a second high school which would make us have the TWO LARGEST 10-12 grade schools in the state. The bond would have also rebuilt the elementary school that Darsie will most likely go to as well as fix many roofs and upgrade technology wiring at most of the schools. And the vote had the majority. However, Washington does not go by simple majority for these things and while it had over 50% of yeses from voters, it did not have 60%.

So anyways, yesterdays elections there was a referendum to change it to a simple majority vote. Which would have been AWESOME.

But no. Washington said no.

We chose not to invest in our children.

We chose not to invest in our future.

I'm bummed.

Etsy Pick#3

I'm addicted, plain and simple. I think I could have posted 30 different Etsy shops yesterday alone. There is just something WONDERFUL about handmade items.

Today's Etsy pick hails from the United Kingdom and she creates the loveliest accessories using the sweetest fabrics - seabreezestudio by yukiko.

I think these zippered pouches are so sweet. If I wore makeup, I would want to keep it in there.

I am coveting one of her card organizers to keep my own business cards in, but I can't decide between the robots or the elephants.

And this purse, don't you think it would be perfect with my uniform of jeans and t-shirts?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Picks

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

#2 Sudlow - the most gorgeous, beautiful, creative jewelry

Etsy Pick #2

Monet's Waterlily Necklace by Sudlow

This jewelry is gorgeous and totally makes me drooool.

Her Oak Tree Necklace is another of my favorites.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior Etsy Pick

#1 KaraRee's Shop - the loveliest original acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media creations

From here until Christmas...

I'm going to post cool items from Etsy. I LOVE Etsy. Seriously, I mean where else can you find such a collection of cool items, HANDMADE items? Nowhere, that is where.

Ok, so my first item from Etsy is created by the lovely and fabulous Kara (also the blogger at Baa Baa Black Sheep). She creates awesome acrylic, watercolor, etc. paintings. I'd like to buy Sneak myself, I just have to figure out where it would go.

I hope she doesn't mind if I put one of her images here.


So, anyways, my Etsy pick of the day: KaraRee

The problem with....

time changes. Kids don't get it, especially babies.

Luckily, I haven't changed the clocks yet.

However, my husband's truck's clock will be correct now.

Oh yeah, hey, I remembered!

So, unpoof. I remembered the point.

Recipe organization.

I own one cookbook, that I got today. It was my grandma's Better Homes cookbook (that is the one with the red and white checkered pattern, right?). Well, in reality, two cookbooks if you count the spiral bound collection of recipes that my fifth grade class put together (my recipe was mini pizzas made with English muffins). Suprisingly, this book has the BEST recipe for Scottish shortbread I have ever had (you should see my handwritten note about it, I spelled Scottish - Scotish and sugar - surgar).

Fast forward to today and my one cookbook. I get most of my recipes from the Internet (Food Network and now Epicurious reign supreme [did anyone get that Iron Chef reference, huh?] as well as a motley crew of food blogs). I copy them from whatever site and, get this, send MYSELF an e-mail. THEN, I tag that e-mail with the label "recipe" and archive it. Ingenious.

Well, not really.

When I want to make a recipe, I print it out. Then, it is kept indefinitely in a three-ring binder on my counter. Problem is, I lost my hole punch a gazillion years ago so none of the recipes are actually punched and put into the binder. The recipes I like are on the left side of the binder and the ones I hope to never make again are on the right hand side.

I would love to do something real with my collection of tried and true recipes. However, I'm resistant to do something permanent since all of my recipes evolve. I love the idea of these, but I know they would get all nastified (I have a bad habit of putting spoons or spatulas down on the paper recipes are printed on...my recipe collection is..well, you probably don't care) and I would be too tempted to write notes on the recipes.

So, tell me in 3,000 words or less how you manage your recipes?

What is better than one weekly visit to Costco?

How about two? Yes, we returned to Costco today but this time with the husband in tow. I wanted to show him the evil pony from yesterday.

Too bad the worker-bees at Costco had moved Butterscotch to a higher perch so the kids couldn't play with him/her/it (why am I assigning a sex to a pretty much inanimate object?).

I was also craving another taste of their pasta salad that they were giving out samples of yesterday, although they weren't today. However, they did have samples of creme puffs! YUM!

Once upon a time this post had a point but somehow between that point in time and this point in time, that point that I was going to make got lost.

Poof.

A sad, sad life...

You know you are living a sad, sad life when your highlight of the day is a trip to the new Costco. It gets even worse when you fall in love with something like this:



I think Darsie sold about three of the horsies. They are seriously sooooo cool. Furreal.

Photos

A Trip to the Aquarium, Plus a Question

On Monday, the girls and I took a trip to the Seattle Aquarium. It had been ages since we had last been, perhaps even two years. We joined up with my parents and took the Bremerton ferry over to Seattle. It is an hour trip but it is so beautiful and relaxing...unless you have children to watch over of course, especially a three-year old that thinks it is snack time every time you take the ferry somewhere.

The aquarium was great. It obviously has been a LONG TIME since we were last there because it had undergone a pretty dramatic remodel, at least the front part since the back area is exactly the same. The cool part is there is a huge aquarium as soon as you buy your ticket and it just so happened that they had a diver in the tank just as we were there. Darsie LOVED it! The diver played peek-a-boo with her and was just very cool.

Darsie's favorite parts were the tide pool exhibits where you can touch the creatures and also the octopus exhibits. We tried to catch the feeding in the globe aquarium (imagine being inside a snowglobe with fish swimming around you outside of the globe) but by this time Darsie was starving and uncooperative. After a quick lunch, we returned to the aquarium and hit up the seals, sea otters, and river otters.

We came home with a stuffed octopus (dubbed Legs) that Darsie is enamored with. I promise pictures, but I have to run and get us all ready. The new Costco is opening up and we are going for hot dogs or something. At least it will get us out of the house, right?

+++++++++++++
And my questions. My niece's birthday is coming up (I can't remember at the moment if she is turning 9 or 10 - BAD AUNT!) and I am a horrible gift giver, HORRIBLE! So, ideas? She is a girly girl.

In search of...

some great jeans!

I've recently been wearing these from Old Navy. I am short and so, guess what, I get the short version. I loooove them so much that I have two pairs in different shades. I just noticed that Old Navy is selling a wide-leg version that I will have to check out. They don't ride so low you have to worry about how much butt you are showing or go so high you don't have to wear a top. They hold my muffin top in nicely as well.

My husband reads this so I think I might start dropping a hint or two. Or three or four. Love you Big Daddy Long Legs!

Fun & Games

I really didn't want to come off so negative in my last post. I thought about it during my shower this morning and decided to show you what is making me laugh and smile today and everyday (and some days pull my hair out!).

Well....CRAP!

How do you tell a three-year old that the pink shoes she has been talking about for MONTHS aren't going to happen? A couple of weeks ago, D's PT told us that the shoes were back ordered. Yesterday we were told that instead of pink, she would be getting white with pink trim (and by the way, this is totally NOT D's PT's fault). I don't really mind white with pink trim but I'm not sure what Darsie will think. I guess she will like most anything better than the blue ones she is currently borrowing. It really isn't a big deal, it just seems like it when it is impossible for us to just go out and pick out any pair of shoes.

Another bit of unfairness. Special needs equipment is soooooo expensive and this kid has had his swing stolen twice now.

And since this post is such a downer of a post....we didn't go trick or treating last night. I don't know if Darsie was scared or confused by the costumes, but she wouldn't have anything to do with the chef costume that she had picked out. Total bummer.

Other Cool Kids

The long list of blogs we read. If you want to be on here and are not (or would like to be removed), please send us a note! If you notice a dead link, please let us know, too.

Owen Keith Marshall
Keaton
Party of Six
Sophie & Sally
To The Max
Bird on the Street
Bad Mama
Micro Preemie Twins
Birtch Baby
McCarthy Micro Preemie Blog
Adventures of Super-Preemie
Madd Babies
Mono-Mono Preemie Twins
Blogging Hallie
Cerebral Palsy Blog
Jardna Day
Awesome Mom
As Long as it is Healthy
Eleanor and Adam
Navy Blue Elephant Trunks
Preemies First, Twins Second
A Preemie's Journey
Beanie Baby
Lovvorn Twins
Down Syndrome Life
Florin
My Beloved Monster and Me
Princess Julia
Special and Needy
The Continuing Adventure of Super-Preemie
Micro Preemie Steps
Eric Update
Fiona
Beanie at College
Little Charlie Rocks
Walking with Alec
Postcards from Holland
MOM-NOS
Kidneys and Eyes
Anna's Place
The Life and Times of Emma
Jenelle's Journey
lizmccarthy.blogspot.com
chocolachillie
Jack's Blog
Lincoln
Lucy May
Life of NLD/CP
Gizmo-isms
Caitlin
Brave with Hydrocephalus
http://www.snowdrop.cc
Silly Kid Tales
Better Than Normal