You will be getting one from me this year.

CARDS!! I am totally jumping on the free shutterfly Christmas cards bandwagon this year. I have seen several friends' blogs the past few days mentioning how they are saving money this year and going with Shutterfly Christmas cards; and just by mentioning it on their blogs, they get 50 free cards to send out! Too great to pass up!

Now, every year, I have the best intentions of sending cards out to my friends and family. I do. But, realistically, I barely get the ornaments hung on my tree every year. This season is so busy for us that the holiday passes by before we actually get to sit down and enjoy the the eggnog. But not anymore. This year, and for every year to follow, I am going to make sure that I enjoy this season; its my favorite time of the year, not just because of all the merry-making and candy canes; but because it is a constant reminder of my salvation, and just how much my God loves me.

And as for cards, those guys over at Shutterfly make it so easy, and so hip. Their selection is large, ranging from traditional and classy to funky and modern. And they are super affordable too! And the process of getting your cards made personal is so easy that even a non-techie can do it. Click on the design you like, upload a picture and add a few personal words if you want and voila, you are done. I am super excited to create my own cards. Be looking for some sweet looking smiling faces in your mail-box soon (that sounded scary, but you know what I mean!).

PS- they also have some really other cute Christmas gift ideas. Every grandparent MUST own a coffee mug with their grandchildren's "mugs" on them. And the Christmas ornaments are really beautiful, and the pictures are sealed so they can be used and passed down for generations to come. Its a one stop shop, people!

Books

One of my favorite smells is the smell of books. I love the musty mixed with wood smell of old books. I love the crisp smell of new books. I anticipate that smell that just envelops you when you walk into a bookstore, of stiff book spines and fresh paper.

There is nothing better to me than waking up early in the morning, never getting out of bed, just reaching over for a book and reading in bed until lunch (so that hasn't happened in over 3 years, but still...).

I love long baths with a good book. I love a good book paired with a blanket and a sunny day.

I just LOVE books, period. Not just the act of reading, but the actual book, the black letters against the white pages, dogged with repeated use; the weight of them on my lap; the collection of them on my bookshelf.

And the words, how they fit together to make something, but then how you can just take them apart, or just a phrase, and well, make poetry of that in itself. I love how wrapped up I can get in those words, how affected I can become.

Which is why I am appalled at the new book, the Kindle. What a vile little creation. Don't we understand that the words are only part of the book? Are we so concerned with convenience and getting what we want exactly when we want that we are forgetting the goodness of permanence? And what about our eyes? I thought computer screens were supposed to be bad for the eyes.

I will not lie and say that I didn't research this little product because even I am seduced by any book in the world at my fingertips. But it only took a few minutes for me to realize what a travesty this could be. In addition, it seems pretty pricey. For $250, you should be able to download books for nominal prices. But a new release is still $10. That seems a little steep. And in the wrong hands (mine!), a very expensive little gadget. I read fast and doubt I could resist downloading at least 1 or 2 new books a week.

So this may be the way of the future, but for now, I will stick to my library and local bookstore. And if I have no choice, I will begrudgingly get one when our world has gone to pot. I suppose my grandkids will have to come over and repeatedly show me how to turn it on and download the books on the thing though.

Now that's smart.

So, how many times, as a mom, have you been holding your baby and allowed her to slobber and chew all over your necklace or bracelet? Both mine did it and it was always much easier just to let them do it then prevent it. Plus, it kept them so occupied.

WELL, some smart mom came up with these necklaces and bracelets that were made to be teethed on! I know, I know, it may sound like one of those marketing traps for moms, but I think its genius!!

You can order one at Smart Mom Jewelry. Right now, they are selling their bangles at half price and if you enter in the code S-BC, you get an extra 20% off!

PS- these people didn't put me up to this- I just saw the product and wanted to share!

Free Stuff!!!

I just bought a nursing cover from www.uddercover.com (awful name I know!!) but I got a code from a friend which made it FREE! I had to pay shipping, which was like $10, sort of steep, but the cover was originally $32, which is the norm...

If you are in the market, check it out. Just put this promo code in before paying: family2010

Since I am unfamiliar with this company (although I do know people who have bought from them), I paid with paypal, just in case!

The world can end now.

Every year, around this time, I buy my first yearly bag of Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts. And then I buy my second, third, sometimes fourth bag before the Valentine's holiday is officially over. I look forward to this candy every year, about the time I start getting sick of candy corn.

So this year, I got my first bag. I ripped into it, expecting to be hit with that soft, sweet smell of, what is it, well just subtle sweetness. But it smelled like strawberry, like that strong strawberry bubble bath or something. Peering into the bag, my eyes were accosted by bright blue hearts, neons almost. And did I mention that smell? I started to feel sick. Something was very very wrong here.

And then I took one out of the bag and tasted it. What was that, green apple? And then another, sacrilege- its blue rasberry. AND they were soft, not slightly crunchy like I like them. What happened to my beloved hearts? The subtle hints of wintergreen and banana?

I thought maybe it was the wrong brand because their logo isn't anywhere on the newly designed bag. So I searched like 5 stores and came up with nothing. So to the internet I went and found this....

Here was their reasoning from their website:

*New Sayings & Colors
For the first time in 145 years, Sweethearts® discarded all its previous phrases and asked the American public to tell us how they express their love. The 2010 Sweethearts® are featured in bright and bolder new colors.

*New Flavors & Texture
All new flavors for 2010 Sweethearts® include Strawberry, Green Apple, Lemon, Grape, Orange and Blue Raspberry. The new Sweethearts® have been re-formulated to be softer and more fun to eat.

*New Line Extensions & Innovation
Sweethearts® new line extensions include Sugar-Free, Dazzled Tarts, En Español and Chocolate. This is the first time the company has put a DAZZLED© finish on TARTS.

Let me just go ahead and say it: they have really messed up here . These are truly disgusting. And it better be fixed before next Valentine's Day, or else.

PS- I know this is quite dramatic for a situation that involves candy. But anyone who knows me can tell you, I am pretty passionate about candy.

I am so glad I am not the only crazy one around here

So E came home from Walmart the other day with one of these things, the Axe Detailer Shower Tool. Otherwise known to the rest of the world as a loofah. A man loofah, a moofah if you will.

He kindly asked me not to ever use it. He doesn't like to share.

Withdrawals

After all the shopping I have gotten to do the last month, I am having some serious let-down now. I want to shop! I want to spend money! But alas, there is none to be spent....

So I will share some of our Christmas favs this year!

Okay, first things first. One of my favorite gifts I gave this year was from this little lady on etsy- she makes these super cute pendants with backings from vintage game pieces and puts a clear protective, waterproof coating on them. I couldn't resist the above pendant (it was a little gift to me from Santa!).

Hazel got this sweet little Infantino Lil Chef Set ($5 at walmart!!) and she loves it. It rattles and shakes and crunches and is great for her busy hands and mouth. And now, I don't have to give up my own measuring cups to entertain her!

Okay, that's all for now, maybe more later!

Last minute holiday gift idea

When I was a little girl, my mom always read to me stories about princesses and fairy tales and adventures from this big red book (pub 1978), called "Walt Disney's Treasury of Children's Classic". It was full of illustrations from the animated movies of Snow White, Cinderella and all the other disney classics I grew up watching. The book was a big deal. Mom said she had to order it from a catalog. It was a treasured item in our house and to this day evokes feelings of family and security and everything good in life.

So yesterday, I was at walmart, of all places and guess what- they had the exact same book! Well, it was updated with newer stories like The Lion King, but the old ones are still there, with the original illustrations and and introductions that tell you about the making of the movies. I immediately grabbed it up for Hazel. She is obviously too young for it now, but I hope that we will share some special memories reading it together as I remember with my mother.

If you are still looking for a special gift for any child around 4+, I highly recommend this book! It has stories for both boys and girls and they are sure to love it!

Call first!

All I have to say is my house has never been dirtier than it is at the exact moment. If you are stopping by, call me first, because trust me, you don't want to see my house in this state.

On other news, we are doing okay. Adler hasn't run any fever today and other than the crazies that come along with albuterol, he is acting normal. Poor Hazel is coughing and wheezing and snorting like you wouldn't believe, but is in good spirits. We were at the dr. for 3 hours this morning (all three of us!!) and she looked better- xray showed a little gunk, but no pneumonia for Hazel. We actually did the rsv test this time and it came back negative. So now dr says its brochiolitis. But hopefully meds and breathing treatments will clear her onup.

Lastly, I am in the market for a new carseat. Adler still uses his and my 20 pound 4 month old ( yes, she gained 2 more pounds in 3 weeks!) is too big for her infant seat. I am looking at the graco my ride 65. Seems to have great reviews, ratings and is rear facing up to 40 pounds. Anyone else have this seat? Do you love it?

Regretsy

So, wait, you guys. I wasn't going to post anything about this because I don't want to be that girl that makes fun of some one's homemade creations.


but.....I couldn't resist. So, someone came up with this website, Regretsy, that features items that are listed for sell on my fav website, etsy, that as Regretsy puts it, looks like its made with your feet. There is quite the controversial buzz around the web about it though. It looks a lot like the actual etsy site, and even though it doesn't link to the items on etsy; its easy to type in the given words and find the items and sellers. And well, isn't it mean to make fun of some one's craftiness? These things are getting sold, so apparently, not everyone has the same opinions of the regretsy crew. But I digress, point is, some of it is wack, plain and simple. But, warning, some of it is also really gross, offensive and r rated. So instead, I have a few pics of some of the stuff that people are selling, and if I am not mistaken, that people have bought.

read: "this BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN PAPERCLIP NECKLACE." I don't think I have to say anything else here.

Brittany- you are so getting this mermaid clip for Christmas.

That looks like something I would make.

Never lose your dentures again. Or your keys.

Can you read that small print? It may look harmless; but it is made out of CATERPILLAR FUR.

Something's not right in the world

when you are literally dying from heat exhaustion at the school pumpkin patch party. We had a great morning, a hay-ride, pumpkin picking, scare-crow stuffing, and lots of playing; but man, was it hot and muggy!

And while I am at it...

First, let me say, I love Etsy. What I am about to tell you is not an anti-etsy rant. I buy from etsy all the time. As a matter of fact, I just bought a few Christmas gifts last night off of etsy. BUT- a few months ago, I bought some 5 or 6 cute outfits that were on sale for the kids to wear next summer. I paid through paypal and waited for my order to come in. And waited and waited until finally the seller told me that there was a tragedy in her family but that she would be getting them out very soon. So I completely understood and wanted to giver her as much time as she needed. But she never sent them to me, and what is worse, her etsy account and shop has been deleted! I filed a complaint with etsy, but she won't return any emails from me or etsy. Basically, that is all etsy does to help. I can't file a refund request with paypal because its been over 45 days. This apparently has happened to at least 6 other people because I have been in touch with them to see if there was anything we could do.

I am so bummed about it. I mean, its not totally about the money, although that is a factor. Its just the fact that I feel betrayed by a CRAFTER! I mean, I thought that all people who made things with their hands were inheritantly good people. I feel like someone just told me that the Easter bunny doesn't exist.

Okay, I am over the soapbox- just wanted to share. Any suggestions on how I can get my money back or the outfits, which is really want I want anyway!

Not such a bad idea after all

Remember when I made fun of these hands, well, I retract that. Hazel likes my hands on her to fall asleep and I am thinking that when she moves over to her crib, this may be a problem. I am not going to promise you that I won't be buying these hands to cradle Hazel if it gets too bad. Okay, I won't do it, but I would if it wasn't so creepy.

How did I do without these things the first time around?

um, eewww

The inflatable neck ring- what's just mean is that there is a ducky over to the side that would be impossible to get to

I seriously may get one of these, better the baby than me, right!

and what's cooler is that its called a daddle



I would be slightly freaked if I saw a baby hanging from the bathroom stall in one of these




because what baby wouldn't be comforted by the feeling of two disembodied hands on him?

Think Small

Just a note here to encourage you guys to support small businesses in your town this Christmas season. I am sentimental about the businesses that have been operating in my small town for as long as I can remember and can't imagine my town without them.

In the midst of economic crisis, it is these businesses that are hurting, unable to get credit, unable to compete fairly with the big players, and forced to watch those big players, who in some cases, are paying their laborers upwards from $72 an hour as they receive billions of dollars in help. I am anxious to see our small businesses succeed, to thrive in the main street or rural locations. These are the same businesses that we often see giving to local charities and supporting our children's sports teams.

So remember that this year when you are out shopping. Walmart can always be bailed out (sadly!) but the only thing that can keep small businesss afloat is us!

Sweet little mini journal

I am drawn to small notebooks and journals, which is why I had to buy this small mini-journal when I saw it. For less than $3, this little notebook makes me feel so happy when I see it poking its cute little cover out of my purse. The artist, Claire Nicolson, really speaks to my sense of style as well. Check out her website here. She designs her work by first making paper collages out of decorative paper and packagings. She uses vintage textiles to create her art. Here's a peak at the cuteness you are sure to find on her website. This picture is of her dolly birds, inspired by russian dolls. How sweet!

I had to have it!

***WARNING****baby and shopping talk to follow****

My cousin Laura is having a baby in a month or so, and posted a blog entry on some baby products she thought to be pretty useless. This got many comments, and got me to thinking about some of the things I bought that I just had to have but never actually used.


I admit that I am a baby-gear-aphile. I love anything and everything that will make my life easier. I mean, why not, right? That's just what the baby gear marketers love to hear. I will tell you that I have wasted plenty of pennies on stuff I never use though.


So, here are some things that in theory, would save any mom's life on a daily basis, but proved to be pretty useless for me.


1. The Bumbo seat. I know, I know, "they" say its worth every penny of the $40 you pay for it. But I think Ad may have sat on the thing a total of 15 minutes. He would sit in it for 1 minute and then want me to hold him.


2. The swing. I know I am in the minority on this one, but its true. He didn't take to it. I am holding on to it for baby #2 if we go that route.


3. The Combi Baby Carrier- after Ad outgrew his BABYBJORN Carrier I thought I had to have this so we could continue the baby wearing that was working so well for us, but the thing was complicated to put on and I felt like he was falling out of it when he was in it. We used it twice. This was, of course, before my sister starting making and selling baby slings. I would have used one of these for all of Ad's infant and toddler days if I would have had one of these.


4. 80 Billion crib sheets- I thought I would need to change his sheets every single day, sometimes 3-4 times and I was wrong. When he was tiny, I put a cloth pad on top of the sheet for accidents, but mainly, we only use 2 sheets because all the rest don't fit right. And while I am at it, the crib comforter I had to have to match his room, well, it still hasn't been used. I am hoping to finally use it when we switch to a toddler bed.


5. Baby bath- I used this the first month, but after that, my monster had grown 4 feet and 30 pounds so we switched to laying him down in a bath on a foam pad with just an inch of water. Works pretty much the same.

6. a pack and play- again, I know I am in the minority, but the only time we ever used ours was when we were camping. And actually, I couldn't use it then either and ended up using my mother in law's because it was smaller. My cousin in law gave me mine and I am really grateful for her generosity though. Ad just didn't like to be anywhere except right on my hip.

7. The infant carseat- I would probably buy my Graco SnugRide again if I had to do it all over again because they are the safest for infants, but Ad had practically outgrown the thing before he was even here. At 9 lbs 5 oz at birth, he was certainly snug in it. I think I switched over to a convertable carseat at 5 months. But I guess it was easier to just take him in from the car still in his carseat since the first few months he slept the whole time.


I would love to hear some of your must have's until you got them. Maybe another day I will post some things I really couldn't live without. I know you all are dying with anticipation.

PS- luckily, my sister in law was gracious enough to give me a ton of baby stuff she had, most of which I used regularly, such the shopping cart seat cover that sparked a lot of controversy on my cousin's blog. Most of the stuff I had to have but didn't really ever use I bought myself. I learned my lesson- take every hand-me-down you can possibly fit in your house because those are the things that you will inevitably use the most- the tried and true.

Okay, so that bag retailed at $50,000

you know, the one I mentioned in the post below. Which. is. CRAZY. But, the nice people at Bag Borrow Steal posted a comment to make sure we knew that, so I am posting it in BIG BOLD LETTERS HERE. Not all their stuff for rent is that pricey. I just picked the most expensive to make a point- the things we, and we not as in me, but as in other people that are not me, do for fashion!

Oh, that's pocket change

So, I found out that you can rent designer bags from this website called Bag Borrow Steal for mere pennies considering the hefty price tag these bags carry. I have no interest in these bags, unless they come from TJ-Max, but I was curious so I went to the website.

For only 1,690.00/week or $6,010.00/month you can rent this Hermes vintage bag above. Yes, that's $1690 A WEEK, $6000 A MONTH.

And that's for those poor unfortunate souls that can't afford to buy the bag. I am utterly speechless.

I know you are trying to be helpful

but please, stores I frequently shop at, stop sending me sale notices and coupons. Its too much, its just too much. I can't resist. The thought crossed my mind today that I may have some issues.
On the bright side though, I bought Ad some winter clothes and a few summer pieces for next year and only spent $96 at Polkadot Pony. I added up the original prices, and would have spent $374. See, now you see why I can't resist? Who knew children's clothes could be discounted that much? I surely didn't until this summer. Never again will I pay full price!

On other news, Adler has been hit and miss with his sleeping. He was up about an hour last night, crying and falling asleep, waking, crying and falling asleep. It was better than his average night, but still not where we need to be. I am trying some things though and am hopeful over the next few nights, it will get better.

We spent the weekend relaxing and playing in the pool, eating watermelon and catching up on some household stuff. We tiled our dining room a few weeks ago and finally painted in there and moved the furniture back in, thank goodness. I was tired of the table sitting in the middle of the living room. Now I have to get all my china out of the bathtub and put it back in the china cabinet and get the house back to normal. I am so ready to be DONE with it!

Alrighty, need to run!

um, yeah, about that

So, my tupperware came in and I am starting to have a feeling that maybe I went overboard. There is another small cabinet full of tupperware that I couldn't get in the picture. Everything you see here is from the party I had. What was I thinking?