Stocking Stuffer Idea… and Giveaway!

I want to introduce you to Kelly at PlumDaisy.  Her clippies and hair blooms are what got me hooked!  I plan to put a couple of her cute things in Beach Bunny’s stocking.

I want you to get to know Kelly a little bit.  Here’s a quick little Q and A I had with her last night…

Q:  How did you start your wonderful Etsy shop?

A:  I am blessed with one beautiful little girl, Ava Marie {my model, below} now 3 1/2. {Where has the time gone?!} Plum Daisy was really inspired by her, her peach-fuzz head and her ever expanding wardrobe. Her prematurity at birth contributed to her lack of hair which didn't grow in until well after her first birthday. I had trouble finding headbands to dress up her head so I started making lace headbands accented with flowers for her. Lots of compliments later and a suggestion by my uncle to sell them is what drove me to open up shop on Etsy. A lot of my pieces are inspired by the boldly printed fabrics and vibrant color combinations found in Ava's wardrobe.

Q: What are your favorite hobbies?

A:  I have a thirst for any kind of creative outlet. When I manage to find time I love to dabble with photography, mostly landscapes and botanicals or historic architecture. I am also getting back into simple arts and crafts that I can create with my daughter reminiscent of my Girl Scout days.

Q:  {This question was extra credit- wink, wink}  If you had a million bucks, what would you do with it?

A:  Oooh, this IS a fun one! If I had a million dollars I would buy a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a nice lens kit and travel the world with my other half and my daughter and document it all through photographs and journals, starting with the fabulous U.S. of A.

A girl can dream, right?

 

Kelly would love to offer a $25 e-gift card to one lucky winner.

All you need to do is visit PlumDaisy and come back and leave a comment about what caught your eye.  If you’d like a second entry, you can fan her on Facebook.  Currently, she has 19 fans, and we need to change that for her.  Her stuff is too cute!

Contest runs through Friday, December 11, 2009.

Encourage one another,

And the Winner is…

 

Thank you, Veronica, for the fun BabyKDesigns giveaway!

Congrats, Camille! Your little girls are going to look so cute in their new hats!

I have one last giveaway coming up on Monday. They would make the cutest stocking stuffers. Kelly has a great mom-owned business. I can’t wait to introduce you to her.

Merry Christmas,

Baby Shower and a New Friend

Recently, we had a baby shower for my sister-in-law.  We are so excited to be adding another girl to our team.  That will make the score a tie for my side of the family when their baby girl arrives…  Boys 2  - Girls 2.

If I was a betting person, I’d say that score won’t last for long. 

 

Isn’t it amazing how much stuff a (probably eight pound) newborn needs?

I always wonder how the pioneer women survived without all this.

No Boppy.

No Bjorn.

No Bumbo.

No way!

 

Could someone please take a look at this precious outfit for me?

And these tiny leopard shoes?

I just can’t look.

‘Cause I want more babies.  I can’t even handle what I already have, but I want more.  MORE I tell you!

 

You know, one of the most fun things about the shower (you know besides getting a niece out of the deal) was the fact that I got to make a new friend in the process.  Amanda baked, decorated and shipped her beautiful cookies all the way across the United States in time for the party.  She has a heart of gold and is so very talented. 

Not only were her cookies so cute, they tasted like heaven.  In fact, I saw a couple of ladies at the shower put them in their purses!

So thank you, friend, for blessing my family and me with your beautiful confections.  They were the pièce de résistance!

Christmas Gift Idea… And a Giveaway!

How cute is this hat?  I am convinced that crocheted beanies are taking over the world!  I love the curly ostrich feathers!  It’s so girlie and fun.

I was on the quest for the perfect hat for Beach Bunny to wear for Christmas pictures.  I fell in love with this one.  She doesn’t keep hats on for very long, but this hat stayed on her head for over an hour.  We played with bubbles, swung on the swings,  and took pictures… and she was happy as a clam with her hat on.  That’s a first!

This adorable little crochet beanie is from the cool Etsy Shop, BabyKDesigns.   Veronica, the owner, also has a great blog.  She has the most beautiful selection; I plan to do some more Christmas shopping there for my daughter… and I know my mom has already purchased some of her hand-made designs, too.

Veronica is such a doll. She will give one lucky winner a $25 e-gift card for anything in her shop!  Did you see she’s having the most amazing sale right now?  Somebody hold me back.

I love to support mom-owned businesses.  I can’t help myself.

How to enter?

• Visit Veronica’s Etsy Shop and then come back and tell me in your comment what item you like best.
• If you’d like a second entry, you can visit BabyKDesign’s blog and becoming a “Facebook Fan” of her cute stuff! (located in her left sidebar).

Contest runs through this Friday, December 4, 2009.  The winner will be chosen by random draw.

I just love this time of year!

Le Creuset Winner

 

We just walked in the door from a four hour road trip visiting with Kahuna’s side of the family.  It was so nice to get out of town, but we could certainly do away with holiday traffic!  Can I get an amen up in here?!

Before I unpack and start a mountain of laundry, I wanted to announce the CSN Store’s Le Creuset winner.

I used an online true random number generator, and the winner is….

http://justjingle.blogspot.com

Congratulations!  You are one lucky lady!

 

I’ll be back tomorrow with another holiday giveaway for the littlest lady in your life.

With love,

I’m Thankful For…

My dad (and my mom) who somehow make everything better and always send me home with food…

 

My little brother (my only sibling) who, in just a few weeks, will be a dad for the very first time…

My daughter who is my sunshine…

 

Sons who always forgive and forget…

 

My sweet Grami who came home from the hospital just in time for Thanksgiving dinner…

 

The fact that I did not panic (okay, just twice) while making my first Thanksgiving dinner…

My husband who went to the grocery store for me again…

 

My family who has outgrown just one Thanksgiving table…

And I am so very thankful for you.

I just found this verse today and loved it…

“Thanksgiving will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors.” - Jeremiah, chapter 30

That is definitely one mess that won’t get cleaned up!

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!

With love,

P-Dub in Da House!!!

I can’t believe it!  I got to meet my all-time hero, Ree Drummond… A.K.A. The Pioneer Woman, on Sunday night.  It was off the hook!

She started the night out with about 20 minutes of Q and A.  Someone asked her to sing, so Ethel Merman made her appearance.  Hilarious!  What a voice!

 

I got to ask the first question- my big moment (which I had practiced in the bathroom mirror thankyouverymuch)…

Q: “Ree, how did your blog change from a hobby to a career?”

She started to answer me, but you know what happened?  I kept thinking, Pioneer Woman is talking to me.  Pioneer Woman is looking at me.  And then all I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding in my chest.  Darn it all!  I can’t remember everything she said to me, but the gist was that she loves blogging and that she would be doing it no matter what.

 

She was just as I had hoped… kind brown eyes, a quick wit, encouraging, self-deprecating, and just as genuine as can be.

 

A PW book signing must have at least one tiny baby in the audience.  It’s the rules.

 

Here’s a shout out to my new BFF’s, Rachel and Davese.  We spent two hours together in line.  I know their deepest darkest secrets.  Thanks for the picture, Rachel!

 

Ree was so sweet to sit and talk with each one of us. 

 

Scads of people delighted to hear P-Dub’s off the cuff humor…

 

Finally it was my turn.  I was so excited but so hot that I’m sure I used up all of my deodorant.  Oh, well.  Good thing she lives on a ranch!

She recognized my edited picture from here and here.  I was blown away!  She was so encouraging of my photography and editing.  I’m sure she’s like that with everyone- but it was so nice to hear her say that… you know, from someone other than my mother.  As she was signing my book she said, “I’ll write about that (photography) in your book.  Is that ok?”

 

And then my husband and three kids came in and plopped down in the front row.  ‘Nuf said!

 

And my prize…

Someone pinch me.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering…

She smells like cinnamon rolls : )

Pinch Me.

I must be dreaming!

My Torrid Love Affair… and a Giveaway!

In my post, My Dirty Little Secret, I reluctantly confessed something, and I revealed my torrid love affair with Le Creuset… the bad boy of stoneware and cast iron and cookware. Every time I go to the outlet malls in our town I stop by the Le Creuset shop and fondle all of their cookware. It is hands down the best out there- but, sadly, way above my budget.

But it doesn’t have to be way above your budget. Would you like the chance to win a few pieces? The generous people at CSN Store would like to make your holiday cooking even merrier! CSN Store will give one lucky winner two Le Creuset pieces below. There is a 9 inch baking dish, as well as, a 5 inch baking dish. Both pieces will be shipped to you and are in the most amazing Caribbean Blue color- Just gorgeous!

I’m jealous.

And hungry.

Would you like to enter?

Just leave any old comment. If you don’t have a blog- no problem! Just leave your email address in your comment or a link to your Facebook page or Twitter account.

If you’re up for it, there are ways to earn multiple entries!

• You can get another entry by blogging about this contest and then returning to the comments here and leaving a link to your blog post.
• You can also get another entry by Tweeting about this contest and linking to this post in your Tweet. Then, you may come back here and enter again. If you don't mind adding the link to your Tweet in the comments here, that would be awesome, so I can check to make sure you really Tweeted.
• This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.
• Winner will be selected by random drawing. I'll post the winner on my blog, and then I’ll contact you.
• Contest runs through Saturday, November 28th.

Happy baking,

P.S. Did you notice that CSN Store has everything? They even have a site for... counter stools!

Oh, Happy Day!

The long awaited day had arrived…

Beach Bunny asked us where we were going. 

“Family Day,”  I said on the fly.

“Oh, gweat (great)!” she said from her car seat, not having a clue that Family Day meant that we were about to finalize her adoption- an important day in her life and ours.

Our extended family was so great to come out and celebrate with us even though it was smack dab in the middle of a work day.  They are cool like that.

Before I show you the official pics, I of course have to show you the behind-the-scenes shots.  We’re a unique bunch.  Trust me.

Mother-in-law and sister-in-law (annoyed at me for taking their picture but gave me a courtesy smile anyway… awe, thanks!) quickly feeding the babies their lunch before they call us all into the courtroom.

 

Oh, no you di-in’t.  Don’t you laugh.  I WILL seek revenge, sista’.

 

Rolling on the floor across the court’s atrium most definitely helped us pass the time. 

 

Nothing says “photo op” like a candid family picture with a metal detector in the background.

 

Ok, onto the big event-

Dad’s John Hancock…

 

Then mine…

 

Then the judge said something about someday dividing our estate into thirds, and I remember my whole family chuckling in the background.  I think I got nervous and allegedly started picking my nose.

 

And then the judge stamped and sealed our documents and told us congratulations.  We were complete.  She was gracious enough to let us take a few pictures even though there were other families awaiting their turn.

 

And then the group shot taken by the cute security guard-

 

And more photos ‘cause, strangely, there never seem to be quite enough.

Oh, happy day! 

And That’s a Wrap!

We were so excited and relieved to finally wrap up the final step in Beach Bunny’s adoption.  From what I understand, each state has its own laws on how to finalize an adoption, and our state required that we submit more paperwork and go before a judge.  It was easy peasy… the only simple step in the whole process for us. The entire day I had a song playing over and over in my head… “He is Mighty to Save” by Hillsong.  The lyrics that repeated time after time in my mind go like this: 

My Savior, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus.

_________________

If you want to hear the melody, watch 30 seconds of this YouTube video.  I love the chorus at 2:31.  The lyrics just jump in and squeeze my heart!  I love to turn the volume waaay up on this song and have a dance party in the family room with my kids.  I love when Beach Bunny requests this song.  She calls it “Meaty to Seeve”.  The Lord, indeed, saved our daughter’s precious life and brought her home to us. We are forever thankful. 

He is mighty to save!

Tonight or tomorrow I will post pictures from our final adoption day (Family Day, as we call it), but I have to go back to work, so for now…

… that’s a wrap!

Love,

Wordless Wednesday

EcoStore Winner!!

Drum roll….

 

 

Congratulations to Naddez (Who said, “I would get the Pure Oxygen Whitener)!  You are the winner of the $25 e-gift card to EcoStoreusa.com!  You lucky lady, you. 

I hate that there is just one prize.  I will make it up to you with a few more giveaways coming to a computer screen near you.

With love,

It Was The Perfect Date

It’s a very rare and special thing these days for my husband and I to get to go out on an old fashioned date- just the two of us.  I texted some friends Don’t bug.  I’m on a date with my man. 

We were so happy to be alone it was ridiculous.

He drove, and I stretched out my legs and put my bare feet on the dashboard.  We drove Pacific Coast Highway with the windows down while eating take-out fish and chips from our favorite beach shack restaurant.

We’re casual people.

Someone gave us tickets to Cirque du Soleil- Kooza.  It was right on the beach and next to the pier.  The show and its location were spectacular!

 

After the show, we strolled the pier and held hands… just like the good ol’ days.  The pier was eclectic fun.

For $1.00 The Great Zoltar will predict your future in English- or Spanish.  It was pretty eerie. He kept saying I know you're there. I can tell your future. Come closer.

No thanks.  You are in my nightmares.

 

People, do you see what I have to deal with here? My husband is showing me that he has found his long lost twin.

More nightmares.

 

Some of our stops…

We made some new friends…

 

Enjoyed the Ferris wheel…

 

And hoped that the guy who took our picture with my camera didn’t run away with it while we had our backs turned.

 

 

It was the perfect date.

 

The Dessert That Made Me Famous…

Friday night was my twelve year old’s last flag football game of the season.  The afternoon before the game I decided to bake a dessert for everyone.  I busted out the brownie mix and a football shaped cookie cutter.  It was a simple dessert, but… it made me famous.

 

Famous?

Yes, famous.

Not the “your name in lights” type, but the more important kind.

I overheard my son telling the other players that I made the dessert they were enjoying.  Then I’m sure I caught his smile from across the room.  For some reason he felt proud. In that moment I mattered to him.

It made me feel, well… famous.

 

 

Goodness Gracious! A Giveaway!

Since Beach Bunny and I have sensitive skin, I am always on the lookout for bath products that are gentle, high quality, really sudsy, and good for us.  Eureka!  I’ve found it.  It’s called Baby Body Wash from Ecostore USA.   I love it so much because it makes our skin incredibly soft.   In fact, truth be told, I gave her two baths yesterday and the body wash made her toddler legs feel baby soft all over again- my hands, too. You want to know the kicker?  My husband used it (don’t tell anybody I’m telling you) and he was like, Hey, I like that new body wash.  What’s it called?

Ecostore USA would like to offer a $25 e-gift certificate to one lucky reader.  $25 goes a long way in their store!  You can pick out whatever you’d like.

That’s pretty darn cool.

Here are some things that I’d love to try if I won:

 

How to enter?  Just visit Ecostore USA, then come back and tell me what you would try if you won.  That’s it!  One winner will be chosen at random.  Contest ends November 11, 2009.

Halloween Scrapbook Pages

I had so much fun this Halloween.  We started out the night with 13 people over for dinner- just family.  I made homemade pizza for the kids, and for the adults I made cornbread and put on a pot of homemade turkey chili.  I love having people over with all their kids.  It was wonderful chaos- babies and kids everywhere.

Here are a few scrapbook pages to commemorate the night. 

Beach Bunny dressed as a ladybug.  She loved her costume for most of the night.  At one point she considered being a streaker instead. I was able to convince her to put her costume back on after I told her that all little children must wear clothes in order to go trick or treating.

Thankfully she complied.

 

This was the first year we let the boys be something scary.  I’m still not convinced I like the idea.  I guess they can’t be super heroes forever.  Sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

I have to end on a not-so-scary note.

 

 

Help For a Foster Boy & Halloween Peek

I am so excited to have completed fund raising with your help for a wonderful boy in our local foster care system. If you don’t remember his story, please click HERE.

To be totally honest, I was scared to death to hit “publish” when I first asked for your help to join me in helping Floyd. I was afraid no one would chip in, and I would be left hanging there. But I trusted the Lord. Now as I look back I believe God placed the number “500” in my heart, but in His unending love multiplied it. One of my boys tonight came to me with some money for Floyd, and now the total is $1000.50. Unbelievable.

This is what I know and need to remember…

What a privilege I have been given by God to be able to spend my life giving His love away.

Thank you for helping me help Floyd. I can’t wait to hand him his check and tell him that people from all over the country care for him. I pray that your kindness will reveal to him the heart of the heavenly Father who cares for his needs.

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

Kathleen N. from California, your name was randomly picked from the list of all who “chipped in” with me. You are the winner!! I am excited to design a mini album just for you. Please email me at pineappleprincess777@gmail.com.

_________________________________________

Ok, so no post is complete without a picture, so here’s a peek at tomorrow’s post…

Encourage one another,

Your Photo- My Edit

I had an “open call” for photos a few weeks ago, and you guys sent me some fun ones!  A few of the photos were perfect as is, while others needed a lot of love (Ha!).  I chose this picture from Jess because it was right smack in the middle.  I also chose this one to show you that, with a little tweaking, you can salvage a photo and bring it a little more life with the “unsharp mask” tool.

 Edited Version:

 

Original Below:

I am not a fan of overly Photoshopped edits.  I wanted to keep this picture close to the original, yet give it some pop.  These are the steps I took to clean up this adorable photo:

1.  Imported picture into Photoshop Elements 7

2.  Duplicated the layer in layers palette.  Edited with soft light at 20% to add contrast

3.  Selected only the irises of the eyes with lasso tool and upped the contrast to +7… then with the eyes already selected, I chose “unsharp mask” to sharpen the eyes (Doesn’t it seem weird to select “unsharp” when you need to sharpen?  I’ll never get it).

4.  Enhanced lashes with the “burn” tool (lashes are always my favorite part).

5.  Cropped the picture just a little

6.  Used the lasso tool on the left to select each face, then used “unsharp mask” (under “Enhance” at the top of the screen) to help get rid of some of the “fog” in the picture

Here’s a screen shot so you can see what this step looks like:

 

Total time spent was only about 10 minutes, maybe less if I didn’t have my two year old “helper” in my lap. 

Sigh.

These girls just make me smile.

 

Encourage one another,

My Dirty Little Secret

 

It’s something I’ve tried to hide for a long time.  I’ve been known to bring out the smoke and mirrors from time to time.  It’s my dirty little secret.

I’m …

 

a bad cook.

 

There. 

I said it. 

I’m a bad cook. 

Bad cook.  Bad cook.  Bad cook.

 

But I want to be better.  Sure, I do cook for my family most nights and offer them organic fruits and veggies, but when it comes right down to being creative in the kitchen- I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. 

I know someone who is.  She’s my neighbor.  She’s got the gift, plus a cool kitchen and great pots and pans that make me giddy.  She is so sweet to invite me over and teach me.  I just follow everything she does and try very hard not to embarrass myself.

With our two year olds playing at our feet and tearing up the house, my friend decided I needed to learn this new recipe:  Sweet Sausage and Bowtie Pasta.  My first job was to grate fresh parmesan, chop onions and prepare the sausage.  I was a sweaty mess.

 

She chopped the garlic…

 

…then poured boiling water over the tomatoes so they could be easily peeled. 

Huh! 

Who knew!

 

Yep, they’re done!

 

I peeled, seeded and chopped the tomatoes.

(This is real life here, friends.  No Photoshop today… overly ripe banana, old sippy cup, and random potato.  It’s how we roll.)

 

Then she got out her bad boy cast iron cookware, and I began to drool.

 

She calls them Le Creuset. 

They are very expensive she tells me. 

I tell her I’m considering selling a kidney.  Do I even need two?

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

I learned an important cooking tip today.  One I will use for a long time.  If I have no idea what to make for dinner and my husband is just about to walk in the door, I should throw some onions and olive oil in a pot and start cooking.  The aroma will confuse my husband and make him think I have something great planned for dinner.  You should try it!

 

Next, we added the diced tomatoes to the onion and sausage mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients.  Then my friend went out to her garden and got fresh parsley to add to our meal… and stopped to feed her chickens, too.

She is just like Pioneer Woman, except without a cookbook.

 

So by 10:30 am we both had dinner ready for our families that evening.  All we had to do was heat and serve. 

Here’s the recipe, if you’re interested…

but just don’t tell anyone my dirty little secret.

 

Sweet Sausage Bowties

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used half and half)
1 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil (I used fresh parsley)
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

     Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream (or half and half). Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
     Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish Sprinkle with basil (or parsley). Don’t forget to serve with freshly grated parmesan!

 

So tell me…

What’s cookin’ at your house?  If you would, please tell me what you’re loving to cook right now or a link to one of your own recipe blog posts.  I need ideas!

Encourage one another,