The ORIGINAL Preps

I'm not sure if I should be honored or horrified that this book was recommended to me by "My Amazon". I order LOTS of books from these folks. Atleast $100 a month. When I came upon this book I figured they'd never steered me wrong before so why not? I have to tell you, it really is a must have. I LOVE this book. It takes you back...way back to the original Lilly, the original Cape, the original Ralph Lauren. It's mostly a picture book but you can just imagine your own family in some of those pictures and it's hilarious. What I love most about this book is that it really does take you back to a time when it wasn't all about WHAT you wore but HOW you wore it and the manner in which folks conducted themselves. We live in a world that is so chaotic (Britney, Lindsay, Paris). These are the women who will be the icons of our generation? I certainly hope not. I don't want my daughter to grow up obsessed with money or brands, but with a conservative ethic that comes from a good upbringing in a casual but elegant home full of love and realism. Is that so much to ask? If you read this book, you won't think so.

Duped Again!

My little popsicle thieves were at it again yesterday! Once again I left them innocently sitting on the couch watching tv to run upstairs and grab a quick shower. Within a few minutes I heard the pitter patter of little feet, the freezer opening and the back door slamming. This time, however, I was not going to miss the photo op. I grabbed my camera and snuck downstairs just in time to catch them enjoying their stolen goods. I think the expression on BabyGirl's face says it all.

What was I THINKING?

So, you may have noticed that this is my THIRD posting today. Well, lemme tell ya. I've been packing boxes ALL DAY (when not blogging). This has been my only escape. You would think that being an Army Brat this wouldn't phase me. Ha! I think I've packed atleast forty boxes today and I've only covered the kitchen, dining room, living room and family room. I still have the basement, storage room, all the bedrooms, washroom and garage to go. BUT. I can't complain because I'm the one who insisted we move! I keep telling myself that once we're in the new (old) house it will all be great and I'll be so thrilled with all my new projects. So far, three gin and tonics have not convinced me. This is the easy part! The actual moving of the boxes comes in two weeks. We're having a local moving company move all the furniture and large pieces but we're doing all the boxes. WHY, WHY, WHY did I think this was a good idea? I spent more money on clothes last month than it would have cost to have them do this. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. It's a good thing Dr. Daddy is overnight tonight at the hospital so he can't rub it in. Not that he would. He's so damned nice he'd just sit and sympathize with me even though he hates the fact that we're moving! On a positive note (no, I'm not ALL gloom and doom) I've been listening to logging machines for the past five days because they're developing the mountain behind our house. You can't see it because we have plenty of land and trees behind us but you can damned sure hear it! This has further convinced Dr. Daddy that maybe it really is a good idea that we got the Hell outta here.
Okay. I'm done venting. Back to packing...

Cooking for the Masses

Back before we had kids, and even for a little while after we had them I used to really go all out at the beach. I think it was a result of my MIL cooking three FULL meals a day whenever we went to their place in Duck, NC. We're not talking "homestyle cooking", either. She would scour Gourmet and Bon Appetit all year making up extravagant menus. Of course, Dr. Daddy's an only child so she had plenty of time to do this for years and years.
These days, I'm all about casseroles for the beach. I don't like really boring and unhealthy cheesy mac type stuff, though. It's got to be good!
Today I'm including one of my favorite casseroles from years past and a new one that I am absolutely in love with. These both freeze well, too. Just prep them right up until the oven part and then freeze.
The first is from Southern Living.

Cajun Shrimp Casserole

Ingredients
2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
1/4 cup butter
1 small red onion, chopped*
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper*
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper*
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper*
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen sliced okra
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp soup**
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Garnishes: quartered lemon slices, fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs


Preparation
Peel shrimp; devein, if desired.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in okra, lemon juice, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in soup and next 4 ingredients until blended. Pour into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Garnish, if desired.

*1 (10-ounce) package frozen onions and peppers may be substituted for fresh onion and bell peppers.

**1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup may be substituted for cream of shrimp soup.

Note: Unbaked casserole may be made one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking as directed. To freeze unbaked casserole, prepare as directed, omitting Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly, and freeze. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.


Yield
Makes 6 servings

If you want to print it out you can click on the link below:
Cajun Shrimp Casserole

The second casserole is a new one from Cooking Light. I added a few things and made a few changes and now it is delish!

Zucchini, Sausage and Feta Casserole

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)(Barilla has the new PLUS pasta, which is really good for you)
8 ounces chicken sausage (could also use ground turkey)
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
5 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon dried marjoram
1 Tablespoon dried oregano


Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan. Heat oil in pan. Add zucchini, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and zucchini begins to brown, stirring occasionally.

Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta, sausage, and feta cheese in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

You can print this one out as well at the link below, but don't forget the add ons!
Zucchini, Sausage and Feta Casserole

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the beach we go!

I'm spending my week packing for our move and packing for our annual pilgrimage to the beach. This Saturday, we'll load up the cars (we can't ever seem to get it all in one vehicle) and head out. Our final destination is Litchfield Beach in South Carolina. Each year we rent a big house and meet my parents, my three college age brothers, my stepmom's mom and various and asundry of my brothers' friends. We'll be taking our sitter with our two kids. All in all it will end up being about 12 or 13 people in the house at any given time. We've done this for the past seven years and as you can imagine, my packing list has gotten much longer over time. I'm really not usually a list person. What's the point? I usually just end up losing the list anyway. However, for this trip I have to have a list or I always end up forgetting something important. So, I've attached my list in case anyone else wants a complete, all you need to have list for the beach! Just click and print. It's a bit hard to read until you've actually printed it out.
Beach Trip Packing List

Road Trip

The kids and I packed up the hoopty wagon yesterday and headed to my parent's house three hours away. A short trip, no? Ah, no. Not really. We had a couple stops to make on the way and it turned into the four hour trip from hell. Okay, maybe not hell, but it was NOT fun.

We stopped for lunch at a Chick fil A about an hour after we started the trip. BabyGirl had to potty. So we go into the potty and she announces VERY LOUDLY "Somebody destwoyed this bafwoom. It really, really stinks!" I still don't understand how she gets the r's right on the really, really but nothing else. And a special thanks to Dr. Daddy for teaching her the "destwoyed" term.

About an hour and a half later she HAD to poopy in the potty. We are in the middle of NOWHERE. Literally. I mean, the theme song from Deliverance was going through my head. But she HAD to go. SOOOOO, we stop at a REALLY gross gas station/bait shop. We wait for a bit to get into the potty because some goth looking teenager was in there. Then my little diva walks in and announces "This bafwoom is bistusting. I will peepee in here but I will not poopoo. I will poopoo at Mimi's house". So much for her desperate need to poo.

The rest of the trip there was rather uneventful other than BabyBoy asking me a thousand times if I was sure I knew where I was going.

Today, BabyGirl, Mimi and I went to get pedicures. So fun, yes? We all got our nails done and then I decided I'd go ahead and get my eyebrows waxed while I was there. So I lay down and this sweet Vietnamese girl says to me "You no want to do you mustache, too?" I said "No, not today." She says "No, you feel it. See? You want me to wax mustache?" Okay, so now I'm HORRIFIED. I do NOT have a FREAKIN mustache!!!! I'm completely blonde! What is she thinking? Besides, I tell her, when I've tried to wax it before (despite the fact that it doesn't hardly exist and I'm just neurotic) it's always broken out. "Okay" she says. "We do it next time". No, WE do NOT do it next time. There will not BE a next time. Huumph.

After pedicures and ice cream at Coldstone (which makes my ego feel much better, especially after seeing a gorgeous blonde with a rock the size of Texas on her finger eating sorbet), the kids and I load up in the car and head home. Our trip home was fairly uneventful other than the gum incident.

I gave BabyGirl some gum (sugar free so no sticking, right?). She manages to get it EVERYWHERE and can't get it off of her fingers. BabyBoy says "I guess we'll just have to cut her hand off". "Daddy can do it at work", he says. Lovely. She proceeded to scream bloody murder for the next ten miles. This is when I put the Dave Matthews CD in and turn it up as loud as I can without busting a speaker or permanently damaging their hearing.

Alas, we are now home and they are safely nestled in their beds. Poor kids. Who asked THEM if they wanted to take a road trip? Too bad we have to drive NINE hours to the beach next Saturday. Xanax, Xanax, Xanax. Enough said.

Always Great to Have

I entertain a lot and I always find that I don't have enough of the same glasses or plates or utensils, etc. Lately, I've been shopping around to find bulk items at great prices so I don't have to worry about renting cheezy stemware and servingware from our local rental establishment. Here are some of my recent finds.



These Martini Glasses are nice and sturdy and only $2.00 each at Pier One. I bought thirty! Not only are these great for martinis but they also make for a wonderful presentation for shrimp cocktail, gazpacho, mashed potatoes and tons of different desserts.



Love these plates from Crate & Barrel. $19.95 for 12 plates. They're just the right size for appetizers and the color and shape work for casual or fancy events.



These little guys are too cute. They are from Pier One as well. I bought them at the store yesterday but they don't have them on the website. $15.00 for five, I think.

With all these great pieces you'll have no excuse not to plan a party soon! Check out To Bee Named for adorable personalized napkins to complete your party!

My Old Stand By

Last night we had a little get together here for my Junior League committee. Lots of fun, good company and great food!
I made my old stand by Asian Curry Dip with a veggie tray. This stuff is amazing and so easy to make. If you get the Southern Living Christmas Book each year this is in the 2005 book. It's awesome with Terra veggie chips and even with shrimp!

Asian Curry Dip

1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tabelspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill atleast 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Make a Difference

You won't often see me posting this kind of thing. Everyone has a cause and we can't support them all. This, however, is one that I consider to be of the utmost imoportance. Read it, sign it, pass it on.

From a nurse:

I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast.
I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.

So there I sat with my patients, giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank You they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue.

If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards.
Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure.
Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick!

Please send this to everyone in your address book.
If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times.
If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require Insurance Companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their Web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.

PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the link below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.

click here to sign petition

WHEN do they go back to school?!?!

While driving to the Y today for a little workout (translation...free babysitting) my kids reminded me of why it is I put them to bed each night and tell them they simply must go to sleep so I can grow new love for them. That's right, I tell them, Mommy's love is like a flower.
We're tooling down the road listening to Veggie Tales. This was a compromise. BabyBoy wanted to listen to Fergie and BabyGirl wanted to listen to the Disney Princess CD. So, Veggie Tales won. I kind of like Veggie Tales. Good, clean, fun Bible tunes set to catchy music. All of a sudden BabyBoy went and said IT. No, not the F bomb or the S bomb. He said the thing that I've really been dreading either one of them saying because it means that they really are typical brother and sister and not the little cherubs I want them to be.

BabyBoy: She's looking out my window.
Me: Huh?
BabyBoy: She's looking out MY window. I want her to look out HER window.
Me: Why don't YOU look out her window and then you're even?
BabyBoy: (screaming) I DON'T WANT HER TO LOOK OUT MY WINDOW! MAKE HER STOP!

At this point I positioned my rearview mirror so that I could see BabyGirl. She had the most devilish grin on her face. Clearly, this was all just hilarious to her.
And so the battle continued for the next 10 minutes until we got to the Y and as soon as they hopped out of the car all was well in the world. I, of course, was left with a screaming headache.

When we got home, they proved that despite the fact that they want me to believe they hate one another, they're really just conspiring against me. I went to get a shower and things got suspiciously quiet downstairs. Then I heard the back porch door open. As I looked out the upstairs window onto the porch I see them sitting TOGETHER in a chair eating popsicles and laughing and smiling. STOLEN popsicles, mind you. THEN, BabyBoy leans over and gives BabyGirl a kiss. She of course returns the kiss and adds a hug.

I didn't even bother to bust them. It was just one of those parenting moments where you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

Divine Design

Today's design challenge is a fun one for me. I love dining rooms. Don't know why...we don't really use ours all that much. Maybe it's just because I love to eat. Hmmmm... Here's a pic of our current dining room.



And here's a close up of the chandelier, which we are taking with us.



Now here's a pic of our new dining room.



It's a good sized room...pretty much the same size we have now. Below the chair rail we are going to have wainscoting put in and we'll paint that white. I have chosen this Thibaut wallpaper to go above the wainscoting.



I'm usually not a big fan of wallpaper but this one just stuck out. I love the particular shade of green and I'm a sucker for anything with an asian print. The curtain rods that are currently in the room are gorgeous and they are staying. I've decided to go with floor to ceiling pinched pleat panels with a fun trim. My problem is that I can't decide what color panels to have made. I want a silk and probably a solid. I've been thinking about gold but I need opinions. The chairs will be recovered to match whatever curtains I get. Oh, and the leopard print lamp shades will remain on the lamps that sit on the buffet table. There's that animal influence again! Also, we're keeping the seagrass rug for now. I love it. Dr. Daddy hates it. I'm going to have to really love something else in order to reach a compromise. So, any ideas for curtain color?

Partners in Crime

I'm so excited! My partner in crime from the grocery store incident has started a new blog. She is amazing and has an amazing product so please check it out! She created these wonderful napkins for BabyGirl's Princess Birthday Party.



Check out her website www.tobeenamed.com

It's not cute.....

it's a crotchety, kid-hating SOB. Now that I've had the entire car ride home to fume I'm ready to get it all out. My girlfriend JC and I met for lunch today at our local grocery store cafe. We shared lunch with our two 5 year old boys, my 3 year old daughter and her 2 year old daughter. Natch, they finished sooner than us so we let them run around in the corner nearest us. Let's set the scene here, folks. Upstairs grocery store cafe area. Wide open. LOUD. Our kids were certainly animated but by no means out of control. They were basically running circles around a sitting area that was otherwise unoccupied.
Enter the crotchety, kid-hating SOB. This MAN, no older than my husband, approached our table and says "It's not cute......it's distracting" After I managed to shut my pie hole that was hanging WIDE OPEN, I turned to watch this man walk away. I'm wondering where he was sitting that we were being so distracting. Perhaps he's directly behind us? Maybe he's trying to have a business meeting. MAYBE he's on the phone. You can imagine my shock and amazement as he proceeded to walk ALL THE WAY ACROSS the cafe and sit down ALONE. We're talking a good 25 yards away here people. Then I start to think...WTF? Who would come to eat lunch at a grocery store in the middle of the week when it's quite obviously going to be full of SAHM's and their noisy kids if they DON'T LIKE KIDS. Now, I can understand if there had been incessant screaming, wild running all over the joint, tripping people or getting in people's way. None of that. Just four kids playing chase IN A CORNER. SOOOOOO many things came to mind that I would have loved to have related to this MAN. However, my mother raised me better than that. Maybe HIS mother should have talked to MY mother.

Designer's Challenge

So, moving to a new house is tons of fun because I get to decorate everything all over again. (don't tell Dr. Daddy I'm excited...I think I have him convinced that it's just such a "chore, yawn" for me) In our new (old) home I'm going for a totally new look in our bedroom. For the past seven years it's been kind of masculine and dark. I'm going totally feminine this time but I'm stuck on what to do on the walls. I detest white walls but I just don't know what will work in this room. This is where your challenge comes in. Will someone please tell me what color to paint the walls?!?! I've toyed with a really light blue but I think it might be too much blue. I've toyed with a really light yellow, but I just don't know. There are three windows in the room so it's really light. On the windows I will be doing floor length panels with either a valance or a cornice in this fabric from Thibaut.



The rug is a custom cut from Schumacher that we fell in love with. We're kind of designing the room around it.



Our bed is a Baker Furniture Rice bed that has sort of a British West Indies feel to it. I'm going to do all white here; white matelasse coverlet and shams and big, fluffy white bedskirt.



Would everyone please put on your thinking caps and let me know what I should do???

Tomorrow....the dining room.

Seven Year Itch

For the past few years Dr. Daddy and I have spent our anniversary here...



This year, however, I was such a lucky girl that I got to spend my anniversary here...



Pourquoi? Well, let's just say I'm a good wife. We actually had friends who agreed to take our kids for the night (thank you SO much CS and AS) so we could easily have gone to the Homestead. Heaven on earth I tell ya. But alas, they had a two night minimum stay this weekend (bastards) and the stars just weren't aligned for us. SOOOO, instead we got to go see Dr. Daddy's favorite band from med school at UVa. The Skip Castro Band. I must say, I was less than thrilled at first. After four gin and tonics, however, they were really good and I was really glad that we got to do what he wanted to do for once. You see, I have been a bit difficult lately, what with wanting to move to a new (old) house only 9 miles away. Dr. Daddy has been very patient and understanding. Hanging out at this dive bar (it's actually a restaurant, can you believe it?) was the least I could do.

As for the seven year itch, I was happy to learn that when asked at work if he had it, Dr. Daddy rolled his eyes and delivered a disgusted "no".

Ditto.

You Glow, Girl!

A special shout out to MimiJ who told me about this amazing lotion. I'm very fair but I do usually tan decently in the summer. Problem is, I've been noticing lots of little spots and freckles lately. Since I've been using this Dove Energy Glow lotion for two weeks I have a lovely NOT ORANGE tan that allows me to wear bermudas and skirts with careless abandon. It's also just a great lotion in general! The tanning effect is very gradual and I haven't noticed any streaks. I do exfoliate about twice a week with Arbonne's Awaken Exfoliating Scrub so that helps with the evening out, I think. This is also a great way to even out tan lines from different suits.

A Farewell to Pink

In a few short weeks we will be moving to a new (old) house. For the past four years we have lived in a newer, large "McMansion" as my girlfriend CS so aptly put it. We're on a huge hill that is not conducive to kids playing and we don't really have any neighbors with kids our kids' ages. SOOO, much to Dr. Daddy's dismay we are moving to the "city" to an older home (built in 1941). We will be in a lovely neighborhood with tons of kids that's much more convenient to all the places we seem to frequent all the time.
As a result of the move we had to sell the house we're currently in (I guess that's a given, yes?) and with it will go all of the window treatments that took me FOREVER to make. No worries, though. I'm up for a new project. So, I'm redoing BabyGirl's bedroom for the second time in three years. I've picked out a really adorable fabric with a pink background and blue, yellow, green and khaki accents. It has an animal theme, as pretty much everything in our house does. Sadly, however, it appears that the ONLY color that will work on the walls is BLUE. Personally, I beleive there is something inherently wrong with painting a girl's bedroom walls blue. The only other option is cream and how boring would THAT be? So, as an homage to the room that I spent hours painting and sewing to decorate, I will post a couple of photos. I'll post photos of the new room when it's done. This is her room when the crib was still in there. She has a big girl daybed now, but I liked it most when the crib was still in it and my baby was still a baby!

Ahoy, Mates!

BabyBoy and Dr. Daddy are spending the night in the backyard in a tent. BabyGirl and I (I swear we are the only ones in this house with good sense) chose to spend the evening inside watching Matilda and eating popcorn. At any rate, she fell asleep which has given me a little extra blogging time.

Historically, I'm a big party planner. We usually have a huge blowout party for each of the kids on their birthday. This year, however, BabyBoy decided to have his party at the pool and we went with a lowkey pirate theme. We started with these invitations. I know they're a bit preppy and not really in keeping with the pirate theme but I had them left over from something else and we used a really fun "piratelike' font.

BabyBoy wore this swimsuit from Mini Boden (the one on the left) It's great because of the long sleeves and legs. He has issues with sunscreen. We'll just leave it at that. http://www.bodenusa.com/

Of course, no party would be complete without a pinana, as BabyGirl calls them. We filled this one with fake gold coins, bouncy balls, pirate tatoos and candy. A special shout out to Dr. Daddy who raced to Target after work on a Friday afternoon to secure the LAST treasure chest pinana in stock.

Since I didn't want the party to be TOO themish I shied away from the Pirates of the Carribbean hoopla. I found these generic pirate balloons on Ebay http://www.ebay.com/ and had a local party store fill them for me.

This pirate banner was a big hit. Well, maybe not with my brother who was forced to hang it, but everyone else loved it! I'm completely in love with PBK's http://www.potterybarnkids.com/ new birthday themes and really pissed I didn't think of this myself. When we move to our new house we will hang this in BabyBoy's room, which has a travel theme.

As a college student I baked birthday cakes to make a little extra cash. As a result I am proud to say that I acquired some amateur cake decorating skills. That's right...I got skills. Unfortunately, the icing on this cake began to melt under the heat. The effect was good, though, and BabyBoy was thrilled that he got to keep the action figures. (nevermind the hours Mommy spent toiling in the kitchen over this f*&^kin cake) We also used the PBK pirate's treasure table cloth on the table that held the cake and party favors.

Overall, I think the party was a great success. The parents certainly couldn't complain as they sipped margaritas and beer from the bar that was conveniently positioned directly behind the party spot. The kids loved playing in the water and the weather cooperated beautifully. And most importantly, the clean up was minimal.

Stay tuned for next year. I think we're doing a Camp Fake Out theme.

Pinkalicious

For those of you who have little girls these are mandatory reads. Thanks to my dear friend WK, who has three little divas of her own, for introducing me to these fabulous books. We got them in the mail today http://www.amazon.com/ and have been reading ever since!

The first is Pinkalicious. I think the title pretty much says it all. Your little pink princess will adore this one! The second book is called Fancy Nancy and is about a girl who loves everything fancy. Now who can't relate to that?

Great reading for those long summer days when you think the time will never pass. Alas, even us perfect mothers (snicker, snicker) have those days!

Today's Snaps Go To.....

If you love Reese Witherspoon as much as I do then you've most definitely seen Legally Blonde 2. Not Oscar worthy, I know, but still an adorable flick. I love the part where Elle Woods makes everyone pull a compliment out of the snaps jar to make everyone feel good about themselves! Today's snaps to go Happy Homemaker who reminded me of the J. Crew clearance store in Lynchburg, VA. Though I live close by I've never been before. Well let me tell you...I'm a changed woman! I threw BabyGirl in the car after we dropped BabyBoy off at camp and we set out for shopping paradise. And paradise it was. To top it off, BabyGirl was an absolute angel, which is definitely hit or miss these days. I am so proud of my finds. Can't wait to show them off to Dr. Daddy. I just KNOW he'll be THRILLED! (wink, wink)

A few of my great finds....

For BabyGirl....





And for Mommy... (I got these in yellow, which I had been trying to get online FOREVER and they're sold out)


Needless to say, I'll be back. And sooner than later!

Good Things

In an effort to help ya'll get to know me, I thought I'd throw out a few of my favorite things. I dig finding things that I LOVE and I think it's only fair to share!

Let's start with my new best friend. Well, kind of new. We've been hanging out for about a year now and I must say, I'm lovin' her more and more everyday. Some of you may be snickering in disgust at what a pathetic life I must lead if this is my best girlfriend. Seriously, though. I love this car. Since having kids I've been through a BMW X5 (wasn't big enough), a Toyota Sequoia (WAY too big) and now my Volvo CrossCountry Wagon (juuust right). Mind you, if there are more than two kids in your family this car could be problematic. For us, however, it is the greatest freakin car ever.

Let me introduce you to my little friend....

And my other little friend.


Having worked as a nurse in a Plastic Surgeon's office I learned very quickly that there is nothing wrong with having a little help from our friends. Even if those friends are armed with needles and anesthetics. Obagi is the absolute best skin care product out there. Believe me, I've tried them ALL. I've suffered from acne since I was 13. This is the ONLY thing I've ever used that helps. Some people think it's too irritating on sensitive skin but my skin is ultra sensitive and I've never had a problem. I'm telling you...this combined with a light peel every 6 weeks has completely erased my acne and 90% of the damage done to my skin.

Now, the Botox is an entirely different animal and most certainly one that will require a blog entry of it's own. I've been getting my forehead doused with this miracle serum since I was 29. How bad could my frown lines possibly have been at such a young age? YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I'm all about preventative medicine and if this keeps me looking fresh and happy despite having two toddlers, I'm all over it. Plus, Dr. Daddy can't tell when I'm frowning at him. A bargain at twice the price.

I have to preface this by saying that I really do not enjoy exercising. That being said, I do believe it's a necessary evil. After I had BabyBoy I had about 40 pounds to lose. This program combined with a better (I can't say good because my diet is never good) diet helped me lose all the weight in about three months. The workouts will kick you a** but you really see a difference. They combine weights and cardio so you never get bored (well, no more bored than you would with any other workout) and they are all an hour or less. Plus, you can do them in the privacy of your own home. http://www.firmdirect.com/ Check it out.

Love, love, love Tory Burch Tunics. I've been a huge fan of Tory Burch http://www.toryburch.com/ since she came on the scene a few years ago. Her tunics are feminine, classy and stylish. And, they hide many flaws! They're really versatile. You can wear them with jeans, linen pants, shorts, whatever!

I've always been a fan of capris but I simply love this particular style from Vineyard Vines. http://www.vineyardvines.com/ They are uber comfortable and they wash very well. I also just like the way the wear. They have a slimming effect that makes me sooo happy :)

So, I guess it's not nearly as fabulous as Oprah's list, but then again if I were Oprah I'd have 4 carats in each ear. A girl can dream, anyway!

That's My Girl

For the first time in a while, Dr. Daddy got home early today and decided to take BabyGirl on a walk in the backpack. We live on a VERY STEEP hill and BabyGirl is now 30.5 lbs. so this is a great workout for him. As he was walking out the door the conversation went something like this:

Dr. Daddy: BabyGirl, what do you want to drink on the walk?

BabyGirl: I'll have a beer, Daddy.

Dr. Daddy: What else would you like instead of a beer?

BabyGirl: A martini?

As if that weren't bad enough she continued to display her alcoholic ways while "helping" me cook supper.

BabyGirl: Mommy, you can't start cooking yet.

Me: Why?

BabyGirl: You don't have your Gin and Tonic yet.

Me: Oh, you're right. Hold on a sec, I'll be right back.

I've thought for a long time that this girl is way ahead of her time. A 13 year old trapped in a 3 year old's body I like to say. Well sweet Jesus. What do we have to look forward to when she's 16? I'm terrified. Dr. Daddy thinks it's hilarious. Especially when we go out to dinner and the waiter asks what we want to drink. BabyBoy generally answers "Milk". BabyGirl's response? "Beer".

Ebay

For those of you who don't know me I think it's time I admit my little addiction. Yes, it's contagious and no, there's not a 12 step program available.
I LOVE EBAY.
Not necessarily for shopping per say. Which is not to say that I don't shop ebay for GREAT finds sometimes.
The thing is, I have a horrible shopping addiction that involves my children and their highly overpriced clothes. It's just that they look so cute when they're all dressed up in their little smocked and monogrammed duds that I can't resist. I cannot resist the trunk shows. Oh, and then there's Oilily. For those of you who don't have girls, you can ignore this. If, however, you have a little doll to dress up you simply cannot put off buying her some Oilily. http://www.oilily-world.com/ I know, I hear ya'. It's completely, ridiculously, astronomically overpriced. But here's the thing. You can buy an Oilily outfit on ebay this fall and resell it next fall for the same price....sometimes MORE! If you are lucky enough to go to the outlet in Orlando then you've hit paydirt!!!!
But I digress...
So ebay is great because I can spend way too much on clothes for the towheads and not feel too bad about it because I resell it all the next season. I kid you not, I have made LOTS of money doing this. If anyone is interested just let me know. I'll be happy to send you my template. Also, if any of you have little ones you can see my listings now. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmadrasmomma I only list twice a year and I'm listing a little early this year since we're moving and I've got to clean house.

Boy Genius

So...
We're driving home from Kindercamp today and the conversation went like this:

BabyBoy: Mommy, can we go to the club tonight for dinner?

Me: Well, that depends on what your Daddy wants to do.

BabyBoy: Well, everyone knows you're the boss around here.

Me: smile, sigh...

BabyBoy: Mommy, can I watch Cartoon Network when we get home?

So who cares if he's a manipulative little *&%#? Works for me. Cause I AM the boss around here. Right.....RIGHT?!

Mama's Got a Brand New Blog

Alas, summer is here and in full swing. While I love my kids with all my heart I've begun to feel like one of them. Stuffing my face with goldfish while watching Nick Jr. in my pj's. Some days, that's all we do! In retaliation I've decided to join the masses and start a blog! Not that anyone gives a toot what we're up to but it certainly is nice to vent isn't it? Sippycups ARE for Chardonnay just came to me this morning after finishing up the new book by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. Hilarious. She's titled her book Sippycups Are Not for Chardonnay but of course, all good mothers know that sippycupps really ARE for Chardonnay. You can view her blog here: http://www.babyonbored.blogspot.com/ Also hilarious. So, we'll see how this whole blogging thing works out...