Steph's Pick - Panini Recipes

Mar 26, 2010

Remember this post? Probably not.... that was back in May of 2008. I can't imagine that anyone was reading our blog at that time :)


Since receiving our panini grill (which happens to be on sale!) as a gift, we've used it countless times. It's been an awesome appliance to have around the kitchen. And for those of you questioning this statement - we have a very small kitchen and don't have a ton of storage space, but I'd gladly make space for our panini grill. It makes for very easy lunches, dinners, desserts and we've even used it for "Make your own Panini Parties" (so fun btw!!!).


The following Panini recipes came from my friend, Michelle, who has yet to enter the blogging community so I've taken it upon myself to post all of her delicious treats on our blog :)


Ham and Cheese Panini (serves 4)


ingredients.

8 slices prosciutto ham

brie cheese

1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced

1/4 cup thinly diced scallions

4 tbsp. butter

8 slices sourdough bread


directions.

1. melt butter and stir in chopped scallions. spread onto bread

2. layer prosciutto, brie slices and apple slices onto bread

3. grill in a panini grill or saute in a pan for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese melts.



Slider Panini (serves 2)


ingredients.

4-6 slices good grade roast beef deli meat

2 portobello mushroom caps- sliced

3 cloves garlic - minced

1 sweet onion - sliced

1/3 cup blue cheese

4 slices sourdough bread

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil


directions.

1. saute the onions with 1 tbsp olive oil on low-med heat for 15-20 minutes, until oinions are caramel color

2. saute the mushrooms with garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes

3. spread butter on outside of bread, top with roast beef, mushroom mixture, onions and blue cheese. grill in panini press or in a saute pan for 4-5 minutes.

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i♥hats

Mar 24, 2010

thanks laura and phil... you're the best!!!

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Steph's Pick - Amy Butler Fabric

Mar 19, 2010

Now, I'll admit, I'm a little biased towards pretty things. I think most of us would admit that we are, right? So when I was first introduced to textile design guru, Amy Butler's fabric a couple months back, I couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. Fabric that actually looks like it was designed in the 21st century, what???!!! Although I have yet to purchase any of her lovely textiles, I'll admit, I've been drooling over so many of her lines and dreaming of my first fabric store outing ever since :)

Some of my favorite lines are featured below.


And if I am completely honest I'd have to say that one of the other things I love about Amy is that she's spent the last 20+ years in the Midwest (Kansas and Ohio). I love me some Midwest ladies.
I've got a Favorites Folder full of DIY ideas begging to be completed with Amy Butler fabric. Now I just need to convince a friend with a sewing machine to let Nora and me come over.
I can't wait...

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Scottsdale Moms Blog - Skype

Mar 17, 2010


In today's Flies Blend post over at Scottsdale Moms Blog, check out one of my favorite mom-techy resources, Skype. A must have for all parents out there. (Added bonus: It's FREE!)

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mr. sun

Mar 15, 2010


oh mister sun, sun,
mister golden sun,
please shine down on me!


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Steph's Pick - Cream Cheese Salsa Chicken

Mar 12, 2010

Interested in an easy-peasy recipe??? And by easy I mean E-A-S-Y!!! Isn't every cook looking for the occassional recipe that takes no time and tastes super yummy?


My sister-in-law, Sara (due any day with baby r), gave me this recipe and since sending it to me I've probably made it half a dozen times. Gotta love my sister-in-laws!!!


cream cheese salsa chicken


ingredients.

3-4 Frozen Chicken Breasts

1 can black beans (rinsed)

1 can whole kernel corn

1 jar salsa

8 oz cream cheese


directions.

Simply throw everything (minus the cream cheese) in a crockpot and cook on high for 5 hours. Add the cream cheese to melt over everything the last 30 minutes. Shred chicken and serve over rice or in tortilla's.


(And for those of you wondering about the frozen chicken breasts - yes - that's the best part of this recipe. Throw it in and don't even think about dethawing them.)

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SpaFinder.com Deal Days

Mar 9, 2010

Spa Deals - yes please!!! Count me in! All across the nation spas are offering select treatments for only $50.

Although I have yet to actually participate in this event, I just got off the phone with the Hotel Valley Ho booking my treatment - The Best Fifty (25 min Facial and 25 min Massage) - yipee!!

Go
here to enter your email and zip code to find participating spas in your area. There are all kinds of treatments like massages, pedicures, body wraps, facials and more.

Everyone could use a little pampering, right? Book your appointment before Sunday.

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Nora Recommends - Personalized Inchbug Labels

Mar 8, 2010


I'm not ashamed to admit that I LOVE our church nursery!!! What an incredible blessing that other people are willing to watch our little cutie-patutie while we go to church. After retrieving Nora from the nursery a couple of times we would always find all of our valuables (the 3 B's - Baby, Bottle and Bag) labeled with Nora's name written on masking tape. You know me - that just wasn't going to do.

Introducing InchBug Labels for Bottles and Sippy Cups. Perfect! We were lucky enough to receive an order of these for Nora from some dear friends and they have been so fun. As you can see from the picture above, they are perfect for our bottles and will work just as well with her sippy cups in the future.

On another note - it's cold (brrrrrr...) and rainy here in AZ today. Although it isn't preferrable weather it was a great reason to bust out one of Nora's cute hats. Yipee.... love me some TwoSeasideBabes hats!!!

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Steph's Pick - ScottsdaleMomsBlog.com

Mar 4, 2010

As most of you know, I became a mom to our daughter, Nora, in July. Mommy-hood has been such a great adventure!

In my short stint as a mommy, I quickly noticed that there were not many resources online for Scottsdale Moms. So, my friend Joy and I decided something must be done. So we have started a blog highlighting great things to do in Scottsdale, local businesses, mommy resources and soon Scottsdale Moms Spotlights (highlighting mommies right here in Scottsdale who have extraordinary skills and wisdom to share.)

To launch our site, we want to give YOU a present! We have a $25 GIFT CARD to the dawwling little baby store
Moonbeams. (I did say we are about supporting those small business owners around these parts.)

Just go to
www.scottsdalemomsblog.com and read the short, super simple instructions. Then, pass it onto your friends.

(oh - and look for us on Facebook too!)

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Florida Keys

Mar 2, 2010

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a 5-day family vacation in the Florida Keys with Mom and Dad Triggs, Mom Flies and Nick, Abby and Adelyn. How fun is that!!!???Seriously.

We spent our days playing with babies, watching a little Olympics (Go USA!!!), chatting with the ladies, getting some sun, taste-testing Key Lime Pie, cookin' yummy food and lovin on our family. It was such a blessing to have some serious R&R with both of our families.
I thought in order to give you all an idea of how our trip went I'd give you a short list of the Do's and Don't's in traveling with a 7 month old :)

DO be sure to pack enough diapers in your diaper bag for the flight (wish I would have taken this advice - yes - we did spend 30+ min frantically looking for a couple more diapers in MIA)

DON'T bring a stroller that won't fit through security. It only adds more time onto your already lengthy security check.

DO bring a portable DVD player for easy access entertainment on the plane and in the car

DON'T plan on reading on the plane. I used to love this aspect of traveling.

DO vacation with your family. It was a blast!

And finally DON'T try the Rum Runner (the Key Lime Pina Colada was much better - hehe)

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Steph's Pick - Free Photo Canvas

Feb 26, 2010

There's something about canvas art that I just love. I'm always thinking of new things I can create with canvas. Remember this monogrammed wall art?

Well since receiving Nora's newborn photos from Kimberly Bee I've been searching for a company that prints photos on canvas. The hardest part of this search has been finding affordable printers. I wasn't about to spend hundreds of dollars.

Canvas People is having an AWESOME deal right now. They are offering a FREE 8x10 photo canvas per household. (A $55 savings). All you have to do is pay s&h (app. $15).

Now I waited to post this until receiving my canvas in the mail (just to make sure I was suggesting something worthwhile). It came last week and looks great!!! I'd highly suggest you snag one of these today.

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Gone - Beach style

Feb 24, 2010

Yahoo - we're in the Florida Keys this week and LOVING it!! Will post about our trip when we return.
xoxo

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Steph's Pick - Peach Crumb Cake

Feb 18, 2010

Alright Kristina - you're dead!!!
Seriously.
Just a couple weeks back my dear friend Kristina introduced me to
Bakerella and my life hasn't been the same since. You all don't even want to know all of the things I've made off of this site since we met. One of the things I've had 2x (yes - 2x in 3 weeks) is Bakerella's Peach Crumb Cake. It's probably the easiest thing I've EVER made and for those of you with a serious sweet tooth - I promise you - you will thank me.


Peach Crunch Cake

Ingredients.
24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup (yes - you saw that right - CANNED peaches - I still can't believe it)
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.


See Bakerella for drool-worthy step-by-step instructions.

Photos: Bakerella.com

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Nora Recommends - Mustela Dermo-Cleansing

Feb 16, 2010

Like so many things, I heard about Mustela's Dermo-Cleansing from another mommy friend. It came up in conversation as we were talking about Nora's baby acne :) I figured I really had nothing to lose so I ran over to Babies "R" Us and bought a bottle. Now - the price tag is a little shocking (around $16/bottle); however, I assure you, it lasted nearly 6 months for us.
I fell in love with it after the first use. Couple things I love about it - it's neutral pH, hypoallergenic, makes baby's skin so soft and lastly, it smells so good. I really would recommend it above the other baby washes. If you do try it - let me know what you think.

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BrandedPHX - Become a Modern Day Abolotionist

Feb 15, 2010


I know, I know - not the kind of posts our blog is known for. However - we should be known for things like this. Because as it says in Hillsong’s song, "Inside Out"

“…Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out...”

jus-tice [juhs-tis]- noun – the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action

This past weekend Alan and I were invited to attend a viewing of a documentary film called Branded. Although we knew a little about this city initiative of Food for the Hungry we were in for a real shock to the intensity of the information presented.

For example – Did you know that the average entry age of a child prostitute in Phoenix is 13 years old? Every day hundreds of children wake up in an enslaving nightmare. And every day they know they will have to complete the most dehumanizing of tasks before they will be allowed to sleep again.

You see there is a subtle myth that slavery was vanquished in the 19th century. In reality it hasn’t been defeated and there are more slaves today than any other time of human history. In fact, everyday, there are thousands of slaves across the United States. Thousands brought in and sold for sex and labor

Here are just 5 Quick Facts taken from the BrandedPHX website.
1. Slavery has been outlawed in every country but still occurs everywhere
2. Child prostitutes serve between 100 to 1500 clients per year, per child.
3. One million children are forced to work in the sex industry every year. Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking each year.
4. Among the millions trafficked each year hundreds of thousands are teenage girls, and others as young as 5, who fall victim to the sex trade.
5. One of the fastest growing markets for child prostitution is in the United States.

So the big question is – what can we do? Our voice can make a difference. From what we can understand, the city is prepared to slash in half the Phoenix VICE Squad due to budget cuts. This will severely handicap the effort to eradicate child sex slavery in Phoenix, and put more of our young girls at risk. Therefore, we have only one option. To raise the voices of concerned Valley citizens in opposition to this cut. Please see the below suggestions for political advocacy.

1. Sign the Petition - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/375?m=750a8b7e

2. Call the Phoenix City Council 602-262-4800
3. Write the PHOENIX City Council budget.research@phoenix.gov
REMEMBER: Phoenix VICE Officers have jurisdiction beyond the city of Phoenix. Losing the VICE squad in Phoenix means losing the VICE squad that serves YOUR community.
4. Attend a Hearing. There WILL be a hearing in YOUR district. http://phoenix.gov/budget/index.html

5. Educate EVERYONE in your sphere of influence. Each and every one of us can make a difference.

Note: This is not just an isolated Phoenix situation. This problem is everywhere. BrandedPHX is just working to establish a plan for eradicating child sex slavery with hopes that this can become a nationwide campaign.

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Valentine's Day Gift Idea's

Feb 12, 2010

Need some fun idea's for Valentine's Day Gifts? Here are just a few fabulous (and fairly easy) ideas.

1. Cupcake Take Along - believe it or not. isn't that the cutest way to package up all one might need to make cupcakes. I'm already dreaming of how I might be able to use this idea soon.
2. A Valentine's Day Gift Box of Cake - yes! really. Bakerella has done it again.
3. Printable Valentine's Day Gift Tags
4. Rock Candy - Sorry Nora - You have no say in your upcoming Valentine's day treats for your fellow classmates - we will be doing Rock Candy ASAP. Even if it's in a few years :)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

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{♥♥xoxo♥♥}

Feb 10, 2010

{xoxoxo}

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wishing away these days

Feb 8, 2010

there are days when I just can't get enough of nora at this age.
i just want to eat it all up and pay attention to each and every detail.
i'm constantly reminded that God has so much for me right NOW.
wishing away these days will only mean missing out on what treasures He has in store.
however, i'll be honest... when I find little shoes like these...i can't help but look forward to the day she'll fit in them :)
...oh please come soon cute shoe days...

so here's to TODAY and all of the today's to come
xoxoxo

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Steph's (and Alan's) Pick - 5 Great Websites

Feb 5, 2010

Isn't the internet so great?!!! (and so bad at the same time) I can spend countless hours on the internet reading about people's lives, drooling over delicious food, researching child-rearing questions or shopping for Nora's new outfit. I'll be the first to admit - I spend way too much time on the computer. However, it's hard not to when there are so many great sites. Which is exactly what I wanted to post about. Below are four of my favorite websites/blogs and Alan will make it five with one of his favorites.


Our Top 5 Websites.
1. Cool Mom Picks - a great guide for the coolest gifts and gear for parents. Plus they do lots of FREE giveaways! I've found so many great things on this site.

2. Young House Love - the story of two young people falling in love with their first house. Love it! This site makes me want to buy a 50+ year old home and get to work. Plus she's expecting a little girl - so fun.

3. Bakerella - Incredible (and easy) recipes for those of you who love to bake. I was just introduced to this and am in love. Bakerella - where have you been all of my life?!!!

4. Becoming Mom - Another great mommy blog. One of the things I love most about this blog is her photography and photoshop tutorials. Although she has a ton of other great stuff as well.

5. Alan's Pick - BlogMaverick.com - Mark Cuban's (arguably one of America's finest entrepreneur) weblog.


What sites do you love? Comment below...

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happy (belated) 6 months

Feb 1, 2010

6 months.
17 lbs 4 oz.
27 inches.
extrovert. (yes. already.)
swaddle-less. finally.
solids.
passionate.
almost crawling.
fearful of hats.
errand lover.
energetic.
we. love. you. nora.
think i'm creative? think again. i'm simply surrounded by very creative people who inspire me.
(above dress made by a dear friend - so cute, huh?)

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Steph's Pick - Rainbow Cake

Jan 29, 2010

How fun is this!!! Aren't these colorful pictures drool-worthy? When I first saw this cake tutorial on Hostess of the Mostess (my favorite blog!) I knew I had to try it. I kept thinking of all of the fun ways I could use it.
Well - use it I did. One of my dear friends' birthday was this past Wednesday and I was having her over to celebrate (Happy Bday Laura!). I wanted a fun and easy cake recipe. Enter - Rainbow Cupcakes. Yes - I said cupcakes! Although these pictures are of a cake I thought I'd do cupcakes instead. And let me tell you - they turned out great!

Ingredients:
White Cake Mix (and ingredients noted on back of box)
Food Coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions:
This is so easy..... Make white cake according to directions on box. Divide evenly in small bowls (# of bowls determined by the number of colors you're making). Add food coloring to bowls and stir well. Layer in cake pan/cupcake pans one blob at a time :) Bake according to box instructions. Cool. Frost. Easy-peasy, huh?





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Cloth Diapering Questions Answered - Mom to Mom

Jan 27, 2010

As a follow-up to my Cloth Diapering 101 post I want to share with you what I have personally discovered about cloth diapers. If, by sharing my perspective of CDs, I can encourage you or answer a question you may have had, then I have succeeded. The best thing I can do is share my experiences, and you can take them or leave them.

That said, after daily interactions with a little bum, here are a few cloth diapering questions that I encounter often, and my responses to them.

1. Isn't it a lot of work?
Honestly, if you’re concerned about a lot of work, maybe having kids isn’t the best idea for you! Heh!

Although it may seem like there are a lot of steps involved with CDs, they seem to simplify with practice. Remember when you gave your baby his/her first bath? It was a long process! There were all these steps to remember, many items to assemble ahead of time, and the slippery baby seemed so awkward. Now compare that experience to bath time now– it’s a cinch, right? In a similar way, cloth diapering soon becomes as easy as tying a shoe, and just one more load of laundry.

2. Don't Cloth Diapers cost a lot of money up front?
There are already so many purchases to be made that come with the arrival of a newborn that the cost of outfitting your baby’s bum can seem like a big hurdle. One of the advantages to cloth diapering that we have yet to experience is when other children come along - no start-up fee! Sounds good to me.

Remember, prices may vary, but my initial start-up cost was not nearly as pricey as most people think. At Wildflower Diaper Company, our local Cloth Diapering store, we spent around $400 to outfit Nora in CDs. And again - remember - we went with some of the more costly CDs. Yes - one must factor in the detergent and other costs, but still, you have to admit it is a fraction of the cost of disposable diapers!

3. How do you wash Cloth Diapers?
I know there are different care instructions for cloth diapers, so please note that this is solely the instructions the BumGenius Manufacturer's recommend.

Basic Washing Routine:
1. Wash the entire load on cold with ¼ to ½ (¼ for high efficiency machines, ½ in regular machines) of the detergent manufacturer’s recommended amount. Washing (a full wash, not a pre-wash) once on cold water is important to remove leftover BM (even if it is not solid yet) from your diapers. This step also goes a long way to preventing stains.
2. Wash the entire load again on hot (up to 120 degrees) – also with the above-mentioned detergent amount.
3. Do a second (any temperature you prefer) rinse.
4. You can dry everything in a warm/medium dryer.
5. You may use ¼ of a cup of bleach in your hot wash routine once a month, without fear of harm to your diapers. We do this the first week of the month and our diapers look brand new! It's awesome.

4. What do you do with the pooh?
The bottom line? Baby’s diapers are messy no matter whether they are cloth or disposable–it’s the pooh that is messy!

If cleaning cloth diapers conjures up images of kneeling in front of a galvanized washtub, scrubbing poopy diapers on a washboard, then you are in for a pleasant surprise. I was surprised when I first heard that for exclusively breast-fed babies, you do not need to rinse or spray your diapers off. Newborn poo is completely water soluble so it will dissolve in your initial cold rinse. For other babies, dump the pooh in the toilet or spray with a diaper sprayer. See below for a DIY diaper sprayer tutorial :) It's actually really easy - and not all that messy.

5. Why BumGenius?
I personally use BumGenius one-size pocket diapers and love them! I chose to invest in the BumGenius diapers because they have great reviews, are so easy to use and dry quickly. They are a one-size diaper and a snap adjustment system can be changed as she grows…and I can use the same diapers for more than one child, without having to think about different sizes.

6. What else do I need to get other than the diapers?
Pail Liners- a washable, reusable liner to line your diaper pail with, or hanging pail liners in lieu of the actual pail. A Wet Bag- to store dirty diapers in while you are out running errands, at playgroup, for the church nursery, daycare, etc. A Diaper Sprayer- A diaper sprayer makes this task quick, easy, and hygienic. I found this
great tutorial of how to create your own diaper sprayer for a fraction of the cost.


There are so many more questions I could get into on this post - but rather than cover everything I thought I'd hit on some of the "hot buttons." If you really are interested in learning more about cloth diapers there is a large amount of information on the internet. One of my favorite resources is
Wildflower Diapers FAQ page. Or you can always email us. We'd love to help you in anyway we can.

Again - like I said in the last post - Do I think that cloth diapers are for everyone? No. Has it suited my lifestyle and integrated well into my mothering? Absolutely. In the end, each mother (or father) has to do what best suits their lifestyle, and then be at peace with their decision.

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Steph's Pick - Cloth Diapering 101

Jan 24, 2010

Before starting - please know that the last thing I want to do is discourage a parent and make them feel not up to par. If you've made the choice to go with disposable diapers, that's ok by me (frankly - both us agree that disposables are MUCH easier). So, these posts are not meant to make those of you who choose to use disposable diapers feel badly.

I'm new to cloth diapering, so I don't have all of the answers. And I'll be honest, we hesitated for the longest time, mostly because it seemed like so much work. I think it may have even taken us all 9 months of my pregnancy to come to a final decision to plunge into the world of cloth diapering. But, my experience thus far has been positive and because many of you have asked me why we chose cloth diapers I thought I'd post about it this week. Today I'll cover the reasons why we chose cloth diapers and later this week I'll answer some common cloth diapering questions.

Our Reasons to use Cloth Diapers

1. Cost
This was our main reason. Disposable diapers are expensive. If a child is potty trained at 3, he/she will wear an estimated 8,000 disposable diapers — and buying Luvs, Pampers, or Huggies in their economy-sized packs at stores like Target, Babies R Us, Amazon.com, or Costco works out to an average of $.19/diaper. That’s an estimated $1,520 per child, assuming I buy the diapers at this economic price every time. If I buy the diapers in a regular-sized pack at a grocery store, the average price is $.24 — that’s a whopping $1,920 per child. (and to be completely honest - this was the BEST CASE scenario as most $ numbers I've seen have been much higher than this)

The price range varies for cloth diapers, depending on what kind you choose. I’ll be honest — we chose one of the most expensive kinds, the Bum Genius All-in-Ones (see picture below), the average price for those are around $16 per diaper. Now we bought a couple extra items – a 12-pack of flannel wipes ($12), a scent proof bag for her dirty diapers ($20) and a smaller version scent proof bag for my diaper bag ($15). That totals a little more than $400. You can use these diapers and wipes for every child, too, so you’re looking at barely more than $400 for all your diapering years. If you had three kids in disposables, that’s $4,500.




2. Good Environmental Stewardship.
In the U.S. alone, 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year, taking around 500 years to decompose. Disposable diapers make up the third largest item in landfills, after newspapers and food and beverage containers–a big deal, since they are a single product, used by a limited portion of the population. Once I started thinking about that, it just didn’t sit well with me.
But what about water use? Isn’t it good eco-practice to cut down our household water consumption? Sure thing. But washing cloth diapers at home uses 50 to 70 gallons of water every three days–about the same as a toilet-trained child or adult flushing the toilet five to six times a day. They’ll start doing that once they’re potty trained anyway.


Do I think that cloth diapers are for everyone? No. Has it suited my lifestyle and integrated well into my mothering? Absolutely. In the end, each mother (or father) has to do what best suits their lifestyle, and then be at peace with their decision.

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Nora Recommends - BabyBjorn Bib

Jan 20, 2010

Yes - in motherhood, the little things like Bibs make a world of difference :)
Pre-Nora I had seen various blogs highlighting this bib, but it wasn't until Nora started eating solids that I realized how wonderful it was to have a good bib. The BabyBjorn bib is superior to a number of other bibs for a few reasons. First, the neck is designed like a necklace with continous fastening, so it can be adjusted to fit your child perfectly. Second, the deep pocket really does catch most food spills. And last - it's FDA approved and dishwasher safe!

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Steph's Pick - Photography Resources

Jan 15, 2010

I've had a handful of people ask me about photography resources that I'd recommend. I'll be the first to admit - I really don't know a lot about photography. Actually - there are nearly 2,000,000 folks out there that know way more than I do. But - I'm learning. I bought my first digital SLR camera (Nikon D90) about 9 months ago and quickly dove into the twisted, confusing and wonderful labyrinth that is Photography. I've taken more bad shots than there are grains of sand but I've also taken a handful of photos that I've loved - and they keep me going. And thankfully with the help of some incredible resources I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere.

The first resource is what I'd consider a must-have for any photographer. Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure was recommended to me by a coworker (who happens to be a MUCH better photographer than I will ever be) and it truly has been the most influential read for me. After reading this I feel so much more confident shooting in manual mode.

Next - a couple mom blogs. It's amazing the free resources available online. If I had more time I could pretty much find everything I'd need to know about photography on the internet. Thankfully I've stumbled upon a couple of great blogs that have helped me tremendously.
Check out Becoming Mom and The Pioneer Woman (who also happens to have a great looking cookbook out now too!)

Last - Adobe Photoshop - in any form really. I have the CS3 version and am seriously considering using my husbands current student status to purchase the CS4 version. This program performs miracles (maybe not the Jesus type miracles but photography miracles).

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Nora Recommends - Sophie le Giraffe

Jan 14, 2010

Why yes - this is a new series!!! No promises in terms of how many "Nora Recommends" posts you all will receive, but I figured it was about time to start telling some of my other mommy friends about all of the great infant and child gear out there!
Trust me when I say - every infant - correction - teething infant - needs a Sophie Le Giraffe. I first heard about Sophie from a friend who said her son just couldn't get enough of this little giraffe. Not shortly after having this conversation I also saw Martha Stewart highlight Sophie on her show. And then much to my surprise my very thoughtful MIL sent Nora Sophie as a gift upon her birth (thanks Nana!).
At $16 I couldn't imagine that this little teething toy was worth the money. Boy was I wrong! Not only is Sophie french (which is always fun), she also appeals to all of your child's five senses.
She really is Nora's favorite toy.
You can get Sophie in various children's boutiques or online. At this point I haven't seen it at BRU or Target.

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dedication pics

Jan 12, 2010

I'm finally getting around to posting dedication day pictures (sorry for those who have been asking when they are coming). As I mentioned in a previous post, Alan and I dedicated Nora at our church (Scottsdale Bible Church). A baby dedication is essentially an opportunity for us and our families to acknowledge publically that Nora is a gift from God and that we will commit to raising her in a Christian home and will teach her to love and serve Jesus. We were blessed to have many family and friends present at her dedication and her party afterwards. Despite my love for photos I took NO pictures of people - just food. I'm so sad about that. Thankfully Amy snapped a quick shot of Alan, Nora and me with Joy, Kevin and Reagan before the service.


...party details...

favors: Small Magnets with picture of Nora and verse. Just a little reminder for guests to pray for Nora as she grows.

menu:
Yogurt Parfait Bar (great granola recipe to come as Steph's Pick one of these weeks)
Mini Quiche
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Mini Caprese Skewers
Assorted pastries
Pita Chips and Dip
Punch, Water and Coffee

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua 24:15

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lots of Iowan love

Wow! I apologize for the lack of blogging lately. For those of you who read our blog frequently - you know that a week and a half of no posts is a long time for us :) Well, the last week and a half has been full of lots of highs and lows. We started last week off with nasty colds (102 temps) for all three of us. I would not recommend that. After a couple fun days of recouperating we were back in the saddle again and took a trip to Iowa to see some of our loved ones. Although not all are displayed in the photos below we were able to see Aunt Amy and Uncle Erik, Gma and Gpa Triggs, GG and GG Triggs, GGG Vivian (yes - that's five generations still living!), Great Aunt Peggy, Nana Flies, Aunt Sara and Uncle Kyle, Aunt Abby and Uncle Nick, Cousin Adelyn (for her birthday party)and dear friends, Liz and her son, Easton and Brian, Allie and their daughter, Reese.




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