i've been

on an etsy shopping spree!
a baby shower gift, something for ben's first birthday, and of course a new purse for mommy.
don't want to share everything here. dispite the lack of comments i have quite a few readers and would hate to ruin any surprises...
k. off to bed. i need to hurry up and finish knit two!

11 months!

- has two more teeth!
- crawls. well, gi joe crawls. he's too lazy to pick his belly off the floor!
- is working on pulling himself up.
- is starting to like fruits!
- sleeps from 8:30 to 6. yay!
- knows how to play peek a boo.
- can do soooo big!
- had his first trip to the mall.
- is in need of a haircut. {i can finally admit it!}
- loves to play ball.

pictures taken by nick! {not sure why, but i'm not complaining!}

mr. panda pictures were tricky.  ben does not like to be on his back now. he'd rather be on the move!

 

  

 

clapping with mr. panda.

 

always has his fingers in his mouth...

  

dad decided it would be more fitting to put the sticky on ben's back. so true!!

 

the sickies.

have invaded our house. i started feeling sick wednesday. it totally knocked me out today. bummer because we had some fun plans for my day off. maybe next week...

ben and i have napped for a total of 5 hours! kinda crazy since we've only been up for 9.
looking forward to a lazy evening napping.
hoping all this napping is helping ben ward of the bugs. he just has a bit of a runny nose.

fingers crossed we're better tomorrow and nick doesn't catch it.

we have...

two top teeth and NO rashes!
have been waiting a bit to post this. really hoping i didn't jinx myself.
trying to figure out what could be the reason for those darn hives a few months ago... guess we may never know.
11 month update tomorrow!

random olympic thoughts.

- ski cross is my new favorite. those people are crazy!
- short track speed skating is nuts.
- meryl davis looks like belle from beauty and the beast. {google them both. i dare ya!}
- is currently watching woman's skiiing. that fog is insane.
- i love scott hamilton. his commentary after the canadian skater finished was so touching.
- shaun white will always be the flying tomato. however, i do agree that the animal is a very fitting nickname as well.
- i have a crush. ;o)
-thinks evgeni plushenko is a cry baby.
- i'm sure there are many, many more. i am brain dead from trying to watch all of the olympics on our dvr. so secretly i'm ready for them to be over! i need some sleep!

snow.

i'm beyond sick of it. ready for spring. ready to bring out the flips. so ready!
these pics are from a few weeks ago, my birthday i believe.
i love good mail days and getting packages are even better.
got ben's goodie box from old navy and threw it on the floor and walked away. of course, he got over there and found some snow...

 

  

he does this 'thing' now where he shoves his fist in his mouth after putting something in it. i'm not sure if he's afraid it's gonna fall out or what! 

 

 

the invites.

for ben's first party are finished!
no i didn't hand make them. {i don't think people get the work that goes into a handmade card...}
hoping to have them in my hands by the end of the week and in the mail by monday at the latest!!

whazzup?

trying to teach ben how to say it since he's found his tongue, again. really trying to capture a picture of him crawling with the tongue hanging out. it's hysterical!

this is how.

ben plays with puzzles. ;o)

 

 

check out that floppy sock!

tastefully simple.

i'm having a catalog party. i know the original deadline was the 17th but it isn't too late!
if you would like to order. click here!
fyi, the new spring catalog is being released in a few weeks. the party won't close until after that release. i'm guessing it'll close in about 3 weeks. i hear there is lots of yummy stuff coming our way.
i can't wait!!
promise... a non food post tomorrow! ;o)

it was okay.

made the butter chicken tonight.
fine, i confess. nick made the butter chicken tonight. wish i could say it was fanfreakingtastic. but i wasn't that impressed. nick and i aren't big chicken people. that could be part of the problem. i did love the sauce and the basmati rice though.
trying to figure out what recipes to make this weekend. got a new cook book for my birthday and i am in love. {of course, i am. it's a cook book!}

etsy.

love it.
i mean it's bad. i randomly search and bookmark just to pass the time. my wish list is huge! also did tons of christmas shopping this past christmas.
i also get their newsletters. love getting eye candy in my inbox. but today one item had me scratching my head.
shoes.
seriously? i know they are fantasy shoes but really?! and $350!! egads.
scroll through the shop and check out some others.
the goldfish makes me laugh!
cupcakes!
and flips?!

breathe

 'breathe. let go. and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.'
-oprah

got this in my email a few days ago. just kept forgetting to share. want it here because it's so true. that and i needed a post for a lame day... i napped for like 4 hours today. i got nothing! ;o)

liquid yummies

i'm an iced tea lover. sweet tea preferably.
nick's nana and mom make some killer sweet tea.
then there's mcdonalds. so good. could stop every morning and make myself happy...
the cans of lipton and nestea aren't bad but sooo sugary.

part of the reason we went for the platinum keurig was because it brewed iced items. {coffee and tea} finally tried the iced tea yesterday. seriously. i might have a problem. i drank it in record time! sooo good.

awww

look at the drool. sooo sweet. and then for the less crazy flash version... {which by the time i played around with the iso settings, the drool had made it's way to nick's pants!}

12 on the 13th?

i forgot. i suck.
so here they are a little late.

- my addiction to pop cupcakes is out of control. made strawberry crush with white cake and mountain dew with yellow cake. strawberry burnt a bit... not sure why. still yummy though!
- i think i like the winter olympics better than the summer ones. however, in general i prefer summer over winter!
- 31 feels no different than 30.
- went to the library for the first time since ben was born!!
- yay for getting our taxes done and out of the way.
- thinks all these changes to facebook are ridiculous.
- really needs to get crackin on the invites for ben's first birthday party.
- is excited for reconnecting with some old friends. had lunch yesterday with someone i haven't really spoken with since before high school ended. was nice. ;o)
- really wants to purge. what... the scrapbook room! it's out of control!
- put ben in his big boy carseat for the first time today. i think he likes it.
- is not looking forward to volleyball tomorrow. it's so hard after being off a week.
- thinks the gift certificate i have from stampin up is dangerous. trying to not spend too much more!


for good measure.
- cannot believe there was an article about the hourly rate of couponing... what?!

i'm drooling.

just a little.
cannot wait to try this: butter chicken.
hopefully, our schedule cooperates and i can make this next week
maybe in honor of the olympics i should pick some random ethnic foods and make those for the next two weeks.  hmm....

carrie, you'll have to let me know if you had any really good recipes at your olympics party! ;o)

the olympics...

are coming!!!
so excited that they start tomorrow. seriously, contemplating deleting everything on my dvr to record them when i can't watch. love that we'll have them on at work during the day. good bye soap operas and game show network. i know, i'm a dork. and last time they were on, i slept through them. ah, the joys of the first trimester. i guess i shouldn't complain, i could have been nauseated too...

31

it's gonna be a good year.
crazy start. earthquakes and snow... and babies who were up at 5 am?!

thankful for a loving hubby who got up with him and let me sleep in.
thankful for a baby who decided it was naptime when daddy left for work. so mommy and ben snuggled in bed for another 1.5 hours.
thankful for naptime with benjamin this afternoon.
thankful i was able to have the day off to just be.
thankful for a nice dinner out with my boys at the carrot! ;o)
thankful the movie i picked didn't get thumbs down from nick. {bride wars... super cute!}
thankful for my birthday gift. i love my keurig.
see i have pictures to prove it....

 

and then i took a picture of my oh so healthy breakfast...

and the coffee mug is full. it's the second largest setting on the machine. i just have a thing for hella big coffee mugs.  and yes my mug has seen better days. i personally think the cracks give it character! {ha!}

was going to chronicle today in pictures. yeah, that didn't happen. but it was a thought...

thankful for wonderful family and friends. the cards, the emails, the phone calls, the texts, the facebook posts. love and thanks to all.  ;o)

squidward boots.

apparently, it's a shoe theme around here... was waiting for a snow storm to blog about these...

so last year for my birthday i told nick i wanted new winter boots. i researched and found a pair of uggs that i really liked. shopped around and found a pretty good deal online. {disclaimer: the linked site is NOT where i purchased my boots. just saying.} placed my order and waited.

i didn't get the boots until right before ben was born. you see, they came from china! yes, china. i have no clue why. i didn't pay attention when i was ordering. and i have no clue why it took almost a month for delivery but whatever. i was just excited they were here. i pulled out one shoe, tried it on and put it back in the box and into the closet. figured since it was march, i would more than likely have to wait a while to wear them.

now winter rolls around this year and i pull out the boots. super excited to wear them. and what do i find... two left shoes. no shit. i'm a perfect example of why you should check the box or try on both shoes!  nick is giving me a hard time! can you blame him? and i'm a bit upset. trying to remember where i ordered them from. i mean, 9 months later and i'm going to ask for an exchange. and i know i'm going to have to wait since it took so long for them to arrive in the first place. shit. shit. shit.

i find the order info and send them an email. they are fine with exchanging but i'm going to have to pay additional shipping. bye bye super bargain from the internet... fine. i'll mail them the 'one left shoes' that they are requesting. i send nick to the post office to mail my boot. the company i ordered from asks for shipping confirmation. um, to china. not sure how that works. so i make nick go through all the trouble. i know, i have a great guy. apparently, it has to go under lock and key. like a bond or some government documents. say what?! for a shoe. whatever. we do it. i just want my shoe!!

the boot is sent out right before thanksgiving. so two weeks later, i email the man to find out where the heck my replacement boot is. they haven't received it blah, blah, blah. so i wait. and wait. then email again. he finally tells me i need to contact my post office because he doesn't have it. well, we have delivery confirmation. we better for 30 something bucks! and it says 'received in china.' so i kindly reply to the company that my shoe did arrive in china. that the usps no longer tracks once it's delivered. that it's china's problem now. he's a no go. keeps telling me that i need to contact my usps. finally, over one month later i get an email from the guy saying my 'left shoes' has arrived. thank you jeebus! however, there is a problem. the shoe was last season, so they are just going to ship me a whole new pair. fabulous. but why couldn't we have figured this out earlier? and who the hell has two right boots to match my two left boots??

and the guy i've been dealing with tells me i can 'drop' the other shoe now. i'm thinking this means i can throw it away. oy. so now my good deal on uggs turned out to cost me almost retail. sigh. at least it's all straightened out and i have a pair of good winter boots.  which nick now lovingly refers to as my squidward boots!!

they are super fantastic. yes, i said super fantastic. they are that awesome. way more comfy that my other uggs. and the boots are flexible. i can actually bend my ankle! clomping around in my columbias was not fun and that was the main reason i wanted new boots. i mean, it is kinda hard to drive and use pedals with your foot constantly flexed! i love em. makes me happy that it's snowing and i am not a fan of snow!!

mommy got

a new pair of shoes!

been debating the 'work-out' shoes for quite some time. my boss has had a pair for over a year.
i finally caved and bought some this weekend. i mean i walk all day long. seriously on a busy day at least 6 hours.

was so strange to wear them at first but by the end of the day i forgot i was wearing them. thinking i might check out the reebok ones when the outlet mall receives another shipment...


hoping they work!! not that i think my ass or legs will look anything like the pictures but every little bit counts, right?!

the superbowl.

how cute is this?!

 

picture from here. 

so happy for the saints. a bit bummed for the colts, but they already have a ring. ;o)

he's found

his tongue... again. ;-)

huggies.

we're big fans of them in this house. well, except when ben was little and we could use the pampers swaddlers. anywho.
nick and i just saw this commercial...
haven't seen/heard nick laugh this hard at a commercial in quite some time. i think it's because he can totally related. ;-)

a fundraiser.

a few of you might have gotten a tastefully simple evite from me.
here's a more detailed version of why...

Mommy's Turn to Wine mother's club is teaming up with Doma International {http://www.domaconnection.org/}, a non-profit organization, to raise money for a Boarding House to help former Ukrainian Orphans transition into society.

There are a staggering number of Baby Houses and orphanages in the Ukraine.  The children "graduate" out of the orphanage system at 16 years old without many social skills or trade skills. They are meant to make their way thru our HUGE, COMPLEX world after spending their entire lives in tiny, often deplorable orphanages.

Some of these orphans become teenage mothers and end up as one of the following statistics: 70% of orphan girls enter the sex trade, 40% of all orphans become drug users, 40% commit crimes, and 15% commit suicide.

Mommy's Turn to Wine has committed to sponsoring a fledging Boarding House and would like to invite you to help us meet our goal of $5,000.
The money will help at least 2 women with their room and board, social work needs, parenting classes, and help their children as well.

in addition to this tastefully simple fundraiser. we are also hosting an open jump at a local jump zone.  here's some info on that...
jump zone is located at 1237 arrowhead ct. crown point indiana {behind buddy and pals}

The event is open to EVERYONE and anyone, but will not be a regular "open play jump day" as Mommy's Turn to Wine has reserved the location for the evening.

Admission is $10 for children 2-12 years old.
Parents and toddlers under 2 is free, however a minor donation is suggested.

We will also be selling raffle tickets for a 50/50 drawing for a chance to win some cool donated prizes!

Refreshments will be available at the kiosk.

The establishment also offers free wi-fi if needed while your child plays!

Shop from a Variety of Great Home Vendors and enter a raffle to win items from the following places:

* Beijo Purses
* Cookie Lee Jewelry
* Smoothie King Gift Certificates
* Themed Gift Baskets made by Local Girl Scouts
* Party-Lite Candles
* Pampered Chef
* Mary Kay Make-up and Beauty supplies
* Hair Cuttery St. John

and of course my free product from hosting this show will be given away to raffle as well.

now if you made it this far, thank you!!
if you did not receive an invite via email and want to help, here's how to order:
go here and enter my name in the search. select my party and then shop to your heart's delight.

i'm sure there are some of you out there thinking, "why should i{or you} help the people in another country?", or something along those lines. well, i think people are people. and people can give their money to whatever charity they choose whether it be st. jude's house, new orleans, livestrong, haiti, or even humane societies. to help someone regardless of the cause or location is commendable.

and i'll leave you with one more thought. i read this in my nursing magazine...
"nurses are, by nature, people who want to help. there's a lot of energy and a lot of willingness to be generous and give time." -elizabeth sloand.
not that you have to be a nurse to be a helper, but it's kinda in my blood. ;o)

i still smell like garlic.

it was so worth it though.
made a yummy recipe for dinner last night.
only had to cook the pasta! the sauce was made in the food processor. no cooking at all!!

the recipe was from taste of home. love their recipes. have a few of their cookbooks. and actually use them regularly!

verde sauce.
-6 green onions cut into thirds
-5 garlic cloves, peeled
-2 tsp grated lemon peel
-3 cups loosely packed basil leaves
-3 cups loosely packd parsley sprigs
-1 jar {10 oz.} sliced green olives with pimentos, drained
-1 jar {3.5 oz} capers, drained
-3 tbsp. lemon juice
-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-1 cup graed parmesan and romano cheese blend
-1 cup olive oil
-cooked pasta

place onions, garlic and lemon peel in food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. add half of the basil and parsley; cover and process until chopped. add remaining basil and parsley; chop.
add the olives, capers, lemon juice, pepper falkes and cheese; cover and process until blended. while processing gradually add oil in steady stream.
serve with pasta.

now i have to admit, i have a hard time shopping for recipe ingredients. i don't know what it is, but i always get something wrong. not enough, completely forget. always mess it up! this time was no exception. didn't get enough basil! so ours was a bit extra parsley tasting. we also always add extra garlic to recipes. not sure it was needed this time!!

it does make a lot of sauce {recipes states that it yields 3 cups}. so much so that we're going to freeze our left overs. hoping it holds up well in the freezer!

mr. silly.

found him sucking on his binky like this the other day... walked away to get him packed up to go to his doctor's appointment and came back to this. couldn't help but laugh considering his was trying to suck on it that way too!

31 days.

i blogged the entire month of january. woot woot!
really trying to be better at it. i think it's so neat to go back and read what i've written over the past few years. think it will be cool for ben. and if we decide to have additional kidlets for them too!  and considering i don't journal, it's an awesome source of memories. i really must print them out and store them in a binder or something...

random fact. i only other blogged on february 1st one other time. last year.
kinda odd because i was originally going to blog that the issue of rsc is out. so i guess it was meant to be... i have to tell you to check out the new issue! ;o)

i can't share my projects here... yet. when i can, i will! slim pickins this month. i think my mail lady decided to nab some of my goodies. {robin, if you do read this, i don't think it was you!!} have been feeling scrappy. made one card so far for the new issue. a hybrid card. hoping to do a few more hybrid projects before my paper goodies arrive!