Thursday, June 30, 2011

what i never thought i would ever say...

things like; get that snail out of your mouth
and we don't poop in the shoe basket, we poop on the potty
are things i never dreamed i would ever possibly have any reason to say whatsoever
however, i am a mother, and as mothers we are blessed with the onslaught of new, strange, different, and innocent activities of our extremely curious tiny humans. sometimes it's hard not to laugh!

other things you might hear me say if you're within earshot is:
please don't torture your stuffed animals by suffocating them in the cooler.
no pointing at the lady with 89 body piercings and 65 tattoos, just pray for her.
please pet the cat instead of carrying her by her hind legs,
and no she doesn't like dress up (poor cat)
where did you put your waffle?
no, i'm sorry, we can't live in the cave with the bear at the zoo.
please put your clothes back on.
get your hand out of there.
no running down the hall with a ruler in your mouth.
why is there a waffle in your toy box?
please don't put sand in their dog's rear!

who are you?
where did you come from?

*sigh* my sweet curious little babies, i love you.

have you been surprised as a mother at some of the things you have to say?

have a beautiful day :)
xoxo,

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

what i love wednesday {No. 22}

for the summer having fun with the kiddos is at the top of my list.
trying to make sure we enjoy the short 10 weeks as much as possible,
relishing every precious day down to the last sunset.

some fun things we want to do are...

what i love wednesday!
lemonade stands
popscicles
souvenir jars
beach days
campfires

what are you loving this week?
can't wait to see!

xoxo,

lollipops



Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tuesday Tutorial {stuffed breakfast croissants}

this is a fun and yummy recipe i recently thought up for breakfast

ingredients:
1 tube of prepared croissant dough (keep refrigerated until filling is ready)
filling:
about 5 slices of bacon - we used trader joes apple-smoked turkey bacon
4 eggs
goat cheese (optional)

cook up your bacon
and scramble your eggs add pepper if desired

lay out croissant dough in triangles on baking sheet
layer goat cheese (optional -i loved it)
half slices of bacon
scrambled eggs

roll into neat little packets with corners facing down (almost like a diaper)

bake as instructed on the croissant package, about 12 minutes or so
and viola!
the kids loved these and so did all the ladies up at my scrapbook retreat :)
enjoy!

have you invented anything yummy lately?
have a wonderful week!
xoxo,

Monday, June 27, 2011

Free ad space!

photo source
Happy Birthday to me...
free ad space for you!

today is my birthday so i want to give you a gift :)
free ad space for the entire month of July!
just email advertising {at} lollipopscards {dot} com with your static button
in either size: 251x125 or 125x125
photo source
for larger ads please see my advertising page :D

xoxo,

Friday, June 24, 2011

InstaFriday

my week through instagram:
having summer fun - took the kiddos to the local aquarium.
he's throwing fish to the seals.

abalone

shell shop

francesca's freshly made pizza...

everybody liked it!

my oldest... she's pondering

grilled summer dinner for the first official day of summer

baby workout {bounce}

yummy smoothy in a mason jar

we watched old school willy wonka...

while we painted our nails

my personal chef making crepes with fruit :)

what have you been up to?
happy weekend lovelies!

xoxo,
Sweet Shot Day

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Sponsor DIY + Giveaway - Bibeez Baby


This week we made play-dough. It was like I was 5 again.
But truly, Play-dough is so very important- did you know that? Especially for me. I am, and always have been a very tactile learner. Actually, I am a “hands on” person all around. If you were to go shopping with me, you would notice that I TOUCH EVERYTHING. I can not just point to the delicious tart in the pastry case- I MUST touch the glass. (It kinda drives my husband crazy. “Think of all the people that have touched that,” he says.) 
And, oh my word, fabric shopping is nearly a sensory overload.

Do you have a tactile learner in your family? Maybe they fiddle with everything, love to touch knobs, buttons, buckles and soft fabrics (I’ve noticed all these traits in our little guy already). Older children may be tactile learners if they love to play with blocks, 
finger-painting, and building models. 
If you do- a quick batch of play dough may be an ideal way to spend an afternoon this summer!

And I have just the recipe for you!
Summer Berry Play-dough! Truly the most wonderfully smelling play dough, perfect for summer time.
It is made with real berries, whatever kind you like. We used black raspberries we had in our freezer from last year’s “bounty.” It made a lovely color, and we didn’t have to use artificial dyes or food colorings. It also smells delicious. However, my sweet husband DOES NOT recommend eating it- ha! It has a lot of salt in it.
So here is what you will need:
Desired berries
1 cup of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cups of flour
And here is how you make it:

Boil the berries in 2 cups of water until they burst and color the water. Pour the water through a strainer to remove any berries. Go sit on your front porch and eat an ice-pop while you allow your colored berry water to cool.

Combine the salt and flour in a non-stick pan. Now add 2 cups of the berry water and oil.

Stir ingredients together until it is pretty smooth. Continue to stir over medium high heat until a ball forms. It takes about 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to lightly floured wax paper and allow to cool some more. Kneed until smooth. Play!

It is going to smell so yummy, and it is safe to eat if you have a little one, but it is really very unpleasant tasting :-)

It can be stored in plastic wrap or an airtight container for awhile. Ours is still pliable and we have had it for 5 days, wrapped in plastic wrap.


So you learned that I am a tactile learner, here are a few more random facts about me:


I am late... a lot.


My husband still gives me butterflies.


I am named after 2 of my great-grandmothers.


I am the seat-belt police, Buckle up!


I have never had a favorite color (it always changes).


My favorite foods are Cheesecake, Ham and Pineapple Pizza, Zucchini Bread, Pesto, Chicken, and Sausage Gravy and Biscuits.


I was in Show Choir in Highschool.... before "Glee" made it cool ;-) { Jazz Hands! }


I love patchwork because I have a really hard time picking only one fabric. Like, REALLY.

-Frances

and this time she will be giving away a super fun washcloth set, perfect for baby's bath time, or removing mom's makeup! and a SUPER-DUPER SURPRISE GIFT! (Oooooooh...)
An adorable little bundle, perfect for a baby shower gift. Two coordinating washcloths made with the highest quality cotton and absorbent cream terry cloth. One washcloth has a contemporary apples pattern and the other is a vibrant olive green with cream vines. I have them bundled together with an orange polka dot grosgrain ribbon. 

Washcloths are the most versatile baby gift around. They can be used at bathtime, or to wipe spit-up and drool, dip in cool water and wring out and they are perfect for teething (my son loved that). They are also great for Moms to remove makeup etc with a fashionable towel, instead of a boring plain colored one. 


All you have to do to win is leave a comment here of your favorite item from her shop.

For additional entries, leave a separate comment for each:
1. Follow @bibeezbaby and @lollipopscards on twitter
2. Like bibeez baby and lollipops on facebook
3. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway (make sure to include @lollipopscards and @bibeezbaby in your tweet) and include the link to this giveaway. (one entry each)

Feel free to use this tweet:
@bibeezbaby is giving away an adorable apples and vines washcloth gift set + a surprise, on @lollipopscards! #GIVEAWAY http://bit.ly/iznIPH

Giveaway winner will be announced next thursday!

happy day!
xoxo,

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

what i love wednesday {No. 21}

happy wednesday lovelies!
here's what i am loving this week...
painted nails. 
all photos are from my pinterest "My Style" pinboard
(let me know if you need an invite)
aren't these so fun and amazing?!!

i have been doing my nails lately.
i know with children and life that my manicure won't last more than 5 days so i try not to get frustrated.
i have come to expect it and get excited for the next new color(s)!

i remember at about age 11 i made a home video on our huge panasonic VHS camcorder on how to manicure your nails - it was about 2 hours long! i wonder what happened to it. i can only hope it was destroyed!

i think my girls and i will do our nails tonight, 
i can't decide between a soft pink or aqua, hmmm...

what are you loving today?
i can't wait to see!
be sure to leave some comment love for your fellow linkies ;)

xoxo,


lollipops

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tuesday Tutorial {Menu Display}

yesterday i told you how i plan my menus and a couple of ways to organize them.
here's one more that was inspired by the clay family blog (discovered via pinterest
so here's mine along with a tutorial to help you get started
i used a creative memories 'everyday display'
you can also use a frame + string or a ribbon

choose some "delicious paper"
adhere it to your board or frame
make a pocket - use a library book pocket 
or make one out of a clasp envelope like i did
print out your dinners that you typed like i described in my post yesterday
cut them out in strips
i chose cream for dinners that include a meat, 
and a green paper for vegetarian dinners.
use rub-ons, stamps, or print on vellum the days of the week
and adhere to mini clothes pins, measure twice :)
use a wall or door to display your menus, calendar, chores, and invitations/flyers all together
to create a mini "command center"
look at your calendar to help choose what goes onto the menu
ie; busy days make something quick and simple

at the bottom we have our summer to do list and summer chores

do you have one?
i would love to see yours.
how do you answer the question, "what's for dinner?"

happy crafting & cooking!
xoxo,
krystina

Monday, June 20, 2011

Giveaway Day on Gussy Sews


xoxo,

menu planning on a whim

tattered and torn are the pages of my most beloved cook books. gone are the days of burning toast and over cooking the pasta. surfer guy is italian, pasta is required to be Al dente. i remember when i was told i could and would cook, yet, i had no idea how to. he took me to barnes and noble and we picked out a few cookbooks together. into the kitchen i went with a teaspoonful of spite and bushels of optimism - i read the recipes and directions and, wow, it worked. not only was the surfer guy right, he was also lucky :)

i have never been an expert and cooking wasn't a big deal on my side of the family. however, i like to eat, to experiment, and to be creative so it's usually to my family's benefit. they have their favorites that mom makes that's for sure. and now my little Francesca loves to cook. just last week she made herb bread, pizza, biscuts, and blueberry muffins.
the problem is that she is good, who can resist that yummy just baked smell? ahh.

so for the planning most of the time i stand in trader joe's and list dinner ideas through my head and grab and go. this is stressful with a toddler and one or two begging tweenagers at my sides. my ideal menu planning consists of a few simple steps.

flipping through my cook books or the internet and writing down favorites and new dinners i would like to make, then typing them into the computer. from here i can copy and paste them into ical, and even set up email reminders from ical telling me what is for dinner each day.

or i can hang them...(i will have a super cute tutorial for you tomorrow!!!!) then from there make my grocery list on my iPhone, b/c i will inevitably lose or forget that list, but i won't forget my phone :)

do you like to cook?
how do you plan meals?
how do you involve the kiddos?

happy monday!
xoxo,

Friday, June 17, 2011

Photography Friday

this was the view out my kitchen window last night
shutter priority
(both taken with nikon D7000 70-300 lens)


auto no flash

i love the full moon, sigh.


and here's my week through instagram
started the weekend off with a cab

the Princess Bride Movie Trivia Game Show at our school's history night

brownies for class

good friends talk on the last day of school

the "cereal" killer has his stuffed animals hostage in the cooler whilst he eats cheerios 

pulled an old game out -an exciting game of skill and chance ;)

Mr. Boy and i going down the slide at the park together

recap of a fun week:

have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo,

Sweet Shot Day