blurbs & blogs of babyhoot.

A Bad Day in London...

2010-01-26T16:57:00.000-05:00

This print is available from 3LambsGraphics on Etsy. I think I could spend at least $100 at this shop- everything is adorable! You know I love all things Harry Potter too; there's some great HP artwork available.

TEAM CONAN.

2010-01-22T17:02:00.002-05:00

'Nuff said. Pishaw with you, NBC.

Ocean Expedition Flag Contest

2010-01-14T15:43:00.003-05:00

National Geographic Kids is having a Flag Designing Contest for kids ages 8 to 14!

National Geographic will create a flag using the winning Flag Design, and will fly the flag on the National Geographic Ocean Now expedition ship during its outing in 2010.

How cool is that?!

go HERE for the contest information.

Disaster Relief Aid for Haiti

2010-01-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

$10 from every "Blessed Necklace" sold from The Rusted Chain will be donated to Compassion, to help with disaster relief in Haiti.

Etsians (that is, people who are connected with the handmade shopping site Etsy) love to help others. Right now, you can find all sorts of beautiful things where proceeds go to help with disaster relief aid in Haiti.

Please consider this the next time you need to buy a birthday gift or maybe something for your sweetheart for Valentine's Day!

Your Daily Humorscope

2010-01-02T16:04:00.000-05:00

Need a little silliness in your life? Check out your daily humorscope (get it... a humorous horoscope?!) Here's my humorscope for today:

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
Your ancestors were berserkers -- feared warriors who attacked without fear or common sense. You will soon enter the same state of mind, and when you finally "snap out of it", you will find an enormous pile of peeled potatoes and family members edging towards the door.

see? Told ya it was silly.

and since I'm feeling silly, here's what I'll pretend my warrior ancestors looked like.

While the movie 300 is quite bloody, it does give a FINE demonstration of the muscular potential for the male species. Mmm.

What to do with the leftover Almond Roca

2009-12-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

Like we ever have LEFTOVER Almond Roca lying around the house... so before it leaves the store shelves until next holiday season; stock up so you can make this yummy cheesecake. Because I'm on a diet (and failed miserably while making Christmas cookies) I will NOT be baking nor tasting this Almond Roca Cheesecake. So have an extra slice for me, and tell me how wonderful it was. Then I'll tell you how I lost another five pounds this week and we'll both be happy. Right?!

Almond Roca Cheesecake

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup chopped or ground Almond Roca Buttercrunch Candy

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine crumbs, Almond Roca, sugar and butter; press firmly on bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or 13-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat cheese until fluffy; gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth; add eggs and extract; mix well. Pour into prepared pan; bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set.
Cool; top with Almond Roca Topping; chill; refrigerate leftovers.

Almond Roca Topping*1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/3 cup whipping cream1/2 cup chopped or ground Almond Roca Buttercrunch

In a small saucepan combine brown sugar and whipping cream; heat and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves; simmer 5 minutes or until thickened; remove from heat and stir in Almond Roca; spoon evenly over cake.

* If using a 13 x 9-inch pan, double all topping ingredients; simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened.

Pretty New Year's Garland

2009-12-29T15:06:00.002-05:00

I found this "how to" for this New Year's Garland. So pretty. Not sure if I have the patience to cut out all those felt circles; but maybe I can find them pre-cut. Let me know if you find felt circles!

YUM. For Reals.

2009-12-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't tried this recipe yet (only because I'm a. not at home and b. don't have the ingredients yet) but after reading through the ingredients and seeing pictures- I can confidently say YUM! These cheese puffs look so darn good.

I found the recipe on a blog called The Pioneer Woman Cooks and she's got amazing pictures and walks you through the cooking steps.

I think I'm gonna make these for New Years Eve. I like that you can freeze them and then pop 'em in the oven too. (yeah, I'll be making a bag of these for unexpected guests- now, if I can only perfect this phrase without inflecting my voice to sound like I'm lying. "Why yes, we LOVE it when people stop by unexpectedly! In fact, in ten minutes my first batch of cheese puffs will be ready... do come in and stay a while...")

Eight Arms are better than Two

2009-12-26T15:17:00.001-05:00

That's just a kewl looking scarf, huh?! Yeah, well it's mine. So THERE. :) So if you don't know, babyhoot consists of sisters Jessica & Christina (and our youngest sister Lacey is starting to sew too). Every year for Christmas, our siblings and the spouses draw names for Christmas. Christina has this thing for owls, and I (Jess) like octopi. (yup, that's plural for octopus) And Lacey- well, her 19 yr old self loves anything to do with Paris, Team Jacob, and feathery jewelry.

Anyways, I found this cool shop on Etsy called Zen Threads, and they had screen printed scarves in three designs: an owl, an octopus, and the Eiffel Tower. It was so meant to be.

I bought CK the owl scarf for Christmas, and a week before Christmas my package arrives- but it's not the scarf; it's a T-shirt. It was cool, but not what I ordered. Zen Threads was awesome, they sent the right item right away (I got it three days later!) and even let me keep the tee. I love it when I find professional, awesome shops on Etsy. And when I find something I LOVE, I gotta share it with our blog followers.

Speaking of things we LOVE, Christina says she loves the scarf's material- so I bought the octopus scarf for myself yesterday. And maybe Lacey will get the Eiffel Tower scarf for her birthday. :)

Gift Idea!

2009-11-28T02:37:00.000-05:00

this is a cute necklace for the little girl in your life. perhaps I love it too, because for the first time in my life; I'm dieting and goldfish crackers are off limits. Only $12 from Pumpkin Pye Boutique on Etsy.

from the mouth of babes

2009-11-25T02:35:00.000-05:00

the other day 5 yr old Sweetpea tells the family at dinner time; "today at recess I told a group of kids that I could take them out in less than a minute." My husband and I gasped, so she continued. "But I didn't really DO IT, I just TOLD them that I could. So it's okay, right mom?"

Holiday Decorating... even a Kindergartener can do!

2009-11-22T02:26:00.001-05:00

from Real Simple:

Feast for the Eyes

Gather a bunch of doilies in white and silver and tape them together (or secure with a dab of glue) to form a one-of-a-kind table runner. For an inexpensive wintry centerpiece, fill glass vases and large compotes of different heights with pinecones. Spray-paint them gold and silver for extra sparkle, or leave them as nature intended.

I want these!

2009-09-16T17:18:00.000-04:00

I love coasters, and every one from Funky Chicken Designs are cool. Now I just need to get a coffee table to have a use for coasters.

Recipes for Back to School

2009-09-13T17:09:00.002-04:00

"Chew On Your Pencil Sandwiches"

This is our first full week of school, and already the kids are getting tired of boring lunches. So I turned to my trusty Family Fun Magazine website and found an entire page dedicated to fabulous brown bag lunch ideas for the kids. Although, I might just need to pack a lunch and include some tasty Cheese Straws and a Sailboat Sandwich for myself!

"No honey, blackberries are more than just phones..."

2009-08-07T14:43:00.001-04:00

It's blackberry season! Woohoo! My kids have become expert berry pickers (grandma has raspberries growing. Well, she does until the kids come over. Then she just has little grandchildren with full berry bellies) and we need to go pick us some berries and make some fabulous desserts to celebrate. {Here's a link for info on berry picking.}

I found this recipe below from Martha Stewart, and I want to try it! It looks easy enough I can even have my girls help me in the kitchen. Although, they'd probably just eat all the berries when I wasn't looking...

Blackberry Crumble

Ingredients
Serves 4
4 cups fresh blackberries (about 14 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for ramekins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
6 store-bought sugar cookies (about 2 ounces), coarsely crushed
1/4 cup rolled oats

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Stir blackberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, and the lemon juice in a bowl; set aside.

Put butter, cinnamon, salt, and remaining tablespoon sugar into a small bowl. Stir vigorously with a rubber spatula until creamy. Stir in cookies, oats, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons flour.

Work mixture through fingers until it forms coarse crumbs ranging in size from peas to gum balls.

Butter four 5-ounce ramekins (about 3 1/2 inches in diameter). Divide blackberry mixture among ramekins; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack 20 minutes before serving.

The Camping Fork

2009-08-05T14:27:00.003-04:00

So I came about this awesome product by accident. I was searching online for camping places near Forks, WA (yes I'm a "Twi Fan" but I have always liked camping in the Rainforest too...) and I put in a google search for "forks camping". There is in fact, a website called campingforks.com, but it's not for campgrounds... it's for forks used during camping!

Anyways, I found this cool marshmallow tree stick. Isn't it neat? Think of all the S'Mores you could make at once. And, I could use my purchase from campingforks.com when I go camping in Forks!

(BTW, here is a good link for campgrounds near Forks, La Push, and the Olympic Penninsula)

My Little Sunshine is havin' a Big Sunny Sale!

2009-08-03T14:59:00.000-04:00

My friend Rachel (My Little Sunshine) is having a big sidewalk sale right now on Etsy. Part of me wants to not show you this beautiful Roman Glass necklace because I want it for myself, but it is so georgeous I just gotta share!

Here's another reason why I'm in love with this necklace. This is the description of Roman Glass Rachel has listed in the description, and its so cool. I love handmade things, especially ones with history.

Roman Glass is an ancient glass, discovered in archaeological excavation sites in Israel and in other Mediterranean countries.The fine Sterling Silver Roman Glass Jewelry is one of the most popular types and styles originated from Israel enabling to wear an entirely unique piece of 2,000-year-old history. The glass in this aqua-hued jewelry began life as a vase, jug, or vessel. Uncovered from ancient Roman archaeological sites in modern-day Israel, each fragment has been textured and colored by centuries of wind and weather. Each bear the marks of not only its past life as a household or temple object but also the very earth in which it rested until being transformed into a unique accent.

So go check out My Little Sunshine and enjoy the sale! She also has lip tints on sale, and I've got pomegrante and creme brulee sitting in my pocket as we speak. (one in each pocket. don't ask why)

Howdy, this is my buffalo named Bukkaka Super Naka...

2009-07-21T22:52:00.004-04:00

buffalo greeting card by pumpkin girl on Etsy (of course)

This past weekend my hubby and I went away (without the kids!) to celebrate our anniversary. We drove past a handful of farms when he longingly said, "I want to have a farm with lots of buffaloes." (he said more to it, but that's all you need for this story). I told him whatever animals he may end up with, to not let the kids name the animals. He didn't understand why, so I sent my sister a text message that just said "ask sweetpea if we had two buffaloes what would she name them?"

This was the text reply we got back a few minutes later:

"She wants to name them Bukaka Super Naka and Spunkaka"

(Sweetpea has been in this phase where she thinks she's speaking "Spaniglish" and she makes up all sorts of words)

So there ya have it folks. Never promise to go with a name the kids made up before you hear it first.

Keep Calm and... think like Harry!

2009-07-12T14:32:00.003-04:00

Poster by PrintSpot

I've always liked these "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters I found on Etsy, they are a reproduction of the famous British WWII posters (I seriously need one above my desk at work!).

And then, while searching Etsy for all things Harry Potter (do you KNOW how I excited I am that the movie is almost in theaters?!) I found this poster... and I know it would be perfect for in my family room. Well, any room in the house, really...

poster by 3 Lambs Graphics

And don't forget! Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (which is my favorite of the seven books) opens in theaters on Wednesday!

7-8-9!

2009-07-08T17:49:00.000-04:00

Here's the cheesy joke for the day... and you can really only use it today, July 8th, 2009!

Q: Why is 6 afraid of 7?
A: Because 7-8-9!

(get it? today is 07/08/09... seven ate nine...)

I told you it was cheesy.

501 Science Experiments...

2009-07-06T11:18:00.000-04:00

My son loves science experiments. We've been given all sorts of science-related things, and many kits we've gotten are... well, they just suck! There's experiments that require odd materials, or things take too long (one book was full of projects that had to sit for a week!)

This book is one I love. It's called "501 Science Experiments" by Estelle Longfield. Each project is easy to understand, comes with a"did you know?!" section to tie everything in together, and there's only a few projects that require materials I don't already have at home. (And that's the one where you make a battery out of two lemons, and we want to do that!)

Homemade Popsicles (that are good for the kids!)

2009-07-05T01:33:00.000-04:00

I know I blogged about this last summer, but just in case you didn't read it... ('cuz it's a great idea, I think)... Don't toss your leftover fruit smoothie mix down the drain... turn it into homemade Popsicles!!!

Here's a recipe that I sort of follow along with (I just toss stuff in the blender and call it good)

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
Puree like the watermelon and freeze, insert sticks when partially frozen and continue to freeze until they harden (Overnight is good).

Play Ball, Baby!

2009-07-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

Look! Crafty Christina made a ball pit for the babies to play in! (It's hard to tell the frame of reference for how small the balls are; that's Mia the puppy playing in there and she's the size of my size 11 Nikes. this is a small baby ball pit! And yeah, I have giant feet!)

The smaller, tot-sized balls are available at Babies R Us; they are smaller than the usual ball pit balls and are easier for toddlers to grasp with their hands.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T13:39:00.002-04:00

These are my favorite pictures of my husband and each of our kids for the year.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

"Dad: a son's first hero, a daughter's first love."
-Proverb

Sloppy Joes, ah, slop-a-sloppy joes...

2009-06-16T19:02:00.002-04:00

If you watched SNL in the '90's then you know what Adam Sandler song I sing when I make these homemade sloppy joes...

But even if you weren't up for staying up late and watching silly nonsense on TV on Saturday nights, everyone can enjoy this recipe.

JESSICA'S HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
2 lbs ground beef
2 C ketchup
1/2 C water
1/4 C brown sugar
1T Worcestershire sauce
1T prepared mustard
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
1 t salt
(and i like to add in 1/4 C dried chopped onions too)
4 hamburger buns

Cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Stir in all ingredients. Bring to a boil, them reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve open-face on hamburger bun. Serves 8.

Free Family Film Festival

2009-06-10T11:48:00.001-04:00

Have you heard of Regal Cinemas' summer movie program for the community- the Free Family Film Festival? It's great! Every Tuesday and Wednesday morning for eight weeks in the summer, a Regal Cinema theater near you has a family movie (nothing brand new, all movies listed we've already seen and own the DVD) that is free for everyone on a first come, first serve basis.

Kids don't care if it's a new release or it's Toy Story; they just like the movie theater experience- and parents will be happy, because it's a free event. And my favorite part of going to the movies- the air conditioned theater. (for those of you who aren't familiar with Seattle- not many people own an air conditioner in their house, so we go out to places like the mall or movie theater, who do have AC; during the ten days it's really hot here)

Check it out HERE to see what theaters in your neck of the woods are participating.

Pancakes made Easy!

2009-06-08T11:44:00.003-04:00

Well, file this under "why didn't I think of that?!"- Real Simple Magazine suggests to fill an old ketchup container with pancake batter, making it REALLY SIMPLE to have a mess-free pancake experience. And, considering how 5 year old Sweet Pea has been wanting to help make pancakes for the last month (and although she tries hard, she still makes quite the mess) I am going to have to try this out!

Johnny Five is Alive Again!

2009-06-05T01:04:00.000-04:00

Johnny Five is comin' back!!!

When I was little, I used to watch Short Circuit all the time. I remember wearing out the VHS tape (nope, no DVDs yet!) and I loved this movie. Especially the part at the end when they use all those songs on the radio to direct the taxi...

anyways, I read today they are considering doing a remake!

What are YOUR favorite movies from when you were younger? What would you like to see a remake of?

Don't Forget- Buy Handmade!

2009-05-27T22:38:00.006-04:00

June is a busy month for gifts- graduation, Father's Day, belated birthdays and more. You know I love to support other Etsy artists, so here's a look at what I'm getting this month!

These super cute weiner dog coasters from Naked Decor for my friend Dayne's Housewarming Party...

Utterly hilarious and inappropriate Parking Cards, Greeting Cards & More from Wry & Ginger for our best friend Josh's birthday...

And these Silver Plated Batman Cufflinks from Fink Studio for my hubby for Father's Day.

Seven is the best number.

2009-05-13T23:15:00.003-04:00

John W. Golden has awesome posters and other digital art on Etsy- check him out!

So lately, my dear sweet middle child hasn't been eating dinner (which isn't gross food, btw!) and while we usually don't force the kids to eat, I'm tired of hearing her cry of how hungry she is an hour later; so this is a sample of the conversations we've had recently at dinner:

Sweetpea: "Mom, can I be excused?"
Me: "You didn't eat any of your dinner. You will be hungry soon. And that's it for the night."
Sweetpea: "But it's _____ (insert: yucky, gross, cold, crunchy, any other bad adjective you can think of)"
Me: "Eat three bites and you can get down."
Sweetpea: in a whiny voice- "But it's ____!" (again, insert the yucky adjective)
Me: "Three bites won't kill you. Do it quickly!"
Sweetpea: "how about seven bites?"
Me: weary of what she's up to- "Um... okay. why not three bites?"
Sweetpea: "Seven is a better number." (in a very matter of fact voice)

and then... she quickly gobbles up SEVEN bites of the ___ food and she's done!

"Hello, I'd like to introduce the twins... Mac and Cheese"

2009-05-07T01:10:00.003-04:00

In honor of my best friend Kari, who's twins were born a few weeks ago and get to go home from the hospital soon; and to honor her husband Josh's love of all things macaroni and cheese; here is something fun I found!

Mac and Cheese onsies set for twins... made by Bambina Mia on Etsy. $36 for both.

You Know, the show with the frozen baby with toilet paper in her head...

2009-05-04T23:51:00.001-04:00

Conversation with 5 year old Sweetpea while in the car:

Sweetpea: "Hey Mom, guess what? Today-I-watched-a-really-cool-thing-on-TV-about-a-frozen-baby-and-they-had-to-take-toilet-paper-out-of-it's-head!"

Me: stops paying attention to road. Asks wearily- "I'm sorry... WHAT did you say?!"

Sweetpea: sigh. Repeats self, verbatim.

Me: "A frozen baby?"

SP: "Yeah, it was frozen!"

Me: "What channel were you watching at Grandma's house?"

SP: "I dunno. But they had to take toilet paper out of it's head."

Me: "Oh... interesting." Thinks to self- Better ask husband what she means.

* * *
An hour later... now the whole family is in the car, so perhaps I can get the story straight.

Me: "Sweetpea said she saw a show on TV with a frozen baby on it that had toilet paper in it's head."

Husband: "Are you talking about the elephant show honey?"

Sweetpea: "Well... not an elephant."

Husband: "How about a Wooly Mammoth?"

Sweetpea: "Yeah! That's it! It's a wuly mammomf. And it was frozen."

Husband: "They found a Wooly Mammoth and were taking tissue samples out to study. It was very interesting."

Me: "oh, thank goodness. I was rather worried."

FIVE POUNDER CHALLENGE

2009-05-03T12:53:00.003-04:00

Have you seen this? On May 5th only, all of the Taco Del Mar stores will be offering a 5 pound burrito FREE if you can eat it there in the store in less than 30 minutes. That's an average of six minutes to eat sixteen ounces of burrito. times FIVE. yuck.

I'm trying to talk some of the guys at work into attempting this, because I'm intrigued and wanna watch the attempt.

Oh, and it costs almost $20 if you don't finish it all. Yikes.

Kentucky Derby Day!

2009-05-02T12:29:00.005-04:00

Today I had wanted to take the family and go across to Bainbridge Island to explore- visit the farmers market, the park, and the little shops. well, the kids have had a cold; and with the Swine Flu stuff, we decided it would be best to stay home all weekend.

Still wanting to do something fun, and we realized the Kentucky Derby is on today, we have made this weekend "Horse Weekend"! We watched the movie Dreamer last night, and we're working on fun activities to do today before we watch the races. The kids want to all pick their horse before the race to make it more exciting too.

Sweetpea had a good idea too, she wanted to eat oatmeal for breakfast, since that's what horses like to eat. Now, if only I could come up with a fun and creative dinner menu for the races! All I could think of was "horse burgers with horseradish" which isn't creative at all; and kinda gross.

Luckily, my trusty recipe website, allrecipes.com, has a whole section on Kentucky Derby Party food. Looks like pecan pie and Kentucky Hot Brown sandwiches are popular. Hmm...

Here's a family friendly mint julep recipe that I'm going to make tonight.

have you heard about the $1,000 Mint Julep?

I think I'll get out a bunch of ribbons and feathers and such, and let the kids make their own Derby Hats to wear during the race. Isn't that what I save up all those buttons, ribbons and do-dads for? A 'rainy day' project?!

I'm not a "hat girl" but if I went to the Derby, I would go all out. Wear something like this.

Nevermind. Please forgive me.

2009-04-26T01:20:00.002-04:00

After looking at the Aston Martin again, I feel ashamed I even thought of cheating on it with a different car. I still want you, sweet car.

Although, I could buy almost two Jaguar XKR-S for the price of just one Vanquish...

I think when my older friends told me in fifteen years I could ditch the minivan and get something else a tad bit more fun and less "soccer mom", I don't think they meant a sportscar that can go 205 miles top speed...

It only comes in Ultimate Black- that's fine with me.

2009-04-26T01:01:00.003-04:00

I have found it.

THE car. The one I'm buying when I hit it rich. Sorry Aston Martin, you've been replaced.

I want a Jaguar XKR-S; which is "Limited to just 200 units and available only in Europe... capable of 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and has a maximum speed, electronically limited, of 174mph– making it the fastest Jaguar since the XJ220 supercar."

Isn't it pretty?

It's beautiful.

Bella's Twilight Bag

2009-04-17T20:03:00.003-04:00

OK, I know I'm not a teenage girl but I like Twilight. (there, I said it). We rented the movie out of curiosity when it came out a few weeks ago, and it was better than I thought it would be! So, curious as I was, I borrowed all four books from my sister (who IS a teenage girl) and got a bit obsessed, and then proceeded to read them all within a three day period.

Anyways, I found this cool bag on Etsy and I think it'll be easier if I just cut and paste what the shop owner of Stitchandswash wrote! Enjoy!

As seen in "Twilight"! Bella's bag is now available... awhile back I was contacted by a props manager about one of my bags that had been purchased at the Seattle boutique Velouria. the bag was being used in a movie they were shooting in the northwest, and they needed a duplicate for the stunt double asap. I stayed up late and whipped up a duplicate that night, then overnighted it to her in Portland. little did I know that the movie was the huge blockbuster Twilight! the large tote was used throughout the movie as Bella's main bag (besides her orange bookbag she takes to school). you can see it in the opening scene when she's grabbing her bags from her dad's patrol car. She uses it when she goes to Port Angeles and gets chased in a dark alley by bad guys. she also uses it to pack later in the movie when she runs away from Forks. after seeing the movie I've decided to make this design available to any Twilight lovers out there! and since I'm making it exactly like the bag that's in Twilight, it's the one bag in my shop that's made from new leather, not recycled.

Happy Birthday Hotdog!

2009-04-15T10:04:00.003-04:00

While some of you may be standing in a long line at the post office tonight to postmark your tax return (procrastinators!!!), tonight I will be celebrating my daughter's 5th birthday with a special birthday dinner of hotdogs, hashbrowns, ketchup, and cherry coke- per her request, of course.

And speaking of April 15th birthdays... we know of eight other people having a birthday today as well, ranging from turning 4 to 86 yrs old. AND- there's a family we know that's having a planned C-Section today at noon too!

Let me guess... you know of somebody that's got a Tax Day Birthday too. Are they requesting hotdogs as well?!

World's Smallest Postal Service

2009-04-06T11:19:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to tell you guys about this for a while and I keep forgetting. Have you heard of the "World's Smallest Postal Service"? It's a genius idea, and I think I'll be ordering some of these in the near future- perhaps a letter from the Tooth Fairy (comes with fairy dust!).

Here's a description from their own website:

The World's Smallest Postal Service is a teeny tiny letter transcription service - now available online. Here's how it works: You write a letter... and it is transcribed onto tiny stationary (1 x 1.5 inches) with a magical transcription device (see example to the left). It then goes into a tiny envelope which gets addressed, stamped, and sealed with a miniscule wax seal with your initial on it. The letter then goes into a see-through folded coin case and is packaged up with a magnifying glass in a larger glassine envelope, finished off with a large "World's Smallest Letter" wax seal. It is put in a sturdy mailer for shipping.

Be sure to check out other things that Leafcutter Designs has too- such a cool site!

What's for dinner? Padme Pad Thai...

2009-04-04T23:12:00.003-04:00

I found this Star Wars II* cookbook in a little shop in Olde Burien a few months ago. It's got real recipes in them- ones that I would be willing to try- and each recipe has photographs in it with little star wars action figurines with the food. My son might just find this in his Easter basket...

*if this is #2, that must mean there's a first Star Wars cookbook! Found it! Here ya go... Wookiee Cookies...

Brazilian Limeade

2009-04-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

Tried a new recipe the other day in my attempt to encourage Spring weather to arrive- we had a BBQ last weekend and I needed a yummy summery drink to go with the homemade burgers and potato salad. It sounds a bit weird but it was pretty yummy; I can see why some reviews said people wanted to add in some rum! BTW, my attempt to bring about the sunshine didn't work- it's snowed twice since that day. Just a little bit of snow, but still... snow.

Ingredients

2 limes (I just used Key Lime juice to make things easier)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
ice

DIRECTIONS

Wash limes thoroughly. Cut off the ends and slice into eight wedges. Place limes in a blender with the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, and ice.
Blend in an electric blender, pulsing 5 times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove rinds. Serve over ice.

FYI- don't make too much of this at once- it doesn't sit well and looks kinda gross after a while, when everything separates.

explain THAT one....

2009-03-30T01:12:00.000-04:00

So the other day, I was talking with my budding artist son in the car. (lots of good conversations happen in the car.) I was explaining to him that people who love doing art can go to an art school and get a degree in all sorts of fun options. He asked what kinds of classes there are, and when I mentioned how some classes you have to draw nude people. Here's how that part of the conversation went.

Sharkboy: "wait a second... did you say NUDE people? As in, naked?!"
Me: "um... yes; naked people."
S: "are they just sort of naked? Or do they show their PRIVATE PARTS?"
Me: "sometimes just sorta naked. But, there are some paintings and drawing of completely naked people."
S: "gross! why would anybody let somebody else see them naked?"
Me: "because some people think the naked body is beautiful, and they want to celebrate what God created."
S: "but you said we aren't supposed to show other people our privates. Why would somebody want to BUY a picture of someone naked? Do they hang them up on the wall?"
Me: "yes. there are some very famous nude paintings made by very famous artists."
S: "Then I never ever want to go to an art museum."

Earth Hour is March 28th

2009-03-28T00:58:00.002-04:00

go HERE for more info.

I really need these things.

2009-03-26T00:28:00.000-04:00

So I found this website that I am totally in love with now. Here's what started it all:

My mom got me this wicked-cool note pad (I like to make lists) and it's got three different sections, and they are perforated so you can tear them off too- so perfect for me.

Then I looked at the website of the awesome-pad-creator; called KnockKnock. They have lots of cool stuff! Snarky tear-off pads so you can truly share how you feel with others...

Smart checklists for newbie parents attempting to take a walk outside or go away for the weekend...

And really funny yet practical things for me to use at work!

If you join their email list, you'll get a coupon code to save 15% off your purchase of $50 or more!

Yuck

2009-03-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

I'm very opinionated... and a handful of other adjectives we don't need to bring up right now; but I have a few things that creep the bejesuz out of me and gross me out.
Here's a few:
1. people clipping fingernails and toenails. The sound of it gives me the shivers.
2. people displaying their nasty feet. Please keep all yellowing, fungus-y nasty toes and un-pumiced heels covered in socks.
(my husband says I've got the worse profession if gross feet creep me out- I teach martial arts. To barefooted children and adults. although, it's just the adults with nasty feet. kiddie feet are OK)
3. I also don't like the words "egg", "turd", and "curry".

Anyways, I was at the doctor's office reading a magazine, and started reading the recipes on the left page. While those recipes sounded yummy I couldn't figure out why I was getting so queasy and grossed out.
Then I looked at the right page of the magazine. Eew! Who puts recipes for bean dip next to a big ol' ad with a giant foot on it? Even though it's a "nice" looking foot, it's still a foot. Next to food. Gross.

Hoot N' Holler

2009-03-21T18:27:00.002-04:00

We wanted to get a really good, clear scan of the magazine page before posting it here, but we can't wait 'cuz we're so excited. So bear with us with a blurry, not-too-great couple of photos of babyhoot's first magazine feature-mention-photograph-anything-in-print ever!

And THANK YOU to 425 magazine for the honor!

Spring Is Here!

2009-03-21T18:24:00.002-04:00

Happy 2nd day of Spring! (hey, I was busy yesterday, OK?!)

See the LOVELY vase of flowers my three children conspired together to pick for me? Can you tell they are crocuses- which are a bulb? Can you see the bulbs in the bottom of the waterless vase? Yes, they yanked the entire plant out of the ground, dirt, roots, bulbs and all, to show me their love.

Our Website!

2009-03-17T02:09:00.000-04:00

so do tell... what do you think of our website?!

St. Patrick's Day Dinner

2009-03-15T01:45:00.005-04:00

I try to be a fun mom, and try to do fun things for the "small" holidays such as Arbor Day and St. Patrick's Day. (by "small" I don't mean less important, I just mean don't-get-the-day-off-from-work-and-meet-with-family "small")
Well, we've done corned beef and cabbage (no thanks) and we've tried corned beef and hash (again, no thanks) and I'm starting to run out of ideas for a fun dinner for St. Patrick's Day.

Then I turned to my trusty Family Fun Magazine online, and found a few fun ideas!

POT OF GOLD JELLO
I love the idea of using a cored-out lime as the pot! so cute.

SHAMROCK TOASTIES
if only my kids (and myself) liked green peppers...

CLEVER CLOVER CUPCAKES
you won't believe how to make them "clover" shaped- so clever!

who knew hulu?

2009-03-09T01:38:00.003-04:00

did you know that hulu is FREE?! I did not!

what's hulu? if you didn't see the silly superbowl ad, hulu is a one-all spot to watch all your favorite shows online for free. I just signed up, and it's awesome!

we canceled our cable two months ago and it's been killing me that I've been missing out on my shows. Now I can buy groceries AND watch Burn Notice, Chuck, HIMYM, and SNL all in the same month.

yippee! gotta go run and tell my BF who's been stuck on bedrest... boy will she be happy!

Smart Mom Jewelry

2009-03-06T01:15:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about Smart Mom Jewelry?

(before we talk about this, I'd like to remind everyone that we are not sponsored by any companies or bribed, paid, etc. in anyway to promote their products. In fact, these guys have never heard of us and have most definitely, not given us any free swag)

These necklaces and bangles are genius. Teething rings as jewelry- makes me want to have a baby again! (not really, after I typed that out I came to my senses). Teething Bling^® products are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC and lead free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp. And they are pretty, too!

You know who I really think this is a great product for? Grandma. After all, us moms don't even have time to put any jewelry on as we dash out the door to church, and it's Grandma's jewelry that baby uses to occupy herself with during church service anyways.

Best thing, they're affordable. The bangle bracelets are on sale, less than $10 a pop.

Humorscopes

2009-03-04T01:07:00.002-05:00

I'm not the type to read horoscopes or care about astrological signs. But I found this website with the "daily humorscope" and they are hilarious. I cut and pasted today's humorscopes- some are really funny. Enjoy.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Today will be a complete waste of time. You will at least learn to spell "equaminity."..er..."equanimbity"...no...hmmm. You will learn to spell a word like that, today.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

Beware of men on stilts, today. (I'm sorry, but professional ethics prevent me from revealing more. You'll understand, though, when the "situation" occurs.)

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

You will be in a somewhat ornery mood when you go out to an Italian restaurant tonight. You will insist on chopsticks.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

A person named "Elmo" will call you repeatedly, and will refuse to believe that he's dialed a wrong number.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

You will feel an odd compulsion to stack books, symmetrically, in the public library. Try to resist it.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

You will write some office email soon that positively sparkles with comic irony. You'll be asked to knock it off.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

Remember: you can't tell your boss to get lost. You can, however, give him the wrong directions.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

Money will come from an unexpected source. If you put it in a mesh bag and run it throught the washer, you'll get most of the smell out.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

In the grocery store, you will see quite a few people with infants in their shopping carts. Try though you might, however, you will not be able to find the bin with the children. Perhaps they're sold out? Important Safety Tip: do not stop one of the women with an infant and ask her to show you where her baby came from.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 20)

You will find yourself in a huge handbasket, before the end of the day, and it will be getting much warmer than you like.

Aquarius (January 21 - February 18)

Try to avoid nibbling on things today. Despite recent developments, you don't actually know your friend that well yet.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

You've been getting tired of the same old "look", day after day. Maybe you should get a tattoo? I'll bet people with tattoos never get tired of 'em!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2009-03-03T01:00:00.002-05:00

In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday today, my brilliant son had a great idea for dinner- we ate fish sticks from "Finney's Freshest Fish Diner"! Then we read tongue twisters from Dr. Seuss and talked about how we'd make up our own.

We didn't have time to make this today, but we've made Oobleck before and the kids LOVE it. Here's a recipe- next time it's sunny outside, grab the kids and go make a mess! In honor of reading, that is!

short & SWEET sale!

2009-02-28T12:58:00.003-05:00

{SALE}

Save Big this weekend with our Short & Sweet Sale...28% off 28 items. & check out some of my pals also offering great deals...

http://www.sweetanthem.etsy.com (.28 shipping!)

http://www.sidneyann.etsy.com (28% off entire shop)

http://www.rachel323.etsy.com (28% off jewelry)

http://www.sweetpetula.etsy.com (28% off 28 items)

Go forth & shop!

Are You Nit Picky?

2009-02-23T03:26:00.003-05:00

As a child, I had lice once. There, I said it. See, I'm not ashamed. We weren't a dirty house and we had good hygiene. Lice Happens.

My mom ran an in-home daycare and that's how we got it- I do remember having the school nurse and parent volunteers coming in to my 2nd grade class with these wooden skewers and latex gloves, and I remember them checking everyone's hair. I wasn't one of the kids that had it, and I don't remember if we did have kids in our class that did. Needless to say, it didn't traumatize me; but again, I didn't have a school nurse discover it and freak out in front of everyone.
Why am I bringing this up? See the article below. And by the way- with all this lice and nits talk, did your head start to itch at all? I hate when that happens. :)

Schools Getting Less Nitpicky about Head Lice

The Associated Press

Rather than summarily sending home any child with signs of head lice, most schools across the country have loosened their policies, allowing youngsters to stay in class if they have nits, or lice eggs, but no crawling lice in their hair.

About 60 percent of schools now allow children with nits to stay in class, says Amy Garcia, executive director of the National Association of School Nurses.

The change has been backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses. It’s welcomed by many educators and parents, who worried that students were missing too much school and being made to feel ashamed.

It’s not known whether there have been more infestations in recent years as a result of the new, more relaxed policies enacted after a 2002 study saying the real problem is lice, not their eggs.

click HERE for the full story

I don't know if I like this lax outlook on lice. What if there was a child that had just the eggs, was allowed to attend school, and the eggs started to hatch while at school? It feels like it's a ticking time bomb waiting to blow. Even with this policy, if one of my children had lice I think I'd keep them at home anyways.

What's your take on this? Take our poll, if you want!

So cute, it makes me wanna bake!

2009-02-21T03:53:00.002-05:00

Isn't this adorable? And better yet- it's on sale for $2.19 at Sur La Table!

oh so pretty.

2009-02-18T00:44:00.002-05:00

Isn't this pretty? click on the photo for great ideas for baby showers (no duckies!). I'll consider having a 4th baby if I could have a pretty shower like this one! Only if the house is one of the gifts I'd receive, though...

Good Point.

2009-02-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Questions my kids have asked me this week that I couldn't come up with a great answer for:

"Why do they make my flannel jammies to be so soft on the outside and not the inside? Can I wear them inside out? How 'bout with my socks too?"

"Does Batman have pockets in his suit?"

(my 4 yr old daughter knows it takes an egg and a seed to make a baby) "you know how you can cut an apple in half and see the seed inside? Can you find the seed inside ME if you were to cut me in half?"

By the way, we consulted Uncle Brian, who knows all things Batman. No, he does not have pockets in his suit, he uses his utility belt to attach everything to.

Which led to the next question:

"Mom, can you sew me a babyhoot utility batman belt?"

Good idea, sweetpea.

Random Fact. Yuck.

2009-02-06T04:02:00.000-05:00

did you know two Twix bars has the equivalent of 11 pieces of bacon in saturated fat?

I did not make that up.

Time to Pee?

2009-02-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

I've potty trained two children and I still don't feel like I have all the answers- mainly because each kid is different and the potty training methods will need to be different! What worked for one of my children might not work for the other- I need to think this through and see how to make my now two year old the most successful. I'm not even sure if Sunshine is ready to potty train!

I found this quiz and thought it was helpful- maybe you'd like it too!

I can tell by watching that my child is wetting or filling his diaper:

a. Never.
b. Sometimes.
c. Usually.
My toddler's diaper needs to be changed:

a. Frequently, every hour or two.
b. It varies.
c. Every two to three hours -- sometimes less frequently.
My child understands the meaning of wet, dry, clean, wash, sit, and go:

a. No.
b. Some of them.
c. Yes.
When my child communicates her needs, she:

a. Says or signs a few basic words and I guess the rest.
b. Gets her essential points across to me.
c. Has a good vocabulary and talks to me in sentences.
If I give my child a simple direction, such as, "Put this in the toy box," she:

a. Doesn't understand or doesn't follow directions.
b. Will do it if I coach or help her.
c. Understands me and does it.
My child can take his pants off and put them on:

a. No.
b. With help he can.
c. Yes.

When I read a book to my child, he:

a. He ignores me.
b. Sometimes listens, sometimes wanders off.
c. Sits, listens and enjoys the story.
My toddler wants to do things “all by myself”:

a. Never.
b. Sometimes.
c. All the time!
I think that it's the right time to begin potty training:

a. No.
b. I'm undecided.
c. Yes.

Total the number of responses for each letter:
a. __________
b. __________
c. __________

go HERE to read the results of the quiz- and GOOD LUCK!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-02-02T17:13:00.000-05:00

showing off her new "2!" birthday shirt that Mommy made

My little baby is a little girl now! Happy 2nd birthday Sunshine!

Kaylie really does "make me happy when skies are gray". (that's her special song for night time) One thing that's kinda cool is there have been several people comment (people that don't normally comment or dote over babies) that she is always smiling, no matter what- how she's always happy. Just watching her do something will brighten your day. She's a cheerful silly little girl that's learning how to show love- she gives great big hugs and likes to surprise you with kisses when you're not expecting it. When one of her siblings is crying or angry, she always tries to cheer them up.
I wish you could meet my sweet little girl- she's so wonderful.

stupid criminals

2009-01-31T02:23:00.000-05:00

Have a Super Superbowl Sunday

2009-01-31T00:04:00.000-05:00

Need a quick and easy dish to share for the Superbowl? Here's my speedy bean dip:

in a pie pan, place 1 brick of cream cheese in the center
cover with 1 can chili (I like Stagg or Nalley's)
sprinkle with cheese

bake 400 degrees for 15 minutes. serve with tortilla chips.

if you have an extra three minutes, you can use a 8"x8" pan and spread the cream cheese out completely and then proceed.

oh, and GOOOO CARDINALS! (Sorry, but any team that beats the Seahawks in a previous Superbowl will NEVER get my allegiance.)

Valentine's Cards- handmade!

2009-01-30T20:26:00.004-05:00

the sign placed on my son's door while making my valentine card

Valentine's Day is right around the corner- and this year, do something easy but creative in place of those insta-valentines you buy in a box for the classroom. It will take more time than just sprawling your kids name on a transformer printed square, but think how much fun you and your child will have being artsy.

Here's a few cute ideas that DON'T INCLUDE CANDY!!! that I found on Family Fun:

Pencil Valentines- "Valentine, You're All Write"

Cookie Cutter Valentine- "You're Cut Out To Be My Valentine"

Homemade Playdoh- "Putty in My Hands" (we did this one for preschool)

Paper Airplane- "You're Plane Awesome"

Our Latest Product

2009-01-28T23:44:00.004-05:00

Look- our latest new product- Double sided wooden door signs! These make for great baby shower or new baby gifts. The only signs I could find online were one sided- why waste another chance to speak your mind?! So, as always- I made my own and showed equal crafty love to both sides.

Time to sleep/time to play

you wake her, you take her/the princess will see you now

*asleep*/*awake*

no shoes please/time to play

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

This last summer when I was planning curriculum for our awesomely-fun and educational summer camp, I found a few simple and easy crafts to make on our "Asia Day". In honor of Chinese New Year, I thought I'd share one of them with you! Fabric Fortune Cookies are easy enough to make with the kids and pretty enough to make for adults- the Brassy Apple has a great tutorial on her blog.
Enjoy!

Wii Giveway

2009-01-24T12:35:00.002-05:00

Bakerella is so darn creative. And so generous too! The cupcake queen is giving away a Wii on her blog- you simply need to pick out which "Mii" really is her and submit your answer. The contest ends tonight at midnight- so hurry and go enter!

NEW! the babyhoot. travelin' baby bib.

2009-01-23T01:09:00.003-05:00

THE BABYHOOT TRAVELIN' BABY BIB

made from oilcloth (a fancier version of vinyl) with a special little pocket in the front for baby's fork and spoon- although, we all know they'd rather just use their hands anyways. All the benefits of our classic Messy Baby Bib- made BIG for great coverage, with a 4" deep catch-all pocket, with a pretty pearl snap so baby can't yank it off. (velcro is great for some things, but not baby bibs!)

Available in many different print options- makes for a great gift! Only $15 too.

Three Things I Learned this Week:

2009-01-22T06:10:00.000-05:00

1. my daughter is a cutie. No wait, I already knew that. :) That doesn't count.

1. Star fish (I mean, sea stars) are mean. They eat each other. (see #2)

2. ...and one can survive even if all but two of his legs have been eaten (sorry, the pic is hard to see due to the reflection. He's on the left. Looks like an orange boomerang)

3. It takes less than two minutes to catch a dry kitchen towel on fire in the microwave. (Don't ask. Long story.)

Look What I Made!

2009-01-19T18:05:00.002-05:00

Appliqued shirts and onesies are my favorite things to make (at the moment). Here's the set of three I made for a customer (can you tell we like ocean animals at our house?!)

this one's my favorite. I think I'll make myself a white long sleeved shirt with an octopus.

Look, I even gave the seahorse an eyeball! I wish I had a pet seahorse.

and who doesn't love whales?! Cute enough for a girl, tough enough for a boy.

A White House Worthy Meal

2009-01-18T13:11:00.003-05:00

Here's my menu for Tuesday's dinner; in honor of Inauguration Day.

Secretary-of-(Flank) Steak with caramelized onions
Presidential (Baked) Potatoes
Steamed Barack-oli with cheese sauce
First Term Fruit Salad

Will it work as well as the name makes me laugh?

2009-01-16T00:15:00.004-05:00

My poor baby girl's just one of those babies that gets a diaper rash easily. While of course I want it to go away, I got a little bit excited when I remembered, "hey, I can finally have a reason to buy that cool stuff from Least Likely 2 Breed!"
Above, you'll see the Bad Ass Booty Balm I'll be trying out. And below, a little something for my pregnant-with-twins best friend.

To Be A Boy

2009-01-09T00:23:00.001-05:00

my friend Jennifer sent these to me in an email. they were too cute not too share. Happy Friday!

Save Handmade

2009-01-08T03:06:00.004-05:00

I love everything in fede's shop on Etsy, this baby's first hammer included

Today I stopped in at my local consignment shop, and I realized how badly the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is going to hit hard here in my own community. The gal that runs the store can't take any more donations because she's not sure if she can even stay in business after the CPSIA goes into act in February.

Don't know what the CPSIA is? Remember back when all those toys made in China from Mattel and other companies were found to have dangerous levels of lead in them; leading a huge toy product recall? It also lead to our lawmakers over reacting and now we are all screwed.

This is serious. Small businesses will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

While the items babyhoot currently sells aren't considered "toys"; the act includes more than just toys. Of course I want my kids to be safe and not have toxic lead in their toys, cups, clothes, etc; but this is just way too out of control. These new laws mandate testing for any and all products intended for children under 12 years of age- Clothing, school supplies, cloth diapers, car seats, boy scout patches, bicycles, sippy cups--everything. Unless something changes, babyhoot will no longer be able to sell any of our products.

Here's just one paragraph of what's going to happen:
Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.

click HERE to learn more about what you can do to help Save Handmade.

Today's Car Conversation

2009-01-05T23:06:00.002-05:00

Sweetpea (age 4): "Mom, I like horses."

Me: (surprised at the random blurt.) "So do I honey! Do you want to learn how to ride a horse?"

Sweetpea: "I dunno. They are kinda too big for me."

Me: "You can ride a pony. They are like a horse, but smaller."

Sweetpea: "Oh. Maybe. What's the name of that other kind of horse? The one with the corn on it's nose."

Me: "Wha?!" (starts to thinks hard of other types of horses. Pygmie? Donkey?)

Sweetpea: "No wait. It's got a corn on it's forehead. Oh yeah, that's it- a unicorn. Can I ride a unicorn, Mom?"

Where I Draw The Line

2009-01-03T04:33:00.004-05:00

I'm all for saving the Earth. I use the good lightbulbs, reusable bags if I can, earth-friendly cleaning supplies, and I recycle everything if possible. But reusable toilet paper is where I draw the line.

I googled "reusable toilet paper" and found all sorts of sources. I won't list them; because, well; I'm bashing the whole "family cloth" idea and I'm a nice blogger. And good for them for making a difference in the environment. But it ain't for me!

Basically, you have a bunch of fabric squares instead of toilet paper squares. Some people use dry wipes for pee and have a wipe warmer with wet wipes in there for um, well; you know. Then you dispose of the fabric wipe and put it in a container that later will go to the laundry.

I already can't keep up with laundry for our family of five. I don't want to have some poo-scented piles of fabric scraps nagging at me to get washed on a daily basis. And considering how much TP we go through as a family- how many gallons of water will be used to be wash all this? It's not like I have to do extra flushes when using tree-made toilet paper.

That reminds me. I need to go throw a roll of Charmin in my purse, in case I'm visiting a family that happens to have switched over to family bathroom cloth. 'Cuz, well; that's just not cool. (you know how you have pretty little guest towels that you break out for company? Think they make pretty embroidered fancy family cloths too?!)

What do YOU think? Would you take the paper-free plunge?

New Years Resolutions

2008-12-31T01:55:00.000-05:00

Every year, Jan 1st I'd have a go at a new resolution. Jan. 3rd I'd be cranky from not having perfect results. Jan. 4th I'd decide to drop the resolution and stop being so hard on myself, and just enjoy life instead.

This year- I have three goals. (excuse me while I write them down so I don't forget.) OK, done. Ooh, look, I have five goals! But, I'm not going to post my resolutions. I'm going to just do them, and perhaps people will notice.

See, I have friends and family that read my blog. So, if they see a difference, they'll say something.

What's your plan for the new year? Are you one of those "New Year, New Me" type of person, or a "Who Really Cares?" person.

Super Duper Sale

2008-12-30T00:37:00.004-05:00

Super Duper Sale in our Etsy shop- all items (ALL of 'em!) are buy two, get one free! Now's the time to take inventory of your pregnant friends and think of all the baby showers you'll have in the next few months!

We've got to make room for our new products and I like good deals, so we're offering you all the best deal we can!

What are you waiting for? GO SHOPPING!!!

We Have a Winner!

2008-12-28T14:05:00.003-05:00

Through our high-tech and scientific method of randomly picking a winner (step one: write down all who entered and know their Elf Movie trivia step two: number each entry in order of date entered step three: "hey sweetpea, pick a number between X and X...) and we have a winner!

Congratulations to LORENA MURPHY- you just won a hot little cherry print petite pillow full o' corn!

It figures out of all who entered our contest, my little daughter randomly chooses her grandma to win.

Thank you to all who entered!

Oh, here's the answers (if you weren't sure)

According to Buddy the Elf...
The four food groups are: candy, candy canes, candy corn & syrup
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear.
The "fake" (in the store) Santa smell like beef and cheese.

And, we're hoping to get a LOT of new products made in the next few weeks; and we'll "unveil" them toward the end of January. I'm sure we'll do another giveaway to coincide with launching our new products!

Dear Santa...

2008-12-24T01:16:00.000-05:00

Here's one that caught me off guard- the kids don't seem to care about sending a letter to Santa. "He already knows what we want, mom. If he knows if we've been bad or good, of course he knows what toys we want."

Oh, right. I knew that.

Our Prize Giveway!

2008-12-23T00:48:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to think what would make a good giveaway prize for our little Elf (the movie) trivia contest. Aha! I've made 25 corn heat bags as gifts from me this Christmas, and I think it's the perfect little giveaway. Everyone- the very young and a tad bit old can use these cozy bags.

This is a petite pillow; filled with corn. Just heat for 1 minute and use it for aches and pains, cramps, headaches or just to warm you up! My kids take theirs to bed each night and I don't need to turn their heater on- their bags keep them warm!

If you want to enter our contest to win- hurry up! Contest ends on Christmas Eve and there's only a few entries. You've got pretty good odds to win!

Happy Hanukkah!

2008-12-22T01:39:00.003-05:00

Me: "I bought potatoes for our Hanukkah dinner."
Hubby: "Um, Jess- we're not Jewish."
Me: "Yeah, I know that. But I want the kids to know about it."
Hubby: "Again, we're not Jewish. We're Christian."
Me: "Jesus was Jewish, I want the kids to know what Jesus did when he was a kid."

So... here's what I'm making for tomorrow night's Hanukkah dinner:

Potato Latkes
Apple Cinnamon Farfel Kugel
Sufganiot

Now that I'm looking at my menu, it looks more like a dessert menu. Better add in some scrambled eggs and a fruit salad.

We went to the library and I've got a few books on Hanukkah to read to the kids beforehand, too.

Now I just need to pop over to iTunes and download some Adam Sandler songs and we're all set. :)

So Much Snow!

2008-12-21T00:43:00.000-05:00

The last time I can remember when we had so much snow at once, I was maybe 5 years old. I can't believe how much snow we've gotten these last few days! I think we've had at least 12 inches in the last 24 hours. (that's a LOT of snow for being in Seattle)

Me: "when we had tons of snow, my grandpa made me an igloo." Kids: "dad, make us an igloo!"

The boys decided to fortify their igloo in case of combat. We got a snow brick maker as a gift last weekend an hour before the snow started, it's come in handy since we got it!

The igloo can fit two kids and two dogs. (the dogs took off before I could take their pic)

It doesn't even look like we made a dent in our snow supply, so I suggested they make a castle on the other side of the yard for the girls. Here's the base, it'll get finished tomorrow.

How To Cheat On Making Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-20T00:29:00.000-05:00

I love being crafty, and enjoy making things with my kids. But, with so much we want to do during the holidays, I start to run out of steam after a bit. A few years ago I started "cheating" when it came to making gingerbread houses; and the kids didn't seem to mind so I haven't looked back since.

How To Cheat on Making Gingerbread Houses:

1. most definitely, DO NOT BAKE GINGERBREAD. Spend that extra hour saved doing something else. Like, sleeping in for an extra half hour and washing your hair AND shave your legs in the shower.

2. Dig out all that old Halloween/Easter/Pinata candy they never ate. Use goldfish crackers, cereals, dry pasta- whatever you've got in the cupboards. Or, be a fancy mom and buy red and green candy. I doubt the kids will care either way.

3. Explain to the kids that the frosting we're using is good for making the pieces stick together well but it's got raw eggs in it, so they can't eat it. We'll also not be able to eat the candy we put on the house, it's all just for look because of the "special frosting". Have the kids separate the candy into muffin tins while you make the frosting. (mix 3 C. powdered sugar + 1/4 t cream of tartar, beat with 2 egg whites for 5 min)

3. Use graham crackers, and use the cardboard boxes from the crackers as a base for your house. Here's where we cheat- instead of spending frustrating hours trying to make the corners of your graham crackers stay together, and then have the roof cave in after all that hard work; use a box. Sharkboy wanted to get fancy and so we've taped together a few boxes to make a skyscraper.
Coat the boxes in Royal Icing, and then put the graham crackers on. Heck, you can skip the crackers all together and just add candy!

Love Actually is Actually Good

2008-12-17T02:42:00.000-05:00

this is one of my husband's and my favorite "nontraditional Christmas-y" movie. It's got a great message (or two, or three... or ten) and the opening airport scene is one of my favorites. Hugh Grant is doing a voiceover commenting how people arriving at the airport are just focused on their loved ones, and that the messages left by the people who died on the airplanes from 9/11 left messages of love, not hate.
This movie also has some of the funniest, most non-sexual, sexual nudity ever. Probably the only nude scenes I'd be somewhat comfortable watching while sitting next to my mother; although I'd rather not nonetheless.
Anyways, it starts out a bit slow but it's a great movie and if you're a sucker for accents like me, it doesn't matter what they say as long as it's in that sweet English accent. If you have a chance,go rent Love Actually!

Giveway

2008-12-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Don't forget about our fun little Christmas Movie contest! And be sure to vote for your favorite holiday movie too. (it's over ----> there on the side bar)

I Love Waking Up to This!

2008-12-07T08:56:00.002-05:00

Just one more reason why I love living in Washington State. It's so beautiful!

Read the article (and see where I stole the pictures) for an interesting mini-lesson on clouds.

Snow Much Fun!!

2008-12-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Have you gotten lots of snow yet this year? Be prepared BEFORE the snow hits so you've got some fresh, new snowy ideas to entertain the kids with:

-build a fort
- create a snow maze
- go tubing as a family
- make a snow scavenger hunt
- play snow golf
- pin (OK, stab) the carrot on the snowman
- bullseye (practice your pitch)
- play freeze tag
- have a hula hoop contest in the snow (it's a lot harder with all those layers!)
- and of course...SNOWBALL FIGHT!!

A Fun Christmas Contest

2008-12-01T03:02:00.002-05:00

I LOVE this movie. (If you live under a rock or don't have kids, this is a scene from Elf, starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau in 2003). Anyways, Saturday night was Elf Movie Night at our house. The kids helped me set the table, and for centerpieces we had small jars of the four food groups mixed with votive candles as decor. Of course, we had spaghetti for dinner.
It was lots of fun!

I'm feeling festive- I love Christmas and I love winning stuff- so let's have a fun little giveaway! EMAIL ME at: jessica at babyhoot.com (don't post your answer or everyone will know!) the answers to the following questions:

According to Buddy the Elf...
what are the four food groups?
what is the best way to spread Christmas cheer?
what does the "fake" (in the store) Santa smell like?

contest ends on Christmas Eve. I'll pick one person that had all three answers correct and send 'em something fun. I don't know what the prize will be yet, will let you know soon. Post this contest on your blog, and I'll put your name in twice for the drawing!

Now go rent the movie!

My Little Online Shopping Secrets

2008-12-01T02:37:00.003-05:00

I hate shopping at the mall- the crowds, the pushing and shoving, the lack of stock, the violence- I discovered online shopping when my firstborn was just 5 weeks old and there was no way I was leaving the house with a newborn baby! I haven't looked back since.
Seven years later I've learned how to get really good deals with online shopping. Here's my secrets:

1. join ebates. they act as a middleman for other major online retailers. Go thru their site to get to, say, Nordstrom, and you'll get a check back for 6% of your purchase a few weeks later. If you join Ebates thru THIS link, you and I both will get $5 in our accounts, just because you joined!

2. So you get a % back from Ebates. Well, try to shop from online stores that you'll get something else back from them, too. Free shipping; savings when you spend x amount. You know, really good deals. If you look at my favorite coupon saving site; retailmenot.com; you can find some great deals and even tell the site if a specific coupon code worked for you!

3. Be sure to check out the store's return policies, their estimated shipping times, and all that good stuff. Saving ten dollars might sound good, but if it causes a headache in the long run; don't do it!! I like that I can order things from gap.com and return them in the store if I want to.

4. Here's my favorite- Personalized photobooks from Photoworks.com. Grandparents love them, and you can make all sorts of other gifts for other people too. Each book costs about $35. If I order it on Cyber Monday, I'll get back 18% of the order on my ebates rebate. But, if I use a coupon code that I have, I'll save 20% and get free shipping on my order to start with. That's a pretty sweet deal! (you do the math, I'm tired!!) And, they're a Seattle-based business and so it won't take forever to ship to me.

Last year, I got a check back from ebates for about $30 from my holiday shopping. From stores I was going to shop online from anyways! And I instantly turned around and spent that thirty bucks on something fun for myself- a reward for being such a savvy shopper!

Code Name: Captain Awesome.

2008-11-28T04:29:00.000-05:00

With the presidential inauguration about two months away, I found an article online discussing the code names used by the secret service. Some of them are cool (and fitting) code names (such as Rawhide for President Reagan) and some are a bit silly (Richard Nixon went by Searchlight- not very macho!).

It makes me wonder... what would MY code name be? What's a really great code name to have? I bet the Secret Service wouldn't let me be "double-oh-seven". That'd be awesome... ooh, what about "captain awesome"? hee hee.

Here's a list of Presidential code names from wikipedia:

Dwight Eisenhower - Scorecard or Providence
- Mamie Eisenhower - Springtime
John F. Kennedy - Lancer
- Jacqueline Kennedy - Lace
- Caroline Kennedy - Lyric
Lyndon Johnson - Volunteer
- Lady Bird Johnson - Victoria
- Lynda Bird Johnson - Velvet
- Luci Baines Johnson - Venus
Richard Nixon - Searchlight
- Pat Nixon - Starlight
Gerald Ford - Pass Key
- Betty Ford - Pinafore
- Susan Ford - Panda
- Michael Ford - Professor
- Jack Ford - Packman
Jimmy Carter - Deacon
- Rosalynn Carter - Dancer
- Amy Carter - Dynamo
- Chip Carter - Diamond
- Jack Carter - Derby
- Jeff Carter - Deckhand
Ronald Reagan - Rawhide
- Nancy Reagan - Rainbow
- Maureen Reagan - Rhyme, Rosebud
- Michael Reagan - Riddler
- Patti Davis - Ribbon
- Ron Reagan - Reliant
- Doria Reagan - Radiant
George H. W. Bush - Timberwolf
- Barbara Bush - Snowbank or Tranquility
- Marvin Bush - Tuner
- Neil Bush - Trapline
- Jeb Bush - Tripper
Bill Clinton - Eagle
- Hillary Clinton - Evergreen
- Chelsea Clinton - Energy
George W. Bush -Tumbler or Trailblazer
- Laura Bush - Tempo
- Barbara Bush - Turquoise
- Jenna Bush - Twinkle
Barack Obama (President-elect) - Renegade
- Michelle Obama - Renaissance
- Malia Obama - Radiance
- Sasha Obama - Rosebud

The Great Phrase

2008-11-26T00:33:00.000-05:00

I copied and pasted the description of the website YourMessageHere; since it explains everything so well. Enjoy:

the sansom window project.
every two months, urban outfitters invites artists to make an installation for a set of windows that face the institute of contemporary art in philadelphia, pa. this weekend we installed our piece and are ready to launch our new project: your message here.

inspired by industrial letter signs, multi colored text, and everyday sayings... we made our own marquee sign out of wood. now the fun part begins, we want to collect your messages to post on the sign. we're not looking for insightful proverbs, but rather ordinary, simple sentiments.

leave your message here (as a comment) and we will be picking our favorites to change the sign. if you don't live in philadelphia, you won't miss a thing because we will post a photo of each message here.

Why am I posting this picture? Because a. my kids DO inspire me to be great; and b. I am almost certain it was me that submitted this phrase (but I don't remember, I did it so long ago!) and c. I like the shop Something's Hiding In Here, the ones behind the project.

Anyways, whether that was me or some other person in this world likes that same phrase; my kids do inspire me to be a great person, a great mom, and greater and better at everything I attempt.

I love the site, it's so fun to read each day's message. I bet you'll have fun reading them too!

229 days and counting...

2008-11-24T00:05:00.001-05:00

Grr. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was due to come out in theaters this last weekend. I was hoping to get IMAX tickets and go see it opening weekend. I love HP and this is my favorite book. But, the brains behind Warner Bros. thought it was best to release the movie in the summer of 2009 instead, so we gotta wait. 229 days, to be exact.

If you haven't had a chance, there's two movie trailers out. They're awesome. Here's a link to watch the newest trailer.

Here's a link to see all sorts of goodies for Movie #6 from MuggleNet.

Free Liquid Sugar Rush

2008-11-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

My husband loves Dr. Pepper. I think it's awful. However, I do think the following news article is kinda funny and I like free stuff. Anyone know why on earth the comment was said in the first place? Oh yeah. Marketing.

Click on the Dr. Pepper pic and you'll get their website.

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.

The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Dr Pepper is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

Random Fact Friday

2008-11-21T00:01:00.002-05:00

did you know, for every one Australian there are two Australian kangaroos?

a REAL giveaway from Vinyl Wall Art

2008-11-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I find great giveaways on other blogs. But, I'm no dummy when it comes to statistics- the more people that enter the contest; the less of a chance I have to win. So you'll see I don't share contests often, if I really want to win.

But; this is better than a giveaway contest- it's just a giveaway! Creating Cupcakes is one of my favorite blogs to read. Right now, if you blog about her giveaway (found on the blog) you automatically get your choice of a mistletoe design or a snowflake design re-positional wall art. Just for blogging about it! EVERYONE'S A WINNER!! How cool is that?! And, one lucky blogger will win a new set of her fabulous stamps too. You can check out her vinyl wall art site and her new stamp site for my cute stamps to see what lovelies she makes.

And I'm sorry for being such a selfish contest person. I just wanna win. :)

Tuesday's Tip of the Week

2008-11-18T01:57:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I've shared this before; but it's one of my favorite tips to share. When it's cold out, I bet your kids dawdle when it's time to get dressed just like mine. Here's my tip: toss their clothes in the dryer while they eat breakfast. When the kids are finished, pull them out of the dryer- the quicker the kids get dressed, the faster they will get warm! Wait too long and their clothes won't be warm anymore.

I've known a few adults to toss their clothes in the dryer, too. :)

Jeanne's Beef Stroganoff Recipe

2008-11-17T01:44:00.003-05:00

My friend Jeanne was the Godliest woman I knew; she was patient, and kind, and wise; and I always looked up to her. She had the best smile and was famous for her pies. I was lucky to be her friend.
Sadly, seven years ago she was diagnosed with stage IIII ovarian cancer; and doctors said she'd be lucky to live past five years. Jeanne died last year, a week before Christmas, and I still miss her like crazy. Today is her birthday, and I wanted to share with everyone her beef stroganoff recipe. It was the first meal she ever cooked for my husband and I, too!
Would you like to see a glimpse of how incredible Jeanne is? click HERE for a video. It's amazing.

JEANNE'S BEEF STROGANOFF

2-1/2 lbs round steak
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
1-2 large onions
4 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup tomato paste
6 tablespoons flour
2 cans condensed beef consomme
2 bay leaves, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sour cream

Brown meat quickly in oil, then transfer to a 3 quart casserole, and add salt, pepper and wine.
In drippings, saute onion, add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes.

Mix tomato paste, flour and beef consomme in a small bowl. Add to mushrooms and onion. Add bay leaf and garlic. Pour over meat, cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until meat is tender.

Remove from oven and stir in sour cream before serving. Serve over egg noodles.

The Barnacles

2008-11-16T21:40:00.003-05:00

Sweetpea (age 4): "Dad, did we win the football game?"

Husband: "Nope. They lost. So did the other team I was cheering for."

Sweetpea: "Oh, what game was that?"

Husband: "The Denver Broncos against the Atlanta Falcons."

Sweetpea: "wow, so the Seahawks and the Barnacles both lost. I'm sorry Dad. You must be bummed."

WOOD you like some Apples?

2008-11-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Aren't these wooden apples so pretty?