Keeping My Fingers Crossed

Fair Food

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Photo by moominsean shared via Flickr

The fairs in town this week. I went this year for a specific purpose, the food. I wanted a waffle ice cream sandwich. Have you ever had one? They're wonderful. Two fresh hot Belgium waffles with a slice of vanilla ice cream in the middle. Steaming hot and freezing cold. So yummy.

The $5 admission was paid. We asked at the ticket booth if they had them this year. The ladies said yes they'd seen someone with one just a little bit ago. They directed us towards the 4-H barns. Off we went searching for this wonderful treat we had the pleasure of tasting last year at the fair.

So we walked and searched and eventually came to the end of the food section and the beginning of the 4-H barns. No waffles. So we turn around and go the other way. Stopping to vote for my cousin's baby in the Cutest Baby contest. We passed cotton candy, candy apples, elephant ears, popcorn, corn dogs, fries, fresh squeezed lemonade, funnel cakes, ice cream, ice cream in waffle cones, sausages, more stuff on sticks, and even fried Bologna. No waffle ice cream sandwiches! So what did we do? We turned around and tried again.

No luck. So I settled on a funnel cake. This was the first time I've ever had one. I've had the opportunity before but I've always went with the elephant ear. What did I think of the funnel cake you might be asking (that is after you've exclaimed "what!? she's never tried a funnel cake?) The funnel cake tasted of fried disappointment with a layer of cinnamon sugar. I was really looking forward to the hot/cold sweetness of the waffle sandwich. (okay we get it you really wanted that waffle!) I know that's what's running through your head now. The funnel cake was good. I think it's the last one I'll ever buy. I'm sticking with elephant ears.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjrohde/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Ennui handcrafted leather sandals giveaway from Zuzsi

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:38:00 +0000

There's a giveaway for some cute handcrafted leather sandals from Zuzsi. Want to take a look and possibly sign up to win? Then here ya go, visit ennui

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer's Fluff Fridays

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:12:00 +0000

I'm not a cloth diaper user. I've used them with friends babies and find them interesting. I think I'd like to give them a try in the future.

I've found a great site with lots of information about cloth diapering, The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. Besides all the great advice and information, they also have a fun giveaway each week for cloth diapers called Fluff Fridays. If your unsure about cloth diapers maybe winning some to try out might be a starting point.

This week, they are offering up prizes from Kissaluvs. They have 2 new products; Marvels One Size Fitted Diapers and Cloth-N-Go Bag.

If your interested head on over and check them out. Giveaway entries must be received by Thursday of that week and winners are announced on Fridays.

Scenes From a Heat Wave

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

"It's Like a Heat Wave, Burning in my Heart"

It was so hot last week. There were a few days you could hardly do anything. Just sitting still was unbearable. We tried to keep cool any way we could. A lot of those days were spent sitting in the shade, laying in the hammock, eating popsicles, drinking lemonade and tea and just relaxing.

The following are scenes from our heat wave:

The shade from the walnut tree

Buttercup's feet and my feet

The tulip tree in bloom

I was so glad the sun was behind the tree so we could keep cool

How did you stay cool? Do you have any other tips for the next heat wave?

Bikes I've Owned and Loved

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:23:00 +0000

I've been working on bike basket liners (post to come) for my bike. It got me thinking about all the bikes I've owned. I think I've owned 3 bikes in my lifetime.

My current bike is a Suede W from Giant (2008? model). I love it. It's one of the most comfortable bikes I've ridden. It's going on it's third year.

The bike I've owned the longest is a Huffy 512st 10 speed. I still have it hanging in the garage. I think it was a birthday present around the time I was 12. I road it all over town. The bike took me to the library and to the corner store the most. It was a bike of independence. I stopped riding it when I got my driving license.

The very first bike I remember receiving was a purple bike with a white banana seat that had a rainbow and a purple butterfly on it. There were also purple streamers from the handlebars. I asked my mom how old I was when I got it. She thinks I was around 6 when they bought it for me. It was a great bike as well. I remember my frienemy down the street had a similar bike but in turquoise.

One of my favorite things to do while riding bikes was to ride to the top of the street near our house and coast down the hill. I believe it's the steepest hill in town. Kids from all over town used to come and ride down it. We'd ride up and down it over and over.

I'm sure their must have been a bike before the purple banana seat but I don't remember it. It was probably my brothers bike (hand-me-down) or just one that was around the house. There were Big Wheels, trikes and other ride on toys available for us as kids.

I wish I had some photos of my bikes when I was little. I don't think there are any though.

What about you? What were your favorite bikes growing up? 5 Minutes for Mom would love to hear stories about your bikes. They are offering 2 strider bikes to 2 bloggers who post about their bikes. You have until July 19.

Bebe au Lait's Buy One Get One Free Deal for June

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:25:00 +0000

I just found out about a great promotion that Bebe au Lait is having. Right now till the end of the month, if you purchase a nursing cover or gift set you will receive a free 'mystery' nursing cover with your order. That's 2 nursing covers for the price of 1! You could keep one for yourself and give one away or you could keep both and use them in rotation.

How do you get the free nursing cover? Just place your order for a nursing cover or gift set of your choosing. Then use coupon code "MYSTERY09" at checkout. You will then receive a 'mystery' nursing cover added to your order.

What a wonderful deal. Everyone likes free stuff. Go get yours today because the offer expires at the end of the month (June 2009). You can read more information here for those that like to read the fine print.

Bad Blogger

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:48:00 +0000

I'm a horrible blogger. I haven't posted a real post in 2 weeks. Here's some of the things I've been doing:

Getting ready for Buttercup's 5th birthday party - it was last Saturday and it was a lot of fun and a lot of work.

Reworking my resume and cover letter - I'm applying for a job. I hate writing cover letters.

Starting a new craft project - I'm making basket liners for my bike. I'm making my own pattern and trying to figure out how to make it work. Maybe I'll do a blog post.

And a number of other things I can't think of.

I'll try to be a better blogger in the future. Right now I'm gonna go watch a movie

Fun in the Sun

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:46:00 +0000

There's a Fun in the Sun carnival coming up at Misadventures in Baby Raising and Alexis aka MOM from Running Away. It begins on June 22 and lasts till July 1. Want to join in? Head on over it looks like it's going to be fun.

60 in 6 Giveaway at A Peek At My Bookshelf

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Deena at A Peek At My Bookshelf is celebrating 60,000 hits on her blog with the 60 in 6 book giveaway. Want your chance to win one of 60 books in 6 weeks? Make sure to visit Deena.

Simple Mom's Cloth Diaper Review

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Simple Mom is having a great cloth diaper giveaway. It ends tonight so you better hurry if you want to enter.

The Giveaway's 1st Birthday Bash

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:05:00 +0000

Hey everyone! I was just wanting to let you know about The Giveaway's 1st Birthday Bash that will run June 5th-12th. Haven't heard about 'The Giveaway'? It's this great blog that has several easy-to-enter giveaways starting every week!

And the Birthday Bash will be the biggest week ever! There are over $2100 in prizes to be given out! Starting with a Giveaway Carnival and giveaway on Friday, June 5th, a Photo Contest on Saturday, Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, regular giveaways Mon-Thurs, a LIVE Grand Prize Giveaway on Friday, June 12th, and Daily Door Prizes. This is going to be HUGE!

For more info on the Birthday Bash, here's the link: http://www.the-giveaway.com/2009/05/giveaways-1st-birthday-bash.html

Remember, it started on June 5th with The Giveaway's 1st Annual Birthday Carnival & Giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment to enter the giveaway. And if you join the Carnival, you get an extra entry!

And if you blog about this too (before Friday, June 12th) (just copy and paste this post), then you will be entered to win the special Early Bird Prize! Just come back here: http://www.the-giveaway.com/2009/06/birthday-bash-early-bird-giveaway.html and leave a comment with your blog post url!

Hope to see you there!
http://www.the-giveaway.com/

Prizey Boogie

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Just a little bit of trivia about me:

Most of Prizey's giveaway listings are edited while listening (and a bit of dancing in my chair) to one of my favorite Pandora Radio stations - Boston with a bit of Journey and Styx thrown in.

Currently listening to: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey

and if I'm not listening to that station, it's 70s Singer/Songwriters (Carole King, John Denver, James Taylor, Carly Simon, etc)

So boogie with me while browsing Prizey.

Mad Libs Baby Shower Game at Comfort Joy Designs

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:35:00 +0000

I'm participating at Mommie Daze's Virtual Baby Shower being held at Comfort Joy Designs. This is a Mad Lib party game. Want to play along? head over here

I had someone read me the parts I needed to fill in and then put the answers in. Here's what I got (my answers are in green in ()):

New Baby

(Oh My)! gasped New Daddy. It was (dusk) and baby was awake for the (6) time today. New Mommy had been (swiftly) (sweeping cobwebs), but rushed to check on New Baby. "No, no," said New Daddy, who had been relaxing by (gardening). "I'm always (smelly) to help with the baby. I'll go." New Mommy was (tiny), since this was only the (11) time that New Daddy had offered to help. In fact, New Daddy was more inclined to snack on (carrots), while sitting on the (lamp), watching (Bones). New Mommy knew that she should (slowly) accept, because New Daddy might not offer again!

A Conversation with Myself at Kroger

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:59:00 +0000

I went to Kroger this morning to buy milk and popsicles (both needed for school this week) and remembered that Jess told me that TurkeyHill teas were 10 for $10 and she had coupons. So I took a look at the teas and was totally confused by the coupon. I had to buy 2 to get $1 off. They were 10 for $10 like I already said so that made them $1 each.

In my head, I kept doing the math (and talking to myself).

If you could hear inside my head, this is what you would have heard

me: "oh, here's the teas"

me: "yup. 10 for $10 so $1 each."

me: "Jess said to use 2 coupons and buy 4 teas"

me: "hmm, which flavors to choose."

me: "yummy, lemonade tea sounds good. I'll get that and raspberry, green tea, and should I get orange or peach. hmmmmmmmmmm. which. I'll get peac.......no orange."

checking the coupon again

me: "the coupon says to buy 2 and get $1 off. They'd be $.50 each. That's not free! Jess said they'd be free."

me: "I don't get it"

I put the teas back because I had melting popsicles in the cart and a hungry girl tagging along. As I was pulling out of my parking space, I caught a glimpse of a banner hanging on the building.

me: " OHHHHHH! That's right, they double coupons here. They would be free!"

Went home anyways without the tea. Fed the girl and put her down for a nap. I knew I'd be going past Kroger again later and figured I'd stop in then.

So in the style of Jess, I thought I'd post my deal.

My total bill was $8.36 but after coupons I paid $0.00. I saved 100% off my bill! Actually, Kroger paid me. I used my Envirosax bag and received a bag credit of $.05. So I walked out of there earning $.05 and getting 2 gallons of tea.

Lunch Picnic

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:45:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, we had an indoor picnic. Instead of serving lunch on individual plates, I got creative and used a divided serving/storage tray. I put a variety of lunch foods in each section and set it on the floor on our picnic blanket and let the girls eat. They loved it!

We had: Cheese-Its, raisins, pretzels, cheese, cucumbers, peanut butter/jelly sandwiches, and jelly sandwiches.

Next time your bored with your same old lunch routine. Try this. The girls ate better and behaved better at lunch. I'm thinking tomorrow we'll have to do this as well. Maybe it will be nice enough we can go outside this time.

From My Mother

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Mother's Day is soon and in celebration of my mom, these are a few of the things she's passed down to me:

a love for:

Jesus
reading
family
chocolate
coffee

skills:

sewing
baking
cooking
laundry

activities we enjoy:

biking
taking walks with Buttercup and Pony
movies
reading on the porch
going to Biggby for coffee

things I still need to learn from her:

pecan pie recipe
pie crust recipe
how to make a pot of coffee
sewing (some more advanced stuff)

I know there's lots more things she's passed on to me and many more skills I still need to learn. Thanks for all the things you've taught me and all the love you've given.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you.

Parent Bloggers Network and Johnson's want to know what your mother has passed down to you.

________________

Johnson's second annual Celebrity Hand Me Down charity auction has begun, May 7 at 7 pm PT till Thursday May 14. The auction features items donated by celebrity moms Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba with proceeds benefiting the new global JOHNSON’S® NO MORE TEARS® Clean Water initiative via their well-known charitable giving site, Baby Cause.

this post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of their blog blast for Johnson's Celebrity Hand Me Down charity auction.

Salt: It's What's for Dinner!

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:51:00 +0000

You know that practical joke where people loosen the salt lid and watch as someone unknowingly wants to add a bit of seasoning to their food and the entire contents spill out onto their plate? Well that just happened to me!

I'm making spaghetti for Jessica's girls before we have to head to Jazz class. Frying the hamburger, I reach for the salt (the sea salt grinder is near me so I use that) I begin turning the grinder when the entire thing explodes in my hand. Salt flies through the air, onto the floor, onto the stove and a ginormous amount lands in the pot of frying hamburger and I'm left holding the two pieces of the salt grinder with a bit of salt left in the bottom.

After the shock wore off and I stopped looking around for the hidden camera and trying to listen for barely contained snorts and giggles, I started scooping the salt into the sink. I haven't tasted the sauce yet but I'm hoping it's okay . I scooped some of the salt off of the stove and back into the salt grinder but I'm afraid there's not much left.

I'd take a photo but no camera. So just imagine that first snowstorm of the year where everything is covered in a fluffy white snow and now replace the snow with salt and there ya go. That's what Jessica's kitchen looks like.

Hey Jess? You need to add salt to your grocery list next week!

(*edit: The sauce is saltier than it should be but it isn't too bad. Although, I think I might have reached my sodium intake for the month.)

No Photos

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Probably no photos with my posts this week. Staying at Jess's and I don't have any photos with me on the laptop.

My-Kaps for My Keurig: A Way to Reuse K-cups

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:55:00 +0000

I have a Keurig coffee maker and I'm loving it. It makes great coffee and I like that my next cup can be a different brand of coffee. Generally though, I only drink one cup a day.

I've been looking for a way to use up the loose coffee that I still have. Keurig does make a reusable coffee filter but I haven't wanted to pay the money to get it. I've been waiting for a sale and a coupon before I purchased one. But I might not get one.

My mom was browsing the internet and came across a really great site that makes little Kaps for spent K-cups. You open up the K-cup and empty out the used grounds. Rinse the cup and let it dry. When your ready for a new cup of coffee, you fill up the empty K-cup with your choice of loose coffee and place the My-Kap (tm) on the cup. There you go. A refillable K-cup.

Are you interested in these as well? They are called My-Kap (tm). They are little plastic Kaps. You can buy one or many of these My-Kaps and prefill youf K-cups or just fill and use as needed. I think I'd like at least 2.

Off to brew a cup of coffee.

Reuse your Keurig K-Cups!

Prizey 3.0 has Launched

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Make sure to stop by and check out the new Prizey 3.0. There are some great new features and now anyone who signs up to be a member (it's free), can add a giveaway to the listing (also free).

Vinegar is Not Just for Pickles

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Parent Bloggers Network and How I Clean Now want to know your tips and tricks on keeping your house clean.

In our house when a cleaning day comes around, we turn on some ABBA and start at one end and work or way to the other end. Or sometimes we split up the house into rooms and each tackle a section. Or sometimes one person does the picking up, one person does all the dusting, and another does all the vacuuming. Okay, I guess we don't have a set way we clean. But one thing some good music keeps the pace of cleaning going.

One trick I've learned recently is how to make my own all purpose cleaner. It saves money and uses all natural products like vinegar which isn't just for pickles (you should look up all the uses for vinegar. It's amazing what the stuff can do.) I'll walk you through the steps I use to make my cleaner.

Gather your ingredients:

empty spray bottle
white vinegar
water
tea tree oil (or other essential oil of choice. This is an optional ingredient)

Mix together: a 1:1 ratio of water and white vinegar into the empty spray bottle. I used 1 cup water and 1 cup white vinegar.

*Optional* Place 10-15 drops of essential oil into your cleaner. You could probably use less. I used tea tree oil because that's what I have on hand. Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial, antiviral, and anti fungal oil and I happen to like the smell of it.

Make sure to label your new cleaner and start cleaning.

There was some paint on the door that had been put there by Pony and hadn't been cleaned up through the winter. It's probably been there since last fall. We don't use that door much so didn't remember that it was there until we are starting to open the door to let the nicer weather in. Any way it's been there for a while.

The paint came right off! And the door is much cleaner. No more little finger prints, face prints or paint.

I use this cleaner all over the house. Some people don't like the smell of the vinegar but I don't mind it. I like knowing that if Pony wanted to see how the windows tasted and went up and licked them, she'd not get a tongue full of nasty chemicals.

Now go and clean your house. And if you want, you can come clean mine as well.

________________________________

This post was written for a Parent Bloggers Network and How I Clean Now Blog Blast

Jeans Issues

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Does anyone actually have a pair of jeans that fit them like their supposed to?

My current supply consists of jeans that are:

too tight in the waist but fit great everywhere else
too long and I walk on them
fits great for 5 minutes and then they increase in size throughout the day until I could practically pull them down without undoing them
have holes in them so I don't wear them

I want a pair of jeans that:

fit great everywhere
continue to hold their proper shape/size throughout the day
are comfortable
dark washed
and under $50 preferably in the $20-$30 range

Who makes these jeans and where are they?

Happy Birthday Connor

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:54:00 +0000

The Party has begun. Make sure to head on over to Seven Dogs and a Baby to wish Connor a Happy second Birthday.

There are party games like the Scavenger Hunt with door prizes, giveaways, and plenty of great reviews (maybe you'll find something you like for a birthday party you might be attending this year).

I'd love a pair of Pedipeds (door prize) for the girls.

Leftover Easter Eggs, Now What?

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:51:00 +0000

A few things I learned about eggs this past Easter:

Did you know that if you don't buy your plastic eggs early there won't be any left in the stores at 10pm the night before Easter? None absolutely no fillable eggs.

Did you know that if you have a really nice Christian Education Leader at your church, he'll let you borrow the eggs from the church for your egg hunt later in the day?

Did you know the week after Easter is Egg Salad Week? Found out from Parent Bloggers Network about that little bit of trivia.

We wanted to color hard boiled eggs this year but did not get the chance. I was looking forward to trying some natural dyes. I guess I'll attempt it at another time. So no hard boiled eggs here.

What do you do with all your hard boiled eggs after the celebrations have calmed down?

Here are a few options:

eat them with salt and pepper for breakfast
make a chef salad with leftover ham, hard boiled eggs, cheese, ranch dressing, and greens of your choice
make egg salad
make potato salad
dice them up and add to empanada meat for a traditional Argentinian empanadas

(I'd really like to post a recipe for Rice Salad that uses hard boiled eggs but I don't know the recipe. I basically know how to make it but not quantities of ingredients. So instead I'll post the recipe below)

Here's an interesting recipe I found in my Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics cookbook:

Pickled Beets and Eggs

one 15 oz can whole beets, drained, juice reserved
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and rinsed

Combine the reserved beet juice, sugar, vinegar, cloves, and salt in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Place the eggs in a large bowl, then add the beets. Pour in the juice, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Sounds kind of interesting. I like hard boiled eggs. I like pickled beets in salads. Do I like them together? Not sure yet. I haven't tried the recipe but I'm thinking I'm going to have to try them (maybe). I'm sure the eggs are going to turn a lovely deep pinkish color.

Need some more ideas for your leftover hard boiled eggs? Check out the American Egg Board for great recipes. I think I'm going to have to try this Tomato & Avocado Egg Salad. Sounds wonderful. And make sure to stop by The Parent Bloggers Network as well and see what other bloggers do with their leftover hard boiled eggs.

And for those leftover plastic eggs? We let the girls use them in their play kitchen (not this year though, we have to return them to their rightful owner).

Gruntlings & G-Bike

lacekell@gmail.com (lace) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:23:00 +0000

Gruntlings is giving away a g-bike. A great bike for beginning riders. The girls would love this. Better hurry and enter soon. It ends April 10.