Read a book and give a book away for free!

We Give Books
Have you heard of this?? I just read about it online and thought it was a fabulous idea.

We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.
Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf.
The more you read, the more we give.

When I read this to my rugrats they seemed excited (as excited as a preschooler can get) about reading a book and giving it to a child who doesn't have any books. Of course they wanted to give to different campaigns - one in the U.S.A. and the other wanted to give to Haiti. So we're doing both.

I'm hoping this is something that we'll be able to do together. Hopefully it will help my kids love to read as much as I do and that we can share that love with other children around the world.

Let's GIVE BOOKS this year!! Read for free online and they're donated. EASY.

Recycled Crayons

I love this idea and concept from Pink and Green Mama. She takes old crayons and recycle them in her wilton heart pan and voila! Multi-colored heart crayons!

I mean, how cute is that? She made those last year for valentine's day for her daughter's class. One day I hope to be as creative as this! My poor kids... I am not the creative mother most times. We do have fun together, though, but it's just different. Oh well. I'm trying my best and that's all that matters. After Christmas is over I think this would be a fun project to do together. If you click on my link to her site above it will take you directly to this page so you can get the directions.

Another fave of mine from Pink and Green Mama! Love her site!!

Okay, so I went on amazon to see if I could find her same pan and I didn't find the exact pan. BUT I did find this wonderful Christmas pan --

She mentioned that her stars broke too easily with the crayons - but hers seemed a lot longer. I'm hoping that this would work. But how cute would this be with melted crayons? I'm going to have to try this and will let you know how it goes.

Friends....

No, this is not me, at least not yet. But ask anyone I know and they will tell you that I love keeping in touch with my friends. And it's true - I really do. I may not be the best at it (now that I have kids and am scrambling to keep up with our busy schedule), but I do try to keep in touch with my friends near and far.

I have a couple of quotes that I always think of when it comes to friends:
- Strangers are friends you have yet to meet.
- Friends are angels in disguise.
- A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

Tonight as I was trolling the web again I read some great articles about friendship and their worth in the NY Times. If you have time I highly recommend reading these articles.

"What Are Friends For?"

Reading Writing 'Rrithmetic and Relationships

Coping with Crises Close to Someone Else's Heart - this article is a little different, but I liked the author's exploration of why some friends disappear when you go through trials and hard times.

A New Risk Factor Your Social Life 

Okay, that's all for now. Time to get everyone to bed for the night. Enjoy the solstice!

Lunar Eclipse: First to coincide with Winter Solstice in 372 years

Lunar Eclipse: First to coincide with Winter Solstice in 372 years

Amazing, huh?! Too bad it was cloudy where I lived. But alas, I know over the layer of clouds there was a spectacular event taking place.
Did you get to see it? Do tell!

My most favorite day of the year is TODAY

Yep, the winter solstice is my favorite day of the year. Why is that? And how is that possible with summer being my favorite time of the year? Because today is the shortest day of the year. From here on out our days will become a bit longer and longer until it's finally summer.

And yes, that means that on June 21st I'm a bit sad that it's over and starting to count backwards. I love daylight. I love long summer nights. We love going North in the summer to Idaho and Jackson Hole, Wyoming where the sun stays up until past 10 pm during the summer solstice. There is nothing like the magic of a long hot summer night.

So enjoy this long cold night tonight and know that after tonight it will be a bit lighter 1 minute earlier night after night. Woohoo!!

The Best Scooter for Little Tykes and Tykettes...

Yes, it's true. I love this scooter. The Mini-Kickboard rocks it. I have loved it for 4 years now. "Santa" brought this to my son 4 yrs ago, although it was from Toys R Us and much less expensive. They took it off the market for awhile and now it's back and going strong.

I love this scooter for many reasons. Here are some of the top 5:
1. The two wheels in the front offer AMAZING balance for beginners
2. The brake is easy to use in the back
3. Any child can use this -- my 7 yo still reverts back to this scooter at times
4. I think it's safer since it offers more stability
5. It comes in all sorts of great colors

We have it in both blue and pink and we love them both. Our 11yo twin neighbor boys like to ride it as well. But don't let that scare you off. If you have a newbie or a little one who wants to ride a scooter this is a great start. We've compared while out at the park or the beach with our friends and this by far wins any competition for all-over wonderfulness. My son rode this like a pro at 3. People would stop us at the beach to ask where we got it. It really is an amazing scooter and well worth the investment.

If you're interested in finding out more - check out this link: Kickboard USA.

And btw, no, I don't get any kickbacks for any of my "favorite" things. I'm just here to share what I love. Plus I just started this blog and no one knows about me anyway. So yeah, this is just from me to you for free.
Enjoy.

Butternut Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese... Thank you Nigella Lawson!

So my 4yo loves to watch "cooking shows." But really, in all honesty, there is only one cooking show host that she will watch and that, my dear friends, is Nigella Lawson. So I have watched a lot of Nigella over the past 2 years with her. It's great!

The other day we were watching Nigella Express and she made this great side dish: roasted butternut squash with pecans and blue cheese. The photo above doesn't really do it justice. Watching her make it on the show made both of us hungry for it, though. It looked super easy and super delicious. So the other night I made it for dinner (along side some grilled chicken breast). My DH kept saying - what are you making? It smells sooo good!

If you're looking for a different side dish for the fall/winter -- I highly recommend this. Click on the link for the entire recipe. Oh, and I actually peel the squash. Nigella doesn't and I've tried it that way before but I prefer it peeled. Butternut Squash with pecans and blue cheese recipe.

Let me know if you make it and what you think.

Oh Enstrom's Almond Toffee... How I love you so!

I have never tried cocaine. But I have heard that it's very addictive. I always tell people though that this toffee must be made with cocaine - it is so addictive. It is SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. Seriously. It's crazy how good this is. If you've never tried Enstrom's world famous toffee -- you are missing out. You can only get in store in Colorado, or if you're like me, by the internet or phone orders.  You will not be disappointed. And no, there is no cocaine involved. They only use the best of ingredients - real sweet cream butter, real California almonds, and pure cane sugar. Enjoy!

These are a few of my favorite things....

My Favorite Things
The Sound of Music at MOVIECLIPS.com

Check out this clip! I love this movie. This is definitely one of my favorite things to watch. I love Julie Andrews in the movie, I love the children, how the father is transformed by love... it's so magical and wonderful. I love it.
Did anyone also catch the reunion on Oprah? It was fun to see all of the children grown up. And I love Christopher Plummer as well. So lovely.

Click on the link above to see the clip of the movie.
Enjoy!

Dear Santa....

I saw this print out for a letter to Santa that might help if you're as disorganized as I get during the holidays. I just realized this morning that no one had written a letter to Santa yet (oops -- esp ooops since Santa is DONE with his list!!). But oh well. Since it is raining hard today and cold and gray I thought this would be a fun activity to do this afternoon. I'm hoping the print out will make it a bit easier. We'll see if this is worth it or not.

Printable Letter to Santa

Enjoy!

If I have to do laundry....

Then I might as well make it fun and enjoyable (well, as much as one possibly can!).
Here is one of my favorite things to add to my laundry for great smelling clothes and sheets (I don't add this to the towels, though, it doesn't do them any good).

Oh! This smells sooo good! This is the "Orchid Allure" scent. I also have the traditional pink Downy and the "Water Lily Radiance." I say the more the merrier. It does make doing laundry more fun. I get to decide what scent I'm going to use. Mmmmmmm.... Love it!

Fun New Years Craft

Ha! I thought this was a cute idea to keep our resolutions front and center. Make them into a magnet to hang on the refrigerator or the magnetic bulletin board. Love this! I saw this on kaboose.com.

Another idea that I found was this

This is a felt hand reminder that everyone in the family can help contribute to -- nice! I found this on www.makingfriends.com.

And our lovely friend, Martha Stewart, gives us this idea for a twist on your classic confetti. Her tagline:

Guests will go dotty for confetti decorated with their own smiling faces.

Cute ideas!
 Enjoy.

One of the most uplifting true life stories

I have a friend from high school who has had an *interesting* life, to say the least. His blog is an amazing account of his story and how he is still grateful for his life, no matter how bad it gets.

If you're having a bad day and wishing life would get easier, I recommend reading about my friend Jason. It truly is an uplifting  and somber story.  Enjoy.

And remember - Be Grateful for all you have.
xo

Here is an excerpt from his blog:
My story is long and complicated. On April 25, 2005 I was in the hospital for what was supposed to be a 45 minute minor surgery for acid reflux. While inserting the trocar at the start of the procedure, the Surgeon accidently severed my Aorta. I was merely seconds from bleeding-out completely and required a 60 unit blood transfusion. I had to have a 4 inch dacron graft placed in my damaged aorta. In addition, my pancreas, liver, bowel, stomach, spleen, and kidney were all knicked. Technically, I died twice, but by the grace of God, I was allowed to come back and continue living.

The very instant that I gained consciousness I was grateful. I also knew that life would be completely different than I had ever known it. Because of complications from the initial mistake, I have been unable to eat or drink anything without throwing-up. My stomach and part of my bowel had to be removed, and I suffer from severe gastroparesis. I require around-the-clock infusions through a feeding tube, as well as daily IV hydration. I've had too many surgeries to name, and have been hospitalized too many times to count. On numerous occassions I have been told that my time was limited.

Despite all of this, I have a genuine love and appreciation for every single moment that I am blessed to have. My family means something different to me now than it did before. I am writing this blog because of their promptings.

But since it IS Christmas time....

Here is a great wreath that I found on www.bluebirdvintage.typepad.com. I love this too. I started to make it, but life has its way of rearing its *fun* head into my best of intentions... and well, I haven't finished it. (This is why I think I should start making the haunted Halloween house in May!). But beware making the pom pom balls make a HUGE mess. I have lint all over my clothes. I finally got smart and placed a towel on my lap while shearing the pom poms. But I'm excited for it. Either way I'll have it for next year, right???

Another wreath I found while trolling online was this little beauty:

I found this from the blog: www.pickles.no. Click HERE for a direct link.

But this one would be way more time consuming and WAY more expensive. So I opted for the pom pom wreath. I'll post a pic when I'm through with it.

I know it's Christmas, but.....

How amazing is this?? I so want to make this Halloween house for next year. I saw this in late September and it was too late for me to start. I'm not crafty, so let's be honest -- it's going to take me awhile to figure this out on my own. I'm thinking if I start this in May I should be done by October! If you want to see the "How To" go check out Veranda Interiors. She posted on her blog (and she made it herself!).



Scroll down once you click on the link and you'll see the house.

Here is a link for the dollhouse if you're serious about making it. I found it on amazon (of course).




LOVE IT.

Shotgun

Okay, so today I tried something new. I don't know if I should be freaked out by it or proud of myself. I feel a bit of both, actually.

I have a fear of guns (meaning that I'm so freaked out by them I have these crazy half-nightmares (it's a nightmare but you're not totally asleep) about guns and my kids getting in the way or guns and me accidentally getting in the way...)... ANYWAY, I'm up near Jackson Hole and my husband's cousins are all up here as well. And they hunt. Big animals and small animals. Just you understand how much hunting is a part of thier family one of the brothers gave his 10-yr old a 12-gauge shotgun for Christmas. Now this scares my friends when I tell them this. But I'll say this - they have NO other guns (minus the paintball gun) around the house - not even water guns. Guns are NOT toys EVER in that house. Guns are for hunting animals ONLY and can ONLY be touched, looked at or talked about with another adult around (preferably one who uses guns as well).

So I was over at their cabin this evening and M was out shooting squirrels with his Grandpa (my MIL's lil' brother). I ended up staying with them for a bit and we saw 3 squirrels. I tried shooting one of them.

Let's talk for a bit about this experience.  I didn't have much time to think about it. Grandpa T knew I had talked to Wendy about wanting to come over while they shoot the squirrels and so he handed over the shotgun and said Okay, GO FOR IT! He did have to help me a bit, but I was given the gun, he cocked it (or whatever it is that you do with it) and then I aimed and FIRED.

HOLY COW.

Let me also say that INSTINCTIVELY I shut my eyes when I pulled the trigger! So yes, I missed the little guy. My 10 yr old cousin, M, (or whatever he is to me - a 2nd cousin once removed??) got the gun after me - pointed, aimed and fired within a few seconds and totally got the squirrel. He was so excited about it.

My arm and shoulder were sore for a bit afterwards. I didn't realize a gun that size had so much OOMPH to it. Who knew? I mean, other than gun people. I had no clue. It didn't look that big (this wasn't the 12-gauge, btw... I don't know what it was exactly). It was on the thinner side - long and thin. But man did it pack a punch. It scared me to death to handle it. But I feel like to get over these stupid thoughts/fears about guns that do keep me up at night - I should get to know guns a bit better. Not 100% better -- just a bit.

M then went and found 2 more squirrels - shot at them and missed. After that we went back to the cabin and I hung out for a bit over there. It was nice getting away from our house and spending time with other people than my children. Not that I don't love them but 24/7 is a bit much for me.

I am realizing that I am the type of person who needs some downtime from people. I like my alone space. August is going to be rough month when we get home. First we'll be transitioning to being back in our little place; secondly we'll be gone from family on both sides; the weather is different but most of all - there is nothing to do unless I plan something EVERY SINGLE DAY AND EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. Oh man alive. When can we live in a neighborhood with a gazillion kids so I don't have to plan playdates and drive all over so my kids can play with friends? My 2 kids 24/7 with no break until bedtime is going to be crazy. ARGH. I'm scared for it already.

Here's my latest question for myself:
Which am I more scared of GUNS or 24/7 care for my kids for a month?

Oh brother. It's hard to say. Both give me heartburn and nightmares.

I'll have to write if I end up shooting anything again.

Nook

We went to Nook last night. I haven't been for quite some time, so I was excited to try it again. They usually have a menu that changes with the seasons, which is one of the reasons why I love it.

I haven't been there since the fall so I was quite surprised that the menu was basically the same. They changed some of the items, but the waiter told us they had a late-summer / early fall squash soup??? Really. Today is the first day of summer. Why the late-summer squash now? But the table next to us had a different waitress and she called it a zucchini soup. That is totally different. Plus I would have tried the zucchini soup. Sigh.

We ended up trying two salads instead - the squash salad - with heirloom apples, lentils and goat cheese. It didn't mention any greens so we go another salad as well. But it ended up having greens with it. The waiter knew that was our issue with the salad, too, so I was surprised when both salads came out being nice and green.  Our other salad was the Nook Salad. The summer squash salad rocked it. It was amazing. The Nook salad was okay. Nothing to complain about, but def nothing to rave about.

I had great luck with the pork chop last time and got it again. I waffled between that and the halibut. The waiter suggested the pork chop over the halibut. I should have known better -but didn't realize how off he was until the dinner had gotten started. The pork chop was BORING. The salad that came with it (yes, I had 3 salads last night) was great, but the pork chop itself was much better in the fall. The woman next to me got the halibut and I was so sad I didn't get it.

My DH got the spicy shrimp over grits entree. It is really good - too spicy for me, but I kept nibbling on his grits. So good!

For dessert we tried the key lime pie and the strawberry clafouti. DH liked the key lime cheesecake better than the clafouti. But I loved the clafouti. It was really good - and different from what I would normally try. I've seen so many recipes lately for clafouti so I was excited to try it w/o having to make it first.

Anyway, although I'll still go back there again - I'd say I was not as happy as I was the last time I left there. I was still wanting for more. Oh well. Next time, right?

I'm excited to try to the new restaurants in SLC that friends have referred me to while I'm there. Can't wait for good food!

Drop Dead Diva

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/drop-dead-diva/video

I don't know how I happened on this show. Oh, wait. Last year it was right after Project Runway... after PR had been off air for over a year due to problems with Bravo vs Lifetime. Anyway, I was sick as a dog with morning sickness (aka 24-hr sickness) and watched a lot of TV. This was one of the shows that I stumbled upon and quite enjoyed watching it.

It's not something that I would normally watch either. But for whatever reason the characters in this made me laugh. It's a knock-off from one of my favorite movies, "Heaven Can Wait," so I'm sure that's partly why I love this show.

Anyway, it just started up again 2 weeks ago and the 3rd episode in the 2nd season airs tomorrow night and I can't wait.

I'm lost without LOST so this gives me a new show to watch for the summer. I have a stack of books that I'm reading this summer .... plus the 2 rugrats to entertain so I don't have much time for much else. But this is a cute show that I def recommend. It's like a fun beach read, except it's for TV.

Enjoy!

I want this!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/baked-good/recipe-blueberry-banana-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting-119567

I saw this the other day on one of my new favorite food blogs: the kitchn ... and man, oh man, i want it so badly. It looks so good.

I don't have any banana's though and I keep eating my fresh blueberries faster than I could bake with them. So we'll have to see if it happens this weekend. If not I think it would be a fab cake for the 4th of July.

My problem, however, is with bananas. I read a very interesting article in the New York Times about bananas and how they're quite horrible for the environment. So I haven't been buying as many as I used to. I have such food guilt about eating food that is bad for us and for the environment. I need to get rid of the guilt. But once you know how horrible it is to buy them -- how do you go back?

But I miss bananas. We've always been good friends. I'll let you know if I break down and buy them anyway.

Supporting my friends

I have a lot of friends. And I love to support them in whatever way I can.
I have two friends who have recently (within the past week!) published their 3rd novels. So fun.

So I recommend two books:

"29: A Novel" by Adena Halpern

"Lifted" by Wendy Toliver

They both arrived today via amazon.com. I can't wait to read them both. I'll review them on goodreads and amazon.com. I also couldn't help myself and I ordered a fun book for me to read to my little ones: "Fairy Tales and Fables" by Gyo Fujikawa.

Speaking of Gyo Fujikawa... she also illustrated a book called "Oh, What a Busy Day."

My sister and I used to read that book over and over and over again when we were little. It was our dream to be able to live in the pages that she created. We would sit for hours and discuss what page we would like to live in most that day, what we would do if we got to live there and how much fun it would be. My sister's favorite page (if I remember correctly) was the mud puddle page. Mine switched between the tree house and the wild animal page. I loved the tree house page. Who hasn't always wanted a tree house? A secret hideaway to run away from real life and play? But I had hard time choosing between that and the 2nd to last page -- the wild animal page. On that page the children are hanging out with all different types of animals. My sister and I would pore over that page and discus which animal we would like for our pet and why. I usually chose the mountain lion as it reminded me of our cat, Tigger -- just a lot bigger. But sometimes I would choose the bear. Who wouldn't want a bear to snuggle up to at night?

I read from the "Fairy Tales and Fables" book tonight. It's great. My kids enjoyed the many stories and the beautiful illustrations. A great purchase, if I say so myself. I have forgotten about a lot of the stories she illustrated. My daughter loved "The Real Princess" about the Princess and the Pea... my son loved "The Dragon and the Monkey." I loved them all. I can't wait to read "Cinderella" tomorrow night to my princess. Oohh la la. I am in love with books!