FuNkY, Tattooed Ballerina

Author: Amy  //  Category: Family, Fashion, Funnies

Oh my.

I think we have a Punky Brewster on our hands!

I’m trying to teach Elliott about matching or coordinating when she chooses her daily outfits, but sometimes you just gotta let it go!

She recently started dance class again and now that she’s older, she’s loving it that much more. She was so excited to wear her OLD purple, almost-too-small leotard and coordinating tattered, sheer skirt to class on Friday, BUT before we headed to the car she said she thought she needed some tights since she may get cold….knowing that we didn’t really have any white ones I tried to discourage it, but she said “I have the RED ones!” Fine. Go ahead Punky and get the red tights!

Then, as if the red tights weren’t enough, she paired this ensemble with her brown boots!

She used to NOT want anything to do with temporary tattoos or band-aids, but now….

If you look on her right arm, you’ll see her latest “inking” ~ a few roses.

So there you have it…our Funky Punky Tatted Up Ballerina Girl!

This morning I have a “git ‘er done!” attitude….look out.

Lots to do today and I’m in the mood to do it!

Nothin’ like getting the week off to a productive start.

Here’s to having a fUnKy, spunky, constructive MoNdAy!

Superbowl Eats

Author: Amy  //  Category: Food, Friends, Fun

OK, this will be the last of the recipe posts for a bit…I’ll be eating rice cakes and water for the next week and those two aren’t very blog worthy! I feel like ALL I’ve been posting lately is FOOD, FOOD, FOOD…so this next week, I am going to shoot for some calorie free topics. But……..

Today we had some neighbors over for the Superbowl and I tried to keep things simple with some quick and easy favorites, but I’ve been wanting to try these Cranberry Meatballs since the holidays, so I HAD to make them for the big game today. The verdict is that they were a hit because when I went to take a picture of them all nestled in the crock pot swimming in their sweet cranberry sauce, there were only about 5 remaining:

This recipe is a keeper and next time I may try them with turkey meatballs although they were just perfect with the beef variety. Super easy AND a big hit? That’s a good recipe in my book.

Then there was the always popular Sonoma Salad

which again, when I went to the bowl to snap a pic this was all that was left:

This is a great salad because it’s so versatile and can be switched out with different goodness:

{switch out the butter lettuce with spring mix or baby spinach}

{substitute gorgonzola or goat cheese for the blue}

{use dried blueberries, cherries or raisins in place of the Craisins}

{honey roasted almonds can easily replace the glazed walnuts}

{pears can take the place of the apple}

The possibilities are endless and that is why I love this go-to salad! Again, thank you Melanie for bringing this to us almost 3 years ago when we brought our sweet baby Holden home! This salad also brings back happy memories every time I serve it!

And then there is the Artichoke Dip that tickled my taste buds so many years ago in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot! I’ve loved it and made it LOTS ever since. No oven necessary!

Normally I use quartered artichoke hearts, but Albertson’s was fresh out of them this morning so I tried these artichoke bottoms and there was nothing sacrificed. I just chopped the bottoms in my mini food processor and that was that ~ not any real difference than with the quarters.

And there she is….served with a multigrain baguette and some Ritz crakers…sheer perfection on a carb! Can’t go wrong with this one folks, believe me!

I realize that my decor looks more like a bridal shower or Mother’s Day brunch and not reflective at all of Superbowl Sunday, but nobody seemed to care…these recipes are all a hit and I hope that you try them sometime soon! Whoever is on the receiving end will thank you!

We washed all these yummies down with a good ‘ol Cape Codder or vodka cran with lime!

It was a great game with a great menu spent with great friends….another weekend down! Bring on Monday!

I hope you have a “super” week ahead!

Corny Condiment

Author: Amy  //  Category: Food, Friends, Fun

Tonight I’m having a Mommy’s Night Out of sorts…

I’m. So. Excited.

I’m going to “Bitch Bingo” (pardon my French!). My good friend, Hollie, introduced me to this FUN, monthly get-together of women and we play bingo. Now when I think of BINGO, I think of old people with their colorful bingo dotters sitting in a smoke filled room, but this new version of the game is much more fun and since it’s Ladies Only and once a month, it gives me something to look forward to and a chance to have girl talk, laugh, sample lots of different yummies and sip on a nice adult beverage!

This is how it all goes down:
Every chickie brings an appetizer or sweet to share, a drinkie poo of their choice, a $20 “gift” pertaining to the month’s theme (this month is “Romance” for February ~ should be interesting!) in a brown paper bag and $5 to add to the pot. We play as many games as there are brown bags and the winner of each game picks a brown bag or steals a gift from another woman (that’s where the bitch part comes in!) There is NO limit to the amount of times a gift can be stolen so there is a whole lot of bitchiness goin’ on. Fun stuff!

At the end of the night, the last game is played and that lucky lady wins the pot which usually consists of $100 give or take! Pretty cool, huh? I think so!

Tonight I am taking some guacamole and this Cilantro Lime Corn Salsa to go along with the Mexican theme.

I. Heart. This. Salsa. The link above will take you to the pork soft tacos that go along with this yummy salsa. The pork soft tacos are fabuloso, too! I have made them TONS. (I use cumin instead of the paprika). Anyhoo……this corn salsa is great on anything Mexican or added to a salad, so if you decide to make it, makes LOTS! I imagine it’d be great with some chopped tomatoes added in and chips, too!

Have a super, spicy Saturday night…..I know I’m planning to! {wink wink}

P.S. Jay is taking the kiddos to Chuck E. Cheese….so glad I got a hall pass out of that escapade! Thanks, babe! XOXO

Blue Suede Shoes

Author: Amy  //  Category: Fashion, Frugal Finds

75% of my Target purchases come with that little reddish-orange clearance tag…the only things I WILL pay full price for are toiletries, toilet paper, cleaning products, food items, etc. ~ you know…the necessities.

I WON’T spend full price on clothing, handbags, home decor, shoes, etc. Why pay full price when you can get it for 50-75% off a month or so down the road?

These are my latest find:

$4.98 for suede upper and a nice comfy rubber sole?

I’ll take ‘em!

Feeling a little like Elvis today…

Friday Five

Author: Amy  //  Category: Family, Feathered Nest, Food, Friends, Frugal Finds, Fun

1. Superbowl menu is set….making it easy:

Cranberry Meatballs (as seen here)
Sonoma Salad (find it here)
Artichoke Dip (check it out here)

Superbowl sipping will be vodka crans with a twist of lime.

There…..done! That was easy!

2. Elliott made all her playdate friends some paper chains – one for each child. She was busy, cutting, taping and creating this morning…this was all HER idea! Love that girl…

3. I’ve been bitten by a creativity bug….all these cute blogs that I’ve discovered…the only thing is is that I’m not a sewer or a scrapbooker or a gardener, but I am feeling inspired and am going to look around the house and see what I can CREATE or REARRANGE or ORGANIZE and give the place a little kick in the pants for Valentine’s Day! So glad it’s on a weekend so we can celebrate as a family and I can try some new recipes! Stay tuned…

4. I am feeling a little selfish lately and am looking forward to reserving a teeny bit of this year’s tax return for MYSELF. (Don’t worry Jay….I only need a few bucks (relatively speaking, of course!) There are some goodies that I have my eye on….nothing expensive, just a couple things on Etsy, The Pioneer Woman Cookbook and a couple apothecary jars….that’s about it.

5. Countdown to Holden’s 3rd birthday party…I am having fun planning the menu, getting the favor bags all figured out, picturing the decorations all hung and working out the FUN cake that I have planned…

I am also excited to see how low I can keep the budget on this party ~ so far, so good:

*Invites were under 10 cents a piece
*FREE bounce house thanks to MEG!
*Decorations from Dollar Tree and 90% off Christmas stuff @ Target
*Making my own cake

Should be a “blast”!

Happy Friday!

PB&H Cookies

Author: Amy  //  Category: Food

When I come across a recipe that makes my mouth water, I want to make it yesterday…

I read about these Peanut Butter & Honey Cookies here.

I had all the ingredients except for Mr. Quaker so, while strolling through Target this morning, I picked up some old-fashioned oats and couldn’t wait to get home to try these.

I brought my KitchenAid mixer out of hiding and enlisted the help of one pajama clad 4-year old. Now you know having an almost 5 year old “help” in the kitchen can wear on your patience, but we managed to get everything in the mixing bowl without too many gray hairs popping up!

I had high hopes of posting a pic of these cookies on my cute polka dot cake stand looking all beautiful and stacked nicely, but they did not look nearly as gorgeous as Heather’s! I dropped them too close together on the cookie sheet and they all had one big love fest in the oven! I HATE when that happens because you no longer have beautiful, round cookies, you have some that are square and some that are round on one side and square on the other three sides from cutting them away from their lovers! I am all about aesthetics when I cook, so this was not a good day in the cucina in the eye candy department. Note to self: next time only 9 cookies to a sheet!

But nevertheless, they were delish (square-shaped and all) ~ just like Heather said ~ “crispy on the outside & chewy on the inside”.

Here is a picture of my assistant (pajama day at school today ~ but this is not to say that somedays we don’t stay in our jammies well into the afternoon!):

Here is what you’ll need:

Here’s what they look like while waiting for the oven to come to 350:

…and here’s what they look like when you put too many on the pan too close together:

I tried to focus on the ONE perfect one…..

No matter what shape you make these, they’re “buzzing” (get it? honey) with delight!

Tuesday Tidbit

Author: Amy  //  Category: Food, Frugal Finds

New Trader Joe’s discovery thanks to my friend, Janet!

Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant & Garlic….it’s great on all sorts of sandwiches, especially turkey and avocado! I have started using it in place of mayo. I love mayo on my sammies and prefer to use the full fat stuff rather than the light, but this new “wonder condiment” totally gives the old white goo favorite a run for it’s money.

According to TJ’s it’s a “seasonal” item, so if you try it and LOVE it like me, then be sure and grab an extra jar or two for when they don’t carry it. You will miss it on your ‘wiches once you introduce yourself to it!

Here’s the breakdown per Tablespoon:
Mayo 100 cal, 11 g fat
Spread 15 cal, 0.5 g fat

I’ll save the mayo calories for my tuna or egg salad!

A Day Late & A Dollar Short

Author: Amy  //  Category: Flashbacks

Missed Maxwell on the Grammy’s last night….soooo bummed! I know I can watch it on YouTube, but it’s just not the same.

I could listen to this all day, every day.

One Year Ago Today

Author: Amy  //  Category: Flashbacks, Friends, Fun

February 1, 2009
Valencia, CA

Elliott & Holden cruising with Emilie in her Princess car.

Weekend Captured…

Author: Amy  //  Category: Family, Food, Fun

waiting for dance class to begin. benefits of knowing someone @ glacĂ©au. saturday morning donuts. deciding on sushi. chopstick cuties. cravings satisfied. frosting & sprinkles. u-rod visiting. fire truck inspection. pioneer woman’s garlic cheese bread. ready for errands with daddy.