Fashion

Disturbing…

So, I found a super cute Tinkerbell backpack at Target for Elliott.

She opened it yesterday. She LOVED it.

I, on the other hand, am now not so happy with my purchase!
As I was removing the tags, I noticed one of them had a Prop 65 warning on it!

Read more about Prop 65 here.

The materials used to make the backpack can cause cancer and reproductive harm?? I have seen this sign posted in department stores in the housewares section, but ON A CHILD’S BACKPACK?

The thing that irritates me the most is that it is a licensed Disney product. I can understand if it’s a backpack from the dollar store, but $14.99 at Target?

I guess as parents we have one more thing on our plates to worry about while rearing our children. From now on I am certainly going to be more careful…first lead paint and now backpacks that can cause cancer?

Wish I’d have taken a picture of it along with the warning tag, but I immediately banished that thing to the garage and returned it the first chance I got. I couldn’t even donate it to Goodwill in good conscience! 🙁

So parents, please check labels and tags when shopping for your kiddos! I would’ve NEVER purchased this had I seen that teeny, tiny tag in the store!

Food

Easy As Pie

Seriously…this pie is easy and the only thing that isn’t from scratch is the shell. I use frozen unbaked crusts that come two to a package AND in a tin! Easy peasy!

Here is the recipe: Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

Here are the ingredients:

pieingred

Here is what it looks like when it’s making your whole house smell delish:

pieoven

Looks like I need to clean the inside of my oven door…..

Anywhoo, this is what it looks before you cut it and devour it:

piefinal

The recipe calls for a meringue top, but I think the pie is gorgeous without it. Maybe a little vanilla bean whipped cream? But tonight I’m serving it on it’s own and saving the calories for something else!

Food

Intervention

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I am whipping up a couple batches of Puppy Chow for Jay’s co-workers and the neighbors.

This stuff is addicting!

You may see me on the A&E show “Intervention” because of it.

You can find the recipe for this drug here.

This is what you’ll need:

chowstuff

It’s super quick and easy, but sometimes a bit messy with the powdered sugar. I just get a paper Trader Joe’s bag, dump the powdered sugar in there, add the coated Crispix and shake! Then I spread onto a cookie sheet to dry a bit before bagging it up.

chowbefore

One 12 oz. box of Crispix only makes 5 little snack-size bags (with a little leftover for the cook and her assistant!) The recipe says 9 cups, but I go ahead and use the whole 12 oz. box (about 12 cups) so it isn’t quite so powdered sugary! Also, I melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, butter and vanilla in a sauce pan over the stove instead of in the microwave. Less chance of burning or heating the chocolate too fast. This will make it seize up and get grainy – Blech! But I’m sure if you follow the directions and decide to use the micro, it’ll be just fine!

Found some cute snowflake bags at Dollar Tree ~ 25 cellophane bags for a buck! Cheap!

chowafter

Your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors (and anyone else) will LOVE you!

Happy Chowing!

Fashion

All I Want For Christmas

First off, let me say that I LOVE Elliott’s preschool, but I was bummed to learn that they do not celebrate the holidays or have a holiday program. They do all sorts of other wonderful things, so I will forgive them! LOL

One morning there was a little gift for us in her cubbie ~ all wrapped up in beautiful purple tissue paper and adorned with a darling glittery card. We waited until Daddy got home and then opened it together.

egift

She had been telling me that she was working on a present for us, but that it was a secret. She never told me what it was even though I could tell that she was so excited to share what she had created.

It is precious. Each little pom pom & button placed in all the right spots! She even explained how she made the card…”We put a paper in a box and rolled a “marvel” around with some sparkle paint!” That made it even more precious!

It will make an appearance for many, many more Christmases to come.

I. LOVE. IT.

Thank you, Elliott, for being my sweet, sassy, spunky, silly, smart daughter! And thank you for the most special, handmade gift this holiday.

I love you, my little Sugar Muffin! XOXO

Fashion

Never Say Never

I am thrilled to say that I am 99% done with our Christmas shopping. I went out again last night and hit 6 stores in 3 hours and made HUGE progress.

Ironically, the gift that I am the most excited about is one that I said I would NEVER get for my kids!

I am not a fan of those shoes that light up. My Mom has asked a million times if she could buy the kids a pair of “tennies with lights”. Every time I said, “NO!”

Well, Ladies & Gents (if I have any male readers ~ which I would love!) I kicked it up a notch and purchased something for Holden that I am still in semi-shock over, but at the same time I am SO excited to wrap up, place under the Christmas tree and see his face when he opens them in 6 days!

I’ve been wanting to get him a little pair of cowboy boots. He loves his froggy rain boots so much that I either wanted to get him pair of Uggs or cowboy boots. EVERY TIME WE’RE IN KOHL’S IN THE SHOE DEPARTMENT HE SPOTS THESE “WOODY SHOES” AND SAYS “NEED WOODY SHOES!” Every time I say “Maybe Santa will bring them to you.” Thinking in my head, “There is NO way you’re getting those shoes!”

Last night, Kohl’s was my 4th stop and I went to the shoe department looking for some cheapo little fake Uggs (AKA Fuggs) for Holdy. Nothing for boys. Then, something came over me and I made myself walk over to the “Woody shoes” and look at them. Now, here comes the best part…the Woody shoes are COWBOY BOOTS! Suddenly all the fear of these Woody shoes left me and I considered getting them for him for Christmas. Afterall, I had a 30% off coupon so that would make them a little less painful to pay for.

I grab his size and continue to walk around the store browsing. The more I walked, the more excited I got about these boots. There is something so cute about a little boy in cowboy boots paired with some random shorts or even some pajamas!

I go to the register to checkout and notice something even MORE terrifying……….are you ready for this……….THEY ARE LIGHT UP WOODY & BUZZ LIGHTYEAR COWBOY BOOTS!!!!!!!!!! They light up! I almost put them back, but then, all of a sudden, that made them more attractive. I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it’s the spirit of the holidays and knowing how much he is going to LOVE opening these. The look on his face will overshadow all my fears and hesitations about buying light up shoes.

Note to Mom: This is a one time deal. This is a special circumstance. If you still have the urge to get them some light up tennies, please save your money.

This is just more proof that you should never say never! What’s next? Mom jeans? Fanny pack?

If you REALLY want to check out these beauties, you can do so here:

Toy Story Light Up Woody Buzz Lightyear Cowboy Boots

Many pictures of Holden donning these to come, I’m sure.

Merry Christmas, Holdy! I LOVE YOU!!

Food

Improve Your Eyesight

Don’t you remember growing up you always heard, “Eat your carrots…they’re good for your eyes!”

I heart carrots. I know they’re not the best veggie out there, but hey, they’re veggies.

I also love curry. So naturally, when I came across this soup, I tried it.

Curried Carrot Soup

It’s another one of those recipes that use very few ingredients.

carrot

Everyone thinks that there is cream in this soup. Nope. No dairy. Guilt free. With just the right amount of kick from the cayenne pepper. Today I served the soup with egg salad tea sandwiches…not a bad combination. Even my good friend who isn’t a soup lover gave it her stamp of approval! Thanks, K!

soupafter

Frugal Finds

Merry Christmas to Me!

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So, at the holidays you’re generally supposed to over tip your housekeeper, gardener, babysitter, etc., right?

Well, it dawned on me that I could sure use a tip or a little extra something special this holiday season…

It gets pretty chilly here in the semi “high desert” Santa Clarita area. I have a nice black herringbone-type coat, a lime green trench coat, a short black trench, and a yellowish Spring trench…

I needed a festive red coat for the holidays!

Coats last for years so I justified the purchase that way. I am a total bargain shopper so I knew I wasn’t about to drop $200 on a cute red coat.

Then I spotted one at Ross for $24.99!!! Exactly what I was looking for and it even has a little extra pizzazz ~ some built in sparklies….perfect for the holidays! I LOVE IT!

Seriously? $24.99? That is like a “disposable coat” price if coats were disposable!

I know that I will get several good years out of it. Fortunately here in So Cal I may only wear it a handful of days (not rubbing it in!).

coat

I am so happy with my new purchase! Isn’t is SO cute?

Can you see the little bits of “bling”? I LOVE IT!

I look forward to wearing it this weekend when we take a walk through Wakefield Wonderland ~ the super pimped out court in our area!

What have you treated yourself to this holiday season?

Hope it’s something nice because you deserve it! XOXO

Food

Lettuce Wrapz

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Why is it that things seem cooler with a “z” at the end instead of an “s”?

Well, this recipe is cool on it’s own and does not in any way need a “z”, but maybe it will make ME look cooler!

I discovered this recipe in Rachael Ray Everyday Magazine under the “Take 5” section.

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I am all about the ground turkey so it was an immediate contender for a quick weeknight dinner!

It. is. so. easy. and. so. good. Seriously!

I make some steamed rice and place it on the lettuce leaf and then put a scoop of the meat mixture and you’re good to go! Roll up and eat like a little lettuce taco!

The lower carb option without the rice is just as good, too!

Here is how I set it up:

wrapsbefore

And this is what it looks like all assembled:

wrapsafter

Really. You’ve got to try these. They’re almost as good as P.F. Chang’s.

Now if I could just work on their Ground Chicken & Eggplant dish, I’d be in heaven! Now THAT is some good eats!