QBM update and more

For those of you who didn't make it to the Queen Bee Market this weekend,  I'll update you...and let you know the next one will be sometime this spring so you won't miss that one!  Of course there were lots of amazing vendors selling their wares.  Including Julie and Lindsey, who unfortunately were heading to lunch right as we got there.  You can't avoid me next time ladies!  I loved browsing all the goods, but was especially impressed with the display set-ups.  Let me tell you, these ladies are so talented.  I couldn't resist a bracelet from Allora Handmade (in plum, my new favorite color) and some cute clips from Funky Vintage Kitchen (in gray, aqua and yellow, my second, third, and fourth favorite colors- I sound like my 5 year old now).  I have to say, it was much more fun being on the buying end of things rather than on the selling end like in craft shows of yesteryear.

And in other news, check out Blessed Little Nest to see whose entry is featured on Life Made Lovey Monday.  Yeah!

Headed here...

Headed here today...been looking forward to it for months.  Maybe i'll be brave enough to talk to my blog buddies!

On the ball...

Leighton's new favorite toy...a ball.  She can actually pick it up and throw it to us.  I'm sure plenty of little boys half her age are doing this, but we're pretty impressed with her skills.  Especially considering neither of her sisters ever had any sort of interest in balls.  Maybe she is the one daughter to inherit Brett's coordination and athletic ability.  Watch out WNBA.

breakfast vs. dessert

So here was my breakfast this morning.  Delicious Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars and french press coffee with pumpkin spice creamer.  Funny thing is, it was also my dessert from last night.  I've come to realize lately that breakfast and dessert can actually be one in the same.  Its completely acceptable and you don't have to feel guilty about it.  Most sweet breakfast foods have the exact same ingredients that desserts do, with just a different name.  For example:
For breakfast: Swedish pancakes, for dessert: crepes
For breakfast: coffee cake, for dessert: cake
For breakfast: scones with whipped cream and lemon curd, for dessert: lemon mirangue pie
For breakfast: muffins, for dessert: cupcakes
For breakfast: fruit torte, for dessert: fruit pie
For breakfast: waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, for dessert strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone.
Catch my drift?  So next time you wake up with a hankering to finish last nights dessert for breakfast, go for it. And if it makes you feel any better, just call it by its breakfast name.

My niece Adina had the most amazing birthday party this weekend.    UP has been her favorite movie form the first time she saw it and she insisted on having an Up party (which she has been looking forward to for months).  Her daddy built a prefect model of the house from the movie and the filled hundreds of balloons to attach to it.  Grandma made the cake, of course, and Adina's  mommy used tons of creative ideas to make the day extra special.  I'm sure she'll blog more about it soon here.

Lost tooth ...literally

What do you do when your daughter wakes you up at 5 am with the words, " Mom, the tooth fairy didn't come!"?  Whoops.  It was bad enough that I set her tooth on the counter in the morning, only to completely forget about it and knock it off some time during the day....never to be found.  Then I forgot to write the note explaining it to the tooth fairy. And to top it all off, I also forgot to fork over the cash.  So here is Brooklyn's explanation to the Tooth Fairy in hopes that she will somehow find the tooth and come after all.  Well, she may not have found the tooth, but at least she remembered to leave the cash this time.

What's weirder?

What's weirder, the fact that it was in the 90s today and we go tot play at the beach in November, or that we ate at Jack in the Box for dinner (I'm talking sit down in the dining room here folks- can't say that I've ever done that before)?

30 Days of Thankfulness

 I love advent calendars.  Growing up we had several Christmas advent calendars that would not only help us count down the days to Christmas, but would allow us to focus on the true meaning of the season each day.  So this year, I decided to start a similar tradition during the month of November as we consider being truly thankful for our many blessings.  I looked online for ideas but didn't see much that I really liked, so I decided to try to create something out of my very own crafty brain  (for once).  I dug through my scrap piles and found as many fallish fabrics as I could-  and just made it to 30!  It was pretty time consuming...serging each pocket, then sewing it on, ironing on the linen number fabric, stamping each number by hand... but I was really happy with how it turned out.  And I love that it is full of fabrics I've used before... several from my nieces baby bedding, some from the girls' dresses, one from a bib for the girls, a dress for my sister, a nursing cover for a friend, a baby blanket for a sweet boy...

Brooklyn will be the official family writer for November 2010.  I am loving her desire to write and can't get enough of her invented spelling.  So today we were thankful for "familey".  And while I'm on the subject, I really truly am thankful for my family.   Brett and the girls are the biggest blessing in my life.  I have seen many people I love struggling in their marriage relationships and with the desire for children, and I am so very thankful that God has blessed me so greatly with such a loving husband and three beautiful daughters.  And I know "that to whom much is given, much is required" so I continue to make it my aim to be the wife and mother God created and desires me to be.

L-O-V-E V-O-N-S

Okay, its official, I love vons.com delivery.  It was a very unique experience on many levels.  For one, I felt like I was going back in time to the old days when grocery delivery was the norm.  You know, the teenage boy brings the groceries in a cardboard box to the back door.  And for another, I felt like I was living in a different social class- like I was rich and had a servant who did all my shopping and dropped it off at my door (actually they leave it all on the counter for you).  My only complaints are the hamburger buns were smashed and 4 items were out of stock (2 of them being major necessities- OJ and bread- sorry Brooklyn no PB&J for lunch tomorrow).    But all in all it was a dream.  And they aren't even allowed to accept tips!  Thank you Vons- and your ingredients for life.

Groceries...check!

I just finished my grocery shopping in less than 30 minutes (including making my weekly menu and grocery list) and I never left the house. I've been dying to try VONS delivery and finally took the plunge (thanks to a coupon for free delivery and $15 off).  I usually don't shop much at VONS because the prices are higher than Target/Walmart/Henry's but the free delivery was definitely worth a shot.  So far the whole thing has been quite delightful.  Very easy to navigate the site, choose the items, and schedule a delivery time.  Usually the charge for delivery would be from $6.95 to $12.95 depending on the delivery time window.  The prices were surprisingly comparable to Target (and I saved myself at least $50 by not heading to the clothing or housewares sections there!) This may be the whole new me...I'll let you know how it actually turns out tomorrow between 7 and 9 (my delivery window).