brown/tabletop

purple/spooky

really wants her face painted but not really sure about the clown

i have taught them to be leery of clowns ;)

big brother teraching the fine art of how to trick or treat properly

my halloween contribution

halloween in a small town usually lasts about 2 weeks.  when have a harvest party, a library party, school parties and finally halloween.  holidays here are a big deal!  hope everyone had a great halloween!

red/snapshot

orange/fiery

I begrudgingly had to wake early the other morning to run errands.  I work late into the night and was not happy being up yet.  But as I set out the sun was just coming up and it was absolutely beautiful!  i love how there is that certain time of morning when it is cold and even though the sun is peeking there is still frost and fog hanging around.  there is nothing quite like the fiery warmth of the sun to thaw out the morning.  i guess i'll be getting up early a little more often to see this!  :)

yellow/shine

grand ballroom

wedding prep

wedding prep

time to get ready

silhouette and sunshine

these were taken this past weekend at my sister's wedding with my iPhone (which i only mention because these aren't too shabby for a camera phone).  such a lovely area and a lovely wedding!

green/active

my daughter has decided that she really wants to be a ballerina.  so this fall she has  her princess ballet class to attend and she is thrilled to be spinning in circles for a reason ;).  i can't wait to take her to the nutcracker ballet this winter!

tree pose

yoga has so many benefits and it, at least for me, has been the most gentle on my shoulder, arm and back since having my last kiddo and developing tendonitis and nerve compression.  i have done yoga on and off since i was 18 but really got into it when i was pregnant with milo.  i believe that made my l&d a lot smoother and easier.  a friend of mine has offered up a challenge to practice one yoga pose a week.  this past week was tree pose.  remember that yoga should be gentle and go at your own pace.  pushing too hard could cause injury.  you will note that i am not able to pull my foot all the way up my leg due to lower back pain and my arms are not perfectly straight due to shoulder issues but that is ok. do what is right for you!

tree pose

try out these poses and go to vanessa's blog to follow more poses in the coming weeks!  :)

this is my simple religion. there is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. ~ dalai lama

consignment and kiddos

i can't rave enough about consignment clothing for kiddos.  with how fast they grow, how dirty they get and how expensive brand new clothes can be, shopping consignment is a great way to go.  i have asked a good friend of mine to help me out in this blog.  she works for a consignment store in westminster that is awesome and goes above and beyond just selling clothes.

If you’re anything like me, you can’t resist a good Gymboree outfit.  Or maybe it’s Baby Gap, Janie n Jack, or some other more expensive line of beautifully made, unique children’s clothing.  Do you pay more than you should because you get suckered into the latest cloth diapers, Robeez, BabyLegs, or some other must-have accessory?  I used to, and then I discovered children’s resale/consignment stores.

I have even had good luck finding great Gymboree clothes at thrift stores, but that’s pretty hit-or-miss.  With a good resale store, the hard work has already been done for you.  The clothing has been examined for stains and tears, has been selected for its good quality and beautiful look, and kept nicely hung to keep away the wrinkles.  

And what should really make you stop in your tracks is the price.   A brand-new Gymboree outfit, if not on sale, will start at about $20 for a shirt, $40 for a nice dress or coat.  At a good resale store, you would pay probably no higher than $8 for the nicest dress or coat, and much less for a shirt or pants. 

Just think, too, about the items you have that you never used.  Did some relative of yours pick out something for your child that you just never wanted them to wear?  Did you buy something for family pictures or the first day of school that just didn’t pan out?  Why not resell the nicer items in your kid’s closet, make a few bucks, and then spend it on something new-to-you?

Even if you’re a germophobe, a nice, hot run through your washing machine for these items should put your mind at ease.  The whole process is like getting really good hand-me-downs from a person with good taste, and you just have to chip in a little.  It’s totally worth it, and when you consider how much clothing is simply wasted or thrown away each year, it makes sense to go green and donate or resell your clothing.  The world would be a lot less wasteful if people considered shopping second hand instead of buying new every time they got a hole in their jeans.

Besides all that, if you’re a parent, children’s resale stores are a great place to meet other parents, and a fun place for your kid to discover new friends.   I heartily recommend it to all my friends!

loving her new-to-her pretty pink dress :)

what are some money saving tips you have for kids clothing?  check out teenie greenie for deals and fun.  have a great week folks!

disclaimer:
just mentioning teenie greenie's because they are awesome!  :)

baked eggs, casserole, nutella berry cake

this recipe can be more complex or super easy.  i chose the super easy route because my arm is killing me and i was not in the mood to chop and sauté.  but whether using fresh ingredients or jarred sauce this is cheap.  it sounded a bit weird to mix tomato sauce and eggs together but it was filling and just light enough.  i'd pair it with a salad but the kids wanted applesauce so i caved.  here is the original recipe:  eggs.  i just bought a jar of sauce i really liked and poured it in a pyrex pie dish.  i cracked 10 eggs into the dish so everyone had 2 eggs and baked it at 350* for 30 minutes.  i cooked it a bit longer than it called for because i wanted the yolks cooked all the way.  i grabbed some premade garlic bread and baked that.  to serve just dish up eggs and sauce on garlic bread.  done and done!  total cost:  eggs-$2 (side note this would be even cheaper to make this when kings sells their dozen eggs for a buck!), tomato sauce-$2, garlic bread-$2 for a total of $6 for a main course.

baked eggs in tomato sauce

spooned over garlic bread

the other dinner we made this week was chicken florentine artichoke bake: bake.  it was fairly good, a definite remake but maybe a few changes next time.  i pretty much followed this recipe exactly but left out the red pepper and italian seasoning (i opted to use a bit of Italian dressing i had so i didn't have to spend money on the seasoning).  i used muenster instead of jack as i had it on hand but next time i will also add feta for a richer flavor.  i did about half the package of spinach so the kids wouldn't question the green stringy things too much.  i did use an entire box of noodles and increased the milk by about half a cup.  the chicken i cut down by half and added it at the end just to the top and only on half so t could have hers vegetarian.  again on the veggie stuff, it was easy to make this dish partially veggie so it doesn't really add stress to making dinner.  plus spinach is a great veggie option for the iron it has.  woo hoo!  total cost:  pasta-$1, eggs/butter/milk/cheese-i already had on hand, chicken-a whole bag was $7 but i only used half of it. so i'll save the other half for another recipe, jarred artichoke-$3, frozen spinach-$1, bread crumbs-$2 but a lot leftover for future recipes for a total of $14.  a bit on the higher side for 1 meal but for 5 people this had leftovers for the next night.  so 2 meals a $7 a piece is awesome!

chicken florentine artichoke bake

i made a cake too earlier this week and had high hopes for it but while it was good for me it was underwhelming.  now the original recipe i am sure is awesome because all of pw's recipes are.  i think the substitutions i made just didn't measure up.  i will remake this cake following her recipe exactly next time.  so i will leave you with her recipe and my photo of this pretty cake.  but not the cost because cutting corners here didn't work out so well in my opinion.  now if you ask the chocolate covered kids they may tell you different ;).  cake

:)

have a great week all!

summer photo finale

green leaf after the rain

golden peaches

baked eggs in tomato sauce

chocolate nutella blueberry cake

golden yellow

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”  ~Milne

crimson shadows

summer storm

it has been quite a summer.  a few more adventures are around the corner before the very end but we shall see you all in the fall :).

recipes from:

baked eggs

cake