Birthday Bash GiveawayS!

I'm preparing some birthday fun to share with you! What better way to celebrate my 31st birthday than by giving something or thingS away! So get ready! Spread the word and grab a birthday button. And starting Monday, October 26 . . . come check out the giveaways.

You don't wanna be Tardy for this Party!!!

Babies...Belly Laughs
& Bare Feet
Birthday Giveaway!

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From the Mouths of Babes

I got the hand yesterday.

From my almost 3 year old.

We were at the store, shopping for multiple birthday presents, goodies for his birthday party, daddy's birthday, papa's birthday etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

It finally came time to leave as it was well past his bedtime and he spots a DVD display in the center of the walkway. (How convenient). He runs over to it and squats down to browse the selection of movies.

My mom and I are standing with our carts and continue toward the door when I stop, look back and say, "It's time to go . . . come on!"

He promptly replies without skipping a beat, "Uh, hold on juss' one minute!" While raising his hand in a stop motion. "I'll be wight there."

My mom and I had to look away while we giggled.

Sometimes three year olds are funny. Very funny.

Back To Basics

Since I've been focused on losing weight and getting in shape, I've accumulated quite the pile of clothes on my closet floor. It's the TOO BIG pile. Which is good. Very good. However, that means the clothes left on the shelves is dwindling and needs some replenishing shall we say?! So I've been looking for some basics. Jeans, sweatshirts, basic long sleeved tees and shoes. I think these are kinda cute! Do you have any suggestions? I need some ideas for clothes that can be dressed up or down. For dates, baby showers, church etc.

What's the must have for this fall and winter?

(Amazon) (Victoria's Secret)

(Old Navy.com)


(Buckle)




(Buckle)



(Nordstroms)

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we had our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Saturday was stormy and rainy all day, but Sunday was sunny and warm the entire time we were at the pumpkin patch. We had a wonderful time with Baker's family and even managed to get a couple pumpkins in the process!

Just the Bare Necessities

I've compiled a short list of ideas that I would love to have for my birthday make me feel a little more sanitary at the gym. First off, I could use a yoga mat that resembles something like this. Because dripping sweat and sharing mats with everyone else at the gym is just plain gross. Trust me.

(Barnes and Noble)

And then, I could use one of these suckers. Because losing your screw top lid rolling across the gym floor during the middle of class is just a little annoying. And embarressing. I'm just sayin'.

(Camelback)

This look would help me work out harder at the gym. HA HA. Okay, at least I'll look good when I'm running errands with my toddlers. With or without the shower. Hey! We've all been there.

(Nordstroms)

And then the price has dropped on these fun things. And I think it would be a blast to play games with a certain little boy on rainy afternoons in the winter. Or while he's sleeping. Either way works for me.

(Amazon, Toy's R Us, Walmart etc.)

But, that game system is nothing without this fun game.

My favorite ride at California Adventure Park. Ahhh. Sigh.

A girl can always dream.

(Toys 'R Us, Walmart etc.)

Umpa Lumpa

I'm not sure what it is about rainy and cool weather, but it makes me want to be domestic. I love the smell of home cooked meals and freshly baked goods. And being on my second round of Biggest Loser competition at the gym, I feel better making my food - knowing the exact ingredients I'm eating. All that said, I tried making Blueberry Oatmeal Bars for the kids snacks this week. The recipe is from the Deceptively Delicious Cookbook and contains spinach in it. (Mom, don't tell Dad or he'll never eat at my house again. Okay)?I tried these, and they are really good. I couldn't taste any spinach. However, they were really crumbly. I don't know if it was because I used butter instead of a margarine spread or I didn't cook them long enough. (If you click on the link you can see what they're really suppose to look like, and my bars had way too much crust).

Anyhow, the kids seemed to like them. Well . . . at least one of them. Luke left some of his bar at the table and Miss Nat found it. She doesn't look guilty at all. Not at all. Look at that fist. She's not lettin' go for nothin'. And yes, that is blueberry all over her face. Thank goodness she was wearing a navy shirt. My own little Umpa Lumpa!

A Weekend Away

We spent the weekend at the coast. It was just what we needed. We were able to relax and enjoy being together as a family and the weather was just beautiful and warm! At least warmer than Portland and with no wind, it felt like a little bit of heaven in October.

Only my child would ask to have his shirt off and go into the freezing water in 60 degree weather in October. He begged all weekend to go into the ocean that we finally let him on Sunday. Once he fell and got completely wet, he had enough!

Ah Choo!

Cold season is here! Has anyone elses household been hit with nasty cold bugs? Natalie has been getting a cold every other week it seems. However, some of that may be due to molars that are appearing. So, this is what my cupboard is stocked with to prevent and combat colds this winter. I trust Shaklee's vitamins and their non-gentically modified soy protein for my family. I use their products daily and love them! If you've never heard of Shaklee you should check them out! Also, we have added extra vitamin D drops for the kids and of course orange juice always sounds good when you have a cold. I simply mix the oj with protein powder and voila! An orange julius smoothie! What do you do to help combat cold and flu season in your house?

A New Recipe

Since returning from Disneyland the weather has turned. Fall has breathed it's cool breathe upon us and made me want to try some hearty, yummy new recipes. I got a craving for Olive Garden's Pasta Fagoili Soup and looked for a recipe that seemed similiar and easy to make. Here's the recipe I found. The cool thing about this recipe is you can modify the number of servings for what you need. I made my recipe for 6 servings and it was way more than enough for our family. I was missing a couple key ingredients and I ended up tweaking it. The results were delicious! And of course I forgot to take pictures. Whoops!

Jackie's Version of Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup in a Crock Pot
1 lb. ground beef browned
1/2 c. sweet chopped onion
sliced baby carrots
3 quarted small zucchinis
1 (28oz) can diced organic tomatoes (undrained)
1 (16oz) can organic pinto beans (drained)
2/3 box of organic vegetable broth
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
2/3 jar Preggo spaghetti sauce (what I had in the pantry)

Here's the crazy part. The kids and I ate this soup without any pasta. I added the pasta later for Baker and then added the rest to the soup. I DIDN'T like it! Pasta Fagoili soup without the pasta. More like a vegetable soup. Still delicious :)

Now, my question for you is, do you have any favorite fall recipes? I would love to hear!

Debbie Downer

Some days I sound like Debbie Downer.
(Insert trombone sound of WAH WAH).
Today, is one of those days. I feel a little over extended right now. I got a million things running through my head and the day progresses 10 times as fast as I can move to get things accomplished. Plus, we are still a bit off schedule (maybe from vacation or being too busy)? Anyhow, Natalie is sick with another cold or teething. Not sure if the runny nose is completely due to one or both. But, it makes for an extraordinarily clingy child that wants to be held ALL DAY LONG. Therefore my To Do list just keeps growing. So, I need to keep this short and work on my list. At least making the list on paper will make me feel better and less jumbled.
So, I will leave you with a cute picture of Baker and I from our Duck game on Saturday. We went with our friends Ryan and Emily and had a blast! Plus the Ducks won. Double score!!! And hopefully I will be back soon and Debbie will be put to rest.