Valentine's Outfits

I was in Baby Gap today and remembered how much I love their little Valentine sets!

Cato

I love that you can find an entire outfit (including jewelry) for around $40. I am also taking some fashion advice and adding to my jewelry collection this year, and Cato definitely makes that easy. Can't beat a necklace for $2.99!

Water

Mmmmmm....it's good.

I have finally realized it is time to exit Holidayland and come back to the real world. It's not as fun to eat whole plates of cookies in January as it is in December.

So now I love water. Lots of water.

And vegetables.

Mmmm, give me a plate of broccoli and I'm in heaven!

I also love sarcasm.

Wedding Cake

I love wedding cake, and I do like it when they are unique.

But seriously???

Here are some other neat ones:

Aggie cakes

Another neat Aggie cake

Fancy cakes

This marriage is over before it began

Fun Music

My sister got me this CD for Christmas. It's fun, if you like country music, which I do. She probably isn't the greatest singer out there, but there is something entertaining about her. She has written all of her songs and she's still in high school.

Anyway, the CD came with a DVD filled with her music videos and special performances, interviews, etc. Lauryn LOVES this video . The other day Allison caught a glimpse of it and sat through the whole thing, staring at the tv. She clapped and bounced to the music!

Anything that keeps BOTH girls entertained for more than 5 minutes is a winner in my book. Oh, and Lauryn says that Taylor looks like a mommy.

I guess if that means all mommies look like 100 pound teenagers with long, flowing hair, then we have all been handed a huge compliment!

The Miracle Cookbook

I wanted to wait and post about this until I had actually tried some of the recipes.

Last night we had french toast and eggs for dinner, and I used the recipes from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.

I asked for this book for Christmas and was thrilled to get it. I had heard some neat things about it, and she was even on Oprah (which means she must be good!)

She hides vegetables in everyday foods in order to get her kids eating a little more healthy. I'm always looking for ways to get my girls to eat their vegetables. So far the only vegetable Allison likes are green beans, and Lauryn will reluctantly eat a veggie as long as it has a mountain of cheese on top.

So I gave it a try, and last night both of my girls ate butternut squash and cauliflower, and they didn't even know it! The eggs were made with a cauliflower puree. Lauryn asked for two servings. When she finished the second serving, she literally started eating more eggs straight from the serving bowl. And Allison devoured the french toast, which was also made with a puree (squash).

I am so excited to try tonight's recipe (chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks) and see if it goes just as well!

Monkey Bread

After using another recipe for Christmas morning and being slightly disappointed, I tried this recipe this morning. You will not taste anything more delicious.

Lauryn spoke the precious words that I was feeling deep in my heart when she exclaimed, "It's like a big, giant donut cake!!"

Yes, it is sweetheart. Yes, it is.

Funny Cartoons

I would like to deny the truth in this, but as Tracy would say, it is what it is.

Christmas Songs

I love Christmas songs. This is one of my very favorites. I get choked up every single time I hear it.

Virtual Christmas Card

I love this! I got it last year, and a friend sent it again today. It definitely feels like Christmas when you look at this:

http://ecard.ashland.edu/index.php?ecardYear=2004adm

A Christmas Story

This is one of my favorites of all time, and I try to watch it every year. I never get tired of it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvMLfSQrHKE

Kohls

I love this store, but even more so at Christmas. It seems like they are always having a sale. I got this adorable plate for just $5.00. I can't wait to decorate cookies with my girls each year and put them on this plate for Santa!

Leap Frog

I love this brand because everything we've ever bought with "Leap Frog" on it has been a huge hit with my kids. From the Letter Factory DVD to the Fridge Phonics, they want to use these toys over and over.

I got this for Lauryn at Target yesterday for one of her Christmas gifts. It didn't register as having a price (it literally said $0.00 when I ran it under the price check thingy at the store). So when it did the same thing for the cashier, she gave it to me for $4.00!! Merry Christmas to me!

Nativity Set

My other grandmother gave me this nativity set when I first got married. It started as the three piece set, then she sent an additional piece each year until it was complete.

Grandma's Torte

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is definitely on my mind.

The Swiss Colony makes the best treats, and always makes me think of Christmas. My grandma used to send us a torte every single year at Christmastime. We would anticipate the arrival and get so excited when it finally arrived. The entire thing would be gone in a matter of two days! She still sends one every year to my parents' house. That torte will always be one of my favorite Christmas memories!

Rachel's Trifle

I love this episode of Friends. Actually, there aren't many episodes of Friends that I don't love.

I tried to link the Thanksgiving episode with Brad Pitt, but couldn't find it. Back when he guest starred on the show. Of course it was way before Brangelina. Those were the days....

Kids' Shoes

I saw an advertisement for these shoes in Parents Magazine. Pediped shoes for kids.

Just look at these!

And this pair is perfect for fall.

Have you ever seen anything sweeter than this??!

Of course, I could never justify paying $30 for my kids' shoes. Not when Target has their own cute styles for $12. And not when my youngest child does everything in her power to keep her feet bare at all times.

Cheap Pizza

If you want an easy meal that will feed a family of 4 for just $5, then it's your lucky day. Little Caesars Pizza has a large pepperoni pizza for $5. Period. I'm embarrassed to tell you how often we frequent this restaurant. It's not the best pizza in the world, but it will certainly do the job on one of those (many) days when you just don't want to cook.

Good Mexican Food

We love Posados. It is the best Mexican food restaurant in the world. Every single meal we have ever had has been delicious. And THEN they bring you FREE sopapillas and there's an ice cream machine by the door on your way out. How could you not love it?

Last night we made the mistake of going to a different Mexican food restaurant. The food was, at best, edible. I mean, we didn't get sick or anything. Maybe we just ordered the wrong thing. I do know, no one offered a sopapilla and there was not an ice cream machine in sight.

But we did learn a valuable lesson. If it isn't Posados, don't eat there. Although if you're in Tyler, then Mercado's is just as acceptable. We've vowed to be faithful from now on.

Great Pictures

I love Portrait Innovations. I will never go anywhere else. We've tried Sears. We've tried JCPenney. We've tried Picture People. We have never had pictures as good as we get with Portrait Innovations. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that they take about 70-100 shots. AND THEN...you can choose to get the package deal with one pose (which isn't always easy to narrow down), and you pay a total of $10 for about 50 pictures. We just had our family pictures done, and we got a great shot where everyone is looking and everyone is smiling. I paid $10 for a 10X13, 8X10, four 5X7, eight 3.5X5, and more wallets than you will ever know what to do with. Fabulous!