Mommy corner

This past week brought on another moment when I realized I no longer had a baby, but a toddler (she's almost 22 months). I had to change the sheets on her crib and the bumper pads always irritate me. So I took them off, for good. I didn't feel she needed them anymore. It hasn't been a problem. Which leads me to my next thought.. Her crib mattress is so low that it's hard for me to put her in bed over the side. Her crib side doesn't move up or down, so I always have to lean in to put her there or take her out. She has been waking up at least once a night crying and I'm beginning to wonder if maybe she'd be better off if we converted her crib to a bed.

How old were your kids when you got rid of the crib?

We also got rid of her changing table (another milestone for me). She is really long and kept bumping her head on the table. Plus she hated being up there. So I decided it wasn't worth it, took the table out of her room, which freed up some space. Now we change her on my bed. Which sometimes is a chase the baby around the bed kinda thing, but it works. :)

Some cute things she's being doing:
- Last night, I was cooking dinner and she likes to be on top of me, which I don't like b/c I don't like her in the kitchen while I'm cooking. so I gave her a choice, watch a movie or play in her room. She ran to her room and grabbed her pots and pans. :)

- I have toy cars (I love cars) and she always asks to play with them. The girl loves cars, just like her mommy.

- We have the year pass to the zoo. We recently went and she fell in love with the elephants. Anytime she sees pictures of them she goes nuts. So last time we went out I bought her a stuffed elephant. Now she sleeps with it. :) We named her Ellie Elephant

- She wakes up most mornings, before she even opens her eyes and asks for "pizza". If I ask her what she wants to eat, "Pizza". She's got some Italian in her :)

- She loves any paper and any writing utensil. She calls them both "paper". She loves to color. I guess it's in her blood since daddy is an artist.

I love motherhood and watching her grow and learn new things.

Giveaway

Want to win a free personalized pillowcase?! The pillowcase is from Chez Whimsy.
Come check out at Audrey's giveaway!

Monday etsy finds...

I recently got a really cute toe ring as a birthday gift. It came from this great shop called 88 links. The ring is so well made, and looks so great. I love wearing it and showing off my toesies! :)


Check out 88 Links for lots more great jewelry!

Giveaway!

Like cute clothes for girls!? Check out this awesome giveaway at simple finds!
You could win a $25 gift certificate to Kissing Kumquats.

Check out their blog to find out how you can win!

Ground Beef Stroganoff

I love this recipe b/c I always have all this stuff in my house :)

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup beef broth
1 (8 ounce) package wide egg noodles
Directions

Break up ground meat into a large skillet, and add onion, mushrooms, garlic powder, and mustard powder. Cook and stir over medium heat until the meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain off excess fat.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and beef broth. Stir into beef mixture, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not stir too much.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain. Serve sauce over hot noodles.

Hard week

This week has been one of the most difficult we've had in a while. I've had all sorts of emotions running through me at one point or another this week: worry, anxiety, overwhelmed, exhausted... On Monday night we took my daughter to the ER with swollen lips. We were afraid that her throat would swell up, as we thought she had an allergic reaction to something. While waiting for 3+ hours, her feet swelled up and so did her left hand. The ER doctor gave her some steroids and said it was an allergic reaction. The next morning (Tuesday) she woke up with a swollen eye (almost completely shut) and a rash on her legs and tummy. So, we went to her peds. We found out it was not allergies, it was viral.
The prescription, lots of TLC (mommy doesn't mind that one). He said the rash would only get worse before it got better. Sigh, it is so hard to see your little one sick. On Tuesday, at different points of the day, both her eyes were swollen, one of them completely shut. It looked like she had gotten in a fight... Thankfully by today, all the swelling has gone down, but the rash keeps spreading. It's very hard to see her like this.

Thankfully this has not stopped her from being her hyper self, most of the time. There are moments where she comes and sits with mommy and cuddles. I've also gotten to rock her to sleep 2 nights in a row, which is so sweet! I miss those days. Only problem is that the first night, she didn't go to sleep until 3. Last night, midnight.. :) Anyways, I guess worry comes with motherhood. This was the first "big" sickness we've had to deal with... We were very thankful that it was viral and not some type of allergy. We're just ready for her to get better.

Wordless Wednesday

playtime :)

Wish upon a hero

Please read this blog and find out how you can help a sweet family. They could really use your help!!!
Read more about it at My Little Apricot!

Mommy corner- Allergy woes

In my daughter's 21 months of life, we've never had any serious injuries or sickness, praise the LORD! Last night, as I was giving her a bath, I noticed her lips were swollen. I showed it to my husband and he immediately went to the pharmacy to get some benadryl. Our first thought was allergic reaction to something. He called me from the pharmacy and told me the pharmacist told him we needed to take her to the ER as her throat could also swell up. So here we go, to the ER. As we waited, her left foot and hand also swelled up. We finally saw the doctor and he gave her some steroids and benadryl. We have no idea what caused it. The doctor was saying it was some type of allergic reaction but now we gotta figure out to what... Nothing in her diet has changed... I am very thankful that it was nothing too serious, but the idea of taking your baby to the ER is scary no matter what. Hopefully we can figure out what's causing this soon.

Monday Etsy finds...

I have always loved paintings...I love looking at a painting and trying to see all the details.
Have you seen Michael Regina's shop on etsy? He has tons of beautiful prints! He is fairly new to etsy... His prints are all from original oil on canvas paintings. He still has some of the original art, so you can always inquire about that. :)

Bridge at St. Augustine

This would look gorgeous in your dining room or kitchen...


Don't miss out! His prints would look great in your home! Check out his shop for more art...

I LOVE Corolle

I entered a contest at Corolle and won a doll. My daughter has 1 Corolle, the Calin that we absolutely love. She smells like vanilla and is so cute! My daughter plays with her all day long. And today, her new doll came. I immediately fell in love with her. I named her Pink, since her hair is pink :) It's my favorite part. She has blue eyes and freckles, and long legs and is so adorable! My daughter cuddled with her for a while, but went back to her Calin. I guess that's her first love. :)

I was introduced to Corolle by a friend and thought they were so cute, but pricey.. They usually run anywhere between $25-30+... I decided to "Invest" on one to try it out and it was SO worth the investment. My daughter only plays w/ her Corolle. :) I'm not a HUGE fan of dolls you can buy locally, but once you own a Corolle, you just can't go back. :) I will be buying plenty more as my daughter gets older.

Check out the Corolle homepage for more dolls! You will fall in love!

BTW can I just say that I am so loving this pink doll :) I still can't believe I won it... It's very exciting...

Cappuccino Mousse Trifle

I have not yet made this, but found it and it looks amazing! That may be my next kitchen adventure!


2 1/2 cups cold milk
1/3 cup instant coffee granules
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 (10.75 ounce) loaves frozen pound cake, thawed and cubed
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate, grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions

In a large mixing bowl, stir milk and coffee granules until dissolved; remove 1 cup and set aside. Add pudding mixes to the remaining milk mixture; beat on low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened. Fold in half of the whipped topping.
Place a third of the cake cubes in a 4-qt. serving or trifle bowl. Layer with a third of the reserved milk mixture and pudding mixture and a fourth of the grated chocolate. Repeat layers twice. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and chocolate. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

picture courtesy of allrecipes.com

cleaning...

One of my favorite things to do is CLEAN. I love it. I know, I'm sick! But I hate a mess and right now my house is in dire need of cleaning. Now, my house is not a mess by any means, but it feels disorganized. I know all my closets are a mess and it's driving me crazy. It's really stressing me out. I've been planning on cleaning today all week. I've been busy all week, except for today. The anticipation built up so much, last night I had a dream that I was cleaning. It would've been great to wake up and find a clean house, but alas, it was just a dream. :) Today I need to catch up on laundry an do some upkeep. Hopefully I'll have time to get into some organizing. BUT I also have a toddler to keep up with AND some fall bows to make to finish an order. And even though I love organizing and such, ribbons are WAY more fun, so I'd rather do that. lol
On the plus side, I have spent all week rearranging my daughter's room and I think I'm pretty happy with it now. We got rid of her changing table b/c she hated being up there. So now we just change her on our bed. BUT now that means some rearranging her drawers and closet too. :) I feel like my whole life needs reorganizing!!! AAAAAHHHH the stress, I can't handle it!!!

Mommy Corner

Isn't it amazing to watch your baby turn into this little toddler?! My "baby" is 21 months old. She just constantly amazes me in everything she does. She learns things so quick, even by just observing.

You know, there are no secrets in the house that has a toddler. She is starting to repeat everything we say (or do) so we really gotta watch ourselves.

It's so cute, we went out w/ a friend of mine and my friend taught her how to wink. So now anytime you wink at her, she "winks" back. But her winking is blinking with both eyes and it's so cute! :)

Another cute thing she does is kiss her babies and says "night night". It's adorable. She pushes the babies in the stroller all over the house, stops, kisses the baby and then moves on. lol

Monday etsy finds

Ok, so I have Fall season in my brain. I am SO ready for this heat to be over. I'm ready to decorate my house with oranges and browns... I'm ready for the cool weather... And I'm so ready for cute fall clothes!
My 21 month old daughter has any of the bows you see in my shop. Now she just needs the matching outfits! :)
I recently found this store called YourDesign and fell in love with this outfit. Isn't it adorable!? I think my baby girl would look adorable in this outfit, with my new turkey bow on her hair to match. :)


She has TONS of many cute things for boys and girls! Take some time and check out her shop!!!! I bet you'll have a hard time choosing just 1 thing. :)

GREAT DEAL!!!!! If you order something from her shop and mention my blog in the message to seller, she will give you 10% of your money back in the form of a paypal refund.

Geico

My sister told me about this new geico commercial and I just had to go find it... I hadn't seen it yet. lol I LOVE piggies, I used to collect them when I was younger. I just think they are so cute! So of course, I loved this commercial.

New happenings

If you haven't been to my shop lately, please take a minute to look a my latest items. I'm making lots of holiday bows! I also have added a new section, just for boys.

My new favorite part of my new fall bows, is that not only can they be bows, but I can also make them into pins, so that women can wear them as well! :) Think about it, you could wear it to work, or just out... You could look very festive and get tons of compliments!
I use a single prong alligator clip for bows and a 1" steel back, nickel plated pin.

The cutest spider

Happy Turkey

Boo!!!

Choose a single prong alligator clip or a pin!

special Feature- Auntie Di's Shop

Have you seen Auntie Di's shop? It is a wonderful shop for candles with lots of different scents!
She also has very cute jewelry. This one is my favorite!


Check her out on facebook where you have a chance to win free candles every Wednesday at 8!

Wordless Wednesday

Like my new toy!? :)

Fall is coming...

Fall will be here before you know it! Are you ready?
Have you seen these little cuties?


Come check them out here!

Mommy corner

Mommy corner will be short today. I had a horrible night's sleep and morning. My migraines have come back and left me pretty useless today. But I have such a sweet little girl. We lay on the couch together and cuddled all morning. She watched some cartoons while I cat napped here and there. I think she knows something is wrong b/c she kept giving me kisses. :) I've NEVER been able to sleep while she's awake, I just fear she'll get into trouble. But this morning I needed it. And she did such a good job. I'm so thankful for such a sweet little girl.

New Section

Ok, I'm taking today to promote a new section on my shop. We have a new section just for BOYS!!!
Check it out and let me know what you think! More to come!

I found a giveaway

I found a giveaway...
88Links is giving away this Guardian Angel, Custom Initial Keychain.

Win one keychain, initial of your choice.

Find out how you can win at 2kute's blog! Winning is easy!!!

Ground Beef Pie

Want an easy and yummy recipe?! I love this b/c I can make it for breakfast or dinner and it's always a big hit!!! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I've made it many times and am always pleased with how it turns out...

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup biscuit baking mix

Directions

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Press into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk and biscuit mix just until combined. Pour over cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

picture courtesy of allrecipes.com

Gymboree

A few days ago, I took my daughter to the mall for a quick shopping trip before we picked up daddy from work. We went to one of her favorite stores, Disney Store. I got her some cute flip flops for $1.99. Then we were walking back and I saw a clearance sign inside Gymboree. Now, I have only been in there once, and never shopped. I don't like going in there b/c I never find anything on clearance that is actual clearance and not $20 still. lol I don't want to say I'm cheap, but I am frugal. I have to be, we are on a budget. :) Alas, the first thing I saw was a cute pair of brown sandals. I LOVE shoes, and so does my daughter. She immediately wanted to put it on. It was so cute. The sandals were $25, I got it for $7.50. I also bought the next size up, so that she can wear it for a few months. Next I went to the back and looked through the clothes. This gorgeous dress was the first to grab my attention. Before I examined the dress any further, I looked at the price tag, $32 on sale for $4.99. Eureka!!! I LOVE the dress even more. :) So proud of my sales accomplishments, I left. When we got home I tried it on my daughter and I thought she looked adorable. I was pretty excited with my mini shopping trip and will continue to return to Gymboree. Have you ever shopped there?

Mommy corner!

Ok, so mommy corner will come a bit early this week :)
This time, I have a question for you! My daughter's 2nd birthday will soon be here (November) and then there's Christmas. I have a TON of stuff on her wish list, but I'm not sure if it's all good for her.
So, here's my list and you guys can make suggestions on if it's good or not. And help me come up with new ideas! Please!!!

1. Baby doll high chair- I need help figuring out which one is best
2. Any other baby doll items, she loves her babies (what would you suggest)
3. Play food for her kitchen
4. Tricycle- I really like this one b/c it's pink and has the little basket in front

5. Radioflyer wagon- I think we may buy this one at some point now b/c she is in love w/ wagons

6. Puzzles
7. Anything with the alphabet, she loves letters (any suggestions here)

Thanks for your help!!!!! I look forward to hearing from you!

Giveaway 2 for the week!

Visit Audrey's giveaways for more info on winning this little guy!

And click here to find out how to win these awesome bags!

Another giveaway

I found this great giveaway... You can win beautiful soaps from sunbasilgarden!
Visit Everything Etsy for more information on this great giveaway!

Etsy Monday

I won!!!!!!! :) A Little of This and That had a giveaway for this bracelet and I won. I'm so excited! Take some time and visit her blog, it has tons of great recipes, giveaways and much more!

I cannot wait to get this and show it off! :)










She also has 4 etsy shops:
Julie's little bits

Dinkalulu

Julie's sparkly bits

Whysper Fairy