Petunia Pickle Bottom

I get compliments on my Petunia Pickle Bottom clutch every where I go. It usually goes something like this,

them: "Hey, I love your purse."
me: "It's actually my diaper bag."
them: "No way."
me: "No really, here's the changing pad."

Looking for a diaper bag for baby #2 was easy, because I knew that I didn't want the gigantic baby bag like I had for Brody. I loved my x-large Juicy diaper bag, but it actually hurt my shoulder because I stuffed so much stuff in there. I do think that every first-time mom should have a big bag, just for peace of mind. However, I knew this time I would travel light. Just a few diapers, some wipes and maybe an extra onesie. Everything else can be in the car or the bottom of the stroller. So I bought it and I love. I take it everywhere, even if I don't have the kids. And I think I only paid like $65 for it. Best part, I never get that "I miss having a grown up purse" that I use to have with Brody. Go here to check it out, and notice that they now have like 15 patterns!

Facebook

I was an avid MySpace user, that is until I found Facebook (MySpace what?). I like it, okay I love it. I'm sure it will wear off eventually, but I love it for now. I love reading what my neighbors are doing, even though I could look out the window and see. I love instant chatting with friends and my sister. I love making jokes on other people's status. I love having fun. 

You should join. If you do, tell me and we can be friends and you can get in on my fun.

Shopping

Today is the biggest shopping day of the year and usually I'm at the mall, but not this year. We are feeling the pinch like everyone else. If I was, I would buy myself this shirt. I saw it a few weeks ago at Nordstrom and fell in love. I think about it all the time, but it's not a necessity, especially at $164. But, if I did buy it, I would wear it 164 times to get its use. I love it that much.

Being Thankful

I am thankful for Thanksgiving. Reasons below.

1. I am thankful that there is a day dedicated to reminding everyone that we need to be thankful for the bountiful lives that we have.

2. I am thankful that we can spend a whole day with our families that is all about eating and being together. You are forced to sit and talk with no distractions. (I will miss my mom, dad and sisters this year).

3. I am thankful that there is a fantastic parade that is wrapped around tradition that my children can wake up and watch, just like I did.

4. I am thankful that my belly and my heart are always full.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday centered around family and friends. I have so many things to be thankful for. I hope you have a warm and tender day today.

Photographer

We just did a photo shoot with my sister and she is my favorite photographer, and not because she is my sister, but because she takes great photos! Does anyone watch Samantha Who? On last weeks episode, there was a funny part where Andrea could not take any pictures, she always looked awful. That's how I feel when I see pictures of me. Not when my sister takes them. She can make me look good, even sitting in a forest, now that takes talent. I know she has been a fav before, but she gets another post because the pics were so good this time. If you are in Southern California, check her out at whitneyhartmann.com.

iPhone

I heart my iPhone. I was one of those crazy people who paid a million dollars for it when it first came out, so I have always been excited about this phone. Well, that is until it stopped working. Part of my touch screen died out on me and since it was over a year old, the warranty had run out and it would cost $199 to fix it. Well, the new 3G is $199 so I knew I would rather get a brand new one instead of deal with the old one for the same price. But I was kind of down on Apple since they couldn't just fix it. So I had a bum phone for awhile, I could only answer calls. Well, I finally ponied up and got a new one (yay) and I am not disappointed, I forgot how much I love it (now that I can use all the buttons). It is the best. I'm back in love, as I am with all my Apple products. 

Balderdash

We love game nights with the neighbors and our favorite game is Balderdash. It's a game that is fun with around 6 players and it is all about creativity and good guessing. There are different categories, such as "definition." A word is given and everyone writes down what they think the definition to that word is (it's always something obscure that no one has ever heard of). Then all the definitions are read out loud anonymously (including the real answer) and everyone picks which one they think is true. It's so fun, especially if you have creative neighbors and like to laugh! You should buy it and host a game night in your neighborhood.

It's Me

I'm a busy bee (which is good news). I promise lots of great posts soon. 

xo,

Amanda

Momiji Friendship Dolls

We are not doing presents for Christmas this year (except for the kids) due to financial reasons. So I was so bummed when I saw these here. Each doll has a unique personality and represents a virtue or trait. You can also slip a secret message in its base. Here's what they all stand for from left to right:

Clever Clogs likes boys who wear glasses.
Flowers likes the shipping forecast and new shoes.
Smiling likes gingerbread and tap dancing.
Happy likes fancy dress and tea-time treats.
Pixie likes escapology and cups of tea.

Not sure which one would be perfect for me, but at $12 a piece, I would have bought one for all my best girlfriend and would hope they would sit them next to their computer. That's where I would put mine. Little things like this are making it hard on me not to shop.

The 'Ove' Glove

Okay so I am sure you have seen this before on some infomercial and probably laughed (as we all do when we watch them), but this one is a keeper. We obtained two 'ove' gloves and they are so awesome. We use them every day! It's just an oven mit that you can wear and it can handle up to 450 degrees of extreme heat. They say it is made up of the same material used in firefighter's gloves. I like it because I never have to worry about burning myself. You can get more info on it here, but I know they sell it at multiple places! Try it!

Tickle

Just yesterday I was sitting with Brody having some alone time and I tickled him, the BEST laugh came out. So I tickled him some more and even though he told me to stop his laugh was pure happiness. I have decided that a tickle laugh is the best kind of laugh there is. I'm going to sneak them more often. 

Verses

I know that religion is a personal topic, but there are two bible verses that help me keep the faith and get through the transition of starting my own business (and life). I really have to share these since they are a fav of mine. They sit on a yellow sticky on my computer.

Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Proverbs 16:9

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

Folex- Spot Remover

My mom started using Folex years ago, when I still lived at home. She was in need of a great spot remover for her carpet, especially for pesky pet stains. Someone told her about it and it worked miracles. Back then it was like $14.95 per bottle, but now I think it's under $7 at Home Depot. Now we use it on our carpet & rugs, and the bottle isn't small so it lasts a long time. It gets out any odors and stains. It has saved us a lot of grief over the years. Right now, it mostly picks up baby spit up and mystery stains from my three year old! Ha!

Life with a 3 year old

I love babies so much, but I am digging Brody's age. Three is a year where they grow so much and the things that they say and take in are amazing and hilarious. And, he asks a million questions. So here are some of my favorite things that Brody says:

"I'm going to be a good boy now" (after he gets in trouble, you should hear his sweet little voice, oh and he has already said this 5 times before in the 5 minutes leading up to it)

"Daddy-o, Mommy-o, Baby-o" (he's been adding the o for awhile now and I FINALLY (months later) heard where he got it from, Oswald, the episode where Sammy Star Fish performs)

"Do you want to play I Spy" (he wants to play all the time, he's not very good at it and when it's his turn he picks something and you can see his eyes land on it and he says it's black, but when you pick it he says no, it ends up being a very long game).

"I dunno" (every time I ask him what he did in school, I have to be very specific)

"I want to be everything when I grow up" (he can't narrow it down)

"Are you checking your email" (when I'm on the computer, a sign I spend way too much time on here)

"Peanut, peanut butter and JELLY" (a song from preschool, I have yet to hear the other words, but I love to hear him sing it)

"Mommy, when's daddy coming home" (he likes to ask this around 9am, usually Mark leaves around 8:30am)

"Mommy, you are the best mommy in the whole world. I love you to the moon and back. Actually I don't. I love you to the moon, and back and to our house."

Handmade dolls

I have been in love with these dolls since I first saw them on the blog Cakies. She made some for her little girls and I even asked if she was going to sell some. Well, apparently I'm not the only one and she has put up 10 of them starting today on her Etsy shop, there are already only 8 left (thanks to me and someone else). So probably by the time you read this they will all be gone, or not and you can pick one up for your little girl for Christmas.

ebay

Ebay is obviously nothing new. I use to go on it and occasionally search for some things. But now that money is tight, and my love of certain brands has not diminished, I am on Ebay all the time. I mostly search for Juicy for myself & Piper and Small Paul & Quiksilver for Brody. Let me tell you, I have gotten some awesome things for pretty cheap! And, I only buy BNWT (brand new with tags). The best thing is that I know I am only looking to score a great deal, so before I bid on anything I give myself a limit of how high I will go and I never go past that. I was also really stoked to find my favorite pair of Roxy flats on there, mine are so old and ready to kick the bucket, so now I have a new pair being shipped to me, and I would have never been able to find them in the stores. So if money is tight but you can't let go of some brand names, look on ebay and maybe you will score yourself a good deal!

Jersey Mike's Subs

Anyone else sick of Togo's and Subway? I am. I think their sandwiches taste bland and processed. And, I use to like Quizno's until the time it cost Mark and I $20 just for two sandwiches and nothing else. So I am really excited to have two different Jersey Mike's Subs shops nearby. I get excited to go get a sandwich. I love their bread and their meat is freshly shaved to order. It's not cheap but for $25 we can get 2 sandwiches, 2 bags of chips, 2 drinks and a kids meal. Check out their website to see if their is a shop near you! Yummy!!!!!

101st Post

"Happy 101st post birthday to me,

Happy 101st post birthday to me,
Happy 101st post birthday to meeeeee,
Happy 101st post birthday to me."

(I missed the 100th post so 101 will have to do, I'm still excited) I have a lot of great favs planned for this week, so keep checking back!

Weekend Off

I am taking the weekend off from blogging and I think I might ignore my computer as much as possible these next two days. Maybe by doing so I will discover some new favorites to post.

See you Monday!

xo

Backyardigans Live

Brody has loved the Backyardigans since he was a tiny pea, and even though he has moved on to more preschool type shows, he still loves them just as much. So we jumped at the chance to see the Backyardigans Live. Brody waited for two months to go and we finally made it last Saturday. It was great! Brody said it was the best movie he's ever been to (we still have trouble distinguishing what a movie is and what a show is). Best part yet, he sat still the entire time. That NEVER happens. To see if they are coming to your town click here.

Quiet moments

In the quiet of the night, when I can't sleep and I only have my thoughts, I realize that the only thing in life that is really important is my kids, my husband, my family and my friends. If I lost everything else I could still survive as long as I have them. So when I remember this, I sneak into my babies rooms and snuggle them and thank God that we have each other.

Nordstrom's Half-Yearly Sale for Women & Kids

Starts today! I am on a major budget, actually I don't think I even have a budget amount for clothes anymore. But, Brody's fall clothes from last year are a little short in the sleeves and a little short in the length so I know it's a great time to pick him up just a few things to get him through Fall (yes I think Fall might be here in California finally). If you don't have a Nordstrom's near you, shop online!

Vote

Vote today and also read back to my prior post called "Pinky Swear." Also, the Starbucks commercial below is beautiful if you haven't seen it. I wish I would have created it. Anyhow, if you vote you can go into Starbucks and say "I voted" and get a free tall cup of brewed coffee.

And when you are done with Starbucks, you can head over to Krispy Kreme with your "I Voted" sticker to get a free doughnut.

Breakfast is served!

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer

I really like my Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer. I never use to wear moisturizer at all because I always had oily skin and was prone to breakouts. But once I had children my skin changed (and is still changing) and I knew that I needed something light to put on at night or day. My mom bought me this moisturizer for my stocking at Christmas and it is perfect. It is made for all skin types so it has to have a good balance. Now, the new ones have SPF 15 in it, mine doesn't, but I'm sure it's the same. Anyhow this is an everyday favorite. Just wanted to share!

Pinky Swear

I believe everyone in our nation needs to make a deal with each other. Election day is almost here. I think we all need to pinky swear that even if your candidate does not win, that you will take a deep breath and promise to give the winner a chance. It's only fair. You may cry and whine for the shortest amount of time, and then when he is sworn in you must have faith and let the new President try to do his job. No criticism, no nasty words, no name calling. Just give him a chance. Please pass this on to all media personnel.

Thank you,

Amanda

P.S. If you do not vote, you do not get to complain about the President ever. That is the most important rule.

Snippet & Ink Inspiration Board

I love this inspiration board that Kathryn at Snippet & Ink posted last Thursday. It is every bit me and is by far my favorite board that she has done! If only I wasn't married yet I would want to use this as inspiration, but I guess I will just have to find a way to throw myself some kind of fabulous party.