thin and yummy

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I am wrong :) My hubby bought these Oroweat Sandwich Thins and kept raving about how great they were. I didn't believe him. I didn't even give them a try. But tonight I did. We made hamburgers and all 4 of us (baby can't eat hamburgers) devoured them on the 100 calorie breads. They were perfect, especially if you are trying to cut back on your carbs. Only 100 calories and all three varieties are made with whole grains, have no high fructose corn syrup, are cholesterol free, low fat and have no trans fat. They are available in multi-grain, 100% whole wheat and honey wheat. Can't wait to make a sandwich tomorrow!

can't wait

Some very nice people sent me this Nickelodeon SpongeBob Squarepants Underwater Digital Camera to review. I wasn't that excited until I actually got it and now I can't wait for Brody to try it out! It takes up to 152 photos and it is waterproof up to 30 feet. It also includes SpongeBob SnapShots Software which I am assuming is kid friendly. How rad is this for kids (ages 4 and up)? I have looked online and it is sold out in some places and anywhere between $24.99 and $29.99 in other places. I'll let you know what I think (or Brody thinks) after we get to use it! I have a feeling this would be a great gift for any kid who loves the water!

stella

Stella McCartney has her new line out for GapKids and I like this one even better than the last one. I especially love some of the girls stuff, the boys stuff isn't really our style. My favorite pieces from the collection are above. I'm hoping some of it goes on sale so I can snatch them up!

dinner spinner

I downloaded the AllRecipes Dinner Spinner Application for iPhone. So cute. You pick a dish type, ingredient and cooking time and it brings up a bunch of different recipes for you. I've already tried it (dinner/chicken/slowcooker) and we liked the dinner. Plus along with the recipe they show user comments so you can see how other people tweaked the recipe to make it their own. Great for a last minute dinner or if you are in the store!

lions and tigers and bears... oh my!

If you live in Southern California... you should definitely be a San Diego Zoo Member. We have had our membership since before we had kids and it's one of the best investments we make each year. Your membership gets you into the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. For $99 a year you can get a Dual Membership (2 adults in the household, zip codes 90000-92999). Children ages 3-11 can get a Koala Club membership for $29 a year, ages 12-17 pay $39 a year. You also get free guest passes with your membership (among other things) and it is a tax deductible contribution! Totally worth it! For more info go here.

happy birthday

Happy Birthday to this sweet girl. You definitely keep me on my toes, but I am so glad to be your mommy. I love you.

copycat

I copied the cake a I blogged about a few days ago. My version was from memory...I didn't have the picture with me. It certainly wasn't perfect and if I had to do it again, I would copy the bow from theirs and minimize the number of candies in mine. But, considering I only had a half hour to decorate, I like how it turned out. Mine was 2 layers! I used skittles for the polka dots and Fruit by the Foot for the ribbon. Fun!

before and after

We got this doll bed for Piper from Ikea (it was suppose to be a Christmas present but we forgot about it) and gave it to her for her birthday today. When we opened it we were less than thrilled with the bedding it came with. It actually looks better in the picture, which doesn't say a lot. So last night I made her a new blanket and a pillow for her bed and I love how it came out. I wish we would have had time to paint the bed, but maybe I will do that sometime soon. It would be cute in white or pink.

lovely Easter decor

Since most of us put a candy bar at a party or shower we threw over the last year, we should all have leftover candy jars, right? How great are these Easter decorations using those jars, Easter candy, ribbon, paper grass and cake stands? I think they would be adorable displayed in any house. It might be too late for my decorations this year, but they will definitely be used next year!

basics

Every baby boy should own a pair of basic Baby Gap jeans. They are the cutest, especially at like 3 months old! Makes a great gift too!

sweet

Piper's party was featured again! This time on Kara's Party Ideas. So exciting!

sweet

Piper's birthday is this week and I have been looking online for a simple but sweet birthday cake to make. I came across this cute cake and kind of fell in love. It's simple, cute and fun. I know I will have many years of princess cakes so I'm heading in this direction. I may change the colors up a bit...not sure. Wish me luck!

fav gift for the bride

I had to wait and post this until after the wedding shower I went to today...hopefully the bride-to-be of the wedding shower next weekend doesn't check my blog :) But this is my favorite wedding shower gift to give. It's the second time I have put it all together and it always goes over well. Next weekend will be the third. It's cute, different and always gets a good reaction. Plus it's affordable deciding how you do it. Everything is from Anthropologie. Their apron's run from $32-$38 regular price, but if you are lucky you can find one on sale for $14.95. Oven mits run around $12, but sometime they are on sale for around $7. And the mugs are $6 each. You can mix and match regular and sale price and also either give two mugs with the initial of their first names or give one mug with her future last name initial. I love, love, love this gift. Hopefully the brides do too (and if not there is always a gift receipt).

Now if you are my friend and we are going to a shower together....just know this is what I am bringing. Or we could go in together and add a beautiful cook book as well.

guess what?

Do you remember Piper's 1st birthday party? It was a garden party theme I slaved over almost exactly a year ago....well the party was just featured on Birthday Girl's Blog. I am sooo excited. It was also featured on Party Perfect a week or so ago. This was my favorite party ever. Can't wait for baby's 1st birthday in December!

pitter patter

I fell in love with these shoes today at Nordstrom. They are comfy and look great with jeans. Only $49.95 too, but they are not in our budget right now. I have gotten use to being on a budget, but it was hard when I had these in my hand. They were screaming my name. But even though I can't have them, maybe you can. They were adorable and comfortable. They also come in other colors.

bikini baby

Here are Piper's bathing suits for this summer. A super girlie flowered one-piece and a teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini. So excited for summer! If you love bathing suits as much as we do make sure you buy them for the kiddos now before all the cute ones are gone! I'm going to pick up one more... we are constantly in the water during the summer.

guest post-yellow daffodils by Noel

As a mom of two young children some days are just a battle. I had been having a difficult few days, to say the least, and as I was walking into Trader Joes a table full of yellow daffodils caught my eye. I grabbed two bunches without a second thought. As a wife and mom I always put myself second but for some reason I didn’t on this shopping trip. (Most likely because the flowers are only $1.69 a bunch) That day I noticed my attitude and mindset changed as those daffodils sat on my table. And each time I pass them they add something bright to my day. This is a great way to cheer yourself up. Why not buy yourself flowers every now and then!

and the winner is........ (everyone)

The winner of my 500th post giveaway is......

Leslie H- "It's the mini-eggs for me! We anticipate their arrival every year. I do look forward to giving the mascara a try too!

Congrats Leslie!

But wait...there's more....for all of you who entered but did not win....you are still a winner because I am giving each of you a Michael's brown polka-dot reusable tote. Yay! Just email me at elhajs@aol.com your address and I will ship one off to you!

Thank you everyone for entering and for reading my blog. There are days I'm not sure that there is anyone out there who actually cares about my posts, but then I get an email or run into someone who tells me they love my blog and it makes my day! I sure am lucky!

small step for me

It's just a small step....but I made this baby blanket! I've just started to learn how to sew, thanks to a new friend, and I'm getting better over time. I still have lots to practice, but I love that I made something that keeps my baby cozy.

I think that learning to sew has taught me that trying new things is fun! I know we often get stuck in our busy lives and hobbies we've had forever. I think a new challenge is good for the soul. What have you been secretly wanting to learn? How can you make it happen?

don't be shy

Don't be shy! Don't forget to enter my giveaway a few posts below, last day is today by 6pm PST. I will announce the winner tomorrow!

fun, fun, fun

Have you O.C. residents been here yet? It's The Derby Deli & Dueling Piano Bar in Mission Viejo at the Kaleidoscope. We went there Friday night for my sis's big birthday bash and had sooo much fun. I'm going to plan a couples night out for the near future! Fun, fun, fun!

baby baby baby

The Abby or Lucy baby dolls at Pottery Barn Kids are my favorite gifts for one-year old girls. They are soft, sweet and the perfect introduction into the land of baby dolls. It's always hard to pick out a gift for a one-year old and this is something they grow into through out the year. I have one wrapped up for a party this weekend!

party cupcakes

While purchasing the Lemongrass Ginger Hand Soap from Williams Sonoma for my giveaway below (don't forget to enter), I came across these pretty cupcake decorating kits. They have the decorative cups and cute toppers for kids parties. The themes I saw were pirates, dolls, animals and birthday party. So cute for those of you who don't have time to make your own! Totally worth it to add some extra pizzaz to your party.

you can win my favs!

In honor of my 500th post I put together a giveaway where one lucky reader will win all of my past favs above. That's a nice gift basket right? Here's exactly what you will win:

1. MAC Studio Fix Lash Mascara in Black
2. Michael's brown polka dot reusable tote
3. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
4. Strawberry licorice from Trader Joe's
5. 3 cute decorative file folders from Staples
6. Chef'n Large Collapsible Colander
7. Lemongrass Ginger Hand Soap from Williams Sonoma
8. Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners
9. Cadbury Mini Eggs

This giveaway is $75 worth of products and they all want a new home!

Here's how to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling me which product you are the most excited about
2. Make sure you leave your name and email address if you don't have a blog sign-in. Or if you don't want to leave your email address...just leave a comment with your name and then email me at elhajs@aol.com.
3. Last day to enter is next Tuesday night (3/16) at 6pm PST.

I will announce the winner on Wednesday 3/17, which will be my actual 500th post! So excited!

Happy giveaway!

mixer must-have

Mark gifted this Beater Blade to me for Christmas and I just used it for the first time tonight. It's made to be used with your Kitchenaid mixer (tilt-head mixers only) and is designed to beat, scrape, fold and mix as it cuts mixing time in half. My favorite part is that you use it to scrape the bowl after and it gets everything! It's amazing. And, since it's made of some sort of plastic, there is no build-up on the blade. It costs $24.95 at Crate and Barrel.

shake, shake, shakeit

I really like this iPhone app called ShakeItPhoto. It turns your pictures into polaroids and works just like a real instant camera. You watch the photo develop and shake your iPhone to make it develop faster. It's awesome. Here are a few photos I took today!