good recipe

Found this recipe on the back of the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix that I use for roasts in the crock pot. I wasn't expecting to like it, but we LOVED it. I halved the recipe, used light sour cream and served over fettucini noodles. It was delicous!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2-lb boneless chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

10 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 container (8oz) sour cream

1. In a slow cooker, toss beef with flour. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours until meat is tender.

2. Stir in sour cream. Serve, if desired, over hot cooked noodles.

6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

a cute something to help your kids feel better

We use to have a humidifier where you had to replace this vent-type thing and the water always sloshed around. It felt old and dirty (even though it wasn't) and it never seemed to work right. I finally got fed up one night and went to Target to get a new cool-mist humidifier, after all, it is an important tool in child wellness. We didn't have a lot of money to spend so I bought a Crane Frog Humidifier for around $20. They didn't have a lot of affordable choices so the fact that it was a cute frog too was just a bonus. I actually didn't expect it to work that well due to the price, but I hoped anything would be better than what we had. 

Well, 2+ years later I STILL LOVE IT. Unfortunately it went up in price ($34.99), but at the same time they came up with new animals to delight your kids. I not only love that it's cute, but it's really easy to use, it has a lot of different levels for the mist and it doesn't seem bulky to me. Plus, Brody just calls it "his froggy" and doesn't mind when it's in his room. It's not a scary machine. Pictures of some of the cute animal choices are below and there are many more (cow, koala, dragon or a football) at target.com. If you don't use a humidifier, I suggest getting one. It really makes a huge difference during the cold and flu season. Our little froggy is working hard tonight in Piper's room.

i love it!

Ellen Degeneres and John Mayer singing in her bathroom. Love it! It put a smile on my face and made me remember why I think he's sexy and why I adore her. I saw the longer version here on Perez Hilton but couldn't get it on my page.

sadness

My heart goes out to all those affected by the fires in Australia. I was just reading about the devastation online and it brought tears to my eyes. 

Perfect...

I didn't watch the Grammy awards, but just saw a picture of Sara Bareilles on the red carpet. I love her look here and I would die to wear it. The red touches are gorgeous and perfect. Sorry the picture is so small, it's all I could find! 

Tide

I bought this detergent on accident at Babies R Us. I thought it was more of a Dreft type detergent, specifically for babies (I was in a rush). Once I got home I decided to use it anyways and I actually love it. It's called Tide Pure Essentials with Baking Soda and it really cleans well. I never buy detergent with any sort of fragrance, but the white lilac scent is subtle and amazing. I love smelling everything fresh out of the dryer.

Just thought I would share!

Hello Gucci

I saw these Gucci shoes in an ad in InStyle magazine, they are even more beautiful on a person. I am in love. I asked Mark if I could have them, but alas, at the hefty price of $1275 he said no. Hey, I aim high!

yummmmmmo

When Mark and I lived in San Diego, our favorite date night restaurant was Filippi's in either Little Italy or Mission Valley. In fact, we have never found a similar Italian place that we liked as much here in Orange County, well until now. Part of the family that owns Filippi's opened Mr. D's Pizza Grotto in San Juan Capistrano and it's exactly the same. It's super family friendly and delicious. In the last month or so we've already been there twice and ordered take out once. We are thrilled! Info below:

Mr. D's Pizza Grotto

Located in Marbella Plaza

31111 Rancho Viejo Road 

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

(949)661-0011

Cariboo

Games for a 3 year old are hard to come by. A lot of the games require a good amount of set-up (The Bee Game), lots of small pieces (Cherry Picker Game) and make winning a priority (Candy Land). That's why finding Cariboo by Cranium was a blessing. It's a team effort, it helps kids with letters, number, colors and shapes and it's easy to set up. I definitely think it's a fun and easy game for a preschooler and it's a good one to keep at Grandma & Grandpa's house too. We purchased ours at Target.

Adorable

I bought these shoes for Piper at Target today. They had them as small as a toddler size 2 and they are ADORABLE. This picture doesn't do them justice. They were $12.99 and I can't wait to slip them on her feet tomorrow for church!