Makes Me Smile Monday

These little kitties are bringing a smile to my face today.  My brother picked them up in Chinatown while he was here visiting. 

They are perched on my kitchen windowsill where there is a steady stream of sunlight, which causes them to rock back and forth.  I think they are just adorable and that of course, makes me smile!

What We're Reading Wednesday

My daughter loves this book.  And I think it's pretty good too but after reading it 100 times I am getting a little tired of it ;-)

Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen

This book is the story of Violet and her love of building flying machines.

She endures ridicule from her fellow classmates because of her different interests and her greasy coveralls.

Because her family runs a junkyard, Violet has a never-ending supply of building materials. 

 This results in some pretty creative inventions.

The picture above is a plane that Violet created to enter into a flying contest.  In the end, she never makes it to the contest but saves a troop of boy scouts and becomes a town hero.  I really like how this story shows that it is okay to be a little different, to be a girl and have an interest in things that are typically thought of as "boy stuff", and that helping others is more important than serving your own interests.

Makes Me Smile Monday

This is naptime here at my house.  The little guy will no longer nap in his crib (ugh) but will peacefully fall asleep next to me on the couch as we watch DVR'd episodes of Wild Russia, Undersea Edens or other various nature shows.  Sometimes the path of least resistance is the most quiet and calm for both kiddo and mommy ;-)

While the little guy is snoozing and motionless, our little in utero gal is busy kicking and wiggling all over the place.  A contrast that brings a smile to my face. 

Makes Me Smile Monday

Starting the day out with "Colossal" cinnamon rolls.  Hubby and my brother, who did come to visit afterall (yay!), made a quick trip to the grocery to grab some of these rolls.  They are HUGE, maybe 6-7 inches in diameter!  And oh, so good.

And then this afternoon the fellas took a trip downtown to the fish market and picked up some live crabs.  To some this might not seem like such a big deal but growing up in the midwest we just didn't get fresh seafood.   The guys cooked them up with some crab boil spices we found at Penzey's Spices.  They were impressed with the taste of their culinary endeavor, but said that it was a lot of work to get the meat out of the crabs.  Also on the downside, our whole house has a boiled fishy smell.  Ew, that doesn't make me smile much.  But it was fun to see them experiment in the kitchen and to watch the kids reaction to live crabs clamoring around in the sink.

Friday Good Find

Yeah, I know this looks excessive but when I tell you the deal I got you'll understand.  Each of these bottles of Tide were on sale for $4.99, regular price $7.99.  AND I had a $1.00 of coupon for each one.  So that brought the price for each bottle down to $3.99. 
Reg. price                  $55.93
sale price & coupons  -27.93
Total savings              $28.00

Gotta love a good deal like that.  I really feel like I'm sticking it to Safeway and Proctor & Gamble when I can team up a sale and coupons.  It almost takes the sting away from all the diapers I've bought over the years.  Almost.

I love you even when you're stinky

I would've posted this little idea before Valentine's Day and linked to a few parties ahead of time but this hit me last minute.  Yep, it was one of those lying in bed, trying to get back to sleep in the middle of the night ideas.

My husband isn't really a gadget, sports, or car kind of guy.  Food is the way to his heart.  I really wanted to get him a big bunch of chocolate and candy this year.  But lately we are both trying to resist the urge to eat sweets.  So when I stumbled upon this idea of pickled onions I knew he would love it for several reasons.

You see, my dad is really allergic to onions.  Even the smell of them will make him sick.  Growing up we were a strictly onion-free house.  I really don't like the way onions taste, detest the way they smell and don't enjoy cutting them at all.  So what better way to show someone the true extent of your love than to make them something that you absolutely hate.  Ugh, the house smelled of onions and vinegar for a whole day.  Not pleasant for an onion-hating pregnant gal ;-)

From the idea of just the onions I came up with this:

A basket filled with all sorts of food stuffs reflecting different moods.

I attached this little note that reads:  I love you no matter what mood you're in!  No fancy labels here....just store-bought doilies and my messy handwriting.  But my hubby wouldn't want it any other way ;-)

Tomatillo salsa: I love you when you're spicy



Blue tortilla chips: I love you when you're blue



Jelly Belly Kids Mix: I love you when you're childish



Pickled onions: I love you even when you're stinky



Chocolates: I love you when you're sweet

Lemonade: I love you even when you're sour

It was fun finding foods to fit the different moods.  I really could've gone overboard but decided that we didn't need a bunch of snacks stuffing our small kitchen cupboards.

I think this gift idea would work for more than just Valentine's Day.  It would be perfect for an "I Love You" gift (that's what my mom calls little gifts that she surprises us with.  One of the many sweet things about her) or a quick pick-me-up for a friend or spouse that is down.  And of course, you super crafty gals out there could come up with some fancy little labels to attach or even make your own goodies to stuff in the basket.  I would love to see what you create!

*Update:  My husband has declared that the pickled onions are scrumptious and even mentioned trying to can some once we are settled after our next move.  My brother tried them the other night at dinner and he liked them too.  I'll have to take their word for it, I couldn't get past the smell to try any!

I'm linking to:

http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/2011/02/amaze-me-monday-13.html

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/02/21/made-by-you-monday-41/

http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/2011/02/market-yourself-monday-family-picture.html

http://texasmonkey.blogspot.com/2011/02/all-about-you-link-up-party-50-walmart.html

What We're Reading Wednesday

Lately, my Hubby has been taking the kiddos to the library each week.  The Lil' Miss gets so excited to pick out her own books and she has really picked some winners.  So I thought I would share some with you with what I hope to be a weekly feature here on Wednesdays.

This is my daughter's favorite library pick from last week.

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long & David Shannon

 The illustrations are very colorful and filled with details.  This is one of our favorite pages.

And the story itself is really very cute.  Of course anytime you combine pirates and a baby, funny things happen like sneezed strained spinach covering the faces of the crew.

My only complaint about this particular book is that it is just long enough that my voice is hurting by the end of it from talking like a pirate. ;-)