Fashion to Figure Giveaway!!

Could it be? A giveaway?

Oh yes, lovelies, it can.

A few days ago a friend and I were talking at work how hard it was to find clothes above a size 12 for an affordable price. She made a really good point when she said 'I feel like everything in my size is cheap or tent-like, so I end up spending a crap ton of cash on clothes because they actually fit.'

So imagine my giddiness when I was contacted by Jessica from Fashion to Figure an online fashion house that offers trendy and fashion forward clothes in sizes 12-26 and awesome accessories for super affordable prices.

 Cardigans in super fun colors for only $22? Scarves for $6.99? Dresses for $42?? A bubble pearl necklace for $12?!

Um, sign me up and hide my debit card like now!

Seriously, if you have ever felt that you cant find clothes to fit without having to sell a kidney on the black market you need to check them out.  Even if you're looking for awesome accessories, this is a place to look for sure.

And the best part? The wonderful people over at Fashion to Figure have graciously decided to let one of you lovelies choose one item at $30 or less from FashiontoFigure.com! All you have to do is comment on this post with your name, email, and what you would choose if you win!

Contest closes 4/30 at 11:59 PM and the winner will be chosen on May 1st, 2012 and notified via email.

So head on over to Fashion to Figure and tell me what you want to see in your closet!  

(Fine Print- Fashion to Figure can only ship to domestic US addresses, so you need to be a resident of the US to win!)

Cheesesteak Pizza = drool.

The spring cleaning bug has hit our house, so forgive me for my lack of blogging these days. Grayson Boy is attempting to learn to crawl, and with that comes the desire to scrub and baby proof every surface that he can get to.  It started with buying one of those foam play mats to keep him from bashing his head off of the living room floor and has morphed into a whole baby proofin madness.  Trying to find new ways to hide power cords has become a hobby around here.

Anywho, I just wanted to stop by real quick to share the most amazing recipe Ive concocted this week.

A Cheesesteak Pizza with French Fries.

Insert drool here.

Super easy and amazingly delish.

I started by picking up a ball of pizza dough from a local shop. Its super cheap, I paid $2 for a pound of Mancini's dough and there is zero work involved. Well worth it in my book.

1. I started by preheating the oven to 400 and stretching the dough out on a cookie sheet with a little bit of flour. Once I got it all spread out I poked it all over with a fork to prevent bubbling. Into the oven that went to start baking.

2. I crushed a few cloves of garlic and put them in a bowl with about a Tbsp of butter.  That got microwaved for 30 seconds to melt the butter and make it all nice and garlicky. 

3. After about 8 minutes in the oven, I pulled the pizza out and brushed the crust with the garlic butter and put it back in the oven for another 7 minutes. 

4. While that was finishing up I cooked up the thinly sliced sandwich steak with a good sprinkling of Montreal Streak Seasoning. Once it was cooked through, I put it on a cutting board and diced it up fairly small.

5. After the crust was cooked, I pulled it out and heapped on the steak then covered that with shredded mozzerella and provalone cheese. Then back into the oven it went for 5 or so minutes to melt and bubble up.

6. Into the deep fryer went a handful of french fries for a few minutes to crisp up- when they were done I put them on some paper towels to drain.

7. Once the pizza came out I topped it with the fries and it was done.

The hubs scarfed this down so fast we had no leftovers, and that is rare in our house. Even the Baby Bean enjoyed some pizza crust.

He looks so big in this picture- love.him.

Pretty Awesome Little Trick

In my neck of the woods I'm pretty sure Mother Nature is all whacked out. When its 80 one day, 50 the next, then snowing the next day its no wonder we're all walking around here hacking our heads off.

Its no surprise that the hubs got sick- he thinks once its 60 he should never wear a jacket again. Its also no shock that he passed it on to the bean, since they are attached at the proverbial hip.

So here I am, stuck with a baby and a big baby coughing themselves awake at least 5 times a night; and I couldn't take it anymore. Momma needed some sleep.

So off I went to Google. I was looking for anything to quiet the cough so we all could get some sleep, I wanted it to work and work well. 

 What I found was about 30 articles on Eucalyptus Oil.  

 

They all said to rub it on the soles of the feet, and it would stop coughs. I read some more, and they said it was safe for babies; so off to GNC I went.

I got a 4 oz bottle for $8- and it was beyond worth it.

All I did was dip my finger into the bottle and rub it on the soles of their feet, put on some fuzzy socks and tuck them into bed- and guess what- not ONE coughing fit. Not ONE! WOOO HOOO!

It worked for the congested little bean, the sicky husband AND the allergy ridden Grandma.

Seriously, it was amazing.

It also clears sinuses when a few drops are sprinkled onto a tissue and the vapors breathed in, and it removed my headache almost instantly when I put a few drops in a vaporizer and breathed in the steam.

Its pretty much my new best friend, at least during cold season. 



Sometimes Life Just Isn't Fair.

My heart is heavy today, lovelies.

 I found out yesterday a dear old friend's husband passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 27.  They had been perfect for each other,  true soul mates, married three years and together since college.

I grew up with her husband. We rode the same school bus from kindergarden on. We were in every.single.class together from 5-8th grade, and most of our high school career we were in the same room. She was there too- they had known each other since the first day of fifth grade.

They had a story that to those of us on the outside, seemed to be the stuff you only see in fairy tales. He was her perfect match and perfect opposite all in the same person, and all you had to do was see a photo of them together to realize how much he adored her.

And now, just like that, hes gone.

Sometimes life just isn't fair, and today is one of those days.

It makes me think of my own husband, and what I would do if he suddenly was not here anymore. I cant even bare that thought, and I know most of you feel the same way about your own husbands/wives. Its truly a tragic situation, one that no one should ever have to go through.  Especially not her. She is one of the kindest, smartest, most humble, hardworking, creative, most absolutely wonderful people I have ever had the chance to meet.  I know that God has a plan, and there is a reason for everything- and while I do believe that in my heart, right now it just doesn't seem like there could be any rhyme or reason for this.  All I can do is keep her in my thoughts and prayers, and keep both families in my thoughts as they struggle through this difficult time. Hopefully this tragedy makes us all realize how important the people in our lives really are, and teaches us to live each moment as if it could be our last.

As for him... Rest in Peace dear friend. The world has lost a great one, and you will be missed by many. I'm so glad I had the privilege to know you.  



Easter Wrap Up

The Easter Bunny was nice to this house. He hid eggs, he brought baskets full of toys, and hes a big furry guy who didn't run away when Grayson grabbed fist-fulls of fur.

Today was very low key, and it was perfect. Grayson decided to be a super good boy and slept until quarter to eight this morning. That meant before he woke up, I was able to hide the eggs AND get ready. Happy Easter to Mommy.

All ready to go search for Easter Eggs!

He did so good, picking up his eggs. Daddy had to help him get them in his bucket, but we were still doing pretty good.

Eggs were even hidden in my new sandbox from Pappy!

Eating our eggs. They were tasty :)

He found his basket!

While Daddy and Grayson played with all of the cool toys in his basket, Momma made Fun-fetti pancakes (yay, Pinterest!). Seriously, they were delish. Then we headed off to Grandma's to visit for a bit.

Playing with Uncle Dan <3

After we visited, we came home and dyed Easter Eggs and made way too much food for dinner. Ham, turkey, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, pretzel rolls, dinner rolls and cupcakes. Hubs, do not get used to that kind of cooking.

Overall, Id say this day was pretty darn perfect.

Hope all of you lovelies had a Blessed Easter as well!





Cousins

This week, Grayson's cousins celebrated their first and fifth birthdays with a combined party. It was fun to try and get the kids to stand still long enough for pictures with all of the presents, cake, people and balloons- but we got a few good shots!

Grayson and Silas- 6 Months Apart

Patrick and his buddies.

First tastes of Birthday Cake

Smash Cake!

My favorite five year old

Love these kiddos.

I guess to Grayson The Easter Bunny > Santa.

After the disastrous visit to see Santa, I didn't hold out much hope for taking Grayson to see the Easter Bunny. Patrick had to work, and even told me he didn't mind if he wasn't there- since the boy probably wouldn't let the bunny within 10 feet of him without screaming bloody murder. 

So off Grammy and I went to the mall on Good Friday, and we stood in the 45 minute line with a very happy, smiley, pleasant baby. I started to think there might be hope. 

When we got to the front of the line, the bunny stretched out his arms and to my shock the kiddo reached out and squealed. He actually wanted the bunny to hold him.

 *Insert Momma's jaw hitting the floor here*

He petted the bunny's fur, smiled, cooed, laughed, and babbled away to the bunny while we got the picture. I'm pretty sure he thought the Bunny was just a puppy, and was probably thrilled that he was standing still to let him play. Grayson is in love with his two puppies at home, but they don't usually stand still long enough to let him get a few handfuls of fir in his fists. The Bunny was a willing victim. It was perfect- and it almost makes paying $25 for the photos worth while.

Happy Easter, Lovelies!