Congrats to #26 – Amber Mills
You win a Tiered Halter Dress with your choice of fabrics!
One goal she hopes to accomplish this year is: “My goal is to have all 3 of my kids out of my bed and sleeping in their own – LOL”
Thanks so much to all that entered and shared their goals! It was so wonderful getting to know you all in this small way. 
Giveaway #3
► FREE Tiered Halter Dress with your choice of fabrics ◄
sizes available: 12 month up to size 10/12
Here are some Halter Dress example pics:
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► To enter, comment on this blog post with one goal you hope to accomplish this year ◄
One of my goals is to make it a point to spend more quality family time together without electronics. Game nights, bike rides, walks, puzzles, etc.
* One entry per person *
* Winner will be chosen at random on Friday May 18th at 5:00pm PST *
Congrats to #8 – Amanda Kaye Grant
You win a Twirl Skirt in the size of your choice with your choice of fabrics!
Her response to “What is your favorite color of colors?”:
“I love all shades of purple! My most favorite color ever!”
Thanks so much to all that entered!
Final 500 Fan Giveaway will begin in 2 weeks – on Monday May 7th
Giveaway #2
► Free Twirl Skirt with your choice of fabrics ◄
sizes available: 6-12 months up to a size 14
Here are some Twirl Skirt example pics:
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► To enter, comment on this blog post with your favorite color or colors…. mine blues, teals and purples.
(1 entry per person)
* Winner will be chosen at random on Friday April 27th at 5:00pm PST *
Congrats to #7 – Jacqueline
You win a Faux Romper in your choice of size and fabric!
Her response to “What is your favorite thing about summer?”:
“I love bar b q’ing with the family!!!!”
Thanks so much to all that entered!
Next Giveaway will begin on Monday April 23rd!
Thanks to all of my wonderful Fans & Customers!
As a big “Thank You”, I will be having 3 Giveaways over the next 3 weeks.
Giveaway #1 (for the littlest fans):
► Free Faux Romper with your choice of fabrics! ◄
Sizes available: 3-6mo, 6-9mo, 9-12mo, 1, 2T, 3T, 4T & 5T
Faux romper sets consist of a halter top with an elastic back and a ruffle accent along the bottom and a pair of bloomers. Pieces are separate to make for easy diaper changes or bathroom use.
Here are some Faux Romper example pictures….
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► To enter, comment on this blog post with your favorite thing about Summertime.
(1 entry per person)
* Winner will be chosen at random on Friday April 2oth at 5:00pm PST *
Do you want to be the mom (or dad) on the block that makes the BEST chocolate chip cookies? This recipe will certainly win you that award! Seriously – these are the BEST chocolate chip cookies EVER!! I’ve tried the Nestle’ Tollhouse recipe, the Betty Crocker recipe, and various other recipes but nothing comes close to these cookies. The recipe is from famed chocolatier Jacques Torres { http://www.mrchocolate.com/ } and he made these on The Chew (a daytime talk-show of sorts). We decided to give them a try and we have been hooked ever since! You have to have a little patience with these cookies because you have to let the batter chill in the fridge for 4-24hrs (depending on method) but let me tell you, these are more than worth the wait.
You might even want to make a double batch because they are addicting.
* Notes: 1) Use real butter – it makes all the difference 2) use the correct types of flour – you can usually find some in the bargain bins at the store and then you only have to buy what you need (I tried to substitute with regular flour and they didn’t turn out as well)
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
* 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
* 1 2/3 cup bread flour
* 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
* 1½ teaspoons baking powder
* 1½ teaspoons coarse salt
* 2½ sticks of unsalted butter
* 1¼ cups light brown sugar
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla (real vanilla is always best if you have it – we get ours from Costco for a great deal)
* 1¼ pounds of bittersweet chocolate disks – at least 60% cacao (you can find them at Whole Foods – we found ours at Winco in the bargain bins – you can also use chips, but the disks make them so much more chocolatey) this is about 3 cups.
* Sea Salt for sprinkling (I use kosher salt in a pinch)
Method:
1). Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2). Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until very light (approx 5 min). Add eggs and mix well. Stir in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (5-10 sec). Drop chocolate pieces in and carefully incorporate them.
3). Cover and refrigerate the dough for 24-36 hours then roll into golf ball sized mounds -or- (my personal favorite method) roll dough into golf ball sized mounds, place them on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. (If you have already rolled them into balls, you could place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for use at a later time).
4). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or bake on a baking stone – we love ours from Pampered Chef) or a non-stick baking mat.
5). Place 6-9 golf ball mounds onto baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown, but still soft. About 18-20 mins.
6). Transfer to a wire rack or wax paper for cooling.
* Yield: 1½ dozen 5-inch cookies
Eat warm with a big napkin and a glass of ice cold milk! Bet you can’t eat just one!
This Friday night, we were cleaning, decorating and setting up for Annika’s birthday party. But, last Friday night, we had a family pizza night.
We made the pizzas ourselves, which the kids love. I made home made sauce as usual. But, nobody likes to have the same thing ALL the time, so I also decided to make a garlic cream sauce too (see below for recipe/method). It was SO good on the pizzas.
Xander likes to help daddy with the dough.
Here are the finished pizza crusts with the regular sauce/garlic sauce mix. Mmmmmmm!
Annika likes to sprinkle the cheese and “decorate” the pizzas.
Our finished pizzas baking in the oven.
Annika enjoying the pizza!
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And, this last pic has nothing to do with pizza, but I like this picture of our 2 girls. Don’t know how much you can tell from this photo, but they look so much alike. They even have the same birthmark/stork bite on their foreheads. If they had been born at the same time, they would have been twins!
Garlic Cream Sauce
Make a roux (thickening agent for sauces – if you didn’t already know that) with equal parts butter and flour. For the pizzas, I used 1 tablespoon of each because I wasn’t making a lot of sauce, but you could use 2 or up to 3 of each if you wanted a lot. Cook it a few minutes so the flour cooks and you don’t get that raw flour taste over medium heat. Add chopped or grated garlic – as little or as much as you want. We used a lot because we LOVE garlic. Add about a cup of milk (any kind) or half-n-half. Now add chicken stock. I added a cup this time, but add more if you wanted more sauce (using more roux of course). Add less at first and more if you want it thinner. Careful not to add too much or it will be too thin. You can’t really thicken it after the fact, so adding the chicken stock a little at a time until you get the consistency you want is the best way to go. Stir all together with a whisk. Let it come to a bowl and then simmer a few minutes to thicken. Now your sauce is done. At this point you could also add a little parmesan cheese to make it sort of like an alfredo sauce (but healthier because it doesn’t have all of the cream). This sauce is SO yummy! And, it is so versatile. You can use it on pizzas like we did, or you can make more and use it over pasta with chicken or shrimp, or you can put it in a lasagna (with or with out red sauce). The possibilities are endless.
This cool art activity has been kid tested and it is 100% kid approved!
Your kids will love this art activity! It is a super fun way to paint with kids of ALL ages. Even younger toddlers would love this!
Supplies:
* Ice cube tray (I found a set of 2 at the dollar store)
* Paint (I used kids’ washable paint, but have also used sparkle poster paints. I think any kind of liquid paint would work)
* Craft sticks (or popsicle sticks – I’m sure something else similar would work too)
Method:
First you add paint and water to an ice cube tray. I did a 1-to-1 ratio of paint to water, but you could add more paint if you want the paint to be more vibrant. Mix the paint thoroughly.
 Paint & water in the tray |
 Mixing the paint/water together |
 Paint & water all mixed |
* At this point, you could cover the tray with plastic wrap and insert the craft sticks and the plastic wrap would hold them up while the paint freezes, but I didn’t do that. I was having trouble getting the plastic wrap to stick. Then I used tape to hold it on. I tried just poking the sticks through the plastic wrap, but they wouldn’t make holes and then as I pushed down, it would make the paint from one section spill into the next section. If you choose to go the plastic wrap method, I would cut slits with a craft knife and then stick the sticks though. *
Put the tray into the freezer and let it freeze 1/2 way. Put craft sticks into each semi-frozen section and continue freezing until solid.
After they are frozen, pop them out of the ice cube tray. If they don’t pop right out, you could place the tray in a little warm water to loosen them up.
 Finshed frozen paint cubes |
 Paint cubes ready for painting |
Here are some pictures of the frozen paint cubes in use. The paint color will start out pretty light, but as the paint melts, the color will get more vibrant. It’s also fun to mix the colors together! Re-freeze what is left for use another time.
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Rainbow Goodness! Aren’t the finished paintings so pretty?!
Okay, so it wasn’t really a snowstorm, but to our daughter Annika, snow is snow no matter how much there actually is outside. Seriously, this girl LOVES snow! She waits for it every winter and when it finally comes she has her face pressed against the window watching and squealing with delight. She is all too happy to run outside and spend hours playing in it even when there is barely any on the ground.
A couple weeks ago, we finally got some snow – not enough for me but Annika loved it. She ran outside to play in it. As you can see from the pic below, there was hardly anything out there. But there was enough for a snowball, which Annika joyfully made and placed in the freezer for safe keeping. Xander was happier just to watch from inside. Oh, and did I mention Annika also likes to eat the snow. Not actually sure how clean backyard snow is. I know I wouldn’t eat it.
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We got a little more snow the next day and Annika was able to build a baby snowman. So cute! The flakes were really big at one point. I tried to capture them the best I could. The little baby pine tree in our back yard looked so pretty sprinkled with snow.
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Oh, and excuse the too small snowsuit. She squished herself into one that she’s had for like the past 3yrs because she REALLY wanted to go out and play. (We have since gotten her the proper size)
This is as close as Xander got to playing in the snow. I wanted to take some pictures at night. It was so peaceful falling on our quiet street. He followed me out and ran around a little bit – with no coat. Crazy little boy.
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Finally on the 3rd day, enough fell that Annika was able to build a big snowman -and- she finally got the day off from school that she wanted. She was out there ALL morning long – for hours and hours. She made this snowman in the backyard and then went and made one in the front yard with the neighbor boy. She was soaked by the end of it, but she didn’t care. Too bad it was all gone by the evening. 
Hopefully it will stick around a little longer next time. And, if you couldn’t tell already by this photo logged post, I really love the snow too!
