My Little Bookworm

Mike an I have been reading The Hunger Games trilogy this week.  Apparently we were very absorbed, based on Liam's impression of us.

Liam's favorite book right now is A Cuddle for Little Duck.  It's a sweet story about a curious little duck.  His favorite part is when the little duck plays with all his duckling friends.  He loves counting the ducks on that page

Why I love thrifting...

After Liam was born, I found that many of my clothes didn't fit.  It was around the same time that I found out about Goodwill from my good friend Christina.  I will admit, I was hesitant to even browse at first...the Goodwill smell is kind of a turn-off.  But after seeing all her incredible cute outfits (her wardrobe is seriously amazing!), I started looking around.  I'm amazed at how many adorable finds I've come across since I started shopping there last summer.  Plus, I can buy 10 Goodwill tops for about the price of one brand new top!  (And that's if the new top is on the less-pricey end of the spectrum.)  

Here's a few of my favorite completely-thrifted outfits (minus the jewelry and boots...I'm not opposed to thrifted jewelry, but I prefer to splurge on my shoes). 

(Cardi - $2.50, top - $2.50, Skirt - $3.00)

(Cardi - $2.50, top - $2.50, Skirt - $3.00)

(Dress - $5.00)

(Dress - $5.00, sweater vest - $2.50, Sweater - $2.50)

Some recent favorites

 My favorites:

1. Cinnamon sugar pita chips. Stacy's is my fave brand, but the Meijer brand isn't too bad either. 
2. Thrifting.  This one's gonna be on the list for a very long time.  It's no longer a pastime, but a way of life. 
3. Laugh & Learn toys.  Really, this is one of Liam's favorites, but the little songs are pretty catchy, and they buy me just enough time to wash the dishes. 
4. This weather.  Seriously.  If I had a complaint, I'd say it was that we skipped over spring.  But I don't really have a complaint.  ;)
5. Mint Dark Chocolate M&Ms.  So addicting.  I'm certain they'll take them away soon enough.  I should start stockpiling now...

Liam's favorites:

1. Nuk sippy cups.  The only kind he'll drink from.  
2. "Tah".  That would be Liam-speak for "cat".  He loves her. The feeling is not mutual.
3. Anyone who isn't mommy or daddy.  I don't say this in a self-pitying sort of way.  He just enjoys the novelty of people he doesn't see everyday.  He's very well-behaved for them, and will even crack a smile for them on his crankiest days. 
4. A Cuddle for Little Duck.  Such a sweet bedtime book.  He loves to count the ducks. 
5. Pattycake.  A few weeks ago, he started clapping.  Now he's mastering the "put it in the pan" action. 

Double Pinsday Friday!

Because I forgot to post the pin I had every intention of sharing last week, here's a double dose of completed pins for you! 

The first pin I want to share is Parmesan Squash Bake.  My reasoning was simple: we had squash and we had Parmesan.  Normally this would be the part where I tell you to read the entire recipe before committing to it -- onions play a role in this recipe, but we didn't have any on hand -- except I really liked the non-onion version of this dish. A happy mistake! (Come to think of it, I think I left out the garlic as well.)  We're big fans of squash and zucchini in our house, and even without the onion (and garlic), it was a really yummy twist on a standard. 

The other pinned recipe I tried was Roasted Asparagus.  Mike is usually the one who fixes the asparagus in our house, but he was busy working in the yard, and I was hungry and impatient.  I went with one of the first recipes to come up in Pinterest.  It was very easy to prepare...drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some sea salt, and roast for 20 minutes.  Mike LOVED it...I think asparagus may have just become my thing. 

Snow day!

We haven't had a real snow this winter.  I had already resigned myself to the idea that there would be no cute pictures of Liam playing in the snow of 2012.  Last night, a "trace to 1-inch" forecast was given.  Nothing to get excited about. 

At 3am, I woke up to find 4 inches of snow in our yard. 

Needless to say, Liam was DEFINITELY going to be a cute little snow bunny today.  After inflating his sled (thank you Grandma and Papaw!), and bundling him up for Iditarod conditions, we were off.  He seemed to enjoy it...

And then he fell out.  No damage done...snow is soft, after all.  He got over it.  Then he fell out again. The pic below sums up the trip from the backyard to the front door. 



We'll do our best to suppress his memories of today and try again next year. 

Christina's Gender Reveal Party

My friend Christina recently found out she's having a little girl.  Last weekend, she and her husband had a "Waddle It Be?" gender reveal party.  She created a party with so many sweet details.  You can read all about it here.

Photo by Christina Gora.

This week, the party was featured on Project Nursery, and is up for "Project of the Week"!  Please take a moment to look at the finalists for the week and vote.

My kid is techy.

 
 
I'm amazed at how much Liam is picking up on the technology around him.  He loves to play with the remote, and has a general idea of how the TV comes on, can flip through my iPhone, and look at that typing form!  

Don't let the fact that he only says three words fool you. There's a lot going on in that fuzzy noggin.  

Technology aside, his ability to show us that he is picking up on our daily habits astounds me.  It's an excellent reminder that I need to be aware that he is watching everything I do, and what he sees is shaping his own understanding of the world around him.  I find this both humbling and scary. 

But I think he should keep at the typing.  The fact that both hands are on the keyboard already puts him leaps and bounds beyond the "hunt and peck" style of typing I see far too much of today.  :)

Pinsday Thursday (because I'm too late to make it rhyme)

I love Pinterest!  I just can't keep that a secret.  In my attempt to be a better blogger, I'm going to try at least one pin each week and write about it...otherwise, what good would those hours upon hours spent pinning be?  ;) 

This week, I tried two new recipes that I had pinned recently.  I made The Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes.  They were so simple to make, and soooooo yummy!  Just boil, smash, and bake....when I can sum up a recipe in three words, it earns a special place in my heart.  I will definitely be trying these again!

For the main dish, I made Easy Garlic Chicken from Food.com.  I was drawn to this recipe for one reason, and one reason alone -- 10-minute prep!  The Pinterest link was more informative than the title on food.com, because Easy Garlic Chicken has a major (and slightly odd) ingredient -- brown sugar.  I was hesitant, because Mike is not a huge fan of sweet things with meat.  But...10-minute prep!  I found it useful to read the comments below the recipe.  This made me decide to change the oven temp from 500 to 425.  And to add foil to my baking pan for easier clean-up (otherwise 10-minute prep doesn't have the same appeal).  I sneaked a bite while making up Liam's plate, and loved it!  Garlic and brown sugar are a surprisingly great pair...like Sheldon and Penny (did I mention that I've become a huge Big Bang Theory fan since I fell off the blogging bandwagon?)

Tune in next week, when I attempt a squash bake!