Our Easter

I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of big family get-togethers. I love my family. I love seeing them all. But put them all under one roof for more than 10 minutes, and the tension starts brewing.

So while I was annoyed to be working on Easter morning, I was relieved to do the big family hoopla on Saturday, and get it out of the way. It gave me all of Sunday afternoon to relax.

Well, relax, and fly kites, and hunt for imaginary dragons, and go a little crazy.The little one spent the afternoon running around, trying to crash kites. Which is apparently more fun than flying them. And he tried to learn to whistle with grass. Which was a big flop for him. He was so jealous of mommy's skills.
But we had lots of fun. It was one of the best holidays we've had in a long time. There was no rushing around, no dressing up, no stress.

Sneaky, Sneaky Leprechaun

Apparently, every 5 year old in Little Man's kindergarten class wants to come to our house next St Patrick's Day. Supposedly, they are all planning out leprechaun traps to catch the sneaky leprechaun that visits our house each spring. (Which I completely believe after seeing several sketches of rainbow covered boxes and holes covered with grass.)

This sneaky leprechaun leaves footprints all over the house. (While wearing cowboy boots with spurs it seems.)

He writes letters to his little friends. Letters with clues on them.
And he leaves you the luck of the Irish. And a gift.

Dean's Dip: Dipstakes & A Giveaway

***Closed: Congrats to Jenna!***

With the holidays, comes one get together after another. Seems that we are always heading to someone's house to celebrate, or people are flocking to our door. Sometimes without any notice.

I love having entertaining staples on hand. Cookies, pretzels, chips and dip. They are all so easy to keep on hand, and perfect for times when friends and family stop by without warning. French Onion Dip from Dean's Dips is one of my hubby's favorite to have in the fridge. (Though it doesn't usually stay there too long.)
But did you know Dean's Dip offers a variety of dips?! I knew they made the French Onion and Ranch, but I also learned that they make Veggie, Green Onion, Bacon & Horseradish, Guacamole, and Creamy Taco, among others. Plus they offer two pretzels dips: Cheddar Cheese and Honey Mustard.
Currently, Dean's Dip is in the midst of the Dipstakes! It's simple to play. Just head over to the Facebook page from Dean's Dip. You can submit your picks and earn points.

Just like the Jets and the Giants, there are longstanding rivalries in amongst dips as well. Are you a Honey Mustard loyalist, Guacamole diehard or an Onion Dip fanatic? Vote for your favorite dip and help us settle this once and for all!

During the 15 weeks of winners, you can win a Dean's Dip Tailgate Pack, the Sports Package, or a BBQ Grill Set. A grand prize winner will receive the Ultimate Home Entertainment System.

Buy It:
Dean's Dip can be found in your grocer's refrigerator section.

Win It:
One lucky reader will win a Dean's Dip prize pack, including a voucher for free dip, a dip tray, and a stadium blanket!

To enter: Visit Dean's Dip and tell me which dip is your favorite.

Want extra entries? (Leave separate comments for each)

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Be sure to leave a way to contact you.
Giveaway ends 1/10 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email. Open to US only.

Thanks to Dean's Dip for providing the product for review. All opinions expressed are our own.

Happy 2010!

Hope everyone has a wonderful start to 2010 today!We have been busy building snowmen, racing cars, and cleaning.

I have lots of goals for the new year and am so excited to have started on many of them already.
But for today, I'm enjoying my little one, spending time with family, and having fun.
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends!

Merry Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

Which List?

Yesterday, Little Man asked, Momma, am I on the naughty or nice list?

I asked what he thought.

Well, I only did two naughty things this whole year.

So of course I asked what they were.

I didn't eat my dinner on Thanksgiving. And...oh, I forget...

Hey, that means I only did one naughty thing!

I guess that puts him on the nice list, right? He was so excited that he "only did one naughty thing." That kid cracks me up.

Wordless Wednesday: A Good Picker

(2007)

(2008)
He's ready to go pick out this year's tree on Saturday!

Hickory Farms: Gift Idea

On the rare occasion I hit the mall at the holidays, I always wonder through the Hickory Farm kiosk. I love seeing all the gift basket ideas, and I love seeing how well they're presented.

Hickory Farms' gifts have been on the forefront of holiday baskets for nearly 60 years. They offer a huge selection of their famous sausages and cheeses in environmentally friendly boxes. They also offer baskets, boxes, and tins full of fruit, nuts, cookies, as well as many other yummy treats.

Tin and gift boxes start at $15. With prices ranging up to $125, there's something for every budget.

And luckily, for us mall-haters, Hickory Farms offers all of their gifts on-line. You can have a gift basket delivered right to your front steps. No crowds, no lines. We received Our Storybook Christmas Gift Box in perfect condition. Not a cookie was broken. The plate was wrapped with care and all the goodies stayed right in their place.For a limited time this holiday season, for each Party Planner Gift Box sold, Hickory Farms will donate $5 to Share Our Strength, a leading national non-profit organization working to end childhood hunger in America. Plus, for every 40 of these gift items sold, Hickory Farms provides free military shipping, allowing our troops across the globe to share in holiday traditions.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review.

Pumpkin Dip: Easiest Ever

My 5 year old requests pumpkin dip at least once a month. The kid is definitely hooked, but the recipe is so easy that I always give in.

Ingredients:
1-16 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1-5 oz. pack instant vanilla pudding mix
1-15 oz can solid pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Stir together all but the Cool Whip until well mixed.
Fold in Cool Whip.
Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
Serve with ginger snaps or animal crackers & enjoy!

Thanksgiving Crafts: A Thanks Basket

Little Man really wanted to create a craft yesterday for Thanksgiving, and of course, I had nothing planned. Though he wanted a cornucopia, he finally agreed to a "thanks basket."

Materials:
Clean Cool Whip container
Foam craft sheets
Stickers
Construction paper
Googly eyes
Pipe Cleaners
Glue
Tape
To create basket:
Tape foam sheets around container (I used Duct tape to hold in place).
Punch 2 small holes on either side of container top and thread the pipe cleaners through to make handle.
Decorate with stickers.

To create turkey:
Cut out 2 large circles to form body and a small one for the head.
Cut several feathers and fan in between body pieces. Tape or glue in place.
Form legs from pipe cleaners and tape in between body pieces.
Punch hole in one feather and attach turkey to handle with pipe cleaner.

Fill bucket:
Cut strips of paper and put inside bucket.
At Thanksgiving, pass them out and have everyone write what they're thankful for.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Village

Happy Indepence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

Small Talk Six: Movies for the 4th

Today’s Small Talk Six topic is “6 of your favorite patriotic films.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . .

1. The Patriot with Mel Gibson
2. Forest Gump with Tom Hanks
3. Independence Day with Will Smith
4. National Treasure with Nicolas Cage
5. This is America, Charlie Brown
6. School House Rock! The Election Collection

Happy Father's Day!

Hope all the dads out there have a wonderful day!

My hubby will be enjoying some triple chocolate brownie pops and a lot of snuggles from a sugared up little one! (Should I mention how many pieces of chocolate he stole? Probably not.)

Take A Moment to Remember

Taken at the WWII Memorial

Taken at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

Take a moment to stop today and think of those who fight for our country, and those that have fought before them. And say a word of thanks.

Hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day!

Potato Corn Salad

Every Memorial Day we have a huge cookout with all my family. Lots of little kids running around, lots of adults chatting, and lots of good food.

This year I decided to try a new recipe:

Potato and Corn Salad
1.5lbs small red potatoes
2 cups cooked corn, cut from the cob
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs chopped parsley

1. Place potatoes in cold water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until just cooked (about 15 minutes). Drain and cute potatoes into quarters.

2. In a large container combine all other ingredients except parsley. Pour over salad and stir to coat well. Add parsley and stir again.

Hopefully it will turn out yummy this afternoon.

What's your favorite picnic food?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! Hope it's filled with fun, smiles, and lots of hugs! Some chocolate or a bubble bath would be nice too.

Mother's Day Plans

Mother's Day 2006

I wish I could say we had big plans for Mother's Day this year, but somehow I got stuck working most of the day. I would much rather sleep in, have breakfast in bed, and get to play with my little one all day. Some jewelry wouldn't hurt either.

Let's be honest, anything other than getting up at 4:30 in the morning for work would make for a perfect day.

What are you doing this Mother's Day?

Wordless Wednesday: Easter Edition

Loving the hunt...

My brother & nephew, aren't they cute?

The crazy chicken who wanted to chase kids & peck the eggs...