::Weekend Bloggy Reading:: Link Up!

Welcome to Weekend Bloggy Reading. I hope you'll link up your best post of the week today, and maybe leave me some comment love! Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link!

All kinds of posts are welcome--recipes, crafts, funny stories, home decor, etc.; but please do not link to Etsy shops, businesses, items for sale, etc. (I have a Sponsors section, if you'd like to Advertise with me.)

Here are a few of my faves from this week:

sources listed below

~Setting Goals for Your Blog via The Inspired Room

~DIY Photo Backdrop via The DIY Show-Off

~Pinterest "Netiquette" Rules via My 3 Boybarians

~Kids' Cottage Play Kitchen via Remodelaholic

~And Me? This week featured:

• Nutella Peanut Butter Chocolate Croissants
  
• Camera Accessories for Beginners (What's in My Camera Bag?)
• Our Trip to the American Girl Store
• Date Night Ideas

Time to link up your best post of the week!

Rules:

• Please link back to me within your post. I will not feature your link if you don't link back to me.*
• No items for sale, shops, etc. and please don't link up the same post week after week. 
• Remember this party is for your best post of the week. Don't link up 10 posts...that's really not in the spirit of this party.
• Please visit some of the other links--that's how a good blog party works--participation!

*A text link-back (ex- Linking to Serenity Now) is fantastic, but here's the button code if you'd prefer to use that rather than a text link-back:

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Party is open until 10 pm (ET) on Sunday night.

What are you up to this weekend? Tonight is Moms' Night Out! We're doing movie and a makeover at my friend Michelle's house, and I am so excited. But before I can enjoy myself, I have to take the girls to the pediatrician for their yearly check-ups this afternoon...which generally means much wailing and gnashing of teeth. So please wish us all luck!

I hope to be back tomorrow with some highlights from Weekend Bloggy Reading!

(This Code is for blogs that I featured today!):

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Date Night Ideas (A Pinterest Round-Up)

If you stopped in for Date Night Ideas, you came to the right place! I searched high and low on Pinterest for some fun links to share with you today. I hope your "Pinning" fingers are ready for the inspiration.

Before I even launch into the rest of this post, I'll tell you that it is just as much for my benefit as it is for yours! I'm being a selfish blogger today and I am totally okay with it because....

T and I stink at date night...really and truly. We've been married for 10 years and have two beautiful little girls, but rarely do we make going out together, alone, a priority. I go out with friends fairly often, and he occasionally leaves the comfort of the leather couch long enough to grab a beer or see a game with buddies...but we don't go on dates. He works a lot, long hours, but we need to stop using that as an excuse to be lazy. One of my 2012 Goals is to plan more dates, so I'm hoping this round-up of Pinterest Inspiration will help me as much as it will help you!

Some of these Pins lead to entire lists of tips and date ideas, so be sure to click over to check them out!

Source: loveishere.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: missloviecreations.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: pinstersisters.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: themomcrowd.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: howdoesshe.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: ellesees.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: loveactually-blog-ideas.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: shannonbrown.typepad.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: thedatingdivas.com via Amanda on Pinterest

That last Pin is a whole amazing blog devoted to Dating Ideas. Definitely worth clicking over for. Yes, Valentine's Day is coming up, but shouldn't we make an effort year round?

I'm curious. Do you "date" your spouse or significant other? Is it hard for you to make that special time a priority with everything else in your life? Am I the only one??

What's your favorite date night idea?

I hope you'll come back tomorrow to link up YOUR best post of the week to Weekend Bloggy Reading. Recipes, crafts, home decor, book reviews, funny stories, you name it. Come prepared to showcase your blog and find some great weekend reads.

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A Day at the American Girl Store

I admit it. I was just as excited as my girls (if not more so) to head up to the American Girl store in Washington DC two Saturdays ago. A lot of readers from my Facebook page wanted to know how it went, so today I'll take you on a little tour of our American Girl store. I never had an American Girl doll, which is probably why I was so excited when my girls both received dolls for Christmas. It worked out nicely that as part of Michaela Byrd's January birthday, my mom and I decided to take the girls up to check it all out.

(Photos from my point and shoot, so forgive the quality)

American Girl has no idea who I am, so this is not in any way a sponsored post. Just a real look at two real "American Girls" enjoying their first time in the store.

Side note: If you aren't familiar with American Girl dolls, the company offers a line of dolls and books from different historical periods. They also carry dolls, books, and accessories geared towards modern day girls. The neat part is that they really stress good character, creativity, and good self-esteem.

The Washington DC store is actually about an hour from our house, in the Tyson's Corner mall, which is a complete nightmare to get to if you are not a fan of high traffic roadways. Luckily, my mom grew up in the area, so she navigated!

We parked in the first parking spot we could find and trekked through the mall to the store. Luckily, Michaela Byrd's "Bitty Twins" came with their own roller cart, and Natalie promised that she could carry Kit without losing her in a Nordstrom rack somewhere:

The shop is every little girl's dream come true. Lots of light, bright colors, happy faces everywhere. Wide open space with pretty stuff everywhere you look!

It was busy, but nearly so bad as the NYC store at Christmastime. There was plenty of room to walk around and gaze at the displays, and the wait for check-out wasn't bad at all. The girls were overwhelmed by the doll salon, t-shirt shop, and real bistro where you can dine with your dolly friends.

It was so much fun to see the excitement on my girls' faces as they hopped from one display to the next. The AG people are so clever with their displays. They set things up so that girls want to rip stuff right off and play right there in the store. Good thing most sets are in cases. Michaela Byrd couldn't stop exclaiming, "Oo, I want 'dat one! I want 'dat one too!"

There is nothing like a gigantic toy store to bring out the kid in you. I oohed and aahed over all the goodies as much as the kids did!

Natalie chose a violin set for Kit, and Michaela Byrd picked out a snack set for her Bitty Twins...apparently they were hungry after a long morning of shopping. We also picked up a copy of the Kit Kittredge DVD, which they have viewed approximately 56 times this month.

The girls loved the photo opp on the way out with the new doll of the year.

My only complaint was that it doesn't seem like they planned well for the size of the bistro. It books up weeks in advance...we couldn't even go in for a snack or drink. We'll plan ahead next time, but we managed to lure the girls out of the store with a promise of lunch at Panera.

Then it was time to hop on I-95 South and brave the traffic home, thinking the whole time about when we could go up again! If you're planning on visiting a city with an American Girl store, and you have your kids with you, I highly suggest making a stop. It was an all-around enjoyable day, and I hope my girls hold special memories of our fun for years to come. Can't wait to head back up!

Do you still remember a special outing that you went on as a child?

What's in My Camera Bag? (Camera Accessories for Beginners)

I have some fantastic Camera Accessories for Beginners in my stash! My thoughtful husband raided the local camera store last month and gave me some really cool camera goodies for Christmas. I thought it would be fun to show you what I lug around in my camera bag. Those of you with birthdays or special events coming up might like to see this post in case you have camera accessories on your wish list! This is NOT a sponsored post in any way...I just wanted to share with you.

The alternate title to this post could, of course, be "Pimp My Camera." {wink} Anyone else remember seeing commercials for that Pimp My Ride show on MTV back in the day? They'd take someone's trashy car and turn it into a "luxury" vehicle with a fridge, stereo system, king size bed, hot tub, etc. I don't have a hot tub in my camera bag, but I do have some cool stuff:

Truthful statement #1: I don't carry all of this stuff with me all of the time. I keep my old Sony and my iPhone in my purse for those "oooo I gotta snap a pic of that" moments. But if we're heading somewhere that I know I'll want some nicer pictures, I try to take my Nikon.

Truthful statement #2: I am scared of or don't know how to use a few of these items. But one of my 2012 personal goals is to read my Nikon D3000 for Dummies book and learn about the settings on my camera so that I can use my equipment! My Nikon isn't top of the line. It's what we could afford...we're not into the whole "let's throw it on the credit card just because we can" idea.

So here are a few fun accessory ideas that are great to get started with:

1. Extra lens. My extra lens is a 55-200 mm for zooming.

2. Light Scoop. These babies are super cool. They bounce your flash off the ceiling to create softer, more flattering pictures. T gave me these for my birthday (last year) and I still haven't quite figured them out because they require that the user be able to adjust some of those dials and numbers on their camera. The combination of letters and numbers on my camera screen reminds me of algebra, which I barely scraped by in. I've seen lots of reviews/Giveaways for Light Scoop online, but Veronica wrote the first "non-sponsored" review I've seen! These are great for Home/DIY/Craft bloggers...no more crying when the natural light isn't perfect for your photo shoot.

3. UV Filter. Clean your lens and snap that baby on top to protect it!

4. Extra camera cards. Mine hold anywhere from 1000 to 2000 pictures. I asked for an extra one for Christmas, and was surprised with two. They're nice to have in case of loss or malfunction.

5. Lens cleaner wipes and/or microfiber cloth. The lens cleaner came in a little packet, and I use the microfiber to clean off the camera's screen.

6. Extra battery

7. Battery Charger

8. Remote Control- No more hitting the camera timer and rushing to get in the shot before the shutter flashes. I can hold the remote in the palm of my hand and snap away as I please.

Other stuff?

Pretty Camera Strap- I kept the Nikon strap that my camera came with because T is not a particular fan of my girlie August Blossoms strap that I won last summer.

Camera Bag- As for my camera bag, I usually keep my Nikon in the blue and black utilitarian bag you saw earlier. It's small, fits a few extras, and is good for those times that we'll be in a busy place or somewhere I need something "tough" to protect my camera. When I'm headed somewhere a bit fancier, I use my Jo Totes bag. I bought it last summer...pleased with the design, but it's not as sturdy or spacious as I had hoped.

Tripod- If you shoot in auto, a tripod is a good thing to have to stabilize your camera. Also nice for those group shots! Our tripod is actually a cheap freebie that we got with our video camera a few years back. It does the trick.

Lens Cleaner- I got this guy in my Christmas stocking. Fits perfectly in my camera bag and makes cleaning my lens a breeze!

I feel like I should end this post with a note that I am not, nor do I consider myself to be any kind of photographer. I haven't taken any classes, and my knowledge of photography lingo is very very limited. But I've loved taking pictures since my first elementary school camera. I think the photos on my blog have improved some since I upgraded from my Sony point and shoot to my Nikon DSLR last January. I don't shoot in manual often, and I have a lot to learn, but it sure is fun learning.

Do you have a favorite camera accessory or something on your wishlist?

Nutella Peanut Butter Chocolate Croissants

Yes, you read that correctly. Nutella. And peanut butter. And chocolate. All wrapped up in a croissant like a tiny package of deliciousness. If you're snowed in (like I wish we were), a plate of Nutella Peanut Butter Chocolate Croissants will make your family dance for joy.

Only a few ingredients in this one, but they sure pack a tasty punch!

• Package of refrigerated crescent rolls (Pillsbury or store brand)
• Peanut Butter
• Nutella
• Milk Chocolate Chips

These are made pretty much the same as my Easy Chocolate Croissants recipe. Here's how you make your own:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll dough and separate into triangles. Lay the crescent rolls out flat on a baking sheet. Spread with peanut butter, then Nutella. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. (I was experimenting, so I used different variations for each of these)

2. Roll the crescent rolls up, starting at the straight edge and ending with the point:

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown.

-For the Chocolate Drizzle-
* Place a plastic sandwich baggie in a glass and fold the edges over the top. Fill with chocolate chips. Microwave and stir until melted.

* Twist the top of the bag to form a makeshift pastry bag and snip the end off with kitchen shears.

4. Drizzle the chocolate topping across the croissants and serve while still warm:

Serve these at your next gathering with girlfriends and you'll win Most Popular for sure!

Linking to Home Stories A to Z, Positively Splendid