A Birthday Soirée

My mom (Mimi) has a birthday this week, and since I'll be out of town, we celebrated on Sunday evening with a little dinner. My brother, Jamie, his wife, SuSu, and their new dog, Boone, all joined us. (Boone is so well-mannered, he's always welcome.)

I decided to cook up a batch of my friend Kim's Chicken Enchiladas Fabulosas. For the record, Kim is far too humble to call her enchiladas "fabulosas." I added the adjective because I feel they are beyond just plain old enchiladas. You can check out my link for the (easy!) recipe.

We served some Spanish-style rice, and surprisingly several people actually wanted to try the refried beans, so we served some of those as well.

But the real star of the night was the cake that SuSu and Jamie picked out. Here's Mimi and her cake:

Isn't she lovely?

Which one? Both, silly.

Jamie and SuSu were out of town all weekend, so there wasn't any time to come up with something from scratch. SuSu asked if I'd tell you guys that she made this, but I didn't feel like that would be fair to my readers. But she did pick it out, and that's saying something.

Check it out! There was so much chocolate here that I felt kind of twitchy after my serving.

Some party guests wasted no time and dug right into their cake and ice cream.

Others lurked about, hoping to receive a few spare crumbs. (I already gave him a bite of cheese, so I didn't want to get in trouble by offering him cake too)

"I can't believe I ate the whole thing."

Some of us were a bit messier with our cake than others.

Michaela Byrd tried to climb across the table to swipe a few crumbs....

Sometimes cake is worth it!

Happy Birthday, Mimi!

{Bon Appetit!}

It's Tasty Tuesday! Head over to see Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for some tempting recipes.

Move Over, Judy Garland!

This is old, archived footage from an alternate audition for The Wizard of Oz. I'm still not sure why the producers chose Judy Garland because this hideously brilliant rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is a real showstopper.



I can't imagine why her Mama let her out of the house with her hair looking like that.

I can't believe she was planning on performing this at my sister's wedding!

Gotta love a preschooler with a flair for the dramatic and a love of the arts.

Let's just hope she doesn't give up her day job and pursue a career on Broadway anytime soon.

Stolen Blog Content

It has come to my attention tonight that someone (in India!) has stolen multiple pages from my blog. When I went to investigate, I discovered that this person has copied entire pages and label links from numerous blogs (some of them well known). Content, photos, everything. My writing is showing up alongside links for distasteful ads. I am furious.

I have emailed WordPress.org (not WordPress.com), as well as the person's webhost, and the person himself.

Tomorrow, I will be filing a detailed complaint with the dmca.

I am assuming this post will be (automatically?) uploaded to this person's blog. Now he can read this for himself.

Any other suggestions?

Thrifty Treasures: New Kicks and More

What time is it?

It's Thrifty Treasures time! If you love a good bargain, please visit Rhoda for her weekly Thrifty Treasures party.

A few of my fabulous finds this week did not come from thrift stores or yard sales, but they are thrifty purchases, and they're treasures in my book!

I'll be heading to Nashville on Wednesday morning for the big MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International conference. It will require a fair amount of walking, I am told, and the moms dress casually. I am guessing that packing my new purple ruffled Madden Girl booties would not be prudent.

I've been eyeing these cutesy pink Airwalk tennis shoes at Payless for awhile now, but I wasn't sure if I could pull off that look. Then on Friday, Big Mama posted a link to these, and I knew I had to go back to see if the cheap look-alike pair was still at Payless. Not only was there one pair left in my size, but they were on clearance and I had a 20% off coupon that the manager let me use! I paid only $6.72 for an adorable pair of tennies that were originally $23.99. Now I'll look cute schlepping my laptop bag all over the conference site!

My next Thrifty Treasure was found completely by accident, as I saw it in the parking lot of a thrift shop on the way to Natalie's preschool on Monday morning. Some of you know that Natalie (and now Michaela Byrd) spend a lot of time playing with the two Fisher Price dollhouses we own.
This little beauty came home with us for just $5. It has 6 rooms and two patio terraces...plenty of space for the plethora of dolls and furniture in our New Room. These houses go on eBay for anywhere from $25 to $100 or more. I almost gave a little gasp of surprise when the shop owner told me he was selling it for $5, but I didn't want him to change his mind. It was covered in crayon marks and some grime, but a handful of disinfecting wipes took care of that.

The smallest of Natalie's dollhouses went to live with T's mom, and now all the dollhouse furniture fits within the two larger houses we have. I LOVE that the sides collapse and fold up, making the house smaller for storage. Good buy!

This rain coat was a steal for Michaela Byrd at a yard sale on Saturday. $3.00 and it came with a hat. I don't think it's ever been worn. It's freezing when it rains here in the Fall and Winter, so I was happy to find something for my little one, even if it's a little Springy looking.

This last trio came from The Dollar Tree. The pumpkins aren't nearly as nice as the faux ones from Michaels, but they'll do the trick. I also liked the little sign...not sure where I'll put it yet.

Did you find any bargains this week?

{Happy Thrifting!}

Last, but not least...start looking through your houses!

If you didn't have a chance to stop by the first two times, this is a party for bloggers to link up with any challenges they have in or around their homes (decorating, crafts, organizing, gardening, construction). Your dilemma can be anything from "Help! My son drew on my walls in permanent marker and I don't know how to cover it up" to "What color should I paint my coffee table?" I also love it when people have great solutions to share. This party is all about being real and helping out our bloggy friends. We're going to have a blast. There will be another giveaway!

You can click here and here to see the entries from the last two parties. Hope to see you there!

Fun Friday

When you stay home all day with the bebes, and your husband works a lot, the days of the week seem to run together. Weekends kind of blend in, minus the sanity-saving preschool hours, but with the addition of church on Sundays.

T is heading up to New Jersey for a wedding this weekend, and I'll be home with the girls. I can't complain one tiny bit because he is being sweet enough to wrangle the girls with the two grandmamas next week while I head to Nashville with some girlfriends for the big MOPS International conference (yay!!).

So here's a little randomness to get the weekend started.

Please feel free to share your own answers:

Highlight of my week?
This was a good, but busy week. I'd have to say it's a toss up between Natalie's first day back to preschool on Monday or the MOPS events from this week. As much as I say I love the few hours of *freedom* I have with only one child to look after, it was rewarding to see Natalie so excited to go back to preschool. She's still only going two days a week, but it was so neat to see a "seasoned" preschooler heading into her new classroom without a care in the world. As for the MOPS events; a Bible study for our Steering Team, a dessert night with some friends, and a kids' event this morning that did not involve any tantrums or severe reprimands, I feel refreshed!

Plans this weekend?
I would love to do some shopping, but need to save the cash for Nashville. Natalie has her first drop-off birthday party tomorrow, a pizza party that she has been looking forward to. As usual, her first reaction to the invitation was, "Will 'dere be a cake?"

Best TV this week:
I was sooo happy to see The Office up and running. The opening scene with Michael, Dwight, and Andy video taping themselves acting like idiots was priceless.

What am I reading?

I just finished The Tsarina's Daughter (Carolly Erickson) and will probably start her The Secret Life of Josephine tomorrow night after the girls are in bed.

Favorite thing I bought this week:
A nice pile of faux pumpkins in white and orange at Michaels for 50% off, thanks to a tip from Kimm. I also picked up a small bottle of black acrylic paint for $0.89 and a new paint brush. I'm hoping to beautify some Fall pumpkins like these-

Photo from Amanda at Imperfectly Beautiful.

Photo from Amanda at Imperfectly Beautiful. ('Cause she's that good!)

Most annoying thing my kids did this week:
I'm gonna have to go with the "shrieking in harmony in the car" for 1000, Alex. They think they're being hilarious. I'm just minding my own business, trying to drive to Target and listen to my man, Glenn Beck, and they love to wail "yaaay," holding the highest pitched note they can for the longest amount of time possible. They could be deep sea divers or something, they are so good at holding that breath. I've never heard anyone hold an awful note for so long. And I can't do anything but aimlessly flail one arm behind the seat to smack whatever I can find. Or turn the radio up.

Cutest thing my kids did this week:
At our MOPS get-together this morning, my girls found a little friend of Natalie's that they don't see very often anymore. I just grinned to see the three of them cozied up on the coffee shop couch, "reading" books together. And of course, they all wanted to hold hands in the courtyard outside. I was pleased to see the two 3 year olds including Michaela Byrd in the fun.

Best links of the week:

Jen's Financial God Watch
Susie's Gentle Way of Dealing with a Child's Heartbreak
Kate's Spiced Pear Cake--to die for!
Personalized Pumpkins by Amanda--how could I not list her?! I stole her pictures!

Last, but not least...start looking through your houses!

If you didn't have a chance to stop by the first two times, this is a party for bloggers to link up with any challenges they have in or around their homes (decorating, crafts, organizing, gardening, construction). Your dilemma can be anything from "Help! My son drew on my walls in permanent marker and I don't know how to cover it up" to "What color should I paint my coffee table?" I also love it when people have great solutions to share. This party is all about being real and helping out our bloggy friends. We're going to have a blast. There will be another giveaway!
You can click here and here to see the entries from the last two parties. Hope to see you there!


{Have a wonderful weekend, my wonderful readers!}

Chick Flick Club tips and Movie Review

I've mentioned before that my girlfriends and I had so much fun seeing The Ugly Truth that we joked about starting up a Chick Flick Club.

Image from Google

We see and hear so many serious things on TV, in the newspaper, and on the radio. I'd be willing to bet that many of you, like me, need a bit of escapism now and then. (That's why I'm hooked on Fluffy books.) If I'm going to invest a few hours and a few dollars, I want to be entertained.

I thought about it for a bit and decided why not?

*Here are a few tips for starting your own Chick Flick Club.*

~The unspoken rule for the Chick Flick Club is that we choose the late showing of a movie. It's hard to round up a bunch of friends to do something without husbands getting all cranky about having to stay home and put the kids to bed. In our area, that's typically a start time of 9:30 or 9:50 pm, which is just enough time for me to bathe the kids, put them in bed, take a breather, and put on something other than yoga pants and a tee-shirt before walking out the door. T can't complain because I did all the work and all he has to do is sit on the couch and watch The History Channel, which is what he'd be doing if I were staying home.

~I like to use Evite to send out the movie invitation. I typically have 30 or so ladies on my guest list, and it's so much easier to keep track of who's coming. I can also send out easy updates this way, and I believe Evite even lets you insert a poll into the invitation so guests can vote on which movie to see.

~I send out my Evites at least 2 weeks in advance. If your children are grown, or if you don't have children, you might not need this much notice. For those of us who have to nag nicely ask our husbands to keep an eye on the kids or lure hire a sitter to come over, we might need some extra time.

~If you bribe your husband with his favorite dinner, he might be generous enough to agree to putting the kids to bed so you can meet the girls for a quick coffee or dessert before the movie.

~Make sure to post your cell phone number in your Evite so the other girls can call if they're running late and you can save seats. Get to the theatre early if the film is a new release. We went in to grab seats about 10 minutes before the last movie started, only to find that the theatre was pretty full. We ended up having to sit closer to the screen that we would have liked.

By sending out invites early and encouraging my girls to come out for some fun, we had a great turnout the last time. We took up about a row and a half in the middle of the theatre!

We went to see:

{The Time Traveler's Wife}




Although the movie was very well-done, I can't call it a "Fluffy Favorite" because everyone was crying at the end! The whole theatre was silent and all you could hear was sniffling. When the lights went up, L turned around and jokingly told me that I'm not allowed to pick the movies anymore.

An interesting concept to this film...enough to make me consider reading the book at some point. I tend to look at the female leads' hair a lot for some reason. If her hairstyle is awful, I get distracted. Rachael McAdams has gorgeous hair, so that was a plus for The Time Traveler's Wife. I didn't have to let my mind wander and think about a bad dye job or a perm gone wrong.

Next picks?



Jennifer Aniston always has fabulous hair. I've loved her since "The Rachel."

This one in December for sure! Sarah Jessica Parker's hair is looking a little frumpy here, but it looks like it goes with the story! She is always amazing. And I adore Hugh Grant...his dancing scene in Love Actually is one of my faves. How could you not fall for a guy with an accent?!

Don't care if I have to wait and see this one when my sis comes home for a visit...it's like So You Think You Can Dance on the big screen. Cut me some slack...I was a toddler when the first one came out!

And we all know from my previous post on chick flicks how excited I am to see New Moon; theatre packed full of crazed teens and all!

To see what's making other bloggers smile this week, please go visit Julia at Hooked on Houses for her weekly "Hooked On" party. Tell her I sent you!

{What are you hooked on this week?}

She's Baaaaaaack...to School, That Is

I'm pairing this Back to (Pre)School post with Kimba's DIY party over at A Soft Place to Land.

Natalie, my 3 1/2 year old, headed back to preschool on Monday morning. She started two days a week last year, and it was the best thing either of us has ever done, so she'll be joining the Young 4s class two days a week this Fall.

I've been counting the minutes this past month.

It was a long, hot summer, people. Except there was no Paul Newman.

When I wasn't counting the minutes, I searched Natalie's closet for a cute back to school outfit that wouldn't scorch the poor child in this late summer Virginia heat. I found a cute short sleeved, light-weight corduroy dress in brown, but there were no off-white socks to be found in the 'Burg. I settled on bright pink socks ('cause I love how it looks with brown!), and decided that she would certainly need a matching hair accessory.

I raided my growing stash of ribbon and found an adorable bear made of ribbon that I bought in a package of 2 at JoAnn fabric.

Doesn't he look cute perched on those pink and brown bows?

I am not pleased with the way the actual bows turned out (I have a HARD time figuring out how to fashion a good bow from looking at printed directions and pictures on paper), but I love the bear and the way he pops out from the pink ribbon.

To start, I just hot glued some thin brown ribbon to the outside of an alligator clip. To see how to line one so it doesn't slip, click here.

After tying the brown and pink bows together with some thin floral wire, I hot glued them to the alligator clip and then hot glued Mr. Bear to the top of those. Easy peasy.

Not professional looking by any means, but cute enough. I was in a pinch to find something to work with the pink socks.

Here are some more back to (pre)school photos.
"When are you going to school so I can stay here and play with all of your toys?"

I like this one!

Had to get a shot outside the school with her good friend, B. They were so excited to see each other! B's mom and I planned to take the kids to Burger King for lunch, but only if they were good girls at school.

I can't tell if this look says "I'm so excited for school to start" OR "wait til they see what sort of havoc I can wreak on this classroom in five minutes flat."

Little sissy wanted a photo shoot outside the school too. I was only too happy to oblige. (Then she threw a fit because I wouldn't let her go in the church's side door)

I like this one too.

Natalie and one of her teachers, Miss A, outside the classroom door. Miss B was inside corralling all the other kids.

She got an A+ for her first day. No complaints from anyone, and she keeps saying "I love school."

So do I...so do I.

This would be me if I was a man in the 1990s:

(I remember seeing this commercial when it first came out and thinking it was pretty funny. Now that I have children of my own, I totally get it!)

FYI:
If you didn't have a chance to stop by the first two times, this is a party for bloggers to link up with any challenges they have in or around their homes (decorating, crafts, organizing, gardening, construction). Your dilemma can be anything from "Help! My son drew on my walls in permanent marker and I don't know how to cover it up" to "What color should I paint my coffee table?" I also love it when people have great solutions to share. This party is all about being real and helping out our bloggy friends. We're going to have a blast. Anyone planning on coming?

You can click here and here to see the entries from the last two parties. Hope to see you there!