Category Archives: Favorite Finds

Here are MY favorite finds from around the web

Crafts I’d like to try:

• What a great idea: Take a Smile printable from Nice Things Now
• Custom shaped sugar cubes – what a great idea for a party of teacher gift like the one below…
• Pretty paper flowers because I do love all things paper
• We don’t have a huge need for matches, but what a great idea for all the extra baby food containers I saved: Baby Food Container Matchbox
• Love this Refreshing Gift for Teachers
• I love scarves and I think I’d love a summer one, especially one that’s handmade

Continue reading →

Here are MY favorite finds from around the web

Crafts I’d like to try:

• Something with these ruffles
• I have a secret dream to learn how to decorate cookies, if I ever attempt it, I’m sure I’ll need to know how to make my own cookie cutters
• The Design Mom never ceases to amaze and this balloon banner is something I MUST recreate
• Not sure if these would be considered a recipe or a craft, but being that my hubby is from Australia, I think these koala cupcakes will hold a place in our future [Note: It drives Simon bonkers when people say “koala bear” because it is technically just “koala,” with no bear whatsoever; “tuna fish” also drives him nuts and when I say “I itched ______” when I should have said “scratched.” He makes me laugh.]

Recipes I’d like to try:

• An Americano – doesn’t it sound like a good holiday drink? Or this Vermontucky Lemonade?
• Bowtie Pasta with Oven Dried Tomatoes – the title alone won me over but then I see the recipe includes boursin, pine nuts and asparagus – delicioso!
• Because I can’t resist anything with caramel and salt: Salted Chocolate Caramel Sauce
• A great breakfast for a long weekend: Sunrise Breakfast Casserole
• Perhaps this recipe for the Best Frosted Sugar Cookies will help me with me secret dream mentioned above

Things I’d like to buy:

• Apparently nothing… I’m either content or in denial (I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count)

Posts I liked and I’ll tell you why…

• A reminder that God is a perfect planner (He has prepared my heart in advance for the pain of the now.)
• Things that make me happy, and not because Heidi lists this blog as one of those things but because it makes me so happy to hear about my friends being happy (oh the happiness)
• Schmutzie’s post on bravery, an excerpt:

I want to tell you something: our experiences with fear and overcoming fear are valuable. Someone else might drive ambulances through war zones for a living, but you are not them. You are you, and it took every ounce of courage you had to ride that roller coaster last summer, and you are more powerful in every other aspect of your life now that you know you have what it takes to overcome your fears.

New to me blogs:

• Much like Bakerella, the Sugar Sweet Belle amazes me and makes me wish I had 1/8 her talent – she’s amazing with a sugar cookie!
• The Curvy Girl Guide is from a slew of authors who write with wit and honesty, and happen to be curvy.
• Oh Amanda hosts Top Ten Tuesday but she is so much more than that!

All images borrowed from the above-linked sites.

Looking for other favorite finds? Look no further, they are here.

Here are MY favorite finds from around the web:

Crafts I’d like to try:

• I kind of love paint chips (I used to “collect” them from the paint department while my mom did her grocery shopping), so these picnic utensil holders are just adorable to me. (spied on Lisa Leonard Online)
• What a great idea for a birthday gift or something special for my boys: Painted Block Puzzle
• I always like pop-up cards and these instructions make them seem fairly non-stressful to make

Continue reading →

Here are MY favorite finds from around the web:

Crafts I’d like to try:

• It I were crazy and more industrious, I’d so love to steal this Dr. Seuss party theme
• If I’d ever get my sewing machine out of the basement, I’d love to make one of these crayon roll-ups
• I think these Herb Soaps might be a nice hostess or teacher’s aide gift

Recipes I’d like to try:

• This Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken recipe looks super easy and I think Simon would like it since he regularly asks for pizza with BBQ sauce instead of tomato and likes the traditional Hawaiian pizza.
• Hello Sticky Toffee Pudding in a Jar, perhaps we should meet in person (if only you were ice cream)
• There’s something appealing about these Roasted Chickpeas, I mean I love them on salads and made into hummus, so why not roasted?
• And wouldn’t this Crispy Potato Roast make an impressive entrance at a potluck?
• What a great way to sneak both a fruit and a veggie into my kiddos: PB&J muffins

Things I’d like to buy:

• A ticket to Holland to see the tulip fields
• A neato collapsible pet feeder (though I wonder if George would be tall enough to use it)
• A super cool organizer like this GRID-IT Organizer for all my travelling needs (spied on Mighty Girl)

Posts I liked and I’ll tell you why…

• Someday, wouldn’t it be awesome to throw a party like the Grand Easter Egg Hunt the Design Mom threw? (Of course I will likely never be living in Normandy, alas.)
• Classic Dooce post, I’ve missed these: Connecting in Memphis (Favorite line: “But that was when I was unmedicated, so I did not get over a lot of things including the rapid decline of New Kids on the Block.”)

New to me blogs:

• Her Five Year Diary is the day-by-day transcription of a woman’s life from 1961 through 1965 – yes, that is it, the whole story.
• I can never resist a good food blog, Matt Bites appears to be just that
• Family Kitchen seems to be an endless source of recipes, I was drawn to the plethora of cakes in jars they’ve featured
• Twirl Next Door is a mom who cleverly packs her kids lunches with things my kids would never touch with a 10-foot pole, but perhaps if I put it in a compartmentalized container, they would gobble it all up
• I’d love to get my act together and participate in the 52 Photos Project

Here are MY favorite finds from around the web:

Crafts I’d like to try:

• Paint Chip Easter Garland – I’m normally not a seasonal decorator, but I LOVE paint chips (spied on Say YES! to Hoboken)
• I have a secret affinity for mobiles and this Hot Air Balloon one is pretty neat (also spied on Say YES! to Hoboken)
• You can never have too many candles and these bottle cap candles would be perfect for travelling or an outdoor party
• This isn’t necessarily a craft, but I COVET this crafty space
• I rather love the beauty of these DIY decorations recycling common leftover items
• What fun pom pom garland!
• I’m always looking for ideas for easy baby gifts since my aspiration doesn’t always meet up with my concentration, these simple baby blankets might do the trick

Recipes I’d like to try:

• Simon would love this Chicken Souvlaki Pita with Tzatziki (though he would likely want to hold the sauce which is okay because MORE for ME)
• Red Velvet Sheet Cake – need I say more? (apparently, I do, the frosting she, a.k.a., the Pioneer Woman, uses for this is fan-freaking-tastic) 
• A different spin on peanut butter cup cookies – yum!
• Salt + chocolate again: Salted Chocolate and Pecan Cake Bars
• I don’t know why, but I always want to try to make something you typically buy like english muffins or these bagels (for all the effort, the final product better blow me out of the water)
• I have made Pioneer Woman’s French Onion Soup many times – it’s divine; but smitten kitchen has never steered me wrong so I might have to try her recipe
• Let’s pretend all the asparagus makes this Shaved Asparagus Pizza healthy – just ignore the two kinds of cheese

Things I’d like to buy:

• There’s something about these glass plastic bags that are utterly perfect (spotted at Tangled and True)
• Any of this artwork for my boys’ rooms
• Could these be my perfect shoe?
• These adorably packaged chocolate covered espresso beans (spied on Design Sponge)
• This really should be filed under, things I’ve bought and you should, too: Matt Logelin’s book Two Kissed For Maddy (disclaimer: you will read this and cry, because it is about his wife dying the day after giving birth to their daughter and how he went on from there as a single parent; I cannot even imagine)

Posts I liked and I’ll tell you why…

• These birth announcements from parcelpost are simply adorable, almost worth having another child so I can use the idea – almost (spotted at Tangled and True)
• My house needs more greenery since right now it’s pretty confined to the eating area in our kitchen – thanks for the inspirtion, Sandy!
• My son is also turning into a bit of a lying liar (but really, I love everything that Emily writes)
• I wholeheartedly agree with this post – I don’t see the point in keeping kids from doing something fun for fear they will get hurt, especially since kids get hurt doing normal things (Liam has a scar on his chin from a leaning too hard on a toy and having it slip across the floor causing him to fall and hit his chin on that toy). The last paragraph is my favorite part.

New to me blogs:

• I think this site could help me be a more creative parent: Modern Parents Messy Kids (or at least give me fodder for wanting to be more creative
• Not *exactly* new to me, but this blog fell of my radar for a while when I switched blog readers: Sweet Juniper
• I borrowed her Five Question Friday questions from Sandy’s blog but now that I have found her, I think she’s great: My Little Life, Five Crooked Halos
• What a fantastic idea for a blog… got a gripe? She’s got a way for you to get your revenge: Ya Don’t Say