Been Busy!

It’s been really busy around here (and we didn’t have internet for a few days)… I’ll be back soon!

Flash Back Friday

NF’s first Christmas, December 2011.  He was about 1 1/2 months old here.  Christmas was such a blur for me.  Our tree was given to us by my old neighbor (with the lights and garland) I had like 3 ornaments, two NY Giants ones and one that said baby’s first Christmas I got at the baby shower.  My sister had made me the Swedish stockings (we’re Swedish oh and C’s Italian… and NF doesn’t look at all Scandinavian).  C’s aunt got NF the Christmas outfit.  I remember the week before NF was born I was like, I better Christmas shop now and get it all done before he’s born… but he was born early and that never happened… I also never expected a baby to be so much work!  I hadn’t even really held a baby before having one of my own!  I assumed I could like read about it just like I did about pregnancy while I was pregnant… well you’re so tired and busy aint no body got time for that.  These photos seem like forever ago!  We made it NF!  To your 3rd Christmas (with the help of many many people that love you)!

Thursday Thoughts

Today’s Thursday and I’m linking up with Jen from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom…

AHH this guy!  He’s just the best!  But I do NOT know how he has sooo so so much energy!  I can just sit and watch him run back and forth up and down the hall way for forever he just does NOT stop!

Barbra Walter’s 10 Most Fascinating People… ummm I look forward to this EVERY YEAR!  Why did this have to be her last???  I still can’t believe she’s 84 years old that Barbra.

ummm let’s see what else… what are my Thursday Thoughts… I’m volunteering today sorting toys…… and Oh Christmas is like so close but the last 5 days have been moving so slowly for me!!!  BUT I know as soon as Friday hits I’ll be SOO busy!  It’s driving me crazy just waiting for it all to start!

So What Wednesday

It’s Wednesday and I’m saying SO WHAT if…

• I sing in the car, like REALLY sing as if I sound good or something (I do not)… I wonder what NF thinks of this… so far he thinks it’s totally normal and never protests…
• I am so worried Christmas vacation will go by too fast and it hasn’t even started
• NF eats pretzels like crazy… hey, he loves them!  I don’t think they are awful for him either, right?  He won’t eat so many things, so finding things he does like (pretzels and peanut butter) I just let him go to town.
• I LIKE the One Direction song Story of My Life…. ask me in 3 months if I still do… and I probably won’t (just like Miley Can’t Stop)
• I didn’t know what a CRV was until this week
• I don’t have a smart phone STILL
• I am going to wrap a box of Cheerios and some pretzels as a presents for NF…  Santa knows he loves them!  (he’ll be getting more that just that – but when you’re 2 the more gifts to tear open the better)
• I’m done Christmas shopping… I know I can always do more… but seriously I NEED to stop.
• I don’t like The Voice, but it just happens to be on my TV and I end up watching it.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

It’s Wednesday and THIS is what I’m loving…

My little Family: We’re not traveling to Vermont this year to see my family.  I was SO upset about this… but Christmas being on a Wednesday (omg a week away) it made it too difficult for C (not for me though) and he didn’t want us to be split up for Christmas.  Before having NF I would have just gone to Vermont and we would be apart… but kids change everything and now it’s about my little family.  It still breaks my heart not going to Vermont.  I LOVE my little family and Christmas will be different this year but it still will be good.

NF: I’m always loving my baby!  It is incredible how smart he is.  I love hearing him say his letters and numbers.  I am amazed by him so many times a day.  I don’t know how he has SO much energy all the time.  I love him!!!

Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream: This is magic.  NF was getting horribly dry skin on his face and I had no idea what to put on it.  I found this at the grocery store for like $9 and it’s perfect.  I only need a little at a time so it’ll last us the season.

Johnson’s Baby Bath Soothing Vapor:  I was going through NF’s stash looking for lotion and I came across this.  I had never used it – I received it at his baby shower (which was September 2011)… so I thought why not let’s try it for his bath tonight.  So NF had his first bubble bath… he would NOT sit in the bath, he LOVED the bubbles, but was NOT going to sit in them.  SO I threw on my bathing suit and hopped in (Do other moms do this too?  I know Bethenny Frankel used to with her daughter) and after about 10 minutes I got him to sit in the bubbles (I think by then he was freezing!) and he said, “awwww soo niceee!”  and I thought so too!!  It made my skin feel soft and it smelled great.  I think I’ll be using this for myself too!

The Neighbors: I had never seen the first 4 episodes of the Neighbors… and we watched the first two Tuesday night.  AHH it was like seriously finding lost episodes of your favorite show!  I want to do this with The Middle too, since I don’t think I saw the first two seasons of The Middle…. problem is, they aren’t on Netflix!!  Anyone who has dismissed this show as being dumb before watching it, give it a chance, it’s hilarious!

Make Me Smile Monday

Santa Visit

Pictures from today’s Santa Visit!

Birchbox December 2013 Sparkle and Shine

Ya know what else came!!  My Birchbox December 2013 Sparkle and Shine box!

it’s blurry I know.

Number 4 Non-Aerosol Hairspray: I already received this in a julep mystery box.  I hardly use hair spray so this went into the gift pile.

Beekind Body Lotion: This is great for this time of year.  I love nice lotion and my hands dry out really bad.  My mom and I tried to figure out what it smells like and we decided it smelled like lemon drops.  Like sugar and lemon.  Quite a nice scent.  The lotion is not thick so it’s probably meant for your body like it says in the name… but I’d like to use it on my hands and keep it in my bag.

Emily’s Chocolate Covered Fortune Cookie: I wanted to eat this immediately but I stopped myself.  It’s going in the stocking stuffer pile (so if you’re reading this and and I am making you a stocking this year – sorry I ruined the surprise but get excited because this looks amazing).

Eslor Skincare System: I typically don’t love packet samples but this could be fun to try one night.

I don’t know what the heck this thing is and I don’t have a smart phone.

Secret Agent Beauty Secret Lip Affair Nourishing & Plumping Lip Gloss: Uhhhhh… I was pretty excited about getting this annnddd… it’s missing.  I contacted birchbox and hopefully they’ll send me it??

My Julep Gem Collection 2013

It Arrived!! My Julep Gem Collection 2013!!! I got it black Friday super on sale for $49 plus was able to add another polish for $1 (which was originally a $14 polish) and then my shipping was FREE! WHAT WHAT WHAT! I figured that out to be like $3.84 a polish and I LOVE THEM ALL!!  The packaging was outstanding – the presentation incredible… I think $50 was the right price for me… right now it’s $84 and that’s kinda pricey, right?  I swapped one of the nail polishes in the collection for my $1 one to gift. But the set of 12 is ALLL mine… Merry Christmas to mama!

Flash Back Friday

April 11th 2012… I decided to make a recipe I had seen on The Chew, one of my favorite day time shows (back story… the show was very new right when NF was born and I was on maternity leave… I looked forward to this coming on everyday for the 3 months I was off from work).  I had made a few Chew recipes before and they turned out pretty good…  I decided to make Michael Symon’s Chicken Kiev.  It looked so good on TV!  And they kept saying how easy it was to make.  You have to make herb butter for this dish… so I did…I went out and bought all the herbs.  I chopped them all… but not as finely as I should have (parsley, dill, and chives) – I made the butter into a big roll and everything!  Just like on TV.  Sooo I got my chicken breasts out I did not have a meat pounder (I still don’t by the way hint hint Christmas gift)… so I just hit it with a rolling pin, then an empty wine bottle then got scared of it breaking and I decided it was flat enough.  Ohhh no it was not.  But once I had gotten the chicken all covered in eggs and flour it felt too late to go back to pounding it with a wine bottle or some hard object.  I couldn’t roll the chicken closed… all the herb butter melted out leaving giant pieces of herbs… I remember I cooked it like 10 minutes LONGER than it said but when I served it the chicken wasn’t cooked through…. I snatched the plates away after this horrific discovery and continued to cook it.  I served it again but C wasn’t convinced it was cooked so I cooked it in the oven longer… I served it again and he picked at it to be nice.  I was so disappointed – it was supposed to be amazing!  This picture might deceiving… it actually looks pretty edible.  But it was not.  I will NEVER make chicken kiev again.  Maybe I should send this story to Michael Symon on The Chew and they’ll have me on to face my chicken kiev fears.  I also ruined Guinness stew.  Two things I will probably never attempt to make again.