The Prowl // Pretty Thanksgiving Accessories

/

I always feel a little sorry for Thanksgiving. When I walked in to Starbucks this afternoon (my mobile office on Tuesdays and Thursdays)--I was bombarded by Christmas. What happened to Thanksgiving? It seems like the moment we turn the page on Halloween, Christmas gets permission to take over the retail world. 

And while my family may be guilty of a few Christmas  songs over dinner last night, I LOVE Thanksgiving and I like to give her her moment in the spotlight. 

Several weeks ago, I was asked by the lovely, Sheri, to be one of several bloggers to preview and play around with a brand new site from CafeMom called The Prowl. 


It's a place to gather and curate all kinds of lovely finds, grouped together into boards--much like Pinterest. But what I love about Prowl, is the community aspect that isn't present on Pinterest. Users can ask and answer questions. 

For example--before I headed to SanFrancisco, I asked for some suggestions of "statement" necklaces that would go well with a chambray shirt I was planning to wear. Boom. I got awesome suggestions from other users on The Prowl. For Christmas this year, I want to get everyone in the family a funny mug. I asked on The Prowl and got bombarded with ideas--some great, some not so much (I'm talking to you, "tooting" travel mug.). 

 It's a combination of your

Read More

Glasses, glasses!

/

Good afternoon, friends! I'm popping on to say hello and because my glasses are here and I realized I never shared my final decision with all of you. Despite the fact that so many of you loved #3 (which was my definite 'no'), I ended up going with #2, Zagg. 

And I have to say I'm pretty much in love with them, despite my subdued smile below (the day before I found out I had Walking Pneumonia!)  

Thank you so much for your input! Now, it's

Read More

Buying glasses from Warby Parker: help me pick!

/

There's nothing like starting a Monday morning with pictures of your face plastered across your blog page. (Note to self: put up a new post after this one, asap.) 

A few weeks ago, I lost my glasses in the house. I mean, of all the frustrating places to lose your glasses, knowing that they are somewhere in your home is pretty mind-blowingly annoying. I know, as soon as I order new ones, I'll find them under Birdy's crib, or in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, or between the sofa cushions--except I've checked all those places.

So for the past few weeks I've been wearing my spare pair--a somewhat weaker prescription that also happens to feel like the most narrow, hard-to-see-through glasses ever. And to top it off, they're crooked. Yes, I've been quite the hair-brained-looking mom lately in my squinty, cock-eyed glasses. 

So last week, I decided to throw in the towel, admit the loss and start looking for new glasses. I've always browsed the frames...

Read More

A few things for Friday + an ask

/

I found this scan of an old family picture when I was doing some cleaning out this week. Yes, I'm the somewhat mischevious-looking one holding the stick. And if I remember correctly, I probably got scolded for smacking the stubborn steers as my sister and brother worked with them, walking up and down our long driveway. 

History repeats itself, except this time with lambs. The girls and I are walking, tugging and pleading with these stubborn lambs up and down the lane every night. Each night I silently cross my fingers that we'll have a breakthrough. That the lambs will realize that it's way more enjoyable to walk than to be pulled. So far, no luck. And time is ticking. The fair is exactly two weeks away.  

Our mother would send us up and down the driveway with our steers, our lambs, probably even our pigs at some point. And now, I'm demanding the same of my girls. 

In the meantime, here are a few things for your Friday....

*This is my yearly PSA, reminding you to see your dermatologist for a skin cancer "head to toe" check. I went yesterday, and was reminded how important it is. 

*Made these. So easy. So good. No hot baking required.

*Today's rain and cooler temps means I'm making more of this.

*Shameless request. I was chosen as a finalist for the Red Tricycle Awards for best Mom/Dad blog AND most beautiful Pinterest boards. Woah. Mind blown. Would you take a moment and vote for me? I owe you. 

Mom and Dad Blog:

Vote for Me

 

Pinterest Boards

Vote for Me

*The lovely Caravan Shoppe just launched a project on Kickstarter. 

*I've really loved the direction that Erin Loechner has been taking Design for Mankind. This post, while announcing the launch of her new eyeglass frames collection is just a small example of her lovely words and perspective.

*Love this: Mini-herb garden, rethinking the hanging planter

Happy Friday friends! More soon. xo.

Read More

Things I've made lately that taste good

/

I always love hearing what other people are making, baking, cooking, especially when it's yummy. I definitely go through dinner-time slumps where I feel burned out on my rotating list of recipes. I'll call my sister and say, "tell me what you're making for dinner." Or ask my friends on twitter. Or browse my recipe box on pinterest, for ideas. Or dust off one of the cookboks on my kitchen shelf. 

In an attempt to break out of a recent slump I tried a few new recipes, mixed up some of my own ideas and came out of it all with some new inspiration for my dinnertime arsenal. And they're definitely worth sharing. 

mommycoddle_potatoes_spinach_pancetta
From my own kitchen:

Boiled red potatoes with pancetta and spinach

These are SO SO good. One of those, "What's in my kitchen that will taste good together?" moments. I boiled red creamer potatoes until fork tender. While they were boiling, in a medium-sized skillet I browned about 4 ounces of diced pancetta. (Wegmans conveniently makes little ready-to-go packages, thankyouverymuch). After the pancetta has browned, drain off almost all of the fat and then add in several handfuls of fresh spinach. You may need to add a little pat of butter or olive oil to help soften the spinach. Stir these all together until the spinach has wilted. Once the potatoes are done, drain them, add some butter, coarse salt and ground pepper. Then add the spinach and pancetta over and stir it all to mix with the warm, soft potatoes. These potatoes are so good, people.

mommycoddle_potatoes_spinach_pancetta
And bonus--if you have left overs, they are delish warmed up and mashed a bit, browned and crisped in a skillet the next morning with your eggs. 

Other good things I've made lately...

Baked shells with sausage and spinach

Sarah Carey's simle chicken pot pies, but with a phyllo crust.

Baked blueberry granola (but hold the bananas, blueberries and maple syrup, substitute apples and honey. Birdy pounds this stuff.) Lots of good questions and variations in the comments on this one.

So, now it's your turn. What have you been making lately that tastes good? I'd love to hear! 

Read More