New at J.Crew for Spring.

All my favorites, soft, comfy, relaxed. Chambray popover $78.00

Perfect-fit ruffle henley tee $34.50

Wool Jaspé open crewneck tee $49.50

Scalloped zipper cardigan $98.00

Cotton-wool lino cardigan $78.00

Silk chiffon Taryn dress $215.00

Pindot underwire tank $80.00

Haiti

I am overwhelmed with grief for those in Haiti living in chaos. May God guide us all through this despair. May God bring hope and peace to those in Haiti. May we all help in anyway we can.

Fast facts – Haiti

Children of Haiti

Red Cross Donations for Haiti

Craft Hope for Haiti

Donate your skills : Medical , Construction/Manpower, Teaching, Business development, Translators and Counseling

Accessorizing your poo.

My oldest has a habit of taking his nightly constitutional in his diaper after we tuck him into bed for the night. He'll groggily walk out of his bedroom and announce that he has a poopy in his pants and can I change his diaper.

He's a big kid and his poops are like wise in size and on more than one occasion my husband and I have called them "Man poops" in front of him exclaiming "Oh Boy S, what a man poop you have" or "S had a very large man poop" and such phrases like that.

So it started a couple nights ago when he walked out and said he had a poop in his pants and I went about cleaning him up when he said "Oh momma I have a big man poop and it needs a hat!" Just to make sure I heard correctly I asked "Your poop needs a hat?" S rubbed his eyes and said "yes, a hat momma" All I could think to say was. "Well I don't have one so lets just put him in the toilet and say goodbye to our man poop" (We use cloth diapers). I tucked him into bed again and my husband and I had a good laugh about it.

A couple nights later he woke again with a dirty diaper but this time he said "Momma it's a boy poop and it needs a shirt!" My response to this was "S, why are we dressing your poops?" No answer. Blank stare. Like I'm the crazy one.

Okay, maybe I am. I'm trying to use this to my advantage so I've told him that if he manages at night to make it to the potty and put his Man and Boy poos in the toilet I will make a shirt and hat for them. I totally will (I totally did). I have already started plans to cut out a t-shirt and hat from a dried flushable wipe so we can throw them down the toilet with the poo.

Yes potty training has made me crazy, I'm willing to make clothing and accessories for the excrement. Whatever it takes. Below styling of "Mr. Hanky Poo" For everyday casual- graphic T featuring Mr. Messy and a fedora hat and for those once in awhile formal nights- a tuxedo and top hat. Yes, we are all stocked up on crazy.

Living in~ Gerald McBoing Boing by Dr. Suess

This is my version of what Amy Merrick does for Design sponge with her series of “Living In”

 

McBoing by Smiddlemore

Items in this set:
Calvin Klein - Wrap Dress (Hero Red) - Apparel, $130
Lucky Brand Clover Hat, $12
Mens The Gap Original Khaki, $45
Navy Gingham Shirt, 15 GBP
Amazon.com: Wooden Rocking Chair (Antique Black) (44.5"H x 28"W x..., $229

What we are reading…

  The Last Lecture: Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow

Duck On A Bike: David Shannon

Hee-Haw-Dini and The Great Zambini: Kimberly Kennedy

TV trays

I grew up having most family meals cooked in the microwave. Not every time but a good percentage.  TV dinners were popular.  I liked how it was all divided up. organized. Its funny now that my favorite plates in the house are my kids divided trays.  They seem to like them as well. We do not on the other hand own a microwave (Our personal choice to forgo free radicals in the house) and we do not eat in front of the TV (way to distracting for the little ones) plus its nice to sit around the table and listen to stories about trains and bugs. I still like the TV trays and have been trying to find a nice set for us grown-ups in the house. The Below are all contenders.

BIA White Divided TV Tray $12 from Retro Planet  (Above My favorite by far)

Melamine Pink Cafeteria Tray $4 Target (not crazy about Melamine but its nice to now that it can be dropped and not shatter)

Foil 210L $.95 Kitchendance (I like the above not for everyday use but sending guest home with leftovers would be nice)

Sing Sing Dinner Tray $15 Eat just like the prisoners do! But better. This is fashioned after the cafeteria trays used in New York's Sing Sing prison. Bound to be a conversation piece during any TV dinner.

Work of art and pricey too. Cafe Blanc Urban Picnic 6 pc set $60 (Have to file this away under “When the kids are grown and we win the lottery” category.)

Cupcakes….so much more

The cupcake was said to have made its debut  around 1826 when we can see its first recording in an American cookbook being given its name not for its size and shape but for the quantity of ingredients used within. The controversy arises with a conflicting recipe from 1796 has the cakes baked in cups.  In either case many hold firm that it is an American invention.  For more in the cupcake history please link to Foodtimeline.org. 

Famous / Infamous Cupcakes in History

• 1919 invention of the Hostess Cupcake
• 1985 High School Teacher Feels “spacey” on cupcake laced with LSD
• 2004 Martha Stewart reported to Alderson Federal Prison Camp dubbed Camp Cupcake by inmates
• 2008 blogger Sandy aka Milwaukee Cupcake Queen and Chef Jeff of Fratellos Waterfront Restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin challenged one another to a cupcake bake-off using an obscure ingredient. Wasabi.
• 2009 Guinness World Record – Worlds Largest Cupcake

Now for some Etsy Cupcake shopping.

 

Cupcake liners from CupcakeSocial on $3 -$7

Bird cupcake stand from Whitneysmith’s $38

Porcelain cupcake Kgrandey $35

Dollhouse miniature cupcake casings from Snowfern’s Miniatures $4-6

Keep calm and have a cupcake print from Jennysbakeshop $26

From My Home to Yours.

 

 

{all photos published with permission} 

YouTube - How not to make bread

AAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA   Just plain funny.

Made some bread today and wanted to make sure I was following proper technique.  This guy sure taught me a thing or two.