Froggy Blanket

I was given this very cute froggy blanket for my son when I was pregnant. The person who gave it to me got it from Baker Lamps & Linens in Birmingham, AL off of Valleydale Road. They have amazing furniture, lamps and gifts and their gift wrap is really cute. I like a store that gift wraps for you especially if it is for a wedding or baby shower.

The blanket was made by Angel Dear and has become my son's favorite blanket. He also has a small pillow from them that he likes too but not as much as his froggy. He sleeps holding onto the frogs head it is so sweet! I recently bought one of the owl blankie for my sister. She loved it and I hoping her baby enjoys the owl. They make so many cute animals to choose from. I loved the owl because it went for either boy or girl. 

Tyler and his froggy blanket...drool and all.

Pamper Chef

I love to cook which means I like to have nice kitchen stuff. I wouldn't call myself a kitchen snob but I have my brands of products I like to buy. I really enjoy Pamper Chef products. Yes, they can be really pricey but once you have one of their products you won't want anything else. When I was little my mom got one of the rectangle stone stoneware and we used that all the time. One day one of us broke it, I guess with four kids in the house it was going to happen. The Christmas before I got married I was all excited because my mom bought me one for my soon to be kitchen. When my husband and I were dating he lived in Colorado and I lived in Alabama. I would send him my homemade cookies all the time. I don't want to think about what I paid in shipping to send those but it was worth it to make him marry me. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If you don't have one you must get one! If you are single then get one and start baking cookies! :) They make awesome wedding gifts too. I have baked so many cookies on mine.

Ceramic Heater

I bought a Honeywell HZ-385BP Digital Tower Ceramic Heater for my son’s nursery a month ago because his room is at the back of the house and gets really chilly at night. I keep it set on 68 degrees so he would stay warm because if the room isn’t warm he doesn’t sleep good. I am all about sleeping through the night and will do whatever it take for a good nights rest. Tuesday my mom and I kept smelling this burning smell in his room. We kept sniffing around trying to decide what it might be. We looked at the outlets and found that the heater had burned our outlet plug and the heater plug. Talk about a mad mother! I was so thankful that we found what the problem was and that the house never caught on fire. The thought of what could have happen still gets me.

I called the customer service center and talked with two different ladies who both sounded concerned. I talked with the supervisor who was not helpful at all. He acted as he had received this phone call a ton. He suggested they take my heater run test on it to see why it did what it did and they would let me know. Ummm thanks?? I am waiting until they send me the packet in the mail until I make another phone call. I asked for a refund and he told me they couldn’t do anything until they had my heater. To me it seems like a we will keep your heater, you will forget about what happened and we will move on with our lives. I will not be buying anything else from them and I hope you will do the same. 

Stay away from this heater! 

Perfect Date Night Outfit

As a mom I am normally in a t shirt and yoga pants. I go for anything that is spit up friendly! Anytime I go out I always get dressed up and wear my heels. My husband always laughs at me pulling out shirts and pants I only wear for church or dates. I have been thinking about the perfect date night outfit for this Friday night when my wonderful husband takes me to see Beauty & the Beast on Broadway. If money grew on trees I would be buying this outfit right now instead of blogging. I know that this outfit would have me feeling very cute! 

Jessica Simpson Electric Purple Pumps are so adorable! Colored shoes  always
add so much to an outfit! I think these shoes really make this outfit! I own a
pair of purple shoes that I enjoy wearing. They are my lucky shoes because
I got engaged while wearing them. So single girls buy purple shoes!

Simply Vera Wang abstract rose wristlet. As soon as I saw this I thought what
outfit could I do with this and there are lots because of the black color but
I think my outfit below is the best match. 

 LC Lauren Conrad tiered tank works for winter and summer.
This eggplant shirt is so beautiful! I haven't met a person that this color doesn't look
great on. 

Banana Republic straight dark wash jeans....I love banana Republic jeans!
They always fit me just right and a good pair of jeans is a must!

Faux-Leather Motorcycle Jacket by Simply Vera Wang is so fun!
I have noticed the motorcycle jackets are really popular this year but this one is such a
chic jacket and a great price.

Perfect Holiday Cake

This past Saturday night my family got together to celebrate Christmas. Yes, it is early but it was the only time that worked for everyone. Having four siblings is hard to find a good day for everyone to come together and celebrate. I was put in charge of dessert and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. A red velvet cheesecake is a perfect holiday cake! It has the red and white colors for Christmas! This cake takes lots of time but is so worth all the time you put in. Everyone was shocked at how wonderful it was. This recipe was given to me by one of my husband’s co worker’s wife. She made it for a Christmas party and that was the only dessert everyone talked about. I knew I needed that recipe. You have to make one cheesecake, two red velvet cakes and cream cheese frosting and layer. You put chopped pecans around the sides and top and I decided to put a star on top for a little holiday cheer. I will be making this every Christmas! If you would like this recipe you are more than welcome to email me. 

I put a star cookie cutter on top and put the pecans around the cookie cutter.
I removed the cookie cutter right before serving so it stayed pretty.

Half the cake was left...I would say it was a hit!

It's so rich a thin slice is all you need...but you can always have more.
It's the holiday season so eat as much as you want.

Staple Items for Decorating the Table

I think there are a few staple items every woman should have in her home for decorating a dinning room table for any holiday or special occasion. I am more of the keep it simple & fresh type of girl. I don’t need fine china or plates for holidays, first of all because who has room for that and second of all I need something that if it gets broken by a child or myself that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

• White or real simple dishes: You need something that will go with Easter, Christmas, New Years, Birthday Parties, and much more. You can never go wrong with a white or cream dish. There are tons of fun ways to dress them up. You can always have a beautiful napkin, place mat or charger to help. I know when I was registering for dishes when I was engaged I looked at some beautiful blue dishes and then I thought that won’t go with a lot of things. Instead I went for some white dishes with small black polkadots around the side. They have been great for nice dinners and sandwiches. 

• Large vases or apothecary jars: I love different size jars and vases! They are perfect for fresh flowers, candies, fruit, christmas balls, decorative eggs, candles or anything else you can fit in them. I saw a small vase filled with matchsticks recently and it was so beautiful. You can always place them going down the center of the table or on a buffet. My favorite has to be limes & lemons in a vase with gerbera daisies sticking out during the spring time. It is so bright & cheery! 

• Candles: If you are doing a dinner, candles always go great on the table. You can put them in a vase or better yet a pretty candle holder. I wouldn’t put any candles that smell on the table just because it might take away from the smell of your yummy dinner. 

• Goblets or wine glasses: If I could have a whole cabinet dedicated to glasses I would. I don’t know why but I am obsessed with drinking glasses. I love wine glasses & big goblets. To me they just say fancy! I think it is fun to have clear glasses but you need one set with some color just for fun. 

I think if you have these things on hand you will be set for success. Here is how I would set my table for a Christmas dinner. 

Simple plate.

Plain white dinner napkin tied with a ribbon & a Christmas ornament or a bell.
Simple & something most everyone would have around the house. If you did a
Christmas ball you could always write the person's name of the ornament & it would
serve as a place setting also. 

I love the color green but you could always go for red glasses to add a splash of color. 

I love this idea as a centerpiece for the table, one vase or apothecary jar filled with cranberries & a candle.

I would also add a vase or apothecary jar filled with limes and add a candle.
 Then you have your green & red Christmas colors. 

Stocking Stuffers

 We have the Pottery Barn stockings and had to order one for Tyler this Christmas. We are still looking for the perfect stocking holders but these will do for now. I will most likely wait till after Christmas when they go on sale. I am all about a sale! The perfect gifts in my stockings would be....

Burt's Bees Lip Balm Pomegranate Oil: I love the way it smells!

Dove Peppermint Bark: This only comes out once a year and it is always so tasty!

iTunes Gift Card: iTunes is always a great gift!

Warm Socks: My feet are always cold so I love a good pair of smartwool socks!

Thank You Notes: I am a southern girl and you can never have too many thank you notes! I am always browsing the note card section at Target.

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Christmas is just around the corner

Merry Christmas to you (whoever you are) from my family! We took our Christmas pictures a little later than we would have liked but better late than never. Brian's mother sent us this amazing antique rocking chair for Tyler. The chair is over 104 years old and has been passed down in his family. I was so honored that we were able to get this amazing treasure. It was Brian's great grandmother's chair and is in great condition. I am just praying that my child is not the one to break it!
Christmas time is in the air and I am loving it! I have never been a big Christmas fan, Thanksgiving has always been the big holiday in my family. After meeting my husband, I have come to love Christmas more. Now with having Tyler I get all excited every time his eyes light up at seeing the Christmas tree. I have already had a few pieces of peppermint bark and a gingerbread latte so my holiday is complete! All the Christmas gifts are wrapped and sent on their way to out of town relatives. I am having the hardest time keeping my Christmas gifts a secret...I get too excited and then end up giving Brian his gifts early. Only 20 days till Christmas!!

Welcome to the world of blogging

Here goes something I guess! I have been seeing all these fun blogs from stay at home moms and it has made me want to get involved. It seems like the perfect way to show my creative side throughout the week. I have a 5 almost 6 month old son and so my life revolves around diaper changes, feeding, naps and everything baby. I love it and wouldn't trade it for a moment. This just gives me a way to feel connected to the social world. ha
Please note I am not a writer! I picture seeing my old english teachers reading this and thinking oh wow we should not have passed her. I can't send my post to my sister to proofread like I used to do with my papers, ok I can but I am pretty sure she is busy raising a family.