Collin Tuesday! Errr.... Thursday.

True to the title of the blog- I've been busy.  I took pictures on Tuesday like always but didn't get a chance to post them.

 My two very sleepy boys

 Football footie pajams, Yeay!

 Looking to see what the dog is doing. 

He crawled on top of the diaper box all on his own. He was very excited squirming around so Dad is holding him so I could get the picture :O) Love this kid!

Etsy Find Friday

Today's feature: Silver Jewelry!

 Bee Ring $89

 I love this "Tiny Bee Ring" for obvious reasons.  It is so cute and petite.  If you follow the link the seller has it stacked with another ring that has a gold hydrangea blossom and a little diamond. Stunning!

 From the same seller (I really like this shoppe!) I give you the Hydrangea Cluster Necklace $158.

So delicate and dainty.  I love the one little blossom off on its own. Precious!

 I'm a heart lover.  My engagement ring is a heart, and so is most of the other jewelry my sweet husband has given me.  For your enjoyment: "Heart on your sleeve" ring $158.

And I'd like to leave you with a song:

What’s in a Name? · Max Lucado

What’s in a Name? · Max Lucado

Give that a listen. It's only about 30 seconds long.

I was wondering about this subject recently- Will my name still be "Brooke" in Heaven? I also wondered because some people have truly terrible names and I wondered if God would make them keep what their mother cursed them with.

I have so many questions about Heaven. I'm very excited about living there someday! I'm curious what my Heavenly name will be. I also wonder if we will recognize people- people we know now, here on earth, like our friends and family. And if we will just know who Peter is.

Whenever I get frustrated with the things of this world, I am comforted to remember that I was not created to be here- that my longing for something better will be quenched when I'm united with my Heavenly Father in person. I wonder what he looks like. I want Him to wrap me in a huge bear. Heaven!

Collin Tuesday!

He's giving kisses now too... very selectively though. 

Etsy Find Friday

I love personalized items! There is just something so much more special about giving a gift that is specifically for the recipient. It shows you care, that you were thinking specifically of them and didn't just pull something out of your gift closet. 

First off: An Address Stamp. I like this one because it is simple, classic and elegant. 

Address Stamp $22.95

Well, I think it's obvious why I like this necklace :O) Besides the "B" I like the antique, vintage feel. Its not so big that it screams at you but it's big enough to stand out as a unique piece.

Initial Pendant $52

And why not something sweet for little beebs? How precious these would be for newborn photos! They come in a variety of colors too. 

Personalized Infant Boxer  $13

If you've ever been to NYC you've seen the street artist that paint your name in bright colors and each letter looks like a clown or a dolphin or something equally juvenile.  This, I believe, is the artfully mature version. I like how the photographer finds letters in unlikely places. This would make such a unique wedding gift. 

Letter Photo Personalized Wedding Gift $36

Happy shopping friends!

Collin Tuesday!

Well, it's been an eventful week in the life of Mommy and Beebus.

We visited Anthony's Coal Fire Pizza on Friday evening with Grams and Aunt Bethany.  We were told we had a 15 minute wait so we sat on the bench outside.  Bethany was holding Roo when she sniffs and looks down at her arm. Poop. SOMEONE (Buff Puff) had applied the diaper crooked leaving little bums to squish poops out the sides and out his pant legs. Attractive.  As soon as we discover this our table became available.  I told Mom and Bethany to just go sit down and I would take Roobis out to the car and get him cleaned up. To my complete and utter dismay I had NOTHING in the car. No wipes, no diapers, nada.  I found a blanket in the trunk and walked my gross kid inside the restaurant and straight to the lady's room.  I stripped the little booger and gave him a bath in the sink. I put his poo clothes in the zip lock I had his bottle in and used the blanket as a diaper and used the sweater I had intended to later wear at a movie to clothe my child.

"What the heck mom? ALWAYS be prepared!"

We also acquired real high chair of our very own! I had been feeding the wiggle worm on the floor and decided that was no longer a proper parenting technique. And I was so proud of my recent ability to stay away from Target... oh well. It was a NEED. 

Stink eye

And finally this morning: I woke up and went in to get Collin out of bed.  He was all wrapped up in his blanket, so cute!  I picked him up and the stench assaulted my nose. His diaper had not contained all of the... everything from the night's rest.  BOO! Yesterday something similar happened, but I had just gotten him out of the car seat, sniffed and found poop all down my arms. Delicious. This kid gets more baths because it just seems easier to bathe him than to struggle with butt wipes and his kicking. 

The adorable-ness that preceded the stink.

My kid has a lot of nick names. Get over it.

um..... Something... Saturday...

I haven't been very good at keeping up with, or coming up with new themes for each day.  Tuesday is DEFINITELY "Collin Tuesday" because I always take his picture on Tuesdays because he was born on a Tuesday.  Makes sense.

"Etsy Find Friday is fun." I like it anyways :P

I've decided to indefinitely suspend "Mission Monday" due to such a low readership (Hello Emily).  At the rate I'm going I don't have enough interest in my blog to have enough interest in this particular day to generate interest in whatever I might be auctioning off for a donation to a mission. So, I will think of something else for Monday until you tell your mom, your friends, and everyone you know to read my silly blog. Haha!!! Then maybe someone will want to bid on a Stella & Dot necklace, or a cork board, or some candles, or a gently worn and cared for article of clothing (usually size M-L...unless I was feeling skinny (and stupid) and I purchased a Small and then there's the obvious reason why I must get rid of it- It's toooooooooo small).

So I have two days of definite posts.

I'd like to leave off with a song:

Etsy Find Friday

Pretty Towel  
$14 Screen printed hand towel. I love the pattern! It's so fun and whimsical!

Blue Bracelet
$12 Blue vinyl bracelet. Made from upcycled records! Green and creative.

Pink Wrap Bracelet
$42 Pink rhodonite wrap bracelet with a fun vintag-y button closure.

Lovely Lady
$20 5x7 print of my good friend Pam's pen and ink and water color original artwork.  I love the mixing of medias! The adding of the fluid, beautiful shades of blue really make the black and white lady pop. And just look at that gorgeous hair!!!! I love you Pammy Cakes :O)

Collin Tuesday!

Quite possibly going to turn out being MY favorite day of the week!

My super sweet little kiddo now has his two bottom teeth, and has for a while. But now his two top teeth are popping through. He looks like a little beaver! haha!

I'd show you a pic of his new teeth... but it would look like I was abusing him.  He does not like me prying his mouth open :P Can't imagine why!

 My kid LOVES foam! He absolutely, 100% enjoys bath time.

Another love: Waffles.  Here he got a hold of the waffle I set out for Daddy.  The dog is more than happy to eat the crumbs Mr. Baby is offering her.  Grrr!

Cousin Tara visited this weekend.  Daddy took this particular picture.  We went to the park Sunday afternoon. 

Tara and I (along with her 2nd shooter Alex) shot a wedding down in Miami Saturday night.  We had loads of fun getting lost in Miami and coveting the wedding shoot at the Eden Roc. The ceremony was at a really pretty Presbyterian church and the reception was at The Alexander. The couple were adorable together!

Mission Monday

In an effort to clean out my house, purge, and to donate some dollars to Christian organizations, beginning next Monday I will be auctioning off random items.  Everything will be usable and in good condition with full disclosure and photos. 

It will be silent auction style.  I will have a picture, an estimated value, and a starting price and you can just comment with a donation you'd be willing to make.  If you win, send a check payable to me and I will cash it and stash it in a jar until maybe $50 has accumulated then send a check to the particular organization.

Suggestions for organizations to receive donations will be graciously considered.  Please write a small blerb on what the org is and why YOU have a heart for them. 

I would appreciate you sharing my blog, at least on Mission Monday with your friends and family so that there can be more potential for a greater donation. Thanks friends!

Etsy Find Friday

I believe firmly in alliteration.

If you've never been to Etsy, it's time you go.  Some find it daunting. It's an endless world of crafts, art, supplies and other things that I generally love.  It can get aggravating if you are looking for something specific, but to just troll for stuff, I could do it for hours sometimes.

One of my favorite parts of the site is the Recently Listed page.  Its a streaming list that is constantly updating live of what people have JUST listed.  TREASURES GALORE!!!!

First up: Super cute little boy clothes!  Take it from me; finding cute garments for boys is difficult.  Walk into Carter's.  90% of the store is lovely little girls clothing. Then shoved in a corner is a sad excuse for a boy's section.  Talk about aggravating! If you have a sweet little pumpkin that could use something to wear day-to-day check out this Etsy shoppe.   This listing is for 1 shirt or onsie at $23. Very cute!

Crocheted dishrags/washcloths. If you've never used one of these for either function its time you give them a try.  They are wonderful at scrubbing the cruddies off your dishes and oh-so-comfy at sloughing off in the shower.  This listing is for 8 cloths at $30. 

Last but not least: Personalized wine box! What a lovely wedding gift this would be!  This box is listed at $34.99.

However, if you'd like something a little more ornate, and capable of enclosing more booze, Wine For A Wedding offers beautifully engraved 3 compartment boxes to stow a, "wedding night," "first anniversary," and "5 (or any) anniversary" bottles.  Clever idea!

What's the Point?

I've been looking though lots of blogs lately.  Some seem to have a general concept, and others have segments.  Both ways have merit. 

General concept- share art, recipes, family life, coupon clipping, whatever.  Makes sense. 

Segments- choosing a set topic for each day of the week. This would help in the writing process, I would think, because if Monday is "Mania Monday" and you write about something stupid people are doing every Monday.... well, by George, that's pretty easy. Especially if you live in Fort Lauderdale and you have to deal with all the certifiably MENTALLY HANDICAPPED drivers. 
Then perhaps "Tart Tuesday" you post a pic of the back side of some girl you have stumbled across at the mall who is an obvious floozy. 
"Wicked Wednesday" is dedicated to your latest encounter with your mother in law.
"Thug Thursday" Similar to "Tart Tuesday" and generally self explanatory.
"Fridge Friday" Could be a sweet pic of the inside of your refrigerator and then a shared recipe using only the ingredients you can see in that photo.
"Soup Saturday" Why not post two recipes in a row?!?
"Sanctuary Sunday" where you recap the pastor's sermon.

How long until you get sick of Thug Thursday? How long until your readers get sick of Soup Saturday?

Is keeping to a stringent schedule of writing any better than winging it? 

Well, since I've had a case of writer's block of late, I think I may start some sort of schedule, just to keep me writing and sharing everyday. If you don't like it.... Boo to your face!

I'm open to suggestions for each day of the week.  HOWEVER- I will NEVER participate in "Woof Wednesday."  I do. not. like. dogs. They are adorable and all deserve loving homes. Just not on my blog, ONCE A WEEK. I'm a cat person anyway.

Suggest away.

Love Bags

Love Bags

Have you noticed that there are more homeless people with signs, begging on the side of the road, or at the off ramp of the highway?

I know a lot of people are really busy and it's hard to take time to go out and do any sort of volunteer work or missions.  Or maybe it's just a little out of your comfort zone.  We'll here is an easy way to help someone in need, show them you care, and it takes mere minutes.


How to make a Love Bag (taken from the "Love Bag" website):

It’s Simple!

All of the items in a LoveBag can easily be found at your local grocery store, or even online too.  Scroll down to see what to do.  Oh, and don’t forget about our iPhone app (for when you’re staring at an empty shopping cart trying to remember if you’ve got everything)!

It’s ok to be creative too.  If it’s cold, maybe some hot chocolate or some hand warmers.  And, a personal note, just to say you care, sometimes means the most.

 These are some extra snack I had in my pantry that I will not be able to consume before they expire. So why not share the over abundance that God has blessed me with, with someone who has nothing?  It's all God's anyway- and it's better served in someone's stomach than in my garbage can in a few weeks. Do not however put in stale old snacks.  If you wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't expect someone else to.

 I divided up the snacks into sandwich sized zip lock bags and then put a few snacks into a larger gallon size bag.

 Put all the Love Bags into a bigger bag and keep it in my car for whenever I pass by someone that needs something to eat.

So, there. An easy way to share the love of Christ and all you have to do now is roll down your window :O)  And you're not giving them money to support their not-so-healthy habits.

1/2 OFF

But not in a good, sale on something amazing sort of way...

Yes, you counted correctly, 5 of my "2 week lasting manicure" (manicure belongs in "" too bc obviously this term should be used loosely with this poor job) have completely flopped off.

You will be proud of me. If you're not you should be. I called the place and asked them what they could do for me.  I'm non-confrontational. I was just going to eat this and chalk it up to $30 wasted, lesson learned, move on.  Nope, not this time.  6pm tomorrow I'm getting this crap fixed, fo FREE.

Paradise LOST

Yes. That is a naked index finger.

Friday, February 25: Went to Nail Paradise at McNab and Federal for a "shellac" manicure.  These manicures are told to last up to 2 weeks without chipping. 

Obviously something went wrong.

First off: One of the ladies at the counter handed me a stack of color samples to choose from for my manicure.  They were labeled "shellac", "Gell" and a few others that I can't remember.  The "shellac" sample only had about 6 colors, none of which I was fond of.  I had my heart set on purple.  So I asked what the other samples were and if they were as strong and long lasting as the "shellac." The woman assured me that they were just as good, they were just different brand names.  So, I chose a purple.

I was seated with "Jay" a male Vietnamese manicurist.  Ok.  In a lot of cases the dudes do a better job.  NOT in Jay's case.  He started off by berating me for being married and having a child at such a young age.  He, a 31 year old single male manicurist.  Enough said.  Then he proceeded to tell me about his friend's bachelor party.  I'll just tell you that it was GROSS.  Enough said.  In the process of Jay doing my nails, the color on my right thumb started to droop.  He started all over again on my thumb.  A few minutes later he has removed the color on two more of my nails and started all over. 

I didn't mention that I took my friend Melissa with me on this adventure.  She decided on a traditional mani/pedi.  She was completely finished before I was done with my manicure.  I knew the process was going to take longer than a traditional manicure, but this was ridiculous.

At the end of our experience we had been there 2 hours. 

I was extremely happy with the results of my pretty new sparkly purple nails.  I thought that if they were this pretty for 2 weeks, I might have to somehow justify going for a manicure this often.  My nails lasted through the weekend and the lovely wedding we attended.

HOWEVER! This morning somewhere between waking up, doing dishes, cleaning out the microwave, feeding the beebus, and getting dressed to head out the door, one of my fingers seems a little lighter in weight.  I look down and to my utter dismay my "2 week lasting" manicure had not chipped but come completely off... gone.  I don't know where it is.  It'll get vacuumed up soon I'm sure or batted around by a cat far under some piece of furniture. 

UGH!!!!! So, not only did I waste 2 hours of my life on Friday listening to Jay yap about how gross of a male he is, but he screwed up so bad that it took that long and now one of my polished nails is naked. 

I think I may just paint it a similar color that I have at home, to salvage the rest of my manicure for at least a few days.

I'll revert to doing my own nails from now on.  At least if I cut a cuticle I know my own tools are clean. Yeah, he cut my cuticle too.

I think CRACK might be cheaper...

I read The Pioneer Woman's Blog alot.  She is a lovely woman, for sure.  She has a home & garden section where she frequently does an Oprah-esque "favorite thing" post.  She has posted anything from tours of fabulous hotel rooms to silly gifts to give at Christmas.  Well, somewhere along the line she has mentioned Frye boots.  I had no knowledge of this glorious brand of footwear until she ruined me. 

Jane 14L Stitch Oiled Suede $289 

 I had 2 New Year's resolutions this year:
1. Don't buy anything I don't need (The pertains mostly to clothing, more on that...) 
2. Own these boots by next boot season.

So in attempts to save money, so far I have gone back to my natural hair color.

Bye, bye expensive highlight that only look lovely for a month or so before needing to be touched up.  I am so lazy that my hair does not get blow dried curly often enough to justify the $$$.

I have joined my mom's cell phone family plan. Yep, you heard me! I'm 24, married with a kid and I have re-joined the family plan. To be clear, it's the first time I've ever been on my mom's plan.  I got my first cell phone when I turned 18 and was about to drive off to college, all on my own plan and paid for with my own dinero.  BUT now I save close to $85 a month.  SMART! And of course, I pay my mom for my portion of the bill.

GROUPON!!!!
My original intent when signing up for Groupon and Living Social was to buy deals to restaurants that were different from Brad's & my usual date spots... and so that we would actually go on a date night. Recently, however, I have found some other great deals, like to the Baby Posh Garage, a kid's consignment store.  I haven't been there yet, so when I go I'll give an update.

There have been a few disappointments with a few of my deals.  I purchased one for Shula's, and it expired before I could use it.  $25 gone.  I called them twice about using it late. The first time the concierge had no idea what I was talking about and told me to call back after 5. I called back after 5 and the guy was SUPER snobby about how they would NOT honor my late Groupon. Fine. Lesson learned: don't let the freaking thing expire.

I accidentally purchased 2 Groupons to GreenStreet Cafe.  I included one of them as a Christmas gift to my friend Amy so we could go on a double date.  The fine print says only one Groupon per table per night.  We asked our server if we could use 2 since we were 2 couples and we assured her that we'd tip well.  She spoke with her manager and let us use them! It was a great dinner with splendid friends! A night out without our little kiddos. We went across the street after to a yogurt place and ate our treats as we walked around Coconut Grove. Fun night!

Time to go get my oil changed.

Post V Day Culinary Love

Or an attempt anyway.

I visited the Boca Mall's location of William Sonoma this weekend with a friend. We sampled a new Asian sauce they were cooking with in the store. Melissa purchased said sauce while I had anxiety over using my gift card on just the right item.... So I bought nothing.

I proceeded to stew about the sauces in my mind and decided the next day to visit the Galleria to purchase the Mongolian sauce for me and the Sesame sauce for Brad. I love Mongolian beef and followed the recipe on the side of the bottle, minus all the pesky vegetables. The recipe on the Sesame bottle was for chicken, but my love, loves sea food so I figured I could swap chicken for shimp.

I have a wok. I used it to make my Mongolian beef first as to not contaminate it with the shimp as I am allergic. I'm pretty sure that sentence is missing some key punctuation. I made some instant rice (skillllllz) and some rice noodle to accompany my main foods. Rice- good. Noodles-WAY over cooked. Boo. They disintegrated when I stirred them in with my beef and sauce. Lame. Over all Mongolian been, score.

Next, I added more oil to fry the shimp that I had dipped in egg white and corn starch like the recipe called for. I also decided that covering them in Panko would be a good idea. Crunch. Yum. Something more for the sauce to absorb into. Yum. Well, I would imagine it would be yummy if I enjoyed shrimp.

Hubby's analysis of the dish- good but he didn't like the crunchy Panko. Fail. I should have just stuck to the dern freaking recipe.

To be fair I did ask him to tell me if he liked stuff so that I don't waste my time repeating a dish he hates. So. Whatever.

At least he is taking his vitamins :)

Yummy easy bruchetta

Ingredients:
1 can whole tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons olive oil (good stuff, not bertoli! Try whole foods 365 brand, I like the Spanish olive oil they also have Italian which would be appropriate for this "Italian" recipe)
3 slices sorrento fresh sliced mozzarella, diced
Alessi dipping spices (in the grinder) to taste

Mix all ingredients and top onto bagel chips

Food blog

Dear Mrs. Terry & Ms. Nicoll,
This blog is dedicated to you. I know how you love to read the blogs about food and the such as and you really admire those who write such blogs. Well, I really want you to like me and to think that I too am awesome. So, here is my latest recipe:

Ingredients:
1 mozzarella cheese stick
6 slices large pepperoni
6 slices of chorizo

Directions:
Layer your pepperonis two, side by side, then the next layer is two chorizo, then two more pepperoni, then two more chorizo slices under that....
Unwrap cheese and lay at top of woven meats.
Roll it up "bee"-och.
Place on hot panini press. Close.
After lovely marks have seared into your meaty meats, roll to add pretty marks so they go all the way around all fancy like.
Remove.
Roll up in paper towel to remove excess grease. This makes it a "skinny" meaty cheese stick! Wow!
Enjoy. Savor. Very delicious.
Pair with a glass of ice cold skim milk.


And NO I will not be posting step by step pictures. I only blog from my iPad and I don't have a cord to connect my iPhone or my 7d to it. So. Use your imagination. Or buy me a cord. Or send me a link to a cheap cord...

Dancing elephants are adorable.