My Mother's Day Gift

You may remember this post where I told you we got a fancy new camera. Well, here's where I admit that I'm afraid of that dang thing. It's big. And expensive. I'm clumsy. Put all those together... I'm pretty sure you get the picture.

I hinted to Mr. Incredible that I sure could use a new (little) point and shoot camera. Voila! Look at this beauty that Dash bought me! I took some pictures over the weekend, and I'll get them up soon. Much better than my Blackberry pics. Thanks to my guys I have a great new camera!

This post is linked to:
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
Friday Favorites at The Other Mama

Reynold's No-Stick Foil

I have very few brand loyalties. I use whatever shampoo is on sale (or, at this point, in my stockpile!), same for toothpaste, clothes, kitchen stuff, whatever. But, I really do love Reynolds Wrap non-stick foil. Like big puffy heart love it.

The reason I started using it was because I was sick and tired of covering my lasagnas with foil and then having all the cheese stick to it! I was also tired of scrubbing every pot and pan after baking simple dishes. Then, I had one of those lovely "A-HA!" moments when I found this foil.

I use it for everything. I line pretty much every pan that I use with it. It's the best for making brownies and bars. I use a Pampered Chef stone baker to make my baked goods and they tend to stay warmer longer than other pans. By using this foil, you just leave some foil "handles" on the ends and lift out the baked goods. No worries about over cooking. Transfer to a cooling rack and you are good to go.

I also find it much easier to cut bars this way. You can put the baked goods on a large cutting board and use your good, sharp knives to cut away. No damage to your good pans!

And, the very best part? Zero clean up.

This post is linked to:

Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
Friday Favorites at The Other Mama

Food You Didn't Cook Tastes So Much Better

I'm not talking about the "raw food" movement, people. I'm talking homemade comfort food delivered to your doorstep!

I wrote about my surgery last week and how well we were being taken care of. You have no idea. First off, my BFF Stephanie came over at 8:00 a.m. to watch Dash until my mom could get there. Not only did she watch my kid, she cleaned my house. When I walked in the door later that day, I almost cried. Except that would have hurt too much.

Then, the food started coming in. We were treated to some of the most amazing meals. They were all really good. But, I find that food I didn't cook tastes even better! Anyone with me on this?
Not to totally make you jealous (you will be, sorry), but here's what we received:

• 
  
  Pot roast, angel food cake with strawberries
• 
  
  Swedish meatballs, macaroni & cheese, Caesar salad (with homemade Caesar dressing!), lingonberry sauce
• 
  
  Pasta with meat sauce, bread, brownies
• 
  
  Lasagna, salad, bread, chocolate cake
• 
  
  Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
• 
  
  Stuffed chicken breasts, wild rice pilaf, peas
• 
  
  Ravioli casserole (had to freeze because we had too much food!)

Thanks to Stephanie (for organizing the meals), Dominique, Michelle, Heather, Colleen, and the amazing Francie. We were totally spoiled rotten blessed in abundance last week!

This post is linked to:
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
Friday Favorites at The Other Mama

Great Harvest Bread Co.

I had some time to kill after my dentist* appointment last week, so I headed down the street to find some coffee.

If you know Wayne, then you know that there are at least five or six coffee shops within a half mile area. I wanted to sit down for a bit, so I headed to Cream & Sugar. It's a cute litte cafe with yummy lattes. I've only been there once or twice, so I forgot that they require a $10 credit card purchase. Is this even allowed anymore? I never carry cash, so I said "bye bye!"

I've been to places where they charge you a 3% fee or so if you don't meet the minimum requirement. I'm not sure if that's legal or not, but I really don't even mind. It's worth the convenience to me. I much rather would have paid a tiny fee, got my latte, and been able to sit down and enjoy my self for a few minutes than had to truck back out into the monsoon rain to find another shop. Ok, end rant. On to the "Things I Love" part of this post!

On to one of my favorite places--Great Harvest Bread Co. If you are local, please check out their shops in Wayne and Ardmore.

First off, they offer FREE slices of their amazing bread to everyone who walks in the door. My favorites are cinnamon swirl, apple crumb, s'more, savannah pecan swirl, and good old honey whole wheat. Yes, I have a lot of favorites. They also have amazing morning glory muffins and cinnamon chip scones. And, please try one of their pigs in a blanket. Yum all around!

The other wonderful thing about Great Harvest is that it's about 85 heavenly degrees in there, since they have all those ovens going. It was so nice to stand there for a few minutes, just soaking up the heat on a cold, rainy day. And, the smell. Oh my, who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread?

I got myself a cinnamon chip scone and a large Peet's coffee. It was a great start to my day!

Have you ever been to a Great Harvest Bread Co.? Do you have a favorite bakery or coffee shop?

*If you are looking for a dentist in the area, I highly recommend Dr. Spina in Wayne!

This post is linked to:
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
Friday Favorites at The Other Mama

Trader Joe's French Roast Coffee

Since we've been very deliberate about making our coffee and eating breakfast at home every morning, I had decided to start buying "good" coffee (Starbucks). To avoid being tempted to stop for a latte, I need to have a good cup of coffee! I hit a few good sales and stocked up. Alice.com also has it at a very good price. I love it, but it is a little pricey for a frugalista like me.

I was at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and picked up a bag of French Roast on a whim. It was $3.99, or maybe $4.99. Wow, we finally cracked it open this week and I am hooked! It really brews a great cup of coffee. I plan on stocking up the next time I'm there!

What's your favorite brand of coffee? What is your favorite Trader Joe's item?

This post is linked to:
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
Friday Favorites at The Other Mama

Things I Love: Inchbug Name Labels

I can't remember when I discovered these name labels from Inchbug.com, I think Dash was a few months old. These name labels are available in a variety of colors and with either one line or two lines of text. They are basically big rubber bands with your child's name on them. I love these things, and I have gotten them as gifts for family and friends.

There are many pre-printed first names available for $8.95/4 pack, or you can choose a custom-printed name for $4 more. These labels are not just for daycare either. They are great for keeping track of your child's cups at playgroups, parties, church, and other group activites.

The thing I really love about these labels is that they grow with your child. They fit bottles, sippy cups, and reusable water bottles.

I also highly recommend fanning Inchbug on Facebook. They often offer discount codes via Facebook.

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love: Wilton Spoon Scraper

There is a little magazine called All You that is only available at Walmart and via subscription. It's a pretty good magazine, and it has lots of coupons. I have a subscription (because I think I told you before that I like coupons), but you don't even need one to become an All You Reality Checker. I signed up sometime last year and they send me surveys via email from time to time. Probably about once a month. They ask you to share tips on everything from holidays to money-saving tips (and much more in between). I have received free product coupons for being a part of this program as well.

So, what does all this have to do with that handy dandy spoon scraper up there? Well, right before Christmas, I came home to find a gift bag full of goodies from All You!

A 1.5 oz container of germ-X Hand Sanitizer

A full size eye shadow quartet from New York Color
Two full size lipsticks from Neutrogena
A Wilton Spoon Scraper
Sample pack of Playtex
Sample size Nivea Touch of Sparkle Body Wash w/ $1 coupon
A Kendall Telfa Antimicrobial Adhesive Bandage and magnet
A Sample Pack from Kotex
A Sonic Wacky Pack Zoo Tot
Credit to ClipperGirl for the list, I forgot to write everything down!
 
As you can see, this lovely gem was included in my goody bag. It is the perfect kitchen tool! It works just as well as a wooden spoon at mixing up brownies, or you know, whatever healthy junk you're cooking. And, then it does double duty as a scraper. This is a serious little piece of brilliance right here.
 
I never got around to checking to see if they sell these at Walmart. They may have them at Michael's or Bed Bath & Beyond. I looked online and you can buy them direct from Wilton for $6.99 and from Amazon for $17.26.
 
Disclosure: I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned above. Except I am an All You Reality Checker, so I suppose I'm affiliated with them. I received a spoon scraper as a gift, but I am not being compensated in any way for this review. All opinions are my own. I just like the thing, dangit.

This post is linked up to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries

Things I Love: Contigo Travel Mugs

I have been searching for a good travel coffee mug for about, oh, forever. There has always been something wrong with each one: too big for my cup holder, too small for my cup holder (falls over), doesn't keep coffee warm very long, drink opening too small/too big/too weird, and the deal breaker--it leaks.

So, I was walking through the aisles in Costco a few weeks before Christmas and saw the Contigo travel mugs. I looked at them and thought, hey, why not? To be honest, I didn't really believe the claim that that they are leak-proof and keep liquids hot for 4 hours. And, then I ate my hat.

It really works. It doesn't leak. I'm serious. Not even if you turn it upside down and shake it a bunch. I had to try it, ok? I wouldn't say that it keeps my coffee hot for four hours, more like two, and then very warm for another two hours.

It did take me a few days to get used to having to push the button to release the seal to take a drink. But, now it's second nature. Just like my coffee-filled mug is a third appendage.

I got a two-pack at Costco for about $20. If you do not have a Costco nearby, here is a list of U.S. retailers.

Unfortunately, Mr. Incredible does not like the mugs. He says they give his coffee a metallic taste. I don't agree, but just throwing it out there if you are sensitive to things like that.

Also, MamaJoss shares my love of Contigo--you should check out her review of the water bottles!

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.