{handmade} St. Patrick’s Day

by Amy on February 27th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

We’re less than a month away from St. Patrick’s day, and I’ve scoured Etsy to bring you some fabulously fun {handmade} finds!

Lime Pie Wrap Around Ruffle Diaper Cover by Raegun

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St. Patrick’s Day Cookies by Katie’s Creative Baking

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Photobooth Prop Shamrock Glasses On a Stick by Kitty Dune Cuts

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Lucky Shamrock Necklace by Polestar

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 St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Initial T-Shirt & Leg Warmers by kakabaka

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St. Patrick’s Day Beer Labels by nancynikkodesign

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St. Patrick’s Day Emergency Case by ClosetCat

 

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Lucky Leprechaun Gnome Dolls by SewnNatural

Happy Shamrock Day!!

Partum Me?! Charlie’s Christmas Haul

by Laura on December 29th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Life

We’re behind schedule, folks.  So sorry! As I’m sure was the case for many of you, the last week has been jam packed with celebrations.  I thought I’d keep today simple with a picture post of Charlie’s best Christmas gifts.  People were so generous and thoughtful. Charlie made out like a bandit.  A cute little bandit.

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The Educo Shape Sorter – We also got the Fisher Price version.  Charlie had an easier time fitting the shapes into their holes with the FP sorter, but is OBSESSED with the rattles inside each of the pieces in the Educo version.  They will both yield hours of fun.

The classic Rock-a-Stack

Early Years Little Shoppers Set – Charlie is way into the rattles inside certain pieces of this set, too.  But he also likes the other features, like the peel-able banana and the mirror inside the milk carton.  I think it’ll be a fun toy when he’s older and we teach him about going to the farmer’s market!

More Fisher-Price toys.  It was amazing how fast Charlie caught on to the cause-and-effect lessons they are meant to teach.

Cool counting picture books about our current home and our former one!

Okay, this was totally more for me than for Charlie, but OMG!  So awesome.

        

As I hinted in last week’s post, we’re starting a collection for Charlie.  A train collection!  His first piece is a vintage Tyco car with graffiti work done by local artist Oliver Wright.  We’ll display it in his room until he’s big enough to play with it since it fits so well into the “Boy in the City” theme.

But this next one was the gift that took my breath away.  It was from his uncle. My brother.

That right there is Derek Jeter’s 1992 rookie baseball card, in mint condition, in the plastic case and everything.  I know it’s not a card that’s worth a million dollars or anything, but it could be some day.  But more importantly, it was Charlie’s uncle’s way of sharing something that was so important to him (baseball) and to our family (going to Yankees games together) with his nephew.  I must have held it in my hand, turning it over and over, for 15 minutes or so just marveling at how awesome of a brother I have.

It’s not out of the box yet, but Charlie also got the Wishbone Flip toy that I mentioned in last week’s post.  And my dad opened up an account for Charlie and put some of my mother’s stocks into it.  He’d been hanging on to them for just this occasion.  Swoon.

Oh, and just for good measure.  Here’s Charlie with the most awesome-looking Santa ever.  He started wailing right after this shot.

Happy New Year!

Whoopie Pies: Everything You Need to Make, Give & Eat!

by Shannon on December 22nd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  In the Kitchen, Shopping

I’m not trendy. I’m a follower. So, the following statement is a tremendously bold one for me to make: I predict whoopie pies are the next dessert phenomenon, much like cupcakes have become.

What is a whoopie pie you ask? Well, according to Wikipedia (the go-to source for lazy folks like me) a whoopie pie is “an American baked good that may be considered either a cookie, pie or cake. It is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, or sometimes pumpkin or gingerbread cake, with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.”

whoopie pies

Having never tried a whoopie pie, I was a skeptic. The name conjured images of neon pink snacks that never expire at my local gas station.

Upon moving to Georgia a few months ago, I tried my first whoopie pie. We were visiting a preschool for, ironically, preschool girl. We happened to visit at snack time and the teacher invited us to join the class. The treat? Whoopie pies. Turns out, the teacher had provided the snack that day because she had baked many, many batches of whoopie pies and was looking for ways to unload them. Why so many batches? Well, she was perfecting her recipe for the competition at the Georgia State Fair, of course! (You cannot make up stuff this good.)

So, I had my first taste of whoopie pie. Let’s just say that preschool girl almost lost her entire pie. I wanted to snatch it up and say, “mine, mine, all mine!” YUM! Since that first taste, I’ve noticed whoopie pies everywhere.

So why not consider giving the gift of whoopie pies to someone in your family this Christmas season? Whether you want to make them yourself or purchase them ready-to-eat, the options abound.

Give Whoopie Pies!

There are entire cookbooks dedicated to whoopie pies that are starting to turn up on mainstream shopping outlets like Crate & Barrel and Barnes & Noble (or maybe just stores with “&” in the title?). And with whole books dedicated to their creation, I’m willing to bet there are more flavors than just the chocolate, pumpkin and gingerbread mentioned by Wikipedia. Hmmmm, credibility issue?

whoopie pie cook bookwhoopies! whoopee pie cookbookmaking whoopie whoopie pie cookbook
Whoopie Pies : Dozens of Mix ‘em, Match ‘em, Eat ‘em Up Recipes, Whoopies!: Fabulous Mix-and-Match Recipes for Whoopie Pies, Making Whoopies: The Official Whoopie Pie Book

To make your own whoopie pies, Cooks.com features a tremendous variety of whoopie pie recipes in an assortment of flavors. Williams-Sonoma even has a special pan designed to garner the perfect mound-shape for the sandwich.

willliams sonoma whoopie pie pan

Making a whoopie pie for a special occasion? Don’t fret, there are “special occasion” whoopie pie pans available as well. Bunny, heart, pumpkin and Christmas pans can be found with a simple Google search.

whoopie pie heart panwhoopie pie pumpkin pan

A hybrid between making your own and purchasing, whoopie pie kits are available at several online retailers, including Crate & Barrel and Amazon.

Whoopie pies can be purchased The Fresh Market bakery. Available in-store or online, they are yummy (yes, after Ms. Linda’s chocolate whoopie pies, we tried TFM’s pumpkin whoopie pies at Halloween time)!

Due to high demand (okay, maybe I’m not predicting a trend as much as reporting on one), WickedWhoopies.com can no longer guarantee delivery before Christmas, but they will ship you some “wickedly good whoopie pies” in more than 20 different flavors and varieties.

So, why not get the baker in your family gifts to help him or her join the latest trend? Happy last-minute shopping!

Thursday Giveaway Linky

by Kate on December 22nd, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Giveaway Linky

Thanks for stopping by to link up and browse great giveaways. Make sure you also link up every week at Baby Loving Mama.

Happy Holidays!

{handmade} holiday gift idea by Drawn to Letters

by Amy on December 15th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Holiday Toys, Shopping

Christmas is quickly approaching, and it’s increasingly difficult to buy handmade gifts in time for the holiday. Drawn to Letters has a few of these adorable (and educational!) Match Memory Games left in stock, and they are ready to ship in time for Christmas!

This super sweet memory game includes 15 sets of animals from  original hand painted illustrations by Drawn to Letters’ Joanne Gilbert, and are printed on 2″ squares of heavy acid free bristol board. Priced at just $14, you can’t go wrong. These are the perfect way to teach baby first words, or for older kids to practice memory skills. They’re great for on-the-go, too.

Happy {handmade} shopping!

Partum Me?! Preparing for Charlie’s First Christmas

by Laura on December 14th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Life, Partum Me

Charlie’s gradual discovery of the world outside his co-sleeper is making this holiday season especially fun.  We moved into our little Philadelphia row house almost six years ago, but we never got a Christmas tree.  There were a lot of reasons why – space restrictions, our busy holiday travel schedule to see relatives, a general lack of interest in decorating a house in a city that has never really felt like home.  But not having a Christmas tree was especially tough for me. Christmas trees are in my blood! Until I was in high school, my family owned a Christmas tree farm.  I loved being out in the woods with our customers, helping them find the perfect tree, and watching as they were loaded into their cars and taken off to homes to be decorated.  I got a kick out of “visiting” the trees that were purchased by my friends’ families.  And our tree was always a big beautiful specimen from the farm, decorated with ornaments from three generations of my family, including handmade items from my grandmother, my mother, and me and my brother.  Working on the farm and decorating our tree was time well-spent with my family.

This year, we decided we would do whatever it took to make room for a tree.  It was for Charlie’s sake, of course.  (Wink wink.)  I realized we missed out on five years worth of advances in Christmas tree decoration technology.  No-tip tree stands…LED Christmas lights…I’m in heaven!  We found a small space to fit a tree and found the skinniest, but tallest, tree we could find that would fit.  And I must say, she’s quite a beauty:

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The first annual T Family
Christmas Tree – before.

The tree has now been up for a few days and is fully decorated with a mix of old and new ornaments.  Each morning, I bring Charlie downstairs, turn on the tree lights, put him in his bouncy chair, and he drinks his morning bottle while checking out his tree.  Each night I’ve carried him over to the tree and talked about a different ornament, telling him stories from when I was a kid.  I’ve lamented here before about the fact that his Nana (my mother) died when I was a teenager, so this has been a great way to keep her spirit alive at a time of year when I miss her the most.  Having the tree has also made me put more effort into decorating other areas of the house for Christmas.  We now have LED candles in the windows, a pine swag hanging on the front door, and a few other decorations to make the first floor of the house much more festive.  And to top it all off, my dad and my brother and I have been in talks about starting up the Christmas Tree farm again.  It’s as if our collective Christmas spirit was hibernating and Charlie awakened it.

And that’s a very good thing, indeed.


The first annual T Family Christmas Tree
in all of
its “after” glory.

The Preppy Poppy: Personalized Products for Particular People {Christmas Giveaway}

by Kate on December 13th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Giveaways

If you’ve been a longtime reader, you may recognize The Preppy Poppy. We featured the personalized boutique in an interview and shop feature all the way back in January of 2010 (doesn’t that seem like a long time ago?) and my daughter has sported a festive shirt, too. We’re excited that Angela continues to create fabulous creations worthy of the cutest kids  - yours, of course! The Preppy Poppy has a few noteworthy personalized Christmas presents that you can still order in time for arrival by the big day, and read on for the opportunity to win one!

This darling outfit is a collaboration between The Preppy Poppy and Razzleberry Tutus. The set includes a personalized initial top, tutu and matching hair bow. We just love the detail and frilliness (sure, that’s a word) of the design on the shirt. The entire set is $59.99 – or contact Angela directly to order just the shirt.

The personalized children’s pillow is 12 inch square and can be customized for a girl, boy or baby’s first Christmas. The pillow is $28.99.

Shop! Preppy Poppy products can be purchased via Etsy or the online boutique. The deadline to receive your order by Christmas is December 19 – so don’t wait! Order today. 

Win! A Personalized Christmas Pillow or Christmas Shirt!

How to Enter: Visit The Preppy Poppy on Etsy and leave a comment with something that catches your eye.

Earn Extra Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.

Giveaway ends December 16. Open to US residents only.

Thanks to The Preppy Poppy for providing the giveaway prize.

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Kate on November 24th, 2011  |  5 Comments  |  Life

We Are Thankful.

Kate: I am thankful for my health and for the health of my children and family, this year more than ever. I know how lucky I am to have a happy, growing family. I am also very grateful to my friends who work with me on TSM and to all of you who share your time with us and read everyday.

Amy: I’m thankful for my family and friends, and the ability to spend each and every day with my kids. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to own my own business, and the flexibility that comes with it.

Laura: I am thankful for my happy and healthy little boy, my amazing husband, supportive family and friends, a job I still love long after its honeymoon was over, and Starbucks venti black eyes.

Malia: I am thankful for my family and the little kicks of our baby girl on the way. And I am incredibly thankful to live in a country where we have so much we often forget how blessed we are and “need” a day to remind us to be thankful for all we have. One of the doctors at work grew up in Cuba where she never saw toilet paper until she was a teenager (and she was not from a poor family). I think on that when I’m puzzling over which brand to buy from the entire isle of tp at my local grocery store. Or when they are out of my favorite brand of milk, or bread or whatever.

Monica: I thankful for my health, they health of my family and friends. Most of all I am thankful for modern medicine which helped me be able to conceive my children, as they are the greatest joys of my life.

Shannon: I am thankful for the Earth and its bounty, for its bounty is all encompassing of everyone and everything that I love, everything that I need and enjoy, and everything that inspires me.

What are you most thankful for this year?

Image via Tiny Prints.

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