Out of Towners

This holiday season brings with it lots of travel. Since I last posted, we've made the four hour trek to my mom's house, went to Chicago for a cousin's wedding and drove to Washington DC to visit my husband's family. The plan is to head back to my mom's in the next couple of days to see my youngest brother, who will be in town from Denver.  Yea, we're logging a lot of miles.

So... the night of the Chicago wedding my cousin got a babysitter for her daughter and my girls and us mamas had a night out.

Can you believe this was the first time I left my girls with a babysitter. (Yes, that's crazy.)

While in DC we got to the zoo to see this cutie:

And, guess what else happened... We have a crawler!!

Since we've been home I've been slowly putting up our Christmas decorations.

I also tried to tackle the potty issue with Ana by adding a new M&M bribe...

It's left us both feeling more like this:

(Same with any attempts at giving up the paci.)

P.S. Check out this video on youtube. It's sure to make you smile.

Happy Friday

I tried a "diy jewelry cleaner" and it worked wonders on my earrings!

Click here for the the directions. I kid you not, some of my earrings were so dirty that I didn't even wear them anymore. (I think it was from all that hairspray I used to use when I worked for the news.) It's so exciting to have them back!!

Ana and I made homemade chocolate chip cookies today.

I'll let you in on a little secret - I never understood why people would make stuff from scratch. Hello... why waste the time and effort when you can just buy it at the store pre-made and throw it in the oven. Well, today I woke up. They may not be the most beautiful, but these cookies are the best chocolate chip cookies I've tasted! (We simply followed the directions on the back of our chocolate chip bag.)

I came across this quote on Pinterest quite some time ago and was reminded today of just how true it is:

Habitually Chic via Pinterest

You never really know what people are going through in their personal lives. Being kind is so important. It's so important.

Happenings

I don't know about you, but I think I need a little break from the political firestorm that is Facebook right now!! My goodness. 

Instead, let's talk about uncomplicated... non-debatable... sit back and relax...  things that are good.

I want to share this pasta dish I've made twice now for dinner. It's Farfalle with Mushrooms and Spinach from Better Homes and Gardens. I'm a sucker for mushrooms AND for spinach, so you totally know I'm loving this dish! (I paired it below with some chicken sausage.)

The closest Trader Joe's is about an hour and a half away, so my trips there always include bags of this popcorn. Trust me, it's an eat-the-whole-bag-in-one-day good.

I picked up this dress at the Gap... LOVE LOVE LOVE the fit and comfy feel but not sure about the print. Too busy?? I'm leaning towards returning it but am giving it a couple more days.

I can't believe my little peanut is officially 6 months old!!

We couldn't love her more!

Cute Rollups

Talk about a cute way to roll up the mess!

My brother's girlfriend recently made these adorable holders for the girls' crayons and markers. I keep the crayon one in my diaper bag. It helps contain some of the chaos that is my bag!! It's also a little more fun for Ana at those "keep her busy" moments like at church and restaurants.

Danielle has a shop called Nellie Lu. Check out her etsy shop here.

Superstorm Sandy

My prayers and thoughts are with those on the east coast. I just read about a two and four year old who were killed in the storm. It's just heartbreaking.

Our Red Cross will be collecting donations at a drive this weekend, and I'm hoping to get over there with the girls. I hope you consider doing the same. I found this list on NBC of different ways to help.

My alma mater, Notre Dame, also has a candle lit this week at the Grotto for the victims of the storm and has sent out this prayer.

Happy Halloween!

I hit the streets tonight with Elmo for a little trick or treating.

Boy, was it cold here! Our little pumpkin stayed home to help hand out candy.

Leg Warmers Baby!

Eat your heart out Jane Fonda... this babe's rocking some serious leg warmers!

These baby leg warmers arrived today and I couldn't resist redressing Ev so she could show them off. (Honestly, I wish I had known about these with Ana. I hardly ever left her in her onsies for fear she would get too cold.)
Happy Friday!