FREE Holiday Cards!!!

Nothing like a free offer to get you blogging again after a 3-month blogging hiatus!

Just for telling all of you about the wonderful products they have to offer, Shutterfly is giving me 50 FREE holiday cards!!!   I am exstatic!  This time of year rolls around, and I start to stress about getting cards out.  And getting them out on TIME.  But first I have to get a cute picture taken, choose where to order from, what design, etc., etc.  VERY stressful for me!  But Shutterfly is taking some of the work out of it this year (since now I already know where I'm getting them from) and they are getting me on the ball early! 

I have been signed up with Shutterfly for a while, but for no reason in particular, don't have much ordering history with them.  I continue to get emails with all kinds of great offers, however, and I always love browsing through their products.  They have an amazing line of cards to offer this holiday season.  I can't believe how many designs there are to choose from!  Go HERE to check them out.  You can choose from stationary cards, photo cards, or folded greeting cards.  And it probably goes without saying, but all of them can be personalized.  I'm quite particular when it comes to just the right design that I'm looking for, but it looks like I won't be disappointed with Shutterfly's options!

Shutterfly also has many great holiday gift ideas available.  What Grandma wouldn't LOVE staring at pictures of her grandkids everytime she refers to her calendar?!  And photo calendars always serve as a great conversation piece when friends are over (again, what Grandma doesn't jump at the chance to brag talk about her kids and grandkids?!).  Click HERE to see the beautiful calendar templates.

Then, if you're REALLY on top of things, they already have their Valentine's Day card designs available to choose from!  They have some super cute designs.  Look at those HERE.

Thanks for AMAZING products and an AMAZING deal Shutterfly!

Oh... and if you want to sign up to blog about and get your own free set of cards, click HERE. 

You're welcome!  :)

Nutritious and Delicious Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Creative title, don't you think?  Ha.  Anyway...
I'm the only normal member of my family who LOVES vegetables.  I could have a plate full of veggies for dinner every night and be perfectly happy.  Billy and the kids, not so much.  They do like some veggies - in small quantities.  But if I never prepared another vegetable side dish as long as they lived, they wouldn't be sad.
So I have to get creative when trying to get my kids to even get a portion of their required daily servings of veggies.  Smoothies have been one way I've been able to do this.  Vanessa is the one who first told me she put veggies in her kids' smoothies.  I was skeptical at first, but I decided to give it a whirl.  Some things work, some don't.  Like don't try spinich, right Vanessa?  Peas, however, do SO well in a smoothie.  They have the right texture and a mild enough taste that won't over power the other flavors.  So, before you think I'm nuts, try this recipie I created.  You will never even know it has peas in it.  I promise!

Cocolate Banana Smoothie

1 package chocolate flavored Carnation Instant Breakfast mix
1 1/2 - 2 frozen* bananas (depending on your taste)
3/4 - 1 cup milk, until desired consistency  (I use skim)
1/2 cup green peas

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

I actually divide this in half for Tyler and Allison.  Give them a handful of pretzels to go along with it, and it's the perfect mid-afternoon snack (or breakfast-on-the-go even!).
The first time Tyler and Allison had it, they slurped it down in like 5 minutes.  Tyler even went out of his way to tell me, "That smoothie was REALLY good!"  And when I asked Allison how delicious it was, she gave it a 10!  And this is coming from two kids who really dislike peas!  Like I said, you won't even know they're in there!

*I use frozen bananas because it gives the smoothie just the right consistency and makes it cold without having to use ice. 
If you don't keep frozen bananas on hand, here's a little tip.  Everytime I buy bananas, I always seem to have one or two left over that start to get spotted and no one will eat.  So option #1 is to make banana bread.  If we're not in a banana bread kind of mood, then option #2 is to peel them, put them in a Zip-loc bag, and stick 'em in the freezer.  Then I always have frozen bananas just waiting to be a part of my next smoothie (and the bananas are much sweeter that way too). 

By the way, has anyone purchased Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious?  If so, do you like it?  It's actually on sale (45% off) at barnesandnoble.com for $7.12 (and it's a hardcover)!  So I'm ordering mine today!  Anyone want to purchase it with me?  Orders over $25 get free shipping!

Didn't think I could possibly make this post any longer???  Well, think again!  :)
Here's some banana humor for ya...compliments of our very own Tyler Man!
Tyler (when he sees that I'm chewing something):  I want a bite!
Tyler again (when he discovers it's a banana):  Oh nevermind, I don't like bananas.  I'm not a monkey.
I wasn't aware that was a prerequisite!

Why is it always the catchy tunes???

When I hear a song that has a good beat, I typically don't even pay attention to the lyrics.  If I do try to sing along, I've been known to improvise the words I'm not sure of.  (I always thought "manic Monday" was "man named Monday" and never understood why the song would suggest that it was such an ordinary name!)  I'm one of those people that usually doesn't know the artist of a song.  It's only once in a blue moon that I even listen to the radio these days.  And I typically discover a "new" song once the rest of the world has been listening to it for quite some time.
So you can only imagine how floored I was to discover what the lyrics of the Britney Spears song, 3, were all about.  Afterall, I've ONLY listened to it like 100 times, NEVER even knowing what it was talking about.  I even had it on my Playlist (you proabably already knew that though).  I always thought it was a stupid title and wondered why it was called that.  But did I look it up then???  Of course not.
Anyway, I was listening to the song for the 101st time last night and just happen to catch the line, "living in sin is the new thing."  Hello!  Huge red flag (that I had been missing)!  So I finally looked up the lyrics, and it's HORRIBLE!  Needless to say, I removed the song from my Playlist and I won't be listening to it anymore. 
I feel so bad that I was advertising this song on my blog and I'm sorry if I offended anyone.  Maybe there are more on my Playlist like that and I'm not even aware (please tell me if you've caught any...you won't hurt my feelings!).  At least I've learned a valuable lesson, and I'm certain that I'll be more diligent in doing my homework before adding new songs in the future!

Check it Out!

A friend of mine started up a new blog called Simply Modern Mom where she blogs about all her crafty and helpful ideas she comes up with, the current projects she is working on, tips to simplify our lives, tutorials, etc. You are sure to come away from her blog with a new idea or inspiration each time you visit! Now she is doing her first giveaway! She has designed some super cute crocheted hair clips, and is giving a pair of them away to two lucky winners.

Go HERE to see for yourself!

A Little on the Random Side

Here's a little glimpse into our regular day-to-day lives! These are just some random pictures that have been taken over the last few weeks. Enjoy!

With the recent cooler Fall weather, Billy has been bringing in wood from the woodpile to keep by the fireplace for our warm, cozy fires. Along with these pieces of wood have come many lizards seeking shelter for the winter. One morning I was reloading the fire and I see this little guy perched on one of the logs. I immediately called for Tyler to come and rescue him. He quickly grabbed him, named him "Noggerhead," and got to keep him as a pet for the day. I'm not sure how he came up with the name, and no, he didn't hold him ALL day - he has a bug catcher that he keeps little guys like this in for observation.

Little Diva in Training

Last week I hosted a Premier Jewelry party. All the guys went out to dinner, while the girls got to stay home and try on jewelry - including Allison! She had a blast!

Here's a little further glimpse into this diva's world as she listens to music with Daddy on "her" ipod. (Billy said he bought it for Allison since she loves music so much. ;)


And I saved the best for last...

Introducing Mrs. and Mr. Potato Head!

This face just cracks me up!