Healthier Halloween Candy

Image courtesy of Elana's Pantry

My new favorite go-to recipe site for Paleo friendly dishes is Elana's Pantry. Y'all - oh my goodness. Elana might get the biggest heartsies from me ever. I found about her at a wedding of some friends who did the entire thing Paleo - even the CAKE! Rough Creek Lodge catered it so you know they are on the ball, and I tracked down the chef to get him to let me in on the secret. I was like, ok so it's actually not Paleo you're just saying it is, right? C'mon you can tell me. Wink wink. 

Well, it was ALL Paleo. Scones, muffins, and yes, the cake. He directed me to Elana's Pantry and I was in grain-free heaven. She does use agave nectar in several recipes which is not Paleo, and Elana also notes that and gives several without agave, yet I have had no issue with substituting honey in any of the agave recipes I have tried. My favorite so far is the silver dollar pancake recipe, yet I am super excited to try this yummy looking Halloween candy! She has recipes for all of the following - click the name for a direct link:

Mounds Candy Bars

Peppermint Patties

Almond Joy Bars

Nut Butter Cups

Orange Coconut Clusters

Fudge Babies {fruit sweetened, no added agave or honey}

I hope to have time this weekend but if not, I'll report back next week. I have been absent from blogging this week as I have been working at the Dallas apparel mart and that will continue through Sunday. Stop by and say hi! Here is our booth:

Don't you just love the rug?! It will be for Munchkin's big girl room at some point. An old find from Anthropologie before Squish was even born. Recycling is fun :)))

Happy Halloween everyone if I don't talk to you before then!

Pre-Ordering Is HERE!

Make sure to take advantage of this special opportunity for ONE week only...and then that's it until next spring when the clothes are finally released into stores! Get the style you want in the size you need + FREE shipping. Head over to www.sheridanfrench.com for all of the goodies. Heartsies!

Baby Gift Inspiration

Hermes Baby Blanket $730 Rikshaw Bib and Burp Set $39 Pink Chicken Diaper Cover $28 each Jonathan Adler Needlepoint Pillow $98 Ikea Baby Gym $25 Ikea Circus Mobile $10 Serena & Lily Zodiac Art $98 each Zuny Elephant Bookends $118 Tiffany Dump Truck Bank $3500 Giant Noah's Ark $260 Personalized Baby Mug $22

A reader request I often get is, "What are your favorite baby gifts to give and get?" I have been meaning to put together an inspiration board for this for months and am happy to say I finally got around to it...but in another direction than I originally intended. As I searched through my saved sites and came across one fun pressie after another, I realized the price tags of these wonderful gifts were beyond unrealistic on most of the items. Hence, about half of this is a baby gift inspiration board, with inspiration being the key word. As in, don't have an extra $3500 to spare on a sterling silver dump truck bank from Tiffany's? I'm sure you could head over to Target and pick one up for somewhere in the realm of $12.99. See? Inspiration! :D 

Now I have to be honest with you: typically I am the lame shower guest that actually gives practical gifts like bibs and burp cloths. I know it is fun to get 47 pink ruffle dresses or smocked train coveralls, but I keep my babies in clothes they can spit up on until the cows come home the majority of the time. As a mom, I know what I NEED vs. what I WANT, and there is a big difference, so I try to keep that in mind when giving to others. That doesn't mean you shouldn't glance at Hermes blankets every once in a while, but as gorgeous as it is, I would be more compelled to at least ask the mother if she would rather have $700 worth of diapers instead ;) I will also send a little monogrammed gift after the baby is born though, and it's always nice to include something for the new mother like a yummy scented candle.

Also, poke around on all of the sites below, especially Rikshaw, Serena & Lily and Giggle. They have LOADS of fun items and I know you will find THE perfect baby gift, and most certainly won't leave with an empty shopping cart. Success! What is the best baby gift you have ever received??!

Homemade Sugar Scrub

I had a great sugar scrub from Dr. Mercola for my face that finally/sadly ran out. The ingredients are all organic and very simple, so I decided to look around online for ways to make my own. I was thrilled to find several different recipes with plenty of room for improv! Perfect for the onset of winter...

My first stop was Tip Junkine. Laurie had an entire article on 14 Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipes. I went through them and narrowed down to three sites that had very simple recipes. 

{1} Vintage Homemade Sugar Scrub via Dance for 5 :: This is the most simple with only three ingredients that I am sure most people have in their pantries already, so no grocery store trip required! I will have to go get the sugar :) 

{2} Homemade Sugar Scrub in Decorated Jars via Maybe Matilda :: The jars are the cute part of this one! I love the tags, and Rachel points out they would be great for baby shower gifts. So true! I would also love to give one to new mothers just to help make those first few weeks a tad bit easier!!

{3} Christmas Sugar Scrubs via Great Oak Circle :: Three YUMMY sounding recipes. Honey Almond Sleepy Sugar Scrub {I'm asleep already...}, Vanilla Almond Brown Sugar Scrub, and Peppermint Sugar Scrub. She gets fancy and adds in oatmeal, almonds and the like. 

For my first go at this, I am definitely going to combine white and brown sugar and add in some vanilla scent and perhaps some honey as well. Maybe this is a new way for me to feel like I am breaking Paleo?? ;) 

I am going to experiment this weekend - fun project to do with Squish! Let me know which ones you try and how they turn out. Do you have any homemade sugar scrub recipes or tips? 

FAMILY

It's not often I do a double post these days, but I came across this poem on Modern Mom and it was too important and true not to share. 

FAMILY

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,

"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too;

I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I.

We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,

My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.

I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. 

While I lay awake in bed,

God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger,

common courtesy you use,

but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,

You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.

He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,

you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,

And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;

"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"

He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.

I knew you'd like them, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;

I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's ok.

I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too,

and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

Be gentle with everyone in your life - particularly family, and especially your children. Apologize and, perhaps more importantly, ask for forgiveness. 

She ends her post like this: Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days, but the family we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives? And, come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family - an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

Something to think about... Definitely food for thought when it comes to my ever-present and constantly guilt-wridden should I keep working debate...

Love List :: Feature

Sweet Jess Graves from the ever fabulous Love List did a feature on my own personal Love List today! Head on over to check it out. I just love Jessica and her site and I know you will, too. She was - I believe - the very first piece of press I ever got when my line started getting buzz last year, and I am forever grateful to her! It was such a special day to see someone in the blogosphere write about me. Muchas smoochas to you sweet thing! {and ps she is an ubertalented designer also. just keeps getting better, doesn't it?!}

Emi-Jay WINNER!

Wahoo!....Random.org says the winner is....Kim Boyd! I'll email you tonight so you can give me your details :)) Congratulations, and thank you again Emi-Jay for donating such a great product for these sweet readers! 

Most Wanted :: LBD

Image courtesy of Kelly Wearstler

Out of all of Kelly Wearstler's new clothing in her recent collection launch, my favorite, shockingly!, is a little black dress. She is offering colors, prints and patterns galore, but this black one really caught my eye. It is the perfect cocktail frock if you ask me, and would get major wear during the upcoming holiday season. I'll take it! 

p.s. My Emi-Jay giveaway is still going on! Entry will close this evening at 6pm CST so make sure to get your name in the pot ASAP!

Emi-Jay Giveaway!

I have such a great way to start off the weekend for you all! Ever since I posted about my love for Emi-Jay Hair Ties back in August, I've been in touch with the crew over at the Emi-Jay camp and they are just the nicest people ever. So nice, that they have generously sent me some goodies so that I can host a giveaway for my lovely readers! 

I debated about whether I wanted to give you hair ties or their headbands, and as much as I love the hair ties, their headbands have been amazing. Most headbands I have used in the past just slip right off my head and cause more frustration than they're worth, but not Emi-Jay's. Seriously - they stay in place. All day. And look super chic. What more could we ask for ladies?? Some free ones? You got it!

I have EIGHT free headbands for you {they would normally run you 50 bucks!} in these colors:

black :: brown :: white :: multi-colored metallic :: gold metallic {2} :: silver/white metallic :: silver/black metallic

Just to show you how versatile these are, take a look at all of these styling options below. LOVE the elegant up-do! 

I'll run the giveaway through the weekend and into Monday, and will announce a winner on Tuesday after doing a random number generator selection. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your name and contact information below, with an extra entry for becoming a NEW follower! Gooooood luck and TGIF! 

Clever Staircase Ideas!

Images via Pinterest

I am finally gearing back up into the swing of things {and by that I mean sitting in bed listening to the rain while scouring Pinterest for new images and ideas}, and I seem to keep coming across GREAT ideas for the typically wasted space beneath staircases. Take a look!

This one is not really for beneath, but a fun idea nonetheless. I can't tell you the number of times I still wish for a slide in our house!

Now the hard part is deciding which idea to use in the future. I am leaning towards the playhouse + slide :) 

Which is your favorite?? Any of you come across other brilliant ideas for beneath the staircase space? Do share! 

Ninja Chop.

I can't believe it has been over a week since I have blogged. My allergies have knocked me dead though and I am about to ninja chop the heck out of them if they don't let up. {If anyone is paying attention, I am writing this at 2:53am. Wahoo...} Typically in my spare time {HA} I love to sit down and have a little girl time with you all, but the past week or so as soon as the kids are down for naps, all I want to do is cuddle up in a little ball in my very dark bedroom cave and try to forget about the fact that my nose is falling off and I have needles in my eyes. So, I am really, really sorry for my abscence. I am praying that they stop torturing me soon so I can once again rejoin the world of normalcy! 

Just so you know that I am not abandoning you forever, below is my "to blog" list: 

- my favorite turquoise/blue rooms

- vibram five fingers

- all of the uses for vinegar {there are like 43,000...but I won't share them all}

- best baby gifts ranging from super budget friendly to Hermes

- when allergies attack: caught on tape

In the meantime, Squish and I will be singing his version of Old MacDonald had a farm to keep me distracted from my slow death. I pause at the "and on his farm he had a ______" and let him select a word. It is TOO funny! Here are some of his favorite "farm animals" as of late:

Old MacDonald had a.....car transporter

Old MacDonald had a.....Oscar {our cat}

Old MacDonald had a.....chocolate almond butter

Old MacDonald had a.....Daddy {typically right after Biz leaves for the office...so cute}

Old MacDonald had a.....toot

HA.

Silly Old MacDonald. 

I should probably try to sleep... muchas smuchas! Hope to be back SOON!!