Ho ho ho!

Well it's only 5 days until Christmas! Do you have all your shopping done? Shopping isn't an issue for me...it's finding time to wrap the presents that seems to get worse with every child added to the family. Point in fact, I should be working on that now but instead I'm playing on the internet and posting this. Anywhoozle...my beloved Hubby tends to forget about the stocking when he's shopping. He never actually did the Santa Claus thing so it's a bit foreign to him. So for those of you who may be handicapped in the same way...here are 150 IDEAS FOR STOCKING STUFFERS!

(I would love to say I created this list but I got it from jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com via pinterest and made a few tweaks)

1. $5 gift cards (Starbucks, McDonalds, Amazon, Borders etc).
2. A favorite candy (I love dark chocolate)   
3. Decorative cupcake liners    
4. A favorite magazine
5. Camera strap cover
6. Packets of flower or herb seeds for planting
7. Personalized stationary
8. Slipper socks
9. Silly putty
10. Rubber coated paddle attachement for a mixer
11. Monogrammed iPhone Case
12. Nail polishes
13. Sharpie Pens or fun colored pens
14. Chapstick
15. Hair bands
16. Small crosswords puzzle book
17. Crayons
18. Body wash
19. Piggy Bank with coins
20. Measuring Spoons
21. Clip on book reading lamp
22. Measuring cups
23. Cute wine stopper
24. Scarf
25. Stickers
26. Monogrammed coasters
27. Lottery tickets
28. Deck of playing cards
29. Rubix cube
30. Loofa
31. Hair clips
32. Cuticle set
33. Jewelry
34. Batteries
35. Cooking extracts - vanilla, mint, orange etc.
36. Mittens
37. Scented candles
38. Bookmarks
39. Fishing lures
40. Knitting or Crochet needles
41. Lotion
42. Play Dough
43. Golf tees or balls
44. Matchbox cars
45. Memory card
46. Cd's
47. Tools
48. Wash/Dish rags
49. Diaper genie refills (you laugh, but those go fast in our house!)
50. Specialty olive oils
51. Eyeshadow
52. Unusual pastas like red chili linguini
53. "From the Kitchen of" labels
54. Gardening gloves
55. Tickets to the zoo or aquarium   
56. Address book
57. An orange - to shape out the toe of the stocking!
58. Ice scraper
59. Small digital camera
60. A teasing comb for all the southern girls
61. Cookie cutters
62. A good book
63. Retractable ID or key holder
64. Makeup bag
65. Nice wooden spoons
66. Gift card to go see a movie
67. USB Drive
68. Small photo frames
69. Wallet
70. Personalized water bottle
71. Speciality teas    
72. Garden markers (for herbs etc)
73. Scented antibacterial kitchen hand soap
74. Pumice stones
75. Travel sized games (connect four, uno, etc)
76. Gourmet spice mixes
77. Small sketchbook
78. Fridge magnets
79. Stencils for crafting
80. Tickets to go see a performance
81. Kid paint set
82. Extra Wii controllers
83. Small calendar for your purse/backpack
84. PJ's
85. Wristlet to hold a small digital camera
86. Wine glass charms
87. Freezable teether's
88. Colored Post-it Notes or note sets with magnets for the fridge
89. Monogrammed onesie or tee
90. Money clip
91. Set of markers
92. Gourmet hot chocolate    
93. Ring holder
94. Wine aerator
95. Cufflinks
96. Pedometer
97. Personalized purse mirror
98. DVD's
99. Cell phone car charger
100. Child sized harmonica
101. Luggage tags
102. Personalized coffee cup
103. Travel alarm clock
104. Charm Bracelet or charms   
105. Personalized mom bracelet or necklace with children's birthstones
106. Perfume/Cologne
107. Speciality chocolates
108. Fun costume ring (Steinmart has good ones)   
109. Cute umbrella
110. Earbuds
111. Flower bulbs
112. Monogrammed baby wipes case
113. Passport holder
114. Raw honey or sorghum molasses    
115. Small digital picture frame
116. Webkinz
117. Snow cap/hat
118. Digital luggage scale
119. Chalk
120. iTunes giftcard
121. Digital measuring tape
122. Bubbles
123. Watch
124. Wine thermometer
125. Tickets to the zoo
126. Speciality coffee such as this one
127. Bath toys
128. Monogrammed burp clothes
129. Makeup brush set
130. Binoculars
131. Barbies
132. Child "character" flashlights
133. Jewelry box
134. Recipe cards (I ordered mine from personalizationmall.com)
135. Swiss Army knife
136. Belt
137. Small lint roller
138. Key chain
139. Baby rings to attach toys to a carseat
140. Coloring book
141. Birthstone earrings
142. Throwback candy - Pez dispensers, pop rocks, nerds, fun dip.
143. Kindle
144. Scrapbooking supplies
145. Personalized fortune cookie (you can have your own message put into them)
146. Universal remote
147. Hand sanitizer
148. Silly Bandz
149. Family Christmas ornament
150. A handwritten note from Santa

Any of the options you can "google" or "bing" and find multiple places to order.

God gave His greatest gift to us
on that first Christmas Day
and may the wonder of it
always guide and light your way...

Merry Christmas!

Tips from a semi-pro

I had to add the "semi" in there because let's face it, I'm not a pro yet. Wondering what I'm talking about? Mommy-hood! I would like to think that I have a bit of experience in recent months now having a 3 month old and an almost 14 month old.

See that's me with my Peanut and Chunky Monkey

I've tried and tested lots of gadgets, gimicks and otherwise interesting baby items in the last two years. Here is what I've learned...starting with designing the nursery.

The Nursery

1. Don't buy an expensive rug. We've gone through 3 now. The first the dog threw up on. Charlie threw up on the second one (there was no getting out processed milk and cheese)...and now we have a cheaper rug. Also don't go with high shag/pilings. Too hard to clean and get out spills. And trust me, there will be some! So go inexpensive for a while.
2. Don't hand make a bumper because it's just for decoration and you'll not use it in 2yrs anyway. I think those of us with designer hats love to create with fabric but for the time and cost for as little as you'll use it, buy one. There are plenty out there that will fit in your scheme.
3. Look for cute sheets and ONLY register for those. I found most of mine online. I made the mistake of buying/registering for sheets that were cute but didn't match. Guess what. The designer in me won't put them on the bed because it irks me that they don't match!
4. Create a spot for play and reading as you're creating the space because you'll use it sooner than you think.  I didn't take this in to consideration and wish I had gotten a toy chest in the beginning.
5. Baskets, baskets, baskets! Such a great thing for storage and kids can get things out of them easily.
6. If you can help it, don't put the crib near the window. They will not only pull on blinds and curtains but the sun will wake them up or make it hard for them to go to bed.
7. When/if you make curtains, line them well so that you can close them and block out light. Trust me. You'll want this if you have one that rises with the chickens!!!
8. Invest in a cute sound/light machine for the crib. Works like a charm to distract when you need them to settle down for the night.
9. Use a dresser or other similar item instead of a changing table. The changing table is practical but in the end, you can't really re-use it when they get older.
10. If you choose to do a "theme" just remember that you might be changing it sooner rather than later. They grow fast! So keep that in mind when selecting your curtains and other non-crib fabrics and accessories. Will it be easy to find bedding to match them when you move to a toddler or "big boy/girl bed"?

Now on to what seemed was my biggest and most expensive learning curve...

The Diaper Bag

When I started looking for a diaper bag I was determined to find one for me, not to match the baby. So first decide if you care if it's a true diaper bag or if you want something you can use as a diaper bag. Truth be told, you don't need tons and tons of room but you do need something like a large purse. Currently, what works for me - two large purses that have good pockets I found at TJ Maxx. I interchange between the two based on my mood and love them. Both can fit on my shoulder since I now usually have a baby on each hip. And I disagree that you need one that closes at the top. I never close mine because you don't always have two hands free to open it up! Plus sometimes you need to grab something fast. Here's what you'll ultimately carry around:

1. 2-3 diapers (register for a "diapees and wipees" carrying case and they fit a just enough) 
2. small thing of wipes (Target has them in the travel section so I use those small packets)
3. bags (like the doggie poop bags) for putting dirty diapers in and it fits in the diapees and wipees case
4. bottle and formula or breast milk (best if you have a pocket for this but not required).
5. hand sanitizer or something similar (wet ones travel size are good to have on hand). I have this in my make-up case anyway.
6. pacifier (or I just carry it in the carrier most of the time). Check these out - my boys LOVE THEM and you never lose them: wubbanub  
7. changing pad (I have one that rolls out that is terry cloth but I rarely use it! But it's basically a terry cloth that has string around it to keep it in place and is handy to have "just in case")
8. MAYBE a toy but most of the time I just keep some in a basket in my car and grab one if I need it (i.e. doctor's office)
9. for the first 2 months - a onsie in case they blow it out (or like me, just keep one in your car because at that point you're going to want to go home anyway!)

And when they get a little older:

1. baby food if needed but usually only a jar so it doesn't take up a lot of space
2. a snack (I use a cheerio container that I can just drop in my purse if I know I might need a snack)
3. plastic cover for tables if you eat out

So you see, most of what I listed is easily carried in a large purse. It seems like a lot but it's not really. So before you automatically assume you need a diaper bag, think about if you would rather find a cool purse that could work as a diaper bag. I bought 2 diaper bags that are Petunia Pickle Bottom and I rarely use them. I can fit more in my large purse and it's easier to access than the diaper bags! Not that there is anything wrong with these and I still carry one in the spring, but I didn't truly need a "diaper bag" in the end.

 

Just think about how you use your purse, what you want to carry in it (yours and baby stuff or just baby? have two bags or just one?) and then shop around. Think simple - which is why I just carry around one bag. And what do I do for church and other places that I need to leave a bag for the boys? I bought them each a pre-school backpack from Pottery Barn. Fits just enough for each one.

So I hope those tips help if you are expecting or know someone who is expecting. Of course I've learned so much more but these are two topics I made the most mistakes in!

White wine and lemon chicken

Ever struggle to answer the age old question "what's for dinner?" Boy I do. And the Hubbie is no help either. He'll tell you what he DOESN'T want but isn't much help for ideas. Since starting back to work, which means I have to be that much more efficient, I have started creating a list of dinner options. That way one of us can look at the list and pick an item and I know I have all the ingredients. Plus when I shop, I can usually make sure I get everything I need easily.

This week our menu looked like this:

• Vegetable Beef Stew with beer muffins
• Chicken Pot Pie (Daniel's favorite comfort food)
• Chicken Noodle Soup and grilled cheese sandwhiches (a favorite of Charlie's)
• Chicken Florentine ring
• Pork Tenderloin and veggies
• Spaghetti
• Shrimp Creole (a client brought it over and we froze some)
• Soup and Sandwiches (usually butternut squash soup and paninis)

One of the things I love to do when I have 5 minutes of down time is to watch the cooking channel. OK. I'll admit it. Since I became pregnant with Cole, I am addicted to it. My favorite shows are The Next Iron Chef America: Super Chefs, Cupcake Wars, Cook Like a Rock Star (I think that's what it is called with Chef Anne Burrell), Restaurant Impossible and Chef Hunter. The things the Iron Chefs can cook in those challenges is insane! And the cupcakes from Cupcake Wars!? I'd love to taste some of the dishes and cupcakes.  But I digress...

When I was sitting down to errr...express some nourishment for Cole (i.e. pump), I started watching the Barefoot Contessa. Or at least I think that's who it was. I don't usually watch TV during that hour so I could be wrong. Anywhoozle, she was putting together a quick dinner party menu. I had enough time to catch the main course - baked chicken with white wine sauce so I thought I'd give it a shot. Now you know in those shows they "sort've" show you how and "sort've" give you the ingredients so you "sort've" have to guesstimate sometimes.  

I have to say this dish was pretty tasty although I would tweak the recipe a bit to accomodate my taste buds. So the below recipe is Anna-vised. The Hubbie gave it two thumbs up so it's something I could fix again.  

Baked Chicken with White Wine and Lemon Sauce

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (skin on, bone in)
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream
1/2 stick butter, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken breasts. In a cast-iron skillet, add a few TBS of EVOO. Once oil is heated, add chicken breasts, skin side down. Cook on med-high heat for 5-7 minutes then turn and cook an additional 3 minutes. This will get the skin side nice and crispy before it goes in the oven.
2. Place chicken and skillet in 375 pre-heated oven (no need to cover) and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until juices are clear
3. For the sauce, add the shallotts, white wine and lemon juice to a pan and reduce on medium heat to about 2 TBS. In other words, cook it until there's only about 2 TBS left. If you over reduce it, just add a little more white wine to it.
4. Add the cream and then remove from heat.
5. Add the butter and melt then add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove chicken from skillet and spoon sauce over each breast.

Now depending on your tastes, you may want to add less lemon juice and more cream or vice versa. The sauce is a very lemony sauce so don't expect a creamy, mild taste. But once it's paired with the chicken, it's delicious! I served this with steamed broccoli (the sauce was really good on the broccoli too) and mashed potato casserole.

Hope you enjoy! (If you want any of the recipes listed in my menu, shoot me an email or post a comment and request it).

Bon Apetit!