Old Navy Embellished Tank Top Sample

I was so excited to be chosen for the embellished tank top sample for Old Navy recently. I have had a rough couple of weeks and when the e-mail arrived saying I had been chosen, I was ecstatic! I asked a few of my friends on Facebook if they would like to go with me to get some free tank tops. Of course, they said yes!!!



We all met at the Moscow, ID Old Navy store at about 2:30. And it was also Stock Up time!! What luck! We wandered around the store, looking at the cute new clothes and dreaming up outfits for each of us. I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I love comfy clothes that I can lounge around in. My other friend is a work-at-home mom but loves to be more stylish. Another is a teacher who needs clothes that are stylish, yet functional in the classroom. The last friend is a nanny but loves to have fun. Each of us had fun picking out clothes that fit our styles. We finally came upon the table with all the embellished tanks. I loved all the variety that was available. It was so much fun to try them on and see how they looked. I was definitely surprised to find that I needed a size smaller than I would normally wear. How exciting!!

Here is what I chose:


Two of my other friends chose this tank:


And my other friend chose this tank:


We are all thrilled with our choices. We had so much fun hanging out together as we picked out our new tanks and showing each other the outfits we had picked out. I, of course, stocked up on the $3 and $5 t-shirts too while I was there. What a deal! After our party, I went out for ice cream with one of my friends to celebrate our deals :D I hope that I get chosen for the style council again soon!

5 days down...160 more to go...

Although I am hoping for MUCH less time on bedrest, I am trying to prepare myself for the worst. It has been a boring couple of days, but I am reminding myself that my baby is totally worth it. I wouldn't want to be the reason that I lost my baby. So, I am taking one day at a time. Right now, I have an ultrasound scheduled for the 5th of May. They will be evaluating me pretty closely. My dr told me that in the last 8 years, he has only had one patient that didn't have their placenta move up. Be praying that it moves up soon!

Rudi's Sandwich Bread

The last couple of weeks have been a difficult couple of weeks for one reason: fresh honey. And fresh honey requires nummy toast. And I haven't been eating toast because of my gluten-free diet. It has been a sad couple of weeks. So, yesterday, I went to the local food co-op determined to find some more gluten-free products. In the freezer section, I found a section with gluten-free bread... What kind should I pick? There were 6 different flavors from 3 different brands.... So I did a little eeny-meeny-miney-mo and Rudi's Sandwich Bread was the winner. The bread slices looked REALLY small, but so did the rest of the bread. I went along and finished my shopping (which included tons of different new flours... I'm so excited!). I got home, put the kids down for a nap, and myself down for a nap (which I wish I was doing right now!!). When I got up from the nap, I remembered the bread. It was perfectly thawed, so I threw a piece in the toaster, and set about making myself some peanut butter and honey for the top... Oh my! The toast came out of the toaster, got slathered with some butter, and then the peanut butter honey. Perfection!! I was so afraid it was going to be something better off used to feed the pooch, but it was really good!! John even liked it! So next time you're shopping for gluten-free bread... Rudi's is really great!! I even made a sandwich from it today and still pretty darn good!

Starting a Gluten-Free Life...

Two weeks ago, I started on a new adventure in my life. I cut all gluten out of my diet. It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be. Many restaurants now have gluten-free dishes on the menu, which helps a lot! I went shopping in Spokane last weekend with my mom, sister and aunt and was able to stay on the gluten-free diet the whole time. I ate a gluten-free dish called Pannini with Marinara sauce and a chicken breast at Red Lobster. While not the best dish I have ever had, it wasn't bad for being gluten-free. I had a gyro salad at the Pita Pit that was nummy. The best part of all of this is that I am feeling SO much better!! I have more energy, less headaches (which were an every day occurrence, and don't feel like I am going to keel over if I don't get a nap. I made the best discovery this last week though... Gluten-Free Bisquick. I made waffles from it on Thursday morning and they were a huge hit. Seriously, the best waffles I have ever had. The Big Boy ate 2 whole waffles by himself and the Little One ate one. So good! Tonight, we had these Garlic Biscuits... http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gluten-free-cheese-garlic-biscuits/781e1a42-c051-4ab9-bd5e-ac38c7588bc0 And we had homemade spaghetti sauce on rice noodles.

My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef, extra lean
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1-14 oz can tomato sauce (I used organic)
1-14 oz can diced tomatoes (I used home canned tomatoes from our garden... NUM!), drained
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup sugar

Brown the ground beef with the onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Serve over noodles.

BumGenius OS 3.0 diaper giveaway from Diapershops.com

I love my cloth diapers so much. It helps when you have good places to order. One of my favorite places to order is Kelly's Closet. I just placed an order there today for 2 packages of Rockin' Green and received a free one-size cloth diaper! I am so excited. They always do a great job filling my orders and getting them to me quickly. Right now, Diapershops.com is giving away free cloth diapers. They are giving away 6 BumGenius One-Size 3.0 diapers when they reach 5700 followers. I hope I win!!

Monkey Mae Says...

I follow a blog called Monkey Mae Says... It is a blog about a baby and her Mommy Chick and has lots of fashion tips. I love it! It is written from the baby's point of view. It helps that the baby was in my due date group and is close to the same age as my Little One. Anyways, today is their blogoversary and they are having a giveaway!! Go to: monkeymaesays.blogspot.com

She is giving away some great nail polish AND they are having another giveaway when they reach 200 followers :D

This week has been incredibly busy, stressful, and thankfully a new week has now started. We are still trying to get our house ready to sell, which keeps us busy. I am just hoping we can find a house we love when the time comes!! I have eaten out a lot lately and today was the first day I have been home all day for over a week. It was so nice! I managed to get 4 loads of laundry finished and the dishes mostly done. And I am making potato soup for dinner... Mmmm!!! Just a warning though, I love bacon so it has a lot. You can definitely cut back on that.

Potato Soup

8 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
8 baby carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cups water (or enough to cover)
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
4 cups milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour

Fry bacon pieces in the bottom of a large stock pot until crispy. Take bacon out and place on a paper towel to soak up extra fat. Remove all but 2 Tbsp bacon fat from pan. Dump in potatoes, carrots and celery and saute in bacon fat for about 5 minutes. Add water and bouillon. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add milk, bring to a boil. In a small frying pan, add butter and melt. Add flour and cook until it is light brown (very light). Add to soup. Cook until thick. That is pretty much it!! Sprinkle bacon over the top of the soup. You can also add cheese if desired.