A New Dress Fixes Everything

Day 4

Well, nothing went as planned today. My misfortune actually started last night when time got away from me and I was unable to make that tomato sauce. Also never got around to buying the supplies I needed to make our patriotic fans for Sunday. Drat! At the swim meet, even with our Poolside Bentos, the Princess filled up on so much sugar that she was up until 11:30! Ugh! Next came The Storm. Because Hubby is out of town, the Weimaraner decided to take refuge on me. Not beside me. On me. It's not easy to sleep with a 70 pound dog on you.

 Trouble Maker 1.0

So today began as usual around 5:30, thanks to Yorkie puppy.

Trouble Maker 2.0

Got the kids up just before 8:00. Argued with Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me about why he had to go to swim practice. Got the Princess to Cheer Camp. Picked Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me up from the pool. Collapsed on the couch. An hour later, it was off to find a present for my brother's 28th birthday. I'd decided on a Beach theme. First stop, WonderWorks, a local toy store. I had decided to get him one of these:

Cool, huh?

As I was paying for this beach day wonder, I discovered I'd left my debit card at the theatre yesterday. Well, *@%$!

Second stop, Ross, where I found a beach tent/canopy. Now, I just needed a beach towel to wrap it all up! No beach towels. But wait...what's that? The dress rack! Ooooh, I do love a dress. Maybe I'll just take peek. Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me picked out one for me. A long sundress. I've wanted one for a long time. And, at just $12, what a find! 

Time was running out, I had to get back to the high school to pick up the Princess and her friend from camp. Got 'em. Dropped the friend off and forgot to leave the application for our Daisy Troop. Figures! No time to turn back. I had to high-tail it to the theatre to retrieve the debit card. Easy enough. Once home, I tried on THE dress. Best part of my day. Not-too-big-to-say-he-loves-me said, "Oh, mom, you look so pretty in that dress!" He really knows how to melt a girl's heart.

 Oh, and the beach towel? I had to get that at Target, where I also found a very cute bracelet trio that matches THE dress perfectly. What a great day!

8 days a week

Today at 5:30 AM, my husband and oldest son (Man-cub) left for California. A trip from east to west coast was Man-cub's Christmas present. Hubby makes this trip every year for business. Charleston, SC to Monterrey, CA. This year, since Man-cub is with him, they will venture into San Fransisco and then to Yosemite for some camping. I know they will have a great time and make memories to last a lifetime. Unfortunately for me, they took our camera. So no photos of my stuff on the blog this week!
So, what to do with myself for the next 8 days...hummm...

DAY 1

(Cue Music)
Well, I woke up this mornin, and you were on my mind:

Pom Pom Flowers!
Kristin at Domsetifluff has a great tutorial on these. The Princess and I made 6 of them in various sizes. We plan to send some to our adopted soldier in a care package. I think they'll brighten her day!

I also tackled my coupon drawer. (Groan) You know that drawer that is jammed packed with coupons. It barely opens (if at all) so it's understandable if you forgot it was there. There were so many booklets of coupons in there. Most expired. I'm pretty sure I threw away enough money to fund Man-cub's first year in college. Considering that's only in 3 years, I'm really kicking myself. Money Saving Mom would shutter. So I need a system. Anyone have a good one? Please tell me about how you organize your coupons so that you actually use them.

After that, the Princess got to work making food for our weekly bentos. We hard boiled some eggs and made them star and heart shaped. We used these awesome egg molds that I got from I Love Obento!


I also cut some marbled cheddar cheese into cute flower shapes. I've put it all away in the fridge to pull out this week as I need them.

Later, I will make this yummy looking bread posted by Shannon at What's for lunch at our house. Yummmm...just take a look at it:

Blueberry Banana Bread!
With Man-cub out of town, this will be a hit. For some strange reason, he doesn't like bananas. Who's ever heard of such a thing?

Once all that is done, I believe it what's left of Day 1 will be filled with R and R. At least until it's time to start some dinner. I plan to make this Vegetable Fried Rice posted by Michelle at All home Cooking. All Year Long.:


See you tomorrow!

My First Official Bentos!

Reading all the many blogs I do, I've found the perfect solution to lunch at my house. Bentos! I'm able to serve portion-controlled, healthy lunches to my family and bring my creativity into play. Perfect! So I've found tons of websites and blogs on the subject, ordered some supplies, and gotten to work. Yesterday, I put everything I'd learned to the test.

I started with this Breakfast Bento...
Yes, that is chocolate cake! All the cool moms are serving it! It's actually a slice of Amy's organic chocolate cake. Think of it as a rectangular muffin. There's also kiwi and strawberry flowers. And, finally, granola with yogurt.

So, lunchtime rolls around and what does my Princess ask for? A Bento, of course! Supplies come back out and this is what I whipped up quickly before I scooted to the polls to vote. Did you vote yesterday?

The Four Little Bears

The Bear Sandwiches are turkey and spinach.

There are carrots with ranch dip, pistachios, and strawberries.

These were my first attempts at Bentos. I think they turned out ok. The Princess sure ate them up! I'll be posting them over at What's for Lunch at our House as part of her What's For Lunch Wednesday. Check out all the entries!