The Paper Mama “Family” Photo Challenge

February 18, 2012 | Posted by

The challenge: All my photo challenges should be based around your children (pets are always welcome). Family!

My example of “Family”:

{An oldie photo from the summer of my sweet family.}
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  • First time joining the Paper Mama photo challenge? Start here for rules and upcoming challenges.
  • My photo challenges do require you to have either your children or one of your furry children (pets) in the photo (unless it’s a self portrait week). It could be just one finger… or a toe… but, they must be there.

. 2010 winners . 2011 winners . 2012 winners .

Black and White

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The Paper Mama

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The winner of the “Heart” photo challenge is…

February 18, 2012 | Posted by

This weeks challenge was: Heart!

First:

{Pamplemousse}

Congrats! You can grab your first place button here!

Second:

{Mathew and Larissa}

Third:

{Nurse Loves Farmer}

Fourth:

{Bird and Tree}

Fifth:

{Tanya Zaleski}

Congrats! You can grab your top 5 button here!

Favorites:
http://www.pamplemousse1983.com/2012/02/paper-mama-challenge-heart.html
Congrats! You can grab your favorite button here!
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  • First time joining the Paper Mama photo challenge? Start here for rules and upcoming challenges.
  • My photo challenges do require you to have either your children or one of your furry children (pets) in the photo (unless it’s a self portrait week). It could be just one finger… or a toe… but, they must be there.

. 2010 winners . 2011 winners . 2012 winners .

Party Time!

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Links to love.

February 17, 2012 | Posted by

I made some bacon hearts again this year for Valentine’s Day! BUT, this time I popped them onto some store bought cinnamon rolls…. paired them with a beer and they were all ready for my hubs when he got home from work. P.S. Bacon on cinnamon rolls = delicious.

I’ve been loving all the string art that’s popping up all over the internets. This blog shares a couple of great tips if you want to make your own!

I will be making this for Ruari! She would love it. So so so sweet. A very cute little DIY to give to your favorite kiddo.

A sweet post for mama’s that feed with bottles. Ruari never breast fed and I pumped for a year for her. I worried that we would never bond… we obviously have. But, it’s a sweet post. <3

I’m in LOVE with the creations in this Etsy shop. Especially the fox necklace. <3

How about a little shout out to a couple of sweet sponsors here, here, and here!

You can find me here hanging out with the Dumb Mom on Valentine’s Day. Hee!

I’ve finally decided that this year we will be painting the floor in Ruari’s room. Like they did. Her poor wood floor had carpet glued down on it years ago… and, it was painted before that… pretty much: we can’t save it.

So, I know we have a while before Easter… but, I think I’m going to give this a try this year!

Remember my “Learning to Dress Myself” post? Well, this post from Katie is some wonderful encouragement to help you find your style!

Are you ready for iPhone awesome? I am… I LOVE this DIY phone case! I would love one!

This is a sweet little project… Best Friend Wall Art. Simple! Cute!

I love this portrait for IROCKSOWHAT from a new blogger to me: Feeling Above the Weather.

I hope you all have a lovely Friday!!!

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Q & A: Fill in the Blanks

February 16, 2012 | Posted by

Hi! Don from Adeline’s Daddy tagged me for a little blog fun on Wednesday. I thought it would be fun to answer them for myself!

1. I started my blog because…
Well, I started my blog because I wanted to connect with other mom’s that were going through what I was. I was dealing with some pretty rough postpartum after a crazy birth… and, I just needed somewhere to feel like I wasn’t totally losing my mind. Turns out I wasn’t alone.

2. One thing I love seeing on other blogs is…
BEAUtiful photos.

3. Something I love about blogging…
I love that I can see the creativity and talent from all these amazing people around the blogging world…. I can connect and meet bloggers that I wouldn’t have normally met without the internet.

4. Favorite blog posts of mine are…

Well, I just did a blog post about this on Tuesday. My faves:

– No Heat Curl

– Bacon of Hearts

– Paper Terrarium

– Postpartum Deppresion

– Scars

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I’ve never before mentioned on my blog…
I’m really silly. And, I say really awkward things sometimes…. ha! Or, maybe you did know that. Hee hee.

6. My new favorite blogs to read are…

–  Scathingly Brilliant: Well, this isn’t exactly a new new read for me. But, I found her just a little while ago and love her blog/art/and sweet tweets. <3

– Yes and Yes: I love the feel of look of her blog. Plus, she’s adorable.

– The Girls with Glasses: So, these girls are the cutest. I started reading their blog shortly after I found them through the Alt Summit website. I met Brooke at Alt and she is the most kind/sweet lady ever. And, she’s the cutest pregnant lady I’ve ever seen. Seriously.

– Freshly Picked: Susan is awesome. I met her at Alt Summit and her story is awesome. Please, go check it out and her little moccasins for kiddos!

7. Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are…
I avoid any talk of politics/religion. I’m not knowledgable in either of those subjects and I don’t really have any reason to talk about them. BUT, that doesn’t stop me from reading other blogs that do. I love learning about the lives/beliefs of others.

I’m going to tag IROCKSOWHAT and Harper’s Happenings.

{Related Posts: //Work and Life Balance//Learning to Dress Myself//How Do I Explain “Me”?//}

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Categories: about me, favorite blogs

Super Duper Discounted Ad Space!

February 15, 2012 | Posted by

I’m off to BlogHer! Ok… maybe not quite yet… BUT, I’m getting ready! It’s in New York this year and the cost is a bit more for me than last year since I’m flying to the East coast… and, it’s NY. More spendy than I’m used to probably. Hee.

SO. Why am I bringing this up? Well, Jess and I got our butt’s covered and sent to Alt Summit this year because of YOU guys. You guys bought up all our ad space for the months of December, January, and February to get us there. THANK you. So much. We were so ecstatic for all the help we received.

Now it’s time to start planning for BlogHer 2012. I went last year (if you remember)…. It was so inspiring and absolutely amazing. This year Jess will be joining me. Yay!

This means we need to start raising money! It will cost a pretty penny that I don’t much have. Ha! Yup. That means: ad space discounts! Yes! Ok… check out below for the deals you can get for ad space. There will be a limited amount for each size I can let in. So, get in while you can. To purchase just click here, or the button below to head to my Big Cartel shop and buy your ad space! The discounts are pretty amazing.

I know you will L O V E advertising on this here bloggy. This last month I had a high day of 25,000 visitors. That will send your lovely shop/blog/website some beautiful traffic.

20 Dollars – will get you 2 months of small ad space on my blog! (20 dollar savings)

50 Dollars – will get you 2 months worth of medium ad space on my blog! (20 dollar savings)

70 Dollars – will get you 2 months worth of Large ad space on my blog! (20 dollar savings) OR will get you 3 months worth of medium ad space on my blog! (35 dollar savings)

90 Dollars – will get you 3 months worth of Large ad space on my blog! (45 dollar savings)

100 Dollars – will get you 2 months of the extra large ad space on my blog (40 dollar savings)

P.S. I have limited space available for each month. So, get in while you can! ANY ad space purchase is greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for helping me out.

Ad spots will start on March 1st.

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Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Last weekend.

February 15, 2012 | Posted by

Last Saturday Mike and I celebrated Valentine’s Day… a little early. It was a wonderful day. I started off the day with Miss R. We had a little breakfast date… just her and I. Then, we shipped her off to Grandma’s house for the night. I wore lipstick! Yeah! Mike made a delicious… delicious!!!! delicious dinner. Sadly… there were no veggies. We took a break from healthy for the evening: steak with blue cheese sauce and homemade mac and cheese. OMG. Talk about awesome. I’m still full… well, not full enough to stop me from eating some mac and cheese leftovers. Hee her hee. P.S. Did you know that they make Little Golden Books in hard book form? I did not. Awesome! The cutest illustrations.

Anywho…. after our amazing dinner we wandered to a wine bar where we consumed… well, wine. And, played card games with my bro and his girl. And, of course… we ended the night old-people-style nice and early and came home to watch some Hoarders on Netflix… with, more wine! Such a perfect evening. P.S. Mr. Hubs does not like getting his photo taken. That’s the best I could get for the evening. Hee.

 How was your Valentine’s?

{Related Posts: //Early Valentine’s Date//I Love Us freebie print//Bacon Hearts//}

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{If you have a Wordless{ish} Wednesday, please feel free to link it up below. And, feel free to link up to these blogs too… Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia,And Then She Snapped, Jenni from the Blog, and Live and Love Outloud.}

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Baked Penne with Beef Recipe

February 14, 2012 | Posted by

Thank you to Kraft Foods for offering me the opportunity to recreate a recipe with PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme. Please click here to learn more about all the PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme flavors and recipes.


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So, who else is not a fan of cooking? Yup. Me either. My idea of cooking dinner is making a BLT or cooking some eggs. Ha! Yes. I like simple and easy meals if I have to cook. Ok, so Kraft sent over their new PHILADELPHIA cooking cream to try out. And, I was definitely all about trying this out. I feel bad that my poor hubs cooks all the meals…. but, then I remember I don’t know how to cook and it usually doesn’t taste good when I try. But, goodness… you just put everything I need to add flavor to a meal in one little package: I think I can handle it!

This is how I made dinner last night! I took on this challenge and whooped it in the buns. I made a super yummy meal for my family and it was actually delicious. Plus: it was so freakin’ simple you guys. I mean siiiimpppple. I really believe this will be a keeper for our family. The cream was so easy to use.

Ok, since it was soooo delicious. I wanted to share the recipe with all of you. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your home. And, the cooking cream is reasonably priced. ::high fives::

Baked Penne with Beef
Prep Time: 5 min. | Total Time: 35 min. | Makes: 6 servings.What You Need:
½ lb. extra-lean ground beef (we substituted italian sausage)
½ cup each chopped onions and green peppers
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme, divided
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
3 cups cooked penne pastaMake It:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Brown meat with vegetables in large nonstick skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella: cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly.
Spoon into 2-qt. casserole; top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 15 min.Substitute
Substitute Italian sausage for the ground beef.Substitute
Prepare using your favorite flavor of spaghetti sauce, such as mushroom or garden vegetable.Serving Suggestion
Serve with a crisp mixed salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Light Dressing.Nutrition Information Per Serving
370 calories, 15g total fat, 7g saturated fat, 990mg sodium, 37g carbohydrate, 22g protein
– Chelsey
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Thank you again to Kraft Foods for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected as one of 20 bloggers by Technorati Media and Clever Girls Collective to participate in the Kraft Foods PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme signature recipes campaign. While I have been compensated for my time and received the product, my opinions and experiences are my own.

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Categories: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, food