tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14378357298734311752024-02-19T20:17:45.906-05:00Four Sisters AdoreMade it, Ate it, Read it, Tried it, Saw it, Celebrated it and Loved it!
Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-7110931358835156682014-07-17T10:29:00.000-04:002014-07-17T10:29:57.474-04:00Edelweiss Lodge and ResortI promise that I'm almost done with my Germany posts!<br />
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We spent most of our trip at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch. It is a military owned resort and is on the base in Garmisch. We were really glad we stayed there. It is a nice hotel and is convenient to a lot of the things we wanted to see in Bavaria. The views were beautiful and our room opened up to a large lawn area where the kids could play or run to the park that was right around the corner.<br />
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It has 3 restaurants, a snack bar, a pool, a small store and is in walking distance to the commissary and PX. Just as a note, the commissary is in walking distance, but it takes 5-10 minutes and you have to leave the base and cross the street and go onto the other side of the base, so if it's pouring down rain please take an umbrella, not just a raincoat or better yet drive. I speak from personal experience.<br />
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The restaurants are good. We actually only ate at each of them once. The dinner at Market station was good and was reasonably priced, especially when compared to other places we had eaten in Germany. The breakfast brunch buffet at the Pullman Place was excellent. They only have them on Sundays so be sure to make a reservation because it fills up fast. You can make reservations through the Open Table App. There is also Zuggy's on the Lower level. They have pizzas which were good, but most of the pizzas out in town are better. There is also a snack bar called The Point, which has a microwave you can use. This was such a blessing for us, because we discovered that the commissary had microwaveable rice and that's pretty much all our 1 year old wants to eat. We also bought some Korean Ramen at the commissary and just asked for hot water at the Point. It was awesome for nights when we didn't want anything fancy. The rooms have mini-fridges so we bought some cereal, milk, fruit and juice at the commissary so the kids could eat breakfast while we got ready in the morning. Plus it kept costs down.<br />
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The resort has different day tours that they offer. You can find a list on their website. I was so excited when I saw the list of activities they offered, but then I started to tally up the price per person and figured out that if we did all of the activities we wanted then the costs would really add up, especially since you have to pay for the kids as well. Most things in Germany are free for kids 5 and under. So, I looked into getting a rental car. I'm so glad we did! First, because having a rental car meant that we did not need to take trains for the 5 hour car ride from Ramstein to Garmisch. Second, it gave us a lot of flexibility to go where we wanted, whenever we wanted. Third, this reason:<br />
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Our youngest, who had just turned 1, was tired of traveling by planes and trains. If we had put him on tour buses, he would have been impossible. Instead, as soon as we got in the car we gave him his pacifier and blanket and he would fall asleep within 5 minutes. It was awesome. We could drive, in relative peace (we still have two other boys) and he was much more comfortable. Alpine Adventures in the lobby has flyers for their excursions, driving directions, and GPS addresses if you are driving. Also, toward the end of the trip we were expecting rain so we asked them for a list of rainy day destinations. Alpine Adventures also sells American - European outlet converters. I purchased one on Amazon before we left, that worked well, but it was more expensive than the ones at the resort. They have them for $1.25 at the resort. Also, they take dollars at the resort, so make sure you have some dollars available and not just Euros. <br />
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Renting a car for 2 weeks ended up being about the same as paying for all of the excursions through the hotel, but we were able to go to places not offered through the resort and we were able to leave whenever we wanted to. Some of our favorite spots were not available through the resort and we loved being able to drive to random little towns and exploring. We may have gotten more information through the tours, but let's be honest, we would have been wrangling children and no one else would have enjoyed it. Keep in mind that you do have to pay for tolls and a Vignette in Austria and gas, but again it ended up being about the same with a lot less hassle. We did get stuck in quite a bit of traffic going to and from Ramstein, but we just had to be patient. There were a few times when the GPS steered us wrong, the worst time being when it took us up a bike path, which can be hard to navigate in a Volvo SUV. Other than that, it worked out pretty well. Driving in Europe can be fun and exciting, especially in Lichtenstein where the roads are about as small as the country itself. Also, be careful in Austria, they have a LOT of speeding cameras. Trust me.<br />
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The other thing I appreciated about the resort was the laundry room. I bought some Tide Pods at the commissary and that saved me money from having to buy the little boxes of Tide in the laundry room. I was really grateful for the laundry room, because we were able to pack a little less and just wash clothes a few times. Waiting for clothes to dry can occasionally get a little boring, so you take selfies.<br />
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We were there for the 4th of July and BMW hosted a 4th of July celebration with bounce houses, different activities, face painting, food, and a really great fireworks display. It was neat to be in a foreign country, celebrating our country's independence at a resort for military servicemen and their families.<br />
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BMW also had a test drive event over the weekend. So my husband was able to take a couple of cars out by himself for a half hour each.<br />
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I will write about our favorite places to see around the resort in another post, but we really enjoyed our time there. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The kids loved the hot tub and pool area. We really didn't spend much time at the resort during the day, but we enjoyed our time there! So, if you're in the military or are related to anyone in the military then you should go! We would love to go back and really want to go for Christmas some time. I bet it's beautiful with the snow and different Christmas markets.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-35402256007800994442014-07-15T12:57:00.002-04:002014-07-15T12:57:51.507-04:00Hotel Rheinfels and the V8 Hotel We stayed in 4 hotels in Germany, two of which were affiliated with the military. The other two were Hotel Rheinfels in Sankt Goar and the V8 Hotel in Stuttgart, Germany.<br />
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We headed to Sankt Goar right when we got to Germany. It takes 2 hours on trains from Ramstein to Sankt Goar, which wasn't two bad since you only have to make 2 transfers. When riding the trains with 3 kids and 5 bags, make sure you book your tickets online and look for the train car for bikes, because there is more open space for bags, strollers and things. <br />
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We stayed at Hotel Rheinfels, because it was recommended by my husband's cousin who had stayed there before. We wanted to visit Sankt Goar, because there are two castles in the area that were occupied at one point by my husband's ancestors. They are Burg Katz and Burg Rheinfels. Hotel Rheinfels was right on the river and about a 5 minute walk from the train station. We arrived there late and most things in Germany close early during the week, so we had called the owner of the hotel earlier and he had left a key for us out on the front porch. The owner and his family and other employees were very accommodating. The prices were definitely reasonable. They didn't have a large enough room for us the first night, but made sure to move us to a larger room the second night. My only complaint was that they didn't have a roll away crib. The rooms were clean and the view was fantastic!<br />
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The breakfast buffets, were included and delicious!<br />
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They set a table, including a highchair, up for us before we got down for breakfast. The showers were a little touchy and would suddenly be really hot, but I kind of noticed that as a trend in all of the hotels. It was centrally located and was directly across the street from the spot where you can pick up the ferry to the other side of the river. It is also a short walk to the small "train" that takes you up to the castle ruins.<br />
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The town is small, but fun to walk around. They have great bakeries, little shops and the world's largest cuckoo clock!<br />
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The ruins are fun to explore. They have a lot of tunnels and other fun things to explore.<br />
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After Sankt Goar we headed to Stuttgart, Germany and stayed at the V8 Hotel. My husband and my boys love cars, so we thought it would be fun. It was a little pricier than the other hotels, but it was fun for one night. Make sure you drive to the front of the hotel, because the back is nothing fancy and if you see the back first you may be worried that your husband has booked a night in a crazy hotel :) The front is much more attractive! The rooms are all decorated with cars. Ours had enough beds for all of us and had a roll away crib. The big bed, which the boys claimed, looked like a car and the rest of the room looked like a garage. There was a big window that looked into a car museum, which is included in your stay.<br />
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You can also get breakfast for 15 euros per adult. It was good, but a little pricey. It is fairly close to the Porsche museum, which was fun for the kids and of course my husband. If you go to the Porsche museum, be sure to take your parking ticket in with you and they will validate it at the ticket counter.<br />
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So, if you head to Germany check out these two hotels and let me know how you like them!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-10471216558086292762014-07-15T12:05:00.002-04:002014-07-21T08:09:47.670-04:00Space A TravelWarning: This is long and technical. Bear with me.<br>
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Life in the military isn't always easy or fun, but it isn't always hard and horrible either! There are some fun perks. One of those perks is: Space A Travel. I had always heard of it growing up on an Army base and my husband had mentioned it a few times since we've been married, but for some reason it really stressed me out and I didn't think it would be something I'd like to do. Well, then my husband started to tell me about a military resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany and he started to show me all of the things you can do around the resort and I was hooked. I will write more about the resort in another post, but suffice it to say I really wanted to go. We looked into flying commercially and figured out that for a family of 5 people it would cost a little more than $6000. Not. Happening. So, we decided to look into Space A. In the end, Space A cost us $260 round trip. The entire trip including lodging, gifts, travel, food, and anything and everything else cost less than it would have cost us to fly to Germany commercially. It was awesome. You do have to pay a relatively small amount to fly Space A. It was $85 or so to fly there and $175 or so to fly back. You have to pay for customs fees. I think it is different if you are on a rotator plane. We were able to fly on 747s both ways, so you do pay a fee because they serve you meals and drinks and what not.<br>
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So, how did we do it?! I've had several friends on facebook ask me about it, because I think it's one of those things that people think about, but don't actually take advantage of, especially when you have young kids. The key to Space A is flexibility and planning. We have 3 kids, ages 6, 4 and 1 and I'm not that fun and flexible, so we couldn't really say, "Well, we get there when we get there!" or just backpack around. We needed hotels, rental cars and plans. Summertime is the busiest time for Space A travel and it can be difficult to get on a flight. <br>
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If you live close to a Space A terminal you can go to the terminal at the beginning of the month and they should have a calendar for the month with tenative dates and times for flights. You should also go on Facebook and "like" all of the Space A terminals in your area, because they post their schedules 72 hours in advance. Watch their facebook page for trends. They post slides after flights depart to report
how many seats were taken and the sign up time for the last passenger
that got onto the flights. <br>
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If you are flying with the active duty member you can only sign up once they are on leave. You are then Category 3. Most summer space a seats are occupied by Category 3. Luckily, my husband was able to be approved for 30 days of leave. He wasn't planning on using all 30 days, but it is better to have them just in case.<br>
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You sign up by emailing each Space A terminal you are willing to fly out of. There are 4 within a 3 hour radius of our home so we signed up at all of those locations. You should also sign up for the return flight at that same time. Sign up as SOON as the active duty member is on leave, but check the leave papers! We signed up at midnight on the day his leave started, only to find out later that his leave didn't start until 8 am. Luckily, he was able to get his leave papers amended to start at midnight. A few hours really do make a big difference in sign up times. We used the app "Take a Hop" and it made the email sign up a little easier. You just input all of your information ahead of time and as soon as they are on leave you hit send and it formats the email and makes sure you have all of the required information. <br>
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After you sign up, I would suggest that you wait a few days before trying to get on a flight. We waited 5 days and still didn't get on until the 3rd flight out. Not making it on a flight can be discouraging, so it is sometimes better to let your name sit on the list for a few days and let the people before you clear out before you try to get on a flight. <br>
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On the calendar and on the facebook page they will have a "roll call" time listed. All members of your family who are traveling must be there, "travel ready" at the time of roll call, which means, you have to have all of your bags ready to go and you cannot leave the terminal after they call you. So, you have to have any rental cars returned and you must be checked out of your hotels. You must be checked in before roll call. To check in you have to have the leave papers, passports, IDs and a copy of the sign up email with you. You have to be checked in before roll call, but not all members of your party have to be there to check in. They close down check ins at roll call and they don't always have a record of your email so you have to have that with you. Make sure that they mark in the correct sign up time, more on that when I talk about the return flight.<br>
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We wanted to fly out on a Monday or Tuesday so he went on leave the
previous Wednesday. When we showed up for our flights on Monday there
were 40 seats on the first flight and we almost got on, but they were
short 3 seats for us, so we would have had to fly separately, which is
not a good idea, because then I would have been bumped down to Category
5. We thought for sure that we would get on the Monday evening flight since there were more than 100 seats available, but unfortunately a lot more people showed up and there were many more duty passengers who have first priority and are considered Space Required. Luckily, we live 15 minutes from the airport. It is harder if you live a little ways from the airport, because you either have to make the trek home or find a hotel last minute. I did see that some people just slept at the airport, but again with kids that's not exactly practical.<br>
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The next day we saw on Facebook that the Tuesday flight only had 10 tentative seats and the roll call wasn't until 10:30 pm, which meant we wouldn't be flying out until past 1 in the morning. We hesitated, but felt good about trying again. Always try for a flight, because you never know if more seats will open up! We went and set our kids up with all of their devices and their nap mats and two of the three slept for a bit in the airport. It ended up that 40 seats were available. They will do an initial roll call and then they will say that there are still a number of duty passengers who haven't shown up. They usually have about a 10 - 20% no show rate, so more seats usually open up. They do another roll call an hour later. If you are within the next 20 people or so on the list then stick around. We didn't make the first roll call or the second. We made the third roll call about 15 - 20 minutes after the second roll call. Luckily the man working at the counter told me to stick around after the second roll call since we were the next name on the list, because we made it! They ended up having 60+ seats available even though it started out as 10 tentative. We flew on a 747 and there were plenty of extra seats so for the 5 of us we had 7 seats. They served breakfast and lunch and the flight attendants were very friendly and helpful.<br>
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We stayed in Germany for 2 weeks, so by the time we left we had been on the sign up list for 21 days. There were 3 flights going out of Ramstein the day we wanted to leave. We did not get called for the first 2 flights that had 20 seats on each of them, so we thought we would for sure be called for the flight to BWI that had 117 seats available. However, after they had called 60 people I started to get a little nervous that we weren't even on the roll call monitor yet, so I checked a list and noticed that they were calling people who had signed up on July 1st. We had signed up on June 18th. So, I sent my husband back to the counter and one of the servicemen working there said that the person who had checked us in had gotten the sign up time wrong, but that it shouldn't make a big deal, well after some nagging to get him to check again it turned out that he had recorded our sign up time as being July 18th, which hadn't even passed yet. So, had we not nagged we would not have gotten on the flight. We actually should have gotten on one of the earlier flights. So, make sure they have the correct sign up time in their system! Luckily, they hadn't given away all of their seats yet so we were able to get on their flight. If not there would have been one very angry mother of 3 boys stomping around their terminal. :) The flight was great and the kids all did really well, again there were extra seats so we had 6 seats for the 5 of us. We were pretty lucky in that the day we wanted to fly out there were 3 flights available.<br>
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The other big question I've gotten is how do you plan for lodging and transportation if you don't know when you're going to get there. We made our reservation for a hotel for Friday in Stuttgart and for the resort to start on Saturday and started trying to fly out on Monday. Just keep in mind when you can cancel things without having to pay a fee. Most places give you at least 3 days.<br>
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We made plans just in case we got there right away. We didn't want to make reservations for Tuesday through Thursday because we wouldn't have been able to cancel without a fee. So, we had a list of hotels and things we wanted to do if we had the extra days. When we found out Tuesday night that we had made a flight my husband quickly pulled out his phone and booked two nights at a hotel. So, we were good with lodging. We had made reservations for a rental car to start on Friday, but unfortunately you can't make last minute changes to your reservation online. So, we ended up checking with them when we got to Ramstein, but they didn't have any cars and most rental car companies on the base only rent cars to people stationed there on the base. So, we ended up using the train and taxis for 2 days, which was an adventure with 3 kids and 5 bags, but was do-able.<br>
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There is an Air Force Inn on the base at Ramstein, but it fills up fast! For the return flight we wanted to stay at the Air Force Inn, because it's right there across the street from the terminal, they have family apartments, and we were going to have to return our car there at the terminal. To book a room at the Air Force Inn you have to make it one night at a time and no more than 3 days prior to the day you want to stay. So, starting 3 days before the first day we were going to try to go home we called every morning to make a reservation. They didn't have rooms right away, but we called throughout the day and were able to reserve the rooms. You do have to check out each morning, because you have to be checked out in order to get on a flight. After the first night, we checked out and made sure we had rooms for the next two nights just in case. They put a hold on the room, but do not store your credit card information so as long as you check in by 6 pm you have a room, but if you get on a flight there is no cancellation fee. We ended up not needing those extra few nights. Also, as a note, my husband is in the Navy so when we saw the different facilities and amenities on the Air Force Base..I was impressed to say the least. If you do have to wait for a day or two in Ramstein, there is a huge shopping area, commissary and PX right across from the terminal. <br>
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I think I covered everything! I know some of the information is specific to Germany, but it is a popular hub for a lot of European Space A travel and I couldn't find a lot of detailed information on blogs before we left. All in all, I think Space A worked out great, because we had contingency plans and mostly because my husband had a good chunk of leave so that we weren't stressed about when we left or when we returned and we had some time to let our names sit on the sign up lists. You do have to be flexible and have to be well prepared to entertain your kids. There isn't much in the waiting area at BWI, but the terminal in Ramstein, Germany has a play area, lounge chairs and places to eat. <br>
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I will post later about the things we took that helped entertain the kids and make them more comfortable.<br>
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Don't be intimidated by Space A! It's fun, exciting, a little stressful, but the price is right! If you have any other questions let me know. Whew! Thanks for hanging in there until the end of this long post!<br>
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<br>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-54568208170217426912014-07-15T09:46:00.000-04:002014-07-15T09:46:19.836-04:00KaiserschmarrnMy family and I recently returned from a 2 week vacation to Europe. It was so much fun! There will be a few more posts about that trip, but I wanted to start off with my favorite dish we had in Germany.<br />
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Germans definitely know how to do breakfast. The first hotel we stayed at had a breakfast buffet with the most delicious rolls with meats and cheese. Amazing.<br />
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By the time we got to our third hotel we decided to save a little money and buy cereal and milk and eat most breakfasts in our hotel room. Well, one morning we decided to get breakfast in the town where we were staying, Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We headed to a cafe called Thron. It was a bakery and it had some delicious looking chocolates and treats as well. My husband ordered some pancakes called Kaiserschmarrn. We were a little hesitant to order them, because it said that it took 25 minutes to make and we had our 3 young kids and 25 minutes can be an eternity. So, we ordered other foods to hold them over. We are so glad we waited the 25 minutes. These pancakes were delicious. I looked them up when I got home and found out that they are Austrian Pancakes. They were crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. They had a similar taste to German Pancakes that are baked in the oven, but were a little different. They were cut up into pieces and sprinkled with powdered sugar and came with a side of apple puree.<br />
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So, when I got home I hit pinterest to see if I could find any recipes that could compare. I found this <a href="http://www.dramaticpancake.com/2012/04/adam-keiserschmarrn-austrian-pancakes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+dramaticpancake+%28Dramatic+Pancake%29" target="_blank"><u><b>one</b></u></a> on Dramaticpancake.com. I tried it out and I thought it turned out great! I did not have any applesauce or apple puree, but I did have a jar of apple butter, which was more like apple sauce anyway. It was delicious. I think next time I will make sure that the outsides get a little more crispy, but other than that I thought it was a good recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think! Sorry the pictures are less than stellar again! I blame jet lag. <br />
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<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-7389858067644136912014-06-08T21:42:00.000-04:002014-06-08T21:42:08.539-04:00Cheesy Taco BunsThis was one of those recipes I pinned and was not sure if it would be any good. It seemed sort of lazy to me for some reason. So, the other day I had one of those days when I needed a lazy kind of meal. My husband was out of town and my kids don't appreciate fancy meals anyway, so Cheesy Taco Buns were on the menu!<br />
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I got the recipe: <u><b><a href="http://centslessdeals.com/2013/10/cheesy-taco-buns.html/" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></u> on Centsless deals' website. You can read all of the nitty gritty details there, but here's a quick overview:<br />
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Brown up your ground beef and add taco seasoning, preferably in a cast iron skillet, because they're awesome. <br />
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Then you have to make a sauce with cream cheese and salsa. Unfortunately, we were all out of salsa, but I did have this taco sauce, which worked out well. <br />
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Then you have to get your Pillsbury Refrigerated Rolls. I used these:<br />
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Then you roll them out flat, like so:<br />
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Put a little dollop (I used that word because Sister #1 hates it) of the salsa/cream cheese mixture, add some meat and cheddar cheese.<br />
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Then pinch the dough together to make a cute little taco bundle and place it in our your cookie sheet, seam side down. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just realized that the recipe said to brush the tops with butter. I didn't do that! Darn. Butter is always a great addition, but mine were still good without it.<br />
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Then you bake them for about 15 minutes! Easy Peasy!<br />
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Mmmmm..yum. Clearly, not at all authentic taco cuisine, but still a good meal. It was a big hit with the kids. I was kind of expecting that the leftovers wouldn't heat up very well, so I was pleasantly surprised when they did!<br />
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Try it out and let me know what you think!<br />
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<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-71952738778604254352014-06-04T10:32:00.002-04:002014-06-04T10:33:11.751-04:00Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream SauceI recently found a recipe for Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce on Pinterest. It can be found: <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2012/05/30/teriyaki-salmon-with-sriracha-cream-sauce/" target="_blank"><u><b>HERE</b></u></a>. <br />
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Let me just start off by saying, I don't really like seafood. If someone makes it for me then I'll eat it, but I very rarely choose to make it or to order it at a restaurant. I am usually ok with salmon. I really like Giada's recipe for Salmon Fish Sticks which can be found: <u><b><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/parmesan-fish-sticks-recipe.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</b></u> Ooh...and this one too, Cheesy Onion Baked Salmon found <u><b><a href="http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/1522906-Cheesy_Onion_Crusted_Baked_Salmon?return_to=/recipes/box%3Fsort%3Drecently_added_to_box%26user_scoped_search%3Dtrue#_a5y_p=649241" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</b></u> Anyway, I decided to try this Teriyaki recipe and I really liked it! My kids liked it too. Awhile ago, Sister #2's daughter told my son that salmon makes you smart and he pretty much takes everything she says as gospel, so he eats salmon really well. I wonder if she can talk to him about shrimp and broccoli too.<br />
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The recipe is pretty simple. You have to marinate the salmon in a teriyaki sauce recipe listed on the link. The longer you marinate it, the better. I let it marinate for a couple of hours and it was good.<br />
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Then you have to make the Sriracha Cream Sauce. I thought it had a little bit of a kick, but not too spicy at all. You can add extra Sriracha afterwards.<br />
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I clearly have a hard time taking pictures of meals after they are all made. I think at that point I'm a little too excited to eat or something. So, for a pretty plated picture, head over to Damn Delicious' website. Again, here's the link: <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2012/05/30/teriyaki-salmon-with-sriracha-cream-sauce/" target="_blank"><b>Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce</b></a>. It was really good and went well with rice and kimchi, but I'm Korean so most things are good with rice and kimchi in my opinion.<br />
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Try the recipe and let me know what you think! <br />
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Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-14646871824627216642014-06-04T09:32:00.000-04:002014-06-04T11:19:22.957-04:00Favorite Places in New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weekends ago, a couple of my friends and I decided to take a trip up to New York City. We left Friday morning and came back late Saturday night. One of them had never been before and the other had been a couple of times. I am by no means an expert on New York, but I've been a couple of times and now have some favorite spots. So, this is my "tourist guide" to New York city.<br>
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We decided to ride the bus and I was a little hesitant, because...well I
don't know why. I was just hesitant! I'm glad we decided to go with the
bus though. We took Mega Bus and it left out of White Marsh. The crazy
ladies I was with decided that we should take the 6:20 bus, which got us
there around 930. I don't really have any complaints about the bus. The
time seemed to go much faster, we didn't have to worry about fighting
traffic ourselves, gas money, or parking once we got into the city. It
lets you off right in the city. Now, taking it back to Baltimore was a
little different. The stop is a little farther away from downtown, but
still..not bad at all. Don't forget to bring layers. It gets a little
cold in the bus. There are also USB outlets so that you can charge your
phones at your seat. <br>
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We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel on Times Square and it was a great
location and the room was huge compared to other hotel rooms I've seen
in New York. We were able to drop our bags off there before we were able
to get into our room and we left them there during the day on Saturday
after we checked out.<br>
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After dropping off our bags we headed to my favorite pizza place of all
time, Grimaldi's. It is a chain, but there really is nothing like eating
pizza in Brooklyn under the Brooklyn Bridge. It. Is. Delicious. You
want to get there right when it opens, because there is usually a line.
We got there right around 1130 and were able to walk right in and be
seated. Also, it's cash only, but they do have an ATM. <br>
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Then we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's always fun to people
watch while walking across the bridge. Unfortunately it was pretty
cloudy and misty that day, so we couldn't see the Statue of Liberty
across the water. It was fun to see all of the locks couples have put on
the bridge. <br>
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Once we got off the bridge we headed over to see the 9/11 memorial. You
do have to get tickets to go see the memorial. They are free, but they
ask for a small donation. You have to go to the museum to get tickets
and then go over to the memorial. It took a little while to get into the
actual memorial, because there is a line and security screening. It is
still under construction, so I'm sure when that's all finished that it
will be much faster. It was definitely worth seeing. The fountains they
built are amazing. It is impossible to get a really good picture from
ground level. They really have done a fantastic job. <br>
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After that we headed over to Chinatown and Little Italy to look around
and to have cannoli! We like to go to Cafe Palermo. I'm actually not a
huge fan of Cannoli. It's a little sweet for me. So, I had a lemon
blueberry cheesecake and it was delicious! They are known for their
cannolis though and I know Sister #4 is a big fan.<br>
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At that point we thought we were going to pass out from exhaustion and
over eating! So, we headed back to the hotel to check into our room and
freshen up a bit. The view from the room was so fun! After a little bit
we headed down to Ellen's Stardust Diner. We decided not to go to a show
this trip, so we figured we could get a little of the Broadway
experience by going to Ellen's. It's a diner where a lot of Broadway
hopefuls are the waiters and waitresses. So, they sing and perform
throughout the night. I am NOT a fan of crowd
interaction, but it was still super fun. The food was actually nothing
to really write home about. It's diner food, but it was good and it was
more for the experience anyway.<br>
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On Saturday morning we woke up early and headed to Central Park. I had
never been before and I have to say that it is now one of my favorite
spots in New York City. It was so fun to walk around at a little bit of
slower pace than we had on Friday and to just enjoy the scenery. We
could not figure out where everything was though, so luckily we found an
awesome guide there who had a great map. So, if you see one of the
guides ask them for a map! It was such a life saver. We really wanted to go on paddle boats on the lake, but they weren't open because it looked like it was going to rain.<br>
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Here were some of our favorites in Central Park:<br>
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The Alice in Wonderland statue: <br>
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Belvedere Castle was fun. It was small and you could go to the top where there is a fantastic view of the park.<br>
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This was the John Lennon Memorial.<br>
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We got to see a lot of different spots that show up in movies which was kind of fun. I kept thinking of that line from You've Got Mail, "It'd be a shame to miss New York in the Spring."<br>
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We ended our trip to Central Park by riding on the carousel. You're never too old to ride on a carousel.<br>
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After leaving Central Park we headed to look at the Plaza Hotel. I kept playing that movie, Big Business in my head! Then we walked down 5th avenue and looked at all of the ridiculously expensive things for sale. We walked through Tiffany's which was kind of fun. We went up to the floor with all of the engagement rings and dreamed a little bit. Then we walked over to Rockefeller Plaza and Radio City Music Hall.<br>
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After that we headed to Carnegie Deli for lunch. I have to admit that the first time I went to Carnegie Deli I was not really sure what the big deal was. So, we decided to try it again. I'm so glad we did because I really liked it. They have an amazing and huge Reuben sandwich for $27 and they add $3 to share it. We bought one and were able to split it between the three of us. We also split a giant pastrami knish. It was delicious. Also, GET THE CHEESECAKE. Delicious.<br>
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Then we headed to the Empire State Building. It ended up being a good time to go because it started to rain and we were inside during the storm and it cleared by the time we got up to the top. For those of you in the military, there is a discount so make sure you ask for that. The wait wasn't too bad. It probably took an hour and a half all together. We walked up and down the last 6 flights which cut down the wait a little. There a lot of people trying to sell fast pass tickets outside and we were told by the people inside that there is no such thing as a fast pass ticket, so it's best to just buy your tickets inside. I kept thinking of Elf!<br>
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Once we got out of the Empire State building we did a little bit of shopping and looking around there on 34th street. It started to storm again so we had to rush and find something to eat before getting our bags and heading to the bus. We were just a couple of blocks from Koreatown! I was so excited to find my people! There were a ton of restaurants that looked delicious, but we were in a little bit of a hurry so we went to a restaurant that was a little cafeteria style. It was really good. I want to go again the next time I go so that we can try a different restaurant.<br>
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After that we headed to the bus. We used the Subway a lot and got pretty good at it by the end. There was only once when we got pretty confused, but other than that we did pretty well! I saw a giant subway rat, so I figured my experience was complete.<br>
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The only other tips I can think of are to make sure you wear comfortable shoes, walking around is part of the experience. I wore my Reef flip flops and my feet weren't at all sore. My calves and thighs..well that's a different story. Also, I was so grateful for my portable charger for my iPhone. I use the Yubi, which is the only one I've tried that works with the 5s. I was also grateful for the New York Subway app. If you put the address into Google Maps on your phone and click public transportation it will switch you over to the Subway App and it was really helpful.<br>
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So, there you go..my guide to New York City. It's always fun to visit, but then I like coming home and not living in a city. If you go, then let me know your favorite spots! Sister #4 is going in the next couple of weeks so I'm sure she'll post about her favorite spots as well!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-45760316432559602182014-06-03T18:45:00.000-04:002014-06-03T18:46:10.504-04:00Jamberry NailsOkay so, I so wanted to be able to post a positive review of these. My third sister and I decided to purchase and try out Jamberry Nails. For those of you who are not familiar with them, they are nail wraps that come in all different designs and colors. <br />
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The claim is that they last longer than a regular manicure so overall they are saving you money. The fingernail ones are supposed to last for two weeks and the pedicure ones are supposed to last longer than that. Each set is $15, and there is enough for you to apply them twice. <br />
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We decided on a set of French Tip, an accent color, and a set for our toes. Below you see how they turned out. <br />
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Cute right? Yeah, we thought so too. After a week, however, both of us noticed that the wraps started to peel up at the tips. My nails started to get things underneath and I had to run my nail over the tops of them to squeeze out dirt and other debris that would get underneath of them. After some discussion we thought that maybe it was because we had applied them incorrectly. I did some research online and someone suggested purchasing nail glue for when they started to peel up. Seemed silly to have to do that, but I was willing to try again because I really do love the way they look. </div>
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I removed the original wraps, which was a very easy process, maybe too easy. Then reapplied. This time I followed all the instructions to the letter. I even bought a good nail file (we thought the one we used previously was too cheap). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This time I did the French Tip only - mainly because I forgot to do an accent nail.<br />
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So again, I really think they are so cute! This time it seemed to be much better, the excess came off much easier and they seemed to be pretty well stuck on. Then after about 5 or 6 days, they began to peel at the tips again, and things started collecting underneath <i>again</i>. I tried the nail glue method of securing the tips, but it didn't work. I have taken to either filing down the parts that are peeling up, or sniping them off with finger nail clippers. I still have to periodically squeeze out the stuff that has collected underneath, which lets face it is ... disgusting. </div>
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A couple of things that I DO like ... my nails have a tendency to rip along the edges and sides, and the Jamberry wraps seem to do a good job of keeping that from happening. They do seem to add some strength. I also do like that the application process is so easy. </div>
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I really like the look and the concept, I just think that they work better in theory. At the end of the day, they last just barely a week ... just barely. I didn't feel like it was worth the $15 plus shipping per set. </div>
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It may still be that I was not applying them correctly, but I just don't see how that could be. I would love to try them again, but I don't want to spend the money to have them do the same thing again. If anyone has had better luck - I'd love to hear about your experience! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13117808464019882777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-33623861012846078712014-06-03T18:12:00.000-04:002014-06-03T18:12:05.084-04:00Fish Tacos To Die For!So, I thought that for the first post in these many months, I'd share my absolute favorite fish taco recipe.<br />
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http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/10/02/beer-battered-fish-tacos-with-baja-sauce/ </div>
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I unfortunately do not have a picture of the ones we made, but below I've included a picture from the recipegirl's site. They are really very good, and very easy to make. My kids will make several tacos and then just eat the fish on it's own with the sauce. </div>
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A couple of things: I usually leave the Jalapeños out of the sauce, because some of my younger kids don't like the added spice, but I cut some Jalapeños up for myself and add them separately. Also, I'm not a beer drinker so I substitute the beer with beef broth I don't know how much it changes the flavor because ... well ... I'm not a beer drinker. I usually make my own Mexican seasoning and I like it a lot better than the store bought taco seasoning and it's so easy to make. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13117808464019882777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-72771190364646162922014-06-02T23:42:00.004-04:002014-06-03T00:57:25.946-04:0010 Must-Eats in DC<span id="goog_1017964743"></span><span id="goog_1017964744"></span>Almost 10 months ago to the day, I moved to the DC area. To celebrate, I thought I would share my top 10 favorite places to eat in the DC/Maryland area, in no particular order. (Click on the restaurant name for more info)<br>
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1.<u><b> <a href="http://www.farmersfishersbakers.com/">Farmers Fishers Bakers</a></b></u><br>
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You guys. I've been to brunch here, and it's to DIE FOR. Farmers Fishers Bakers is a completely sustainable restaurant, and it is on K Street on the Georgetown Waterfront. My only complaint is that it's a little pricy, and it's almost impossible to get a reservation since it's so dang good and everyone wants to go here for brunch. It's $30 per person, but it's an all you can eat brunch. They have probably the best crab dip I've ever had in my life, which says a lot since I am a Marylander that is particularly picky about her crab dip. <br>
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2. <b><a href="http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/">Founding Farmers</a></b><br>
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Founding Farmers is the same company as Farmers Fishers Bakers, and is also a completely sustainable restaurant. I've only ever been to the one in Potomac, MD. Founding Farmers also has fantastic brunch (that seems to be a thing now, right?). I particularly love their Crab Benedict. YUM. Their Bananas Foster Milkshake is also a must-have. I kinda have a weakness for milkshakes. <br>
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3. <b><a href="http://www.districttaco.com/">District Taco</a></b><br>
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I've been to the District Taco on Capital Hill and loved it, but there are several other locations throughout DC. Their food tastes very similar to Chipotle to me, but their selection of salsas is INCREDIBLE. I am a sucker for spicy food, and find their habanero salsa delightful. <br>
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4. <b><a href="http://goodstuffeatery.publishpath.com/">Good Stuff Eatery</a></b><br>
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Want two reasons to go to Good Stuff? Handmade fries, and Creamshakes that will knock your socks off. No joke. Their burgers are great, but their Rosemary fries??? Oof. Heaven. They also have an incredible assortment of delectable fry sauces like Sriracha, Old Bay, and Horseradish, just to name a few. I've been to the one in Crystal City, but there are several locations throughout the District.<br>
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5. <b><a href="https://www.georgetowncupcake.com/">Georgetown Cupcake</a></b><br>
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I know you've heard of this place. If you've never been, GO. You won't regret it. There's just something amazing about that pink box, and something even more amazing about the cupcakes inside. I've never been to the original location in Georgetown. I always go to the one in Bethesda because the lines are so much shorter. My favorite cupcakes are their Key Lime, and Peanut Butter Fudge. Go. Go. Go!<br>
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6. <b><a href="http://maxbrenner.com/">Max Brenner</a></b><br>
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Max Brenner is a chocolate bar. If that sentence alone isn't enough incentive to go, I'm not sure what else I could possibly say. I've been to the location in Bethesda, which differs from other locations like the one in NYC because it doesn't serve lunch or dinner entrees. It only serves chocolate desserts. I particularly love their ice cream bar, their s'mores bar, and chocolate syringes. Yep, I'll say that again. Chocolate. Syringes.<br>
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7. <b><a href="http://www.shakeshack.com/">Shake Shack</a></b><br>
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Shake Shack is a chain restaurant, a DC staple, and there's a line out the door for a reason. It's simply delicious. They have amazing burgers and hot dogs. While I'm only "eh" about their fries, I am particularly fond of their SmokeShack Burger, and their Peanut Butter Shake. See? I told you that I'm a sucker for a good milkshake! <br>
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8. <b><a href="http://www.gbdchickendoughnuts.com/">Golden Brown Delicious </a></b><br>
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Ever heard of Chicken and Waffles? GBD serves Chicken and DOUGHNUTS. I haven't tried their chicken and doughnuts yet (need to) but I have tried their doughnuts and they almost made me cry because they were so amazing. They have super weird hours though, so check out the hours on their website before you take a potentially disappointing trip there, only to find out that they are closed. Hop on over to their location in Dupont and be sure to get their Tres Leches or Fruit Crumble Doughnut, and thank me later. Holy moly.<br>
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9. <b><a href="http://www.seoulfooddc.com/">Seoul Food</a></b><br>
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As a half Korean, I'm very particular about my Korean food. That being said, I ADORE Seoul Food. It's a DC Food truck, and it has this really interesting Korean/Mexican fusion thing going on. They have Kalbi Burritos and Kimchi Quesadillas! I absolutely love their Bulgogi BiBimBap bowl. It's unique, but still holds on to the traditional Korean food taste and feel. They have a permanent location on University Blvd in Silver Spring, but you can find their truck around DC. <br>
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10. <b><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/fenton-cafe-silver-spring">Fenton Cafe</a></b><br>
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To end my list, I thought I would include one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall places in Downtown Silver Spring. Fenton Cafe is a really delicious crepe place. They have savory and sweet crepes, and I loved the savory and the sweet crepes that I tried. My favorite was probably the Nutella, raspberry, and strawberry crepe that I had. Whoaaaa nelly. It's run by super sweet people in a super cute location. I'm a big fan.<br>
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Well there you have it! It was kinda hard to narrow down my list to 10 places, but these are some of my favorites. If you live in DC, take a peep at my list and give me positive and negative feedback. I'd love to hear about your go-to places as well! I'm constantly looking for new places to try. If you happen to try any of these places after reading my list, let me know what you think of them! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12254142463677173869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-1922969193736262802014-05-25T22:09:00.002-04:002014-05-25T22:10:52.363-04:00Cheesy Chipotle Chicken and RiceI promise that I really do cook things other than chicken and meals that are a little more fancy pants, but for some reason I only remember to take pictures of quick, chicken meals. Oh, well.<br />
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Tonight, we were going to have stuffed cabbage rolls! That is until I took a marathon nap and read the recipe when I woke up and realized that they have to cook for 2 hours, which at that point meant that we would have eaten at 8:30. So, we had to turn to Plan B. Luckily, I had almost everything for <a href="http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2013/10/cheesy-chipotle-chicken-and-rice.html" target="_blank"><b>this</b></a> recipe from Yammie's Noshery<b> </b>for Cheesy Chipotle Chicken and Rice. I did have to adjust some things, because I was missing a couple of ingredients.<br />
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The original recipe calls for black beans, but shockingly I didn't have any! Luckily, the rice we cook at home has beans and barley mixed in it so I used that and it worked out great. I also didn't find chipotle seasoning, so I added some Mexican seasoning and a little cayenne pepper and I thought it worked well. I mixed the cheese and sour cream right in with the rice. I kind of love one pot recipes like this. I guess I used two: one to boil chicken and one for the rice. I also didn't have a red bell pepper, but I had a bag of small sweet peppers so I chopped up a few of those and they were delicious.<br />
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We ate ours with some tortilla chips. The kids and my husband all loved it. Our 11 month old son ate two bowls of it. If you want you can add some hot sauce on top. I think it would work well as a side dish to fajitas or tacos or even as a dip. It was definitely not the fanciest of meals, but was a really good lazy Sunday dinner.<br />
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My picture leaves a lot to be desired...again: lazy Sunday! So, I didn't plate it nicely or sprinkle cilantro on top. Go to Yammie's Noshery for pretty pictures.<br />
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Try it out! Don't be dissuaded by my less than impressive picture!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-75228849842002353352014-05-08T16:09:00.000-04:002014-05-08T18:35:39.502-04:00Teacher Appreciation WeekI have a lot of respect for teachers. I think their commitment and dedication to teaching our kids is so admirable. Sister #4 is a teacher and so is our Mom, so that just adds to the respect I have for teachers! This was our oldest son's first year in school, so I was excited to do something for Teacher Appreciation Week. On Monday I sent in two boxes of donuts with a note that said "Donut we'd do with out you."<br />
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I found a really great idea on <b>Build it Sew it Love it</b> that can be found: <a href="http://builditsewitloveit.blogspot.com/2011/05/end-of-year-teacher-gift.html" target="_blank">here</a>. She gave teachers the book, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day. I loved the book. You can order it on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hooray-Diffendoofer-Day-Dr-Seuss/dp/0679890084/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399588525&sr=8-1&keywords=hooray+for+diffendoofer+day" target="_blank">here</a> for $10. It's a book that Dr. Seuss started before he passed away and was finished by some people who found the notes he was keeping. It's about a teacher who inspires her kids and thinks outside of the box. Build it Sew it Love it has a file you can download with the tag. Unfortunately my ink cartridge is running low so it wasn't as bright as it could have been. I bought some flower clips and raffia at Michaels and this is how mine turned out:<br />
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The PTA also asked the parents to send in some desserts for a catered lunch they had for the teachers today and I have seen some really cute cupcakes decorated to look like apples so I thought I'd try it out. I just used a box cake mix and then frosted them with white frosting and dipped them in red sugar crystals. Then I got some colored edible dough from Michaels and made stems and leaves. I think that next time I will just use tootsie rolls for the stems, but I think they still turned out pretty cute!<br />
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Tomorrow is the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week, so make sure you thank a teacher!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-21586042000102794482014-05-08T15:50:00.003-04:002014-05-08T15:50:45.873-04:00Nando's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My husband likes to try new restaurants, which makes me nervous sometimes. Well last year he really wanted me to try Nando's. I was hesitant and I think a little moody that day so I was not a big fan. I kind of stuck with this.."Nando's is not good" attitude until a few months ago when I decided to try it again. I'm so glad I did! I love it! I like how you can customize how spicy you want your meat to be. I usually get the steak sandwich. Last time I got the chicken caesar wrap and it was delicious. The hummus appetizer is to die for! If you're going with kids, their meals are free on Mondays and Tuesdays. The kids get a bowl of frozen yogurt, which is also really good. If that wasn't enough they also have one of those coke machines so I can get raspberry Coke zero. Delicious. Oh! Make sure you get the chips (fries) with peri-peri mayo. <br />
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This is the hummus with the peri-peri drizzle. Amazing.<br />
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Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-51706981758335827252014-05-06T17:14:00.002-04:002014-05-06T17:23:35.523-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I LOVE earrings ... unfortunately for me I have been unable to wear earrings, sometime in High School (which was a long, long time ago) I gave up! For reasons I can't explain, within hours of putting earrings in, my ears would get red and itchy. After a couple of days they would begin to hurt. It was quite annoying. <br />
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About a month ago, I had a thought - with all the information in the world at my finger tips, why have I not tried Googling my earring problem? Apparently I am not the only person in the world with this problem. I came across a women who said she tried Neosporin and it worked. What did I have to lose?<br />
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So, one morning, I put a small dab of Neosporin on my forefinger and rubbed it on my ears - back and front. Then whatever was left on my fingers I rubbed onto the post of the earring, put the earrings in my ears and hoped for the best. Amazingly enough, my ears were fine, what's more ... they were fine all day. Now a month later my ears are <i>still </i>fine! <br />
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I wish I had had the ability to Google in High School, just think of all the money I could have spent on earrings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13117808464019882777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-50639630910751159722014-05-01T12:54:00.001-04:002014-05-01T18:32:48.997-04:00Happy May Day!<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Happy spring everyone! I love spring! </span></div><div><br></div><div>This is a super simple post, but I just wanted to share something I made this morning. </div><div><br></div><div>I saw this wreath on Pinterest the other day. It didn't lead to a link so I don't know who to give credit to! <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0jDy5kXxUjsUGyGvkDhEaaJLt99QZxMlhaPEaTfq8mJGd40PXIG6du-BKUPuaaaycdlEIOcjPqSJ9hEgNaVIxcLHytgRlz6UuOgvF2kJ7Lr4phVJqfLExQmDlR-meGFwJ1LM73RMCq2r/s640/blogger-image--1712868178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0jDy5kXxUjsUGyGvkDhEaaJLt99QZxMlhaPEaTfq8mJGd40PXIG6du-BKUPuaaaycdlEIOcjPqSJ9hEgNaVIxcLHytgRlz6UuOgvF2kJ7Lr4phVJqfLExQmDlR-meGFwJ1LM73RMCq2r/s640/blogger-image--1712868178.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I loved it and I don't have a good May wreath for my front door! I went to Michaels today, without kids! It was like Heaven. Anyway, I bought one bunch of tulips that was 50% off of $7 and a grapevine wreath that was on sale for $4.99. So the whole thing cost less than $10! I just pulled the tulips off of the bunch and pushed them in all around the wreath. I cut a few of the stems so that they would fit a little better and I made sure to alternate between tulips with leaves and tulips without leaves. It took me maybe 5 minutes to do. I might go back and hot glue them on, but I can never use a hot glue gun without burning myself...so probably not!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's how mine turned out:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYPtACC5-bvXT7J-kkDdo649GL2-OPtgbOfPh0hyphenhyphenyWtq7WPpc4HDndYD8wxw7pr20e4vTc4vegmIDerbfsBhD3erRzGJ_9Vrs5_hLMmUAS7zJqDMAJajgkhjEuqkN3dPxAfJBghhK8LW1/s640/blogger-image-197899089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYPtACC5-bvXT7J-kkDdo649GL2-OPtgbOfPh0hyphenhyphenyWtq7WPpc4HDndYD8wxw7pr20e4vTc4vegmIDerbfsBhD3erRzGJ_9Vrs5_hLMmUAS7zJqDMAJajgkhjEuqkN3dPxAfJBghhK8LW1/s640/blogger-image-197899089.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If you want it to be a little more full like the one on Pinterest then you should probably buy two bunches of tulips. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sister #2 used more tulips and this is how hers turned out. I'm a little jealous. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qpo7OhM9jqo_DFchcMH2b0F-ni_-JBYk77TifiJHJ4Q5elwLjbsaGrAGYxWX5-CgAxCrK8eIG2qFOVuiZhIok8s9dBHHwldORmjsxWYWZBBXJUB9DE6WpdfDbu3aHkeStRYxelqqtxnZ/s640/blogger-image-664993525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qpo7OhM9jqo_DFchcMH2b0F-ni_-JBYk77TifiJHJ4Q5elwLjbsaGrAGYxWX5-CgAxCrK8eIG2qFOVuiZhIok8s9dBHHwldORmjsxWYWZBBXJUB9DE6WpdfDbu3aHkeStRYxelqqtxnZ/s640/blogger-image-664993525.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If you decide to make one hurry and go to Michaels while everything is on sale! Good luck!</div>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-39619398260863871252014-04-24T14:59:00.000-04:002014-04-24T15:08:20.600-04:00Coconut Oil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little while ago I was looking around on Pinterest and I saw a bunch of pins about Coconut Oil and all of the health benefits. I had never used it before so I thought I should try it. I ordered some off of Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Virgin-Coconut-15-Ounce/dp/B001EO5Q64/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1398366042&sr=8-4&keywords=coconut+oil" target="_blank">here</a>. I must say that I love it! I use it mostly as a moisturizer and hair conditioner. I use it on my arms and legs and love how smooth it makes my skin feel, without feeling oily. To use it as a hair conditioner I just put some in my hair (a little goes a long way) and let it sit there for 30 minutes or so then shampoo my hair as usual. The nice thing is that you can buy it in a two pack on Amazon, one for the bathroom and one for the kitchen!<br />
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I have also cooked with it and love how it melts clear and has a cleaner feel and taste than butter. I have read some articles that say that olive oil is still healthier, but that coconut oil is a better option than butter. I haven't tried baking with it yet, but I've found some recipes I'm excited to try. The Food Network recently put a video on their website about coconut oil that can be found: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/get-to-know-coconut-oil-0220644.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I haven't noticed much of a coconut flavor to the food when I cook with it. I will say though that because it smells like coconut when you are cooking, it makes you feel like it tastes that way. Does that make sense? <br />
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I also have a friend who does oil pulling for her teeth and uses coconut oil. I haven't tried it yet, but if you do let me know what you think!<br />
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I found this chart on Pinterest. Who knows if it's entirely accurate, but I've seen these claims in several articles. <br />
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You can buy it in regular grocery stores, too. I just found the two pack for $17 to be a pretty good deal! Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-47797110793679806142014-04-24T14:56:00.000-04:002014-04-24T14:57:14.881-04:00Chicken Cordon Bleu CasseroleMy husband doesn't like casseroles, so I very rarely make them. A couple of weekends ago I went out of town and I wanted to make something he could just throw in the oven. I figured he could just deal with having a casserole. Well, much to my surprise, he liked it! So, I figured I had to make it again so I could try it. I got the recipe from Six Sisters Stuff. The recipe can be found: <a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole-recipe.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It turned out to be the perfect meal, because I already had leftover ham from Easter (my kids refuse to eat split pea soup) and leftover broccoli. It was simple to make. <br />
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You just mix up the chicken, ham, broccoli, mustard and cream of chicken soup. <br />
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Then you layer on some swiss cheese. Is it weird that mine only had holes on the edges? <br />
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Then a layer of chicken flavored stuffing.<br />
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And bake it!<br />
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I thought it was a good weekday meal, pretty easy! My only critique is that it was a little salty for me. Next time I think I will use low sodium cream of chicken soup or maybe unsalted butter. Other than that, I thought it was great and my husband and kids like it, which is always a plus!<br />
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Try it and let me know what you think!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-56275978624563084312014-04-18T15:36:00.000-04:002014-04-18T15:39:51.348-04:00Bose MIE2i HeadphonesA year or so ago I bought these headphones for my husband: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bose-627477-0080-Bose%C2%AE-Mobile-Headset/dp/B0043WCH66/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1397849355&sr=8-4&keywords=bose+headphones">Bose MIE2i Mobile Headsets</a>. He is a runner and is always going through new headphones to find some that he likes. (This is also the case for running shoes, sunglasses, and watches.) Anyway, he discovered these Bose Headphones and seemed to like them so I ordered him some for Father's Day.<br />
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I hadn't really thought of them much until the other day when I was pulling laundry out of the washing machine to transfer them to the dryer. Then to my surprise I pulled these headphones out of the washer. Needless to say, I was slightly annoyed. These aren't the cheapest headphones. I set right out to make my husband feel guilty about it, because it's what I do. Then just for fun I thought I'd check to see if they still work...and what do you know?! They do! So, I am recommending them to all of you, just in case you are looking for good headphones to run with, that have a microphone and will survive a run through the washing machine! Now I must go apologize to my husband for the guilt trip. Darn. Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-3141447812491900092014-04-12T15:17:00.001-04:002014-04-12T15:17:41.226-04:00Excellent Read!I just love being curled up in a comfortable chair with a good book. It seems like lately because I have four very busy kids, I don't have much time to read. However, a 12 hour plane ride presented me with an opportunity to read an excellent book (sans comfortable chair). <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2zdAoz0qipH00uBH8acAGji1U8WQQAk-eM6YwhoK8fWm_mPGO6QEX0b_5mZMRTbXA7JfyJyhSoDmvcJ-sz4jeEOj5Q_-lTWALTd-VtiF2Qp_9pVJZX26yyFxYJQVRl7brXkorcYhtw1J/s640/blogger-image--1305664300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2zdAoz0qipH00uBH8acAGji1U8WQQAk-eM6YwhoK8fWm_mPGO6QEX0b_5mZMRTbXA7JfyJyhSoDmvcJ-sz4jeEOj5Q_-lTWALTd-VtiF2Qp_9pVJZX26yyFxYJQVRl7brXkorcYhtw1J/s640/blogger-image--1305664300.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>This was an excellent book, written by Jojo Moyes. It was about Lousia Clark who grew up in a small town, having not experienced much, but living a fairly normal life. She is hired to be the care giver of Will Traynor who is a quadriplegic and both her life and Will's are changed. </div><div><br></div><div>It was truly an amazing book! I sobbed through the last few chapters (which is awkward on a plane). Definitely a must read!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13117808464019882777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-84510848220348832892014-04-08T11:37:00.000-04:002014-04-08T11:50:37.653-04:00Sherlock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I realize I'm a few years late to the party, but I thought I would write this post just in case you are too!<br />
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Sister #1 recently suggested that my husband and I start watching Sherlock. It's a BBC production that also aired on PBS.<br />
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My Dad is a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, both the books and older shows. So, we watched quite a few of them growing up. I really enjoy this series. It's really interesting and captivating. It's kind of interesting to see the modern twist they take on some of the classic stories. Benedict Cumberbatch does an excellent job as Sherlock and the effects they use to show his train of thought are really cool.<br />
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The thing I like about finding out about series a few years after it has started is that I can then have a couple of seasons to catch up before waiting for new episodes to come out. You can get seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix. Season 3 aired on PBS in January, unfortunately it isn't available yet on Netflix. I'm sure they'll get it soon, but we are impatient and Season 2 had such a crazy finale that we went ahead and ordered Season 3 off of Amazon. I read a review there saying that PBS often edits the BBC shows, so you don't get everything that the original show had. That's how I justified spending $24 for 3 episodes. Yes, that is the one complaint I have about the series. Each season has 3 episodes, which I'm told is typical for BBC shows, but still frustrating for me!<br />
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Anyway, check it out! I'm sure you'll love it! Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-47361894933612341692014-04-01T22:21:00.001-04:002014-04-01T22:47:42.903-04:00Star Wars Birthday!This past weekend we had a Star Wars Birthday Party! I was pretty excited that my son had picked Star Wars, because there are so many great ideas out there! I looked all over Pinterest and Amazon (my two weaknesses) and found some really great ideas. The fun thing about a Star Wars party is that a lot of times the parents are into it even more than the kids!<br />
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Here are some of the products and ideas we used:<br />
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First of all, a big thank you to <a href="http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/">homemadebyjill.blogspot.com</a>! She was awesome. I loved all of her ideas for the Star Wars party she threw for her son. She was kind enough to email me some of the Silhouette files she created, which made life much easier for me!<br />
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I loved her idea for this R2D2 Water dispenser and she was gracious enough to send me the file. I think it turned out really fun:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1SJtZzZrnpa_XwE15RmFM8P34QGSv_VnGASHgMFuGcNAiRrIWRUSvzm4uKh5rCAM5iKp1pEp2vH8aHQk13ryJtLNWwTwmurPG4xUfTrkAE85G5Q0IdP9cEEUrHUB0MZlyUNsWTiBiBKl/s1600/IMG_5703.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1SJtZzZrnpa_XwE15RmFM8P34QGSv_VnGASHgMFuGcNAiRrIWRUSvzm4uKh5rCAM5iKp1pEp2vH8aHQk13ryJtLNWwTwmurPG4xUfTrkAE85G5Q0IdP9cEEUrHUB0MZlyUNsWTiBiBKl/s1600/IMG_5703.jpeg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
My other favorite from the party were these Millenium Falcons. To make these I ordered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kotobukiya-Star-Millennium-Falcon-Silicone/dp/B006OIMS2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396403615&sr=8-1&keywords=millenium+falcon+mold" target="_blank">this</a> silicone mold from Amazon and filled them with melting candy from Michaels. I love the detail!<br />
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I've seen these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Cookie-Cutter-Set/dp/B006U6P5M6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396403683&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+cookie+cutters" target="_blank">cookie cutters</a> from Williams Sonoma and have loved them and was just looking for an excuse to buy them! They come with Boba Fett, a Storm Trooper, Darth Vader and Yoda. We used them to make chocolate sugar cookies and regular sugar cookies and for the Star Wars "hot pockets". This is another idea that homemadebyjill listed on her blog. They are little pockets of ham and cheese inside pie crust dough.<br />
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We also did Obi-Wan Kebabies...hehehe..I feel like such a nerd.</div>
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My son was a huge fan of the Darth Vader cake. My husband and I are starting to worry that his favorite character is Darth Vader. He turns out ok in the end, right? So, we shouldn't be too worried! This <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-2105-3035-Star-Wars-Cake/dp/B0083AZL9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396403984&sr=8-1&keywords=darth+vader+cake+pan" target="_blank">cake pan</a> is made by Wilton and comes with really easy to follow directions. Black frosting can be hard to get just right without adding way too much food coloring, so I went with the "black frosting in a tube" route. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlB9zTrClB4_N7k9HhYzO-IGoQfNZRg9Cnj_wXREyEtXUCtO9OYHxDYEtYDumeVhG7pm0QLi3YrC9b63CcCtGcbwDuMpdZoPaA8eMAQGcWZYZWZCJG_-SXBqVKH9i7WK0KrwSnObAQ82e/s1600/IMG_5704.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlB9zTrClB4_N7k9HhYzO-IGoQfNZRg9Cnj_wXREyEtXUCtO9OYHxDYEtYDumeVhG7pm0QLi3YrC9b63CcCtGcbwDuMpdZoPaA8eMAQGcWZYZWZCJG_-SXBqVKH9i7WK0KrwSnObAQ82e/s1600/IMG_5704.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
We also had candy dipped pretzel lightsabers, thermal detonators (aka whoppers), Qui-Gon Jin-ger snaps, Leia's Buns (cinnamon rolls), Bow-ba Fett Pasta, Wookie Cookies (Teddy Grahams) and Korean food for the adults!<br />
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The activities were not as organized as I would have liked. It was raining which kind of threw me off my game, because we were planning on doing most of the activities outside, but I think it all turned out ok. I kept taking deep breaths and telling myself that it was a 4 year old's birthday party.<br />
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For the death star pinata, I ordered a beach ball pinata, spray painted it black with some leftover paint, and then painted on silver squares. I also painted a death star on a poster board and the kids had to "stay on target" by flying paper airplanes through the hole. <br />
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For the train with Yoda game, I ordered a stuffed Yoda and the kids had
to wear him on their backs in a backpack and balance across a board and
go through a tunnel, like they were training on Dagobah with Yoda. <br />
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Homemadebyjill had an awesome idea of having a "Tattoo-ine Parlor" using temporary tattoos.<br />
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We had a little photo session with the kids using this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Generations-Wall-Mural/dp/B0073X8I88/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396404433&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+mural" target="_blank">mural</a> and these <a href="http://www.etsy.com/transaction/186276014?campaign_label=receipt_buyer&utm_source=transactional&utm_campaign=receipt_010170_7297498688_0_0&utm_medium=trans_email" target="_blank">masks</a> I ordered off of etsy. <br />
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Once again I did not get a picture of the favor boxes! I was lucky enough to find a bunch of star wars things on sale at Target and Michaels, including small markers with stamps and notebooks. We also had little bags of "Han's Rolos" and "Ewok Gummies". </div>
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It was a lot of fun. I love throwing birthday parties and seeing my kids get excited about the details. I especially love finding fun products and blogs that make my life so much easier!<br />
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I'm really excited about the fact that I get to use my new Star Wars cookie cutters for May the Fourth. </div>
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-88794617869246058732014-03-31T19:02:00.002-04:002014-03-31T19:52:13.133-04:00Creamy Italian ChickenSome days when I've spent the day cleaning the kitchen - removing all those fingerprints from my appliances, the crusty things on the underside of the chairs, swept and mopped the floor - the last thing I want to do is make a meal. Unfortunately, those rotten kids want dinner every night! So, I have a couple of stand-by meals that are easy both in preparation and in clean up. A favorite amongst my children is Italian Chicken. This is a recipe that I've gotten from my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fix-It-Forget-It-Revised-Updated-Recipes/dp/156148685X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396305862&sr=8-1&keywords=fix+it+and+forget+it">Fix and Forget</a> cookbook. The thing <i>I </i>love about this meal is that it's a Crockpot meal that doesn't take 8 hours. I personally like to add Sriracha sauce to the top of <b>mine only</b>, because it lacks the spice I like in all of my food, but the rest of the family likes it as is. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgF_Y_8W_QGOhcC5ZtTGMDre0u530RyM8SHKJ5ao6JsFIY2v8AqIMpoS1-O1pFaF8ZXDIc9oKsIsdzE47T1p4c3-npR1OnIPzVUaqKhV4x9JTPOWGDI1fjujwcheUU71pfX-wiP3lPlCP/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgF_Y_8W_QGOhcC5ZtTGMDre0u530RyM8SHKJ5ao6JsFIY2v8AqIMpoS1-O1pFaF8ZXDIc9oKsIsdzE47T1p4c3-npR1OnIPzVUaqKhV4x9JTPOWGDI1fjujwcheUU71pfX-wiP3lPlCP/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Ingredients</u>:</b></div>
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3-4 Chicken Breasts</div>
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Robusto Italian Dressing packet (dry mix)</div>
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2 packages of cream cheese (I have cut this down to 1 1/2)</div>
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2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup</div>
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1/2 Cup of water</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN3zztnyxMIq59D0OvrNUxnLCWYGq8QiQjIbeCCtOV9OIjht_mPbFbIii4hvwLQpq7gIS2s7LZKUr0-vMh-u55IctqxiXotBx3oKkf086oR3OmnJH7NZTZI1BSPMdTKvPr2mfyPkAa1c0/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN3zztnyxMIq59D0OvrNUxnLCWYGq8QiQjIbeCCtOV9OIjht_mPbFbIii4hvwLQpq7gIS2s7LZKUr0-vMh-u55IctqxiXotBx3oKkf086oR3OmnJH7NZTZI1BSPMdTKvPr2mfyPkAa1c0/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Instructions:</u></b></div>
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1. Slice chicken breast horizontally first, and then cube. If your chicken breasts aren't very thick, you can increase the number of chicken breasts that you use. If mine are on the smallish side, I usually will use one breast per member of my family.</div>
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2. Place cubed chicken into the bottom of your Crockpot.</div>
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3. Mix Italian Seasoning and water and then pour over chicken</div>
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4. Cook on High for 1 1/2 hours or on Low for 3 hours</div>
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5. Mix together soup and cream cheese and pour on top of the Chicken. I have in the past not mixed the two together, and just put them in separately, and the cream cheese never seems to melt down completely. You can add the cream cheese, let that melt down a bit, and then add the soup (sometimes you just don't want to clean that mixer!)</div>
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6. Cook for an additional 30 minutes and serve over rice or egg noodles.</div>
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Serves 6 - three of them boys that really devour everything insight!</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxsNDP2FqIkA9BGsQj-pPpJsMlQ7odz1RtnnmFlcmrc1CG0ZVGnWV58xspheU3jE3yC1oFpuy0DW-DkN2mba4EEdff_LTIO7uWHebR4A_fUQv-gEhPs5a7h6vKbTjKfgrODomDYZG3rCR/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxsNDP2FqIkA9BGsQj-pPpJsMlQ7odz1RtnnmFlcmrc1CG0ZVGnWV58xspheU3jE3yC1oFpuy0DW-DkN2mba4EEdff_LTIO7uWHebR4A_fUQv-gEhPs5a7h6vKbTjKfgrODomDYZG3rCR/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had ours with peas tonight, but I have found that this meal is a little on the heavy side, so a nice garden salad sometimes is nice. </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13117808464019882777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-34612122943688328932014-03-31T16:34:00.000-04:002014-04-01T07:04:45.765-04:00Aqua ZingerSince giving up Coke, I've tried really hard to drink more water, which has been kind of hard for me. I like juice, soda, milk, but water? Not so much. I also don't like the Crystal Light packets as much, because it reminds me of having diabetes while pregnant. So, I was excited when I spotted this awesome water bottle on Pinterest:<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy89PsafXdqJz2OTj_r_AlkswC0JWLWrc-Lx6bZds-zJVfuBeQ4KYTUyeyMV-aS81ck1UkEhLr47AbwjcwWbeVMVMsCP6uIMmxyQEIBm9gPeyPUs0RpMlTT46nXw9B8svwGOL3t5L699ac/s1600/AZ3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy89PsafXdqJz2OTj_r_AlkswC0JWLWrc-Lx6bZds-zJVfuBeQ4KYTUyeyMV-aS81ck1UkEhLr47AbwjcwWbeVMVMsCP6uIMmxyQEIBm9gPeyPUs0RpMlTT46nXw9B8svwGOL3t5L699ac/s1600/AZ3.JPG" height="320" width="189"></a></div>
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Behold! The<span style="color: yellow;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Zing-Anything-Aqua-Zinger-Blue/dp/B008F4NBB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396297490&sr=8-1&keywords=aqua+zinger" target="_blank">Zing Anything Aqua Zinger</a></span>! I ordered mine, in pink, off of Amazon for $29. I think the blue one is $24.<br>
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Here's how it works:<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TeLCS6Uk6-o5d1x8L27qwJK_1EzoXrbkRCufy5Pp-uyjN7jUxA0hmpXh7Jcl2jfZ9aYU0oL6VDju7mMMz6UiyHrFGNJmUSVPKDXbWi6mcdv4_kBYu8QJf9USJLwWtCr6CpLuZLQfu-xG/s1600/AZ1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TeLCS6Uk6-o5d1x8L27qwJK_1EzoXrbkRCufy5Pp-uyjN7jUxA0hmpXh7Jcl2jfZ9aYU0oL6VDju7mMMz6UiyHrFGNJmUSVPKDXbWi6mcdv4_kBYu8QJf9USJLwWtCr6CpLuZLQfu-xG/s1600/AZ1.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarO83Kq5rWknSxYM4vRtMGk9No0BSaAggkw5b46Mh3VCd6UbY4V2JFg-t0ZpxDY5jDsCvGkie3MeC-iQ7G2qZghcmkWUOlPSvznn0-mieXHkaqe-AvMovg7YzbrNbzQybkFjJhP2rn8-v/s1600/AZ2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarO83Kq5rWknSxYM4vRtMGk9No0BSaAggkw5b46Mh3VCd6UbY4V2JFg-t0ZpxDY5jDsCvGkie3MeC-iQ7G2qZghcmkWUOlPSvznn0-mieXHkaqe-AvMovg7YzbrNbzQybkFjJhP2rn8-v/s1600/AZ2.JPG" height="320" width="240"></a></div>
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First you cut up whatever it is you want to use to flavor your water. I typically use cucumbers, because it's the easiest..and I'm lazy. It also reminds me of going to a spa, which is always nice. I've also done watermelon and basil, which was delicious. My kids also like the cucumbers, so I usually do that since they like to share. Anyway, you cut up your vegetables, fruits, or berries and place them in a little cup at the bottom of the bottle. Then you place in a little attachment with blades on it. Then you screw it back onto the main part of the bottle and fill it with water and ice and voila! Flavored water. I've been drinking a lot more water since buying this bottle. Now I don't mind it as much! Try it and let me know what you think!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-41128626413449580992014-03-31T10:30:00.001-04:002014-03-31T10:30:19.725-04:00Soap Scum Miracle!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdLZjFzuuxAh377DhGsKgH_KtMU-HGL3LHGHchMTwPEQXMarMK9yunLWeNC8cVOhdOI8ro4FTaT7eCdwXAdMnv9ceFMgkv6UiNe4RYA-AckZTb4qzzdbQC8PwRRNdOvwoju9usIU5F3Dw/s1600/DSC_0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdLZjFzuuxAh377DhGsKgH_KtMU-HGL3LHGHchMTwPEQXMarMK9yunLWeNC8cVOhdOI8ro4FTaT7eCdwXAdMnv9ceFMgkv6UiNe4RYA-AckZTb4qzzdbQC8PwRRNdOvwoju9usIU5F3Dw/s1600/DSC_0039.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>I have found it - the soap scum removing miracle. I was tooling around Pinterest (my favorite hobby) and found this ... <a href="http://eclecticmomsense.com/2012/01/miracle-soap-scum-remover.html">Soap scum remover</a>. I was willing to try just about anything to remove the soap scum from my shower door - it's just disgusting.<br />
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<b>Here's what you do</b>:<br />
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<b>First</b> - put 1 cup of blue Dawn into a spray bottle (I purchased my spray bottle from Walmart).<br />
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<b>Second</b> - place 1 cup of vinegar in your microwave for a couple of minutes (just until it's boiling).<br />
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<b>Third - </b>let the vinegar cool for just a second (my bottle is slightly deformed because I skipped this step)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmax7725KV3lPnbSfXwir8ml-ZhqKPOgDJy1cFOz7JTFtYsSOwdioVxtzJGVcs22CWhgrOFZCrqS8iC54aW2uCjwz2haWFCutFzY2WiesGltOCUqQqw7urM84NqUdHQdJoHY_PdNOtSFDB/s1600/DSC_0034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmax7725KV3lPnbSfXwir8ml-ZhqKPOgDJy1cFOz7JTFtYsSOwdioVxtzJGVcs22CWhgrOFZCrqS8iC54aW2uCjwz2haWFCutFzY2WiesGltOCUqQqw7urM84NqUdHQdJoHY_PdNOtSFDB/s1600/DSC_0034.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><b>Fourth - </b>Pour vinegar into spray bottle with Dawn, then shake to mix. <br />
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<b>Finally - </b>Spray your shower surfaces. I did not rinse the mixture off right away, I left it on for several hours. The longer you let it sit the better it works. I then just rinsed. The results were amazing! <br />
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The best part about it is - as you have noticed I'm sure - I always have plenty of vinegar and Dawn on hand. <br />
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Try it! Trust me, it's worth it. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13117808464019882777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437835729873431175.post-48572051740211205272014-03-31T09:24:00.000-04:002014-03-31T09:24:33.965-04:00Pedipeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOS8nhkFATBiogx47cgMW5ViYtg8c3S0Lte0_eiDw3gVOm88-1Hem3pSpMNuZrm1zu34kqUJoiu8CM-Y9TxdKAdyEpvhqFcKowlu0eSeZaqTkq5_pPhztgwDj2SSeeqQNHtmBZ6tKaDcI/s1600/pediped2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOS8nhkFATBiogx47cgMW5ViYtg8c3S0Lte0_eiDw3gVOm88-1Hem3pSpMNuZrm1zu34kqUJoiu8CM-Y9TxdKAdyEpvhqFcKowlu0eSeZaqTkq5_pPhztgwDj2SSeeqQNHtmBZ6tKaDcI/s1600/pediped2.jpg" height="320" width="301" /></a></div>
I love baby clothes and shoes! When I had my first son I was so excited for him to learn how to walk and wanted to get him the right shoes. (Now with my third...I'm in no hurry for him to learn how to walk or run!) Anyway, I had a good friend who suggested Pedipeds. They are perfect for babies learning how to walk. They stay on well and are just so cute! Kids have a tendency to take off their shoes and throw them as far as they can, but these stay on pretty well and they don't seem to bother them.<br />
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The thing I like about them is that they are soft and flexible, but still stiff enough on the bottom to give them support as they learn how to walk. I think the boys shoes are so cute, but the girl shoes are to die for. So much cuteness. They are also sold in stores. They are not cheap and are typically $35-$40, but they do have sales and free shipping on orders over $35. If you're looking for baby shoes then check out <a href="http://pediped.com/">Pediped.com</a>! They are awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KyCCWxwn8ySOpceCR8_T9VVXmTuNvcKCi1bQI-8mSIoU3JowOZ-dz2a4mmj_aOT1IQben3RIJiWWtNQNo0cZvCbFyKRor4M3kOttrHMJR1OoUD_7UPQnxXBmI9gXCcAfefVU_iDZgqdq/s1600/pediped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KyCCWxwn8ySOpceCR8_T9VVXmTuNvcKCi1bQI-8mSIoU3JowOZ-dz2a4mmj_aOT1IQben3RIJiWWtNQNo0cZvCbFyKRor4M3kOttrHMJR1OoUD_7UPQnxXBmI9gXCcAfefVU_iDZgqdq/s1600/pediped.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></div>
Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586053269551189184noreply@blogger.com0