Not a real entry

This really doesn't count as a blog entry. I'm mostly doing this to serve as a holding place. JillyBean hasn't shown signs of climbing out of her crib just yet but that hasn't stopped me from looking at "big girl" bedding. There are two sets that I've had my eye on for some time and they're both on sale right now. I'm thinking of getting one and holding on to it for when we make the transition.

This is from Pottery Barn Kids. I love the bright pink and the cute monkey pattern really says a lot for her personality:
I also really love this from Land of Nod. It's so pretty and very girlie:
I know that it's two different looks but I can't decide which one I like best. The Land of Nod is so beautiful, but the PBK bedding is so cute.

I'll be back soon to do a Christmas update. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fabulous New Year.

Top 5

JillyBean and I drove to Richmond yesterday to finalize our Christmas shopping. That meant the drive up and back allowed us to listen to nearly four hours of Christmas music thanks to the three holiday music stations on XM radio. Needless to say I had some time to think of my favorite Christmas songs and here are my Top 5.

5. Merry Christmas From the Family by Robert Earl Keen

4. All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

3. Little Drummer Boy sung by Josh Groban

2. Hallelujah Chorus sung by Mormon Tabernacle

1. O Come All Ye Faithful/Oh Holy Night sung by Sandi Patty (no one, and I mean NO ONE does this better)

Feel free to share your favorite Christmas tunes.

Hanna

Hanna Andersson has been having the most awesome sale for a couple of weeks and it just keeps getting better. I snagged a cute snowsuit for Jilly for $28 and a cute all-weather jacket for $16. Both are a size smaller than I wanted (would have preferred the next size up so I could be sure that it will work next year), but even if she only gets one year out of them it's a great deal. Unless she goes through a bigger growth spurt than she did last year they should be OK but it would have been nice to have had some wiggle room.

Ten Things

This blog post was inspired by Amanda Soule and is a great way for me to recap the month.

Ten things I'm loving these days:
1. The last bit of princess cake leftover from my birthday. Even though it's terribly stale and has only a hint of the sweetness I tasted in my first bite, it makes me happy and brings back the memory of a wonderful family celebration.

2. The Advent devotional that my mother-in-law sent. It has reminded me how important it is to be still, especially during this hectic time of the year.

3. The excitement that JillyBean displays each morning she comes downstairs to see that the Christmas tree is still there.

4. That my mother is still filled with the Christmas spirit in spite of the bah humbug-ness displayed by some of our family members this year.

5. Josh Groban's rendition of Little Drummer Boy and how JillyBean sings along with the ba rum ba bum bum portion, using her legs for a drum.

6. Josh Groban's rendition of I'll Be Home For Christmas even though it makes me cry every time I hear the voices of the service men and women who won't be home for Christmas. On the same note, it makes me happy thinking of a good friend whose husband is coming home for Christmas.

7. Baking Christmas treats and the wonderful memories that flood my mind of doing the same with my Grandmother.

8. The nightly ritual of finding a new place to put the Elf.

9. Allowing JillyBean to believe in Santa Claus as an easy-to-grasp lesson in goodness and having faith in something that you can't always see.

10. A husband who I want to find something special for, but who I know will be happy with new boxers and a book.

A Little Cheer

Auntie April was here after Thanksgiving to take JillyBean's Christmas pictures. They turned out fabulous. We had some shot near Monticello and a few at the Rotunda at UVA. These are my favorites from each location:

She really needs her hair cut because she looks like a little sheepdog with those bangs hanging in her eyes. We're going tomorrow to make her a bit more presentable for Christmas. I really love the way little Suri Cruise has her hair cut so I'm trying to get Jilly's to go in that direction.

Still, I think that she looks adorable. Auntie likes photos where she's smiling a bit more but I told her that supermodels don't smile and Jilly is getting an early start on a lucrative career.

We used three photos from the shoot in our Christmas cards this year and I think that they're really great.

On that note, I have to say that I'm so disappointed in the lack of cards that we have received this year. I'm hoping everyone got a late start and that I'll get a mailbox full of them in the next couple of days. I LOVE getting Christmas cards and find it hard to throw them away each year. I keep all of the photo cards in a hat box and love looking back to see how the kids have grown over the years.

'Tis the Season to be Popping

Beanie Dad and I put together our little gifts to his directors tonight: Party Popcorn.

I had planned to make this for his staff just to give them a break from all of the cookies and candy you typically get during the holidays. I did a trial run for our mom's club cookie exchange last week since the cookies I planned to make were a bust (the recipe said it would make 52 and I only got 32 and I had to make 6 dozen).

I found the cute popcorn containers in Target's dollar section, which I think makes a super cute presentation.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup of popcorn
2 tablespoons of oil for popping
1/2 stick of butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt

Pop your popcorn on the stove top.
Melt butter and spices
Pour butter mixture over popcorn
Place popcorn in a brown paper bag and shake
Enjoy!

Whew!

So today we mailed out 65 Christmas cards, wrapped nearly every gift that we've purchased, and prepared gifts to be mailed tomorrow to Okie City and New Mexico.

I feel very accomplished.

Pardon the Interruption

I know that it's been a couple of weeks since my last post and it's not that there's been nothing exciting to share. Things have been busy thanks to the Christmas rush and my taking on a writing assignment. However, I have been keeping notes (aka: traditional written journal) and will return later this week to put it all here (probably Thursday since Beanie Dad will be working).

In the meantime, I would like to share the newest addition to my holiday cookie collection. I made these this afternoon and they are absolutely fabulous. I got it from my coveted December issue of Real Simple magazine: Ginger Chocolate-Chip Bars. They are simply divine, super easy to make and the ginger puts a fun twist on traditional chocolate chip bars. I tried four new recipes this year and this is the only one that will make it through to next year and beyond.

Ho Ho Ho!

JillyBean got to meet Santa this weekend. She wasn't too sure what to think of him, but she wasn't scared. I expected her to cry and not want to sit on his lap but she was OK with it. She didn't tell him what she wants for Christmas, but I think that he knows...

Lil Prep

This photo is especially for Kappa Prep, who I was thinking of when I dressed JillyBean in her purple and pink plaid pants to attend the Santa parade and tree lighting ceremony Friday night.

'Tis (Almost) the Season

I have to give a big thanks to Amanda Soule for her wonderful blog Soule Mama. Not only does she provide great ideas for living a back-to-basics life and how to inspire creativity at home with kids, she is responsible for turning me on to two of JillyBean's Christmas gifts.


Jilly loves to color and draw, so when I came across the post about these crayon rocks, I knew that they would make a great stocking stuffer. (this site does not have them available now, but they are available through other sites). They're made of soy wax and tinted with natural mineral powders, so you don't have to worry about washing out your child's mouth if they end up there. They also come in a cute little pouch so it will be somewhat easy to keep up with them over time.

The other gift that comes thanks to SouleMama are these adorable slippers from Satch & Sol. I don't think that I'm going to dress Jilly in footie PJs this year because she gets so dad-gum hot as it is at night. However, it can be a bit chilly in the mornings and she really loves wearing slippers and I thought that these were just too cute.

As for the rest of her Christmas, we're all over the place. I know that she'll get a couple of puzzles and I got her this from Melissa & Doug at Nature's Child here in C'ville. I can't wait for Christmas this year because I know that she'll be so excited to see everything, though I know that she won't really "get" it until maybe next year.

Imagine

JillyBean's affection for Winnie the Pooh has grown the past couple of months. It's a love affair that couldn't make me any happier.

Pooh was my favorite fairy tale character when I was a kid. I wore clothes that had him on them, had stuffed bears, read the books. My dad's nickname for me was Pooh, and he calls me that from time to time today.

Me and Pooh on my fourth birthday

I recorded Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin on Monday for me and JillyBean to watch. It's a fairly new movie that loosely touches on the final chapter of A. A. Milne's fabulous tale of a young boy and his adventures with his stuffed bear. It brought tears to my eyes thinking about how the story of Pooh and Christoper Robin ends with The House at Pooh Corner. Even as I type this my eyes are welling up with tears. It basically boils down to the fact that Christopher Robing grew up and was told that there were more pressing things to do with his time than to play make believe. He was simply too old to play with Pooh and friends.

It's very sad to think about life getting to the point where such "nonsense" is unacceptable. I watch Jilly and see her imagination grow daily and it's those little things that make me so happy that we brought her into this world. I have watched her set her stuffed animals in a row so that she can sit down and "read" to them. She lies in bed when she's not exactly ready to fall asleep or when she first wakes up and sings to the half dozen animals who sleep with her. She feels the need to share her snacks with her Lilly frog. Elmo must always be by her side when she watches Elmo's World. And today she pulled out her stuffed monkeys to play the drum while I read Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumbs.

The magic of childhood is an amazing thing and something that will break my heart when it goes away.

"Pooh, promise you won't forget  about  me,  ever.  Not
even when I'm a hundred."
-Christopher Robin

The Chair

This training potty has been in our home for about two months. JillyBean has been introduced to the concept of going "wet" in a big-girl potty for a little while and we made the decision to start potty training her at 18 months. Well, we missed that mark by a month and are doing it for real this month. Actually, we're going to start in two weeks - the week of Thanksgiving because we have no outside activities planned (no Mother Goose Time, no Kindermusik, and no Little Gym). We're going to stay home and do a potty training boot camp and see how it goes.

We have made the decision not to use Pull Ups because I really want JillyBean to know that she's wet. I understand that the Pull Ups get cold when they're wet, but it can't be the same thing. So, after doing a lot of research I ordered Potty Patty training pants. They arrived on Friday making this whole exercise very real. Up until now Bean goes potty at bath time and each morning after she gets out of bed. We have made this a routine and I have noticed that every now and again she'll ask to go on her own. She has been letting us know that she's wet for some time so now we need to get her figure out how to let us know ahead of time.

I never really realized what a commitment potty training is but, like everything else with kids, consistency is the key. I have learned from other moms that the best way to do it is to stay home and really reinforce using the "big" potty. My Grandmother potty trained me when I was 12 months old and I'm sure it's because she was so focused on it. I believe that the parent has to be in the right frame of mind just like the child. If I'm not ready then she'll never be ready. But she's been giving us signals that she is ready to make this next step so I have got to prepare myself.

There are books on how to train in a day or three days but I don't want to be that hard core. We're going to work on it for the week and if it works then great and if not, we'll try it again another time.

Pass It On

We did pretty well with the Here Wee Grow Again consignment sale last month but not all of JillyBean's clothes got gobbled up. Thankfully there is a new service that looks very promising for moms who either want to make a few bucks by selling their stuff or for moms looking for a deal.

Handmedowns.com is a new site to list baby and kids gently used products and services - everything from gear to nanny services. It apparently also pulls relevant ads from other online services such as eBay and Craigslist. Unfortunately it won't help unless you live in one of these regions: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle or Washington, D.C.

Gymbo Sale

Gymboree's Circle of Friends Sale starts tomorrow and goes through Sunday. Use the code CFFRIEND or CFCIRCLE and get 30 percent off of your entire order.

JillyBean needs some new PJs. These are pretty cute with Christmas around the corner:

Sweet Ending

Even if your candidate didn't win yesterday, there will always be cupcakes. At least I don't recall Obama campaigning against such sweet delights.
JillyBean and I went to Cappellino's Crazy Cakes this afternoon, a new bakery at the Downtown Mall. It helped melt away our disappointment.

Happy Election Day

Rock the Vote

Don't forget to cast your ballot on Tuesday. And if you're still undecided, follow JillyBean's suggestion.

Halloweeve

Tomorrow is Halloween and we're super excited around here. JillyBean has been practicing her "trick or treat" the past several days to ensure that Beanie Mom and Beanie Dad get a great stash of sweets this year. After all, it will be the last time we get the candy since I'm sure that she'll figure it out next year.

Jilly's costume is sort of a mish-mash of stuff. She really isn't anything, though a friend said it seems like she could be a bug. So we decided that she's a JillyBug. Beanie Grandma found a super cute black cape last year at Cracker Barrel that has eyes that light up. We've paired with a purple and black polka dot dress from Hanna Andersson along with some purple and black striped tights, also from HA, and a headband with bug antennas on it from Gymboree that she won't wear.

We plan to start the festivities with trick-or-treating at The Lawn, part of UVA's historic Academical Village . It's a tradition with the students who live there to hand out candy to kids. We went last year, when Bean was only 6 months old, and it was a blast. It will be even more fun this year since she'll be able to walk around herself. After that, we plan to go to do a bit more trick-or-treating with one of Bean's Buddies in his neighborhood. Bean is the only kid in our neighborhood so it wouldn't be too much fun for her here.

Girls' Night In

Tonight was the first of what will surely be many "Girls' Night In" events with Beanie Mom and JillyBean. Beanie Dad had to work since Jay Z was performing, so JB and I put on our PJs a bit early, popped some Kettle Corn, heated up some of our CSA's fabulous fresh apple cider, kicked back on the couch and watched Toy Story. It was a lot of fun. Jilly LOVES popcorn and really dug the warm cider. It's funny because she hasn't had juice before so this was a bit of a treat.

She got to bed about an hour later than normal and was completely wiped. She didn't even want to read a story. I was afraid that she'd be a bit wired after the cider and Kettle Corn, but she appeared to be pooped.

I can't wait for us to have more evenings like this. It was fun cuddling on the couch together. Her sweet side really showed as she would scoot close to me and throw her arms around my neck and kiss me on the cheek. I doubt she really "got" the movie, but she seemed to realize that this was a special event. It also was the first time that she has actually sat through an entire feature length film. I really wanted to watch The Devil Wears Prada (because I can watch that every day and also because Beanie Dad and I watched Adrian Grenier in Season 4 of Entourage last night), but figured that we should hold off on that for a couple more years.

Twisted Pumpkin

Kappa Prep had posted a yummy looking Martha Stewart recipe a couple of weeks ago and I made it for dinner last night - penne pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce. Yum! The only strange thing was getting past the idea that the sauce wouldn't taste like pumpkin spice like I'm used to having in a pie or pumpkin bread. You know how your brain is used to something being one way but it isn't so it takes a bit for you to get used to the new thing? That's what it was like with this recipe. Still, it was a success and something that will be made again.

The deviation that I made from the recipe was not garnishing it with the toasted rosemary. A couple of reviewers didn't care for it so I passed on it, too. I did toast/fry it as the recipe says just to have the flavor, but tossed it out.

I is for Irrational Fear

Today was cookie painting day with a group from the mom's club. And remember my freak out the other day? Totally unwarranted. Everyone had so much fun and the kids actually painted the cookies. Imagine that. I had thought that the kids would run around while the moms decorated the cookies. But wow, once again they proved me, and probably the rest of the moms, wrong.

One of the best things that I did was bring up JillyBean's table and chairs up from the playroom/office. We had some kids at the kitchen table and others at the little table. The kids at the little table had a blast painting, mixing the frosting and even sampling a bit of the sweets.

We did change up the plans a bit. Instead of painting cookies then baking them, Beanie Dad and I baked the cookies last night and I made a frosting that the kids used to paint. It was the best thing because we would have lost them the other way. So, today was such a success that I think that we'll do it again for Christmas.

C is for Crazy

Do you ever have those moments where you think that you have a good idea but the more you think about it the worse it is but then it's too late? That's what I am faced with this week. Several weeks ago I thought it would be a great idea to host a small group of kids from the mom's group to paint Halloween cookies. The idea came after one of my good friends reminded me that her fabulous family cookbook that she gave me after I got married included a few little fun stuff to do with kids. One was to make paintbrush cookies.

If we were still in our nice house in Big City, Texas, I probably wouldn't be fretting about it. But we are in a town home, we just don't have the space that we used to have and I'm freaking out a bit. Heck, we're living on three levels and don't even have gates to block the stairs (JillyBean has been amazing and doesn't seem to want to go up or down without us. I'm wondering if the curiosity isn't there because she's not shut out). Anyway, I had set a limit on six kids, which seemed doable until I began to imagine how all of this would work out. Have I mentioned that I'm freaking out a bit about this?

I am sure that it will work out; at least that's what I have to keep telling myself. We do have an eat-in kitchen so we will be able to use the kitchen table and not the dining room table. I also thought that I would bring Bean's little table and chairs up from the study and put it in the kitchen. Hopefully I can contain the activity enough that it will work out fine and all of the stress will be for nothing...

Even if it doesn't work I'll be left with some yummy cookies. I'm using my sugar cookie recipe and my friend's painting recipe. Beanie Dad says that I should just buy the pre-made stuff to save the hassle but that wouldn't be any fun.

Here's the best sugar cookie recipe EVER. What makes it so good is the inclusion of cream cheese and almond extract.

1 cup butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder

In a large mixer bowl combine butter and cream cheese. Beat until well combined. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. add egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat well.

In a medium bowl stir together flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture; beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill in the refrigerator about 1 1/2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutters. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Remove to wire racks; cool.

*Since we'll be painting the cookies that will be done before baking them.
**Adapted from Treasury of Christmas Recipes, a recipe book that I 've had since college

NSync

JillyBean and Beanie Mom took a little break last week. Dad had a business trip in Nashville so we decided to visit Nana for a few days. As it turned out, we spent a day in Nashville visiting Beanie Auntie who graciously conducted a two-day photo shoot of the Bean. We haven't seen the pictures yet but are positive that they're fabulous. We visited a pumpkin patch to get some cute fall photos. However, we were not greeted by fall weather as it was in the 80s. Poor Bean was decked out in a sweater and cap so that she could look the part while other kids were running around shorts and sleeveless tops. Oh well, no one said that a super model's job was an easy one.

It was a nice trip filled with the opportunity to get reaquainted with family that we don't get to see too often. Most importantly, JB got to spend time with her great grandmother and great-great aunt who, unfortunately, is not in the best shape right now. We spent a day at Ma and Evelyn's house playing and raking leaves.

We got home in time for Mom to attend the Elton John concert on Friday night with a couple of other moms. It was a fabulous show. To make the experience better, Bean did wonderfully with a new babysitter. Mom was super surprised that there were no tears when she left the house. Maybe Bean thought that Miss Rose Mary was another aunt...

So now we're trying to get back in sync and greatly need to get back into a routine, which Mom has discovered is just as important for her as well as for JillyBean.

Mommy's Night(s) Out

This past week has resembled pre-baby days because Beanie Mom has been out almost every night. It began on Tuesday with a mom's club outing to the Virginia School of Massage for a one hour massage that cost a whopping 30-bucks! Afterward a couple of gals went to dinner at the closest thing to Tex-Mex that you can find in Central Virginia - and it's still a pretty long distance - La Cocina del Sol. It was nice to have a relaxing, fun dinner without JillyBean and not having to look at the clock to make sure that the babysitter and her $10/hour fee didn't totally break the bank since Beanie Dad took over duties for the night.

On Wednesday,a friend hosted a CAbi party and I got a few new items to make the wardrobe look chic but playground appropriate. The clothes were great and I only wish that I could have got more but hopefully I can pick up an item or two at the rep's sample sale next month.

And finally, Thursday was the preview party for Martha's Market, a super scaled-down version of Nutcracker Market. I was able to knock a few people off the Christmas gift list, which is always a great thing to do in October.

Score!

JillyBean is the new owner of a fabulous convertible. Yes, I got to the sale and bought the little car as well as some new jeans and black dressy shoes. And on top of all that, Jilly has this new table chair set that mom scored for a mere 30-bucks (retails for $95). It's in mint condition and is great for her to sit at and color while Mom takes on more writing assignments. Each day we can come down to our joint office and work togehter.

Consignment Time

Beanie Mom has spent a few hours this weekend helping the organizers of the Here Wee Grow Again consignment sale. Sunday was intake day and, well, it's a good thing that I'm selling things because I saw a lot of ways that it's going to get spent. Seriously, there is a lot of super high quality stuff being sold. Too bad JillyBean isn't a bit older because there was a gorgeous dress that would be perfect for Christmas photos. Actually, the only thing that JB is getting is a couple new pair of jeans (I checked in some great jeans today) and an adorable rain coat that one of the volunteers brought on Saturday. If it's still there, she may also get this Cozy Convertible car to play with outside (one of her buddies has one similar and she LOVES it). The sucker retails for $60 and is marked at the sale for $15 and is in awesome condition. Keep your fingers crossed that it's still there when I go tomorrow. Other than that, all of the money we make goes toward Christmas gifts.

For C'ville moms looking for a great deal, head on over to Aldersgate Methodist Church (off Rio behind the mall). The sale opens to the public on Tuesday and goes through Saturday. Here's more information.

Non-Mom Jeans

Beanie Mom got a new pair of jeans today and is in love with them. Apparently they're Oprah's favorite jeans and, well, it's just one more sign that Oprah's stamp of approval is worth something (except for her politics of course).

I think this was the first time that I put on a pair of jeans in 5 years and had the sales lady tell me that she thought that I could wear a smaller size. What a pleasant surprise! And, yeah, the smaller size fit perfectly - no need to have them hemmed or taken in at the waist.

I highly recommend !iT Jeans. Not only are they a massive self-esteem booster but they're easy on the pocketbook at less than $100. I bought the Milano Trouser (below) but also tried on and loved the Diva and will go back and get them later.

Fair Play

The Beanie Family went to the State Fair over the weekend. It was fabulous! Beanie Mom loves fairs and this one had it all - rides, animals, fair food, and well, strange-looking people. The fair tends to attract a nice cross-section of society....

JillyBean didn't know what to do with herself. She was full of excitement and wonder the whole five hours we were there. One of the highlights was the opportunity for Bean to play in corn. Yep, corn.

One of the exhibition buildings had taken a traditional sand box and filled it with corn feed. Kids had a blast scooping it up and dumping it into buckets or burying themselves in it. To be honest, we could have left Bean right there for hours and she would have been perfectly happy. It's amazing how simple things like scooping corn can satisfy a child.
Next up was the animal barn where JB was thrilled to finally see a cow up close and personal. Beanie Mom thought that she would be a bit scared of such a large animal but she stuck her arm in the pens to pet them while mooing. It was so cute. And although Beanie Mom doesn't like them on the football field, it was nice to see a piece of Texas in Virginia.

As far as rides went, Beanie rode the carousel and a flying elephant ride. She had ridden the carousel at the little county fair over the summer and loved it but was a bit apprehensive about this one for some reason. Still it was a fun experience and all of her fears were gone once she took her first bite into the smoked turkey leg. Ahhh...Nothing says fair or festival quite like a massive turkey leg.

The adventure was wrapped up with another trip to an animal barn. This one, though, was loaded with goats, which may now be Bean's favorite animals. She was so excited to see them and ran from pen to pen touching them. She even hugged the goats who stuck their heads out of their pen which was very cute. I'm pretty sure they thought her blond hair was hay because she walked out of there with a bit of goat slobber. Needless to say she got a good scrub down once she got home.

Baby Crocker

JillyBean and Beanie Mom made banana bread yesterday. It was the perfect project for a cool rainy fall afternoon. JB mashed the bananas and did a great job. And because we love all of you who follow along here, we are sharing our fabulous banana bread recipe. Well, it isn't exactly ours. We got it from a cookbook that JB's Great Grandma Patterson gave Mom many years ago. It's a compilation of recipes from members of her church - church cookbooks are the best. There are three banana bread recipes in the book and the one submitted by Mollie Erwin Custer is to die for. Enjoy!

Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbs canned milk
2 cups flour
3 mashed (ripe) bananas
1 cup chopped nuts
pinch of salt

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, flour and milk, then soda and baking powder. Mix well. Add bananas, nuts and salt. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325-degrees

Ain't too Shabby

You may recall the cute black and white dress JillyBean wore to Beanie Uncle's wedding. It came from a shop called Shabby Apple and I just love their stuff - for both baby girl and mama. They have great dresses. Well, now through the end of the month they're offering $3 shipping, have a decent sale, and have added some new items.

I adore this little dress for fall:

Yo!

Beanie Mom has fallen out of step this past week. Things have been so busy and she hasn't taken the time to come in and share all of our happenings. So here is a quick rundown of what's gone on the past few days.

The Backyardigans came to town last Thursday and made a special appearance at Barnes & Noble. JillyBean didn't quite know what to think of the "real life" characters but enjoyed hearing them tell stories. Beanie Dad had the task of escorting the gang to the bookstore, so it was a special treat to see him in the afternoon. That evening Beanie and one of her buddies went to the show. She LOVED it and Beanie Mom had a pretty good time as well.

On Friday JB and Mom met some friends from our fabulous Mom's Group at the park. It was a blast playing with all of the kids. Beanie is beginning to show her sense of adventure by climbing up the big slide and going down all by herself - she gets upset if anyone offers her any help. I wonder where she gets that independent spirt?

We came home to find a treat on our doorstep. Beanie Grandma sent a box of goodies that included a new version of JB's true love, Elmo. Beanie wouldn't put him down and loved and cuddled him all afternoon. Of course he had to sit on the couch with her to watch Elmo's World. She even found it in her heart to share her milk with him. Now that's love because she doesn't share food or drink with just anyone. Beanie Dad wasn't too excited about the newest member to our household until he discoved that you can burp Baby Elmo. Boys!

On Monday JillyBean felt the nice fall weather setting in and decided that it was a boot day. Unfortunately she didn't see a need to wear pants, but she seems to have the ability to pull of such fashion risks. It did seem like appropriate attire for a morning ride on Mr. Horse.

Fall into Books

JillyBean and I went to Barnes & Noble this afternoon for Toddler Storytime. It was a pretty positive experience, except for an incident with an older child who walked up to JB and began slapping her on her head and body in a fit of rage (seriously, it was scary). I really felt bad for the mom - she was so embarrassed and disciplined the child (actually they left). And while it was completely weird I just have to think that these things will happen and it's somewhat tolerable (though still unacceptable) when the parent of the bully is just as upset as you are.

But, moving along, one book that was read today was this fabulous, fun story:
It kept JB's attention because of the amazing illustrations. I think that she'll appreciate it on a whole new level as she gets older because you are able to see the various shapes made by the leaves as they scatter across the earth.

Thinkin' Christmas

I know that we have a bit of time until the actual holiday, but I feel like it's time to begin preparing for Christmas pictures. Think about it - if we're going to send out an adorable photo card that our friends will post on their 'fridge and feel guilty to take down (I find it hard to put away these pictures each year - but I never throw them away), we need to get things moving soon.

JillyBean loves to wear hats. It's the strangest thing because she won't keep a bow in her hair but she'll wear a hat all day long. Last year's photo was on the casual side:
So I'm thinking of doing something a little more formal/classic this year. I ADORE this hat and coat and think that they would look beautiful in pictures. Plus, JB's bright blue eyes are sure to pop with this scarlet red:

Fun With Words

I'm sure that you've noticed JillyBean's reading list on the right. She loves books and is now at the point where she is "reading" to me during the day as well as "reading" to her babies.

This is her latest love:

It's a delightful collection of poems accompanied by fabulous, fun illustrations. She doesn't quite "get" the stories but I know that they will completely crack her up when she gets bigger. Now she likes to hear the cadence of my voice and look at the pictures.

The author/illustrator, Calef Brown, has a couple other books, Polkabats and Octopus Slacks and Flamingos on the Roof, that Santa may have to bring her this year.

Sweet Remedy

JillyBean has had an awful cough the past couple of weeks. It's mostly due to allergies so at night the drainage just gets to her and she hacks most of the time. I finally wised up and started giving her a couple of spoonfuls of honey during the day as well as at bedtime. It hasn't completely cured the problem but the coughing fits are much less than previous nights.

So while I'm on the subject of honey, this is simply the BEST honey I've ever had:


It's Tupelo Honey from the Savannah Bee Company. It's so sweet and buttery tasting.

Ridiculous

Anyone who knows me knows about my love affair with shoes. Especially high-heeled, pointy-toed shoes. The skinnier the heel and pointier the toe the better. So one might think that I would find these high-heeled infant shoes adorable. Quite the contrary; I think they're a bit appalling and also quite ugly (especially for $35 a pop).

Don't get me wrong. I don't think that babies need to shrouded in bunnies, baby chicks, puppy dogs, and lambs. JillyBean tends to wear clothing that reflects today's style but with a juvenile twist. But exposing this "style" to babies is ridiculous. Seriously, I know that they're designed for kids who can't walk so it's just a look, but what's the point? Is this to make the child look adorable or for the mom to get a bit of attention byway of her kid? Leave the heels for playing dress up, Halloween, and that first formal dance. Kids are already dressing too mature too early, so don't start while they're still in the crib.

According to the company's website, the shoes: "May cause...hysterical laughter when in use"
So they're designed so that we can laugh at the child? Nice...Let's help tear down a little girl's self-esteem as early as possible. /snark

One of the cutest things is when Beanie tries to shove her feet into a pair of my Stuart Weitzman heels because she wants to be like mommy instead of mom putting these silly things on because I want her to be a mini me.

Beanie and Beanie Mom prefer Pedipeds like these:

Or See Kai Run styles like these: