From the Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook ~ p 223

4 Servings / 199 Calories / MUFA: Canola Oil Mayonnaise

This is a GREAT alternative to butter and salt!  I served this for a Memorial Day dinner, so YUMMY! Perfect for summer BBQs.

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn (Pick up some fresh corn at a Farmers Market or produce stand, LOTS of extra flavor!)
1/4 cup canola oil mayonnaise (I used Best Foods Light)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:…

This really will be a Wordless Wednesday because these photos speak for themselves!  Sandy Heit has been taking our family photos and the girls newborn photos for 3 years now, and TRUST ME we have not made it easy for her!  So if we can get shots like these, under the circumstances we put her in, she is MOST DEFINITELY A FAVORITE in my book!  I hope you will have the pleasure of working with her as well.  Talent, patience, OH SO MUCH PATIENCE & a fabulous attitude to boot!  Here’s is…

Wouldn’t it be great to just look at a menu of what was in your freezer and be able to pull out 1 of many different dinners you had already made ahead of time and know that in 20 min to an hour it could be on the table with no extra prep work???

Oh well, one can always dream….

Dream Dinners that is!!!

OK that was TOTALLY a corny intro – but the service that Dream Dinners gives people is not corny at all! …

We took family and newborn photos when Piper was 10 days old….To say we gave Sandy Heit a few challenges is an UNDERSTATEMENT!  Not like you can tell in the slightest from this photo of Addie, I absolutely LOVE it!!

Be sure to check back next week to see the rest of the darling photos!

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out Angry Julie Monday.

Today’s Friend Favorite is SUCH A TREAT!  I had no idea who Shelly was until my Latte Fairy forwarded her info…and I am so glad she did! I am a HUGE photo fan!  I truly love and appreciate a true photographers skill and talent.  There are some great cameras out there that let some of us fool ourselves into thinking we can take a nice picture, but honestly, when you want the real deal, the timeless photo that will bring you back to the memory making moment in a heart beat….it takes…

By now you all know that I wayyyyyyy {heart} Zee Studio!

If our sweet nanny is my Right Hand, then Susie of Zee Studio is my Left Hand!  Everything else in life I accomplish with my feet I think!

Back in Decemeber Zee Studio offered a giveaway for a mini blog design and Sara of Sarah + Abraham was the winner!  I have been on pins and…

Do roses need words?!?

I think they speak for themselves.

I love you.

Thank you.

Whatever the purpose, they speak it in spades.

Seemed fitting to share this photo with you since I needed to announce the California Blooms winner.

These were sent to me by a friend as a thank you.

They MADE my day, my whole week so far!

A BIG THANK YOU to my sweet friend M. who sent me…

It was a crazy busy week again (What weeks aren’t for moms??  Do any of you have a new found respect for your mom?? I sure do!) And I can’t believe it’s just over 4 weeks until the newest babe is here!  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t make a showing any earlier!!!  I love ya and can’t wait to meet ya, but you just go ahead and stay nice and cozy until March 9th, Pretty Please!

OK, onto the fun things from this week.  I actually had to edit this a bit because I saw…

I’m all about finding ways to make my life easier.

Not that I’m lazy, though I’m a little bit of that too…but truly on any given day, I’m going in at least 20 different directions at once. What mom isn’t!?!?

And to manage all those directions is one item that I can’t live without, my iPhone.  My calendar, my contacts, my 6 different email accounts, Facebook, Twitter, Starbucks, Camera are all on that phone…..ohhhhh to tell you all the apps that I use on a regular basis (stay tuned for a…

So I remembered to do the drawing this AM (I think Addie was as excited to see the drawing bucket as she was her presents!)  But please forgive the point & shoot camera!  As a reminder I left my big camera at Grams and Gramps house last night and this camera isn’t nearly as fast with Miss Addison…

But here goes…

What’s this mom? Did Santa bring this too??

Uh-oh!  It spilled!  Is ok, I get it Mom…

OOOOOH….…

This week has been a total blur, not really sure HOW we got to Friday!  And I really can’t believe that Christmas is next week, WOW….nor can I believe that my darling right hand will be on vacation all next week.  Just me and the kids and no car, I see LOTS of walking adventures in our future!

But back to the season.  Isn’t it fun to receive all of the holiday cards from friends and family?!  Definitely a favorite part…

This was a butterflys-flying-in-my-stomach-draw-for-a-giveaway!

Not necessarily for Addie, but DEFINITELY for me!

I couldn’t wait to see who the winner was, and REALLY can’t wait to see the pictures Sandy takes!

So you better share!

Here it goes…

Hey Addie – I know you’re totally infatuated with “Little Bear” but can you help Mommy??

Sure mom, but just for a sec!

It’s so fun to pick names!!…

So you waited for it, and here it is, the COOOOOLEST giveaway!

When I decided that I wanted to do this blog after so much friend encouragement,
I knew that I could not do it halfway.
And that it was an all or nothing kind of thing.
But here enters the first of many problems:

I have very high standards…

I barley understand Facebook, let alone Wordpress, HTML code or Twitter…

I tried…

I am so fortunate to know a photographer like Sandy Heit!  Not only has she been amazing at capturing wonderful images of our children and family, but she is also a wealth of knowledge in helping me learn how to use this new beast of a camera that I’m swinging around these days! (To see more on Sandy, check out this earlier post).

Soap Box Moment for just a sec…

One of my most favorite characteristics in a professional is not being…

Who doesn’t need a little closet organizing and packing  help?  Pretty sure we all do…I have yet to meet this fabulous lady, but am very much looking forward to the opportunity as she has worked wonders on a number of friends wardrobes and closets.  I think after #3 arrives in March…

(HELLO, doctor told me today welcome to your 3RD TRIMESTER!
HOW did that happen so quickly!!!)

Anyway, back to the point, once #3 is here and I’m ready to burn…

Well, I have definitely been a little behind the game this week!
I kind of feel like Addie in this photo!

I WAS feeling pretty good about all the fun posts this week!  So many wonderful FAVORITES!
But then as I sat down to work on today’s post, it occurred to me that I never posted a menu, shopping list or December “to do” list last Friday!!!

HELLO – brain where have you gone and WHEN will you be back!!…

I love Cotton Idea Studio.

This darling little store shares a shoppe space with Halsea on Balboa Peninsula.

Here’s an idea for a great FAVORITE lunch time activity….

1. Load your car up with your Holiday gifts that you really WANT to wrap,
but know that you are going to run out of time
(and besides they kinda should look REALLY good – your boss, your mother-in-law, your mother….).

2. Drive down to:

With all the holiday parties upon us, it’s time to put on our “A Game” and look like the hot mamas (sisters, grandma’s, ladies!!) that we are!  I enlisted the help of FABULOUS Misha from Holiday Salon to help us all out.  She is my favorite Orange County make-up go-to girl and knows all the best tricks to make your assets work for you! You will look even more amazing once she has worked her magic!  Misha helped me with my “hot smoky eyes” for Halloween that…

…to Grandmother’s house we go!

It’s that time of year – turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes with brown sugar, LEFTOVERS…ohhhhhh the goodness of Thanksgiving!!!  And to finish off the meal, PIES!  My mom is AWESOME at baking the most delicious pies EVER!  We were soooo fortunate growing up (so sorry Addie and Hay, I do not have this same pie baking gene…).  But there are times that even Grandma is pulling her hair out busy.  So our back up is The Julian Pie Company.  GREAT pies!!  And they ship!  But don’t wait too…

First the basics:

YES!  Next weeks’s menu and shopping list are posted and ready to enjoy (at least I hope you enjoy them! Would love to hear any comments back on what you think, what you would like to see more of, what’s not working for you, what might be helpful, etc…)

We have 2 fabulous winners of the iTunes gift cards from Wednesday’s Post!

Hayden & Addie helped pick them both…it was a very formal drawing!

…