Etsy

So, in case you haven't been on Twitter recently (or don't have it), you've missed the cool giveaways going on at Baby Shmizz this week!

I was lucky enough for Shannon to ask me to participate in "Jack's 2 Cool" giveaway week. My Etsy shop is now open!

What?!

You didn't know I had an Etsy shop?

It's small and I won't be quitting my day job any time soon to do it full time. But it's been something I've always enjoyed doing/creating.

I take wooden letters and cover them with your choice of paint and paper. And? Because I know how toddlers get stuff everywhere, I cover the finished product in your choice of glossy or matte Mod Podge.

This beautiful name is heading to Shannon of Sweet Stella's and matches Owen's theme of Grey, Baseball, and Coca Cola perfectly!!

I can do any choice of name or phrase and have a variety of wood styles available and I work to match the theme of your nursery or room!

If you're interested in purchasing a name set, send me an email or convo me on Etsy! Enter the code welcomepeanut for free shipping too!

BlogHer{at}BlogHer12: Countdown/Meet the Roomies

This is one of the LAST Blogger{at}BlogHer12 link-ups I'll be doing. I have 2 more planned - one for my outfits for some parties and I've got a few ideas rolling around for the last one, right before BlogHer12!

If you're new to my link-ups, they're easy! Link up your post (not blog, please) about BlogHer to here, grab the button and enjoy reading/meeting some of the awesome bloggers here!

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New York City is a few short weeks away. So hard to believe that something I've talked about for 6 months is here. It's almost kinda like "It's my wedding day" feeling ;)

I have to give some love to my awesome roomies, who are responsible for my first ever trip to NYC.

Mel - Never A Dull Moment

Mel is the almost 30something blogger behind Never A Dull Moment. She and her husband are parents to the adorable Lexie. On her blog you'll find adorable pictures, a Pinterest addict, and Mel's documenting her weight loss.

Shannon - Baby Shmizz

Shannon (Shizz) is the MILF to hubby, Mike, and mom to my future son in-law, Jack. She rocks a Massachusetts accent and is a Red Sox fan (which will be the reason why the two of us get thrown into jail in NYC). Her blog features Jack, product reviews/giveaways, and awesome DIY crafts for toddlers.

Shannon - Sweet Stella's

Y'all must know Shannon (or Shannon North or Canada as she can be called when discussing things with the roomies). She's Sweet Stella's, one of my BlogHer12 sponsors and creative mind behind the Etsy shop. She's also mom to the precious Owen. You'll find tons of DIY tips, features on her work/shop.

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Guest Post: Shannon G.

A wicked big thanks to my guest bloggers this week: Andrea, Shannon S., Mel, and now it's time for the fabulous, future mother in-law to my Peanut: Shannon G.

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Hey there Peanut followers!

My name is Shannon, and I am the genius behind Baby Shmizz.  I am a full-time mommy to my son Jack, (oh yeah, and I have another job too, I'm a Physician Assistant working in Emergency Medicine) and MILF to my pastry chef husband Mike.  We live in our overpriced little home sweet shack just north of Boston with our quirky rescue dog, Tessie.  We're a little bit crazy and a whole lotta fun, but fair warning, we don't have a filter!

I'm sure you've all seen this floating around Pinterest, Rainbow Rice to put in a sensory bin for toddlers to play with.  I've been wanting to make this for a while, and Monday was the perfect day since the weather here was 85 degrees and sunny (yup, its still April).

I used this recipe as my guideline :)

I tried to break down the cost by cup of rice, but it wasn't really working, so here is what I paid for everything today (I have leftovers).

1 10 lb bag of white rice: $5.49 (I only used about 1/3 of the bag, I made 12 cups of rice total)
bottle of rubbing alcohol: $1.09
Ziploc bags (sandwich size): $1.00 for 15 (Dollar Store!)
Food coloring: $2.50 for 4 bottles
Plastic container for storage: $1.00 (Dollar Store!)

So that's less than $12 for a fun activity that I could probably make about 8-10 batches from that one bag of rice.  Not bad at all!

Step 1: Gather your supplies:

Ingredients listed above,

Wax paper for drying

Disposable gloves (if you hate dye on your hands like I do)

Step 2:

Bag up your rice: 1 cup to a bag

Step 3: Add color

1 T rubbing alcohol + 10-12 drops food coloring

First batch I mixed them in these little bowls, 2nd batch I added

the alcohol and food coloring directly into the bag (much easier)

Step 4: 

Squish Squish Squish the bag till all the rice is colored.

Make double sure that your bag is sealed.

Trust me on that one...

Step 5: Dry

Spread out on wax paper in the sun and let dry

I think it took about 30 minutes to dry

Step 6: 

PLAY! Dump into a bin, sand/water table, cookie sheet, large bowl,

basically any large container.  Add a few utensils, cups or spoons, 

and let your toddler go to town!

Jack loved it :)  He played with it for about an hour :)

I was worried about the dye coming off on his hands, and I'm

happy to report that there was not one speck of dye on his hands :)

Guest Post: Mel

Hi, I'm Mel from "Never a Dull Moment"; I love doing guest posts because it allows me to meet new people and find new blogs to stalk follow! When Shaun asked if I'd guest post I was honored! As a BlogHer roomie and fellow mom trying to get healthy I know we have a lot in common (not to mention our daughters are only 2 months apart), if only she wasn't a Boston fan we'd be BFF's (kidding)!  Seriously though, she gave me full reign of the topic choice and I decided to share with you my summer bucket list, because whether you're a parent or not, married or single, no matter who you are it's fun to have a bucket list! 

When thinking about topics for "The 10's of Summer" (and feeding my Pinterest addiction); I noticed many parents posting about Summer Bucket list for the kids to make and complete before summer break is over. I suppose you could put anything and everything if you wanted. It made me start thinking about what I wanted to do/accomplish this summer. I talked to the Hubs and we decided it should be filled with things we don't normally do, and can't really do at another time (or during another season).

So without further ado, here's our "The 10's of Summer" Bucket List (in no particular order). . . 

1. Go to the Drive In

{I have a feeling this is going to be more of a day night outing, vs a family one}

2. Take Lexie to a Cruise In 

(Ideally one with Pop-pop and Nana for Ice Cream & 1 at Dada's work)

3. Toast marshmallow's and make S'mores with Lexie 

{she was too little for them last year} 

4. Take Lexie to see Fireworks

{I know this may not go as planned}

5. Stay up late and catch Fireflys

{this will hopefully be accomplished with a cousins sleep over for 3x the fun}

6. Go to the beach and build a Sandcastle 

{and of course play in the water}

7. The Fair

a) for the rides

{last year this was the only ride she was "allowed" on}

b) the food! I can't wait for Lexie to have Cotton Candy and remember those fry's! OMG!

8. Pack a picnic lunch and take a road trip

9. Take Lexie to a Water park 

10. Start & Finish, the Blogher 5k 

{even if I only walk across the finish line} 

(Disclaimer: I have no rights to any of the photos above with the exception of #7. None of the photos are my own creation, or design, all are listed on Google images without credit being given.)

 To see the original post click here, do you have a list? Feel free to come on over and link up!

Guest Post: Shannon S.

While I'm spending the day most likely watching my toddler jump on her new trampoline, Shannon is helping out!

Please make sure to check out her blog and leave her some love!

Thanks again, Shannon!!

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One thing that is absolutely certain about the guest room, it will have a focal wall behind the bed.



While I love the use of turquoise here, ours will very likely be a charcoal grey, with the rest of the room being a softer dove grey.

Maybe a bit more of a brown-grey since the walls in the rest of the house are more earthy and I want the whole house to fit together without looking like we moved in, painted the bedrooms and didn't bother with the rest of the house.

The best going into this room...well...we're undecided. We have a lovely wrought iron day bed, but it's only a twin. It certainly would leave the room open and airy, but is it big enough for guests? We also have a double mattress set, so we could use that and maybe DIY a headboard, add a chest or something at the end of the bed...

Ideas abound!

Guest Post; Andrea

I'm out enjoying a trip to the doctor for Paige's 2-year well visit so Andrea from My Attempt at Motherhood is helping out!!

Thank you, Andrea! And don't forget to check her blog (and little cutie) out!

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I have seen this going around and in the process found an amazing new blog From Mrs. to Mama {yay!} Being that I never really write about the husband, I was way too excited about this post :)

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

We will celebrate our "dating" anniversary in July for a whopping total of 9 years! Crazy. And also yes I am apparently still a teenager who celebrates this. 

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

Not much of a story. His sister was a constant visitor at our house and he just showed up one day. Constant stalking and minus one boyfriend later...he was all mine.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We celebrated our 3 year anniversary this past October!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We got married in a beautiful, old Catholic church in Baltimore City. Then we had our reception at the Tremont Grand, a hotel in the city. I honestly have zero family in the country, so it was an average size wedding of about 150. It was perfect. 

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Boring. Babe, hunny, a-hole. You know...the usual cutesy stuff. 

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

This is hard!

1. I LOVE that he's a nut. He is usually quiet and really reserved, but he knows how to let loose. Dancing with me, Quinn, acting totally silly is something I adore about him. 

2. I love his heart. Sounds insanely cheesy and you would never know it but he has such a  good heart. For everyone. He can be really sweet when he wants to be.

3. His ambition. He wants the world for his girls and that in itself just makes me melt like butta on warm toast. 

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

It was perfect in every way. Quiet, intimate, totally Anthony. We went camping with our friends Colleen and Jason. I had never been camping and I was insanely excited to go. There was a beach nearby which we of course went to. After spending what seemed like hours acting like total idiots on the beach we each kind of went our separate ways and just got to hang out with each other on the beach. The sun was beginning to set and it could not have been more gorgeous. He started acting so cute and I started getting very nervous. I kind of blanked with the details but the moment that he got down on one knee, I will never forget that feeling. Ever. I don't even remember saying, yes I just remember the beautiful ring and I probably threw myself all over him. Perfect. 

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

He is a mix of everything. His go to is flowers, which I adore. I love having fresh flowers in my house. I love that he wants me to have what I want. He has been known to ask me what I want and then get it. Which may seem un-romantic to some, but I adore it because he wants me to be happy and he is just simple like that.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

We are much more of the couch potatoes. I think if given the chance, we would spend most of our time in bed or on the couch. We just love hanging out. But we do make an effort to have date nights fairly often. 

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Italy. Hands down. We love to travel and have been to some amazing places together but we have never been to Italy! He has a lot of Italian in his family so it's something we have always talked about and I would love to be able to give him that. 

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day is the one holiday he is in charge of. Every year. And to be honest, it's not that hard for him because we try to go to a different restaurant in Little Italy every year. Once we had Quinn we decided we hated the rush and crap that goes along with it, so we decided to spend Valentine's Day with the nugget and then go to dinner the day before or after, which is much nicer. 

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

My birthday is on the 26th, so I try to be mindful of that. Actually that is crap, but it sounds nice right? I really look forward to dinner together, so that's all I really ask for. 

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

For us, we put everything on the table. Good day, bad day, arguments, we are the king and queen of bickering. But it works for us. There are no secrets, there is lots of love and at the end of the day, we both have each other's backs no matter what. 

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Nerves.

Tomorrow, Shizz is hosting a Keurig Vue party. She and I live a little over an hour apart so she's invited me and Peanut to attend (and don't tell the kids, but this is pretty much an arranged marriage already...her son's only a couple months younger than Paige)!

I'm really excited to be going. After all, I'll be rooming with Shannon in NYC in August so it'll be great to hang out ahead of time!

However...I'm nervous. Like, really nervous. I've "known" Shannon for over 2 years from our time on The Bump together and connecting via our blogs/Twitter but this is our first face-to-face meeting. And I'm feeling like an insecure high schooler. Will she like me? Will our kids get along? OMG what embarrassing thing will I say?

Shan said she's nervous too which makes me feel better (no offense, Shan)! It's silly, we're "internet friends". We know things about each other so it's not like we're complete strangers. Plus, there's coffee, wine, and food.  Our kids will hopefully be playing together, we'll get the chance to connect and things will be great!

Toddle Along Tuesday| Favorite Photo

Mama G is hosting a great contest - your favorite photo (taken by a non-professional)...

So here is mine!

A few weeks ago, it was 80*+ so we hit the local beach. Thankfully, my milkshake stand was open and a little Peanut couldn't refuse a sip...and then 1/4 of the cup!!

Toddle Along Tuesday| Names. Names. Names.

For us, a boys name was easy. If Paige had been a boy, he would have been Jason Andrew - named after the retired Red Sox catcher (and I swear he's Marc's hero..or guy crush. Whatever you want to call it). 

A girl's name?

I would have rather had shots of 3 Wise Men or even a Cement Mixer then relive that.

We had been going for WEEKS on a name for our baby if she was a girl. At first, we discussed Caitlin Andrea (<--- my middle name) but I didn't like it. If I had a girl, it needed to be simple, timeless. It also couldn't be anything weird or spelled "youniquely". Since I'm a female and named Shaun and Marc's spelled the weird way, we wanted something where you could hear the name and know how to spell it.

Thankfully, The Office (and Google) came through in a pinch. A few days before the big ultrasound, Marc and I were watching a rerun The Office were Jim was joking around about proposing. In a scene in the conference room, right before a meeting began, Jim turns to Pam and says "Pamela Morgan Beasley. You'd make me the happiest man in the world if..." And Pam quickly interrupts to threaten him if he proposes.

I can't find the video to the actual scene, so here's a storyboard!

It's no secret that The Office holds some serious meaning to me. It was the first show Marc and I ever claimed as "our" show. It was the one we refused to make plans on Thursday night "...because The Office is on"! We walked into the theme song at our reception (which, btw, was a few days before Jim & Pam got married). So it seemed almost fitting that a name would come from someplace like this.

And no, it wasn't "Pamela" or even "Beasely" ;) that attracted me. It was 'Morgan'. Very simple, timeless. But I couldn't bring myself to use it as a first name.

I looked at Marc and said "Morgan should be her middle name." And how quickly he agreed! We were excited...true progress! A name - a middle name, but a name nonetheless! We ran through the list of names we knew. While all great names...we were considering them for our daughter ;), none of them felt right.

The night before our ultrasound, I Google'd "first names to go with Morgan" and was clicking through, reading every single one to Marc. I was on a mission to name our daughter before we found out if we were Team Purple or Team Blue.

Paige came up on the list and we both kept going back to it. Again and again. I did the initial check - PMM -which doesn't stand for anything bad. If she marries a guy with the last name of S, that's her own fault.

We'll fight about Baby #2 if it's a boy (or if it's a girl). We have Jason Andrew and another name we discussed, I thought we both liked and he's changed his mind about. And if it's a girl?

Well...pass those shots.

Link up with Mama G for Growing Up Geeky's

Getting to Know Me. Getting to Know All About Me....

The Rules

There are five rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

11 Random Things about Me

1. I have two sets of toes. Seriously. My left toes are so much shorter (and different shaped) than my right ones!

2. I have 6 tattoos. I want to get one removed and replace it :)

3. My husband never really proposed to me.

4. We got Paige's middle name from "The Office".

5. We were introduced at our reception to "The Office" theme song.

6. I won an award from my basketball coach for most Floor Burns and Bruises. I wish I was lying.

7. We've had one "kid-free" night every week for a few months now...I really miss my kid but the time alone with hubby is amazing.

8. My last name is very VERY Irish but I have ZERO Irish in me. 

9. I wish I had the courage to tell some people about Paige's birth (there's one funny component) but I can't.

10. I've never owned a pair of Uggs.

11. I wish I knew what drugs my parents were on when they decided to name me Shaun ('cuz yes, that IS my real name - not Shauna. Shaun).

And since I got tagged in a bunch of posts for questions, I'll be a good sport and answer them all!

Libby

1. What's the strangest thing you've ever eat for breakfast? Uhm, I wasn't really a breakfast person until recently. I used to half my lunch early then half later on...so I'll say my scallops

2. What was the first blog you ever followed?
Jenni's

3. Who's on your laminated card? 

Uhm, no idea what that is. Am I showing my age?

4. Describe your most embarrassing moment.  
Remember that question where I said I wish I could talk about Paige's birthday story because of that funny part? Funny = embarassing

5. What song do you just have to stop and jam out to when it comes on?  
Anything NSYNC. ANYTHING.

6. First name of your first crush AND have you facebook stalked him? 
Well, Paul was my preschool boyfriend. I don't remember his last name so no, never stalked him.

7. If you could vacation anywhere, no expense spared, where would it be?
Australia/New Zealand or I'd eat my way through Italy.

8. What is your favorite quote?

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

9. What do you order when you order a pizza? 
Depends on my mood. Light sauce always. Extra cheese, mushrooms, black olives were good. Also Pizza Hut's Buffalo Chicken pizza in stuffed crust.

10.  How old were you when you had your first "real" boyfriend? 

16. I'm married to him now.

11. What piece of advice would you give your son/daughter if you could only tell them one thing?

Oh gosh...I have no idea. Everything I'm thinking of sounds so cliched...it'd probably be something about how being true to yourself is the most important thing.

Steph

1. What is your TV guilty pleasure?
I really like Pawn Stars and Parking Wars. I really don't do Housewives or Idol.

2. If you could only drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Diet Pepsi.

3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Gosh, I don't know. Hopefully one more kiddo, maybe in a different state? I truely don't know.

4. What is your dream car?
Audi A4.

5. Have you ever been on TV?
Yes.

6. What is your every day look?
Business Casual for work, jeans and whatever I can find for a shirt. And flip flops. 99% of the time. Although I wish I had worn them today.

7. What is the most fabulous thing you have found on Pinterest?
What isn't fabulous on Pinterest?

8. If you could change your name, what would it be?
I'd probably go to my middle name, Andrea.

9. What song best describes you?
No farking clue.

10. Are you a beach girl? Or do you love the snow?
Both. That's why NH is perfect for me...snow and beach season :)

11. Crocs –  Love them? Hate them?
Hate. Think they're stupid and uncomfortable.

Shannon

1. What is in your kitchen sink, right NOW?
Nothing, actually. Unless you count the cat licking some excess water.

2. When was the last time you went to the movies and what did you see?
We went on Sunday, actually. We saw "The Vow".

3. Who is your blog "idol"?
Uhm, Jenni, Stephanie, Kelly and Shannon.

4. What was your favorite toy growing up?
I'd say...being outside, playing basketball. I didn't really spend much time indoors if I didn't have to.

5. Pack your lunch or buy it.
Pack.

6. Favorite color crayon in the Crayola 64 box?
Any shade of blue ;)

7. Favorite month of the year? Why?
Oh gosh. A few months hold special meaning for me - January's my birthday, April's is hubby's. May is for Peanut. July is our dating anniversary and September's our wedding anniversary.

8. What kind of kid TV show(s) piss you off the most?
Dora.

9. What is your favorite blog post that you have written?
It was on my old blog, which I deleted. It was a letter to Paige on her due date. On how excited we were that she was coming, couldn't wait to hold her, kiss her, see her.

10. What is your favorite beauty products?
Lash Blast mascara from Covergirl (I think that's what it's called). And my Avon eyeliner. It's almost like liquid eyeliner, but in a pencil form.

11. And, because this question made me tear up: What piece of advice would you give your son/daughter if you could only tell them one thing?
See my answers above ;)

And to my taggees:

Melissa, Tessa, Mama G and Kristen.

1. Were you Team Blue, Team Purple or Team Green for your kiddos?

2. What is your dream job?

3. Did you go to college? Where and what's your degree in?

4. If you could move anywhere, where would you go?

5. What is your favorite part of your personality?

6. Why did you start blogging?

7. Do you have pets? If so, what kind and their names?

8. Favorite picture of your kid(s).

9. Do (or did) you play video games?

10. Are you planning on more kids?

11. What was your favorite grade in school?

A *beautiful* giveaway!

The amazing, talented, awesome, creative, thoughtful Shannon from Sweet Stella's is hosting a giveaway!

She has created these beautiful masks that remind of me of New Orleans and Masquerade Balls (don't know why) and she's currently giving one away in time for Halloween!

In case you don't know about Sweet Stella's - Shannon is the momma of Owen, a handsome 1-year-old boy. She created Sweet Stella's about a year ago and currently has work going to the Emmy's via The Artisan Group!

She made Paige's pretty awesome 1st birthday banner too (hand stamped and embellished, btw):

Shannon is also making us a custom door hanging with our last name for our new home (more on that later).

So go check out Sweet Stella's. Be amazed at her beautiful work and enter to win a custom-made mask!!!