Kate Spade

I'm in love with almost everything from the Kate Spade Lookbook for Spring.  This is my favorite though.

The colors are so vibrant!  I also love the quirky necklace.  It reminds me of sightseeing and vacations.

Check out the full lookbook here.

Weekend Update

How was your weekend?  It was cold here in Michigan, so we got creative and did some fun stuff inside.

On Saturday we used one of our gift cards from Christmas to have a nice lunch at Macaroni Grill.  We each enjoyed our dishes, but we weren't quite ready to go home yet.

Since I had the kids gift cards to Build-A-Bear, we headed to the mall.  Our first stop was the play area.  Although crowded, the kids were able to burn off some energy and make some new friends.

We then bribed them to leave by saying bears were waiting for us at Build-A-Bear, and it worked like a charm!

After some tough decisions, Ava decided on the Valentine Bear, which she named "Princess Love".  Blake first chose the white bear, but at the last minute changed to the monkey. He named him "Banana".

Here they are making and washing them:

We walked around the mall for a little bit longer and then headed out to the car.  When we walked out we found out that it had snowed at least and inch and was coming down really hard.  We braved the ride home which took twice as long as normal.   

After that long drive we decided to to ahead and stop at the museum and let the kids get some more energy out.

They made Model-T cars.

And of course we had to sit in a real Model-T.

We checked out our usual spots:  airplanes and trains.  Then it was closing time.  So we headed home for dinner and some popcorn.

On Sunday we woke up early and headed over to the bowling alley.  They have a great deal for kids to bowl free with paying adults, so we took advantage of that!

This was Ava's second time bowling and Blake's first time.  They both loved it and we are going to make this a habit.  We bowled for 2 hours and had a great time.  It's so nice that the bowling alley is smoke-free now!

After that we made a quick trip to Target then home to watch the Super Bowl.

Overall, a very full and fun weekend.

Winter Fun: Shoveling

You may be saying to yourself, shoveling is not winter fun.  I would agree with you on that 100 percent!

 Me doing "winter work".

Ava having winter fun.

We bought these child size shovels for the kids right before "Snowpocalypse 2011" and they were worth the $7 investment.   We ended up getting around 9 inches of snow, and the kids loved it.  It was a snow day away from school and we spent a lot of it shoveling.  

Poor Blake could barely walk in it and spent most of his time doing this until we had a path shoveled.

I didn't get any pictures of him shoveling because at that point I was cold and ready to go in.  :)  

February Book Basket

It's a new month and that calls for a new book basket!

I took all the "winter" books out and replaced them with "teeth" books since February is National Children's Dental Health Month.  Since my daughter is nearing the age of losing teeth, she is fascinated with the concept.

Here are the books I pulled out for this month.

I also added in some groundhog and shadow books.

What books are you reading this month?

Happy Room

In this month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens, this bedroom was on the cover.  I love this room. The colors, the bed, everything. It just makes me think of spring and makes me happy.

Crock-Pot Thursday: Chicken Taco Soup

This is one of our favorite soups.  It's another one that we usually only eat in the winter, it really is a comfort food for us.

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can chili beans
1 (16 oz.) can black beans
1 (16 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz. bottle or can) beer (I like to use a darker beer)
2 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies, not drained.  (I use one with chilies and one without)
1 (1.25 oz.) package of taco seasonings
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I usually use only 2)

Optional:
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips

Add onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, diced tomatoes, and taco seasonings.  Stir.  Place chicken on top and push until completely covered with the soup.  Cover and cook on low in the slow cooker for 5 hours.

Remove chicken from soup and allow to cool.  Shred chicken and add back to soup.  Cook for 2 more hours.

I serve with cheese, sour cream, and chips on the side.  So good!