Julie's Black Bean Salsa

Oh YUM... Made this the other day and had about 10 people try it, just to make sure its worth sharing... and the verdict is in- ITS AMAZING!

I cant WAIT to make it again! Want the recipe? Ask me... and I'll email it to you!

Apple Grape Cinnamon Salad

So, with Turkey Day just around the corner, you might be asked to bring something to dinner. How about bringing something that your family and friends have probably never had before!
I took my mom-in-law's grape salad reciepe and put my twist on it- so enjoy and eat away!



Apple Grape Cinnamon Salad

1 cup Brown Sugar
8oz package of cream cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Walnuts or Pecans
1 cup chopped sweet apple slices
1 cup Red Seedless Grapes, sliced in halves
Cinnamon or Pampered Chef's Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend


Take cream cheese and beat in mixer (I like to use my wonderful Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixer) till creamy. Add sour cream. Next, add brown sugar and vanilla. Beat on med/high till creamy and there are no lumps.
Now add your walnuts, apple and grapes. Fold in with spatula.
Chill for atleast 2 hours
Serve with a light dust of cinnamon on top and ENJOY!

My two little loves...

So I am totally IN LOVE with my two little ones- even more so when I see them together! Josh LOVES his baby sissy, Lana. And she loves him too! The look in her eyes, with wonder and sheer awe of her big brother just amazes me every day. God is good!

Lana is here!

A bit late, but my early New Years Resolution is to blog more, promote my business more and show off my beautiful children a bit more (and I LOVE when my friends show off their beautiful children too... its the joys of being an Auntie, because I am proud of them too!)... SO, in lieu of bragging about my beautiful children, I am proud to announce Lana Grace has graced us (cheezy, yes) with her beautiful littleness on July 26th, 2010!
Here are a few pics of her, along with her birth announcement!

Babies... and baby showers

As I was scrubbing the toilet today, a thought kept festering in my brain... why aren't babies (we'll talk about age in a minute) welcome at BABY showers?

I have been to quite a few baby showers in my time, and quite a few in the past few months. Some while I was preggers with Lana (who is now 7 weeks old btw!), some after I had her. Ive been to showers with kiddos running all over the place and more recently, showers where children aren't welcome at all. My baby showers, for both my babies, children were ALWAYS welcome! The more, the merrier! Plus, as a mama, I know its hard to find a good babysitter (yes, even when daddy is home... sometimes the TV is more important than watching the kids).

Ive recently been UN-invited to a few baby showers when I asked if it was OK to bring my 2 week old (mind you, they KNEW I was pregnant and due to have her in July). Then there were the showers that I was pre-approved to bring little Lana to but got the stink eye from the grandmothers, aunts and uncles when I showed up with her. what gives?

To the showers I was UN-Invited to due to the fact that I refused to leave my little 2 week old baby, who is exclusively nursing, at home... well, have YOU got a whole new world of hurt coming to you! How are you going to feel when you have your little one, and will be purposely not included solely because you have a baby? I can guarantee you that someone (either the mama, grandma, etc) will throw a fit because YOUR not included!

Now, don't get me wrong- I think bringing older children to a shower (eg, 1 year and older) if not pre-approved (like how I am asking for pre-approval, like I'm applying for a loan or something?), that's not too cool. SPECIALLY if the kiddo is being a pickle (or the parents just don't watch their kids and let them run around and scream... BIG pet peeve here!). But what about the babes who are new, nursing and in the eat-poop-sleep stage? and what about the kids who are good and listen to their parents?
Is it appropriate to bring a baby without asking?
I would never, EVER want to steal the spotlight from the new mama to be, nor would I bring my little one to show off to someone elses BABY shower! So, how is it, that I'm being shunned or given the stink eye because I have my little one with me?

What do YOU think???

Ahh... the joys of excess spit...

So, as most of you know, I am in my 3rd trimester of my pregnancy with our precious little baby girl. While I have been so BAD about NOT blogging- I am going to blog about something that plagues pregnant mommy's and honestly... its gross.

I dont know about you, but I am full of SPIT (no...not shit... SPIT).

I take a nap with bub, and wake up in a pool of spit. On BOTH SIDES of my pillow! YUCK! I am also waking up in the morning with 4 to 10 NEW spit spots on my pillow (both sides, because I dont like to lay on wet, sliminess...).

So where the heck is this coming from? The experts at Baby Center.com say " Excessive salivation is called ptyalism or sialorrhea and is more common among women suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness."- http://www.babycenter.com/0_excessive-salivation-during-pregnancy_9454.bc

UMM... not for me! Havent had any morning sickness since the first trimester. So what the heck? I guess at the end of the day, I am just full of it... full of spit!

(Yes... I know this was cheesy, but it's true and yucky!)

SO those of you lovely preggy ladies, dealing with the problems of excess spit- get a towel and count down the months till your baby is due!