How do you organize blogs you follow?

I so wish there was a way in blogger to have blogs that I follow categorized...categories I would have would include Crafty, Frugal/Freebies, Giveaways, Family, etc...I follow hundreds of blogs and I know I miss loads of great posts because they all are just in one huge flow! Sure I scan down them all and try to hit up all the ones I want but gosh I know I miss LOADS...

So do you have any particular way you manage to catch up on all your fave blogs? Do you have a way to categorize?

I guess I could always create folders in my faves on computer and have them saved there for quick reference but it would just be so nice if Blogger offered that option!

Gabby enters 3rd Grade!

Oh em cheese where has time gone?! I cannot even believe my little Gabby muffin is now a 3rd grader! And here she is showing pre-teen attitude already in her first day of school pictures.....

yes that is an outfit she chose on her own....

iCarly has something to answer for

that is big of a smile I could get

and of course the nails had to match!

To England We Go....Maybe

So we are due to go to England soon....as in a little over 2 weeks from now....what showed up in the mailbox Saturday on a holiday weekend? Oh a letter stating that I had to send a certified marriage certificate in order for my daughter to get her passport we applied for in July!!!!

Our infant daughter's had arrived already and we thought the older daughter's would arrive no problem since it was just a renewal....well we were wrong!

I went to to the county clerk's office and almost broke down in tears to them about it as they had looked it all over for us in the begining and stated all was good to go! Needless to say the woman felt awful and gave me a free certified copy saving me around 10 bucks....she said I was the first one that has had to that to her knowledge as majority of families are blended these days (with last names not matching etc...)...so off I marched to the post office to fork over 18 bucks to overnight it to the passport people.......now we sit with fingers crossed since the jerks that we called couldn't say if it would be here on time or not! :/

Fun stuff....and just when I was finally getting excited to be going!

Scrappy Sunday on Monday!

Since it was Labor Day today I got to scrap a little bit yesterday and also a bit more today YAHOO! I am almost all caught up on Gabby's Becky Higgins school scrapbook which feels great! I need to track down her big pics from last two school years and also print off some pics for the pages but otherwise it is ready to go and will now add stuff as the school year goes on each year! One thing is there is NO WAY all years are going to fit into one album so I am going to attempt to have one for elementary and then one for middle and highschool but may need to end up doing a third and have highschool on it's own as well....time will tell.

Enough rambling here is what I did manage to get done this weekend....

a quick card made with create a critter

Halloween page first year in England Gabby was 3

Gabby age 3

Gabby age 3 or 4 (need to look up and see when pics were taken).I think this one needs a few more of those design things added to it....

playgroup/preschool in England intro page (age 3)

preschool/reception in England intro page (age 4)

kindy (age 5) intro page

a random page from first grade....still working on first and second grade pages. Each grade also has a really cool pocket page that holds LOADS of papers,art work, certificates etc...that I save from each school year. Cannot say enough how much I LOVE this kit! 

Menu Monday

New Format thanks to Shannon sharing this meal planning scheduling idea via Women Living Well blog

Mexican Monday (tacos, burritos,mexi casseroles etc..)- well I did have mexican for lunch today but tonight we are having ham,broccoli,carrot,cheese ring ala Pampered Chef style

Tomato-ey Tuesday (pasta,pizza,anything with tomatoes we love em!)- Cheese raviolis with Marinara Sauce

Wild-Card Wednesday (leftovers or something new anything goes!)-Turkey burgers and steak fries

Thrifty & Thankful Thursday (a cheap meal that we love)-Tomato Hot dish (lean ground beef or turkey with tomato soup seasonings mixed with brown rice... surprising tasty frugal meal!)

Fun Friday (most likely will be our pizza or burger type night)-Pizza and Salad

Sumptuous Saturday (fancier meals that may take a bit more prep)-Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup attempt with some good bread

Sunshine Sunday (Breakfast for dinner night)-Pancakes, eggs, sausage(bacon for Gabby)

Baby Led Weaning/Solids: The Begining

Well I was going to wait until we returned from England but I figured Lainey turns 6 months this next week and has been showing LOTS of interest in our food so figured I would take a very laid back approach and start tossing some goodies her way ;)

I have decided we would go the Baby Led Weaning/Solids approach (will share favorite informational links at bottom of this post) as why bother with purees if you don't have to? We can make normal meals for the family and include her by letting her sample a little bit of what we are having (within reason,not like I am gonna toss pizza her way anytime soon haha!).

Today Gabby and I were chopping up some carrots, potatoes, and onion (all from local organic farmers YAY) for tomorrows curry dinner and I decided "what the heck let's start with carrot today..."

I need to find better ways to prep Lainey some goodies but today I just washed off, cut up, and put into micro for a bit to soften the carrot....(off to look up better ways after this blog post and also my copy of the  Baby Led Weaning book should arrive this next week too)...

Without further ado pictures of Miss Lainey Bear sampling carrot

woopsie there goes my carrot!

And a short video clip of her chowing down...don't mind Miss Gabby gabbing away in the background ;)

Pros: easy enough to prep, rich in vitamin A; good source of vitamin C

Cons: none that I could think of!Taste great cooked or raw and easy to prep! Lainey wasn't 100% impressed but it was her first taste of anything food related....ETA..Lainey seemed quite gassy the rest of the evening and not sure if this was from the carrot or the fact I had more caffeine than normal (oops! sorry baby!)but thought I would put this down and wait a bit before we do carrot again...

A main thing is that Lainey is still getting all her nutrition from Mama milk and we are starting to explore nutrient rich foods so that once she is a year old she can really start diving in and eating what we eat! No trying to force spoons into her mouth or messing with mucky flavorless cereals! Lainey will learn to feed herself from the begining and develop her fine motorskills and (hopefully) diverse taste buds as we let her explore! Favorite links for information on this method/approach. Why Delay Solids(including cereal)? Wholesome Baby Food(ideas and more info about the approach) Nourished Kitchen BLW Recipes(UK mummy) Adventures in Solids(blog by a fellow BLW'r that has also been documenting their adventures) Please feel free to comment and share any of your faves as would love to have a whole page dedicated to these links!

Pottery Heaven (Etsy) Giveaway & Review

I adore pottery pieces,I think a big part of why I do is that I took a pottery class in Okinawa Japan and realized just how hard of a craft it is! Sure you feel all Demi Moore-esque when you are sat at a wheel with the soft smooth cool clay in your hands...but when a magnificent piece collapses into a puddle of mud you want to cry!

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Martina from Pottery Heaven over on etsy to do a review of her work and shop. Martina sent me two gorgeous ring/jewelry holders (one for review purposes and one for a lucky winner!). I love the classic yet modern look these cute little ring holders have and my husband was happy for me to have a little nook for my earrings I take off each night (he isn't too pleased when I put in their usual place tossed by the sink!).

I asked Martina a few questions so you all could get to know her a bit and here is what she had to say...

How did you get into pottery?
I took pottery as a gen-ed in college. I was horrible on the wheel, but incredibly stubborn. I spent all of my extra time in the studio - took the next class (only 2 were offered) and just kept working at it until I got better.

What is your favorite piece you have ever done?
Hmm that is hard - My favorites change (I usually make a new favorite). Currently, I think the form I have the most fun making are my citrus juicers. I just started making them and was so excited when everything came together - It's great to have an attractive piece, but even better when it serves a purpose and is technically sound.

Do you do custom pieces?
Yes - Anything and everything:) I love doing custom orders. I'm always up for a challenge.

To BUY: Check Pottery Heaven today for yourself and also for the upcoming Christmas season!

To Win: Pottery Heaven sent me a gorgeous ring holder(rings and earrings not included) for one lucky winner(Residents of the U.S. only)!

Ways to Enter (Please include email addy on your posts so that I can easily contact the winner!):
1.Follow me and tell me you are following!(5 entries)
2.Go to Pottery Heaven and heart her store (2 entries)
3.Purchase something from Pottery Heaven (10 extra entries! Make sure to post 10 times with your purchase info)
4. Subscribe to me via email update (make sure to confirm!) (2 entry)

This contest ends Saturday October 9th 2010 at 10pm eastern time.

*I was sent an item for review purposes from Pottery Heaven all thoughts and opinions are my own