Winner of Giveaway

WINNER!

The winner of the CSN $35 gift card is Liz as determined by Random.org.

Congratulations!

Our internet isn't up until Monday (I had to go to a family member's house to do this!) So Have a Happy New Year and I look forward to blogging all about the new place and start cooking more!

Happy Snow Day

Source

We got about a foot of snow here. I want to take Baby V out to see his first snowy day! I will be gone for the next few days because tomorrow we are moving! Hopefully internet will get set up quickly and I can get back on asap but you never know. So enjoy the weather wherever you are and I will come back in a few days. In the meantime....

Enter My First Giveaway!

Fab Artist: Melissa Nucera "This Years Girl"

I actually came across this artist's photographs through Etsy's little program that finds things for you based on your taste. I want the Little Prince series for Baby V's new nursery! I am beyond excited to start decorating his nursery when we move into our new place. Up until now he has just been living in our room with us in our one bedroom loft apartment and finally we are getting a proper two bedroom. Melissa Nucera's Etsy shop called This Years Girl has gorgeous altered photographs that she sells as prints, pins, cards, and even adorable lockets.

Aren't these beautiful? I think the little animal prints lined up on Baby V's wall would look amazing. Check out more of her work at her shop.

Don't Forget to Enter My Giveaway!!!

Fab Craft Project

I am in love with this idea. One of my favorite blogs, Creature Comforts had a guest post done by PapernSnitch. They basically turn little plastic toys into ornaments and jewelry simply by painting them gold and/or silver! Such a brilliant idea and I have learned that you can paint pretty much anything gold or silver and it looks amazing. I want to go scour the dollar store now for little trinkets to paint! Check out more photos and the tutorial.

Don't Forget to Enter the Giveaway!!

First Giveaway!!

Here is my first giveaway ever!! See how to enter below.

CSN stores have pretty much anything and everything you could want or think of. They have furniture, decor, kitchen accessories, children & baby toys and accessories, etc. Visit CSN stores to see for yourself. However, these websites are also included in their stores: www.luxebycsn.com, www.allmodern.com, and www.cookware.com.

You are entering to win $35 off ANY purchase from one of these websites. You just enter the special code I will give the winner at check out and automatically have $35 off your purchase or if your purchase is $35 or under then you basically got something for FREE!

Here are a couple items on my wishlist from CSN stores:

Beautiful fruit bowl

 Fairy print

 Almost life size woodland stuffed animals (want for Baby V's nursery!!)

This is what I want our bed to look like at our new apartment.

To Enter:

 Simply Follow Fab by clicking Follow on the left hand side and leave a comment below

OR

 If you can't follow because you do not have a blog then subscribe to RSS feed by clicking Subscribe on right hand side and leave a comment below

For ADDITIONAL ENTRIES, do one or both of the following and leave separate comments for all additional entries:

•   Follow me on Twitter

• Vote for me on Top Baby Blogs by clicking on the icon to the right and then clicking once more on the link that pops up

GIVEAWAY ENDS ON DECEMBER 31st!!!



4 Months

Baby V is 4 months old! Unfortunately for me, he is already starting to teethe! I didn't think it was possible because my cousin's daughter just got her first tooth and she's 8 months old but I checked my baby book and I got my first tooth at 5 months so it is a definite possibility. He babbles now and tries so hard to talk. It must be frustrating to be a baby and want to speak like an adult but when you try it just sounds like jibberish!

Anyway, sorry for my little hiatus but my computer is terrible. It has gotten very slow and freezes all the time so hopefully one of my Christmas gifts is a new lap top ;).

The Baby's Daddy recently got promoted so we are moving to New Hampshire! We just found a place and are moving at the end of the month and I am very excited.

A couple weeks ago I had to put to sleep my 21 year old cat, Jack. I just wanted to make a note of him because he was the best cat ever. I got him when he was about 5 years old from the SPCA and he was a huge, fat, orange tabby cat. He loved to lick people like a dog and he was just an enormous sweetheart. Everyone who met him fell in love with him and he converted a lot of people who thought they were only dog lovers into cat lovers! He was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago but he went through chemotherapy and was doing really well. Finally though he was extremely arthritic and his health started to go downhill, he lost a lot of weight and when he could barely lick anymore I knew it was time. I got his ashes back but I'm not sure what I want to do with them yet. I remember hearing about a company that makes pet ashes into blown glass necklaces? So I might look into that.

Last picture of Jack.

Rest in Peace Jack, you will always be remembered and truly missed.

Fab Artist: Danna Ray

Danna Ray's art reminds me so much of New England winters. The lighting is soft but cold, and the scenery is beautiful but barren. I especially like her juxtaposition of abandoned objects with nature and tree branches. Each painting could evoke a different emotion in a person. I also enjoy her suitcase paintings where light seems to beam out of them as if a star is captured inside. You can buy her original artwork and prints of her artwork at her etsy shop, Groundwork. To see more of her incredible paintings, check out her Flickr.

Fab Open Sky

I just wanted to showcase some of the awesome products in my OpenSky shop. These are just a few of my favorites.

Top from left to right:
* Organic Chamomile Milk Bath for Mom & Baby
* Orchid Wall Art
* Grow Food vintage style poster
* Glass Glitter Rainbow Bottle Set

Bottom from left to right:
* Lonnie the Boston Terrier door stop
* Mailbox Fill & Spill plush for baby
* Flat Cats-snuggly blanket/stuffed animal hybrid
* Pillowcase dress

Don't forget--With this promo code: 11102Join30pct  you get 30% off your entire purchase under $100! Only until November 21st!

Blocks!

How cool are these?

I just found them via Cool Hunting. I love the pastel colors and unique shapes. They are made out of sustainably harvested hardwood by a company called Tegu. Unfortunately, Baby V won't be playing with blocks for some time! I've had such a hard time finding him cool Christmas presents this year because he's only 3 months old! But I figure he'll be 6 months a little after December so by then he can play with more toys then.

3 months!

I can't believe my little guy is 3 months old today. Nobody was kidding when they told me that time flies even faster when your children are born. I love the stage that he is at right now where he can recognize us and smiles all the time. However, I can't believe I've already forgotten what it was like when he was a teeny tiny newborn, he seems like a different baby altogether! In honor of his 3 month birthday I wanted to do a list of some of the best baby products we either bought or received at our shower.

1. The swing--we have the Graco Lovin' Hug Swing. It will be your best friend. Sometimes when he is super fussy we put him in it and it calms him right down. It plays classical music and nature sounds but we usually just put it on the classical music. He also sleeps the longest in the swing during the day.

2. The Baby Bjorn--I love this carrier. It is comfortable and easy to take with you anywhere. I actually have the Moby Wrap as well but I use it far less because I find it harder to put on and he doesn't feel as secure in it. We were fortunate to get a hand-me-down as they can run pretty expensive. If you can find one used I would definitely recommend it! I would rather wear him in this than push him around in a carriage and now he is big enough to look out so he can see the world.

3. Playtex Double Electric Breast Pump--I almost splurged and got the Medela one but even though I read mixed reviews on this one it was one of the cheaper double electric pumps I found. It works great and I have had no problem with it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an affordable electric pump.

4. Sleep Sheep--This makes several different sounds and it really works. We attached it to the side of his bassinet and we've grown to like the sounds for sleeping ourselves! I prefer the white noise but the ocean sounds are nice too.

5. Swaddles--We have 3 different Kiddopotamus swaddles. We have actually stopped using swaddles recently because he's outgrown the ones we own. However, this was the best thing to get him to sleep as a newborn. We discovered early on that swaddling was a necessity to keep him sleeping for the longest intervals through the night. He would sleep 4 hours at time at only 2 weeks old and then slept 6-8 hours at a month and a half old. We would change him, swaddle him, then feed him, and he was out for a long interval. On the nights that I would try to leave him unswaddled he would be fussy and flail his arms around. Don't underestimate the power of the swaddle!

6. Graco Pack N Play with Newborn Napper--The new and improved Pack N Play has a newborn napper, a changing table, and a bassinet. We put one in our living room and it's a great place to lay him in during the day for a nap where I can still watch him. As he gets older we can take out the napper and the changing table to have a bassinet and then it will turn into a normal Pack N Play. Great investment!

A Few of my Favorite Things...11-12-2010

First off, Yogi Green Tea Super Antioxidant--so delicious and gives you just enough caffeine to wake up a little bit but not be jittery like coffee, and it's healthy! Another little perk, my tea bag tab this morning said, "When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful." : )

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The website, Lose it! I actually saw a sign about this website in my doctor's office the other day! It is an iphone app but I don't have an iphone and I went to the website and it's basically like free Weight Watchers. Since I've been doing my 30 Day Total Health Makeover, I've been writing down everything I eat and do for exercise anyway. This site makes it even easier to keep track of how many calories you consume and reaching your weight loss goal.

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Ezekiel bread that I bought at Trader Joe's. It's a sprouted, flourless bread so it's much better for you than even whole wheat bread. It tastes great too, we just have a slice as a snack with some Smart Balance spread on it.

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Baskets! I never used to like baskets, but we received a lot at my baby shower and from people when the baby was born because they would fill them with gifts. They have become a life saver for storing and organizing baby products, blankets, etc.! 

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Fab OpenSky store. I just started my own OpenSky store! I love all the cool products they have to select from. I definitely am going to get Baby V some Christmas presents from this site. Since I started a new store I get a coupon code that anyone can enter to save 30% off of any order under $100. Visit the store and enter this coupon code: 11102Join30pct  at checkout but hurry because it's only until November 21st!

I go by Katie, Printed Pretties Giveaway

One of my favorite blogs, I go by Katie is having a giveaway of 3 gorgeous prints by Emilie of Printed Pretties. I had to blog about it because I am in love with Emilie's artwork. My favorite print on her etsy shop is called Animal Spirit and is a collaboration of all of her woodland animal drawings which would look amazing in Baby V's woodland animal themed nursery!

Click here to enter her giveaway, all you have to do is tell her your favorite print from the etsy shop and become a follower of her blog (which you'll probably want to anyway)!

Barefoot Contessa book signing

I completely forgot to write about the Ina Garten book signing I went to a couple weeks ago. My mom and I waited in line for 3 hours to get Ina Garten's newest book, barefoot contessa how easy is that? signed. It actually went by very fast and there were way more people behind us in line! Unfortunately, since there are so many people waiting, they rush you through very quickly but we managed to exchange a couple words and I got a picture with her! I'm a huge food nerd and I pretty much only watch The Food Network and Top Chef (my favorite show of all time) on Bravo. Anyway, the cookbook is great, Ina Garten is one of the few TV chefs that everything you make of hers tends to come out good. Her apple crisp is one of the best I've ever had and I've tasted it made by 3 different people and it's delicious every time!

One of the recipes in this new cookbook is very simple: truffle popcorn. She recommends D'artagnan white truffle butter. I actually bought the black truffle butter by mistake when I made it but it still came out delicious. I despise mushrooms of all kinds but I don't even know that truffles should be classified as mushrooms on the taste scale because they far surpass that. I would definitely recommend this butter to amplify any dish and bring a touch of elegance--even to popcorn!