finley loves to swing

more old pictures of finley ... she's just too darn cute!

finley loves to suck on baby feet

finley loves to suck on baby feet ... whether they are hers or a baby doll. (and actually if she gets a hold of my feet, she'll suck on those too!)

recipe wednesday - microwave enchilada casserole

it's summertime and i was craving enchiladas, but i didn't want to fire up my oven. to the rescue ... my MICROWAVE. oh how i love cooking in the microwave! (i took a recipe and changed a bunch of stuff ... ENJOY!)

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makes: 4 servings

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ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onions (robby requested more next time)

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tsp chili powder

(add some: garlic powder, oregano, cumin, onion powder ... sorry i didn't measure these)

8 corn tortillas

1 can (4.25 oz) sliced olives (although robby says to add another)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

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directions:

1. microwave meat and onions in a 2 quart microwave dish on HIGH for 4-6 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring every 2 minutes. drain.

2. stir in tomato sauce, water and spices. microwave for 5-9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring every 4 minutes. transfer to a bowl.

3. place 2 tortillas in 2 quart microwave dish; top with layers of one quarter each of meat sauce, olives and cheese. repeat layers 3 times. microwave 2-5 minutes or until heated through. let it stand for 5 minutes. top with sour cream ... and chopped tomatoes would be FABULOUS!

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next time i think i'll try adding a can of refried or some other kind of beans and more spices ... i didn't measure them, but it needed more!

aidan loves to share

aidan loves to share with his sister ... and sharing all his yo gabba gabba characters is a BIG deal!

finley loves baby cereal

finally ... i have been trying for awhile, but fin has finally decided that she'll eat solid foods!

recipe wendesday - homemade green cleaners

***homemade cleaning recipes (via down to earth)
***natural cleaning recipes (via green living ideas)
how to make a non-toxic cleaning basket (via care2)
non-toxic home cleaning (via earth easy)
non-toxic cleaning recipes (via women an environment)
green cleaning recipes with natural ingredients (via the daily green)
diy houshold cleaners (via the green guide)
do-it-yourself cleaners (via better home & gardens)
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gorgeously green all-purpose spray
ingredients:
32 ounce plastic spray bottle (recycled)
2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tsp pure castile soap
3/4 cup hydrogren peroxide
20 drops tea tree oil
20 drops lavender or lemongrass essential oil (lavender is lovely for the bathroom and lemongrass for the kitchen)
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simply fill a large 32-ounce plastic spray bottle with the water. add the vinegar, castile soap, hydrogren peroxide, tea tree oil and essential oil.
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suitable for acrylic, ceramic tile, wood, marble and granite.
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green window cleaner spray
ingredients:
3 Tbsp vinegar
1/3 tsp pure liquid vegetable soap (like castile soap)
2 cups water
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pour each ingredient into a recycled spray bottle.
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veggie cleaner spray
ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp baking soda
20 drops grapefruit seed extract
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combine all ingredients in a spray bottle with a pump. spray mixture on produce, and rinse thoroughly after 5-10 minutes.

recipe wednesday - chicken broccoli stuffing casserole

ingredients:
1 package (6 oz.) stuffing mix
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of whatever soup
1/3 cup sour cream (or milk if you don't have sour cream ... but it wont be as creamy)
1 bag (16 oz) frozen vegetables (whatever you have, robby prefers broccoli), thawed, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
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directions:
1. preheat overn to 400 degrees.
2. prepare stuffing mix as directed on package, set aside.
3. mix chicekn, soup, sour cream and vegetables in a 13x9 inch baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray for easy clean-up); top with cheese and then prepared stuffing.
4. bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
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if your chicken is already cooked, cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
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robby's favorite, and it makes EXCELLENT leftovers
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it needs a better name ... any ideas?
chickchee stuffibroc?
cheechi broccotop?
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it needs something good ... like ...

music downloads

i was chatting with my sister and brother on friday night and somehow the topic turned to music. i asked scott what he thought about the new all-american rejects album, his response "what new album?!" so i headed over to my mom's mac and went to my favorite music download site and played him so clips. he comes over to check it out and then noticed the price of the songs.
and then he got mad that i've never told him or blogged about it before. (in my defense i KNOW i've told him before ... everytime him and his wife talk about downloading from iTunes ... and the link in the sidebar on my blog --- towards the top even). regardless i promised him that i would blog about it.
so check out MP3Search.ru ... only 9 CENTS (and if your purchase the whole album it is further discounted 10%). you can get the WHOLE all-american rejects album, "when the world come down" for only 97 cents ... less than what just ONE song would cost you other places.
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you're welcome ... enjoy!

finley is 7 months

holy moley ... i meant to do an update when she hit her 6 month mark ... and yet another month has flown by.

she's now 26" long and weighs in at 17 pounds ... both of which are in the 75 percentile for her age.

she has finally decided that she likes solid food ... which lets me not stress as much when aidan drops/throws his cheerios on the floor.she gave up nursing at 4 months and prefers bottles ... heated ... it has to be just the way she wants it. oh well. (and she loves to lay on the floor with her feet straight in the air ... pretty much since day 1!)she started rolling over at 4 months (like ... exactly!) ... that day she decided she could do it, both ways, tummy to back and back to tummy ... it hasn't stopped her since. she rolls all over and can rotate 360 degrees ... so if she sees something she wants she'll get to it.
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this morning she decided that rolling around wasn't as productive and has graduated to army crawling around after aidan.

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it's gone by WAY to fast. overall she's a happy baby, an angel straight from heaven. i'm so happy she's joined our family.

have you met [magic] jack?

what? you've never heard of magic jack? ... well i hadn't either ... until i was nursing finley one night and was flipping through infomercials.

we were a cellphone family, until i got a church calling which requires TONS of phone calls and my cell phone gets HORRIBLE reception and drops calls ALL the time (as nicole can attest, it personally despises her). i had been doing research on phone services and was looking into vonage ($9.95 a month for the first 3 months and then $24.99 thereafter) ... and then i stumbled upon magic jack ... it's like $20 per YEAR ($40 for the actual jack and first year of service ... and while checking out will offer you 5 years for a great deal) ... i think like $50 more dollars). yes, you read that correctly, and you can call anywhere in the US and Canada.

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you have to have it plugged into you computer, and you have to be connected to the internet and the program running to receive and make calls ... but we generally have our computer running 24/7 anyways. personally, i LOVE it, and i love it even more since it is a great deal and we wont have to pay another bill for it for 5 more years ...

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i've been meaning to blog about it for AGES [we got it in november?] ... and last week i was talking to nicole (who just moved to utah ... sad for me, great for her) and we were talking about house phones and i mentioned it and had to tell her more. she called me a couple days later ... "i'm talking on my magic jack" she proudly said ... you're gonna want one too!!

my nails

sooo ... my nails were getting long and i figured i better document it before i broke them. of course after i took this picture i ripped 3 the next day!! UGH!!

(they look like i don't know how to trim them straight ... i promise i do ... they just curl when they get long)

EWWW!!

so ... i was sewing the other day. after cutting out some things in the living room, i was headed towards the dining room (where my sewing machine currently is taking over our dining room table) and look what greeted me!

i immediately went to ask robby to kill the creepy looking bug ... instead he caught it, made me take some pictures, then proceeded to look it up online. apparently it is just a house centipede ... and they are harmless and eat spiders and termites (so they are probably good to have around) ... but they are CREEPY looking. i asked robby to kill it, he let it go outside. UGH ... i've never seen them before we moved into this house.

doesn't that just want to make you come over and visit?

aidan loves oreo cookies and milk

aidan LOVES oreo cookies and milk ... just like his momma ... and c'mon let's face it, who doesn't??

recipe wednesday - fiesta lime chicken

fiesta lime chicken -- one of my all-time favorite recipes. it's a copycat from applebee's. it takes some time and you have to plan ahead (for the marinade) but it is completely worth it.
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marindade:
1 cup water
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (or substitute: 1/3 cup soy sauce and 2 Tbsp brown sugar)
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp mesquite liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
4 chicken breasts
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mexi-ranch dressing:
1/4 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp minced tomato (i omitted this)
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp minced canned jalepeno slices (about 3-4)
1 tsp minced onion
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp tabasco pepper sauce
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp dill weed
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
dash ground black pepper
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1 cup shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese blend
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directions:
1. prepare marinade, combine all ingredients in bowl, add chicken, cover and chill for 2-3 hours.
2. make mexi-ranch dressing by combining all ingredients. mix well, until smooth, cover and chill.
3. preheat oven to high broil. preheat bbq/grill to high heat. cook breasts for 3-5 minutes per side or until done.
4. arrange cooked chicken in a baking pan, spread mexi-ranch dressing on chicken, with a 1/4 cup cheese on top. broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
5. serve chicken hot and over a bed of crushed tortilla chips.

Twist Tie and Wrap Dress

Here's the latest project ... a twist tie and wrap dress. This versatile dress can be worn in multiple ways ... I've only just shown three. It features an a-line skirt (30" from seam to hem) with a 12" band and 2 LONG straps. The band can be folded and pulled over the bust, or worn at the waist ... etc. The straps can be wrapped, twisted and tied however you can dream it.

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It was in the shop for 2 hours and got 37 views and 3 hearts and then it sold.

sneak peek ... new colors coming soon!

New colors coming soon ... pictured above is charcoal grey. We will also be offering a soft orange, a kelly green and a robin's egg blue. I'm soooo excited about all the changes coming to jocole. Hence all the not-posting on my blog.

aidan loves to run in the sprinklers

in august when hannah and adam were visiting my parents aidan joined them while running around in the sprinklers. he had a great time ... and then even more fun after he pooped in his swim trunks and we had to hose him off.

recipe wednesday - microwave popcorn

i was craving popcorn and wanted it with real butter without messing with the stove or buying an expensive popcorn popper. i promise when you try this you will never buy packets of popcorn ever again!
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INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp unpopped popcorn kernals

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DIRECTIONS:

1. pour kernals into a small paper bag (lunch size is perfect) and fold the top of the bag over twice to close (each fold should be 1/2" deep; you need room for the kernals to pop) and seal with a piece of tape (alton brown says you can use 2 staples to secure ... i'd rather not take the chance).

2. place bag in microwave on carousel. cook on high 2-3 minutes ... until the popcorn pops are 5 seconds apart.

3. open carefully and pour into a bowl (or shake it up in the bag ... it's your choice - i like to reuse the bag after popping) top with your favorite toppings and cover with a lid and shake shake shake!

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CLASSIC BUTTER TOPPING

1-2 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp salt

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PARMESAN GARLIC TOPPING

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic salt

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TACO TOPPING

1-2 Tbsp melted butter

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

1 tsp cumin

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KETTLE CORN TOPPING

1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp white sugar

1 tsp salt

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try sprinkling on ranch dressing mix.

ENJOY!!!

CSPIA ... a.k.a. "national bankruptcy day"

i've just been assuming that everyone else knows about this ridiculous law that is going to be effective on february 10th. then i was chatting with my mom and sister last weekend and realized that not everyone reads blogs and forums regarding manufacturing or selling.
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not sure if you will be affected? if you manufacture anything for children under 12 .... if you sell anything for children under 12 ... if you BUY anything for children under 12 ... basically this affects EVERYONE!
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the law will require anything intended for those under 12 to be tested for lead. it sounds good, but the reality is that it will negatively affect many businesses. protecting our children is important, unfortunately cspia will not accomplish that.
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You can read my favorite article at Boutique Cafe, and here is the 2nd article in the series ... Please please please spread the word!
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UPDATED: new information from etsy
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What can you do?
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1) Email or call the CPSIA - the office of the CPSC ombudsman 888-531-9070.http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspxComments on Component Parts Testing accepted through January 30, 2009.mailto:Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov.
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2) Email or snail mail your representatives. (sample letter!! super super easy!!)http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476
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3) Call your representatives. For their contact information just enter your zip code.http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/dbq/officials/
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4) Make your voice heard by voting on this issue. The top 3 in each category will be presented to President-elect Obama.http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia
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5) Sign the petition.http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html
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6) Spread the word! Write about this on your blog. Tell others about this issue and encourage them to do the same.
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7) Join others in fighting this cause.
Facebook group
Twitter search
Save Handmade
Amend CSPIA
http://cpsia-central.ning.com/notes/Notes_Home
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Join the etsy community in the virtual chat with CPSIA Small Business Ombudsmen or send a handmade children’s item that will become “hazardous goods” as of 2/9/09 to Bobby Rush, founder of H.R. 4040.http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences-consumer-pr-3056/Etsy Thread
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9) Read more about this legislation and its ramifications:
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You can do your own reading, here are some places to start:
Etsy Forums
California Residents
Change.org - Save Small Businesses
Smart Mama
Fashion Incubator ... Coping with Crisis (how it will affect large and small businesses, plus links to other artcles kathleen has written), CSPIA Requirements, National Bankruptcy Day
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Fashion Incubator
Handmade Toy Alliance
National Bankruptcy Day
YouTube video
YouTube Video
YouTube Video
5 Minutes for Mom
Cool Mom Picks
The Smart Mama
blogher
Apparel and Footwear.org
Toy Association.org
Cafe Mom
Safety and Compliance
Zrecommends
SleepingBaby.net
Freshly Baked Blog
TimesCall

finley is talking

finley is all smiles these days, the other night she was talking like crazy, so i grabbed my camera and this is what she did ...

it cracks me up that you can see her looking at the camera and me, going back and forth! i can't believe she's almost 4 months already!

pantry organization

ok ... some of you know and some of you don't ... i signed up to sell tupperware. one of the main reasons why i did was because i want to organize my panty! the modular mates are amazing. seriously. but here's the kicker ... they are on sale in january for 40% OFF.

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if you live close i can come over and check out your pantry and help you pick what you need and i'll come over and help you organize your pantry when your order is shipped ... if you live far i can still help you through emails or phone calls ... and have them shipped directly to your house.

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email me at jodijeanbaird [at] yahoo .com ... or give me a call!

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did you have ants or bugs last year? did you throw away any stale cookies or cracker? are your cupboards a disaster? did you buy something and then come home to find the *same thing* "hiding" in your cupboard?

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an average "total kitchen" is generally around $430 ... at 40% off it would be $258. you don't have to do your whole pantry ... but after you do some of it, i bet you'll wish you had.

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here is a before and after of a pantry.

check out some more of the "after"s ... these pantrys look AMAZING ... let's get organized in 2009!!!