wordless wednesday

Cuz...we're cute!

Image clevercupcakes

superstar blogger!

I have been given the Super Star Blogger Award from Moms On The Go! Thank you so much Jennifer!! 

Here are a few favorite blogs of mine that I'd like to give this award to:

A Military Wife's Mayhem! 

This Casual Life.

Two more super star bloggers! 

*Oops! I forgot to add Swag Studio! Another blog I really enjoy visiting. You're on our list of super star bloggers Amy! 

wordless wednesday

Blue Pacifier Baby Shower Cupcakes

Image clevercupcakes

easy for you, safe for them

Thinking of giving your teen a credit card? You may want to try BillMyParents instead. Your teens can still have the freedom to shop online, but parents control what is purchased. Your confidential credit card information is private and is not shared with your child. Using email alerts, parents can approve or deny each item a child requests through a secure account on the BillMyParents website. Better than receiving a huge bill at the end of the month! Sign up at BillMyParents or read more about teens and spending in the Wall Street Journal.

Monday Mealtime

I found this wonderful recipe over at Nook & Pantry. Soup for dinner is always a winner! YUM!

Roasted Tomato and Quinoa Soup & Grilled Cheese SandwichRoasted Tomato Soup with Quinoa2 C roasted tomatoes (from 2 pounds tomatoes) or 2 cans of14.5 oz Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion or half a large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 - 3 C chicken stock or water, to taste
1/4 C quinoa, rinsed
1/4 C chiffonade* basil (optional)
*chiffonade right before using to prevent the basil from turning black
For Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup
- Add half a cup of heavy cream right after cooking
In a Dutch oven or large nonreactive saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the diced onions. Saute the onions until they are translucent and have softened. Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scrape the onion and garlic mixture into a blender and add the roasted tomatoes or cans of fire roasted tomatoes. Blend until completely smooth, add a little of the chicken stock or water if the mixture is too thick.
Return the puree into the saucepan, add the dried oregano, and the chicken stock or water. Simmer on low to medium low heat for 10 minutes, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, add more stock or water if it’s too tomatoey, and add the quinoa. Continue to simmer until the quinoa are cooked through and opened, about 10 – 15 minutes.
Off heat, stir in the chiffonade basil. For creamy soup, stir in the cream after simmering the soup. Add basil at this time too.
Roasted Tomatoes
3 lbs tomatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Slow Roasted 
Cut the tomatoes in half and get rid of as many seeds as possible. In a bowl, toss the tomato halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment paper lined metal sheet pan or skip the parchment and use a pyrex glass dish.
Roast in the oven at 300 degrees for 6 or more hours, depending on how dry you want them. I only roasted them for about 6 hours because I wanted to keep them juicy since they were going into soup.
Fast Roasted Tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut the tomatoes in half and get rid of as many seeds as possible. In a bowl, toss the tomato halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment paper lined metal sheet pan (do not use a pyrex in such high temps). Roast until the tomatoes start to color, about 30 minutes.
After roasting the tomatoes are easily peeled off. I forgot to peel them but the skins pureed in the blender and were not an issue.

sweet saturday

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting look delish. 

Perfect for a red theme baby shower. Yum! 

~ photo bossacafez's

 

our first blog award!

We were pleasantly surprised to receive our first blog award this week from The Thoughtful Parent and A Pocket Full of Buttons.  Thank you Amy and Stephanie!

Here are the rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are 15 of B2B's favorite blog friends:

Swanky Moms

3 Kids and Us

Baby Boogers

Better Than Boogers

Born 2 Impress

But Mommy

Critical Mass

Daisy Pink Cupcake

Essential Baby Planner

Faith, Family, and Fibromyalgia

Ramblings of a Fab Brunette

The Obnoxious SAHM

Painter Mommy

Party Perfect

Lemon Drop Studio

vanishing iPhoto

Okay, I'm officially annoyed today.  I was on a roll this week getting so much done.  I decided to upload some Mother's Day pics, when I discovered my iPhoto application...gone.  Poof!  Vanished! After much Googling, it appears iPhoto is not part of the regular "bundled" software I reinstalled on my MacBook? Apple, really...I love you, but WHY does everything HAVE to be so complicated?!

I haven't found the solution to this new MacBook problem. I refuse to drop off my newly acquired appendage with Geek Squad or with genius at Apple store (after all I "fixed" it when I locked myself out last week). I will go it alone for now, unless of course I find myself desperate.  Then I may actually HAVE to part with said MacBook for longer than 8 hours. Maybe it's time to take some classes.  

contain the potty train

Calling all moms of potty-training boys!  Tired of daily clean ups around and behind your toilet? Contain the mess with the Flippee Toilet Shield.  Created by a mom, Flippee protects the bathroom from accidents by creating a barrier to the toilet, floor and walls.  Easily attaches to the toilet with suction cups and stores discreetly around the base.  Convenient drip lip feature stops excess from hitting the floor when it's flipped down.  Another smart innovative product designed by one creative mom!  

message in a jar

Looking for a great baby shower gift that you can add your own unique touch to? Try KindNotes, the gift your loved one can open and enjoy daily.  Each standard jar comes with 31 customizable messages in beautiful mini envelopes. Select from the Ready-Made, Special or Completed Collections or add your own unique touch and choose the Customize It option. With over 400 inspirational messages to choose from, KindNotes makes a wonderful alternative to flowers! 

Enter the B2B giveaway to win three (3) dozen assorted mini decorative envelopes/papers. Use them as notes of inspiration, love, and gratitude for the one you love. Place them in a book, wallet or lunchbox to surprise someone special!  To enter, simply drop by KindNotes to check out their designs. Then come back to our blog and leave a comment to let us know which KindNotes jar is your favorite. 

Giveaway ends May 22, 2009 at 9:00 pm PST.  One comment per person. USA residents only. Duplicates disqualified. Please be sure to leave us a way to reach you or check back to see if you are selected.  Winners must respond within 48 hours of giveaway end or another winner will be chosen.

For an extra entry, Follow B2B on Twitter and be sure to tweet about our giveaway! 

Good luck!

warming hearts and making feet happy

If you're looking for an interesting alternative to the standard greeting card, try SockGrams. Shop their socks, choose a greeting, add your personal message and they handle the rest!  

MacBook Meltdown

So it's been a few days since my last blog post.  Note to self: do NOT mess with Mac settings unless you want to spend the next three days in a panic.