Amber Waves of Grain

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Merry Christmas in October!! Here is our 4th installment of gift ideas for 2011 ! We do this on the 25th of every month. Here are the links to the first 3 installments in case you missed them: July ( LINK ) August ( LINK ) and Sept ( LINK ). Enjoy this month's 5 ideas! 16. FOSSIL WATCH . One thing your spouse can't live without is a Fossil Watch ( LINK ). They have a wide variety of styles from dressy to sporty. I got Nathan one for Father's Day. My favorites are in the $90-$135 range but there are also ones more or less. 17. WILLIAMS-SONOMA CROISSANTS ( LINK ). I have to admit I have never had these myself. But I've always wanted to! They have a fabulous reputation & even made Oprah's list one year. .Maybe this will be the year for us. You'll get a set of 15 delivered frozen to your door for $39.95. You simply allow them to rise overnight when you want them, and then bake them. They have chocolate ones too. Has anyone tried these? Let u...

I just ordered Christmas gift labels and had to share this fun find! If you go to a website called Vistaprint , you can order custom Christmas gift tags ( LINK ) so that you no longer have to write out everyone's names on those tiny labels you buy at the store! This is the design I just ordered ( changing our last name for you stalkers... ) You can order "gift tags" (25 for $7.99) or smaller "to-from" stickers (140 for $3.99). Of course, there are a lot of designs to pick from and you can customize the text. With all of our kid's names to write, I'm looking forward to slapping a premade sticker on this year's gifts! Check it out!

I've been a busy girl today. I made several quarts of soup to freeze and take to an upcoming " Soup Swap " party. My friend invites people to her home and all of the guests bring six 1-quart containers of soup, frozen. Then there is an exchange and we each go home with 6 different frozen soups. I know what you're thinking -- "Amber attends some wild parties!! Today I used a Pampered Chef recipe that turned out really yummy. I'm not even a big soup person but I had to have a bowl. Chicken Vegetable Alfredo Soup 1 cup chopped broccoli 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 1 clove (or 1 TBSP jarred) garlic, pressed 1 (14-14.5oz) can chicken broth 2 cups diced cooked chicken 1 TBSP basil (I used fresh but I suppose you could use the dried instead) 1 jar Alfredo sauce (I used Bertolli brand) Put veggies, garlic, and broth in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat & simmer 5 minutes or unti...

Nathan & I participated in a vow renewal service over the weekend with several other couples from our church. I traded in my jeans for a dress that night. Look how handsome my groom is: The ceremony took place at a historic building with neat architecture and pretty hardwood floors. Each couple found a private place around the room and the pastor led us through specific times of sharing with one another. The 'audience' was in the center. Then, a time for vows. At the end, each couple went up front to be announced. I think Nathan was reading his vows to me here. They had vows to read but he surprised me and wrote his own! He wrote them on nice stationary with a wax seal for me to open. I wasn't as thoughtful. And, of course, the whole night was sealed with a kiss. So.... I present to you the renewed Mr & Mrs "Amberwavesofgrain!"

I have a smokin' hot new helper in the kitchen. That's right, I bought a Presto Electric Griddle . I'd been wanting a griddle and ended up with a cheap one from Sears ($20 on sale). Let me just say..... lives have been changed . How did I ever cook without a griddle??? I love it. I want to marry it. Tonight I made chicken tacos with it. Well, first I made the kids cheese quesadillas on the griddle, knowing that my picky eaters won't touch tacos. See the beauty of this machine already? I cooked multiple meals with only ONE pan. For the chicken tacos, I just cooked chicken seasoned with Adobo seasoning (in the Mexican section at Meijer). Then I used the griddle to also heat corn tortillas (double them up into stacks of two). It cooks so fast and evenly. Here's the chicken on the griddle. I wish this were scratch n' sniff. Throw on some cilantro, onion, and avocado and serve the tacos with lime wedges. And, voila! Delicious ! I've also made p...

All 3 kids in the same photo ..... looking at the same camera .... at the same time . Some might call it a Kodak moment . Mothers of 3 or more children know that it's really a miracle . Maybe this year's Christmas card won't have to be all outtakes after all!

I just bought these handmade owl shoes for Savannah and I LOVE them. They remind me of the Robeez soft-sole shoes for babies which I love because of the elastic around the ankles. They are easy to slip on and they stay on well. Absolutely adorable: They are from a shop on Etsy called JoeEllz ( LINK ). Most of these are $13 (plus $4 S&H). The seller was great and had a fast turn-around. I love the owl ones so much that I ordered this polkadot pair last night too. A girl can't have too many shoes, right? There are other cute ones too. Look at these sock monkey ones for boys: And, these are silk ones ($15) that I love: There are a lot of cute baby shoes on Etsy but many of them are expensive. I love that these are only $13 but still adorable. Good find! Check them out! ( Disclaimer: All photos above were taken from JoeEllz's shop on Etsy )

Here's a day in the life of SAVANNAH at seven months . She crawls pretty fast now and loves to crawl from toy to toy. She loves to play with Keegan & Kennedy . She's a biker chick . She loves her laptop . I'm pretty sure she's started her own blog . She's a really good eater . She sees a spoon coming and she opens. It's that simple ( *insert sigh of relief* ). She's a happy baby with big, blue eyes . How can you say no to this face? And, finally, with the exception of needing moved away from the crib rails sometimes, she sleeps through the night!! Happy seven months, Savannah!!!!!!!!!