Lindsey's 2nd Birthday

I can not believe that my little peanut is going to be 2 years old next month. We are getting ready for her birthday party and I got a great deal on invitations from shutterfly.com. For just over $5 I was able to get 12 special cards that I can pick up at Target tomorrow morning AND use my Target discount on! This design was fun because it allowed us to look back at photos over the year and see how much she has changed. I love how proud she looks in her gymnastics outfit!

Framed For Her Birthday

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Fuzzy & Warm

While out on my latest thrift shopping adventure I came across an adorable vest for my little toddler. We were actually on he hunt for the perfect Christmas dress, but struck out. Instead we found a brand new faux fur vest that will look great on her this winter season!

Actual Retail Price: $34.99
Price I Paid: $3.99

Amount Saved: $31.00!!

The Paris Wife by Paula McClain

I'll be honest - I had heard of Ernest Hemingway, but really didn't know much about him other than he was a writer. This book takes a look at his life prior to making it big. There are liberties that the author has taken, but all in all this was a great introduction to Ernest Hemingway and his "Paris Wife" Hadley. The writing was done quite well, I felt as though I was right along side the characters.

Living in Paris certainly does sound glamorous, but it failed to be the happy place for this couple. What a sad life Hadley lived, being an almost afterthought in Ernest's life. Her main duty was to support and love him, yet there was never an opportunity to figure out who she was, have hobbies of her own and even to have real friends other than the significant others of Ernest's friends.

This book was a little slow in parts, but those were the honest, sad parts of their life. So don't expect any glitz and glam of the good life, this book will take you behind the scenes into the hard life that they lived.

For more information on this book, visit the official site:
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/paula_mclain/book/

It Can't Be True

Ever lose contact with someone over time and find yourself wondering what they are doing now? That happened to me a couple weeks ago. I was curious what my old friend Danielle was doing. I tried looking on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest even; but no luck. I could only assume she was in a theater group acting and performing like she loved to do so much. I pictured her hanging out downtown and uptown, visiting trendy restaurants and wearing the perfect outfit. This girl had it all...including an outgoing personality, great sense of humor, business skills. Now that I am thinking about, I still have a necklace and bracelet set that I bought from her when she started her jewelry line.

Today I received the shock of a lifetime. Danielle was dead. It saddens me to even write it, I feel like it is a lie. Danielle was in a car accident a few weeks ago and drowned in a pond while still in her car. I can't help but picture what her last moments must have been like. Life seems so unfair, why would such an amazing soul be taken so young? I can't help regret not trying harder to track her down. I still knew where her mom lived, I could have written a letter. I regret not reconnecting with her again. She was one of those people who you will remember always.

Danielle and I worked together for a number of years. Every Monday night we would order and devour a large Pizza Hut stuffed crust pepperoni pizza. Every Monday for years. We went on our first cruise together. We were giddy running around the ship - drinking too much, staying out too late, sleeping in too late, and seeing some amazing sights in the Caribbean. We laid out in the sun on rafts in her pool, I went to her theater performance in Anoka, hung out with her and her boyfriend at the time that we just happened to meet on the cruise. I remember being in London and emailing her. Danielle was a art major and really knew everything about fine art. I emailed her before walking through the Tate Modern and asked who I should look out for and make a mental note to really stop and reflect on. I remember her giving me a list of names of artists. Because I knew art was so important to her I bought a print of Manet's. It was beautiful and different at the same time. I wonder if she still had it all these years later.

She was so young to be gone already. It really makes me appreciate every moment I have as you never know when it may be your last. Bless her heart and her family. She was an amazing friend, amazing person and will be greatly missed. Until we meet again.

Plum Tree

Sticking to the theme of saving money on food, I decided to purchase a plum tree this summer. I don't even eat plums, but my family does. I figured that in addition to saving money on fresh fruit that we can eat, can or freeze; my daughter will learn where food really comes from. I will have to start researching recipes now...can you make a Plum Crisp?

Apple Tree

In an effort to save money, I have decided to try to plant fruit trees in my front yard. We don't have a whole lot of space, so I wanted to be smart about the fruit trees that I pick. My first attempt has been with the purchase of a Honeycrisp Apple tree. These are absolutely delicious....and about $5/pound in the grocery store. There is no way that I can afford to purchase those whenever I have the craving. So for a $50 investment I purchased and planted a tree. I figure I only have to grow and pick 10 pounds of apples before I'm even. The down side of having fruit trees is that you have to wait a few years for the tree to develop and produce excellent apples. To me- it's worth it to have years of fresh Honeycrisp Apples right in my front yard.

For more information on Honeycrisp Apples, visit: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/5877_01.html

Potato Plants

Great Idea:

While I'm no urban homesteader, I'm making slow progress each summer to growing more of the food my family eats.  This year I tried planting potatoes for the first time. The process really seemed to easy.  You merely dig a hole, drop the potato in, and fill it up.  Within a week, I already had potato plants sprouting.  Other than watering them regularly, there was virtually no maintenance needed.  About a week ago the plant began to wilt.  It was then that I decided to dig up the ground and see what (if anything) grew.  I was amazed to fine that after only planting 6 potatoes, I now had 40 fresh, new potatoes!  Over the next few days I was busy peeling my potatoes and cooking up some delicious mashed potatoes using some chives that I was growing as well.  Unfortunately, my garlic plant didn't fare so well, so we had to run to the store for that addition.