Created by Chicks-- a must-visit, must-bookmark, must-subscribe-to blog!

Quinn Curtis, my very good friend and partner in crime (okay, partner in planning the Moms Who Make It conference), just started a new blog appropriately and awesomely named CreatedByChicks. I absolutely LOVE the name; it's sassy with a lot of style thrown into the mix. And because it's been forever since we've had a fashion trend tuesday, I thought it more than appropriate to feature it today.

CreatedByChicks is brand, spankin' new so you'll want to check back and watch as it takes on a life of its own. I'm so totally sure it will since Quinn, the woman behind CreatedByMom.com, is behind it!

I’m just a chick who really digs celebrating creativity, especially creative chicks. I think the world needs more creativity. It gives us life & happiness to be creative, don’t you think?

That's the new blog in a nutshell, but a very concise, very creative nutshell. Her first post features beautiful headbands by kaang--the Lesley Flower headband is TO DIE FOR! Have your own fabulous creations and designs? You'll want to join the CreatedByChicks community by uploading pics of your "creative endeavors" to the CreatedByChicks Flickr group.

I am so excited about CreatedByChicks I can hardly stand it! I am anticipating it becoming one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, fashion blogs for crafty, creative women entrepreneurs, so check back regularly as she builds the site and adds a subscription option. You'll definitely want to catch this blog's updates! --Emily

Happy School Year's Eve!

Celebrating New Year's Eve is, well, a yearly tradition in our home. Though we're not in Times Square with the rest of the world, we enjoy good food, family and some serious game playing to celebrate the new year. But for most families the "new year" really comes around the middle or end of August when the class lists go up and school shopping begins. The first day of school is truly a "new year" for kids and families alike.

So in true party fashion, Cookie magazine and PTA have teamed up along with GAP, KinderCare, Children's Zyrtec and Hot Moms Club, the celebrate the newest school holiday, School Year's Eve! This new holiday was created to help get families ready and excited about the new school year. (We could use some help with the excitement some years more than others depending on the outcome of those class lists!)

Who's invited to the School Year's Eve bash and when is it? Everyone is invited--families, schools, and PTAs all across the country are encouraged to celebrate. Cookie and PTA will ring in the new school year (and the new national holiday) on August 30th. What if your school starts earlier or later? Just celebrate whenever school begins for your children and do whatever works best for you. You can have the party at home, put together a larger block party or even check with your school and ask for help from your local PTA and principal to host it there!

For party planning tips and ideas you can check out the Party Planner section of the School Year's Eve site for ideas, links and downloads. The site also has a Style File for cool back-to-school looks, resources for parents with advice from Cookie, PTA and parenting experts and recipes for yummy School Year's Eve party treats!

And to make your School Year's Eve party truly fabulous, Cookie and PTA are offering partygoers the chance to win $1,500 for their school or PTA unit. Just post pictures from your School Year's Eve bash after August 15th for your chance to win!

Oh, and the site also has some great money-saving coupons from companies like momAgenda, Y WATER, Birthday in a Box and Sharpie.

With only 17 days and counting until August 30th you'll want to start planning your School Year's Eve party now! For more details visit the official School Year's Eve site here. Happy countdown! --Emily

How moms are making money blogging

When we started this blog it was simply an extension of georgie tees, a way for us to share news about our tees, tips about being mompreneurs and some of our favorite things, from fashion to food. And I still see this blog somewhat in that light, but as I've met other "mom bloggers," especially those who are making money from their sites, it's occurred to me that perhaps I too could make a little extra spending money for our family.

I actually have a URL purchased that I feel will make a wonderful blog and am currently planning just how I want that blog to work, the vibe I want it to have, etc. In the meantime I also want to learn everything I can about monetizing that blog if I feel it's a good fit. I am definitely NOT in it for the money but if it earns money, who am I to look a gift blog in the mouth?

If you too have been wondering how other moms are making money blogging then you need to check out my friend Vanessa's new site, MomsMakeMoneyBlogging. Vanessa is the woman behind such awesome sites as I Never Grew Up and Utah's Natural Kids and she is one of the most down-to-earth, wonderful, sincere women I know. If anyone can show you how to earn an income from your blog, Vanessa can. Heck, I'm happy to just sit back and watch her on video, she's that cute! And if I learn something in the process, that's even better!

So check out her new membership site, MomsMakeMoneyBlogging. Her intro video will have you hooked and I can guarantee the rest are definitely worth your time and membership. (And yes, she's really and truly that adorable in person!) --Emily

Moms Who Make It on KSL 5!

Though the Moms Who Make It conference took place over a week ago we are still hearing about it on Twitter, most of the tweets now from women excited about MWMI '10. (By the way, mark your calendars for around the middle of June...MWMI '10 will probably take place around June 17th and might even be two days next year!) But just last night we were able to catch KSL 5's coverage of the conference, which featured an interview with Cari Greer, one of our keynote speakers and a source of inspiration for MWMI attendees:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

We were so excited when we heard KSL 5 would be on site to interview Quinn and a few of our speakers and couldn't wait to see if we would be newsworthy enough to feature. Of course WE knew we were newsworthy; it was a matter of convincing the local news station...and I think we managed to do so! Kudos to Quinn, who's idea for a conference all about empowering and inspiring women was such a success that women are already looking forward to next year's event. What can I say? Quinn totally rocks!

If you want to learn more about Quinn and CreatedByMom.com you can visit the site here. You can also view info about the recent Moms Who Make It conference, including our conference schedule, by clicking here. For more info about Cari Greer and Sole Desires shoe parties, visit SoleDesires.com.

What prevents you from enjoying "me time?"

Last week I had the opportunity of being on the panel for Mom It Forward's #GNO night on Twitter. The subject was "me time"--something all of us women need but very few of us enjoy. One of the follow-up posts I wrote is all about those things that make it especially hard to take time for ourselves. And this time is vital for our happiness, health and most importantly, sanity.

In "The Top 5 Things That Get in the Way of 'Me Time' (...And How to Deal With Them)" I've compiled a list of what I feel are the five biggest obstacles to the ever-elusive "me time." As usual I've thrown in a good dose of humor--it wouldn't be one of my posts if it weren't a tad bit funny. (Hello--humor is one of the ways I stay sane!) So enjoy a good little chuckle and read how you too can make time for yourself even with days full of children, laundry and a serious lack of sleep.

Read "The Top 5 Things That Get in the Way of 'Me Time' (...And How to Deal With Them)" on Mom It Forward.

Related posts I wrote for Mom It Forward's "Me Time" #GNO:

• "Gal to Gal Foundation: Design & Donate"
• "Make 'YOU' Your Number One Priority!"

I can post what I want when I want

And Resourceful Mommy is totally on my side on this one. Her recent post "Back Off, Lit Mag Snobs" had me smiling, chuckling and nodding my head as I agreed with everything she wrote, from the "Bloggy Ivory Tower" to blogging to feel connected. I'm not as big a blogger as many out there so I haven't experienced first hand the "exclusiveness" some bloggers portray, and I'm so done with people still acting like high school that I could care less. Perhaps that's because my blog isn't my business nor is it my sole hobby; whatever the reason I'm all about the frat parties--figuratively speaking.

"Back Off, Lit Mag Snobs" is a must-read for all bloggers, especially women bloggers. And I'm taking what she's written and applying it to my life as it is right now, which is chock full of so many activities/interests/endeavors that writing posts for this blog is at the bottom of my list. Not that I don't love freshly baked--I love what I write about on this blog--but I love a few other things a bit more, including SassyScoops.com, Rocky Mountain Moms Blog, the Moms Who Make It conference (of which I'm co-planning), the sale of our home (hopefully) and of course, my family. That last one has taken a backseat to many things these past few weeks and I intend to move them up to the passenger side ASAP.

So I apologize to my readers if you feel I'm slacking when it comes to blogging here, and I'm trying to ignore the guilt I feel by not posting everyday. Hopefully you will still visit when I have a new post and continue to follow my random thoughts, links, recipes, tips and features. I'm pretty sure they'll pick up come the end of summer and start of the school year. Until then I'll be posting what I want, when I want. Hope that's okay...and if not, I'm sure there's a Bloggy Ivory Tower you can try and storm somewhere. --Emily

Stephmodo's take on Living's Tex-Mex

Another fabulous blog to follow: Stephmodo. She has drool-worthy recipes along with drool-worthy designs, crafts and the most fabulous story about her family's adventure remodeling a French cottage (as in located IN France). Though I will never be as chic and sophisticated and creative as the woman behind Stephmodo (I'm so totally challenged that way) I can try some of her recipes without an overwhelming fear of failure.

I love her recent post featuring some yummy Mexican recipes out of Martha Stewart's Living, including Salsa Picante, Spanish Rice, guacamole and a Southwestern Salad. Having tried the recipes a few time she has some great pointers for the rest of us. And I love the idea of changing things up a bit with a backyard fiesta in place of the typical backyard BBQ!

So check out Stephmodo's take on traditional Tex-Mex and fall in love with the rest of her blog while you're at it! Olé! --Emily

First image from Stephmodo
Second set of images from Martha Stewart

One of those weeks---and possibly those summers

This week is one of those where I can hardly see the calendar for all the writing. We have much going on, or rather, I have much going on and so posting will be few and far between. Between reviewing local businesses for SassyScoops.com, meeting with the Backstage Bloggers for the Moms Who Make It Conference to celebrating an anniversary and Father's Day, my head is spinning! And that doesn't include totally cleaning, de-junking and organizing our house since there's a pretty good chance we'll be putting it on the market. That's all this week. I didn't even get into upcoming events like helping plan DesignHer Gals' involvement in BlogHer '09!

So forgive me if you don't hear from me as often as you'd like you're used to; it doesn't mean I've forgotten about our wonderful readers. Life is coming at my full force right now and some things are going to have to be put aside for the time being. (There's just no way I can post AND maintain a clean house 24/7 with six people living in it! Do you know what kind of chaos occurs in the time it takes me to sit down and write a post? It's unbelievable!)

If you want to keep up with what I'm doing you can check out SassyScoops.com and Moms Who Make It, a conference which is sure to be the rock star conference of the year! If you're in Utah or within driving distance of the Salt Lake City area, don't miss it. You will leave empowered--I should know...I've seen firsthand the classes, speakers, panel members and perks planned for this conference! Better get your tickets now before they sell out!

Love to you all! Wish me luck and lots of Diet Coke--I'm going to desperately need both! --Emily

Image by idomusic2, shared via Flickr.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner & dessert by The Pioneer Woman

If you're not already a fan and avid reader of The Pioneer Woman than you might possibly be the only one in existence left who hasn't discovered her fabulous site. I could go on and on about all the nifty, wonderful, crazy, hilarious, thought-provoking things she posts on her site but you'll have to discover them for yourself.

To give you a taste of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, one of my favorite parts of her site, I bring you a full day's worth of eating courtesy of some very tantalizing recipes. I won't post the full recipes here since she always includes beautiful step-by-step photography as part of the post, but I will post the recipes' title, link and a tempting thumbnail image. You'll be doing yourself and your family and friends a favor by adding these to your recipe box!

Perfect Pancakes
These babies look as light and fluffy as they come. You can thank Ree (aka The Pioneer Woman) for doing all the trial and error for you!


The Best Spinach Salad. Ever.
Without even tasting it I might have to agree this could quite possibly be the best spinach salad ever. Just look at that thick-cut bacon and perfectly hard-boiled eggs!


Chicken Tikka Masala, by Pastor Ryan
Okay, this isn't Ree's recipe but I've been reading the recipes by her recent guest, Pastor Ryan and I'm pretty dang sure they're the best--next to Ree's, of course! We love this dish at our local Indian restaurant and now I may even be able to make it at home. Cool! (By the way, this one includes over 40 photos!!!)


Another [Peanut Butter] Pie
Crushed Oreo-cookie crust complete with whipped peanut butter filling? I think I've died and gone to heaven! Family potluck picnic, here I come! (And yes, that's a lick mark on my screen--I couldn't help myself!)

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson

Images from The Pioneer Woman

Darling, can you hear me? SOS!

My good friend Jyl from Mom It Forward recently wrote a post titled "10 Tips for Raising Service-Oriented, Giving, and Charitable Children" (a must-read for every parent). The post got her thinking about how "one of the best ways to teach your children to be service oriented is to model the behavior for them." That thought led to what is now the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. What I love about this challenge is that it's not only easy and fun but it will make a big difference in the quality of our family's summer. Here are the details:

The SOS Challenge

Every Sunday from now through Labor Day you will find a new SOS Challenge of the week on http://momitforward.com.

Simply click on the SOS Challenge post and read the details and 10 suggested ideas on how you can make a difference related to the week's theme. The goal is to do one act of kindness a week. (If you have other ideas that fit the topic, feel free to share them on the site.)

Once you have completed the week's challenge, post on your site about your experiences and/or leave a comment on that week's post.


The Giveaways

The fun part? Each week a different company will sponsor the challenge and they come bearing gifts! You can enter to win one of the giveaway prizes every week. This week's giveaway includes a popcorn bowl, three boxes of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn and Kathy Peel’s most recent book, The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Happy, Organized Home. Click here for details and to enter!


The Button

The more people involved, the more lives changed. If you'd like to help spread the word about the SOS Challenge, please copy the image above and paste it in your blog or site's sidebar with a link to http://momitforward.com.

Is bedtime a seven-letter word in your home?

Today I had the fabulous opportunity to write a guest post for Petit Elefant, an awesome online magazine-style parenting blog, and because it took what little time and energy I had left last night to write it, I had little left for a post on freshly baked, a not-quite-as-cool-as-Petit-Elefant blog.

So instead of a super inspiring, original post I'm going to simply refer you to the one I wrote for Petit Elefant: "Bedtime, the seven-letter word"...and I'm going to throw in a little guilt trip as well. Here it is: if you don't comment I will think you didn't read it and I will cry and cry and cry myself to sleep tonight. Feeling the need to comment? I hope so!

Is bedtime a seven-letter word in your home? If you can relate to this excerpt from my post then it very well could be:

I think the only time I ever truly enjoy bedtime is when my kids are in the stage my youngest is in right now, the binky-blanket-book-bed stage. Just now I had to haul my three-year-old back to bed for the fourth time tonight. Oh, and here I am one sentence later and he’s back again…can you see my jaw tensing as I get up yet one more time to lead him back to bed in silence? And yes, I learned that trick from Super Nanny.

If that sounds familiar you'll want to read the post in its entirety. Bedtime is just three hours away...wish me luck! --Emily

What's your Skin Deep toxicity rating?

Earth Mama Angel Baby is a line of 100% natural, organic, toxin-free herbal skin and body care products perfect for pregnancy, labor, postpartum and c-section recovery, breastfeeding, baby care and even the loss of a baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby is all about keeping you and your little ones toxin free. Their latest effort to "[move] earth and heaven for you" is the What's Your Score? Challenge--and yes, there are prizes!

The What's Your Score? Challenge is one challenge in which you need--not just want--to participate. Here's how it works:

~ Gather some of the most common personal care products you use regularly on yourself or on your baby. (Personal care products include shampoo, lotions, soaps, diaper cream, stretch mark oil, etc.)

~ Go to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ Skin Deep database and enter a product name in the search field.

~ Add up the Skin Deep toxicity rating for all the personal care products you use on a daily basis on your pregnant or nursing body, or on your baby, to find out what your score is.

~ When you have your score, post your answer to three quick questions (below) in the comments area. Your post in the comments section with your three answers is one entry into the contest. Don’t worry – there are no right or wrong answers, but we think you’ll be surprised at how high the toxin score is for those products you are using that are labeled natural or even organic.

1. What was your Skin Deep toxicity rating score?
2. Were you surprised with the score and/or ingredients?
3. What would you like your score to be?

Most women are truly shocked at the high toxin scores of their pregnancy or baby products they thought were safe. Of course we hope they’ll also notice that Earth Mama Angel Baby products are different from most personal care products. We’ve even signed a truth in labeling pledge. All pure, herbal Earth Mama Angel Baby products are toxin-free and contain no artificial ingredients. Just pure, natural products for pure, natural mamas and babies!

For helpful advice and safe, natural products that work, women can trust Earth Mama Angel Baby. After all, if Mama wouldn't use it for her own family, then she doesn't sell it. Mama's Promise™.

For more information and some great research on toxins in personal care products, see the No More Toxic Tub in the Earth Mama Angel Baby April Newsletter.

So the challenge has been issued--will you accept? I highly recommend you do! Along with an increased awareness of the chemicals you're using on yourself and your baby, by commenting on this post with the answers to the three questions above you'll be entered to win an Earth Mama Angel Baby gift set!

Here's how to enter:

• For one entry comment on this post with the answers to the three questions above.
• For an extra entry tweet about this challenge and giveaway; leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet.
• Though the challenge is ongoing this giveaway ends two weeks from today (June 16, 2009). Good luck!

Image by Chriggy, shared via Flickr.

Follow that blog: The Write Gal

Today features yet another fabulous blog I discovered while one of MomDot's America's Next Top Blogger competitors: The Write Gal. Christy from The Write Gal made it to the top three with Dore and me and only lost when I beat her to the phone to sing Tricia "The Star Spangled Banner." (Thank heavens Tricia didn't record my rendition of this historic song. The world is better off not hearing it!)

The Write Gal offers "advice about writing, shopping and everything else...(is there anything else?)" For many of us, shopping pretty much covers it though you could throw in a little reading and a few girls nights out. Christy loves to write and shop so blogging about both is a perfect fit! She is also a freelance business writer and consultant and a part-time college writing instructor in North Carolina. This girl is super busy! How did she have time to compete? Whew!

The Write Gal features reviews and giveaways, insights into motherhood, some fabulous Wordless Wednesday photos and, of course, a few grammar lessons for us all. I like variety in a blog and Christy's definitely has that!

You can subscribe to her blog and follow her on Twitter and even talk to her about her writing services.

Vote for your fave Utah Mommy Blogger! (Pick me! Pick me!)

I'm not sure how I was nominated (someone must really, really like me) but I am somehow listed with some pretty stellar women in the running for favorite Utah Mommy Blogger. Utah Bubble solicited nominations (I nominated a few on the list but for once didn't nominate myself...LOL) and I miraculously appeared on the list! Though my chances for winning are slim--and trust me, I can think of a few mommy bloggers who should win hands down--I am extremely flattered and honored to be among women from ever popular blogs like Nie Nie Dialogues and C Jane.

If you want to see the post that started it all you can read Utah Bubble's original nomination post and check them out if you'd like. (Thank you, Marie, for the shout-out!)

I'd love for you to vote for me and two other women on the list, though as cliché as it sounds, just being nominated is enough for me. Other mommy bloggers are more deserving than I but at least it give me something to which I can aspire! You can vote for your top three Utah Mommy Bloggers here. Best of luck to all! --Emily

P.S. At least you're not voting on another Britney Spears look-alike challenge!

Picking a host and picking your colors

Today I have two handy resources for you business owners, and they're so self-explanatory I can probably get away with one paragraph for today's post. This is a good thing since I'm trying to get ready for a trip back east to visit LeShan and making sure the kids get fed and bathed and tended is a bit more important than making sure I have super nifty blog posts for our readers. (Don't take it personally--if you're a mom you totally understand!)

The first is a list of the Top 10 Web Hosting Providers from Web Hosting Geeks:

Independent reviews of the best web hosting providers. Cheap professional web hosting services under $10 a month; all web hosting plans include at least one free domain name registration and 30 day money back guarantee. Review your web host--let other webmasters know the best and the worst!

The list includes rank, provider's name, features (space, traffic, price), bonus features and an actual review. Top on the list? Immotion. Bottom on the list? You'll have to check out Web Hosting Geeks' full list for yourself!

The second is a tool I didn't know existed but now that I've seen it in action I totally love it! I Like Your Colors from Red Alt lets you put in the URL from a website whose color scheme you like and then spits out the hex codes for all the colors it uses!

It's not perfect (where did #0000FF come from for georgie tees in the example above?) but it will give you enough colors to get you started. Try it on your own website and see what happens! And bookmark it so you can use it when you stumble upon a site whose color scheme you adore. Have fun! --Emily

TGFF: Thank goodness for fries!

I consider a small McDonald's French fry equivalent to one serving from the fruit and vegetable group. A medium is two. They're made from potatoes and potatoes are a vegetable (though they probably ought to be in the starch category). On the rare occasion I actually eat at McDonald's, at least I know I'm eating healthy. (A Big Mac is a good two servings from the protein group, one serving from the bread and cereal group and another serving from the vegetable group--pickles and lettuce...hello!)

I tend to get sidetracked when I start thinking about McDonald's. Back to the fries. A hot item on a lot of local Utah menus, from Rumbi to Blue Lemon to Salt City Burger Co. are sweet potato fries. I tried to make these once at home using the fresh-cut sweet potatoes from Costco's produce section and it was a disaster. But after seeing these tasty recipes I might have to give it another shot. And of course I had to throw in a good steak fry recipe. (Dang! Now I'm thinking about Red Robin's bottomless, scrumptiously seasoned steak fries!)

All of these recipes come from Sarah's Cucina Bella, another must-subscribe-to food blog!


Chipotle Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries from Sarah's Cucina Bella

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into fry shapes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper (available in spice section of the supermarket or through Penzeys)
1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients in a resealable bag or container (you need room to spare) and shake until well coated. Spread the fries out in a single on a jelly roll plan that has been covered with nonstick aluminum foil (I use Reynolds brand). Avoid overcrowding.

Place the pan in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, flipping the fries every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Serve immediately.


Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries from Sarah's Cucina Bella
(You'll want to click on the link for the original recipe to view her step-by-step photos.)

About 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (preferably the easy release kind).

Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/4 inch wide on each side.

Place the sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Add oil, salt, and rosemary. Stir well to thoroughly coat the fries. Stir in 2/3 of the Parmesan. Spread out onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Cook for 20-25 minutes, turning about halfway through. Fries are done when they are browned around the edges. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.


Asiago Pepper Steak Fries from Sarah's Cucina Bella

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed clean (2 1/2-3 inches in diameter at the fattest part)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
1 tsp black pepper
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into 8 wedges each. Combine the potatoes, oil, asiago and pepper in a resealable bag and shake well to coat.

Spread the wedges in a single layer on a jelly roll pan that is either topped with nonstick aluminum foil or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle with salt.

Slide the tray into the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450 and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, flipping every five minutes. The steak fries are ready when they are golden brown on the outside.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt again. Serve immediately.

Devour.

(And devour I will!)

First image by food_in_mouth, shared via Flickr.
Second image by Sefu Renka, shared via Flickr.

Do you have a favorite recipe for sweet potato fries?
Better yet, do you have a recipe that would convert even the most anti-sweet-potato person, namely me?

Giveaway: Fabulously gorgeous Lizzy Anne Pink-a-Boo quilt!

Elizabeth Cranmer, a super gorgeous, super talented woman, is giving away one of her original quilt designs! The Pink-a-Boo quilt is simply scrumptious:

I am so excited to introduce you to 'Pink-A-Boo' my latest quilt for Lizzy Anne quilt designs. This quilt may look familiar if you saw my last post. It too is done in the Darla line by Tanya Whelan for FreeSpirit. This is her yellow colour way, and I love it too! It's fresh and garden-ish and makes me think of lemons, which always make me happy! ...

This quilt measures 42 inches square, making it perfect for a sweet little baby, that special english rose in your life! It's all 100% cotton and has been washed already for that scoochie feel and ready to love!

The roses are a raised raw applique that is frayed to perfection! The button center is secure and cute as all get out!

I would really love to win this quilt so it doesn't make sense to spread word about the giveaway, but blogging about it does earn me a few extra entries so it's worth it! You can enter the giveaway for the Pink-a-Boo quilt here. Good luck! --Emily

Follow that blog: Dore's Diaries

Another fabulous woman I met via America's Next Top Blogger is Doré from Doré's Diaries, "an inside look into this thing [she] calls life." Doré and I were the final two in the competition yet remained friends through it all. In fact, she and I had an alliance from the get-go that started with a few text messages back and forth. Who knew those texts would take us to the finals?

Doré's blog is full of fun peeks into her life as a student (she'll graduate in December with her Bachelor's degree--go, Doré!), wife and mother:

I was born and raised in Central Louisiana and wouldn't want to call any other place home. I can do the whole girly dress up thing, but much prefer to just kick back in jeans and a T and be Me. Yes, I do have a country accent and I'm darn proud of it too!

She does have the cutest country accent--I've heard it over the phone! You can read more about her here.

Doré's Diaries has everything from her first Tackle It Tuesday (amazing transformation of her little boy's room) to her America's Next Top Blogger exploits to fabulous and fun giveaways. Along with subscribing to her blog you can follow Dore on Twitter.

Keep an eye out for us during MomDot's The Amazing Blogging Race--you better believe we'll be the team to watch because we'll be the team that wins! --Emily

Local find: Flour Girls & Dough Boys

This week I headed to Flour Girls & Dough Boys with the other girls from SassyScoops.com (more on that to come) and what a treat it was! From the funky chandeliers to the brightly painted walls to the tantalizing smells coming from the kitchen, the entire bakery is a delight.

The story behind Flour Girls & Dough Boys is a wonderful one and you really must read it. To whet your appetite here's a sample:

Flour Girls & Dough Boys is a 100% scratch bakery and an American Fork restaurant patterned after an East Coast style bakery and cafe. Carol Coppins, the owner of Flour Girls & Dough Boys, lived in Boston for 13 years. In that time, she came to love real European artisan breads. They were available everywhere. When she and her family moved to Utah Valley in 2005, it was very hard to find real European style artisan breads.

Thank heavens those real European artisan breads were so hard to find otherwise we might not have such a wonderful treat in American Fork! My favorite was the spicy chicken and bacon panini, the creamy tomato basil soup and the rich chocolate gourmet cupcake with mint frosting. Of course the sandwiches the 0ther girls sampled looked tasty as did the fresh salads. And the cream puff? I won't even go there!

On the way out I wanted to purchase a loaf of their decadent cinnamon bread and a chocolate mint brownie to go but unfortunately the register was closed. (We stayed a bit past closing!) Oh, and the soda dispenser had pellet ice--gotta love that!

If you're in Utah Valley or anywhere near American Fork you must give Flour Girls & Dough Boys a try. You won't regret it, though your waistline might! You'll find this fabulous bakery at 35 North Barratt Ave. (150 West). --Emily

P.S. Flour Girls & Dough Boys is all about supporting small, local business. Check out "Saving 'Main Street'"--if you're not already inspired to save small business you will be after reading their post.

We love Nature Days!

What does our recent visit to the International Peace Gardens have to do with a wonderful web wednesday? Well, I wouldn't have known about this fabulous place if I hadn't read about Nature Days on I Never Grew Up and Utah's Natural Kids, and I wouldn't have read those two blogs if I hadn't met Vanessa (@inevergrewup) on Twitter and then in real life. I love it when virtuality meets reality!

On Monday I met with a handful of other moms including Vanessa, Amber (@amberorme), Quinn (@createdybmom) from CreatedByMom.com and Vone (@EvonneSell) from Sell...Party of 3 at the International Peace Gardens in Salt Lake City. We let our kids explore nature (i.e. jump in the water, play in the mud, pick the dandelions and reorganize the pebble-filled paths) while we did a little chatting and kept tabs on our ever curious kids. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to have some adult conversation while my kids burned off some of their seeming unending supply of energy.

We are already looking forward to our next Nature Days. I can't wait to see where Vanessa sends us! (And maybe I'll arrive on time for the next one. Thank heavens Quinn was a tad late too...thanks, babe!) To catch the next Nature Days subscribe to both I Never Grew Up and Utah's Natural Kids. You won't want to miss it! --Emily

P.S. George absolutely LOVES his bike, which is similar to the ones you saw in the slideshow. You can find your own Boot Scoot Bike at CreatedByMom.com. They're AWESOME!!!