So That's a Twitter Party!

Last week I attended my first ever Twitter party, hosted by Toni Spilsbury of The Organized Cook.  What a blast! If you've never attended a Twitter party - here's the gist:

Hostess with the most-ess, Toni Spilsbury!
ToniSpilsbury.com / The Organized Cook

• First you register for the party on the host website
• Next, you tune in at the designated time (I followed on Tweet Deck - just created a few columns for tracking the convo) and follow the designated hashtag (#mealplanning for these parties!)
• Finally, you answer questions as posted by the host and jump in with both feet! 

I was warned in advance by a few of the panelists that the party would happen FAST, and they were not lying! The hour simply flew by - but by the end I had picked up new recipes and great suggestions for meal planning. 

I had so much fun that I joined in the party again tonight to discuss "leftovers." I am certain that sounds like a completely un-interesting topic to some of you, but for those of us looking to maximize budgets and minimize waste (not to mention feed a family on a budget!) it was a really awesome resource! My favorite tips from the evening included:

• Recipe to use leftover chicken for Chicken Enchilada Casserole from @shanamama9197
• Another use for leftover chicken in "The Perfect Family Dish" (aka Southwestern Lasagna) from @rajean
• Smartest idea on earth, to freeze fresh herbs into butter for use all year in cooking from Toni Spilsbury herself, via @chaotic_barb
• Tip to reuse leftover white rice as rice pudding from @dreamfog

I will be joining next week to discuss Spooky Fall Meals. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I can't wait to join in the party to find out! Will you be there?

Inspired - One Small Change Project

I came across a tweet from Hip Mountain Mama (@hipmountainmama) this morning announcing the One Small Change (OSC) project. The basic idea is coming up with one small change at a time that you can make in your life that will have a positive impact on the earth/environment. I love this idea!

Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We've been making a concerted effort at our house to make small changes here and there - mostly prompted by now having a little one in the house for whom we're hoping to preserve the environment, not to mention trying to improve his health by avoiding potential toxins in cleaning products, food containers, etc.

Suzy (aka: Hip Mountain Mama) posted her first change today and it's hanging laundry on the line. During the summer I hang at least our sheets on the line when I wash them each weekend. Lately I've been trying to be better about hanging things like jeans or line-dry shirts/dresses/etc. which for some reason I usually just hang in the bathroom. I have some kind of mental block against hanging all of our clothes - but I have no idea why, as they smell delicious AND you rarely have to iron something hung correctly (bonus!)

So - I'm stealing from Suzy a bit, but I'm counting laundry on the line as my first change, too. But my goal will be to hang more than just sheets... Are you willing to make One Small Change? Tell me about it!

Happy Threes

I was looking around the other day and realized I have a few items in my life that come in threes that make me happy - so this is an ode to three...

Three delicious varieties of Steamworks beer...

During our recent vacation to Durango we discovered Steamworks Brewery and instantly fell in love with their beer. I'm not a huge beer drinker, so maybe it's because we were drinking beer with a leisurely lunch on a Monday, or maybe it's because the beer just rocks - but we are now devoted fans. Even better? Upon returning to Denver we went to visit our favorite neighborhood liquor store and found that they carry three varieties of Steamworks brews! The Third Eye Pale Ale (Third Eye PA) is my personal favorite. The guy at the store told me he was obsessed with the Colorado Kolsch as his "summer brew", so we gave it a try and it's delicious, too! Light and really refreshing. Who knew that my friend Jim had discovered the same brew the same weekend and we're now working hard to convince our co-workers to be Colorado Kolsch converts, too. Finally - the Steam Engine Lager is supposed to be akin to a Fat Tire-style beer. I wouldn't know myself, as my husband loves them so much he's drinking them before I can get to them! I'll take that as an endorsement.

Kleenex purse packs!

During the vacation mentioned above I found myself reaching for tissue on occasion in my purse or diaper bag and I realized I was all out of purse packs! These are the little conveniences in life that you don't know how much you love until they're gone, right? So this weekend I added purse-sized tissue to my shopping list and was so excited to find these stylish little numbers from Kleenex! I know - I probably need to get out more if tissue gets me this excited, but I really think these packs are cute and they're made to easily fit into a wallet or even into a pocket, so they're super convenient. Plus - I am kind of a tissue snob and really like Kleenex when I can get it, so bonus for me! I'm not looking for a cold or a good cry, but hoping to get to pull out my cute tissues sometime soon, maybe just to cover a dainty sneeze...

Finally - a Review of the Best Vacation Ever

Maybe it's because this was our first real family vacation, or maybe it was just the timing (we've had a challenging few months...), but our trip last week to Durango, Colo. was fantastic. Although both my husband and I have lived in Colorado most of our lives, this was the first trip for both of us to Durango, as well as our first time visiting Mesa Verde, Pagosa Hot Springs and many other local attractions.

We stayed in a lovely condo we found through VRBO (if you don't use this awesome website, what are you waiting for?) and really enjoyed being at Durango Mountain Resort (aka: Purgatory Ski Area) where we were just far enough out of town to feel isolated, but close enough that we made a number of trips in to town with no problem.

Some of the highlights of the trip included:

Posing for a photo with the cowboys from the Diamond Belle Saloon - after the shoot out, of course!

An amazing hike on Hermosa Trail on the backside of Purgatory.

Wildflowers on our hike.

Fun times flying through the air during a break on our hike!

More beautiful hike scenery.

The hummingbirds were crazed for the feeder we bought
after seeing the hummingbird action at our neighbor's place!

The hummingbirds weren't the only ones crazed for the feeder...

We swam A LOT!

Mesa Verde was amazing - a must see!

Posing in front of the petroglyphs - a tough hike but worth it in the end!

More of Mesa Verde. Every picture was amazing.

If you're interested in knowing more about the places we visited, I created a list on Yelp that is hopefully helpful. We hope to get back to Durango sooner rather than later!

I Love Farmers (Almanac)

Old Farmer's Almanac

I couldn't really say how I became familiar with The Old Farmer's Almanac. It must be attributable to my parents in some way - probably in line with how I came to love A Prairie Home Companion and old time radio shows. I surely skew the demographics on all of these outlets, but I'm proud of it!

I was flipping through our 2011 Farmer's Almanac tonight and thought I just had to share all of the wonderful, random tidbits you can find in this handy little publication:

• The Almanac contains daily history, like on Aug. 2, 1876 Wild Bill Hickock died; and on this date in 1980 Olivia Newton John's "Magic" topped the charts (awesome)
• Wondering what the best fishing days are? Look no further - and don't bother pulling out your fishing pole again until Aug. 28...
• Are you a fan of astronomy? The Almanac will tell you about the phases of the moon, including what time it rises and sets each day.
• If you like to garden, the Almanac even provides you with a customized (by zip code) overview of the best dates to plant various seeds.

Intrigued yet? I gave my husband a copy of the Almanac for Christmas last year and I highly recommend it as a random but useful and entertaining stocking stuffer. Entirely possible he now knows what to expect in his stocking again this year!

Time... (With Guest Stars Tilapia & Chard)

I can't believe how long it has been since my last blog post, but I suppose time flies when you're having fun (aka: a new, working mom...) Am I still a new mom, when my little guy is about to turn one? I really can't believe it - just another reminder that time flies. This weekend he took his first steps. It's been amazing. Too much face-time with the little man to blog!

Well - you know I like to blog about food and I tried two new recipes tonight that just begged me to post a blog about them. Here's the thing - I like to cook but I'm kind of a one-trick (or maybe two-trick) pony when it comes to fish. I like to grill it - and I usually add Old Bay Seasoning and some Frank's Hot Sauce. I am not sure where that combo came from, but it's always a hit on any kind of fish.

A plate of my tilapia & chard dinner. Yum!

Tonight I had some tilapia in the freezer and a bunch of fresh chard from Door to Door Organics, so I thought I'd add a trick to my bag and I'm really glad I did! Thanks to Google I came across this delicious Tasty Sesame Tilapia recipe (although I'm not sure why it's called sesame...) and this yummy Simple Swiss Chard recipe. I'm suddenly wishing we had planted some Swiss Chard in our garden... if there's still time you can bet it's going in next weekend! Enjoy the recipes!

Smart Sunday Tip: Online Coupons

Did you know that you can go online and pre-download coupons onto your shopper card? I'm a King Soopers girl myself - and thank my mom for turning me on to this great deal! I just went online and downloaded $7.30 worth of coupons onto my card for today's grocery shop. Awesome!

The only trick? I had to remember how I originally registered my card, which was a trip down memory lane. I used my maiden name (no brainer...) but had to Google zip codes in Fort Collins to try to remember where I lived when I got my card. After that hurdle, however, I'm good to go.

I'm making recipes today from super blogger and awesome chef Alexis Anzalone and also trying a few from $5 Dinners. Can't wait!

A CO PSA

This morning at about 4:30 we were startled awake by the carbon monoxide detector in Baby F's room. At first we didn't know what it was, and spent some bleary moments stumbling around looking for the source of the beep. We finally figured it out, and immediately checked on Baby F to make sure he was okay. Believe it or not, he slept through the whole ordeal...

The beeping was intermittent and we quickly learned that the alarm had simply malfunctioned, but it was scary nonetheless, particularly given that carbon monoxide is odorless and can be deadly.

Tonight on the way home I stopped by Target to buy two new carbon monoxide detectors. The CPSC recommends that ALL homes have a carbon monoxide detector. Whether you believe your home is at risk or not, isn't it worth a small investment for some peace of mind?

I love a good deal...

I just received my first order from 6pm.com - two adorable pairs of Robeez shoes for Baby F (one pair pictured here...) I got both pairs for about half the cost of a full-price pair (usually around $30+)! I am new to 6pm.com, but if you know me you know that I LOVE a good deal, and 6pm.com has way more than just baby stuff. I am lusting over some boots as well as some really cute blouses that are amazing brands and great discounts. Perhaps there's an online shopping spree in my future?

It's Jean-ious!

Tonight I attended a private party hosted by my friend and colleague Ramonna at the Blues Jean Bar. If you haven't been to the Blues Jean Bar you simply must go. A word of warning: these jeans are what I like to call investment pieces. Foundations in your wardrobe, if you will. However, as my favorite stylists Stacey and Clinton say, it's worth it to spend money on a few great items that fit well and will last than it is to have lots of cheap stuff that doesn't fit well or flatter. I'm a slow convert (since I'm a real bargain hound), but Stacey and Clinton wouldn't steer me wrong.

To that end (and speaking of ends...) I got an amazing new pair of jeans tonight that I'm currently washing and cannot wait to wear. Here's a preview - although not on my own body (I wish!)

In addition to having a great jean selection, the Blues Jean Bar also has talented and knowledgable sales people who gave us some great tips about jeans, including:

• Always wash your jeans in cold water and then hang them to dry. NEVER put them in the dryer.
• Washing your jeans inside out will help to preserve the color/wash.
• If your jeans are super dark (like the ones I just bought), wash them before wearing and include a cup of vinegar to help seal in the dye. I'll let you know how this one goes...
• It's not necessary to wash your jeans often. In fact, assuming they don't get unusually dirty, you should only wash your jeans every few wears, not each time you wear them.
• When you buy jeans, they should be really snug. I'm talking almost uncomfortable snug. Depending on the brand (and your stylist should be able to help with this...) the jeans might stretch up to one full size within the first hour of wear. If you don't want to look like you have a saggy bum, heed this warning and err on the side of snug.
• Before having jeans hemmed, wash them and then bring them back to the store/tailor with a favorite pair(s) of shoes so they can be hemmed just right.

All good stuff - and I look forward to following these tips and keeping my new Fidelitys kicking for years to come. After all, that's what a good investment piece of clothing is all about!