I have been wanting to discuss this for a while, but was honestly too lazy to try and explain the step by step stuff. Thankfully Brandy over at "You Don't Even Know" has written out a great tutorial with pictures and everything that will show you how to:
- associate your email with your comment name
- and receive emails when you get comments on your own blog

This is important b.c a lot of you that comment have the same name as someone else, and when you say stuff to me, or ask me questions that I want to reply to, I can't b.c I don't know which one you are, and you don't have an email address linked to your google comment name. For instance, whoever Sarah was that commented about a corn muffin recipe, yes please email me that! But I don't know if you are Sarah Lewis, Sara Ussery, Sarah Macon , etc so I didn't know who to email! Ya Feel me ?

Another thing, for the LOVE, could ya'll please do me a favor and add your face to that facebook friends box over on the right margin? It is so sad and lonely with 2 faces in it! I don't think it will do anything crazy like clog up your facebook home page, but it will make it look as though I've got some dang friends/readers!

Oh, and one other random thought. Erik and I talked it over in the beginning about how we didn't want to the blog to become a full blown baby blog, b.c non baby peeps will find that boring. I try REALLY hard to not be boring on here, but dang if ya'll don't blow up the comments when I post about baby stuff. The announcement had 43 Comments ....FORTY-THREE... THE.MOST.EVER. Snubs took one look at that and said " we should've had a baby a long time ago if it means comments!" lol So now I'm confused and need you to vote on that subject in the margin! If you are reading this through reader, please go to the actual www.igriza.com and vote! Thanks Ya'll

This is what we made for our Snow Day Food and it was delicious! I also made some Cheesy Cornbread but it was not good b.c I thought baking soda and baking powder were interchangeable ... ( they're not).
I used some fresh cilantro and lime juice as a garnish to my soup and also think its better with Shredded Mexican cheese instead of cheddar. I made about half that fried tortilla strips suggested serving and it was plenty!
PS I got this recipe from THIS BLOG and it is a great cooking blog!

It has snowed like crazy here today! Maybe the most snow I have ever seen in Nashville! Thankfully Erik was off today so we got to hang out (safe) at home and get some stuff done plus play!

Princesses don't like to get their feet wet...
But the Prince is having the time of his life.
Erik & Ralpy did some roughing around in the back yard...
and then they made snow angels... LOL (this really, REALLY cracked me up) You can see Ralphie things Erik has clearly lost his mind...

So I read about this foundation on The Confessions of a Sephora Junkie and was very intrigued... especially intrigued after reading those other 4 blogs she linked to where hundreds of women were all screaming their praises for this new foundation they think is like Make Up Forever.
I set out to get myself some, and when it was ALL.SOLD.OUT. in every shade, I thought hmmm there must be something to this stuff!
So then, I finally found some at Wal-greens where it just happens to be buy one get one 1/2 off right now! I have only worn it once but I will have to say I am really impressed! It is not thick or greasy, and does give nice even coverage and somehow I managed to match my skin tone perfectly, which I have never done with drugstore makeup before!

Read here
and here

for more info!
Happy Friday
xoxo

Yesterday was the long anticipated announcement of Apple's Tablet, essentially a large Ipod Touch. Everyone was pretty excited about it, and then blown away by the low price point. I'm not gonna lie, I want one! Do I need one? No! But dang, the thought of a 1lb computer hanging out in a diaper bag sounds pretty awesome to me.
So what all does it do?

• Internet
• Email
• Picture & calendar management
• Music
• Tv & Movies
• Wifi & 3G
• Games
• Ebooks
• Maps

What is it lacking? I think apple always ( wisely) leaves things to be desired so you have a reason to buy the latest and greatest models.

• camera
• background running apps (multitasking)
• Flash

Alot of people are disappointed because they were expecting something crazy wild, and this was pretty much exactly what was predicted, and that is disappointing. I wasn't WOWED like with the iphone announcement, but no one was really excited about the ipod when it first came out either, and LOOK at how successful that has become. Apple is not a company of dummies, and my money is on them. If they make it, if they think its cool , chances are it will be very successful, and when you just compare it to Ebooks, well it definitely squashed the competition and the price is so similar I cant imagine anyone not choosing it over the Nook, Kindle & Sony books.



Keyboard shot: (it is all touchscreen)
Case with a kickstand for watching TV etc:
Keyboard Dock, pretty brilliant turning it into a regular computer
Desktop Dock which allows the ipad to become a digital picture frame rotating your pictures when not in use.
Price Points:

So, something for everyone. Someone like my mom could get by with the 16gig, because she doesn't have a huge itunes library and is a light computer user, but for me with a 5,000 song itunes library and tons of Tv shows/movies... I like the big daddy!

I also think this is a great way to introduce people like Granpa or my Nonie to the Mac world. Its a low investment computer for them that would be really fun to use.

Keynote Video Link

Apple Commercial


*pictures from engadget **

And Yesterday was my first day to shop for maternity pants. I have been wearing work out clothes a lot, but I needed some pants I can wear in public! Below are the pants I bought ( out of desperation) but I plan to look for some Citizens Jeans on ebay now that I know what size I would wear. The whole shopping experience was hilarious. They have a BATHROOM in the store for customers. That is so neat, as I have to go about 45,00000000000 times a day. I am wearing my fav. Yellow work out top. I wear it almost every day for reasons I would share, but my nonnie has deemed that inappropriate blog talk and I know she would call and make me edit it.

Little did I know, but they actually have PROPS, as in fake bellies you can put on to try on the clothes so you can see how they will fit when you get bigger. Here I am sporting a 7 month Belly. I could.not.stop.laughing. I think the sales girl thoroughly enjoyed me. She looked just like Sarah G Lewis!
and from the side:
Now, it's important to note the trickery here. It is HIGHLY unlikely that I would actually look like that 7 months pregnant b/c that prop only adds weight to your stomach, not your thighs, arms, face etc. I told Susannah if I do actually look like that at 7 months, forget the maternity jeans I will just walk around Nekkid! ha
I was texting this pictures to Erik, and he obviously has not read the man book on pregnancy tips. His response "Oh that is way too big, you wont look like that" to which I replied " You better HOPE that is what I look like bubs"!
So one trimester down, 2 more to go. Let's hope they will be as pleasant as this last one. I feel fabulous, and will admit am somewhat obsessed with food. Erik makes me a peanut butter and jellied every night. I also have really been enjoying Italian food, fruit, and lemons with salt on them. I have not weighed lately, as I have never done that in my life before this, and when i started doing that every week I found it was making me crazy, so no more scale. That is the doctors job.

Anyway, back to the intelligender. They, true to their word sent me another one and I took it and it said BOY. So did every old wives tale except the drano thing. I guess we can find out in a month or 2?
Other Intelligender Updates:
Emily, said boy, and she had a boy!
Nicole, Her intelligender said BOY, and her Doctor told her last week it is a GIRL.
Cory , Intelligender says Boy, waiting on Doc confirmation.
Laura, Intelligender says Boy.


I guess it says girl sometimes, but not for anyone I know!

Well, That is all for the updates. Ya'll feel free to give me any feedback on the maternity wear. What you guys liked, wore the most etc. Especially you August due ladies...

A girl after my own heart! I love birds and Airstreams and she has art and jewelry that features both! Cuteness! Artsy Orange Etsy Shop

I read about this app over on Straddling Continents, and I have never heard of it! It is called "Mark the Spot" and is a FREE AT&T app that one would use to literally mark the spot of any reception trouble, such as a dropped call or low signal. This would report back to AT&T so they can be aware of where they have reception troubles.
We rarely have trouble with reception b.c neither Snubbles or I talk much on the phone, we just text etc, but when we were in Philadelphia it was amazing how much trouble we had with reception. Ridiculous even! Soooooo Iphoners UNITE and download, and report back and lets fix the problem!

I have come to appreciate the kitchen more lately, now that I am actually using it! The more I use it the more I see what I use the most, and how things should be arranged or organized for efficiency. So I am constantly moving things around till I get it just right. Now if there is anything I love in the name of organizing, it is BOXES and LABELS. I am a bit obsessed with boxes of all sorts, shapes and sizes. January is the perfect month to discuss such things since generally all organizing equipment goes on sale for the resolutioners.

Pictured below : Tupperware Modular Mates which, I might add are on sale 40% off this month! That is huge, cause they ain't cheap! I got mine a few years back (for a steal) in one huge lot on ebay when a Tupperware rep quit the business SCORE! Santa brought me a new bin this year as well. They are clear so you can see the contents and know when its time to restock. I also like to put a date sticker on the bottoms so that I know when they were filled and if the contents might be stale!



My new Tupperware fun is Freezer Mates. They are also clear so you can see the contents and are fridge and freezer friendly. They also stack nicely in the fridge making it easy to see your choices. They come in lots of sizes. I get mine from the Tupperware Lady at the Flea Market b.c she sells off her loose pieces for a discount. I only have a few pieces right now but plan to expand my collection over time!

Now for some REAL fun! Erasable Labels from organize.com! They are earth friendly, wallet friendly and easy to use. Each package comes with 3 sizes, the marker and the eraser for the labels. They stay on even in the dishwasher! Great for Leftover labeling since that changes a lot.
Happy Organizing!!

I had high spirits Saturday, because I knew the Elpha Closet system was arriving. Erik on the other hand was pretty skeptical about it all. It took a lot of cheerleading to get this project going. I will admit, upon opening all these boxes, and seeing the bajillion tiny parts it was a little intimidating.

I think that was when Erik said "How much did you say it would cost for them to install it" to which I answered it was a waste of money,regardless how much and he was very capable, and he was! Just like I knew he would be! About midway through the installation he said he could totally do this as a side job.
Here is the gutted closet, which has been painted. I discovered some mold left behind from our leak last year, behind that floor molding so I ripped that off and took it into home depot. They sold that exact kind and cut me a new piece for replacement for about $7. I have not patched that carpet piece yet. We have extra in the basement I just need to get down there. Don't understand why they carpeted around the build ins in the closet, all of which we re purposed btw.
Here are some drawers ( our bedroom is too small for more than one dresser and my bubs is a clothes hoarder). I went through all his clothes today and packed up about half of them. When he got home from work and discovered all this new organization (and less than 400 tshirts in a drawer) he *almost* had a small heart attack which sent me into fits of laughter.
This is my side pictured below. Before, we each had about 24" of hanging space, and now we each have more than double that!

More to come later! I miscalculated some of the parts and so the shoe walls are not done yet! I will also review the quality of all the Elpha stuff then. We are VERY pleased with it.

I have been doing really well with cooking almost every day of the week and we have been eating left overs for lunch so that is great! I need to work on variety, and incorporating more veggies. If I can get this all down pat, it will save us TONS of money b.c. upon a recent budget sweep, I realized that is where the majority of our money goes! YIKES.

Monday: Butter Onion Pasta w/ Asparagus , Salad, & Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Chicken Thigh Pie
Wednesday: Pasta A La Betsy
Thursday: BBQ Chicken, Corn Rice Casserole, Kale
Friday: Rigatoni and Grilled vegetables

You remember that it started like this, which looks ok in pictures, but in person you would notice that instead of closet rails, huge pipes were used and you scrape your knuckles trying to get a coat hanger on there. You would also see the wasted space and interesting paint job and basement access.

So the first step was removal of all clothes etc. That was some work and we put it all in the office/nursery room. I should post a pic of that.
See this huge pipe thing? That was the hanging rail.I guess picking up an actual closet rail as too much trouble for these peeps.
and I love how all construction works paint AROUND things. It is not that much trouble to paint an entire wall, and I am funny like that, even if it is BEHIND the fridge, I want that wall to match the rest. I just do. How do you like that hole there. NICE. Great place for the mice to creep in.
Next my bubs went around and patched all holes etc and those will be sanded down before the repainting begins.
The carpet situation is still under debate. Neither of us know how to lay carpet, but I am thinking we could you tube some instructions and get to it. Thoughts? Anyone done this before?
Stay tuned for the reveal on Monday. The shelving arrives tomorrow and I have HUGE hopes of being done by Monday, and that's saying a lot since Bubbs is working on Sunday.

Weight watchers has a FREE app in the app store! Who knew? I randomly saw a commercial for it in the middle of the night last night! I tried to check it out for the review but you need to be an active member of weight watchers to access most info. All in all it was pretty neat! I know lots of your participate in Weight Watcher Wednesday blog posts so I thought I would pass this on!
Sus this will work on your ipod touch and help you track your pts!