It's a Halloween Emergency!!!!

Hurry Hurry call Fireman Jack!!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Since I don't have any new pictures of Jack in his costume yet, I thought I would post some pics of him last year.  I can't believe how little and chubby he looks!  

I hope you have a great day, and eat TONS of candy!

2nd birthday pics...better late than never

With everything going on, I never got to post pics from Jack's 2nd birthday night.  Hope your weekend is going well!

You know you want to join me.....

1.   When I was a kid I wanted to be      a teacher    when I grew up.

2.   As an adult, my dream job would be   a news anchor on the Today show      .

3.  W hen I was younger I wanted to be just like  my mom  .

4. The childhood Halloween costume that I remember most was when I was    a red crayon.  My mom made and it was so cute.  I think I may have worn it for two Halloweens .

5.  My favorite childhood toy was    there were sooo many; Barbies, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and of course, Cabbage Patch Kids!

6.  The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I     ...I never got in TOO much trouble, but I did sign my mom's name on a quiz one time.  It was an awful feeling when I got caught   .

7.  I get daily inspiration from    bloggers, Pinterest, my students .

Join me and other Fill in the Blank Friday bloggers here.

Help a girl (and some kids) out!

Remember music class in elementary school?  I do.  I remember playing the recorder, electric keyboard and getting SO excited for the holiday music concerts and shows.  Music class in the early years made some of us interested in music in the later years and also turned some of us into future musicians.

Which brings me to my plea...my sister is raising money for a great organization in Chicago,  Rock for Kids.  Here is a little info about them:

MISSION

Rock For Kids provides music education to underserved children in Chicago, sparking creativity and passion, teaching critical thinking, supporting academic achievement and enriching young lives.

VISION

Rock For Kids believes that through music education, children become creative, energized and successful members of society, while cultivating appreciation and enjoyment of the arts.

Rock For Kids recognizes that music has the power to transcend challenging situations and transform lives, and, as such, imagines a future in which all young people have access to music education as a catalyst for self-expression, motivation and stability.

IF you are in the giving mood, check them out and donate a dollar or two.  If not, that's okay, still check them out and get more information on a great organization.  

Click HERE to donate!

Her goal is to raise $450, please help me pass her goal!

Holiday Cards from Shutterfly....

It's coming.  Halloween is Monday, which means Tuesday, everyone will be thinking about and planning their holiday cards.  Last year I loved my holiday cards from Shutterfly.  I loved taking the pictures for it and I loved designing the cards (even though it took hours!). I can't WAIT to do it again, it will be great to keep the cards from every year to see how Jack (and we) have grown.

The 2011 holiday card options from Shutterfly are amazing.  There are so many choices, and so many designs, I am already having a difficult time deciding.  

If you’re not familiar with Shutterfly, they are phenomenal.  I order most of my prints, photo books, calendars, invites and cards through their site.

The other benefit to using Shutterfly is that their site acts as a holding space for your images.  You have unlimited space, it’s free and if your computer crashes, your images are still safe!  That should make you feel at ease!

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

As I mentioned, the Holiday card line has so many options!

What's nice about the site, is that you can narrow down the options to get the exact design options that you like.  I really prefer contemporary flat cards, so I chose that option.  I like to leave my choices open as far as the number of photos. I also think I will be choosing the  square cards , I love the look of them!

Hopefully by Thanksgiving I will be able to choose!!!  ; )

In the meantime, check out of few of my favorite cards....

There are hundreds of more great designs.  I would love to hear what you do for holiday cards every year.  Do you send them?  

Calling for November Sponsors!

It's almost that time. With Halloween coming the Holiday shopping rush will soon begin.  What better way to get traffic to your Etsy shop or website than to sponsor me!  

I'm sure you know, but advertising is one of the best ways to promote your blog/site/shop.     What's even better is you can see your pretty little ad every time you visit my blog!!  Now is a great time to start advertising your shop/site for the holidays!

In case you were wondering, here is a little bit about my blog....

By the numbers:

Monthly Pageviews: 10,000-15,000+

Google Friend Connect: 623

{Public- 558 | Private- 102}

Twitter: 209

Facebook : 155+ { and growing!}

I have 2 large ads left for November for only $12 per month and 4 small ads left for $6 per month.

For more information click the ad/pr button at the top of the page.

Interested?  

Contact me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com

Wordless(ish) Wednesday...Family Photos

I wanted some nice family pics before Jack got too old (and we got too old!).  So we had the amazing Kelli Kalish take our pics.  It was a bit hard to get Jack to smile, and he WOULD NOT step one foot on the sand, but she did a great job!

Our Florida Trip...Part one...

I am finally getting time to post pics from our Florida trip! This weekend has been so crazy with birthdays and cleaning and errands!   The first part of our Florida trip took place at Disney....a first time for Jack and my husband.  I grew up on Disney, so I was soooooo excited to go; I couldn't sleep for days before!  Even though we got there pretty late, Jack was all smiles at the hotel!

Once we got to the room, though, it was lights out pretty quickly.

The next morning, we got up early and got ready for the Magic Kingdom.  See how we are all smiles!?!?

Right when we got there we saw Pluto!! Jack was sooo excited, yet a little nervous.

Can you tell who did all the picture taking ???

We rode tons of rides before nap-time.  Jack LOVED the cars and carousel.  AFter our nap back at the room, Jack was refreshed and ready to meet Mickey Mouse!!!

I have never seen him as excited as he was when he walked into the room Mickey was in.  It was so cute to see.  Again, he didn't want to be with Mickey or Minnie alone, so I had to join him in the picture taking.  He did give them both a high five!

I think Dumbo ended up being his favorite ride...we loved it!

After a long day of rides, food, fireworks, and parades, we headed back to the hotel.  Jack made it all the way to 10:30!!! He has never stayed up that late!

I will post the rest of the pics later this week.....I can't wait to go back. My husband, well he could wait longer than me.  I hope you had a great weekend and have a great Monday!

October Sponsor O.C. Styles Creations

I have worked with O.C. Styles before, so I am so happy to have this shop as one of my sponsors for October!  The  mini-organizers-journals were included in the Emmy's swag bags from the Prime Time Emmy awards a couple weeks ago Also, she will be listing about 50 new journals over the next couple of weeks, which were seen in the Emmys celebrity swag bags. The journals are great for gift giving & make a really nice hostess gift.   Her styles will also be in the Oscar swag bags in February 2012!

She has so many new purses with velveteen damask & soon to be more.  She has wedding items, Java Blings (many new styles) & holiday gift giving ideas .... Not too early to start making a list or even to shop.

Be sure to check her out, and follow O.C. Styles on Twitter!

Another Birthday.....

I hope your weekends are all going well.  I am almost done crying over my little guy turning 2.  We had a good night, and tomorrow we will be having a little party for him.  Those pics will come next week.

For now, I want to wish the BEST husband in the world a Happy Birthday...my husband!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jack

See ya real soon....

Yes, I have been missing.  I am sorry.  I just got back from our first family vacation. ....to Florida....and Disney.  I will post soon and will have TONS of pics.

I hope you all didn't forget about me.  I didn't forget about you!

A new winner.....

So the first Elm Studios winner never responded, which means I get to pick a new winner!

#25 Christyn McKenna, congrats!!!

Please contact me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

We have a place called the Firezone nearby. It's a play fire station.  Jack LOVES it.  Actually LOVES is probably not strong enough.  It's all he talks about.

So we go once in a while, and Jack gets to "drive" the firetruck.

We have a winner!

I hope you all had a fun fall weekend and are having a great start to the week.  I feel like a little kid....mostly because in 4 days we are on our way to Disney World!!!  I can't wait! I mostly can't wait to see Jack experience Disney.

Besides all of that, I have a winner for the Elm Studios Giveaway!
#24 Courtenay!

Congrats! Please email me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com within 24 hours!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I make these every year.  Sometimes I make them a few times a year.  They are the hit of my work breakfasts and a favorite with my family and friends.  The thing I don't do, is take a picture of the finished product.  Probably because I always have a hard time with the frosting, and they never look as good as Paula's. I still wanted to share the recipe.  It is amazing. The frosting pairs perfectly with the bars.  They are perfect for a cool Fall weekend.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars (recipe courtesy of Paula Deen)

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.