my new toy

yay me!!!

every year for my FABULOUS birthday my in-laws give me money...yay them...so i can pick the perfect gift for myself. this year i took part of it and bought an AWESOME bike trailer. this may seem like a strange thing to by for my perfect present but consider this...



christmas 2006 my dear husband got me a great mountain bike so i could ride on the tow-path along the delaware canal, well a year and a half later the bike has sprouted cob webs and the tires have deflated!!! all because we have 3 little girls who cannot ride a bike for more than a house. not that that is a bad thing but they are to little to go any distance, so we are STUCK! we love, love, love the jog stroller but lets be honest some times you just want something different.

this puppy seats 2 (up to 100lbs) and handles like a dream (did i really say that?!?!?) we hooked it up to my bike today and babies 2 and 3 hopped in and away we went.

oh the freedom!!! of course daddy still needs to be around to keep an eye on one of the kids, but it was so nice to be able to get some exercise, and have 2 of the girls out in the fresh air!!!

it really was a pleasure to use and very simple, i never wanted one of those bike seats...they scare me and even more since two summers ago i was driving down the road and saw a woman with her bike on the ground and a toddler in the seat, i stopped because i was so worried about them and she had apparently lost control of the bike and crashed, thank god the little girl had a helmet on!

maybe if i ever get the chance i can pop up some hot little pics of me and my crew out for a cruise!!!

have a FABULOUS friday!!!

strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...oh my!!!

Yay!!! I am so looking forward to this weekend...though the weather people keep saying rain, the last 2 days the temperature has been in the mid 70's and today was HORRIBLE...the sun kept hiding here and there!!! :)

The pumpkins and I are planning our gardens and plantings for this year, we decided that because we love fresh fruit so much and the farm market stands are sadly disappearing quickly in our area that we would try our hand at planting some of our favorites to pick fresh.

Last year Quentin and I put in some strawberry plants and we were lucky enough to have quite a few berries sprout. Sadly though we would see plump, round, white berries on the vine excited to have edible berries awaiting us the next morning only for him to awake every time, run out to pick the fruit and GONE! The (rein)deer (as the girls call them) did it EVERY time. I cannot even begin to tell you how many flowers we have lost to the deer and bunnies, a drawback of living in such a beautiful area. So needless to say a topic VERY soon will be regarding safe, all natural deer deterents...be on the look out.

This weekend we are planting some blueberry bushes and red raspberry bushes.

As well as adding to the beauty of our yard, we are looking forward to some natural barriers to keep the girls out of the neighbors yards and enjoying the healthy, organic, tastey fruits...HA!...of our labor.

If any of you have natural recipes for jams, spreads or various other uses for these fabulous berries please send them right over, we may not have enought this year but we are looking forward to in the future

A few great places to find fuit as well as many plants are:

Cottage farms (I buy through QVC)

Spring Hill Nurseries

Have a FABULOUS week!!!

fun horoscopes...

if you are on the cusp of another sign you most likely will have features of both signs...which may lead you into total confusion......


CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter (Dec 22 - Jan 19) Patient and wise. Practical
and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be Good-looking. Humorous and funny.
Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act
before they think and can be Unfriendly at times. Hold grudges. Like
competition. Get what they Want.

AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Optimistic and honest.
Sweet personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly
and loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn,
but original and unique. Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric
personality.

PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Generous, kind, and thoughtful.
Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague.
Sensitive. Don't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and
loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19)
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic.
Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short
fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing.
Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and
assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 - May 20) Charming but aggr essive.
Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted.
Strong, has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their
ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient
and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind.
Loves hard - passionate. Express themselves emotionally. Prone to
ferocious temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very
generous.

GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20) Smart and witty. Outgoing,
very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable Bu t needs to express
themselves. Argumentative and outspoken. Likes change. Versatile. Busy,
sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or
inconsistent. Beautiful physically and mentally. 5 years of bad luck if
you do not forward.

CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22)
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome.
Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative.
Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily
hurt, but sympathetic.

LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like
boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help Others.
Social and outgoing. Extr overted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive.
Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is
important to Leos. Attractive.

VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22)
Dominant In relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word.
Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager.
Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh.
Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic.

LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique
appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone.
Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too
easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.

SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive.
Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds
grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long Relationships.
Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and
Emotional.

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome).
Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and
outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient.
Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like
rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or
even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and
out.

green laundry

My sweet little princess...okay so that MAY be a bit of a stretch...is suffering with a recurrent bout of eczema. No matter what i cut from her diet or add with minerals or herbs the poor little monkey just keeps scratching. I have always washed the girls clothes seperatley from their big brothers', fathers's and mine and even used the special "baby brands," though I recently switched to the arm and hammer natural detergent for the entire family.

This week I decided to test run some new brands and would love to share them with you...of course they are all green, contain no phosphates and I always go for unscented.

I am currently waiting for my sample of these cute little "dropps" laundry detergent pellets but I really like the info I read on their website regarding their philosophy:

"Healthier for the planet:

Their footprint: Because dropps eliminates all water from our detergent pacs — the same water that’s already in your washer — our formula saves millions of gallons a year.

Green and friendly: dropps keeps your clothes as clean as your conscience. Letting fish breathe happily, aquatic plants bloom and high-efficiency washers do their thing. How very low-impact."

These are just 2 of the statements that caught my attention on the dropps website

Another brand that I currently use for my fabric softerner (as well as countless other household cleaners) and love, love, love is the method line of products. Along with their commitment to keeping our planet healthy their mission statement really wowed me...you can read it at "method humanifesto"

There are SO many more brands out there and thankfully more of the "mainstream" lines...ie clorox, are coming out with their own now also, however my favorite brand so far is the Shaklee line.

You may have seen the Oprah show which touted the family and earth friendliness of this product, and having been a user for awhile now I can totally agree, there is no chemically clean smell what so ever, things are clean and I am over the moon with how the products are all condensed!!! With 4 kids and a husband you can imagine I have very little room to store cleaning products, but REALLY need to keep a stock of them. Shaklee has it covered, for instance one bottle of their "Basic H2TM Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate" is used to fill a bottle for windows and mirrors, a degreaser bottle and even an all purpose cleaner. Being the skeptic that I am I knew the mirror/ window cleaner would be the greatest test...well I have to tell you after cleaning every window and mirror in my home with no troublesome streaks I am SOLD!!! I even LOVE it for my stainless steel appliances!!!

This week I also found a discussion on Posh Mama from Posh Mama Kimberly offering a free membership so check her out!!!

Hope you all have a FABULOUS green week and feel free to send me some tips...I am ALWAYS on the lookout!!!

happy birthday to me!!!

hi all!!! just for my friends i am offering a special coupon code for use at pretty little pumpkins!!!

from now until

april 22, 2008

use code "april21"

to save 21% off ALL orders of $100.00 or more...that INCLUDES sale and clearance items!!!

mark you calendars and pre shop so you don't lose out...tons of adorable items will be flying out the door!!!