A Final Review

Here I am again representing CSN Stores.

TV Stands are somewhat of a necessary when it comes to having a TV...I guess my husband in didn't follow the trend...Our first television in our home was a pull down projector screen so we could not have a tv stand. Then our second tv we got was a flat screen that we mounted to the wall. If we would have a tv stand for our flat screen tv I believe I would pick this one.

It is great to shop at CSN because they have an awesome selection!

And Here We Are Once Again

Thanks to the wonderful people at CSN Stores for another opportunity to do a review for them.

Have you wished you could carry around a super cute backpack or that your kids had the cutest backpack ever? Well you seriously don't have to look any further with the amazing selection of kids backpacks that you will find on CSN's amazing website!

I simply adore the Beatrix Big Kid Papar Owl Backpack :) As most of you know Ariel's room is all decked out in owls so how could I resist!

Sharing Christmas with Pictures

I simply adore the Good Blessings Card from Shutterfly. Since Ariel is on her way and she is our sweet blessing what better way to share the joy of Christmas and God's blessings with our friends and family than with this sweet card and three precious pictures of our baby girl! I love the message behind this card because every good perfect gift comes from our Father in Heaven and I am truly grateful for that (James 1:17). It is truly amazing to be able to experience the true meaning behind Christmas and that is the celebration of God sending his son to this earth to be our propitiation for sin. I also love how the card uses such soft colors and is not hiding the true meaning of Christmas! I am glad to know that Shutterfly has provided cards that reflect the truth that I believe in. I hope that I will be able to share pictures of our sweet baby Ariel with our close family and friends year after year with awesome heartfelt cards from Shutterfly.

Another great way that Tim and I can share our sweet baby girl with our friends and family and wish them a Merry Christmas is with this awesome birth announcement. How precious would Ariel look?

Since her birth is so close to Thanksgiving we could even give thanks to our God for all that he has blessed us with, with this precious Thanksgiving card. This card would again allow us to share Ariel with our family and friends :)

Another great idea from Shutterfly would be a desk calendar which would be a great gift - especially for family that is not close by so each month they'll get to experience a new picture of Ariel.

I hope that you get the chance to check out Shutterfly and all the great cards and gift ideas they have to offer!

In Baby News

At my Dr appt yesterday he let me know that things are going well - considering nothing much was going on last week!

I am 1.5cm dilated and 75% effaced and he is pretty sure that Ariel will be here in less than 10 days :)

I know I have been slacking on posts but I have been so so lazy!

YAY to Reviews :)

As I have mentioned in the past CSN has so many amazing stores on their one site!

Have you ever searched for an ottoman coffee table and just had no luck due to the lack of options? Well have no fear at CSN you are going to find a plethora of tables to meet whatever need you may have!

I am looking forward to sharing another review with all my readers!

Beef Stew My Way

I love a warm stew on a cold night....this stew is so quick and easy - you won't think you could even call it a stew!

Ingredients:
1 lb cubed beef
flour and corn meal to coat beef
oil to coat pot and cook beef in
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 stalks of celery
3-4 carrots
1/3 of a white onion
2-3 med russet potatoes

3-4 cups of vegetable broth
2-3 cups of water

How To:
Coat a large pot with oil and put heat to medium
Coat beef with flour and corn meal
Add coated beef to warm pot
Place lid on pot after stirring the beef around in the oil and then allow it to cook, checking on it every few minutes - you want the beef to brown nicely and this is the quick way to do it
Cut up veggies
Once beef is browned add veggies, broth and water to the pot
Place lid on pot and cook until the veggies are softened - this can take about 20-30 minutes

Tim and I enjoy our stew with a nice big chunk of fresh bread with some butter on top :)

Enjoy!

Duck, Duck, Goose

So I have never made duck before and I thought well being almost 8 months pregnant at the time why not give it a whorl...what do I have to loose!

I purchased my sweet ducky from Whole Foods and made sure to take out all his innards and rinse him off really well.

Then I poured this lovely soy ginger vinaigrette I had purchased from Whole Foods, as well. I used 2 bottles on this bad boy!

Be sure to set the oven to 375 degrees. Place the marinated duck into a casserole dish with all the lovely soy ginger vinaigrette still saucing him up!

I checked on him every 30 minutes and made sure to baste him so he wouldn't dry out.

He cooked in the oven for 1.5 hours and was so tender!

When it came to what to serve him with I cut up some potatoes and onions and coated them with EVOO and Italian seasoning. I cooked this in the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes. I also added a side of red cabbage - my favorite, thank to my MIL :)