Just us girls!

Well, Josh has been gone since early Friday morning on a boat...out in the middle of the sea...with absolutely no way for us to contact him and no way for him to communicate with us. So, it's just been us girls all week long and we have had a blast! Don't get me wrong, we miss him and all, but we've just had a good time hangin' out and having girl time!

We spent Saturday shopping and Cailyn was an absolute angel! I was even able to try on a few things b/c she slept for about 30 minutes and didn't fuss a bit! That's the first time I've been brave enough to try REALLY shopping while she's with me. Then, we had lunch at Panera Bread where a nice older couple asked how old she was..."is she 9 or 1o months old?" HUH? Um, no...she's 4-1/2 months old! Is my child really a giant? I think not! She's very well proportioned, thank you very much!

Sunday was a washout...pouring down rain and cold all day...we went no where and stayed in our jammies all day long. We did try the sippy cup for the first time (well, Cailyn did, I didn't...LOL), just to see what she thought. She got the hang of it pretty quick (except tilting her head or the cup back). I think she was more intrigued by it more than anything. See pics below!

UM, what is that?

And I'm supposed to do what with it?

You've GOT to be kidding!!

Oh, yes...and she has learned how to blow raspberries...you know, a way to have fun with your drool. She decided to start trying them out yesterday while we were visiting a friend of mine and her 2 month old son, Carter. He is such a flirt, by the way! He just smiled and smiled at Cailyn...uh-oh...it's starting already! I tried taking a video of her blowing raspberries this morning...I got the video, but Blogger is taking forever to upload it, so I'm gonna have to try later! Bummer! Oh well!

Happy Hour at Home with TS products!

Tastefully Simple has a trio of tropical drink buckets available this season to make it easier for you to have a night out on the town without having to leave the comforts of your own home. Just click on the product name to read more about each one and place your order through my website! Don't miss out...they're available for a limited time only!

Pomegranate Blueberry Margarita Mix--Just add water and tequila (or substitute rum or vodka). You can serve frozen or on the rocks!

Tiki Mai Tai Drink Mix--Just add water and rum for a deliciously citrusy, fruity flavored cocktail! Also can be served frozen or simply chilled!

Samba Sangria Slush Drink Mix--Add your favorite red wine and water, then freeze. A wonderful slushy drink perfect for those hot summer nights!

My First Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies out there! Today was my very first Mother's Day and it couldn't have been any better!

Cailyn and Josh let me sleep in...well, until 8:15'ish, but good enough! I had been kicked out of my house on Saturday so Josh and Cailyn could work on a "little project" as they were calling it. Come to find out, they had Arts and Crafts time and made me my very own stepping stone. It was decorated with various gems/stones and had Happy Mother's Day with Cailyn's hands and feet imprints in the stone...to awesome! Yep, I cried!

Josh, then, made me breakfast AND cleaned up the kitchen before we went for a walk at the Dismal Swamp Canal. As proof, I also snapped a few shots of the entire event...

Pouring the pancake batter...we discovered he has a hidden talent...they were FANTASTIC!

Yummy bacon!

The AWESOMEST and fluffiest pancakes ever!

And eggs!

The finished product!

All the while, Cailyn napped and played quietly in her high chair with her rocking horse toy!

And...The Day in Review according to Miss Cailyn...

Tastefully Simple to be featured on Rachael Ray!!!

I just got an email from TS HQ about one of our new Tastefully Simple products being featured on The Rachael Ray Show this Friday, 5/8/09! For the Love of Cookies is a Chocolate Chip Toffee Almond Cookie mix and a new product for Spring/Summer 2009. They will be the Snack of the Day on Friday's show. Each audience member will be given a box to take home with them! The cool thing about this product is that, for each box of cookies sold, TS will donate $1 to Share Our Strength--a national non-profit organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger in America. For more info, click on the attached link! I've also attached a link straight to the product from my website if you would like to order a box...or 2 or 3!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to watch Rachael Ray on Friday!

Gotta make that moolah!

I've been a Tastefully Simple independent consultant for 3-1/2 years now and really let my business fall by the wayside since Cailyn was born...actually, since before that, too! I'm really looking to get back into my business, full steam ahead, in the event that I am unable to find a teaching job that are so hard to come by nowadays (who would have thunk that??) So, in all honesty, I'm looking to increase my sales and build a team of consultants lookin' to make a bit more moolah, like me!

For those of you not familiar with TS, it is a company based out of Minnesota that sells gourmet food products like breads, desserts, spices, sauces, meal kits, etc. All of our products are SUPER easy and only require 1 or 2 ingredients to make or are open and enjoy. The idea behind our products is to give folks the chance to enjoy delicious gourmet meals without all of the time and hassle this would normally take. We do taste-testing parties in hostesses homes in order for customers to be able to sample each of our products...so much fun! Plus, the majority of our products are under $10! What a deal!

I absolutely LOVE these products and wouldn't have remained a consultant for so long if I didn't. I personally use them in my own kitchen and highly encourage all of ya'll to check it out. Click on the TS link above and it will take you right to my website. You can shop from there 24/7!

And if you are looking to make a bit more moolah, you can also sign up to be a consultant on my team. You don't need to live near me to be on my team...I can train over the phone and even hook you up with a team meeting in your area! Being a consultant is really fun and easy...and you earn up to 36% commission on your sales! The hostesses prepare the majority of samples for the parties and all orders are shipped directly to the customers! TS is always offering training, holding sales promotions, and offering incentives when you are a consultant or hostess!

You also don't need to live near me to host a party. You can have an online catalog party where your guests shop online and you will still receive your 10% of your retail sales totals FREE! Or, I can send you a hostess party food kit and you can do a mini-sampling party with a small group of your friends or at work and gather sales that way!

Okay, so I'll quit my begging now! Please take a moment to check out my site and learn more about my company. You can email me at callieream@cox.net with any questions or if you'd like to talk further about becoming a consultant! Keep following my blog as I am going to start posting all future monthly promotions and incentives from TS!

4 months old!

Cailyn turned 4 months old yesterday! How did we celebrate? Well...

First, we ("we" actually meaning just Cailyn) woke up super early after sleeping for 11-1/2 hours straight without so much as a peep. Of course she slept well...it was her daddy's turn to get up with her in the middle of the night! Glad she slept well for him, but, not fun that she woke up at 6:30am. As you can see, I gladly handed her off to Daddy who was still wanting to catch a bit o' shut eye! HA!

Next, we pureed some yummy bananas to freeze for when she starts solids in a month or so. Bananas are surprisinly super easy to puree, but they don't freeze as well!

Then, we loaded up the family and took a trip to see the pediatrician...time for another dose of vaccinations! Cailyn is a whopper (but, a well-proportioned one) weighing in at 16 lbs. 9 oz. and 26-1/4 inches long! She's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight...YAY!! She had to get 2 shots and an oral vax. She wasn't really feeling the oral one and only cried for the 2nd shot. She talked the entire way home as if nothing happened and slept like a champ the rest of the day! As you can see, she's hardly phased by all the happenings of the day. "All in a day's work, Mom!"

Josh left to go to the NASCAR race in Richmond this weekend...first time without me and I am so jealous! I thought about making the hour drive to the track on Saturday just to hang out, but then decided it would be better not to...who would want to fight all of that nasty race traffic anyway? Instead, Cailyn and I are going to root for our driver by watching the race in the comforts of our own family room...GO DALE JR!

Rolling Over

So I'm trying to post my very first video of Cailyn. It was taken about 2 weeks ago on 4/17/09...the day she rolled over from her back to her tummy for the first time. She'd already mastered rolling from tummy to back days before...you can tell she's not quite sure what to think when she went the other way!