Good Stuff

I am amazed at the originality and creativity I put into my titles...aren't you?  I out-due myself sometimes. We have recovered from Christmas and are looking forward to a low key, relaxing January.

For the past month or so I've come across several items/recipes/projects that I am in LOVE with.  Since I don't work and rarely have time to talk to my friends on the phone....I just figured that I would share them on the blog and maybe someone will find one (or all of them) useful!

#1  I'll be honest.  I ONLY bought these because they were B1G1 at Publix a few weeks ago, and I had a coupon.  Since we are the throes of cold and flu season you can never have too may anti-bacterial products. So I ended up with these because the shelves were almost wiped clean by the time I got around to shopping that week, and this was the only variety left.

The great thing about them is one side of the wipe is rough and can be used as a scrubber.  While the other side is soft and perfect for wiping.  These reside under my kitchen sink, and I use them mainly for cleaning the kitchen counter and stove, but since Graham is obsessed with coloring they also wipe up stray crayon marks very well.

#2  I've never really spent a whole lot of time on my skin care regimen, well that is until after I had Graham and exhaustion set in and those pesky hormones somehow changed my skin from extra oily to combination.  How does that happen?  It probably also has something to do with the fact that I'm not 21 anymore.  Regardless it became overly apparent to me about a year ago that I needed to step up my skin care efforts.  I've tried a number of products, but this is one of my favorites so far.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream.  I apply it every night all over my face and neck.  It is very thick which at first I didn't think I would like, but it is the good kind of thick.  When I apply it I can instantly feel my skin soaking it up.  I've been using it for a little over two weeks, and I am not lying when I say my skin hasn't felt this good in...I can't even remember when it felt this good.  It is hydrated (despite our frigid temperature lately), but not oily, and I even feel like it is beginning to even out some of my splotchyness.  It does smell like cucumbers so if you aren't a fan of that scent you may not like it, but I'm in love with it and so thankful that my tired, combination skin is getting the help it needed.

#3  My mother-in-law is full of useful advice, but over Christmas she showed me something that rocked my world...well that may be a stretch.  Did you know that at the end of the aluminum foil boxes there are perforations for you to punch in so that the roll stays in place and doesn't pull out of the box when you are trying to tear some off?  WHO KNEW?  I certainly didn't.  Such a good and useful thing to know.

#4  Lately I've been making a more concerted effort to add some new recipes to our normal rotation, and recently I come across two that are great and worth sharing:

Pioneer Woman - Salisbury Steak

I know it doesn't sound appealing, but it is DELICIOUS!   I have made it a few times, and Nick tells me that it is possibly his new favorite...and it's one of my top choices as well.  Try it!

Best Ham Sandwich Ever

My mom introduced me to these over Christmas, and they are just awesome.  It seems weird when you are making them, but the results are beyond delicious.

#5  You may remember that last year at this time one of my resolutions was 30 Bags in 30 Days.  As I reported later in the year I didn't quite get it done in 30 days, but I did complete my list eventually.  I loved this so much I decided to do it again this year.  I worked on my list of spaces that needed to be cleaned out and at the top was the pantry.  It was a complete mess and gave me anxiety every time I opened the door.  So on New Years Eve I set out to not only clean it out but give it some much needed organization.  There are tons of different ways and methods of going about this, but I tried to pull tips and techniques from several different places to come up with a plan that worked for our needs and our space.  Here is the before and after.

I found these baskets at Wal-Mart for $2.50/ea.  They are a great size and the handles make them very accessible.

I also found these at Wal-Mart.  They were between $4.50-$7.00 each depending on the size.  They are dishwasher safe and airtight which are both pluses in my book.  I've been eyeing the OXO band containers at Target that are very similar to these, but they are around $15 each and since I ended up buying about 12....those weren't quite in the budget.  I am beyond pleased with the ones from Wal-Mart!

I purchased two of these cereal containers from Publix, and I noticed that they are 50% off this week!  I may have to pick up one more!

The baskets are from Michaels.  I wasn't sure I was going to like these, so I left the tags on just in case...but after living with it for a week I pretty sure I'm keeping them.  They are a great place for paper products and chips.

By using the new containers I eliminated over 35 boxes!  It does require a little bit more effort when putting up groceries, but I LOVE that I can see how much I have left of something.  I am also hoping that since these are airtight containers that our food will stay fresher longer!  This process took me almost all day, but it was WELL worth the time and effort!

My apologies for the random nature of this list but maybe one of these will become one of your favorites too!

Etsy...oh how I love you

I've been shopping Etsy for several years now, and I feel as if it just keeps getting better and better.  This past Christmas I would say 40% of the presents I purchased were from Etsy, and I could not have been more pleased with them.  It's fun to find unique/special items for much less than you would pay at a larger store.  Art, jewelry and stationary are probably my favorites so far.  Here are a few of my more recent purchases:

I had this print framed for my best friend for her birthday.

 kiki and polly

This was a gift for my SIL.  She even blogged about it here. 

sweet auburn studio

Some friends recently bought a new house and we ordered one of these address stamps as a house warming gift.

 simple and pretty

Graham's Easter basket

from me to you

This was an original watercolor I had framed for my Dad's 60th birthday.  Before he retired he was in the telephone and long distance business.

audrey hicks fine art

And just today I ordered a set of these cute enclosure cards for Graham.  He is starting to get invited to a lot of birthday parties so these will come in very handy!

oh my paper

Do you have any favorite Etsy items or shops?  If so please share...

Thank you, Ken Burns.

I've been on a "Ken Burns" kick lately. Credit the maturity that accompanies my old age or just call me weird but these days I can't get enough of the topics that were covered in my unappealing boyhood history classes. I thank Ken Burns for masterfully piecing history lessons together and projecting them directly into my eyeballs. I thoroughly enjoy this method of learning.

But now I have a problem. I've nearly consumed the entire works of Ken Burns. Well, every dilemma comes with opportunity and this particular case has given me the notion to list my favorite Ken Burns projects as well as provide ideas to Mr. Burns (free of charge) for upcoming films.

First, I will detail my Top-5 favorite Ken Burns projects.

Baseball (1994) – this was my first Ken Burns film. Growing up, I was a massive baseball fan and had an odd appreciation for baseball statistics and records. But now I can’t name one player that was in the MLB home run derby earlier this week. This film speaks to that nerdy boy. And yes, I am including the 2010 follow-up 10th Inning in this entry. It does a great job of recalling my favorite period in baseball: The Steroid Era.


The Dust Bowl (2012) – even though it's one of his more recent films, this is the template for all Ken Burns documentaries. It examines an otherwise boring, forgotten topic and makes viewers say, "I cannot believe that happened." The people that lived in that portion of the country during the 1930’s and 1940’s lived in pure misery.


The West (1996) – check the name of this list. These are my favorite Kens Burns projects. The West is not a Ken Burns film. Burns was the executive producer and Stephen Ives was the director for this film. Ives used the same cinematic styling and same narrator (Peter Coyote) that Burns has uses in his own films. I watched The West in the days leading up to the July 4th holiday. Let me tell you…it made me feel very unpatriotic on Independence Day. Why? Because this films tells the story of how, other than the Louisiana Territory (which was purchased), Americans pretty much stole all the land west of the Mississippi River from Native Americans , Great Britain and Mexico. Especially in the case of the Native Americans, there wasn't anything honorable or patriotic about the way this land became part of the United States.


The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009) – this film helps viewers realize that there were a handful of Americans that foresaw the wasting of a lot of treasures that could not be replaced. Thank God for those people! This film gave me a sense of satisfaction in knowing that our government is doing the right thing by preserving these wonderful lands. I watched this film before I watched The West. Had that order been reversed, I'm not so sure that I would have received the same sense of satisfaction. Thinking about National Parks now, it seems to me that we’re preserving lands that were stolen. I guess that’s still a good thing.


Prohibition (2011) – we Americans had a really bad problem with alcohol at one time. This film shows why Prohibition came to be, the players behind the Temperance movement and the fallout from one of the most polarizing decisions ever made by the United States government. Prior to watching this film, I had little knowledge about the Prohibition era and even less desire to learn about it. But Ken Burns (and Lynn Novick) changed that for me.


Ken Burns definitely has his own style and he's made a name for himself by covering very historically-dated topics. Given this fact, my following suggestions may not work in his niche but I sure would like to see him give these a try:

The United States Space Program – The Right Stuff is one of my all-time favorite movies because of the chronological approach it takes towards explaining the history of rockets. Given enough time and access to never-before-seen photos and film footage, Ken Burns would have a field day with this topic.


The Internet – this might be too new of a topic but I’m sure I would enjoy Burns’ take on how the Internet grew from a militarized communications system into its current, unavoidable state.

The United States Capitol – have you ever noticed how amazingly big the United States Capitol is? Do you know much about story of the Capitol’s design or construction? Me neither but I bet Ken Burns could put together a very entertaining film that would help us learn more about this landmark. The main information I need from this film pertains to how in the world those workers built something so big so long ago. We're talkin' 1793 here. It's not like they had an army of cranes at their service.

Thank you again, Mr. Burns. I look forward to viewing the remainder of your catalog and cannot wait to see what you have in store for us next.

Baby Item List - Part 2

I blogged about some of our favorite baby items about a year ago here.  This is far and away our most popular post based on the numbers that blogger provides.  Well the picture post we published right after Graham was born got a lot of hits too, but I am pretty sure 90% of those were my mom and mother-in-law.

Anyway...now that we have transitioned from the infant phase to the toddler phase I now have a new list of items that I would like to put my seal of approval on.  Most of these have been used since Graham was about 9 months old, and he still loves all of them.

Fisher Price Activity Table - For a long time I was admittedly opposed to large, colorful, plastic, sound generating toys, BUT I have come around. The Fisher Price Activity Table has proved to be a favorite in our house.  There are several different "themes" but in general are all the same concept.  This one is great because you can take all of the legs off so that they can play with it when they are just sitting up.  We also would leave two legs on and have it at an angle.  Then once they can stand it is the perfect height.  Graham plays with it every day.  I found ours on Craigslist for $10.

Stacking Rings - These probably go without saying, but they really are one of our most played with toys.  Even though he is just now getting to the point where he can put them on in the correct order he has played with them for months.

Rain for Roots-  This CD came out when I was pregnant, and one of the artists actually led worship at our church just before the release.  I purchased the CD and it pretty much stays on repeat in our car at all times.  The songs are so sweet and are even enjoyable for parents to listen to.  We enjoy it so much that I have given about 10 of them as gifts.

Knee and Elbow Pads - This one is really more for parents...My sister gave these to Nick for Christmas, and I am not sure how we made it a year without them.  Your knees and elbows will thank you...I promise.

Playtex Sippy Cup - The world of sippy cups is endless.  There are tall ones. Short one. Ones with spouts. Ones with straws. Handles. No handles. Insulated. You get the idea.  We have been through a variety, and I am sure everyone has their own opinion.  After trying most all brands I have found Playtex to be the best.  I do like their taller ones with straws as well, but they do leak at times.  Over all this specific cup is my favorite.  It is easy to use, doesn't leak, fits in the diaper bag, and cleans up easily.

Munchkin Snack Cups - We love these and use them everyday.

Push Buggy -  We have mentioned this before, but two of Nick's co-workers gave Graham his "car" for Christmas/birthday.  To say he loves it would be an understatement.  No telling how many laps around the neighborhood we have made in this thing.  

Sperry Top-Siders -  I hesitate to put clothes or shoes on the list because I have a lot of favorites, but these are just too good not to mention.  They are easy to get on and off and don't require socks which makes getting out the door much faster.  Graham gets compliments every time he wears them.

There are certainly other items, but these top the list.  It will be interesting to see if this post gets as much traffic as the first list!

The Baby Item List

My apologies that this blog has turned into baby central here lately, but it is our blog and we are in the trenches of all things baby right now.  I guess that is the beauty about blogs...if you aren't interested then you don't have to read them.
I digress...I wanted to be sure to list some of the products that we have found invaluable over the past few months.  There are many items in baby world that are ridiculous and completely a waste of money then there are others that are worth their weight in gold.  Here are a few that are Julie and Nick Baggett approved.

Boppy - Get one (or maybe even two)...your arms and back will thank you.  We use this multiple times everyday and have since we came home from the hospital.

Aden + Anais Blankets - These are great everyday blankets.   They are larger that most blankets, and they are made of muslin which is thin and breathable.  Not to mention that they are cute!  (We also have the Aden + Anais sleep sack which we use more now that he isn't swaddled.)

Dr. Brown's Bottle Warmer - Ok I admit that this was one of those items that I thought initially was a waste of money, but boy was I wrong.  When the child is screaming because he/she is hungry this gizmo heats the bottle to the perfect temperature in 4 minutes!  No more microwave hot spots or dunking the bottle in hot water...this is the ticket.

Munchkin Microwave Sterlizer Bags -  The bottle pieces and parts will quickly take over your life, and you can either run your dishwasher all the time or invest in these great Microwave Sterilizer Bags!  Three minutes and done...love them.  You can use each back 20 times.  There are a lot of different brands, but I prefer Munchkin.

Summer Video Monitor - Next to the stroller this was the most expensive item on our registry, but three of my aunts went in together and got it for us and we have LOVED it!  Is it slim and easy to carry around, and the picture is great even at night.  Our one complaint is that it pretty much kills any wireless internet signal if you are close to it, but in our opinion a small price to pay for being able to not only hear but see what is happening in that crib.

Little Lamb Cradle n Swing - Last, but certainly not least, the swing.  Folks I am not lying when I say that we survived the newborn phase thanks to this invention.  We didn't have one the first month, but quickly realized that Graham loved motion, and once we got it he napped exclusively in it for over three months.  Even though he doesn't nap in it anymore he still plays in it everyday.  It is pretty big and does take up a good bit of space, but I am not quite sure what we would have done without it.

I am sure there will be a part two at some point but for those who are just about to start this journey or those who just need ideas for baby gifts...I cannot say enough good things about these six items.