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A Lolly Love Affair

As I mentioned, Tuesday was my Sophie’s birthday. I did not mention a fabulous smashing birthday party, because we had a non-party for her. Why? Well, I’m 8 months pregnant and Sophie is very shy and hates parties. If 30 people that she absolutely adores are in a room together, that is about 22 people too many. So, we decided to forgo our adult wishes and traditions and let the girl have it her way. We just had a small, informal gathering at my mom’s with a few cousins and my grandmothers (because really, I am not going to tell my 91-year-old grandmother she can’t come to Sophie’s non-party!)

We DID have presents – although she only opened about half of them there, but instead of cake we had something super-fun and yummy. We had LOLLIES. Lulee’s Lollies, to be exact. What are they? They are delicious, sinful, CAKE ON A STICK dipped in chocolate. That’s right, the world’s perfect food! CAKE ON A STICK DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE! And the best part is that Lulee (who happens to be my BFF Luanne) can make her Lollies in just about any flavor and shape you could ever want! Since Sophie looooooooooves her some Veggie Tales, Lulee whipped up Lollies in the shapes of all her Veggie friends:

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Sophie chose to eat one of the French Peas (which was Red Velvet cake, OMG!)
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She couldn’t bring herself to decapitate Bob, Larry, Jimmy the Gourd, or Junior Asparagus, but the rest of us had no problem doing so!

Bob was Strawberry flavored, Larry my fave Key Lime, Jimmy was also Red Velvet, and Junior was Butter Pecan! And they were all AMAZING!!

So friends, I am telling you do yourselves a favor. Getcha some Lulee’s Lollies for your next special occasion!  (if you aren’t local to Dayton, she does ship!) She can do specialty lollies like the Veggie ones – you can see tons of pics at her website – (Hello Kitty, Disney, any kind of animal, even skulls for Halloween!) – or just plain old beautifully decorated round, flavored lollies.

But seriously. Cake on a STICK. Getcha some! Check out Lulee’s Facebook page and website, and remember, she is my BFF. And she totally did NOT pay me to do this post, although she did give me 50% off on the Lollies. (Geesh she drives a hard bargain!!)

I’ve linked this up to Things I love Thursday at the Diaper Diaries cause I LOVE ME SOME LOLLIES! Head on over to see what others love, too!

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What’s Cookin’ Wednesday (and a giveaway!)

If this isn’t the first time you’ve visited us here at Mommin’ It Up, this is probably not the first time you’ve heard of my cooking escapades.

There was the pumpkin cake last Halloween. And then there was the time I just about set the crock pot on fire. Ah, yes, that was a classic.

But then you also know that I’m trying to get better.

One thing I’ve learned in the last year or so of trying not to suck so much is that good equipment is important.

I upgraded my appliances, but I also needed to upgrade my cookware, which was of the finest just-married-first-big-kid-apartment quality. It was junk.

Last year I had the opportunity to try out ScanPan during our Holiday Gift Guide, and so when I embarked upon this cooking self-improvement course, I reached out to them to see if they would be interested in partnering with me. They generously sent me a few pieces to try out – and also the same pieces to give away!

Here’s a little bit of background on ScanPan products:
Scanpan is the first producer of nonstick cookware that is certified PFOA free, so it’s safe for you and the earth. The unique cooking surface is safe for metal utensils and allows for browning, searing and deglazing—things you can’t do with traditional nonstick. It requires little to no fat for cooking, so you can enjoy a healthy meal.

Pretty cool, huh? I like ScanPan because they’re high-quality and sturdy, and unlike some other non-stick pans, they don’t contain any pesky carcinogens. They heat up really quickly and they wash up easily.

The first ScanPan product I tried out was the 10 1/4 inch skillet.

This skillet is the perfect size for searing meat, making pancakes, or cooking up a grilled cheese.

Tonight, I used it to make BBQ chicken quesadillas.

I put a splash of olive oil in as the skillet heated up, but I actually forgot to add any more in after the first quesadilla was done, and the other three turned out just fine.

I took pictures of the whole process but apparently my phone ate them. Grrr…

Anyway, I’ve been using the ScanPan products for a while now, and I’ve been really impressed with the results, and I’m excited to share them with you.

I’ll be doing a What’s Cookin’ Wednesday for the next three weeks… with a giveaway each time!

So here’s how you can win the ScanPan 10 1/4 inch skillet:
Required entry: Leave a comment on this post and tell us what you’d cook in the skillet.

Extra entries:
— Visit this site and then leave a comment telling us what ScanPan product you’d like to try out.
— Tweet about this contest & leave a comment with a link to your tweet. Here’s an example: “Win a @scanpang skillet from @momminitup & @jennyitup!”
— “Like” us on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did.

This contest will end at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. Good luck!

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Birthday Wishes

Dear Sophie girl,

Today you are four!  I can hardly believe it.  The years have gone by so fast.  Especially the first one, which I barely remember because I was so TIRED all the time because you never SLEPT! Silly girl.  But really, I can’t believe you’re four!  You are my sweet, sweet, girl. My dream-come-true daughter.  And I have a few birthday wishes for you that I hope also come true.

I wish for you, that you will always be who God made you to be, and not who any one else thinks you should be.  Just be you, baby.  You are amazing!

I wish that you would always find as much joy in the simple things as you do now.  In a new book, a new can of play-doh, or a bowl of cheez-its.  I hope you always delight in the small, sweet things life has to offer you!

I wish that you will hold on to your love of learning.  I love watching how quickly and eagerly you learn new things!

I wish that you would take your stubbornness and use it for good and not for evil. 🙂

And lastly, I wish that you would share yourself with others more.  You don’t have to make a million BFFs, but I hope as you get older you will take and use the chances God gives you to bless another few people with the sweetness that is you.

I love you, Sophie!  Happy Birthday!

Love, Mommy

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