Favorite Things

If I were doing a blog giveaway, I'd include all these things. I'm not doing a giveaway of course because my blog has like 40 followers total and makes me a whopping $0.00 annually....but I'm just saying. Here's the stuff I'm loving right now:

Stonefire Naan bread- When I was 10 we went to Saudi Arabia to visit my grandparents and see where my mom grew up. There was a bakery in town that made the most divine cheesy flatbread and my brothers and I attempted to eat it every single day. I loved it so much that I walked my little ten year old self up to the baker and asked him what kind of cheese he used on the bread. He answered me in what I can only assume was an Arabic word for some kind of cheese because I had never heard of it before or since, but I was too shy to ask for a translation. My hopes of recreating this dreamy snack back in the US were dashed. That is until my mom did my grocery shopping a month ago and bought this naan bread. I melted mozerella cheese on it in the oven and dipped it in hummus and I would have sworn to you that I was back in Dhahran. Oh.My.Yum.

Grease Monkey (in Lehi): I know this is totally a weird one but I had to give a shout out to this business. I had to take my car in a couple times this month for a safety inspection and later an oil change. There is a Jiffy Lube right by my house that's usually a couple bucks cheaper but I'll never go there again and here's why. Grease Monkey has a built in a children's play room with a pretend kitchen, art eisel, coloring books, and Disney movies playing non stop. They have free popcorn and all you can drink soda fountain that Winston adores. There is a fish tank to look at too. Plus they always give me a free carwash and a flower just to say thanks for coming in! This time around I forgot a coupon and they told me not to worry about it and gave me the discount anyway plus they gave me a giant pumpkin to take home all free of charge. It makes the half hour wait quite delightful. Try them next time.

Naptime snuggles: People ask how Winston is adjusting to having Cosette around and honestly he does fine most the time. He just wants to give her kisses and then ignores her. But he's still Winston and he is still going at 100 miles per minute. It takes all of my attention and energy to keep up with him and Cosette is just along for the ride, wrapped to my body or some other safe place where Winston's version of "soft kisses" can't leave her with brain damage. When he finally hits naptime from 2-4 every afternoon, I can't wait to scoop up my little tiny girl and give her all of my love. Nothing else gets done, no cleaning, no budget balancing, no blogging, no studying, just snuggling. And I have decided not to feel guilty about it one bit.

Let's Playground mats: I am absolutely coveting these mats. We are outdoorsy people here in the Fox home and we go on what I'd consider an abnormal number of picnics. When eating out isn't an option, there's something so exciting about taking our same old food outside that makes it so much better. I went on a picnic with a friend at Thanksgiving Point last month and she had one of these mats to use instead of a blanket and they are seriously genius. They are leather so the wet grass doesn't seep through your blanket onto your pants and you can just wipe off all the peanut butter smeared on it by your two year old in a flash. They are perfect for the beach, the park, for art projects, to put under a high chair, to change a diaper on. Seriously I'm such a mom but I must have one of these. Santa??

Our second picnic of the week where I again wished I had one.. I told you. Covet.

Chocolate Pumpkin cookies:I am not the world's biggest fan of pumpkin cookies, specifically because they have the consistency of muffins. The taste is great and all, but if I'm going to have a cookie, I want it to look and smell and feel like a cookie, not a muffin. It really upsets me and that probably sounds wacky and irrational but so be it. Here is a pumpkin cookie recipe for you that is crispy on the edges and soft and gooey in the center like a real cookie should be. So delish. Eat them all in no less than 2 days though because they turn crumbly after that.

Two Faced BB Cream: I started using this right after Winston was born to significantly simplify my makeup routine and I'm now addicted to it. I can never EVER find it on sale and I feel kind of vain spending $34 on makeup but every time I think I can talk myself into using a $10 drugstore dupe, I throw it away after a week and go back and spend the money where I should have spent it to begin with anyway. Luckily it lasts me about 5 months so that's justifiable right? Does anyone else use this??

Meet the Mormons: Have you heard about this movie that came out this weekend? Evan and I went to see if with his coworkers on Friday afternoon and you MUST go! Even if you aren't Mormon, this movie will just make you feel happy. Plus all the proceeds go to the American Red Cross so since you haven't given blood in a while, it's the perfect way to donate.  I find other people's life stories fascinating (probably why I love being a nurse for the elderly) and this movie highlights 6 members of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and shows how/why they live their faith. Don't worry, there won't be any missionaries at the theater trying to convert you, and come on, if you paid money to see The Book of Mormon Musical, I feel its only fair you give this a shot too.