Makeover

As much as I love owning my small business, I've been feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of getting a proper website. I know I need to do it but html land seems so, so scary and I hate sounding clueless. But lo and behold, I met my talented, dynamic neighbor for coffee today and she has all the answers. So hang tight....a new website is coming. Don't know when it'll arrive but I'm working on it.

In the meantime, if you have any stationery needs, email me! courtney@papercourtpress.com

I have a few designs up on my current (very basic) website so you can check those out too.

PaperCourt needs.....

The Mrs. did this and I'm copying because it is hilarious and a great time waster....

Type in your name and the word "needs" in google and see what comes up. I used my real name for the google search.

• PaperCourt needs help! (well that's obvious)
  
• PaperCourt needs to lay off the plastic (I totally agree...that stuff can kill you)
• PaperCourt needs a mistress (uh...notsomuch)
• PaperCourt needs a parent, or parents that will be willing to have patience with her. (yes...I was a handful)
• PaperCourt needs possibly go to a spa, get a manicure, a pedicure, etc. (oh yes I do!)
• PaperCourt needs a new camera. (well not really but I do love cameras)
• PaperCourt needs love and so do I. (Actually, I've got plenty of love)
• PaperCourt needs a flux capacitor. (Maybe if I was building a space ship)
  
• PaperCourt needs to suck it up. (hmmmmm....really?)
• PaperCourt needs a nap. (Amen..but only on weekends)

If you've read this, consider yourself tagged.

And to add to my earlier list of random stuff

A blind man just fell on the hood of my car when I was parked outside the dry cleaner. I did my good deed and helped him back on the sidewalk. He was headed to the local watering hole. Poor guy.

Goings on....

• My iphone is dead. I mean really D-E-A-D. Due to this unfortunate event, I will be lugging both kids to the Apple store this afternoon for a new one. Free, of course....or they better fix mine ASAP.
• Who knew that finding a kindergarten for my child would be harder than finding a college for myself?
• I really need an oil change....like 2,000 miles ago.
• I get to observe my 5-year-old at his Montessori school this afternoon. He is so excited and told me that he will be serving me tea.
• My 2-year-old is kind of a control freak and I'm scared he got it from me. Actually, I'm sure he got it from me. Sorry, kiddo.
• I outed myself as a "closet Republican" on my Facebook 25 things and you can't imagine the shock of most of my friends. It's been quite hilarious.
• I'm training for another half marathon...in 6 weeks.

That's all I can post about my not so exciting life! Have a great day!

A healthy cookie

You must try these healthy cookies made with no eggs and butter. Yum, yum. Although I didn't try it, I'm thinking you could throw a little flax seed in under the radar, too.

Rocky Mountain High

We're home and settled now after an amazing week in Snowmass, Colorado. The weather was phenomenal. Five out of the six days we skied were pure sunshine with 40 degrees at the summit (12,000 feet). Pure heaven!

My 2-year-old skied for the first time and enjoyed making "french fries" much more than "pizza". We were not surprised as he is the daredevil of the family. My 5-year-old skied with us on the last day and was leading us through the trees and over jumps. He is usually pretty cautious so we were thrilled that he showed no fear on the slopes.

Back to the real world!

And the winner is......

drum roll............................

PREPPY MAMA!

Email me your info at courtney@papercourtpress.com.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I'll do this again soon!

Long travel day!

I fully intended to post my giveaway winner today but I just returned from a long day of traveling. It shouldn't take 13 hours to get from Aspen to Seattle. We almost got stuck (oh darn) and don't think we weren't about to check into the St. Regis for an extra night. Some people were paying cabbies $1000 to drive them to Denver. I thought that money would be better spent on another night in my favorite city (in a great hotel, of course). We got a later flight out therefore saved a load of cash. And no vacation is complete without a play session in a germ infested play area at the airport. And hearing a mother call her 1-year-old "Miss Thang" while disciplining her. Oh the joys of travel!

Winner coming tomorrow!

(written on my iPhone while lounging in bed with glass of champagne so please excuse typos)

GIVEAWAY...it's here finally!

I'm leaving on a jet plane in the morning for my favorite annual vacation (more on that when I return). In the meantime, I thought I'd do a PaperCourt Press giveaway. The winner will receive a pack of 20 notecards in one of the styles pictured below. Please leave a comment of your favorite between now and next Friday, January 23rd. I'll post the winner on Sunday the 25th when I return! Spread the word!

Got basil?

In an attempt to use all of the fresh basil I bought at Trader Joe's last week, I made these two delicious recipes.....

Garlic Basil Shrimp (pictured above)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp(20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in skillet and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in basil and tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Return the shrimp to pan and cook just until heated through.

Per Serving: 6 WW points

Printable recipe is here

TIP...When cooking shrimp, don't let them cook into an "O" shape. They should look more like a "C" when they are ready. Remember "O" is overcooked and "C" is cooked.

AND

Grilled Chicken with Basil and Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

• 4 lemon(s)
• 2/3 cup(s) olive oil, divided
• 6 chicken breast halves, boneless skinless
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp pepper, divided
• 1 cup(s) fresh basil, loosely packed
• 1 clove(s) garlic

Directions

1. Marinade - combine 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp of lemon juice, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken to an even thickness. Add chicken breasts, seal the bag, and massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.
2. While marinating, blend the basil, garlic, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper until smooth (with a food processor or blender). Gradually blend in 1/3 cup of olive oil.
3. Grill chicken over medium-high heat for 7 - 10 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
4. Serve chicken on platter. Drizzle chicken with basil and lemon dressing. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

Printable recipe is here

A giveaway is coming...I promise

I'm just REALLY busy right now. We're leaving for vacation on Saturday and I have a lot to do to get ready. Stay tuned...I'll be back!

Coming soon on The Bachelor...

Sallie, the owner of Monogram Mecca, got the call of a lifetime several months ago from a segment producer of The Bachelor. They wanted to include one of her products in the gift baskets given to the girls on the show. How exciting! Tune in to The Bachelor on Monday at 8/7 central and see if you can identify the Monogram Mecca item. Sallie is offering free shipping on your next order if you can identify her product. Email your guess to customercare@monogrammecca.com.

You know you'll be watching it anyway so why not try for a free offer!

How would you answer this question?

My very curious 5-year-old asked me today....

"What was more important - when Jesus was born or when Jesus died?"

He also corrected our priest in front of the entire church on Christmas Eve when she said we were celebrating Jesus' birthday "today". He said, "Actually, it is tomorrow."

I'm not sure what to think of all this.

Accessorize me!

Several months ago, on her one year blogiversary, One Fabulous Mom gave me a $25 Banana Republic gift card. Yesterday, I finally stopped in BR to use my gift. The Mrs. loves accessories and she really loves accessories on sale! I am accessory challenged so I was nervous but, in honor of OFM, I bought a beautiful necklace for $25.06. Thanks for the gift! (I can't get the picture to upload so you'll just have to imagine how cute it is.....3 days later I got the picture to upload!)

Stay tuned! Giveaway coming later this week!

Being thankful....

"We all have to write thank-you notes. Take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone staring down your stack of cards and list of names. Before you start, remember that thanking people needs to be about just that: expressing thanks. So refocus, reorganize, and rethink the process. Get in touch with the sincerity of thanking people for thinking about you and sending you something—even if it’s a hot pink polyester sweater." ~Emily Post

You can find the following stationery and more at PaperCourt Press....

Happy New Year!

We celebrated at a kid-friendly game night at a friend's house. No games were actually played but the kids had a great time running around and watching movies. I made s'mores pops from Sandra Lee's Almost Homemade Dessert cookbook. Easy, easy!

Ingredients
Marshmallows
Crushed graham crackers
Mini chocolate morsels
Chocolate frosting
Popsicle sticks

Directions
Warm frosting for 30 seconds in the microwave. Poke stick through marshmallow then dip into the frosting. Let the excess drip off. Dip the bottom and one side of the coated marshmallow in graham cracker crumbs and the other side in mini morsels. Refrigerate until set.