That's Jive Talk Turkey!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

Ok, so you want to cook a turkey this year? And, well while you have the general concept down, it’s a daunting task. How long? What temperature? What do you do with all that stuff inside? Don’t ask me – but you can ask the Turkey Team at Butterball.

Throughout November and December you can call the Turkey Talk-Line day or night. No question is too tough, no turkey can intimidate these folks. In other words, if you’ve got a problem, yo they’ll solve it. Sorry, I could not resist.

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line 1-800-BUTTERBALL

Fun facts about the 29 year old Turkey Talk phoneline (from butterball.com)

When the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line opened twenty-nine years ago, six home economists responded to 11,000 phone calls in the first year alone.
These days, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line employs more than 50 professionally trained, college-educated home economists and nutritionists, who respond to more than 100,000 questions each November and December. They’ve answered calls regarding how to cook for a whole firehouse, how to impress the in-laws, and how to serve international students their first American Thanksgiving dinner.
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is going on-demand and on the go with Turkey Text Messages. Text the word “TURKEY” to 36888 to have weekly turkey tips, thawing reminders, and cooking alerts sent straight to your mobile phone. Or visit Butterball.com from your mobile device. (some rates apply – check butterball.com for explanation)

Yogurt Mountain.

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

Looking for something fun to do with the kids that happens to include a healthy treat? How about heading over to Yogurt Mountain?

Okay, totally healthy may not be the best description when you let a 4 year old choose from toppings made up of Skittles, M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Snickers, Ande’s Mint and Sprinkles, but the point is, yogurt is a healthy alternative and they do have some fresh fruit options to add to your yogurt.

We stopped by there for a little BirminghamMommy.com field trip and I can’t say enough good things about this place. You get a cup, choose from about 10 different flavors of yogurt, then add any (or all) of the toppings of your choice, they weigh your cup and you pay .45 cents per oz. That’s it, it’s easy and the kids love having control over their own mixture…

My 4 year old chose, Vanilla, Cake Batter and Cookies and Creme as her yogurt base, and topped it with Sprinkles, Skittles and M&M’s. Not my flavor combo of choice, but hey, who am I to judge?

We have to give Yogurt Mountain 2 thumbs up – Kid tested, kid approved!

I've Got Art Coming Out of My Ears: A Solution for Storage and Organization of Children's Art

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

Preschool. Just the word conjures up warm and fuzzy feelings of exciting play and learning time for your children. Even warmer feelings of a few hours of freedom for you. But with that word comes some wonderful memories you’ll cherish for the rest of your life, except well those memories come by the truckload.

What are we supposed to do with all that stuff? My refrigerator is full. My cork board is overflowing. I needed a system – and necessity breeds solution (or something like that.)

Here are a few ways to take back control of the art clutter:

Storage bins and boxes
I bought these at IKEA. At two for $7.99 – they are solving the problem that I have wonderfully. They’re letter size, so there is ample space to store loads of scarecrows and hand turkeys. There’s even a nifty included label so I can put her name and the year. But, if you’re not up for the drive to Atlanta, there are many storage solutions like this available at office supply stores or even thecontainerstore.com. So voila’ – organized and protected.

Gift it out
There is no better gift for a loved one that a special peice of art your child crafted. To make it even more “gifty”, include it in a nice frame that the recipient can use at a later date. I am compiling it all into my handy box (above) so I can sort through it at giving time.

Display it
I had to learn that there were many more ways to display my child’s creative attempts than jsut a refrigerator magnet. Another BirminghamMommy contributor, RandomMommy, did this:

So use your imagination – you’ll be surprised at how creative you can be. And nothing makes a child more proud than to see her artwork on display.

Santa Special!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

In case you missed out on the Heart of Dixie Polar Express Rides for this year, don’t worry! Tickets are still available for the Santa Special.

Santa rides the train with you! Tell him what you would like for Christmas as he poses for photos. Each child will receive a Christmas gift!

All seats (age 2 years and older) $15, plus processing fee.

But Hurry! These won’t last long either!

Friday, Nov. 27 – 9AM, 11AM, 2PM
Saturdays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12, 19 – 9AM, 11AM, 2PM
Sundays Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 20 – 11AM, 2PM

** No refunds. Trains run rain or shine. No smoking, alcohol or pets allowed on the train. There are no working restrooms on the train. Our vintage railcars have limited handicapped accessibility – please call in advance for details.

Our Market Must Haves!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

As we mentioned earlier today, we had the privilege to sneek a peek at all of the vendors setting up to partcipate in this years Market, sponsored by the Birmingham Junior League. Not only were we able to get a preview, we were asked to be on the panel and pick out our favorite vendors from the show and give them awards based on what we thought were the absolute “Must Haves” for 2009. So without further ado, here is what we found.

In the Cookbooks and Gourmet Foods Category:

Sugah Cakes.

http://www.sugahcakes.com/

Homemade Goodness in Minutes. Cake Mixes and Cupcakes. We were drooling over the Red Velvet, a definite “Must Have.”

In the Children’s Category:

Sew Precious.

Adorable children’s clothing and accessories, but our “Must Have” pick from this booth was the super cute pajama’s with matching bedtime story book. Our cute assistant was tickled pink by “Pinkalicious.” These were also featured on ABC 33/40.

Clarabelle and the Hen

http://www.clarabelleandthehen.com/

Whimsical Goods by artist Kathryn Gage. This is a different twist on Monogramming and we absolutely fell in love with her products. Our “Must Have?” These shirts.

From the Apparel and Accessories Category:

DeJaVu

It’s easy to shop for the kids, but to find some funky and cool stuff for ourselves?! There were so many things in this booth I wanted to take home with me or buy for someone I know. It was tough to make this decision on one single “Must Have” so you will have to stop by and see for yourself all of the great offerings from this vendor. TIP *We heard they sell out fast, so get there early*

In the Gifts Category:

Hedge Farm Candles

http://www.hedgefarm.com/

When you walk past this booth the smell alone will make you happy. It’s so pleasant and mild. They had so many unique items but ultimately we choose this fleur de lis candle as our “Must Have.”

From the Holiday and Home Decor Category:

j allen’s Gifts and Interiors

www.j-allens.com

Where do we start? What caught our eye first was the beautiful display of unique Christmas Ornaments. There were fishes and frogs and everything in between. So many cute items, and sock monkey’s galore! We have chosen this adorable Backpack as our “Must Have.”

This vendor also received 4 thumbs up from our little assistants, earning them this year’s BirminghamMommy.com Kids Pick. Our little ones had a fit over this entire display and would h
ave stayed there asking questions and admiring everything all night if we wouldn’t have pulled them away!

Congratulations to all of our Picks for 2009! We wish you great success for this year’s show and we hope to see you again soon.

If we’d only had one more award, it would have gone to this t-shirt that says it all:

If you are headed out to The Market tomorrow, make sure to stop by and say hi to all of these vendors and let us know what you would have made your “Must Have.”

Happy Shopping!

The Market is here!

Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Angie

And BirminghamMommy.com was there!

We’re ready to share our faves… and there were so many goodies it took us a while to narrow it down.

A preview:

Lowe's Build & Grow!

Posted on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by Angie

Another Build and Grow Clinic at Lowe’s this Saturday! Winter is just around the corner! Bring your child into Lowe’s on November 21st and they can build this awesome Snowman!

The next clinic is scheduled for December 5th and they will be making a Ginger Bread house, but you can register now for both. Check out their site for more details.

The Magic of The Polar Express at Ross Bridge Resort and Spa

Posted on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by Angie

Throughout December, the Rennaissance Ross Bridge Resort & Spa will host it’s own holiday magic with live music, a gingerbread competition and a reading of The Polar Express.

Live entertainment will be showcased in the lobby. On Dec. 8, Hearts Desire will be performing from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. followed by Keys and Trumpet on Dec. 15th and pianist Jon Michael Ogletree on Dec. 22nd. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., younger guests are invited to enjoy cookies and milk while listening to the story of The Polar Express straight from a conductor. At the end of the reading, each guest will receive a bell meant to commemorate the evening and celebrate the magic of Christmas.

Area bakeries will feature their own holiday delights in the form of gingerbread masterpeices, all in the spirit of The Polar Express. The competition will include familiar names such as Savage’s Bakery, Culinard, Barb’s Cakes, Jeff State and Klinger’s Bakery. The competition will officially begin on Dec. 6 when the professional entries are displayed throughout the lobby alongside ten amateur entries. Guests will play a vital role in the competition as they will vote to determine the winning gingerbread creations. The competition will conclude on Dec. 28 when Ross Bridge reveals the winning professional and amateur entries.

For more information on the events, please call 205-949-3006 or 205-916-7677. Want to stick around for a day or two? Check out our review of Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa!

Big Shout Out, to Gypsy Wings.

Posted on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by Angie

We just wanted to express our thanks to Georgia over at Gypsy Wings. In our New Moon giveaway she graciously supplied us with that uber cool, sea stone ring and the beautiful picture of LaPush beach.

She has some really great items on her Etsy shop. If you are a Twilight Mom, you should definitely check her out, and get your hands on one of these awesome rings, or any of her other “Twilight Inspired” pieces.

Not a Twilight fan, no worries! She has plenty more to choose from. I love
the butterfly wing jewelry too!

Get going, and tell her that BirminghamMommy.com sent you!

Junior League's Market is tomorrow!!

Posted on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by Angie

Get your shopping shoes on ladies! Thursday marks the beginning of Junior League of Birmingham’s Market at Cahaba Grand. The Market is a holiday shopping dream, and really gets you in the spirit! We took a little sneak peek at some of the goods… and they are GOOOOD!

For a list of the special events, click here.

The Junior League of Birmingham presents The Market 2009. This 3 day shopping extravaganza will be Thursday, November 19, 2009 through Saturday, November 21, 2009 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center.

Every ticket purchased promotes the JLB’s mission to support the community by improving the lives of women and children. Over 50 women have been working tirelessly to make this an event you won’t want to miss. Feel great about the gifts you share this holiday season knowing that a portion of that gift is making a difference in the life of someone in the Birmingham community. The JLB thanks you and we look forward to seeing you at The Market!