Bringing families back to the table

My first introduction to Purple Asparagus was at Baby Loves Disco. Purple Asparagus was there to re-fuel all those dancing tots!

Their mission, "By sharing food, we strengthen family and community ties, support local farmers and producers, gain respect for the earth and for the diversity of cultures all over it, and pass important traditions on to the next generation," is multi-layered.

I know I need to be reminded of each important element of their mission. Visit their website to learn more about this inspiring non-for-profit and upcoming family events.

seriously, how cute is this?!

I absolutely love to receive pictures of little ones in HPP. And it is especially fun to hear about our line being worn for special events such as this 6 mos professional photo. Ronan will be featured as Pumpkin of the Month this spring!

Recipe Swap

Thursdays are a special day for us. Pierson stays home from "school"; I stay home from work and we get together with our playgroup friends for a morning of coffee, baked goods and play. This week we added a new element to our date, a recipe exchange. Everyone brought copies of quick, easy and tasty menus ideas to share. I need to get sources before posting all of them but here are two to start:
Chicken and Dumplings from Cookiemag.com
Asian Grilled Salmon from Ina Garden

Great exchange of ideas for parents of picky little eaters

My picky little eater is so unpredictable. Just when I think I’ve figured him out his palette changes. That’s why I instantly fell in love with www.menuboom.com. The website is full of healthy, quick and easy meals and snack ideas submitted by moms and grouped by age. I just submitted a few of Pierson's current favorites including Stoneyfield yogurt topped with Kashi cereal and sliced bananas, sesame butter (peanut allergy) on top of rice cakes, and baby carrots with a side of ranch. Leslie mentioned she is adding photos to the pages as well so I attached this oh so messy image. Not exactly the glam shots you see of him on the website.

Big fan of Eat, Pray, Love

I fancy myself a great multi-tasker but have yet to figure out how to routinely keep up with book club. My book club has been getting together routinely for over five years and I’ve probably made time for about a ¼ of the books. Luckily, they’ve not kicked me out!

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love was our most recent selection. Many thanks to my friends for stressing that I should take the time to read this one! What an amazing memoir about one woman’s spiritual path. For those of you who have not read it, I highly recommend it and for those of you who have, I just found her website, and more importantly, answers to her 10 most frequently asked questions. Her commentary would be a great add to discussion.

New for spring/summer 08 live today

I’m very excited to share Hand Picked Pumpkin’s newest items for spring/summer 08 including custom burp cloths, custom stroller blankets and limited edition ready-made tee and bloomer gift sets are now available on-line. You'll find them under gifts and just because treats!

Celebrity Buzz

Celebrity pregnancies and birth announcements are always so intriguing. Today as we were shipping out Hand Picked Pumpkin gifts for Christina Aguiilera & Jordan Bratman, Nicole Richie & Joel Madden as well as Courtney Thorne-Smith & Roger Fishman it was especially fun to read the announcement from Matthew McConaughey that he is expecting his first child with girlfriend Camila Alves.

Living with intention

When I mentioned to a dear friend recently that I am trying very hard to live with intention she suggested I check out Deepak Chopra's daily inspirations. I just popped onto his website chopra.com and thought I'd share his inspiration for today.
"Your whole life is a rehearsal for the moment you are in now." -- Judith Malina

Fresh Choices

We received the cookbook Fresh Choices this holiday season while attending Seven Generations Ahead Annual Benefit dinner. I've just gotten around to reading it and have tried a few recipes. I highly recommend this book. Authors, David Joachim and Rochelle Davis do a excellent job at covering sustainable food production, breaking down organic terminology, and educating on pesticides and toxins. The recipes we've sampled are relatively easy and have all turned out great. Our favorites so far include Striped Bass Kabobs with Soy and Lemon and Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas.

Motivating to say the least

My husband, and biggest fan I should add, loving sends me inspirational quotes throughout the week. Today he sent me this clip from Nightingale-Conant which I'd like to share with you. Although it might be intrepreted by some as over the top, I believe it sends a very powerful message worth spreading. May it inspire you.
www.nc212movie.com

Recycling our Christmas Tree

This weekend marks our first adventure in recycling the Christmas tree. I'm slightly embarrassed to say this is the first year it has crossed our minds to do so. We weren't even being lazy about it in previous years, just never thought about it.

To find a recycling center nearest you, visit Earth911.org. The site notes, "More than 35 Christmas tree varieties can be recycled into chippings (used for everything from mulch to hiking trails), beachfront erosion prevention, shoreline stabilization, fish habitat and sedimentation management."

This morning I also have found, for those of you in Chicago, on Saturday, January 12th, from 9am to 2pm, the City will be offering a gift or mulch in exchange for a Christmas Tree.

Resolutions and Goals for 2008

Eight days into 2008 and I still find myself procrastinating on my yearly task of writing out all of my goals for 2008, professional and personal. On January 1st I tortured myself by pulling out my goals for 2006 only to find that I could only cross off about 1/16 of them two years later! Why do I make these lists?!
Maybe if I follow Jeffrey Yamaguchi's advice from 52projects.com, "Not-to-do-List", I'll have a bit more success in staying on task in 2008. This list is hilarious.

Kindness from Strangers

While celebrating Christmas with my family in Milwaukee last weekend, we took the kids sledding at Lafayette Hill. As always we forgot the camera. A kind woman took this shot and emailed it to us. The cold and snow seems a distant memory as I look out the window this morning.

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

I'm editing the Hand Picked Pumpkin Spring Newsletter this morning and am thinking about adding this "inspiration" which I find amusing as I've gotten off track about 20 times already today just trying to get my second cup of coffee.

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

If you give a mom a muffin
She'll want a strong cup of coffee to go with it,
She'll make herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee She'll wipe
it up.
While wiping the floor she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip
over boots and bump
into the box of Goodwill items.
Bumping into the Goodwill items will remind her that
she has to get these
boxes out of her basement and into the car.
When she puts the boxes in the car, she'll find a bag
of groceries and this
will remind her she has to cook dinner.
She will get out the chicken defrosting in the fridge.
She'll look for her cookbook, "101 Things To Do With
Chicken"
The cookbook will be sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the Netflix movie she's meant to send
back and the phone bill,
which is due tomorrow.
The checkbook will be in her purse that is being
dumped out by her
one-year-old.
As she bends down to rescue her purse, she'll smell
something funny.
She'll change the baby's diaper.
While she is throwing away the diaper and searching
for the hand sanitizer,
the phone will ring.
Her three-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to call a friend - not for
coffee, but for a very
strong drink.
Thinking of drinking will remind her that she was
going to have a cup of
coffee in order to stay awake for the rest of the day.
And chances are....

If she finds her cup of coffee (which she has to
reheat by now), Her
children will have eaten the muffin that goes with it.

-Anonymous

Gift sets for spring have arrived

Our limited edition pocket tee and bloomer sets just arrived. This set is too cute for words! Cozy 100% interlock knit tee with signature HPP pocket detail on chest and matching woven bloomer. The set arrives finished with white ribbon and hang tag.