My Little Chef...

Maggie, as you know, is really into cooking.  She isn't 100% sure yet, but she thinks she may like to be a chef when she grows up.  We watch a lot of MasterChef Junior and Cut Throat Kitchen.  She is a big fan of Alton Brown and Gordon Ramsey.  (Don't worry, she is supervised in case of bad language!)  Anyway, I spied these great kid safe knives on Amazon a while back and I took a chance and I bought them for the girls for Christmas.  They have been GREAT!  While there are a not a lot of things she can't cut, one thing it doesn't cut is skin.  She had really enjoyed helping me in the kitchen and it is nice to let her start practicing with kid-safe knives.  

Anyway, you can find these knives on Amazon!  I highly recommend them!  They don't do well cutting something big like a carrot or cucumber, but I pre-cut the veggies into strips and Maggie can finish off chopping them into smaller pieces.  She is really excited to be in the kitchen and it is fun to have a little helper.  ;)

Another Maggie Birthday Post...

I know!  It took a long time!  I'm so sorry, but I finally got some of my pictures uploaded!  

Here are a few more pictures from Maggie's birthday!

She was very specific on how she wanted her birthday to go.

We started with Breakfast at Chick-fil-A.

She bought some Lego's with her Target gift card from Aunt Mary. 

The dreaded Chuck E. Cheese... 

She won a 200 tickets!

Toys R Us.

Ending with a late lunch/early dinner at Choppy/Choppy. 

At home we celebrated with a DQ Ice Cream Cake! 

And she got some really cool gifts... 

A great birthday!  A big 6 year old!  :)

My Fair Gentleman {A Proper Romance}

In this Regency twist of My Fair Lady, Jack would rather be at sea than fixing the mistakes of his grandfather, the late Earl of Stansworth. Instead, he finds that inheriting his grandfather's wealth and title—and securing the welfare of his sister and mother—means joining the ranks of high society and living with the aristocracy. Luckily, Ivy Carlisle, the granddaughter of a dear friend of Jack's late grandmother, is willing to teach him etiquette and properly introduce him into society. Jack soon learns that his challenge isn't surviving his new lifestyle but surviving the conspiracies against him—as well as keeping himself from falling madly in love with his new tutor.

It wasn't too long ago that I had the pleasure of reviewing several books from Shadow Mountains "Proper Romance" series.  Think:  A Heart Revealed...  Longing For Home...  Blackmoore... (swoon!)  All clean and lovely romances!  Imagine my squeal of delight when I was invited to participate in another Proper Romance blog tour with Shadow Mountain!  Not just 1 book...NO!  There will be a total of 5 coming up this year!  I am so excited to tell you about the first!

I love a good sigh and swoon worthy romance novel...and My Fair Gentleman by Nancy Campbell Allen did not let me down!

About the book:
Jack is very close to becoming captain of his own ship when the solicitor for the Earl of Stansworth approaches him in a seedy tavern.  The solicitor tells him that his grandfather is dying and wishes Jack to come and be his heir.  Confused and bitter, since his grandfather had previously disowned the family, Jack eventually (and very begrudgingly) agrees to his terms and when the earl passes Jack becomes the new Earl of Stansworth. Upon inheriting this fortune and title Jack must learn quickly how to behave among "polite society" as London's elite is very shallow and extremely snobby.  Fortunately Ivy Carlisle, her grandmother was a friend of the family, is asked to tutor him in etiquette.  She struggles to teach him what he must know to survive among London's cranky ton.  But, as she becomes successful in the daunting task helping Jack survive in society she finds herself charmed by him.  Jack delights in tormenting her...until he realizes that she is his most important ally as conspiracies stack against him and someone begins threatening his life!  I can't give away any more but I can tell you it was a  delightful read!  I loved it!!

About Nancy Campbell Allen:  
Nancy Campbell Allen (N.C. Allen) is the author of eleven published novels, which span genres from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. In 2005 , her work won the Utah Best of State award. She has presented at numerous writing conferences and events since her first book was released in 1999. Nancy received a BS in Elementary Education from Weber State University. She loved to read, write, travel and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She is married and the mother of three children.

You can purchase My Fair Gentleman at DeseretBook.com, Amazon.com or your favorite retailer!
Discover more Nancy Campbell Allen books!

Thank you for stopping by Swinging On Small Hinges today!

Disclaimer:  I received this book free of charge from Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed here are my very own.  Thank you so much Shadow Mountain!!!

Happy 6th Birthday Maggie!

Oh my!  It is so hard to believe that today Maggie is a big 6 year old now!  I thought it might be fun to "interview" her for her birthday so you could get to know what Maggie is all about!  Enjoy!!

1.  Who is your best friend?  Riley because we talk a lot.
2.  What is your favorite thing to do?  Cook and bake.
3.  What is your favorite color?  Pink and purple.
4.  What do you like to do with your family?  Maybe spend some time together.
5.  What is your favorite toy?  Stuffies.
6.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  A cook.
7.  What is your favorite TV show to watch?  Master Chef Jr.
8.  What is your favorite book?  Little House on the Prairie Chapter Books.
9.  What do you love to learn about?  Language Arts
10.  What is your favorite treat?  Ice Cream!

Maggie sure is a fun little girl.  She always lets us know when it is "almost lunchtime."  She loves her big sister and tries to do many things just like her (much to the annoyance of said big sis).  Maggie has grown so fast that I can hardly keep her in pants that are long enough.  She also thinks that everyday is a day for "summer shoes" and at home prefers to clomp around in her play high heels.  She still loves Elsa but would probably prefer to watch Food Network.  Sassy and silly.  We LOVE our Maggie!

Christmas 2015

Both the girls and I agreed that this year just didn't FEEL like Christmas.  The weather was mild, sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy, but not at all cold or snowy.  But, we celebrated in all of our usual ways and made it fun!  Enjoy some of these pictures from Christmas!  :)

New pajamas!  Of course! 

Christmas Eve we played Twister and drank hot cocoa! 

Someone is excited over Legos!

  

Maggie got a hot dog stand!

We had a great Christmas!