Not only is this week’s new thing something I love (BREAD), but it also involves two things I am very passionate about:  my city (Birmingham, AL) and real food (you know, ingredients that you can pronounce).

For years, I drove right past Big Sky Bread Company every day without stopping.  Sitting here, picking poppyseeds out of my teeth, I wonder why it took me standing in a Piggly Wiggly way across town to finally try it. 

After, literally, carrying two kids–one whiny, one rambunctious, both sleepy–through four prospective homes, they’d fallen asleep in their carseats.  We needed juice at home and I needed a treat.  HH stayed in the car with the sleeping kids, while I meandered through the aisles at the Pig and found myself staring at a bag of four large cookies.  I saw the price (over five dollars!!!) and almost walked away, but decided instead to read the ingredients:
                     Freshly Ground 100% Whole Wheat, Whole Oats,
                     Chocolate Chips, Pure Butter, Brown Sugar,
                     Water, Eggs, Molasses, Baking Powder, and Salt

Where were the “monoglutoids“?  (Ok that’s a made up word, but you get what I’m saying.) 

I had placed them in my basket, when a customer with questionable hair (sorry, it had to be said) walked up and grabbed a loaf of their Three Seed Bread.  She turned to me and said, “This is the best bread in the world.  I know it’s expensive, but it’s the only thing I buy now.”  There really isn’t a more ringing endorsement of a product than that of a random grocery store  patron (even one with questionable hair).  So, I placed a loaf of it my basket and headed to the checkout line (where I just about choked on my total bill). 

Once home, it took me about five seconds to decide that I would have toast for supper.  And after two bites, I was sold.  The Three Seed Bread made the best toast!  It was so good that it’s now gone.  I didn’t even get a chance to try a sandwich out of it.  Oh well, guess its off to the bakery to pick up some more.  Maybe this time I’ll try the Honey Whole Wheat bread  and pick up some granola for HH.

I know at least five of the eight folks who read my posts aren’t in Birmingham (or even Alabama), so I feel kind of rude touting all this goodness here in my neck of the woods.  But,if you clicked over to their site to drool over all the carbolicious goodness (really, “good”ness) and the REAL ingredients in each of their products, you probably noticed that you can order it and have it shipped straight to you , wherever you are.  Now I don’t feel so bad after all.

But, wait, do you hate to pay shipping for something that you’re not even sure you’ll like?  I do.  Actually, I hate to pay shipping for something that I know I’ll love.  So, I might be inclined to choose a random commenter for a nice little choose-your-own prize pack on me.

Here’s how you enter:
1.  LEAVE A COMMENT.  That’s all.  I like to keep things simple.  If you’re feeling froggy, though, you can jump over to their site and let me know in your comment what item you’d most like to try.

I don’t want to leave out my fellow “Fifty-Two”-ers.  So, if you link up with your Fifty-Two New post this week, you’ll be entered into a separate drawing for an item of your choice from Big Sky Bread Company.

I’ll draw winners one week from today, March 18th, and will contact them via email.

Now for the small print:   *sigh*  I have received no compensation for this post, nor have I been in contact with Big Sky Bread Company about this post.  I tried it.  I liked it.  I’m going to give some away at my own expense.
*sigh*

So what’s New with you this week? Link up!

I feel like this week’s a good one.  The whole point of the Fifty Two New project, for me, is to stray from my comfort zone a little.  Up until now, I’ve just tried new products.  This week, I went WAY on out there as far as comfort zone.

Da da da dum.

The Mixer.

The lovely ladies of Birmingham Mommy hosted their very first mixer this past Tuesday night at Jim N Nick’s BBQ, which happens to be Taco Tuesday (read: yum).  They invited all mommies (bloggers, tweeters, facebookers, etc.) to join them for appetizers, cupcakes, and door prizes.

Not surprisingly, I RSVP’d immediately, then spent the next two weeks coming up with reasons I shouldn’t go.  I came up with a lot of them, because, hey, I don’t do people well.  And I really, really don’t do NEW people well.  HH managed to tell me daily how proud he was of me for going, which meant he 100% expected me to back out.  So, I went.  I mean, I couldn’t let him win.

I left twenty minutes late, stopped by CVS, and checked all three email accounts twice each in the car before going in, thinking I might miss it (completely on accident, of course).  Eventually, I pried myself from the car, iPhone (read: distraction, friend) in hand, and stopped to throw up headed in. 

It was a slow start, but I found a place to park and ended up the majority of the night to Country Fried Mama, whose blog I’d been reading for a few weeks.  She was a riot and we had a lot in common, most importantly the ability to go into and social situation and park it (you thought I was going to say that are children are the same ages, didn’t you?  Well, there’s that too.)  I had a great night with her and a few other girls (who don’t have blogs or twitter pages for me to link to).  I also got to meet Christie, aka Birmingham Bargain Mom, who was so sweet despite the fact that I practically drooled all over her, telling her how much I loved her.  I also got to meet Trish and Angie (two of the three Birmingham Mommies). 

It was a fun night and I came out unscathed (for the most part).  I definitely need to practice my mixing skills some more! 

Of course, I did forget to give out these snazzy bits:

Not cool, since my hubby worked so hard on them. 

So what new did you do?

Once graduated, I moved back to my grandparents’ house, an hour away from campus and waited for this really handsome journalism major that I’d been eyeing my last two quarters to get some sense and ask me out.  Once he finally did, I decided it was time to search for greener career pastures in the big city, where my parents lived.  Mr. Journalism followed me a couple of months later.  I moved in with my parents and waited for Mr. Journalism to pop the question looked for a place of my own.  Two years later, Mr. Journalism changed his name to HH.  (I changed mine too.)  We sped away from the church, cans a-tinkling along behind us, to our very first apartment. 

Weary from all the years of  temporary, so very eager to settle down, I’m pretty sure I started spouting off the benefits of home ownership to HH as he was carrying me over the threshold of our little love nest. 

It took him seven years and two children to hop on board the house train. 

We saved. 
We searched. 
We selected. 

We waited. 
We stomped our feet. 
We cried. 
We fought.
We waited longer. 
We cursed. 
We dug in our heels. 
We waited some more.
We walked away.

Today, we start over.  

I feel beat down from all the energy wasted on this particular house.  I feel angry at the deception that went on and ill advice received.  I feel stupid for hanging on so long.  I feel disappointed that my kids are not going to grow up in this house that I’ve been envisioning for the last six months.

At the end of it all, though, it is just a pile of bricks.  My anger will subside.  My energy and excitement will emerge again. 

As the journey continues.
Slowly.

Compound Butter @ Tasty Kitchen I’m always looking for new ways to eat butter.

Baja Fish Tacos @ 28 Cooks Fish tacos are one of HH’s favorite things.  I’ve been SO afraid to attempt them at home, but I think I’m going to give it a shot with this recipe for starters!

“The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.” — Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias (1989)

What?! Another beauty product?!

No, TWO!  Ha!

Clogged pores, forehead zits, and blackheads, meet your match.

Or at least I hope.

My two new new weapons:

 Moisturizing Deep Cleansing Foam and Organic Rosewater Toner.

Both are from the Boots line, which I’ve been drawn to for some time, having read so many good things about the brand.  Plus, the  packaging speaks to me. I think it looks very upscale (told you I was shallow), but at 6.99 (cleanser) and 7.99 (toner), it’s far from expensive.

I’m only a few days into using them, but so far so good.  My skin has been giving me fits lately, so I’ve been looking for  a line of products that I can stick with long-term.  I’m kind of picky because I want something gentle and fairly natural, but I am also price sensitive cheap.  I will say, though, if these don’t work for me, I’m going to have to cough up the dough and go for Arbonne (I love you, Stacey!) because I know its good.  My frugal self had to give this line a shot, first!

So what’s new with you?

Living with one’s parents can be a bit of a minefield as far as territory (who’s cooking, who’s buying groceries), schedule, address, etc.  Since we’ve been hanging onto the hope of moving into our house ”any day now”,  I’ve been putting so many things on hold to avoid the stress.  However, living life “on hold” brings about it’s own kind of stress.  So, here are some things that I’m going to do:

1. Make my OB check up appointment (five months overdue)
2. Make my six-month dental checkup (four months overdue)
3. Unpack (This does not make me happy in the least, but I think the not looking at all the boxes shoved into each corner of my parents’ upstairs will give me a little peace.)
4. Buy organic milk
5. Join Grow Alabama
6. Take a {little} trip (I just won four passes to the Tennessee Aquarium, Children’s Museum, and IMAX– thankyouverymuchBirminghamMommy– and I’m thinking we’ll make a few days out of it.  Chatty is one of our favorite places!)
7. Work on my marriage (No, we are not having problems, but I know I am not being very intentional with my relationship with HH.  Our life is in a period of upheaval and we’ve been putting off  things like a couple’s Bible study and date night, but I cannot think of a more crucial time to work at it!)
8. Snatch up some bargains (Our goal has been not to acquire any more “stuff” while all of ours is in storage, so I’ve avoided a lot of sales and markdown aisles.  Since I’m still kicking myself for not buying this when I saw if marked down to under $6, I think I might need to loosen up on this rule a little.)
9. Getting a family membership to McWane Science Center
10. Lose 15 pounds (This is going to be the toughest.  Not only do my parents keep a ton of junk food in stock, my mom is an amazing cook.  My goal when I moved in was to lose about eight pounds, it’s grown– as I have– to about fifteen.  But the longer I wait the higher that number is going to get and the harder I’ll have to work.  And I’m all about not working hard!)

For some more Top Ten Tuesday lists, check out Oh Amanda!

I was a smidge giddy when Saturday arrived and I left hubby and kids at home and drove to the salon.  Well, I drove all around Vestavia Hills first, then drove to the salon.  (Attention Business Owners:  If you change locations, the first thing you should do is change it on your website.  Just saying.)

The Salon: dL Salon, Vestavia Hills

The Stylist: Lindsie  Lindsie was so nice.  I had no clue how to describe what I wanted my hair to look like, so I ended up just rambling on and on about how I didn’t want boring.  I’d like to think she was intuitive enough to see my inner edgy, rock goddess-ness and ran with it.  Lindsie is also weeks away from giving birth to her first child, which gave us lots to talk about.  She also didn’t try to sell me hair product, which I love.  The downside of that, though, is that I have no clue what she put on my hair that made it look so awesome, so now I don’t know what to go buy.

The experience:  Obviously, I was late, so it did feel kind of hurried.  And Lindsie cut my hair dry, so I did miss the shampooing, which is my favorite part of a salon visit.  (I could let someone else shampoo my hair for DAYS on end.)  She did ask if it needed shampooing, which is didn’t since I’d done it that morning, so I couldn’t very well lie to someone I just met.  Now, whether she did a dry cut because I was late or because I wasn’t a paying customer I can’t say.  But I cannot argue with the fact that it is a GREAT cut.  Great, I tell you.

The Cut:

I really don’t do before and after pics well because I am so unphotogenic, but HH snapped this shot of me and Wog playing with his new clown disguise and you can kind of see the choppy, layery, rock-n-roll goodness that was my hair when she fixed it.  Well, you really can’t see it much at all since it was taken with his phone.  But aren’t we entertaining?

Bottom line:  I had a really good experience even though I was late and not a paying customer.  I got an awesome cut that I can easily style.  After she gets back from maternity leave, Lindsie has a new regular.  Happy hair = happy Brandi!

Big big thanks to Amanda for the freebie!  (Which if you are not reading her blog or following her on Twitter, you should.  She’s hilarious!)  ** SEE AMANDA’S COMMENT BELOW (it’s the first one)– GREAT CHANCE FOR ANY BIRMINGHAM-AREA READERS TO GIVE LINDSIE A TRY FOR FREE, TOO!

Now, what new did you do?

1.  Madame Poopypants

6.  Sassypants (Yeah. We’re pretty much in trouble for the next 20 or so years.)
7.  Butternut (As in the squash)
8.  Punkin Pie (This one just flows?)
9.  Little Angie (Angie is my mom. They are too much a lot alike.
10.  Bug

Check out more Top Ten Tuesday posts, over at Oh Amanda.

And, no I’m not taking Ambien.

But I’ve heard it makes you so some WACKY stuff in your “sleep”.

So, if you have any send it over.

I kid.

Now on the posts that I could have written myself. You know if I were a talented writer and all.

How to Bless Your Children @ Impress Your Kids
(written by Candace of Twiggie Makes, who I’ve actually met for real & will be hanging out with again very soon.  So.  Excited.)  Not only do Candace and I have a lot in common as moms since our children are only months apart, but we have some of the same “baggage” as well.  One of us has dealt with it, the other has developed a sort of late-in-life scoliosis from carrying it around on her shoulder.  Read her post, and I’ll let you guess which one of us is which.

The Ultimate Perspective @ Fried Okra
It’s really a follow up to this post, which is an awesome read too. (Don’t forget to read the comments– wow!)  All I can say is  PREACH IT, MEGAN!

Just Move the Rug, Idiot @ The Gremlin Wrangler
Insightful.  Awesomeness.