This week’s focus is gardening and preserving.  I received a copy of Food In Jars to review and it’s all I can look at these days.  We’ve been enjoying a lot of rain in the past few weeks which means area gardens are full of goodness just waiting to be enjoyed!  Over the weekend I noticed that the tomatoes still on the plants at Lowe’s are already beginning to ripen.  Wow!  Mine are not quite there yet but I’m anticipating the loveliness very soon.  Having an abundance of garden goodness translates into the need for preserving the extra.  That’s why I want to share this great book with you.  Food In Jars is a treat for the imagination. I’ve been following the blog for months now. Author Marisa McClellan makes it all seem so easy, the preserving of foods in cute little glass containers. The book Food in Jars (available from Running Press Books) is even better. The photos are so bright and big that I almost wanted to modgepodge them into my pantry.

Food In Jars almost has me ready to take the plunge into home canning. [Read more…]

When we go out to eat, I typically order a “safe” meal.  Even if it doesn’t taste that great, I feel obligated to eat it because I’m paying for it.  I just mindlessly consume calories.  That’s a bit how I felt about Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd.  This was the epitome of what I imagine an Amish romance novel to be.  It wasn’t a terrible book.  It just wasn’t something I really enjoyed reading, nor will I pick it up to read again.  It was just a book to pass the time while  I participated in the book tour for Pennsylvania Patchwork.   Much like a well-designed menu, the summary sounded good.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.  The Cascade Platinum Throwdown  —  #MyPlatinum

Happy Birthday to me!!   On my birthday I woke up to breakfast in bed (my daughter fixed me a bowl of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch) and a sunny morning.  We had a full day of fun ahead of us.   My kids had swimming lessons in the morning and in the afternoon we were planning to have some family over for a little splash time in the pool.   My husband prepared some delicious mini-cheesecakes.  Life was good.

As the day progressed, the sink started to fill up.  “Overflowing” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.  Combined with the cheesecake bowls, measuring cups, and pans (my husband “forgot” to clean up) and the plates from lunch with our family, the scene facing me was nothing less than a challenge. It was the Cascade Platinum Throwdown, Round 1. [Read more…]

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For the longest time, my daughter’s wardrobe was more important than my own.  She was my little doll to dress up and show off, I guess.  I chose her outfits with care, handwashed if needed, and line dried so nothing would shrink.  Yes, I was slightly obsessed.  That’s okay, though.  Those days are over and I don’t regret them one bit.  The pictures of her in those adorable ensembles were completely worth it.  She was, and is, such a beautiful child and knowing that I dressed her to the nines was my pleasure.  These days my girl is interested in wearing Under Armour shorts and tops, so the outfit styling boils down to which colorway she’ll choose.  My son is happy in track pants and an Angry Birds tee.  It’s nothing special anymore.  So now it’s mommy’s turn! [Read more…]

I’m a label reader. When I buy snacks for my kids I check the ingredients, nutritional facts, and even where the food was grown and packaged. Having a fresh batch of high-quality treats is important for keeping our furry friend happy and healthy. You know that my dog is considered part of the family. Why wouldn’t we check labels on her food, too? Since our dog has food sensitivities, we have to be careful about what is in her foods. She has lots of favorite treats. Here are two new samples she received that she really enjoyed. The first came from Minties and the second is from Orijen.

[Read more…]

This post is brought to you by Best Buy. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Summer days are by nature more active.  Days surrounded by water and the great outdoors lazily take the calendar from one longer day to the next.  Many of us ditch the purse and stash our phones in our pockets.  Our phones take a beating while we’re taking pics at a theme park or the family reunion. The poolside concrete isn’t exactly iPhone friendly, either.  Just one weak moment of letting your toddler play Angry Birds while you’re waiting for dinner and poof!  A cracked screen can ruin the moment.   It’s easy to get a little careless with one’s phone on days like that, isn’t it?  Tempt fate with an iPhone case from Best Buy.  No knocking on wood necessary!   [Read more…]

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Summer is such a busy time of year.  While I tend to think that it will be more relaxed because we’re out of school, somehow it seems that we’re busier because I tinker around the house so much.  One of the things we do every summer is go through the closets.  Getting rid of the old is a good way to start the summer.  It’s also a welcome change to be organized once the school year starts….then the whole vicious cycle begins again.  While we’re going through our closets, I try to place items in piles with their destination in mind.  [Read more…]