My favorite online shopping has to be from Etsy.com. It is all homemade goodies. You can find custom jewelry, party supplies, random clothes and much much more. I got John a shirt for Christmas that says “Beard is Beautiful” with a photo of a beard. It’s a joke with us because my nephew’s call John weirdo beardo sometimes! I also think this shirt from Etsy would be appropriate for him. Beards are scratchy! Anyway you should check out Etsy I’m sure you will find something you can’t live without!
Not only is this site super cute but Paper Glitter has a ton of FREE printable’s. You have to check them out. I might print some of these out to use for Graysen’s upcoming birthday. I love their designs!
On a recent trip to Branson, Mo I discovered a little boutique store called Devo Olive Oil. I loved it so much I begged them to let me do a review.
Not only does Devo Olive Oil have an amazing selection of flavored olive oil’s and balsamic oil’s but it is run by a young entrepreneur. I love it when young people start a business and I love to see that business do well. This is such a great store. I love to cook and love to try new recipes with special spices or oils.
Devo Olive Oil has many great recipes such as the one below on their blog each using the Devo specialty oils. I can not wait to try these potatoes.
Perfect Roasted Potatoes
6-8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tbsp. semolina flour
2 tbsp. fine cornmeal
¼ cup Devo Tuscan Herb EVOO
¼ cup Devo Garlic EVOO
Salt and white pepper
¼ cup Devo 18 yr Traditional Balsamic
Preheat oven to 450. Put potatoes in a large pot with salted water, bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes, drain. Place potatoes back in the pot, sprinkle with semolina and cornmeal, toss to coat. Combine Tuscan Herb and Garlic EVOO with salt and pepper. Brush bottom of heavy duty sheet pan generously with oil mixture. Spread potatoes evenly on sheet, and gently baste the potatoes with ½ of the remaining oil mixture with a gentle hand so as not to disturb the semolina and cornmeal crust (a silicone basting brush works best). Roast for 18 minutes, toss and baste with remaining oil. Return to oven and roast an additional 10-18 minutes, until golden brown. Drizzle potatoes with Devo 18 yr Traditional Balsamic and toss to coat. Enjoy!
I enjoyed the 18year Balsamic that Devo stocks. It is great with french bread and it is my husbands absolute favorite balsamic. My favorite oil is the Garlic Olive Oil. I used it to make a Garlic Cream Sauce for my pasta. I must say it turned out quite delicious. Below is my recipe for the Garlic Cream Sauce. ( Note: this is not healthy but it tastes incredible. )
Garlic Cream Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/4 chopped yellow sweet onion
2 table spoons roasted minced garlic
2 tablespoons Devo Garlic Olive Oil
1/4 cup real butter
Salt – to taste
Pepper- to taste
1 cup whipping cream or half and half
(Note: You may need more than one cup as you may have to adjust based on thickness. )
( Note: if you use half and half you may need to add a tiny bit of flour to thicken. )
Spice if you desire. Sometimes I leave it as is and sometimes I add Rosemary, Oregano or Parsley.
Directions:
Cook on medium heat.
Cook garlic and onion in Devo Olive Oil until onions are caramelized.
Add salt and pepper.
Add whipping cream and butter then simmer.
cook mixture until it thickens mildly then pour on pasta of your choice. I love Penne or Bowtie.
I have made this recipe several times but really enjoyed it with the Devo Oil Oil. The quality of the Oil is much better than store bought.
Last year I pulled the greatest prank of my life. My daughters birthday is in April and so I decided after seeing something similar on Prudent Baby that I would send IRS tax audit letters as my daughters birthday invitations.
My friends and family were livid to be exact. I definitely made some heads roll.
These are not just your typical letters oh no. I used the real logo and tax envelopes. They looked legit. The best person’s reaction had to be hearing my husband’s voice when he was opening the letter I sent to his business. It was priceless.
My boss actually helped me put them together and make them look as official as possible, he’s a lawyer.
My daughters birthday invitation was put on the last page but I think only 2 people saw it. Most people just started freaking out then when they got to the signature and saw my name they called me immediately. It was awesome! I can’t recall the number of times I heard ” I hate you!” but it was a lot! They also said they were going to kill me. Ha! I’m still alive!
Here is the letter, I don’t have my original but I found this one on Prudent Baby which is where I originally got the template before I tweaked it.
You can download your own copy to customize HERE.
I picked up some of these envelopes at Staples. You can get them at any office supply store.
I sent them out two days before April Fool’s and all of them arrived on April Fool’s day! It was a SUCCESS!
Most brides have the details of their wedding planned out exactly, and know just how they want every aspect of their wedding. Often though, brides realize they’ve forgotten to pick out gifts for their bridesmaids, even though the bride may have been planning her wedding since she was five years old.
Bridesmaid gifts have always been an important gesture made by the bride to show her bridesmaids just how much she appreciates their dedication and willingness to make her wedding day perfect. It’s the least a bridesmaid can do, so picking out gifts that are special are of the upmost importance.
If you’re going to be a bride soon, give your bridesmaid gifts some special thought. Buying generic gifts for each bridesmaid can be extremely impersonal.
Consider this for example. The costs of being a bridesmaid can quickly add up. Between buying the dress, shoes, accessories, a wedding gift, and getting a manicure or having a hairstyle done for the big day, being a bridesmaid is actually a very under-appreciated role in weddings. If you’re not already taking care of your bridesmaid’s hair appointment, makeup, or manicure, then consider buying your bridesmaids a spa and salon package to pamper them, and let them choose when they’d like to use it. Go to a local spa and salon that offers massages, manicures and pedicures, haircare, facials and other treatments, and buy either one gift card so that the bridesmaid can choose any service she’d like, or plan a day of pampering for the bridesmaid, from receiving a pedicure to finishing a relaxing day with a calming massage. Every woman loves the feeling of being pampered, and there’s no doubt your bridesmaids would love this gift, as they can use it to prepare for the wedding to help offset the costs, or they can use it after the wedding to have their own special day!
There’s no doubt that you know each of your bridesmaids and that every single one has unique interests, skills, hobbies, or favorite things. Everyone loves receiving a gift that is reflective of who they are, so why not purchase a different gift basket for each bridesmaid that is filled with things specific to each bridesmaid. For instance, if one bridesmaid loves music, fill a basket with CDs, an MP3 player, a gift card to purchase MP3s with, and tickets to her favorite musician’s concert. If you have a bridesmaid that loves books, fill a basket with books by her favorite author, gift cards to a local bookstore, tickets to an upcoming book festival, a Kindle, and perhaps some tea or coffee for her to sip on while she reads.
Buying gifts like these show that you took time out of your busy wedding planning schedule to make sure they know that you really do appreciate what they’re doing for you, and it will mean a lot to them that you have remembered how special and unique they are, even though it’s your big day!
J. Sample is a writer, blogger, and was a bridesmaid in four different weddings over the course of one year- one for each season!
{photo by Evoke Photography via Love and Splendor}
Revolution Foods is part of the The Nest Collective which is a company of mission-driven brands committed to nourishing the next generation with yummy, nutritious foods to establish healthy eating habits for life.
Graysen and I were happy to try some of their great and healthy snacks. Revolution foods has several great products including Jammy Sammy, Grammy Sammy, Organic Mashups, Organic Popalongs, and Organic Raisins. The first two are super fun to say. Ha!
So let me talk about my favorite products from Revolution Foods:
Jammy Sammy has 4 YUMMY FLAVORS
PB & Strawberry ( Graysen’s Favorite) It was brilliant to put PB&J in a bar! , PB & Grape, Apple Cinnamon & Oatmeal and NEW FLAVOR! Blueberries & Oatmeal ( Graysen also loves this one it’s great in the morning!)
Each Jammy Sammy is:
Honey Graham & Strawberry Yogurt (My favorite!), Cinnamon Graham & Vanilla Yogurt,and Cocoa Graham & Banana Yogurt
Each Grammy Sammy is:
Grape, Berry, Tropical – NEW FLAVOR and Strawberry Banana (Graysen really enjoyed the Strawberry Banana.)
All of the Organic Mashups are:
With the Jammy Sammys and the Grammy Sammys I actually put them in a prize package for when Graysen went to the big girl potty. She loves them so much that this was a great treat for her. Plus, it highly outweighs the alternative options such as candy.
The nice people at Revolution Foods are offering 1 lucky winner a Lunch Box assortment prize pack of their treats.
You can enter multiple ways.
1. Leave a comment below telling us why you would like to win and if you currently use any of the items that Revolution Foods produces.
2. Link this giveaway on facebook then leave a comment letting me know you have done so.
3. Link this giveaway on twitter then leave a comment letting me know you have done so.
4. Subscribe on RSS or Email with my blog then leave a comment letting me know you have done so.
*** Giveaway will end Wednesday, April 6th at noon***
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Congrats to our winner Merideth!
(confirmed)
