Audi A8

Over the past few decades, Audi has been quietly staking its claim in the realm of luxury automobiles, merging splendid German engineering with technological advancements that would make an alien spaceship jealous. The 2011 version of the A8 benefits from an eight speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. An air suspension system provides top-notch handling that is ideal for weaving down a coastal highway on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The comfort of the cabin is enhanced by heated seats that are capable of massaging drivers as they effortlessly glide down the road.

Subaru Impreza WRX STI

The 2011 Impreza is what would happen if you isolated a rally car and a luxury automobile in a garage while a Barry White album played softly in the background. With the WRX STI, Subaru has successfully created a car that blends the reliability and power of your father’s generation with the style and moxie of the modern era. Any opportunity to get behind the wheel of an Impreza should be seized immediately. With a wide wheel base, highly-responsive handling and a large helping of torque, this vehicle is well prepared to handle any terrain.

Dodge Challenger

The state of the American economy has taken luxury automobiles out of the spotlight in recent years, but Dodge continues to crank out excellent sports cars, including the 2011 Challenger. Powered by a 6.4 liter engine and 470 horsepower, this car gives off a patient gurgle while idling and roars into action when asked. Excellent for people looking to quickly increase their blood pressure, the Challenger dominates the road and commands attention by way of a sleek design and two thick racing stripes that extend over the top of the car like permanent ribbons on gift.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

No list of anything involving automobiles is complete without a pony. Ford’s most recent rendition of its flagship vehicle combines the mystique and boldness of past models with modern innovations of the past two decades. A quick pop of the hood reveals an immaculate 5.4 liter engine that is largely comprised of high-grade aluminum, which lessens the weight of the engine substantially, increasing horsepower, handling and gas mileage. Multi-colored leather racing seats put drives in the middle of a cabin that feels more like a jet cockpit. Traditional odometers keep drivers informed without overwhelming them with lights and stats. Driving a 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is an opportunity to experience American auto making at its finest.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging in the automotive, insurance, and tech industries for three years. Last year when Nicole decided to purchase a new car she made sure to search for the best deals on auto insurance to save money and have the best car coverage possible. She found the best coverage while searching online.

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Here are some ideas for the summer that are sure to have your kids begging to play outside.

1. Have a picnic: You can have one in your own backyard, at a local park or for a big time go to the local zoo. Grab a big bag, a vinyl tablecloth and lots of paper goods. Pack a sandwich or make your own lunchables also, you may want to grab some sand toys for the kids. Your kids are sure to love getting out for a relaxed family meal.

2. Play FAMILY sports: (Yes parents this means you play too!) Grab a soccer ball, baseball and glove or football. One of my husband’s fondness memories of his Grandmother is when she would play football with all the kids at family gatherings. Be “that” kind of parent or grandparent.

3. Bubbles, Bubbles and more Bubbles: Every kid loves bubbles. If you don’t want to go buy bubbles or if you would like to make a bubble project you can have your kids make their own bubbles using dish soap,water, a paper plate and coat hangers. You can shape the coat hangers into many different shapes making a range of bubbles.

4. Games: Play a good ol’ game of Freeze Tag, Freeze Dance or I Spy. You can also paint a big Twister Board on your yard if you a brave enough. How many of you spent hours playing these games when you were a child? With I Spy you may want to put together a scavenger hunt type of list and have your child spy and collect things from around your yard.

5. Ride Bikes: Our daughter now loves to ride her bike. We go on a family rides around the block. She loves it and asks for it often. If you think bike safety is important then please have your kids wear an appropriate helmet and guards. What happened to the 80′s when we never wore helmets and we all had awesome gravel scars?

6. Go for a walk: I love going on family walks. We like to walk up to the 7-11 that’s about a half mile away to get slushes. It is a good reward and is cool on a hot day. We also have some land behind our house which will be fun for exploring this summer. Graysen loves collecting rocks.

7. Paint rocks (Outside): Most parents hate letting their kids paint because it’s messy so why not strip them down to their skivvies and let them paint rocks in the backyard. Afterwards you can hose down your painted up kiddo and the work area too.

8. Sidewalk Chalk: Whoever invented this stuff is brilliant! Park your cards at the end of the drive to block it off for a sidewalk art event. Invite the neighbor kids to come help make a masterpiece in your driveway. Good news it washes off! Your kids will have a blast.

9. Get to know your neighbors: Have a cookout on your front porch and invite your neighbors over. Your kids will meet  new friends and so will you. It is a great thing to have great neighbors. (Sometimes kids like to play with other kids, go figure!)

10. Let your kids get dirty: Kids love to be creative and play mostly in stuff that they are not supposed to. Why not allow them to play in the mud? Have a special set of  toys and clothes just for messy play. Do you remember making mud pies? It’s time to teach your child to make them too. I would advice you to tell your child not to eat the Mud Pies as mine got a nice mouth full of dirt. Guess she will know better next time.

I hope you have a wonderful summer full of fun activities.

I like crowns and fairy tales and I love Royal Weddings. Do I wake up at 3am to see it live? Heck no! I will however wake up 30 min earlier than normal to check everything out.

Graysen and I got up this morning to get our glimpse at Princess Kate’s dress. The must see for everyone. I have to say it was well done and Princess Kate looked amazing. A true princess!

Here is a photo of the beautiful gown. I think she is just stunning. I loved the lace on the gown and the simplicity of it all.

Graysen decided she wanted to be Princess Kate this morning so she put on a fancy dress and her Princess crown . She is such a girlie girl and I love it.

After we watched for a bit and the press started talking about the royal wedding cake we decided to have our own ” Wedding Cake” for breakfast. Graysen thought this was the greatest idea ever!!

This afternoon we will celebrate more by making and playing with these Princess Kate Paper Dolls that Disney has for free on their website.

What a very fun and ROYAL kind of day!

As Easter is fast approaching and everyone is getting ready to make the perfect Easter egg grab that Easter egg kit, set up the counter and let the dyeing commence.

Use a wire cooking whisk and insert your eggs for easy egg dyeing for tots. This will let you keep that mess to a minimum and let your tot have tons of fun! I prefer the whisk myself when I dye eggs. I thought this method is actually ten times easier than using a spoon or the weird utensil that comes in the Easter egg kits. (What are those things? They are useless!)

We first tried this trick last Easter and our eggs turned out great! We plan on dyeing eggs this way again over the weekend. Happy egg dyeing!

First thing I did was type in Bunny Silhouette into Google Image Search to find a bunny shape to make. When you find a shape save it to your desktop and then print it onto freezer paper. See image below:

I printed my image as a 5 by 7. I then cut out the inside of my image making a stencil. I then fixed the freezer paper to some light green printed fabric using my iron. I used white fabric paint to put a light coat of paint on the fabric.

After the paint was dry I cut out my painted bunny and fused it to Heat and Bond no sew fabric iron on fusion stuff. See below:

Once fused I attached the bunny to more fabric this time the pretty printed kind. Then added more no sew iron on fusion to the back and attached it to my shirt. Once in place I sewed around the whole bunny with pink thread and added a bow to make it girlie. I loved the result! Enjoy. Happy Easter Early!

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.