Potatoes and Lord of the Rings!

What do potatoes and Lord of the Rings have to do with each other?  Well if you are a fan of Lord of the Rings then you know the answer to that question.  But just in case you aren't sure I am sharing a video I found on You Tube that had me laughing and dancing at the same time.  I LOVE both potatoes and Lord of the Rings so this video is so me!!!

I am currently writing up a recipe using potatoes so my mind is all potatoes right now.  Potatoes are the perfect comfort food - plus they are super delicious.  In fact I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Potatoes - Yum!  I should have my potato recipe up soon - it is so yummy!!

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Mother's Day gift to me - the gift of Goodies!

This post sponsored by Goodies Co.

Am I the only one who buys themselves a little something for Mother's Day(and probably birthday and Christmas)?  My family is actually very good at giving me cute gifts and this past Sunday was no exception.  For Mother's Day  I received cute handmade cards and art work, breakfast in bed and even a chocolate candy bar.  My family spoiled me all day long and let me craft the day away and watch movies with them.  They were all very thoughtful gifts and I love them all.

But I still always like to buy myself a little something - it never costs much and is usually something new that I want to learn about or try.  Well this year I bought myself a Goodies Box.

I am pretty excited about Goodie box - it is a monthly subscription that I can end at any time that only is $7 a month.  These Goodie boxes are full of yummy treats and goodies to try.  My first box should be arriving on Monday (yes I have been stalking my mail).

I was looking through the pictures of previous Goodie Boxes and it has me even more excited - like these:

The Fall Box

The New Year Box

The Winter Box

They look like yummy treats, right?

So here is more info about the Goodies Co. Tasters Box:

• In your Goodie Box you will receive 5-8 snacks for $7/month.  This $7 includes shipping so I think it's a great deal.
• If you want you can review the products and accumulate points to redeem for a free Taster's Box and other rewards.  
• You can purchase subscriptions for friends/family and have the Goodie Box to them.  This is perfect for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays, Christmas, etc.  I also think this would make an excellent Teacher appreciation gift for your child's teacher.

If purchasing a gift subscription is something that interests you then follow these simple instructions:

1. Go to the Goodies Gifting page and select a plan {3 months, 6 months, or 12 months} by clicking on the corresponding button.

2. Enter the gift recipient and gift giver details. 

3. Enter the gift recipient's mailing address (please note: this is where they will receive the monthly boxes)

4. Enter the gift giver's billing information.

5. Review order details and click on "place order".

So easy!!

I can't wait until I get my first box - I will have to let you all know how I like it.

Disclosure: I am being compensated for my blog post but all opinions are 100% mine - I actually signed up for a Goodies subscription before I ever decided to work them.  I love working with companies I love!

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Favorite Photo this week

I am just loving the sunny weather we are having - but even more I am loving the fun I am having with Adison!  She just loves being outside and being with me - she makes my heart happy!

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Wood Connection Giftcard Giveaway

Today I am sharing my latest project over at The Wood Connection! Yea!  So be sure to hop over to their blog to check out my "Sweet" project!

To celebrate I am giving away a $25 giftcard to The Wood Connection.  So once you are done checking out my latest craft project on their blog be sure to enter the giveaway!

Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.  If you have a hard time seeing the rafflecopter entry form I have heard it sometimes doesn't work well with Internet Explorer so you may need to try a different browser.

• Odds of winning are based on number of entries.
• Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter. 
• Winning entry will be verified.
• This giveaway begins right now and ends on 5/17/13.
• Winner will be emailed and winner must respond within 48 hours or  a new winner will be picked.
• Only US residents eligible to win this prize.

If you don't see the Rafflecopter Widget you may need to click on the words "a Rafflecopter giveaway" to be taken to the giveaway page - thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Family Share - Tools to Strengthen Families

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!  I am enjoying my Sunday morning surrounded by my wonderful kids and husband and am feeling truly blessed.  My family really makes Mother's Day special for me and I am pretty much Queen for the day.  I am spoiled!!

This Mother's Day I have a stack of books that I am going to choose a book to read from plus I have a list of websites I am going to browse through to read articles.  Today I would like to tell you about one of these sites.  I met some of the people who work with Family Share at a blog conference I went to, and I was able to learn a bit about Family Share.  Over the past few weeks I have been reading articles on Family Share and have really enjoyed it.  Family Share has asked me to share with all of you a little bit about them - and since they are a site I like and enjoy I knew it was something I would like to share with you all.

Family Share has many articles with so many different topics from marriage, family, spiritually, family activities, etc.  Over the last week I have enjoyed reading through the articles and I will be spending some of my "me" time today reading through more.  Some of the articles I have really enjoyed are

Tips for Keeping Social Media Positive

Image from Family Share

I enjoyed/agree with this article since I have three kids that are getting older.  They are finding themselves online more and I am always going over the rules and purposes of social media.

Another article I liked was an article about making crafts building self esteem - I have found that when I am feeling blue or down that making a craft always seems to cheer me up. I also have found it is a good time for me to bond with my daughter.  She is my youngest child and loves to craft as much as I do.  Whenever I get my supplies out to make a project she sets up her stuff right next to me.  She loves what she does and I really think it helps with her self esteem.

I also need to take some cues from this article on How To Lead a Balanced life.  Besides articles that you can spend a lot of time reading and enjoying they also have a lot of Groups you can join in a variety of categories.  Family Share also has a Question & Answers page if you have a specific question for something you need help on.

Family Share also has a place called Show Love where you can send a free e-card to anyone.  I love some of the Mother's Day designs - this one is one of my favorites

Image from Family Share

If you have some spare time today you should check out Family Share!

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day today and be sure to take some time for yourself today to relax, read and eat a bit of Chocolate!!

Disclosure:  I received compensation from Family Share for this review but all opinions are 100% mine.

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Chocolate Dipped Strawberries in less then 5 minutes!

We have chocolate dipped strawberries at our home all of the time - why?  Because they are so simple and easy to make!!  I was surprised when several of my friends said they did not realize how easy they were to make.  So I figured if some of my friends in real life didn't know how easy they were then I am positive some of my cyber friends needed to find out as well.  Hence this super simple, yet super yummy blog post.

All you really need are two ingredients.  Strawberries and chocolate.  I always have leftover chocolate chips from baking and I don't let the kids gobble them all up.  Then when I have a spare 5 minutes I make up some chocolate dipped strawberries.

First wash your strawberries really good.  Then you need to dry them really good.  I just use paper towels to dry my strawberries.  Water can seize up the chocolate so you really need to dry off the strawberries well.  

Next put your chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds and stir.  Repeat until melted.  For me this only took 1 minute total.

Put some wax paper or parchment paper on a plate and then dip your strawberries into the melted chocolate.  Just swirl it around until 3/4 of the berry is covered in chocolate and then place on your plate.

Now you just have to wait for the chocolate to harden. However I have been known to eat a chocolate covered strawberry while the chocolate was still melted - yum!!  You can let it sit on the counter to harden or put in the fridge or freezer to hurry up the process - just depends on how quick you want to eat your strawberries.

Please note that if you do let them harden in the fridge or freezer the chocolate may gray a bit or not be as shiny because the process was hurried.  So if I am making this for friends I will let it go the slow method.  But if it is for me and my family I do it quickly - I mean seriously if I leave them to harden on the counter they slowly disappear. :)

Do you love chocolate covered strawberries??

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Magnetic Dry Eraser Board from DecoBoards Unlimited - Great Mother's Day Gift!

Last week I was able to host a huge giveaway for items I would love to have in my kitchen.  A Magnetic Dry Eraser Board from DecoBoards Unlimited was one of the fabulous prizes.  I was thrilled when I found out the DecoBoards was going to send me one to try out and I have to say that I love it!  I am currently refinishing my Kitchen .  Once my Kitchen is done my magnetic dry eraser board will go in there.  For now I have it in my bedroom.  I am using it as a To Do list for now and I like being able to wake up and see what is on the schedule for the day.  I was having a horrible glare when I tried to take a direct camera shot so I got a shot at an angle.  I absolutely love how this looks in my bedroom!



I was so excited to open my package when I received it!  My dry eraser board was nicely packaged and the board was much, much nicer than I expected.

The boards come in so many options.  There are a ton of different frames you can choose from and a ton of different backgrounds to choose from. You can even upload your own image to use as the background - awesome right?  I really liked the pattern of this background so it is what I went with.

Here is a close up of the frame.  I was really impressed with the quality.

I also love that it is magnetic and I can add important reminders/invitations to my board.

The board I ordered is 18x24 and is a really nice size.  When I move it my kitchen I am going to turn it into a calender/menu. I had Carson stand by the board to give you an idea of how big it is.

I do have to admit that there was a moment that I was freaked out.  I let the kids draw on the board for a bit  to test out how well the board erases.  When I went to wipe off the dry eraser marker it only partially came off.  So I was a bit concerned.  I then turned the dry eraser board over and there was a message on the back that said if the dry eraser marker did not wipe off with a cloth that it would come of with rubbing alcohol.  I tried the rubbing alcohol and it came off perfectly - looks good as new!

Do you know what is one week away?  Yup, Mother's Day - and do you know what would be the perfect gift? Yup - A Magnetic Dry Eraser Board from DecoBoards Unlimited.  I have a promo code for my readers so you can get 10% off and free shipping - awesome, right?  The code is SR2013 and the code is good through May 31,2013.

For more info check out DecoBoards Unlimited on their website, facebook, twitter and pinterest. 

Disclaimer: I received a magnetic dry eraser board from DecoBoards Unlimited to review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

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