Archive for html404

Paula Deen’s Nationwide Cooking Contest – ‘The Real Women of Philadelphia’

Posted by html404 on June 29, 2010
in Contests, Food and Treats

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Paula Deen’s nationwide cooking contest ‘The Real Women of Philadelphia’, comes to a close this week with the final LIVE EVENT in Savannah, GA. Be sure to watch the grand finale LIVE on June 30, 2010 at 8 PM EDT at http://www.PaulaDeen.com/RWOPLive

Updates from the event by Jen Peer, the “voice” of RWOP, can be found on the main blog at http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/

Food Network Star Helps Other Cooks Hone their Culinary Talents

Whether it’s that crowd-pleasing appetizer or your family’s favorite casserole, every great recipe has a go-to ingredient that provides a special touch and creates an inspired flavor. That’s why Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Food Network star Paula Deen have teamed up to host the Real Women of Philadelphia community and casting competition on www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen. Home cooks across the country are invited to share how they bring everyday dishes to life with Philly for a chance to win $25,000 and be named one of the Real Women of Philadelphia.

On March 22, cooks began visiting www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen to join the Real Women of Philadelphia community and on March 29 they started submitting video auditions showcasing how they use Philly in their favorite dishes – whether it’s their secret ingredient for smooth mashed potatoes or the perfect creamy pasta sauce. Paula has joined the fun too and has posted weekly videos sharing how she prepares her favorite recipes, along with her down-home ideas, tips and tricks.

“I love to take a traditional meal and give it my own twist by adding a new and unexpected ingredient like Philly,” said Paula Deen. “Since I got my start through hard work and determination, I jumped at the chance to give talented home cooks the opportunity to shine through the Real Women of Philadelphia community.”

Based on their videos, 16 lucky finalists have been invited to a live cook-off with Paula in Savannah, Georgia. Each contestant’s recipe will be judged by Paula and her friends and four lucky ladies will be named the Real Women of Philadelphia – winning $25,000 and the opportunity to host their own weekly online cooking show on www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen. In addition, these four women will get the chance to contribute to a cookbook highlighting the community’s favorite cream cheese recipes.

Visit www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen to find the complete details about the Real Women of Philadelphia casting call and share recipes and tips with other real-life cooks.

About Kraft Foods

The combination of Kraft Foods and Cadbury creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals. With annual revenues of approximately $50 billion, the combined company is the world’s second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in more than 160 countries. The combined company’s portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gums; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Another 70+ brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.


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Wordless Wednesday – Cat in the Hat? No…..

Posted by html404 on June 16, 2010
in Blog Stuff, Family Stuff, Wordless Wednesday

MayJune 2010 081


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Lamont Garden Glove Review

Posted by html404 on June 15, 2010
in Gardening

I had to get new garden gloves this year since the ones that I bought last year my husband actually used and they eventually ripped and one is lost. They were Lamont, but not the Grips® Premium Grain Goatskin Gloves that I just bought.

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What I really like about these gloves is that they are a snug fit and I can actually work with small weeds and planting without feeling the urge to haul them off and work without them! I have only been using them for about a month, but so far they are holding up well. We’ll see how they do over the long haul. If they wear out because of our extensive gardening this summer then I have my eye on another brand that I have wanted to try since late last summer, but even pricier than the Premium Goatskin gloves.

Here are the “specs” from Lamont’s website:

Grips® Premium Grain Goatskin
Precurved to fit the hand naturally
Slimfit™ design for comfort and excellent dexterity
Spandex back adds stretch in just the right places
Feeltite™ loop and pile closure for a snug and comfortable fit
Colors: Dragonfly, Oasis, Sugarberry
Available in size Medium.

I bought my gloves for about $11.99 at Farm and Fleet, but Lamont has a place where you can put in your zip code to find a store near you that carries them, if you are interested.


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Out of the Spin Cycle Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on June 14, 2010
in Books

I received the following book in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.

Out Of The Spin Cycle

Out of the Spin Cycle is a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) tested and MOPS-approved book. Author, Jen Hatmaker is also a speaker. This little book she has written is filled with “mom moments” with God – 40 of them to be exact. By that I mean that they are short little chapters that enable a busy mom to spend snippets of time with the Lord.

Jen Hatmaker is very down-to-earth and gets to the heart of mothering in each little snippet she shares. She has been there and done it as a mother. She also shares with great humor her own experiences and for those of us who may be more serious, it definitely helps see the humor in one of the darker moments of our mothering.

I enjoy devotionals like this because it is really easy to grab a couple minutes and read a three page chapter – it only takes three pages or less to get interrupted by one of our children, doesn’t it?

I’ll leave you with a couple of chapter titles to see if they intrigue you enough to want to read the book yourself:

Chapter 1 – I’m Perfect and My Kids Never Fight
Chapter 21 – Egg Salad Sandwich Disorder and Road Rage
Chapter 22 – My Missing Inner Saint
Chapter 24 – SAHM (Sleepy Anxious Hysterical Mama)

There are a few more that I could have added, but I think that is enough of a teaser for now. 😉

“Available June 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”


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The Homecoming Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on June 13, 2010
in Books

I received the following book in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.
The Homecoming Book

This is another book set in the World War II era. It was very good. I think it’s safe to say that it was pretty predictable, but I enjoyed this new (to me anyways) author’s writing style. I even told my husband that he’d like it too. It was a tear jerker, but I must admit to being sappy anyways and it doesn’t take much to get me to cry, especially at this stage of my pregnancy!

I loved how the main character, Shawn Collins, maintained his integrity while touring with a Hollywood crew of starlets as a speaker for a war bond tour. Men and women alike will be able to empathize with Shawn’s division about his duty/responsibility to his job and to the care of his family. Too many of us have to deal with double duty nowadays with having to work but wanting to be there full-time for our families. A modern day curse if you ask me (wry smile).

This was one of those books that I felt comfortable allowing my teenaged daughter read. There really wasn’t anything questionable in it at all. My daughter says that she liked it a lot saying that, “I laughed and I cried through it and I want him to write a sequel to it.”

So there you have it, the Gould Ladies review.

Post the review from June 13-19, 2010

“Available June 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”


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Reviewing My Focus

Posted by html404 on June 12, 2010
in Family Stuff

I can’t believe the week has gone by with me only posting on Friday and then today I managed to get posts ready thru Monday. Thank you God for the rain today! I have had a hard time focusing this past week. I have had so much on my mind that the energy to write other than what I have to write for work.

Gotta love this inner head shot below to show how the wheels churn in our minds and that is what my problem has been – thinking about too much!

Head

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At the beginning of the week, I really wasn’t feeling well at all. This pregnancy has been a roller coaster as far as how I feel from day to day. Very weird. Tiredness, nausea, sciatic nerve acting up which affects my hips and movement (I’ve had this in every pregnancy, it is only exacerbated in this one!)

I have also been very farm focused. Researching about what we are going to do after this summer, reading books about farming – I don’t know many more books I need to get through, plus my normal work load in addition to the garden. Let’s just say that this might be the first summer that we take off from homeschooling in many years. Although, the girls are trying to keep up with their math and I am trying to get our middle son through his reading lessons, but that’s about all we have time for between keeping up the house and garden. We always seem to be on the go. Some work, like their math is easy to do in the van. Other things like hand-writing, no, definitely not!

A great thing that happened this past week is that we were able to give the farmer whose land we are renting/using our first little bundle of harvest. We gave her two different kinds of kale, swiss chard, green onions and a bunch of small radishes. The kale and radishes taste yummy, as the children have brought me a little of each to try. It is neat to see the younger ones reaction to picking the veggies. Our little blondie said, “We grew that?” to the radishes we pulled from the row. It was pretty cute.


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gDiaper Giveaway at Fabulous Family Reviews

Posted by html404 on June 12, 2010
in Eco Friendly Products

gDiapers I discovered a new cloth diaper that I am seriously considering for baby “Angel” (nicknamed by my husband). So after I read about the gDiapers, I googled giveaways and found one giving away a medium size “good earth” gPant. Of course, I entered and this post is worth two entries so that’s why I am posting about it!

Fabulous Family Reviews is hosting a gPant giveaway and even has a gDiaper review posted to share her experience with gDiapers. I have read a few reviews on some sites and most of them are positive. A few had trouble with leakage, but that could be the fit of the diaper or that baby just needed to be changed more often.

So please, if you are interested in biodegradable diapers that can also be used with cloth inserts, visit Fabulous Family Reviews giveaway!


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Not What We Planned

Posted by html404 on June 12, 2010
in Family Stuff

Well, so much for spending a rainy day at home sort of relaxing. We discovered one of our freezers was either left open or the dial turned down and everything in it is mush. 🙁 Looks like today we’ll be cooking up a storm since that was our meat freezer. We might be eating like kings for a few days as well too. Our boys will like that. We are just very disappointed.

I had another post started for today, it will have to wait as I get an assembly line of cooks organized and start our cooking and baking spree….yippee!


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Contest Corner’s Set of 4 Conserve Cleaners Giveaway

Posted by html404 on June 11, 2010
in Eco Friendly Products, Giveaways

If you are looking for a planet-friendly cleaning product, Contest Corner is offering a giveaway of 4 Conserve Cleaners and there will be three winners!

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About Conserve Cleaners

Conserve cleaners are simple: we’ve left out what isn’t necessary – water. Each box contains one concentrated cleaning tab. Simply drop the tab in to a spray bottle (by reusing an existing bottle or buying one), add water and start cleaning.

Each tab makes 32 oz. of cleaner and dissolves completely in 5-7 minutes.

By purchasing our planet-friendly cleaning tabs, it shows you are committed to your family living in a sustainable, healthy world.


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Book Review of How Lil’ Eddie Learns to Read

Posted by html404 on June 6, 2010
in Books

I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you will already know that I do tend to do a lot of book reviews. We love reading and we love books, so it is really hard to pass over a book review, unless it is a topic we truly are not interested in. I believe reading is the key to all learning. After doing a little online research, I found that even though we live in a fully developed nation, our literacy rate leaves much to be desired. Some websites said 99%, 97% and one article even suggested that 14% of adults could be classified as illiterate because of their reading ability and comprehension levels. That should disturb us, really.

Most loving parents are involved in the education of their children. The author of How Lil’ Eddie Learns to Read, Rima H. Corral, is one of the first authors that I have come across that includes plenty of suggestions and ideas for how parents can actively participate in teaching our children how to read. I’ve taught three of mine to read already and have three more who are beginning to read, so what she told me really wasn’t new. I have attended many homeschooling conventions and have already researched how to best teach my children. However, Ms. Corral has provided an easy to use children’s book to help parents on their way to interact as a teacher/parent. All parents are teachers whether you consider yourself one or not. We are the first people to influence our children’s lives. They learn to eat, talk and walk from our involvement and daily interactions with them when they are little.

How Lil’ Eddie Learns to Read is a fun story of how a little boy turned three and from that point on his mother and family started to prepare him for school, especially in the area of reading, numbers and colors. Every parent of a preschooler can benefit from this book, especially those not sure how to go about teaching their child or preparing him for school. I’d highly recommend it as a resource and teaching tool.

My children and I have really enjoyed reading How Lil’ Eddie Learns to Read. To purchase this book, please visit any major book retailer’s website. Our hardcover copy retails for $18.95.


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