Saturday, November 5, 2011

Shop Hop Saturday--On The Right Track

As you recall, here are my goals:
1.  Build a new squidoo lens each week as well as update at least 2 others.
2.  Post at least 3 things a week to redgage.
3.  Post 2 things a week into my etsy store and continue to move other things to my zibbet store.
4.  Keep up with the reviews and regular postings to my blog.
5.  Sew at least a little bit each day. (this goes with accomplishing goal 3)


I made goal #1 building a new lens and updating at least 2 others.
I did nothing with redgage---thought about it, never got around to it.
I just posted my 2 new things on etsy to make that goal for the week.  Actually 3 things since I have 2 of the fabric bags.
I kept up pretty well with my reviews and regular posting to my blog.  I still have several book reviews that need to be written though.
I didn't sew every day of the week, but pretty close!  I was able to finish the fabric bags as well as the quilt.  I'm working now on getting 2 more quilts started.  I have 2 more fabric bags to sew.  I have a baby size quilt and pillow set in mind.
I also listed 6 more books over on half.com.

Don't forget about the Christmas Celebration coming up!  Early bird entry ends Tuesday Nov. 8 if you are interested in presenting as a vendor.  You can sign up through Nov. 22 as well for the full price.  I have to get in and get my times set.
Christmas Holiday Celebration
I'm happy with what I accomplished this past week  :)
Please click the button and follow along with us each week.
 Shop Hop Saturday with abitosunshine

Friday, November 4, 2011

Groove Kid Nation Music in Motion CD Review




Product Description
Music in Motion continues off of the success of the critically acclaimed first release, The Wheels on the Bus. This time around, Lee and his team of top L.A. musicians recorded an album designed to get children moving to the beat while simultaneously learning about musical concepts and instruments.

Through groovy soul tracks, this mostly original set draws kids into the action with specific instructions on what to do from funny dances, to playing air guitar, to responding to musical cues, to simply nodding their heads to the beat.

An entirely new band of feline characters known as the Kool Katz guide the fun, and the enclosed 10-page booklet features colorful illustrations of each Kool Kat playing their own instrument.

Ten percent of the wholesale price of Music In Motion will be donated to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting poverty.
My review:
We had so much fun with this CD!  We've listened to it 10+ times.  Each time the kids are singing and dancing.  This CD may be directed for toddlers but all 5 grandchildren who live in my house have had a good time with the music.  Their ages are 2, 4, 6, 7, and 10.
Familiar tunes on some songs with different words.  Familiar words set to music in other tunes.
The little ones loved the pictures in the 12 page illustrated booklet included with the CD.
These Kids Songs are definitely approved in our family.
I caught my 2 year old grandson dancing to the music.  He noticed me with my camera and then started to get a little wild  LOL
More info on Groove Kid Nation:
Visit their official website here.  You can listen to the songs and order your own copy(ies).  You will also learn more about the producers and musicians.
"Like" Groove Kid Nation on facebook.  


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

TGIFF--Another Quilt Down!




I made my goal!  I finished another quilt today.  It took me all day, but I did it!
I have 2 more quilts planned to make.  No, neither will be done by next Friday---in fact, I will be lucky to have the material ironed and cut for them.

On another note--as long as it's not cancelled, we have sewing club at church next Tuesday.  Chances are that one of the quilt tops that I completed, will be completed into a quilt by the other lady's at club.

I am not a master quilter, nor will I ever be....in fact, only one quilt I've ever made came off without a hitch.  On this one, as I was ironing the top, I found a small rip (or cut if my grandson is guilty) in a strip piece.  It was in such a place that I couldn't fix it with my machine so I hand stitched it together.  Then, the blanket wasn't quite big enough to go from side to side.....then, when I went to take the photo and folded the corner over, I had sewn in a pin!  It was a pin with a small ball top.  We got the pin part out but the little ball is in the edging.
Despite flaws, it's being listed for sale in my etsy shop.

 

Frugal Friday Link Up--5 Uses for Coffee

We've made it to Friday again.  I don't have any posts to put in this week's linky of my own.  I never got around to my weekly mail call post even!
One thing that I am doing right now is tearing up newspapers to use in the litter box.  We had to do this when we had Rev declawed and it actually worked well.  It's just one thing I am doing in order to spend less money.  I have some things I am atempting to save up to buy.

This week's list from the 99 Cent Solutions book is 5 uses for coffee:

1.  Freshen a fridge.  If something is soured in your fridge or freezer, first clean it out, then fill a wide shallow bowl with fresh coffee grounds.  Leave these in overnight.  The strong coffee scent will permeate the space, getting rid of any hint of something gone wrong.

2.  Feed your plants.  Used coffee grounds are full of nitrogen.  Coffee is especially good for acid loving plants like camellias, evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas, and rosebushes.  (Coffee shops like Starbucks bag up their used coffee grounds, free for the taking)

3.  Grow longer stronger carrots.  Carrot seeds are tine to sow, and the beds require a great deal of cultivation so the soil is loose enough for the carrots to shoot downward as they grow.  Work leftover coffee grounds into the soil as you prepare the plot.  Mix the seeds with damp grounds just before sowing them.  The scent will help repel pests, and the added bulk of the grounds help space out the tine plants.  The extra hit of nitrogen as the seeds sprout will give you a bumper crop.  

4.  Tamp down the ashed.  Sprinkle the ashes in your fireplace liberally with moist coffee grounds and then sweep away.  The dampness and weight of the grounds will prevent clouds of dust from dancing around your living room while you clean.

5.  That takes the bait.  Don't forget to bring those coffee grounds with you on that early morning fishing trip.  Stir the grounds into the soil in your bait container.  Worms love coffee grounds and will stay alive and lively all day.






Thursday, November 3, 2011

Enter the November Giveaway at jenkins jellies

jenkins jellies, committed to producing delicious jellies made with organic ingredients, is hosting a November giveaway for its gourmet and handcrafted Hell Fire Pepper Jelly.
Just post, “I’m Addicted!” on their Wall and you’ll automatically be entered to win. They will be giving away one free jar a week for the month of November.
prod-pic-medweb.gif
A unique marriage of fresh pepper heat and jelly sweet, the Hell Fire Pepper Jelly is made with organic ingredients and contains no preservatives, artificial flavors, food coloring or high fructose corn syrup. Delicious paired with a variety of cheeses; used as a marinade or glaze for steak, chicken, salmon, or pork; smothered atop burgers, hot dogs or meatloaf; or used to spice up a turkey or peanut butter sandwich, the product has already received celebrity recognition from Chef Mario Batali, actor Ed Begley, Jr. and actress/cousin Gwyneth Paltrow. Hell Fire Pepper Jelly, which is also vegan and naturally gluten free, can now be purchased at select Dean & DeLuca locations across the country or online at www.jenkinsjellies.com for an SRP of $12 per 11.9 oz jar. A percentage of jenkins jellies’ profits go to the Bruce Paltrow Oral Cancer Fund and Green Wish.

Squidoo Hopping--What Are Outlinks?

Good Thursday to all----my first question--what are outlinks?  How do you see what outlinks are on a lens?
I have one of my lenses marked for:
Spam content see less
We're no puritans, but there are certain words and word patterns that often indicate a type of lens content or topic that we can't support on Squidoo. Our system has found a few of these topic or word patterns on this lens. Read a brief set of guidelines about SquidDon't topics: http://www.squidoo.com/squiddont.

P.S. It's possible your lens is in good standing, yet one of your readers has posted spam content in a Guestbook or Duel module. Try reviewing the comments published on this lens. If you find spam there, chances are good that's why your lens is flagged.
Exceeds the outbound link limit see less



Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Crazy for CAKE POPS Review and Giveaway

Crazy for CAKE POPS by Molly Bakes (as she is known in the kitchen)
ISBN 978-1-61243-0447
Published by Ulysses Press

Just out October 2011, this craft cookbook is packed with 50 cake-on-a-stick designs and 70 stunning color photos.

  A few of the fun examples are:
Birthday party clowns
Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns (see these below)
Holiday bauble balls
Valentine's Day sweetheart pops
Game night poker chips and dice
Monkey pops
Rattle pops and
Snowmen pops



Included in the front of the Crazy for CAKE POPS is the Introduction, equipment needed, 6 cake recipes along with frosting recipes. (such as the Toffee cake recipe below) Basic instructions are included.  Next up is step-by-step instructions with photos to make the 50 designs. 

Toffee Cake
Give your cake pops a traditional English twist with this mouthwatering toffee cake and creamy
toffee frosting.
Makes enough for approx. 20 medium cake balls
200 grams (1⅔ cups) self-rising flour, plus more for the tin
1 teaspoon baking powder
150 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
150 grams (½ cup) light muscovado sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
160 milliliters (⅔ cup) milk
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch (25-centimeter) round
cake tin or an 8-inch (20-centimeter) square cake tin.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing
well between each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add half the dry ingredients and then
half the milk. Add the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the milk, and mix until
combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes and
then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.


Toffee Frosting
60 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
60 grams (3½ tablespoons) dulce de leche
200 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
Cream the butter and dulce de leche together until well combined. Gradually add the powdered
sugar and mix until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.


My review:
Before receiving Crazy for CAKE POPS, I hadn't even heard of cake pops.  I was excited when I got the book and started looking through it.  Right away I knew with Halloween coming up that we wanted to try making the pumpkins.
Here is a photo taken from the book along with the instructions for making them:
Halloween Pumpkin pops
I love Halloween because it means I get to carve a pumpkin. Make these pumpkin pops in
seasonal toffee flavor (see the Toffee Cake recipe on page 29).
Makes 20 pops
Ingredients
20 medium cake balls, chilled
1 (14-ounce) bag orange candy melts
2 tablespoons green candy melts
1 bottle white cocoa butter
1 tube black edible dusting powder
Equipment
Thin paintbrush
Artist’s palette
Disposable piping bag
Melt the orange candy. Dip the end of each lollipop stick ¾ inch deep into the candy and insert a
stick into each cake ball. Leave to set. Dip each cake ball fully into the candy and shake off the
excess. Place on a sheet of parchment paper with the sticks facing up. Leave to set.
Melt the green candy, then pour into the piping bag and cut a small piece off the tip of the bag.
Pipe a green stalk on each cake pop around the stick. Leave to set.
Melt the cocoa butter and tint 1 teaspoonful black with the dusting powder. With the paintbrush,
paint black triangles for the eyes and nose, then paint a thick zig-zag line for the mouth.
Place the pops back on the parchment paper and leave in the fridge for 10
minutes until the cocoa butter has set.

My daughter and I had a great time making the pumpkins.  We learned---#1 read the instructions first.  We had trouble with the candy melts as neither of us had used them before.  My other mistake was getting carried away with the frosting.  I just had to put that last large spoonful of frosting in with the cake, which made it too moist. (Don't worry, we plan on making more of these in the future and can only get better at it!)

Here are the pictures of ours.  Let's start with the cake and frosting mixed and ready to be refrigerated.  Then we move on to the balls ready to be chilled.  Finally to the pumpkins.  I didn't have what was needed to make the faces.  I tried using the candy melts with a paint brush and didn't like how it looked.  We decided to leave them plain.  We've share the pops with family and friends.  We even passed one out to everyone at Bible study.  They are yummy!








There are several designs in the book we want to give a try like the Sweetheart Pops and the Marble Pops.   My middle daughter would love the Zombie Pops!
 

Now on to the fun!  Ulysses Press and Beth Cook Publicity is allowing one of my lucky blog readers to receive their own copy of Crazy for CAKE POPS.

Disclaimer:  I was sent a copy of the cookbook for the purpose of this review by Ulysses Press and press contact Beth Cook.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own. 



WIP Wednesday 11/2/11--November Already!

November already, which means Christmas is right around the corner.  I'm not sure I will really get much made for gifts.  I want to, maybe need to, but at the same time I want more items up for sale to help me earn money.

Speaking of up for sale.  I did complete 2 fabric bags this past week that will be listed in my etsy store.  I also finish the quilt for my grandsons birthday gift as well.  You can find my blog post about it if you are interested. 

Finished it Friday--Quilt for My Grandson's Birthday

I didn't get any more work done on the rug I started....no more work done on the quilt top for church.

However, I did work some on my quilt top. I put the edging on.  Now I have to figure out what I'm doing for the back.  I'm in hopes of finishing it by Friday.

  Sewing club at church is next Tuesday, so as long as it doesn't get cancelled there will be progress on other quilts I am working on.

I am linking up with the following blogs:


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

 


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Homeschool Journal--Good Week

Alas, I have no photos to show this week.  I've got to get myself together on those.

We had a good week.  We pushed to make sure we had good days.  All subjects were covered.
In math I brought back out the overview book.  I had been using this in the past as a way to keep some concepts fresh in her mind with a few problems on the dry erase board each day.  It's a great addition to the day, especially those busy days since she can work on the board on her own time.

We are still reading the books about Greece.  I plan on starting a squidoo lens tomorrow sharing some of what we are learning and the books we are reading.
The Introduction to Business is proving to be very interesting.  She had to ask me though, "Why does this book have so much math in it?"  Silly girl--business and math go together.  I'm glad I happened across the book in my books for sale!

I'm glad that she is taking the time on her own for physical activity.  She is making a point on her own to get out and walk, ride the bike, etc for a set amount of time each day.

We are heading out the door right now for our weekly Bible study class at church.

I am linking up with:
 Hip Homeschool Hop Button

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Andi Starr's The World Will Follow Album Review and Giveaway

Starr’s sixth album, the much anticipated “The World Will Follow,” is her most electrifying to date. Starr’s trademark beautiful haunting vocals, poetic lyrics, flat-picking guitar playing and moving piano pieces are backed by the electric and lap steel guitar work of seasoned player/producer Jesse Seibenberg (of Supertramp) and by the synth guitars of engineer/producer Jordan Richter (Sixpence None the Richer, Jars of Clay). For several months, the first single, “Little Bird,” sat at the top of the ReverbNation charts for California.

Over a decade and six albums later, the resulting music reflects not only the ambiance and dynamics of her classical upbringing but has garnered comparisons to The Cranberries, Joni Mitchell, and Tori Amos. As a traveler of the inner world, Starr’s particular gift is in turning difficult subject matter into heartfelt, sometimes haunting, and always beautiful compositions. Culturespill Magazine states: “Andi Starr hits the right notes: the notes that hurt, the notes that know you, the notes that make you meet yourself.”

Album Tracks:
The World Will Follow


Little Bird



Already Gold 

 

A Song that Never Dies


 

Delilah's Response


el amore (Song for Sylvia)


Fake Plastic Trees


Ticket Taker


Happy Ballad


The World Will Follow (acoustic version)


Water Rising
 

When I first listened to this album my first thought was this would be good music to sit and relax to at home--alone or with company.  To me, the songs are ballads.


Enjoy this video of Already Gold:


I enjoyed listening to the album again and again.



Enter below for your chance to win a copy of The World Will Follow by Andi Starr.

Disclaimer:  I was sent the downloadable album courtesy of LaFamos for the purpose of this review.  LaFamos has graciously offered to send a hard copy of the album to one lucky reader of my blog.




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