Archives for 2009

Blog Hoppin’ Tuesday

July 13, 2009 17 Comments

I’ve decided to participate in the Mcklinky blog hop. I’ve seen a few blogs that I visit participating, and I thought it would be fun to try it out. If I enjoy it, I may even make it a permanant weekly feature here.

For this week’s blog hop, the theme is “3 Things You Didn’t Know About Me.” Here are my 3:

1. I started making my own beaded jewelry a few months ago, and I plan on opening my own Etsy shop in the next few weeks. (More details to come soon…)

2. I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter book series and the movies. (Can’t wait to see The Half-Blood Prince!)

3. I love collecting things! Some of the things I collect are mice figurines/ornaments, Hallmark ornaments, dolls, bears/animals (especially Beanie Babies), and antiques. I also have a China cabinet filled with figurines and other little treasures that I’ve collected over the years.

-Jerri

Filed Under: About Me, Blog Hoppin' Tuesday

Millie’s Place

July 13, 2009 2 Comments

I’ve found another wonderful etsy shop to visit. It’s called Millie’s Place, and it’s your place for all things baked and sewed!

Donna of Millie’s Place sells a yummy assortment of baked goods that are made fresh when you order them. And you’ll definitely be hungry after you see what she has to offer! You’ll find brownies, oatmeal raisin cookies, lemon glazed shortbread cookies, jumbo chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, and even low-fat chocolate chip cookies. And how would like to try some ginger bars or ginger whoopie pies like the ones pictured here? Yum!

And if you’ve got a massive sweet tooth, you can try some homemade fudge. Millie’s Place offers chocolate fudge and peanut butter fudge with or without walnuts. And if you like coconut as much as my husband does, you’ll definitely want to try some chocolate covered macaroons.

But Millie’s Place isn’t just a shop for baked goods. It also features some lovely items that Donna sews. You’ll find handmade dresses and adorable preemie sized clothes, such as the 3-piece set pictured below. There’s also a Kitty Appliqued Bib and Kitty Doll that would make a great gift.

You’ll also find some cute items for your kitchen like vintage tablecloth napkins and vintage tablecloth grocery bag holders, and much more!

The baked items at Millie’s Place are baked fresh when you order them and are carefully packaged and shipped Priority Mail to ensure that you receive them in 1-3 days.

Go visit Millie’s Place today!

http://milliesplace.etsy.com/

-Jerri

Filed Under: desserts, shopping, Sponsors

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

July 12, 2009 18 Comments

I’ve never really been into pizzas that you make yourself. I remember getting frozen pizzas when I was a kid, and sometimes we’d also buy the pizzas that are refrigerated and just need to be baked. They’re usually found in or around the store’s deli. But I always loved restaurant pizzas much better.

Now we usually order take out when we want pizza, or we go to the Cici’s Buffet, and sometimes we get “take and bake” pizzas from Papa Murphy’s. (Their 5 meat stuffed is awesome!)

But occasionally I will make a pizza at home. Red Baron’s are really good, and sometimes I’ll throw my own combination together. For an example, today I’m sharing the barbecue chicken pizza that I made recently.

Recipe for Barbecue Chicken Pizza:

Ingredients:
1 Pizza crust (homemade or refrigerated)
1 bottle barbecue sauce
1 bag cheddar cheese (or other cheese combination)
1 lb chicken (2-4 chicken breasts)
bacon (as many pieces as you desire) or bacon bits
1 onion, diced (optional)

Directions: First cook your chicken. I just boiled mine on the stove, but you can however you prefer. I like to boil it, because this makes it nice and tender; the crock pot would also work well. You can also bake or grill it, but I’d recommend brushing the chicken with some sauce beforehand, to ensure that it’s not to dry. After your chicken is cooked, chop or shred it.

Next preheat the oven. The directions on the crust I used called for 400 degrees. Next prepare crust. If using a refrigerated crust, unroll the crust onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet. (I actually used an 11X7 casserole dish for mine). For a large pizza, you could use 2 crusts and put them together. Next pour the barbecue sauce on the crust; use as much as you desire, and spread it with a spoon, spatula, or brush. Next sprinkle your onion, if using. Then sprinkle on your chicken, bacon, and top with plenty of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, use whatever baking instructions you have for the crust recipe you are using.

(before baking)

(after baking)

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.
Friday Feasts is hosted by Momtrends.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Hooked on Fridays is hosted by Hooked on Houses

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Uprinting Custom Sticker Giveaway

July 9, 2009 21 Comments

I’m happy to announce the start of a new giveaway sponsored by our friends at Uprinting.

Uprinting is an online printing company that provides high quality prints for a number of different items including brochures, company letterhead and business cards, vinyl banners, window clings, menus, greeting cards, catalogs, and more!

The company also provides sticker printing. Stickers are a great tool for bloggers and business owners. You can use them to advertise and hand out to customers like business cards. Or you can use them to label your products or spruce up your product’s packaging.

They can also be used in your personal life. You could use them to label your bakeware or label your child’s school supplies. Or you can create address labels or letter seals for the back of your envelopes.

Uprinting is offering 250 custom stickers to one Simply Sweet Home reader. You can choose a design from the Uprinting website, or you can upload your own design.

For my own custom sticker, I’m using my blog button. I think a sticker like this would be great for promoting my blog. Don’t you?

This Giveaway is now closed.

Other Rules, Restrictions, and Additional Entries:

-This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents ONLY.

-The winner of the giveaway is required to pay shipping for the prizes.

-Don’t forget, if you don’t have a blog or a profile with a visible email address, please include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you if you win. (Can’t stress this enough!)

-All products will be awarded by coupon code by Friday July 17, 2009.

-For extra entries, you can follow me on blogger and/or twitter and facebook, or subscribe to my mailing list. Just leave additional comments, and please leave a user name or something so that I can verify. Thanks!

-Jerri

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This post is featured on Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

Filed Under: Giveaways, Sponsors

Oh My Gluestick

July 8, 2009 2 Comments

Looking for a shop that sells hair bows, baby shower gifts, and room decor? Look no farther than Oh My Gluestick. This shop is owned by a mother of two named Tommie. Tommie began making hair bows for her daughter, which led her to sell her bows in local shops, and now she is sharing her craftiness with the world on etsy. Her shop features an array of lovely items, and she also makes custom items and gifts to fit your needs.

I was instantly drawn to the monkey stuff in her shop. She has adorable Sock Monkey Ornament/Cake Toppers, a Funky Monkey Stuffed Toy, and very cute monkey die cuts for room decor. She even has sock monkey cupcake toppers, which would be perfect for your child’s birthday or a baby shower!

She also offers adorable party favor gift bags specially customized for your party’s theme and colors, and she makes custom diaper cakes too!

And if you like wall lettering, but can’t find any that matches your child’s room, Oh My Glue Stick is the perfect place for you to look. She has lovely examples of wall lettering in her shop and will be happy to create a customized design for you.

And of course, you’ll find plenty of bows here, as well as pacifier clips, and baby headbands. These are uniquely designed and available in a variety of bright and beautiful colors and themes. They are so adorable, I think you’ll find it almost impossible to buy just one!

I hope you’ll all stop by Oh My Gluestick on etsy today, and also check out the Oh My Gluestick blog!

http://ohmygluestick.etsy.com/

http://ohmygluestick.blogspot.com/

-Jerri

Filed Under: shopping, Sponsors

Best of SSH: Summer Fun Edition

July 7, 2009 1 Comment

Party Ideas:

Party Themes, Decorations, & Supplies

Lighting for Your Backyard Parties

Fun Outdoor Party Games & Activities for the Kids

Tips & Must Haves for the Perfect Summer Party,Part 1

Tips & Must Haves for the Perfect Summer Party, Part 2

Vacations & Activities:
Find Fun Right Around the Corner and Save (On Money & Gas)

Tips & Strategies for Vacation Savings, Part 1

Tips & Strategies for Vacation Savings,Part 2

Summer Safety:
Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke

Remedies for Insect Bites/Stings

Sun Burn Remedies

-Jerri

Filed Under: Best Posts, summer

S’more Sundaes

July 5, 2009 19 Comments

I love s’mores. Occasionally I make them in the microwave, but let’s face it, if you want to make authentic smores, you gotta have a campfire. Unfortunately I live in an area that’s not only extremely hot, but also extremely humid. The last thing anyone wants to do around here in the middle of July is sit by a campfire. In fact, to steal a joke from a cartoon we watched the other day, “it’s so hot, you have to build a fire to cool off!” (sorry…I couldn’t resist!)Anyway, so I came up with a great alternative to the orginal s’more: S’more Sundaes! I’ll also be posting this for the July edition of Sweet Thursday in a couple of weeks.

Recipe for S’more Sundaes:

Ingredients

Vanilla ice cream (or your favorite flavor)

Graham Crackers

Hershey Bars or milk chocolate chips

Marshmallows

Chocolate syrup or hot fudge (optional)

Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions:

To make one sundae, I used 3-4 scoops of ice cream, 10-15 marshmallows, 1/2 hershey bar (chopped), 1 or 2 graham crackers (crushed), and then I topped it with Hershey’s chocolate.

You, of course, can use the ingredient ratio of your choice.

Suggestions:

-Place all your ingredients in a blender for s’more blizzard, or add a little milk to make s’more milkshakes.

-For more “s’more-like” quality, try heating your marshmallows and chocolate for a few seconds in the microwave, till their hot and a little melty.

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.

Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.

Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….

Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.

Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.

Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.

Friday Feasts is hosted by Momtrends.

Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family

Hooked on Fridays is hosted by Hooked on Houses

Filed Under: desserts

Best of SSH: Summer Food Edition

July 1, 2009 8 Comments

Just in time for the 4th of July, here is a special Summer Food Edition of Best of SSH, complete with an appetizer, some stuff for the grill, and plenty of yummy desserts!

I’m also going to be posting a Summer Fun edition which will include some posts on Summer Party Ideas, Activities, Vacation Stuff, and some Summer Safety Posts.

I’m doing two separate posts, because I was going through last summer’s posts, and there were just too many links for one post. Plus, I have a lot more readers now than I did last year when I wrote these posts, and I want to give more people the opportunity to see them. Hope you enjoy!

Burgers on the Grill

Yummy Kabob Recipes for the Summer

Bacon Chive Potato Salad

Red, White, and Blue Shortcake

Pina Colada Plus

Strawberry Pie

Crab Appetizer Napoleons

-Jerri

Filed Under: Best Posts, recipes, summer

Bridal Shower Encore Presentation

June 30, 2009 Leave a Comment

In case you missed any of my special bridal shower posts, here is a special encore presentation; that is, a list of of links to all of the bridal shower posts. Hope you enjoyed the festivities and got plenty of inspiration for your future showers and parties. Thank you for “attending.” And thanks to everyone who allowed me to include their photos in this event!

Bridal Shower Links & Resources – Games, Decorations, Party Favors. All the information and supplies you’ll need to plan the perfect wedding or party.

Lovely Wedding and Bridal Shower Invitations – A great assortment of handmade wedding and shower invitations. You can order a design from one of my featured artists, or use their designs to get inspired.

Mexican Wedding Cookies – Great wedding or party treat.

Happy Couple Collage Project – My idea for a handmade wedding/shower present; would also make a great decoration for the wedding or an engagement party/shower.

Inspired Shower Tables – A collection of decorated shower tables. Great ideas that can be incorporated into any type of party.

Bridal Apron – Perfect and personal wedding gift. A handmade apron from Happy Find. Go check out this lovely design, and find out how to order your own custom design.

Bridal Giveaways & Freebies – A couple of bridal giveaways and a freebie for you.

Wedding & Shower Cupcakes – A beautiful assortment of wedding and shower cupcakes. A must-see post for our cupcake lovers!

Parade of Wedding Cakes – The best part of any wedding: the cake! Here’s a brilliant collection of wedding cakes. They’re almost too beautiful to eat!

-Jerri

Filed Under: Best Posts, party ideas

Parade of Wedding Cakes

June 29, 2009 4 Comments

To conclude our series of wedding and shower posts, we have a collection of wedding cakes. I’ve included my own wedding cake here, along with some from other bloggers and website owners. I am absolutely amazed at the variety of cakes that I’ve seen. I hope you like them too!

My Wedding Cake