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Chocolate Shake with a Healthy Twist

April 19, 2010 13 Comments
Last year I saw a few different blogs posting green shakes—all of which were fruit flavored shakes.  So I decided to be a little different and make a chocolate flavored one!  (The look on hubby’s face while I was making this was priceless!) Although everyone said that you wouldn’t be able to taste the spinach, I was still a little skeptical, but I tried it, and they were right! No spinach taste!
I love these shakes because it gives you a chance to get more vegetables in to your diet without really doing anything extra special.  I must confess, we don’t eat nearly enough vegetables at our house, so every little bit helps!  I definitely recommend this idea to all the parents of kids who don’t want to eat their greens.  This is a great way to sneak veggies and some extra milk into their diet while also giving them a treat they’ll love!
Giveaway Sneakpeak –  Over the weekend we made milkshakes with my new Cuisinart Hand Blender!  Come by later this week to win one of your own! 
Recipe for Green Chocolate Shake:
Ingredients:
2-3 scoops ice cream
8-10 oz. milk
chocolate syrup (I just pour some in.)
spinach leaves (I just threw some in…I’d say 10 leaves)
Directions:  Place milk and spinach leaves in blender. Blend well.  Add ice cream and blend.  Add chocolate syrup, and blend. Makes one shake.
Tips & Suggestions: Add fruit and ice and you’ve got a tasty smoothie.  (I recommend bananas or strawberries!)

–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.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Filed Under: desserts, drinks, Recipe of the Week

A Juicy Deal for You from Tropicana

April 16, 2010 Leave a Comment
As many of you know (if you read my post a few weeks ago), I was selected as one of twenty-one people to become Tropicana Juicy Rewards Insiders through Savvy Auntie.  As insiders it’s our job to let our readers know about the program.

Through the program you earn points off your Tropicana purchases.  To get your reward points all you have to do is purchase specially marked Tropicana Pure Premium and Tropicana Trop50 products and enter the 10 character codes found on the cap or package in to the Juicy Rewards website! It’s that simple! So if you’re not a member, go check out the Juicy Rewards program, and start earning!

Something To Get You Started: If you enter the code SAVVY-AUNTI* within 6 hours of registering for Juicy Rewards you’ll get one extra bonus point worth $5 in savings immediately! Excellent! (Please note: there is no ‘E” after AUNTI).

April 16 Deal of the Day – Like going to the movies?  Today the Deal of the Day at Tropicana Juicy Rewards is Buy One Fandango Movie Ticket, Get One Free!  That means you can go to the Tropicana Rewards site, sign up, earn some points, and use them to get a free movie ticket! Awesome!  But you can only get this offer today, so you better hurry!

-Jerri

Full Disclosure:  As a Juicy Rewards Insider, I received a $50 Visa Gift Card and 12 Juicy Rewards points for telling you about the program.

Filed Under: deals and discounts

Friday Favorites – Week 8

April 15, 2010 7 Comments

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Hey everyone! My goodness! This week has gone by super fast!  I hope everyone got their taxes filed and all that great stuff!  And now that that’s over, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s featured posts! Yay!  If you’re featured, be sure to grab my “featured” button for you blog!

There are so many cute items available for baby over at BassWoodStichery. Don’t you just love these baby booties? 

Doesn’t that picture make you hungry?  These Pork Chops with Rosemary-Vinegar Sauce were submitted by Inspired2Cook. Yum!
 
I love these balls!  This week Shannon at Quarry Orchard shared a tutorial on how to make a ditionary ball like the one at the center here.
I love the colors used in this bookshelf makeover. Check out the before and after at The Two Savvy Sisters.
 
I’m totally jealous envious—errr loving this gift wrap closet.  It makes my organizing heart go pitter patter!  Go check out all the fine details (and find out where the wrapping paper is) at Dittle Dattle.
Now let’s see what you’ve been doing this week.  Link up your posts below! Please link up a direct link to your post (not your blog), and please link back to Simply Sweet Home so others can come join the party!
-Jerri

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Announcements: Spring Gift Guide, Giveaway Winners, UBP, and Asking Advice

April 14, 2010 4 Comments
Hello Ladies & Gents! I have a few blog announcements (and some requests) to make today.
Spring Gift Guide – First off, I’ll be launching my Spring Gift Guide in May (exact date to be announced).  The gift guide will be reserved for mostly small retailers (etsy shops, mompreneurs, etc.)  This is one of the things that I do to say thank you to all of my blog sponsors.  Everyone who sponsors my blog gets a feature post written about their shop, and then the gift guide feature is just a little something extra I do to say thanks and to help promote these talented ladies.  So if you’d like to be a part of that, take a look at my PR page for all the details on ad prices and packages.  Also, if you’re interested in sponsoring a giveaway on Simply Sweet Home, I will include you in the gift guide as well.  So send me an email if you are interested in that.
Giveaway Winners:  I have 3 winners to announce:  The winner of the Survival Seed Giveaway is Kerrie.  The winner of the $100 Gift Certificate to Tea Collection is Jennifer of Frugal Front Porch.  And Rebecca of Buttons and Bows is the winner of the DIY Fashion Giveaway.  Join me in congratulating them! Also, I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who entered and anyone who helped promote these giveaways!
UBP 10′ – I also want to take this time to thank everyone who’s come over here from the Ultimate Blog Party and say thanks and welcome to all my new fans and followers.  It’s so great meeting everyone, and I hope to see more of you in the future. 
Also, I have all the commenters from my UBP post saved in my inbox, so if you’ve visited me & commented, and I haven’t been around to your blog yet, I should get around to you in the next few days.  And just because the party’s over, doesn’t mean the blog hopping has to stop!  I, for one, had an incredibly busy weekend and didn’t have time to go to nearly as many blogs as I wanted to (although I did get a chance to visit some great ones! ::wink::).  And then I had a local event to go to which prevented me from going to the twitter party, so when I get an some “free time” I’m going to try and head over to some more blogs from the party!
Request for Blog Advice – Finally I have a small favor to ask. I’ve been thinking of swapping to my own unique domain this year, and I was discussing this with my husband the other day, and he thinks I should try to do that soon.  But I’ll be honest….I’m clueless about this stuff!  I have a few people in mind that I’m probably going to email about this, just to get some general questions answered: which service did you use? how hard was the transition? etc.  And I just figured while I’m posting some announcements here, I may as well throw the question out there to everyone.  So if you’ve gotten your own custom domain, I’d love for you to tell me about your experience (in the comments or by email).  Some issues/problems that I’ve heard of from other people that I want to try and avoid are: losing followers, losing pagerank, losing comments, etc.  So if you can help out, I will greatly appreciate it! And I’ll love you forever!
-Jerri
Filed Under: announcements

Rolled Canvas Giveaway

April 13, 2010 83 Comments

I am always proud to bring you new giveaways from Uprinting and Digital Room.  This month everyone has the chance to win a Rolled Canvas print of a photo of your choice.  Your print will be a 16×20, and your photo will be printed on a thick, high quality artist canvas with a matte finish. Poly-cotton blend makes this canvas ultra durable.
This would be a great chance to get a professional canvas print of your wedding photo, a family photo, or a photo of your children.  Or it would make a fabulous gift for someone.
Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home Reader will win one 16×20 Rolled Canvas with FREE shipping included. Giveaway is for US residents only.
This Giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks!

-Jerri

Full Disclosure: I was not monetarily compensated for this post.  For hosting this giveaway I will recieve a free 16×20 canvas print.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Sponsors

Mama’s Corn Bread

April 11, 2010 7 Comments

I love corn bread!  And I’ve tasted all kinds!  I have 2 recipes that I use regularly. Today’s recipe is the one that I think of as the “classic version.”  This is my mom’s recipe, and it is always a crowd pleaser!
I personally use the white cornmeal.  I’ve had cornbread made with the yellow plenty of times, but my mom uses white, so I use white. (Sorry I can’t think of a better reason than that!)  This recipe also uses buttermilk, which is what I think makes it so good.  I’ve had this cornbread, made with regular milk before, but in my opinion, it’s just not the same without the buttermilk.  And if you make this, you must have some butter on hand, because it is SO good with butter!  Hope you enjoy!
Recipe for Mama’s Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup self-rising corn meal (I use white.)
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoon oil
1 egg
Add buttermilk (I don’t measure, just add enough to get desired consistency.)
Directions: Mix dry ingredients together. Then add oil, egg, and mix. Mix together. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

-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.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Filed Under: breads and sides, Recipe of the Week

Ultimate Blog Party

April 8, 2010 56 Comments
Ultimate Blog Party 2010
It’s time for one of the biggest blog events of the year: The Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom! This is my 3rd year to attend the party, and I can tell you that it is great fun! It’s a great chance find new blogs, to meet new bloggers, and promote your own blog. There’s even a chance to win prizes! (I’d love to win #3, 15, or 35 on US/Canada list….or #32, 36, 9, or 5 on the US list!)

Thanks for hoppin’ by Simply Sweet Home! My name is Jerri, and I try to make every day a party at my blog, sharing food, fun projects, crafts, home decor, household tips, and great giveaways with my guests!

I’ve been married for 3 years to a wonderful guy named Mark.  We don’t have any kids yet, but we have 2 little “cat children” that pretty much run our lives. 

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy my party post!

Before I share my blog with you, would you like a piece of Darn Good Chocolate Cake?  It’s my husband’s birthday this week, and he insists that it’s bad luck if you don’t have a piece!  So please take one…or two!

My Blog Events: I’d love for you to participate in my weekly event “Friday Favorites” or one of my other upcoming events!
Spring Gift Guide 2010 – In May I’ll be highlighting some products and businesses. For a guaranteed spot in my gift guide, become a sponsor of my blog. My prices are very low, and I offer a lot of extras with the ad space!

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Friday Favorites – I host this weekly linky event. Stop by and link up your favorite post of the week from your blog. Each week I’ll feature bloggers who participate!

sweet Thursday

Sweet Thursday – This is my monthly dessert carnival where everyone shares  a dessert that falls under a particular theme. To be featured in my post you can email a submission to me before the event, or you can stop by the day of the event and leave a link on Mcklinky. Next Event – Cupcakes & Muffins on May 27.

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Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash –  Last year Simply Sweet Home and 4 other blogs hosted this week long Christmas linky event.  I’d love for you to come back for the 2nd annual HBCB.

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Current Giveaways:

Ad Space Giveaway – In honor of the UBP, I’m giving away a month of ad space for free. This will be for a 125×125 ad, and since I know everyone does not have a shop, this can be advertising for blogs as well. Everyone who comments on my party post will go into the drawing, which I’ll do some time next week!

$100 Giftcard for Tea Collection – Win a $100 giftcard toward Children’s Clothing from Tea Collection.

$25 ecoStore USA Giveaway – Win a $25 giftcard toward products from ecoStore USA (household cleaning products, health & beauty, and petcare).

DairyMakesSense.com Prize Pack Featuring Cuisinart (upcoming)

Uprinting Rolled Canvas Giveaway (upcoming)

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Connect with Me
-Stay connected with my blog by subscribing to my feedblitz mailing list or becoming a follower.  All followers and subscribers get extra entries in my giveaways and a heads up about special events and giveaways I’m having.
-You can also follow me on twitter @SimplySweetHome or become a fan on Facebook.
-Let me know that you’re following me, and I’ll come follow you too!
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My Etsy Shop

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I also have an etsy shop called Simply Sweet Creations where I sell jewelry and other items.  Check it out here: http://jhrivers.etsy.com/ And my jewelry blog is http://simplysweetcreationsblog.blogspot.com/.
10% off Sale – In honor of the UBP, I’m offering you a coupon code.  The coupon code is “5Minutes” and you can use it through April 13 at my shop to get 10% off your purchase.  To use this, just purchase an item from my shop, but instead of paying for it immediately, send me an email or convo message with the coupon code, and I’ll send you a revised invoice for the item for 10% off!

Thanks so much for partying with me at Simply Sweet Home!

-Jerri
Filed Under: announcements

Friday Favorites – Week 7

April 8, 2010 7 Comments

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Welcome to Friday Favorites where we share our favorite posts of the week! Want to be featured here?  Just link up your post below.  It can be a recipe, a tip, a project, a fun idea….basically anything you want to share! The linky starts each Thursday night around 10:30 and ends the following Tuesday.  And if you miss the linky, feel free to leave a link in the comments section!  Be sure to mention Simply Sweet Home in your post or include my button, so we can have other people come and participate, and please link to your direct post (not your blog), so that we can find the post your sharing.  Thanks!
So many cute ideas this week! I’ve found so many projects that I’d like to try! Keep the posts coming!  And please invite your friends to come by.  The first week I did this event, I invited a few folks over to link up, and since then I’ve been a little busy and haven’t had the time to do anymore invites or visit new blogs, but I hope to have more time soon.  I’d really love for this event to grow and reach more people, so if you’d like to help promote it, I’d really appreciate it!  Also, I’ve decided to start giving out extra giveaway entries on a regular basis if you participate in this event, so that might be worth mentioning to friends.  For instance, this week if you link up, you qualify for an extra entry in my Tea Collection Giveaway.  
I look forward to seeing your posts!  Now let’s see this week’s featured bloggers!
I love this burpy cloth set from Ahmelie
This Fruit Pizza was actually linked up at my Sweet Thursday event, but it looked so great, I had to share it here.  It comes to us from Living Free of Dairy Gluten Sugar.
I’m always very impressed with outfit “makeovers.”  This Easter Peep Outfit came to us from Mackenzie’s Crafty Mom.  Go check out the tutorial!

I love this collage idea!  I’ve actually been wanting to do something similar at our house with some pictures I have.  Yolanda at Monkey See – Monkey Do made this collage as well as another for her daughters.

Another Sweet Thursday blogger!  This Berry Parfait was made by Christy at  …from Glitter to Gumdrops

Okay! Let’s see what everyone’s blogging about this week! Link up below! 
-Jerri

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

ecoStore USA Review/Giveaway

April 7, 2010 73 Comments

I actually haven’t tried a lot of organic products, but the organic lines that appeal to me most are the cleaning and healthcare product lines, so I was very excited when I got the chance to try some products from ecoStore USA.  Ecostore NZ was founded more than 15 years ago in New Zealand.  Their products are plant based and contain “No Nasty Chemicals” (that is, no synthetic petrochemicals, dyes, perfumes, etc.).
Their health & beauty aid product line includes soaps, shampoos, and conditioners for babies, adults, and even pets.  And their Household line includes laundry detergents, dish cleaners, toilet cleaners, and other household cleaning products.
The folks at ecoStore USA let me pick out 2 products for this review.  I chose their Natural Antibacterial Spray Cleaner and their Plant Based Auto Dishwash Powder, and I was pleased with the performance of both products.
I always like to use natural spray cleaners because I have 2 curious cats that I have to look out for.  What I loved most about the antibacterial spray cleaner is that it’s citrus based.  I use my spray cleaners a few times a week to clean the kitchen and the bathrooms, and the thing I don’t like about traditional cleaners is that it is very irritating to the senses.  I simply cannot tolerate breathing in the smell of those chemicals for a more than a few minutes at a time, and if you’ve ever known anyone with allergies, asthma, or lung disease, you know that the use of certain chemicals can cause complications and make cleaning unbearable for some people.  So I was very happy that this company offered a natural citrus spray cleaner that is unharmful and leaves your home smelling fresh and clean. 
I also tried the Auto Dishwash Powder.  I wasn’t sure how I’d like this product because I usually use gel or liquid detergent in my dishwasher, and I’ve tried powders in the past that didn’t do a good job.  But I decided to give this powder a shot and I was impressed with the results I got.  Upon opening the detergent bottle, the first thing I noticed was the scent.  It was a very clean and pleasant scent.  And I also liked that this was a super concentrated product, which meant that you didn’t have to use a lot of the product at a time.  In fact, the instructions tell you to use only a tablespoon of the powder at a time. Wow!  I don’t know about you, but I use more than a tablespoon of the liquid cleaners, and I certainly have used a lot more than a tablespoon of the traditional dish powers.  And I was excited when I opened the dishwasher and found everything shiny and clean! 
I would definitely recommend the antibacterial spray cleaner and the auto dish powder to you.  Not only are they safe and free of harmful chemicals, but they are very effective cleaners.  And if the other products at Ecostore USA are as good as these, you are sure to love this company.
Connect with ecoStore USA:
-Follow ecoStoreUSA at their blog and subscribe to their newsletter for future updates, coupons, deals, and more.
-Follow ecoStoreUSA on twitter.
-Follow ecoStoreUSA on facebook and take their facebook quiz.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a $25 gift card to ecoStore USA.  To win visit ecoStore USA, then come back and tell us a product you’d like to try.
Giveaway Closed.

-Jerri

Full Disclosure: I was not monetarily compensated for this post.  ecoStore USA provided the products for review.  The opinions are my own.

Filed Under: cleaning, Giveaways, product review, Sponsors

BassWoodStitchery

April 6, 2010 3 Comments
I’m excited to share my newest sponsor with you!  BassWoodStitchery is owned and operated by Susie who produces home sewn and hand knit clothing, housewares and quilts from the woods of northern Minnesota. 
Here’s what Susie had to say about herself and her shop, “I love to make things. I have a variety of items in my shop and hope to be adding more, especially my quilts.  If someone was to ask me what my favorite color is, I’d have to say most all of them!  There is such a satisfaction in creating something and seeing the results when it’s done,or the smile on someone’s face when they first see it. I would call it the best therapy there is!”
It’s clear that Susie has a real love for her sewing and quilting. Her use of rich colors and the intricate details in her work are a sign of true craftsmanship, fine design, and high quality. I was very impressed with all the items available at BassWoodStitchery.  Her items are just fabulous!  And the colors are so unique!  I’m especially in love with her all her baby booties, ponchos, and snuggle buddies!
Susie’s also done an excellent job of making houseware products beautiful.  Take a look at the dish cloth set above.  Aren’t these adorable?  I would love a set of these for my kitchen!  How about you?
She even has a line of EcoFriendly Cotton Swiffer Covers.  I love my swiffer, but the disposable covers are ridiculously expensive! So I was very pleased to see these reuseable crocheted Swiffer covers. What an excellent product idea! And here again, she has some lovely colors available!
Please stop by BassWoodStitchery and take a look at all of Susie’s handmade items!
-Jerri

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Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show & Tell Wednesday is hosted by Blue Cricket Design
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy’s Finer Things
I’m Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
It’s So Very Creative & It’s So Very Thrifty hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Market Yourself Monday is hosted by Sumos Sweet Stuff
Marketing Mondays and Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse

Filed Under: cleaning, crafts, Giveaways, shopping, Sponsors
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