You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for May 2011

Archives for May 2011

Friday Favorites – Week 63

May 13, 2011 7 Comments

Photobucket
 

Happy Friday!  Sorry this is late.  As many of you know, blogger was down yesterday.  And this is the first time I’ve had a chance to get to my computer today.  Hope you enjoy the party! Have a great weekend!
 
Umbrella Wreath from Allie Belle Designs

Fondant Flower Cake from Reef Botanicals
Vintage Party Hats from Three Pixie Lane

Mini Cheesecakes from Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Teacher Appreciation Gifts from Simply Designing

Can’t wait to see your posts! Link up below!

Photobucket

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Tornado Relief in Alabama

May 12, 2011 3 Comments
As most of you probably already know, my state was hit hard by tornadoes on April 27.  Towns and communities across the state have been devastated.  Countless people have lost everything.  It is just heartbreaking.  And now it is time for disaster relief.
Seeing this map and also seeing a map on our local news, which showed the path of the storms, I am still amazed that it missed my hometown which neighbors us and it only hit a tiny area in the industrial section of my current town.  (Perhaps even more miraculously, the tornado that touched down in the industrial complex didn’t hit anything that would cause a massive explosion, which could have destroyed the city.)
We were very lucky!  You only have to drive 15-20 minutes in either direction from our house, and you’ll come to areas with damage, even total ruin.  It’s just unreal!

 

I’m sure that every little thing that we can do is helpful, so I’ve decided to create this post with links to places where you can donate money or goods to help those in need.  I saw a local report yesterday which listed some items that are in great shortage.  The list included pet food, laundry detergent, toiletries, paper plates, cookware, powdered gatorade, yard tools (for debris cleanup), batteries, and basically anything you would need for daily operations.
And of course I’m sure there’s still need for non-parishable foods, bottled water, baby items (diapers, formula, wipes), blankets, clothing/shoes, etc.

 

Here’s some places where you can go to help.
Alabama Possible has a comprehensive list of charities where you can donate.  There’s also links to local places and events that are taking donations.  If you live near or in some way connected to a particular area you may want to check out the list.
Church of the Highlands is a relief effort organized by 25 churches.  They have a “Dream” center in Birmingham where they are distributing supplies to those in need.
American Red Cross – once on the website you can choose the cause for which you wish to donate.  Disaster relief is the first thing on the list.  You can also text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to donate $10.

Salvation Army is committing food trucks to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.  You can also text “GIVE” to 80888 to donate $10.

Feeding America is bringing food and water to affected communities.

 

Blog Events:

 

The Wannabe Athlete is hosting a Blogger Baby Shower to benefit Tuscaloosa.  A baby registry has been created on Amazon, and the items on the list start as low as $8.99. All purchases will help those in Tuscaloosa, and they’re even offering giveaway prizes to those who participate.

Like to help by purchasing from or participating in a charity auction?  Restore Interiors is coordinating an ongoing online auction and fundraiser.  If you have something to sell and would like to donate the proceeds to tornado victims, go check out the site for details.  Items being auctioned off will be linked up here as well, so if you’re interested in buying something, go take a look.

If you know of a charity or you’re hosting an event, let me know and I’ll add it to this post.

 

Filed Under: Causes/Charities

Stain Solver Review and Giveaway

May 10, 2011 23 Comments
For the past week or so, I’ve been catching up on some spring cleaning, and I happy to have the opportunity to try a new product called Stain Solver.
Stain Solver, which just launched this spring, cleans anything from tile floors, counters, decks and roofs, to your most precious garments and favorite pair of jeans. Stain Solver is an environmentally safe oxygen bleach that is non-toxic, all natural and completely kid and pet safe. The materials used in the active ingredient are so pure they are registered by the FDA as food-grade quality! You can’t get any purer than that!
I was immediately attracted to this product for two reasons: I can use it around my cats without worry.  And the product can be used on so many different items.
For my test run of the product, I decided to try it on our living room rug.  We’ve had this rug for almost 4 years now, and as you can imagine, over time it becomes stained from just general everyday use.  I moved our coffee table to vacuum the other day, and was particularly horrified by the area that’s immediately in front of the couch, where feet and shoes have been.
So I used the Stain Solver on this area.  I kind of thought, since the stain is set in, that it might not work on this type of job, but I was wrong!  I used it on a small area just to test it out, and I was completely amazed at the results.  
For one thing, the towel that I placed over the cleaned area (while I waited for it to dry) came up dirty from all the stain that came out of the rug.  And the area of the rug that I cleaned was actually clean and bright again! Amazing!  I can’t wait to use it on some other stuff! 
Stain Solver just launched its Spring Clean Sweepstakes, where you can win a grand prize of $1,000 to Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as a year’s supply of Stain Solver. To enter, just visit the site and fill out the contest form. You have until May 26 to enter!
Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a sample of Stain Solver.  To win, visit Stain Solver and leave me a comment telling me something you learned OR leave a comment telling me how you’d use this product. Deadline to enter: May 26
-1 if you follow @StainSolver on twitter.
-1 if you like Stain Solver on Facebook.
-1 if you follow @SimplySweetHome on Twitter.
-1 if  you subscribe to Simply Sweet Home via email.
 -1 if you like Simply Sweet Home on facebook.
-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.
 -1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook. (Sample Tweet: I want to win Stain Solver!  http://bit.ly/janc5R @SimplySweetHome @StainSolver) (Limit one tweet entry per day.)

Photobucket

Filed Under: cleaning, Giveaways, product review

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

May 9, 2011 7 Comments
Photo Credit: Betty Crocker

In honor of Mother’s Day being yesterday, I’m sharing a recipe that always makes me think of my mom.  I have to admit, as a kid I didn’t like pineapple, so when she made this, I was always wishing for her famous pound cake!  But now as an adult, I’ve developed a love of pineapple, so now I can give this Pineapple Upside Down Cake a thumbs up!

Recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
1 jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13×9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 1/4 cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes (42 to 48 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Linking up to these parties.

Photobucket

Filed Under: desserts, Recipe of the Week, recipes

Covergirl NatureLuxe Review

May 8, 2011 Leave a Comment
As you may know, I love Covergirl, and I’m always excited when they come out with new products!  Today I’m sharing some information about their newest line, the NatureLuxe Collection.
When 3 out of 4 professional make-up artists would recommend the NatureLuxe Collection to their clients, you start to listen — that’s some serious support! But it’s really no surprise: COVERGIRL’s new luxury line exchanges select heavy synthetics for carefully-chosen natural ingredients. For a polished make-up look with a lightweight feel, every time, it’s what COVERGIRL likes to call “luxury touched by nature”.

This smooth silk foundation trades in a heavier emollient for a touch of cucumber water and a hint of natural jojoba and rosehip extracts. It provides a flawless coverage and a silky lightweight feel. In fact, 8 out of 10 professional make-up artists agree it provides a luxurious skin finish and light, luxurious feel!

But the NatureLuxe love doesn’t end there — new COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Gloss Balm contains a lightweight blend of mango, shea and other natural butters that 9 out of 10 make-up artists would recommend to clients for a sheer color with a non-sticky, lightweight feel.

I’m so excited about this foundation.  I’ve been using Covergirl foundations ever since I started wearing makeup.  I like the coverage that the new NatureLuxe foundation offers and thought that it looked great when applied.  But my favorite thing about the foundation is the new natural ingredients.  Anytime I find an affordable beauty product containing natural ingredients, I’m always interested in trying it.  And I’m so excited that Covergirl has made natural ingredients a part of their new line.
I also got to try the new Gloss Balm, and I really liked it.  I love that it’s a lip gloss with an SPF 15 balm, and I also love the colors available.  And my favorite thing about this product is that I found that I could wear it as a lip gloss for exta added shine over my lipstick, or I could wear the gloss alone, and it looked just as great!

The NatureLuxe line is now available at Walmart, Target, and other retailers.  Be sure to check out Covergirl online for more product information.  Also, get updates from Covergirl by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Photobucket
Disclosure:  I’m a BzzAgent and received free products to review from Covergirl.  The opinions are my own.  If you like to review new products become a BzzAgent.

Filed Under: Beauty, product review Tagged With: ,

Friday Favorites – Week 62

May 5, 2011 12 Comments

Photobucket
 

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by to link up! And thanks to everyone for your kind words and thoughts regarding last week’s storms.  I’m happy to report that my family and friends are all safe, and things are getting back to normal in my community. 
 
But some of the areas around us really got hit hard, even devastated.  We haven’t actually gone to these areas yet because they’ve been trying to clean up and stuff.  But I know the videos and pictures are horrible, and they say that the pictures don’t do it justice at all.  Anyway I’m planning to write a post shortly on how you can help out those in need.  And I hope you’ll consider donating.
 
One more thing before we get to the featured posts, this week I’m giving away a Freschetta Simply Inspired prize pack.  You get this really cool cutting board with utensils and a coupon for a free pizza!  And I’m also going to throw in a coupon to my etsy shop for the winner! So please go by and check it out!

Enjoy this week’s featured ideas:

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake from Sweet Little Smoothie

Button Bouquet from The Blue Velvet Chair
Grain-Free Coconut Banana Blueberry Bars from Real Food Forager

Shutter Makeover from Two Friends. Two Cities. On Vision.

Andes Mint Cookies from Six Sister’s Stuff

Join the party! Link up your posts below!

Photobucket

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Free Mother’s Day Cupcake Printables

May 3, 2011 3 Comments

Hey everyone! I’m back in town and we have electricity! Yay!
Since I’ve been gone, I’m little behind on emails and posts.  And I’ve also come home to find out that despite having a surge protector, the storm has killed my computer, so I’ve got to share my husband’s until I can get something else.  So that will cut in to my computer time for the next couple of weeks.  But I’m okay with that, considering there are thousands of people without homes!
Anway, since I haven’t had a chance to work on my posts, there’s no giveaway this week.  Instead I’ve got a freebie for you!
These Mother’s Day Cupcake Toppers can be downloaded for free at The Tom Kat Studio.
Also, check out The Tom Kat Studio on Etsy to purchase some super cute party supplies!

Photobucket

Filed Under: cupcakes, Freebie

Italian Porkchops

May 2, 2011 4 Comments
“Pork: The Other White Meat.”  Actually I just read that the pork people are changing their slogan to “Pork: Be Inspired.” ….Interesting! And it’s certainly new and different!
However you say it, I always love a good porkchop!  And we love them grilled or baked, but I find they are usually most tender when I cook them on the stove top.  And I like to try a lot of different recipes and seasonings on them, but today I’m sharing one of our favorites.  Hope you enjoy! 
Recipe for Italian Pork Chops:
Ingredients
4-6 boneless porkchops
3/4 to 1 cup Italian Dressing
Lemon Pepper, to season
cooking spray
Directions: For a fast, last minute meal, spray a large frying pan with non stick cooking spray.  Then pour Italian dressing in to a bowl.  Dip porkchop in the dressing, then flip over and dip the other side. Place in pan. Repeat until all chops are dipped. Season with lemon pepper. Cook on medium heat until porkchops are cooked all the way through.
If you have more time before dinner, place porkchops and dressing in  a bowl. Make sure each chop is coated well.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before cooking.

I’m linking up here.

Photobucket

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

To the Top