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Blogiversary Giveaway #1 – Little Miss Missy Boutique

October 4, 2011 7 Comments

I’m really excited to bring you some great giveaways this month in honor of 4 years of blogging! 
Our first giveaway is from Little Miss Missy Boutique. This shop is owned by Missy, a wife and mom from Utah, and it offers Fine Art for Baby, Children, Teen, Adults, Parties, Weddings, Holidays, Custom design and DIY Printables.

Little Miss Missy Boutique specializes in welcome signs and wall art that is custom printed and shipped to your door, as well as printable invitations, cards, and party supplies.
One of my favorite signs from Missy’s shop is this Princess Words Print.

I also love her selection of religious and quote art and her decor for nurseries and kids’ rooms.

Isn’t this Noah’s Ark Print adorable?


She also has some adorable printable items, including shower invitations, baby announcements, Christmas cards, and party supplies!

One of my favorite party sets is the Go Bananas Monkey theme.

Connect!  Follow Little Miss Missy Boutique through their blog or follow on Facebook.

Win it! Little Miss Missy Boutique is offering a $35 Gift Certificate for her shop to one Simply Sweet Home reader.

(Terms:Must use in one visit. If purchase amount goes over $35, you will need to pay the remaining balance. NO Cash Back. May be used for any listing(s) on Little Miss Missy Boutique Etsy Shop.  Etsy Shop only allows credit card or paypal payments)

How to Enter: Please use the Rafflecopter form to enter. Giveaway will run through October 18.


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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Disclsosure: I received no products or compensation for this post. Prize is provided by Little Miss Missy Boutique.

Filed Under: decorating, Giveaways, party ideas

Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole

October 3, 2011 10 Comments
This week I’ve got a super yummy recipe to share! I call it “comfort food with a kick.” This Buffalo Chicken Potato Casserole is perfect for an at-home, family meal. And it would also be great for football parties and potlucks.
I first made this  several months ago, and we LOVED it! I finally got around to making it again a couple of weeks ago, and I definitely want it to be a more “regularly scheduled” meal in our house. Hope you enjoy!


Recipe Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole:


Ingredients:
12-15 Skinless Boneless Chicken Strips, not cooked
1/4 – 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank’s)
1 – 24 oz bag shredded potatoes, thawed
1 cup of ranch dressing
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup

Directions: Heat oven to 375. Spray 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl stir together potatoes, dressing, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce. Pour mixture into baking dish.  
In same bowl, place chicken strips and 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce (use more if needed).  Coat each strip with sauce.  Then spoon chicken and sauce over the potato mixture. 
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take out and remove foil. Top with 1 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is done.
*Optional – When serving, drizzle your potatoes with additional buffalo sauce or ranch. Or serve ranch dipping sauce along side the tenders.

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

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

Harvest Halloween Sponsor #3: Peach Tea Couture

October 2, 2011 1 Comment
Our next Harvest Halloween sponsor is definitely a sponsor for all seasons! Peach Tea Couture offers adorable, personalized onesies, t-shirts, and printable party supplies.
The owner of the shop, Abbe, a fellow Alabama native (smile), calls her shop, “a little slice of heaven right here on the web. Everything here is very stylish—very Southern.”

Peach Tea Couture has some super cute selections for the fall and Halloween season. They feature everything from pumpkins and ghosts to owls and spiders.  And you can get any design made into a onesie or t-shirt in the size of your choice.

One of my personal favorites is this Black Cat and Jack-o-lantern design. (If only it would fit me! lol.)

And I also love this Bewitching Owl design.

And what I really love, LOVE about this shop is that there are so many vintage designs! Apart from the vintage fall and holiday designs, there are so many fun, vintage looks for all year round.

It was basically impossible for me to pick one favorite, but I decided to feature this Girl with Umbrella. She’s one of several vintage girls that I think are just adorable!

And I also love this little vintage cowboy.

Connect: Please follow Peach Tea Couture on their blog and on Facebook.

Giveaway: For the Harvest Halloween event, Peach Tea Couture is giving away one Halloween shirt or onesie of the winner’s choice!

How to Enter: Please come back on Oct 14 to enter the Harvest Halloween Giveaway, featuring Peach Tea Couture and prizes from 3 other shops!

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Filed Under: fall, Giveaways

Friday Favorites – Week 83

September 29, 2011 11 Comments

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Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by for the party. If just added a new giveaway Pillsbury Biscuit Sandwiches and Scrambles. Please check it out!
Also, I had a couple of last minute additions to my sponsor list for the blogiversary giveaways, so I decided to push the giveaways back till next week in order to run the event for the entire month of October! Prizes will include handmade items, decor, food, and more!

Grab a button and join me next month for all the fun! (Thanks again to Stuff to Scrap for the use of their graphics!)

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Now let’s look at our great features for this week!

Cupcake Wreath from Alderberry Hill

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Elsa’s Cooking Diary

Applique Fall Pillow from We Learn As We Go

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Thanks for stopping by for the party! Link up your posts below!

Filed Under: Friday Favorites

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit and Egg Scrambles Review and Giveaway

September 28, 2011 17 Comments
Mornings can be quite hectic: getting yourself ready, getting your kids ready, and getting breakfast ready!
When your in a hurry, it helps to have to some fast breakfast options on hand, and cereal doesn’t always cut it.  Luckily Pillsbury has just come out with a new product that can help you serve a delicious, weekend-worthy breakfast any day of the week!

Available in your grocer´s freezer, Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches and Pillsbury Egg Scrambles heat up in minutes in the microwave.
Made with quality ingredients like fluffy real egg, tasty meat, cheese, Grands! Biscuits and Green Giant® vegetables, the new line of quick and delicious frozen breakfast dishes comes in six flavorful choices:
  • Sausage & Cheese Biscuit Sandwich
  • Bacon & Cheese Biscuit Sandwich
  • Ham & Veggies Biscuit Sandwich
  • Bacon & Veggies Egg Scrambles
  • Sausage Egg Scrambles
  • Sausage & Veggies Egg Scrambles
I was very excited to learn about this new product.  I’m always looking for fast breakfast options, and I love that these goes from the freezer to your table in a couple of minutes (way less time than it would take for me to bake biscuits in the oven, scramble the eggs, and cook the meat).
I chose to try the biscuit sandwiches because I love biscuits, and I love breakfast items that are easily portable.  My husband doesn’t really have time to eat a big breakfast before work, so he often carries a piece of fruit or a snack bar in the mornings. But with these new sandwiches, I can easily make a quick breakfast while he’s in the shower and wrap it up for him to take with him.
I purchased each of the varieties of breakfast sandwiches.  I was very pleased by the taste of these, and I was very surprised by how fresh they tasted.  Our favorite was the Bacon & Cheese Sandwich, but they were all rather good. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a hot and fast breakfast option.



Win it! One Simply Sweet Home Reader will win a Pillsbury Prize Pack, which includes: 3 Full Value Coupons for Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit and Egg Scrambles, a Pillsbury key chain, and a Pillsbury Beanie Doll.

How to Enter: Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway will be open through Oct 11.



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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Disclosure: The VIP coupons, prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.
Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Giveaways, product review

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth: Nicole’s Homemade Treats

September 27, 2011 3 Comments

I’m excited to welcome back Nicole’s Homemade Treats as a sponsor to my blog!  As you all know, I have a huge sweet tooth, so this shop is right up my alley!

Nicole is a stay at home mom of two boys and a military spouse. And she has spent many hours trying to get her treats “just right!”

Nicole’s Homemade Treats is an LLC operating out of New York State. All the products are prepared in a fully licensed kitchen. NYS Dept. of Agriculture #31AAAA

Nicole’s shop features everything from organic chocolate bars and Rocky Road Candy to my favorite peanut butter cups, and just about every chocolate truffle or cluster that you can imagine!

And right now Nicole has some amazing fall treats in stock like these Chocolate Pumpkin Lollipops. Aren’t they adorable?

And Nicole also has these amazing gourmet candy apples and pears, one the quintessential fall treats!

Don’t these look positively divine and scrumptious? I think so!

And besides the gourmet apples and pears, there’s a lot of other fruit and chocolate treats.

And another treat that I found positively scrumptious and festive for fall was this White Belgian Chocolate Hazelnuts and Dried Apricot Mediants candy:

And as if all all the candies and sweets aren’t enough, Nicole’s Homemade Treats also offers homemade sauces.

And if you’re looking for something a little less sweet but just as delicious, check out her baked granola and fruit & nut mixes!

The treats are prepared in small batches, to preserve the taste and quality of the product, and to ensure that there is no waste. It takes about 5-7 days to produce your order. But Nicole PROMISES – they will be worth the wait! Go by Nicole’s Homemade Treats and place your order today!

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.
Filed Under: cookies and candy, desserts, Sponsors

First Response Fertility Test Review

September 26, 2011 1 Comment
We’ve been talking about having a baby for a while, but as many of you know, my husband’s business was a victim of the bad economy, and since then the jobs he’s taken haven’t had benefits, which has made it a lot harder to think about having a baby.
But the good news is that my husband took a temporary job earlier in the year and just got word that he’ll be hired in a couple of weeks, and the job has great benefits, so it looks like our dream of having a family may soon be realized!

My husband talks like getting pregnant will be a piece of cake because I’m young, etc. But as you can imagine, I’m a little more “anxious” about the whole thing.  I see no reason why we would have any problems conceiving, but at the same time, I know quite a few people who have had problems with conception and even miscarriages, and so it seems natural for me to have concerns.
I recently had the chance to try out the First Response Fertility Test, and I was happy to find that my FSH levels are normal, which means that my ovarian reserve is normal, and I should have no problems conceiving.

 

How it Works:  Unlike an ovulation test, which tells you the days you are most likely to be able to conceive, The First Response Fertility Test  measures your levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) to gauge your ovarian reserve, and your chances of becoming pregnant.
“Every woman is born with millions of immature eggs. Over the course of her life the quantity and the quality of her eggs — known as her ovarian reserve — decreases.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is released at the beginning of every menstrual cycle to cause an egg to mature in the ovary. If a woman’s ovarian reserve (eggs) is low, she will produce higher than normal FSH levels to attempt to stimulate her ovary to produce mature eggs.
Testing FSH levels on Day 3 of the menstrual cycle gauges a woman’s pregnancy potential. The First Response Fertility Test for Women is an early detection screening tool that assesses Day 3 FSH levels to begin answering the question ‘Am I able to get pregnant?’
Early detection of FSH levels — and by extension Ovarian reserve levels with First Response empowers women to know sooner, consult with a physician sooner and ultimately get pregnant sooner.”
My Reaction: This is really great test for someone who’s trying or planning on trying to conceive.  The test is very easy to take. You just have to pee on the stick (or pee in a cup) on the third day of your menstrual cycle. Then it just takes 30 minutes for you to get the results.
Since I’m new at all of this I was especially happy to find that the instructions were very exact and easy to understand, and the results were very easy to read as well.
After taking the test, I feel a little less anxious and very happy to find that my ovarian reserve is normal.
I think this test will be a great first step for someone to take who’s thinking of having a baby.  And I think in the long run, this test will help a lot of people who may have a problem to seek help from a doctor sooner than later, which is a really great thing!
Buy it!  You can purchase the First Response Fertility Test at these online and local retailers. And you can save $2 with this printable coupon.  Or order online and save $5.
If you’re looking for the best fertility clinic, Fertility Plus are one of the bast out there.

Disclosure: I was selected for the post by the Clever Girls Collective #CleverTTC #spon, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Filed Under: Baby, product review

Harvest Halloween Sponsor #2 Paramore Art Works

September 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

It’s time to spotlight another Harvest Halloween sponsor.

Paramore Art Works is a unique Etsy shop, which offers handmade gift tags, word banners, potion bottles, and witches’ wands!

This is a fanstastic shop! The items have a sort of vintage, shabby-chic appeal, which I love! A couple of my favorite fall items are these cute tags, although I also love her Halloween garlands!

The thing that really makes Paramore Art Works stand out is their line of witches’ wands and potion bottles!  

What a great decor idea! Each bottle is adorned with cute tags and embellishments, making them perfect for a Halloween themed mantle or buffet. So fun!

The shop also has a lot of non-Halloween items which I wanted to highlight.  I really like their word banners like this one:

And they some very cute vintage and primitive tags featuring everything from from Wizard of Oz to Fleur de lis.  This set is one of my favorites:

Please go by Paramore Art Works and take a look around!

Giveaway! Beth at Paramore Art Works is offering a potion bottle of “Moon Dust” decorated with crusty gauze, twine, moss, and a spider. Perfect for a witches collection of potions!
How to Enter: The Harvest Halloween Giveaway will be posted and open for entries on Oct 14.

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Filed Under: crafts, decorating, fall, Giveaways, Halloween

Protect Your Computer Files with Carbonite

September 25, 2011 1 Comment
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carbonite. All opinions are 100% mine.

Carbonite Online Backup

If you’ve got a computer you most likely have valuable files saved on it.  You could even say that your “whole life is on your computer.”
You may have years of memories captured in family photos on your computer as well as a whole host of music  and other personal files. If you are a blogger like me, you may have a lot of photos and other materials saved for future blog posts.

And if you’re If you’re a business person, you may have files that are crucial to your very livelihood! This could include important spreadsheets and data or a big presentation that your working on, or if you own your own business, this could be anything from product photos to customer information, a project that you are working on for a particular client, even important tax information.

Whether you’re using you computer for personal reasons or for school or business, the loss of your files can be devastating!  After the April tornados, we went out of town to visit relatives until our power got restored.  When we got home, I returned to find my desktop computer had been fried. I thought the surge protector would prevent this from happening, but I was wrong!  Luckily all of my personal files and blog stuff were saved on our other computer or on thumb drives, but unfortunately I lost hours of music , some photos, and other files.  So I know how important computer backup can be!

Carbonite provides unlimited backup for your PC and Mac computers.  Founded in 2005, Carbonite has safely recovered over 7 billion files that otherwise would have been lost forever!

Carbonite is simple and secure. While your computer is connected to the internet, Carbonite works automatically and continually in the background, backing up your important photos, music, and other files!  And you can access all of your backed up information on any computer or smart phone, using the free Carbonite apps.
You can get unlimited online backup with anytime-anywhere access for just $59 a year!  And right now you can try Carbonite for free for two weeks with no credit card required.
After the two week trial, if you decide to order the service, you can also get two months free. Just use the offer code BLOGAD.
Check out Carbonite today and save your irreplaceable files!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Friday Favorites – Week 82

September 22, 2011 4 Comments

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Hey guys! Thanks for stopping in for Friday Favorites! Don’t forget to enter the Z-Access Display Frame Giveaway. I think it still has less than 50 entries!

Also, next week I’ll be starting a series of blogiversary giveaways.  I’ll have a couple of giveaways each week for the next 3 weeks, and we’ve got some excellent prizes lined up! And then that will be immediately followed by the Harvest Halloween Giveaway Hop! So stop by for lots of fun and prizes over the next month!

Well, now that I’ve got my “plugs” in, let’s get the party started!

Halloween Bottles from The Messy Roost

Pumpkin Spice Cake from The REAL Housewives of Riverton

Fall/Halloween Tag Banners from Pressed Down, Shaken Together

Caramel Apple Spice from Everyday Mom’s Meals

This post is sponsored by Cutie Patootie Creations. Why settle for the same “cookie cutter” party invites, when you can have something custom created for you?  Cutie Patooties has unique invitations in a variety of fun styles and themes.  And they have all the matching decorations and supplies you need to get your party on! Check out Cutie Patootie Creations today, and get started planning your perfect party!

I can’t wait to see your posts! Link em’ up below!
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Filed Under: Friday Favorites
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