Archives for 2013

Ultimate Blog Party 2013

Ultimate Blog Party 2013

Welcome to Simply Sweet Home! It’s that time of year again.  It’s time for the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by the lovely Susan and Janice of 5 Minutes for Mom.  I started blogging in the fall of 2007, and this party has been a part of my Calendar of Events ever since I learned about it in 2008.

For those of you who are stopping in from the party, my name is Jerri. Simply Sweet Home is a blog featuring ideas to help make your home a “simply sweet” home! This includes  recipes, product reviews, giveaways, craft/decor projects, and even health, fashion, and beauty, because a simply sweet home starts with a happy you!

I also host a weekly linky party called Friday Favorites, where you can share your recipes, projects, or anything else you like!

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Friday Favorites – Week 161

friday favorites
Welcome to another fun week of Friday Favorites!  I can’t really think of any big announcements this week, so without further ado, let’s just get on with the party!

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Finish Quantum Rise and Shine Challenge

Finish Shine Challenge

I love cooking, but I do NOT love washing dishes!  Even if I use the dishwasher, I usually have to do a lot of pre-rinsing and washing, particularly on sticky foods like cakes and casseroles, and if I don’t do this, I will mostly like have to re-wash dishes and that is no fun at all. Not to mention, it is a huge waste of my time.  (And if you forget and leave these dishes in your dishwasher, they can get pretty disgusting!)  With all this in mind, I was happy when I got the opportunity to take the Finish Rise & Shine Challenge this week from Finish® Quantum®.

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Tough Love – Preparing Your Children for College

back to school

 Photo Credit: freedigitalphotos.net

In our current day and age, children at an early age need to be prepared to attend college and know all that it will entail. This subject need not be something that scares your children, but excites them! It is becoming more important to be open with our youth at an early age and make it known to them that college is important because it will help them to get a great job in the future. Begin now by preparing your children for college (even as early as kindergarten) and they’ll have all of the skills necessary to have a successful four years or more at college.

Instill Effective Study Habits

One of the first steps that need to be taken to prepare your children for college is instilling effective study habits. If you start now while your child is young then they will be able to manage workloads effectively as they age. Also, studying and learning how to complete everything in a timely manner will become a habit that will only improve by the time they are ready to attend college. What’s more, pursuing careers in public health, for example, will be a lot simpler than trying to develop good study habits when college begins.

Discuss Careers and College

Without being too overbearing about it, make discussions about college and your child’s future career every day before or after school. By making college and other career aspects an important part of your everyday conversation, your child will look forward to college. Figure out how to accomplish this goal and show enthusiasm when your child decides on which career they’d like to pursue.

Figure Out Required Subjects 

When your child is in elementary school, high school, etc., make sure that all of the required subjects are included in their curriculum. By making sure that the fundamental subjects are taken while they are in school, your child will not have to make up classes such as Algebra I and Geometry later during college.

Have Your Child Meet with a Guidance Counselor

Having your child meet with a guidance counselor is another excellent way to steer them in the right direction. A counselor can sit down with your child and help them decide on which courses they need to take in both high school and college. Plus a counselor can also prepare you for the important steps you need to take along the way, such as finding the right college and saving enough money for a wonderful education.

About the Author: Corinne is preparing her children ahead of time about what college entails. She knows education is important and is prepared to help her children succeed.

Multigrain French Toast with Almonds and Light Guava Maple Syrup

Multigrain French Toast Photo Credit

For a slight change of pace today we have a fabulous breakfast recipe from “The Real Housewives of Miami” star Ana Quincoces.  Growing up in a Cuban household, Ana developed a passoion for cooking at a young age. Today I’m happy to share her twist on French Toast.  This is a Multigrain French Toast with Almonds and a Light Guava Maple Syrup.


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Bullseye View is an online magazine, updated regularly to bring Target to life. I was not compensated for sharing this recipe.

Finding The Perfect Bed For Your Room

Recently I’ve shared ideas to create cozy bedrooms from furniture, bedding and decor, to the little touches.  But whether your researching The Best Baby Activity Tables for your child’s room or searching for the perfect bedspread for your master suite, one thing is for certain: the bed is the centerpiece to the entire room; so today I decided to take a look at beds.  The bed is the main focal point of any room and can completely define the style of the room.   Most recently we decorated a nursery, and I looked at a lot of cribs.  This article on  The Best Mini Cribs; A cute crib for those smaller spaces! may be helpful in helping you choose the perfect one. But what about your other bedrooms?  Here are just a few choices for you to consider.


Sleigh Bed

One of my favoirte types of beds is the sleigh bed.  They have these in several colors and styles, such as the one pictured above.  They even have  leather sleigh beds which look very sleek and stylish.

arched bedframe

Another kind of bed they have is the arched bed frame.  I like this style for its simplicity.  And I think it looks great in natural wood color seen here.

Leather Bedframe

 

And then for a change of pace and something completely modern, I love this Leather Double TV bed.  I looks very sleek, chic, and modern, and it comes in white, black, and chocolate so it can go with any decor.  Adding to this the allure of this bed frame is that it comes with the wires, cables and powerpack to install a television at the end of the the bed.  And you can even purchase a 32 inch LED  Smart tv upgrade with your bed.

For other bedroom furniture and items for your entire home visit Lights and Furniture.

Friday Favorites – Week 160

friday favorites

Hey everyone! Welcome to another edition of Friday Favorites!  Before we get to this week’s features I want to start out by wishing everyone a Happy Good Friday, Happy Passover, Happy Easter, and yes, even Happy Fool’s Day!  (I hope that takes care of everything and everyone!)

Oh!  I almost forgot!  Happy Birthday to my Baby Cats, Rebel and Dixie.  They are turning 5 on Saturday!  They will probably be online sometime Friday to check out everyone’s links, so if you’d like to leave them a birthday message, I’m sure they will just love it! 🙂

One more thing before we get to this week’s features.  I’ve still got the RoseArt Sidewalk Chalk Giveaway open.  And you all have a chance to win $200 just by sending me a photo of a sidewalk chalk picture that you drew! Entries are due by April 8 and must be emailed to me.  Check out this post for details.

And now feature time!

Happy Spring Wreath

Happy Spring Wreath from Like a Saturday

Morning Glory Muffins

Morning Glory Muffins from Joyful Healthy Eats

RSS Reader Sign

Google Reader Alternatives from Sarah Saturdiy

I can’t wait to see your posts! Link up below!


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The Home Depot Spring DIY Program and the Garden Club


THD Orange Logo

 

Aren’t you ready for this unseasonably cold weather to go away? I know I am!  I’m so excited to see the flowers and trees in bloom.  And this year, I’m even more excited because I will be teaming up with The Home Depot for the The Home Depot Spring DIY program.  As part of the program, I will be tackling some do it yourself projects with supplies from The Depot, and I will be sharing them here with you. [Read more…]

Liven Up Your Guest Room with Frette

A while back I wrote a series of posts on making your home guest ready.  Today I’ve got a fantastic site to introduce you to, where you will find items that can help make your guest room extra cozy! Frette offers a beautiful collection of bedsheets, duvet covers, blankets, throw pillow, and even bath robes and slippers.

Silver Bedding

I love their collection pictured above.  This one is called The Golden Bowl.  Doesn’t it look inviting?  I love the light silvery color and the leafy texture.  It makes it a perfect for spring time.  And it just looks so soft and comfy.

Edie Blue Bed

 

I also love this set.  It is called Ava Blue. I really love the various patterns here. It gives the ensemble a very vintage appeal.  And I think the patterns combined with these colors could be great for someone who loves shabby chic, and I think this set would go with just about any decor classic or contemporary.

Seventies Beige Bedding

 

And I think this collection has got to be the best combination of vintage, modern, and chic all rolled into one!  This one is called Seventies.  I think they certainly named it right.  Just look at those great vintage patterns.  And yet, I the neutral colors help to give it a very chic and almost elegant look!  This actually may be my favorite set on the entire site.

Guest Room Supplies

Frette also has everything you need to make your home guest ready, including robes, slippers, towels, candles, and soaps.  Go check out their site for other designer items for your home!

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Disclosure: This post was written by me on behalf of Frette. The opinions are my own.

Carrot Cupcakes

Carrot Cupcakes

 

Well, I don’t know what the weather’s like in your neighborhood, but we’ve been seeing some snow flurries around here today.  We rarely get snow here anyway, and so any time we get it in the springtime, it’s very unusual.  And to top it off, this week is spring break for most of the kids and not to mention we’ve got Easter coming up.  Needless to say, it doesn’t feel like either!  But today we’re going to try to get in to the spring and Easter spirit with a sweet treat!  Carrot cake is a great dessert for this time of year.  And what could be better than carrot cake?  Carrot Cupcakes, of course!

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