Febreze Home Collection Review and Wal-Mart Giveaway

Summer is almost upon us! It’s time to make your décor shine as brightly as the July sun. I can’t think of a better way to do that than with the Flameless Luminary™ or New No-Spill Diffuser from Febreze Home Collection. Both are beautifully designed and come in an array of scents.

I recently had the chance to try both of these Febreze products, and I was very pleased with their appearance, functionality, and of course, their scent!
Flameless Luminary
“Turn heads with the soft flickering glow of a Flameless Luminary. Once you have a reusable base, changing scents is as easy as changing shades.”
I absolutely love the flameless luminary!  Whenever I light candles in my home, I have to keep a very close watch on them because we have 2 cats, so a flameless luminary is perfect for us.  The cherry blossom shade is very pretty, and it smells wonderful.  The scent fills the room, but it’s not too overwhelming, and it truly does look a light a real candle is flickering inside.  I also love that the light shuts off automatically after 4 hours to help you save your batteries and also save you the trouble of turning it off and on. 
I’m also happy to report that I recieved some extra shades.  I recieved an additional Cherry Blossom shade, 2 Willow Blossom Shades, and 2 Cranberry Pear shades.  I love all 3 scents that I recieved, and I love that each scent has a different design.  This is great if you want everything in your room to match, and it’s perfect if you like to change things up in your room.
I also love that this is easy to use and clean.  And it’s great to have an air freshener that not only gives your home a nice scent but can also serve as a piece of home decor. I love that!

New No-Spill Wood Diffuser
“When you live with children and pets, accidents happen. Luckily the No-Spill Diffuser with WoodWick® ambiance makes spills a thing of the past. Good looking and thoughtful, too — it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for.”
I also recieved the No-Spill Wood Diffuser.  I’ve used several forms of air freshener before, from the plug-ins, to can sprays, to candles, automatic sprays, and so forth, but I’ve never had a wood diffuser before.  And now that I’ve got my first one, I’m sure it won’t be my last.
Again, this is great if you have pets because you don’t have to worry about it getting spilled. The Wood Diffuser I received was Honeysuckle Orchid scented.  And let me tell you, it smells divine!  I’ve placed mine in the bathroom. We always keep our bathroom door shut so that the cats cannot go in unattended, so now whenever the door is opened the first thing I notice is the soft, sweet aroma of the diffuser.
Again, I love that this is easy to set up and use, and it’s not messy.  This piece would also go great in any room, and unlike some other air fresheners, it’s actually attractive and can blend in well with your decor.
More Products
The Febreze Home Collection is available in an array of premium designs and scents.  Products include the Scented Reed Diffuser, Soy Blend Candle, Room Spray, Flameless Luminary, and No-Spill Wood Diffuser.

Connect : 
~Febreze Home Collection on Facebook
~Febreze Home Collection at Walmart

Win it! To help you to try these Febreze Home Collection products, P&G has given me one $15 Walmart giftcard to award to one Simply Sweet Home reader. 


Giveaway closed. Congrats to DaMora at Mora Piggy!

-Jerri

Disclosure: I was not paid to write this post.  This product review was based on using complimentary Febreze products provided by P&G. Bloggers also received a Walmart gift card to share with their readers. P&G does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blogsite. The opinions are my own.

Bathroom Vanities: Classic and Contemporary

Your bathroom vanity area can make the difference between a good bathroom and a great bathroom. Today we’re going to explore a few bathroom vanities for your home.
I found the one pictured above to be one of the most unique I’ve seen.  It’s the first time I’ve seen a double vessel sink.  Looks pretty neat, I think.  And I like vanities that provide plenty of counter space and storage space, and this one definitely does that.  And it’s just a got a fun, contemporary appeal.
As far as the smaller vanities go, I really liked this this one.  I love cherry wood anyway, and this piece (as well as the one shown here ) reminds me a lot of hand built antique dressers I have in my home. Very simple and classic!
And here’s another one with antique appeal.  This one is an antique cherry vanity.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vanity that looked so elegance as this.  The claw feet and the detail work from top to bottom really had a lot to this piece.     
This vanity is a lot closer to what I think of when I hear the word vanity. It’s just basic and simple, but I think this one also has contemporary apeal to it. (I think it’s the color, or maybe it’s the handles.)  I really like the marble top on this one, and again, I like the counter and storage space options.
I’d really like your opinion on these vanities that feature the vessel sinks.  Maybe I’m behind the times, but I’d never seen one of these (except at a resturant) until a few weeks ago when one of my Friday Favorites participants posted about one they had installed.  I’m not sure if I’d ever get one of these, but I do think they look neat.  And I completely understand the appeal.  Perhaps I’d put one in a guest bathroom or a kid’s bathroom.  What do you guys think? 
And here’s another contemporary style (and I would say, very unique) vanity.  Here again, we have a vessel sink, although I think it would be a lot easier to get use to one like this.  In my opinion, it’s really not that different from your traditional vanities.  I think this would be a great choice for someone who wanted to go with something a little different and current, but didn’t really like the look of the other vessel sinks (or if you like the vessel sinks but you fear you’d grow tired of them after a a while). 
And finally this Avanty Oriental vanity also features the vessel sink.  I’ve browsed through several of these, and I’m intrigued.  I just think these look really cool.  Maybe it’s just because it’s new and different from everything else I’ve seen? Whatever the case, I guess I’d say if you’re looking for something new for your bathroom, and you want to go with something trendy and current, this may be the way to go.
-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post at:
Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
Market Yourself Monday is hosted by Sumos Sweet Stuff
Marketing Mondays and Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Show & Tell Wednesday is hosted by Blue Cricket Design
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Show & Tell Friday is hosted by Romantic Home
I’m Lovin’ It is hosted by Tidy Mom

Spring Wreath Revamp

I’ve seen so many cute wreaths on other blogs and in the future I want to make my own completely “from scratch” but for the sake of saving money, I created this one using stuff that I already had.
The wreath was actually given to me by dad.  It was on his front door for a while, and then it got transferred to the attic.  And rather than selling it at a yardsale for $2 or something, he asked me if I wanted it.  Of course I said yes!  And since then the wreath has adorned our front door for the past 2 springs and summers.  But I really wanted something a little different for spring…something to add a  little more color, so I simply added some pink flowers and voila! 
Here’s a picture of what the wreath looked like before.  I love the berries, but some of them are starting to fall off.  (Actually we got a glass door installed last year, and before it was installed the wreath was “exposed” to the outside, and birds frequently landed on it and tried to eat the berries, so I’m not surprised that they’re falling off.)  And again, I felt that it needed some color.
I had these two flower springs on hand. I believe these were 94 cents at Wal-Mart.  I added these to the wreath using the easiest method ever! 
I thought I might want to do something different with the wreath in the future, so I didn’t even use glue. I simply cut the flowers, leaving about 3-4 inches of the stem. (You’ll need wire cutters for this.) And then I wove the stems in through the wreath. Very easy!  And it looks so great from the outside!

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post at:
It’s So Very Creative & It’s So Very Thrifty hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Make it for Monday hosted by Cottage Instincts
Made it Mondays hosted by The Persimmon Perch
Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
Make Your Monday hosted by Twice Remembered
Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Market Yourself Monday is hosted by Sumos Sweet Stuff
Marketing Mondays and Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
What Your Working with Wednesday is hosted by Me and My Bucket
Show & Tell Wednesday is hosted by Blue Cricket Design
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Week End Review is hosted by Tator Tots & Jello
Star on Saturday is hosted by Craft-Werk
Penny Pinching Party is hosted by The Thrifty Home
Show & Tell Friday is hosted by Romantic Home

Survival Seed Review/Giveaway – Grow Your Garden!

Do you have an emergency food supply? Is your family prepared for a food shortage? In the event of a natural disaster, terrorist attack, and other catostophic events, it’s good to have the ease of mind in knowing that your family has plenty of food to eat.

Unfortunately most of us only stock enough food to sustain ourselves for a few weeks. For many of us, this is due to a lack of funds. If you live paycheck to paycheck, as many of us do, you buy what you can, which is generally a week or two weeks worth of groceries. But it’s also due to a sense or (as some would say) a false sense of security. As I stated in my previous post, we have the luxery of being able to go to the store anytime we want: today, tomorrow, next week, etc. And most us of never consider what it would be like if we did not have this opportunity. Most people have no idea what they would do in the event of a major disaster or even what they would do in the event of a personal emergency (job loss, accident, etc.)

One answer is to grow your own garden. Although maintaining a garden can be hardwork, it gives you the opportunity to be self reliant and continuously create a new food supply year after year. It also saves you a lot of money. Growing a garden is also a great project that you can work on with you family, and it can help you to teach your children about responsibility, self-reliance, and the value of hard work.


Today I’m giving away a survival seed pack from Hometown Seeds. The seed pack consists of Non-Hybrid Survival Seeds. This means that they are not genetically modified and they will produce true to variety seeds to replant for future harvests. The seeds have a 5 year shelf life (10 years, if frozen). And the package includes nearly a pound and a half of seed—enough seeds to plant 3/4 of an acre. Also, the seed pack sales for $35 and will yield about $600 worth of food a year!
The package also comes with a fabulous instruction booklet. This tells you everything you need to know to start growing your garden: when to plant, where to plant, crop spacings, germination periods, soil modification, etc.

Your Survival Seed Pack will include 16 varieties of seeds:

-Lincoln Peas (5 oz.)
-Detroit Dark Red Beets (10 grams)
-Kentucky wonder Brown Pole Bean (5 oz.)
-Champion Radish (10 grams)
-Lucullus Swiss Chard (10 grams)
-Black Beauty Zucchini (10 grams)
-Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach (10 grams)
-Scarlet Nantes Carrots (10 grams)
-Long Green Improved Cucumber (10 grams)
-Golden Acre Cabbage (10 grams)
-Romaine Paris Island Cos Lettuce (5 grams)
-Golden Banterm Sweet Corn (5 oz.)
-Yolo Wonder Pepper (5 grams)
-Waltham Butternut Winter Squash (10 grams)
-Rutgers Tomato (5 grams)
-Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion (10 grams)

Win it! If you’d like to win your own survival seed pack (a $35 value) go to Hometown Seeds and tell us your favorite product OR tell me what crop you’d most like to have in your garden. Deadline: April 5

Extra Entries:
-One entry for following my blog publicly.
-Two entries for following me on twitter.

-One entry each time you link up at Friday Favorites during the giveaway period (3/19 edition through 4/2 edition).
-One entry for tweeting about this giveaway (limit one entry per day).
(Sample tweet: I want to win survival seeds for my garden http://bit.ly/assh9Y @SimplySweetHome.)
-One entry if you link up something for Sweet Thursday.
-Two entries if you display my button on your blog.
-One entry if you’re a fan on facebook.
-Three entries if you are subscribed to my Feedblitz mailing list.
-One entry if you follow Simply Sweet Creations.
-Five entries if you make a purchase from my etsy shop.

Rules/Restrictions: Giveaway is for US residents only. If you don’t have a blog or profile with a visible email address, please leave one with your comment so that I can contact you if you win.

-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
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

It’s So Very Thrifty is hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Show and Tell Friday is hosted by Romantic Home
Disclosure: I did not receive monetary compensation for this post. The opinions expressed here are my own. I received a seed pack in return for posting a text link and another package to give away to my readers.

MckLinky Blog Hop
Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List….

The Need For Food Storage: How Much Food Do You Have on Hand?

photo credit: The Daily Telegraph

Is your family prepared for emergencies? My husband and I spoke with a network marketer who said that 95% of people just make a living. Whether they work as a store clerk or mechanic, or whether they’re a business owner, doctor, or lawyer, they have to keep trading their time into that profession in order for the income stream to continue. And for most of us, if we stopped working for a few weeks (because we lost our job, got sick or had to take care of a sick loved one, etc) it would create a big financial burden in a hurry.

And this not only applies to our finances but to our personal food supply. The majority of people only have enough food to sustain their families for a couple of weeks. For some people it may be more, but for others on a tight budget, it may be less. We’ve grown accustomed to living our lives day to day, knowing that we can go to the grocery store and get everything we need today, tomorrow, next week, and the week after that. And we give very little thought to food storage for emergency preparedness.
Think of all the things that could affect your personal food supply and/or your ability to get more food. Here are just a few things: tornado, flood, terrorist attack, civil unrest, massive power outages, inflation and even on a personal level, the loss of a job or income stream or a family emergency that prevents you from working.
Last summer we actually had a massive power outage that lasted for 3 days. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Alabama in the summer time, but trust me, you don’t want to be without power for 3 hours, much less 3 days! Anyway–we managed to get some ice and transfer some of our refrigerated goods over to coolers, but unfortunately we had to throw some things out. And during that time we had to spend some our money on fast food.
That same week, many households were without power for 5 days. I remember reading in the paper about a lady who was in desperate straits because she’d just bought groceries before the power outage and now all her food was spoiled, and she simply couldn’t afford to take her family out to eat again. And because she only got paid every two weeks, she was in a quandary over how she could get groceries for the following week.
But what if the situation had been more dire? What if it had been a longterm problem?  For us, going 3 days without power seemed to drive us mad, not just because of the lack of internet, tv, and other luxeries, but because there was no way to cook our food or keep it cold. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in that situation for a week, a month, or longer.  Can you?

We often read articles about emergency preparedness: having smoke detectors, a weather radio, a home evacuation plan, etc. But often food and water, the most vital things to our survival don’t get a lot of  mention.  I’ve been looking in to this topic, and as I prepared for the survival seed giveaway that I’m doing this week, I got inspired to create some other posts on this topic, starting with this one–sort of a mini series.

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I’ll be doing more posts on the subject in the next few weeks.  Also, later on today I’ll be launching the survival seed giveaway, which you are welcome to enter.

-Jerri

Work at Home Wednesday: Sock Sachets

This week I’m letting my resolutions and goals for the year begin, which includes coming up with a new schedule for my blogging and working to make this site a little more organized and structured.

On Wednesdays my plan is to do posts dealing with work at home topics. This could be anything from housekeeping tips and household projects to organizing or craft projects and even business ideas, tips, etc.for work-at-home-moms. And if I’m able to stay consistent with it and people like the future, I may turn it in to a linky event. What do you think?

For today’s post we have a simple and frugal project, and if you’re a packrat like me, you’ll definitely appreciate this. If you have old socks or baby booties around your house, why not turn them into sachets?
Sachets are so great to place around your home and in drawers for a fresh and pleasant scent, and by using socks or booties, you can save money and even create a personal keepsake.
Just take a really cute baby booty or sock that your child has outgrown and fill it with a little potpourri. (Find this at Wal-mart or the Dollar Store.) You could also use other scented items, including spices from your pantry. Cinnamon or nutmeg would be nice, and I read about an example where they used oregano & basil…interesting!
Or you could use anything else around your house with a pleasant scent. We had some lavender scented bath crystals, so I used some of these to make a sachet. Also, if you’re allergic or don’t like scented potpouri, you can put baking soda inside your sachets. There’s no fragrance to irritate you, and it will help deodarize your drawers and home.
After you’ve filled your sock or booty, tie it up with a cute ribbon. It makes a great keepsake for your home, or you could use them as gifts. Grandmothers would love to get one of these, and you could always add a couple of these to baby shower gift basket.
If you don’t have any kids, or you’re not too concerned with making anything cute, this is also a great project to use with just plain old socks. (You know the ones that should have been thrown away months ago!) Just take some scissors and cut off the toes off the sock (basically halfway between the toes and the heel. Then fill the sock with desired fragrance, and use a ribbon to tie it up, or tie the sock in a simple knot.

Does anyone else know some of some frugal craft or household projects made with things found around the house? I’d love some new ideas!

-Jerri


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I am pleased to link up this post at the following:
Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Hooked on Fridays at
Hooked on Houses
DIY Monday at
A Soft Place to Land

It’s So Very Creative hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Make it for Monday hosted by Cottage Instincts
Made it Mondays hosted by The Persimmon Perch
Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
Make Your Monday hosted by Twice Remembered
Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

Sprucing Up The Yard

One of our current goals is to get the outside of our house fixed up. (This includes doing a little more work in the front yard and more importantly painting the shutters and fixing up the front porch.)

It’s a little on hold right now because hubby got laid off from his new job a few weeks ago, so we’re trying to save our money for “must haves,” but before that happened we did get a start on it.

In my next couple of posts I’ll be showing you some of the things we’ve been working on.

First priority was to break up this sidewalk that went down the middle of the yard. It was old and broken up in places, and it was kind of pointless because it ended about 2 feet from the road. (This must have been a trend because I neighbors have a sidewalk the ends about 2 feet from the road as well.) Anyway we got rid of the old sidewalk and have planted some grass seeds. The grass hasn’t come in fully yet, but I think it’s already looking better than it did with the old broken sidewalk! Plus, it’s going to be the yard look a lot

In the above picture you can also see where we pruned our trees. These are really coming back nicely as well!

We also had a bunch of old stepping stones going from the driveway to the porch. These were replaced with new ones. This looks so much better! (Sorry I don’t have a before picture, and please excuse all the dirt, as this photo was taken while we were building flower beds.)

Next post, I’ll be going through a step-by-step process to making a new flower bed.

-Jerri


Adventures in Shopping: The Little Bamboo

For this month’s edition of Adventures in Shopping, I’m sharing my new bamboo plant. I got it at the flea market for just $4. I just love the flea market! You never know what you’re going to find.

We used to go all the time when I was a kid to shop for antiques and collectibles. And I would look forward to getting a sno-cone or some other special treat…well, actually I still look forward to getting a sno-cone or some other treat. (Something about concession stands just lure me in!)

But I love the shopping too. It’s fun seeing all the great items they have to offer, old and new! I don’t usually buy much, but this time I managed to pick up a couple of “lucky cat” figurines, which I’ll have to share at another time. (I forgot to take photos of them.)

And of course, I got the bamboo. Most flea markets I’ve been too sell these. So if you like bamboo, you should visit the local flea market. I find that the bamboo at the flea markets usually looks a lot better than those sold in regular stores. And you can usually find a great selection of all sizes, varieties, and price ranges. (Plus, you can get the seller to make a special arrangement for you if you like.)

-Jerri


The Making of A New Flower Bed


In this post I’ll be sharing our newly built flower beds with you and going through a step-by-step process to making flower beds. I know it’s not exactly rocket science, but then again, there may be people who read this blog who, like me, have very little gardening experience and could use a tutorial. And to tell you the truth, I did learn a couple of new things from a landscaping expert, which I’ll share with you.

First hubby had to take a pick and chop on some roots from a little bush/tree that used to be in front of the porch. (Fun!) Below are all the roots.The first step in the flower bed making process was to till up the ground a little, and then we spread out the peat moss. (I believe we used about 10 big cubes of this.) Then we used a tape measure and placed the plants where they should go. Then hubby used the post hole diggers to make a hole. My job was pull the plant out of the pot, place it in the hole, and pack the dirt in around it, while he went to the next place to make another hole.

Then we placed professional grade landscaping paper over the beds. (The landscaper who broke up our sidewalk recommended the professional grade over the regular kind. He said we’d still have weeds if we used the regular kind, and he informed us that newspaper is not good to use with azaleas. Funny, my parents always used newspaper…who knew it was “bad,”? But since he’s the expert, I’ll believe it.)


After spreading landscaping paper over the length of the bed, cut it from the roll. Then go to plant, and make a cut with your scissors. The cut should be made so that it’s along the center of the plant, and it should be long enough that it goes slightly past the back of the plant.

Tuck the paper in around the plant. Get it as close to the plant as possible. Then pull the two ends of the paper (from the cut you made) together, and use landscaping staples to hold the paper tightly together. (We used 3 large packs of these.)

The use the mulch of your choice to spread over the top of your bed. For azaleas it is recommended that you use a hard wood mulch rather than a soft wood mulch. Usually I prefer brown mulch, but we chose black instead. (We used about a dozen bags of this.)


Finally place a border/barrier around the flower bed. This can be as simple as a strip of plastic edging or something a little more fancy like concrete landscaping blocks. (Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of our completely finished products, as we put out the edging on a different day from when these pictures were taken. I’ll try to get a photo and add it to the post soon though!

Oh, and last but not least, get a broom and sweep all the stray dirt and mulch off the sidewalk!

-Jerri


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I’m submitting this post to the following carnivals:
Make Something Monday is hosted by
Jolly Mom and Go Graham Go.
Show and Tell Friday is hosted by
There is no place like home
Hooked on Fridays is hosted by
Hooked on Houses
Project Friday is hosted by
Sugarplum Cottage

A Foreign Invasion of My Washing Machine

Today I’m sharing an article that was sent in by Michael Brown. It’s a story that a lot of you moms out there will surely relate to, and it’s a very relevant article to read during tough economic times.
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Washing machines are for washing clothes, not your children’s toys. Adults know this but sometimes kids have to find out for themselves. I have five year old twins and I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good parent, but my little angels occasionally get themselves into things that they’re not supposed to, like my washing machine. Here’s my story about appliance repair.

My boys like to play army when they’re stuck in the house on a rainy day. They take these little green men and hide them all over my house and then hunt them down with some jeeps and plastic tanks. It can be an annoyance when I’m cleaning up and finding army men everywhere but its fun to watch them strategize and have fun. They have been warned though about hiding their toys in appliances or under appliance parts of any kind. I guess they didn’t think that this meant the washing machine.

If you’re a parent, you can probably guess the rest of the story. The jeep and the tank somehow ended up in the washer and the washer got turned on mysteriously. Both boys came pelting up the stairs and Mom had to go down and shut her very loudly banging machine off before the damage got too extensive. The appliance itself was okay because the toys weren’t in there that long but the agitator had gouges in it. That plastic they make those trucks out of is tougher than it looks.

I did have a brief moment at this point where I feared that I would have to buy a brand new washer, but common sense took over. I could see that it was just the agitator that was damaged and it looked fairly simple to replace. As a single mom, you have to learn how to be handy with tools and raising two boys you need to be able to fix things that are broken without calling in professional help.

Taking a neighbor’s advice, instead of calling for an appliance repair guy I went online to http://www.appliancepartspros.com/ and ordered a new agitator for $29.07. They have Whirlpool parts for washers, dryers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and appliance parts for just about everything that you can’t find in a hardware store. All in all, there are over 1,000,000 appliance parts at Appliance Parts Pros and you can order them shipped the same day. It was a great option for someone like me who has more time than money. The installation was fairly easy and the washer works great now. The kids are still grounded.