Cookie Creator Winner

Congratulations to~


Michelle...

My favorite is the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's kiss in the middle!

This is one of my favorites too.  Especially when they are warm out of the oven & chocolate is a little bit melted still.  Mmmm!

*Winners chosen at random using Random.org

Cookie Creator Giveaway

It's that time again.  Time to make Christmas cookies.  This is one of my most favorite activities.  I love making Christmas cookies for two reasons.  1)I only make certain cookies this time of year that are sooooo good!  I don't know why I don't make these certain varieties year around... maybe that's why they are so good.  2)Decorating.  I so enjoy decorating cookies.  It's fun to make the different shapes & adorn them with sprinkles, colored sugar, icing, & powdered sugar.  Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without cookies

As we gear up for this cookie season I thought I'd do a giveaway to prepare one of you with some fabulous cookie making tools.  The giveaway includes a melamine (that means no breaking :) 4 quart batter bowl, melamine mixing bowl, two silicone spatulas, and five Christmas cookie cutters.

To enter the giveaway just answer the following question in the comments section below:
What is your favorite Christmas treat?


Winner will be drawn at random & announced Tuesday (December 13th).  One entry per person.  U.S.A. residents only.

I'll be posting more Christmas cookie recipes this month, but here's one past post to get you started.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Happy baking!

Candle Winner

Congrats to Mrs. Meek said...

I'm such a follower. :)

The biggest fall habit at my house: apples. Especially now that the Mac's are ready. And since it's MEA weekend (aka NO SCHOOL!!!) I have a fabulous four day weekend to make applesauce, and apple pie, and apple crisp, and dried apples, and more applesauce, and...well, you get the point. (I think I'm going to go eat an apple now.)

she won this wonderfully Fall smelling (Fall has a smell, I swear) candle! 


Thanks to all who participated.  I love giveaways!  Giving gifts it's definitely my most prominent love language.  & I love all of you, my readers... ugh, fine- "followers" ;) (sarcasm is my other love language)


*winner chosen at random using Random.org

Sent-filled Giveaway

I don't know what it is about Fall, but as soon as the season hits I'm lighting candles.  I can't help it!  Something about this time of year forces me to purchase apple, cranberry-orange, mulled cider, or any candle with the name Autumn or Fall in it.  I then rush those wax treasures home & immediately light them in every room of my house... & I let them burn all day.  Their wonderful aromas fill my home & I love it.  I'm an addict & I don't care.

Yesterday I found this glorious candle.  It's called "golden pear".  It is a wonderful fall scent, not too heavy & not too sweet.  Just a perfect, gentle fall scent.  Plus it's square, & if given the option I always go square over circle.  I don't know why, or even why I thought you needed to know that.  Anywho, I picked up one of these candles just for you my "followers" (I've always felt odd saying that, it really should say "readers". Followers makes me feel real self-conscious.  But I'm not the CEO of Blogger, so I don't get to really weigh in on these decisions ;)  So if you'd like to enter to win this little beauty you first need to be one of my "members", if you're not, join our little happy family now by clicking on the link on the right.  Once your part of our community then throw your answer to this question in the comments section below:

What seasonal habit do you have when Fall hits?

Do you do a lot of baking?  Does football consume your weekends?  Do you start reading more?

I obviously begin burning millions of candles.  I also start making soup like it's going out of style & organizing my garage.  I don't know why I do the garage thing, but every year I do.  So become a "follower" & answer the question below.  I will announce the winner Friday evening.


*Must live in the USA to enter. One entry per person.  

Pretty in Pink Shoes Winner

Sorry this is a day late.  Of course the internet guy showed up today instead of yesterday.  Oh well, at least I can reconnect with the cyber world again.

Congratulations to:
Carrie said...

I would love those for my principessa....I am pretty sure they will fit her, and she would be tickled "pink" to have them!

Email me at j.yphotography@yahoo.com so I can get these sent off to you!

Shoes, Come & Get Em'!

Sorry my posting has been a little skimpy this week.  We have officially moved, most of our stuff, into our new house.  All the remodeling isn't done so we are still wiring, tileing, etc while we live there.  My two oldest girls began their school year on Wednesday.  And I don't have internet access yet, it's coming in 9 days.  So bare with me over the next week as we settle in.  I happen to be at my parents house tonight to visit my brother who is home fromt the army for a few days, so I had internet access... yipee!

With all our moving I have inevitably cleaned out my closet a bit.  And of course I found a pair of my old shoes that I no longer fit.  You can read about my shoe saga here, it's dramatic & gripping.  I've been hanging on to these babies for too long.  Every once in a while I try to unsuccesfully squeeze my feet into them.  I've had these shoes since college & I just love them.  It's gonna be tough to part with them.  But, alas, they simply do not fit.

They are pink (my favorite color) & the cutest shape.  Pluse they have these great buckles, I love buckles on shoes.  They are also kitten heels, because I honestly cannot handle real heaes.  Can't do it.  The balls of my feet & arches get incredibly sore.  Seems weird for someone who danced, but I just can't handle heels... which is probably why I never did ballroom dancing.  These shoes are not name brand & I can't remember where I bought them.  But they are comfortable... a top priority in footwear for me.

These babies are a size 7 1/2 & if you're wanting them throw a comment down below & let me know.  I'll do a drawing if there's enough comments.  If you're the only one who enters then their yours.  I will ship them to you at my cost.  Drawing will be held on Monday, September 12th in honor of me getting internet access again.  Please give my cute buckled shoes a home... you won't regret it!

Stuff I Love... You Could Too (goodies giveaway)

Winner of the $15 in Avon products is

scrappy chic: I fell in love this year with Japanese cherry blossom!!!! YUMMMMMY! (buck thinks so too!)
Congratulations!  Email me & we will coordinate your winnings.
*winners chosen by random.org  

A friend of mine (& neighbor, because she only lives 25 miles away I call here a neighbor) started selling Avon.  I've never bought anything from Avon, or any other specialty beauty product company.  Truth is I can never afford the stuff.  So I always used Wal-Mart as my beauty product supplier.  But since she is a friend, & since she gave me a catalog, & since I consider that kind of stuff reading material (I try reading books, but reading time for myself always gets interrupted.  Point in case, I've been reading the same book for 6 months now... yeash!), & since at the end of the day I really need mindless activities to wind down with I browsed the catalog.  And ya know what, I actually could afford what was in there.  I've had my eye on some particular beauty products for years now, but have never been able to purchase them.  Well, with Avon that has changed... keep reading, you will have a chance to try it for yourself.

This is one of my favorite things in the world: face perfecter (a must with my freckly face).  I had a sample of this stuff from another place years ago.  I loved it so much, but never could afford it.  It takes the place of foundation in my life.  It makes your skin feel so smooth & look so soft & even.  It's also very lightweight, unlike most foundations.  On top of all that it is SPF 20, so no sun damage for you!

I love their mineral make-up products.  I've been using Bare Minerals powders, which I love, but they are expensive.  Avon's mineral powders work just as good as the pricey stuff, but cost a bundle less.  I suggest getting a powder in your shade (trust me, they have your color) and one in Transparent Glow.  You put this on on after the main powder & your skin will look lovely.

If you've ever bathed a child you know how quickly you go through body wash/soap.  Not because the child is so dirty, but because they have this inherent desire to pour out anything liquid.  Problem solved!  Avon has these great roll on soaps that are spill proof.   It's also easy to use so kiddos can wash themselves.  There are a ton of scents to choose from.  These are always on sale so keep an eye out & you'll get a good deal beyond their everyday afford-ability 

Out on the ranch we have hard well water.  It dries your skin out just looking at it.  I bought some of this lotion & problem solved.  This stuff is so thick that it will soften your hands up in no time.  It's a lot like Neutrogena's intense hand creme, and cost the same.  Only difference is you get three times as much for the same price, and it works just as well.  Also great for feet, knees, elbows or really dry & itchy skin.

Okay, last thing, because I really could keep going.  I adore this shave gel, actually I've loved any of the Skin So Soft products I've purchased.  It stays put until you shave & leaves your skin feeling smooth & moisturized.  Plus, a little goes a long way, so it last forever.

I have loved everything that I've bought from Avon & have never been disappointed in price.  You can order online here and if you spend more than $30 shipping is free.  Don't want to spend $30, team up with a friend & do one order so you don't have to pay for shipping.  If you live in the Missoula area you can call my friend/neighbor & order directly through her (then you never have to pay shipping).  Email her at ajenkinsavon@hotmail.com or call 406-360-5731.  Look through the Avon line & promise you'll find something you adore.  We all deserve a little pampering now & then, it's just nice when it doesn't break the bank & you love it!

Since I now love Avon so much & I think everyone should be spoiled just a little bit I'm giving away $15 of your choice of Avon products.  
All you have to do to enter is tell me your favorite kind of smell in the comments section below (mine is pomegranate & new babies- just can't get enough of it).
Winner will be announced Sunday evening.

Recipe Card Holders Winners

Congratulations to:
Mrs. Meek
LC_Koemans
you've each one one of these cute holders.  Contact me at j.yphotography@yahoo.com to claim your prize.  Enjoy!

Helpmate

 I do most of my cooking from recipe cards.  I like to have my recipes where I can easily read them & they won't get covered in food.  A few years ago I randomly put a recipe card in a photo holder (I think my counters were covered in stuff, including a photo holder & I stuck my recipe card in it out of desperation to make sense of chaos)... and I was hooked!  I love that the recipes are up out of harms way where I can read them.  And the recipe card holding device takes up very little room when not in use.  Last plus, it's super duper cheap!  You probably have one of these sitting around your house right now.  If not you can pick one up almost anywhere for cheap.  They also make great gifts.

Since I think all cooks should have the opportunity to use one of these cute "recipe card holders" I'm giving away two of them this weekend.  I will announce 2 winners Sunday evening.  All you have to do to get in the running for one of these babies is tell us all what your plans are for this weekend in the comments section below.

I will be hanging out at home & relaxing & going to church.  It's a very rare weekend for us because we do not have people in the house besides our family.  Oh, & I may attempt making won tons... I'm horrible at Asian food so this is quiet an undertaking.  What are you doing this weekend?

Just for the Heck of It Winner

Congratulations to:
#1 Carrie 
Jess, I LOVE these...they are ADORABLE...So, my absolute FAVORITE part of Spring is Resurrection Day...I LOVE IT... 


You have won these wonderful ramekins.  Enjoy!  Contact me at j.yphotography@yahoo.com to claim your prize.  


Thank you to all who participated.  I loved reading your comments!


Winner chosen at random using Random.org

Just for the Heck of It

You may have noticed these darling ramekins in my last post about Artichoke Dip.  I think these are so cute and I really like their shape and color.

They are small enough to be cute, but big enough to hold an individual serving.  They're great for personal hors d'oeuvers or desserts.  Also are great for a tray of various dips or snacks.

To add to their attractiveness they are also oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe- love that!  Adorable and practical.

And so, because I think these ramekins are great... because I love giving gifts... because I haven't done a giveaway yet this month... because I need something to take my mind off yet another snowfall last night... because, well, just for the heck of it, I'm giving away four ramekins (2 green and 2 blue).

Sweet little song bird came back for Spring and all he got was Winter.

To enter the giveaway all you need to do is tell me your favorite thing about Spring in the comments section below.

 I will chose a winner at random on Saturday and ship/deliver these to you on Monday.  That means by next week you could be baking, microwaving, or dishwashering (word found in the Jessica Dictionary 2011)  these babies in your own kitchen.  Good luck!

Pay It Forward

Today I want to give you an opportunity to help out a brave set of parents.  I was given the link to this site via a comment on my blog.  This is a pretty cool idea & for a great cause.  You buy a raffle ticket (or a couple) & get enter to win this sweet camera (trust me, this is a SWEET camera).  In turn money is raised for this family to adopt a sweet little boy named Noah.  But this is no run of the mill adoption (even though all adoption is great, there is nothing more wonderful than giving a child a family & home).  This family is adopting from a foundation called Reese's Rainbow which is an international ministry for down syndrome orphans.  I do not know the Silva family at all (but they do live where my Dad grew up & most of my relatives reside... so go Lake Stevens! And Arlington, and Marysville, and Savanah... I have too many relatives.), but I think what they are doing is incredibly brave & compassionate.  I pray that they get all the funds they need quickly & easily so they can bring this little boy home.  Check it out & if you can buy a raffle ticket please do.  If not, help pass the word around by posting/Facebooking/emailing this link.  Above all, just your support & prayers would mean the world to them.

Nikon Camera Give Away

Tune in tomorrow to see the update on the Easter dress... I'll need some more input.

Valentines Gift for You Winner

Congrats to 
scrappy chic said...

We LOVE to leave each other (all 4 of us) little love notes & treats in fun metal mail boxes all month. We of course LOVE each other all the time, but this is fun way to remember and get CANDY!!!

BTW: that owl oven mitt is stinking CUTE!

So happy you get to use that stinkin' cute oven mitt for you Valentine's celebration.  Enjoy making more treats to show your love with this fun cookie kit.

Thanks for all who participated.  I love hearing about everyone's traditions!

How I pick a winner: I use random.com to generate the winners of my giveaways.  No one ever sponsors my giveaways... in fact it's usually stuff I find in the dollar bin at the store.

Valentines Gift for You

The big day of love is only one week away.  In our family my husband & I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day.    But we always do something for our kids.  In our house Valentines is more of a kids holiday.  I get a small gift bag for each child with some candies & maybe a small toy or pair of socks.  Something really small & generally from the Dollar Store.  We also always make a trip to the Dairy Queen.

I know this may sound strange, but up here in cold Montana our Dairy Queens are not open year around (except the one in the mall, but I hate going to the mall).  The tiny huts that our local DQs call home are not warm enough to serve ice cream all year long.  Also, they have no indoor seating.  There are not too many people lining up outside in 10 degree weather to get a frozen treat.  Every year on Valentines Day the two little Dairy Queen huts begin operating again.  I love this for two reasons: 1)I can get the best cheese hot dogs in the world 2)It's a sign that spring is on it's way.  So each Valentines Day we make the trek over to the DQ & get ourselves our long missed baby cones & cheese dogs.

I like this holiday because it's low key, involves lots of chocolate (and in our case, cheese hot dogs), and is symbolized by my two favorite colors- red & pink.  In honor of Valentines treats & gift giving I'm showing ya'll my love by giving away this cute little baking set.  Included (all Valentine's Day themed of course) are 2 oven mitts, 2 silicone spatulas, a bunch of Valentine's cookie cutters, & an assortment of colored sugars & sprinkles.  You could decorate cookies all day with this fun kit!

To enter just tell us what your Valentine's Day tradition is in the comments section below.  I will randomly draw a winner & announce it on Friday.

Batter Bowl Winner

Congrats to Deidrie!  You won the batter bowl.  But don't fret ya'll, I've found a lot of fun stuff on Christmas clearance so there will be more giveaways soon.  See, I love shopping for other people.  I'm big on giving gifts, it's one of the ways I show love.  This blog has just created another avenue of gift giving for me- I love it!

Deidrie said...

Our favorite breakfast dish is baked oatmeal. It easy, quick, and tasty. Some of us in the family(the strange ones) add milk. The rest of us just eat it hot out of the oven.

This begs the question: What the heck is baked oatmeal?  You must share with all of us this wonderful & mysterious dish!  (Or am I just a nerd & everyone else is scarfing down baked oatmeal & I'm so out of the loop that I'm clueless to its existence?)

Dutch Baby... & Something for You

This is one of my favorite easy & quick breakfast dishes.  It's called a Dutch Baby is lies somewhere between crepes & pancakes.  They are buttery and dense.  I love Dutch Babies first of all because they are so delicious.  Secondly they require minimal ingredients & preparation, perfect for a Sunday morning.  Thirdly, I love the name.  It is always fun to pronounce to your guests that you will be serving them a Dutch Baby for breakfast.  They look at you like you're some cannibalistic freak.  And right before they start to run out the door you get to explain "Oh, don't worry, it's not an actual baby of Dutch origin.  That's just the name of the dish."

Here's the scoop:
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs at room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix well together everything but the butter (you can even do it in the blender). 

 Melt butter in 10-inch iron skillet on medium heat on the stovetop.  Tilt skillet to coat sides with the melted butter.  Pour mixture into the skillet & allow to cook for one minute (DO NOT STIR).



Place skillet in hot oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until it is puffed up and golden brown.  It will get pretty big, but don't worry once you pull it out of the oven it will fall.

 

Serve immediately in wedges topped with powdered sugar, syrup, or berries (or whatever you want :)

And now... a treat for you!  Since anyone who makes breakfast needs on of these.  Since I have one & use it all the time.  Since I love it.  Since I'm addicted to shades of olive green.  And finally, since I found it on sale.

I'm giving away this 2 quart, olive green, melamine batter bowl with a rubber grip bottom.  This is a great batter bowl because it's lightweight, doesn't slip when you stir, & is a perfect size for making pancake, Dutch Baby, & waffle batter.

To enter all you need to do is put one of your favorite breakfast dishes in the comments section below.
And as always, if you've got a recipe you'd be willing to share email it to me at j.yphotography@yahoo.com


Winner (chosen at random) will be announced Sunday night.  You should enter, I don't have a ton of followers so you have a good chance of winning :)

Movie Quote Winner!

Congrats to Sarah S. on wining her own person copy of "A Christmas Story"!  Email me at j.yphotography@yahoo.com to claim your prize.  Nice work, enjoy :)

Shoe Mama

Congrats to Deidrie, she gets to adopt the super cute red flats!

If you are interested in these great shoes in the comment section below tell me where your at with Christmas shopping.  Did you get all your gifts purchased in August or are you just now saying "dang it, I need to go Christmas shopping".


Deidrie said... Gosh I want those shoes! I am 1/3 of the way done. I didn't start till Black Friday. I may have picked up a few stocking stuffers prior to black friday, but I am way off my game this year. I am trying online shopping this year. Normally I am an oldschool shopper, by principle, but necessity ruled the day this year.

I hear ya girl!  When you live in the boonies going to the store is easier said than done.  I have done almost all my Christmas shopping on line this year, & I love it.  No stores, no cranky kids, no lines- it's great!  But I'm not much of a shopper in the first place.

Keep an eye out, I'm sure I'll have more shoes that I unsuccessfully try to squeeze my feet into in the near future.  Enjoy your shoes Deidrie!

Christmas Craftiness... and maybe some hidden treasures too!

One benefit of having an art degree and living in the country is being able to make up projects for your kids on the spot with what resources you currently have.  The other day my two older girls & I made these Christmas candle holders.  They are easy & fun to make.  And you will have everything you need to make them right in your home.  Bonus- they don't look half bad!  Here's how you getter done:

You'll need wax paper, tape, red/green/white crayons, toilet or paper towel rolls, iron, and flameless tea lite candles.  I got my flameless candles at the Dollar Store, well worth the purchase.  You can put them in anything.  My friend Jami once put them under some old power line insulators.  The possibilities are endless!

The first thing you need to do is cut the toilet paper rolls to the desired height.  Next cut out the middle, but leave a half inch strip at the top & bottom & down the spine of the back of the candle.

Next make shavings of your crayons using a knife.  And your kids... "they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears" (Name that movie & you may get your own personal copy!).  If they're girls they say "Oh no, not my crayons.  I loved that crayon!"  If they're boys it will be more like this "Cool!"  Make yourself a nice pile of crayon shavings.  Moms- enjoy every minute of getting rid of one of your millions and millions of crayons!

Now, heat up your iron around the "cotton" setting.  Make sure you turn off the steam.  Take a piece of wax paper sprinkle some crayon shavings on it & cover it with another piece of wax paper.  Now take your iron & start ironing the top of the wax paper crayon sandwich, this will become the "glass" of your candle holders.  I suggest doing this step on top of some newspaper because sometimes wax will ooze out the sides.  Iron it until there are no bumps and all the crayon pieces are melted, it doesn't take long.

Cut the "glass" to the same widths as your toilet paper rolls.  Then tape one side to the spine of the toilet paper roll.

Roll the "glass around the roll until it meets again at the spine, trim if necessary.  Now tape the entire edge of the "glass" making sure to have the tape go over the edge of the toilet paper roll so that it adheres to the inside of the roll- this ensures that the wax paper stays put.  (Whose weird thumb is that?)

Now turn on your flameless tea lite candle & put the candle holder over the top.  It looks pretty cool & your kiddos will be so proud.

This is a great project for a variety of ages.  For the younger kids you'll have to do most of the work but they will really enjoy the process, especially the crayon melting.  Older kids can do much of the work themselves & they also really enjoy the crayon melting.  Heck, I enjoyed the crayon melting.  Have Fun!

To enter to win the movie just put your guess of what movie the quote is from in the "Comments" section below.  Winner will be announced on Friday.  One guess per person (so everyone in your family can guess, but just one guess per person).  You're going to want to guess on this one- you want this movie!

More Red Shoes

Lets start things off with a little gift giving.  As many of you know I do not wear my old shoe size (if you don't know this you can catch up with the story here).  The other day we took our family photo for our Christmas cards.  I got gussied up and put one of my favorite pairs of red shoes and of course THEY DON'T FIT!  I was so bummed because I love these shoes- they are red, they are flat, they have bows, and they are perfect for the holiday season.  I wore them for the family photo that only took five minutes & still my toes were going numb.  So I have to face the music & pass these babies on to someone else.  Here's the low-down:

American Eagle size 7 1/2

Flat & comfy

The cutest dang little bows on the top & felt tips.  They are practical & yet have character.

So if you are interested in these great shoes in the comment section below tell me where your at with Christmas shopping.  Did you get all your gifts purchased in August or are you just now saying "dang it, I need to go Christmas shopping".  Put your comment below & you'll be entered in a random drawing.  Unless you're the only one, then you will just get them ;)