Family Fun at the Columbus Commons

Need something new to do with the kids this summer?  Check out the Columbus Commons!

by Amy Trauntvein

Summer is here and the kids are out of school.  The pool is fun and so is the park, but can’t think of anything NEW to do with the kids this summer that won’t cost a fortune?  Check out the Columbus Commons!  I have to admit, I didn’t even know this place existed before last weekend, but I’m totally happy that I know all about it now, for some fun in the sun with my kiddos!  Our family received an invitation to come check out the Columbus Commons and discover everything they have to offer  this summer and beyond.  As you can see, my youngest loved the Carousel.

And the Reading Room…

And the Art Box…

My older kids and hubby liked the Ping Pong table and Corn Hole games…

 

And they ALL had a great time with the huge building blocks at the Imagination Playground!

And the best thing about all these activities?  Most of them are FREE! (Carousel Rides are $1)  The Columbus Commons is open every day (hours vary) with all these family friendly, fun things for you and your kids of any age.  Check out the details of their Free Open Play Activities. 

If you’re interested in even more fun stuff at the Columbus Commons, here  is their full (printable) 2013 Family Friendly Programming Schedule which includes activities such as Commons for Kids every Friday from 10-2, Movies at the Commons in June and July, Mayor Coleman’s Neighborhood Pride Block Party in August, and Family Fun Day also in August to name just a few. And don’t forget, many of these are FREE!  Free fun for the whole family?  You can beat that!

The Columbus Commons is located in downtown Columbus right across the street from the convenient and affordable (only $2!) Columbus Commons Parking Garage located at 55 E Rich Street or 191 S Third Street.

I hope you’ll check out what the Columbus Commons has to offer for your family and maybe I’ll see you there!  I know I will be heading to the Commons with my kids many times this summer and beyond!

Love To All! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening, yoga, walking and saving money! I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

Odwalla and Champions for Kids Fighting Hunger in the Summer

Odwalla + Champions For Kids Simple Service Project

by Amy Trauntvein

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®, Odwalla, and Champions for Kids.  However, all opinions are my own. #cbias #SocialFabric #Odwalla4Kids

These wholesome snack bars taste great and are an easy way to fill kids’ hungry bellies while giving them the nutrition they need.

Along with the Odwalla bars, we donated  several other food & non-food items that we had in surplus at our home.

With the couponing I do, I also have plenty of non-food items that I purchase for donations and since our local food pantry also accepts these things, we gathered them up as well.  If someone doesn’t have to buy shampoo, soap or other toiletries, then they can have more money to purchase food for their families.

Here are our donations packed up and ready to be given to those in need.

 

When I arrived at our Community Food Pantry, I noticed how empty their shelves were.

After talking with Ruth, the coordinator, and Angela, her assistant, they said that the need keeps rising and also with summer coming, the need will be even greater with kids not getting school breakfasts and lunches.  This small pantry helped over 129 families in April and are tracking to help even more this month.  They receive no funding or government assistance, they only rely on the goodness and generosity of the community.

Angela and Ruth of the Johnstown Community Food Pantry

Ways YOU Can Help! -by Champions For Kids Simple Service Project

GATHER your friends, family and co-workers to fight hunger in the summer by hosting a food drive in your community.  Nutritious snacks like Odwalla Kids Bars and Juice Boxes would be great to give!  Consider giving out prizes to the person who donates the most food at you office or community organization!

LEARN about the needs of children in your community by asking a food pantry volunteer, school nurse, or social worker to talk with your group about their experiences.

GIVE the food items that you collect to a food bank in your community so that children and families will have enough to eat this summer.

SHARE your story with us at www.championsforkids.org/share so that we can celebrate your participation!  How many people were involved, and how many items did you collect?  Please let us know that you are ONE of Millions who helped reach our goal to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020 to become Champions For Kids!

Be sure to check out Odwalla on Facebook, Twitter and Odwalla.com!

Love To All! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening, yoga, walking and saving money! I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Spicy Southwest 5 Cheese Dip with Kraft #FreshTake

If You Like A Spicy Kick, You’ve Got To Try This Dip!

By Amy Trauntvein

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Kraft Foods #FreshTake #cbias #SocialFabric. All opinions, ideas, and photos are my own.

My family loves Mexican food and spicy South-of-the-border flavors so when Kraft Foods asked me to create a new recipe using one of their Fresh Take flavors, I knew which one I wanted to try and what recipe I would make.  Spicy Southwest 5 Cheese Dip using Kraft Fresh Take Southwest 3 Cheese.

I took the kids to Walmart to find the Kraft Fresh Take and a few other ingredients.  It was easily found among the cheeses in the Deli Section and had a variety of flavors to choose from.  Also, if you go to the Meat Department, there will be and IRC (immediately redeemable coupon) stuck on packages of chicken.  The coupon takes off $1 for one package of chicken when purchased with Fresh Take.  The coupons will run until 7/31/13.

I love Kraft Fresh Take and have been using it to make some pretty tasty dinners lately.  It’s easy to use and the cheeses and spices are a perfect compliment with chicken no matter what flavor packet you buy.  Since I’ve enjoyed the Fresh Takes flavors, I knew adding it to a dip recipe would turn it from “It was alright” to “Wow, how did you make this? I need your recipe!”  Just look at the yumminess on the package, and it already contains 3 of the 5 cheeses for my dip recipe!  How easy it that?

Now back home for the creation of the spicy, cheesy, ooey gooey goodness!

Recipe for Spicy Southwest 5 Cheese Dip

• 1 Package Kraft Fresh Take Southwest 3 Cheese Flavor
• 1 8 oz Package Kraft Cream Cheese
• 1/3 cup Kraft Mayo
• 1 cup shredded Kraft Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 Jalapeno chopped finely with seeds removed.

If you like things really spicy, use 2 peppers.  Go ahead, I dare ya!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut Jalapeno in half and scrape out seeds. Chop finely.

Warm cream cheese in in microwave until soft.  Add mayo, monterey jack cheese and jalapeno.  Open package of Fresh Take and mix the cheeses and breadcrumbs together.  Reserve 1/2 cup of Fresh Take for Topping, and add the rest of the Fresh Take to the other ingredients.  Mix well.  If mixture seems a bit dry, add more mayo by tablespoons until mixture looks nice and creamy.  I just mixed it all in the actual baking dish (to save me from dirtying another bowl).  Once mixed well, smooth out the top.

Toss into oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Pull out and stir.  Now add the reserved 1/2 cup of Fresh take to the top and toss back into oven for another 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with chips or crackers of your choosing.  I liked mine with Pita Chips for their “heftiness”.  This cheesy, hot and gooey dip is a perfect compliment to any Mexican, Tex Mex or Southwestern meal, or a perfect appetizer to your next party.  Your guests will beg you on bended knees for the recipe!  I mean, how can anyone go wrong  with 5 cheeses???  Yep, it’s a winner!  And Thanks to Kraft Fresh Take for taking it to the next level of yumminess!

Watch for the Kraft Possibilities Tour truck which will be making stops across the country to the end of July.  To see if they are making a spot in your town, you can check their website Fresh Take Possibilities Tour.

Love To All! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening, yoga, walking and saving money! I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

 

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Racor Wall Bike Stand Review

The Racor Bike Stand Is As Easy as 1-2-3!

By Amy Trauntvein

Organization in my garage is not a strong suit of mine.  It’s a place where everything gets put that either doesn’t belong in the house, or doesn’t fit!  I AM able to park my van in it so that’s a plus for me, but frankly the rest could use a little help.  Especially with bigger items, such as bikes.  That’s where Racor Home Storage Products come in.  Racor sent me one of their Wall Bike Stands ($59.99) to review.

Sweet!  Being a family of 6, we have a few bikes and they take up a good amount of floor space in my garage that I definitely could use more of!

So last Saturday I employed my husband to put it together and get a couple of these bikes up and out of the way, AND I timed him to see just how long it would take him to get the job done!  He started at 4:17pm

1. Open the box and put the parts together…

2. Set in place and screw it to the wall…

 

3. Adjust hangers and hang up bikes. Done!  Ending time 4:34pm – 17 minutes!  That’s how fast and easy it is to set up the Racor Wall Bike Stand and gain some much needed space in your garage.  I might add, he wasn’t trying to hurry either.

I was quite impressed with the Racor Wall Bike Stand.  Not only did it go up easily and quickly but it’s strong too!

The Racor Wall Bike Stand

• Holds 2 bikes
• Direct mounted to a wall stud
• Independent adjustment arms for level bike storage
• Red cradles are vinyl-coated to protects the bikes
• Steel construction epoxy finish and skid-free rubber guards to protect the floor.
• Weight limit of 100 pounds

Thank you Racor Storage Solutions!  I love the Bike stand and the extra room in my garage! Check out their website, they carry many more storage ideas and solutions that could be perfect for your organizational needs.

*Although I was compensated with the product for review, all opinions are honest and my own.

Love To All!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening, yoga, walking and saving money! I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

Colorful Street Nails with Sally Hansen

Getting The Popular “Street Look” With Your Nails Is Easy With Sally Hansen!

by Amy Trauntvein

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and COTY. All opinions are my own. #cbias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.

It’s spring and with the wonderful warm weather, it’s time to break out the bright colors of our wardrobes, and that includes our nail color!  Right now I’m seeing a big trend in “Street Look” nails.  Lots of bright colors and funky designs.  So much fun to create and the possibilities are endless!  I was given the opportunity by Sally Hansen to create one of these trending looks for the season and I couldn’t wait to get started! But first we needed to find some inspiration…

We loved the this black and white design with a pop of color on the bottom left. (Source-Pinterest)

We also love this Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real nail Polish Strips with the black and white geometric designs.

I grabbed my teenage daughter and we headed over to Walgreens with my new Balance Reward Card.  Look how fun this display is! Love all the bright colors for spring and fabulous ideas right on the display! #IHeartMyNailArt

 

Walgreens has some great sales going on right now for Sally Hansen products.  Xtreme, Salon Effects, Diamond and Insta-Dri polishes are $1 off, Magnetic and Crackle Polishes are $5.99 and Complete Salon Manicure Polish on sale 2/$10.  All prices good through 5/25.

First we put a base coat of each color on and let dry.  I let my daughter pick out the colors she wanted for her nails.  Here are some more awesome color choices Pop Art and Off The Chain.

Next, we applied the Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips making sure we applied them 1/4 the way up the nail bed so the base color showed.  Just follow the easy directions on the package for application.

We then painted thin strips of the same base coat colors on top of the nail polish strips.  We used a thin paint brush and cleaned it in between colors. Two different colors per nail.

And finally we sealed the nail art with Sally Hansen No Chip Top Coat to extend the life of the manicure and prevent chipping.

The final Product!  She LOVES her new “Street Nails” and so do all of her friends!

Don’t let the fun stop here, head on over to the Sally Hansen Pinterest Party going on right now!  One winner will receive a year supply of Sally Hansen Products!

Be sure to check out Sally Hansen on Facebook too for more sweet nail art ideas and products!

Love To All! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening, yoga, walking and saving money! I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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The Perfect Dress….

You CAN Find The Perfect Dress At eShakti.com!

By Amy Trauntvein

Picture it… You need/want to find a new dress.  Maybe for an upcoming occasion (wedding, graduation, party etc.) or you just want to update your wardrobe and a new dress would be wonderful.  So you head over to your favorite department store and after looking through racks and racks of dresses and skirts, you find a few that you liked, but need to try on.  In the dressing room, you try on the first dress in which the hemline is way too short.  Nope. Back on the hanger it goes.  After you zip up the second one, you turn around to see how great it looks just to notice the neckline is waaaay to low.  Yep, not gonna happen.  Now comes the third dress.  You like it ok, but wish the sleeves were a bit shorter and/or the hemline again doesn’t look right for your height.  Three dresses that just don’t work, because even though you like the style/fabric/color, there’s something wrong with them all.  Sound all too familiar?  Me too!  But I have the perfect solution…. eShakti.com

At eShakti every dress on their website is customizable!  You have the option to lower or heighten the hemline, you can add or take away sleeves, you can change the sleeves, you can change the collar and so much more!  You even give them your measurements (including your height) so the dress will fit you perfectly!  And even better, it costs only $7.50 more per garment to customize your dress in every way.  You can make any number of custom changes and the total charge will remain only $7.50!  Try and have a dressmaker to that for you!

This is the same dress, just customized in different ways.  I love the options!

It literally took me forever to decide which dress I wanted to try.  So many choices, styles and colors to choose from.  I had chosen a dozen, but had to narrow it down to one.  Man, it was hard!  Finally I chose the cream colored Pin Dot Dress.  It was so me!  I loved the double hemline and sash…  I left it sleeveless so I could add a little pop of black on the top to bring out the tiny black dots in the fabric.  I gave them my height so the dress would hit me mid-calf perfectly!  It was perfect!  Am I using that word a lot?

 

I adore the pockets which can be added to most of their dresses.

And on this dress, the back is elasticized (is that a word?) for even more comfort!  Love it!

eShakti specializes in “Vintage inspired women’s clothing 1950′s and 60′s fashion, updated in retro modern style clothing.”  The styles are classic, high end, yet modern.

I can’t resist…. I just HAVE to show you a few more of their dresses.  Aren’t they adorable???

They literally have hundreds of dresses to choose from, including bridesmaid dresses.  They also make tops and skirts too!  Check them out on their website at eShakti.com and also on Facebook, you won’t be disappointed!  Don’t forget to stop in and take a peek at their Customer Gallery. Everyday women in all shapes and sizes who love their clothes. “Real fashion for Real People”.  Happy Shopping everyone!

Love To All!  ~Amy

*Although I was compensated with the product for this review, all opinions are honest and my own.

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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A More “Grownup” Bedroom

A Bedroom Redo For My Daughter

by: Amy Trauntvein

You can redecorate a bedroom on the cheap also!

The time had come, all too quickly, for my oldest child to leave the nest (sob!).  He embarked onto college and now is in California serving a mission for 2 years and will be heading back to college once he’s back, so that meant changing up bedrooms, much to my 2 middle children’s utter excitement!  My second child inherited the “bachelor pad” downstairs so that left his bedroom empty.  It didn’t take long for my 13 year old to lay her claim on a new (bigger) bedroom along with her complaint that her current room was “way too young” and “way too pink”!  Yes it was pink, 2 colors of pink in fact along with bit of purple too.  Yes, we agreed it WAS time for a change, and time for her new room to reflect a more grown up style.

First, she needed a new bed.  The one she had was fine, but it is a twin bed and with all the sleepovers she has, I wanted to find her a full size so they could stop sleeping on the floor or even worse, squishing themselves both onto the twin bed!  Man, I could have gotten some great pictures!

As luck would have it, about a week after deciding to get her a new bed, a good friend and neighbor was having a yard sale and selling a whole bedroom set!  Full-size bed, nightstand and dresser!  Lucky me!  The set was a very sturdy, solid wood but a honey brown color.  No problem!  I just ran to my nearest home improvement store and bought sand paper, primer, and white paint.  It took me about 4 days to refinish it all in the garage.  We also repainted an old desk she had ,white with black drawer fronts, and the chair shiny black.

Once the furniture was ready, I needed to tackle the bedroom walls  and repaint.  Boring beige, not a fun color for a teen girl!

I had noticed that the white baseboards were no longer white.  After living in the house for over 7 years, they had really yellowed so after taking off all the electrical covers to prepare for painting, we taped off the carpet and tackled the baseboards.  Yellowed trim does NOT look good with any color!

When painting trim, if the walls are getting new paint too, you don’t have to be exact on the top.  The wall paint will cover your overage as long as you don’t leave any ”clumps” of paint.

Emily loves bright colors and had decided on turquoise with black accents.  As luck would have it once again, my sister had 2 gallons of brand new turquoise paint that she wasn’t going to use.  We popped open the lid, and it was exactly what she wanted, thanks Rachael!   I was a bit worried at first, since it is so bright, but once it was all up, I loved it too and it totally matches my daughter’s personality. Here’s the room mid-painting.  My hubby had taught me how to paint edges without taping which saves a TON of time and even looks better since you don’t have to deal with paint seeping under the tape.  If I paint again sometime I’ll show you how.

Painting finished, furniture getting put back together and figuring out where to put everything.  It only took me a day to do the trim and walls.  Sorry about the lighting, it was late.  :)

The final product!  She absolutely loves her new “grown up” room!

The scrolled mirror and picture frames were all white before, I just bought some glossy spray paint and made them all black instead of buying new.

The storage cubby came from my second child’s room which he no longer needed so we gave it a clean coat of paint and bought the two black fabric drawers to match.  The top outer shelves hold her favorite books and the middle top shelf houses keepsakes from around the world (her own trips and presents from grandparents trips).  And look!  Open shelves to grow with!

Every girl needs a spot for jewelry…

And no “grown up” girl should be without a vanity table….

Emily LOVES nail polish and has quite the collection.  She used to hold it all in an ugly box in her closet that honestly was overflowing.  Why not display all the beautiful colors?  Bowl from Michael’s craft store, $7.99- 40% off coupon. Cheap and easy!  My kind of idea.

Onto the closet… When we bought the house, all the closets came with the standard wire shelving which we quickly tore out.  Sorry, to me I dislike the wire shelving.  So we re-purposed it in our garage for storage and hung solid shelving with a double shelf and rod on one side and a single rod on the other for dresses and other longer items.  The top rod holds her school uniform tops, sweaters, skirts and jackets and the bottom hold her everyday tops.  The metal basket on the top shelf holds new items I’ve bought on clearance for the upcoming season, (flip flops, shorts, swimsuits etc.) and the metal basket on the bottom shelf hold her belts.

We also have realized how much unused space is in the ends of bedroom closets so my hubby also built four shelves to hold “stuff” as I call it.  Top shelf  (not seen) holds items for Marching Band that she isn’t using until the fall. The second shelf hold keepsakes that she still wants, but doesn’t necessarily want displayed.  The third shelf hold her school uniform pants and shorts (easy access in the morning).  And the fourth shelf holds all of her “layering” tops (cami’s, plain short-sleeves) also for easy access.  They just got all jumbled up and wrinkled in drawers when she was looking for just the one she wanted. Bottom floor are her flip flops and sandals and come warm weather, we will put her boots there and bring out the sandals for easy access too.

Other side of the closet…  Her dresses. Top shelf holds more keepsakes including a quilt she made with her Grandma and Great-Grandma this past summer.  She gets it down and uses it, but it stays in the closet so no one else can.  ;)  And look!  More open space on the bottom rod….Yay!  We did A LOT of purging before she could move in to her new space.  She only kept things she loved and used.

I gave her a crate that we already had to hold her bags/purses in one neat spot inside the closet.

When we got her bed set up, I wondered how I was going to do a bed skirt since it has side boards and going without one completely wasn’t an option because the naked box spring would show.  Not good.  We found a perfect solution.  I just bought a single fitted sheet in black (the contrast color of her bedroom and sheets) and covered the box spring in that.  Nice and neat!  And since I can see under her bed now, no shoving stuff under there and telling me that her room is clean.  Yep.

As for the black embellishments on the walls, they are vinyl wall stickers.  I bought mine out west on clearance last summer at their big warehouse clearance sale, but I’ve seen the exact ones I have here at major retailers in the home decor section. Target, Kohls, Meijer.  My favorite is the chandelier.  I was so excited when I found that one!

I hope you had fun joining me on my daughter’s room redo and I hope maybe this has gotten your wheels turning if you’re thinking about a room change!  Since I know I will get questions on where I purchased things, I have included a shopper’s guide…

The Home Depot   ~ Paints–White (no color added), Semi Gloss by Glidden  ~Sweet Rhapsody, Egg Shell by Behr  ~Black, Glossy by Glidden  ~ Drawer Pulls

Target                      ~Comforter Set  ~Sheet Set ~Black Fitted Sheet ~Accent Pillows ~Curtain Rod ~Sheer Black Curtains ~9 Square cubby shelf ~Black Fabric Drawers

~Metal Baskets (bought a few years ago)

Michael’s                ~Glass Bowl

IKEA                        ~Sphere lamp

Kohl’s                       ~Dress Form Jewelry Holder

Various Major Retailers  ~Vinyl Decor

Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 23 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Red Velvet Cupcakes with #CoolWhipFrosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe + Cool Whip Frosting = Amazing!

By Amy Trauntvein

I love love love Red Velvet Cake!  Red Velvet Cake takes me back to my childhood at my Grandma Maxine and Grandpa Ted’s house where we (aunts, uncles and cousins) regularly gathered on Sunday evenings for fun, games and just being together.  Grandma always had cake and ice cream for us, but the best Sundays were the Sundays she made Red Velvet cake.  I think it was the dark red color that as a child, I thought was pretty cool, but the rich full flavor had me at first bite!

When I heard that Cool Whip now has frosting, I had to try it!  I went to Walmart and found what I was desperately wanting to try on my Red Velvet Cupcakes.  Cool Whip Frosting with Cream Cheese!

The price of the frosting was $2.28 but I printed 2 Cool Whip Frosting coupons which made them only $1.53.  Not bad, you know how much I like saving money!

But first, I needed to make the cupcakes.  Here’s my recipe…

Red Velvet Cupcakes 

- Yield 32-36 Cupcakes

3/4 Cup (1 1/2 sticks) Butter, softened at room temperature

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

1 1/3 Cup Buttermilk, shaken well

2 Tablespoons White Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 Large Eggs

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 One Ounce Bottle Red Food Coloring

1 Tablespoon Water

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pans with liners.  In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together, set on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light in color and well blended.

While the butter and sugar are creaming together, combine your wet ingredients (Buttermilk, Vinegar, Vanilla and Eggs whisked together) and your dry ingredients (Flour, Baking Soda and Salt) into separate bowls so you have a “wet” bowl and a “dry” bowl.  Next, in a small bowl combine the Cocoa Powder and entire bottle of Red Food Coloring.  It will form into a dry paste.  At this point, add the Tablespoon of water to give it a more workable consistency.  This is what it should look like.

Now you are ready to make your batter. Turning the mixer onto low, alternately drop in 1/3 “dry” ingredients and “wet” ingredients going back and forth until it is all in the mixer.  This gives a very consistent and smooth texture to your batter avoiding any lumps.  Next, and very carefully I might add, spoon the red cocoa mixture into your batter while it is still on low.  This is what your batter should look like when done.  Isn’t it beautiful?

Load up your cupcake liners making sure you only fill them no more than 2/3 full so you don’t have overspill while they raise in the oven.  You should get at least 32 cupcakes if not more.  I got 36 exactly. (3 full pans).

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the cake bounces back when touched, or inserting a toothpick and it comes out clean.  Do not over bake or you will have very dry cupcakes and it will make me sad.  Let cool completely.  I always just leave them in the pan and gently put clear plastic wrap over the top of the cupcakes after they’ve been out for about 5 minutes, just to seal in the moisture until they are cool enough to frost.  Many times I’ve baked cupcakes the night before, left them in their pans, put plastic wrap on them and tossed them in the fridge overnight and frosted them the day after.  I actually prefer doing this as the cupcakes seem to be more moist the next day.

I couldn’t wait to try the New Cool Whip Frosting with Cream Cheese on my cupcakes!  I used a Wilton 4B tip to frost the cupcakes and tiny heart sprinkles for the Valentine Holiday that is coming up this month.  Aren’t they cute?

Now for the taste test.

My daughter and I split one (as I’m trying to watch the waistline) and BAM!  I was hooked!  I love the light fluffy, not too heavy texture and the flavor was amazing!  Some cream cheese frosting is almost too sweet and rich, and half the time I scrape most of it off, but not this time!  It was the perfect balance of lightly sweet and fluffy consistensy, that I actually had to eat a whole one later that evening, I couldn’t resist!  Waistline?  What?  I didn’t hear you, I’m enjoying my cupcake!

Just so I wouldn’t eat all 36 myself, I took them to our youth group activity night (that my teenage son and daughter belong to) at our church. They were MORE than willing to try them out for me!  I can safely say they were gone in a matter of minutes and were thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Find more about Cool Whip on Facebook or Twitter at #CoolWhipFrosting and don’t forget to grab a coupon too!  Coupon Printing Help MAC users, please use browser other than Chrome.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Kraft Cool Whip. #CoolWhipFrosting #cbias #SocialFabric.  All pictures and opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

ZeroWater Filter Pitcher Review

A Great Water Filtration Pitcher That Removes It All!

By Amy Trauntvein

We drink a lot of water in our house, but hate the way water our tap water tastes.  It contains a lot of chlorine and not only can you taste it, you can even smell it!  Not very appetizing even if you are really thirsty.  We do have a filter on our refrigerator water dispenser and even though is works at taking our the “swimming pool” flavor, it still tastes pretty metallic.  So when ZeroWater asked me to try out and review their 5 Stage Water Filter Pitcher, I of course accepted!  It even comes with a water “tester” that can detect any solids in your water.  A good thing to have on hand so you can know when your filter needs to be replaced.  This is the 6 cup pitcher.  It has a smartly narrow shape that helps it fit nicely in the fridge to keep cool.

The ZeroWater filtration pitcher is perfect for those who relish owning innovative tech products, and/or have a palette for great taste. Moms, dads, health & fitness fans, tech fans, and food & cooking lovers will enjoy hydrating better with ZeroWater filtration products.

All you have to do it take off the lid and fill the upper chamber with tap water.  It does take a few minutes for the pitcher to fill because of the 5 different filters the water goes through, but it is definitely worth the small wait.  The water tastes pure and clean, nothing to mar the taste or make you wonder what is in your water.

ZeroWater filtration pitchers use dual ion exchange technology to remove 99.9% of dissolved solids, leaving you with great-tasting, pure water. The pitchers are designed with space-saving convenience in mind and the one hand pull-and-pour spout makes it easy to pour into any glass or bottle.  ZeroWater pitchers deliver great bottled water taste without the waste and cost, also making it the smart choice for those striving to minimize their use of bottle water at home. In addition, Good Housekeeping has featured ZeroWater as outperforming other filter-pitcher brands.

ZeroWater’s new 6-Cup and popular 10-cup pitchers are available at zerowater.com, Meijer’s, ShopKo and Bed Bath & Beyond for the suggested retail prices of $29.99 and $36.99 respectively.

I love my new ZeroWater pitcher and am finding not only myself, but the rest of my family drinking more water since it tastes so clean and fresh.  My kids are actually bypassing juices and sugared drinks more often to drink a glass of water.  To me, ZeroWater is worth purchasing as it filters out more solids than any other filtration pitcher on the market.

I hope you will check these cool water pitchers out and see how they work!  *Even though I was compensated with the ZeroWater pitcher for this review, all pictures and opinions are my own.  Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Homemade Caramels Recipe

Making Homemade Caramels, It’s Easier Than You Think

My family loves homemade caramels.  They just can’t compare to the cellophane wrapped squares that you find in the grocery store.  Don’t get me wrong, those store bought ones are great if you want to make caramel apples, but if you want some amazing, soft, decadent eating caramels, there’s nothing like making them in your own kitchen.  When we have caramels in the house, my youngest thinks she can live on eating caramels alone she loves them that much!  And even better, they really aren’t that difficult to make.  The key to good caramel making is to stir constantly.  Otherwise all those sticky sugars can easily burn if not continually moving it around in the pan.  It really only takes about 15 minutes of actual cooking/stirring time so it’s really not that bad.  Let’s start with the recipe that I like to use.

Homemade Caramels

1 cup Brown Sugar (make sure it is soft with no hard chunks)

1 cup White Sugar

1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 cubes (1 cup) Butter (salted butter is fine)

1 cup White Corn Syrup

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 cup Chopped Nuts -optional (any kind of nut you want, I use pecans)

I also use a good candy thermometer for my caramels.  It is not required and will show you how to test the caramels for doneness without one, but it does make caramel making easier and takes the guesswork out of it.  I bought mine at Target for about $10 a few years ago when my last one gave up the ghost.  This kind is great because it has a clip on the back to hold it onto your pan, the markings are easy to read and the actual thermometer doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan to give you a false reading (the bottom of the pan is hotter than the actual candy cooking).

First, if you are using nuts in your recipe, chop them up before you start cooking.  That way they are ready when you need to add them and you won’t end up burning your caramel while it waits for you to chop the nuts. Don’t chop them too fine, leave some good chunks.

Now you’re ready to cook!  Using a nonstick (works much better for sticky caramel as it won’t stick to the bottom of your pan and burn) pot on medium high heat, add both sticks of butter and melt.  I like to melt the butter first before adding any other ingredients.  Once the butter is melted, dump in both sugars, condensed milk and corn syrup to pan and stir until combined.  Save out the vanilla and nuts.

Bring to a boil and continue stirring.  Once boiling, add the candy thermometer to your pan.  If you don’t own one, it’s ok, skip this part.  Keep stirring…

When it has been boiling for a good 10 minutes, you will notice it turning a darker brown.

Start watching your thermometer and cooking to between “Soft Ball” and ”Firm Ball” or 244-246 degrees F. Mine is just about there…  I’m not a fan of caramels that pull my teeth out so this is where I cook it to.  If you like a firmer caramel, cook right up to “Firm Ball” or 2 degrees above, 248-250 degrees F.

*Testing Caramels WITHOUT a Candy Thermometer- If you don’t own a candy thermometer, this is how you can test to see if your caramels are ready.  Get a small bowl or a short wide mouth cup that is big enough to put your hand in.  fill it with cold water and set to the side of your cooking caramel.  When your caramel starts turning color, pull a bit our with your stirring spoon and drip into the cold water.

Move the caramel around with your fingers for a few seconds until it’s cool and pull it out.  If it holds shape and feels like the consistency you want in a caramel, it’s probably ready.  If it doesn’t hold shape, keep cooking and testing until you are satisfied.  It goes pretty quick, so you’ll want to “test” every couple minutes if not more.  Good thing though, every time you “test” you also get to taste!  It’s a bit messy, but kind of fun and yummy!  Even though I use a thermometer, my kids beg to “test” the caramels this way just like when I was a kid and got to be my mom’s “tester”.

Now that your caramel is done (almost firm ball, or holds shape when cooled), take off heat and stir in vanilla and nuts.

Pour into a lightly greased 9×13 pan (I like to use glass).  Let cool completely (4-6 hours).  I made a double batch, one with nuts and one without.  To do this, I poured half into a pan before adding the nuts, then stirred in the nuts and poured the second half into another pan.

Let cool completely, 4-6 hours then cut into bite-size pieces and wrap.  I like to use waxed paper pieces, but you may also use plastic wrap.

Now you can enjoy these little pieces of paradise and suddenly become everyone’s best friend if you decide to share the little puppies!  I hope you have fun making your own Homemade Caramels and let me know how they turn out.   I would love to hear from you!

Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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English Toffee Recipe

Who Doesn’t Love English Toffee?

by Amy Trauntvein

The holidays are right around the corner and for me that means baking and lots of it, and homemade holiday candy tops the list!  Peanut butter balls, dipped pretzels, almond joys, and caramels, clusters, turtles….  But my favorite homemade treat is my grandma’s recipe of homemade English Toffee.  For years I  just let my mom and grandma make it while I enjoyed eating it thinking it was WAY too complicated and difficult to make, but then my husband and I found ourselves moving across the country with our then 3 (now 4) children and if I wanted any of this wonderfully delicious treat at Christmas time, it was now up to me to make it.  ACK!!  I thought for sure I was going to ruin it the first time I tried, but you know what?  It really was easier than I thought and it turned out perfect!  So now I’m going to give YOU the recipe and show you how you can make and enjoy your very own English Toffee and wow your friends with your culinary smarts!  And one other awesome thing about this recipe, you don’t need a candy thermometer to make it!  Score!  Ready?  Here we go!

English Toffee

• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 lb butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup

Topping

• 12 oz chocolate chips or good quality chocolate chopped up
• 2 cups chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts or pecans) Purely optional.

Yes, 1 lb of butter is correct.  I never said it was light and healthy, did I? But there IS one secret to successful toffee and that is do not leave it alone.  Period.  You need stay at the stove because it must be constantly stirred and watched. If you think you can run upstairs and fold a load of laundry or go answer the phone while it cooks, before you know it, you’ve got a big burned mess.  It turns quickly and you need to be present.

First, you need to get your topping ready before you start cooking the toffee.  Chop the nuts, I used pecans for this recipe.  I chopped one cup more finely than the other for the topping.  One cup will go into the toffee (if you desire) and one cup will go on top of the toffee and chocolate.  Take one cup of nuts (the coarser chopped) and sprinkle onto an un-buttered cookie sheet

Chop up your chocolate and toss into a microwave safe bowl. Or if you are using chocolate chips, do nothing.  Here’s my chopped chocolate and the 5 lbs. of chocolate I buy every year to make candy.

My daughter wasn’t real happy about modeling it for me.  I really do go through almost all of it every Christmas making candy so it’s worth it to me to buy good quality chocolate.  No, we don’t eat it all ourselves.  I give most of my treats away to lucky recipients for the holidays!

Now you’re ready to start cooking!  Melt butter in a large non-stick pot on med/med high heat (do not brown).  Add sugar, water and corn syrup and mix well.

Bring to a rolling boil and continue stirring.  This is what is should look like.  I’m showing you so you can see the difference between the color of when it starts and and when it is finished…

Continue to boil while stirring until it turns the color of a brown paper bag (about 15 minutes).  See the bag and the toffee?  At this point it will start to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Let it cook for another 2 minutes stirring constantly.

Take off heat and pour onto the cookie sheet.  I forgot to sprinkle mine with the nuts so I poured them over the top and pressed them into the toffee.  It still worked just fine.

Now for the chocolate.  If you are using chocolate chips, just pour the chips evenly onto the hot toffee and let melt.  If you are using chopped chocolate, toss into the microwave and heat in 30 second increments on high while stirring in between until melted (it took me 60 seconds total).  Pour chocolate onto (still hot)toffee.  Spread chocolate evenly and top with remaining nuts.  Let cool completely.

Once cooled, break into pieces, enjoy the deliciousness and bask in the glow of the compliments you will receive!

Thanks for joining me and I hope this tutorial had helped you get over any qualms you may have about candy making. It really is easier than you may think!  Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Coupon Cubby and Card Cubby Review

Organizing Your Coupons and Cards with the Coupon and Card Cubbys!

By Amy Trauntvein

Aren’t these just the cutest things ever?  These are the Coupon Cubby and Card Cubby for organizing your coupons and your cards in your purse, home, car or anywhere else.  They come in a variety of colors to match your style and personality!

The Coupon Cubby is perfect if you are not yet ready for a full size coupon binder but do use coupons.  It fits easily in your purse OR comes with it’s own removable and adjustable strap if you’d like to use it on it’s own for couponing or or even as a small purse or clutch!  It also includes 30 handy dividers with alphabet, grocery store category and blank (create your own category) labels for easy coupon organization.  There is an inside zipper pouch for anything else you may want to keep in your Cubby.   Retail $25.99

The Card Cubby is smaller and is the perfect size to hold your gift cards, business cards, frequent traveler cards, membership cards, rewards cards and discount cards.  A portable mini card file or Rolodex!   It’s all in one place and comes with alphabet dividers for easy reference and filing. Like the Card Cubby is also has a small zipper pouch for cash or anything else you want to stash.    Retail from $19.95-$23.95 depending on options.

Both the Coupon Cubby and the Card Cubby have a clear pocket on the back for your drivers license business card or a picture.  Both could easily be used as either a purse or wallet and has a durable cover that can easily be cleaned with a wet cloth.

Not only are these two Cubbys handy, fun, adorable and easy to use, they are even easier to purchase! Perfect for yourself or as a gift!  Just go to the top tab here at Organizing With Sandy where it says “SHOP” and click on the drop down menu where it says “Card Cubby” or go here: Card Cubby 

I love my Coupon Cubby and Card Cubby and know you will too!  Even though I was compensated with the product for this post, all pictures and opinions are honest and my own.

Love to all! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Litter Spinner – Self Cleaning Litter Box Review

Got Cats? Hate to scoop the poop?

by Amy Trauntvein

I am a cat person.  Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs too, but for me, cats are much easier to take care of. They eat when they want to, clean themselves, entertain themselves and bury their bathroom jobs.  Except for the litter box.  I loathe cleaning the litter box!  Luckily my 2 cats are indoor/outdoor cats and normally “go” outside, but when it gets cold they usually stay indoors which means they “go” indoors. Ugh.  So when Litter Spinner asked if they could send me their self cleaning litter box for review, of course I wanted to check it out!  Retail- $99  They are also offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $79.

It is enclosed so more of the litter stays put.  It did take my 2 cats a while to get used to entering the “door”, but they got the hang of it.  We have a finished basement (the cats sleep down there during the night) so I put the new litter box in the bathroom where we have an empty corner.  It fit perfectly!  I pulled it out for the photos.  We did need to assemble it, but it was only in four pieces and just needed a Phillips head screwdriver to put the round “box” together.  It took all of 3 minutes, very easy!  Fill to the inside line with clean (clumping) litter.

To Self Clean-  It sits on a rounded base, so all you need to do it stand on the right side of it and push the top so it rotates counter-clockwise.  The drawer always sits at “3 o’clock”.  Rotate Litter Spinner one full rotation and continue to spin until the drawer is at “2 o’clock” then rotate back to “3 o’clock” to reset the litter.  Yep, that’s my foot. My apologies…

All the clumps will deposit themselves into the drawer.  Simply pull out the drawer and dump into the trash.  No need to scoop or touch anything!  Sweet!

I decided to be kind and not show you the “cat clumps”.  You’re welcome!

Now just put the drawer back and it’s all done and clean!  Yay!  Also, a VERY easy job for the kids to do.  Yes, I think so.

Do this once a day for best cleaning results and you won’t be disappointed.  I love my Litter Spinner.  What did I do before?  Oh yeah, plugged my nose and gagged.  A lot!  Here’s a pic of my one kitty that was being helpful today.  Yes, Tiger is fat and he still fits!  Even though he looks annoyed, he doesn’t mind being in pictures unlike my other one who hides unless she’s hungry.

 I would recommend Litter Spinner for any household with cats.  It’s keeps you, your pets and your house much cleaner for those necessary jobs that come with pet ownership.  Even though I was compensated with my Litter Spinner for this review, all opinions and photos are honest and my own.

Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep me young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Caboodles 25th Anniversary! Organizer Review

Caboodles Beauty Organizer Review

by Amy Trauntvein

Ah, the ’80s.  Best decade ever.  Pegged pants, over-sized tops, bright colors, big hair bands and of course big hair on everyone!  But one thing that totally takes me back is the Caboodle.  They first came out when I was in high school (I think I just dated myself) and they were so totally awesome dude!  My best friend had a mint green one and boy was I jealous!  She took it everywhere and in it, she carried her blue mascara, hair mousse and of course hair spray among other beauty necessities.  I wanted one so bad!

Guess what?  Caboodle must have heard my cries from yesteryear because they sent me one to try out and even better, it’s their “Original” design from 1987!          Re-Introducing (drum roll please)…

My First Love Retro Caboodle !

Isn’t it just the best ever???  Retail $25   At national retailers in time for Christmas.

I have 2 daughters with long hair which means I “do” a lot of hair every day.  So I decided to fill my amazing Caboodle with all the hair stuff and accessories I use for my girls’ hair.  Here’s mine…

The top houses brushes, combs, 2 curling irons, spray water bottle, hand mirror and a few other misc items.

The top drawer contains small hair clips, (can you tell I’m a little obsessed with Mickey clips?)  bobby pins, ponytail holders, clear silicone bands and my mini Topsy-tail.

The bottom drawer holds Bling Strings, large hair clips, larger ponytail holders and elastic head bands.  These drawers are larger to hold bigger items.

The Caboodle can really hold anything you want.  My daughter has one that holds makeup and hair accessories from when she was on a competition dance team and needed to carry everything with her to the performances.  It has been well loved and used.  :)

 

I adore my Caboodle!  And you can too!  Go get one for yourself and fill it with all your beauty needs.  Don’t forget the hair mousse!

I was compensated with the Caboodle for my review, but all my photos and opinions are honest and my own.

Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Nestle Celebrate The Season with Nestle #HolidayCandy #cbias

 Christmas Recipes with Nestle

by Amy Trauntvein

Ah the holidays…. with everything that the holidays come with, for me it means baking and lots of it!  Nestle asked me to head to my nearest Walmart and purchase their Nestle Butterfinger Jingles, Nestle Crunch Jingles and Nestle Spree Candy canes to try out a couple of new recipes.

 

I was able to find all the holiday candy I needed quite easily at Walmart.  Spree Candy Canes…

Nestle Butterfinger Jingles on the bottom shelf.

And Nestle Crunch Jingles on the top shelf.

I needed to get a few other items that we were out of, and then headed home to do some holiday baking!

First, I decided to make Peanut Butter Sleigh Ride Bars

The kids snarfed them right down. Don’t they look scrumptious?  Would you  like the recipe?

Peanut Butter Sleigh Ride Bars

30 NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER Jingles, unwrapped 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Beat brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour and baking soda.

 Stir in Nestlé Jingles and press dough into 9-inch-square baking pan, distributing Nestlé Jingles evenly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
NOTE: Try substituting NESTLÉ Milk Chocolate Jingles.

The next recipe is one I came up with using the Nestle Milk Chocolate Crunch Jingles.

Nestle Crunch Krispie Twirls 

Would you like the recipe for this one too?

 Nestle Crunch Krispy Twirls

• 2 bags Nestle Crunch Milk Chocolate Jingles unwrapped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 6 cups crisped rice cereal

Pour sugar and corn syrup into saucepan and stir together.

 Cook on Med-Med high heat until boiling.  Let boil for one minute.  Take off heat and add peanut butter and vanilla and stir until smooth.

Pour peanut butter mixture into cereal and mix well.  Dump it all onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and press evenly.

Put Jingles into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds and stir, heat 30 seconds more and stir again.  If not all melted, microwave at 15 second intervals stirring in between until melted.

Pour melted chocolate onto pan and spread evenly.

Wait 5-7 minutes to cool a bit and then start rolling, using the wax paper to help your roll stay together.

Wrap roll with the wax paper you used or get a clean sheet of plastic wrap.  Either will do.  Let cool completely, at least 2 hours.  When cooled, the chocolate should be hardened and will hold the roll together.  Cut slices and serve.  Kids enjoys these treats as they can just grab and go, plus they look cool!

Nestle has some great Holiday Baking recipes at http://nestleseasonalrecipes.com/ rel=”no follow”

 

Love to all and Happy Holidays!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Year Supply of Trident Gum Giveaway!

Trident Gum- Giveaway

by Amy Trauntvein

Hi, my name is Amy and  I’m a sugarless gum addict. There, I said it.  I feel much better.  However, it’s not going to keep me from my gum!   I love sugarless chewing gum and keep at least 3 different packs in my purse (for variety of course!).   Having fresh clean breath  is important to me, and my friends appreciate it too.   I also love that Trident contains Xylitol and not aspartame, which in my opinion, is healthier for me.  So when Trident asked if they could send me some gum AND do a giveaway to one lucky reader, I said “yes please”!

Trident wants to give you a year supply of gum to one of you, our readers.  Here’s why…

Believe it or not, tooth decay affects approximately half of all second graders and nearly 80 percent of 17-year-olds, but according to a survey by Trident, more than 84 percent of American parents don’t realize this.

Trident’s survey also showed that more than nine in ten (92%) parents believe that cavities in children are preventable; yet getting a child to take care of their teeth can be difficult for 86 percent of parents. To help get the word out about keeping your kids teeth in tip top shape, here are some helpful tips below to help keep kids’ mouths happy and healthy!

Brush 

Remind children to brush their teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time, using a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste.

Eat

Foods such as fruits, vegetables and cheese help build strong healthy teeth and gums. Try chewing a sugar free gum, like Trident, after eating to help fight cavities.

Floss

Children should gently floss once a day to remove food that can get stuck between their teeth.

Avoid 

Try to avoid overindulging in sticky and sugary foods. When kids do have a special treat (especially during the holidays), make sure they brush and floss afterwards.

Routine

Remember to get regular dental check-ups. The more you help kids incorporate healthy oral care habits in their everyday life, the more they will as adults.

To Enter Giveaway-

Contest ends…

Winner will be announced…

Good luck to all, and happy chewing!  I know I am…

Win a One Year Supply of Sugarfree Trident® Gum!

You can win the same amount of gum that Amy shows in the picture! Hoot! I know she was excited when she opened her box to review! The contest ends on 11/30/12 at 12:01am.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was compensated with the product for the giveaway.  The pictures and opinions are honest and my own.  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Kanex Charging Organizer Review

Review of the Kanex Sydnee Charging Organizer

by Amy Trauntvein

Cords, cords, cords!  If your home is anything like mine, it seems that everywhere I look, there are charging cords all over my house.  iPads, iPods, iPhone, cell phones.  Everyone thinks they need their own charging cord and “place” to charge their devices.  Kanex has come up with a great solution for all your portable electronics that use a USB cord.  The Sydnee (retail: $149) at http://www.kanexlive.com/sydnee

I instantly liked the idea of having one place for everything that needed charging.  I also like the fact that you can charge up to 4 devices at one time, but that’s about as far as my knowledge goes so I employed my computer savvy husband in trying it out and testing it further.  Here are his coments on the Sydnee Charging Organizer…

- sleek factor, fits on a small corner of the desk

- four charge ports and built in cable management

- came with three short cords already, so I still have the flexibility of keeping my other charger cords for travel and in other uses like hooked up to my desktop without having to go take them back from the charger base.

- white – goes with anything

- ability to add a cell phone charge cord for micro usb on the 4th port (remember, it came with three short cords for four ports)

- I like that I can have my ipad in landscape display mode while it is charging, so I can still use it at my desk, viewing videos, surfing, etc.

- plenty of room to put the chargable items.

Todd’s suggestions on improvements for the next version?

- cable management clips on both sides of the holder

- slim wall cord where it plugs into the outlet (flat style).  The cord stands out from the wall plug a good 3 inches so if you’re wanting to use a wall outlet behind a desk or other piece of furniture, it might be difficult to get that furniture closer to the wall because of the plug.

I would definitely recommend the Sydnee especially if you have many items in your home that need recharging!  This product would be good in a central location for the whole family to use to keep their devices charged.  It will hold up to 4 iPads and will easily handle 4 smaller devices.

I was compensated with the Kanex Sydnee Organizer, was not paid for this review, and my pictures and opinions are my own.  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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How to Organize Your Coupons

Organizing Coupons Continued…

by Amy Trautvein

Today we are going to talk about clipping coupons, when to pull out expired, and how to organize a shopping trip with your coupon binder.  Are you as excited as I am?  Good!

I only get one Sunday paper, believe it or not.  I don’t want to spend hours cutting coupons and I can get some great coupons on the internet anyway to help bulk up my binder a bit and get some coupons that you won’t see in the Sunday ads.  Every Sunday night, or Monday morning I pull out the coupon inserts, have a seat on my couch, turn on the TV and cut away.  As I’m cutting, I stack the coupons into my categories so it saves much time putting them into my binder.  A must do! Here are my coupons after they ‘ve all been cut and are ready to be filed.  Classy, huh!?
REALITY CHECK:  Do NOT clip every coupon that is printed. Only clip coupons for products you regulary use, would like to buy if it was on sale, and/or are willing to try.  If you’re not sure, say to yourself, “Would I buy this if it was a steal?”  If your answer is yes, then clip it.  I don’t have babies in the house anymore, so why clip coupons for baby products?  I don’t drink coffee, so I obviously pass by the coffee coupons, there are certain products (that I won’t name) that I’ve tried and not enjoyed, and even if it were a steal I wouldn’t waste my time so those get trashed too.  I know it’s just common sense, but I’ve talked to a lot of people to clip every coupon that is in the insert.  Don’t, just don’t.

Internet coupons are great, but it can be overwhelming.  There are SO many places you can go.  My suggestion is to pick your 2 favorite coupon sites and just stick with those.  My top favorite is coupon.com. They have a wide range of coupons from grocery to nonfoods and you don’t have to give your name, address, phone number, first born to print them, and it’s free.  You are also allowed to print up to 2 of each one you want.  I’m not a huge fan of clipping services because you are having to PAY for coupons to then save you money?  Plus like I said, I’m not a shelf clearer and don’t recommend it either. Why would somone need 50 coupons of ketchup?  Here are my internet coupons from this week.  They reset and add new coupons at the beginning of the month so that’s why I have such a stack for this week.  They had some good ones this time.  :)Now back to filing your coupons into your binder…  Just start at the front of your binder and go to your first category, mine is the breakfast asile.  Before  you add any new coupons, go through that section and pull any expired ones.  Then add your new coupons into any empty slots. Do this every week!  It saves time in the long run and saves you from trying to use a coupon that expired a week ago at the reigister.  No need to organize by expiration date.  That adds TONS of time shuffling all your coupons up to the front and adding new ones to the back and doing it all over again week after week.  Remember, you only have 2-4 pages in each section to go through.  Why create more work for yourself?  See how nice and pretty? 
*One other thing I do that is a good idea:  As I’m putting coupons in my binder I keep a sitcky note list of high value coupons that I want to use, but the product may not be in any of your sale ads.  That way, while you’re at the store, it’s easy to take a look at those products, see what the price is and decide, at the store, if they are worth using that day.  My rule: it needs to be more than half off for me to consider, OR just a really great coupon that I don’t want to forget about.  I then put the sticky note on my list for easy reference.

Now you can go through your store adds for the week and compare with the coupons you’ve got.  As you find coupons to use on sale items, pull them out and paper clip them together.  I only do 2 grocery stores and one drug store.  That’s as much as I can handle without having to run around alot.  Also, some weeks are way better than others.  If I find that I’ve only found 2 or 3 good deals for a store, I scratch it and don’t even go.  It’s not worth my time and gas to only save on a couple items.

First, I list how many items I want to get, then I list the product, next the sale price, then my coupon amount (double it if your store doubles coupons, which mine do) and then the final price.  Once you’ve gone through all your ads, put your list into the front of your binder for east reference and marking off as you put it in your cart.  Here’s what it all should look like.  My list of “on sale” products with coupons and final prices, my sticky note of high value coupons, and my paper clipped piles of coupons I know I will be using this week.  Just keep those in the front pocket of your binder.
**Don’t forget about digital coupons either.  Most stores let you add electronic coupons from their website to your store card AND they let you also use a paper coupon fro the same item!  Double the savings!  The only store I know of that does NOT do this is Kroger, but check your stores coupon policy just to be sure.  Also, some stores let you combine a store coupon and a manufacture coupon together for ONE item (CVS, Target to name a couple), also double the savings!  So yes, please check their coupon policy, you may be missing out on saving even more than you thought!

Now you are ready to shop and save!  And be organized so you can save time AND money!  Just remember, this is what works for me.  You may need to do some tweaking for what works for you.  There’s no one right way to do it, just do it!  Let me know how you coupon, I’d love to hear from you!

Love to all!  ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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Coupon Organization

Organizing Your Coupons

by Amy Trauntvein

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I love, live and breathe coupons.  Even though I have been couponing for over 20 years, I am not what some people call an Extreme Couponer.  I do not keep stacks of coupon inserts nor do I clear shelves.  I coupon to save money, and yes, slowly add to my stock of food and nonfood items in my home.  I wouldn’t call it a stockpile either, just some extras to have on hand when I get a great deal so I don’t have to buy it at full price when we run out.  And if I find that I’m starting to “pile” my stock, I spread the love by donating items to various organizations and/or give away to friends who can use it.

So let’s start organizing those coupons!  For years, I used an accordion coupon organizer and thought it was great, but it took me a LONG time to grocery shop since every time I wanted to grab something off the shelf, I had to pull out the pile from one section and sift through it all to find the one coupon I thought I might have, but couldn’t remember.  It finally came time to swtich over to the binder system.  Here’s my lovely binder…
When looking for a binder, it MUST have a zipper closure and a handle.  Ease for carrying and also, if you drop it (like me), you won’t have coupons flying everywhere.  Been there done that. I found mine at Staples for around $12, but you can buy one at most places that have a school supply aisle. The next thing you need is a zippered pencil pouch.  Enclosed I keep a calculator, pencils, and paper clips.  The front pouch on the left holds general store coupons that don’t really belong in any of my categories (example: $5 off $50 grocery purchase).
The next essential supply you need for your coupon binder are Tab Dividers.

REALITY CHECK: I actually had a bunch of tab dividers from school supply shopping for my kids so I just used those.  Some were used but still in great condition and they don’t match, but it’s ok!  You don’t need to go spend a bunch of money just to make it look cute when you’re trying to save money!  Use what you’ve got and then purchase only if you have to.  Notice mine don’t even match.  Some are solid colors while the ones in the back have designs.  Truthfully, this helps me find the category faster since I know what all my nonfood category tab dividers look like.  :)
Finally you need Baseball card inserts. You can find these and any discount store (Walmart, Target etc) wherever they sell baseball cards. Just ask any associate, they’ll point the way. You can usually find boxes of 25-30 pages for around $5. This is what keeps your coupons nice and clutter free!  Can you tell mine are well used?
When putting your coupons in, many times they need to be folded to fit.  Just try to fold it so you can easily see, 1. the product 2. the amount off 3. the expiration date.  If its too big, just do your best.  Many of my coupons are folded so #1 and #2 are on the front, but #3 is on the back, but it’s ok because you can just flip the page to see the exp. date on the back.  Also, one great thing about these pages is that you are constantly looking at all your coupons so it is easier to remember if you have a coupon for a certain item.  It’s amazing what you remember when you are looking at them all the time!  Here is what it should look like once your coupons are in.
Now…What categories do you choose for your dividers?  I have 19 different categories.  I have chosen to divide my categories into “aisles” meaning, how the grocery store aisles are usually set up.  That way, as I’m heading down an aisle, I normally only need to open up one category and flip through 2-4 pages of coupons.  I know some people have a tab divider for EVERYTHING like; (Breakfast aisle) cold cereal, hot cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks, on-the-go breakfast bars/pouches for 1 aisle so they are flipping through 5 categories in 1 aisle!  I just keep all “breakfast aisle” coupons in one section.  Remember, I’m still only having to look through 2-4 pages instead of 1-2 pages of 5 categories! Plus, by dividing everything up in the sub categories you have even more dividers and baseball card inserts you have to flip through and it makes your binder thicker and heavier with all those extra pages.  Just simplify, please.  Here are the categories that I use and work for me.

1. Breakfast/Fruit Snacks/Granola

2. Fruit/Vegetables/Juices ( includes fresh produce)

3. Cookies/Chips/Crackers

4. Condiments/Soup/Dinners (Mac & Cheese, Box Potatoes etc.)

5. Baking/PB&J/Breads

6. Inernational foods

7. Frozen

8. Deli/Dairy/Meat (basically the refrigerated section)

9. Candy/Nuts and Popcorn/Drinks

10. Paper Products (includes sanitary items)

11. Cleaning Supplies

12. Laundry

13. Pets

14. Body (Lotion, Shaving men and women, shower gel etc.)

15. Hair (shampoo, style)

16. Face (makeup, contact soluction, face wash, fingernail polish since it is with makeup)

17. Meds/First Aid (includes vitamins)

18. Teeth

19. Office supplies/Clothing/Misc. (include batteries)

Work with the categories and adjust to what works for you or how your favorite stores are set up.  It took me a few months of moving coupons here and there and creating new and taking out hardly used categories.  These 19 work great for me!

In the very back of my binder I keep a copy of my favorite stores’ coupon policies.  Very nice to have on hand when you need to win an argument with a checkout employee who is not familiar with their policies.  I’ve been glad I’ve had them for a few occasions.  Just to the stores website and you can find a link to  their printable coupon policy near the bottom of the home page.  If not, just use their “seach” box at the top.  Keep updated around twice a year and reprint the new policies as needed.

One other “coupon divider” I do still use for my purse is a small accordion coupon folder for those stores that I DON’T need to haul my binder in with, but I DO have a coupon for.  Clothing stores, for example.

This little one also holds any gift card I have, and any TOTALLY FREE coupons (that aren’t for groceries) I need to use.  I’ve found they can get kind of lost in my big binder and forgotten since I don’t want to carry my big binder into clothing stores etc.  Notice my pile of CVS Extra Care Bucks! Those are like cash so I keep them in my little binder right in the front so I don’t forget about them and can see them and their expiration date clearly.  I keep the FREE coupons in the front also according to expiration date.  And then other coupons in the other sections.
I hope this post has gotten you converted to a binder system if you haven’t switched yet.  It’s not that hard, and in the end, it WILL save you time AND money!  Later this week I will do a post on coupon clipping, when to pull expired coupons and which coupons you should and shouldn’t clip and more.  Stay Tuned…..! Love to all! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young! Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

Pumpkin Rolls Recipe

How To Make- Pumpkin Rolls

by Amy Trauntvein

Tis the Season for anything pumpkin!  Pumpkin pie, cookies, ice cream, cake, but my favorite pumpkin dessert is pumpkin rolls! There’s just something about the yummy pumpkin goodness twirled around the creamy filling that gets my heart to go pitter patter!  Today, I’m going to show you how to make these pretty bites of heaven!  Don’t be scared, they really aren’t that difficult, and once you make your own and see how good they are, you’ll never go back to the grocery store and buy one again!  Let’s start by giving you the recipe…

Pumpkin Rolls

3 eggs                                                        2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup sugar                                             1 tsp ground ginger

2/3 cup pumpkin puree                    1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp lemon juice                                  1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup all purpose flour                 1/2 chopped walnuts or pecans (purely optional)

1 tsp baking powder

Creamy Filling

6 oz cream cheese (softened)          1 cup powdered sugar

4 Tbsp butter (softened)                    1/2 tsp vanilla

 

First, we are going to beat the eggs on high speed for 5 minutes.  Gradually beat in sugar.

Stir in pumpkin puree and lemon juice until well combined.Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl,Gradually add dry ingredients to wet while on slow speed.  Mix until just incorporated.  It should look like this…

Now for a quick Reality Check!  I have been baking for about 22 years and have been using my pans for just as long.  They are clean, just well used and loved.  I’m not about to go buy brand new pans just so everyone can think, “Oh look how lovely her pans are.” So… yes, for all my recipe posts, you will see just how well used all my stuff is, and guess what?  They work just great!  You will only see brand new stuff only if I’ve busted something which may happen.  Look for more Reality Check!(s) in many of my future posts, just so we can “keep it real, people.”

Now back to the recipe….  Line a cookie sheet (15X10 sheet WITH sides) with wax or parchment paper.  Spray the sides only, with cooking spray, you will thank me later.  Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.  Once spread, I like to wiggle the pan back on the counter and pick it up an inch or two an drop it to help even the batter out a bit more.  At this point, if you like nuts, sprinkle your chopped walnuts or pecans evenly on top of the batter.  I don’t do this step, otherwise my kids won’t eat it and then my husband I will have to eat it all.  Hmmm…. maybe next time I’ll throw nuts on!
Bake on center rack in oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Do NOT over cook please, and thank you.  While cake is in the oven, lay out a (clean) linen or cotton kitchen towel.  Do not use a terry cloth towel unless you want bits of towel stuck in your cake. :)  Next, sprinkle a good amount of powdered sugar ALL over the thing.  I use a hand sifter to make it more even.
When the cake is done (if it bounces back when touched) pull it out, and run a kinfe between the pan and cake along the long sides.

Next you need to gently pull the cake from the ends of the wax paper.

While the cake is still hot, you will invert the entire pan onto the sugared towel.  Sounds hard, but it’s really not.  Just use a towel to hold the pan so you don’t burn yourself making sure you are also holding the ends of the wax paper so it doesn’t fall out of the pan too soon.
Pull off the pan.  There should be no sticking.  Gently and slowly pull the wax paper off the cake using a butter knife to hold down the cake if needed.  It shouldn’t stick too bad.
Viola!  Your cake is ready to be rolled. This part needs to be done while still warm/hot or your cake will break. fold the edge of the towel closest to you over the cake and start rolling.  and roll the towel right up along with cake.  The towel will help to keep it rolled up while cooling.
Done!
Let the cake completely cool.  Usually takes about an hour or so.  While the cake roll is cooling, go ahead and make the filling.  Throw the softened cream cheese and butter into a mixer and beat together until nice and smooth.  While still beating, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat unitl smooth again.  I did a double batch of filling (I made two cakes, if I’m making the mess to make one, I may as well make two!) so you won’t have as much, but it should look like this….
Once the cake is cooled, unroll it from the towel (it should stay together and not break if cooled rolled up) and plop all your filling onto the cake.  Start spreading evenly clear out to the edges.  Don’t worry, you’ve got enough, just keep spreading.

Now it’s time to roll it back up the same way you did before, but without the towel!

Pull out two sheets of plastic wrap and wrap the your lovely pumpkin roll in it. Next pull out a nice big sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it up in that.

Now put your lovely package that you are so proud of on a cutting board or cookie sheet and stick it in the freezer! Freeze for at least 6-8 hours preferably overnight. Once they are good and frozen, you can take out the board/sheet. This just keeps them in their nice shape. The secrect to perfectly sliced pumpkin rolls is to cut them while frozen. 
Whenever you are ready to enjoy a slice of paradise, take it out, unwrap (no need to wait for it to thaw) and cut.  You’ve got perfect slices that are not flattened from the knife and the filling stays intact!  Also, you are free to slice just as many as you need, then rewrap the rest on toss it back into the freezer for another time.  Pumpkin rolls stay good in a deep freeze for months as long as they are wrapped tight.  So if you’re having a party, make these way ahead of time and save yourself some stress.  On party day, just pull them out and slice away whenever you’re ready to serve. 
Here you are, beautiful Pumpkin rolls and taste so much better than store bought!  My family actually prefers to eat then while still frozen, the filing tastes almost like ice cream and it’s not as messy!  I’ve also converted many of my friends to eat them frozen too, they love them that way.   Every year near the holidays, I make 2 pumpkin rolls and keep them in the freezer for maybe an impromptu get together, a party we get invited to that we need to take a dessert, or just for surprising the kids on a regular old Wednesday night after dinner or homework.   A unexpected treat for each child, and maybe just maybe they might clean their room!  Yeah right, well it’s a good dream anyway.
Enjoy making your very own Pumpkin Rolls.  Thanks mom for teaching me the art of this recipe and a love for baking.  If you enjoyed this post, let us know!

Love to all! ~Amy

 

 

 

 

 

I have been married for 22 years to my awesome hubby, Todd and we have 4 equally awesome kids who keep my young!    Our favorite thing to do together is travel. I enjoy gardening and puttering around my yard. I am very active in my church and am currently serving the children, and I love volunteering at my kids’ schools doing whatever I can to help the teachers and staff.

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