Friday, November 22, 2013

OMG Blog of the day? What a Great surprise!!

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This email just totally made my day.. made my Week!


Thanks guys @ eRecipe :)

Thursday, November 7, 2013

I am serious about baking

I take my baking very seriously.  When I first made cookies for my  honey he looked at the mason jar of vanilla extract on my kitchen table and said what the heck is that?  Homemade vanilla extract.  I told him that I made my own, I guess maybe he didn't quite believe me at the time though?

I use it in everything I bake and especially the marshmallows I make.  This ain't no bottled imitation garbage.  This is straight up vanilla beans and vodka and the more beans I can cram into each jar the better.  I've got a few jars that I top off when I see them getting low, pour from one jar into the next and start all over when I've got just a few drops left in the jar I use most often.  The oldest batch I have is about 4 years old and so dark and rich.

When I'm baking or making any kind of sweets I always add a little more vanilla than the recipe calls for.  I always give the jar a good shake and make sure I get plenty of those teeny black vanilla beans into whatever I'm baking.

My dad was a huge fan of Breyers vanilla ice cream, it had to be Breyers with the crisp white ice cream little flecks of vanilla bean in there.. not that fake yellow "French" vanilla stuff.

Am I purist? Maybe a little.  When I'm baking for someone I want to make it the best it can possibly be, whether I'm baking for my family, friends or surprising someone with some treats... hell, even if I'm trying out a batch of cookies and share them with my co workers you bet it's gonna be the best batch of cookies I can make them to be.

It's all about quality and the love that goes into making them.

My honey snapped this the other night of one of my younger jars that was sitting on the kitchen table after I used a bit in some chocolate chip cookies I made to bring to dinner with friends :)

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap... and a giveaway!!

I haven't done a giveaway in forever and since I'm going to be researching and baking for the next few weeks for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and sending three lucky bloggers a dozen cookies each I figured what's one more dozen?

One lucky winner will receive one dozen home baked cookies.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm baking up yet and I'm sure I'll give y'all a peek at the cookies I'm going to choose from but it will definitely be one of them that I'll send to the winner.

I've never used Rafflecopter before so I'm new to this.

Here goes!!

Good Luck!  Contest starts today and ends on 11/20

Enter here to win!!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Just a little... rant...

The Kid is in his senior year of high school.

Why are senior fees so incredibly insane?

I got his proofs yesterday for senior pictures.  He hasn't had school pictures done since 6th grade because the high school doesn't "do" school pictures for every grade.  There are at least 1200 kids in his school.  Fine, whatever.  Well.. after paying a $30 sitting fee so they can take his picture in the tux and bowtie that's "regulation" for yearbook photo, cap and gown and I thought he was supposed to get another done in his own clothes... I also paid an additional $10 for a black & white proof.  Well, they didn't take the picture in his own clothes and I didn't get my black and white proof.  To add insult to injury the LEAST EXPENSIVE portrait package is $159.00 for ONE measly pose.  I can't get a disc of the pictures unless I buy one of the more expensive packages that are $400+
The
$159

These are my choices:
1 pose $159Package Contents:
2-5x7 Portraits
4-4x5 Portraits
24-Wallets
1 pose  $209
Package Contents:
4-5x7 Portraits
4-4x5 Portraits
32-Wallets
Wallet Box

up to 2 poses $269
Package Contents:
8x10 Portrait
4-5x7 Portraits
4-4x5 Portraits
48-Wallets
Wallet Album
Wallet Box
Wallet Personalization

up to 3 poses $319
2-8x10 Portraits
4-5x7 Portraits
4-4x5 Portraits
64-Wallets
Wallet Album
Wallet Box
Wallet Personalization

up to 4 poses $379
3-8x10 Portraits
6-5x7 Portraits
4-4x5 Portraits
72-Wallets
Wallet Album
Wallet Box
Wallet Personalization

up to 7 poses $439
Package Contents:
11x14 Portrait
5-8x10 Portraits
12-5x7 Portraits
8-4x5 Portraits
104-Wallets
Portrait CD Social (low res)
8-Up Folio
Proof Set
Senior Frame
Wallet Album
Wallet Box
Magnet Wallet Frame
Wallet Personalization


up to 6 poses $409
Package Contents:
11x14 Portrait
4-8x10 Portraits
10-5x7 Portraits
8-4x5 Portraits
88-Wallets
Portrait CD Social  (low res)
8-Up Folio
Proof Set
Wallet Album
Wallet Box
Magnet Wallet Frame
Wallet Personalization

unlimited poses$529
Options Include:
8-Wallets
4-4x5 Portraits
2-5x7 Portraits
8x10 Portrait
11x14 Portrait
16x20 Portrait
8-Metallic Wallets
4-4x5 Metallic Portraits
2-5x7 Metallic Portraits
8x10 Metallic Portrait
11x14 Metallic Portrait
16x20 Metallic Portrait
11x14 Canvas Portrait
16x20 Canvas Portrait
8-2x3 Designer Wallets
8-2x3 Metallic Designer Wallets
4-4x5 Designer
4-4x5 Designer Metallic
2-5x7 Designer
2-5x7 Designer Metallic
8x10 Designer
8x10 Designer Metallic
11x14 Designer
11x14 Designer Metallic
11x14 Designer Canvas
16x20 Designer
16x20 Designer Metallic
16x20 Designer Canvas
4x10 Designer Framed
4x10 Designer Framed Metallic
2-5x5 Designer
2-5x5 Designer Metallic
10x10 Designer
10x10 Designer Metallic
10x10 Designer Canvas
10x20 Designer Framed
10x20 Designer Framed Metallic
10x20 Designer Canvas
16x16 Designer
16x16 Designer Metallic
16x16 Designer Canvas
Wallet Personalization
Protective Finish
Canvas Upgrade
Linen Texture
Proof Set
8-Up Folio
Wallet Box
Magnet Wallet Frame
Wallet Album
Senior Frame
5x7 Tassel Frame
8x10 Tassel Frame
Grad Announcements
Thank You Cards
Save the Date Cards
Status Cards
Senior Signature Board
Return Address Labels
Envelope Seals
Portrait CD Archive (hi-res)
  • Optional Portrait CD Archive (hi-res): All the images that were photographed during your session on a CD in a format perfect for archiving and scrapbooking. Only available with a Perfect Package.

Portrait CD Social (low res)


This is INSANE!!!  To buy individual pictures is just as insane... two 5x7's is $65 O_o What?

To top this off I've gotta pay $195 in school dues for a bunch of crap he's not going to go to -_-


1 pose$159

Monday, November 4, 2013

GREEN MOUNTAIN COFFEE® FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED™

I am a coffee snob.  I'm not gonna lie.  I refuse to drink the Columbian sludge they make in my office, The guy in the lobby shop has a "dark roast" and I was so excited to get myself a cup the other day and then after one sip glad I only paid .75¢ for it because it was so disgustingly weak it went right down the drain.

When I got the opportunity to try Green Mountain Fair Trade Certified coffee for the Keurig I jumped on it.


 My verdict?

It's Amazingly delicious :)

That's one good cup of coffee :)

What's Fair Trade Certified coffee you ask?  Well, Fair Trade certification gives farmers a fair price for their beans with a guaranteed minimum, which means they can invest in their crops, their communities, and their future. Fair Trade also lets Green Mountain Coffee® and farmers work closely together to bring the best tasting coffee to market.

By Choosing Fair Trade Certified you're allowing the farmers to receive a fair price for their beans which means great coffee for us and a better quality of life for the farmers and more money going into their communities.  One little change for us makes a huge change in their lives.

Will I continue to purchase these pods?  Absolutely!  Not only do I love this coffee, but my honey does too so it's win-win. There are other Green Mountain fair trade varieties available for purchase right where we do our grocery shopping also.


Disclaimer: I'm a Bzzagent and received a free sample of Green Mountain Fair Trade Certified Three Continent Blend.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.