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August 10, 2015April 9, 2016

Summer with Snuggle Bear

As we’re winding down summer and starting our school year, I’m sharing one last post about summer before starting my school year series. Because I’m not quite ready for summer to end.

Snuggle has an online marketing page where you can qualify for free products and enter giveaways. Check them out here!

I received the Snuggle Bear Summer Mission, and for that mission we received a little snuggle bear in the mail. My 6yr old claimed the bear as her own, and it now resides in her bed.

I did manage to get a few pictures of Snuggle Bear hanging out with us this summer.

See, she loves her snuggle bear so much, she’s bringing it on a car trip with us!

It’s actually very, very soft, and well, snuggly. And the perfect size for bringing along on trips or just playing with.

I think this was a fun marketing program by Snuggle. It let me get the kids involved and we had lots of fun taking Snuggle Bear with us.

Plus now we have another stuffed animal, isn’t that exciting! *insert sarcasm here* because I just needed one more stuffed animal in my house… At least it’s a tiny one, and well loved!

#TeamSnuggle #SnuggleSelfie #Sponsored

August 7, 2015July 31, 2015

Food Friday – Spanish Eggs

I prefer to mix my veggies in with my eggs while cooking the eggs, but to accommodate picky eaters I just added the veggies on top of my eggs after cooking everything.

These are fast and easy meal option.

Spanish Eggs

1 Bell Pepper – I used red
1 Small red onion
1 cup of corn kernels (it’s about 2 or 3 cobs worth of corn or 1 can, drained)
1 handfull cherry tomatoes (I only used 4 because I’m the only one who will eat the tomatoes)
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice your pepper and onion. Heat a skillet on the stove and melt your butter. Add all the vegetables to the pan and cook, stirring often, until softened and onions are translucent. About 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While your veggies are cooking scramble your eggs.

Top scrambled eggs with veggies and add cheese or salsa on top if wanted.

August 6, 2015July 31, 2015

CSA – Week 12

So many delicious vegetables this week!

Basil, it’s a different kind than I’ve gotten in the past. It’s a much stronger basil, I haven’t figured out what I want to make with it yet.

Corn, only 4 ears this week, it’s so delicious!

Cherry tomatoes. These are so good!

Potatoes, these are always easy to eat up. My kids love baked potatoes.

Tomatoes, lots of tomatoes this week!

Red torpedo onions, these are super strong and so tasty once cooked.

More Japanese Eggplant. Not really a winner around here, but I am finding things to make with them.

And, peppers, or “apples” according to my 2yr old. Who also likes to eat them like apples. I guess it’s a good way for him to get his veggies!

August 5, 2015April 9, 2016

evian® Facial Spray Review

The exquisitely fine mist produced by evian® Brumisateur® penetrates and rehydrates the upper layers of the skin. evian® water has a unique mineral balance along with exceptional purity which suits all skin types, even the most sensitive. Leaves skin looking healthy and feeling refreshed. Dermatologically tested. The leak-proof canister is the ideal product to take on-the-go in any purse or travel bag. Unlike other water sprays, Evian Spray is sealed at the source, so it can not be contaminated.

At first I was somewhat skeptical about spraying water on my face during a workout but after trying it, I’m quite impressed. The sprayer provides a gentle spray of mineral water mist that is instantly refreshing and cooling.

And, as you can see, my yoga usually involves the kids climbing under me during all the warrior and lunge poses. They also enjoy climbing ON me during poses such as down dog or when I’m doing push-ups. Definitely adds to the challenge!

I enjoyed the rejuvenating spray of the mineral water even while the kids were “aiding” my exercise.

I also dropped this in my gym bag and took it to the gym with me, but pictures at my gym aren’t really encouraged so no pictures from there. It was awesome to have along there. When I got back to my locker after my yoga class I sprayed some on before picking up the kids to go swimming, so nice!

The instructions say you can dab any excess off after a few seconds but it soaks in pretty quickly so I haven’t had to do this. I guess my skin needs lots of hydration while I’m working out!

I also tried it while doing yard work. I set it next to my water bottle and whenever I went and got a drink of water I would use some evian Facial Spray at the same time. Worked great and made my yard-work breaks doubly refreshing.

For more information check out their website Evianspray.com or visit their facebook page.

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

August 3, 2015April 9, 2016

10 Things I Love

My August Blog Prompt is 10 Things I Love. It’s a great way to start out the month, right before school starts up again and I get busy teaching and keeping up with the kid’s lessons and such.

I’m going to be doing a weekly post on Homeschooling on Mondays throughout the school year, so come back next week to see what we’re up to!

Now, for 10 things that I like…

1. Music – I love listening to music, but mostly I love playing. I started piano when I was 5 and as an adult I continue to enjoy it.

2. Cordless Dust Buster Hand Vac – This thing has saved my life (actually, it’s more likely saved my kid’s lives) countless times. I can’t live without it! An entire poptart crumbled on the couch? No problem! The 2yr old just dumped the entire potted plant on the floor? A big problem! But not nearly as bad as it could be (he could have broken the pot). Seriously though, I did use my dustbuster for this because I don’t have a shopvac.

My dustbuster lives in it’s charger on my counter and gets used a lot!

3. A Good Book – Some of my favorite authors are James Fenmore Cooper, Charles Dickens, and Jessee Stuart. I enjoy the classics and occasionally a new book or two. Reading is a time to grab a drink and relax.

I recently reviewed Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus and really enjoyed it. I’m also amazed by how much easier it is to read a book I’m reviewing. I guess I justify the time spent more easily because I have a deadline.

4. Coffee – Speaking of drinks. I love coffee. I like the taste, and it’s my preferred way to wake up in the morning. A cup of coffee and my Bible Study. Of course, the kid’s don’t believe in sleeping in so I have to add getting breakfast and hot chocolates and tea to that list in the morning.

5. BBQ Ribs – The best I’ve ever had are from this local place called Dead End BBQ. Their ribs are soooo good! They also have great brisket and delicious sides. And I have no idea about the desserts because I’m always too stuffed to try any!

6. Sewing – I don’t do as much as I would like to because the kids keep me busy, but sewing is a fun, creative outlet for me. I’m working on a few things for the girls right now and they’re so excited.

7. Caramel Bugles – Seriously, the best thing since sliced bread. It’s like caramel corn, without the kernels. I actually hide this from the kids and then my husband will eat an entire bag! It’s delicious. And perfect any time of the year, not just the holidays when I’m craving caramel corn.

Amazon probably isn’t the best place to get these, they’re kind of expensive online. Check the snack aisle in your local grocery store. A few times a year Kroger has them on sale for $1 a bag and I stock up.

8. SciFi – I love SciFi, from the old Star Trek, to Dr. Who, to pretty much anything interesting I find on Netflix. I’m also teaching my kids well, my 6yr old sometimes suggests Star Trek when she’s trying to convince me that we should watch something!

9. Legos – I love legos. Except for when they’re spread all over the floor in the middle of the night. The kids love legos. They have LEGO Friends, LEGO Elves, LEGO Disney Princesses for the girls. My girls love them. And if I don’t feel like actually playing with the legos, they even have Lego XBox 360 games! I have my eyes on this LEGO Jurassic World.

10. Jurassic World – Speaking of which, I loved Jurassic World. I remember watching Jurassic Park as a kid so I had to go see Jurassic World when it came out. It was not disappointed! It’s right up there with Indiana Jones (except for #4, I didn’t like that one) and The Mummy. Just fun to watch!

I’d love to hear some of your favorite things. Comment below and tell me, what’s something you love?

This post does contain affiliate links, and I do earn a small commission off any purchase made through those links.

July 31, 2015July 29, 2015

Food Friday – Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I got my Refrigerator Dill Pickle recipe from allrecipes. I like it so much I’ve made 3 batches so far with very little modification.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon canning salt (regular table salt will work too but the canning salt dissolves faster)
2 medium cucumbers sliced
2 heads fresh dill

Put water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pan on the stove. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Once the water mixture boils, turn it off and let set an hour or so until completely cooled. This is very important. If you pour hot water over your sliced cucumbers you’ll get mushy pickles because the hot water will “cook” your pickles a little bit.

After the water is cooled, slice up your cucumbers and put them in two large mason jars (or any other jar of your choice). Add 1 head of dill per jar. Pour water mixture over cucumbers until they are fully covered and/or your jar is full.

Put the lid on and let set in the fridge for at least 1 week before eating. I think they’re best after at least 2 weeks.

July 30, 2015July 29, 2015

CSA – Week 11

Wow! 11 weeks of veggies already! Now that we’re well into summer, the last couple of boxes have been really great. Here’s this week’s box.

More onions. These red torpedo onions are strong but so very tasty cooked! I just cry a LOT when I’m cutting them up.

Corn. Last week’s corn was so delicious. I’m so excited to have more!

Baby potatoes. My girls were super excited. We made baked potatoes. I’m hoping for more in the next box.

Eggplant. I’ve never seen eggplant like this, but it’s actually easier to use because it’s in smaller portions, I can kind of sneak it into dishes and hope no one notices – let’s just say that they haven’t been impressed with my eggplant cooking skills. “It’s squishy” has been the most common comment.

I made some spaghetti sauce and tossed some eggplant in. My 6yr old caught me and asked what I was putting in the sauce. “Eggplant” I told her, “I’m going to puree it all when it’s cooked, so you won’t even know it’s in there.” 6yr old looks at my like I’m crazy, “but I know it’s in there!” She totally missed the point. She did eat the sauce for dinner and loved it. It’s amazing what you can hide in a puree.

Red and yellow peppers. I love peppers.

Tomatoes – these look a little rough, probably from the week of non-stop rain we had. They’re still tasty though and made great spaghetti sauce.

Cantaloupe, a favorite fruit at my house. This one didn’t have a ton of flavor but it was nice and juicy, so still pretty tasty.

July 29, 2015April 9, 2016

Patterns of Evidence Exodus – Review and Giveaway

About Patterns of Evidence Exodus:

For more than 50 years, the vast majority of the world’s most prominent archaeologists and historians have proclaimed that there is no hard evidence to support the Exodus story found in the Bible. In fact, they say that the archaeological record is completely opposed to the Bible’s account. This view of extreme skepticism has spread from academia to the world. The case against the Exodus appears to be so strong that even some religious leaders are labeling this ancient account as historical fiction.

Filmmaker Timothy Mahoney begins with the questions, “Is the Bible just a myth, or did the archaeologists get it wrong?” He decides to tackle this issue wit a deliberate scientific approach. After examining the details in the biblical text, he journeys across the globe to search for patterns of evidence firsthand. The result is the most in-depth archaeological investigation into the Exodus from Egypt ever captured on film. This scientific documentary’s goal is to communicate the TRUTH of the Bible and help equip believers with defending their faith and the Bible.

The DVD features stunning animations and a cast including narrator, Kevin Sorbo (God’s Not Dead, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), interviews with leading archaeologists including Israel Finkelstein, Kent Weeks, and David Rohl, and guest appearances by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres.

That’s a lot of text! Watch the trailer here and you can get all the info, with pictures.

For more information you can check out their official site here. Also you can check out interviews on their blog.

You can purchase the Patterns of Evidence DVD here.

My opinion:

I enjoyed watching this movie – I would have enjoyed it more if my kid’s hadn’t needed something every 2 minutes. This movie is fully kid-safe so I attempted to watch it with them. They were bored and got kinda noisy so I ended up pausing and finishing it after they went to bed.

Documentaries are always fun to watch, I enjoy hearing opinions and research and with it being Egypt, that just made it more interesting.

The videography was good and the opinions are well thought out and well articulated. It’s definitely an interesting take on when and how the Exodus event occurred. If you have questions about how archaeology and ancient history line up with the Exodus this is a must watch.

Entry -Form

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

July 24, 2015July 23, 2015

Food Friday – Glazed Carrots

I’m not personally a big fan of glazed carrots. I like mine raw with ranch, in a salad, or just eaten as a giant carrot stick. But my kids and husband prefer them glazed. Making glazed carrots is super easy, and since I’m on a roll on the blog with easy vegetables I’ll share another favorite recipe.

Glazed carrots

Carrots – sliced – as many as you want to eat, I do about 1/2 lb for my family of 5
1/2 Cup Water
3Tbsp Brown Sugar

Place sliced carrots in pan, add water and brown sugar and stir. Bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer – stirring frequently -about 30 minutes or until most of the water has cooked off and only a glaze is left.

For more easy vegetable recipes check out my:

Sauteed Squash

Green Beans

And my Crockpot Vegetable Soup

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015