Saturday, September 4, 2010

Spotlight Saturday Blog Hop

It's Spotlight Saturday Hosted By


Between the Lines



Welcome to our new blog hop with a twist!  Every week swing by to link up your blog and one you want to spotlight!  Did you find a new blog you liked this week?  Is there one you visit on a daily basis?  Well, simply link up your Spotlighted blog right under yours.  We will Spotlight our favorite blogs of the week in spots 4, 5, and 6.  

This week is Spotlight your favorite Review/Giveaway Blog.  I'm Spotlighting blueviolet from A Nut in a Nutshell!

How it Works

1) Link up your own blog.
2)Link up a blog you want to spotlight for the week.(ex. Spotlight: I Spot You)
3) Follow your three hosts.
4) Grab our button and post it on your sidebar or in a Spotlight Saturday Post.
5) Follow as many blogs from the list as you like and leave a comment so they know you stopped by.
6) Return the favor by following blogs that followed you.
(Be aware that URL's cannot be duplicated so please have a second spotlight choice in mind. If your blog's URL has already been spotlighted, just add one you'd like to spotlight. And don't forget to leave a comment with the blog you spotlighted so they can come and join the blog hopping fun! )

 





Another Fun Blog Hop you may be interested in!

That Girl's Deals

Friday, September 3, 2010

Don't Miss Spotlight Saturday!

Between the Lines



Don't miss our Spotlight Saturday Blog Hop!  Starting tonight at 12:00am est., link up your own blog and another you'd love to Spotlight!  This week we are spotlighting our favorite Review/Giveaway blogs! We hope to see you tomorrow!!

**Update:  I just wanted to let everyone know that I am feeling under the weather and if I don't get up the energy to get back to you tomorrow, I promise I will get back to you as soon as I feel up to it.  I hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend

Fabulous Food Friday with Pink Dandy Chatter

Welcome to Fabulous Food Friday! While exploring the blogosphere, I realized that there were many great recipes to share. So every Friday, I am going to try to feature an awesome blogger with their great recipe! Today’s feature blogger is Janae from Pink Dandy Chatter.  Many of you have probably heard of Janae's wonderful shop Pink Dandy, but did you know she has a great blog too?  When you get a chance, swing by Janae's fun blog.  I’m sure you’ll find a recipe you and your family will love. 


Hello Everyone! My name is Janae from Pink Dandy Chatter. Pink Dandy Chatter has a little something for everyone. I blog mostly about what inspires me or interests me. There are recipes, Etsy favorites, featured sellers, craft projects, places I have been, product reviews and giveaways. I hope you will stop by and say hello.

A little about me. I am married to my high school sweetheart and a mother to 3 beautiful girls. I live in sunny Arizona, where it always seems to be hot. I have a bath & beauty shop on Etsy called Pink Dandy. Of course, I love to make bath and beauty products, but, I am also in love with cooking and baking. I am very picky when it comes to red velvet cakes. I feel like it will either be wonderful or horrible. I have a family recipe that I ADORE and could eat everyday. But, thankfully, I don't make it that often...or, I would be in big trouble =)


****


WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THE CAKE:

3-3/4 cups flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
20 drops red food coloring
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

LET'S GET STARTED:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray into two 9 inch cake pans and flour.

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Cream the butter, sugar and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk and mix well. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. Test the middle with a toothpick...if it doesn't stick, the cake is done.

Cool cakes completely before removing from the pans or decorating.

****


WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THE FROSTING:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 vanilla bean pod
7 tbsp flour
3 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1-1/2 cups sugar



LET'S GET STARTED:


Combine the heavy cream, milk and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium-high heat (bring to a simmer). Remove the vanilla bean and throw away. Add flour and cook, whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until very cold (at-least 2 hours).

Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl with a whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy (about 6 minutes). Add the cold paste (a few tablespoons at a time). Whisk until light and fluffy.

PlayStation 3 House Party!


YEAH!  We won the opportunity to host the PlayStation 3 House Party!  I applied for this house party because it was being held a few days before my hubby's birthday and he loves his PS3. 


I can't wait to get my party pack & see what else is in it..
So far I know ....
  • 2 PlayStation® Move motion controllers + PS Eye Camera
  • Brand new games that use PlayStation® Move
  • Plus everything you need for your perfect PlayStation® House Party!

I know many others who have hosted House Party's before and they've always said there are fun things for the party guests.   I'll let you all know what comes in the party pack when it gets here!

Tricky Trivia

Dana Carvey changed his name to __________ for two weeks because he thought Dana was a girl's name. 

Take a guess in the comments below.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Bedtime Funnies!

Here are some more Bedtime Funnies!  "Laughter is the best medicine!"

epic fail photos  - Traffic Sign FAIL
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Don't you love it when you run into confusing signs?



epic fail photos - Furniture Fail

I think they may have misread the definition of antique. 

failtap.jpg
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Whoops!

Tortuga Rum Company Giveaway!


Don't forget today is the last day to enter the Tortuga Rum Cake and Picnic pack giveaway!  Enter HERE!  Good Luck and have a fabulous day!!!

Eight Question Tag

A couple of days ago, Robin from Your Daily Dose, tagged me on an eight question game.  If I understand the rules correctly, she asks eight people her questions, they answer, and then each ask eight people eight new questions.  It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd play along.  Here are the questions she asked:

1. What career would you choose for your own if you had all of the gifts (i.e. creativity, genius, dexterity, etc.) that went along with said profession?
                         I would be an author of exciting novels.  I would be able to share the millions of stories that swim through my head on a daily basis.

2. If you could travel back in time to observe what life was like in a specific time period in a specific place, when and where would you go?
I will admit I have dreamed about living in England during the early 1800's.  I am in love with all of Jane Austen's novels, and would love to be thrown in one for a week and act like a proper lady (which I am not:).

3) What is your biggest vice?
Cookies, brownies, or any baked good for that matter.  I thankfully have a little bit of self control or I would be gaining about 10 lbs. a week.  It doesn't help that all my lovely blogging friends are always sharing their delicious recipes.

4) Do you find yourself getting in trouble from speaking your mind too often or not enough?
No, I've never had that problem.  

5) Do you like your name? As an aside, do you know what it means? If so, just curious...
I do like my name.  My parents did a good job. :)   Kelly is an Irish name that means warrior or bright-headed.  It can also mean a type of green.  I don't think my parents picked it because of its meaning or descent.  I just think my  mom liked it.  

6) What do you like most about yourself?
I love my ability to work with children.  I was blessed with patience and what better way to use it than to teach children.  I've been working with kids almost my whole life.  I got my first job around the age of 15 as a gymnastics camp counselor.  From there, I became a gymnastics coach, then substitute teacher, teaching assistant, an elementary school teacher, and now a mom.  I just hope that with each child that enters my life, I can leave them with something that helps them grow to be a better person.

7) What is your favorite record? That would be a record as a whole and it cannot be a greatest hits album. It's not your favorite song, but the collection as a whole on a record.
Record?  What's a record??  Just kidding. My favorite album is Tim McGraw's, Place in the Sun.  There are not many albums that I enjoy the whole thing, but this was an exception.  Loved them all! 
 
8) What song, book, movie, tv show, short story, etc. comes closest to hitting you where you live? You heard it, read it, watched it and thought it could be describing my life. It is like it was written for me. If you don't know what I mean, maybe this will help. Don't forget to turn off my music player at the bottom of the page.
All I can think of right now is Jason Mraz's, Lucky in Love, or Tim McGraw's, My Best Friend. I have definitely been blessed to have met my best friend and to have fallen in love.  I know, mushy, but true.  Love you babe!

Now it is my turn to ask the questions and your turn to answer.  I would love to know more about all of you, so I'm not going to tag 8 of you.  I'm going to tag all of you.  Simply copy and paste the questions into the comment box and answer as many as you want. :)

1.  What is your biggest pet peeve?
2. What movie could you watch over and over again and never grow tired of?
3. If you were a contestant on Survivor, what one personal item would you bring?
4. What is your worst bad habit?
5. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
6. If money was not an option, where would you go on your dream vacation and who would you let tag along?
7. What is something that you must do every day (excluding oral hygiene:)?
8.  What is your favorite restaurant and what is your favorite dish there?


Tricky Trivia: Reader's Question

Thanks to tristatecruisers, we have a fun tricky trivia today.  HOW DO YOU PLANT A SEEDLESS WATERMELON?

Take a guess in the comments below and email me if you'd like to submit a trivia question.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Bedtime Funnies!

Here are some more Bedtime funnies!  "Laughter is the best medicine!"

epic photos fail - Periodic Table of Element Fail4
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Anyone for Carbon Dioxide filled "Helium" balloons?? :)


epic fail photos - Handicap Parking Fail
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Good thing they had a tow truck to move that heavy wheelchair!

epic fail photos - Warning FAIL
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Ummm....well, this just speaks for itself!

Glee Gum Make Your Own Candy Review and Giveaway

I’ve always enjoyed baking with my daughters, but we have never ventured into the candy world.  It always seemed so complicated with stirring it just right and having it at the right temperature.   That is why I was so excited to see how easy Glee Gum’s Make Your Own Gummies Kit was. 



The kids and I were caught off guard when we saw the seaweed come out of the box.    Who knew that seaweed had a natural gelling ingredient in it?  The kids were fascinated with every step of the process.

Spreading out Cornstarch
Making Worms in Cornstrach
 My girls really loved making their own gummies.  They really wanted to make worms, so we used a straw as a mold.  Our worms didn’t turn out like the stores, but since they it did themselves, they didn’t really care what they looked liked.   They did love rolling them around in the sour sugar and eating them though! 
Our gummies before...

Our gummies after
All of Glee’s Make your own kits are fun, educational and made with all natural ingredients.   Whether you are making your own gummies, chocolate, or gum, your children will learn how to take natural ingredients and combine them to create something delicious.  They will have a chance to learn about the origins of different cultures with the story included inside.  And they will also have a chance to learn and practice their math skills as they measure out ingredients.

You can buy your own Make Your Own Kit for $13 at gleegum.com.  Or thanks to the generous people from Glee Gum, one lucky reader of Between the Lines has a chance to win one kit of their choice (Gum, Gummy, or Chocolate).
Mandatory Entry: “Like” Glee Gum on Facebook and come back here and let me know you do.
Extras: (Remember each entry must have a separate comment and an email address is needed to contact winner.)
~ Sign up for Glee Gum’s Newsletter (5)
~ Follow Glee Gum on Twitter (3)
~Follow Between the Lines (3)         
~ Subscribe to my email (5)
~ Grab my button and leave a link of where it’s displayed (5)
~Add me to your Blogroll and leave a link (5)
~ Follow me on Facebook (5)
~Follow me on Twitter (2)
~ Add my Spotlight Saturday button and leave a link (5)
~Tweet this giveaway leaving me your link. (3x a day not back to back) (1 entry each)
~ Enter another one of my giveaways (1 each)
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link (10)
~Make a purchase from Glee Gum (10)

This giveaway will end on September 17nd @10p.m Eastern
Giveaway open to US  only.  Winner will be chosen randomly. An email notification will be sent to the email address provided by the winner. The winner must respond within 48 hours. Failure to do so will result in being disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.
Disclaimer: I received complimentary sample in exchange for my honest review. The opinions & thoughts expressed are my own. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Tricky Trivia

What was the name of the first airplane flown by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk?  And just for blueviolet, when did they fly it?  ;)  Just kidding.  Everyone can answer!

Take a guess in the comments below.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Just had to share!

I just thought this was too funny not to share.  Have a nice night!


epic fail photos - Sign FAIL
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GourmetGiftBaskets.com Giveaway

Don't miss your last chance to win a great giveaway from GourmetGiftBaskets.com!  Enter HERE by 10pm tonight!!!

Gym Rules???

Last week I broke down and joined a gym.  I've been very active all my life and I've always ran and lifted weights at home.  But now that my treadmill has bit the dust, I figured I'd give the gym a shot.  Most of my friends belong to a gym and they love it.  So I figured it was easier and cheaper than buying a new treadmill and I'd have a lot more options of what I could do.  So my first day at the gym, I finish my run and decide to go over to the free weights and work on my arms.  It didn't even dawn on me that there were no females in the weight section until halfway through my sets.  That's when I noticed the men giving me strange looks.  A quick look in the mirror relieved my instant anxiety that certain body parts may be hanging out.  But when the looks continued, I looked around.  There were no women on this side of the gym and I immediately felt awkward and out of place.  So the next few days I watched the free weight area and I still didn't see any other women go over there.  I kept my distance and tried to make do with the machines on the other side of the gym.  I wasn't sure if there were actual rules or just an unspoken rule that women did not cross the middle of the gym.  I'm not very fond of the machines on "women's" side of the gym, so this week I decided to venture over to the free weight area.  Yesterday was a good time to start because when I went over, there was no one there.  But right after I started my sets, two more ladies joined me.  We lifted for about 10 minutes before the muscle men came walking into the gym.  They came over to claim their area and gave us all weird looks, but we stood our ground and finished our workout.  What would you have done?  Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Yummy Salad

Ever since I tried a Tuscan salad at Houlihans a few weeks back, I am obsessed with goat cheese.  I can't believe that I've never tried it before.  I guess the name just isn't very appealing, so I avoided it.  But now that I'm hooked, I wanted to share with you all a salad I made for lunch today.  Very yummy.  And if you want to find some more yummy recipes, stop by Crazy Daisy's Tuesday Tastes Party!


Ingredients

  • 3 cups torn romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup walnut pieces
  • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • Choice dressing (I like balsamic vinegar with a splash of Worcestershire) 
Directions
  1. Toss the romaine lettuce, blueberries, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, walnut pieces, and goat cheese in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad one at a time; toss until evenly coated

Tricky Trivia

Where and when was the first US zoo built?

Take a guess in the comments below.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Webkinz Jr. Winners!



We have our winners from the Webkinz Jr. giveaway.  I'm sorry it took so long, but there were 367 entries and I had to count out 21 winners! :)  Our grand prize winner is ksmom3!  She won with, "I subscribe".  Congratulations ksmom3!  Now here is a list of all our winners who won a free trial to Webkinz Jr.:

Ava, belgd, Kimbuckjr, Cheryl W., tristatecruisers, Laura1877, Traci66, Pink Dandy Chatter, Shining 2 Save, Barbie, Shairbearg, ebcb3, tanyab79, sohamolina,Danelle, Megan, ruthhill74, Katychick, A Fairy Good Mommy, Felicia

I will be sending out an email to all the winners shortly.  If for some reason, they do not respond within 48 hours or decide they do not want a trial, I will randomly select a new winner.  Thanks to everyone who entered and a BIG thank you to Webkinz Jr. for providing us with this wonderful giveaway!

Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies Review and Giveaway

For those of you who have been following Between the Lines for awhile, you know that I am a sucker when it comes to baked goods.  Cookies, brownies, and breads are my major weaknesses.    So you should know I was beyond ecstatic when these boxes of cookies arrived on my doorstep from Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies.

Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies made their debut in 1983, when founder Jimmy Libman made them available for the public in simple cookie tins.  By word of mouth, the popularity of Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies spread.  Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies makes more than cookies.  They are also busy baking muffins, cakes, brownies, and much more.  Gimmee Jimmy’s desserts are  not only baked fresh daily, but they are also Kosher. 

My family and I are now among the tens of thousands of people out there who have been lucky enough to try Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies.  I feel kind of bad for the millions of you out there who have yet to have  a chance.  This past week, we tried six different flavors of cookies and LOVED them all.  We, of course, all had our favorites, but no one had a negative thing to say about any of them.

My favorite was the Oatmeal Raisin.  It was a soft, chewy cookie with a cinnamon flavor.  It was also a very HUGE cookie.  Typically, I can eat about three cookies in one sitting, but one of Jimmy’s cookies was enough.  My oldest daughter loved the Chocolate Chip M&M cookie.  These were also very large, but crispy instead of chewy.  My youngest daughter loved the Cranberry Pecan.  She loves fruit and cookies, so of course she would love them together.  This was also a chewy cookie.  My husband’s favorite was the good old Chocolate Chip Cookie.  He said he liked that it was crunchy and they didn’t go overboard on the chocolate chips.  We also loved the Heath Bar Crunch and the Peanut Butter cookies!

Now that I have you all salivating, I have some good news to give you.  The generous people from Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies have offered one lucky reader the chance to win 1lb of assorted cookies!   Who could turn that down??
Mandatory Entry:  “Like” Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies on Facebook and come back here and leave a comment with your first name and last initial. 
Extras: (Remember each entry must have a separate comment and an email address is needed to contact winner.)
~ Follow Jimmy’s on Twitter (3)
~Follow Between the Lines (3)         
~ Subscribe to my email (5)
~ Grab my button and leave a link of where it’s displayed (5)
~Add me to your Blogroll and leave a link (5)
~ Follow me on Facebook (5)
~Follow me on Twitter (2)
~ Add my Spotlight Saturday button and leave a link (5)
~Tweet this giveaway leaving me your link. (3x a day not back to back) (1 entry each)
~ Enter another one of my giveaways (1 each)
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link (10: if your blog has more than 30 followers)
~Make a purchase from Jimmy’s (10)

This giveaway will end on September 14th @10p.m Eastern
Giveaway open to US  only.  Winner will be chosen randomly. An email notification will be sent to the email address provided by the winner. The winner must respond within 48 hours. Failure to do so will result in being disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.
Disclaimer: I received complimentary samples in exchange for my honest review. The opinions & thoughts expressed are my own. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Tricky Trivia

If Wal-Mart was classified as a country, it would be the _____ most productive country in the world.

Take a guess in the comments below.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Silent Sunday



This was the last day of gymnastics class before the big sisters started 1st grade. My youngest, on the far right, didn't want to do class at first without her sis, but once she got in there, she had a great time!

Simple Sunday Twitter Hop

Welcome to the
Simple Sunday Twitter Hop .
Its Me Melbie & Crazy Daisy.
With this weeks Guest Host Living On Love and Cents


Photobucket



 
Grab a cup of coffee & join us every SundayYou can gain new Twitter followers, find some great blogs & bloggers in the process.
Have Fun !!!
Plus every week we will draw a random guest host to fill our #5 seat :)
How it Works
1. Follow blogs 1 -5 ( we will follow back )
2. Add your Twitter URL ( not your blog url or giveaways)
3. Snag our new button to use in a post about the Simple Sunday Twitter Hop
4. Follow as many ppl. as you would like & follow everyone back that follows you :)
( This is not a giveaway linkup & anything other than your Twitter url's will be deleted )
 
Link up every Sunday at 12:00 am est !!