Giveaway! $25 Gift Certificate to Polmedia Polish Pottery

Valentine's Day is coming soon and it's a great excuse to have another giveaway hop! LeahSay's Views and Planet Weidknecht are pleased to host a group of bloggers all giving away some great prizes. The list is below and you can visit each link to enter to win it all. All the giveaways run from February 1-14, so get started and good luck!

I'm giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to Polmedia Polish Pottery located in Seguin, TX. They are the largest retailer and wholesaler of Polish pottery in the USA.

Polish pottery is created from white clay found only in the Boleslawiec (pronounced Bowl-eh-swa-vi-its) region of Poland. Each piece is hand stamped and hand painted by a skilled artisan, honoring a tradition centuries old. The colors will never fade due to the hard and lustrous glaze applied to the pieces before they are fired at temperatures in excess of 2200 degrees.

Polish pottery is dishwasher and microwave safe,  oven-safe up to 500 degrees (pieces going into the oven should warm up as the oven does; bring frozen pieces to room temperature before putting them into the oven and let hot pieces cool down before putting them into the refrigerator/freezer). It's also lead and cadmium free, very easy to clean,  naturally nonstick,  chip and crack resistant, durable and intended for everyday use.

I selected a beautiful 4" square tile and decided it's the perfect trivet for my hot sauce pans. I put four adhesive felt pads on the bottom of the tile and now I have something pretty and functional. The craftsmanship is beautiful at Polmedia Polish Pottery. They offer much more than tile though, so be sure to check out their bakeware, bowls, mugs, platters, serving dishes and much more!

Visit Polmedia Polish Pottery HERE and enter below to win a $25 Gift Certificate! This giveaway is open to US residents ages 18 and older. Giveaway ends on 2/14/2015. Good luck!

Enter my other giveaways HERE.
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Easy Appetizer Ideas - al fresco Chicken Meatballs

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

If you are looking for some delicious, easy to prepare appetizer ideas for the big game, check out how I prepared al fresco Chicken Meatballs. These meatballs come in zipper-closure plastic pouches, with about 24 meatballs in the bag. al fresco Chicken Meatballs come in three varieties - Caramelized Onion with roasted garlic and natural smoke flavor, Italian Style with fresh basil and mozzarella, and Spicy Jalapeno and Pepper Jack with fire roasted jalapeno and Monterey jack cheese.

al fresco fully cooked, frozen chicken meatballs are made with lean, skinless chicken meat, are high in protein and even gluten free. They have 60% less fat and 30% less sodium than beef meatballs. I prepared the Spicy Jalapeno and Pepper Jack meatballs on the stovetop, at medium heat, with a can of tomato sauce, for 18 minutes. They were delicious, with a slight kick of heat, and an easy to serve appetizer for any get-together!

I wanted to try something different with the Carmelized Onion meatballs. I separated out eight of the meatballs and placed the remainder of them into a baking pan. I preheated the oven to 375 degrees. Using a can of refrigerated crescent dough, I pressed the cut lines together and cut 8 squares of dough.

I took the eight meatballs and wrapped each into a dough square, then wrapped the corners up over the top. I placed these alongside the other meatballs in the baking pan. I baked them all together for 18 minutes, then pulled out the baking pan and removed the dough-wrapped ones.

I sprinkled some shredded cheese over the remainder of the meatballs in the baking pan, then put them back in the oven for five minutes so the cheese could melt. So! That's three appetizer ideas from just two bags of meatballs! It took me just 30 minutes total to prepare all three ideas and I think they look as good as I now know they taste.

I am delighted with al fresco Chicken Meatballs and absolutely recommend them. Visit their website at www.alfrescoallnatural.com to learn more about their products and where you can purchase them at a location near you. They also have some great recipe ideas on their site!

Easy Taco Dip #Recipe for Game Day

Here is my super-easy go-to recipe for delicious Taco Dip!

Ingredients:
16oz Daisy Sour Cream
1 pkg McCormick Taco Seasoning

Directions:
In a bowl, stir sour cream and taco seasoning packet until combined. Chill in fridge for an hour. Enjoy with chips or crackers!

See more of my recipes HERE.

Free Printable Valentine Kindergarten Worksheets

Make learning more fun with Valentine's Day themed worksheets for your kindergarten age children. Parents and teachers can download and print these free full-page printables to share with kids. These worksheets support word recognition, color recognition, number recognition, following directions, writing skills, art skills, math skills, and comparison. Have fun!

Print Hearts Color By Number HERE.

Print Hearts Color By Word HERE.

Print Counting Hearts HERE.

Print Heart Math HERE.

Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro #tech #review

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Every single day I see people posting selfies on my Facebook wall. I always giggle a bit when I can tell it's a selfie photo, because you can see the person's arms outstretched in the photo. The Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro solves that issue easily!

The Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro is basically a long handle that holds your smartphone in a clip on one end and offers a Bluetooth shutter button on the other end. The Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro extends all the way out to 3.5 feet and works with both Apple and Adroid smartphones.

It's lightweight, at just 4.75oz or 0.3lbs, so it's easy to hold even when fully extended. It comes with an extra clip for securing the smartphone securely and provides excellent clamping around three sides of the phone. It's become one of Walmart.com's best selling items!

I will admit I haven't taken too many selfies in the past because I don't like the outstretched arm look, but the Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro is going to help me tremendously as a blogger. I used to have to wait until my husband got home to take photos of me for my blog, featuring fashion items, makeup, and skin care results, but now I can take all those photos myself.

Another great use of the Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro is for photos of entertainment that happen in large crowds, because you can lift your smartphone up higher to get great shots of whoever is on stage. Think of the great shots you could get at music concerts, graduation ceremonies, and even your kids' sporting events.

Get your Minisuit Selfie Stick Pro today at Walmart.com. It's only $14,95 with $1.95 shipping right now. I'm absolutely thrilled with mine!

Free Printable Valentines for Kids

Here are six free printable valentines I created for you!

Just click ***HERE*** to safely download the sheet of them to your computer, print them out on cardstock, and have your child sign them to give to friends and teachers!

  

   

   

Click ***HERE*** to print them out!

Turn Photos Into Oil Paintings

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Wall hangings are as much a part of home decor as the furniture and curtains. The walls of my home are filled with prints, photos, and even handmade art. MyOilPaint.com creates hand-painted fine art reproductions in their studio. Their inspiration comes from either paintings by famous artists or from photos you provide to them.

I chose Van Gogh's classic Starry Night since it's always been one of my favorite paintings. I could never afford the real thing, but MyOilPaint.com reproduction is absolutely beautiful. The paintings can be ordered stretched onto a frame or rolled, so I chose a rolled print so I could put it into a frame with glass.

You can choose the size of oil painting you want as well, so that it works perfectly in the room you intend to hang it. They guarantee satisfaction and will even revise the painting until you are happy with it. They even offer a three-year warranty.

I am thrilled with my new "famous" painting! It is expertly crafted and simply beautiful. They can turn your favorite vacation photo, wedding photo, or family portrait into a stunning oil painting that your family will treasure for generations. What a great gift idea!

Find out more at www.myoilpaint.com 

and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area Names 2015 Youth of the Year

#Press Release

Giving children a strong foundation is one of the most important things we can do. The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area is Austin’s leading youth development agency, serving nearly 12,000 kids each year in Travis County via 23 clubs. They focus on youth development in three crucial areas: academic success, character and leadership and healthy lifestyles.

Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) has named Dennis Vera, a high school senior at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, as Austin’s Youth of the Year (YOY). YOY is the highest honor a Club member can receive. As Austin’s Youth of the Year, Vera will receive a $5,000 scholarship from the Austin Area Boys and Girls Club Foundation and will guest speak at BGCAA’s Great Futures Spring Luncheon on May 19 at the Hilton Austin. As the BGCAA’s premier youth recognition program, YOY recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys and Girls Club, as well as overcoming personal challenges and obstacles. “An amazing young lady with a promising future, Dennis will serve and represent our area clubs as the 2015 Youth of the Year,” said Maricela Casados. “She started in the Ann Richards Club at age 11 and has made the Club a ‘home away from home.’ She’s proof positive that great futures start at our local Boys and Girls Clubs.” Vera is committed to attending an Ivy League school. Out of eight college applications, her top choices are Harvard and Yale. Dennis plans to major in political science and communications and become a politician. “Dennis is so driven that, for a while, she would wake at 4 a.m. to go to McDonalds to complete homework, as her home was without electricity,” said Casados.

Vera will now compete to be a Texas Youth of the Year finalist. If chosen, she will compete for an additional $10,000 scholarship at the Texas Youth of the Year Luncheon on March 3rd in Austin, hosted by the Texas Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs. If selected as Texas Youth of the Year, Vera advances to the National YOY Competition held in Washington, D.C. for a chance at an additional $15,000 scholarship presented by the President of the United States. Marcus Jones, senior at LBJ High School was selected as the runner-up. Jones will receive a $3,000 college scholarship and serve as an additional spokesperson for the Club. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) Youth of the Year program has been nationally sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation since 1947. “As a proud sponsor of the Youth of the Year program for over 60 years, we are thrilled to honor amazing teens, like Dennis, for their dedication and hard work,” said Susan Fraysse Russ, executive director, Reader’s Digest Foundation.

http://www.bgcaustin.org/

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Weekly Giveaway Linky - Wednesday Wealth (January 28-February 3)

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Novelle Naturals Walnut Butter

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge peanut butter fan, but I've never tried walnut butter! Novelle Naturals Walnut Butter comes in two flavors - Classic Walnut Butter and Cacao Walnut Butter. I received a jar of the Classic Walnut Butter and it's incredibly delicious, but it's also nutritious, energy-packed, and heart-healthy. I've been dipping apple slices in it, spreading it on crackers and toast, and even dropping a couple spoonfuls into smoothies!

Novelle Naturals Walnut Butter is the perfect choice for health-conscious eaters looking for a healthier, more nutritious nut butter alternative. The signature Novelle Naturals combination of rich, healthy superfoods makes their walnut butter incredibly healthy and delicious. Novelle Naturals walnut spreads are GMO-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and low glycemic, making them an excellent choice for vegan diets, paleo diets, and even diabetics!

Visit www.novellenaturals.com for more information and to shop online for Novelle Naturals Classic Walnut Butter and Cacao Walnut Butter. If you are an investor, feel free to contact Sheri Greb, VP at [email protected] or 954-306-2757.

Easy Chocolate Cola Cake #Recipe and Glaze #Recipe

#affiliate links enclosed

Did you know there's an even easier way to use a cake mix? Replacing the eggs, oil and butter with a can of cola makes the cake moister and more delicious! You can use any kind of cake mix and any kind of cola to create an endless combination of cake tastes. Today I used a chocolate cake mix and Coca Cola in a bundt pan. I also made a vanilla glaze to go over the top of it. Below is the recipe for both!

Cola Cake - Chocolate Bundt Recipe

1 chocolate cake mix (18oz package)
1.5 cups Coca Cola
(you can also add an egg white to make the cake fluffier in appearance)

In a large bowl, mix cake mix and cola. Spray bundt pan with cooking oil and pour batter into bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350. Bake cake for 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then turn bundt cake over onto large plate and let cool completely.

Vanilla Glaze Recipe

1.5 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, pour powdered sugar. Add the water and vanilla extract a bit at a time while stirring slowly, until sugar becomes a glaze. Pour glaze over top of bundt cake so that it runs over the sides and down onto the plate. Slice this delicious cake and serve!

Print this recipe HERE.
See my other recipes HERE.