Monthly Archives: November 2010

Easy To MakeThank You Card and Bonus Scotch Tape Giveaway!

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Thanks to Scotch(R) Double Sided Tape for sponsoring my writing about crafts! 
Add your comment below to be entered for a chance to win free sample rolls to help with your upcoming holiday needs!

I’m a scrapbooker. I love the art of taking pieces of paper and my favorite pictures and turning them into pieces of art. I also love card making and prefer to make a card over buy one any day! I always use Scotch brand products for my scrapbooking and card making adhesives (and I’m not just saying that because they are sponsoring this post, I swear!)

With Thanksgiving come and gone and plenty of people to thank for a wonderful meal, I thought it would be fun to show you a quick and easy Thank You card that even a beginner can make. In fact, this card can be easily made by the kids too! You can change the colors and words as well very easily to make it appropriate for any occasion. A friend of mine made a thank you card like this for me a long time ago and ever since I use it as my go to template for a quick card.

So here is the end result:

Here are the directions typed right on the pictures below for easy follow along instructions!

Easy right?!

Now for some fun! Leave a comment to be entered to win a roll of Scotch Double Sided Tape from 3M!  Simply tell me what your family uses tape for the most (and include your email address please!).  You can enter once a day until December 3rd when I will select TEN WINNERS!!  

It will only take a second to enter and you’ll be ready for gift wrapping! I’m really saving you about $50 here because you will inevitably be wrapping gifts and run out of tape. You will run to the store. You will leave with about $50 worth of stuff that you probably don’t need and you may even forget the tape!  So just enter to win some here and we both win! 🙂


Please learn more about Scotch(R) Double Sided Tape and other Scotch(R) Products, and join the conversation on the Scotch(R) Brand Facebook Page and via Twitter. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

UPDATE: Contest Closed! Winners are listed HERE!

American Express Small Business Saturday Featuring Italian On The Run!

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Thanks to American Express for sponsoring my writing today about small businesses.  American Express is presenting Small Business Saturday, a way to honor the local merchants who are the backbone of the economy, this Saturday, November 27.  They’re offering statement credits to people who shop at small businesses, advertising for small-business owners, and donations to Girls Inc. for “Likes” of the Small Business Saturday page on Facebook.  Join the celebration by clicking the “Like” button and then visiting the Facebook page to learn more about the program and read the terms and conditions that apply. 

When I was asked to highlight American Express’ Small Business Saturday, I was all YES.  I much prefer to shop and dine at local businesses than big box stores and chain restaurants.  

The small business I want to share with you today is from my husband’s home town – Massena, New York.  It’s where we met, fell in love, got married and had our first son.  It’s a special place to us for sure and full of so many memories!  My very good friend (and Bellaziza’sFavorites.com buddy!) Crista and her husband made the daring move one year ago to purchase a failing restaurant in Massena.  It was a great deal but a scary proposition at the same time as they knew they faced an uphill climb in order to resurrect it.  They believed in their vision and knew that with lots of hard work, smart marketing through social media and of course their amazing homestyle Italian cuisine, it could come back better than ever.  It was a big undertaking like all small business ventures are, but only a year later with tremendous community support, Italian On The Run is a booming local success story and better than ever! 

Italian On The Run offers superb homemade Italian cuisine to their loyal customers.  Although many people do dine in, they are primarily a take out and delivery place that focuses on quality… but with convenience.  Forget about just your standard pizza and wings (although they are amazing in their own rite!) “IOTR” has an impressive menu that would rival many fancier places.  They have a great variety of gourmet pizzas like the new Mediterranean Chicken Pizza, and their most popular, Buffalo Chicken Pizza made with their homemade Buffalo wing sauces!  Beyond mouthwatering calzones, strombolis, subs, salads, and gourmet pasta dinners, they have the most exquisite homemade desserts around, fresh and made from scratch!   Our pick?  The Italian Cream Cake and the Cannolis.  OMG.

Thanks to Crista’s entrepreneurial genius and social media suave, Italian On The Run has brought a major Facebook explosion to Massena!  As her and other small businesses work hard to connect within their community, customers are “liking” their way through the small town of Massena at a record pace!  Liking IOTR’s Facebook Fan Page is all the rage right now too. 🙂 Crista offers Facebook specials and hosts giveaways regularly which keeps things fresh and their fans always coming back for more!  Go ahead and LIKE them too! Once they get to 2,000 fans, amazing things are gonna happen and they’re less than 50 away!!  That’s pretty amazing if you ask me!  While you’re at it, go ahead and follow IOTR on Twitter too!

At Italian On The Run it’s not all about them, and they know it.  They are very community focused and create as many collaborations as they can with other local small businesses.  IOTR is diving into Small Business Saturday head first by posting about many of their fellow small businesses on their Facebook page to try to lead their almost 2,000 local fans to other local small businesses on Facebook!  Is there anything better than a small business supporting other small businesses?!  I think not.

Make it a point to visit as many small businesses as you can on Saturday, November 27th.  American Express is ready and willing to reward you for doing so too, so check out the links below and LIKE Small Business Saturday on Facebook!

Small Business Saturday

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

*Disclosure: While I was compensated to write this post, all opinions are 100% honest and mine! All mine!*

Recipe: Homemade Gravy

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I can’t give you turkey and stuffing recipes without giving you gravy how-to’s!  So here is how I make some good old fashioned (and maybe even a little southern?) GRAVY love.

Accredited online
colleges are an option for those who want to take cooking classes!

First off, I melt butter in a pan. Once it’s melted, I whisk in some flour, a little at a time.  The general rule of thumb is one tablespoon of butter for every tablespoon flour.  I made a big ol’ batch of gravy, so I used 1 cup of each. This is also the same way I start out my Sausage Gravy for Biscuits and Gravy and my Homemade Cheese Sauce. Lots of butter. Paula Deen would be proud.

Next, I use the drippings from my turkey  (or roast or whatever meat I have drippings from) to add to the gravy.  First, be sure to strain the drippings to get out all the chunks!  Add in the drippings a little at a time and whisk as you go.  If you do not have drippings, or not enough to go around, you can use chicken or beef broth depending on the meat you are serving.  You can also add in some milk for a really creamy gravy.

You are going to want to skim the fat off the top of the gravy as you go too.

Whisk and add liquids like broth and/or milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency.  If it is too runny, mix some cornstarch and water in a separate bowl and then whisk into the gravy to thicken it.

Enjoy!

We Live. We Love. We Learn.

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There has been some drama in our family recently. Nothing I’m not used to as it seems to always be something!

I’m sure you have no idea what I mean and your families are perfectly fully functional, right?

Right.

There has been a family member that has let us down. They have reacted to situations in a disappointing way.  We’re not really sure what will happen from here but there is a possibility of them no longer being a family member.  This person has been someone that has always made us pause.  We weren’t fully sure about them, ya know?  There were some character issues that didn’t settle well with us.  Should we trust them? Should we allow our children to become attached to them?  We just didn’t know.  But they were family now.

So we did what feel is always the best answer.

We loved.

We dove in, and with our insecurities and questions we brought grace and trust and love.  We allowed ourselves and our children to become attached.  We endured hardships and disappointments.

But we loved.

Now, the worst has happened. The hardships and disappointments have gone too far.  So now what?   Where do we go from here?

Sometimes I think we didn’t do enough to protect our children.  We could have foresaw this day and protected them from it.

But, that is just not true.

Life is tough. Life is hard.  I would much rather my boys learn about the difficulties of life with me by their side showing them they way.  Loving them through it.  I can’t put them in a bubble and my head in the sand and pretend that life is sunshine and butterflies for their sake.  We must face the harsh realities of life together.

People let us down.  Divorce happens. Death happens. Sickness happens.

It’s all about how we choose to respond to those harsh difficulties of life that matters.

And also? Should we assume the worst in people?  Should we guard our hearts and never let anyone in, ya know, just in case?  Absolutely not!  Sure, we should be smart.   But I don’t want to live my life always expecting something bad to happen and that people will let us down. And I certainly don’t want to teach my children to live their lives that way either.

And now we have a chance to teach our children, even at their tender young ages, that bad things happen to us sometimes.  People we trust let us down.

And you know what we are going to do?

We are going to love.

We will move on, arm in arm, and face the sadness together.  We do not know what the end result will be.

But whatever happens, we have each other.

We have lived fully.

We have loved wholly.

We have learned through it all.

Groupon Deal: Half Off at American Apparel!

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I heard about this awesome Groupon deal and thought I better pass it on!

Buy $50 good at American Apparel for only $25 on Groupon today!

Great chance to buy some new outifts for your holiday get-togethers or as Christmas gifts!

GO GET IT QUICK!

*Groupon Affiliate Link. Go ahead, click on it. Buy it. Make me tens of dollars richer.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

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One of our family favorites!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
Homemade Cheese Sauce (or use 8 oz of Velveeta, cubed – but don’t, OK?)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 can of Rotel (tomatoes with green chilies)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla Chips

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, stirring often for about 3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth just a little at a time, then whisk in milk the same way.  Reduce heat to low and add cheese sauce. Stir and cook on low until all melted together.  Stir in Rotel, chicken and spices.  Heat through.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.

 Eat so quickly that you say to your husband, “WAIT! Don’t take another bite!  Take a picture of your soup with your iPhone so I can post the recipe because I already scarfed mine down so fast that I only have an empty licked bowl to show for it!”

Enjoy.

Recipe: Homemade Cheese Sauce

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Who needs that box of chemically formulated cheese? Who needs the jar of processed “I’m pretending to be cheese!” stuff? Not you! Because I am giving you this delightful and easy recipe for Homemade Cheese Sauce! Replace it in any recipe for that fake stuff and your taste buds will thank you! (Not to mention your body who is not a big fan of the chemically processed stuff.)  You can also serve over pasta for homemade mac and cheese, though I think my full recipe for that is better.  You decide!

Homemade Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
pinch of salt and pepper

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat.  Whisk in flour, stirring for about 2-3 minutes.  Gradually whisk in the heavy cream and then the milk.  Simmer on low heat until smooth.  (Tip: You know it is smooth and thick enough when it coats the spoon)  Add in the cheeses and salt and pepper and whisk until smooth again. 

Sorry I don’t have any pictures to share.  I kind of just throw this together when I need a cheese sauce and never to think to snap a picture!

Enjoy!

Love and Logic Parenting: You’re Grounded From Your Mom

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I received my Insider’s Club email from Love and Logic and the title was, “You’re Grounded From Your Mom”.  I was so excited to read what that meant!  Could I ground my kids from me and take a night off? I think this is such an innovative way to get kids to think and appreciate their parents and I thought you all would enjoy it too! So here is what the emails said:

Fifteen-year-old Brandi has been out of control. She refuses to listen to her mother, calls her mother filthy names, won’t come home on time, and has turned the home into a battleground. Mom, in desperation, called her husband at work and demanded that he do something, which he did.
 
Dad grounded his daughter from her mom for one week. She is not allowed to talk to her mom, and Mom is not allowed to talk to her.
 
“This is the stupidest kind of discipline I ever heard!” screamed Brandi. “I need my mom. She needs to cook my meals. I need her to help me with my hair. I need her to take me shopping. How is she going to answer my phone calls? I need her to drive me to school. I hate this! None of my friends have to put up with this!”
 
Here is a youngster who is starting to realize how important her mother is. Next week Mom plans to use that famous Love and Logic mantra, “I’m happy to do the things you want when I feel respected.” This is going to be interesting.
 
A great example of the power of this phrase can be found in the story “Little Johnnie,” in the CD by my son, Charles Fay, Ph.D., Oh Great! What Do I Do Now?
 
 
Is that a great idea or what?! I am definitely saving that for a rainy day!  Especially once the boys become teenagers, I can see that coming in handy! 
 
Sign up for Love and Logic’s Insider’s Club emails at their website HERE and join me in my quest to become a better parent! You can also purchase many of their books and CDs on Amazon, check them out through my Affiliate Link below!


 
 
*Not a sponsored post*