{Cheap} Wall Art

I'm still working on the walls in my office.

Several months ago I bought a few paper mache 12" letters at Joann Fabrics for $3.99

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them, until the other day.

I spray painted my letter "S" black.

Found this great wood frame at the resale shop for $8.

I stapled some burlap to the back
and hung the frame on the wall over my husband's desk.
I then stuck a nail in the wall right thru the burlap
and hung the letter "S" in the middle!

Perfect for now!!
My husbands first name and our last name both start with the letter "S"

I originally bought the frame with the intention of using it as a prop for photo shoots,
but for now I like it hanging here!
I think I even like the frame left gold........but I may swipe a little white over it some time.

What do you think? Gold? or White?

I'm linking this project post up at the following blog parties:Metamorphosis Monday, Make it for Monday, Make it Mondays, Making the World Cuter, Just Something I whipped Up, Motivate Me Monday, Make Your Monday, DIY Day, Today's Creative Blog, Talented Tuesday, Trash to Treasure Tuesday

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OH, and a bit of news..........

I made a TidyMom Fan page on Facebook

I'd love for you to become a fan!

Share recipes, projects and more!!

Become a TidyMom Fan here!

I Heart Faces - Jump for Joy!

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is “Jump for Joy” and Kelly Moore is the guest photographer judge.

I was so excited for this week, because I knew just what picture I wanted to enter!

I took Sunshine and two of her best friends outs out for a little "photo shoot" a few weeks ago and we got a great "jump shot".

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I also wanted to thank everyone for all of the WONDERFUL Birthday wishes yesterday!

You all are AWESOME!!

Want to see what my family got me?

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens

Tamrac 3536 Express 6 Camera Bag (Black)

♥ I had the perfect birthday! ♥

Be sure to head over to I Heart Faces to see all of the other GREAT entries!! Should be a really fun week!
(I've got my post up a little early.........the linky party doesn't go up until late tonight)

Birthday cookies for ME!!!!

So I didn't really PLAN to post about today being my birthday and all............but when these beauties arrived on my doorstep yesterday...........I just knew I HAD the share them with you!!

Do you remember me telling you about my friend Bridget who got to go to New York and bake a cake with Kelly Rippa, Buddy (Cake Boss) and Electolux? Well, Bridget offered to giveaway one dozen of her cookies to one of her readers who voted for her cake!

Well guess who won the cookies?!!!

Yes!! It was me!!!!
and when Bridget found out it was close to my birthday she decided to make
BIRTHDAY cookies for ME!!

She asked me what my favorite colors were.........
not knowing what she had up her sneaky little sleeves!

These cookies arrived just in time for my birthday......the day before to be exact!

I've always admired Bridget's cookies on her blog.....but I'm telling you people
they are even MORE AWESOME in person!!

and they taste INCREDIBLE!! They're soft, yummy and PERFECT!


Thanks again to Bridget for making my day more perfect........
I'm SOOO incredibly lucky to call you my friend!♥

I have to tell you a little "funny" about when the cookies arrived....My hubby knows about Bridget, but I guess I've never mentioned the name of her blog or cookie biz....

My daughter and I were eating our cookies and commenting on how SOFT and yummy they were....my hubby looks at the box (With Bridget's GORGEOUS Bake at 350 label on it)and said "I think you're supposed to bake these before you eat them!".......my daughter and I busted out laughing.....MEN!!!!

It's Your LUCKY Day! St. Patrick's Day Freebies!

I've seen some great St. Patrick's Day ideas around that I thought I'd share with you!

Amy of Living Locurto has made some adorable St. Patrick's Day cards, tags and notes you can download and print for FREE! Thanks Amy!

The creative ladies over at HowDoesShe?com have adorable FREE St Patrick's Day cupcake toppers & label download

Janet of From Captain's Daughter to Army Mom is getting her Irish on by teaching some of her friends how to decorate cookies by baking and decorating some awesome shamrock cookies!

Janet says........

These Shamrock cookies would never have been possible

without the kindness of my blogging-buddy, Diane, who

went out of her way to Send me this cookie cutter!

Blogging is SO rewarding when you realize the friendships that grow and the generosity of others! Janet has been known to be a very generous blogger, not only what she shares on her blog, but the friendship she has shared with me and others.........please pray for her family, as her brave son, Brandon has recently left to fight for our country! Brandon and his family could use your good thoughts and prayers for a safe return home.

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I also want to introduce a new TidyMom sponsor, The Rusted Chain!
Be sure to click over and check out the fabulous jewelry........and keep your eye's peeled for a giveaway later this month!

Kitchen Scale Giveaway!

For Valentines Day we made our own Chocolate Covered Strawberries!! They are SO easy to make and a lot cheaper than purchasing them from the candy stores!! The Bug Man went to Whole Foods (my new LOVE) and got a carton of these HUGE strawberries! Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen strawberries SO big....and GOOD!! OMG if you haven't tried the fruit at Whole Foods, then you haven't tried fresh fruit!!........I'm just thankful they're not closer to us, because they're not cheap, but SO worth the money AND the drive!! I had my first visit to Whole Foods in early Feb and sent the Bug Man two more times that month!

Well, EatSmart Products had recently contacted me about reviewing their Precision Pro Scale. It was sitting on my kitchen counter the day I made the strawberries......so I plopped 3 of those beauties on the scale just so I could see how big they really were!

Would you look at that.......7.o5 oz!! Those three strawberries were nearly 1/2 pound!!

I have never owned a kitchen scale. But I have recently discovered how important a kitchen scale can be when it comes to baking. A scale allows precision and control so you will have reliable results when baking!

I've been dying to try making macarons, like Tartlette, the QUEEN of macaron's does! And the key to making macarons is precise measuring of the ingredients!!

*photo belongs to Tartlette

Don't believe weighing your ingredients can make a difference? Check it out this post by Brown Eyed Baker, where she tested Volume vs. Weighing in baking.

The EatSmart Precision Pro Scale is simple and small. It has a nice large display and numbers that are easy to read. Not only does it have nice little functions like a tare feature which allows you to remove the weight of the container or plate your ingredients are in, but it can measure ounces, pounds, grams and even kgs!

The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Scale is an economically priced multifunction home scale, perfect for everyday tasks from weighing food or ingredients to calculating postage.

Guess What? One lucky TidyMom reader will win their own
EatSmart Precision Pro Scale
*US addresses only

*Strawberries NOT included-----Sorry Ü

Required Entry: leave a comment telling me how you would use your new kitchen scale

**This giveaway is for US shipping address only**

Extra Entries: (You must leave a separate entry for each extra entry to count and be sure to leave your email address if you don't have a blog)

2. Follow/Subscribe to TidyMom (let me know that you do)

3. Follow me on Twitter here and leave me your twitter name.

4. Grab my cute button and add it to your blog.

5. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right side bar and tell me you clicked. (1 entry per click-can click up to 3x)

6. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: I want to win an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale from @TidyMom http://twurl.nl/fhe1mf #giveaway (1 entry per daily tweet)

Giveaway will end on March 11, 2010 at 5 pm CST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be contacted and must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen.
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I was provided an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product. The Amazon link is my affiliate link.

POM Wonderful -WFMW

I've been keeping a secret for a few months now................

This has been my new daily addiction

POM Wonderful mixed with my Sprite Zero!

Seriously people....this stuff is DELCIOUS!!

Back in late December the awesome people at POM Wonderful sent me a few bottles of their 100% Pomegranate juice to try.

My original intention was to use it in a recipe.....they have lots of amazing recipes on their web site. I thought of trying it in a sauce to serve over pork, or may in some orange muffins.

I have NEVER eaten a pomegranate or any thing pomegranate flavored, so when the box arrived I was anxious to open one of the snazzy bottles and give it a try!
My whole family stood around the table as we opened the box and passed the opened bottle around!
We LOVED it! It's a little sweet and a little tart and a whole lot of healthy!!

Did you know about all of the health benefits of pomegranates?
You can read about how you can protect your immune system with all of the antioxidants and many other health benefits on their web site.

Shortly after opening that first bottle I wondered what it would taste like to splash a little POM Wonderful in my Sprite Zero????
I was hooked at the first sip!

You can find POM Wonderful Juices in many varieties in the refrigerated section of the produce department of your local supermarket. They're a little on the expensive side, so I love that I can just add a little to my soda every day.
I enjoy the taste, the benefits and a little 8 oz bottle will last me several weeks. (I only drink one soda a day)

I'm linking this post up to Works for Me Wednesday since

POM Wonderful in my Sprite Zero WORKS for ME!!

WFMW for the next two week's (March 3 & 10) will be hosted by Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer, while Kristen is in Kenya with Compassion Bloggers

I was provided 4 bottles of POM Wonderful. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Chilly days call for big pots of soup!

We have been cooking up a lot of soup in our house the past few months!!

One of our favorites, Taco Soup, is a hearty combination of beans, corn, tomatoes, and taco seasonings, slow cooked with ground beef ! And the best part......the slow cooker does all the work, so you don't have to!!

SLOW COOKER TACO SOUP
(printable recipe)

1 pound ground beef
1 (16 oz) can chili beans
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15oz) can corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 c. water
1 (14.5 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes
1 (4oz) can diced chopped green chilies
1 pkg taco season mix
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

• Brown ground beef and drain
• Add Taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix
• Stir and cook for 1 min.
• place seasoned meat in crock pot
  
• add remaining ingredients
• Mix to blend and cook low for 8-10 hours
  

Serve with tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

I'm sharing this recipe at Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam Mouth Watering Mondays and Tuesdays at the Table, Crockpot Wednesdays and Ultimate Recipe Swap Foodie Friday recipe exchanges, and Kimba's DIY Day.