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Tiptoe Tuesday Hop

2012-02-28T09:26:00.001-05:00

<center><a href="http://www.insightsbyapril.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Tiptoe Tuesday Blog Hop" src="http://opipdesigns.com/blogs/aprilo/tt.jpg" /></a></center> Welcome to Tiptoe Tuesday Blog Hop!!This is a fun hop to break up your week just a bit. If you are a blogger, feel free to link up to wherever you would like to get some love on FB, Twitter, Pinterest, GFC, Email,

Super Quick Dinner

2012-02-26T10:31:00.003-05:00

When at the grocery store this week, I saw a new product in the refrigerated cheese section, Kraft's Fresh Take. Basically Kraft's version of Shake and Bake. They come in a variety of flavors to choose from. I could not resist, they were 2 for $5 and there was a $1 off coupon dispenser right next to the product. For $1.50 I was promised a super quick change to a otherwise boring chicken

Devils Food Cake---From Scratch in about 2 hours

2012-02-23T14:26:00.005-05:00

If you know me well enough I love to use baking mixes, from cakes to brownies, as basis to wonderful desserts. This past Monday was my husband's birthday and when he woke up he was pouting about how he did not have a cake. I reminded him about the Mardi Gras Party I threw him just 2 days prior, but this was his actual birthday. I had to sub at preschool that morning, but due to some snow

Wine Cork Monogram---Thanks to Pinterest

2012-02-21T14:25:00.000-05:00

I am relatively new to the Pinterest world and this is one of the first pins I made. We have plenty of wine corks for crafts so this was a no brainer to try!! Thanks to the tutorial from My Happily Ever After the end blog I was anxious to try one. Source: myhappilyeveraftertheend.blogspot.com via Maria on Pinterest I purchased the wodden letter from Ben Franklin for under $4, you can

Zatarain's Mardi Gras House Party

2012-02-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

Well the day finally came to host the Zatarain's Mardi Gras HouseParty. I had already made the Decorations, attempted a King Cake, and delivered masks to the guests to decorate for a friendly competition. I adorned my vases with extra masks and beads to add extra flair. I set my IPhone on Pandora and streamed a Zydeco station through our system. Really set the mood. Instead of

King Cake....a heart felt try

2012-02-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

When I saw this recipe in Family Fun for King Cake I could not resist trying it. The ones at the grocery are over $8 and how much could yeast and flour cost!! Also my husband sent me a link for a cake that was sent to his office by the parents of one of his co-workers from New Orleans and it was over $30 a cake. I found the little babies at the craft store near the Baby/wedding shower supplies.

Frozen Chocolate Fruit Pops

2012-02-14T12:42:00.001-05:00

The past couple of Valentine's Days my husband and I have shared our dinner with the kids. We have made fondue, cheese and chocolate and the kids love it. This Valentine's Day we will be at soccer or basketball until 7:30pm and because my kids are a little young, I don't to try to put this together so late. Plus it is hard to really make too much of this ahead of time. Source:

Tip Toe Tuesday Blog Hop

2012-02-13T20:48:00.002-05:00

Best Tips for Hosting a Stress Free Party

2012-02-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

As part of the Blogher Life Well Lived group I was posed with this weeks question: Question: What is your best tip for hosting a gathering, get-together or party that is enjoyable and stress-free for both the host and guests? When ever I am hosting an event, which seems to be at least once a month, I try to make out the menu ahead of time. By writing down all the courses, items I

Looking for interior Design Ideas..try Houzz.

2012-02-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

I was telling about the three wonderful women I met for a "work lunch" a while back, well I wanted to introduce you to another one, Kirsten Nease, of Kirsten Nease Designs. She is an interior designer. She has a wonderful eye for design and can take you through a project from building a new home to just accessorizing a room. She introduced me to a wonderful world of Houzz.com, which if you

Dollar Store Mardi Gras Wreath

2012-02-12T11:08:00.000-05:00

I am hosting a Mardi Gras House Party sponsored by Zatarains for my husband's birthday next weekend. I was trying to come up with some inexpensive decorations, since this is our first Mardi Gras party I have hosted. Sure we have gotten a King Cake but never hosted a party. I went to the Dollar Store and found some inexpensive items to create a mood for the guests. I already had this 12 inch

Personalized Book Review and GIVEAWAY

2012-02-10T11:59:00.000-05:00

Every feel like you should write a book about yourself? Well why not use another story, mystery or romance, with you as the hero or heroine. Or maybe you have a child aged 6 to 12 or a teen who is not motivated to read. I am sure they would be interested in a book that they were the main character. Bookbyyou.com is a website that allows youto co-author our personalized books with

Extra Easy Chocolate Chess Pie

2012-02-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

What is so romantic about Chocolate? Who made it into such a big focus and gift for Valentine's Day? Well no matter what time I year, I love anything chocolate. I have never heard of Chess Pie until I moved to Va. In fact I have only had chess pie once since living in Va. A true southern dish I believe. I was making a nice weeknight dinner a few weeks ago and was looking for a quick

Tip Toe Tuesday Blog Hop

2012-02-07T07:32:00.000-05:00

<center><a href="http://www.insightsbyapril.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Tiptoe Tuesday Blog Hop" src="http://opipdesigns.com/blogs/aprilo/tt.jpg" /></a></center> Welcome to Tiptoe Tuesday Blog Hop!!This is a fun hop to break up your week just a bit. Whether or not you are a blogger or just a reader who wants traffic to your G+ or Pinterest account, feel free to link up to

Pucker up for these Valentine's Cookies

2012-02-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

Here is a new twist to an old favorite. We all have heard or seen the traditional Peanut Butter Cookie with a Chocolate kiss in the middle. Well why not put a real kiss in the middle. I have seen these done recently using a heart shaped chocolate and when I saw these lip shaped ones I could not resist. They came from the Dollar Store so I might look for a better quality piece if the chocolate

Delight your taste buds with the flavors of Chuao Chocolate

2012-02-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

If you have been a reader for a while you know I enjoy chocolate. I was given 3 tasty morsels of chocolate from Chuao Chocolate to test and let you all know about them just in time for Valentine's Day. The new Love Child bonbon (an aphrodisiac blend of a port wine drenched dried strawberry in a chocolate ganache) and Firecracker bonbon (guaranteed to blow your mind with chipotle caramel

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake--- Eat it warm and it is like eating cookie dough

2012-02-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I posted about the Bertolli SoupMeal Challenge when I only had an hour to prepare a nice weeknight meal. During the preparation, my daughter and her friend wanted to bake something and having only yellow cake mix and a limited amount of time, we searched the web for recipes. I shared this picture on the post. On Duncanhines.com we searched yellow cake mix and then let the

Tri-Colored Rolled Heart Cookies

2012-02-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

It is tough coming up with different heart shaped cookie options. While browsing our grocery store recently I saw a tri-colored heart shaped cookie. I thought I will try and make this at home. SImply use your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe. I use the Betty-Crocker packaged mix for mine. Divide the dough into 3 bowls. Color the dough with food coloring using 3 different colors. I kept

CRAZY CUPID LOVE GIVEAWAY--$10 cash from PAYPAL

2012-02-01T06:36:00.002-05:00

CLOSED WInner True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result:111 I am participating in Crazy Cupid Love- Giveaway and sponsoring a $10 PayPal Payment. Perfect to help you purchase your loved one a little something for Valentines Day. Super Easy Entry 1- Become a follower on GFC/Email - enter your name and email address in the Comment section 2- Follow me on FACEBOOK or G+ Leave

Tiptoe Tuesday Hop

2012-01-31T06:35:00.002-05:00

<center><a href="http://www.insightsbyapril.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Tiptoe Tuesday Blog Hop" src="http://opipdesigns.com/blogs/aprilo/tt.jpg" /></a></center> Welcome to Tiptoe Tuesday Blog Hop!!This is a fun hop to break up your week just a bit. If you are a blogger, feel free to link up to wherever you would like to get some love on FB, Twitter, Pinterest, GFC,

A SOUPER Valentine's Day Gift

2012-01-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

I am always trying to come up with something thoughtful for teachers gifts since they work so hard. I also like to make things that don't necessarily need to be eaten within a few days. They get enough of those types of gifts. A few years ago we did these Cookies in a Jar which I think went over well. This year I was looking through my Gifts in a Jar book I purchased even before I was

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2012-01-25T09:31:00.000-05:00

I never got around to posting these at christmas but I figured what is more Valentine's Day than Red Velvet and even easier, Cupcakes. Disguised for Valentines Day! I am not sure why I bother making desserts for big groups of women. They never eat, I made 24 of these for a party and no one touched a single one. They don't look that bad do they? Anyway, I found this recipe in December's

Get Wired Wednesday Blog Hop

2012-01-24T15:31:00.000-05:00

I am honored to be a guest host for Get Wired Wednesday. Come join the fun and meet some new bloggers in the meantime. If you are a new follower of mine, please let me know you are following and I will follow you back! I'm wired are you? Our Guest Host This Week Is: Close to Home If you would like to be a Guest Host for Get Wired Wednesday Blog Hop, just let us know. We

Smart Business--Guide for artists and crafters

2012-01-23T11:34:00.000-05:00

Remember I mentioned having a an networking lunch with three amazing women in my town. Well I thought I would start introducing them to you and seeing their amazing accomplishments. Like myself, they are moms, they started businesses so they can be home with their children. Such inspiration. Meet Laura Trevey, watercolor artist and editor of the art and design blog, of Bright, Bold and

How well does your vacuum work? Dyson review.

2012-01-21T10:52:00.001-05:00

I remember the time when if my husband, then boyfriend bought me anything domestic related, I would throw a fit. My first christmas gift from him while dating was a bread maker. Now I find myself asking for domestic things for big holidays. Since we bought our long haired and soon to be shedding a lot puppy this past fall, I knew our old vacuum would not be doing the trick. I researched a