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Freebie Friday!!

Are you a fan of Chick-Fil-A's IceDream Treats?

I. Definitely. Am.

Did you know you can exchange your kid's unused toy from his or her Chick-Fil-A kid's meal for a FREE small serving of their vanilla IceDream? Anytime? At any Chick-Fil-A location?!

I found this out yesterday and just HAD to share. Especially since I know someone who knows someone who sometimes snag a 4-piece nugget kid's meal for themselves. So please note that this offer is not limited to kids. Woohoo! :)

 

Also... stop by Hallmark before March 14 to pick up one free card for a kid. That's right, I said FREE!!

Pick from nine different designs that range from encouraging to congratulatory.

Gotta love a good freebie!!

Happy Friday everyone!!

-h-

Tipsy Tuesday - Beignets Made Easy

So... you like New Orleans' style beignets... and you'd love to make them at home, but you don't want to go to the trouble of making the dough from scratch. Well, I'm right there with you. I LOVE cooking, but I don't always have the patience required for baking.

 So... I have a solution for you... Pick up some flaky-layers biscuits made by Pillsbury or any other brand you like. Split each biscuit into three or four separate layers(or even more than that if you're super talented).

Warm your vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to frying temp (around 375). Deep fry each layer separately until both sides are golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain... then cover generously with powdered/confectioner's sugar.

And... voila! That's all you need!

It is a messy process... so just be prepared to clean up afterwards. And be sure to have plenty of hungry mouths to gobble them up as even a short can makes a LOT of these bad boys. 

 

 

YUM!!

Tipsy Wednesday - Three Tips for Looking Picture Perfect!

Want to look fabulous in your holiday portraits and pics this year? Here are a few tips a photographer once told me - and I've tried to remember them each time someone snaps a candid shot... because no one wants to look bigger than they are... or get caught with their "bad side" towards the shutter!

Always shift your body weight to your "back" leg - or the leg that is furthest from the camera.

Never lift your chin up. Always keep your head level or pull your chin slightly down.

Always place one of your hands on your hip - believe it or not, this quick move helps to make the body look slimmer!

Finally... if you feel intimidated by cameras, it will show in your pictures. Just relax and smile!

And if you're going to be taking black & white portraits, wear reds and greens - not whites or blacks - and avoid patterns. 

Have fun recording all your special holiday memories this year! If you want to apply any of these tips while making your own digital photo holiday cards, check out this great site from Martha Stewart that has some creative ideas for your family's holiday photo-cards!

xxoo!

Tipsy Tuesday - Eggs

 

 

Eggs are pretty incredible if you think about it - I was told by a farmer in England once that a chicken will lay an egg almost every single day. Which means chickens make pretty good friends to keep!

If you ever find yourself standing at your fridge, looking at the "best by" date stamp on your egg carton and wondering how long beyond that date you could get by with using your eggs, don't bother. That would be a dangerous (and potentially smelly!) guessing game.

Instead, I have a simple trick for you that will give away just how fresh your eggs are.

The longer an egg sits, the more air enters through shell. Over time, a small pocket of air will form on one end of the egg. If there is a lot of air in your egg, chances are you'd be better off NOT crackin' that thing open!

So... how do you tell if your eggs are good to use? Drop your egg in a saucepan and add water.

 

If the egg lays on its side that egg is FRESH!

If one "end" of the egg pulls the egg up a bit so it sits vertically, the egg is a bit older, but still good to eat. (If you'd rather not use these "middle-aged" eggs for your scrambled eggs breakfast, use them in your cupcake and cookie recipes instead. And use your freshest eggs for breaks-mast instead!)

If the egg floats - better off selecting another. That egg is rotten.

 

Making deviled eggs? Plan ahead:

If you want to make things easier for yourself when peeling the shell away from the cooked whites, go for the "middle-aged" eggs instead of the freshest ones. The whites of fresh eggs are so close to the shell that it is nearly impossible to remove any part of the shell without ripping away the whites with it. :) 

Hope you enjoyed these egg-y tips! Happy baking + cooking to you!

xxoo!

-h-

Tipsy Thursday - Budget Beauty Tips

Saw some "budget beauty tips" from Instyle magazine this morning on GMA... I really liked some of them, so I'm passing along my favorites of theirs with some of my own.

 

EYELASH CURLS

Use your hair dryer to heat up your eyelash curlers for a few seconds - the little bit of added heat will make for a more effective and longer-lasting curl for your lashes.

 

DRY SHAMPOO

Need a "dry shampoo"? Dry "shampoos" are made of dry ingredients and don't require any water - which is particularly useful when you're camping out or traveling to remote areas and can't find a decent shower to save your life! By mixing baking soda and baby powder, you can help to get rid of any odor and excess oil without taking a traditional shower. Handy in a pinch!

 

 

 

HAIR TONIC TONER

By adding a pinch of purple Kool-Aid powder to 4 Tablespoons of shampoo, you can combat any red highlights or brassiness in your hair - love this one!

 

QUICK SPOT TREATMENT

You're traveling and see a dreaded blemish coming on. If you forgot your favorite on-the-spot acne cream at home, crush up a few aspirins and make a paste with some water. The paste will help clear up problem areas. 

 

 

They had some other tips too. Check out GMA's website for the full list. 

 

Here are a few of my own tips for you too...

 

EASY STYLING FOR SHORT HAIRSTYLES

If you have thin hair and a short hairstyle, pick up a bar of soap the next time you drop by the pharmacy. During the last few minutes in the shower, rub the bar throughout your hair... it will help your hair to retain its style and adds a little volume.

 

LARGER-LOOKING EYES

When applying mascara to lashes on your lower lid, slant your lashes towards the bridge of your nose instead of out & away. Also, add a little white-colored powder or eyeshadow to the inside corners of both of your eyes. These quick tricks will make your eyes look even bigger.

 

 

 

I guess my biggest tip is that makeup can always be washed off and hair will always grow back. So go forth & style fearlessly!

 

Happy Thursday to the flock!

-h-

Tipsy Wednesday - Aha! Use for Coffee Filters

I love the section of RealSimple's mag that includes "aha! uses" for everyday items.

Today, I'm sharing a quick one of my own with you...

When cleaning mirrors, windows, glass items, and... well... pretty much anything else... use coffee filters instead of paper towels or cleaning rags.

Coffee filters are lint-free, which means they don't leave any annoying dusty bits behind! You can clean mirrors without trying to also chase down all those linty pieces paper towels leave in their wake.

Gotta love that!!

And they are the "right" size for almost any hand, so they're a perfect fit. (I usually double-up since the filters we have are a bit thinner than most.)

So the next time you're in your grocery store's coffee aisle... pick up some filters for your stash of cleaning supplies.

-

Happy Tuesday, flock!

-h-

 

Tipsy Wednesday - Smart looking beds + uses for straight pins

(photo belongs to apartmenttherapy.com)

 

Three tips for the flock today... 

 

one...

My Mum called me the other day - very excited that she had finally figured out a clever way to keep a bedskirt perfectly in place. (For some of you, this may seem a strange reason for a call - but if you know me at all, you know I'm a seeker of tips... and I know part of this love was endowed upon me from my Mum... whether it was intended or not. At least someone in this world understands my quirky thirst for knowledge! :) )

 

So whether you're an all-star homekeeper and flip your mattress every six months religiously (and if you do, I tip my hat to you!) or whether you're like me and you seem to be engaged in a neverending game of tug-of-war with opposites sides of your bedskirt, this is, indeed, a great tip!

 

After you first put your bedskirt in place, go into your sewing supplies to steal some straight pins. (My Mum recommended the ones with colored heads since they can be more easily located later.)

 

Now, pin your bedskirt in place, by pushing a pin through the fabric and the box spring below. Place a pin every few feet or inches - until it is snug. Now it won't move when you place your mattress on top!

(Great idea, Mum!)

(Another option if you have a pretty bed frame is to use another fitted sheet on your box spring.)

two...

A tip for keeping a smart-looking bedroom is to use comforter clips on your duvet cover (available at Bed Bath & Beyond).

We found these last fall - and I LOVE how simple they are, how easy they are to use, and that they actually WORK! They keep a duvet snugly in place and prevents them from moving around inside a cover.

The bonus is they make covers for king or queen-sized duvets MUCH easier to put on. Here's how:

1. When you go to put your duvet cover on, turn it inside out, and lay it on top of your duvet.

2. Affix a clip to each corner, grabbing both the duvet corner and the cover corner in each clip.

3. Then, turn the cover inside out!

And finally...........

 

three...

For those of you who are big into scrapbooking projects, twopeasinabucket had some really cute ideas for how to incorporate straight pins with decorative heads into various scrapbook-y crafts. Check out more pictures on their website.

(this picture belongs to shannon tidwell and/or twopeasinabucket)

xxoo!

-h-

Tipsy Wednesday - Washing + Storing Berries

 
Most berries from the grocery store have been given a quick rinse of sorts already. But if want to rinse them again at home, remember to do so just before you use them (or gobble them down). Water can sit in crevices, making berries more prone to a squishy nature that is less than palatable!
 
If you are lucky enough to have berries that are coming straight from a farm (whether you picked them yourself or someone else did the work), chances are there will be some stems, leaves and twigs in amongst the harvest.
 
A simple way to get most of these bits-n-bobs separated out (this tip comes from my mum) is to immerse your berries in a bowl of water... Most of the leaves & twigs will float to the surface while the berries will sink to the bottom. Use your hand to fish out the organic material. Drain the water, and let the berries dry gently on some paper towel.
 

 
If you are planning on freezing your berries for later use (almost any berry holds up to freezing quite well), spread them on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet & throw it in the freezer. Once frozen, move the berries from the sheet to a freezer bag.
 
It's that simple! Using this technique will help you to avoid a clump-o-frozen-berries.

Happy berry gobbling!
 

Tipsy Tuesday - July 4 + Outdoor Entertaining

Having a barbecue outdoors before the big fireworks show this year? Here are a couple tips to make the night easy and fun for you + your guests!

 

 Who wants to clean up all that mess after a cookout and miss the big shebang!?

Not me!

Fireworks are one of my favorite all-time things.

So don't miss out... make your life easier and spread brown kraft paper onto an outdoor table instead of cloth tablecloths. Not only does it make cleanup a breeze, if you put some crayons + pencils out, it keeps kids of all ages busy doodling while you finish cooking!

Double-duty! :)

Weigh down the paper so it doesn't fly away with bowls of fruit or hurricane glasses filled with sand & red, white & blue candles.

 

 

Use wire-mesh sieves or colanders to keep food protected from curious flies & bugs. Turn the sieve or colandar upside down so it covers plates or bowls of food sitting on your table outdoors.

 

 

The final tip today comes from this month's issue of RealSimple:

Kids love sparklers, but sparklers can burn little ones.

To keep kiddle's hands a little further away from potential harm this Independence Day, stick sparkler sticks into small play-doh tubs and then light them.

The cup will give a little bit of extra protection to clutching hands!

 

 

 

Hope you all have excellent weather this Saturday!

I think we're going to make plans to head to "the lake" (aka Lake Murray) to check out the big fireworks show they put on there. I've been told it's not to be missed... hopefully we can find a good spot! 

xxoo!

Tipsy Wednesday - Hydrogen Peroxide

Want a "who knew" tip about hydrogen peroxide?
 
Nope - it's not about going blonde or keeping your teeth white. It's actually not that fun.
 
It's not fun at all, really. But it IS practical - and has come in handy for me.
 
This past week my dog decided to take a mouthful of granulated pesticide and see how that tasted for a while. (We hadn't realized a chunk had fallen out of the bag onto our lawn.) Luckily I was able to catch him in the act. Using our hose, we sprayed as much as we could out of his mouth...
 
Then came... the hydrogen peroxide.
 
I learned this trick a few years ago when same aforementioned puppy decided to grab some coffee grounds and tea leaves and give them a good chomping. When I called poison control at the time, they told me to get him to ingest some hydrogen peroxide (and to use a turkey baster if he didn't take the bait)... they said the HP would help him to upchuck whatever was in his tummy.
 
It worked... and worked pretty quickly too!!
 
Unfortunately, it might bring up his/her breakfast as well - but that's a small price to pay! I was told to not let my dog eat or drink anything for a few hours after using the hydrogen peroxide. Now I always keep an extra small bottle around the house along with the rest of "his" stuff for moments when his curiosity gets the better of him.

(Please note you should always consult with your veterinarian before doing this with your dog.)
Remember to ask about this the next time you're in the vet's office for a checkup!
 
:)