Favorite Finds Saturday

I hope this week has been a wonderful one for you!  It's been busy now since schools across my area are now back in session.  I love working with teachers!   I also started teaching college classes for Columbia College in the evenings.  I am beyond excited about this, too! I found some fabulous products to share this week.  I am so excited to share these with you, and do a little promoting of a tiny Etsy shop I know of.  Let's start with that one first! 1.  Homemade crocheted dish cloths.  I love these so much!  My friend Karlene gave me my first one and I have been "hooked" ever since.  This delightful one is from the Etsy shop called Balm and Honey.   I happen to know that the shopkeeper raises bees, so I am eager to see if she starts selling products from her shop! 2.  My dogs are crazy for these cookies! As you can see, my hyperactive dog is willing to sit and be patient for this treat.  They smell good and as you can see from the packaging, no corn, no s

American Cancer Society Cardinals Baseball Game 2015

Our family has been struck by cancer, not once, twice, three, but at least four times.  One of my favorite people in the world is fighting cancer right now.  The American Cancer Society works hard to raise money for cancer (of all kinds) research and I believe they are making an impact! One of the fundraising activities for ACS is the Cardinals baseball game.  A ticket to the game and a hot dog and a soda can be purchased for $35.  Part of the money raised goes to ACS.  The Cardinals have supported ACS for many years. This year Bob's family came out with us!  It was so much fun to have them all at the game.  It was a give away day, so all of the adults got a gym bag! The ACS ticket holders got into the stadium at 9:00 and such a whirlwind of activities!  Ashley and I headed straight for the Cardinals dug out tours.  We had a blast!  The workers were so nice and didn't rush people through. There were all kinds of autograph stations, too.  Bob and Eric got quite a few!

Orange Dreamscicle Confetti Cake #BundtBakers

I was excited to see sprinkles as the featured ingredient this month.  Sprinkles make me smile.  They make me very happy.  I love all kinds of sprinkles! My daughter loves funfetti cakes!  She has loved them since she was a little girl.  Funfetti + Ashley = HAPPINESS! While a white cake does show off the colors of the sprinkles very well, I wanted to add a citrusy punch for this summer style cake.  The orange cake with the sprinkles folded in make for a gorgeous cake.  The taste was lovely, too. This cake was shared with many neighbors, all who said they enjoyed it! Orange Dreamsicle Confetti Cake by Terri Steffes Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Ingredients (serves 12) 1 orange cake mix 3 eggs 1 c water 1/3 c oil 1/2 c round sprinkles cooking spray 1/2 box orange jello 1 c powdered sugar 3 T milk Instructions Preheat oven to 350. Prepare bundt pan by spraying it with the cooking spray. Beat cake mix, eggs, oil and water in mi

Top Ten Apple Drinks for Kids and Parents!

It's time for another Top Ten Post!  I want to thank you for the response on my last Top Ten post about kindergarten readiness.  I was so touched by the response!  I am participating in a Top Ten Apple and Fall Ideas for Kids, and my Top Ten are apple drinks:  some kid friendly and some just for parents! Let's get to these apple drinks! All these drinks were inspired by apple cider.  I love great apple cider and some of the best around has been in Indiana, at a place our daughter took us to that had hand-pressed cider.  So wonderful! Good apple cider makes these drinks all the better, so don't skimp! Starting from the top row, left hand side: Apple Cider Punch.   Perfect for fall gatherings. 6 c apple cider 2 c cranberry juice (less if you like it less tart) 1/2 c lemon juice 2 c sparkling white grape juice Stir together and refrigerate.  Serve over ice with apple slices for garnish.  Delish. Middle top row: Apple Cider Floats 2 or 3 scoops ice crea

Fall Garden Color

Most of you know that fall is my favorite season.  Football, hayrides, Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday, my daughter's birthday... all fall favorites!  You can indulge in your love of all things Fall by heading over to the   Fall Garden Blog Hop !  Don't let the title fool you, there are many fun fall things to see here! It is about the time to start planning for your fall outdoor color.  In Missouri, we will start to see the beginning of cooler mornings and that is when I like to start planning for my fall color.  Our backyard already has the makings for great fall color with these plants: Autumn Flame Maple This lovely tree lines the streets in my neighborhood and we have one in our backyard.  It is so pretty in the fall, as you can see! Burning Bush We've had burning bush in every house we've owned.  The nice green foliage makes a pretty background for your summer annuals and then....you get that bright red leaf at the end of summer/early fall.  

Picnic Cookies: Chocolate Chip/Potato Chip Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

This month the gals at the #CreativeCookieExchange are baking up cookies that pack well to go on a picnic.  For packing purposes, make cookies the same size by using a specific scoop or measuring device.  Packing them can be as creative as you'd like! For me, putting cookies in an old fashioned ziplock bag is my favorite way to carry them.  They stay dry and airtight, plus can be packed at the end since their loose form will settle into any contour of the basket. My treat is a chocolate chip potato chip cookie.  I love the sweet/salty combination of this cookie.  I use kettle chips as they can stand up to the moisture of the batter a bit easier.  If you really wanted to knock it out of the ball park, then try salt and vinegar chips! Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies by  Terri Steffes Prep Time:  30 minutes Cook Time:  12-14 minutes for each batch Ingredients  (36 cookies) 2 c flour 1 c brown sugar, packed 1/2 c sugar 1/2 t nutmeg 1/4 t salt 1/2 t b

Waffle Pizzas #SundaySupper

I always loved after school snacks when I was a kid.  When my mom made "ants on a log"  or fruit dip, I would get so excited!  This after school snack is easy to make, and allows for a little individualism, which is always a good thing for those picky eaters! Some tips on using frozen waffles as the crust:  I like to pop these into the toaster first to crisp them up a bit.  Putting the cheese on top of the waffle then the sauce keeps the waffle from becoming too soggy. Waffle Pizza 4 frozen whole wheat waffles, pretoasted 4 slices mozerella cheese 1 c pizza sauce pepperoni slices vegetables such as broccoli, black olives, peppers, cherry tomatoes Preheat oven to broil.  Toast waffles, let cool.  Assemble pizzas in this order:  waffle, cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni slices, veggies.  Broil until cheese is golden brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes, or until cheese is set.   Enjoy! Check out these other great Back-to-School

Favorite Finds Saturday

Such a nice week for August in the mid-Missouri area!  We had a couple of really hot days but for the most part it was a great week.  Many local area schools started back this week, so my Facebook feed was full of pictures of back-to-school moments.  I love seeing all the kids dressed up and with their new backpacks.  Love this time of year. I found a few great things to share with you this week. 1.  One is an Instagramer that I just love.  You can find her at @CarolineCalloway  on instagram.com.  She's an American girl at Cambridge University.  She posts darling snippets of her college life, but with a decidedly charming edge.  She has a book coming out, so get to know her now! 2.  I am in love with the summer salad from Dewey's Pizza called the Blueberry Almond Salad.  Here's their menu description:   Field Greens with fresh Blueberries, Asiago Cheese, and Marcona Almonds tossed with our Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette.   Yes, it is every bit as good as it sounds.  The por

Food 'n' Flix August: Osage County

This month our Food n Flix movie was August: Osage County starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts (Sam Shepard and others, a great cast list!).  I saw the movie when it came out in 2013.  We have an Osage County here in Missouri, and the weather is so very close to the weather in Oklahoma that it was easy to imagine that the movie was made here in Missouri. Deep movie about family relationships that tipped toward the outrageous.  What else would you expect from such powerful actors?  They are purposefully mean to each other, with some really hurtful words said.  Sam Shepard, the dad, leaves to go fishing and doesn't come back, and is found dead later in the film.  In some ways, I was jealous of Sam Shepard for getting to leave so early! With that said, let's go on to the food.  Food is a central part of a small town's funeral experience.  The dinner table after the funeral is loaded with food.  That is what inspired this dish, what do you take to someone to comfort

Lemon Chiffon Cocktail and Cooking Club

The women where I live are trying to put together a cooking club in our neighborhood after reading the blog post by Dana at The Kitchn blog.  Several women convened at my home on Saturday to discuss how this might work for us. We decided to start by working with a group called The World Cooking Project , where chefs all around the world skype into your own kitchen and hold a cooking class right in your home!  We are going to meet with Katia from Italy and learn how to make pasta in a couple of weeks! Two of us attended an event to see what The World Cooking Project would look like.  We met with a chef from India who was teaching us how to make naan.  It was great fun talking to Pulkit about his country and his food.  When we met at our house, one of the gals brought this delicious cocktail to share with the rest of us.  Equal portions of vodka (4 oz) and lemon juice, sugar to take off the edge of the tartness of the lemon and soda to fill up the jar!  It really

Favorite Finds Saturday

This has been a busy week for me as my schools are starting back and I have been working with new teachers and administrators in several districts.  I don't have as many finds as I usually do, but the ones I have are well worth talking about! 1.   The EV Beauty Proline Flat Iron.   I have been shopping for a reasonably priced flat iron for some time now.  I was given an opportunity to try this one at a reduced price in exchange for a review.  I fell in love with it.  This set of pictures tells you why!  My reasons for loving it:  wide range of temperatures and a super fast heat up time.   2.   This awesome credit card holder with RFID blocking.  Great for traveling or hanging around busy places like a ball park.  Again, made available to me at a reduced price.  It fits perfectly into my crossbody handbag. and 3.  This new book by Dr. Seuss.  Technically it is not a new book but it is newly published.  Fabulously fun, and some hints on how to use this