Looking for the Cutest Labels?

I believe that I've found them!  They're at Sticky Monkey Labels.  The first thing that I noticed when I went to look at the website were all of the cute style choices that are available.  There's adorable, sophisticated, sporty and more.  I've looked at other label sites and was completely unimpressed with the styles offered so I was excited to get the chance to review these labels.

My son is in 3rd grade has a tendency to forget where he left things so these are great for him.  My older daughter is in 6th grade and while she's not as forgetful it's nice for her to be able to personalize her belongings.  Also, she has an unusual first name and so it's impossible to find items with her name on them.

I'm very happy with the product!  According to the website the labels are waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe, laundry safe, and weather resistant.

When I mentioned to Dodie that I thought her labels were the cutest I'd seen, this was her response. "I started this business so I could be more active in my children’s daily lives and I knew I could provide a quality product.  Having 2 boys I quickly learned that you don’t get the cute clothing, shoe and other product selections as you do with girls.  So, I wanted to provide exactly that!  Something fun, different, and super-cute for boys and girls alike."  You can find out more about Dodie and her sister Chrissy at the Sticky Monkey Labels website.

You can also connect with Sticky Monkey Labels on FaceBook and Twitter!

Disclosure: I received 2 sample packs of labels to aid in my review, however all opinions are my own.

Hostessed by Mama to 4 Blessings and Home Grown Families with the help of several other fantastic group of bloggers we bring you Social Media Sportlight "Facebook"! This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Monday 1/16 and will run until Monday, 1/22 at 11:59 PM (all Eastern times). One winner will receive $125.00 Cash into their paypal!

Cook'n Recipe Organizer

Do you love finding new recipes online?  I do too!  How do you keep track of them though?  Sometimes I print them but then they get lost.  Other times I save them to my favorites but then it's difficult to find a specific one because there are so many and they're in no order at all.  Some websites let you sign in and save favorite recipes but then you have to find the correct website again.

I have had the pleasure of using Cook'n Recipe Organizer for the last couple of weeks and it provides a solution to the problem of organizing recipes, as well as the ability to enter and save your own recipes, and purchase cookbooks online.  I'm very pleased with Cook'n recipe software.

The Pros:

There is an easy to follow video that explains how to use the program.  This made it simple to use and more helpful.  Honestly there have been times that I downloaded programs and since I couldn't figure out how to make them work for me, I just didn't use them.  That is not a problem here.

You can create multiple cookbooks with custom chapters.  Want one for family recipes and another for diet recipes? No problem!  I just started a low-carb diet and for the first time I'm able to organize and hang onto all the recipes that I've found online.

Cook'n will capture recipes from websites, format them, keep a picture, tell you which website it came from and much more.  Very cool!

There are many more cool features but those are the ones that stood out to me.

The Cons:

The capture doesn't always work perfectly.  For example one recipe I captured listed each ingredient twice. Fortunately it was simple to remove the duplicates so not a major issue.

The program calculates nutrition info (a nice feature) but it looked to me like it was giving the per recipe info rather then the per portion info.  This made no difference to my enjoyment of it though.

The company is offering a giveaway on their website here!  Check it out for a chance to win a copy.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cashin' in the New Year! $190 Cash Giveaway!!

Hosted by Home Grown Families and Mama to 4 Blessings with the help of several other fantastic groups of bloggers we bring you Cashin' in the New Year! This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Friday 12/30 until Monday, 1/2 at 11:59 PM (all Eastern times). One winner will receive $190 Cash into their Paypal account!

A Lovely Original Song by my Daughter

She really amazes me with her talent. : )  I don't think that's just her mom talking either.



We'd love to hear what you think!

Decorative Ceiling Tiles Have Many Uses

Decorative Ceiling Tiles has drop ceiling tiles, tin ceiling tiles, faux tin ceiling tiles, styrofoam ceiling tiles and much more available on their website.  I received two ceiling tiles for review. 


The first is styrofoam ceiling tile.  These are a very economical way to cover a ceiling (perhaps an old popcorn ceiling).  They can be painted to match any decor using water based paints and they add insulation to the room.  I'm painting mine in light pinks and purples to hang on my daughter's wall as an accent piece.

The second tile is a faux tin tile.  It totally fooled me and my husband when we opened the package.  We both thought it was a real tin tile.  It so pretty and it's big!  2 feet square!  We're going to use it as a frame for light fixture by punching a small hole in the center and mounting the light fixture through it.

One of the coolest uses for the tiles (other than on a ceiling) shown on the website, is using them as a photo backdrop.  They make lovely textured backgrounds for photo shoots.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I Made Caramel and Banana Quesadillas

I'm a caramel maker!  : D  I've always been afraid to make caramel because I know it can be a bit tricky.  A few nights ago I decided to go ahead and give it a try.  My first attempt crytallized into a hard lacy lump at the bottom of the pan.  The second time, I searched the internet for ways to avoid having that happen.  The 3 tricks I found were to:

• Add lemon juice (I added about a teaspoon)
• Add corn syrup (I found an old bottle in my cupboard and added about 2 tablespoons)
• Stir until it boils and then don't stir again until it's dark enough to add the cream

The second time it worked like a charm and I created a fabulous caramel sauce to serve over my banana quesadillas.  They were decadent and delicious!  Kind of like crepes without the bother of making crepes. Other then the time it took to make 2 (1 successful) batches of caramel it was an easy recipe to make.  You can find it here at Food Network. I used the caramel recipe in the link and it worked after I made the above mentioned adjustments.

Are there any foods that you're afraid to make?  I've still never cooked a artichoke even though I want to.  That'll be my next project.

Pic from Food Network