We've been hit!

By a nasty ice storm! Saturday evening (the 21st) into early Sunday it rained. And then froze. The trees look beautiful! However, the ice is so dangerous! We've lost several branches and part of our fence. We're also without power. Over 100,000 people are without power and several won't have power returned to them after Christmas! 400 powerlines were down in the area, what a storm!

Luckily, we were able to head to my family's home an hour north! Our power is expected to return tomorrow. Hopefully the storm which is supposed to hit tomorrow night won't take out the power, again! 

Our Little Ladybug Turned ONE!

Ms. Emily's first birthday was on the 11th of December, her party was on the 14th. Of course, there was a wonderful snow storm! Only a handful of guest were able to attend, do to the ice and snow. None the less, it was a great party!

I served soup and sandwiches which turned out to be great for such a cold and snowy day.

We had wonderful decorations, set up by yours truly.

A lot of D.I.Y projects. Like the "ONE" pictured here. This was her "year" table, on which I placed her baby book, photo album of pictures I took during the first year, a few onesies, a newborn diaper, and her growth chart.

Since the party was mostly adults, there needed to be some kind of activity. A time capsule was the perfect idea! Each guest wrote a note to Emily which she will open on her 18th birthday in 2030. I also created sheets of the top 10 artists, songs, albums, movies, and price averages of her first year. My dad stopped and purchased a newspaper.

I made these adorable ladybug strawberries

And cake of course!

Overall, I'd say it was a big hit! Emily enjoyed herself, and I had a lot of fun planning! Next year: The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Look at my free stuff!

Recently, I receieved what is called a VoxBox from Influenster. All the contents of this box are free! Which was is totally awesome. In this particular box (the Violet Vox Box) I receieved a Goody Athletique headband, a Soy Joy bar, Triple Shine nail polish from Sally Hansen, Not Your Mother's Clean Freak dry shampoo, and Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spa Mask.

Oh my, all of these things were all so wonderful! The Soy Joy was surprisingly delicious, the headband was just plain awesome because I love headbands, and the clay mask smelled soooooooo good! Good enough to eat, even!

The dry shampoo was a new adventure for me, I had never used dry shampoo. It wasn't bad! It's probably not something I would use on a regular basis. It made my hair feel very stiff, like I used too much hairspray. It did remove all of the grease from my hair which was uber exciting!

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak...

Recently I received a bottle of Not Your Mother's Clean Freak dry shampoo. I was a little apprehensive. I had never used a dry shampoo and I was skeptical!

I waited a day or two, as I had washed my hair the day I received my sample (complimentary of Influenster in my Violet Vox Box). I let my hair get a little greasier than normal, as I wanted to see how well the dry shampoo worked!

Much to my surprise, it really did soak up the grease! My hair did feel stiff (like I had used a lot of hair spray) and I would not recommend using it anywhere but on your roots. It does the job though, and has saved me a lot of time this past week.

While I might not use this every day, or every week - it would be great for traveling. It's light, so therefore easy to pack. Especially if you're camping or hiking!

Fun part of this dry shampoo, it briefly turns your hair grey before you brush it out, I thought it was super funny!

Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spas

Recently I received a sample of Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spa Mask (Pomegranate and Cinnamon). Cutesy of Influenster.

This mask was awesome! I LOVED the smell. I love all things cinnamon so this was the best scent I could have been sent. The mask was difficult to put on, I wasn't sure which side went against my skin. Also, the holes were too big and parts of my cheeks, nose, and chin were not covered by the mask.

HOWEVER, the mask made my skin so soft and smooth. It was rejuvenating! I would totally buy this product again, especially with Christmas approaching. The masks would make great stocking stuffers!

IT'S COMING!!

Black Friday! It's almost here! Here are a few things I have been doing for maximum savings! 

I follow a few blogs which help match up deals in major chain stores. One popular site is The Krazy Coupon Lady. I also follow A Mitten Full of Savings which is very helpful. She also has a popular Facebook Page. While this blog is more local for me, she also posts online deals and where to find 'freebies' online! online!

Target Chartwheel which gives you 5% or more on items and you can use it more than once. You can use this with your Target red card (gives you 5% off), Target coupon, and a manufacture coupon! 

I also use Ibotta a lot  and you can use this on top of the Target savings, too!  This is one of my favorite apps. You can use this with manufacture coupons ANYWHERE and cash is deposited into your PayPal account! You can also choose to have your money deposited onto a Starbucks or itunes card! 

Retail Me Not has had some awesome savings/codes. And there's an app so you can use it in stores now, too! Go HERE for the mobile app!

For Holiday cards (if you still need them) Shutterfly has awesome deals. I liked they're Facebook page, the post a lot of promo codes. I've had uber savings!

Snapfish has a promo code for 50% off: 50HOLIDAY and it's good through 12/15




Don't forget to check your local ads for Deals. It helps to make a list of what items in the ads you're going to purchase. List which store it's from and the sale price. Go online (and check the apps and sites above!) and match the deals with more savings!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Toddler Foods

I'm constantly looking for new foods for Em to try. She's at the age when  she eats everything, no food allergies. But she only has two teeth. She chews great, but with only those two little teeth she can only do so much!

Recently, I found a website, http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com , it has so many resources! I've also begun a Pintrest board of toddler foods for all of you active pinners (http://www.pinterest.com/nfurlong11/toddler-meals-for-em/)

I've found making sure each meal is nutritious is hard! I can't give her jelly sandwiches and yogurt every day for lunch.

Here are a few things I've come up with to make meal time easier. Cook a large amount of pasta or rice and keep in the fridge. You can mix these with veggies, sauces, herbs, and fruits to create delicious meals. Pasta is easy to reheat, just put the cooked pasta in a pot of boiling water and in less than a minute it's perfect! You can add color to your water to make fun colors for your toddler!

I've also created what I call "Fruit or Veggie Pick Ups". I diced fruits and veggies into cubes, boil them until their soft enough for Emily to chew, drain, and add seasonings. I keep them in the fridge until meal times.

 Emily loves to try new things and feed herself. Next step, learning how to use a spoon and a napkin! While messy faces are adorable, I only have so much paper towel for clean ups!

Sticky Buns!

The title has so many meanings! From my kid having a sticky bum (she managed to stuff 1/2 her jelly sandwich under her legs at lunch) to this delicious batch of sticky buns I just made!

I'm a big Pintrest person, recently I've finally gotten around to making a few of these yummy looking pins!

I tried this recipe HERE.

It was supposed to look like this:














I knew mine wouldn't be as pretty - I only buy the tubes of 5 biscuits because it's just my husband and I, extras would inevitably be tossed. So, I didn't have enough to over lap the edges like in the original picture. They're more of a sticky bun than a cinnamon roll, super caramel-y! AND SO GOOD! The did "fall" after I flipped them onto my plate stand. The smell is to-die for! 

If you would like to follow me on Pintrest, you can do so here: FOLLOW ME

The Mother of all Caramel Apples

When I was young I lived in Traverse City, MI. Not too young, I was 14 when we moved.

Anyway - there was this little specialty shop, "The Silver Swan" and they sold these amazing caramel apples. My mom owned a private Montessori school, and one of the parents would bring her these caramel apples for special occasions. They were DELICIOUS.

Today, I recreated one of these apples! It's not as big, simply because it was a smaller apple. Still a good size. I double dipped the apple in caramel, two layers of chocolate, rolled it in butterscotch chips, and drizzled white chocolate on top...

Loaded Potato Soup...in the Crock Pot?

Yes! It's true! Look no further, I have found and perfected the ultimate loaded potato soup recipe. For the crock pot! YUM!


INGREDIENTS:

3 large potatoes, skins on, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water (use the chicken soup can)
1 slice bacon (cut)
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes, or 1/2 cup potato flakes
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
4 ounces sour cream

4 ounces cream cheese

DIRECTIONS


Put potatoes, onion, garlic, broth, cream of chicken soup, water, bacon, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper into crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.



Add mashed potatoes (or flakes). Stir. Cook additional 1 hour on low or 1/2 hour on high.

Add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream. Stir well. At this point either serve or 'keep warm' until ready to serve.

Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon bit, chive, and/or with whatever creative ideas you have in mind.

A Little About Me...

Hello all -

I'm thinking a little bit about me would be helpful for those stumbling around the internet and may have come across this blog.

Personally, I don't think I'm super interesting, but things I do are interesting. Or activities I'm involved in - and my kid is the most interesting thing of all (we'll get to her eventually)!

So, this is me - I'm 26 married mom of a ten month old. This is all of us from this past Christmas:

I'm obviously on the left. My daughter was only two weeks old. Now she's a great big 23lb 29in long 10 month old! She cruises around, says "dada" (we're working on "mama") and she's learning to walk! Such a busy busy baby!

My husband and I think we're pretty hilarious. Occasionally we do things like put stick on mustaches on our child. We're awesome parents.




I'm also a pet mom to two dogs and a cat. They each have a very distinctive personality. Dakota is our mix, very smart but high anxiety. Jasper is out lovable lab, he lets the baby crawl all over him, but the poor guys is as dumb as rocks. Then there is Rosco Cat. He's special. Wild. High energy.

Finally, I'm a baker and aspiring pastry chef. I work for a very well known hotel chain and make all kinds of delicious things. I have culinary degree - before acquiring this degree I went to school for History, Business, and French. I guess I'm pretty well rounded. I also have my own at home cupcake business (Cupcaked. Check it out: www.facebook.com/cupcakedlansing )Here's a few of my delicious things:

Well. I guess that's about it...

OH! The whole point about the blog! Ha, I almost forgot. Well, I'm not sure if there really is a point. I really just want to share my experiences, what I've learned, and share some of my inspiration.  I'm also an amateur couponer, I'm huge fan of savings and try to get free stuff when and where I can. From time to time I'll probably post things that seem like ads or what not - but hey, you con't have to read those posts if you don't want to!  Hopefully someone will find this blog useful!

Review: SlimSoft Tooth Brush

This was my first VoxBox from Influenster - a SlimSoft tooth brush from Colgate!

Dental hygiene is important - while this particular toothbrush wasn't my cup of tea, it's too gentle, but for those with sensitive teeth and gums it would be right up their ally - go pick up yours today!

PSA

As a mom, I try to save money the best I can. I use coupons, I sign up for rewards programs, and I acquire free samples when and where I can.

Recently, I signed up for a site call "Influenster". It's pretty neat  - you get opportunities for "VoxBox"s where you get to try free stuff. Part of the requirement for being eligible for more free stuff is posting reviews from time to time on my blog. If/when there are readers out there - you can read these post and the product reviews. Otherwise feel free to skim over them!

Welcome!

This, is The Daily Mom! An average mom of one little lady, almost one! This is the blog of my trials, errors, and everything in between. Plus, some product reviews thrown in for good measure.