Monday, June 27, 2011

Vegan Blueberry Pie via Paula Deen

Paula Deen's VEGAN Blueberry Pie
Click HERE for recipe
I dragged my kids to Kroger today with my very specific shopping list and coupons all organized in an envelope.  I told them to go look at magazines while I got the things on the list. I was thinking that if they tagged along with me a few "extras" might get thrown in the cart and mess up my well-planned shopping trip.  Suddenly, my 17 year old runs up with Paula Deen's latest magazine opened up to a glorious-looking blueberry pie (we're suckers for blueberry pie at our house).  Surprisingly, there was no butter in the recipe, but it did call for sour cream. My daughter is a vegan, but she wanted to try the recipe using Tofutti Milk-Free Sour Cream.  Who am I to stop my daughter from making one of my favorite desserts?  So she set about gathering up the ingredients...and messing up my 75% savings plan...but all was forgiven after I took my first bite...it was so light and refreshing - not too heavy or sweet...just good! For the recipe click HERE!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Look What My Husband Found *UPDATE*

*UPDATE* We made the spice mango shrimp for dinner and it was awesome.  We didn't use the chili paste, but added some red pepper flakes to help heat it up a little.  A pinch of the 5 spice is all you need - don't get too heavy handed with it.  We served it with with rice pilaf and grilled asparagus.  The vegetarians ate the sauce with veggie chicken nuggets. Thanks Rock Recipes @barrycparsons!


My husband, Preston, has aspirations of someday visiting or retiring in Newfoundland. I wouldn't mind tagging along...it's beautiful up there...Check it out:

While researching Newfoundland, Preston found this blog:
Rock Recipes has all kinds of recipes and beautiful pictures that make your mouth water!
Today's recipe for Boston Cream Pie looks pretty darn good!
Take a moment to visit this blog! Maybe you'll find something good to fix for dinner.  I'm thinking about this:
Spicy Mango Orange Grilled Shrimp
PDG...Pretty Darn Good!




Saturday, June 25, 2011

My latest product review:

Check out My Classroom page for my latest review: 
Product Review From ReallyGoodStuff:*
Really Good Welcome Journals - Primary

A Nice Day at Aveda

I was invited to a really nice event at the Aveda Salon in Frisco. While there, I was treated to a hair style by a stylist from the Indira Salon, back massage, hand massage, and makeover.  The Aveda Salon is located in the the Stonebriar Centre Mall near Barnes and Noble.  Aveda offers a full range of services for walk-in customers or by appointment. Their products are by no means frugal, but I like the fact that the they are plant based and that Aveda strives to be environmentally conscious.

Aveda offers full service pampering and a wide range of products not just for beauty, but also for well-being.  I started out by getting my hair styled. The Indira stylist used Smooth Infusion products to give my hair a smooth, sleek, and voluminous look and feel.
Aaahhhhh! This felt so relaxing even with all of the activity and noise going on in the salon. The  Chakra Balancing Body Mist created a soothing atmosphere and the blue oil she applied to my neck stayed with me throughout the rest of the day.
The make-up artist took his time and explained everything he was doing.  The makeup products were light and natural looking. He left me feeling and looking young and beautiful!

The finished product!
When you get the chance to treat yourself to a special day, Aveda Salons would be the perfect choice!

For more pictures of the Dallas Bloggers Party at Aveda check out She Is Dallas!
*I participated in a free group makeover but did not receive compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Did you know...Students eat FREE at IKEA?

Today while we were in Frisco, we visited the IKEA Store.

My family loves this store, but we don't get to Frisco very often, so it was a special treat to go there today.
Another special treat was this:


The kids presented their school student i.d. and THIS COUPON and they ate for FREE.  Our bill was so much lower than when we usually eat out - we even had a friend with us!  Hurry!  Offer expires 7/2/11!
The Swedish Meatballs were AWESOME!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Don't Miss this Stunning Exhibit!

My family and I went to the Irving Arts Center today to visit the Genghis Khan Exhibit.  I was so impressed with the many items on display and the amount of information provided. My husband and kids had a good time too!


A Few Tips:
  • Take a light jacket.  The temperature is kept at a cool 64 degrees due to the mummy and other rare objects on display. Blankets are available.  
  • Even though there is a lot to read, this exhibit is little-kid friendly because there are screens located throughout the space with short videos that explain different aspects of Genghis Khan's life.  
  • You are also given a character bookmark.  Throughout the exhibit there are touchscreens where you can follow the life of your character. Very cool.
  • There are several hands-on activities, one of which is an archaeological digging area.  The kids can search for treasures just like real archaeologists!
  • While we were there, 2 musicians played beautiful traditional music.  Check the Irving Art Center website for events occurring on the day you plan to visit.
  • The exhibit runs until September 30, 2011

"Although he ruled with an iron fist, he rewarded loyalty and merit.  He established the rule of law and opened trade and exchange across Asia."

Brought to you by....Genghis Khan in the 13th century:
One of our favorite parts of the exhibit was the "brought to you by..." display. Modern day items, jobs, and laws that we take for granted were developed during the reign of Genghis Kahn!


Food and Personal Items:
  • Chopped Meat/Steak Tartare:  Mongolian warriors didn't have time to stop and cook.  They minced up meat and stored it under their saddles for food on the go! Today it is considered a gourmet classic. Here's the recipe (sorry my #vegan friends)
  • Baklava:  A sweet layered dough filled with nuts and honey. Here's the recipe
  • Charcoal:  When the nomadic tribes and warriors did have time to cook they liked to do a little grillin'!
  • Forks:  Eating raw minced meat with their hands probably encouraged this invention!
  • Eyeglasses
  • Pants
Jobs/Government/Environment:
  • Librarians
  • Pony Express
  • Tax Relief for teachers and religious leaders (I like this one)
  • Environmental Protection: laws prohibiting the polluting of water
  • Diplomatic Immunity
  • National Parks: laws which preserved his favorite hunting grounds
  • Paper money
  • Passports
One last word...the gift shop!
The items in the gift shop were very unique.  There were handmade felt shoes and hats, cashmere sweaters, games, toys, and lots of  "Genghis" memorabilia.  We spent a lot of time in there!

We left these at the store just in case YOU wanted them!
*This post is sponsored by the Irving Arts Center, host of the Genghis Khan Exhibit. I was provided with tickets to the exhibit and compensation for my time. All opinions expressed are my own.
**Recipes courtesy of www.allrecipes.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

My First Glog!

     As I have been perusing all of the great teaching/education sites out there, I ran across Glogster - a site where teachers AND students can make presentations using pictures, videos, sound clips, graphics, and more. I decided to check it out and try the free sample. It's not bad for my first try.  It took a little while to figure everything out, but once I got going it was fun.
     At our school we have to make an all-about-me poster to share with our students at the beginning of the year.  It's always a pain because it needs updated every year.  Glogster is so much easier!  It allows you to pull pictures from your computer or the web - instead of literally cutting and pasting you can drag, drop, and bling it out!  I thought this particular glog would be good to project during Meet the Teacher and the first day of school!  I am considering purchasing  a subscription for my classroom. This would be a great program for students to make their own all-about-me posters and to do reports and presentations.
What do you think?

*I received no compensation for this post.  The opinions expressed are my own.  

Monday, June 20, 2011

A Giveaway With A Twist...

Head on over to Mrs. Rojas' Teaching Resources: A Giveaway With A Twist... for a chance to win a $15 gift card to Barnes and Noble!
Mrs. Rojas' Teaching Resources

Team Blog Giveaway!

Attention teachers:  Head on over to Little Miss Kindergarten's blog to get the scoop on the Team Blog Giveaway. This is your chance to visit some great teaching blogs and WIN.  Better hurry and enter....Contest ends soon!
Little Miss Kindergarten

Saturday, June 18, 2011

First Grade is Fantabulous!: Amazon Gift Card Give-Away

To honor her 200 followers this awesome teacher is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card...I love Amazon!  I am sharing this with you, but secretly I hope I win ;-)

New Giveaway! Tribe Hummus!

Check out my newest giveaway for a month's supply of
TRIBE HUMMUS!
Enter HERE to win!



Thursday, June 16, 2011

Genghis Khan..Barbaric Conqueror or Brilliant Innovator?

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am giving away 4 free tickets to the Genghis Khan Exhibit at the Irving Arts Center.  The exhibit opened on June 1 and will run until September 30.


My family is planning to visit on Monday when everyone pays kids prices:
Mondays, June 20, July 18, August 15 and Sept. 19 - special price of just $8 per person. 

We have read about the exhibit at the Irving Arts Center website and are looking forward to exploring the exhibit and learning more about: 
  • Genghis Khan the man: Genghis Khan is remembered for his conquests, he is also noted for his cultural influence on the world, his appreciation of the arts and his creation of a stable government.
  • Exploring the exhibit which features the largest collection of 13th century Mongolian artifacts ever gathered in a single showing.
  • A Mummy!  The exhibition features the recently uncovered mummy and tomb treasures of a Mongolian noble woman, nicknamed The Princess Giant because of her unusual height.
  • Hands-on experience: The interactive aspect of the exhibition leads visitors through a life-size ger (traditional nomadic dwelling); and allows visitors to shoot a model trebuchet, create a Mongolian style hat and use computer touch screens to live out the lives of characters from the 13th century.
As a teacher, I am particularly interested in the enrichment activities and study guides that are available. These study guides connect to the objects, videos, and activities within the exhibition. There are also a host of activities including teacher workshops, Family Fundays, lectures and events. The workshops feature a guided tour of the exhibition and discussion on how to incorporate Genghis Khan activities in the classroom. These events and others can be found on the "Events" page.  


Over the years we have explored many of the museums in Fort Worth and Dallas, but  we have never been to The Irving Arts Center.  I can't wait to share our experience with you...stay tuned


This post is sponsored by the Irving Arts Center, host of the Genghis Khan Exhibit. I was provided with tickets to the exhibit and compensation for my time. All opinions expressed are my own.

Another Great Deal at CVS!

I just received this e-mail!  CVS really wants me to shop there!
If you are not on the mailing list, you might want to sign up. I believe the previous deal for $0.99 Pepsi was only for email subscribers. Is this true or were some of you able to get the coupon without having received the e-mail?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

*HOT* Pepsi deal at CVS - Wednesday 6/15 only!

Just scan you Extra Care card at the coupon center for your coupon!

Sprouts produce and coupon matchups for 6/15-6/22

Sprouts has a great way of luring you in with their great produce prices, but you can also get good deals on some of their other products too! I found some coupons for some of their grocery items just by searching the coupon database.  I just typed in the brand name and hit search.  In some cases a printable coupon showed up, but when I hit the link, it was no longer available. Below I have listed the deals I found for Sprouts this week.  I checked all of the links and at the time of publishing, all of the coupons were available.



Produce
Yellow or White Peaches $0.49 lb
Red or Yellow Mangos $0.49 each
Red Bell Peppers $0.49 each
Bunch Radishes, Green Onions, or Cucumbers $0.49 each
Celery or Bunch Spinach $0.88 each
Hot house tomatoes or Sweet Poatatoes $0.88 lb
Green Leaf, Red Leaf, Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce $0.99 each


Organic 
Valencia Oranges $0.99 lb
Fuji apples $1.29 lb
Gala Apples $1.29 lb
Yellow onions $1.99 3 lb bag
Blueberries 6 oz $1.99 each
Yellow Peaches $1.99 lb


Other Deals:


All Sprout's sliced breads 16-24 oz 30% off


Fage Greek Yogurt 5 for $5
-$2/5 Fage Total Yogurt with Fruit or Honey 
= 5 for $3


Hansen's Soda 6pk 2 for $5.00
-$0.50/1 Hansen's Natural Cane Sugar or Diet Soda 6/19/2011 SS Insert (exp 8/19/2011)
=$2.00 each


Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream 2 for $6 (pints)
-$1/2 Ben and Jerry's Pints 6/12/2011 RP Insert (exp 7/10/2011) or
-$1/1 Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream 6/12/2011 RP Insert (exp 7/10/2011)
= $2.00-$2.50 each


Shamrock Cottage Cheese 2 for $7.00
-$0.50/2 Shamrock Farms Products
= $3.25 each


California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil $9.99
-$1/1 California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil 12/5/2010 SS Insert (exp 6/30/2011)
= $8.99 each


Natrol Easy C 500 mg with bioflavonoids $9.99
-$1/1 Natrol Product 5/22/2011 RP Insert (exp 7/3/2011)
= $8.99 each


FREE Larenim 20 minute Mini-Makeover & Color Match!
Store #112 - Great Hills (Austin)
Tuesday June 18  - 11am-3pm 
sign up now - space is limited!






Thursday, June 9, 2011

Genghis Khan Ticket Giveaway Begins Today!

I am so excited about this giveaway!  I have 4 tickets to the Genghis Khan Exhibit at the Irving Arts Center.
The exhibit runs from June 1 to September 30, 2011, Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. & Sunday from 1-8 p.m. (Last ticket sold at 6:30 p.m.seven days a week)


The exhibit tells the story of Genghis Khan, the conqueror, through more than 200 artifacts including gold jewelry, weaponry, silk robes, currency, tomb treasures, a mummy, and much more.  There are video screens, handicraft and weaponry activity stations, and role-playing kiosks to make learning about this legend a fun and engaging experience for all ages.
The ticket giveaway only lasts a week, so hurry and get your entry in.  You can also get bonus entries by sharing this giveaway with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. 
click here to enter (entry form is located on my Giveaways page)
Deadline for entries:Thursday June 16 at 11:59 pm CST.
The winner will be announced on Friday June 17th.
Good Luck!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Invasion Has Begun....

In the next few weeks you will have the opportunity to win 4 tickets to the Genghis Khan exhibit at the Irving Arts Center....Stay tuned....if you dare!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Aspiring artists - this sounds like fun!

Did you know that you can take a FREE art class at The Modern the first Sunday of each month? How cool is that?


Join us and become acquainted with the Modern’s collection while developing drawing skills by looking and learning with local artists as they lead informal, basic drawing classes in the galleries. Open to adults at all skill levels. Bring a sketchbook and pencils or purchase materials from The Modern Shop. This class is free. Registration is not required, but participants should sign in at the front desk.  www.themodern.org

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Just got a new "Grab My Button"!

So, I  have had this blog up and running for over month, and I have been trying to figure out how to get the "grab my button" thingy that everyone seems to have.  I Googled how to get one, but it sounded way too complicated.  Sarah, at Look What I Got for Free referred me to Erin at Minx Design, who had just designed her fabulous-looking blog.  Erin was super helpful and made my button exactly to my specifications.  If you are looking for a new blog design, an Etsy design, or just a little extra doodad, Minx Design is the place to go!


GRAB MY BUTTON!