Think Summer - and Think Giveaway with CSN Stores!

The current weather forecast is for ice tomorrow and then somewhere around a foot of snow on Tuesday. I wish I was kidding!!! I can't do much about the weather, but I can daydream of Spring and Summer, as they will arrive at some point in time! :-) And in picturing that lovely weather, I envision children playing on swingsets and soaking up the sun while having a great time!

CSN Stores is currently offering Free Shipping and up to 70% off swingsets from Flexible Flyer! Ordering now would give you plenty of time to assemble it! Here is a great option at a VERY reasonable price:


They also have a wide assortment of other great outdoor equipment for the kids to enjoy. How about a trampoline or a super-cool sandbox??




I'm excited to let you know that CSN Stores is offering one of my readers a $35 gift certificate to buy anything you would like from their website!! You could put it toward one of these wonderful outdoor swingsets or anything from their many, many websites. You could spend hours looking for the perfect item - and have $35 of free fun!! This giveaway is open to readers in the US AND Canada!

Here's how to enter:

1) For your first, and mandatory entry, visit the link above and pick out what outdoor play equipment you think would provide the most enjoyment for the kids in your family! Let me know in a comment.

2) For a second entry, follow this blog via Google Friend Connect, using the link over on the right. Post a SECOND comment saying that you follow. It also counts if you're already a follower!

3) For a third entry, tell others about the giveaway. You can post it on your blog, or tweet it, or put it out there on Facebook. Just leave a THIRD comment with a link to show how you spread the word!

The giveaway will be open for comments until Thursday, February 10th, at midnight. I will randomly select a winner and will announce/contact that winner on Friday, Feb. 11th.

Good luck!!

Ah....Re-Organization!

I wish I had taken "before" photos of my baking pan cabinet in the kitchen. It was a mess of pans and baking sheets in a completely random order, to the point that I only used a select few pans for fear of actually trying to locate any of the others. But it didn't even occur to me to photograph that cabinet until I finished my re-organization this morning and sat there, admiring how nice it now looked!

Are you wondering what in the world possessed me to suddenly decide to re-do my baking pan cabinet? Well, I got a 13x9 springform pan from my mom for Christmas and I couldn't fit it in the cabinet!!! So, I decided to pull everything out and see if I could possibly rearrange things to make more room.

After everything was out, I started sorting my pans (I have stainless steel, aluminum, glazed stoneware, and basic stoneware, so it's quite a mis-match collection!) by size/type. Then I got to thinking....what if I had all my bread pans together, and all my square pans together, and my round pans, and so on. I thought I would give this a try. Here is the left side of the 4-door cabinet that houses my baking pan stash:




The top shelf has my baking sheets on the left, then my Bundt-type pans. On the bottom shelf are my cooling racks on the far left, pies and angel food in the back, right behind my square pans. Springform pans (I now have round, square, and rectangular - yay!) are in the back beside pie plates, with my round pans in front of those. Here is the right side:


I have muffin pans and bread pans on the top shelf, with all my 13x9 pans on the bottom. You might notice one stoneware round pan on that bottom shelf. It's there partially because it actually FIT there, but partially because it's a large round pan that will hold about the same as one of my 13x9 pans, so in my mind, it made sense.

I love my stoneware, but I have learned over the past few months that I love my stainless steel pans at least as much. They bake great, clean up easily, and I don't have to worry about cracking them if I'm not careful! I got them from kitchencollection.com and they weren't expensive at all.

I really hope I can continue this organizing trend into the new year. I certainly have a LOT of cabinets that can use it! I also hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!

Christmas Open House

I managed to finish decorating the house, and even had company over yesterday for a cookie exchange! I know last year I posted some photos of the house and how it was adorned, but I thought it might be fun to do it again this year, especially for any new readers who don't want to go digging through the archives.

Here is a photo taken from the front door as an overview of my Christmas craziness!


If you look to the left, there is a stairwell, and I have a couple of trees there:


And going up those stairs I have garland:


In front of the stairs is what my kids call the "Tom Brady tree." It's decorated in blue and gold (U of Michigan colors, Tom's alma mater) and I have a U of Michigan ornament on one side, and a Tom Brady Patriots ornament on the other.


My lovely little elf stands beside the Tom Brady tree:


From the front door, looking up at the catwalk, more garland and a huge wreath:


And on the floor in front of you:


I love my fireplace in the living room!


Here is the main tree, fully loaded with ornaments:


And a peek into the dining room:



Can you tell I love Christmas??? :-)

It's a Perfect Day....

If your first thought was "for a little rain," I love you!!!! :-) Of course, since most of my readers probably don't know much about my favorite singer, Suzy Bogguss, I doubt any of you actually thought that. If you did, please leave me a comment and make me smile!!

Actually, it's a perfect day for being at home, a fire blazing in the fireplace, sipping cocoa (maybe even with a little bit of Chocolate Mint Irish Cream in it....), and starting the Christmas decorating process! And that's just what I'm doing. It's cold and rainy outside...so dismal. I did get out this morning before the rain got going and did some grocery shopping, including purchasing my Thanksgiving turkey. Can't go wrong with HyVee's deal where you buy a wonderful ham and get your turkey free.

Since lunch, though, we've been hauling up bins and starting to unpack them. The first tree is up in the living room, but no decorations yet. I have a LOT of decor, and it takes me a long time to decorate, which is why I'm starting early. While working, though, I've been REALLY enjoying the fire. It's a cell-phone pic, but here is one I took earlier:


So beautiful and so warm. Yep, it's a perfect day. Hope you're enjoying it, too!!!

CSN Stores Review

I have to say that I had a wonderful experience with CSN Stores in doing my review! The hardest part about the entire process was choosing what item to review!!! They have an amazing selection of products, and I have already found so many more things I simply must have!

The process of ordering was very easy. I browsed through the various stores, made my selection, and checked out. They have several payment options to make it convenient for anyone. I decided to get some new pillows, and I selected the Beautyrest 100% Pima Cotton Extra Firm Pillow (Set of 2). I placed my order, and very shortly thereafter, I received a confirmation email, detailing my purchase and providing me with a customer service number in case I had any questions.

Three business days later, a large bag arrived on my front porch. Talk about quick shipment! The pillows were completely sealed and arrived perfectly. They don't even have that typical "chemical" smell that you generally expect from new pillows. And they are definitely soft and great for sleeping! They are very high quality product that arrived at my door quickly and effortlessly.

I can't say I had any problems at all with CSN Stores, and would most definitely recommend them. Check them out for all your holiday shopping...you won't be disappointed!!

Disclaimer: I did receive a $45 credit to CSN Stores for the purpose of doing this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Holiday Shopping....Simplified and an Upcoming Review with CSN Stores!

It's hard to believe, but it's actually time to start thinking about holiday shopping. Where did the year go?? Whether you need a new dining room table for all of your relatives to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, or just a handful of toys to place under the Christmas tree for your favorite youngster, you can find all sorts of possibilities at CSN Stores!

I have recently discovered CSN Stores and have spent quite a bit of time perusing their more than 200 online stores. I've found everything from gifts to furniture to kitchen cookware....and all sorts of things in between!

I'm lucky enough that CSN Stores is offering me the opportunity to review a product from one of their wonderful online stores! I just have to figure out which of their many amazing products I want to try. Stay tuned...I will be posting a review very soon! In the meantime, pop over to CSN and see what you can't live without....or find some great holiday gift ideas!

Rick Riordan Rocks

I am a sucker for alliteration. I guess it's the Grammar Guru in me. But even so, the title is totally true. Tonight, we went to hear Rick Riordan speak at a local event sponsored by Rainy Day Books in Kansas City.

If you don't know who Rick Riordan is, ask your kids. He is the author of the very well-read Percy Jackson series. If that doesn't ring a bell, how about the movie "The Lightning Thief?" That was based on (very loosely, I might add, and not really a very good representation) his novel.

What an exceptional speaker, and warm and friendly man who very obviously enjoys children!! From the moment he took the podium, he was eloquent and interesting and very humorous. He kept both children and adults entertained with tales from both his life and the lives of his characters. He was fascinating!

Here is an interesting tidbit: He has never seen the movie that was made from his "Lightning Thief" book. In fact, he had nothing to do with the film! Sound strange? I have great respect for his reasoning! He said that in his mind, he had a perfect image of all of the scenes, like Camp Half Blood, and the exact physical characteristics of all of his characters. He knew that if he were to watch the film adaptation, he would never be able to get those screen images out of his mind and it would ruin it for him.

I can't agree more! I have begun reading his latest book, "The Lost Hero," and found that whenever he mentions Chiron, I picture Pierce Brosnan (who portrayed Chiron in the movie). I hate that! I used to have a very different picture of Chiron, and I'm sure my mental picture was more what the author had in mind, but now it has been replaced with the "Hollywood version." I really do admire Rick Riordan for his decision not to view the movie.

If you haven't read any of the Percy Jackson novels, I definitely recommend them. There is a great base of Mythology mixed in with a truly interesting tale of teenage misfit kids who turn out to be heroes. And if Rick Riordan comes near you, go and see him. I promise you will enjoy his talk. Tonight was a great night!!!