Friday Favorites - Week 10

It's already week 10 of Friday Favorites!  Thanks for making these first 10 weeks a success!

Please keep your posts coming!  This week for linking up, you are eligible for extra entries in my Cuisinart Giveaway and my Marcal Small Steps Paper Product Giveaway.  For more entries, check out the giveaway posts for more details! 

Now check out this week's featured bloggers.  If you are featured, please grab a "Featured" button for your blog!


 

We start today with dessert! (A great place to start, I'd say!)  This Cookie Dough Pie was posted at Siggy Spice.  Doesn't it look scrumptious! 

Here's a cute decor project.  This Star Fish Wreath comes to us from The Country Chic Cottage.  I think this would be so cute if you're wanting to do a beach theme in a room or just add a touch of summer. It would also go great with other star decor you may have.

If you like birdhouses, you love these Scrappy Springtime Birdhouses from On My Side of the Room. I just love the unique colors and embellishments. 

I love bulletin board makeovers, and I love the colors used in this one from Mary The Kay!

And finally some personalized!  This Personalized Name Plaque came from Sugar Bananas.  There were 3 different ones posted. (I, of course, chose to feature the one with the cupcake!) Go by check out the other designs. They're all adorable! 

Now it's time to link up your posts for this week.  Please link up your actual post url so we'll be able to find your post easily! And please be sure to link back to my blog or post a Friday Favorites button somewhere on your blog, so that others can come participate in the event!

-Jerri

New Poll and Giveaway Winners

Hello all! I've added a new poll in the right hand sidebar.  I'm always curious to know how everyone prefers to get their blog updates.  So the new poll question is: What is your favorite way to keep up with your favorite bloggers? 

Answer selections are:
Twitter
Facebook
Google Reader (or equivalent)
Ning
Blog Frog
Email Subscriptions
Other

I also have a few winners to announce:

The winner of the Uprinting Rolled Canvas giveaway is Angela at Groovy Baby Blog.

The winner of the ecoStore USA $25 giftcard is DEBIJOT who does not have a blog.

And the winner of my UBP - Free Ad Space Giveaway is Imperfection Perfectly. Please stop by this fabulous blog and give her shout!

Please join me in congratulating these winners!

-Jerri

Marcal Small Steps Review/Giveaway

This may shock some of you, but I'm not the most environmentally friendly person.  I do hate it when people litter....it literally drives me up the wall! (No pun intended.) And I do reuse all my plastic bags, and I  recycle aluminum and tin cans at my house.  And I've recently started saving glass jars and other containers so that I can use them for crafts or other purposes.  And I generally try to conserve water and electricity so my husband doesn't faint when we get the utility bill.  Okay...maybe I am environmentally friendly!  However, I must confess, I do not use the term "green." Though green is one of my favorite colors, the environmental term "green" drives me nuts! (Sorry!! I'm just being honest!)

But I care about environment (as per my examples above).  And I'm always willing to try "environmentally friendly" products.  Recently I introduced you to an environmentally friendly cleaning and personal care product company, and now I have the pleasure of introducing you to a company that specializes in 100% recycled paper products!  

"Marcal Paper Products was established in 1950.  They pride themselves on being the first environmentally friendly paper company.  In 2009, Marcal Manufacturing introduced the Marcal Small Steps line of 100% recycled bath tissue, towels, napkins and facial tissue for both home consumption and to distributors for commercial use. These products deliver strong performance without the typical “green premium” cost. The name Small Steps signifies the small and easy steps toward making a difference in the world that you can make by using these recycled paper products."

Small Steps line of paper products are:

•100% premium recycled paper

•Hypoallergenic

•Virtually Lint Free

•Free of Dyes and Fragrances

•Manufactured without Chlorine Bleaching

Recently I was given the opportunity to try some of the Marcal Small Steps products. I was excited when a large box was delivered to my house.  Inside was array of products: paper towels, facial tissue, two-ply bathroom tissue, one-ply bathroom tissue, and some napkins.

My favorite products were the napkins and paper towels.  We usually use paper towels for everything, but I think napkins are good for parties or for when you have people over, so I like to have them on hand.  The Marcal napkins were of a good quality, and I liked the texture.

I also liked the paper towels.  Personally I've never been very particular about paper towels.  We usually just buy whatever brand is on sale.  I like the thick, cloth-like, paper towels, but sometimes they are very linty, and I just don't think they're worth the extra money.  The Marcal Small Steps paper towels did a good job.  They had little hearts in the texture which I thought was cute.  And my favorite thing about them was the small size.  We usually use paper towels at meal time, and I find most of the time, we don't really need a whole paper towel, so it's good to have this smaller version, because you can always tear off more if you need it, and you don't waste as much.  This is also great when it comes to cleaning.  Again, I'd find myself tearing off a traditional paper towel and thinking, "What a waste this is.  I only need about half of this or a third of this!"

Overall, I liked the Marcal Small Steps Products.  I liked that they were virtually lint free, and I was satisfied with the overall quality.  And the fact that they are made from 100% recycled paper is great plus!  Want to check them out?  Find a Store in your area.  You can also see how many trees you and your family can save by looking at this Tree Calculator.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a $25 Marcal Small Steps Starter pack! Your pack will include paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, and facial tissue. 

Giveaway Closed. Thanks for entering!

-Jerri

Full Disclosure:  I was not monetarily compensated for this post.  I was provided with several products from Marcal to review for this post.  The opinions posted here are mine.

Chicken Mutz

Usually cheesy recipes are my thing, but this recipe was a big hit with my husband as well!  I've seen this recipe on several recipe sites, and I wanted to try it because it not only sounded good, but it looked super easy.  And leave it up to me to find a way to make it even easier!  Today I'm sharing the original instructions with you, and also throwing in my shortcuts, in case you want to use those instead.

Recipe for Chicken Mutz:

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts, skinless and boneless

Mozzarealla cheese (recipe called for a block, I used shredded)

Mayonnaise

Garlic salt

Italian Style Bread crumbs

Pepper

Directions:  There are two method for prepping your chicken.  You can either cut a pocket into each breast, by slicing in half. (Do not slice all the way through). 

Or you can fold/roll your chicken over and secure it with toothpicks. (If you use the second method (which I use), you may want to put chicken in a ziplock and flatten it out a little bit with a hammer or meat tenderizer first). 

If you're using a block of mozzerella cheese, slice up your mozzarella into ½ inch thick slices. Place 1 slice of the cheese (or a handful of the shredded cheese) into each chicken pocket and fold over.  If you're using the second method, place the slice of cheese (or shredded cheese) on top of your piece of chicken.  Then fold/roll the chicken over and secure it shut with toothpicks. (I use about 4 or 5 toothpicks per piece of chicken).

Next generously spread your mayonnaise over your chicken breasts (on all sides). Then season with garlic salt and black pepper. Finally give it a sprinkling of Italian style bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. For a crispy topping, turn on the broiler in the last two minutes of cooking.

Tips & Suggestions:

-I also added some cheddar cheese in here, to go along with mozzarella, and it was delicious!

-Very important - Don't forget to take out ALL the toothpicks, if you're using the fold/roll method.

-Jerri

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I'm posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Tuesday Tastes is hosted by Crazy Daisy
Delicious Dishes is hosted by It's A Blog Party
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy's Finer Things
I'm Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

10-25% Off Sale at Simply Sweet Creations

Looking for a gift for Mother's Day?  Last spring I started making my own earrings.  The first pair I made looked like the ones pictured above.  I took these earrings, along with another clear-colored pair (pictured below)  and gave them to my mom last year for Mother's Day.  I'm now offering these earrings in my etsy shop, and they are one of several items that I'm including in my Mother's Day Sale!  Stop by Simply Sweet Creations  this week through May 15 to get these and other items for Mom at 10-25% off!

Also, if you order something between now and Mother's Day, I'll send you a coupon code toward your next purchase!

All orders are shipped via First Class Mail, so keep this in mind if you're ordering for Mother's Day.  If you need to receive your order more quickly, just let me know, and I'll get you a price to ship for Priority Mail.  I also do special orders if you see something you like but you want a different color, size, etc.

Thanks for reading!

-Jerri

Friday Favorites - Week 9 (And A NEW URL!!)

Hello! And Happy Friday!  Before getting to this week's Friday Favorites, I have a couple of quick announcements.  First, I want to let you know that I have a new URL.  You can now find me at http://www.simplysweethome.com/. The old blogspot address will still be valid, but if you're like me, you'll probably want to update your bookmarks anyway. Also, you should still receive my updates if you're subscribed by email or rss, so there should be no need to resubscribe. (I think!  I'm currently testing to make sure the old feed url and the new feed url are both working and will let you know if any changes need to be made.) By the way, if you ever have any issues with the feeds, please let me know so I can correct any problems there may be!

Also, if you haven't been by this week, be sure to check out my Dairy Makes Sense Giveaway! The prize pack includes a Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender ($55 value), an apron, hot pad, and other great stuff!  And you can even get an extra entry just for linking up here for Friday Favorites! 

Now on to this week's featured bloggers! If you're featured please grab a "Featured" button!

I love Mod Podge Projects!  I just started mod podging myself, so it's great to see everyone's ideas.  This Mod Podge Planter comes from Veronica's Korner.

We love eating Mexican Food!  I was intrigued by this Taco Pasta from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie.  Doesn't that look tasty?

Another pretty and colorful plate of food!  This Chicken Salad with Crunchy Vegetables and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette comes to us from Inspired2Cook.  Delicious!

And of course, I have to feature something sweet.  These Brownie Waffles came from A Little Bit of Everything.  Just seeing the name "brownie waffle" makes me hungry! How about you?     

And I thought these kid's aprons from The Phillips Fam were adorable!  What a fun project! And there's a great tutorial. Go check them out!

Now show us what you've been working on this week! Link up below!

-Jerri

Dairy Makes Sense Giveaway Featuring Cuisinart

Did you know that March was National Nutrition Month?  The Midwest Dairy Council has a few facts to share without about the nutritional value of milk.  As you know, milk and other dairy products are good sources of vitamins and minerals. We’ve all heard that milk “does a body good,” but research shows that many people don’t fully understand the whole story of the nutritional value found in dairy! It goes beyond just calcium for strong bones – each serving of dairy provides 8 other essential nutrients, including:

· Vitamin D: Vitamin D (“The Sunshine Vitamin”) promotes calcium absorption and helps strengthen bones. Milk is one of the few dietary sources of vitamin D and just one 8 ounce glass provides 25% of your recommended daily value.

· Protein: Protein builds and repairs muscle tissue while giving you a boost of energy! The protein in milk, cheese and yogurt builds and repairs muscle tissue and can help you feel full.

· Potassium: Did you know that milk and yogurt contain as much potassium as a banana? Potassium regulates the body’s fluid balance and helps maintain normal blood pressure.

· Vitamin B12: Milk and yogurt are also excellent sources of B12, which helps maintain healthy red blood cells and nerve tissue.

Three daily servings of dairy (including low-fat/fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt) deliver exceptional nutrition (for an awesome value) and can contribute to your family’s plan for a healthy diet and lifestyle.

For information, please visit the newly updated Dairy Makes Sense. There, you’ll find more information on dairy’s nutritional benefits and links to several recipes you'll enjoy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (located here: http://bit.ly/aBnlVk)!

To promote the importance of dairy products and help you to incorporporate dairy into your life, we have a fantastic giveaway.  The Midwest Dairy Association is giving one lucky Simply Sweet Home reader a special Dairy Makes Sense prize pack.  The prize pack includes 

• Cuisinart CSB-76 Smart Stick Hand Blender ($55 value)
• Recipe cards
• An apron
• Hot pad
• Cheese knife
• Grocery pad
• Refrigerator magnet.

Giveaway Closed. Thanks for entering!

-Jerri

Full Disclosure: For sharing this information and hosting the giveaway, I was given a prize pack with the same items being given away here.  I was not monetarily compensated for this post. 

Chocolate Shake with a Healthy Twist

Last year I saw a few different blogs posting green shakes---all of which were fruit flavored shakes.  So I decided to be a little different and make a chocolate flavored one!  (The look on hubby's face while I was making this was priceless!) Although everyone said that you wouldn't be able to taste the spinach, I was still a little skeptical, but I tried it, and they were right! No spinach taste!

I love these shakes because it gives you a chance to get more vegetables in to your diet without really doing anything extra special.  I must confess, we don't eat nearly enough vegetables at our house, so every little bit helps!  I definitely recommend this idea to all the parents of kids who don't want to eat their greens.  This is a great way to sneak veggies and some extra milk into their diet while also giving them a treat they'll love!

Giveaway Sneakpeak -  Over the weekend we made milkshakes with my new Cuisinart Hand Blender!  Come by later this week to win one of your own! 

Recipe for Green Chocolate Shake:

Ingredients:

2-3 scoops ice cream

8-10 oz. milk

chocolate syrup (I just pour some in.)

spinach leaves (I just threw some in...I'd say 10 leaves)

Directions:  Place milk and spinach leaves in blender. Blend well.  Add ice cream and blend.  Add chocolate syrup, and blend. Makes one shake.

Tips & Suggestions: Add fruit and ice and you've got a tasty smoothie.  (I recommend bananas or strawberries!)

-Jerri

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I'm posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy's Finer Things
I'm Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Coupon Chief Review

Coupon clipping has gone digital! Armed with coupon codes from Coupon Chief, you'll be able to save a bundle the next time you're buying anything online, for both products and services.

I was just recently introduced to Coupon Chief and was very pleased with what I found. I adore sales and coupons, and am always interested in learning about new ways to save money, so this site was right up my alley, and I'm sure you'll like it to.

Up till now, the only coupon sites I'd seen were for grocery store items, but Coupon Chief is way bigger than that. Instead of being linked up to a few name brand products, they are actually linked up to hundreds of retailers! 

I'm sure that if you shop online pretty regularly, you've probably used a coupon code before, right?  And you probably got the coupon code through an email newsletter, a blog post, an online ad, or some other place that you just happened to come across. Right?  Well, Coupon Chief gives you the opportunity to search for coupon codes from the stores you want to shop from. 

All you have to do is visit their site, create a free account, then click on the retailer you want to buy from, and take a look at all the coupon codes available for that retailer. You then copy the coupon code, go to the retailer's website, and put in the code when instructed.  It's that simple!

One thing I love about the site is the seemingly infinite number of retailers listed.  They have Target coupons, Amazon coupons , and coupons for tons of other retailers like Walmart, Walgreens, Sears, etc.  Then there are name brands for all kinds of products from clothing to technology, such as Calvin Klein, Aeropostale, Apple, and Motorola.  I also saw magazines like Taste of Home and Country Living, and even several resturants.

And I also love that there are many different kinds of coupons.  For example, I looked under the Target page, and there were several coupons including $5 off a $50 purchase, Free Shipping on Furniture Items, $1 off Loreal Products, Free Shipping on Apparel over $50, and more!

And they even have a pay-to-share program where you can submit coupon codes that you know about, and you get paid when people use the coupon codes you submitted. Cool!

With such a large number of retailers listed and a variety of coupon codes submitted by people just like you, this site is sure to be a great money saving source for everyone, regardless of where you shop and what you shop for.  So go by and check them out: http://www.couponchief.com/

-Jerri

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I'm posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Penny Pinching Party is hosted by The Thrifty Home




Full Disclosure: CouponChief.com invited me to peruse their vast supply of coupons. I was compensated for writing this review. The ideas and opinions expressed here are mine.

A Juicy Deal for You from Tropicana

As many of you know (if you read my post a few weeks ago), I was selected as one of twenty-one people to become Tropicana Juicy Rewards Insiders through Savvy Auntie.  As insiders it's our job to let our readers know about the program.

Through the program you earn points off your Tropicana purchases.  To get your reward points all you have to do is purchase specially marked Tropicana Pure Premium and Tropicana Trop50 products and enter the 10 character codes found on the cap or package in to the Juicy Rewards website! It's that simple! So if you're not a member, go check out the Juicy Rewards program, and start earning!

Something To Get You Started: If you enter the code SAVVY-AUNTI* within 6 hours of registering for Juicy Rewards you'll get one extra bonus point worth $5 in savings immediately! Excellent! (Please note: there is no 'E" after AUNTI).

April 16 Deal of the Day - Like going to the movies?  Today the Deal of the Day at Tropicana Juicy Rewards is Buy One Fandango Movie Ticket, Get One Free!  That means you can go to the Tropicana Rewards site, sign up, earn some points, and use them to get a free movie ticket! Awesome!  But you can only get this offer today, so you better hurry!



-Jerri



Full Disclosure:  As a Juicy Rewards Insider, I received a $50 Visa Gift Card and 12 Juicy Rewards points for telling you about the program.

Friday Favorites - Week 8

 

Hey everyone! My goodness! This week has gone by super fast!  I hope everyone got their taxes filed and all that great stuff!  And now that that's over, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's featured posts! Yay!  If you're featured, be sure to grab my "featured" button for you blog!

There are so many cute items available for baby over at BassWoodStichery. Don't you just love these baby booties? 

Doesn't that picture make you hungry?  These Pork Chops with Rosemary-Vinegar Sauce were submitted by Inspired2Cook. Yum!

 

I love these balls!  This week Shannon at Quarry Orchard shared a tutorial on how to make a ditionary ball like the one at the center here.

I love the colors used in this bookshelf makeover. Check out the before and after at The Two Savvy Sisters.

 

I'm totally jealous envious---errr loving this gift wrap closet.  It makes my organizing heart go pitter patter!  Go check out all the fine details (and find out where the wrapping paper is) at Dittle Dattle.

Now let's see what you've been doing this week.  Link up your posts below! Please link up a direct link to your post (not your blog), and please link back to Simply Sweet Home so others can come join the party!

-Jerri

Announcements: Spring Gift Guide, Giveaway Winners, UBP, and Asking Advice

Hello Ladies & Gents! I have a few blog announcements (and some requests) to make today.

Spring Gift Guide - First off, I'll be launching my Spring Gift Guide in May (exact date to be announced).  The gift guide will be reserved for mostly small retailers (etsy shops, mompreneurs, etc.)  This is one of the things that I do to say thank you to all of my blog sponsors.  Everyone who sponsors my blog gets a feature post written about their shop, and then the gift guide feature is just a little something extra I do to say thanks and to help promote these talented ladies.  So if you'd like to be a part of that, take a look at my PR page for all the details on ad prices and packages.  Also, if you're interested in sponsoring a giveaway on Simply Sweet Home, I will include you in the gift guide as well.  So send me an email if you are interested in that.

Giveaway Winners:  I have 3 winners to announce:  The winner of the Survival Seed Giveaway is Kerrie.  The winner of the $100 Gift Certificate to Tea Collection is Jennifer of Frugal Front Porch.  And Rebecca of Buttons and Bows is the winner of the DIY Fashion Giveaway.  Join me in congratulating them! Also, I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who entered and anyone who helped promote these giveaways!

UBP 10' - I also want to take this time to thank everyone who's come over here from the Ultimate Blog Party and say thanks and welcome to all my new fans and followers.  It's so great meeting everyone, and I hope to see more of you in the future. 

Also, I have all the commenters from my UBP post saved in my inbox, so if you've visited me & commented, and I haven't been around to your blog yet, I should get around to you in the next few days.  And just because the party's over, doesn't mean the blog hopping has to stop!  I, for one, had an incredibly busy weekend and didn't have time to go to nearly as many blogs as I wanted to (although I did get a chance to visit some great ones! ::wink::).  And then I had a local event to go to which prevented me from going to the twitter party, so when I get an some "free time" I'm going to try and head over to some more blogs from the party!

Request for Blog Advice - Finally I have a small favor to ask. I've been thinking of swapping to my own unique domain this year, and I was discussing this with my husband the other day, and he thinks I should try to do that soon.  But I'll be honest....I'm clueless about this stuff!  I have a few people in mind that I'm probably going to email about this, just to get some general questions answered: which service did you use? how hard was the transition? etc.  And I just figured while I'm posting some announcements here, I may as well throw the question out there to everyone.  So if you've gotten your own custom domain, I'd love for you to tell me about your experience (in the comments or by email).  Some issues/problems that I've heard of from other people that I want to try and avoid are: losing followers, losing pagerank, losing comments, etc.  So if you can help out, I will greatly appreciate it! And I'll love you forever!

-Jerri

Rolled Canvas Giveaway

I am always proud to bring you new giveaways from Uprinting and Digital Room.  This month everyone has the chance to win a Rolled Canvas print of a photo of your choice.  Your print will be a 16x20, and your photo will be printed on a thick, high quality artist canvas with a matte finish. Poly-cotton blend makes this canvas ultra durable.

This would be a great chance to get a professional canvas print of your wedding photo, a family photo, or a photo of your children.  Or it would make a fabulous gift for someone.

Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home Reader will win one 16x20 Rolled Canvas with FREE shipping included. Giveaway is for US residents only.

This Giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks!

-Jerri

Full Disclosure: I was not monetarily compensated for this post.  For hosting this giveaway I will recieve a free 16x20 canvas print.

Mama's Corn Bread

I love corn bread!  And I've tasted all kinds!  I have 2 recipes that I use regularly. Today's recipe is the one that I think of as the "classic version."  This is my mom's recipe, and it is always a crowd pleaser!

I personally use the white cornmeal.  I've had cornbread made with the yellow plenty of times, but my mom uses white, so I use white. (Sorry I can't think of a better reason than that!)  This recipe also uses buttermilk, which is what I think makes it so good.  I've had this cornbread, made with regular milk before, but in my opinion, it's just not the same without the buttermilk.  And if you make this, you must have some butter on hand, because it is SO good with butter!  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe for Mama's Corn Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup self-rising corn meal (I use white.)

1 tablespoon flour

3 tablespoon oil

1 egg

Add buttermilk (I don't measure, just add enough to get desired consistency.)

Directions: Mix dry ingredients together. Then add oil, egg, and mix. Mix together. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

-Jerri

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I'm posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy's Finer Things
I'm Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans

Ultimate Blog Party

It's time for one of the biggest blog events of the year: The Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom! This is my 3rd year to attend the party, and I can tell you that it is great fun! It's a great chance find new blogs, to meet new bloggers, and promote your own blog. There's even a chance to win prizes! (I'd love to win #3, 15, or 35 on US/Canada list....or #32, 36, 9, or 5 on the US list!)

Thanks for hoppin' by Simply Sweet Home! My name is Jerri, and I try to make every day a party at my blog, sharing food, fun projects, crafts, home decor, household tips, and great giveaways with my guests!

I've been married for 3 years to a wonderful guy named Mark.  We don't have any kids yet, but we have 2 little "cat children" that pretty much run our lives. 

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy my party post!

Before I share my blog with you, would you like a piece of Darn Good Chocolate Cake?  It's my husband's birthday this week, and he insists that it's bad luck if you don't have a piece!  So please take one...or two!

My Blog Events: I'd love for you to participate in my weekly event "Friday Favorites" or one of my other upcoming events!

Spring Gift Guide 2010 - In May I'll be highlighting some products and businesses. For a guaranteed spot in my gift guide, become a sponsor of my blog. My prices are very low, and I offer a lot of extras with the ad space!

Friday Favorites - I host this weekly linky event. Stop by and link up your favorite post of the week from your blog. Each week I'll feature bloggers who participate!

Sweet Thursday - This is my monthly dessert carnival where everyone shares  a dessert that falls under a particular theme. To be featured in my post you can email a submission to me before the event, or you can stop by the day of the event and leave a link on Mcklinky. Next Event - Cupcakes & Muffins on May 27.

Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash -  Last year Simply Sweet Home and 4 other blogs hosted this week long Christmas linky event.  I'd love for you to come back for the 2nd annual HBCB.

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Current Giveaways:

Ad Space Giveaway - In honor of the UBP, I'm giving away a month of ad space for free. This will be for a 125x125 ad, and since I know everyone does not have a shop, this can be advertising for blogs as well. Everyone who comments on my party post will go into the drawing, which I'll do some time next week!

$100 Giftcard for Tea Collection - Win a $100 giftcard toward Children's Clothing from Tea Collection.

$25 ecoStore USA Giveaway - Win a $25 giftcard toward products from ecoStore USA (household cleaning products, health & beauty, and petcare).

DairyMakesSense.com Prize Pack Featuring Cuisinart (upcoming)

Uprinting Rolled Canvas Giveaway (upcoming)

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Connect with Me

-Stay connected with my blog by subscribing to my feedblitz mailing list or becoming a follower.  All followers and subscribers get extra entries in my giveaways and a heads up about special events and giveaways I'm having.

-You can also follow me on twitter @SimplySweetHome or become a fan on Facebook.

-Let me know that you're following me, and I'll come follow you too!

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My Etsy Shop

I also have an etsy shop called Simply Sweet Creations where I sell jewelry and other items.  Check it out here: http://jhrivers.etsy.com/ And my jewelry blog is http://simplysweetcreationsblog.blogspot.com/.

10% off Sale - In honor of the UBP, I'm offering you a coupon code.  The coupon code is "5Minutes" and you can use it through April 13 at my shop to get 10% off your purchase.  To use this, just purchase an item from my shop, but instead of paying for it immediately, send me an email or convo message with the coupon code, and I'll send you a revised invoice for the item for 10% off!

Thanks so much for partying with me at Simply Sweet Home!

-Jerri

Friday Favorites - Week 7

Welcome to Friday Favorites where we share our favorite posts of the week! Want to be featured here?  Just link up your post below.  It can be a recipe, a tip, a project, a fun idea....basically anything you want to share! The linky starts each Thursday night around 10:30 and ends the following Tuesday.  And if you miss the linky, feel free to leave a link in the comments section!  Be sure to mention Simply Sweet Home in your post or include my button, so we can have other people come and participate, and please link to your direct post (not your blog), so that we can find the post your sharing.  Thanks!

So many cute ideas this week! I've found so many projects that I'd like to try! Keep the posts coming!  And please invite your friends to come by.  The first week I did this event, I invited a few folks over to link up, and since then I've been a little busy and haven't had the time to do anymore invites or visit new blogs, but I hope to have more time soon.  I'd really love for this event to grow and reach more people, so if you'd like to help promote it, I'd really appreciate it!  Also, I've decided to start giving out extra giveaway entries on a regular basis if you participate in this event, so that might be worth mentioning to friends.  For instance, this week if you link up, you qualify for an extra entry in my Tea Collection Giveaway.  

I look forward to seeing your posts!  Now let's see this week's featured bloggers!

I love this burpy cloth set from Ahmelie

This Fruit Pizza was actually linked up at my Sweet Thursday event, but it looked so great, I had to share it here.  It comes to us from Living Free of Dairy Gluten Sugar.

I'm always very impressed with outfit "makeovers."  This Easter Peep Outfit came to us from Mackenzie's Crafty Mom.  Go check out the tutorial!

I love this collage idea!  I've actually been wanting to do something similar at our house with some pictures I have.  Yolanda at Monkey See - Monkey Do made this collage as well as another for her daughters.

Another Sweet Thursday blogger!  This Berry Parfait was made by Christy at  ...from Glitter to Gumdrops

Okay! Let's see what everyone's blogging about this week! Link up below! 

-Jerri