a Latte' with Ott, A

Like wine? You'll Love Vintage & this Giveaway!

2013-05-17T14:27:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to be blogging today on behalf of the Indiana Wine & Grape Council and Indiana Family of Farmers.

The first weekend in June has quickly become one of my favorite weekends of the year, as that's when Vintage Indiana: A Festival of Wine, Food and fun is held. What is this Vintage event I speak of???? Well.... this is the weekend when 30 Indiana Wineries offer over 300 different wines for you to sample. That's right.... I said sample. Whether you like like dry reds, sweet whites or fruit flavored wines there is something for every wine enthusiast at Vintage. Simply step up to a tent, look over the wine list and hold out your glass as winemakers pour out their best vintages for you to try. I have been to this festival a couple of times in the past and always find a new wine that I like. Another thing I like about this festival is that it's a great place to learn about new wineries from around Indiana that you may not have known about or visited before. The wineries come to you and you can swirl, sniff, sip and savor every drop of Indiana made wine. And if you find something you really like you can buy a full glass to drink there or a bottle to take home. (Bonus!)

Like I mentioned this years Vintage will be held Saturday, June 1st at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana from 11 am to 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance and for a discounted rate of $22 Marsh Grocery Stores or online at VintageIndiana.com or at the gate for $25. And Designated Driver tickets are $10 and they will receive unlimited water and soft drinks. Kids ages 6-20 are $5 and kids 5-under are free.

Another great feature of this festival is the concert line up. This years acts include Jennie DeVoe, Cari Ray and Josh Gracin former American Idol contestant.

And thanks to the Indiana Family of Farmers and the Indiana Wine & Grape Council you can attend this year's Vintage Indiana Festival and take 3 friends along with you as I am giving away 4 (count them 4) tickets. IFOF gave me two complimentary tickets for writing this blog post and due to prior commitments I cannot attend so I am passing those two tickets along to my readers along with the other 2 I was given to give away. Now you can get a group together and attend this fun filled day. To enter simply click on the rafflecopter widget below (located within this blog post) and leave your contact information. This contest runs through May 22nd at midnight and the winner will be announced on this blog and notified via e-mail on May 23rd.

Good Luck and Cheers!!!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to IFOF and IWGC for sponsoring this post.

Spring Projects in our yard

2013-05-15T14:03:00.000-04:00

We've been working on a couple of projects out in our yard the past couple of weeks, so I thought I'd share and practice my photography skills at the same time since flower pictures can always make your day.

We landscaped another section of the house.

There is a weeping crab apple tree on the corner, then we used burning bush, forsythia, a magnolia, some spirea and some birds-nest blue spruce.

Then we put shutters on our house as I thought it would make the house look cuter and give it some curb appeal. So below left you will see our house when we bought it and below right you can see what it looks like now.

Here is the magnolia in our landscape; budded and then blooming.

Our red bud tree in bloom.

Another crab apple tree out in our front yard.

A tulip that blooms in a "peony" like style.

I like the contrast in colors and focus in these pictures as I played around with my zoom & lens.

And lastly, MacchiOTTo waits patiently in the stroller near our pink dogwood tree while I took all these pictures.

Lemon Meringue Pie Custard

2013-05-14T08:07:00.001-04:00

It is the month of May here in central Indiana and like most Hoosiers my thoughts and attention turns toward racing. Racing makes me think of Milk. And Milk makes me think of custard, because what could taste better on these warmer days in May. That's why I'm happy to be blogging today for Indiana Dairy, with some traditions of the 500 race and a recipe that uses milk to make Lemon Meringue Pie Custard. But before I get to the custard, I want to explain to any non-race fan readers I have why milk and racing have so much in common?!?!?

As any good Indiana school child could tell you.... Winners drink milk. And that's because as legend has it, back in 1933 Louis Meyer was practicing racing and his mother told him after a long a grueling race he should ask for a glass of cold buttermilk to re-hydrate and refresh himself. As luck would have it Louis Meyer went on to win that years Indianapolis 500 (his second time winning this race) and when the race was over he asked for buttermilk. In 1956 Milk became the official drink in Victory Lane and Sports Illustrated even called it "Sports Worlds Coolest Prize." Now every winner of the 500 can choose to drink a tall cold glass of either skim, 2% or whole milk once they cross the yard of bricks.

And while the milk we all get at the grocery store did not travel 500 miles to get to us... it did travel less than 100 because that's the average distance from farm to grocery store. Ironically, my grandparents milked Jersey cattle back in the day, so I guess you could say there is some Dairy Farming in my family as well. As tradition has it current dairy farmers get to present the winner of the 500 with their victory drink in the winners circle with an etched commemorative glass. This years Honorary Milkman is Duane Hill of Fountain City. So when you are watching the race this year I hope you think of milk and you can use milk to make this delicious recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie Custard, which taste creamy and refreshing and just like the real thing but in a frozen form.

Ingredients: 4 cups milk, 4 eggs, 1 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup corn starch, 1/8 tsp. salt, 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup lemon curd, 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers and homemade Meringues.

Directions: Bring milk to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring constantly. In a separate bowl combine sugar, cornstarch, salt & eggs. Gradually add small amounts of milk to sugar mixture. Mix well and then return to saucepan. Cook and stir mixture until temperature reached 160 degrees. Turn off heat, and stir in sweetened condensed milk and lemon curd until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

After those hours in the fridge, place in the freezer for about 45 minutes. Remove and add crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers to your custard. Mix in well using a hand mixer and then place back in the freezer. (These wafers or crackers serve as the crust part of your Lemon Meringue Pie.)

Lastly, make Meringues using whatever recipe you may have on hand and serve your custard topped off with one.

And there you have it a delicious new way to eat your Lemon Meringue Pie in cold form. Thanks again to Indiana Dairy for sponsoring this post. And remember.....#WinnersDrinkMilk

This post was linked to: Hearth N' Soul, 33 Shades of Green, and Time to Sparkle.

Little Bo Peep 1st Birthday Party

2013-05-10T08:37:00.001-04:00

Time flies by and it's hard to believe that our little MacchiOTTo turned one. To celebrate this milestone we had family and friends over for a Little Bo Peep themed birthday party. This seemed like a great fit, since MacchiOTTo had gone out to the barn earlier this year to see the baby lambs. I love to obsess over the details while party planning so I hope to showcase some of those in the blog post. I used yellow and green as our color scheme and sunflowers for floral decorations as MacchiOTTo wore a sunflower dress during the social hour of the party.

To start with we had an adorable invitation made by Sara Jane Studio with a Little Bo Peep and the sheep as the RSVP card. Guests could select "yes, we will flock there" or "no, we will be out to pasture" as their response.

Next, for the decorations. I made sheep tissue paper pom poms (tutorial here) and Little Bo Peep banners from Doodle Monkey Designs. I also gathered up all the sheep figurines and sheep children's books I could find and sat those around the house on the mantel, etc. to enhance our party decorations. Each month I had taken pictures of MacchiOTTo wearing the same outfit to document her growth and made 12 individual sheep out of scrapbook paper with a monthly picture mounted to each so guests cold see how she's grown.

Here you can see the monthly sheep pictures better and how I dressed up the plastic table cloth for the food table.

Next up our party had lots of sheep related details. Like for a snack I put chex mix in a galvanized pail with a yellow scoop and called it "Sheep Feed." I also had a local florist arrange sunflowers in smaller galvanized pails to set around as decorations. We lucked out and found a Beer with her name and it had a yellow label on it which matched our color scheme perfectly, so we ordered some of that to have as our signature party beverage. Lastly, we gave out bottles of wine we found at a winery in Illinois that just so happened to have a sheep on the label. So I had favor tags made which said "We hope you had a 'woolly' good time!"

Another appetizer we had were decorated chocolate covered pretzels which I called "Lost lamb tails" since Little Bo Peep's sheep lost their tails.

We also had 3 games/activities for guests to do doing the social hour and two of the three had a sheep related theme (more info here). The other was for them to sign her 1st Year Time Capsule book with pictures of all her firsts from the past year along with historical events as well. Guest could sign the book "yearbook" style and then we sealed the book up after the party and she will open it again at her Sweet 16 party!

Then for the cake I made two types of cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes that looked like sunflowers and white cupcakes with a Little Bo Peep cupcake topper that were iced with green frosting and little Royal icing sunflowers. I displayed the cupcakes on cake plates and put MacchiOTTo's Smash Cupcake on the very top by inverting a wine glass to act like another small cake stand.

And here is the birthday girl herself, in her high chair all decorated (tutorial here) to match the party.

Lastly, since we had several out of town guests staying in the city for the weekend in I made up welcome bags for them when they checked into the hotel with tags that said, "We welcome 'ewe' to Indy!"

I think MacchiOTTo had a great time at her party and enjoyed seeing all her family and friends!!!!

Weeding with Duluth Trading Company & a Giveaway

2013-05-08T12:42:00.004-04:00

I've posted pictures of the flowers in my yard a week or so ago on this blog. And while the flowers are still lovely the weeds growing around them are not. So while I was weeding and doing other yard work it was nice to have some comfortable yet stylish gardening clothes to wear. Duluth Trading Company has hot weather workwear that is practical and affordable. Today I am reviewing their Longtail No sweat Henly Polo shirt, skort, and Sun hat all with UPF Sun protection to keep your skin safe.
Firstly, I have to tell you I was surprised to find how comfortable their clothes were. The polo shirt was a raspberry color and I liked that the tail of the shirt was long so you had plenty of room to tuck it in and blouse it back out without worrying about it coming un-tucked. And there was a small zippered pocket at the bottom of the shirt that would be perfect for an ipod or if you just needed to carry your drivers license and some cash on you.

Next the skort, is also great for storing items you may need while outside as it has 6 pockets (one is a cell phone sleeve.) I had never considered working in a skort before but with the elastic side panels it felt incredibly comfortable to bend and move around in.

Lastly the Crusher Sun Hat matched my shirt and I like that fact that the hat is wrinkle resistant and washable. With 50+ UPF protection built in you can be sure to keep your skin from burning while working out in the hot summer sun.

If you would like to try some of these great products from Duluth Trading Company they are offering free shipping now through June 30, 2013, for my readers. Just enter code “T13PRCG” (Note: $50 minimum order. Minimum order applies to total before tax, shipping or gift card purchases. Valid for US shipping only, on standard delivery.)

Now for the Giveaway!!!! One lucky reader will receive a $50 gift card from Duluth Trading Company. Simply click on the rafflecopter widget below for your chance to enter. The contest runs from May 8 - May 10 and the winner will be announced on this blog on May 11th. Good Luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Activities/Games for 1st Birthday party

2013-05-07T15:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes games and activities for adult guests at a first birthday party can be a challenge. You want something for people to do, but you don't necessarily want something that requires to much organization or disrupts a social atmosphere. MacchiOTTo recently turned one and here are three games/activities we had guest do during the first hour of the party as they arrived and sipped drinks and ate appetizers. They could easily converse with other guests while making their way around the house to the different activity stations I had set up for them.

The first stop was to sign MachhiOTTo's First Year Time Capsule Book. This was a photobook I put together on Shutterfly.com with a collection of photos from MacchiOTTo's first year. Her first time meeting the grandparents, first time eating solid foods and all the other first along the way. In and amongst those photos I included historical events from the past year such as the Summer Olympics, Election, Oscars, music and sports, but also put pictures of her on those pages. For example I had a page with "Call Me Maybe" being the most played song of the year with a picture of her chewing on a pink toy cell phone. Guests then could sign the time capsule "year book" style by writing messages on the pages like what they thought the first time they met her, or where they were when these certain events happened the past year, or just well wishes for the future. After the party the book will be sealed shut and not opened again until her Sweet 16 birthday party.

Next, we had a game where you could guess where the cake and icing would go first. Obviously fingers and hands did not count, but places like lips, cheek, nose, forehead, hair, floor, etc. etc. were listed. Since MacchiOTTo had a Little Bo Peep themed party I had sheep taped to a poster board with the areas listed and then guest wrote their name on a shepherds crook and stuck it next to their guess. To go with the theme I called the game "By Hook or by Crook" because one way or another the cake and icing were going to end up somewhere.

I had the Shepherd Crooks all cut out with a piece of square scrapbooking tape on the back side so all guests had to do was pull off the tab and stick next to their guess. I also had a pen in the bag with the crooks so everything was right there for them.

Lastly, we had a guess the number of "sheep fleeces" (which were really white cheddar cheese puffs, but in keeping with our theme we called them sheep fleeces. The canister sat on a table with scraps of paper, pens and a basket to put their guesses in. Guests could walk up to the table at their leisure and make their predictions. I thought it would be cool if the number of "fleeces" was the same number as her birthdate. (Example May 1st or 501 fleeces.)

Dress up your plastic tablecloth

2013-05-06T11:02:00.002-04:00

Plastic tablescloths work out great for birthday parties. They are cheap and can be clean up easy or thrown away afterwards. They are colorful and you can cooridnate your other birthday accessories with them. But you don't just have to throw one over your table and move on... you can dress it up a little and add some accessories to make your table more appealing. Afterall you worked hard on your party food, so why not show it off a little with a cute tablecloth?!?!

To start with I taped a yellow tablecloth to the backside of the table I was using so that it would touch the ground on the front side of the table. I then placed a green tablecloth on top of that (so it covered the tape) and hung down evenly on both sides of the table.

Then I rolled the green tablecloth up in the center of front side of the table. I rolled it up to the top of the table and pinned it.

I used some extra curtain rod hangers that I had, but you might be able to use those plastic tabl cloth clips if they fit your table or even staple it, just something to hold it after you gather it up. I then rolled up the tablecloth at both corners of the table as well.

Next I attached my decoration to the clip. I used artifical flowers, but you could use ribbon, or paper cut outs or any decration you may already be using for your party could be added. The list is endless so get creative and you could easily glue something to the object you are using as your clip.

And there you have it, an easy way to add a little detail your party's food table.

Tissue Paper Pom Poms (that look like sheep)

2013-05-03T06:20:00.001-04:00

Tissue Paper Pom Poms are cute and inexpensive decorations for any party that you may have. You can buy a package of 40 pieces of tissue paper for $1 at the dollar store and make at least 4 Pom Poms out of that. Here is a tutorial on how to make the pom poms and then, how I turned them into a sheep. The sheep would be cute for a baby shower or in our case a birthday party... but I'll get to that more next week.

Supplies: Tissue paper, wire pipe cleaners, scissors, black construction paper, wiggly eyes, double stick tape.

To start with I took 10 pieces of tissue paper and lined them up evenly. Then I folded accordion style about an inch wide for the entire length of the paper.

Next, I twisted my pipe cleaner around the center of the folded paper. This will hold the paper together and as act as my hanger later on. Then, I took a pair of scissors and cut the ends to round off the paper.

Now, I will pick my project up by the pipe cleaner and allow the paper to fan open, and then pull the pieces of the paper apart individually and pull toward the pipe cleaner (center). Do this pulling apart for every piece to ensure a nice full pom pom.

I would crinkle the paper to every other piece that I pulled to make the pom pom look fluffy while maintaining its shape.

Lastly, I took black construction paper and cut it to make the sheep's face, ears, and legs. I then glued wiggly eyes on the face and then used double stick tape to put attach these features to my pom pom. I also used a scrap piece of tissue paper on the top of the face of the sheep. (What we in the sheep industry call the poll.... see you learned a little something about sheep while you made this craft project.) Just to make the sheep look cuter.

1st birthday deco mesh highchair

2013-05-01T08:15:00.000-04:00

If you'll recall I used Deco Mesh for the first time a couple of weeks ago to make a wreath for the front door. After making the wreath I got to thinking about the design the full loops of material create and how cute and girly that could look and.... well one thing lead to another and I've found another use for the deco mesh....decorating a high chair for a first birthday party. It's hard to believe, but our little MacchiOTTo is turning 1 and the deco mesh worked great to create the perfect throne for her to sit on and eat her first birthday cake. This particular chair also holds some sentimental value as I'm pretty certain this was my dads high chair when he was little and quite possibly where he had his first piece of cake as well.

To start with I used tulle and taped it a few time around the edges of the tray on the chair. I then cut pieces of tulle about 8 inches long and tied them around the edges to create a tutu look. This adds some filler to tray and hides her legs and the chair straps from view.

Next I added yellow deco mesh and attached it to the tulle with pipe cleaners. I went around the edge of the tray once and then went around once with green deco mesh using the same pipe cleaners to secure it to the tray.

Then I added sunflowers in a couple of spots and attached those using the pipe cleaners.

Lastly I made a bow and used a pipe cleaner to attach that to the center of the tray. I then clipped off any extra length on the pipe cleaners and wrapped the end in tape so as not to scratch the tray or poke the birthday girl.

Then I did the same thing to the back of the chair, except I didn't create a tutu for the back I just loosely tied the tulle along with the deco mesh to the pipe cleaners for some additional filler.

I had MacchiOTTo sit in her decorated chair a few times prior to the party as I knew she would want to look it all over and check it out. This way she got a little used to it beforehand and could focus more on the cake and family instead of the chair.

more spring pictures

2013-04-29T07:30:00.000-04:00

I've been practicing more with my new camera and have some more pictures to show you of flowers in our yard. I really like this first pictures as you can see all the details around the center of the flower. Sometimes nature just fascinates me.

I like to call this one... "behind these pheasant eyes."

This is a new weeping crab apple we have planted in our landscape. The flower has a double layer of petals.

More ways to incorporate the Thriller, Filler & Spiller Techniques: Part 4

2013-04-26T06:23:00.002-04:00

This is the 4th entry in a 4 part series on planting a flower pot container and is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

The color scheme and design techniques from my Thriller, Filler & Spiller Flower Pots has inspired me to do other planters and hanging baskets around our yard the same way. I usually do several hanging planters and hanging baskets so I'm sharing what all I've put together so far.

To start with above you will see a two tiered planter. I've had this planter for several years. I used one Gerber Daisy on top and three on bottom, then filled in with lots of Marigolds and petunias. Below is a picture of hanging baskets with one Gerber Daisy and 2 petunias in each. I bought the wrought iron decorative hanger at The Home Depot a couple of years ago and each year reuse the same hanging baskets.

Lastly I have a window box on our front porch by the front door. I used 2 Gerber Daisy's 2 Petunias and 6 marigolds.

The last tip I will leave you with is that when I plant my containers I don't over plant because I know my with fertilizing over the course of the summer my plants will get bigger. While my planters may look a little sparse now, I know in a month or so they will be full and overflowing. It saves me a little in money to not plant additional flowers and gives me great satisfaction to see my pots become full and lush.

I thoroughly enjoyed this project and loved picking out the flowers at The Home Depot. For more inspiration and outdoor ideas be sure to check out The Home Depots Garden Club Website.

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Easy Willow Propagation

2013-04-25T12:47:00.001-04:00

If you'll recall I used willows for my indoor decorative Easter Tree this year. I had to purchase these willow branches, but I hope this will be the last time I buy them as I planned ahead and transplanted those branches in hopes they will grow and become a permanent plant in our yard. Willows are easy to propagate as they contain their own growth hormones and with some simple cuttings and lots of wet soil you too can propagate your own willow tree.

To start with I had the willow branches in water for about two weeks. During that time little roots started to form on the end the branches as you can see in the picture above. And at the same time new growth appeared on the top part of the branches as you can see in the picture below.

I took these branches and placed them in a container full of potting soil and pressed the root end of the branch down into the soil as far as it would go. I then watered the stems and continue to water them daily as willows like wet soil. I will leave these willows in this pot for awhile continue to grow and develop better root structures, and then will transplant them to a permanent location in the yard.

Putting together a Thriller, Filler & Spiller Flower Pot: Part 3

2013-04-24T13:16:00.001-04:00

This is the 3rd entry in a 4 part series on planting a flower pot container and is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Well I have planed two Thriller, Filler & Spiller Flower pots all with plants and supplies for The Home Depot. I love the color combination I selected and as you can see I already have my planters out in the landscape along our house. Here is how I put my planters together, the supplies I used and some tips and tricks I'm passing along to you to help ease the watering and fertilizing planters need throughout the summer.

Like I mentioned in my previous posts I selected containers with a water tray in the bottom to help regulate the amount of moisture my plants receive. I also selected a potting mix with moisture control in it as well. April in central Indiana is really wet so using these two products help me not to worry so much about leaving these planters out.

And just like April is wet, usually July and August are dry. So to help me get by those times I forget to water I use Miracle Gro Water storing crystals. These crystals absorb water and then release it as needed in drier times. When I dig my hole in the planter for the flowers I simply sprinkle about a teaspoon full in the bottom and then place my flower down in the hole on top.

I use the same trick for fertilizing as well. I use Osmocote as it is a time release fertilizer and I sprinkle about a teaspoon full in the bottom of the hole along with the water crystals and know this will get the fertilizer directly to the roots quickly. And again I can do this when I put the planter together and can go a month or so before I have to fertilize again. At that time I usually just sprinkle a little on the surface of the planter and let it seep in every time I water. (Two little tricks now that save me time later.)

Now back to putting my planter together. In the center of the pot I planted my "thriller" Gerber Daisies. (In my smaller pot I planted one, in the larger pot I planted two. This gives my planter height in the center.

Next I planted my "spiller" the Proven Winners Superbells Apricot Punch (vining petunias) as close to the edge of the planter as possible. I planted three of these in my smaller planter and 5 in the larger planter. Lastly in between the daisies and petunias I planted my "filler" marigolds. I planted 5 of these in the small planter and eight in the larger planter. While they are kind of small now I know they will soon fill out.

And there you have it... a "Thriller, Filler and Spiller" flower pot, with height, length, color, texture and dimension. This is a great technique to use to create eye catching flower arrangements in containers around your landscape, deck or yard.

And just for fun I picked up a few accessories for my pots in little decorations to stick in to make my pots a little whimsical (so to speak). Here is a green plastic dragon fly with iridescent wings.

And here is a blue humming bird with wings and spring and move a little in the wind. I really like how the blue accentuates the orange colors.

And later this week in my last post I'll show you some other flower projects I'm working on to continue incorporating this color scheme and planting technique in my yard.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Cheesy Beefy Bake

2013-04-23T06:57:00.003-04:00

Here's another recipe for you to add to the list of freezer meals you can make, freeze, then thaw and heat up when you need a quick evening meal. This is a recipe I found in Gooseberry Patch's "Summer in the County" Cookbook for a Cheesy Beefy Bake. As Ott, E and I were eating this dish he mentioned that the ingredients and flavors of this casserole type dish is what would happen if Green Bean casserole and Johnny Wasota got married and had a baby...... (shaking my head)....as odd as that comment may sound... he's a little bit right in describing what this dish looks and taste like.

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 T. onion flakes, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes (drained), 8 oz. package of shredded cheese, 2 cups pasta, cooked, 1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup, 6 oz can French fried Onions.

Directions: In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown beef, drain. Add onion and red pepper flakes. Combine all ingredients except for fried onions in a large bowl. Mix well. Spread mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking pan; cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with onions and bake uncovered for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.

Noodles and Creme of Mushroom Soup.

Cheese and Tomatoes.

All mixed together and ready to bake.

This post was linked to: Hearth N' Soul, 33 Shades of Green, Time to Sparkle. and Hunk of Meat Monday on Beyer Beware.

Tips on Selecting Annuals for Flowers Pots: Part 2

2013-04-22T07:30:00.000-04:00

This is the 2nd part of a 4 part series I am writing for The Home Depot and have received product to enhance our yard.

So inside The Home Depots Garden Center I first went to the container section. I was pleased to find a wide variety of different shapes, sizes and colors. There were plastic containers and concrete containers and clay containers, some with water trays and some without but all were lined up and organized and labeled with their sizes and prices.

I selected two lime green colored plastic containers with a self watering design on bottom. They are light weight yet seem very sturdy and as long as I put them inside each winter I'm sure they will last me for a several years. One is about 12 inches in diameter and the other is about 8 inches in diameter.

Next I went to find the potting soil. While there were several sizes and varieties to choose from I selected the 32 qt. bag of Miracle Grow Moister Control potting soil and found that one bag filled both of my pots nicely.

Now it was on to my favorite part.... picking out the flowers. I needed 3 kinds of flowers for this "Thriller, Filler & Spiller" project to give my flower pot height, definition, texture, and variety.

As I mentioned in a previous post I decided that my color scheme would be red, orange and yellow this year. And, while the flower selection at The Home Depot was very colorful I had tunnel vision for only these colors of flowers.

The first thing I spotted were these Proven Winners petunias called Superbells Apricot Punch. This variety of petunia vines down so this flower would serve as my "spiller." The plant will vine down the sides of the pot (spilling over).

Next I selected my "thriller" flower. I choose Gerber Daisys. These flowers would give my planter height and be the central focal point for the pot.

Lastly I selected Marigolds as my "filler" flower. These flowers will bush out as they grow but not get to tall. The colors would complete my color scheme and fill out my planter so it's full and vibrant.

Here is a short video I put together with tips on what I look for when picking out annual flowers.

Well my cart is full and I have all the supplies I need to put my "Thriller, Filler & Spiller" planter together.

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to#DigInfor Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Zest 'n Zing 'n a Giveaway

2013-04-19T08:07:00.002-04:00

I'm happy to be working with Indiana's Family of Farmers on this post regarding their upcoming Zest ‘n Zing: A Foodie Event for the At-Home Chef.

Do you sit at home watching the Food Network? Are you a follower of shows like Chopped? Iron Chef? Cupcake Wars? Throwdown with Bobby Flay? Well why not come out to a live head-to-head competition where two chefs compete to create a great new dish. But unlike your average cooking competition this one has a twist. An Ag twist!! You see for this event the chef is paired up with a farmer and cooks using a food item that the farmer partner raises.

On Tuesday, May 7th at the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, in downtown Indianapolis, you can attend this unique event that is sure to captivate the foodie in you. From 5-7 pm you can mingle with farmers and fellow foodies such as yourself while sampling food and drinks from local breweries and winery's. Then at 7 pm the cooking competition begins in the auditorium. Two chefs and two farmers go head-to-head in a competition to prepare the best dish made with farm raised ingredients. This years chefs are Jason Anderson (last years winner) and Greg Schiesser from Indiana Downs. Emcees for the night are Paul Poteet and Jennie Runevitch from WTHR and you know they will be entertaining.

All tickets are sold pre-event and can be purchased for $20 online at www.infarmbureau.org and the best part is that all proceeds from the ticket sales go to Gleaners Food Bank. All guests will receive a swag bag with practical kitchen and cooking items.

So without further ado lets move on to the Giveaway for this event. I have 2 tickets to give to one of my lucky readers. To enter simply click on the link to rafflecopter widget below. The contest will be open from 4/19/13-4/26/13. The winner will be announced on this blog on Saturday, April 27th. Good Luck and thank you to Indiana Farm Bureau for sponsoring this great event!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Indiana Family of Farmers.

Preparing to Plant Flower Pots: Part 1

2013-04-18T14:58:00.003-04:00

As I announced on a blog a week ago I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with The Home Depot and receive product to enhance our yard.

I was selected as a blogger for The Home Depots Spring DIY Program and have decided to do flower pots as my spring gardening project. But not just any flower pots.... flower pots using the Thriller, Filler and Spiller technique. But I'll get to more about what that is in a little bit as this is the first part of a 4 part series I'm doing on this project.

Designing and planting flower pots and hanging flower baskets are an annual tradition of mine. Each year about this time I buy plants and dirt and put them together in a container. When I was younger and living at home I would put these together with my mom and now that I have my own house, I still make up my own flower pots. (I'm sharing some pictures here of previous years flower pot & basket.)

If asked if I had a "green thumb" I would answer with yes. I enjoy planting things and watching them grow. (Particularly flowers and vegetables.) And I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to help me out sometimes with getting bigger and better flowers and vegetables, which I may share in future blog posts. But for right now, we are getting ready to plan out what our flower pots will look like, contain and making a list of what all we need.

Our list contains 5 items:
1.) Potting Soil
2.) Flower Pots
3.) Weeping annuals
4.) Taller annuals
5.) Shorter annuals

For the potting soil I got on The Home Depots website and researched what brands and varieties they carried. I use an All Purpose potting soil.

When it comes to planning for flowers my biggest and most important decision is the color!!!! Each year I like my flowers to have a color scheme so they match and coordinate. In the past I've done red, white and blues as a scheme, or pinks and purples, last year I did all different shades of pink (since we had a baby girl I thought that would be cute.) But this year I wanted sometime different so I decided to focus on the first three colors of the rainbow.... Red, Orange and Yellow! I think these colors will be fun and look great with the brick of our house.

Well I've got my list and color scheme all picked out so now MacchiOTTo and I are headed to The Home Depot to buy all of our supplies. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in the way of flower pots as that will be the last thing to pick out and I can always use those year after year.

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to#DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to homedepot.com/gardenclub to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

...and don't mow off my tulips

2013-04-17T06:51:00.001-04:00

Each year about this time Ott, E is anxious to get out his garden tractor and mow the yard for the first time. And this time of year my tulips are just starting to bloom, some of which are planted actually out in the yard and not in a flower garden. And each time he walks out to the shed to start up the mower I holler out the back door to remind him... "And whatever you do don't mow off my tulips."

4 ways to save $15.22 a week with a baby

2013-04-16T10:04:00.000-04:00

While having a baby in the house is a blessing it is also a big expense to weekly buying diapers, formula, food, clothing, toys and the list goes on and on. Luckily I have found 4 ways to save at least $15.22 a week. Now that may not seem like much but in one year that is a savings of $791.44 (And that's the minimum amount... the actual amount I'm saving is probably more than that, but for this post I've figured the amounts to be as average as possible.) So without further delay here are my tips that I am passing along to you.

1.) Trash Bags for the Diaper Genie. This is my favorite tip so I had to pass it along first. Everyone has a diaper genie and loves the ease of using it, but have you noticed how much those refill bags cost?!?!? You can buy a 3 pk. at Wal-Mart or Sams Club for $17.49 and I never see coupons or sales on them. Well what I have discovered is that you can use a kitchen trash bag in the plastic container the diaper genie refill comes in. One of those Diaper Genie refills cost $5.83 and says it holds 250 diapers. I estimated that I can stuff around 56 diapers in a trash bag inside my diaper Genie before I have to refill it. So that would be 6 trash bags to equal one Diaper Genie refill (based on number of diapers) I can buy 45 Hefty Cinch Sak Tall Kitchen Trash Bags for $11.97 (I might even find a coupon in the Sunday paper to make it less but lets stick with the 11.97) That's 27 cents a bag. And if 6 trash bags hold the same as 1 Diaper Genie refill thats $1.62 in trash bags verses $5.83. So if in one week I use 2 trash bags that's 54 cents compared to using a third of a diaper genie refill at $1.94 that's a savings of $1.40 a week on diaper trash bags.

2.) Formula. The best advice I can give you on formula is to sign up to receive coupons online. Most of the large brands of formula have websites and you can sign up to get free samples and coupons mailed to you on an almost regular basis, and I have included links to their sites here for you. Enfamil Gerber Similac

We use Similac and when you sign up they send coupons for $5.00 off. We also have a Sams club membership and I can buy a 2.12 lb. container for $31.98 (which is a savings over the 1.45 lb. container I can buy at the grocery store for around $23.99) Now with the $5.00 coupon I get from signing up on their website that makes the price of the larger container at Sam's Club 26.98 and I figure that out to be about 90 cents a bottle. Buying the smaller container at the grocery store without a coupon would cost me $1.06 a bottle . Since right now MacchiOTTo takes 28 bottles a week, I'm saving $4.48 a week in formula.

3.) Cloth Diapers. It may seem old fashioned, and I know that this does not work for everyone, but I use cloth diapers about 2 days a week. And yes, I realize there is the extra expense of the laundry you will have to do for cloth diapers, and you need to take into account the cost of the cloth diaper and how many times you have to use them to break even. But, once you've hit that point you can save money and it is good for the environment. I figured a good average price for buying diapers on sale with a coupon comes to about 16 cents each. Since I have 23 cloth diapers, and I use them once a week that's a savings of $3.67 a week in diapers.

4.) Baby Food. As I've mentioned before on this blog I make my own baby food. And it has saved us a lot of money. One example I can give you is for carrots. Sometimes the grocery store will have a 1 pound bag of carrots in their 10 for $10 sale. So that's $1 for one, 1 pound bag. I can puree' that 1 pound bag of carrots into baby food and easily get 12 servings out of them. That's 8 cents a serving, and when you compare that to baby food in the store which can be bought for 98 cents for 2 jars (2 servings).... if I feed MacchiOTTo carrots twice in one week that's a savings of 82 cents. But as you know baby's eat more than twice a week and right now MacchiOTTo is eating 3 times a day. So I estimated that by making all my own baby food for a baby her age for the whole week (and taking into consideration purchasing some fruits and vegetables cost more than others) I save $5.67 a week in baby food.

Other tips I have to save money beyond these 4 items include:

Always clip coupons out of the Sunday paper for diapers and wipes. I never buy diapers or wipes without a coupon as you can almost always find them.
Try some generic brands of diapers as they can cost less and sometimes work just as well.
Shop the Clearance racks for clothes, shoes, coats that are bigger than what your child currently wears as you may find some great deals. I bought MacchiOTTo a pair of pink shoes at Old Navy for 97 cents and 2 pairs of socks at Target for 70 cents each. Even if she only wears them a couple of times that's a deal.
Buy next years winter coats at the end of this winter. While it's hard to estimate how much kids will grow in a year... I bought MacchiOTTo a nice Carter's Winter Coat for only 6.99 when it was originally priced at 69.00 That's a $62 savings!!!!!!

So there you have it. When you add it all up you can find some ways to save money on your baby.
Diaper Trash bags $1.40
Formula $4.48
Cloth Diapers $3.67
Baby Food $5.67
Total $15.22

Homemade Deep Dish Double Decker Pizza

2013-04-15T10:43:00.000-04:00

I've come to the conclusion that Pizza is just about my favorite food item. (Not snack item...but food item.) When Pizza is around I don't eat it... I devour it... I can eat 2 slices in the time it takes Ott, E to eat one. I just about have to eat Pizza once a week and critique the places where we order pizza from or the brands you buy at the store to heat in the oven. I like a thick crust, a juice sauce and lots of cheese. But here recently I've found a recipe that I really like and have tweaked it to make it one of the best tasting homemade pizzas ever!!! I am not just saying that... it really is a great pizza. Hands down one of my top favorites. And the best part is I've taken all my favorite attributes of the pizza and taken it times 2. This recipe for Homemade Deep Dish Double Decker Pizza has 2 layers of thick crust, 2 layers of sauce and 2 layers of cheese, plus all your other favorite toppings. (I used Pepperoni, but you could use whatever toppings you prefer.)

Also, I'm not a fan of kneading and this recipe allows my stand mixer (with the bread hook) to do all the work. But in case you don't have a stand mixer, I've included the kneading times in the recipe.

To start off I make my dough two hours prior to when I want to put my pizza in the oven. (Please note you can make the dough a day ahead and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Just remember to take the dough out of the fridge one hour before you are ready to use it.)

Dough Ingredients for a Double Layer Crust: 2 Packages Active Dry Yeast, 1 1/2 cups war water (105-110 degrees), 2 T. Sugar, 1/2 cup corn oil, 5 cups flour, 3 tsp. salt, 1 T. olive oil.

Directions: In your stand mixer (or mixing bowl) dissolve yeast in water with sugar. Add the corn oil and blend. Gradually add in your flour and salt at medium speed for 4 minutes. (If kneading... after dough is mixed knead by hand for 7-8 minutes.) Turn stand mixer to low for 4 additional minutes. Put olive oil in a deep bowl and place dough bowl inside and turn over several times to coat the dough in the oil. Place plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and place a kitchen towel on top of the plastic wrap and set aside to rise for two hours. Do not punch down at any time.

Take the dough out of your bowl and divide into two even balls. Spread one dough ball around a deep dish or spring form pan using your hands. Be sure to push the dough up the sides and spread evenly across the bottom.

Next take about 8 slices of provolone cheese and arrange over the dough. Then spread out half a jar of pizza sauce evenly over the sliced cheese.

Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of that.

Then add your pepperoni or whatever other toppings you choose to use.

Now take the 2nd dough ball and spread it out on a flat surface into the shape of a circle large enough to cover your pizza. (You can either use your hands or rolling pin to do this.) Take the dough and cover your pizza to create the 2nd layer of crust. Then roll the edges of the bottom crust and the new top crust together around the out rim of your pan.

And now you can again add your toppings. I used the other half of the jar of pizza sauce, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella and pepperoni. Lastly, I took a knife and cut and couple of slits in the top of the pizza (to allow for ventilation) and then placed the pizza in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow the pizza to stand for a couple of minutes once you take it out then slice and enjoy!!!!

This post was linked to: Hearth N' Soul, 33 Shades of Green, Trick or Treat Tuesday with Inside BruCrew Life

Signs of Spring

2013-04-10T07:53:00.000-04:00

Finally, some warmer days, some chances to get outside and some opportunities to use my new camera. Here are some pictures of flowers and trees in our yard starting to break bud.

Turkey Enchilada Pie

2013-04-09T08:22:00.007-04:00

I found some ground turkey on sale this week and snatched it up to make another freezer meal with this recipe for Turkey Enchilada Pie. Using tortilla shells as the crust and topped off with some cheese, this tasty Mexican flavored meal made for a great evening dinner, and the recipe was large enough that I could freeze half of it to eat later.

Ingredients: 1 T olive oil, 1 lb. lean ground turkey, 2 1/4 tsp ground cumin (divided), 1 can (14-1⁄2 or 15 oz) diced tomatoes (I used some fresh cherry tomatoes that I had on hand), 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 2 T. flour, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup. frozen corn kernels 4-8 inch tortillas, 1 (8 oz) bag of shredded cheese.

Directions: Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add turkey; cook, breaking up chunks, until no longer pink. Stir in 2 tsp. cumin, corn and tomatoes. In separate pot on the stove mix together your enchilada sauce by combining vegetable oil, flour, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, onion powder, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes to develop flavors. Add to meat mixture and blend thoroughly. Heat oven to 350°F.

Line bottom of baking dish with 2 tortillas. Top with 1⁄2 the meat mixture, then about 1⁄3 the cheese.

Top with a tortilla, the remaining meat filling, 1⁄2 the remaining cheese, then remaining tortilla. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 10 minutes or until filing bubbles. Cool 5 to 10 min. before cutting in wedges. (Optional: Serve with sour cream)

I placed half of this recipe in a round 8 inch baking dish and the other half in a round 8 inch pie plate to freeze for later. If you are going to bake the entire portion at once you will need to use a 3 quart casserole dish. If you are going to freeze simply cover with aluminum foil, label and place in your freezer.

Ummm.... We loved the mexican flavors in this dish and it was a great way to use up some tortilla's.

deco mesh wreath tutorial

2013-04-08T15:53:00.001-04:00

I guess you could say I finally joined the deco mesh fad and made myself and summertime wreath. Now I know it's only spring, but we had three days in a row of 60+ degrees so I am thinking warm and sunny sunflowers.... but then again if you really know me you know I'm always thinking about sunflowers!!! And just like everybody says, it is really easy to use and work. So if I can make a wreath out of it, just think what you can do.

To start with I purchased a wire wreath frame, a roll of yellow deco mesh and a roll of green deco mesh, a roll of ribbon, a bag of 25 pipe cleaners (but I only used about 12) some artificial flowers and decorative spikes for wreaths.

To start with I knotted an end of deco mesh to my wire frame, then ever couple of inches I would gather up some mesh, cinch it together in the middle and then twist a pipe cleaner around both the frame and the deco mesh.

I then went all the way around with my second color and used the same pipe cleaners to twist around the deco mesh.

I then went around once more with each color (so twice around with each color.) The I went around with my ribbon and again used the same pipe cleaners to hold it in place. After going all the way around I made a bow and attached that with the help of one of the pipe cleaners.

I then used the a couple of the pipe cleaners to tie down my flowers. The pipe cleaners that were not used for flowers were securely tied back on the wire wreath frame and then the excess was cut off. Lastly, I added my decorative spikes and wrapped those only around the wire wreath frame. To hand the wreath I just used the wire frame, but you could easily one of the pipe cleaners to create a little hook if need be.

no mess icing bag tip

2013-04-05T06:46:00.000-04:00

So I've been practicing my piping skills. (I don't know if only breaking out my icing bags a tips twice a year counts as practice.... but that's what I'm saying.) And the thing I dislike the most about "practicing" is cleaning out the icing bag. It's sticky, and you got to get your hand in there to wash it. I don't mind washing the tips, but I do not like washing the bag. And I know I could use a zip lock bag, and I've even seen the disposable bags, but here is a trick using plastic wrap. No mess, and more importantly, no clean up!!!

Simply place a piece of plastic wrap down and put your icing on top. Roll the plastic wrap up and twist the ends good and tight. Slide one twisted end into your icing bag (with the plastic tip holder already in the bag). Pull the twisted end through as far as you can and then snip the end with scissors. Place your tip on the outside of the bag and place your plastic coupler over the tip and screw on tightly.

Make sure you twist the top of the icing bag where your twisted the plastic wrap or you might get icing coming out the top. When you are done icing simply grap the twisted plastic wrap end from the top of the bag and pull out. You can throw away the plastic wrap and the only thing you have to wash is the tips.

Here's the cupcake I was "practicing" on.

The Home Depot Garden Club & Spring DIY Program

2013-04-02T06:45:00.001-04:00

Finally, the weather is starting to get a little warmer in my neck of the woods. The birds are chirping, the snow is melting, the grass is starting to green up a little and my tulips are poking up through the ground. This time of year makes me start to plan all the outdoor projects I want to tackle this year. Wether it's simply planting the garden or putting in more landscaping up around the house I know all my plans can come together by checking out the Garden Club on The Home Depot website. One stop shopping for all my supplies, along with tutorials and they have some great savings!!!!

Firstly, joining the Garden Club is free and easy to do. Simply visit The Home Depots website and click on the "Join the Garden Club" link on the upper left hand side. Once you've registered you will get an e-mail for $5.00 off a $50 lawn & garden purchase. The e-mails you recieve as part of the garden club will contain information about all the newest products as well as tips for lawn and gardens in your region, and over $300 in exclusive savings each year. Why wouldn't you want to sign up?!?!

I've been perusing The Home Depots website and have found it to contain some great How To Videos, complete with videos to watch to show you exactly how to tackle your project. They've also got this great list of items to do to keep you on track with your spring planting based on the growing region you live in. And the website and Garden Club membership gives you access to reviews on all the new products and plant species introduced in their stores so you can snatch them up before they sell out.

One last reason why you should sign up to be a Garden Club member is because....... are you ready???.... it's kind of a secret..... but I know I can tell you............ I have been selected as one of the bloggers for The Home Depot's Spring DIY program. I'm super excited about this and hope you are too. Over the course of the next few weeks I'll be blogging about gardening projects with the help of The Home Depot and bringing you more information about lawn & garden projects you can do with the help of the Home Depot as well as tackle a few projects of my own. Maybe I'll put in a Butterfly Island Bed, build a bird feeder, or update the landscaping. Who knows, but join me in signing up for the Garden Club and together we will items checked off our outdoor lawn & garden to do list.

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need for spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, The Home Depot has you covered and can help you #DigIn to Spring.

Spring is the perfect time for all your outdoor home renovations. Shop The Home Depot for terrific values on new patio furniture, landscape supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and outdoor grills. Keep your lawn and garden looking great, too, with the huge selection of lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, and garden tools.

Visit The Home Depot Garden Club for product ideas from kick-starting your Spring with seed starter kits to building a window birdfeeder.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.