Jendi's Journal

Frozen Pizza That Tastes Good

Jendi — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:33:06 +0000

This week is a busy week with meetings at church every night, school every morning, etc. When planning my dinner menu for the week I remembered that I had two coupons for free Freschetta pizzas. We bought them and ate them the same day!

I was introduced to Freschetta pizza at the SheStreams Conference. We had them for lunch one day, but sadly they were over-cooked. They were still ok – just tasted like the times at home when I got busy helping a kid and forgot to get the pizza out of the oven.

This time – cooking the Freschetta at my house – I was very vigilant, plus I set a noisy timer. I put the 5 Italian Cheese pizza on the cooking stone on the higher oven rack, and the Pepperoni and Italian Cheese pizza right on the lower oven rack. The pizza on the lower rack got one black edge, but was still edible and the one cooked on the stone was done just right. They tasted much better than at the conference.

Even if I wouldn’t have already heard that Freschetta uses better ingredients I would have noticed as soon as I pulled the pizzas out of the box. They only use real cheeses, and I could see – and taste – a difference. Some of the better ingredients they use are sea salt, olive oil, flash frozen tomatoes, and real yeast instead of chemical leaveners. The pepperoni is still greasy; not much they can do about that. After I pulled the pepperoni pizza out of the oven I dabbed off extra grease with a paper towel before we scarfed up the pizza.

They are not the cheapest frozen pizzas out there; but I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You get what you pay for.”

I received the free coupons because I took part in the following video. You can get your own $1 off coupon from the Freschetta site.

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The Pursuit of Lucy Banning By Olivia Newport | Book Review

Jendi — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:10:31 +0000

Unfortunately, I didn’t like The Pursuit of Lucy Banning. I’m sure the author spent lots of time on it and it is well written. The historical trivia about the Chicago fair is interesting and I could easily picture the surroundings and events that are described. It is characterized as a historical fiction and is a “clean” book; the religious content is very minor. I think the reason I don’t like it is the amount of deceit that the heroine uses throughout the story, and the unclear blurring of the male antagonist. He’s good. He’s bad. He’s sick? Having the heroine stand up for herself is one thing, but having her deceive her parents and friends is another – and doesn’t sit well with me.

Here is the backcover copy:

Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago’s rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work–and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago. When she meets an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World’s Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family’s expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?

Readers will love being swept away into a world of mansions, secrets, and romance as they follow Lucy through the streets of the Windy City during one of the most exciting times in the city’s history. From opulent upper-class homes to the well-worn rooms of an orphanage, Olivia Newport breathes life and romance into the pages of history–and everyone is invited.

You can find more information at the author’s site. Published by Revell. This book was sent to me through Baker Publishing Group for the book tour. The words are fully my own and my affiliate link is in this post.

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Things New Mothers Should Know

Jendi — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:43:06 +0000

I’m not good at the mushy stuff in videos so when asked to do a Mother’s Day video I decided to expand my list of things a woman should know BEFORE becoming a mother. Not that I would have listened if someone told me, but just in case someone will… I’ve also posted it in the hopes that those in the thick of motherhood will get a laugh.

Motherhood: The Adventure

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Working To Make Together Better

Jendi — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:47:29 +0000

-
This is the “script” from the vlog above in case you’d rather not watch it – but I added pictures to the video to make it fun so go ahead and watch it!

************************************

Every now and then I worry that I’m not raising my kids so they turn out right. You never have moments like that, do you?

We don’t have picture perfect game nights. We don’t eat a large variety of foods – we don’t ever eat fish! Half – no 75% of the time we go somewhere the 5 year old’s hair has not been brushed. [Oh she brushes it - that means a swipe down each side and across the bangs.] I holler at them during piano practice time because I just don’t understand why they can’t hit the right note!

Sigh

One evening last fall I was sitting with a group of mothers. Two of them had children already out of the house, and they were proud of them. I asked, “What’s your best parenting tip?” They both said something to this effect: “Just be there for them.” It was such a relief.

We LOVE to watch movies at home as a family, but I worried that it was not enough interaction. Those mothers said that being together was the important thing. I can do that!

Maybe they don’t hit the right notes during their piano practice, but they have fun when we sing together. Maybe we don’t eat a huge variety of food, but we sit together around the table for at least one meal. Maybe I forget to check that everyone looks good before we are driving down the road, but we are going somewhere together. Maybe our game nights are chaotic, but the kids like them because they always ask to do it again the next night.

For now we are together and we can work on making together better.

—————————–

This post and video were created around Brica‘s motto “Making Together Better” as an entry to their contest to win a trip to the Type A Parent Conference. You can connect with Brica on Facebook and Twitter.

This is the first I’ve heard of Brica. From checking out their site it looks like they have some really neat items at good prices. My top pick right now would be the Corner Bath Basket for my kids.

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Submerged by Dani Pettrey | Book Review

Jendi — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:23:14 +0000

After I took this book off my to-be-read shelf it sat on my nightstand for a couple days. I wasn’t eager to jump into it, but when I did I found that Submerged (Alaskan Courage) was better than I expected and I finished it the same day. [which actually isn't unusual for me, but anyway... it was riveting.]

There is an interesting story line in Submerged that mixes Russian Alaskan history, the message of new life in Christ, and a terrible bad guy that must be stopped. The heroine, Bailey, is realistically portrayed during a time of her life that is hard, but she grows and triumphs with Christ’s help. The hero, Cole, is a great support and catalyst for Bailey’s change. The supporting characters are very interesting and are definitely set up for the next story. My guess is Landon and Piper are the main characters in the next book; but I wouldn’t object to hearing more about Katelyn and Jake either.

Part of my interest in the story stems from the fact that it’s such a different life from mine – living in Alaska, diving into underwater caves and doing other outside adventures. It’s the stuff movies are made of. If you like Dee Henderson books you’ll like this story.

Here is the backcover copy:

A sabotaged plane. Two dead deep-water divers.

Yancey, Alaska was a quiet town . . . until the truth of what was hidden in the depths off the coast began to appear.

Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey again. She has a past, and a reputation–and Yancey’s a small town. She’s returned to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash and is determined not to stay even an hour more than necessary. But then dark evidence emerges and Bailey’s own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.

Cole McKenna can handle the deep-sea dives and helping the police recover evidence. He can even handle the fact that a murderer has settled in his town and doesn’t appear to be moving on. But dealing with the reality of Bailey’s reappearance is a tougher challenge.

She broke his heart, but she is not the same girl who left Yancey. He let her down, but he’s not the same guy she left behind. Can they move beyond the hurts of their pasts and find a future together?

You can find more information at the author’s site. You can read the first chapter at Where the Story Begins. Published by Bethany House. This book was sent to me through Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for the book tour. The words are fully my own and my affiliate link is in this post.

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Our Timneh African Grey Parrot – Grady

Jendi — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:26:50 +0000

Last week we welcomed another animal into our household. Our grand total is 1 Labrottie dog, 1 Polish rabbit, 1 Peach-faced Lovebird, 1 African Grey Parrot, and 3 children – oops guess they should be in a different category.

eating a cracker

Here you can see Grady “dancing”:

Here’s a list of my other Wordless Wednesday pictures. For other’s pictures visit the Wordless Wednesday main site or 5 Minutes for Mom.

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Happy Napper Review With Free Shipping Code

Jendi — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:26:35 +0000

It used to be that only mothers wanted to have a happy napper, but now kids do too. The ones that kids want are stuffed animals that reverse from being the animal to being the animals house.

Before Christmas my 7 year old daughter spotted a pink Happy Napper in a store and she was instantly interested in having one. I was surprised because she had wanted a pillow pet for a while, but quickly switched to a Happy Napper.

She has been playing with it ever since. For a while she didn’t realize that you could put the house in the back of the animal, but now she has it down pat. Here’s a video where she demonstrates just how she reverses the happy napper:

They are a fun stuffed animal that doesn’t have any hard parts and the zipper can be closed both ways so it doesn’t get caught on things. The only part I don’t like is the doorbell. I find it quite annoying even though the kids like it.

If you go through this link to the Happy Napper site they are having a special promotion and you can get free shipping by using the code: SPECIAL4U

Disclosure: I received a brown Happy Napper to review, but already knew that my kids liked them. All opinions are my own.

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Mother Cards Giveaway

Jendi — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:55:58 +0000

*Giveaway ended. Random.org picked #1 as the winner. Congrats Kelly!

Did you know that you can really offend a Japanese person by writing on their business card? They take business card printing very seriously. It’s very different from here in America where we are encouraged to leave space with a matte finish so people can write notes on the card.

The Japanese also consider it rude if you fold the card or stuff it in your pocket. They view the business card as an extension of themselves and want you to treat it/them with respect.

That information got me to wondering if they exchange mother cards in Japan and if they put the same emphasis on those. If so, I probably would have been inadvertently rude because I tended to throw things into my diaper bag. It was neat for my first child, but by number 3…well…let’s just say that it was stuffed, flung around, thrown, drug by the other kids, etc. and I was just glad to have clean diapers when I needed them.

If you would like to have some of your own mother cards/business cards you’re in luck because this post is the start of a giveaway that runs until midnight EST on Sunday, May 13, 2012. You can totally do whatever you want with them – stuff them, fold them, write on them…doesn’t matter to me. I promise not to tell any Japanese mothers.

*How to Enter:

Visit UPrinting Business Cards Page and come back here to leave a blog post comment telling me your favorite business card die-cut shape.

250pcs Customizable Die-cut Business Cards for one winner

2×3.5″ Rounded Corners, 2×2″ Rounded Corners, 1.75×3.5″ Rounded Corners,
2×3.5″ Leaf, 2×3.5 Rounded one corner, 2×3.5″ Half Circle Side, 2×3.5″ Oval, 2.5″ Circle
14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or 13pt Cardstock Uncoated
6 Business Days Turnaround time
Free US shipping only

Restrictions:

This giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 years old and above.
No prize substitutions allowed.
Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period.
Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize.

You should assume that the owner of this blog will receive free print products in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions. Interested to hold a giveaway like this? Please sign up here.

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Finding Great Bunkbeds to Save Space

Jendi — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:59:12 +0000

Economically speaking many people are finding they have to fit more people into smaller spaces to save money. This includes children having to share their space with each other more than ever. The old standard of the child using their room as a playroom as well as a sleeping space is becoming harder to do. There are several ways to make use of the space in the smaller rooms, particularly in children’s rooms. A favorite for children’s rooms are cheap bunkbeds. These really help to maximize the space in the room, whether there are multiple children in the room or just one. Bunk beds come in all shapes and styles these days making it much easier to fit many ages of children.

You can select bunk beds that are essentially a bed above a desk or play space, making use of more floor space. This is a great way to create many areas of use in one small room. You might also select bunk beds that have two beds and a roll out bed on the bottom allowing for sleeping space for three children. This is great for a family that has frequent visitors for the children or families that have children from other marriages that stay only certain weekends a month.

When selecting the bunk beds for your home consider the size of the room you are going to be putting them in. This will help you with your shopping. There are some great styles available in wood and metal. You can find bunk beds in bright colors or in classic wood giving the room a great look. The more put together your room is the more space there will seem to be. Making the space go farther by appearing organized and put together is important. If everything has a space to return to it will be much easier to keep the space neat and use the space more appropriately.

This is a sponsored post written by Rob Lobitz.

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Finding A Mate For Life

Jendi — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:18:34 +0000

This week is my 14th wedding anniversary and I’m writing on marriage related topics.

Every person that is interested in getting married someday should make a list - A list of qualities you want your future spouse to have. It’s best to do this during a time period when you’re not enamored or heartbroken.

It’s fine to put physical attributes, but make sure you think beyond that. My list had things like dark hair and older than me – but not too old. It also included practicing Christian [as #1] and interested in music. The taller than me quality was kind of assumed since I’m only 5 ft 1 and a half inches.

The physical attributes of a person can change in many ways – slowly or quickly; but the things that a person likes don’t drastically change. It was important to me that my husband like music. He didn’t have to be a virtuoso, but he had to be willing to attend concerts and sit through occasional musicals without falling asleep. Music is important to me and something I want to share with my best friend. I probably should mention that Joe used music to win me during our courtship by lending cds and hunting down hard to find musicals that I wanted to see – totally worked!

If you have a list you have a standard, a goal. When you are interested in someone you can check to see how well they match up to your list. At a time when your emotions are muddying the water you will have something to check. Will they meet every qualification? That depends on your list. If you write “millionaire” down you might have to settle for something a bit less. Thankfully I didn’t write that one. [Ready for some cheese?] We are rich in love.

Think and pray while you write your list. What qualities would you want a best friend to have? Those qualities should be very close to what you want your spouse to be like. Sharing experiences will help you stay closer together, and being able to do things you both like is a huge plus. Build a great friendship with your mate that will last for life.

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Matthew 19:6a

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