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Monday, January 27, 2014

Prepping for Game Day with TGI Friday's Appetizers #TGIFGameDay #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own. 

Game Day is coming up fast and the Coller kids are picking out their appetizers and snacks! Grandma Brenda is here visiting so we want to make it an extra special time. Tonight we sampled TGI Friday's potato skins and chicken wings to see if we might want to add them to our big game lineup---food lineup, that is!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

$350 Valentine's Day Cash Giveaway

It is better to give than it is to receive, so for this season of Love, we are giving away $350 Cash to one (1) lucky winner!!!
Meet the Lovely people who made this giveaway possible...
cohosts
Mionna @ Just Mi | Sarah @ Hope in Every Season | Nicole @ Pharr Away | Angel @ Sew Crafty Angel | Myrna @ Undecided Mamas | Lanaya @ Raising Reagan | Lily @ Fun Fierce Fabulous Beauty Over 50 | Sherry @ The Life of the Party | Sammie @ Busy Sweet Life | Robin @ Robin Charmagne | Dee @ Ms. Dee Kay | Susan @ Love In the Kitchen | Natasha @ Epic Mommy Adventures
Not Pictured: Linda | Crafts A La Mode
contributors
Christie @ A Kitchen Hoor | Britni @ Play Party Pin | Liz @ The Fitness Blondie | Charlene @ A Pinch of Joy | Beauty Style Growth | Lizzy @ Muddle Headed Mamma
Not Pictured: Jamie | Handling with Grace, Kira | Giveaways and Sweepstakes
SPONSORS
Michi | Delphina Luxe
Nicole | Pharr Away



TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Lovely You Blog, Co-Hosts, Contributors and Sponsors are not eligible to enter this giveaway. The Valentine's Day Cash Giveaway begins January 25th at 12:00 AM EST and ends February 8th at 12:00AM EST. The giveaway is open to Residents Worldwide with a verified PayPal account except where prohibited by law. One (1) winner will be selected by Random.org and will be notified by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. No purchase necessary for entering this giveaway. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, GFC, Bloglovin and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me, cohosts and sponsors in order to verify your entries and name a winner. As the winner, you are responsible for any tax reporting and associated fees via PayPal in obtaining the winnings. It is the Sole responsibility of the winner and not Lovely You Blog, Co-hosts, Contributors or Sponsors.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Homemaking Party

Welcome to the Homemaking Party!

I've been a busy bee this week, preparing for Jamie's mom to come for a two-week visit! She comes tomorrow. Jamie and the kids are all so excited!

Here's what I've been up to this week on the blog...


I shared our super yummy recipe for Mexican Chocolate Cake. We had this after church Sunday night and it was awesome!


One night for dinner, we had Touchdown Taco Dip. This is a great Super Bowl recipe!


We even had a hockey-themed game time pizza party!

Thanks for linking up---I'm excited to see what you've got to share!



Linking with:

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Monday, January 20, 2014

Mexican Chocolate Cake

I have been making this rich and flavorful cake for years. It's one of our family's favorites. I hadn't made it in awhile so, when Jamie mentioned it a few weeks ago, I thought I'd make one share it with you all. Enjoy!

Mexican Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. devil's food cake mix (*see note below)
24 oz. sour cream
3 eggs
1/2 c. sliced almonds
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar

Spray a bundt cake pan with oil and heat oven to 350º. Mix cake mix, sour cream, eggs, and 2 tsp. cinnamon together. Stir in 1/4 c. almonds and 1 c. chocolate chips. Pour into pan and bake 40-50 minutes or until cake is done in the middle. Cool 15 minutes or so and then carefully remove from pan to a serving plate. Mix 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. sugar together and sprinkle over cake. Melt 1 c. chocolate chips and 1/2 container of Cool Whip, stirring until smooth to make a ganache. Pour ganache over cake and sprinkle remaining almonds on top. Serve with remaining Cool Whip.

*I make my cake from scratch. If you want to do that as well, just reference your favorite chocolate cake recipe and only mix up the dry parts of the recipe. Then continue on with mine.

Linking with:
Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage
Tea Cup Tuesday @ Artful Affirmations  
Friends Sharing Tea @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog
Tuesday Cuppa Tea @ Antiques & Teacups 
Teacup Tuesday @ Martha's Favorites
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life
A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage 
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home
Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife
The Scoop @Stone Gable

Game Time Pizza Party with DiGiorno #GameTimeGoodies #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own.

When I was in grade school, the "big reward" for a job well done was always a class pizza party. My homeschooled kids have never experienced that, so we make up our own little family parties around fun events. Saturday, we broke out our stash of DiGiorno pizzas and had a game time pizza party!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Touchdown Taco Dip

This quick and easy taco dip has been a family favorite for a long time. Let me know how you like it!

Touchdown Taco Dip

(2) 15 oz. cans refried beans

15 oz. sour cream
2 TB taco seasoning
3 c. grated cheddar cheese
15 oz. olives, sliced
5 roma tomatoes, diced
6 green onions, diced

Spread beans evenly in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Mix taco seasoning with sour cream and spread over beans. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Sprinkle olives, tomatoes, and onions on top. Serve with tortilla chips.


Linking with:
Saturday Dishes
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Craft-o-Maniac Monday  
Motivate Me Monday 
Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom 
Living Proverbs 31
Make the Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill 
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy 
Masterpiece Monday @ BoogieBoard Cottage 
A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success 
Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T. 
Making Your Home Sing Monday 
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home
Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife
The Scoop @Stone Gable
Make Bake Create @ Hope In Every Season
Tasty Treats @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Home @ Rose Chintz Cottage  
Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz 
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants 
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above
Home Link Up at Raising Arrows

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Valentine's Day Candy Corn Fudge for the Homemaking Party


Welcome to the Homemaking Party!

I figured since I'm trying to eat healthier and lay off the sweets a bit, I'd put up this super sweet recipe to torture myself.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful week so far!

Valentine's Day Candy Corn Fudge 
(adapted from Something Swanky)

3 bags white chocolate chips

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
red food coloring

Line the bottom of a square baking pan with wax paper. (I used a 9x9) Melt all chocolate chips and all milk together in a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl. When it's all melted and stirred together smoothly, pour 1/3 of the mixture into the pan and chill about 15 minutes. Add several drops of food coloring to the remaining mixture to make it a light pink color. You may need to warm it again to make it melted and smooth. Pour 1/2 of that into the pan on top of the white and chill 15 minutes. Add a few more drops of coloring to make the remaining mixture a darker pink, warm if needed, and pour the rest on top of the light pink mixture in the pan. Chill for 3-4 hours. Remove from pan and cut into long strips. Then cut those on the diagonal to make little candy corn triangles. Fudge does not need to be refrigerated after this---just store tightly covered.



Linking with:
Homemaking Party @ Hope In Every Season
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Think Tank Thursday @ Saving4Six 
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home 
Create It Thursday
Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove
Inspiration Friday @ Dear Creatives
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm 
Beverly's Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound
Family Fun Friday @ Happy and Blessed Home
Fit & Frugal Family Friday
Faithful Fridays
Saturday Dishes
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Craft-o-Maniac Monday  
Motivate Me Monday 
Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom 
Living Proverbs 31
Make the Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill 
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy 
Masterpiece Monday @ BoogieBoard Cottage 
A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success 
Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T. 
Making Your Home Sing Monday
A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage 
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home
Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife
The Scoop @Stone Gable
Make Bake Create @ Hope In Every Season
Tasty Treats @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Home @ Rose Chintz Cottage  
Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz 
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants 
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above
Home Link Up at Raising Arrows

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Monday, January 13, 2014

Managing Your Health with Medication Refills #WalgreensRX #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own.

My husband, Jamie, has been on medication for over 10 years now and I still have a hard time remembering to call in his medication refills! Almost every month, he ends up saying something like, "hey did you know I've only got one pill left?" Then it's a mad scramble to the phone, and later to the pharmacy, to make sure he can take it on time. I'm ready for some automated refill reminders!


While exploring Walgreens.com today, I discovered several great refill options and services to help me better manage his prescription. Jamie has suffered from migraine headaches since he was a young boy. There are a few things that make them come on, like trigger foods, lack of sleep, and stress, but they're mainly due to his blood pressure. In our early married years, he dealt with at least one debilitating migraine every week. They would be so bad that he couldn't work, drive, or even be in a room with bright lights. Finally, he was diagnosed with the blood pressure issue and given medication to keep it under control. Since then, he doesn't get them as often, and we've learned how to better manage them when he does. The prescription is essential though, so we've got to make sure he doesn't run out.


One thing I noticed immediately when viewing the website was the option for free shipping on prescriptions! One of the reasons I have a hard time refilling his prescription far enough ahead of time is that I usually only do errands once a week. So, if I've forgotten to refill the prescription (and write myself a note to pick it up) then I usually don't think about it at all until the following week. With the Walgreens free shipping option, I don't have to worry about paying extra for the convenience of not needing to go pick it up!


After a little more perusing, I found out that I could set up automatic prescription refills. It occurred to me that, if I could set this up, along with the shipping option, I wouldn't need to worry about his prescriptions again until they needed to be re-prescribed by his doctor! 


The website is so easy to navigate and, if I ever do have a question, Walgreens.com offers secure online pharmacy chat with a professional pharmacist. I'm really excited about the way Walgreens makes managing prescriptions so simple for me!


It's really important to me that Jamie doesn't have to worry about not having the medicine he needs to keep him feeling well. He works so hard for us during the week and I want to make sure he's able to enjoy his family time and free time as much as possible.




Sunday, January 12, 2014

#ad Game Day Snacks & Tyson #SuperMoments #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Although Daddy and his kids can get pretty silly about their Football food, there's one thing they're serious about: it's important to have good snacks for the Big Game. In fact, they actually have some pretty unique food traditions for game day. For instance, it's the only time of year we eat marshmallow circus peanuts!

Since game day is coming up, we threw a little sampling party ahead of time to get a good idea about what kinds of snacks we'll want to serve. Daddy and the kids always root for the underdog---that is, unless their favorite Minnesota team is playing! We went with our favorite team's colors for decorations and a couple of our favorite brands for snacks.

When I was shopping at Walmart earlier in the week, I picked up two varieties of Tyson Any'tizers: Chicken Fries and Popcorn Chicken. Next time you're in Walmart, make sure to check for the special messaging on one of the freezer endcaps. Selected Tyson Any'tizers will be on rollback for $5.98 for a limited time. 

 I also wanted to try out the lineup of Kraft dipping sauces I'd been looking at lately. I was hoping for a bbq version, as that's what Jamie loves best with chicken.

 Luckily, I found one hiding behind these little dressing bottles! Kraft BBQ Ranch---perfect! When you go to pick up yours, be sure to check for a tag on the bottleneck and a special playbook. These will be available for a limited time on participating products.

Tyson Any'tizers are easy and tasty for a quick game day snack. Our family loves their many chicken snack varieties. It's getting to the point where I'm having to come up with some pretty smooth strategies to make sure I can score a couple bites when Tyson's in the house. Sometimes I ignore strategy all together and just fight the kids for some.

I'm a pretty strict, no-nonsense Mom, but when Daddy's home, all bets are off. He's been known to encourage the kids to play with their food...

...and he's usually right there at the center of it all.

I love Tyson brand chicken snacks because the meat inside is so tender and fresh tasting. There's a big difference in biting into a Tyson Popcorn Chicken piece verses a fast food nugget. See---it really is chicken! No penalties for mystery meat here!

After the obnoxious chicken and sauce football game outside, the boys were still in the mood for some play time. Michael and Elisha were sure that big brothers would prevail, but Liam definitely made the interception!

Once I finally tackled the challenge of getting the chicken bags back from these football fans, it was time to cook up our dinner. I like using this large stoneware bar pan to cook all the chicken and fries at once. I can load it up and bake it all at 400º for about 30 minutes and it comes out great!

This shot right here is the ultimate testimony to quality chicken snacks. Kynthia has meat in her mouth and her plate is almost empty. Notice the abundance of food on the other kids' plates? Yeah, Kynthia's the Queen of the False Start! No penalties for her either though---she's way too cute!

Although these two players' uniforms would suggest they're on opposing teams, they definitely agreed that the BBQ Ranch was an excellent match for the chicken snacks.

Jamie thought so too as he scored a tasty touchdown with this chunk of popcorn chicken.

With 11 of us in the family, it can sometimes take some serious strategizing to score a bite to eat around here. But when it comes right down to it, family, food, and fun always equal a total win!

 Speaking of wins, I think we've found a perfect new game day snack tradition! Hmm...I wonder how marshmallow circus peanuts taste with BBQ Ranch sauce?

Want more fun game day ideas? Check out our Pinterest page to see what others are doing with their game day snacks!

Visit Tyson online:

Tyson's Website
Tyson on Twitter
Tyson on Facebook

and...Check out these great #SuperMoments: 
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