Happy Easter!

Giveaway!

Congratulations Lin F - you're the winner! Check your email for details of how to claim your prize!

Valentine Cinnamon Rolls

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here's a super easy recipe for today....actually it's not even a recipe because you're just going to use store bought refrigerated cinnamon rolls (I used Pillsbury)




Just follow the directions for baking.  As you put the rolls in the baking pan, put a little "indent" at the top of the round roll and it will look like a heart.  You can even shape them by hand into a heart if you want.  Drizzle the cinnamon glaze on top when they're out of the oven and then top them off with cinnamon candies.  The heat might make them melt a little, resulting a red-colored glaze.  Or wait for the rolls to completely cool and top with sliced strawberries.  So easy and pretty too!  Enjoy!

Free Valentine Printables

Two more days until Valentine's Day!  Last night I helped my 8 year old address his cards for the party and Valentine card exchange his class is having on Friday.  Although we bought his cards, there's a lot of free printables you can find - one of my favorite sites is Free Printable Valentines. The card above is from that site.  So cute!  Not only can you find cards, but there's also Valentine memory games and puzzles you can download for free.  Have fun!

New Music Release by Loreena McKennitt

Have you heard of Loreena McKennitt?  She's an independent music pioneer who's celebrating her 30 year music career with the release The Journey So Far—The Best of Loreena McKennitt, out on March 4th.  She's probably best known for her song, The Mummer's Dance, which was featured in the movie The Mists of Avalon.

 

With 14 million albums sold, a pair of Juno Awards and two Grammy nominations, Loreena McKennitt is known for her groundbreaking blend of Celtic sounds and World Beat. Her career is now documented on this gorgeous retrospective album, with a deluxe edition including a second disc, A Midsummer Night’s Tour, featuring highlights from the live performance recorded at the Zitadelle in Mainz, Germany, in July of 2012—a return to the city in which the 2013 Grammy nominated Troubadours on the Rhine was recorded.

For more information about Loreena, visit her website , follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

National Wear Red Day

Did you know that today, February 7, is National Wear Red Day® with Go Red For Women?  It's to help fight women’s No. 1 killer—heart disease.  Why red?  Because it's the color of our hearts.  This year is the 11-year anniversary of National Wear Red Day®.    Here's my Etsy picks for ways to wear red today:

Eco-friendly Red leather cuff bracelet by missismiss on Etsy - adds an elegant touch to any outfit

Red mini stud earrings by wild juniper on Etsy - great for Valentine's day too!

Red infinity scarf by Forgotten Cotton on Etsy - perfect for the winter weather


Heart disease has affected my family (my grandfather died of a heart attack) so I'll definitely be wearing red today to bring awareness to this event.

Have a great day and great weekend!

Book Review - The Reason For My Hope: Salvation

The Reason for My Hope: Salvation is a book written by Billy Graham.  In what could possibly be his last book (he's 95 now), Mr. Graham is still leading people to salvation through his message and the true stories contained in his book.  The question Billy Graham asks throughout the book is: Who would refuse rescue?  There are actually people who refuse to be saved, even if they're in a hopeless situation.  Besides the question of why someone would refuse to be saved, there are thought-provoking questions asked of the reader in each chapter. 

There are 8 chapters:

1. Rescued for Something
2. The Great Redemption
3. Sin Is In
4. The Price of Victory
5. Where is Jesus?
6. Defining Christianity in a Designer World
7. No Hope of Happy Hour in Hell
8. He Is Coming Back

This is an outstanding book and I would highly recommend it to anyone, not just because it might be Mr. Graham's last book, but for the message of encouragement and hope in it which I think we all need to hear.  Thank you Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Free Printable Calendars

Happy New Year! Can't believe it's the third day of 2014 already!  If you still need a calendar, here's a couple of sites to customize, download and print your own - http://www.printable2014calendars.com/ and http://www.calendarlabs.com/ .  Have fun!

Free Printable Gift Tags

There's a lot of websites (and blogs) that offer free printable gift tags.  One site I like to use is http://www.freeprintablegifttags.net/.  Not only can you get free gift tags for any occasion but they offer a newsletter you can sign up for also.  I love the Rudolph tag above!

P.S.  Can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! This month has flown by and I'll be offering 50% off on selected items at the Little Pink Plum shop as I make way for new items in 2014!

Book Review - Last Light

Last Light is a novel by New York Times best-selling suspense author Terri Blackstock.  From the back cover: The city of Birmingham, Alabama, is experiencing a massive blackout.  Planes suddenly lose power and crash to the earth. Cars stall in the middle of the street and won't restart. Cell phones and the internet are dead.  All communications are cut off. Is it a terrorist attack....or something far worse?
My thoughts: When I started reading the book, it sounded just like the tv show Revolution because of the same scenario - power goes out worldwide and people need to adapt to survive.  What surprised me is that Ms. Blackstock actually wrote this novel years before the tv show!  In her novel, the Branning family members need to decide whether or not to hoard their possessions or to trust in God and share their resources with others.  While they are trying to rebuild their lives and learn to live without power, people in their neighborhood start getting killed.  Is it one of the Branning's friends or someone else? 
I really enjoyed reading this book.  The plot was fast-moving and the action keeps going until the end.  I would recommend this book to others and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
Disclosure: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Cyber Monday coupon code

Here's a coupon code for the Little Pink Plum shop - use code CYBERMONDAY at check out and received 20% off your order today!

happy turkey day!

 

What are you thankful for today?  I hope everyone is enjoying their day with family and friends!

Webcast - Christmas at the Farm

 

Please join New York Times best selling authors, Liz Curtis Higgs and Ann Voskamp on November 21 at 12 noon EST for their webcast "Christmas at the Farm: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas." Liz and Ann will be sharing family traditions and holiday memories, yummy recipes and ideas for a sacred and sane Christmas.   Click here to get a preview of all the fun that's in store and click here for the webcast on November 21.

 

Free Birds Movie Release Today!

 

 

Happy November!  This past week just flew by with all the school activities and of course Halloween.  Today marks the nationwide opening of the 3D animated film, "Free Birds."

The movie is a ReelFX and Relativity production directed by Jimmy Hayward, who also directed Horton Hears a Who! The film is a buddy-comedy about two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks who must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history and get turkey off the holiday menu for good. Produced by Aron Warner of Shrek, it features the voices of Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler and Woody Harrelson.  What a great cast! I think this is going to be super funny!

 

The soundtrack has already been released by Relativity Music Group featuring the composer Dominic Lewis.  He is a British-born film composer and classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London.  The soundtrack also features Social Distortion's cover of Creedence Clearwater Survival song, "Up Around the Bend) as well, "Back In Time," from YouTube sensation and member of the recently-named elite in Billboard.com's '21 Under 21' list, MattyB.

 

Free Birds Music from the Motion Picture Track Listing:

1. Up Around The Bend
2. Starry Side Up
3. All The Trimmings
4. Turkatory
5. Poultry Pardon
6. El Solo Pavo
7. Turknapped
8. Shell Shocked
9. Secret Military Baster
10. Cranberry Saucer
11. Eggs-istential Crisis
12. Killing Two Birds With One Standish
13. Fly Or Get Stuffed
14. School Of Flock
15. Roast This!
16. Tryptophan Traps
17. Jive Turkey
18. Lazy Eye View
19. Birds Of A Feather
20. Great Egg-scape
21. Hold On To Your Giblets
22. The Right Stuffing
23. Fowl Play
24. Laid To Rest
25. Cold Turkey
26. The Great Turkey
27. Iratus Aves
28. Ocellata Turkeys
29. Back In Time

 

For more information on Free Birds please visit http://www.freebirdsmovie.com You can also follow the film on Facebook and Twitter at @FreeBirdsMovie.

 

Purchase the Free Birds Soundtrack on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/17qHF6s.

 

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!



Win A Pendant and Matching Mirror!

The Little Pink Plum shop sponsoring a giveaway on a great blog called Drawing Dreaming. One winner will receive a pendant plus matching mirror! And the winner gets to choose the design - any design in the shop! There's still time to enter and click here to go to Drawing Dreaming. Good Luck!

Book Review - Compass The Study Bible

I am excited to tell you about a beautiful bible called Compass, The Study Bible For Navigating Your Life (Thomas Nelson Publishers). From the back cover: Do you want to start reading and applying the Bible to your life, but aren't quite sure where to start? Let Compass point you in the right direction.

This Bible has so many great features starting with the book itself. The Bible comes packaged in a cardboard sleeve that explains some of the features you will find. Upon removing the sleeve, the beautiful cover is soft to the touch but durable with a compass embossed on the front and the spine. Inside the Bible you will find features such as a Road Map To God's Promises and topical guides to Scripture and notes. There is also a reading plan for every day of the year. No more figuring out what you should read or where to start; just follow the plan! Another great feature is the price -$19.99. This Bible is definitely one you can afford to buy not just for yourself, but for gift giving too. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Disclosure: Thanks to Shelton Interactive, I received this Bible in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review - A Plain Disappearance

A Plain Disappearance, written by Amanda Flower, is An Appleseed Creek Mystery.   I've been lucky enough to have read the first two books and this book follows Chloe Humphrey as she tries to discover who murdered a young Amish girl.   Chloe is in a new relationship with Timothy Troyer and is out on a drive with him when they discover the body of Katie Lambright.   All the signs point to Tim's friend Billy as being the killer who disappears soon after the murder.   Chloe and Timothy work to find Billy and are determined to either prove his innocence or bring him to justice.

What I like about the character of Chloe is that she isn't a detective but just a regular girl.  But somehow she finds herself in situations where there has been a murder and she starts to get involved in the investigation much to the chagrin of the local police chief.  At the same time, Chloe is in the beginning of a relationship with Tim Troyer who has left the Amish faith, so that's another difficult situation that she is in.  Chloe is a likeable character and I was definitely rooting for her to solve the murder mystery and also for things to work out with Tim.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others. 

Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Friday Fun - DIY Washi Tape Vase

This is an easy DIY project that you and/or your kids can do.  All you need are some rolls of washi tape and a clean bottle.   The bottles I'm using are a Japanese drink called Bikkle (I love that name!).   To remove the label easily, I just soaked the bottle in a container filled with water for a few hours.  Use a sponge on the outside to get rid of any sticky parts.  I think GooGone would work too?

Now that the label is removed, gather your washi tape.  I decided to use mainly pinks although my favorite washi tape at the moment is the bunny pattern one -see it under the alphabet tape?  So cute!

I started at the bottom and wrapped the tape around once.  Then I took the second tape and overlapped it slightly and did the same with the third piece of tape.

Once you've finished wrapping your bottle, put a flower in it and enjoy your new vase!

Hello to October + a giveaway!

 

Hello to October!  In celebration of my birthday month, I will be hosting a giveaway starting next week - a $50 (virtual) gift certificate to Little Pink Plum!  I'll let you know the details and how to enter in a couple of days.  Enjoy your day!

Pasta, Salad and a recipe

In an effort to eat healthier, I'm trying to revise recipes for meals that my family regularly eats.  The top picture is a basic salad with greens, sliced tomatoes and onions but the difference is I added a piece of roasted eggplant.  Normally I would have the eggplant as a side dish but incorporated it into the salad.  Then I made a berry vinaigrette dressing using a recipe I found online.  Basically you add equal parts olive oil (approx. 1/4 to 1/2 cup) and balsamic vinegar.  Add 2 tsp Dijon mustard and about 1/4 cup agave sweetener.  I have never used agave before but now I think I'll be using it in place of the white refined sugar for any future cooking/baking.  Then if you have raspberries or strawberries (we had a cup of raspberries), add that to the mixture and blend all in a blender.    The recipe says to add a pinch of salt and pepper but I didn't and it tasted just fine.

Then I made pasta using whole wheat instead of the white enriched spaghetti I always have.  I'm not quite sure about the texture - the noodles seemed a little harder than what I'm used to so maybe I need to cook it longer?  And instead of having meat sauce on the top, I tried it plain with slices of zucchini and a handful of (canned) sweet corn with a little olive oil mixed in.  My husband ate his pasta with a topping of plain yogurt and liked it.   I think next time I'm going to try topping the pasta with pepperoni or a few slices of grilled chicken breast but I missed the sauce so I might have to add a little.

The pictures were taken with my iPhone.  I think they came out okay but I just found a tutorial online so I'm going to work on my iPhone photo skills now.....have a good day!