Friday 30 May 2014

Jelly Donut Ice Cream Bowls

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When the warmer weather hits, one thing that my kids ask me to add to the grocery list each week is ice cream. We love ice cream and my husband, especially, is known for having a bowl after dinner for dessert. I love how ice cream can be the base for so many different dessert creations, like these delicious Jelly Donut Ice Cream Bowls, courtesy of Smucker's®. And not only are they easy to make, but are a wonderful take on the jelly donut. These little bowls, perfect for kids or adults, taste so good!
Did you know that I grew up in rural Nova Scotia, and never experienced the delights of an ice cream truck until I was 36 years old? Yes. It's true. When we moved in 2005 to a large city, we got to experience the giddy excitement hearing the music of the ice cream truck and running with the kids outside to choose a special ice cream treat. My son and daughter were 4 and 8 years old at the time and they could not believe that an ice cream truck could come right to the neighbourhood! It was like some sort of ice cream magic happening!
And now we know that one of the first signs of summer is hearing the faint, joyful music of the ice cream truck coming down the street. It is one of the best feelings in the world as a kid. Now my kids will be able to recall running to the ice cream truck as it turned the corner, spending their allowance or pleading to their Dad and I for an ice cream cone or other frozen treat. If you were fortunate enough to grow up in a large city, I am sure that you have some fond memories of the ice cream truck as a kid too. The Jelly Donut Ice Cream Bowl is a recreation of those classic ice cream truck treats, with fresh strawberries and scrumptious pieces of donuts-plus it is easy to make at home.

Jelly Donut Ice Cream Bowl  

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 sundae

Ingredients:
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped strawberries
¼ cup (50 mL) Smucker’s® Sundae SyrupTM Strawberry Flavoured Syrup
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped glazed donuts
½ cup (125 mL) strawberry ice cream or frozen yogurt
Icing sugar
Additional strawberries for garnish

Directions:
·         Combine strawberries and strawberry syrup.
·         Top ice cream with donuts and strawberry topping.
·         Garnish with additional strawberries and icing sugar.
The excitement the ice cream truck song evokes in every kid (or kid at heart) never changes...and this summer, Smucker's­® is tapping into those fond memories by taking popular ice cream truck classics and showing Canadian families how to re-invent them at home.Along with this Jelly Donut Ice Cream Bowl recipe, Smucker's is sharing these other amazing recipes inspired by ice cream truck classics on Smuckers,ca including the Kitchen Sink Milkshake Float, Sweet & Salty Caramel Crunch Sundaes, and Magic Shell® Dipper Pops.
And as a busy mom, to me there is no easier dessert or treat to serve my family or guests in rhe summer than ice cream with Smucker's® Sundae Syrups™ and assorted fruit or other yummy add-ins. It's nice to know that when the ice cream truck is not around, many of the tasty classics can be created in our very own kitchen with help from Smucker's®.

Disclosure: This post was generously sponsored by Smucker's®. As always, I only partner with brands/products that I use and love in my own home. Smucker's® Sundae Syrups™ are a staple in our fridge. All opinions are my own.

 
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Thursday 29 May 2014

Keep Your Family & Bathrooms Clean This Summer with Lysol® No-Touch™ Antibacterial Hand Soap System

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With summer vacation just around the corner, I know that our house will soon become a place of live action during the day...with kids{and the husband} running in and out of the house doing their 'stuff'. With kids and adults running in and out of the house while doing yard work, gardening, or playing, the bathroom can frequently look like a complete disaster area with dirty hand prints, wet towels and gummed up, germ-y soap dispensers. The bathroom you see below is our most used bathroom because it's on our main floor and sits beside a door which leads to our back yard, and it's often busier than a city intersection with the dirt to prove it. And the last thing I feel like doing on a hot summer day is more bathroom cleaning while nagging my kids/husband to wash their hands. 

Recently, we tried and loved the Lysol® No-Touch Antibacterial Hand Soap System. It's a no touch hand soap dispenser that makes washing hands fun while helping to prevent and eliminate the spread of millions of germs that your hands can pick up during the day. It's no-touch feature works with batteries and automatically senses hands and dispenses the right amount of soap every time. It's ideal for using in bathrooms and kitchens with refills that come in a variety of scents and are enriched with moisturizing ingredients. It's available at local grocery stores, so you can easily pick up refills whenever you pick up groceries.
I love it because its no-touch design means that I no longer have to clean a dirty and gummed up soap dispenser bottle.  I also love the sleek, stainless steel design that fits seamlessly into my bathroom's decor without taking up a lot of space on a small bathroom vanity.
My family loves it because it is so easy to use and the scents smell so good. We tried both the moisturizing aloe vera and vitamin e and refreshing citrus scents in the system and they left hands smelling great and feeling soft. 

 Lysol is making it possible for YOU to try out this system with these two amazing offers:

1-Try a Lysol® No-Touch™ Antibacterial Hand Soap System FREE through a MAIL-IN REBATE OFFER found HERE.

2-For a limited time only, you can save $1 off any Lysol® Hand Soap Foam Refill, Lysol® No-Touch™ Refill, and Antibacterial Hand Soap with this OFFER found HERE.
 As a busy mom, I love things that help keep my family healthy, and make cleaning easier. Using the Lysol® No-Touch Antibacterial Hand Soap System really made it easy to keep our hands clean  while keeping the amount of mess in the bathroom hand-washing area to a minimum. I loved this system so much that I bought one for our kitchen too! With summer grilling season coming and the chances of touching raw meat for the BBQ, it just made total sense for us to have a Lysol® No-Touch system where ever we wash our hands.

Disclosure-This post was brought to you by Lysol® via SheBlogs. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Lysol.



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Wednesday 28 May 2014

The Outdoor Extravaganza Linky Party! Come Link Up Your Projects!

Follow on BloglovinIt's here! It's time to LINK Up your amazing projects!
We are looking for your creative projects so we can have the BEST Outdoor Extravaganza party ever!
And the best part? Your projects will be seen on all 6 blogs!

Here are this week's  amazing creations from all of your hostesses from left to right and top to bottom: 
A Recycled Outdoor Table By Echoes of Laughter {That's me!}
Weathered Beach Container Garden by Satori Designs For Living
Hanging Succulent Centrepiece Tutorial by Craftberry Bush
Painting Exterior Brick by Inspired Living
How To Waterproof Outdoor Furniture by Savvy Living
Newly Painted Gardening Bench by My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia

And my other Outdoor Extravaganza Party projects:








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Tuesday 27 May 2014

How Our Family Commited to Fit With The Subway® Commit To Fit™ Pledge Contest #SUBWAYFreshSwap

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Although our family strives to eat as healthy as we can and  to make time for daily exercise, sometimes we don't always get it right and sometimes we fall off the wagon. However, we have no problem dusting ourselves off and trying to getting back on track when that happens. If you do something new often enough, then it becomes a new habit and the hard work pays off by having a healthy new habit.  I often chat with our kids about how fueling the body for activity and learning is such an important task, and when the body is fueled properly, you not only perform better, but you also feel better too. And just like any busy family, there are times when we don't get home to eat properly, so we are glad to have the option of choosing SUBWAY as a healthier alternative to fast food meals. We love loading up on vegetables for more nutrients and choosing whole grains for increasing fiber. I often add some fresh fruit from home for dessert and we call it a good meal!
SUBWAY® Restaurants is encouraging Canadians to take the Commit To Fit™ Pledge and commit to leading a healthier, active lifestyle by making great food and lifestyle choices and swapping old habits for new healthier habits and active living.

Our family took the  Commit To Fit™ Pledge and here are the old habits that we are swapping out for new habits this month:

1. Swapping juice for water more often.
2. Swapping 1/2 hour of TV for an extra 1/2 hour of sleep at night.
3. Swapping bread or rolls at dinner for a fresh salad.
4. Swapping sitting around after supper each night for a walk.
5. Swapping pizza or burgers for subs loaded with vegetables for an easy dinner when life is busy.
You and your family can take the SUBWAY® Commit To Fit™ Pledge by visiting Subway Canada's Facebook page. When you take the SUBWAY® Commit To Fit™ Pledge,  you will automatically be entered to win $10,000 cash plus a $500 SUBWAY® cash card. Once you've taken the Pledge, you can track your progress by logging your fresh swaps and activities online in the categories of Nutrition, Exercise and Wellness. Additional SUBWAY® $250 cash cards will be awarded monthly to those who log their fresh swaps and activities.  The sweepstakes are open between May 1, 2014 and October 31, 2014, with the Grand Prize Winner being announced on or around November 17, 2014.

With the warmer weather here, getting outside is easier than ever, and with lots of fresh local fruits and vegetables available soon, now is a great time to have a family discussion about committing to some healthy new habits and swapping out old bad habits with some new goals that support healthy living. And SUBWAY® Restaurants wants to help you achieve this goal with their Commit To Fit™ Pledge Contest. And whether you commit to new eating habits, exercise or wellness goals, any change, whether big or small, is a step in the right direction to creating a  healthier and more active family.

Disclosure: I am part of the SUBWAY® Restaurants Commit To Fit™  Blogger Campaign  and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.


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A Recycled Outdoor Side Table

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I was recently tempted to give a girlfriend a collection of pretty spray paint colours as a housewarming gift. Does any one think that that's a good idea or just plain weird?
  I just think that spray paint is a girl's best friend when it comes to decorating because with a push of a button, you can change anything. ANYTHING. And for the better.
Like this ugly old metal side table that I refreshed last year with a can of yellow paint.
Before, it was a big dose of ugly. Now it's a bright spot of pretty, don't you think?
I am seriously not joking. Look at what it was before. Ready to be kicked to the curb, don't you think? As I was explaining to my mom on the phone that I was going to paint it bright yellow, I could tell that she wasn't 'feelin it'. Until she saw the after.
A perfectly pretty side table. With just 1 can of paint.
I am using it as a little hostess station on our back deck. 
It hold drinks and snacks, but it could be an art station, a plant stand, a dessert stand, or anything.
And it even has a second shelf to hold needed items.
The lesson in all of this? Don't throw away that which can be useful!
Don't park it. Paint it!
Look around you and see what can be made beautiful again.
I am sure that you will find something that will make your yard lovely!
Don't forget that tomorrow is the 3rd Linky Party for 2014 Outdoor Extravaganza Link Parties and the theme is paint projects! We invite you to share and link up your wonderful paint projects that give your home even MORE awesome curb appeal! We are looking for ALL of your creative projects so we can have the BEST Outdoor Extravaganza party ever!
And the best part? Your projects will be seen across all 6 blogs!
This year’s hostesses are (left to right):
Tiffany from Living Savvy
Angie from Echoes of Laughter {That's me!}
Lucy from Craftberry Bush
Dawn from Inspired Living

And ALL of us are sharing amazing projects today! Please visit each hostess to see their creation!

I cannot wait to see ALL of your amazing projects!

To see more of my outdoor projects:
Spray Painted Bucket Planters
 A Deck Makeover
 Front Porch Makeover
 Easy Chevron Flower Pots

Thank you so much for visiting!


 
This post is linked to:
Monday FundayThe Creative Collection, Our Sunday Best Showcase,  The ScoopWork It WednesdayI`m Lovin` It,  Inspiration Gallery, Weekend Retreat, The Party Bunch, Tatertots & Jello, Link Party Palooza,

Monday 26 May 2014

5 Tips for Deep Cleaning & Organizing Your Kitchen For Spring

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Every Spring, I like to give my kitchen a good deep cleaning. It's the most used room in our home...with meals and snacks being created multiple times per day...along with the baking and canning projects I like to do over the Fall & Winter. So come Spring...it is definitely time for a thorough, top to bottom cleaning & organizing. You may remember that I have chatted on this blog before about organizing a kitchen into zones and organizing a fridge for healthy, fast food at home, but I don't think I have ever shared how I go about doing a deep clean. 
Here are a few tips that will help make the job go easier!


5 Tips For Deep Cleaning The Kitchen

1. Gather Up Supplies.
Gather up the cleaning supplies needed including: a bucket, a good de-greasing spray,all-purpose cleaner, a sponge, a a few cleaning cloths, a ladder and a mop. Also gather a few empty cardboard boxes for items that you have decided to let go and donate.
2. Block The Time
Block the time into your calendar so it is a scheduled cleaning job. Make a plan for the kids to be busy or visiting if it makes the job easier for you. Book a few times as opposed to 1 day if 1 day is not enough time. Plan to a slow cooker meal so that you won't have to worry about dinner at the end of the day when you are tired.
3. Work Top to Bottom
Start from the top and work to the bottom. This means starting at the ceiling and working to the floor. This order makes sense because as you clean, dust and dirt will float down and land on the floor, which will be the last thing to be cleaned. Also, after the 'top' jobs are done, then the ladder can be put away.
4. Purge & Organize
Now is a great time to purge and remove all the things that not being used. Place them in cardboard boxes to go to charity. Organized the remaining items into work zones so that they make sense.
5. Clean All Surfaces
Remove fridge & stove and clean the floor underneath. Wipe all cupboards doors and appliances. Lastly, wipe down baseboards and mop floors.

I always start with a good cleaning of the area on top of the cupboards. I take everything down, give the cupboards a good spray with a de-greaser and wipe with clean cloths. I wash all of the dishes, and I also purge things that I want to get rid of. I also like to re-decorate this space and make things fresh again. This year, I decorated with a fresh colour scheme of wood textures, white dishes, baskets and touches of indigo blue.
Then I go through each cupboard, removing everything and wiping down the inside.
Anything that is not being used is placed in the box to donate.
Then I put everything back in an organized way so that things make sense and is easy to access.

I clean all surfaces and wipe down small appliances thoroughly.
Next, we move the stove and fridge to clean the floors underneath, which becomes a catch-all area for crumbs and dried, sticky spills.
One thing that makes my kitchen so much easier to clean & maintain are my Frigidaire Smudge-Proof ™Technology Fridge & Stove. {This technology is available on all Frigidaire Gallery and Frigidaire Professional® products and works like a charm in making kitchen clean-ups super fast by resisting dirty fingerprints. This technology is so much easier to clean than traditional stainless steel surfaces because Frigidaire uses high grade stainless steel that is coated with layers of polymers, resulting in a sleek, beautiful stainless steel finish that is both durable and resistant to fingerprints. 
My fridge and stove clean beautifully with just water and I love that!
And lastly, I clean the other areas in my kitchen, like the beverage center and pantry.
There is nothing I like more in my home than a clean, organized & sparkling kitchen. Although the other rooms in my home might be a disaster at times, I don't mind as long as the kitchen is clean. I love having a beautiful & clean kitchen greet me in the morning. A good deep cleaning once or twice a year gives me the extra piece of mind that the areas that aren't seen on a daily basis are clean as well. And a wonderfully clean kitchen is the best beginning for creating tasty meals and delicious treats for my family.

Disclosure: I am part of the Frigidaire Canada Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on the blog are my own.



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My Flower Garden with Miracle-Gro's flower magic: 2 Weeks In & We Have Plants! #flowermagicCA

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A few weeks ago, I shared with you a plan for a new gardening project that I was working on and how we had built a raised bed in our yard for this project. Then I shared in this post how on Monday, May 12, I planted my new garden with the help of Miracle Gro™'s new flower magic. It was the fastest and easiest garden I have ever planted and it literally took me about 10 minutes in the middle of a very busy day.  All I did was SHAKE and WATER!
And I now have this!
Two weeks ago, it was this:
 Miracle Gro™'s new flower magic has made things so easy for the gardener because the soil turns a light brown when it needs to be watered. For the past two weeks, I have been watching the soil, and when it was light brown,  I simply watered the garden with a gentle spray from a watering can. 
I am so excited that after two weeks, I now have this:
Beautiful, healthy green shoots poking up through the soil!
 And more beautiful, green shoots poking up through the soil.
And a whole bed of beautiful green shoots! {Ignore the weeds. It's raining today, but I will get out and weed it tomorrow!}
This is what it looked like just two weeks ago:
And here is a side by side shot so you can see the progress:
I simply used this canister of Miracle Gro's flower magic and followed the directions. It's a flower seed mix  that includes flower seeds, fertilizer and coir {a super absorbent growing material}that shakes on a garden in minutes and blooms all summer long. I am testing it out and I will be reporting here every 2 weeks over a period of 2 months so you can see the progress.
Miracle-Gro flower magic™ comes in two mixes...a Multicolour Mix which includes up to 29 varieties of flower seeds,  and a Pink & White Mix which includes up to 16 varieties of flower seeds. It's available wherever you find Miracle-Gro gardening products and retails for  $15.99. 
I am using the Mulitcolour Mix for my new bed, and here is what it looked like right after I planted and watered it on May 12.
And here's how it looks today!
In two weeks,  I will be back to share new growth or other changes to the garden. 
Please come with me on this journey as I share updates on the transformation of this bed!
You can follow the progress by keeping up-to-date with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by following #flowermagicCA

To learn more, visit www.miracle-gro.ca

Thank you so much for visiting! 


Disclosure: This post was generously sponsored by Miracle-Gro™. As always, I only partner with brands/products that I use and love in my own home. All opinions are my own.


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breakfast coupons you also can find recipe from