things I love Thursday....the 4th

This week I thought I would share some great food ideas from one of my favorite holidays...the 4th of July.  I can't believe it's next week.  All of these recipes are perfect for that party or bbq and many are super easy to make!  Enjoy!

1.  Red White and Blue Parfaits by Martha Stewart

2. Makes and Takes Red White and Blueberry Skewers

3. Brown Eyed Bakers 4th Stained Glass Jello

4. Shortcake Stars from Betty Crocker

1.  Spangled Sandwich Pops from Family Fun

2. Patriotic Popcorn from Bloom Designs

3. Patriotic Popsicles from yours truly!

4. Pillsbury's Patriotic Chex Mix

5. Positively Peaches Fourth of July Pretzels

1.  Cupcakes and Cashmere's 4th of July

2.  Chocolate Covered Strawberries via Alrecipes.com

3.  Glorious Treats has this Flag Cake

4. Red White and Blue Sangria courtesy of Recipe Girl

Accepting Sponsors for July!

I am now accepting sponsors for July on my blog.   This is a great way to get your shop or site noticed and to get the traffic rolling in! 

I am also offering button swaps with other shops or blogs..just put the blog swap button in the cart and enter code SWAP at checkout!

{{sponsor}}

Pillsbury Baguette Chips Winner!!

Drumroll please.........

Congrats to #8 B. Wilson !

 

B. Wilson said...

like pillsbury on twitter
--Brandy

So give me a shout with your info, and they will be on their way!

A natural.....

I hope you all had a nice, relaxing weekend.  We had a BUSY weekend.  Fests, pools, friends and lots of sun.  I don't know if I mentioned this, but my husband and I love to kayak.  We bought kayaks of our own a few years ago.  Last year we didn't go out much because Jack couldn't come and we didn't want to leave him too much.  Well this year we decided to try taking him with us.  We figured he would last about 10 minutes and then cry he wanted to go home.  

Not the case at all:

I think we have a little kayaker on our hands.  He LOVED sitting with us and fished with his dad.  He loves paddling and looking in the water for "Nemo".  He lasted over 2 hours, hopefully this will be something he loves doing for years to come!

Have a great Monday, and don't forget to enter the Pillsbury Baguette Chips giveaway that ends tonight!!!

Welcome in Summer with Summer Blueberry Corn Salad

hello summer.

I love summer salads.  All the fresh ingredients and they sure go great with a hot summer afternoon.  I came across this little salad on Two Peas blog, and thought, "how strange....blueberries and corn".  I love both and tried it tonight to go along with our burgers.  It was a hit.  The sweetness of the blueberries and corn, the crunchiness of the cucumbers and the kick of the jalapenos make it perfect for your summer bbq, picnic or light side to your meal.  I didn't have jalapenos so I subbed a pinch of cayenne pepper and it did the trick.  This salad can be made ahead of time which makes it super easy for you busy moms!

So let's all welcome the first day of Summer ....enjoy!

Summer Blueberry Corn Salad

Ingredients:

6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring water to boiling. Add corn. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from the cobs.

2. In a large serving bowl, combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. To make the dressing, whisk together lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wordless Wednesday...Father's Day

Pillsbury Baguette Chips Giveaway!

I hope you are all having a great start to the week!  I have something to make the week even better....a great snack!  

One of my readers will win SIX bags of new Pillsbury Baguette Chips!
Pillsbury Baguette chips are sliced from oven-baked bread and topped with savory seasonings in two flavors: Italian Cheese & Herb, and Cheddar Sun-Dried Tomato. (Yum!) Just in time for summer cookouts, picnics, and campouts, one lucky blog reader will win THREE bags of each flavor. These chips taste amazing, with Jack and my husband being chip-a-holics, they disappeared in like a day. 

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More about Pillsbury Baguette Chips:
Enjoy Pillsbury Baguette Chips for a wide range of occasions: eat them alone, add a bit more flavor to your favorite dip, spice up soup, or add some crunch to your salad!
With 130 calories per serving (21 baguette chips), and 50% less fat than regular potato chips*, Pillsbury Baguette Chips are delicious snack chips that you can feel good about eating
If that’s not enough to get your mouth watering, then check out these delicious chips for yourself. Everyone can download a printable coupon for $0.75 off one package!

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                       {{{ enter to win}}}

To enter, simply post a comment on which flavor you are more excited to try: Italian Cheese & Herb or Cheddar Sun-Dried Tomato!

Extra Entries:
Like Pillsbury on Facebook
Follow Pillsbury on Twitter
Follow Just Another Manic Momday
Like Just Another Manic Momday on Facebook


This Pillsbury Baguette Chips giveaway begins today, June 18th, 2012, and runs for one week. The giveaway will end on June 25th, 2012 at 11:59pm CST, and on June 26th, one winner will be chosen via a random number generator!  Good luck!

Legal: This giveaway is sponsored by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.  Winner will receive six bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips; 3 bags of Italian Cheese & Herb and three bags of Cheddar Sun-Dried Tomato. Product, gift pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I have received six bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips, as well as information to help promote the product as part of this giveaway.

First week ...

So my first week of Summer has flown by.  So much that forgot to post all week.  We have been super busy here with the great (now getting super hot) weather here.  I love being home with Jack, and I think he loves it too.  In fact, yesterday he said to me "I want you to stay home Mommy, and Daddy to go to work". 

I thought I would post some pics from our week.  Jack had his first Cubs game this week, and had a blast...even though he didn't really watch the game.  But he has not learned all the words to "take me out to the ballgame".  Two things we learned this week....he's terrified of the pool this year, and trying to leave him at the gym childcare for the first time was a HUGE fail. 

I am hoping to get over both of those fears this summer.  In the meantime check back here for a couple great giveaways.  I will also promise to post way more.  Have a great Friday.

An amazing little thing...

How many times have you laid in bed listing to your little on the monitor thinking "I wish I could see what they are doing right now"?  I did  that all the time.  I would hear Jack singing or talking to his dolls and would wonder what he was doing in his crib.  Well I no longer have to wonder....

I was sent this Lorex Video Baby Monitor to try out and I am in love.  Actually my husband and I both are.   We love that we can now see him in his bed and not just hear him anymore.  We love that we can control the camera and pan We REALLY love that we can talk to him throught the camera so he knows that we are right near by.    

The Lorex LIVE SENSE PT  has one-touch video recording.  You can even playback the videos on the handheld monitor, or transfer them easily to your computer  to share on sites like Facebook and Youtube. You can even see what's happening by watching video from any PC, Mac, select Android models or iPhones anywhere in the world using Skype. The indoor Pan/Tilt camera is controlled by the handset and is equipped with 20ft. of night vision. This monitor also has Other features include two-way audio, built-in lullabies, and electronic temperature sensor.  You can buy up to 3 additional cameras and watch all 4 at once on the monitor!

 

My only regret is that I didn't have this camera 2 1/2 years ago.  I will still use it plenty with Jack and when we have our next one.  

 

You can check out this and all the other products Lorex has to offer here., and follow them on Facebook HERE.   On either site you can enter to win your own Lorex product!

 

 

Video monitor was given by Lorex; all opinons here are mine.

 

life...

You may have noticed I have not posted much lately.  I have the last day of school tomorrow, which means no more job.  My goal for summer is to post much more and take many more photos this Summer.    I have also been working on the Etsy shop a lot and wanted to post some of our new items!

Wild and Free quote

Girly Dump Truck

Baseball Print

I'll be back in full effect next week.  Until then have a great day!

Summer S'more Squares

I love S'mores, (who doesn't) but don't often get to make them around a campfire like the old days.  Well welcome my Summer S'more Bites.  These are the easiest, dessert I have made I think, and perfect for those summer cookouts minus the campfire.

And this time, that is my photo.  I am trying to get back into photography skills.  Maybe with the loss of my job, will come some much needed photography time! 

Have a great week!

Summer S'more Squares
 Yields 24

Ingredients:
12 graham cracker sheets
12 large marshmallows
24 Hershey's Kisses

Directions:

Break graham cracker sheets in half.  Using a knife (or clean scissors) cut each marshmallow into 2 halves. Heat oven to Low Broil and place oven rack two levels below broiler. Align graham crackers in the center of a cookie sheet about 1/2" apart from each other (be sure they are near the center so they are directly under the broiler and cook more evenly at the same time). Top each graham cracker with a marshmallow with the cut/sticky side down. Place marshmallow topped graham crackers under broiler (turn oven light on if you have one). KEEP WATCHING!  Watch them closely as they will toast quickly, allow to toast until golden rotating pan with oven mitt as needed.  (I burnt a batch becuase I wasn't watching, so be careful!).  Once golden immediately remove from oven, place 1 Kiss in the center of each toasted marshmallow and gently press down. For best results serve warm, just like a real S'more.
*You will probably have to broil two pans, as only about 12 crackers fit on a pan.