Travel

Drop Your Digital Device Here Free Printable + Disconnect to Reconnect GIVEAWAY

1 · May 15, 2014 · 23 Comments

+ This post brought to you by the JM Smucker’s Co. & The Power of Family Meals, Disconnect to Reconnect + I remember years ago, when the world was just opening up to our new mobile technology. Everyone was so excited to have the ability to connect ANYWHERE. It was revolutionary. I could not wait until I could get my first cell phone. It was a brick, but I carried it proudly and LOVED being able to contact anyone, at anytime and in any place. Then the technology continued to evolve and soon we could text, and then the birth of the smartphone happened. We could access the internet, our email ANYWHERE! It was brilliant.

Then I remember hearing a news story where the experts were saying that because of this new technology, we as humans will forget how to connect on a personal, face to face way. They said that we as a society would become more and more isolated because of this technology. We would forget how to make eye contact, we would forget how to make small talk, we would get sucked more and more into our devices and then society would face a human crisis. My first thought was poppycock! We as humans would never lose our personal connections.

And then as of late, I started observing… I saw people out at restaurants sitting together, not communicating, all of them with their eye glued to the screen of their smartphone. NO INTERACTION AT ALL! It made my heart hurt. Then it started to see it creep into my own family…

We would sit down to meals and my husband and I would be glued to the email inbox on our iPhones, or checking out the latest and greatest Youtube video. As our kiddos got older, they too started to get their own devices, and meal time became a place to sit at the table, eat food and stare at our devices. Minimal talking, and the poor younger kiddos without devices were ignored and bored. It actually shames me to have to say that, I’m embarrassed!

Once I woke-up and realized what was happening, I quickly took matters into my own hands and gently asked the family if we could make a change. At first, I met some resistance… what would we talk about? Ahhh Mom, really? But Honey, I have to stay connected to work. Does this sound familiar?

It took a little time, but we have successfully transitioned to device free meal times! No television, no iPhones, no iPads… just us, and we LOVE it! Our family has taken the pledge at The Power of Family Meals® to EAT SCREEN FREE this Sunday! You can take the pledge as well and join us. To help, I’ve created this free printable to help the family reconnect…

This is a simple printable that you can print, fold in half and place on a tray or basket to encourage your family to drop their digital devices on the tray, away from the table and then join the family for a screen free meal!

You can download the “Drop your Digital Device Here” by clicking this link

I plan on using this simple sign during our family meals and even when we entertain with family and friends. Hopefully it will encourage even more to take a few minutes to unplug and connect with what really matters.

Breakfast for Dinner GIVEAWAY

The J.M. Smucker’s Co. has graciously donated a Breakfast for Dinner prize pack valued at $125 for one of you who decides to take the pledge!

It’s packed full of all kinds of goodies that will get your screen free dinner of to a good start.

The Breakfast for Dinner giveaway includes:

Presto Jumbo Cool Touch electric griddle (1)
7-piece kitchen utensil set with stand (1)
Family Talk conversation game (1)
Smucker’s Strawberry Natural Squeeze jam (1)
JIF Creamy Peanut Butter (1)
JIF Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (1)
Folger’s Classic Roast (1)
Hungry Jack Breakfast Syrup (1)
Hungry Jack Complete Pancake and Waffle Mix (2)
Martha White Banana Nut Muffin Mix (2)
Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray (1)
Martha White All-Purpose Flour (1)

Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below to enter…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roasted Potatoes and My Visit to Smucker’s

0 · Nov 4, 2013 · 1 Comment

// Roasted Potatoes Recipe //

A few weeks ago I had the fabulous opportunity to visit Orrville, Ohio the home of the Smucker's Family.

You know… Like Smucker's jam and jelly. Little did I know how diverse the Smucker's family really is. It's not all jam & jelly, they have a large family with all kinds of wonderful and iconic brands like Folgers, Jiff, Hungry Jack, Pillsbury Baking and Crisco to name a few. We had the chance to meet Tim & Richard Smucker the Grandsons of J.M. Smucker the founder of the family owned Smucker Brand.

Leigh Anne (Your Homebased Mom) // Me (WhipperBerry ) // Tim Smucker // Sarah (A Thrifty Mom) // Kristen (Six Sisters Stuff)

Richard Smucker & Myself

We had a couple of amazing days learning all about this truly remarkable company. Still family owned, still infused with the values instilled by J.M. Smucker himself. A company that refuses to let go of the family touch in a world where products and brands are becoming more and more sterile.

Here is the whole crew out in front of J.M. Smucker's house that he built right on the grounds of his company headquarters back at the turn of the century. The house is still there along with some of the old buildings he used back in the day. Today it is a beautiful campus with a good mixture of old and new. A fabulous way to help their employees remember their roots and core values.

I just fell in love with the whole Smucker Family and I can't wait to share more of what I learned while I was there. But… instead of boring you with one long wrap-up post. I thought I would develop some fun recipes using some of the Smucker's products to tell the story.

Since we are getting close to Thanksgiving, I thought I would share one of my family's favorite side dishes. Roasted Tri-Color Potatoes. I know, you thought you were going to get a jam or jelly recipe coming from Smucker's… Don't you worry, I thought I would start with the savory.

Roasted Tri-Color Potatoes

What makes these roasted potatoes special, is that I use three different types of potatoes. Sweet, Russet & Fingerling potatoes are the key to this dish. The secret ingredient that takes it over the top… Crisco Culinary Fusions Garlic & Herb Oils.

Roasted Tri-Color Potato Ingredients

2 – 3 sweet potatoes

3 russet or baking potatoes

1 lb. of fingerling potatoes

1 1/2 tablespoon of Crisco Culinary Fusions Roasted Garlic oil

1 1/2 tablespoons of Crisco Culinary Fusions Italian Herb oil

4 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425˚

Cut potatoes into bite sized cubes uniform in size. Place in a large bowl with generous amounts of salt & pepper, your chopped parsley and the oil.

Mix to coat all of the potatoes in the oil and seasoning.

Pour mixture onto a baking sheet and place into the 425˚ oven.

Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the sheet from the oven. Carefully toss the potatoes and the return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and test your potatoes to make sure they are done. If they are still a little hard, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes or so.

Once they are finished remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and let cool for a few minutes. Serve as a side dish for all kinds of meals. You could even serve this as a fun mashed potato alternative at Thanksgiving. The flavored oils make these potatoes taste so good. You have all the flavor from the garlic and the herbs without having to spend the money and go through the hassle of preparing those ingredients each time. I LOVE It!!

These oils are also really good for marinating meats and veggies before you grill or even use as a dipping oil for bread. They are so versatile. What is your favorite way to use flavor infused oil?

Spring Wreath DIY // Vintage Vignette // Whatever Craft Weekend Part II

3 · May 2, 2013 · 12 Comments

Spring Wreath DIY // WOWZA that's quite a bit to have all in one post!! I have been working on my Spring Vignette for a little bit. Gathering treasures and such, tweaking and rearranging. I finally have a fun grouping to share with you today that's inspired by my Whatever Craft Weekend. Of course it starts with my Winter White Wreath that I will be using all year. I've used it for Christmas, The New Year, Valentine's Day and now I've updated it for Spring!

All I did was add some fancy yarn and a fabric banner to the wreath. The fabric garland was made by my friend Amy from Ameroonie Designs. I had been trying to find time to put together a fabric garland for the wreath and just hadn't found the time. Luckily, Amy was handing little fabric garlands out to her customers at the Queen Bee Market last month at SNAP and I was sooooo excited… I didn't have to worry about that element anymore! Not that they are hard to make, the issue for me would be to find my sewing machine in the sea of boxes still in my garage. We are in a temporary home right now, so there is no need to unpack everything. Thanks Amy for the rescue!!

Now, for the full vignette. It was inspired by my Whatever Craft Weekend… Yes, I will be trying to live in that fabulous weekend for the rest of my life I think. Almost everything in the display came from that magical weekend…

Isn't it cheerful and fun?! Part of the Whatever Craft Weekend is a fun Junking trip. Meg & Kimberlee have some amazing treasure troves that they share with all of their guest and I had a ball finding all kinds of goodies.

Here are Ashley, Mique, Kristi, Pam and several other friends on our junking tour, Kristi is going ga gah over all the amazing wood available at this amazing junk barn!

I curated a group of fun smaller items like these…

Many of these goodies made it into my vignette… and, I even found a large item that I am head over heels in love with.

Check out that lovely, chippy bench that Ashley is testing out… yep, it came home with me!! Several friends found some amazing quilts in our antique tour. All of them just divine. I'm not sure if there is anything more fun than junking with several fun friends!

Back to my Whatever Vignette… Here are some of my little elements…

This typewriter was one of my favorite finds… it was only $30, a total deal! I've paired it with my sign from Katy Girl Designs. You have to run over and check out Katy's shop. Its lovely!!

Next, I have a fun biscuit tin as a base for my vintage fan and Canon camera. The camera belonged to my Grandfather and I love having it out on display. It reminds me of his curiosity and love of life and it makes me happy to see it sitting there all day.

I have always been in love with felted balls and have made many projects with them, but I was dying when we opened a whole package from FeltedFoxes during our craft time at Meg's. I've made felt balls… I even have a tutorial on how to make them. They aren't easy and take quite a bit of time and effort to make. I think I will just order them from now on from FeltedFoxes and save the time and effort! I love how they look in my emerald Depression Glass… just stunning!

I LOVE my new Little Branches CREATE sign. It's just so perfect for my house. I love the colors and the gold accents! It's just so cheery!

I used fabric in old embroidery hoops to add color and texture to the display and peppered in more cameras from my vintage camera collection. I'm just so in love with this display. It may stay up for a few months while I soak in all the vintage goodness!

Are you a junker? What do you like to collect?

Whatever Craft Weekend // Part One

8 · Apr 10, 2013 · 15 Comments

Whatever Craft Weekend // Yea, I won the lottery, well I didn’t per say… Kristi from Barn Owl Primitives did, and she was kind enough to share her winnings! What did we win? A weekend at Meg’s Whatever Craft Weekend!!

What is the Whatever Craft Weekend. Several of you have asked over Instagram. Meg from the blog Whatever, has a house, a magical house that she opens up a few weekends throughout the year for a fabulous craft weekend. Her partner in this endeavor is Kimberlee and together these ladies pull off one of the best girls weekends I’ve ever had. They pampered us (we couldn’t even clear our dishes from the table), they made us laugh and most of all they inspired us! This Whatever Craft Weekend has become so popular in some circles that you have to add your name to the waiting list and then all of the participants are selected by a lottery sysytem. People have been on the list for over a year waiting for a spot. That’s why I feel like one of the luckiest girls out there!!

When we first arrive at the house you’re greeted with a smile and shown your room, and the minutes you walk in you are transported back to when you were a kid and life was just simple and magical…

My roommates for the weekend were…

img source // little miss momma

Mique from 30 Handmade Days and the Queen Bee Market, Kristi from Barn Owl Primitives and Ashley from Little Miss Momma. These girls are amazing and I am truly blessed to be able to call them friends. Once we were settled, threw on our comfy outfits and Kimberlee treated us to her wonderful dinner, we got to work in the studio on our Whatever Craft Weekend Aprons…

These aprons are iconic and so fun to make. Meg has an amazing collection of fabric and goodies to use for all of the projects. Just take a look at one of the supply stations…

I wouldn’t say that I have amazing sewing prowess and this project made me feel like a sewing ROCK STAR!! That’s the magic of Meg’s creation.

If you can sew a straight line you can make this project. It was so fun to see everyone’s personalities come out in their fabric selection. Here are all of our aprons…

From left to right, Kristi, Mique, Ashley and mine along with one of Kristi’s amazing Barn Owl Primitive signs. Aren’t they all so fun!! They weekend is just amazing. Here are some more shots of Meg’s house…

Everywhere you turn, you are treated with amazing eye candy. Color, textures and patterns are all over the place. The house is just so happy. The whole weekend truly inspired my passion for making things and in so many ways. For one, I realized I need more color in my life. Like I’ve said before, I think this year is going to be operation add color to my life. We all need color!!

Tomorrow, I’ll share a bit more about our adventures and some of the amazing swag we received.