PowerXL AirFryer Pro Review

Disclosure: I received a free product to facilitate this review. Affiliate links are contained herein. The opinions are my own.

One small appliance I’d definitely put on my top 5 must-have list is the airfryer.  We got our first airfryer several years ago and were very impressed by how it cooked.  Recently we upgraded our airfryer to the PowerXL Air Fryer Pro, and we love it! [Read more…]

Fissler Frying Pan Review

Disclosure: I received a free product to facilitate this post. The opinions are my own.


I’ve had some great cookware and some not-so-great cookware.  Last year I was blessed to get a few new pieces to add to my collection so that I could great out a few of the not-so-good pieces!  One of the new pieces of cookware I added to my collection was a frying pan from Fissler.

I received the 9.5-Inch, coated Aluminium frying pan.  These are made in Germany and are compatible induction, gas, electric cooktops.  They are also dishwasher safe.

I was immediately impressed by the quality.  Not only does the product look great (it is shiny and has a very lovely nonstick coating), but it is also very heavy and sturdy.  There are also measuring lines on the side, which is a nice touch! [Read more…]

5 Tips for Menu Planning Success

Have you ever struggled to get dinner on the table?  Have you ever felt like your head was spinning after being asked the question, “What are we having for dinner?”  Has the subject of dinner ever started an argument in your house?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you probably need to start menu planning!

Now before we start, I have to confess that I am not a die-hard menu planner.  I don’t spend a lot of time making out a plan, and when I make a plan I like to leave myself some wiggle room.  Sometimes things come up, and we just don’t have the time or frankly, we don’t feel like cooking!  I also reserve a right to change my mind and my husband reserves a right to change his mind, and when that happens, we divert from the plan!  BUT…overall I find that the week goes a lot smoother when I have a menu planned out.

On one hand it’s good to know what I will be cooking each day, so I can properly schedule my cooking around the day’s events.  Secondly, by making a menu plan, I can ensure that I have all the groceries I need for the week.  (No more eating out, because we’re missing key ingredients!)  Third, I can actually save money on my groceries, because I will only buy the items on the list I’ve made, and the list is based on my menu plan! [Read more…]

Mother Teapot & Cup Combo Review + Giveaway

Pavilion Teapot

Today I’m featuring the second prize included in this week’s Friday Favorites giveaway.  The giveaway opened Thursday night and will close this Thursday at midnight.

The prize pack includes this fun Mother Teapot & Cup Combo.  It is one of many high quality products available at Pavilion, a gift shop featuring a variety of home decor, knick knacks, collectibles, coffee mugs, and even jewelry & fashion accessories! [Read more…]

Easy Home Makeover Projects: Stenciling Your Kitchen

Stenciling is among the cost-effective and a creative home improvement technique. It can work with any décor from contemporary to traditional. It can also be used on a variety of surfaces including the walls. Stencils are particularly ideal for a kitchen where you may not have adequate space to hang artwork, photos, and other decorative elements. Here are some stencilling tips that can help give your kitchen a dramatic look.

Spruce Up Kitchen Furniture

Easy Home Makeover

Image Courtesy of www.cuttingedgestencils.com

A stencil design can give your shabby kitchen cabinets and furniture an instant makeover. If yours is a themed kitchen, you can consider adding stencils to the centre of the cabinet doors with imaginative shapes, like yachts for a beach theme. [Read more…]

Friday Favorites – Week 181 – Featuring Crafts

friday favorites

Happy Friday! And thank you for coming by this week for my Friday Favorites party! While you’re here this week, I’d like to take second to promote a couple of my latest endeavors.  First off, early this week I posted a great product feature: Easy Breathing with Arm & Hammer.  This is the first of a few posts that I will be doing for Arm & Hammer over the next few months, and I’d really appreciate some comments if you have a moment or too! (Thanks ahead of time!)

Also, over the last couple of weeks I’ve been adding new college football jewelry to my Etsy shop, so if you’re a fan please check them out. I have several teams available, and I’m happy to do a custom order for you if I don’t currently have your team in stock, and I can do NFL teams for you as well.  I also have 3 different chain options for these, and they look great on girls or guys.  And all necklaces can be made into key chains too, if that’s something you’re interested in. (Again, thanks in advance for looking!)

Now it’s time to get crafty! Check out this week’s features!

Burlap Cross Wreath

Burlap Bubble Wreath from The 5th Brick House on the Right

DIY Canister

DIY Canister Re-style from This Silly Girl’s Life

Melted Crayon Art

Melted Crayon Art from Su Soutter

I can’t wait to see your posts! Link up below!


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Things to Consider When Buying Home Appliances

A lot has changed these days more so when it comes to buying things from the conventional stores. Back then you could buy something and simply trust the labeling on them e.g. long lasting machine. You could go home satisfied that you have bought something that would serve you for a long time. Now this is not the case as there are several things you have to consider before buying anything. Take for example buying home appliances. You have to consider factors such as whether you are going to buy a newer model later on. Or rather whether you would opt for a certain color which will match with the colors you have at home. There are other factors that you ought to keep into consideration. Continue reading for more information on this.

Shake n Take

Are you buying an appliance to replace another?

If there is an appliance that is faulty then you should replace it or have it repaired. Well, if you are thinking about buying a new one then you should think twice about this. Consider the color of the existing appliance and ask yourself whether you would buy the same color for the new appliance. Chances are that you might want to switch to a new color so as to bring in a trendy look to your home. Hence, you should mull over buying something that would blend with existing colors of your room.

 Choosing colored appliances

The best way to uplift the look of your home is by having new colors in it. Having any color would not do the trick as there are many colors for you to choose from. Thus, you should settle for something that would be appealing to your eyes. For example you should choose colors that would always make your everbuying electronic appliances look new. White or black is the best color since one cannot tell the age of your appliances. The idea of choosing different colors will inconvenience you at times since they might not be available once you plan to replace them with new ones. Thus, please settle for a color that will always be available in the stores. Also, if you are buying the appliance with permanence in mind i.e. the last you will buy, then try to choose a neutral color. This ensures that they can match with the colors of your room without any need for replacement.

Everbuying

 

How about a black appliance?

As mentioned above, when choosing home appliances it is important to settle for a color that would match with other stuff in the room. Black is a neutral color that you can choose. It is ideal more so if you own stainless goods in your home. Nevertheless, this color requires a lot of maintenance since scratches can easily be identified. Cleaning is also not easy. If you can maintain all these then this is the color you should go for.

Last but not least, whether you wish to buy a black, white or stainless finishing on your home appliances you need to mull over the effect it would have on the look of your home. Do not settle for anything without thinking about other existing stuff that you have. In order to get the trendy look you have in mind, you simply have to match the colors of your home appliances.

 

The Gift of Whirley Pop

Whirley Pop

If you are looking for a last minute gift idea for the home cook who has everything, consider giving them a Whirley Pop popcorn popper.   Everyone loves popcorn, right?  And they will especially love some freshly popped popcorn for movie nights.  With the Whirley Pop popcorn popper, movie nights are even more fun!

The Whirley Pop  is a hand-cranked stove top popcorn popping.  And it is also fast and easy to use:

1. First time use: Season the Pan
2. Once you are ready to pop, add 1/2 Cup Popping Corn and 1-3 T Popping Oil into the Whirley Pop
3. Place Whirley Pop on burner and set heat to Medium – Medium High
4. Hold the wooden handle with one hand, and slowly turn the crank with the other. Continue stirring for about 3 minutes or until you only hear an occasional pop or the crank becomes difficult to turn.

To make movie nights and parties even more fun Whirley Pop also sells fun supplies like popcorn bags and tubs.  And when it comes time to party or just snack around, you don’t have to stick to the buttered popcorn, because they offer the supplies you will need to make all sorts of flavored popcorns with your machine.  Their flavors include chocolate, caramel, red cinnamon, blue raspberry, grape, and cherry pink.

And for even more fun gift ideas and movie fun, Whirley Pop offers all kinds of party packages, which include a variety items like popcorn making supplies, seasoning, popcorn bowls, snack trays, movie size candies,  and more!

After Christmas you can also check out Whirley Pop for birthdays, weddings, housewarmings, and corporate gifts.

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Cabin Curtains for my Kitchen

Before I get to today’s scheduled post, I thought some of my “regulars” might have been wondering what happened to this week’s giveaway.  Yes, there will be one, but it will posted tomorrow per the sponsor’s request.  (And here’s a hint: Groceries!)

One thing I’ve worked on in our house the last few months, is making the kitchen a little more thematic and color coordinated.  At some point last year in one of my posts, I said that our kitchen was  having a bit of an identity crisis.  So I’ve done different things to make red the primary color, using apples, red checks and plaids.  Now I’ve been shopping for things like curtains and curtain blinds.

 

For my windows I chose: Casey’s Cabin Window Valance by JoJo Designs Red

And I have to confess, and I know I may get some strange looks or laughs for this, but they are actually nursery curtains!  I was searching for plaid curtains when I found these, and then afterward I found all the other nursery accessories! (lol)

 But I decided to go with these anyway.  I liked the different  colors and patterns, and it seemed perfect for a country style kitchen!

What do you think?  Oh, and in case you’re interested in this nursery theme.  Here’s a picture of the crib and all the accessories!

 

 

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Disclosure: Afflilate links included in this post.

Blog Mania 2012 Giveaway

I’m really excited to be participating in Blog Mania 2012.  What is Blog Mania, you ask?  It is a fun giveaway hop, opening on April 25, where about a hundred bloggers are getting together to giveaway prize packs worth $100! Very exciting stuff!

For my giveaway today I’ve got a prize pack worth $110 dollars and featuring 3 fabulous sponsors! Check it out!

[Read more…]