I was so excited to review and giveaway purex crystals for baby.  This is a great product and it smells so fresh and baby soft.  I have two other Purex Crystals scents in my laundry room and this one is by far my favorite scent.  I tried it on my baby blankets first and loved the scent so much I have been using it on all of our bedding and sheets.  

My little guy loves his blankets and now they smell so sweet and baby fresh.  

Purex is having a  "Welcome to the World" Sweepstakes featuring Purex Crystals for Baby.

One lucky grand prize winner will receive $1,000 and 250 2nd place winners will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Crystals for Baby!

In addition, I am giving away a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Crystals for Baby to three lucky readers.  Enter below.  

Here is the weekly menu plan.  I hope you all have a wonderful week with lots of great food.  Feel free to leave a link to your favorite meals or menus in the comments.  

Monday:  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, leftover coleslaw
Tuesday:  Roasted cabbage, sausage, and onions with a side of roasted asparagus
Wednesday:  American Chop Suey, Buttered green beans
Thursday:  Coconut Oil Waffles, bacon, canned fruit
Friday:  Baked Rice, honey mustard roasted chicken, Spring vegetables, homemade bread
Saturday:  Slow Cooker Lasagna, salad, bread machine breadsticks
Sunday:  Leftovers, baked potato bar

I LOVE this rice.  I adapted this recipe from one by Bobby Flay.  The flavor is amazing.  The addition of an onion and butter makes it so so good.  

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. butter
1 sweet onion, diced
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In an ovenproof pot, saute the onion in the butter until softened and lightly caramelized.  Add the rice and olive oil and lightly brown the rice.  

3.  Bring the broth to a boil and pour over the rice, be careful because this can create a lot of hot steam. 

4.  Bake covered for 30 to 40 minutes, until rice is tender and fluffy.  

I have been making this recipe for a couple of weeks and we love it.  I have made it four to five times already.  This recipe is slightly adapted from one at Money Saving Mom.  I love this recipe because it is not only delicious, it is super easy.  You simply put the ingredients in your bread machine and make the dough, then put the dough in a pan and bake in the oven.  You might ask, Why not bake it in the bread machine?  I don't like the shape of bread that I have baked in my bread machine.  I much prefer the more natural looking shape of a bread pan and the warmth and aroma of baking in the oven.  If you don't have a bread machine, you can see the original recipe at Tammy's Recipes.  Her original recipe is also for whole wheat bread if you are interested.  

Homemade Bread

1 cup warm tap water 
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
4 tablespoons sucanat or brown sugar*
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast 


1.  Put all ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed.

2.  Run your machine on the dough cycle.

3.  When the dough cycle is finished, take the dough out and shape into a loaf in a greased bread pan.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 20-45 minutes or until doubled.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until golden brown.



*We have discovered that we love the flavor of sucanat in homemade breads and rolls.  Whenever a bread recipe calls for brown sugar I use sucanat instead.  It adds a distinct yet subtle molassis flavor that we really enjoy.  

Guest post by my sister, Rebecca

My husband and I installed new shower doors during our bathroom renovation a few years ago and were disappointed when they were quickly covered by scale buildup.  We had opted for a silk finish on the doors and were concerned that abrasive cleaners might mar the finish.  After many trials and little success with various cleaners including vinegar, I finally sprayed a paper towel with vinegar and effectively “soaked” a small section of the shower door.  To my relief, the vinegar soak was successful in removing all of the scale buildup. 

I recently cleaned the shower doors again and decided to take some pictures to show the amazing results.  This time I used a spare roll of liners for cloth diapers as the soaking material (since I never bother using the liners in our cloth diapers).  Any thin material that will cling to the glass shower doors when soaked with vinegar should work.

Here are the steps that I took to clean the shower door.  This method also works on tubs and surrounds.

1. Drape a thin material (e.g., paper towels or cloth diaper liners) over your shower door and spray it with vinegar until it is well soaked.  If necessary, smooth out the material so that it is in complete contact with the door.  Allow to soak for 10 or 15 minutes. 

2. Remove the soaking material and wipe down the shower door with a damp cloth.  If the vinegar has had enough time to penetrate the scale buildup, little to no scrubbing will be necessary.

3. Transfer the soaking material to another section of the door, and repeat the process.

If you are not fond of the smell of vinegar, keep in mind that as it dries, the odor will dissipate.  As I was growing up, I always hated the smell of vinegar when Mom used it to clean; now that I have small children of my own, I buy vinegar by the gallon and know that it is a safe and effective cleaner for our home.

The pictures below show the vinegar soak (on the left) and scale buildup (on the right).  I’m so glad that we are able to restore the look of our shower doors to their new condition.  As a lasting solution to the problem of scale buildup, we are currently researching water filtering options for our home.  Although we will likely choose to install a whole-house filter in addition to our water softener, another solution would be to install a showerhead filter.

You can see the vinegar soak on the left side of the door.

If you look really closely, you can see the scale buildup is on the right side of the door, but no longer on the left.  

Thank you Rebecca for taking the time to share your cleaning success story.    

Valentine's Day is almost here.  I LOVE celebrating Valentine's Day with my three sweet boys.  I make each of them a Valentine's Day bucket filled with a few special treats.  Nothing extravagant, just a little something to say "I Love You".  I love to see their faces light up when they come to breakfast and see their special gifts on the table.  What are your Valentine's Day family traditions?  

My oldest is five and is now at the age when he wants to give presents and cards at holidays.  He is already getting excited about Valentine's Day and sharing cards with his friends and family.  I am excited about the Valentine's cards at Shutterfly.  There are so many cute designs, including over 50 new styles.  I love the new classroom collection.  How cute are these?  You can even personalize your child's Valentine's cards.    

These are a few of my favorites.  

Still need a Valentine's Day gift for someone special in your life?  Here are my favorites.  

I love this desktop plaque.  No frame required.  

And check out these iPhone cases.  Aren't they just adorable.  

Here's the giveaway!  You can win:


·         50 – 4x5 Stationery Cards – these are small
          classroom cards

·         1 - 5.5x5.5 Desktop Plaque 


Enter on the rafflecopter form to win.

Disclosure:  I am receiving a gift code for writing this post.  Any opinions expressed are honest and are my own.  

Here are some great recipes and ideas for the week.  Feel free to share your menu plan in the comments.  I'm always looking for new recipes to try.  

Monday:  Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
Tuesday:  Honey Lime Shrimp over rice, sugar snap peas
Wednesday:  Wow Wednesday at Church
Thursday:  Baked ham, green beans, pineapple rings, bread machine buttery rolls
Friday:  Scalloped potatoes with ham, leftover ham, leftover rolls, yellow tomatoes
Saturday:  Lasagna, spinach, bread machine bread sticks 
Sunday:  Coleslaw and pulled pork sandwiches, corn

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• Sprinkle of dried thyme (a little bigger than a pinch)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Butter
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack or other favorite cheese
• 1 cup diced ham, optional

1.   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  In a saucepan, heat the cream with the thyme, chopped garlic, and nutmeg.

3.  Butter a 9 X 13 or equivalent in size casserole dish.

4.  In a large bowl, pour the warm cream over the potatoes.  Mix to combine.  

5.  Place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish.  Generously salt and pepper.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack and 2-3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese over the potatoes.  Then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup diced ham.  

6.  Repeat everything in step 5 to make a second layer.  

7.  Place a third and last layer of potatoes on top.  Pour any remaining cream over the dish.  Salt and pepper again.  Sprinkle some more grated parmesan on top.  (Do not put any shredded monterey jack or ham on top because they will burn.)  

8.  Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes.  Then sprinkle with more parmesan and broil about 5 minutes to let the parmesan on top brown.  

This is a favorite meal in our house.  Perfectly delicious shrimp with just a little kick.  In fact my 7 year old requests this all the time.  I serve over plain white rice.  I use frozen medium raw shrimp.  I prefer to use raw shrimp instead of cooked shrimp so that the shrimp don't overcook in the skilltet.  This is so good, that I have been making 2 pounds for our family of five.  There is usually just a little leftover.  I double all of the ingredients and cook in one batch.  

Honey Lime Shrimp
serves 4

1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey
juice and zest of one lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.  In a large ziploc bag, combine the marinade ingredients. When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp.  Place it in the fridge.

2.  Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that the shrimp stay evenly submerged in the marinade.

3.  When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.)

4.  Cook the shrimp until done, then drain off the liquid from the pan reserving it for the meal.  Then continue to cook the shrimp letting it caramelize a little forming golden brown crispy edges.  Or just cook it all together and serve the sauce with the shrimp.  

5.  Serve immediately with rice and your favorite vegetable.  We drizzle the reserved sauce over the rice and the shrimp.  


Slightly adapted from The Dough Will Rise Again.

This is the easiest homemade laundry detergent.  I have been using it for a couple of weeks with great results.  Don't forget to enter my giveaway for 20 Mule Team Borax.  

Ingredients:  
2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
1 Fels-Naptha laundry bar
1 capful of Purex Crystals (optional for added scent)

1.  Grate on a fine grater a bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap.

2.  Then mix in the super washing soda, borax, and optional Purex Crystals.  That is all there is to it.  Use 1 to 2 Tbsp. detergent per laundry load depending on size of load.