>U Mom Knows Best: February 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Chris Tomlin Is Launching A Brand New Video & A Giveaway

Chris Tomlin is launching a brand new video to go with his song “Good, Good Father!"



I just love Chris Tomlin's song “Good, Good Father!" I never tire of listening to it. I love that Chris Tomlin is launching a brand new video to go with this song. You just have to go check it out.




I just love the story behind this song.

Story Behind The Song


                                                    Link to get song on iTunes 

                              http://smarturl.it/CTGoodGoodFather?IQid=pbn 


Check out this Giveaway!
Win a Flyaway to see Chris Tomlin at Worship Night In America!

1st Prize: 1 winner
a Flyaway for 2 to see Chris Tomlin at the closest Worship Night In America stop near you
2 Meet & Greet Passes
Hotel Accommodations

https://www.tunespeak.com/christomlin?secret=e1X9apACpws#contests/56c7561a69702d35130008af

WINNER(S) will be notified by Tunespeak via the email address associated with their Facebook accounts. If Tunespeak is unable to contact a winner after reasonable effort or failure of winner to respond within 2 Days of the first attempted notification, will result in forfeiture of Prize and selection of an alternate winner.

My Week Three Adventure Of Running After An Injury

I have learned that stretching is a must when it comes to running after and injury.



  The one thing that is helping me get back to running is a lot of stretching. I have been not only doing leg stretches before and after my running, but I have found that stretching helps during my running. I have been increasing the amount of running time of my run/walk sessions and will stop to stretch about half way through my session. This stretching has helped me to run longer. I have been able to run for ten minutes before my muscles start to get tight. Then I walk for a minute and run for another ten minutes. I am feeling good about my running.

   Last week was a busy week. The boys were home for two days from school because of school conferences. They also get home early on Wednesday. So that meant three days that I had to run at the park. I really don't do well with running at the park as I have to run in circles so I get bored fast and I want to give up too soon. I am hoping by summer time that my 9 year old son can ride his bike for longer distances so I can run on the bike trails. The last time I tried the bike trails with my boys, he complained that his legs hurt half way into my running. Maybe getting out first thing in the  morning might help, I sure hope so.

This was the final week before my son's ROTC military ball and I wanted to look smashing in my dress. So I made sure that I ran every day and ate lots of healthy food. I don't know if I lost any weight as I hate stepping on the scale, but I did have to tighten my belt one more notch. I am afraid that stepping on the scale will either leave me depressed by the number or if I lost weight then I will use that as an excuse to eat more. So for now, I am going to continue to eat good and keeping running until I like what I see in the mirror. I really want to tone my belly by July for my other son's wedding.


Here is how I looked for the military ball. I think I look good in this dress. Here are some other pictures from the ball. It was a fun time and I enjoyed talking with the other moms who sat at our table. I did enjoy a piece of cake too. That cake will motivate me to run today.


My son and his girlfriend were selected the prince and princess for the night.


My son looked handsome in his uniform for the sword detail, I really need a better camera. My tablet does well in natural light not in a brightly lite room.


My husband and I really enjoyed the ball. We are so proud of our son. He has a great future ahead of him. He plans to go to the naval academy and is doing well in school so he is well on his way.


So time for me to lace up my shoes and get out running. Here is to a great week of running!




How To Go From Boring To Beautiful With L'Oreal Paris

Help! I am going to my son's JROTC Military Ball and I need to look pretty.


 Here is a picture of how I look most days before I put on any lotion or make-up. I am also desperately in need of a haircut. Now if I was just sitting at home then this look is OK with me. Since I am attending my son's JROTC Military ball in two weeks, I want to look a whole lot better. I want to go from boring to beautiful and wow not only my husband but also the other moms at the ball. I had my son at age 34 so I am older than the other moms who will be at the ball, but that is not going to stop me from looking beautiful. I already bought a pretty black dress for the event so the next steps that I need to do are get a smashing haircut and learn how to do my makeup.


The secret to learning how to do my make up for the ball is in this little box. This box contains all that I need to make my face go from boring to beautiful. L'Oreal Paris sent me a box filled with their brand new for 2016 cosmetics.This box contains everything that I need to be my own makeup artist. I usually don't wear more than foundation, so I am excited to be able to experiment with what is in this box. So, I won't keep you in suspense anymore and I will open this box up so we can see what is inside.



I just love the way this box opens. My younger boys saw my box and were fascinated by it. They thought it would make a great box to store all their Lego guys in and asked if they could have it. I think not, as it is my beauty box.


     The top layer of the box contained 15 wonderful shades of Colour Riche Eyeshadow Monos. These pretty colors provide an ultra-rich and ultra-smooth gel-to-powder blend that allows for easy, controlled application. The hard part will be deciding what color to wear. I am thinking a shade of purple as I am going to be wearing a gorgeous purple necklace, but I will try other colors to see what looks best on me. I just love how rich that dark blue looks.


The next layer of the box contained these Infallible Pro-Contour kits and Brow Stylist Prep & Shape Pro-Kit. I just love the Pro-Sculpt brush that comes with the complexion kit and with the easy to follow pointers on the packaging, I will be able to create, define, and enhance my features in seconds. The Infallible Pro-Contour kits are available in three shades too. The Brow Stylist Prep & Shape Pro-Kit comes with tweezers and a brush so I can perfectly groom and polish my brows to look their best for the ball.




The last layer of the box contained some more fun makeup items for my lips and eyes. My lips are going to look gorgeous when I apply the Infallible Pro-Matte Gloss to them.The creamy liquid matte lipgloss comes in ten pretty colors to deliver bold color to lips. I think my favorite is the top pink one.
I think all eyes will be on me when I wear the Voluminous Superstar Red Carpet Mascara. This is a primer + mascara that creates lashes that sparkle with light-reflecting pearls. I will be able to bat my long lashes at my husband while I dance the night away. I will have to try all of the four intense shades of the Infallible Matte-Matic Liner to be able to see which one looks best on me. I love that they are a mechanical eyeliner so I don't to sharpen them with a pencil sharpener. That is a plus for me as my boys always seem to take my sharpeners for their pencils. I am not sure if I will use the Infallible Black Velvet Liner, as it might just be too bold for my eyes. I also love that both liners are safe and gentle for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.


What a fun box of items that I received from L'Oreal Paris. I am going to look so beautiful for my son's JROTC Military Ball. This cosmetic collection will help me go from boring to beautiful for a fun night of dancing. The L'Oreal website also has videos to help a girl, like me, who needs help with makeup application. Check out L'Oreal Paris's website to find out more about this new makeup collection.





So how do I look? Did I do a good job with my makeup and go from boring to beautiful?




"These opinions are my own and I received the above-mentioned products to help facilitate this post."

Friday, February 26, 2016

How To Attract Humming Birds With A DIY Feeder


Spring is on the way and so are the hummingbirds.


  Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures to watch. These little birds flutter near my house in the spring and summer and feed off pink flowers that will bloom on this plant. Right now this plant has no flowers on it so I decided to make a DIY hummingbird feeder to see if I could attract some hummingbirds. This feeder was simple to make and only cost $3.00 as I purchased the materials from the dollar store. I bought a pink water bottle, red flowers and a plant stand. If you have a tree then there is no need for the plant stand.


The first step to making the feeder is too cut off four flowers, keeping the holes open from the flowers. Then I drilled 4 holes in the water bottle and hot glued the flowers over the holes. Make sure the holes in the bottle are not covered by the flowers. Your feeder is now ready to be filled with hummingbird food.



I like to use a clear nectar to feed the hummingbirds as I am sure the red dye is not good for them. The pink bottle and red flowers will attract the birds so there is no need to use a nectar with red dye in it. I like to purchase my nectar in a powder form so I can easily mix it up as needed. I bought this hummingbird gift set from CentiMom as it had everything that I needed to be able to make the nectar and then some. This kit comes with three pounds of nectar powder(in a resealable bag), a measuring cup, a mixing/storing container, and several cleaning brushes. I love the way it is packaged in a burlap bag, making it great for gift giving. The burlap bag can then be used to store everything so you don't have to hunt for supplies.



 This great hummingbird nectar starter kit was a perfect gift for my boys so they could learn more about those cute little birds. I wanted  to make sure that we were feeding the hummingbirds a food that was good for them and I choose this clear nectar based on what it did not have in it. The CentiMom hummingbird food will not harm the birds and does not contain FD&C#40 Red dye, artificial sweeteners,  preservatives, pesticides,  refined beet sugar,  MSG, or common allergens (peanuts, wheat, dairy, chocolate, eggs, gluten.) I just love that this large 3- pound bag is resealable and has unlimited shelf life so I can use what I need and save the rest for next season.

Watch this video to discover how easy it is to prepare the nectar for your hummingbird feeder. The video also shows everything that is included in the starter kit. 



Click on the below link to purchase this CentiMom hummingbird nectar starter kit. These make a great gift for bird lovers of all ages.



    My DIY hummingbird feeder is filled and ready for the hummingbirds. I placed my feeder by my Yucca plant as this plant will sprout pink flowers in the next couple of weeks. These pink flowers have attracted hummingbirds in the past so I think this plant will help the birds discover my DIY feeder. Maybe the hummingbirds will discover my feeder before the flowers bloom. I will update this with photos of hummingbirds once I see them. The hummingbirds usually arrive once spring starts.


Free Kroger Greek Yogurt Pre and Probiotics

Calling all Kroger and affiliate shoppers! Hurry over here for this week’s Kroger This eCoupon is available for download today only, February 26th but you have until 03/13/2016 to redeem it. I love Kroger's freebie Friday!

http://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/freefri/

Kroger • Baker’s • City Market • Dillons • Fred Meyer • Fry’s •Gerbes • Jay C • King Soopers • Owen’s • Pay Less • QFC • Ralphs • Smith’s

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Vegan Cheese Sauce

 

  In my quest to live a healthy lifestyle, I am trying to eat less dairy. I am fine without drinking milk as I love the taste of cashew milk in my coffee, but my weakness is cheese. I just love the taste of cheese. I could eat cheese all day. My favorite way to eat cheese is melted over beans and rice or melted in a tortilla. I want to eliminate cheese from my diet as it is high in fat, cholesterol, and fat. In order for me to eliminate cheese from my diet, I need to find a substitute that tastes good and looks like cheese.



  I think I have finally discovered a meatless, dairy-free, vegan cheese sauce. I actually discover two different recipes for vegan cheese sauce and they both looked so delicious. I had a hard time deciding which one to make, so I decided to make both just to see which one tasted the best. Both recipes used potatoes and carrots, along with spices. The only difference one recipe used nutritional yeast flakes. I have used nutritional yeast flakes in other recipes like my cashew pate and it gives great flavor so I wanted to see if the yeast flakes made a difference in taste. I made both recipes and will include both at the bottom of this post with notes about the taste of each. I love that these creamy vegan cheese sauces can be used just like regular cheese sauce. I can see myself using these cheese sauces over baked potatoes, veggies, tortilla chips, and in Mexican dishes like beans and rice. They might even be good in a pizza like a breakfast pizza that is made with scrambled eggs. My kids would love for me to make mac and cheese with these. So here are the two recipes that I discovered and I love that they use carrots for the orange color. Both of these cheese sauces can be stored in the fridge for a week.



                                   Vegan Cheese Sauce #One

                          Ingredients
                              2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
                              1 large carrot, chopped
                              4 tablespoons olive oil
                              ½ cup unsweetened cashew or almond milk
                              1 tablespoon lemon juice
                              ½ teaspoon garlic powder
                              ½ teaspoon onion powder
                              ½ teaspoon salt
                              ½ teaspoon paprika
                               4 teaspoons mustard
                               1 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
Combine the potato and carrot in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor.
Add all the other ingredients to the food processor and process for about 2 minutes, or until totally smooth. Makes about 3 cups.

Notes: I liked that this one uses ingredients that most have around the house. This sauce had a mild flavor but had too much of a mustard taste so next time I would reduce the mustard to 2 teaspoons.



                           Vegan Cheese Sauce #Two

                                  Ingredients
                                      2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
                                      1 cup carrots, chopped
                                      1/2 cup water
                                      1/3 cup olive oil
                                      2 teaspoon salt
                                      1 tablespoon lemon juice
                                      1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
                                      1/4 teaspoon. onion powder
                                      1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

            Instructions
        Boil the potatoes and carrots until soft. Then place the cooked carrots and potatoes along with the other ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Makes about 3 cups.
.

Notes: The nutritional yeast flakes add some extra nutrition like protein, iron, and b-vitamins. This sauce had a sharper taste like sharp cheddar flavor. The nutritional yeast gave this sauce more of a brown color.


I really had high hopes for these cheese sauces but they fell short of my expectations. While they tasted good, they did not have a cheese flavor or texture to them. They would make great dips but I could not pass them off as a cheese sauce. These sauces would be great with veggies, crackers, potatoes, and over beans and rice, but not on a pizza. I have seen vegan cheese sauces recipes that use cashews instead of potatoes so I will try making that one next to see how that one tastes.

Dylan's Candy Bar Sweet Treats Tower Giveaway!


Enter for a chance to win your choice of one Dylan's Candy Bar Sweet Treat Towers!

$50 Value!

Dylans Candy Bar Sweet Treat Tower Giveaway

*This post may contain affiliate links.
Oh my gosh, I took a look around Dylan's Candy Barandy Bar website and I want everything! This is like a kid's dream come true only I am not a kid! They have everything! I love their gift baskets and gift towers and now you are going to get a chance to win one of their Sweet Treat Towers absolutely free!
You will win a choice of one of these three Dylan's Candy Bar Sweet Treat Towers:

The tower will look like this:

Dylans Sweet Treats Tower
You will have your choice of Dylan's Candy Bar Sweet Treat Tower Chocolate.

Dylans Sweet Treats Chocolate

Dylans Sweet Treats Sour
Or finally, you may choose the Dylan's Candy Bar Sweet Treat Tower Gummy.
Dylans Sweet Treats Gummy
Don't worry because if you just can't wait Dylan's Candy Bar website has something for everyone. I was just checking out their Easter Collection. You can place an order any time and even pre-order for Easter.
I for one would love to receive one of these as a gift so consider one for that someone special in your life! It really is a thoughtful gift and who wouldn't love it!
Sponsor:   Dylan's Candy Bar

Follow Dylan's Candy Bar on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by clicking one of these links, or just spend time browsing their website because it is so much fun!

A huge thanks to all of the co-host and participating bloggers! Your help is greatly appreciated! You are the reason our giveaways are such a great success!
Thanks
If you visit our Facebook pages and enjoy them, please "like" them of your own free will. The fact is that the more followers we have, the more sponsors contact us for giveaways. Thanks in advance for "liking" us! It truly does help us bring you better giveaways!

Giveaway

And now for the very best part !

  Giveaway dates: Feb. 26, 1:00 am CST - Mar. 21st, 2016 11:59 pm CST Open to residents of the Continental US 18+ only. One set of entries per person. Prize: One winner will receive their choice of Dylan's Candy Bar Sweet Treats Tower in Chocolate, Gummy or Sour. ($50.00 Value) Please enter the giveaway through the Giveaway Tool listed below. Giveaway Tool will randomly select a winner. Winning entry will be verified. All entries are optional, and the chance of winning depends on the number of entries. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited. By entering this giveaway you are agreeing to have your name listed as the winner on the giveaway widget and winner's list of participating blogs. The winners name will be posted on the widget and also here. In the case of any malfunction of the Giveaway Tool the giveaway will be cancelled and no prize awarded. Winner is responsible for any applicable taxes.

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*IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways was not compensated for hosting this giveaway. Thank you for participating.
Disclaimer: IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways nor any of the blogs participating in this giveaway is responsible for prize fulfillment. The sponsor listed above will be awarding the prize(s) to the winner(s). None of the social media platforms are affiliated with this giveaway. If you would like to sponsor a giveaway like this, email imho@imhoviewsreviewsandgiveaways.com or complete the form here and I will respond within 48 hours.

$150 PayPal Giveaway Event


http://www.ratsandmore.com/2016/02/150-paypal-giveaway-event-sign-ups-now.html

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Grind Coffee Beans to Taste the Best


Coffee beans grinders are of different types and whatever type you have, it is necessary that you should be aware of how to get the best taste out of those ground coffees. Some may think that it is not a difficult task to get the demanded taste, but it is a difficult task and you only can have the best taste if you have enough experience in that. A coffee grinder is one of the essential factors that makes the taste of coffee delicious. So, it is the time to understand about what are you dealing with before you purchase any coffee maker because if you are serious about the morning cup of coffee, then you have to learn it all. This article will cover 3 of the top rated grinders that you should have in your house to take care of your grinding coffee work because the fresher the ground coffee is, the extreme the taste will be.

Breville Smart Grinder

A costly machine but a worthy grinder for those who love to take Espresso in their home. This one-time investment of 200$ can change the world of taste. With 25 different coffee grinding settings for French press, drip coffee, Espresso, etc. this grinder is well-known for the best grindings. The LCD display is made the way to monitor the grind setting and no. of cups and also the customized grinding amount. For easy removal storage and transfer of coffee beans, this machine has the locking system and it gives it the protection. Users from Amazon love this grinder and it can be judged by the reviews from the Amazon product page.

Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder

This burr grinder is the bestselling grinder at Amazon and it makes it the best choice ever for this category from the users. The conical burr grinder has the power of 100-watt and it has 16 different grinder settings from fine to the coarse grinding of coffee beans. This commercially valued burr grinder helps you to taste different taste and flavors of coffee. The programmable feature like the timer helps you to grind the coffee according to the need (keep in mind that you should use it properly after reading the guidelines or manual). In short, with the price of 90$, it is a great buy for those who are in the search of a low budget product.

Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Bin

Another great coffee grinder selected by the experts and they recommend it as the best coffee grinder for the home usage. It has 40 different grinding setting from fine to the coarse for different flavors of coffee. It contains a basket which held the ground coffee after you push the pulse button mounted on the front. The motor of perfect power is designed the way that it makes less noise and perform the best task for you. The conical burr grinder of Baratza contains two different settings of grind size and the on/off setting. So, you can have this middle range grinder for your home too if you are planning to have a grinder in the range up to 150$.
Three of these grinders are undoubtedly the best of best grinders chose by the experts and by the users. So, if you are looking for a best coffee grinder, then these are your best options.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Blogger Opp ~ Culinary Delights Giveaway!1 Lucky Winner Will Win $176 in Culinary Products!


Blogger Opp ~ Culinary Delights Giveaway!1 Lucky Winner Will Win $176 in Culinary Products!

culinarydelights222

Deliciously Savvy is Hosting a Giveaway for all Things Culinary! 1 Lucky Winner will receive $176 worth of Items to assist you in your Culinary Adventures! Culinary Corner is providing a Silicone Baking Mat, a 3 Piece Silicone Spatula set and a 2 Piece Silicone Round Ice Mold Set. Then... Two Rivers Coffee is offering a 40 count box of Keurig KCups from Java Factory. Then.... Lori's Salted Caramel Syrup is providing 2 eight ounce bottles of her delicious Salted Caramel Syrup made in Oregon...PLUS Dish Dish is providing a Digital Recipe Service valued at $50 for 50 recipes PLUS a Bamboo Cutting board! #Free & #Paid Options Available! Sign Up Today!

Sponsored By:

Dish Dish

Culinary Corner

Lori's Salted Caramel Syrup

Two Rivers Coffee

Hosted By: Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted By: ???

1 Lucky Winner Will Receive all of the Items Listed Below! $176 RV!

1 Lucky Winner Will Win all of the prizes listed above! You can create amazing recipes and have fabulous and meaningful memories with your family at the same time! ($176 RV!)

Now…. Deliciously Savvy Needs Your Help Promoting! I cannot do it without each and every one of you so please sign up today! Thanks so much!

1 FREE Link For Agreeing To Post Giveaway On Time and Promote 3 to 4 times a week Via Social Media. (Choose from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest OR Instagram ONLY)
PLUS Snag a 2nd FREE Link of your choice.... If You Post The Announcement. ( Choose Any Link That You Want Besides G+)!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT POST

Co-Hosts Wanted & Needed ~ $6 for 5 links of your choice (and I mean any you choose other than Google+). You can do Facebook Comments, Blog Comments, Giveaway Entries, Daily Votes, Social Media Follows of your choice, Secret Word Pages ANYTHING! PLUS the 2 FREE links above gives you 7 Links Total! Co-Hosts will also be promoted via graphics and link backs to their site via extra follow pages & Co-Host Pages! (# of extra follow pages depends on # of sign ups so promote, promote, promote!) Co-Hosts are not required to post announcement but it is greatly appreciated!
Other Sign Up Options Available On Sign Up Form
SIGN UP HERE Or Below

Sign Ups Close 3/01 Giveaway Dates: 3/03 9PM EST until 3/25 11:59PM EST

Open To US and must be 18+ to enter
Savvy Challenge!!! The Blogger With The Most Referrals will Receive a FREE Co-Host Spot On This Giveaway or a Future Giveaway! Promote Away and Make Sure They Know To Say You Sent Them! Minimum of 4 referrals to win free spot on next promotion or promotion you choose.

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Mom knows best