Busy school stuff!

So, as you may have noticed...I have not been around much.

It has been so crazy here I can barely remember to cook dinner for the family!

End of the school year is always busy with parties and programs, but even more so now that Madison is in Kindergarten. Being homeroom mom I have a ton of responsibilities to the class. I have been planning for Field Day and the End of the Year Party.

So, that is why I have no been blogging this week, I have been trying to get everything planned for that. Her last day of school is June 3rd though, so I suspect I will be able to blog a more when it is all said and done.

Just wanted to give those of you who might have been wondering where I went the low down!

Who needs to buy bread anymore?!

Why anyone would buy bread after trying out this recipe is beyond me! This bread is oh so yummy and I totally recommend you make it! I used my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer to knead the dough because well..I'm lazy like that and hate to knead dough!
Amish White Bread
Christine0120

INGREDIENTS
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Makes two loaves. I freeze one for later use, so it stays fresh. Makes INCREDIBLE French Toast!

Watering you Garden for FREE!

I saw this great post last year on a blog called JANE4girls $800 Annual Budget about how to water your garden for free.

I began following that blog and printed out her directions last year! I knew if I was ever to have a garden I would have to do this!

So, now that we have a garden and it is actually growing I sent DH out for the supplies to make our rain barrels to water the garden.

Here is a picture of how he set it up on our back fence by the garden. You can see on the original blog post HERE how to do it and you can see how she connected it right to her gutters by her house. I didn't have that option so that's why we opted for back by the fence and my husband rigged it up this way. It works perfectly! He got it all set up right before it started to rain and I already have some water to start watering my garden! YAY!

Naked Brownies!

HA! Did the title make you look?! Well it should have! I am about to share a wonderful recipe with you guys for these unbelievable brownies. I got the recipe off the trusted Babycenter Cooking for Your Family Board, but can not remember the Original Poster.

You have to make these! Do not wait! Try them today!

Knock You Naked Brownies

1 box German chocolate cake mix

1 cup chopped nuts

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 pkg. (14 oz.) vanilla caramels, unwrapped

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, nuts, 1/3 cup evaporated milk and melted butter. Press half of the batter into the bottom of a greased 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 8 minutes. In the microwave or top of a double boiler melt caramels with remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When caramel mixture is well mixed, pour over baked layer.

Cover with chocolate chips. Spoon remaining batter on top of morsels. Return to oven and bake 18 minutes (or less for gooier brownies). Let cool before cutting.

The Picture does not do the brownies justice! The yummy caramel center is to die for!

Preschool Coming to a End

My 2 year old son completed his first year of Preschool this past week. He went 2 days a week to a fantastic program at a local church. This preschool is amazing! My oldest daughter went there, but not until the year before Kindergarten. I firmly believe this school helped prepare her for what she was to do and learn and see in Kindergarten.

My son, only being 2, has many more years at this school. But for his first year there, I am more than pleased. He has learned so much in his time there. He can sing the ABC's. Most people have a little bit of a hard time understanding him on some parts, but I know that's what he is singing and he knows it too. He has learned colors and shapes, numbers, cute little prayers, and other fun songs.

You can see from the picture below that he loves to sing and do the hand motions with the songs that he was taught.
And I have his wonderful teachers to thank. They are amazing women who have been so patient and loving to my child and I could not ask for a better teacher and caregiver for my son.

Chili's Giftbag Giveaway

My friend Cindy over at Hun..What's for Dinner is having her first ever giveaway!

She is giving away this awesome Chili's gift bag! Her hubby works for Chili's(lucky girl getting all that yummy food)!

So head on over and see how you can win your very own cool Chili's gift bag and let's help Cindy have a awesome first giveaway!

Organized Teacher

The Container Store has a great program going on right now for teachers! From May 1st- September 17th, educators can save 15% on purchased made from The Container Store online, by phone or in store! All you have to do is register to receive your discount by email. Here is the LINK to get your discount if you are a teacher.

The Container Store has also started a program called Click and Pickup!

GoShop! Click & Pickup Shop online, pick up at any store
Why use GoShop! Click & Pickup?

It's FREE! There are no shipping or delivery fees.

It's convenient! You choose the products you want and schedule your own pickup time at one of our stores.

It saves time! Your order is ready when you arrive at your designated time.

It's exciting and new!

Flipper Giveaway at Forever and Always

There is a fantastic giveaway going on right now over at Forever and Always.

Its for a awesome toothbrush holder called a Flipper. It has suction cups that stick to just about any surface! Toothbrushes stay put and the kids love the neat designs!

So go on over to Forever and Always and read on how you can win your very own Flipper in the giveaway.

I won!

Remember my blog post about a awesome giveaway for a peace of mind from The Mom Maven?

Well....I won the month membership to Care4Hire.com !

Im so excited!!!!

Thanks for a awesome giveaway Cindy!

And the Winner is......

I know you guys are waiting on pins and needles to see who the winner is of the wonderful tart set from The Melting Pot Candle Company!

Well you guys don't have to wait any longer! I used a random number generator and the winner is.......

Dede!!!!

Congratulations Dede! You have 48 hours from the posted time on this entry to contact me so I can give you the info on how to get your tart set!

You guys that did not win, don't worry! I will have more giveaways coming soon! I encourage you though to go make a purchase from The Melting Pot! You will not be disappointed and her tarts are a great price!

Thanks to Natasha for offering up this wonderful giveaway on my blog! You are a rock star!

Frigidaire More "Me-Time"

Frigidaire is launching 250 new appliances just in time for Mothers Day. These appliances are like no other! They carry a "More Me-Time" guarantee.

Frigidaire guarantees that with these new appliances, you will reduce the time you spend on housework by at least 8 hours a month using a combination of 3 or more of these new specialty designed products. I don't know about you, but 8 hours in a month is amazing! That's a full nights sleep! Without interruption! I haven't had one of those in years!

You have your a chance to win a suite of these amazing Frigidaire appliances! All you have to do is go to Frigidaire.com and tell them the 5 things you would do with more "me-time". While you are there, check out the other great prizes you can win!

If you have Facebook, become a Fan of the new Frigidaire.

You can also go over to Not So Average Momma and follow Brandy's blog. She is lucky enough to be a Frigidaire Test Driver Mom! She is getting a set of these new appliance(the gorgeous red washer and dryer) and will be blogging her experience with these new bad boys!

Don't forget to go enter for your chance to win your very own at Frigidaire's website!

Care4Hire Giveaway @ The Mom Maven

The Mom Maven has a great giveaway going on right now. It's part of her Days of Celebrating Mom Giveaway.

Today is she is giving away a 1 month free membership for Care4Hire.com It's a great website allowing you to search for babysitters, pet sitters, tutors, and more in your area!

So head on over to The Mom Maven and enter to win your membership so you can have peace of mind when choosing someone to care for your children!

Just click HERE

Super Duper Apple Cake

I needed a quick dessert for the Hospitality Teacher Luncheon at Madison's school. I had completely forgot about it so the first thing I did was check what ingredients I had on hand and luckily I had everything to make this Super Duper Apple Cake.

I changed it up a bit though. I wanted something the teachers could grab and go. So, instead of cooking it as a cake I put the batter into a mini muffin tin. They turned out perfectly!

SUPER-DUPER APPLE CAKE via cooks.com

Cake:

4 cups white cake mix

1 1/2 cups applesauce

Icing:

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup of milk

For Cake:Mix white cake mix with applesauce until smooth. May take more or less applesauce. Use at own discretion.Pour mixture into a 9X9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.Bake at 350°F in a conventional oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

For Icing:Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients for the icing, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over cake.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

These Muffins are to die for!!! They are so perfectly moist and just full of yummy goodness!

If you have some bananas and some blueberries you have to make these!

I had to take 6 to my neighbors because these are deadly and I definately did not need to eat all 12 by myself!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

3 large ripe bananas

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups flour (I do either all whole wheat or mix half and half)

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and egg. Add butter and blueberries. Combine dry ingredients and gently stir into banana mixture. Pour into 12 well-greased muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

It's Time for Another Giveaway!

It's time for another great giveaway here at MyKindaRain!

This giveaway is being brought to us by Natasha at The Melting Pot Candle Company!

Let's get this party started with a little questionnaire I had with Natasha!

Tell me about you and your family
My name is Natasha. I am married to a man who was my best friend for 6 years before we married almost 7 years ago! We have 3 great children; Justice our oldest son is 5, Savannah is 2 and Marcus is 1. Our 4th baby is due September 30th! We are both originally from Atlanta and moved to TN for a quieter place just before we married. We now have a mini farm in the works and our children love the outdoors and animals!

Whats your store name and link:
The Melting Pot Candle Co. http://www.themeltingpotcandleco.com/

What do you specialize in?
I specialize in natural wax tarts. Wax tarts go in a burner and are melted. The then release a fragrance making your home smell wonderful! I also have other products such as Aroma beads in sachets for closets, cars or drawers, and new bath and body products in the works!

How did you get started?
I began this company because my favorite tart maker was going to close her business. I didn't find any others I REALLY loved so I bought most of her supplies and began my own!

What do you love about your business?
I LOVE all the fragrances. I love when I get feedback from customers that they enjoyed the products. My goal is to make each and every customer satisfied. It is a great feeling when I see the same customers coming back for more!

What is your favorite product right now?
My favorite current product is the full size tarts in a cup. I love the cup. It makes for great storage and because it is a food grade container it keep s all the scent trapped inside until use. It gives the tarts a much longer shelf life. My favorite current scent is Wild Mountain Honey! Recommended by a great customer, Trish from Do-Hickies & Thing-A-Majigs...yum!

What makes your shop different?
I take extreme pride in each and every product I make. If it isn't right I will not ship it. I make each tart to order so they are fresh when you get them. If for any reason something isn't right I make it so!

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
The Melting Pot Products are sold at the main site:http://www.themeltingpotcandleco.com/

On Hyena Cart:http://hyenacart.com/CrunchyCongo/http://hyenacart.com/TheMeltingPot/

What do you love about handcrafts?
I really think it is important to support other families. I try to buy everything I can from a WAHM or WAHD. It is a great community to support and items are not mass manufactured. Items are made by hand with love and care. That is what I want to bring to my family. I enjoy getting packages in the mail and opening them with the kids. My 5 year old always says who sent us that? I gladly say a great mama in (insert state here). They get a better understanding when I make items and send them to other families. Even better are trades! I love to do trades and I tell the kids. We are going to send this to Jessica at Zing Slings and she is going to make Savannah a skirty. The Skirty arrives and they remember! It is a great lesson in sharing and give and take.

What are some of your favorite online shops?
The Crunchy Congo (http://www.crunchycongo.com/)
Zing Slings (http://www.zingslings.com/)
The Spotted Box (http://www.thespottedbox.com/)
T & Little S Designs (http://www.tscrapper.etsy.com/)


Thanks Natasha for allowing us to get to know you, your family, and your business better! And a double thanks for participating in this great giveaway!

Natasha is offering up a gift set which includes :1 Tart Burner, 3 Tarts (Your choice of scents and wax) and 3 Tea lights




All you have to do to enter for your chance to win this great gift set is go to TheMeltingPotCandleCo. website and browse around...come back and tell me what scents you would like to try.


For 1 Bonus entry you can:
1. Become a follower of my blog
2. Add my super cool button to your site
3. Follow me on twitter
4. Tweet it and link it back to me.
5. Blog about this giveaway and post the link in a comment.


For 2 bonus entries:
1. Go to TheMeltingPotCandleCo. and make a purchase of 3.00 or more! I will have Natasha give me your order number as a confirmation.


Leave me a comment for each entry that you complete. This giveaway ends Friday, May 8th

UPDATED: Natasha has agreed that whoever won the giveaway, if outside of the US or Canada, that she would give a 5.00 giftcard to her store! SO now there is no excuse! ENTER! ;)