TidyMom has MOVED

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Please excuse the mess here!

Please excuse the mess...........TidyMom is in the midst of a little change, all for the better, so please bear with me while I get all the kinks worked out!! {I'm moving to WordPress -will still be TidyMom.net.....and getting a whole new look!}

It’s still a work in process so please forgive any bugs and broken links. I’ll be cleaning it up over the next few days.

A big HUGE thank you to Tonya at Lucky Girl Design Studio , Cathe Holden of Home Grown Logo's and Just Something I Made, and all of my incredible friends who have helped me with this project!

PLEASE make sure you are using

TIDYMOM.NET to subscribe
see you at the new place!!!

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Silhouette Winner!

WOW! The Silhouette machine was my biggest giveaway to date, and boy do you all REALLY want one of your own!!......over 2,300 of you entered last week.
**Little side note........I just realized my very first blog post was 2 years ago today! Happy Blogoversary to me!

Well, it's time to announce the lucky winner

Drum roll please....................

.........picked by random.org the winner is #1043

Gina at Enjoying our Journey said...

I would definitely be making some vinyl stuff for my house. And then some cute shirts for my girls, maybe with rhinestones.

Pop over to Gina's blog and congratulate her , I don't think she knows she won yet!

I wish I had one for everyone! Thanks to all who participated in this fun giveaway and especially a big thanks to the awesome girls at How Does She and the amazing people at Silhouette.

If you didn't win and would like to own a Silhouette machine of your own, Silhouette is still offering 2 specials right now for a limited time for TidyMom readers! Be sure to use the code word "TidyMomRocks" to take advantage of these promotions.

#1 AWESOME PROMO (running from August 1st through August 9th at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:

- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter

- 2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98)

- 1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99)

- Scraper (Valued at $6.99)

- Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)

- $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

- Cutting Blade

- 2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A Savings of $130.96 WOW!

#2 GOOD PROMO (running from August 9th through August 14th at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:

$50 off (receive for $249.99)

2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)

$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

Cutting Blade

2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A savings of $79.98

Want to see what all you can do with a Silhouette?

See some of my projects here, my etched glass bowl here, and lots of other bloggers projects here. I will continue to post more projects as I enjoy my Silhouette!! and I would LOVE to see what YOU are making with YOUR Silhouette!

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July wrap up......Free Desktop Wallpaper, new blog & Winners!

I can't believe July is over! And as always, I would like to Thank You to all my readers, friends and family who have made TidyMom so much fun!!

So let's start off with announcing a few winners!!!

There were 3 winners from last week's awesome Sew Saucy Stitches Print Giveaway

Using Ramdom.org to choose the winners......


Congrats to #40 Jennifer, #48 ruthhill74 and #16 Anna Galvas

This would be the perfect time to remind everyone who is on blogger to PLEASE add your email to your profile!!! By doing that when you leave a comment on my blog (or anyone’s blog) I/they can reply to you. Did you ever notice how when some people comment on your blog you can reply to them, and to others you end up replying to No-Reply-Blogger address? I LOVE to reply to your comments, and so often I cant! It also makes it so much easier to contact you when you win a giveaway!! It's VERY easy to do......Darcy wrote a great little post on it......so I'm just going to send you over there......So EVERYONE RIGHT NOW.......head over to Darcy's and take a look at these steps and make sure you're Blogger/Google account is set up this way! PLEASE I BEG YOU!!.....Thank you kindly! :-)

Speaking of Giveaways........you have entered my HUGE Giveaway for a FREE Silhouette Craft Cutter haven't you?

{Click the picture if you haven't it!}

A Big *gushy* thanks to the top referrers to TidyMom in July....

1. Bake at 350
2. University of Cookie
3. How Does She
4. Hoosier Homemade
5. The Coupon Goddess
6. i am mommy
7. Living Locurto
8. 320 Sycamore
9. Centsational Girl
10. Reluctant Entertainer

And to all of the great people who help support TidyMom.net



I do have a few ad spots open for August......just send me an email if you're interested in working together!! tidymom{at}charter{dot}net


I'm still keeping up with my 365 project, though I'll have to admit....summer time has made it VERY difficult to keep up! I get my pictures taken, but some times I don't get my pictures loaded until a week later.

I've started a separate blog for my photography. It's mainly a place for my 365 pictures and other pictures I take! I love linking up to photography challenges and parties.....I thought it would be easier to do on another blog. I have not finished "fixing her all up" but I DID WIN a budget makeover from Adori Graphics on Amanda's Beautiful Blog Designs!! So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to start working on that site. Louise put together a fantastic blog header for me with some of my pictures and installed it for me.

If you'd like to take a peek.......TidyMomPhotography, as you can see I am WAY behind with uploading my 365 pictures..... the site was designed to "match"my new TidyMom.net makeover, so the photography siet is a sneak peek that new look!....don't you love the fresh new colors?....*remember, it's not finished yet, I have more elements to add

I will still post my monthly mosaics here, but if you wish to see more, you can follow me over on TidyMomPhotography



I'll wrap up this SUPER long post with a link to Julie of LeeLou Blogs super cute desktop wallpapers for August!!

Click the picture below to get your FREE August 2010 desktop theme like I did!!

Be sure to leave Julie a comment thanking her for her generosity!!


So that wraps up July!!.......School starts here on August 16! YIKES!! When does school start for you?

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The Family Dish & Peanut Butter Frosting

Whew!!!

Would someone like to tell me where July went?!

July was crazy busy around here, we had a lot of fun here and with Bridget!!.....but SO much has piled up on me!!

I have a bit of exciting news to share with you!!

I was asked by Unilever ( the company who has awesome brands such as Breyers, Hellmann's, Knorr, Lipton, Ragu, Skippy, and more) to be a contributor to a new website that they have called “The Family Dish”. The Family Dish is a site with a mission to reconnect families through cooking.



I grew up in a home where our family ate dinner together every night. My husband and I have continued that tradition with our family. Now, with The Family Dish program I can encourage my girls to help cook dinner, and share even more quality time together.

You can find all of the featured Mom contributors on The Family Dish Contributor page. We each will share written posts as well as videos on The Family Dish website showing our hands-on experiences turning cooking in the kitchen with our families into quality time.

You can join the fun as well!!
From July 25 to August 30, 2010, families can enter “The Family Dish Contest” by visiting thefamilydish.com and uploading a video about their best experiences cooking as a family, for a chance to win a Family Culinary Vacation to Orlando Official rules are available at www.thefamilydish.com.

For more quick tips, recipe ideas and to find out what’s cooking in the Unilever Consumer Test Kitchens, follow Lauren, Anna Marie and their team on Twitter @KitchenDishin’.

So, come on over the www.thefamilydish.com and see what’s cookin!

My first post on The Family Dish I shared a YUMMY Peanut Butter Frosting recipe that I put on some chocolate cupcakes for Bridget's visit last week.

They were SOOO yummy!



I made the perfect cupcakes using Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix and topped with

Peanut Butter Frosting
(printable recipe)

yield: enough for 24 cupcakes

2 cup powdered sugar

2 cup Skippy® Peanut Butter

10 Tablespoon unsalted butter (room temp)

1-½ Tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

In medium bowl, place sugar, Skippy® peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt and combine with electric mixer on medium-low speed until creamy. Slowly add cream and beat on high speed until mixture is smooth.

Don't you just LOVE the cupcake wrapper? I made it with my new toy!!! Oh am I LOVING this new toy!! I've been playing with it ALL weekend!!

Don't forget, check back in tomorrow for a fabulous giveaway......{squeal} I can hardly wait! (It may just have to do with how I was able to cut my cupcake wrapper!)

UPDATE: you can enter the giveaway here...for your own Silhouette Craft Cutter! {$300 value}

I'm sharing this recipe at
Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Mouth Watering Mondays, Tuesdays at the Table, Tuesday Tastes, Tasty Tuesday, Delicious Dishes and Cupcake Tuesday,

Made by You Monday , Foodie Friday

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*Disclosure- This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in Unilever’s Family Dish Program. For more great ideas, go to www.thefamilydish.com.

Bridget {Bake at 350} comes to St. Louis!

*WARNING......this post is long!*

For all two of you who live under a rock don't know who Bridget is, she writes a fantastic baking blog called Bake at 350 and recently started up a video tutorial site called University of Cookie. She's a wonderful mom and wife and one wicked cookie decorator!!........and she is just as fabulous as I had imagined her being!

We finally got to meet in person!! Can you believe it? After more than a year and a half of emailing, tweeting, texting and phone calls, Bridget and I finally got to meet when she came to visit with me last Thursday and Friday.

I will admit, I felt like a stalker when I spotted a cute curly red haired girl in the air port and jumped up and hugged her.

We chatted, we laughed, we shopped, it was like we've been friends since childhood. Bridget was even MORE fabulous than I had imagined! We just clicked.....at least I think we did......I sure hope Bridget feels the same way ;-)

We spent SO much time enjoying each other's company, we did not take many pictures.

It was HOT here in St. Louis. The temps were in the upper 90's with heat index over 100. Luckily Bridget is used to that kind of summer heat in Houston.

Thursday after we left the airport we headed to Forest Park, it was WAY to hot to visit the zoo, but we had a wonderful lunch at The Boat House and made a quick stop at the Jewel Box on our way out.

Check out Bridget on the bottom left.....she's taking pictures too!



Thursday evening we spent at my house eating my Three Cheese Baked Mostaccioli with my crazy family. (I was trying to fatten her up while she was here because it quickly became obvious WHO eats more cookies!)

Seriously, I'm surprised that evening she didn't ask me to just take her back to the air port! My family felt so comfortable with her, they held nothing back!

I eventually took her back to her hotel room so she could get some peace! lol

Our blogging/twitter buddy, Ann Marie downloaded the flat friend files Cathe Holden made and sent a flat version of herself so she could join in on the fun!!

Ann Marie stayed with Bridget in the hotel, where she drank all of the coffee and enjoyed antiquing with us!





Back in May, you may remember, I was nominated over at i am mommy for "Best Overall Blog" and I won!! As a prize, Amanda sent me $50 cash!

Well, I promised to spend a day using the $50 to perform Random Acts of Kindness and thought it would be fun to do with Bridget!

Friday we spent part of our afternoon paying for people's groceries and lunch. It was fun and felt good! People were genuinely surprised, shocked, even embarrassed, but very grateful!!

When I paid for lunch for the ladies pictured below, one lady asked "Has the heat gone to your head?" We laughed and laughed......they even came over and gave us a big hug after they got their food.



My husband was SO excited that Bridget wanted to see his cats!! He volunteers at a wildlife center where he handles their tigers. Bridget quickly made friends with Leo the 700 pound African Lion!! She also got to feed chicken to the tigers. (we got that on video, but have not had time to work on that yet)



We did not have time to bake together, but Bridget made me some BEAUTIFUL cookies. You should read her tip about how she colored the sanding sugar, and made business connections on her flight while editing her pictures!



and of course, I made cupcakes for her. Unfortunately cupcakes don't travel well, so I couldn't send any home with her.



2 wonderful days flew by in no time!! I'm REALLY hoping to talk the Bug Man aka Mr. TidyMom or TidyDad on a trip to Houston some time!!

This picture was taken by the hostess at The Boat House after our lunch on Thursday. Can you believe how we color coordinated that day! lol....we did NOT plan that! I don't wear much purple, but I happened to wear that shirt that day, and look how perfectly it matched the purple Bridget had on!



I LOVED getting to know Bridget better and highly recommend it to any blogger who has made that "connection" with another blogger.

Thanks for letting me share our visit with all of you!!!

Meeting up with Blogging Buddies Works for ME!
I'm linking up at We Are That Family's Works For Me Wednesday

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Caramel Dipped Pretzel Rods

Today is MY big day! I'm SO excited to be a part of the Holiday Bake, Craft, and Sew Along with dozens of fabulous bloggers. Make sure you head on over to A Southern Fairy Tale to see how I make Caramel Dipped Pretzel Rods.

Be sure check out the other holiday gift and craft ideas being posted daily! Or click here to see all past projects in one place and all of the creative bloggers involved! Get started on your projects now and lose the stress during the holidays!!

**If you're wondering about my visit with the ADORABLE Ms. Bridget.....I hope to get a post together for you real soon!! A 2 day visit was NOT long enough! lol

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I'm Lovin' It - Visiting with Bridget!

Welcome to the Party!!

*****************
Bridget is finally here!!!



If you missed the story, you can read about it here



I'm Lovin' that we finally got to meet and spend a few days together!!

I can't wait to share stories with you next week!!

What are YOU lovin' this week?

*********************************

Now it’s your turn, let us know what you’re lovin' this week! If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link below.

What is I'm Lovin' It Fridays? get all the info, how to's and button here

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Chicago Trip!

My girls and I returned from our trip to Chicago for Sunshine's 14th birthday a little over a week ago. We had way too much fun. We had been looking forward to this trip for quite a while and I can't believe that it has already come and gone.



We took the train.

It was our first time on an Amtrak train and we actually enjoyed the 5.5 hour ride from St. Louis.



The train station in St. Louis was VERY tiny, but Union Station in Chicago was huge and beautiful!! One thing that surprised me.....nothing, no luggage, no person NOTHING was scanned thru any kind of security.

There was a snack car on board, where you could get drinks, snacks even a sandwich or pizza. The snack car has tables, so occasionally we would sit in there and play cards.

Each seat on the train had a power outlet, that was nice for plugging in a computer, DVD player, or even charging your phone.

Like airline travel, purchasing your train tickets in advance is cheaper, and train tickets are much cheaper than airfare. An adult ticket round trip from St. Louis to Chicago was only $56!

We shopped the Magnificent Mile



Enjoyed GREAT food!!




Our favorites were Ed Debevics, Carson's Ribs and Bubba Gumps. Fantastic food and service at all of them!

Carson's Ribs is where we ate for Sunshine's birthday dinner, and she said it was her favorite part of the whole trip!!! The girls both had ribs and I had chicken.....all of it was incredible!

Shedd Aquarium did not disappoint!



Lot's of photo ops



We went up in the Sears/Willis Tower and Sky Deck, we took a Fireworks/Architectural cruise and we went to Navy Pier and took the water taxi over to Shedd Aquarium.
We LOVED Chicago



And I think the girls had a fabulous time!!



I can't believe it is over.

If you want to see all of the pictures I took (most have not been edited) but they're all in a flickr album here



Back to reality and house work!.........because

BRIDGET is coming to visit on Thursday!!!

pop over and read this NEW article about Bridget here!


Photo by David Hopper

Baking by Blog in Bridget's Kitchen (by Kim Morgan)

SOOOO......How about you?
Have you taken a vacation this summer?
Any fun visitors?
What has been the best part of your summer?

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