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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I'm Lovin' It - My new baby!

Welcome to the Party!!

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Swagbucks * Amazon * KitchenAid

Wonder what those three things have in common?

I first told you about Swagbucks here.

Since then, I have continued to use Swagbucks to search to web (it’s especially easy to use, since I added the Swagbucks toolbar to my browser) and my Swagbucks balance continued to grow. Once I have enough, I am able to cash my Swagbucks in for prizes............I always go for the $5 Amazon gift cards.

{do you see where this is going?}

Once I receive the Amazon gift cards in my Swagbucks account, I just drop them in my Amazon account......so that money is just sitting there waiting for me to use it.

As my Amazon gift card balance began to grow, I started to realize that my dream to own a KitchenAid Mixer became more and more possible.

After being patient for a few months, I was able to purchase this beauty for half price!!



.........had I waited a little longer, I could have gotten it for free.......but patience is something I don't have much of!

I'm now saving up for Christmas purchases!!!

I am LOVING my new black shinny baby!

Butter Cream frosting was a cinch, but I really cant wait to mix up a batch of cookies and royal icing!!.....No more standing for 10 mins with the hand mixer!!

(click to join)

Have YOU signed up for Swagbucks yet? Search the web, earn Swag Bucks and trade them in for great stuff, like gift cards for Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and PayPal. It's not too late to start saving for the holidays!!

Are you ready to sign up? Click here to join!

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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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Clickin Moms Memebership Special

Do you have a DSLR camera, but don't really know how to use it?
Not understand all the settings on your camera?
Whan to learn how to edit your photo's better?

I have recently discovered a fabulous subscription based message board called Clickin' Moms.
It's a wonderful place to gather information & support!!

As a photographer, you will learn how to use your camera and improve your photography. You will have access to new digital photography classes being offered by the most talented Clickin’ Moms, written & video tutorials, there are even used equipment and business help forums and so much more. All in one tight knit place to help both professional and amateurs alike.

As a blogger, you can earn money with an affiliate relationship. You will earn 20% for each person you refer to Clickin’ Moms.

If you haven’t signed up there yet, NOW is the time!

Now thru midnight EST on Friday July 2, 2010 you can
use the discount code FRIEND at checkout, you will get 10% off any subscription, or coupon code LOVECM for 20% off a lifetime subscription. Cool huh?!

*I signed up for a year!

While we're talking photography and mom's.......PLEASE go read this post and be inspired to include yourself in your pictures with your kids!
We as mom's just don't do it often enough. Tips for "getting in the picture"

Excerpt from
She left proof {Aleida’s Challenge}

“Have you ever seen a photograph of your own mother and thought to yourself how fat she looked? Or how she wasn’t wearing make-up? Or wasn’t dressed in a glamorous outfit?” Of course my answer was no.

Aleida tragically and unexpectedly passed away in an auto accident in September of 2008, leaving 2 small children and a grieving husband. After she passed I thought of how those children must feel to have those precious photographs. I have made it my personal goal to follow her wise suggestion and I try to take photos of myself with my children….double chins, make-up free, bed-head and all."

So come on........

learn how to ROCK that Camera you've got

Click the banner below or use the link Clickin' Moms
See you there!!!



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Red White & Blue Cupcakes!

Some people like to celebrate the 4th of July with barbecues and fireworks....I say,

"Let's celebrate with cupcakes!!"




If you are looking for an impressive treat for your 4th of July celebration, look no further. These Patriotic Cupcakes are too cute, a box cake mix makes it easy and they are sure to be a hit with the kids. Disclaimer - yes, I've heard all the "evil" about food coloring in food.....if this bother's you, please just close this post.

I've seen these cupcakes around the web for a while, like here and here and I've been looking forward to trying them myself! I will to say that I was thrilled with the results! They turned out even cuter than I had hoped for.

Here's what you do:

Mix up a batch of white cake batter, using The Perfect Cupcakes (using a mix)

Divide your white cake mix into 3 bowls.

Add red gel coloring to one, and blue to another.

I highly recommend using the gel-paste food coloring. The color is concentrated, so it does not require a lot to achieve the hue you’re going for. The liquid food coloring from the grocery store will "water down" your batter.

Spoon a little of each color into your cupcake liners, filling about 1/2 full.

Bake at 350° for 20 mins. and let cool.

Next I made a batch of Glory's Frosting

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
(from Glorious Treats)

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1 to 4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Directions:

• *Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.

• Add vanilla and sugar and blend on low until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy. (*I used clear vanilla to keep my frosting nice and white)
  

• Slowly add the cream a little at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)

• I added some bright white gel coloring at this point to make my frosting nice and white.
  

• Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

• Pipe onto cupcakes!

To make my icing multi colored, I tried something new this time.

I bought the Wilton Holiday Gels in red and blue and lined the inside of my pastry/decorating bag with 2 stripes of each.



I then filled the bag with my white frosting and piped my cupcakes using my Wilton 1M tip.

I did add some fun patriotic sprinkles to some, that I found in the Dollar Spot at Target a while back, and topped all of them with these little red pin-wheel toppers I picked up at WalMart.

See how fun they look when you bite in!

I'm going to make these again this weekend as our family all gather's at our family log home.

If you more the adventurous type, you may want to pop over to i am baker, and see the incredible cake Amanda "whipped up" *you're in for a treat when she makes an appearance here on TidyMom soon with a fabulous guest post for you guys!!

While we celebrate with yummy food, I cannot help but think about the life of freedom we have today that is due to all of the people who gave (and are still giving) the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect our country. I appreciate their dedication and sacrifices from the bottom of my heart. It is because of them and their families that we can fly our flags high and be thankful that we live in the U.S.A.

I'm sharing this recipe at
Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Mouth Watering Mondays and Tuesdays at the Table, Tuesday Tastes, Tasty Tuesday, 4th of July Party, Get Your Craft On and Cupcake Tuesday
CSI Project on Tuesday for this week's challenge of Red White and Blue!
and Stars and Stripes Party at Centsational Girl

Now thru midnight EST on Friday July 2, 2010 you can
use the discount code FRIEND at checkout, you will get 10% off any subscription, or coupon code LOVECM for 20% off a lifetime subscription.

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Father's Day Cookies & 24 years ♥

My husband doesn't eat many of the "treats" that I make.
But he LOVES my butter cookies......

and I'm getting better with royal icing, thanks to some of the fantastic how-to video's over at University of Cookie! Bridget's "Making Royal Icing- video tutorial" was SO helpful!

So we decided for Father's Day, we'd make him some cookies.



Sunshine has been dying to learn how to decorate with rolled fondant.

So we picked up a few supplies
and some ready made fondant
and made little hearts for our I ♥ Dad t-shirt cookies



We are going to sign up for some classes at Michaels, but check out the flower she made all on her own with out an instruction!



What plans do you have for Father's Day?
are you baking anything special?

Sunday is also our 24th Wedding Anniversary!♥

This is part of what I wrote last year.........

I know that I love waking up next to you every morning. I love knowing that you’ll make me laugh out loud every day. I love talking to you and sharing everything with you. I love that you put up with me and all my flaws. I love that you are THE best Dad and provider for our family! I love that you NEVER let us down. I love that your family ALWAYS comes first. I love that you tell me I look fabulous when I feel fat. I love that you hug me when I cry. I love that you will go to the store when I don't feel like going. I love that you will pick up pizza when I don't feel like cooking. I love that you know me. I LOVE that you LOVE me. I love that it’s painfully obvious that our 2 kids are our 2 kids and they have good and bad features/traits/habits from each of us. I hope we have managed to set an example for our girls as to what a happy, successful marriage is.

~Love you honey!!!

You can read more about why I love this man here!

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL father's day!

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I'm Lovin' It! - New Window Treatments & Endust Giveaway!

Welcome to the Party!!
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Have I ever told you that I'm terrible with making choices? I think that's why I don't change things in my house very often, because it's exhausting for me to choose new items.

A while back I decided it was time for new window treatments in my kitchen.
I was tired of the old red and white checked that I've had up there for years!!



I've been looking, and like always, I just didn't see anything that screamed "THIS IS IT!"

until one day I clicked.........

here

and that was my "AH HA" moment!

THAT is what I wanted for my windows!!

Brittany was so sweet and shared that she MADE her valances with a roll of vintage toweling.

Toweling is 16" wide fabric that is used to make towels....but it's PERFECT for window valances!! The only thing I needed to do was hem the 2 short ends and clip them up!!



I bought new rods, and they took me longer to hang than it did to iron and make my valances!

SOOOO much better don't you think?

I love the colors......it allows me to keep my reds, and add the blue, yellow and green!



What do you think?

This was SOOO easy.
You could even use fabric glue if you don't want to sew.

If you're interested.....

• I purchased from a FANTASTIC lady on ebay vintage_mkt
• I paid $2.15 per 1/2 yard
• I doubled the width of my windows and left a "tail" hanging on each end" -I had 2 windows 35" and one window 70" - I bought 10 yds. I used 4 yds on the 70" window, 2 yds on each of the 35" windows over the sink and I have 2 extra yards for another project.

I linked up at






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With my new window treatments up, it really motivated me to get the rest of the house cleaned!!

The good people at Endust recently sent me a new product to try, Endust Free Dusting and Cleaning spray, which reduces allergens on surfaces and in the air. This cleaning spray recently received the asthma & allergy friendly Certification Mark from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, making it the first fragrance-free, hypoallergenic dusting and cleaning product scientifically-proven to work.

When my home is totally dusted I feel better! And now I can feel better doing it!

Besides being free of fragrances, Endust Free Dusting & Cleaning Spray has a unique, hypo-allergenic formula that contains less-irritating ingredients and has an innovative dispensing system that features a narrow-directed spray to reduce bothersome lingering mist and overspray. The product also has a twist-and-lock cap to protect against accidental spraying. Many products that create a lingering mist after spraying can diminish good indoor air quality and lead to indoor allergies by introducing chemicals with high amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which may also trigger allergic reactions.

My mom always told me to just use a damp cloth to dust with.....

According to research by Allergy Standards Ltd., Endust Free removes up to 90% more dust mite allergen than damp dusting and up to 92% more dust mite allergen than dry dusting

GIVEAWAY!
*5 winners*

GIVEAWAY has ENDED
Congratulations to the 5 winners
#61 Wishing on stars , #33 Samantha, #26 Bridget, #1 Diann, and #50 Jacey

Now you have a chance to win your own can of Endust Free Dusting & Cleaning Spray . To help you clean your house, Endust is giving away five coupons for a FREE Endust product.

Just leave a comment telling me how often YOU dust. Make sure there's a way for me to contact you if you win!!

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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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Disclaimer: I was provided with 6 cans of Endust, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post. These are my real opinions.

I'm Guest Posting at The Reluctant Entertainer

Raise your hand if you are a mess when you think of entertaining in your home?

ME! ME! {with both hands in the air!}


Well, today I'm guest posting {nervous sweat} at the beautiful blog, The Reluctant Entertainer. If you don't know Sandy and her blog yet, now is the time for you to head over and take a look around. Her blog will definitely inspire you to be the best hostess you can possibly be. Sandy offers simple and effective entertaining tips, wonderful stories, pictures and encourages a true love for family, home and hospitality.


Plus, you can check out the details about her new book,
which is being released later this summer!



While you're there.....you MUST check out one of my FAVORITE "Sandy" idea...

The Ice Cream Trough!!



How FUN is THAT?!

We are going to make this sometime this summer!!


Click over and come visit me and Sandy today!

See you there!


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