Take-A-Look Tuesday

Reminder, I have a couple of fun giveaways running right now:
--5 Patterns of your choice from Shwin Designs
--a year subscription to Animoto Plus online video software (you can get basic features for free if you don't win - and there's a coupon code for a full-length video credit)

Can't wait to see what everyone's been up to -  - and who will be the most viewed link - maybe you?

- - just a run down- -

• Link to a Specific Post, not your whole blog - no more than a couple of posts please
• Please don't link up anything you've already linked before (like something posted on a previous week)
• Try to visit a few other people at the party - it's fun to support and encourage fellow craftiness - and everyone LOVES comments

If you're new to link-ups and have questions let me know and I'll do my best to help

videos with Animoto - Mom and Me - and GIVEAWAY

I just made a video that I can't wait to show you!!

First off, I used this new site called Animoto - well, new to me.  I LOVED it.

You pick your layout first - what type of template your pictures will be displayed in.  There are so many good ones!

You upload a bunch of your pictures - which for me uploaded super fast - and they'll pull pictures from everywhere - Facebook, Picasa, Instagram, wherever!  Then you just arrange them how you want, drag and drop style.  I couldn't decide on an order so I just had them "shuffled" so they're in a random order.  I highlighted a few pictures, which means they are displayed in the video for a little longer than most of the pictures.  You can pick music from them or upload your own.

We got creative and made this Mother's Day "Video Card" for the Grandmas - so fun!!  I will be emailing this out on Mother's Day.  It's less than a minute long, so it's worth watching to give you an idea of what you can make with a video if you think outside the box a little:

And then I pulled together a bunch of pictures of myself with my kiddos to give you an example of how you can make a Mother's Day Video from past pictures.  What a fun and unique present, right?!?  I know all moms/grandmas would LOVE to get a video.  I now need to work on more....

Want to see it - of course you do (ignore how my hair changes so much over the years...)!  It's not too long, don't worry.

Once you make your video, there's lots of sharing options just at one click, like sharing to FB, twitter, Pinterest, etc.  They make it easy for you!


When you go to check out Animoto, there are free options, but I have a coupon code for you to get a free full-length video credit - use the code: CleverFL 


And even better, I have a great giveaway - One of you will get a free one-year subscription to Animoto Plus - that gives you more features and options - wahoo!!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post  and tell me "who are you making your video for?" -- that's it! winner will be picked on May 7th  at 9pm.  Good luck!!

Visit Animoto to create your own video slideshow as easily as I did! I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, and all opinions expressed here are my own. 

Shwin Designs - Pattern Giveaway!

I'm sure you've heard of Shwin Designs - I love reading the Shwin and Shwin blog.  In the shop you'll find super cute patterns like these:

   

I had a chance to review that last one, the "Maggie Mae" Tunic, in the larger size....

 I would say it's not hard, but it's not a beginner pattern.  I think it's a perfect difficulty level for the beginner sewer who wants to try a bit of a challenge.  I say that because you will get to try a curved seam (the one that cuts across the bodice) and try making pleats and buttonholes.  So it's a little more than just straight stitching -  it can expand the skills of a beginner sewer.  Hope that makes sense.

Here's some up-close pictures to show the pleats and buttons:

You can make it to whatever length you desire - I think it'd be cute as a dress, but I went with a longer tunic length for this one.

Makes for great wearable fun!

And yes, you read the title right - - this is a giveaway!!  One lucky reader can win 5 patterns of their choice.

To enter the giveaway, just check out Shwin Designs and then come back here and leave a comment stating which pattern is your favorite - that's it!

 Giveaway ends Friday, May 4th, around noon - good luck!

Photo Glimpse - Gramps

Remember, each week I give you a brief glimpse in photos of the non-crafty side of life...this is a day late cause I normally do photo glimpse posts on Saturdays - oh well...

My grandpa, "Gramps", my mom's dad, was a few weeks shy of turning 92 - he passed away while I was at SNAP.  He was robust right up until a few weeks ago.  

For those of you that are LDS, you'll know the significance of him being able to tour the new Temple in the Kansas City are - he was the branch president and then Bishop of the first Liberty ward to be established again since the time of Joseph Smith.  So to go from that small start to think that there is now a temple in the area is amazing.  He got to tour the temple a couple of weeks ago, and we were all hoping he'd be here for the Dedication.  At the funeral the speaker waved Gramp's tickets to the Temple Dedication to the crowd saying something like "his tickets just came in today, with his name on them.  I suppose he preferred to attend the dedication with his sweetheart instead."  His wife, my mom's mom, died a couple months after I was born, of cancer.

Gramps had 12 children.  Makes for quite the posterity.  I think he has around 78 grand and great-grandchildren.

He was also a veteran of World War II - - at the graveside service he was given a 21 gun salute.

I believe in a great eternal plan where families can be together forever.  I know he is happy with his wife and that we'll get to see him again.

And random-ish picture, my dad's parents came into town for the funeral, so here's them, my parents, my family, and my brother and his wife, after the funeral:

I stand by my mantra "worst place ever to take a picture:  church gym"

In goes the Garden - with Whitney Farms Veggie Food

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
We're a little late in getting our garden going - we tried sprouting plants from seedlings and we weren't really successful - but hey, at least we tried it.
So today Trevor tilled our garden - here's the before, in it's very neglected,  never-been-touched-since-last-year condition:

He tilled it all up so nicely, then poured on Whitney Farms® (yep, that's  a link to a $3 off coupon - score!) - using their organic plant food.



Then he raked it all in to the turned soil, making it still organic soil - wahoo!

Here's what the packaging looks like:

You're probably noticing that we have organic plant food in addition to the Tomato and Vegetable food - that will go on all our flowers (once again, shout-out to the previous owners for all the amazingly landscaped flowers and bushes).


I am super excited to try organic plant food because I know it's a healthier alternative as we begin our garden this year.
Let me tell you about Organic Plant Food...

• Specially formulated to produce a bountiful harvest
• Contains ORGANIC-GRO™ Beneficial Microbes that biologically enhance our natural plant food by assisting in the breakdown of organic matter into nutrients
• timulates root development increasing nutrient uptake as well as water efficiency for plants

It's low-to-no dust, no manure odor, and easy to apply.  All while containing beneficial microbes.
I am sure I will give you an update as our garden grows and produces - I can't wait!!!

Awesome Deal - free $15!

Hey all, I just wanted to pop in quick and let you know of a deal I just found out about - -

You know Paper Coterie, right?!?

I think that ad is clickable - - and yep, Mother's Day is a great reason to shop for pictures and picture books.

And guess what - when you go to  Paper Coterie, you will get a $15 credit to purchase something from them - WAHOO!!  
Just use the code " GIFTFAVES"

My daughter is turning 8 in the fall and I thought that a perfect gift for her would be a journal - they're only $16, so they'd be practically free for one.  But then I was thinking I should get all my kids one for a summer journal and make writing in it part of our summer routine - doesn't that sound fun??

I have ordered from Paper Coterie before when they produced the recipe books that I was a part of - so I can attest to the quality of their products, which is great.

Besides books and journals, they have cards, home decor, memory keepers, planners, etc.  Have fun shopping!! Paper Coterie
(I love online shopping on a Saturday afternoon... and speaking of, does anyone know where I can get those mint colored jeans/pants for under $20?? )

Mexican Pie

Finally - a recipe post!!  So all around Pinterest you see these delicious-looking meals, that require hours and hours of prep.  I got to thinking that people should be sharing their "go-to" meals.  You know, you have a standard maybe 10 meals that you make repetitively - at least I do.  I fill in with fancy or different ones, but I've got several main ones I can whip up anytime.

Mexican Pie is one my standard meals.  I don't know why it's called "mexican pie" because I'm sure it's not very Mexican, and it's not very pie-like, but whatever.  I make it different every time, so if you're a exact-measurement type of person (which I am when I'm baking, but not when I'm cooking dinner) this might be a hard-to-read post for you.  But if you're looking for a new go-to meal, I may have the answer!

First up, I realize I'm not a food photographer - they could have made this look delicious!!

So, start off with about 1 pound of hamburger - - if you're on top of things, you might even have baggies of pre-cooked hamburger in your freezer.  You can add whatever to it you'd like - often I throw in diced green peppers, but this time I didn't have any.  I put in onions and a little taco seasoning.

Then I like to have a filler to go with the hamburger - but you could just use straight hamburger, which I've done several times.  Anyways, filler - often I use some leftover cooked rice.  This time I didn't have any leftover rice on hand, so I made some Quinoa - -

Meanwhile, grab a box of corn muffin mix and make it according to the directions on the back.  Then drain a can of corn and dump the corn into the muffin batter - just to add more to the meal.  Sometimes I make it without the can of corn.

 Now, take your hamburger mix and stir in the quinoa or rice or whatever or nothing.  Sometimes I add black beans as more filler.  I was out of black beans so I threw in Red Kidney Beans.  Sometimes I don't put in beans at all.  Take that mix and add about 1 cup of Salsa - mmmm.  Stir it all together. Then put it all into a baking dish:

 Pour the cornbread mixture on top:

 Bake at 350 until the cornbread is cooked all the way through in the middle (you can see where I poked this to make sure it was cooked) - maybe 30-40 minutes:

That's it!  Dish it out....

Then I like to chop it all up on my plate.  You can add salsa and sour cream, etc, to top it off.

 Enjoy!!

Patching Toms

just quick heads up if you have TOMS shoes - or if you're thinking about getting them - they need patched!  Toes poke and make worn spots.

Did you know that you can buy sticky-backed patches at Joanns (and other places I'm sure)??  Just cut a chunk, peel off the backing, and stick it up above your toes from the inside of the shoe. (in the picture one patch is right-side up and one is up-side down)

I did this recently when my worn spot was just starting to show - there's not a hole, yet.  And now my toe will have to wear through the patch denim stuff before it can make a hole.

I WISH I would have done this the minute I bought the shoes - then maybe I wouldn't even have a worn spot.  So, moral of the story, if you buy TOMS, right from day one, IMMEDIATELY PATCH THEM when they're new, because wear is inevitable, and that way you'll be wearing on your patch instead of wearing on the shoe. So that's your heads up.