{GIVEAWAY} Candy Making for Kids by Courtney Dial Whitmore

The talented Courtney Dial Whitmore of Pizzazzerie has come out with her second book, Candy Making for Kids. Courtney is doing a Blog Book Tour and I am so excited she's making a stop here.

I love making lollipops and candy and I can already see my girls showing an interest in candy making. Anyone who makes candy knows that boiling hot sugar is not something young kids can work with which is why I am so excited about this book.

Filled with fun and easy recipes, it would make an awesome gift for the budding candy maker. None of the recipes require a candy thermometer so it's great for kids of all ages. 

You can get your copy of Candy Making for Kids on Amazon  and Barnes & Noble 
As an added bonus,  Courtney is offering book plates if you want your book signed. You can email Courtney at courtney@pizzazzerie.com with the subject line BOOK SIGNATURE.  In the email, include a  proof of purchase (screen shot of Amazon order, picture of receipt, etc) along with your address and who to make the greeting out to and she will send it your way.

OR your could try to win a copy here!

Courtney is giving away ONE copy of Candy Making for Kids to one of my readers. This is open to all U.S. residents, age 18 and over. A winner will be chosen on Friday, August 10 at noon (pacific time).

To enter the giveaway:
Head over to  Lollipops & Paper's facebook page and "like" it (or let me know if you already like it), then "share" this post and comment on who you will be making candy with.

How awesome is that?!


Photography by Zac Williams

The Amazing Glass Jar

My kitchen cabinet holds an amazing treasure- a collection of glass jars waiting to be reused and repurposed. Every time I empty a jar of pasta sauce, the crafter/ eco-conscious/ semi-hoarder in me says not to throw them away. I know there are plenty of uses for them, I just had to find those ideas.

My main purpose for glass jars is storing used frying oil. Once I fill a jar with oil, I toss it in the trash. Kind of a waste of a perfectly good jar, I know.

My last issue of Family Fun magazine had a great article on meals in a jar. It's the perfect outdoor meal that the kids will enjoy putting together. They used canning jars for their meals so I'm not sure if my pasta jars will work but it's still a great idea worth sharing. They had recipes for omelets in a jar and cakes in a jar.

Determined to find more uses for these jars, I asked my always crafty and creative friends on Blog Frog for ideas. The response was amazing and they also came up with some great projects for reusing glass jars. Here are some of my ideas and their suggestions for reusing jars.

Serving:
1. Use the jars as drinking glasses. Perfect for a western or outdoor themed party. Check out this cowboy themed baby shower on Hostess With the Mostess where they used jars as drinking glasses.

2. Fill with salsas, relishes and sauces at parties.

3. Fill with candy and place on your desk at the office.

Storage:
1.In the kitchen store dry foods such as pasta, beans or cereal. You can even label the jars with vinyl lettering with instructions from Martha Stewart.

2.In the garage, screw the lids to the bottom of a board. fill the jar with small items like nails, bolts, etc. then screw the jar back to the lid.

3.In the craft room, fill with scrapbooking embellishments, buttons, threads.

4. In the office, use as a pen/pencil holder or fill with paper clips and other supplies.

Crafts:

1.Responsibility jar for kids-- decorate the jar then fill with a marble each time they make a good decision or complete chores. Once the jar is filled, they can receive a reward.

2.Use as a candle / votive holder

3. Group jars of various sizes together and use as flower vases.

4. Create a fairy jar

5. There are several science experiments to do with the kids using glass jars. Martha Stewart has a few ideas here.

Gifts:

1.Cookie mix in a Jar- fill the jar in layers with the dry ingredients needed for a cookie recipe. Cover the lid with fabric, tie with a ribbon along with instructions on adding the wet ingredients.

2. Mix your own bbq sauce or salsa. attach your own personalized label and ribbon to finish the look

3.Hot glue jelly beans to the lid and seal with mod podge. Tie a ribbon around the edge of the lid. Fill with jelly beans.

4. Fill with bath salts. Cover the lid with fabric and a ribbon coordinating with the color of the bath salts

So which idea will you try at home? Got a glass jar project we didn't cover? Post it here!

GIVEAWAY: Along Came You

Okay moms of daughters, this one is for you. Along Came You is about a mom who tells her little girl how her life has changed since motherhood. This heartwarming book chronicles what we go through when we take on the most important job of our lives, from how we decorate our house to how we eat our breakfast.

I came across this wonderful book through the book order club at my daughter's school. I ordered one copy for me, read it once and fell in love with it. I wanted to share it with my other mommy friends so I bought several more copies. It's one of those books that will leave a soft spot in your heart and will be a favorite bedtime read.



This giveaway isn't sponsored by an outside company, the author or the publisher.

I bought copies to give as gifts and I would like to share one copy with you.




You can enter three different ways. Do all three and increase your chances!







1. Become a follower of this blog then leave a comment on this post telling us what changed most about you after motherhood.







2. Like us on Facebook (and leave a separate comment here saying you did)







3. Follow me on Blog Frog (and leave a comment here saying you did.)







Contest ends Tuesday, July 13 at midnight and I will randomly choose a winner.

The copy I will send you is a paperback version. If you want a copy sooner I highly recommend going out and getting one, it really is a wonderful read.

GIVEAWAY: A sweet givaway from Milan Maternity

Milan Maternity is giving away 3 different prizes!
 you can win:

1.A $100 E-Gift Card to Milan Maternity


2.A $100 E-Gift Card to Babies 'R' Us

3.A $50 Gift Card to Applebee's and 2 movie tickets to Regal Entertainment theaters
 
check it out at http://milanmaternity.blogspot.com/