following DOES pay off (and other news)!

Sheesh - it's been a long time, yeah? I can't believe it has been 10 days since my last blog and I've missed you all!

With Syndel in the National American Miss Ohio State pageant (which is upcoming), I've been very busy with taking her out to get sponsorship, getting her dress and outfits together (which I'm having custom-made for her), training sessions, etc. It really never ends.

Also, we took another trip to the Zoo Friday with some good friends of ours. We spent nearly the entire day there (from 11 AM to 5 PM). It was a total blast! Syndel accidentally fed the zoo map to a goat, who then split the map in half with the other goat. Sharing isn't over-rated, even for goats, I suppose. A baby cheetah tried to eat Syndel, not once, but twice (thank goodness for high fences and zoo keepers). I also learned how to tell apart male red-crested cranes from female ones......evidently, if they're digging in their own butts, they're male (according to Syndel anyway). Overall, it was a very eventful day with lots of interesting happenings.

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip to the zoo:

So pretty!


We LOVE all the beautiful flowers around the Zoo!


Syndel being silly in the Children's Zoo (part of the Zoo)


Just MOMENTS before that goat stole Syndel's Zoo map! If only we knew why that goat was getting so snuggly with Syndel through that fence! *tee hee hee*
PS) For those that might be concerned, I went and got a zoo keeper in fear that the goat would get sick. We tried grabbing the map back and he just wasn't going to give it up. The zoo keeper said that it happens at least once a day and that the goat would be just fine. :)

Thursday was full for me also. I am President of a local network of WAHMs (FFNOW) who get together and do "quarter auctions" for fun....and to raise money for local charities (Starfire and the Norwood Service League). I'm the auctioneer, so I definitely keep busy throughout the entire event.

Anyhoo - onto the real reason that following me DOES pay off.......The winner of "The Only Bake Sale Cookbook You'll Ever Need" is a follower! AND, her comment to say, "Hey, I'm a follower" is the one that counted!


Congrats Rose! I've already e-mailed you, so as soon as I get your address, your book will be on it's way!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! It was a lot of fun!

I'll be baking this week, so I'll have more goodies up for you to check out! Also, more giveaways are coming soon!!!

Enjoy!
-Erica

My "Feature" Presentation

Oh let me count the ways that today is a good day!

My daughters and I spent the day at the Zoo, we had such fun. We have a new Giraffe Ridge, where you can hand feed the giraffes (amazing). Snakes were out of the reptile house (with zookeepers, obviously), so my 4-year-old got to pet 3 different kinds of snakes. [No, Mom didn't join in on that one......yick!] It was a glorious day - sun out, but not too bright - breeze blowing, but not too much....just perfect.

Then we got FABULOUS news that Syndel (my 4-year-old) was accepted as an Ohio State Finalist in the National American Miss Pageant!!! How exciting that is!?! I just cannot express the joy she has right now. Her over-all goal for the entire pageant is to meet Mickey Mouse (please keep in mind that she is only 4 - LOL). Our over-all goal for her is to win a college scholarship (I know, boring for a 4-year-old).

Here is the picture that we submitted when she met with them last week:

MY MISS OHIO STATE PRINCESS
*They have termed her age category as "Princess", ages 4-6.*

Ok, so I'm already having a good day, right? Well, today is Friday, which means that my featured "appearance" for the *Ultimate* cuppie is TODAY! Interested to see what the article says? Go here and see for yourself, my friends.

In fact, I'm so very excited today, that I feel like a giveaway! How about you? Yes! I thought so!

How about The Only Bake Sale Cookbook You'll Ever Need? Sound good? Great!

This book is jam-packed with great recipes for just about anything "bake sale" related you could possibly think of! Fabulous!

Here is how YOU can enter to win this great book:

1 - Visit my *Ultimate* cuppie feature. Come back here and leave a comment telling me something that you found useful in the article. (required)

2 - Follow me (or post again if you already follow me)

3 - Subscribe via e-mail

4 - Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (leave the link/address in your comment)

5 - Blog about this giveaway (leave a link in your comment)

6 - Subscribe to The Back Burner (leave a comment here to let me know you did)

Each participant can get up to 6 entries.

Giveaway will close on Thursday, May 14th at 8 PM (Eastern).

*If you leave an ANON comment, please be sure to include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win*
*If you're using an account, please be sure your e-mail address is accessible*

Enjoy!
-Erica

Exciting News!

I am so very excited to share with you my very exciting news! Monday I was opening mail and came across this title, "An Invitation".....I was curious, so I opened it. Boy am I ever glad I did! It was an invitation (thus the title) to be a guest blogger on Key Ingredient's blog, The Back Burner for this week's Tips & Tricks segment.

Needless to say, I was (and still am) totally flattered that they invited little 'ol me! They wanted a segment on making "The Ultimate Cuppie"....so I set off to work. I asked some of my buddies what information they would like to see in such an article. Well, let me tell you, they delivered!

The article will be featured on their blog tomorrow....but here is a sneak peek at the finished "Ultimate Cuppie".



Enjoy!
-Erica

Delish - Yes? Actually - No

When you think of Chocolate Covered Almond Biscotti or Orange Creamsicles, you think YUMMY, right?

Well, not in this particular case....at least that is if you don't normally eat soap. Which, I'm going to pretend that none of my readers eat soap. That'll help me sleep better tonight. If you do eat soap, please feel free to keep that information private. *smile*

I've made a new friend, Silvia, from SVSOAPS. She has graciously offered one of my readers a free bar of her handmade Vegan soap and a handmade lip balm. Are you excited yet? Well, you should be - this stuff looks fantastic!

To tell you a bit about Silvia, this is a little interview:

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, please.

I am the mommy of two adorable boys. My son Joshua is 4 and Nicholas is 6 months old. I am a WAHM. Some days it can be very challenging to balance everything but I would not trade it for anything.

How long have you been making bath and body products?

I have been making bath and body products for twelve years. I am always striving to make my products better and learn new techniques that I can incorporate in my products. Soap making is my obsession and my passion. I love to put a lot of creativity into each batch I make.

What inspired you to start?

My inspiration to start making natural bath and body products was the fact that the store bought soaps made my skin very dry and itchy from the chemicals and large amounts of fragrance in them. I started reading books on soapmaking and started to experiment. I must tell you they were sooooo ugly. But they smelled pretty and left my skin soft and itch free.

Making soap takes time, do you ever find yourself impatient for a batch to finish?

Yes, I get very excited when I come up with a new soap design. I can't wait to un-mold it and see how it has turned out. I have gotten better over the years to just stay away from the mold until the soap is ready. Then I am like a kid in the candy store. I get so excited when the soap turns out just as I had planned.


Do you accept custom orders for scents/combinations?

Yes, I do except custom orders. I think they are a fun way to challenge myself. And I love to hear customers ideas and make them into something they love. It is a wonderful feeling to see how excited they are with the finished product.

If so, what is the strangest request you've ever gotten?
I know this is a boring answer but I haven't had any strange requests yet.

What is your favorite scent?

That is such a hard question. There are so many. Everytime I get a new scent I think oh this is definetly my favorite and then I find something else I love just as much. But I have to say that after so many years of soap making I have always loved Satsuma and Love Spell the most. I never get tired of smelling them.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

I have many hobbies. I love to paint. I have another site on Etsy with my painted items. I love to knit, sew, decorate, bake, read, and being crafty (as my husband calls it).

Thanks so much for a little peek, Silvia!


WINNER:


Congrats Monica!!! Thanks so much to everyone who entered! :)

Enjoy!
-Erica

CUPPIE WINNER!

These cute little goodies now have a new home. I hope that you'll love them and cherish them always....but don't eat them, OK? I mean, I know they *look* good, but I assure you, they don't taste good. Really. You can trust me.

Well, let's hope that Vanessa takes my advice, shall we?



Congrats, darling!!!

I'll be in touch for your address and get these babies on their way to you!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered (and voted in the IronCupcake: Earth April challenge!) - it was a lot of fun!

Be on the lookout for more great giveaways - there is one more on the way in just a little while. *tee hee*

Also, be on the lookout for more great cuppies - IronCupcake: Earth May challenge is SAVORY!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Still 'winging' it?

Alright everyone - we have our winner!!!

She says she 'wings' it majority of the time....do you think she'll still wing it with this fabulous book at hand? I guess we'll see.....

Congrats!!



I'll get this book right out to you! :)

Thanks to everyone who entered - you all make it fun! Be on the lookout for more exciting things.....later this week!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Show your cookbook LOVE!

Good morning everyone!

Well, today is the day! It is May 1st. As I promised, I'm giving away this fabulous cookbook:


I'll be featuring recipes out of this book over the weekend, so be on the lookout for those.

Want your chance to win this baby? Here's how you can do just that:

(You can get up to 3 entries total)

1. Post a comment here and tell me what your favorite cookbook is, the one you reach for over and over again. If you don't have any cookbooks yet, tell me why you'd love to have this book.

2. Follow my blog

3. Blog about my giveaway on your blog (be sure to post the link to the blog)

*If you leave an ANON comment, please remember to include your e-mail so that I can contact you if you win.

Contest is open until 5 PM Eastern on Sunday, May 3rd. Winner will be announced Sunday night!!!

Enjoy!
-Erica

VOTE! (Maybe you'll get a prize)

Alright everyone! The IronCupcake: Earth April Challenge is ON! Voting is open!!!

I have entered 4 delicious cuppies for this month's challenge.

SODA POP!

Wanna win something wonderful just for voting (and not necessarily for me)?! Well, I thought you might! The winner of this giveaway will get some SUPER cute cupcake goodies, including stamps, magnets, notepad, and more!

CUPPIE PRIZE PACK:


Here's how:
Go to IronCupcake Headquarters and vote for your favorite THREE cuppies! Post back here and let me know you voted! You get an entry!

Now, if you happen to vote for ME (any of the four I entered) you can post AGAIN and say that you voted for ME....you'll get another entry!

If you subscribe to my blog, guess what?! You'll get another entry! (If you're already subscribed, just post and say so)

IronCupcake voting is open until May 4th, Noon (central time) - so this contest will be open until then also!!! GO VOTE! :)

The four cuppies I entered are:

Orange Dreamsicle


Root Beer Float


Blue Bubblegum


Berry Lemonade


Enjoy!
-Erica

A Jar of Jelly Beans?

Thanks so much to everyone who entered into the Surprise Jelly Bean contest! It was a lot of fun to read everyone's comments. There are a couple flavors that I'd never even heard of....so I'll have to keep my eyes out for those.

For the booger-flavored beans....I *think* when I saw them they were in Fear Factor Jelly Bellys. Along with [dry heave] vomit, monkey farts, earwax, and many other disgusting flavors.

*deep breath*

Alright, so moving on......

Our fabulous winner is someone who obviously disagrees with 'buttered popcorn' flavored beans belonging in the "creepy flavors" category (and that's OK by me):



Congrats! Now, for the prize.....were you thinking you'd probably end up with this:


....or even worse....this:


Well, rest assured, my friend. Neither of those are your prize.

These glorious products are all yours:


To get you kick-started for Summer, you have:
Coconut Papaya Shower Gel with Soap Saver from Jordan Essentials
Coconut Papaya Lotion Bar from JE
Bath Scrunchie from JE
8 summer-scented tealights from PartyLite
Caramel Pecan Pie Mix (not pictured) from The Gourmet Cupboard

Once again, thanks to everyone who entered! If you haven't already, subscribe to my blog....there are plenty more giveaways coming in the next few weeks.

Enjoy!
-Erica

Know what I mean, Jelly Bean?

This is a cute little saying that my good friend Maggie says. I find it cute and whimsical....and totally appropriate for today.

That's right, did you know today is National Jelly Bean Day? Well, it is my friend. Glorious Jelly Beans. They have been around since the 1800's, and while no one knows the name of the person (probably a woman, by the way) that actually invented the Jelly Bean, we're sure glad *she* did it!



You know how I love colorful things. So, naturally I am a Jelly Bean fan. However, I cannot seem to jump on the, what I have deemed, "creepy flavors" bandwagon. A Jelly Bean just shouldn't taste like buttered popcorn or boogers. I mean, really? I thought we, as a society, agreed that eating boogers is nasty, no? So why promote eating boogers IN public, WITH your friends, AND laughing while you do it?! I don't know, my friend, I don't know.

Alright, moving on. Jelly Beans have now been created in well over 50 distinct flavors and can be found almost anywhere. Here is Jelly Belly's chart of their "standard" flavors.



Thank goodness the "booger" flavor isn't a standard, yeah?

*clears throat*

Sorry, I just cannot help but dwell on that. It really bothers me....boogers? Who would think of such a flavor?

Ok, ok....so anyway, Jelly Beans have even been served at high-end parties. They're growing up, you know. These Jelly Beans are out having a great time. I hope they have a DD* to get them home safely.


Did you know that there is even such a thing as a Jelly Bean Bar? Yes, indeed there is. It is OK if you didn't know, I didn't either. See, we're forming bonds, learning together.



Yes, evidently, someone has spent a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of time eating Jelly Beans in different combinations and seeing what it tastes like. Everything, from desserts like Tiramisu to WINE. Yes, I said wine. I found this information on Isn't She Lovely.

So, in light of National Jelly Bean Day, would you like to do something else super fun? Yes? I thought you might.

Alright, here we go:

Leave a comment and tell me YOUR favorite Jelly Bean flavor. It can even be a "specialty" flavor that is not on the "standard" flavor list.

Comments will be accepted now through 5 PM Eastern on Thursday, April 23rd.

Then, I will go to RANDOM.org and we'll have ourselves a winner!

"A winner of what?", you might ask? Well, that part is a surprise! It is something yummy, something sweet, something special. You'll just have to comment to find out what it is!

[Please remember if you choose to leave an ANON comment to include your name and some sort of contact info]

*DD = Designated Driver (non-drinker) for those who didn't know.

Enjoy!
-Erica

LIMA WINNER!

Thanks so much to everyone who shared with me the wisdom of why I should respect Lima Beans. I feel enlightened....and maybe I'll toss some beautiful green Limas in my chili next time. Probably not, but who knows? Maybe I will.

Ok, I think we both know I won't, but it sounded nice, didn't it?

Alright, on to the winner of the beautiful Lima Bean Earrings and Bracelet set.



Beth! Thanks so much for sharing....and while she doesn't really care for Lima Beans, I bet she'll love these fancy pieces of jewelry!

Congratulations, Love!

Enjoy!
-Erica

PS) Keep your eyes peeled, I have more giveaways up my sleeve and coming your way!

Respect those Lima Beans!

So, according to this site on American Food Holidays, today is "Lima Bean Respect Day". Not exactly sure how often Lima Beans get disrespected, but evidently it is a lot, considering they now have a National Holiday in which they have demanded respect.

Personally, I don't really care for Lima Beans.

*Wait* Maybe I shouldn't say that ON "Lima Bean Respect Day". Is that horrible of me? I should be paying homage to Lima Beans? Today? Only today? Oh, OK, I guess that I can be nice to Lima Beans for one day.

Here, this picture is kinda pretty:


Don't you think? Well, green IS my favorite color....and these ARE a very nice shade of green. Ok, so maybe Lima Beans aren't *that* bad.

So, let's do something super fun, shall we?

Look what I found on Etsy:


LIMA BEAN EARRINGS


LIMA BEAN BRACELET

Are they not beautiful!? The color is fantastic!

Who would like to win these fabulous pieces of jewelry....handcrafted by Sassaffras....would YOU like to win them?

Well, you can! Here's how:

Post a COMMENT and tell me why YOU "respect" Lima Beans. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, can even be something great like, "Because they're green and that is my favorite color." (Then I'll say, "Me too!")

The winner will be chosen at random (by RANDOM.org). Comments will be accepted through 3 PM Eastern on Tuesday, April 21.

***Please be sure to leave your name and e-mail in the post if you're leaving an ANON comment. Thanks!***

Winner will be announced Tuesday evening!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Happy Birthday, Animal Crackers!

Did you know today is Barnum's Animals Crackers' birthday? I'm sure you have eaten these goodies before....but are they crackers or are they cookies? What do you think?

According to wikipedia, the way they are made makes them crackers....but the fact that it is a sweet dough makes them more like cookies.

Did you know that originally, the little box with the wheels was designed for Christmas? Yeah! The string was to hang the little box on the Christmas tree or even a house plant. I know....well, the little wheels used to be perforated at the underneath of the box so that you could pop them out and the box would stand on the wheels. How cute!?

If you would like to learn even more about Barnum's Animals Crackers, you can go here.

Have a great day....and eat some animal crackers....or are they cookies?

Enjoy!
-Erica

Happy Easter!

I always loved the Holidays...all of them. But I especially love them now that I have kids. Their excitement is just awe-inspiring.

We dyed Easter eggs yesterday....3 dozen of them. Now, there are only 4 of us in the house and there is NO way that we'll eat all those eggs, but it is fun! Syndel (my 4-year-old) picked out two different egg dying kits this year (one tye-dye and one regular), so we knew that we'd need lots of eggs.

This is the first year that she really participated...and how! Ceryse isn't quite old enough to do it, but she really enjoyed watching!

Here are some shots of our eggs:


Aren't those tye-dye eggs really cool?


Syndel wrote on the eggs herself, she was so proud of herself!!!




You can see more of her fantastic writing.


I absolutely adore this shot - look at her enthusiasm - she is beaming as Dad pulls the egg out of the dye! LOVE IT!

Later they were just cuddling on the couch and I took a "spy" shot. :)


I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Giveaways - COMING SOON!

Alright everyone....so I'm going to pump this blog up!

Starting on May 1st, I will be doing giveaways! The first gem up will be Paula Deen's: The Lady & Sons Just Desserts



I'll feature some recipes out of this cookbook so that you can get a taste and then you'll get a chance to WIN that cookbook!

Stay tuned and I've got more up my sleeve.

*evil grin*

Enjoy!
-Erica