Archive for the ‘giveaways’ Category

First for the $25 Visa Gift Card Winner.  I LOVED reading about all the smells you love.  It’s amazing how powerful our sense of smell and memory is.  They say the best things in life are free, and when you take time to really smell the loveliness of simple things, I believe that is true.

The random winner of the giveaway is:

Congratulations Dayna!  Email me with your address, so I can send out your gift card.

Now about my sister.  You see those silly girls in the photo above.  That’s my sister and me.  My sister is 4 years old and on the left in plastic barrettes.  I am 5 with a foam curler on top of my head.

She and I are polar opposites.  She loves racy, strappy, red high heels.  I love comfortable, conservative, brown ballet flats.  She loves going on long rides on a Harley Davidson.  I love going on long hikes to a lake.  She loves her 9mm gun.  I love my sewing machine.

POLAR opposites.

The one thing we can agree on is that we love each other.

The other thing we can agree on is she has the best recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies.

She calls them:  Kickin’ Some Booty Peanut Butter Cookies.

This week I made them for my kids on the first day of school.  Here’s the recipe:

All good cookies start with butter.

Add sugar.  Brown and white.  All that brown sugar makes for chewy cookies.

Cream them together.

And when they are nicely creamed.  Add the eggs.

And vanilla.

Then the star of the show:  peanut butter.  I used an organic natural (unsweetened) peanut butter today and it worked nicely.

I like to add the soda and salt and make sure they are well mixed in before adding the flour.

Then add the flour and mix until just blended.  Don’t over mix the flour whenever you are making cookies, unless you want the cookies to be tough.

I love to use my cookie scoop for fast and even sized cookies.  Then make the traditional fork marks on the top of the cookie.

If you are feeling especially naughty, we love to dip the cookie balls into sugar in the raw (you know, the brown course kind) and then make the fork marks.

Bake them in a 350 degree oven for 8 – 10 minutes.  In my oven it takes about 10 for them to get slightly golden on the edges but still moist and chewy in the middle.

Best served with a glass of cold milk.  I’ve tried other recipes but my sister is right, this recipe kicks some booty.

Here’s her recipe:

Kickin’ Some Booty Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1- 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1- 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2- 1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add peanut butter, soda and salt until well blended.  Add flour and mix until just incorporated.  Spoon onto a cookie sheet and mark with a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Laundry is something I think a lot about.  It’s hard not to when you have three kids and an active husband.

I want laundry products that are effective and healthy for my family and the environment.  BUT, they also need to be affordable.

Little by little, I have been trying to wean myself away from using dryer sheets, since I worry about chemicals and their impact on my family and the environment.  In the past, I’ve checked out a few of the “earth-friendly” brands at the store and gasped at the price.  Totally not happening.

The trouble is, there are still times when I really like using dryer sheets… and hate to go without them totally.

A few weeks ago I received a package of Arm & Hammer Essential Fabric Softener Sheets in the mail as part of the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.  Before opening the box, I didn’t know one thing about Arm & Hammer’s dryer sheets.

So I was happy when the box read:  “Naturally Derived Softeners” and “Biodegradable Softening Agents” Oooh, I like the sound of that.

The box was even made from 100% Recycled Paperboard and 35% Post Consumer Content…  better still.

I opened the box to find that the sheets seemed to be made to lessen their environmental impact.  They are less dense, thinner and smaller than the brand of sheets I buy.  Would that mean it wouldn’t work as well?  I aimed to find out.

On first impressions, the only downside was the smell.  It boasted a Lavender (one of my favorite smells) and Linen Scent.  But the perfume of the open box was a bit strong for my sensitive nose.

The real test would be the way a dried load of laundry smelled.

The warm laundry coming out of the dryer was a pleasant surprise.  The previously strong sent had mellowed to a much lighter clean scent on the clothes.

I was also happy that there was no static cling.  When you live in a dry environment like me, that’s a big deal.  And the clothes felt nice and soft.

So far, Arm & Hammer Essentials Dryer Sheets was a more environmentally friendly option, that did a great job softening clothes and preventing static cling, but what about price?

I compared the price of Arm & Hammer Essential Fabric Softener Sheets with popular eco-friendly brands at my local supermarket.  The price comparisons were stunning.  Arm & Hammer sheets were a fraction of the cost per box and had a much higher sheet count.  So, just for fun, I compared the Arm & Hammer Fabric Softener Sheets with a major competitor (not eco-friendly).  Again Arm & Hammer was cheaper with a higher per box sheet count.  That’s even before adding a coupon. Awesome.

My conclusion:  Arm & Hammer Essential Fabric Softener Sheets are great value.  They aren’t perfect in the eco-friendly department, but they are a great move in the right direction… especially when you compare costs.  They do a great job on clothes.  The box of sheets smells a bit perfumey for my taste, but the dried clothes smell nice, so that’s not much of an issue.  All in all I’m very happy to switch and save.

And now for a giveaway!

The nice folks at Arm & Hammer have provided another $25 Visa Gift Card for one lucky person today.

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post answering, “What’s your favorite scent?”

Do you love the smell of lavender, or is it hot baking bread?  How about your kids just out of the bath or the smell of a rain storm in summer?  Those are some of my favorites.

The Rules:

• Contest closes on Thursday, August 25th, 2011 10:00 MDT

• Only one comment per person please.

• Random winner will be announced on Friday, August 26th

Be sure to head over to the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save website and enter for a chance to win $25,000!

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This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is paying me to try different products. Save $1.00 on ARM & HAMMER Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets. Then head over to The Switch & Save Challenge to keep up with all of the bloggers and enter to win $25,000.