FREE BOOKS! with Tyndale Rewards!

Next week my kids are out of school for the summer.  I am hoping to get some good reading in during the next few weeks.  

TYNDALE REWARDS

is the perfect way for me to earn FREE books.  You can get points by taking surveys, sharing a link on Facebook, twitter, or your blog and posting a review of a book.  It was super easy for my to two free books and am well on my way to my third.  They have some great titles to choose from.  If you use the link above you will start with 25 points.  Most books are 65-70 points so you are well on your way to a good read!

American Phoenix Review

I am such a sucker for a good book.  I love to curl up and indulge in a good read.  For me it is even better if I can throw some learning into the mix, especially when I can learn about history.  I was excited to dive into "American Phoenix", it looked like a well written book about John Quincy and Louisa Adams and the war of 1812.  I love books that deal with the beginning of our great country.  Both John and Louisa Adams were prolific letter and journal writers.  The author Jane Hampton Cook weaves there letters in with the background of the period so it does read almost like a novel.  The descriptions of the clothes, carriages and housing are remarkable and allow you feel like you are there. This book deals with the time when John Quincy Adams was the American ambassador to Russia.  It was a remarkable time for them full of trail and triumph.  John Quincy Adams provided America a great service by going to Russia and creating friendships there. There are also pages of pictures of the characters found in this book, so you can see what they look like.  This is an easy, historical read that is hard to put down.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Shine On Friday!

I am so excited to be co-hosting this party today!  Read below and enjoy!


Welcome to Shine on Friday!

Now when you link up to our Shine on Friday party your projects, recipes, and ideas will be shared on FOUR blogs!

Featured projects from last week's party:

Samoas Poke Cake by Will Cook for Smile / Copycat Lime-a-rita Recipe by That's What Che Said / Mother's Day Printable Coupon Book by I Should Be Mopping the Floor /
DIY Terrarium by Enjoy the View / Free Money Management Essentials by Pinch a Little Save a Lot / Almond Joy Popcorn by Lemon Tree Dwelling / Peanut Buster Choco Tacos by Simple Girl at Home / Breakfast Jammer Sticks by Mid West Moma / French Toast Roll Ups by Melissa's Cuisine /

{Visit my lovely co-hosts - Amy at One Artsy Mama, Kirsten at One Tough Mother and Hannah at Young and Crafty - to see their featured links.}

This week we have TWO co-hosts!

Meet Kallee from Creative Southern Home:

I am a stay-at-home mom of four children and have been married to my sweetheart for almost twenty years. I love to cook, bake, create, read, relax,hike, go on vacations, volunteer, exercise (to an extent) and spend copious amounts of time with my family. My house usually has a little clutter laying around, and dirty dishes in the sink. I have many half finished/half started projects lying around and many more ideas floating inside my head. I try and make my blog represents me as a real life Mom, with real life kids, and a real life house, but I also hope to inspire you to make your real life something better than it was!

And Carrie from My Favorite Finds:
 

Blog/Facebook/Pinterest/Bloglovin'/Twitter

Hi everyone! My name is Carrie, and I blog over at My Favorite Finds. On My Favorite Finds, you'll find tutorials, recipes, organization ideas, and Disney travel tips! I love to share my {FAVORITE} ideas with my readers, and I hope you’ll check it out. I’m addicted to Starbucks, reading, shopping, and my sweet kids and hubby. I’m always looking for a new recipe or craft to fill our bellies or beautify our home. I’m also slightly addicted to planning, and going on, Disney vacations with my family. I love sharing my ideas about Disney planning on my blog AND on Chip & Co.  Each week I co-host Pinworthy Projects, where you can share your latest pinworthy crafts, DIY projects, and recipes. Come over and join in the fun.

This week Carrie is giving away a $15 Starbucks Gift Card!

Enter using Rafflecopter below:
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Now it's your time to SHINE!

 
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Show off your fabulous creations with us and be inspired by what others have created!

• Please link up crafts, recipes, home decor, etc.
• I would love for you to follow me and all my lovely co-hosts
• Grab a button and post it on your blog to help spread the word
•  Have fun and visit other links. Remember we all love comments:)

Easy & Simple Homemade Cookie Cake

Early in the month we celebrated my son's 8th birthday.  Tradition at his school is for the birthday child to bring a "cookie cake" to lunch on their birthday and serve it for dessert.  Rather than buy one at a cookie store, I always make my own.  It is MUCH cheaper and I think it tastes better.  It may look simple, but it sure brings a lot of smiles and desires for a second piece.

I just use my favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe.

Famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

 1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups flour

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream sugars, butter.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.  Add flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder.  Mix well.  Add the chocolate chips and mix everything well.

Once your dough is made, grease really well a heavy cookie sheet with sides.  With your hand push and spread the dough to all 4 corners, covering the whole sheet.  Bake for 9 minutes at 375 degrees.  Bake until just lightly browned.

Let this cool while you are making your frosting.  I always use this recipe and my family cannot get enough of it.

Place your frosting in a piping bag and decorate any way you wish.  For this one I used a small flower tip to do the edges.  Simply push one direction then pull the other with the piping bag to create this border.

Then with a writing tip add the message.  I like to use the cookie sheet with sides because it is easy to transport.  It will not slip and slide.  The kids at school loved it.  It was simple, didn't cost much money and still made my birthday boy feel special.  I find more and more that if our family makes our celebrations simple we all have more fun.

Scotts Florida Select Mulch

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love the signs of Spring.  The new plants emerging from the ground, the sounds of the birds in the trees, and the smell of earth ready to plant.  My family loves to plant new flowers in our flower beds and we enjoy putting in a small vegetable garden each spring.  We have several flower beds around our home that inhance the look of our house.  I love to see different color flowers blooming to draw your eye to different places around our yard.  Nothing makes my flower beds "pop" more and stay weed free than a good layer of mulch.

Scotts is introducing new Scotts Florida Select Natural Eucalyptus Mulcht to promote sustainable gardening.  It is natural, effective and locally grown eucalyptus mulch for those who live in Florida.  This product sounds amazing!  It is made from 100% plantation grown eucalyptus trees in Florida.  I would love to run my hands through this mulch and feel the texture of it.

 Eucalyptus is a renewable resource that grows up to 4 times faster than cypress.  I love the fact that it is grown right here the USA.  This mulch is guaranteed to be free of waste materials, so you are getting a pure mulch.

For those not living in Florida, Scotts offers Scotts Nature Scapes mulch which comes in three amazing colors: Classic Black, Sierra Red and Deep Forest Brown.  These are all natural  forest products and contain no waste wood.

Whichever mulch you use it will help keep your plants healthier and weed free.

When I start my gardening, I make sure I have all my gardening supplies on hand.  Things such as my gloves, trowel, plants, seeds, mulch and watering can.  When I mulch my flower beds and around my trees, I try and have a good 3 inch layer to help prevent weed growth.  Finishing up with a layer of mulch also makes my flower beds look complete and professional.

Scotts has many great mulch products that will keep your beds looking fantastic.

Combat Ant Strips

I have a quick giveaway for you this week.  Springtime always brings out the ants at our house.  They love to come in the back door at the kitchen and find their way to the sink.  It is so frustrating to have them climbing everywhere.  That's why I was so interested in the new combat ant strips.

These strips hide under you cabinets, the ants find the bait, carry it back to the colony where the other ants in the nest are exposed to the insecticide and the colony is destroyed.  I love the fact that these strips can be hidden out of sight PLUS they target the nest.

To help with any ant problem you may have Combat has agreed to give one a my readers a pack of Combat Ant Killing Bait Strips.

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Combat brand provided me with at sample of Combat Killing Bat Strips in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care

One chore that must be done often to keep your home smelling and feeling clean is caring for the toilet. Not necessarily the most fun task, but needed none the less.  Soft Scrub is introducing a wonderful new product to help you with the toilet chore.  It is called 4-in-1 toilet care and it works to clean your toilet, prevent future buildup, fights those annoying toilet rings and freshens for up to 4 weeks!  It is almost like having a magic wand for cleaning your toilet.  You can choose from 2 scents.  Either Sapphire waters, or Alpine Fresh with Bleach.  This new toilet care will last longer than others and costs less than $2!  This is something that I use in my children's bathroom and it really helps to keep the odor down and keeps the toilets clean. 

I would love to help you keep your toilet cleaning to a minimum.  I am giving one of my readers a coupon for FREE Soft Scrub 4-in-1 toilet care!  Just enter the rafflecopter below.

The Soft Scrub Brand provided me with a sample of Soft Scrub 4-in-1 toilet care in exchange for a review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

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