Keurig Up For Grabs!

I have a couple great giveaways going up here at Home and Garden Cafe. Here is the first one! It’s an Amazon gift card for a Keurig coffee maker! Yum! Check it out!

Blog it Forward is giving away a 165.97 Amazon Gift Card to one Lucky Winner!
The Giveaway will take place April 16 – May 6
Follow the Bloggers Sponsoring this great giveaway to win!
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Spartan Race~A Fun New Way To Get Your Fitness On?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spartan Race for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you've followed along on Home and Garden Cafe over the last couple years, you know I'm lost over 60 pounds, and I've kept it off for over 1 1/2 years. One of the important components in my weight loss is exercise or working out every day. I try to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise every single day. It's really easy to say you don't have time, unless you make it a priority.

Staying motivated to exercise can definitely be a challenge if you don't keep it fun and interesting. That's where Spartan Race comes in. They provide participants inspiring blog posts, a daily workout, and a weekly newsletter, to help you get up off the couch and ready to race within 45 days. The key is, to show up, every day, to do your workout, and never give up. That's definitely been the deciding factor in my weight loss. It's not easy to stick to a plan, but when you have a goal, and you can keep it interesting it's much easier.

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I ran my first 5K run last summer, it was a great feeling of accomplishment to train and complete the race. Spartan Races sound like they'd be really interesting. They have races from obstacle courses and 5k sprint trail races to 40+ mile events for the hard core athlete.

I know when I first heard about the program I had questions, for frequently asked questions and answers check out: http://www.spartanrace.com//spartan-race-obstacle-course-faq.html

You can check out all the details for the program or sign up for a race here: Spartan Race


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Pine Cone Fire Starters

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We got a new wood burning stove last fall. I’m a person who is really cold, all winter long. I’ve really enjoyed the extra heat the stove puts out. It’s also been a huge savings to our heating bill, since we have 12 acres of woods behind our house and the wood from fallen down trees is free.

I hated to purchase fire starting packs and logs when I knew there had to be a way to start the fire cheaper, and still make it easy. Shortly after we got our wood stove I saw some really cute pine cone fire starters at a Christmas craft show I went to, then someplace I saw an article where someone else had made them. I knew I could make them myself, and for a lot less money than it would cost to buy them.

I’ve made them several times since, and I’ve never really used an exact recipe. I just use some pine cones from our back yard, some old candle wicks I had laying around my craft area, and wax from old votive and pillar candles we’ve never burned. Here’s an approximate a recipe:

Pine Cone Fire Starters:

  • 12-16 pine cones
  • 1 pillar candle, or about 6 votives
  • 4-6 inch wicks one for each pine cone
  • paper muffin cups
  • muffin tin (I’ve been using an old tin I was going to throw out.)

Directions:

1. Melt the wax in a double boiler, if you don’t have a double boiler you can make your own with 2 pans (one larger, one smaller), or a pan and a jar. Caution: Be careful and stay right with the wax when you’re melting it.  Wax is extremely flammable!

2.Wrap each pine cone with a wick so one end is sticking up at the top like a little pine cone candle.

3. Place the muffin papers in the muffin tin. Set one pine cone with the wick side up in each muffin cup. I sat longer pine cones at an angle in the cups.

4. Drizzle the melted wax over the pine cones. I use about 3-4 tablespoons per pine cone.

5. Set the pine cones aside to cool and harden, then remove them from the paper.

I like to keep mine in a basket a little ways from our wood burning stove, so they’re handy to grab one when I want to start a fire.

When it’s time to start a fire, I grab a pine cone, some small sticks or chips of bark and wood, and a long match or one of those long lighters. I make a little teepee around the pine cone with the sticks and bark, then I light the wick on fire.

The pine cone fire starters usually work like a dream. Once in a while when it’s really damp out it takes a little more effort to get things going, but eventually the fire takes off. These would also be great for a summer campfire, or as a gift either bundled in a gift basket, or in a cute little gift bag.

 

Rustic Kitchen Remodel Ideas

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We moved into our house over 13 years ago. When we moved in the kitchen desperately needed a remodel! Today it very desperately STILL needs a remodel. We’re finally hoping to get that accomplished this spring! I’ve been looking at some different ideas online and off, and there are a few kitchen remodel ideas out there I’ve fallen in love with! I’m hoping to use some of them as inspiration for my own kitchen redesign.

I’m really leaning toward a rustic kitchen, so I thought I’d share a little inspiration today with all of you.

First up, I love this rustic barn siding island. I showed this photo to my brother in law, and he told me it’s totally doable! Yay! We even have the barn siding from an old barn we’re going to tear down. This photo is from Country Living, you can go there to see more images from this kitchen design.

If I didn’t go with an island, I would go with this rustic wood block table I found on Pinterest.

 

I adore everything about this rustic kitchen, especially the wood floors!

 

I have even more rustic kitchen ideas on my Kitchen Ideas Pinterest Board if you want to check them out! I’ve been pinning everything I find!

I’ll be back to share more of our kitchen remodel over the next few months.

Have You Tried clipix Yet?

clipix

The last couple days I’ve been playing around with clipix. It’s a new social bookmarking sight that lets you “Clip” the things you like and store them all in one place. You can even organize them onto clipboards like this clipboard I made with some of my favorite cupcake flavors.

I’m a foodie, so I think Clipix would be perfect for organizing all the yummy recipes I come across and want to try out later. It will be like my own online recipe and cookbook! This time of the year I’m all about soup!

It’s not just for clipping recipes though. There are tons of things you could do with clipix.

  • When you come across clothes or styles you like you can create a clipboard for it.
  • Favorite books you want to read.
  • Holiday inspiration
  • Party ideas
  • Wedding planning
  • Movies you love or want to see
  • Craft ideas
  • Your bucket list

We’re getting ready to remodel our kitchen. I think I might set up a clipboard with some ideas to share with my husband. There are a ton more ways you can use the clipboards I’m sure!

You can sign up with your email and a password, or use your Facebook or Twitter account to sign up. Once you get started there are some really cool features I’ve noticed.

  • You can add a “Clip” button to your toolbar, then when you’re on a page and you want to save it to a clipboard, just click the button.
  • For most websites the description automatically fills in from the title of the article or blog post.
  • It also tells you where the clip is from.
  • You can share your clips with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or via email when you are clipping them.
  • One of my favorite features is the ability to make a clip public, only share with friends, or keep it private. I can clip things just for me if I want to!
  • There’s also an iPhone app, so you can take your clipboards with you wherever you are, or add to them with photos you take while you’re on the go.

Here’s a video with more clipix information.

Check out my boards here: http://www.clipix.com/visitors/default.aspx?uid=1389. I need some friends over there, so go check it out and sign up! What would you use Clipix for? Let me know below!

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Did You See The Pretty Little Liars Premiere?

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I had to tune in last night to check out the Pretty Little Liars premiere! I’m trying to get caught up because I missed a few of the episodes during the fall season. I thought last night was really good! I was so hoping we’d get to see “A.” I so want to know who “A” is. My opinion of who it might be changes from week to week. Judging from the profile on last night’s show, I would say “A” is a smaller framed man or a girl. Hmmm. Does anyone else out there have a guess? I’d love to hear what others are thinking.

It makes me flash back to the Halloween episode. I always want to know who the people behind the masks are. Alison really was for luring her friends to an abandoned house and pretending she was being killed. Love this clip too, when sticks are crackling then all their cell phones ring at the same time. Creepy!

I just can’t wait to see what this season brings!

It’s now on every Monday at 8 7/c on ABC Family. You can find more info here: Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family.

Missed some of the nail-biting suspense from last season? Make sure to get all caught up here: http://bit.ly/tupDF8

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘Pretty Little Liars.’

Pretty Little Liars Winter Premiere Coming Tomorrow Night!

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Last year at this time I was just hearing about Pretty Little Liars for the first time while I watched ABC Family’s 25 Days Of Christmas. It sounded like an intriguing show, so I stuck around after the first of the year so I could check it out.

I really got to know the characters and their story last year, so I’m even more looking forward to the winter premiere January 2nd on ABC Family at 8/7c this year. In fact that’s tomorrow night!

Did you miss some of the nail-biting suspense from last season? Make sure to get all caught up before the new season starts here: Pretty Little Liars Complete First Season

I’ve been catching up on some of the episodes over the last couple weeks, with my son in sports (football earlier this fall, now basketball), and other activities it’s been hard to catch every episode! I’m excited by the previews though, and at the end of last season all the characters were definitely on edge after the fashion show incident and some of the other drama. It will be interesting to see if they can hold it together. It looks like they’re starting the season with plenty more excitement if the previews are any indication! Will you be checking it out tomorrow night?

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘Pretty Little Liars. All opinions are my own.

New Years Hoppin Eve – $25 Amazon Gift Card Up For Grabs

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Lets get ready to hop into 2012 by entering to win tons of great prizes! The “New Year’s Hoppin’ Eve” Giveaway Event is hosted by Matter of Cents and Our Family World.

More than 100 blogs have joined together to give their readers several chances to win! Swagbucks is also sponsoring a Kindle Fire as the Grand Prize! Will luck be on your side when the Winners are chosen? You can’t win if you don’t enter. Good luck!

Here at Home and garden cafe we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. I will choose the winner via Random.org at the end of the giveaway. The winner will be notified via email and posted here. They will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Each entry can be done once per person unless stated otherwise.

Please enter on the Rafflecopter form below, then scroll down below the form to see all the other participating blogs.

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Pretty Little Liars~ Are You Exicted About The Winter Premiere?

I started watching Pretty Little Liars last winter. It’s definitely been one of my favorite shows to tune in to. I love the suspense and tuning in to see what’s going to happen.

My son’s in sports, and our schedule is hectic, so I missed some of last season when it was on. Most of the past season episodes are online, so I’ve been able to catch up on what’s happening. Did you miss some of the nail-biting suspense from last season too? Make sure to get all caught up before the new season starts here: http://bit.ly/tupDF8

Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? Do you think we’ll ever see Dr. Sullivan again? What do you think was in the envelope ‘A’ gave her? Have you seen the video clip preview yet for the new season? Looks like the girls have gotten themselves into some trouble, and it looks like they’re not getting along very well.

Do you remember this episode?

Pretty Little Liars premieres on ABC Family at 8/7c on January 2nd. I can’t wait to see what happens!

Disclaimer: I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘Pretty Little Liars.’

2 Broke Girls Makes Me Laugh

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I used to love to watch sitcoms, but I haven’t watched too many in the past couple years. Until this year. I look forward to Monday nights, because I know I will laugh and chuckle my way through 2 Broke Girls. The show reminds me that laughter is the key to the heart.

I’m excited that people are supporting these two lovable gals and nominated 2 Broke Girls for best New TV Comedy. I want to help spread the word, and remind people to for 2 Broke Girls (or your favorite new comedy) in The People’s Choice Awards of 2012.

Max and Caroline’s dream in 2 Broke Girls is to open their own cupcake business. They understand dreams can come true through an honest day’s work. I can relate to the girl’s dreams. I had a dream several years ago that I would make a full time income from my writing and blogging business, and that dream has come true in the last year or so. That’s why my vote for the People’s Choice Award is for a show that keeps me chuckling at the same time as it inspires me to follow my dreams.

You can go vote for your favorite shows here: People’s Choice Awards

I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote WBTV shows nominated in the People’s Choice Awards.