Here are pictures of David's Korean Kimbap themed birthday cake this year. Kimbap is similar to sushi, so the same idea could be used for a sushi-themed cake.
"Happy Birthday" in Korean
real kimbop with the kimbop cake
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Congratulations to the winners of the Purex Coupon Giveaway! I Am Emailing Each Of You, And You Have 48 Hours To Respond Or New Winners Will Be Chosen. Thank You To Everyone Who Entered!
And the winners are...
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Purex is back with new products and new promotions! Purex and Clorox have teamed up to create Purex Plus Clorox 2 detergent, a stain fighting detergent that is safe for colors. Purex Plus Clorox 2 provides bright clean, smart value, and is tough on stains. It purportedly works on 100 different kinds of stains.
I got this stain on my white tank while cooking up a tomato based curry with oil in it. I rubbed some Purex Plus Clorox 2 on the stain, let it sit for 5 minutes and then washed as usual in my laundry load with the same detergent in the load. As you can see in the picture below, it worked beautifully. The stain fighters did their job and my tank is back to normal.
For your chance to win one of three coupons for a free bottle of Purex detergent, check out the giveaway below.
I will contact the winners via email after the giveaway is ended and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Purex sent me a sample of Purex plus Clorox 2 Detergent to try in exchange for a review. However, no other compensation was received and all opinions expressed here are my own.
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Now that I've been married to David for almost six years, I've gotten a bit of a portfolio of amateur birthday cakes that I've made for him, highlighting some of his favorite things.
2011
The Stargate Cake (shown side by side with a picture of the Stargate)
This is David's favorite TV show and my first audacious attempt!
I'd love to try my hand at this one again.
2012
Beatles Cake
I actually introduced David to the Beatles' music and now he's a full blown fan. Other than their music, which I can't put on a cake, what is more iconic than their hair?
2013
R2D2 (Star Wars) Cake
Needs no explanation!
2014
Despicable Me Minion Cake
I fell asleep the first time we watched this movie. The next morning, David told me we had to rewatch it so I could see it before we returned it. And who doesn't love Minions?
2015
Adidas Cake
David has one pair of signature shoes and has for the past 15 some years. He has backups in case something ever happens to them, but so far nothing has, so he continues to wear his same Adidas sandals every time he can get away with it, frigid weather and church are no exceptions.
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And the winners are...
Congratulations to the winners of the Purex Powerwshot giveaway! I am emailing each of you, and you have 48 hours to respond or new winners will be chosen. Thank you to everyone who entered!
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Do you feel like there is too much guesswork involved in measuring out the correct amount of laundry detergent, especially the super concentrated kinds that use a different amount than other detergents? Purex has introduced a new, no-spill auto-dosing lid that does all the measuring automatically for you. It comes with their super concentrated Purex PowerShot detergent so you can be sure that you're using the right amount. All you do is - Flip. Dose. Done. There is no measuring, no guesswork, and no mess. In the video link below, I show you how the new bottle works. Check it out! It's my first vlog! (yeah, not a fan of videos of myself, but it does it make it easier to show you how to use the new bottle. :) )
Personally, I don't think it is that difficult to measure laundry detergent by myself. Now if my detergent started folding my laundry for me, that I would definitely get behind. But if you like to have one less thing to have to think about, check out this new detergent. And it does have 50% more stain fighting power in each drop, so that alone is worth checking out!
For your chance to win one of three coupons for a free bottle of Purex PowerShot detergent, check out the giveaway below.
I will contact the winners via email after the giveaway is ended and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
**Purex sent me a sample of Purex PowerShot Detergent to try in exchange for a review. However, no other compensation was received and all opinions expressed here are my own.
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I used the English muffin recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/English-Muffins/Detail.aspx?soid=recs_recipe_seed
I made the following changes: I used coconut oil instead of shortening, as we've been baking with coconut oil more for health reasons. I also used almond milk instead of regular milk. I followed some reviewers' suggestion to bake them at 375 for 7 minutes on each side.
To make the tuna melts, split the English muffins on half and place on the cookie sheet. For the tuna, I mixed 1 can tuna (drained), 1 chopped hard boiled egg, 2 Tbs. mayo, 1 tsp. mustard, 2 tsp. pickle relish, and salt, pepper, garlic powder & dried minced onion to taste. Spoon the tuna mixture onto the English muffin. Top with chopped avocado, sliced tomato and a slice of cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
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Here I am! Having time to update the SAME EVENING that I actually have a shred of energy left! Wow! It seems like whenever I have time to sit down and do something (which actually happens almost every day), all I want to do is sleep with that time. I make it a point to do my chores while the boys are awake so that I can rest guilt-free while they rest. In fact, today I was washing the dishes with Mac (love my double sink, he washes dishes with me almost every day because I can put him at the second sink with whatever plastic dishes I just washed and he can pour and splash to his heart's content) and Seth on my back because he didn't want to miss out on any of the fun. It was the first time I'd tied Seth on my back though, so he didn't last the whole time because he got tired of it.
So am I the only person who can't find a single thing to pin on Pinterest during spring and summer, but then when fall hits, all of a sudden my Pinterest boards light up! And nothing will make a full girl feel hungry quicker than Pinterest. I have a few projects on my radar that I have pinned as I look ahead to the holidays, but it just isn't the same this year. Most years when fall hits, I get into project mode and start canning apple butter and crocheting baby hats and stuff. This year, I look at Pinterest and think "oh that's cute, it would be nice if someone made it for my kids." I have like no motivation to do any projects. I'm sure it has nothing to do with having a 22 month and 4 month old. *See above sentence about resting while they rest. I have done one project though, I had to come up with a stocking for Seth because I don't have any fabric left of the skirt I made the rest of us stockings from two years ago. I'm pretty happy with the top I found at Goodwill to make Seth's stocking out of - it was half price that week and I think this stocking will go really well with the three I already had.
Other than that, I've been busy keeping the children alive, shopping, winning Swagbucks (I made goal each day in October, yay), and scrubbing liquid foundation out of the futon in Mac's room. He got into my makeup one day and I didn't realize it until he had foundation and mascara all over himself, the futon, the carpet, and a little on the chair. I mean handprints of foundation on the futon. It was such a large area that got affected and I don't really like scrubbing things. So far I've tried plain water, makeup remover, Tide, and club soda on it and I also tried using my dirt devil spot shot thingy on it but I got it at a garage sale and it doesn't have the user manual and I'm not really sure how it works so I need to look up the manual online.
Seth is pretty laid back but I'm trying to make the most of his babyhood before he grows up too fast. I can't believe he's 4 months already. :( He plays in the Jumparoo now (which we didn't even get until Mac was like 9 months old) and has gotten the hang of jumping now. He still eats every 2 hours (sigh) and is awake once or twice in the night. But since he's only in the 15th percentile for his weight, I have a hard time making him wait longer to eat even though he is so old to be eating so often. He really loves Mac, despite all that Mac puts him through, and loves Mac's attention.
David has some changes at his job that has him commuting 15 minutes further each day than he was before. This was pretty discouraging to us because he already commutes so far. We're super thankful for consistent work, though. Praise God he's worked there for a whole year already!
Mac's picking up more and more words. He's at the stage now where he says "uh oh" about everything that isn't right, even if he did it on purpose. Sometimes he deliberately tries to do something and then when he accomplishes it, he says "uh oh." haha! His most recent word is "snack", sometimes it sounds like "rock" and sometimes like "shack" which is funny because those two don't sound like each other. He likes to throw rocks outside and then clap for himself and say "yay" when he does.
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Thank you to all who entered the Purex UltraPacks plus Oxi Detergent giveaway! The winners are:
Entry #5Phillips F.
Entry #2Ashley H.
Entry #15Ada G.
Congratulations! You have 48 hours to claim your prizes or new winners will be chosen.
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Honestly, I was a little unsure of how clean these would get my laundry. After all, I use half a cupful of detergent in every load, and it didn't look like there was very much detergent in these little pacs. However, they claim to contain a full load's worth of concentrated liquid detergent and they dissolve quickly in your wash.
I used these just like I use my regular Purex detergent, and I was pleased with how clean my laundry came out. It was an abnormally LARGE load, too (I kept thinking I could fit one more thing in...!) Still, some of the baby's clothes had poop leaks on them, and they came out clean, without any extra stain remover used. I'm not sure that I would buy these over regular detergent though, because they seem expensive - only 18 pacs in one package.
But let me know what you think! I have THREE coupons for a FREE pack of new Purex UltraPacks plus Oxi detergent to give away! I will contact the winners via email after the giveaway is ended and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Purex sent me a sample of Purex UltraPacks plus Oxi to try in exchange for a review. However, no other compensation was received and all opinions expressed here are my own.
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It's been a great summer for us, full of fun people and activities and another wonderful birth! For the first time in awhile, I'm NOT ready for all things pumpkin by the first of September... I could use a couple more trips to the pool and beach, and I would have loved to have gone blueberry picking! Maybe I'll be in the mood for fall by the time it actually comes. But it's so much nicer ending the summer with Seth on the outside. He's such a sweet boy and gives the best coos and smiles. I think he's an easier baby than Mac was, even though both of my skinny little boys wanted to eat every 2 hours on. the. dot. Seth "plays" in his jungle for long periods of time, whereas I don't remember Mac ever liking to be by himself.
It's also been fun watching Mac learning more things and growing in his understanding of what we say. My favorite one from this week was telling Mac to go kill mosquitos and having him go over to the front door and put on a reenactment of us chasing mosquitos and trying to kill them. It was HILARIOUS. I don't think he has any idea what a mosquito is, just the funny things he sees Mom and Dad do when they use the word "mosquito".
Our days can be long and they can be tiring, but I try to not just live to the next nap. I told myself before Seth came, that I was going to have two babies now and to just not expect to sleep as much. If I tell myself I'm exhausted and deserve a nap, well, I'm just going to be crabby a lot when I don't get one. I'm better off telling myself, honey, you're just going to be exhausted for the next 10 years and to make the most of it. I have also noticed, and I say this with all sincerity, that God does give more strength and grace to moms. Before I was a mom, I could not have done what I do with the same amount of sleep. I also notice that David and I might do the same thing and then he needs a 2 hour nap- but I lie down for a few minutes, can't go to sleep, and then the baby wakes up, and yet I still have enough strength to last the day. THIS IS A GOD THING, PEOPLE! So when I look at moms with five little kids and I shake my sleepy head and wonder how they do it - now I know. It's real.
I saw a great article someone shared from Christianity Today for moms, about how our love of brokenness is actually hurting us and it is here. The article explains itself, but it is addressing recent trends among Christian writers and bloggers of admitting to everyday failures and showing how we are all imperfect. I actually really like this trend because I think it is good for us to be authentic and honest with ourselves and each other. I think in our Facebook world it is easy for us to compare ourselves to each other and just see everyone else's neat little package that they show the world and only see the crazy inside of ours and think there's something wrong with us. So, I love reading those articles where the writers remind us to give ourselves grace and that we aren't ruining our kids forever if we feed them Spaghetti O's. But, as with everything, we have to be careful that we take it only to the limit that is biblical! The article addresses the fact that some of these things may actually be SIN. And we don't want to excuse that and laugh and think we're ok because everyone does it. It's one thing to smile and say "we all have those days" when nothing goes right and the chores don't get done and thus encourage another mom... but I need my mom friends to NOT tell me that it's ok if the fact is that I was lazy, or if I was impatient and unkind to my children.
The other side of it, that I don't think the article really addressed, is that this trend also allows us to be more willing to settle for status quo. If I know that every mom with two babies is an imperfect mom and doesn't get out of her jammies until 4pm and yelled at her kids once or twice and couldn't get them to eat any vegetables.... then why should I try very hard to be any better? There is a temptation to just sigh with relief and say "everyone does it" and then not make any attempt to overcome that. BUT- I want more for my kids, I don't want them to be normal. I want my sons to grow up to be great men of God and Susanna Wesley's kids didn't grow up the way they did because their mom settled for the standard of everyone else. She was an extraordinary woman who raised extraordinary children by the grace of God.
It is my failures that drive me to Jesus a thousand times in a day, and if I think "I've got this", then I am not setting myself up to seeing Him work in my day. I appreciate being able to be authentic and not have to pretend like I have it all together when I don't. We're all imperfect, but we also all need encouragement to love our children more and serve our husbands better and seek the presence of Jesus oftener. Like I said, I love this trend where we are able to be open about our failures - but let's be careful to not exalt our failures, let us just make sure that they keep us running back to Him, where we belong. I'd love to hear your thoughts, about the trend I reference, about the article, or about my half-baked take on it...
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The Purex 31 Days of Fun sweepstakes is winding down, but don't forget there are still some great prizes up for grabs this week. You can enter every hour, so head HERE to get your entries in! Today's prize is a surround sound home movie system.
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Don't forget that the Purex 31 Days of Fun Sweepstakes is still going on every day through the end of August, and you can enter every hour. Today's prize is $250 for a new sewing machine and your choice of fabric! You can go HERE to enter!
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Thank you to everyone who entered the Purex Fabric Softener Sheets giveaway! The winners are:
Entry #1Ashley B.
Entry #6Ben
Entry #7Madonna F.
Congratulations! I have emailed the winners and they have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
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Congratulations to the winner of the Amazon.com Gift Card giveaway! The winner is:
Comment #7 - Elizabeth Pickard!
You have 48 hours to claim your prize or a new winner will be chosen.
Thank you to everyone who entered!
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Congratulations to the winners of the Purex Fels-Naptha Laundry Bars!
Entry #1Elizabeth P.
Entry #8Heidi
Entry #3Heather
You have 48 hours to claim your prizes or new winners will be chosen. Thank you to all who entered!
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I received the sweet lavender scent to try and the box smelled wonderful when I opened it! It did make my laundry smell great. I didn't notice a reduction in static cling because we live by the ocean and it's only dry here in the winter so that isn't a problem in the summer. The laundry did feel soft, though!
I have THREE coupons for a FREE BOX of Purex Fabric Softener Sheets to give away. I will notify the winners by email after the giveaway has ended and you will have 48 hours to claim your prize or a new winner will be chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Purex sent me a box of Purex Fabric Softener Sheets to try and review, but no other compensation was received and all opinions posted are my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Purex sent me a box of Purex Fabric Softener Sheets to try and review, but no other compensation was received and all opinions posted are my own.
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Here's the scoop:
The winner will be selected using Random.org. I'll contact the winner by email after the giveaway is closed, and you'll have 48 hours to respond or I'll choose a new winner. The giveaway will close Sunday, August 11, 2013 at 8pm EST.
How to enter:
- Post about the Purex 31 Days of Fun Sweepstakes on Facebook and include the following link in your post: http://insiders.purex.com/31DaysofFun?id=517. Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post. Include in your comment the number of Facebook readers you have and your email address. You may do this entry once per day.
-Tweet the following on Twitter: "Enter the #Purex #31DaysofFun #sweepstakes to win #prizes every day in Aug. at http://insiders.purex.com/31DaysofFun?id=517" Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your tweet. Include in your comment the number of Twitter followers you have and your email address. You may do this entry once per day.
-Repin the following pin on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/274649277248453082/ Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your Pin. Include in your comment the number of Pinterest followers you have and your email address. You may do this entry once per day.
Good luck and thanks for spreading the word!
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To celebrate the everyday low price on Purex at Walmart, Purex is giving away $10,000 in prizes! Each day throughout the month of August, Purex will pick a winner to receive the daily prize - you can check out the Prize Calendar here to see what they are giving away each day! I'm kinda excited about the patio furniture on the 11th and the baby necessities on the 22nd. Which prizes caught your eye? You have to be a fan of the Purex Facebook page to enter.
To enter every day in August, click this link here to be taken to the sweepstakes page.
Better yet, I am hosting a mini giveaway on my blog sponsored by Purex in conjunction with the sweepstakes, and am giving away a $10 Amazon gift card! To enter, go here and don't forget to also enter the 31 Days of Fun every day!
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These laundry bars remove stains their first time through the wash. It pretreats dozens of stains and is safe on colors, is great on dirt, grease and ring-around-the-collar, and is easy to use and more effective than sprays. To use, you simply rub the stain with a wet bar of Purex Fels-Naptha and wait a couple of minutes, then wash your clothes as you normally would.
I didn't have any really difficult grease stains, but I used the laundry bar on a few stains I did have. It got blackberry and chocolate out of clothes, but there were a couple others (I can't remember what stained it, but it was a reddish/pinkish stain) that didn't come out completely so I might need to do it again and put it back through the wash.
Purex sent me THREE coupons for a free bar of Purex Fels-Naptha. They are also running the 120 Years, 120 Winners sweepstakes where you get a chance to win the $500 grand prize, or be one of 119 second place winners to receive a free bar of Purex Fels-Naptha.
Enter below to win one of my coupons - I will email the winners and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**I am a Purex Insider, Purex provided me with a free bar of Fels-Naptha but I received no other compensation and all opinions here are my own.
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