*{Let Them Eat Cake}*

I finally did it.  I had been wanting to make the cake balls and cake pops that I had seen on Bakerella's website for an eternity (or so it seemed!).

They are fabulous!  I had never seen such a thing before and was excited to try them.  My friend Leslie was just as excited and next time I want to make them together. Baking + Friends = *FUN*

Anyway, after hearing about a  mexican dinner fundraiser for my friend Steven, who has bone cancer, I decided to make the cake balls/pops for the bake sale portion. Steven has to travel to Chicago (about a 3-4 hour drive) for treatments, so this fundraiser was to help with those expenses.  I was hoping they might fetch a little higher price than a chocolate chip cookie so that we could gather as much donation money as we could for Steven & his family. From what I heard later, the fundraiser was a complete success!  A lot of people spent many hours planning it and they pulled it off beautifully. I enjoyed cooking, baking and serving for this event. It really feels good to serve others in their time of need. Heaven knows I've had friends and family serving my own family in our time of need, so I'm glad that I was able to repay a little of what was done in the past for myself.

Anyway,I didn't make the cake balls/pops too fancy, but I hear they flew off the table, so I must have done something right! Next time I would like to make different fun pops. Maybe flower shaped or Hello Kitty shaped. That would be fun! Aren't they cute?  Bakerella is the queen of baking!

Anyway, if you're wondering what a cake ball/pop is, here is the low-down.

I baked a boxed cake mix in a 13x9 pan. Let it cool and then broke it all up into pieces.  I thought that might feel liberating, but truthfully, it just felt....wrong. I felt like I ruined the cake! Haha.

Next, I mixed all the cake crumbles with a can of cream cheese frosting.  This is a messy process, but nonetheless FUN.  I rolled most of them into quarter sized balls.  Some I made extra big. The small ones where pop in your mouth-able, while the larger ones were meant to be eaten with a fork.  Well, actually, you could just take a big 'ol bite out of those too. Doesn't matter when it's so tasty!

Next, I put them in the fridge to firm them up. To go faster, I froze some of them (I'm always behind and late for events!).  For the cake pops, lollipop sticks were inserted and then dipped in melted chocolate or white chocolate coating.  They turned out cute!  I wrapped them in cellophane tied with a twisty and they were ready to sell.

The cake balls were dipped, finished off and placed into a small cupcake liner. Or a big liner for the monster ones.

I made double chocolate balls and pops. And red velvet balls dipped in white chocolate. Next time I might use a home made cake mix instead of a store bought one. I think they would be tastier made from scratch.

Of course I HAD to try one....

....or 5.

 Mmm....delicious!

What A Deal!

Need an inexpensive gift? A beautiful inexpensive gift? Look no further!

Check out these gorgeous antique looking clocks at Deseret Book. The price? Only $2.99!

That's right...$2.99! The normal price was $19.95.

Um, there is one tiny catch to it. These have a sweet sentiment printed on them , but there is a misprint. :(

But take a look ^... it's a tiny misprint. Truthfully, it doesn't bother me a bit. I bought one (or a few!) myself. I haven't received mine yet, but I've ordered from Deseret Book before and have always been pleased with their products. These clocks are 10 inches high with a 6 inch face. Good sized!

Now if you don't want the misprinted one, no worries. They have other clocks with different sentiments on sale for only $9.98! How about one that says, "Families are Forever"? Or one that says, "Time spent with family and friends, is time well spent."? Cute.

Plus, there are several other things on sale and clearance.

Annnnnd....if you spend $50, you can use this code (9GGDIR) to get $10 off your order. It doesn't expire until December 24th. And yes, this includes sale and clearance items! The only thing it doesn't include are the Willow Tree products, gift cards and church distribution items.

Happy shopping everyone!

EDIT: 12/01
Hurry! Use this code (insider1201) to get free shipping on an order of $25 or more! But hurry....it expires at midnight tonight! (I don't think you can combine coupons, but you could try)

Black Friday @ Amazon!

It's here!

Today is the day!

You know, I'm not a fan of Christmas commercialism starting before Thanksgiving, but I AM a fan of starting the gift shopping as early as I can!

I shop at Amazon every year because I can really find some great bargains. Actually, I'd say 75% of my shopping is done on Amazon every year. Most items have free shipping if your order totals $25 or more. I'm over 1/2 way done with my gift shopping this year and I already have Amazon boxes all over my house.

Shopping for toys? Try the Amazon outlet! I click on the button that is 70% off and can find hundreds of toys that are cheaper than in the stores. Amazon can be tricky though....sometimes they have things that are rediculously more expensive. Do a little research if you're looking for a specific toy and then check out Amazon to see how they compare.

Amazon also has some rebates etc. that make it soooo worth buying from them. Recently I saw Guitar Hero 5 bundle for $98.99 at Amazon PLUS they give you a $40 online store credit. PLUS, they had a code to get another $20 off the order. Total for Guitar Hero 5 bundle....$38.99! What a steal! Sadly, I did not partake of this deal and now the $20 off coupon has expired. But you can still get the bundle with a $40 credit on future orders, so it's still a great deal.

My advice for saavy black friday shopping, is to check out bfads.net. You may have heard of this site, but just in case you haven't, they give shoppers a sneak peek at Black Friday ads from major retailers like Target, Best Buy, JC Penney etc. Sign up for their newsletter and they will send you deal info every day in your email inbox. That's how I found out about the Guitar Hero 5 bundle deal.

Now, if you're planning to check out the Amazon early Black Friday deals, could you please click thru the banner at the top of this post, click the Amazon ad banner on my sidebar or use this link?? ----> Amazon Black Friday

I would be every so grateful!

Happy Shopping Everyone!!!!


And here is another one just to be safe! :)
http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=384082011&tag=sitandstaawei-20

Coming Soon...

A special direct link to Amazon's Black Friday Sales!

Keep a look out.....

Everyone loves a sale! Especially one with low low low prices and ~free shipping~.

Did I mention that the prices will be LOW at Amazon? And hey, it won't be JUST on Black Friday! Amazon will be starting their Black Friday sale on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd! Deals all week. I hope I get some yummy goodies.

So come back here first thing Monday (meaning I'll have the link up at midnight) and there will be a direct link to the sales.

Did I mention that I get a percentage of the sales if you click on my link?? :) You would be helping my children's Christmas by just going thru my link to do your shopping. Plus, I'd love you for it and you would receive big blessings for helping me out *wink*.

Did You Start Christmas Shopping Yet?

The Christmas shopping season is upon us!

I have decided to become an Amazon Associate. I am frequently trying to find ways to earn money or save money during the holidays. I thought if I became an Amazon Associate, I might be able to earn a little cash so that I can afford to buy some gifts for my family this year.

If you could help me out, I would MUCH appreciate it! No pressure though....just if you were thinking of ordering something thru Amazon, and you don't mind taking a detour, you can order the same things at Amazon by way of my site.

I will earn a percentage if you shop Amazon through my link on the right sidebar. The Amazon link goes right to my store where you can find any Amazon product. I will also earn if you shop Amazon through either the Deals box or Amazon Search box on the right sidebar. Amazon has some SUPER big steals and deals on toys during the Christmas season! I always shop for toys at Amazon every year.

Anyway, thanks for letting me plug my new venture and any time you want to order an Amazon product, please do it thru ME! :)

Thanks! :)

Apothecary Jar..SALE!

Check it out! Looks like this large apothecary jar at Boscov's was $69.99 and now it's marked down to $9.99! It's 22" tall x 11" wide. Shipping is also $9.99, for a total of $21.98. Not too shabby. PLUS, it comes with the removable pears! I've seen smaller ones for about the same as the regular price. They can get expensive. It looks like ikitchen.com has the same one for $33.74. So it still looks like Boscov's is a better deal. They both might even be Pfaltzgraff??? Nice.

If you are thinking of ordering this from Boscov's, you might want to hurry. I'm not sure how long this sale lasts. Here is the link.

Trash Ties

I found a cutie pie product! Trash Ties are awesome! What a cool concept! We all know what a trash tie is. Wire and plastic that seals the bag for us. Bread ties work the same. How about putting one or two in your hair?!


Ok, ok. You wouldn't really want to put a plastic trash tie in your hair. But these little cuties work on the same concept, but are made with fabric and bendable (wire?). They come in several colors and 2 lengths. How cool would it be to use it as a headband? To tie up your pony tail? Check out the website for a gallery of gorgeous hair-dos using the Trash Tie.


I can just see some of the YW in my Ward using these in their up-do's. Can't you picture it in your darling daughter's hair? So easy to twist it instead of a elastic band snapping you. Check it out! I'll be putting my order in soon!


I hope the lady who invented them doesn't mind me taking her pictures for my advertising plug. When I see a cute or unique product, I always feel like I have to share it...and these are awesome!

You *must* check out the Bakerella blog!

While I was looking for instructions on cutting cake made with the humung-o Wilton Cupcake Pan, I stumbled upon a fabulous blog for baking! While I won't place a picture of the cutest bake goods you'll ever see (because I think she might get mad at me for it, I have to say that you MUST, MUST, MUST see the cupcake on a stick recipe! Think cake dipped in chocolate..mmmmm. They are sooo cute and would be perfect to give as VT'ing gifts or for any other occasion! Looks like she got the idea from Martha Stewart, but she, herself, shows the step by step instructions. I think I'm in love with Bakerella's blog!

Oh, by the way...if you are trying to figure out how to serve a giant cupcake, then here is the link to the instructions for cutting the beast. I've heard it's not as big and intimidating as it looks, but I still really want this pan!

Rootin' Tootin' Christmas Gift

I have to back up again to December and teacher's gifts.If some of my regular readers (I know..short list..haha) might remember, I was going to make some "Rootin' Tootin" gifts for some of my kids teachers. It's more of a masculine gift, but it can go to anyone with a silly sense of humor. I thought I'd share a picture of the finished product along with the tag.

I put corrugated paper around the cans and stapled it tight. It doesn't look tight in the picture, but trust me, those cans weren't going anywhere! We then put it in a nice gift bag along with the tag attached to the back of the cans wishing them a "rootin' tootin' Christmas".


And a close up of the tag:


I guess Mr. Boyd liked the gift since the kids said he showed plenty of people. I love that it's not the average gift and can be humorous. We don't have much money this year and had several teachers, so it was neat to have something fun to give that didn't cost much. The idea can also be used for other occasions. "Have a Rootin' Tootin' Valentines Day, Birthday, Father's Day, etc.

I also gave some teachers truffles with the fun saying that Megan suggested: "We hope we don't get in "Truffle", but we had to give you something as sweet as you are!". I put the kids cute little faces on the tags with those. Thanks for the idea Megan!

By the way, I'm having trouble seeing any of my posts on my main page. I only see the header and right side area with photos etc. Can everyone else see my posts or is it just me that is having blogger problems? I only access them by using the Archives. Grrr.

Which direction do I go in???

I need some help! I realize I'm asking at the last possible moment, but I can't seem to come up with an idea for a teacher gift for my kids teachers this year! I am doing the, "rootin' tootin" one for a guy teacher (give a can of rootbeer and a can of baked beans with a tag saying, "Have a rootin' tootin' Christmas!"), but I don't think that one is appropriate for all the female teachers for some reason...hee hee.

I could use some ideas from you bloggers out there. I've looked at several blogs including the ones that I even posted about, but I'm just not feeling it yet.

I'm usually not too bad at picking out gifts like some people,
<----(think A Christmas Story), but I'm guilty of giving things in the past to teachers only to realize now that they probably didn't like them! Example: I've scoured the internet and have realized this.....teachers don't usually like to receive anything with apples on them, they don't like mugs, ornaments or even chocolate! I wouldn't dare give them an apple related thing but I've been giving them
Godiva chocolates for the past few years. Just a small box of them, but still better than cheapo chocolate. I'm still thinking that would be a good idea wouldn't it?? How can chocolate be a bad thing?!

I did read more than once that teachers enjoy getting thank you notes or any kind of handwritten card or drawing from the child. Hmmm.

So based on that, only thing I can think of to give Mr. B's 3 teachers is some sort of written note made in a nice way (digiscrap?). I was also thinking that it would be a good idea to go that way this year because I'm really low on cash. Thoughtful, yet cheap! That's me! My idea might include having him write a note to his teacher (who is our friend from church ya know) saying how he would spend a million dollars on her if he had it to spend. That could have cute results.

So what do I do for the girls teachers now? They are both in 5th grade and have several teachers. Keep in mind I'm not made of money, so gift cards are definitely OUT. I figure most people who will read this will have teacher gifts to give so.....can you help a sista out by letting me snag your idea?????????

Gift Idea Blog

I stumbled across a blog for gift ideas. The whole blog is dedicated to ONLY gift ideas! How cool is that? Need a quick gift for your VT ladies? Kids teachers? Check out the blog! Creative Holiday Gift Ideas

Also, there are links to other sites with gift ideas. I think I might add my own idea. Well, it's not actually my "own". But I saw it years ago and it's perfect for a quick easy gift.



Wrap up a can of Rootbeer (or a bottle of IBC rootbeer) and a can of baked beans. Attach a tag that says, "Have a rootin' tootin' Christmas!". Cute huh? Would be perfect for a guy. My kids have a few guy teachers this year. Hope they have a sense of humor!

Anyway, if you need a gift idea, check out the creative holiday gift ideas blog.

UPDATE: I'm stealing this from Nikki...she has a great blog link with tons of ideas for gifts and decor! Check out Tip Junkie! And thanks for letting me steal the link & post it without asking Nikki....hee hee