Tuesday Giveaways , recipes and Stimulus checks

Are you staying warm friends?I do hope so.The fireplace is working wonders this morning.What are your thoughts on the $1,000.00 Stimulus package for families next month? My thought is that it is tax time already now.A lot of people will be getting a little help at this time already,and with stimulus checks mainly going to these same anyway,WHY DO IT NOW????In other words,say a family of 4 is getting a check for several thousand dollars already,if that don't help at this time just adding a little to it won't either.Save the stimulus package let's say,for like mid summer when no one is getting a little extra income...Just does not make sense to me..Well spending millions and millions of dollars on the inauguration yesterday made no sence to me either.I am all for celebrating our new president ,but for a nation to be in the shape we are now and spending like that!WAY OVERBOARD when we are in a recession!Heck just the money blew yesterday in Washington could have funded a HUGE part of that stimulus package,,,
Anyway........I am adding a few homemade recipes below.Try them sometime and let me know how they worked out and as usual giveaways around bloggvile will be added at bottom throughout the day as i can add them.Got too get some cleaning done and clothes washed hopefully today ,good lord's will.My brother dang near took his hand off the other day with a skill saw redoing my mom's bathroom.It jumped out and went through his land hand.Tearing the meat and a big peice of bone was destoyed as well.Had to have reconstructive surgery just so he would not loose all use of hand.He work's with his hands so that would not be good at all.Say a prayer for him if you would ,he is in a lot of pain with it,swelled very bad.Don't forget to pray for our new president.

If you have not already head over to my SIMPLY SOUTHERN-giveaway post and get entered in.YOU CAN COME BACK DAILY AND GAIN SEVERAL NEW ENTRIES.some have emailed confused on this.Each day you twitter or blog it,leave me a comment and u are entered again.Each time you make a comment on any post,it is a new entry,just mention ''extra entry'' or something close...
A new item will be added today as well.. ;)

Have a great day and may God bless us all..

Betty R~Simply Southern
"Hunting Paradise in God ,GrandKids,Fireflys and Whipporwills!"





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Old Fashion Red Velvet Cake~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ingredients: Frosting:
1-1/2 cups milk
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups butter, softened (or stick margarine, but no diet)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cake:
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
4 tablespoons red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

To begin frosting: Place milk in saucepan and slowly whisk in flour. Stir over medium heat until quite thick. Chill until cold. Do this step first and prepare cake while it chills.

To make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda, set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat shortening, sugar, eggs and salt until fluffy. In a separate small bowl, mix cocoa and red food coloring; then add to shortening mixture and mix thoroughly. Add buttermilk alternately with cake flour; beat. Gently mix in the vanilla and reserved vinegar mixture. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool on cake racks.

To finish frosting: Use an electric mixer to beat the sugar, butter and vanilla until very light, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cooled flour- milk mixture. When cake layers are cool, split each layer horizontally. Place one split layer on a plate and frost with 1/4- to 1/2-inch frosting. Top with second cake layer; repeat frosting. Top with third layer, and repeat frosting. Add top layer; frost side of cake first, then frost top with remaining frosting.

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Have you been by Mommy Mandy's lately?If not you need too.she always has some super nice giveaways and welcoming post!look what givaways she has now! go enter...
Mercedes Hill Maternity Giveaway
ENDS: Jan. 22nd
High IntenCity Giveaway-WIN:
One winner will receive both the Dance Tote and the Dance 10 Piece Hair Elastics Set.
ENDS: Jan. 24th
Babylon A.D. Giveaway
ENDS: Jan. 24th
The Conception Kit Giveaway
ENDS: Jan. 30th
Bumbleride Stroller Giveaway!
ENDS: Jan. 30th
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myartisticlife-One World - One Heart Giveaway you can win a super, fabulous ARTchix Studio Complete Faux Postage Sticker Collection (retail value of $126)! You'll be spoiled with hundreds of gorgeous stickers tucked into a swell plastic binder for easy storage.
ends February 12, 2009.
PLUS, she will include this pretty handmade valentine by her (Helga Strauss).


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Not quite june cleaver
has two copies of this LOVELY book French General Home Sewn ! So SHE is giving one away! This is a beautiful book with 30 sewing projects. This is from the amazon.com website:

As the founder of the renowned crafts and notions store French General Kaari Meng scours the French countryside and Parisian flea markets for vintage treasures. Now this beloved designer has gathered her favorite patterns into a charming sourcebook sure to be coveted by crafters Francophiles and home decorators. She offers 30 simple sewing patterns for French-inspired projects~a scalloped tablecloth piles of pillows and bedding a festive party garland totes~and more. Lay-flat spiral binding and ready-to-use pattern sheets and embroidery transfers plus step-by-step directions gorgeous photographs and helpful illustrations make it easy to bring the palettes and pleasures of traditional French living into any home.wanna win it? then click above.contest ends this thursday at noon!
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monogrammedteacher is oh- so- close to her 100th post. Sarah- the famous Monogram Chick and I are teaming up to celebrate.
Being a teacher, she always carries a tote- or two- or three to school everyday. They are usually filled with papers that need to be graded, books that need copying, lessons that need to be written. I will admit that those bags SOMETIMES make it out of the car and into the house, most of the time holding down the passenger seat for me overnight in the car.
To help me celebrate, you too can have a tote-
a black tote
a very cute monogrammed black tote
So here are the rules --click above! ;) ends jan 23rd!

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couponsavingfamily is giving away cloth pads...ends jan 21
yet another way to go green!!!

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happydaisyaz
Thanks to the overwhelmingly generous offer from the folks at HomeStudio they have another giveaway to share with their blog followers!!! They heard about what wonderful readers she has and offered to send the winner a Scrabble Tile Pendant and pretty snake chain!

The best part??? The winner will get to choose the exact tile they want from over 200 tiles in their Etsy shop sign up above at happy daisy!
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mindingspot up for grabs is a great book!Evil Without a Face by Jordan Dane - GIVE-AWAY!! ends feb 8
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frugalbabytips is giving away Smashies for the kids!ends feb 3rd Today's Giveaway is three prizes of 3.2 fl. oz (90g) fruit filled pouches of Smashies: Organic Squeezy Apple Sauces for kids!
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Halloween Treats Homemade recipes/Contest in Bloggville /more.

Happy Friday Readers,
We had over 3 inches of rain overnight here in central south Alabama,i could not be happier!That was our first real rainfall i know in a month and a half!It was wonderful hearing the rain on the roof last night.Better than any lullaby to me.So i am thankful to God above for that.My mom's pond is looking rough as well,i know she is thankful for the rain.
What are your plans for Halloween?Lot's of things going on this time of year as far as fall festivals go as well.We will be going to south highlands for the school fest ,where billy is enrolled,Saturday night.Looking forward to that with the kids it will be fun.Rita and Nick will be taking the boys to the Kiwanis fair tonight In Andalusia.It is our counties fair with a carnival as well.I am sure they will have a good time.
Halloween will be celebrated next weekend by most,we have plans to go to Andalusia,for trick or treat on the square.Billy is a Ninja and Kolby will be a white power ranger,not sure just yet what Summer will be.Charlize Mae and Julie are spending time in Arizona with her folks,they will be returning DEC. 10th.Charlie Mae will be a pepper!
Kolby is watching Sponge Bob so i thought i'd jump on and add a few recipes that would be fun to make with the kids on Halloween.Try them and see what fun it is!Rita has been doing a lot of baking with the boys lately and sending goodies for Billy's classmates to enjoy.He loves doing that!I hope you enjoy them,let me know if you decide to try them and what the kids thought..I'll return the visit and comment.Thanks for stopping by today.

Betty~Simply Southern
=======================RECIPES ============================
PEANUT BUTTER EYEBALLS!

Just make the peanut butter center as normal and then dip the center into white chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set and then decorate with candy to make it look like an eyeball. Kids and adults of all ages love to make and eat these! quick and simple to make!

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BLOOD CUPS;;;

melt a 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips with a third of a bar of paraffin wax. Once the mixture has melted, brush the inside of silicone baking cups with the chocolate. Allow this to sit for a moment and then spoon in some strawberry jam. Carefully add more melted chocolate to the top and then place the cups into the refrigerator until they have set. Serve at room temperature. Kids will get a kick out of the "blood" that oozes out of these cups.
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WANTED TO SHARE THIS RECIPE FROM The cute kid
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE!!

Ingredients:
* 1 medium sugar pumpkin (4-5 lbs = 1 � cups pureed)
* 1 can evaporated milk
* 2 eggs
* � tsp salt
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* � tsp ginger
* 1/8 tsp cloves
* 1 piecrust
* Cooking spray

Directions:
Too cook the real pumpkin pie

1. Cut off the top of the sugar pumpkin and clean out all of the seeds and strings from the inside. This is a great job for the kids. (Note: A sugar pumpkin is usually advertised as a "pie pumpkin" but I know of people who have used regular pumpkins and their pie has turned out fine. Just stay away from the really large pumpkins with stringier flesh.)

2. Cut the pumpkin in half. Spray the cut sides with cooking spray. Place the pumpkin halves flesh side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

3. Bake the pumpkin at 325 degrees for about an hour or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork.

4. When the pumpkin is done use a spoon to scrape the pumpkin from the skin. Then beat with a mixer or in a blender until it is smooth.

To make the homemade pumpkin pie:

1. Place the prepared or homemade piecrust in a 9-inch pie pan.

2. Mix the spices and salt with 1 � cups pureed pumpkin.

3. Add the eggs and then the evaporated milk. Stir until all of the ingredients are well blended.

4. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted about 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

Hopefully you'll have one of the best homemade pumpkin pie you've ever made or tasted and your kids can proudly say they helped make it.
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tHANKS FROM ecochildsplay.com FOR RECIPE BELOW!
Homemade Maple Candy:

* In a tall saucepan or stockpot, heat 2 cups of water to a boil. Measure the temperature of the water, then pour it out. Note the temperature.
* Heat 2 cups of maple syrup to boiling. Use a tall pot, and add a drop of vegetable oil to help keep the foam down. Do not stir.
* Don’t let the syrup boil over, or you’ll be scrubbing the stove for a long time…
* Once it has reached the boiling point, turn the heat down and wait for the temperature to rise to 33° above the temperature of the water noted above.
* Turn off the heat and let cool for several minutes.
* Stir the syrup until it thickens and gets opaque (3 to 5 minutes).
* Pour into greased molds (mini muffin pans work great) or onto a greased baking sheet.
* Let the candy cool and set up for 30 minutes, then remove from mold.
* Wrap in waxed paper to hand out to the wee ones.

If you’ve got snow, you can pour the syrup over a bowl of snow instead of into a mold to make “Sugar on Snow” or “leather britches” (maple taffy).
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redsoxmommy.blogspot.com
IS GIVING away a pair of your choiceof shoes from the Fall/Winter 2008 collection.!could it be you?not if you don't enter! 11 shoes is sponsoring the contest.deadline is October 30, 2008 at 11:59pm



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frugalmom.net has a super contest on today only! Need a new dress for the holidays??
For today’s giveaway someone will win: us only...this would be sooooooooo super for christmas!Good luck everyone.

1. A $100.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com

2. The Dotty Blossom Bag from Artsy-crafty Babe!

It's Official.We are in a Recession(duh) --frugal tips/freebies/contest/coupons

Happy (official)recession day! lol..may as well laugh about it.What's done is done,now each of us have to do what it takes to get by until this is better,They are saying could last 2 years,so i highly recommend learning new ways to save money and be frugal(if you are not already!)
I like to use coupons.Buy your Sunday paper,they always have good coupons.Buy 3 of them,have triple the coupons.Then look online and in sell papers,and find these products you have coupons for on sale!And even better,find stores close to you that double coupon values on certain days and then go shopping!Coupons with you of course!Hey and don't forget ,a lot of stores will match prices of other stores just trying to get your business!Did you know walmart did that! YES THEY DO.have your sales paper for other grocery stores and deal with them..If you have any problem always ask to speak with the manager.This means if Piggy wiggly has chicken breast for 1.29 pound,then walmart will match that!See what i am talking about.They do not publicize this but they do...Bet a whole lot more people start taking advantage of this...
Also make sure you sign up on a forum that has online coupon links..Like slickdeals,fatwallet,and coupon forum just to name a few.And as well they have freebie links that you can send for samples and sometimes full products!If you have never did this and want to know a little more about it,send me a comment,i'd be glad to help you out and get you going.
I also like to enter contest.I like the blogger contest because other than just getting a chance at winning something useful,you also will meet some really nice people and maybe learn some things you did not know.To get started just visit some of the ones on my sidebar...
If you don't have a freezer,try and find you one.You can usually find one in classified papers pretty cheap.It is a great investment,especially now with food prices going up daily!Did u know you can freeze dry beans!rice!
Now that fall is here in most parts,TURN OFF THAT AC, and let up the windows..It is cool enough lke that and you will save hundreds on your power bill!

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To help out a little with finances here are a few samples and also promotions and contest.Procter & gamble always have something going on.If you are already a member just log in,if not go ahead and register,quick and easy!
right now on the sight they have samples of tide,pantene shampoo,prilosec and a coupon for oral b toothpaste 10.00 off!Good deal if your looking to buy one.get signed up and you'll see the samples and promotions on the bar at top,just click on them,and you can order more than one sample at a time!There are 5 contest going on,find them under promotions!
also 1.00 coupon for downy,make sure Check your Sunday paper for the P&GbrandSAVER coupon booklet.buy 2 or 3 and you have double coupons!!!!stock up.if you look around and find these items on sale,hey an even better buy!That is how i do.
A Breast-Health Wake-up Call From Folgers® is also available on the site!
Folgers and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® have created a “wake-up call” you can send to loved ones to remind them about breast health.
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REMEMBER::::RIGHT CLICK ON LINKS & OPEN IN NEW WINDOW ,OR YOU WILL LEAVE THIS PAGE!!!!
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p&g
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reesplace has a really cool contest going on to win win ion tv merch.! get on over there and check out the blogs as well!!! look over the photography blog also,its on the sidebar....

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Dear Dr.MOZ giveaway
This week’s Dear Dr.MOZ giveaway is a fantastic daddy diaper gift pack that will almost make your new or expecting father excited to change diapers! Well, “excited” might be pushing it…but he’ll definitely be prepared because this prize pack includes everything but the baby:
# Stork Tools Daddy Diaper Bag: This modern daddy diaper bag by Dr.MOZ easily separates baby gear from dad’s gizmos with three main section dividers, two bottle holders, slash and zippered pockets, a thick/adjustable shoulder strap, a gripped handle, and an mp3 player pocket with side port!
# The First Years Diaper Kit: This portable fold-out changing pad makes diaper changing a breeze with a moisture resistant surface and multiple pockets for small baby items. It’s cushioned for comfort, and equipped with a wipes case for easy diaper duty.
# Seventh Generation Chlorine-Free Diapers: These popular, super-soft non-toxic diapers by Seventh Generation are non-irritating to a baby’s sensitive skin. Your favorite size listed below will be packed inside the diaper bag ready for gifting if you win! Choose from these sizes : Stage 1 (newborn to 10 pounds), Stage 2 (12-18 pounds), Stage 3 (16-28 pounds), or Stage 4 (22-37 pounds).
enter now!

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If you go to riteaid.com and click the picture center tab, it gives you the option of setting up a new account(free of course). You can then upload as many photos you want, and at checkout enter 50FREEPRINTS in the coupon code box. If you have 50 prints or less, the order will be free. If you have over 50 prints, they'll adjust the amount so 50 of the prints are free.

The pics are done in an hour and you pick them up at your local rite aid store. I just did this this morning, so it definitely works!!50FREEPRINTS

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Snuggle Fabric softner Bundles
Free samples of Snuggle Fabric softner Bundles
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Kidos Kids' t-Shirt
Kidos will soon open for beta testing.To help us evaluate the software and start letting your kids have fun and learn while we keep your computer safe, sign up and we'll notify you shortly. All Kidos beta-testers will get a free Kidos kids' t-Shirt!
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click here
Get FREE Halloween Downloads from Hershey's
Don't let the kinds have all the fun - you too can get into the magic of the season with downloadable MySpace Halloween templates, screensavers, desktop wallpaper and free Halloween clip art from Hershey's.
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Sun Crystals Natural Sweetner sample
click here

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free potty training kit!!!

I GOT THIS FOR MY GRANDSON..VERY NICE KIT@
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free shopping bag! (site can be slow) reuseable bag

CLICK NOW
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Free $10 in coupons when u sign up for a dinner made easy news letter

CLICK
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RECIPE! Make Some Chocolate Orangettes!!!!! yummy!

Hello and Happy Blessed Jan. 1 2008!
After an afternoon of taking down christmas decorations and tree,repositioning yhe furniture back again,The big chill set in! Wow..Temp. has dropped to 27 here now.Dothan is calling for 27 all night!Shows the difference from cities where the lights hold the temps and the country where they hit bottom!I am looking for 17 or 18 degrees tonight .That is what i expect with wind chill's far colder.Tomorrow night willprobably drop single digits before beginning a little warming trend.But it's jan. 1st!
Guys i found this wonderful recipe over @ Smitten kitchen's!
Orangettes!!!!! Try these at home......let me know what you think..




~~~Turns into this!!!!!


recipe here!!!!------------->>>Smitten kitchen's!orangettes and more!

Slice ends off four oranges, score the peel from one end to the other, and remove the peels from the oranges.

Slice the peels into thin strips and trim the edges.

Using a medium size pot, place the peels in boiling water and blanch them for a few minutes. Rinse the peels, and repeat this process a second time. This is done to remove the bitterness of the peels.

Prepare the simple syrup by combining 8 oz. water and 8 oz. sugar in a saucepan. Bring the syrup to a simmer, place the peels in the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. [Don’t do what Deb did, and not check on them, only to find that at 45 minutes the water had boiled off and many edges had begun to burn in the pan, and she wished she’d left the pot covered.] Once the peels have cooked, remove them from the pot, and place on a rack to cool and drain.

Melt 16 oz. dark chocolate over a double boiler. Dip the candied orange peels in the chocolate, remove them quickly, and let them cool on a piece of parchment paper. Store the orange peels in an airtight container your belly.

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