Breyers Sundae Scoop-Off Contest
Breyers® is in search of the next great sundae with the Sundae Scoop-Off Contest and you have a chance to win! From now through September 13, 2010, the Sundae Scoop-Off Contest is challenging America to create original, family-friendly ice cream sundae recipes including 10 or fewer ingredients. View complete contest requirements and enter the recipes at www.breyers.com for a chance to win $10,000, a trip to Chicago featuring a private cooking lesson with renowned pasty Chef Gale Gand and one year of FREE Breyers® ice cream. The sundae recipe entries will be judged on taste, creativity, use of Breyers® ice cream and presentation.
Disclosure: I am posting this on behalf of blogger relationship with Breyers and even though I may be receiving an product, I just had to share with you because we all scream for Ice Cream!
No tags for this post.Pillsbury Crescent Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
As everyone knows, I am a southern gal. Born and raised in the south with the southern accent to boot, that is what makes up me – Jen Houck. I could not imagine life any other way.
Ever since I was a small little girl, my brother and I would be in the kitchen to see what we could create to surprise our parents. My love of cooking has grown even stronger over the years and most evenings, you will still find me in the kitchen. This is why it is an honor to be asked to be a Crescent Cook Pillsbury Ambassador and share my easy and delicious recipes with all of you… busy parents!
Let’s back up here and tell you the time line of how this all took place. Back in June, I filled out an application about why my love for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls was so big. I did not have any expectations, so when I received a call to say I was in the top 100 out of 3600 applicants… there was lots of grinning ear to ear. I had to submit two recipes to see if I could make it to the next round and I DID! It was then telephone interview time, to my surprise, I was not nervous at all. More than likely, it was because I was speaking of a subject that was very dear to my heart. Cooking! I didn’t hear anything for a couple weeks and then the day of L’s surgery, I received the call that I was one of the 4 finalists. I wanted to scream from the roof tops, but I have had to keep it quiet till today. That was hard.
Now fast forward to the winning recipe.
As we all know, us southern ladies really do love our comfort food.
So let’s take Comfort food + Pillsbury
and we have Pillsbury Crescent Chicken Pot Pie that will make your mouth water.
Now does that not look delicious?
Go ahead and click here now to view the recipe. It is so easy that you will want to try it tonight for dinner. While you are there, could I ask you with my sweetest best southern charm, to vote for my recipe? If you do vote, you could be entered to win a cash prize of $5,000 as well! Now, I know you would love that!!
Ok… go on… what are you waiting for? Let’s get to cooking 
And The Next Broadway Star Is
A special little 5 year old in NC! My precious little L loves to perform and she has been singing songs in the last month from her big sister’s community theater production of Willy Wonka. I caught her in the bedroom doing these songs and asked her if she would do them again so I could video her.
I now present you the next Broadway Star!
Isn’t she great? I have to get her into theater and dance. This girl loves all things art indeed
Hanes Really Does Know Comfort With Women
Let’s face it… not all bras are very comforting. I mean really, most probably comes in the front door and goes straight to bedroom to get rid of the bra right? HA!
It was while I was in NYC for BlogHer at the beginning of August, that I learned of a new bra. The Hanes ComfortFlex Bandini Bra. I am telling you and no they did not pay me to say this whatsoever, but this is the most comfortable bra hands down and it is so versatile. You can wear it with one or two straps, strapless, or racerback style. I actually forget that I have a bra on. Needless to say, this is my new favorite bra.
Hanes planned an afternoon for the bloggers so we could really dive in and get to know the products one on one. I realized why I am such a Hanes girl when I seen all the products put out in front of me. They are NC company too… just saying 
.
Take a little glimpse into the Hanes Comfort fun in NYC.
Now go over and grab you two or more if you would like (you will not be disappointed) of the Hanes ComfortFlex Fit Bandini Bras. They are all that and a bag of chips!
How Did I Meet Technology
Once upon a time there was a girl that loved to play in the dirt and build mud pies with her brother and then she came across this keyboard in the dirt. Her world took a major drastic turn. These glasses popped up on her face, these suspenders all of a sudden popped onto her jeans, and she kept saying geek power, geek power, and geek power over and over. The world has never been the same since Jen Houck became an instant geek over night.
That is right, I am a geek and so proud of it. I remember my first brother typewriter and thinking I was all that with my awesome A drive diskettes. I totally still have my diskettes too. My first computer class at public school and my eyes locked with those back in the day apple computers, I just knew it was love at first sight. I knew this was going to be an addiction that would be very hard to break for sure. DOS and typing commands just helped me so much release my inner geek that I would count down the minutes to computer class. A couple years passed and our school upgraded to Windows 95 and IBM computers. I even got my first yahoo email address and received my first email from a boy. Oh this could go downhill very fast, but you know the inner geek in me prevailed and my parents had nothing to worry about with secret emails going out to random people. I had more important things to worry about like how I could get my first paint project printed off.
Fast forward to 2010 and the total geekiness has reached all new levels. I am such a tech geek and have to keep up with the changing technology even though my purse has been taking a huge hit in the last two years. It was last year in 2009, that I realized my love for computers needed to take me far places in this world. I enrolled into the Computers Information Technology program . It has been an awesome journey ever since.
I am a proud mom of two elementary aged girls who are so into technology it makes my husband’s head spin. On a recent business trip, my 7 year old gets her daddy’s phone and starts text messaging and sending pictures to me of how their day was going. My poor husband was blown away as he did not even know how to even get the text messaging program up on his phone. I am a proud mom!
I work in the social media field which is really taking over the world as we speak. I have been a blogger since 2005. Blogging is just a part of my life journey. I love writing and I love to share with the world. Technology just happens to be a part of the whole blogging world which makes me very happy as technology will always be a part of my life.
I just have to put out there that technology does not have to run or rule your life, but if you use it correctly, it can actually help you run a smoother lifestyle. As I see it, life is just that much better with technology as long as you use it as a family. Yes, I am a geek!
No tags for this post.New Pregnancy App for iPhone
Technology is constantly changing and moving on up the ladder. I am proud to announce that today BabyCenter is making several pregnant women very happy with the release of the BabyCenter (R) My Pregnancy Today App for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
This free app, called BabyCenter My Pregnancy Today, will give you access to your personalized day-by-day pregnancy tracker, pregnancy checklists, fetal development images and even your birth clubs on BabyCenter. You can also enjoy our award-winning 3D videos showing life in the womb from conception through birth.
The BabyCenter® My Pregnancy Today application is now available at www.babycenter.com/iphone-pregnancy-download. According to a recent BabyCenter poll, 60 percent of expectant moms want an application to track their pregnancy, so this just fits the bill to make many expectant moms very happy. As everyone knows, us moms always have our smart phones everywhere with us so this app will help be your guide that is always by your side throughout your whole pregnancy. The app has me wishing that I was pregnant right now .
“The BabyCenter® My Pregnancy Today app is everything that millions of women love about BabyCenter right in their purse,” says Linda Murray, BabyCenter editor-in-chief. “Mobile phones are changing the way women get their pregnancy and parenting information, and we want to make sure an expecting mom has all the answers she needs right at her side at all times. Our new app turns your iPhone into an expert guide for your exact date of pregnancy, making it that much easier to enjoy the rich, personal experience that is the journey of new motherhood.”
To celebrate the new app, BabyCenter is hosting a BabyCenter® My Pregnancy Today Sweepstakes from August 24 through September 22. Visitors at BabyCenter.com will have the chance to win a $2,500 Apple Gift Card. Go to http://www.babycenter.com/bcsweeps for all contest information and to enter. Who can use a new iPad or new iMac?! I know I could.
Samsung the Future to Everyday Appliances
Samsung… This is a word that I was not real educated on until about a year ago. We were in the market for a Washer and Dryer and my hopes were set on a Front Loader Washer and Dryer. Take a look and listen on how we arrived at the decision for purchasing a Samsung Front Loader Washer and Dryer.
As you can see, we are pretty big fans of the Samsung brand. I had the delight of being able to experience the whole new line of Samsung Appliances recently when I was in NYC. Recently, Samsung launched their new 2010 Home Appliance Line-up. Samsung’s new home appliance product line includes a front-loading washer (WF520) with a spacious 5.0 cu.ft. capacity and a new intense PowerFoam™ cleaning technology, a new Four-Door Refrigerator (RF4287) with a unique mid-drawer positioned at counter height that opens to the outside and has independent temperature control, a new line of side-by-side refrigerators highlighted by the RS267 that offers best in class energy efficiency, and the first hybrid induction range. There is a store located in NYC that lets you go in and have your very own Samsung Experience. This allows you to go indepth with each product to see if this is the right match. I will say, once you get in there, you will not want to leave.
Samsung is listening to us moms. They heard that we are busier than ever and designed their appliances in a way to save us time and energy! Let’s take a look into the new Refrigerator.
The Samsung Refrigerator is a Four-Door French Refrigerator. The drawers in this fridge just makes moms smile so big. A Counter Height 4th Drawer called the FlexZone Drawer is an independent mid drawer, separate from the main refrigerator compartment that offers something for every family member. Just take a look inside of this fridge.
Look how spacious and organized it is! You can easily open the refrigerator and find the item that you need at any given moment throughout the day. Do you see the shelves straight back on the left? You can actually fold those shelves up to give you more room for taller items such as for soda pop bottles. Then the doors at the bottom are just the most creative design ever! It comes with a smart divider.
The Smart Divider is adjustable and offers flexible storage solutions for whatever you grocery needs may be – it is the ultimate refrigerator organization tool.
Also, on the front of the refrigerator is all kinds of temperature controls that you change by just simply touching the buttons with your hand. With four preset temperature control settings, Mom can store a party-size salad platter; Dad can have optimally chilled drinks; and kids can easily reach for their favorite snacks and juices boxes – all at the perfect temperature.
Thank you Samsung for finally creating a fridge that caters to the ever so busy family in today’s fast pace world.
As if I was not totally won over by the refrigerator (I was actually drooling over it), I set my eyes on the new range.
This is a freestanding induction range. It only uses a specific set of cookware, that is how high tech this beautiful appliance is. The induction range has faster cook times, which means dinner gets to the table quicker. It offers fast and efficient cooking and boils water up to 50 percent faster than traditional electric cooktops. With the easy-to-use SelecTouch™ panel, you have more precise control over cooktop temperature, whether using high-heat or doing a slow simmer. You also get a faster response when changing temperatures so you can master meals no matter what skills you have as a cook. Now us moms have no excuse of not saying we cannot cook… Samsung is helping us moms get back to cooking in the kitchen instead of take-out every night .
We all know that the after dinner part is one of those things that takes so much of mom’s time. Samsung is hitting it out of the ballpark with saving us time with the induction range. Since the smooth surface stays cool to the touch, food spills don’t get caked on and baked in. Moms can just wipe and go, so they can spend less time cleaning and more time entertaining.
Now you can see why I have really fell in love with the Samsung appliances?! It just thrills me so much that Samsung is actually listening to us moms that we need time savers in order to get more time in the day. They have worked hard with their engineers to make sure they are delivering a product that moms everywhere are going to love. Samsung is all ears and very open to opinions. I learned this when I was in the Samsung Experience room.
Every question I asked, was always followed through with a thorough response. Samsung you really have a customer for life!
Go ahead and take your own Samsung Experience on their online site at Samsung.com/HomeAppliances.
Full Disclosure: I was in no way paid for my thoughts here about Samsung. I am a true real customer that just wants to share these time saving appliances with other parents.
No tags for this post.Taking an Inside Look Into the Zhu Zhu Pets Tour
The Zhu Zhu pets craze is reaching out all across the US with the Zhu-niverse Tour! If you wanted to try out the Zhu Zhu Pets firsthand before buying, your time has come. Come along with us as we go inside the Zhu-niverse Tour.
It was here during the tour that the girls and I got to here the full details on all the new Rockstar Zhu Zhu pets. Have you seen them? They are too cute and cuddly not to take home. I know what will be on the girls’ Christmas and Birthday lists this year. Also the Zhu Zhu Pets creators have a whole site dedicated to the new line of the Kung Zhu Pets. My girls as you seen in the video were having a blast playing with the new Zung Zhu line.
Make sure to see if the Zhu-universe tour is coming to a city near you. Have fun!
No tags for this post.Friends Helping Friends
Caring for others is what makes this world such a beautiful place to live in! There are always negative things that can go on all around us, but fortunately we can choose to just work around them and focus our attention on the positive and encouraging times. God loves us and I have learned so much over the last year to not dwell on the negativity but to try and uplift others and be as positive as I can. Turn all that negativity into a positive passion.
Back in May, I was hospitalized for 7 days with at the beginning not really sure totally what was going on inside my body. It was very scary, dark times the first few days in the hospital by myself. I had an awesome friend that took time out of her busy schedule to sit by my beside for not one, not two, but THREE hours to console me, make me laugh and just be with me. Her presence being there with me was such a priceless moment. Then the very next day was my Birthday and this awesome friend made her presence once again into my hospital room with a priceless gift that I will never forget. She took the time and got several friends from this gracious blogging community to film videos of birthday shout-outs for ME. All for me. I was in tears when she was showing me. My heart was bursting the seams with just thankfulness.
See her video here on where she is explaining how she paid it forward from a friend doing the same while she was in the hospital room.
See how we can use what happens in our lives and pay it forward. This is what friendship is all about. Uplifting others, encouraging others and just plain paying it forward. When is the last time you helped out a friend in need? Let’s make a difference starting now!
I am truly thankful for all you did Sarah.
No tags for this post.New Raleigh NC Mom Blogger
Stop the presses people, Jen has left her beloved mountains for the big city living in Raleigh, NC.
It is true my readers, I had to break off the relationship with the Blue Ridge Mountains. We just couldn’t take it any longer as I kept cheating and driving down to Raleigh throughout this year…. it became more apparent that Raleigh, NC would be our new hometown. Mountains, I still love you though and you are only 3 hours from me, so now I can cheat on Raleigh and visit YOU!
Here is to a new journey for our family. Better job opportunity for my husband, better school system for our girls and a better environment for L and her asthma. Also a better area for green and organic living. Trader Joes is definitely all that and a cup of fresh cheeries. We have already bonded tight!
So here we are… stay tuned on this new ride as I am sure we will have plenty of tales from a county girl living in a big city with a super thick southern accent. It’s all good!
Let’s get you all started on this journey with the girls’ first day of school. My babies are growing up. L started kindergarten and M started 2nd grade. L had a bit of anxiety but with some great pep talks from mom (more coming on that) she had a wonderful first day. M said everyone kept wanting to talk to her… maybe they are just enjoying her southern accent as well
Aren’t they just the cutest, stylish girls on the planet? Of course they are!
We did unfortunately already have our first ER trip and wasn’t even here a full 2 days. My precious L got spider bit. I of course naturally freaked out but all is well again and L’s foot is back to normal. It wasn’t looking so great when it first happened.
You would have had a panic attack too… or maybe I am just a overly worried mom. Yes… that’s what it is I am sure.
Here we go on the rest of our big city journey. Now let me go charge my GPS so I can find my way back to Trader Joes! They do have more than 2 stop lights here you know
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