Host an Online Jewelry Party! Earn Free Jewelry!

 

 Would you like to host a Jewelry Party but don't want the hassle of cooking or cleaning your home for guests?  Or perhaps you are like many people who just don't have an evening to spare for hosting a party at home. 

Here is really simple way to do it and earn yourself some free jewelry in the process!

The method is simple - set a date or dates with me for your Jewelry Party to occur. I'll get you, your very own 'code'. Pass around the date, and code to all your family and friends (and anyone you'd like to 'invite'). When they make their online purchases, and use their code - you start earning free jewelry!

Just by hosting an Online Jewelry Party you get $45 of FREE jewelry!

Plus . . . 

get an additional discount of . . .

15% of your guest purchase total of $800+, or

10% of your guest purchase total of $100-$799.

Plus . . . 

get another $25 of FREE jewelry for 

each new party booked from your party!

(redeemable at or after that party).

Plus . . . 

get another $25 of free jewelry if you have 20 or more guests!

In addition, each of your 'party-goers' will be entered to win a FREE pair of earrings to be shipped with their order. 

This is a fantastic (and easy way to earn yourself some great jewelry, and you don't have to worry about getting out of your pajamas, cleaning your house, or preparing food.

Please contact me at: larissawowk@gmail.com to register your party!
Please write virtual party in your subject line.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/LarissaWowk

Black Friday Sale!

http:\\www.etsymom.com

I belong to the Etsy Mom's Team on Etsy.  We are having a great Black Friday sale so please come check it out!

Please also visit my site where you can get 15% off your order just use coupon code EM15OFF  

Larissa's Handcrafted Jewelry

How to Make Eating Out with Kids a More Pleasant Experience

Hungry kids and long waits for food to be delivered to the table is enough to make many adults shudder at the thought of even attempting to go out to eat.  What is needed is a way to keep the kids distracted during their wait.  Many restaurants have gotten smart and provide kids with crayons and a placemat to draw on but this does not always occupy them the entire time.  I have started taking along an activity kit that helps fill the void especially at places that don't provide crayons.

I purchased a small zippered bag from a dollar store along with several other items.  Here is what I include in the bag:

• a mini pack of uno cards
• a ziplock bag of legos
• mini puzzles from Five Below
• colored pencils
• stickers
• magnet games
• a small drawing pad 
• a mad libs book
• bendaroos
• travel size games such as connect 4, tic-tac-toe, memory etc.
• I spy cards
• mini books of mazes or other puzzles from dollar stores
• some fruit snacks in case the kids really can't wait to eat something
• antibacterial hand wipes

These items can and should be adjusted  according to the age of your child and varied from time to time and will help make the entire dining out experience more pleasant for all involved.  What sorts of thing do you bring along when you go out with your kids?

Snow Fall in October and Chess?

After the freak snow storm we had here on October 29th, we like many people, were left in the cold and dark.   Literally.  It took 5 days for us to regain electricity.  We heated the house with our gas fireplace and all slept in one room.  And so began the joys of "camping out"  with 3 children in our family room. Lots of take out food was consumed, many flashlights were lit. School was cancelled for 3 days because the buildings could not be heated and lit.  And of course there was quite a bit of whining and fighting between the kids on that first and second day and then something miraculous began to happen.  They actually started to really interact with one another and for the most part got along well.  They decided that since the TV was not working they would all sit down and learn to play a new game.  What did they pick?  Chess.  They took turns holding the flashlights and reading up on the moves the various pieces could make and began to play  basic games against each other until they no longer needed the instructions.  By the time the lights came back on they were playing fairly well and holding mini "tournaments".

How did your kids get through this or other extended blackouts?

Creative Pumpkins

As Halloween approaches many people carve jack-o-lanterns.  Most of us stick with simple and easy designs like the traditional one seen here above.  However, there are quite a number of very talented pumpkin carvers out there. I can't imagine how long it took to learn how to do this! Take a look at a few that I found...

Life is Too Short.....

25 Great Fall Activities To Do With Your Kids

1. Take your kids for a walk to gather colorful leaves
2. Use those leaves to make a collage
3. Go apple picking
4. Go pumpkin picking
5. Go on a hay ride
6. Carve or paint a pumpkin
7. Bake an apple pie together
8. Bake a pumpkin pie together
9. Make apple sauce together
10. Build a scarecrow - stuff crumpled newspaper and straw into and old pair of pants and a shirt (tie off the feet and sleeves, stuff an old pillowcase for the head and paint on a face add a hat, gloves and old boots for a finished look and prop him up in a chair on the front stoop.  
11. Visit a corn maze
12. Make leaf magnets by tracing colorful leaves onto colored paper, laminating and attaching magnets to the back
13. Make a photo and leaf collage and laminate for personalized placemats
14. Make leaf rubbings
15. Help your child make a cornucopia to decorate your table
16. Teach math skills by measuring, describing and weighing your apples and pumpkins to see which is the tallest, roundest, heaviest etc.
17. Take your family for a bike ride or hike through the park talk about the seasonal  changes from the last time you were there
18. Make caramel apples
19. Rake a maze into the leaves that have fallen onto your lawn
20. Rake a huge pile of leaves to jump into
21. Collect 5 different leaves and have your kids research what kind of leaves they are using guide books or the computer.
22. Look for fall festivals or Oktoberfests in your area and take a family outing.
23. Make a leaf mobile
24. Have a fall scavenger hunt give the kids pictures of leaves that they have to try to find outside in the yard
25. Make bird feeders – find pine cones and tie a string to them, coat them with peanut butter and roll them in a bird seed mix -  hang them from the trees outside your window and watch the different birds that come to eat.  

Apples

The weather gets just a little cooler, the leaves start to change color and it's time to go apple picking!  When ever we go to pick apples we end up bringing home several bushels worth.  That's when all the really good recipes come out for things like homemade apple butter, apple pie, apple and chicken,  etc.  With these recipes in mind I thought I would share a few with you that I found on Epicurious.com   Hope you like them as much as I do!

Rum Raisin Apple Pie

 Gourmet | November 2006

Raisins steeped in dark rum mingle with tart and sweet apples in this updated version of an American favorite. It's a showstopper when paired with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings Active Time: 35 min Total Time: 4 1/4 hr 3 tablespoons dark rum 1/3 cup raisins 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon salt 6 medium apples, ranging from sweet to tart (2 1/2 lb) Pastry dough for a double-crust > pie 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 teaspoons milk 1 tablespoon sanding sugar Bring rum with raisins to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour. Put oven rack in middle position with a large heavy baking sheet on rack and preheat oven to 425°F. Rub together brown sugar, flour, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt with your fingers in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges and add to sugar mixture, tossing gently to coat. Add raisins with any liquid and toss until combined. Roll out larger piece of dough into a 13-inch round (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate (4-cup capacity) and trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out top crust. Roll out smaller piece of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round. Spoon filling evenly into shell, then dot top with butter. Brush pastry overhang with some of milk, then cover pie with pastry round. Trim pastry flush with edge of pie plate using kitchen shears, then press edges together and crimp decoratively. Lightly brush top of pie with some of remaining milk and sprinkle all over with sanding sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top crust with a small sharp knife. Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes more. Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Cooks' notes: •To achieve an ideal balance of tart and sweet apples, we used 2 Golden Delicious or Gala, 2 Winesap or Granny Smith, and 2 McIntosh or Northern Spy (you'll need 6 apples total). •Raisins can be soaked in rum 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. •Pie can be made 8 hours ahead and kept, uncovered, at room temperature.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Rum-Raisin-Apple-Pie-236430#ixzz1bA4bjghR

Apple, Currant, And Caraway Stuffed Chicken BreastsGourmet | April 2002

Yield: Makes 6 servings Active Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour For stuffing 1 Granny Smith apple 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick 1/2 cup coarse fresh rye bread crumbs (with or without seeds) 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons dried currants 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper For chicken and pan sauce 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb) 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour 1 cup unfiltered apple cider 1 cup chicken broth Make stuffing: Peel and core apple and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté caraway seeds, stirring, 1 minute. Add onion and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add apple and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining stuffing ingredients. Cool stuffing completely. Stuff chicken: Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry and arrange, skinned sides down, on a work surface. Remove tender (fillet strip on side where breast bone was) from each breast half if attached and reserve for another use. Cut a pocket in each breast half: Beginning at center of thicker end of breast, insert a small knife horizontally, stopping about 1 inch from opposite end. Open incision with your fingers to create a 1-inch-wide pocket. Pack one sixth of stuffing into each pocket. Cook chicken: Pat chicken dry and season with salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, about 2 minutes on each side, transferring to a small roasting pan as browned (reserve skillet). Roast chicken in middle of oven until just cooked through, 14 to 16 minutes. While chicken is roasting, stir flour into fat remaining in skillet and cook roux over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in cider and broth and bring to a boil, whisking, then boil, whisking occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, about 8 minutes. Let chicken stand 5 minutes, then cut each breast half diagonally into thirds. Add any juices from roasting pan and salt and pepper to taste to sauce and spoon over chicken.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Apple-Currant-and-Caraway-Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-106360#ixzz1bA4zsIH1

Sweet And Chunky Apple Butter

Epicurious | © 2001

by Eleanor Topp and Margaret Howard
The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving

This fruit butter makes a quick dessert. It's also a great snack on bread or toast. We use it in a low-fat recipe for a moist and chunky apple butter spice cake. We have found preserving in half-pint (250 mL) jars convenient, since that recipe calls for that amount of apple butter. But if you use larger jars, you'll have lots left for other uses. Yield: Makes 7 cups (1.75 L) 2 pounds (1 kg) McIntosh apples, peeled and cored (6 large apples) 2 pounds (1 kg) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored (4 large apples) 1 cup (250 mL) apple cider 2 cups (500 mL) granulated sugar 2 tablespoons (25 mL) lemon juice 1. Cut McIntosh apples into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Cut Granny Smith apples into smaller dice. 2. Combine apples and cider in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 20 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half. 3. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for about 25 minutes or until mixture is very thick. There should still be some tender apple chunks remaining. Remove from heat. 4. Ladle into sterilized jars and process as directed for Shorter Time Processing Procedure . Variation: Spiced Apple Butter Add 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cloves and allspice with the sugar. Kitchen Tips: • This recipe uses a mix of two varieties of apples for greater flavor. "If these types are not available in your area, go for what's fresh and local," says Topp. "This might change the texture of the butter slightly, but starting with quality fruit is the most important thing." • "This sweet spread does not need to be processed as long as a relish or pickle recipe," says Topp. "The sugar does most of the preserving — you just need to briefly boil the jars to kill off any contaminants that might have gotten in during filling."

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Sweet-and-Chunky-Apple-Butter-230706#ixzz1bA3YBtxH

Is Cursive Writing No Longer Needed?

I just read an interesting article that talks about whether using class time to teach cursive writing in a digital age is really a necessity.  The basic feeling in the article is that teaching cursive writing is a waste of time, which could be better used teaching kids typing skills or other 21st century skills.  The worry however was that kids would grow up not knowing how to read cursive or even how to sign their own names. 

While I can see their point that it may not be needed as much as in the past, it does still have a purpose.  It helps kids learn to focus and pay attention to details and build fine motor skills.  In addition,  I can't help but think of the many kids out there whose families can't afford to buy the latest gadgets and won't be able to keep up. If we eliminate writing skills will be automatically be excluding those kids?  

What do you think about this?  Do we still need cursive writing taught in schools or has it become obsolete?  What other subjects do you think need to be eliminated or added? 

Diagnosis: Children

Every mom has at one point or another has had days like the one depicted in the comic above. Maybe you didn't sleep well, perhaps you are fighting a headache or a cold or have lots of stress from work and the kids have been, screaming, fighting, whining, climbing, talking back etc. and basically making you wonder if you are losing your mind.  Days like this make it very difficult to feel like the calm rational person you usually are.  We have all been there.  

On days like this I find that my patience runs thin and I have a tendency to be grouchy and yell a lot.   It feels like a constant downward spiral.  But how do you get it to stop?  For me, I find that no matter what is going on around me I need to give my self at least a 5 minute breather from it all.  More would be nice but not always practical or feasible.  So as long as the kids are safe,  I step outside by myself for a few minutes of quiet so that I can finally hear myself think.  It gives me a chance to regroup and plan a strategy on how to deal with things.  

Kids, just like adults, often get irritable when tired or hungry.  Kids need to eat at fairly regular times so if it is between meals I try offering them a healthy snack and make a mental note to send them to bed a little earlier that evening.  I have also found that no matter how whiny the kids are or how much fighting they are doing, if I change their location things calm down for a while,  so I take the kids for a walk outside or drive to the store with them.  Giving the kids art projects to work on  or a job in the house to help you out with are other great ways to put a stop to the madness.  It gives them something else to focus on other than each other.  Anything to put a stop to the out of control momentum that is ruining the day.  

Another important way to break this cycle is to be sure to be taking care of yourself too.  Eat regularly, try to get a decent amount of sleep and exercise.  I'm sure we all love our kids but without any time to ourselves we are just not good parents.  We all need "me" time.  It is how we regain perspective on our lives and recharge our energies.  So be sure to schedule time just for yourself where you can be kid free even for 1/2 an hour although more would be ideal.  If you don't have someone to help pitch in and babysit for a while then at least get up early or stay up a little later after the kids go to sleep to have some much needed "me" time.  Read a book,  do your nails,  work on a hobby, watch some TV ... what ever helps you recharge your batteries so that you can be a better parent.  You deserve it and so do your kids.  

So what do you do? How do you recharge yourself?  What helps you gain that much needed centering amid all the chaos our wonderful  kids bring to our lives? 

Facebook Comics

For those of you who are on Facebook these should make you smile 

Have a great day!

Really Unique Shoes

As I was searching online for new shoes I came across some very unique ones that I thought I would share with you. I can't help but wonder if anyone would really wear these...Would you?  Could you? Which is your favorite?

These would certainly be interesting but I think not easy to walk in for long periods of time.

  

I can just picture all the double takes people would have with these :)

These are really fun, I would love to walk through a preschool in 

these just to see how quickly they would get noticed by the kids. 

I wonder if the tail wags?  Wouldn't that be extra cute?

These are really cool shoes with no sole to them. I think I may try these.

I wonder how much traction banana peal shoes have ...

I can't help but wonder how comfortable these really are.  

I wonder if they are heavy?

OK these are kind of cute.  I might try these out. 

Hmmm   I would try these but I'm not too sure it would be 

easy to learn to walk in them.  I could see myself falling easily...

Looks extremely painful.  That curved silver spike is scary looking...

These are really cute I could see these possibly with a little black dress.

Um,  hmm,  not really for me. Would you wear these?