Randomly a few Things I Heart with some Super Mommy Secrets from my Goode & Gooseberry Patch Project.

Nov. 6: I am thankful for family time. Listening to my daughter giggle with her daddy is the sweetest sound on earth.

I am struggling to decide which series fits this post... so it will just be an ultimate cross-over series post: Randomly a few Things I Heart with some Super Mommy Secrets from my Goode & Gooseberry Patch Project...whew.


Today the fam and I ventured over to Flower Factory... aka Mama's Disney World.

Seriously.

I could spend hours in that place.

Flower Factory definitely qualifies for "Things I Heart".

I just heart all their inexpensive country decor fixin's and baskets... oh the baskets! 

Their baskets are so economical and just perfect for decorating and entertaining...

I have shared many of their country decor pieces on here before, pretty much most of my decor now comes from there if I don't make it myself.

Ok, I realize that this could be considered a Christmas decoration and it is only Nov. 6.

The way I see it is that if Mother Nature can threaten snow flurries and wintry messes... then I can decorate any way I like...just sayin'

Anyhoo... While we were there today, I found this piece and absolutely loved it...

It is just perfect for all my Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks... another thing that I totally heart.

I know, I know-- you're shocked, right?

The thought that I heart/adore/ love Gooseberry Patch just caught you COMPLETELY off-guard.

Sorry.

I will wait while you pick yourself up off the floor.

Anyhoo, this cool little stand-a-ma-jig  also has these awesome little pegs for pot holders... which I mentioned yesterday that I needed to invest in ;)

Truth be told, I plan to convert this into an uber-cool spice rack once we remodel the kitchen, but for now it displays my little growing GP collection just perfectly.

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Notice one of my often mentioned books missin'?

Don't worry, she doesn't leave my side... I am often seen with her in my purse so that I can find ways to work her recipes into my next meal or meeting anytime I have a spare chance.

Speaking of that, tonight I didn't cook because we spent too much time playing at Disney World... 

So, for tonight's Goode & Gooseberry Patch Project entry I thought that I would give you some of the awesome Super Mommy Secrets (tips) that are found throughout this gem of a book!

Some of my favorites are:

"Plain china glass mugs are easy to find. Create a one-of-a-kind set by adding polka dots, stripes or names with acrylic permanent paint...it's so easy and paintbrush clean up's a breeze using just water."

"Slip a favorite photo in a pint-size charm photo frame...so sweet on the front of a family cookbook album or journal."

"With no effort, a painted child's chair easily becomes a charming end table!"

"Instead of a shelf to hold bathroom towels, bring in an apple-green painted basket to do the task!"

Being the creative gal that I am, the little tips at the bottom of each page of all my GP books are one of my favorite things about them... they always get my mind a churnin' with new, fun ideas.

So, there you have it. My attempt at a cross-over series post: Randomly a few Things I Heart with some Super Mommy Secrets from my Goode & Gooseberry Patch Project... like I said-- whew.

Things I Heart: Mason Jar Candles

Nov. 2: I am thankful for GOODe friends, GOODe food and lots of lunch time laughter.

Today I ventured over to Greenfield for some business meetings and a trip to a gem of a shop that my pal Shawn told me about... 

Heavenly Scents

Shawn told me that I would LOVE this place, and she was right... it was right up my alley!

Rows and rows of, well... Heavenly Scents ;)

And, MANY of which are hard to find these days.

I could have shopped and shopped...

Oh and for you tart lovers out there... she had those too!

I found two of my favorite scents: Amaretto and Sweet Almond. 

Oh and I even picked up something for you! 

I will be giving away one of the shop owner's favorites-- a Pumpkin Souffle Candle-- to one lucky reader. 

Please leave a separate comment for each of the following entries:

1. Follow GOODEness Gracious
2. Fan GOODEness Gracious on Facebook
3. Follow @crisgoode on Twitter
4. Share the link to this giveaway on Facebook
5. Tweet about this giveaway

6. Visit Heavenly Scents and come back here and comment on what scent you'd love to try.

Winner will be chosen at random after 9 PM (EDT) on Nov. 9th.

Things I Heart: The Vera Edition

So... it is no secret that I heart Vera... 

Bradley that is...

Her colors, her homespun quilty-ness, her pockets... She just gets me.

So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite bags my gal Vera has out there.

5. The tote

The basic tote is one of my favorite must haves. I love that I can throw anything in there... from a bottle of diet coke (shhh!), to a GOODe book, to a change of clothes for the monkey.

4. Frill A+ Tote

I just love this shiny side of Vera. I was so lucky to actually win the bag pictured above in a drawing the last time I was in Purse Strings! It felt like Christmas!!! I was sooo excited that she was frill and a tote to boot!

3. Alice

I don't actually own an Alice, but she had me at hello. I LOVE her latch and think we'd be great pals one day.

2. Crossroads Zippidy Tote

I love this traditional/frill hybrid bag. It has an awesome pocket in front that is PERFECT for my phone which allows me to easily find it (miracle for me). Zippidy is a little wider tote and I just LOVE it. I also love that she is a limited "crossroads" bag that I have been told they make fewer of... makes her a little more special ;)

1. Clutch

My all time FAVORITE Vera is technically a wallet--my clutch(es). 

PLEASE Vera--never discontinue this style, k. 

I am in love with this double sided wallet that is little enough to be a wallet, but big enough to clutch and go as a purse as needed. 

For us "big purse" gals, she is the perfect solution for when you just want to grab your wallet to go in a restaurant and not take big bertha in with ya.

So there ya have it... 5 Veras I heart. ( I also heart my Mesa Red Diaper Bag and Mesa Red Maggie Purse, but both are retired. ;) )

Do you have a Vera love? Or do you prefer another brand bag? 

Super Mommy Secrets: Kitchen Tips & Tools

This week I had a revelation... it was called the Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker... 

Which most of you know--mainly because when I find something I like I can't shut-up about it...just sayin'

The fact that I have been missing this magical wonder all these years that makes everything from boiling sweet taters...

To cookin' up my seasoned ground beef in-- well, a micro-snap..  gots me wonderin'...

The discovery of this little gem gots me to thinkin' about what other kitchen tools and tips I have been missin' out on all this time and how many other mamas are too?!

So, I sent out a call to all those Super Mommies out there on the GOODEness Gracious Facebook Page and they began spillin' the beans!

Super Mommy Brandy likes the versatility of her tongs.

Super Mommy Kim cuts down on prep time with her food processor. (We all know I give my food processor dirty looks... perhaps I could learn a thing or two from Kim?)

Super Mommy Heather hearts her KitchenAid Mixer.

Super Mommy Crystal goes to her favorite Emeril Skillet and chopped garlic-Yum!

Super Mommy Terra loves her iron skillet, Mix n' Chop and Micro-Cookers!

Super Mommy Carrie goes to a good, sharp chopping knife. She also uses only bar mop towels so that no matter what she wipes up the towels go in the washer with some bleach to make clean up a snap!--LOVE this idea!!!

Super Mommy Leslie loves her Pampered Chef Garlic Press. Leslie shares that she doesn't even have to peel the garlic!

Super Mommy Kebra goes to her mama's recipes and her Pampered Chef Forged Cutlery and Pans.

Thanks so much for the awesome ideas and tool suggestions ladies!

Now... what about this FREEZE-o-RAMA Mama? Well, like I said... I have learned that I have plenty to learn... but as of now-- these are the things I can't get enough of... or you could say--Things I Heart ;)

(Prepare yourself for a little series cross over here... you can handle it, I believe in you...)

5. My Good Cook Can Opener. I love that it makes a lid reusable lid with no sharp edges.  I heart it. I just do. I will tear my kitchen apart to find it vs. using the other one...which I should have just gotten rid of years ago.

(Pardon my lack of focus in the pic-- hey these days I am just glad if my pics are the only thing that aren't focused...just sayin')

4. My Microplane Grater/Zester. Love this for fresh grated parm, orange/lemon zest or a little fresh nutmeg anyone?

3. My Pampered Chef Mix n' Chop. I would go on and on here... but I already have--so here it is in case you missed it...

2. My Micro-Cooker-- In case you missed it, scroll to the top of this post ;)

1. My Smartpot Crockpot. Because what busy mom doesn't adore her Crockpot...and a programmable one at that. Now, if they'd just make me a Crockpot that lets me program from my Android phone, I'd be all set!

Please ignore the food splatters... She was 4 hours in on a lasagna and not exactly at her close-up worthy best...just sayin'

So, did we cover all the tips and tools out there?

What are your secret must haves in the kitchen?

Linked to:

Works for Me Wednesday

Things I Heart: Techy Tools

This day has kicked my butt, so I have decided to kick right back with a new series... Things I heart!

From time to time I plan to share about things, tools, people, places, links, etc. that I heart.

Tonight's Things I heart is all about techy tools. So here are five techy tools I love to love ;)

5. Barnes & Noble's Free Nook Software on my PC and Android phone. Truth be told I only downloaded it because I was dying to get my hands on Gooseberry Patch's Homemade Christmas E Book, but I am finding that I love the ability to read everything from Pride and Prejudice to the latest Nicholas Sparks while waiting on appointment. And I love, love, love having access to a cookbook on my phone in the grocery store and laptop in the kitchen.

4. Google Reader. This one is a given for some, but worth a mention for the time it saves me. It keeps me organized and able to (ideally) keep up with all my bloggy buds by allowing me to categorize them and put them in folders along with doing the same for all my news feeds and Google alerts.

3. Hootsuite. Hootsuite helps me organize my online life. I can view, post and schedule posts to my facebook profile, facebook fan pages and twitter accounts for personal and professional content all at one time. It also plays very nicely with my Android phone which keeps me up to date while I am on the go.

2. Evernote. I heart Evernote. It is amazing. It is another tool that is accessible online, on my desktop and on my phone--all of which sync with each other to keep me sane and up to date. Evernote's tagline is "Remember Everything" and it helps you do just that. It installs a toolbar on your browser that allows you to bookmark pages, parts of pages or images and tag them for easy recall. It also recognizes text within images! Did I mention all these words and images are taggable and searchable?

Ok, so that is all super cool--especially when researching and sourcing that research... or online shopping or organizing recipes or remembering all those cool craft ideas I want to get to some day... but the way I use it the most is to make to do lists, grocery lists, notes, etc. that I can access by phone, computer or online access.

1. Android Phone. A few weeks ago I ditched my Palm Pixi after she betrayed me one too many times with her little headset mode tantrums. Truth be told, I really should thank her--really. Because of her I found Andie... my Android phone. Andie plays so nicely with #2-5 on this list and helps me keep up with my crazy hectic schedule. From email to Facebook to Evernote to Blogger...Andie just gets me.

So there you go... Five Techy Tools I Heart ;)

What techy tools do you heart?