A big thanks to those of you who entered!
The winner is
Angela Marriott
Congratulations Angela!
I will be sending you an email today to get your info.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
My Favorite Things
Jo-Anna over at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs decided to throw a favorite things party in celebration of Oprah's Favorite Things being on the air once again! (Yep, it's on today! Check your local listings.) Who doesn't love that show? And who hasn't wished they were one of the lucky people in that audience? I know I sure have! I thought the idea of getting to create my own list of favorite things would be lots of fun. So here we go! Hope you all liked what I picked to give you. ; )
Welcome to Catie's Favorite Things!!!
First up we have lip balm. I know it's small, but I have a bit of an addiction to the stuff. Burt's Bees is definitely one of my favorites because they're made with all natural ingredients. And a recently discovered new favorite is their cuticle cream. LOVE it!
Yankee Candles have got to be my absolute favorite when it comes to candles. They have amazing scents and the best part, you can burn a candle for an hour or so and your house smells that way for hours!
This next one is boring and practical, but I love it! I have used a Brita pitcher for about 14 years. It's a great was to save money because you're not buying loads of bottled water. AND you're being environmentally friendly by filling your own water bottles. So it's a win/win in my opinion.
This is my favorite perfume. I'll bet you would like it too.
One store I really miss since moving to Canada is Trader Joe's.
Sooo everyone gets a $250 gift card!
Sooo everyone gets a $250 gift card!
Unfortunately I don't own a Kitchen Aid Mixer, but it is definitely on my ultimate gift list! And they come is soo many fun colors it would be soo hard to choose.
OK, now we're done with the gift I could actually give someone. Now onto the gifts Oprah could give!
First we have the Marc Jacobs watch that everyone is wanting or wearing.
With this next one I had a hard time deciding between the classic plaid Burberry Hobo Bag and this gorgeous merlot colored one. Guess that means you get both. haha Which one would you pick?
First we have the Marc Jacobs watch that everyone is wanting or wearing.
With this next one I had a hard time deciding between the classic plaid Burberry Hobo Bag and this gorgeous merlot colored one. Guess that means you get both. haha Which one would you pick?
If you picked the classic plaid as your favorite you'll need something to match so,
YOU GET A CAR!!!
I can't get over how cute this car is! I want one!
How could I possibly top that? Hmm, maybe with a getaway to Fiji!
Hope you enjoyed my favorite things! Thanks to Jo-Anna for coming up with this fun party idea! And don't miss Oprah's Favorite Things today.
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Make Your Moments Golden {closed}
I'm super excited to be a part of Ferrero Rocher's Holiday Blogger Program. Yesterday I received a big box full of these amazingly tasty chocolates. Mmm, mm! The best part is I get to give a box to one of my lucky Canadian readers!!
Not only could you win a box of Ferrero Rocher, you also have the chance to win a new car! Find a PIN in specially marked Ferrero Rocher 200 gram chocolates and you could instantly win over $500,000 in prizes including 1 of 10 Mercedes-Benz All-New 2013 B-Class Vehicles or a Ferrero Rocher Holiday Hosting gift basket. PINs can be redeemed on the Ferrero Rocher Canada Facebook Page.
Have you tried Ferrero Rocher's before? They are delicious! If you've never tried them here's what they taste like - smooth chocolate filling surrounds a whole hazelnut, encased in a crisp wafer, fine milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts, all wrapped in a luxurious, golden foil.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Contest closes Sunday night at 12am EST. Winner will be announced Monday.
Good luck!
Not only could you win a box of Ferrero Rocher, you also have the chance to win a new car! Find a PIN in specially marked Ferrero Rocher 200 gram chocolates and you could instantly win over $500,000 in prizes including 1 of 10 Mercedes-Benz All-New 2013 B-Class Vehicles or a Ferrero Rocher Holiday Hosting gift basket. PINs can be redeemed on the Ferrero Rocher Canada Facebook Page.
So you ready to enter yet? This is what you could win!
Before you enter please note this contest is open to Canadian residents only. Sorry!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Contest closes Sunday night at 12am EST. Winner will be announced Monday.
Good luck!
** This contest is hosted by Ferrero Rocher, not
Mercedes-Benz. I was compensated for my time in this program, but all opinions are my own.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Burt's Bees Review
Last month I was contacted by the lovely Christine at Devon Consulting, a PR company in Toronto, asking if I would be interested in doing some product reviews. Of course I jumped at the invite! Why would anyone turn down an opportunity like that?
Christine sent me a list of companies to choose from and I chose Burt's Bees. I love Burt's Bees products. And I like that they only use 100% natural ingredients. Their lip balms have been a regular in purse since high school. She sent me a couple holiday kits and I couldn't have been more excited to open my package the day it arrived. It almost felt like Christmas morning! Here's what I got.
Christine sent me a list of companies to choose from and I chose Burt's Bees. I love Burt's Bees products. And I like that they only use 100% natural ingredients. Their lip balms have been a regular in purse since high school. She sent me a couple holiday kits and I couldn't have been more excited to open my package the day it arrived. It almost felt like Christmas morning! Here's what I got.
Right away I loved the packaging!
The geometric pattern reminded me of honeycomb.
I received two lip balms, one cuticle cream and one tub of sugar scrub.
That cranberry & pomegranate sugar scrub smells good enough to eat!
The top one is a replenishing lip balm. It is tinted and has pomegranate oil.
The bottom one is rejuvenating acai berry and is not tinted.
The lemon butter cuticle cream smells so fresh.
Being a lip balm junkie since the age of 10, I tried the tinted pomegranate balm first. I really liked the boost it gave to my natural lip color. This product combines my two favorite things, lip balm and lip gloss. Would I buy this product? Absolutely! In the past I've used their lip shimmer glosses and love them. The rejuvenating acai berry smells great and leaves my lips hydrated for hours.
I'll admit it, this is the first time I've used cuticle cream, ever. And I have to tell you I'm going to be adding this to my daily moisturizing routine. Living in a dry climate my cuticles are always dry and that leads to painful hangnails! After using this cream for the past five days my cuticles are no longer dry. This product is a definite keeper.
Lastly there's the sugar scrub. Mm, mmm! The first place I used this was on my dry hands. They were baby soft after. I also used it on my legs, getting the same baby soft results as my hands. The sugar is mixed with a bunch of different oils and moisturizes as it exfoliates. I can not begin to tell you how much I love anything that moisturizes!
All in all I was very pleased with all of these products, none of them disappointed. Both of the holiday kits I received would be perfect stocking stuffers. Check out Burt's Bees for all their products. They have lots of great holiday kits available.
** Although I was given these products to review, the opinions are my own.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Caramel Apple Cake
Yes this cake is as good as the name sounds! I made this a couple weeks ago and Miss E and I both had three pieces that night. It is that good! I took some to Miss A's teacher the next day, just to get it out of the house. haha Thank goodness this recipe only makes an 8"x8" cake. A whole sheet of it would be dangerous, seriously. ; )
Of course I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. It came from the blog Lick The Bowl Good. Don't you just love that name? Perfect for a cooking blog. Anyhoo, lets get to the recipe already. Geez.
Caramel Apple Cake
Adapted from Lick The Bowl Good
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk to mix everything together.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer til light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.
Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts (if using) and stir to mix them into the batter.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Place the hot cake on a wire cake. While it's still hot, prepare the glaze.
For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.
* Because I didn't use heavy cream my glaze didn't cook up as creamy and turned out more like candy coating, like for caramel popcorn. It kind of hardened on the top of the cake. Soo good!
This cake was easy to whip up and is perfect for Fall. Served with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of tea, delish!
Sharing with:
Hungry Little Girl
Serenity Now
Tatertots & Jello
Homemade Ginger
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
33 Shades of Green
House of Hepworths
Of course I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. It came from the blog Lick The Bowl Good. Don't you just love that name? Perfect for a cooking blog. Anyhoo, lets get to the recipe already. Geez.
Caramel Apple Cake
Adapted from Lick The Bowl Good
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 heaping teaspoon.)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples (I used 2 cups.)
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional) (I didn't use any nuts.)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (I didn't have cream so I used 1 tbs of whole milk.)
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk to mix everything together.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer til light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.
Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts (if using) and stir to mix them into the batter.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Place the hot cake on a wire cake. While it's still hot, prepare the glaze.
For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.
* Because I didn't use heavy cream my glaze didn't cook up as creamy and turned out more like candy coating, like for caramel popcorn. It kind of hardened on the top of the cake. Soo good!
This cake was easy to whip up and is perfect for Fall. Served with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of tea, delish!
Click here for your chance to win a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates!
Sharing with:
Hungry Little Girl
Serenity Now
Tatertots & Jello
Homemade Ginger
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
33 Shades of Green
House of Hepworths
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