Claiming Our Space

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Blog-a-Pal-Loosa Day 12 - Don't Mess With My Tutus!

Today's Giveaway is from Don't Mess With My Tutus! I so want to win this one!!

Howdy! I'm Jennifer from Don't Mess With My Tutus! - a sassy little place I used to use to sell custom-made children's clothing but now I keep to share my recipes, redos and realities of life! Since becoming a full-time SAHM, I have been having fun 'junkin' in jammies' most Fridays and recently took the plunge with Resuscitation Annie - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint that is! Now this fabulous paint that requires NO PREP WORK when refinishing furniture (HUGE bonus!!) was sold to me by fellow re-decorator AND courageous momtrepeneur Rhonda McCleskey from Restored ~ Home who has graciously offered us today's prize!!

3 samples of Annie Sloan Chalk paint and an ASCP color chart, 2 chip brushes and 1 bar of handmade "Painter's Friend' Soap!!

Rhonda has such a generous spirit and I am excited to let you know that in addition to this giveaway, 'local' gals can also enter to win An Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Techniques Class at Rhonda's new store in Alvin, TX - a $165 value!!

I'm sooo excited to introduce you to Rhonda and tell you about the Grand Opening of her new store Restored ~ Home, so head on over to my blog to read all about it AND register to win!

Good Luck!

Don't forget to check out all the previous Blog-a-Pal-Loosa giveaways here.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Willow Wednesday

Maximum sun exposure but still on the dogbed? Check!

Blog-a-Pal-Loosa Day 11 - Claiming Our Space (That's us!!)

Today is my giveaway day and I am so excited!!

I am so excited to be part of Blog-a-Pal-Loosa (thanks for including me Randee)! I have loved seeing all the previous giveaways!

My giveaway is for a set of 4 hand stamped tumbled travertine tiles, a set of 4 slate fridge magnets with a Celtic design and a set of 4 porcelain tile magnets stamped with green dragonflies.

To enter, see the Rafflecopter widget below! To enter leave a blog comment, follow us on Twitter, follow on Pinterest and/or follow us via GFC or Bloglovin for entries.

To see the other giveaways, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Tout It Tuesday - #6

Welcome to Tout It Tuesday - #6!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week!
There were so so much great stuff shared last week and here are my favs.

4 You With Love shared how to make an amazing "stained glass" window using glass and alcohol ink. I love the colors!

Sew Can Do shared some Michigan Love with her I Heart My State Tees. As a fellow Michiganian, I love these and may need to make adult versions for D & I.

My Turn (for us) shared Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I think they should be cheesey garlic mashed potatoes since there is a Fontina cheese surprise in there.

Make sure to grab the Featured Button!

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-Featured.jpg" /></a>

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

Just a few rules/guidelines.

1. I would love it if you would follow through GFC or Bloglovin'. You can also follow on Twitter where I will be sharing my favorites throughout the week.

2. Please do not link parties or shops. Everything else is accepted.

3. Linking to Claiming Our Space isn't required but I would appreciate it if you would grab my button and either display it with the post you are linking up or under your list of parties.

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-ToutItTuesdays.jpg" /></a>

4. Please try to visit at least two posts for each link you submit and leave a comment. Comments make everyone happy!

One non-Tout It related thing. I am participating in Blog-a-Pal-Loosa: 14 days of giveaways that is running May 6 to 19. Check back daily at 9 AM to see where the day's give away is taking place and then head over there to enter! (My give away will be tomorrow so I hope you stop by to enter!)

With that, lets Tout It!

Blog-a-Pal-Loosa Day 10 - Measured by the Heart

Today's giveaway is from Connie @ Measured by the Heart

Hi guys, I am excited to host a giveaway of $50 worth of the best crafting, baking, home decor and fashion items. This giveaway comes to you from Pick your Plum.

Pick your plum is a daily deals site that scours the globe to bring you the best deals on high quality items. Because their deals are so HUGE, they can only offer 1 per day. They also come in limited quantities. Once they are gone they are gone. Some of their past deals include:

You can increase your chances of not missing these deals by signing up for their newsletter, or liking them on facebook. They post their deals daily on facebook before the newsletter even comes out.

Pick your plum has been nice enough to giveaway a swag box with $50 of the best crafting, baking, home decor and fashion items!!

To enter, use the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone!!

I LOVE to meet new people and I hope you will stop by my blog Measured by the Heart.

You can also connect with me here:

Monday, May 14, 2012

Beef Stew with Red Wine

When we ordered our 1/4 steer one of the things we made sure to get was stew meat. Why? We love beef stew! I decided to whip up a batch not too long ago after I came across a recipe I had starred in my Google Reader many many moons ago.

I found this post on Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen. Since they talked about modifying the recipe, I decided to go to the source and change it up to our tastes.

We added more of just about everything and skipped the onions (since I am not a huge fan). D loved it (though he wished it had onions in it). Guess I will have to add them next time. I really really like this recipe because unlike many other ones I have come across, there were no mushrooms and no beans.

Next time, I plan to double the batch to ensure we have enough to freeze for a quick and easy meal when pressed for time.

Beef Stew with Red Wine
(Sourced from About.com: Southern Food)
Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds stew beef
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Smokey 4/S Seasoned Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
2 cups carrot chopped to bite size pieces
3 ribs celery, chopped to bite size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth
2 cup dry red wine (I used some Cabernet Sauvignon we had left over from one of our dinners)
2 cups potatoes, chopped to bite size pieces
1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

Directions

Trim stew beef and cut in small bite-size pieces.
Put in a zip top plastic bag with the flour, onion powder and seasoned salt.
Toss to coat well.
Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add beef to hot oil and cook, stirring, until lightly browned.
Add the celery; continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes, garlic, broth, wine, and rosemary, bringing to a boil.
After reducing heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, or until beef is tender.

I hope you like this as much as we do!

Blog-a-Pa-Loosa Day 9 - Modern yet Old-Fashioned

Today's giveaway is from Modern yet Old-Fashioned!

It's my turn for a GIVEAWAY with BLOG-A-PAL-LOOSA!

I know I am not the only mom who feels like she is running a taxi service for kids; running here and there and everywhere! We have activities every night of the week, it's either softball, baseball, soccer, ballet, hip hop, youth ministries, or ALL of them!

Many times I have to have snacks and drink loaded and ready, even for the kids (and mom) who are just along for the ride for that particular happening.

We always rely on our Blender Bottles and protein/nutritional bars, along with some fresh fruit and veggies. I love Blender Bottles; we have several, and they are good quality and hold up well even with the tough beatings they get. This is the reason I was so excited when Blender Bottle recently came out with a new sleek and sexy bottle called the Sport Mixer.

The bars we eat vary, I usually give the kids Clif Kids Organic Z bars and for me...my newest favorite is Nogii Paleo Bar in the fabulous flavor Nuts About Tropical Fruit. I am picky about bars and these are hands-down the best bars I have found. Its like a tropical beach party in your mouth with each bite!

Thus, my favorite things to take on-the-go with us, is what my GIVEAWAY is! YEAH!

The winner will receive a Sport Mixer Blender Bottle, my favorite Nogii Paleo Bar and 3 Clif Kids Organic Z bars. Courtesy of Life Fuel Supplements.

You know how much I love giveaways and that I am more than thrilled to be part of Blog-a-pal-loosa, 14 days of giveaways! With that being said, I would only giveaway and/or promote products that I truly love and believe in.