How to Use Google Forms for your Small Business

Hello Friends!


I recently discovered an amazing (and free!) resource for my small business and I wanted to share my secret with you. It's not a secret, really. In fact, you may already be using this tool - if so, then you're a step ahead of me!

It's called Google Forms. 

Using this tool provides so many options. I have two small businesses, one is sharing Essential Oils and the other is my Etsy shop. I'm using one form currently to provide a wellness assessment for friends and family who are interested in learning more about how essential oils might benefit them. So I created a form using a combination of multiple choice questions and text answers to gather information from respondents. I posted it on my personal Facebook page with an invitation for people to complete the form if they wanted more information about essential oils. Then, I download the responses into an excel file so I can easily see the information in one organized location and follow up with everyone.

If you'd like to test out Google Forms for yourself, follow these simple steps:

Go to the link above.
Click on Go To Google Forms.
Done! You're in a new form that you can edit and use however you want!

I like to do the following to get started setting up my forms....
1) at the top left, name your form (this is helpful for obvious reasons)
2) think about the question format that works best for what you need - having multiple choice answers, allowing folks to type in their own answers, etc.
3) create your custom form

You'll see a box with a question - fill in the question title and then edit the TYPE of question. For example, if you're asking for someone's name or contact information, you'd probably want to use a text or paragraph response. If you wanted to ask a question such as "Have you ever used such-and-such product" then you might want to select multiple choice.You can even choose "check boxes" and provide some standard answers and allow folks to choose from your list. 

After your first question is set up the way you want, you can mark it as a required response or leave it optional. Next, you can click on "add item" and you'll have another question box to complete. It's so simple!

Once you have all your questions set up, you can add a note to the bottom of the page that folks will see after they complete the form. I like to add a thank you note here, and any other details about how soon I'll be contacting them or something like that. 

Lastly, you will click on "view live form" to make sure you like the way it appears. Then at the top of the main page, click the box that says "Send Form". A new box will open up and you can copy the URL for the form to add to your social media or emails. YAY!

The fun part is seeing responses. You will be able to view the results on your google drive, and you can even analyze the results with a graph or chart. 

 Have fun and be creative with this amazing tool....and let me know how YOU use it!

Dried Pineapple Rings....and a bonus!

Hello friends!

This past weekend, I was looking for a healthy snack and remembered that I had 3 cans of pineapple rings (in 100% juice) sitting in my pantry. I bought them on sale for .97 cents each a while back with the intent of drying them. I went thru a big dried pineapple phase a few months ago, but cutting, peeling and chopping pineapple just to dehydrate became too much work for me and my busy schedule. So...when I saw the sale pineapple rings, I figured I'd hit the jackpot!

I thought I might have to cut the rings in half to make them thinner, but NOPE. They dry up to be the perfect size for snacking. This really doesn't get much easier, or cost effective.

Step 1: Drain the juice (and SAVE IT)

Step 2: Prepare a foil lined baking sheet with a cooling rack on top. 

Step 3: Put pineapple rings on top of cooling racks (to let the air circulate).

Step 4: Find something else to do while you dehydrate these gyus for 12 hours (or so, based on your oven settings) at 135 degrees. 

Step 5: EAT. Voila, dehydrated pineapple rings!

I'm going to make a ton of these and then vacuum seal them into mason jars for storage purposes. 

Now, let's talk about the juice. It's basically 100% no sugar added pineapple juice. That stuff is expensive when purchased by the bottle (Any Tone It Up sisters here!? You know what I'm talking about!). So of course, keeping it refrigerated in a mason jar strictly for drinking purposes was my first thought. But thanks to the YouTubes, I also discovered that with the juice of 6 cans of pineapple rings you can make 12 half pint jars of pineapple jam or pineapple syrup. 

Say what now?!?

Yea, Totes. Jam or syrup and a huge bag full of dried pineapple rings for just $6....I love this!

This is my first affiliate link, thank you for your support of my blog! Get Pineapple Rings here from Amazon!

Nail Care: for Jams and Everyday!

Hello friends!

As I mentioned, fingernail care is SO important to me. Seems that the older I get, the more I realize that taking care of yourself really needs to be a priority. And for me, "wellness" includes a variety of factors such as proper nutrition, exercise, natural solutions to healthcare (is, essential oils!) and getting enough quality sleep. One other item for me, is nail care. Your hands make a statement...they can show you've been working in the garden or in a factory, they can show you've been under stress, and they can show that you care about yourself when you take time to care for your nails. 

Truth be told, I'm not a nail care professional. I'm not licensed as an nail tech or anything like that. I've never been to beauty school or taken any classes to that effect. I just have an new-found appreciation for nail care - so I'm sharing my research here. 

Healthy Nails:

A fingernail is produced by living skin cells in the finger. A fingernail consists of several parts including the nail plate (the visible part of the nail), the nail bed (the skin beneath the nail plate), the cuticle (the tissue that overlaps the plate and rims the base of the nail), the nail folds (the skin folds that frame and support the nail on three sides), the lunula (the whitish half-moon at the base of the nail) and the matrix (the hidden part of the nail unit under the cuticle).

Healthy fingernails are smooth, without pits or grooves. They are uniform in color and consistency and are free of spots or discoloration. Sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical ridges tend to become more prominent with age. Fingernails can also develop white lines or spots due to injury, but these eventually grow out with the nail. Buffing regularly helps with blood circulation and often minimizes this problem.

To keep your fingernails looking their best, follow these simple guidelines.

Please, don't use your nails as tools. Seriously. 

Keep your fingernails dry and clean. Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves when washing dishes, cleaning or using harsh chemicals, and avoid long soaks in the tub. (Before applying nail wraps wraps, make sure your nails are healthy and you follow the application method provided by Jamberry on the back of each package.)

Trim and file your fingernails regularly. Use a sharp manicure scissors or clippers. Trim your nails straight across, then round the tips in a gentle curve. 

Moisturize your hands in the morning and before sleeping.  Keep a non-greasy hand lotion by your bed, your desk and your sink. When you use hand lotion, rub the lotion into your fingernails and cuticles, too. Don’t bother with petroleum-based products. Petroleum products do NOT work with human chemistry so they don't absorb into our pores. We recommend you use all the Jamberry hand care products because our products are free of petroleum. If you don't already have cuticle oil you should absolutely get some Jamberry cuticle oil or good quality cuticle oil.

Dermatologists recommend that you always take care to moisturize the nail bed and the cuticle. While there is little in the way of medical data showing that moisturizing the nail bed will help nails grow, it will make cuticles softer, look better and help protect nails from breaking due to a lack of moisture. 

Protecting your nails with Jamberry wraps:

It is important to remember that everyone is different. While the majority of customers can wear nails wraps with no issues, there will be some people that are not able to wear the wraps due to their body chemistry – just as there are some individuals who cannot wear gel nails or polish. However, most of those who experience nail damage after wearing and removing our wraps can prevent this  damage by simply following the removal method provided by Jamberry on each package of wraps and/or  by keeping hydrated (both inside and out).

Utilizing the appropriate removal processes – especially the gentle process using warm oil and NEVER simply peeling off nail wraps - is super important. The wraps have been applied using hot glue and have a very strong bond with the nail plate. If you have not used a strengthening or smoothing base coat before application, this is especially important.

www.claudine.jamberrynail.com

Jamberry anyone?

I've been wearing Jamberry nail wraps for a few months now, and I'm hooked. I'm a nail biter. And a cuticle picker. I've tried acrylic nails, press-on nails, gel nails, gel polish and regular manicures. None of these things helped break my bad habits. But Jamberry....oh Jamberry....you've saved me from ugly, unsightly nails!

See, I think pretty nails are kinda important. It's like brushing your teeth and putting on a clean shirt. It's not always easy (I'm a mom, I know), but it's just one of those things you do if you want to make a good impression. So I've struggled with a bad habit, mixed with weak, brittle, peeling nails making it nearly impossible to have pretty nails. That is, until now.

Jamberry nail wraps are like small vinyl stickers (for lack of a better way to explain them) that you warm up, press onto your nail, trim and file, then heat again....and you're good to go. They say the wraps can last up to 2 weeks on fingers, but in my experience, I get about 7-9 days and I'm ready to take them off simply because of the growth I'm seeing near the cuticle. YES! My nails are growing and I've even had to cut my nails a couple times. First time for everything, I guess.

Each sheet of wraps is just $15 and you get 2 manicures plus most people can also get 2 pedicures from each wrap. Can't beat that! There are literally hundreds of designs to chose from which range from simple, conservative french tips to crazy holiday-inspired patterns.

If you've never tried Jamberry, please do! Find a rep in your area, or ask me for a sample. You can find me at: www.claudine.jamberrynails.net and see the whole catalog.

A New Love - Metal Tip Roller Bottles (for Essential Oils)

Metal tips available here ---> https://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyClaudine

Once again, I bring you a new discovery that has made my life just a little bit nicer. I present to you - the metal ball roller! But Claudine....why metal tips instead of the standard plastic rollers?? I'm glad you asked.

I've been using 10ml roller bottles with plastic tips for a while now, and they are fantastic for applying essential oils and blends to my family. My 9-year old loves to put on lavender oil mixed with a carrier (almond oil) every night before she goes to sleep. It calms her mind and body. She also likes a blend as a perfume, so I've made her a little roller bottle to keep her from stealing mine!My husband frequently uses the blends  layered together for muscle pain after working out. I use a blend from doTERRA every month...you know...

You can pretty much put ANY essential oil single or blend into a roller bottle to apply all over your body (in particular, the bottoms of your feet where we have the largest pores). We've always used glass roller bottles with the standard plastic tips - until now.

Since discovering the metal ball rollers, I've fallen in LOVE with them! The application of the oil is so much smoother than with a plastic tip. Additionally, I noticed on my Solace bottle (shown above with the new tip) that the roller had been pushed down inside the fitment. Oil was leaking out a little and the application wasn't very smooth - in fact, I even scratched myself trying to use it a few times. So believe me when I tell you that these little tips are absolutely worth having on hand!

You can simply replace any existing roller bottle you have with the new metal ball tip - or buy empty roller bottles and the metal tips with them.

And guess what else!! I have these in my Etsy shop. Of course I do - I wouldn't leave you high and dry without a way to get these little gems. Feel free to message me thru my Etsy shop SimplyClaudine to order in larger quantities than I have listed. You can specify if you want the tips alone or with glass bottles and lids. YAY!!

I love to share what I love.

(REVIEW) Aroma2Go cool mist ultrasonic USB Diffuser for Essential Oils

Here I am! I keep having these long breaks between blog posts, but it's summer and things are crazy after having just sold the house and moved (finally!!). But I'm getting back to my roots and trying to blog more.

Have I mentioned that I'm IN LOVE with essential oils?? It's true. I'll save those stories for another post, and believe me, there are STORIES! In the meantime, I want to share a review of a new EO (essential oil) product that I adore. I adore it so much, I decided to stock it in my Etsy shop! But of course, I tested it out first - and here are my thoughts.....

What is it?

Aroma2Go cool mist ultrasonic USB Diffuser

I have two GreenAir Spa Vapor diffusers in my house that I use all the time. They are water based, and so you add water plus a few drops of essential oil and plug it into an outlet. It gurgles and has a light source that changes color. We love these for nightlights and in bedrooms - but I wanted something DIFFERENT. Something I can use in my office, but not be huge or expensive or loud or overpowering. Welcome to the Aroma2Go USB diffuser!

What does it do?

Well, I'm glad you asked! Like my other diffusers, this one also diffuses essential oils - but there is NO WATER involved. And, it plugs into a USB port - meaning, the thing on the side of your laptop, or in your computer hard drive tower, or the USB car charger, or one of those cool wall outlet adaptors. It's super quiet and has 3 different settings to change the frequency (and thus the intensity) of the bursts of pure essential oil that is released. LOVE!

How much is it?

These retail for $24.99 which I personally think it a pretty decent price because it's so versatile. I spent more than that on my regular water-based diffuser, but I sure can't take that into the CAR with me! Nor do I really like using it in my office because it makes me worry that I'll splash water onto something important. So it's a perfectly compact, portable and powerful diffuser for essential oils!

Testing. Testing.

Knock, knock....

Is anyone there??

It's me. Claudine. Yea, I've been away for a while. But all is well and I thought I'd come back and try to start up the old blog again. 

Why now, you ask? Meh. Just a couple things going on that give me bloggy post ideas. 

Like....today I started the AdvoCare 10-day Cleanse. (one word, grossfiberdrink - but I'm choking it down for the greater good) I'm going to Mexico with my husband for our ten-year wedding anniversary in May and I am soooo not bikini ready. I will be though. I will be...

Also, I have recently enrolled with doTERRA so I can buy their AWESOME therapeutic grade, certified pure essential oils. Bliss! I love this shit. Been using essential oils for years, literally years. Did you know you can INGEST essential oils?!? I did not. Well, let me back it up...you can ingest (most) of the doTERRA essential oils. DO not try this with any other brand, even from the "good" health food stores. More on this later. Believe me, you'll read plenty about my new obsession of healing my family and preventing illness with oils. Oh yea!

We have our house for sale...again. Or still. I'm not sure where we left off with this one, but sufficed to say, it hasn't sold yet. But it's newly spring and they say the market is looking up so that gives me hope. What freaks me out is that we received the enrollment forms for Fall 2013 at my daughter's school and it's first-come-first-in-line for a combined 4th/5th grade classroom....and they only will accept 16 children. GAH!! Someone get me a pen. I need to fill out a form. Or do I?!?! Moving, staying, moving, staying. Ugh. 

And my little Etsy shop is still alive and well. For the most part. I keep changing up the products I offer, but that just keeps people on their toes. Right? Check it out if you are so inclined - I've got some keee-yooot summer party stuff like those metal flower lids for mason jars and decorative paper straws. So fun. www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyClaudine

That's all for now. (If anyone is even reading this.) Hopefully more to come. Like an update on my cleanse tomorrow. 

PS - is this font too big?

Valentine's Day and Red 40..oh my!

Do any of you avoid Red 40 dye with your children? 


We do. It makes my 7 year old bonkers. Literally, nuts. She can't control herself, gets out-of-control silly & loud, and then feels awful (physically and emotionally) later. While she doesn't always like having to say no to treats that contain Red 40 - she is now very aware of the fact that it's not good for her. She tries very hard to make good choices, and fortunately for the most part, it's not too hard to find a substitution (for example at gymnastics when they get a popsicle, she knows to choose a lemon or lime or orange - instead of red, blue or purple).


However, it's the time of year when Valentine's Day classroom parties are being planned. It's not even February yet, and we've already had tearful discussions about how everyone else will be able to eat red treats - and she will not. She's feeling left out of the festivities, isolated, and the holiday hasn't even happened yet! 


I've talked to her teacher about why we avoid red 40 dye. It's a stepping stone to making MANY more healthy choices - eventually leading up to ALL food dyes, but for now I'm focusing on red 40 just to make it more manageable. Her teacher seems to "get it" but that doesn't mean I can convince the entire classroom of parents to not bring in anything un-naturally red for this holiday event (let alone for the rest of the school year!).


So my daughter and I have been talking about how she will handle the classroom party. I've set a rule that allows her to choose, from all the red/pink goodies that are not naturally that color (this is important...we'll revisit this in a minute), ONE treat. She will be allowed to have one red or pink item. Meaning, one frosting topped puffy sugar cookie (you know the ones I mean, they show up everywhere) or one cupcake with swirls of red icing, or one whatever of her choosing. 


Alternatively, as long as it's not red or pink or some other color that clearly was made using red dye - she can go for it. Generally, we teach moderation when it comes to sweets and treats, but heck...I'm not a monster! She already is limited with her allergy to cow milk, so for this particular holiday I'm willing to let the moderation rule be a little flexible. And, for our contribution to the party, we've signed up for a "healthy snack" and will be bringing Target brand Market Pantry strawberry fruit pull-apart leather. No added sugar, no dyes, no HFCS - all natural, and it's RED! Perfect.


Alright, back to the part about naturally red. We had some confusion early on when we eliminated Red 40 from the line-up of acceptable things. I think it was hard for her to understand that some things are naturally red, and some are not. Shoot...strawberries are red, so in a 7-year old mind (even in a 40-year old mind) why would they add red dye to something that already has strawberries in it?!? I supposed that's a whole other blog post - perhaps written by someone who knows more - but I can see why she would be confused. We made a list on the way to school of some naturally red things to eat that would be safe. She came up with some great ones, and maybe you'll want to investigate more for your classroom party too! 

• fresh strawberries
• fresh cherries
• fresh raspberries
• red apples
• dried versions of the above (or freeze dried) plus dried cranberries
• no sugar/dye added fruit leathers in the above flavors - I love the Market Pantry versions, affordable and fun
• Yummy Earth lollipops 
• chocolate (dairy free in her case) even though it's not red...hey, it's CHOCOLATE!
• ...and many organic brands of gummy candies also use natural colors from black carrot juice or beet juice to make things red...google it and you'll find some options

If you've had any luck avoiding red dye at school and at home with great tasting alternative, please share! Happy Valentine's Day!

Soupy Success

Today I held my 5th Annual Soup Swap. Man, I love soup!!


Even more than my love of soup, is my love of having friends and family over for a casual gathering. One of the best things about soup swap is that everyone who attends not only gets to go home with 6 quarts of delicious, fresh soup - but it doesn't really cost them anything except time. I love a good home-based-business, don't get me wrong. I try to support stay-at-home moms as much as my budget allows. But honestly, my group of friends is so tired of being invited out to a jewelry party, or a purse party, or a food party - where you're just expected to buy something to be polite, even if you don't really need said item. Not so with a soup swap! Nobody had to pull out their wallet today - and that's a nice feeling.


So, the gist of my swap was that we only had 6 people - good on one hand, because everybody was able to take home each of the other soups, plus one quart of their own. The downside was that because we all picked our own soup last, we had a hard time deciding who was "first picked" and "last picked" (it's not just the first physical soup picked, it's the one soup in total that's gone first). But none-the-less, we still had some fun prizes to give away after the festivities - we just did it "door prize" style. 


The soups present this year included:

• my own white bean and ham
• minestrone
• loaded baked potato soup
• beef chili
• greens with beans
• potato bacon

We even indulged in a bit of wine mixed with orange juice! LOL, it was supposed to be mimosas but the champagne tasted like malt vinegar so we opened a bottle of wine instead. I thought maybe with the relatively low turn-out today, this may be my last soup swap (at least as the host). But the outpouring of canned and non-perishable food items that my friends brought for the local food pantry was so awesome - I may just give it another year and see what happens. Until then.... eat more soup!

Good Stuff

I donated blood today. It always makes me feel happy, knowing that someone might be saved because they needed blood and mine was available. I'm a universal red cell donor, meaning my blood can be used by any other blood type. Type O Negative, baby! On the flip side, that also means if I were to require blood, I can only have Type O negative. It's tricky. But still, it feels like a small sacrifice and that makes me feel good. I can donate again in March. March 8th to be exact. When was the last time you donated blood? Consider it.

Soup Swap 2012 - get ready!

I'm so excited that Soup Swap time is almost here! If you've read my blog before, you may recall that I am a tried and true soup swapper. The National Soup Swap is going on it's 6th year - and I'm only one year behind. I think, truth be told, one of my favorite parts about the swap is having my guests bring canned foods (soup is suggested, but it can really be anything) that I donate to our local food pantry afterwards. So much fun, and a little philanthropy thrown in for good karma. 


I have no idea how many people are going to show up this year, but I'm anticipating between 10-15 people to come out for my 5th annual soup swap. If I'm wrong, no worries...even just a few swappers is still a party. Guess what!?? It's not too late to host your own Swap. And really, you don't need as many people as you may think. Ideally, you want to have at least 7 people so that nobody gets the same soup twice. But frankly, if you've got some good soups to choose from (and a larger family) having 2 quarts of one type of soup is nothing to complain about. All you need to do is select a date and time for you swap and start inviting people. Word travels FAST, and chances are good that a friend will bring a friend...and then you've got your swappers. Last year, I had a couple newbies at the swap that I've never even met. How awesome is that?! Share the soup love!!


If you're not even sure where to start - here is the sample wording from my invite. I used to mail these out, but now I just post on facebook and email people. It's easier for them to respond, and I like it when people rsvp. Now keep in mind, National Soup Swap Day is January 21...but because that's a Saturday, and I find Saturdays to be completely insane and chaotic, I choose to hold mine on Sunday. It's all good. 


So - let's begin with the invitation:

Claudine's 5th Annual Soup Swap!

Sunday, January 22nd

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

You're invited to participate in National Soup Swap Day!

Simply bring 6 individually frozen 1-quart containers of your favorite soup, chowder, stew or chili - and swap with us. (one quart=4 cups)  You'll leave with 6 different quarts of homemade soup.

·        2:00pm – snacks and hot cranberry-apple punch

 ·        2:30pm - "telling of the soup" (This is each chef’s opportunity to talk about what makes their soup special.)

·        3:00pm - swap begins

 ·        4:00pm - head home with 6 quarts of delicious soup

As usual, there will be prizes for first and last soup picked, most unique soup and one special prize for a surprise category. J

  ~ Please RSVP at (put your phone number here) on or before January 20^th ~

We need at least 7 soup-makers to do the swap.

Remember, you should bring:

·        One recipe card for each soup container

·        A reusable bag to carry home your soups

AND....FIVE cans of soup to donate to a local food pantry

(sorry, the formatting is all jacked up - just ignore that)


Now, take my invite, edit it to fit your own swap details and send it out into the Universe! Enjoy hosting a Soup Swap, enjoy socializing with a bunch of friends and soon-to-be friends, enjoy knowing you will have a freezer packed with soupy goodness - and really enjoy knowing that you'll be making a difference at whatever food pantry or local charitable organization you choose to support with the donations collected at the Swap.


And for those who are curious - I'll be making a slow cooked white bean with ham soup. Delicious!

Raw Food for the New Year

Happy New Year!!


It's 2012. I can't even believe it. Time really flies, no?


So, I'm right on schedule with another post. Yay me! This time, I want to talk about raw food. Last year, I got on this raw food kick and spent about a month trying to create elaborate raw food meals and snacks. I bought a fancy-pants Excalibur dehydrator (which rocks, by the way) and a couple raw "cook"books. And suddenly, I realized that I missed cooked foods - and I wasn't having very good results with my creations. So I gave up and moved on to another way of eating. 
Since that time, I've tried sugar-free, low carb, high protein, Weight Watchers, Nutrasystem and several other things to lose a few pounds here and there. They all work, and then I jump on another band-wagon and either maintain or gain more pounds. (sigh) I just can't find a happy medium because I love carbs and sugar - even though I know, first hand, that those things are the enemy for me and my body! (disclaimer: not all carbs, just the carby-carbs like white stuff, pasta, bread, processed junk, etc)
We just came back from a week in California, and while there, I was able to have lunch at a raw food restaurant. I fell in love with raw food all over again! Prepared properly, it's freaking AMAZING! So today's post isn't as much about my weight loss goals/struggles, as it is about adding in more whole, real, raw foods to your diet. Believe me, it's tricky sometimes - and I'm no expert. But I think everyone can benefit from eating more raw, vegan cuisine...and maybe these photos will inspire you, like it does for me, to try and get a little creative with your raw goodies. Here we go....
My sister, her husband, my 7 year old (with a dairy allergy), my husband and I all went to Cru in Silverlake, California.It's a small place, almost hidden, but SO worth a trip. It's not cheap, but then again, neither is good organic produce and raw nuts. So I guess I expected to pay more than I usually would for lunch. Plus, it was SO filling and delicious. Totally worth it - and I just wish there were a raw restaurant closer to me!


(another disclaimer: blogger is weird with photo placement, so forgive it they seem all random) 
We started with an appetizer for the table of the bruschetta. Remember, everything here is vegan and raw (although the chorizo on my taco salad may have been cooked, I'm not quite sure...but still vegan for sure). It was so awesome to give the menu, including the dessert menu, to my daughter and say "you can get ANYTHING on this menu - anything you want! Because there is no dairy in a vegan diet, she was able to pick and choose. I think she was kinda confused by it actually, because she kept asking before bites "are you sure I can have this??". So fun!

This is the bruschetta. OMG. Fantastic. Fresh and flavorful! It had tomato, capers, basil, cashew cheese and some kind of flatbread made of (I think) squash and sunflower seeds. To Die!
Oh, and before that, my daughter and I shared the fresh basil limeade. Yum!! 
I wasn't sure if my daughter would like the food - she claims to not like nuts of any kind, and also doesn't usually like coconut (both things are somewhat of a staple in raw food dishes). So, we shared the taco salad. Well, guess who ate most of it?!?! She did! Again, no complaints - this was by far the best taco salad ever. The "lettuce" was massaged kale, pumpkin seed chorizo (I need a recipe for this!!), guacamole, cashew sour cream and these crispy/chewy corn and flax chips. I'm drooling right now.

We finished the meal with two desserts to share - chocolate pie with raspberries and a key lime pie. Again, I remind you, NO DAIRY in any of these things. I didn't miss it at all. The big hit at the table for the 7 year old was, shockingly, the key lime pie. Again, I'm going to need a recipe for this one!



If you're ever in Los Angeles, you MUST try Cru. And if not, maybe you'll be a bit inspired to try out some raw recipes on your own. Google raw food recipes and I'm sure you'll be able to find something interesting. 

New Year's Resolution - a few days early

I vow to write more blog posts in 2012. 

There are so many wonderful bloggers out there, it's hard for me to keep up! I don't always have a lot to say, but I do feel the need to document my life every now and again. So with that in mind, I plan to do one post a week (at least). Starting now.

January first 2012 is going to be a good year for me. I can feel it. I will make it a good year. There's a man who works at my local post office, and instead of saying "Have a good day!" after my transaction is complete, he always says, "Make it a good day!" - and for a long time, I just thought that was plain weird. However, I'm starting to see the truth in those words. I really have the ability to choose my destiny - I *can* make it a good day. And, I can also make it a good year....so I shall. 

I am starting off with a BANG! I'll be doing a one-day juice cleanse on Jan 1 and spending a full day dedicated to creating a one-year plan for myself, my family (ie, our budget) and my Etsy shop. As they say, I'll either go big or go home, in terms of my shop. So....that's my plan, and things will just go from there.

Remember, Soup Swap is coming up toward the end of January! We have a lot to look forward to...but in the meantime, I'm hanging out with my sister for the rest of this week, soaking up the winter rays in sunny California!

Until next time.

Long Time, No See!

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post. Is anyone out there still checking in? Stat counter tells me that I get a few hit every week, so I know someone is reading. Or, at least looking to see if I've written anything.

I'm going to try and post something weekly. I've said that before, I know. It's important to me to keep blogging, but sometimes real life gets in the way - and in my case, it's a full time job that wakes me at 5:30am Monday thru Friday and doesn't get me home until close to 6pm in the evenings. Not much time leftover for thinking up blog posts when there's dinner to be made and laundry to wash (and family to be snuggled!). But, that being said...I'm going to give it a shot.

New things in my life are that the house selling plan is on hold for another year. Really, it's a good thing because it will give me/us time to declutter and organize for some real good staging. I want to sell this house, move to a location where I can have backyard chickens, and not live within the confines of a "community" of rules and regulations.

Another thing that's new is my Etsy shop. Yay! I love Etsy, and I'm sure everyone by now has heard of it and probably purchased something at least once. Due to my love of baking and cupcakes and cake decorating, and the fact that I'm not as artistic as I like to believe, I opened a shop to sell cake decorating and baking supplies "to help you bake a masterpiece". Fun, eh?? Yea, I'm enjoying it. Having an etsy shop doesn't make a lot of money, and it also doesn't take a lot of my time - so hopefully I can build it up a little, gradually, and have a little "fun money" from it. Want to see me shop? www.etsy.com/shop/simplyclaudine and if that doesn't work, go to etsy.com and type in my shop's name "SimplyClaudine".

And the last new thing that I can think of is that we're getting a KITTEN! More on that to come....

Thanks for hanging in there, and I'll try to be back soon. I made pickled green beans today - and pickled pickles and pickled peppers. So I'll need to tell you all about it.  :)

Get Ready...Soup Swap 2011!

The Fifth National Soup Swap Day is January 22, 2011.

Can you believe it's already here?? This will be my 4th annual swap, and I am very much looking forward to it...not only for the company of friends, but to stock my freezer with delicious homemade goodness. Check out my post from last January to read more about soup swap, and maybe plan an event of your own! Stay tuned for more information....

Shutterfly’s Holiday Card Promotion

Look at that cutie pie! The card above was the first holiday card we made as a family. You know how important that *first* card is - you want to show off the baby to everyone! So I tried a couple different card-making-websites and decided that Shutterfly had the best design at the best price. Since then, we've used Shutterfly for TONS of projects, like photo books, and also just for simply sharing photo albums and printing pictures.

I can't wait to get started on my 2010 cards! We usually go with a simple look, nothing religious, mostly just a wintery type of feel. I was thinking this year we may do a "happy new year" card and kinda shake things up a bit. My little sister got married this year and we have a boatload of great pictures of our daughter dressed up as a "flower maid", so we might use a photo from that event - or maybe her school picture (after we see whether or not it's acceptable to show off!).

Whatever photo you choose to make your cards, you know there will be a ton of options from Shutterfly for backgrounds and types of cards. Have fun with it!

If you want to browse around, here are a few links for Shutterfly:

holiday cards www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

new years cards www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards

canvas wall art (very cool!) www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art

And if you're a blogger like me....guess what?!?! You can try to earn 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly. After all, good quality cards are certainly worth paying for...but getting some free is even better! If you blog, go sign up at www.http://bit.ly/sfly2010 and you can earn some too. So yea, I'm writing this post to try and earn some free cards...but I wouldn't be doing this for crappy free cards. I know that Shutterfly makes a great quality card, and I'll definately order more stuff while I'm there. I'm thinking photo canvas...

Happy Card Making!

Slacker

Yea, I'm a blog slacker. Life just gets in the way of my blogging ability. I think they days are getting shorter too.

But fear not....I'm going to start making a plan to submit a blog post every weekend. And I have a ton of stuff to tell you about, from my newest hobbies (crafting for the holidays, a small fabric addition I've recently developed, and attempting to make cake pops) to new products that I love and stories about things my hilarious daughter says.

So if you're still checking my blog, thank you! I haven't forgotten about it. I'm still here, surviving my new life as a working-out-of-the-home mom who's trying to "do it all"... with the help of a cleaning lady a few hours a month. (Lifesaver! That woman is a lifesaver. And I'm skipping my eyebrow/bikini waxes to afford it....worth every penny.)

Anyway, stick with me and check back early in the week for more fun stuff.

:)

Freezer Cooking Revisited

I got a full time job!!
ACK!

In preparation for returning to work full time, I'm trying to plan out how I'mn going to continue to do all the "at home" stuff that I currently do, like grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. I'm certain I won't be able to do it *all*, but hopefully we can figure out a way for things to run relatively smoothly. And one of those things involves freezer cooking. I am pretty sure that is going to make a big difference between coming home and eating dinner vs coming home and having a panic attack because it's 6:30pm and there's no plan for dinner.

I love my husband, don't get me wrong...but left to his own devices, I suspect he and the child would end up eating cold cereal and soymilk for dinner every night.

So, freezer meals to the rescue! I've experimented a bit before with freezer cooking, really just doing a few big batches of chicken meals and ground beef meals, maybe 2 of each of 4 different kinds (8 or so meals at once). But the problem has been that once I make a few meals, I end up not liking them very much so they hang out in the freezer for several months. The key to avoiding waste, is to only make meals I know my family likes and will eat.

I'm currently making a list of said items and will then devise a way to bulk cook & freeze them for easy preparation on hectic weeknights. Voila! Freezer cooking returns. :)

For the sake of me not forgetting, here are a few ideas:
ground beef red chili
taco meat (tacos, burritos, taco soup)
meatloaf
sloppy joe pockets
fried rice with meat
perogies & red sauce
white chicken chili

Actually, now that I am thinking about the food we like, I realize that not only do we need the convenience of pre or half cooked meals (a la freezer cooking) but also just simply having a meal PLAN is important. Some of our favorites, like chef salad, can't be frozen...but knowing that I want to have that one week means I have to be prepared to have all the ingredients on-hand. So after doing a bulk cooking session, it's important to make a meal plan. I like to do mine in 2 week increments. Any further than that and my brain can't handle it.

Here I go!

40 is the new 30....really!?!

Today, I am 39.

This means I have one year to really get it together, because I am a far cry from the woman I was in 2001 - the year I turned 30. I mean, in some ways, (many ways) my life is SO much better now. I'm happily married and have a beautiful, smart, loving daughter, a nice house, a nice life really. But personally, physically and mentally, something doesn't seem quite right.

My weight is not where it was when I was 30. I *could* blame it on having a baby, but that's really just a lame excuse for not paying attention to myself. And I could also blame it on not having enough time to work out, but again, lame excuse.

So September 6, 2010 marks a new chapter in my life. A year-long adventure to be my personal best, whatever that means. I want to get my 30 year old body back...no, I want better than my 30 year old body! I want to be healthy, inside and out. Body and mind.

I can do it. Wanna join me on this journey?

Energy Audit

Thanks to my friend Sandy over at Modern*Simplicity, I had the brilliant idea to get a home energy audit. Technically, this was her idea... but still. Not only is this a free service offered by the utility company (at least it's free here), they also give you a free energy efficiency kit. Cool! So, Randy from the local energy company came by today to check out the house and give me some tips.

First we sat in the dining room and he asked me several questions. I'm embarrassed to admit I really didn't know the answer to some of them - things like, do I have a gas or electric water heater and furnace (both are gas, now I know). He opened the free energy efficiency kit and explained how to utilize all the items inside (things like efficiency bulbs, weather stripping, a low-flow shower head and faucet thingy, and these cool outlet insulating foam things.) Next, we did a tour of the house. He looked at the windows, peeked into corners, checked outlets, checked faucets, measured the water temperature...and a bunch of other things. All the while, I took notes and he explained what he was looking for and why. VERY informative.

Then, he went to the attic. I stayed in the garage. My attic freaks me out... I'm always afraid I'm going to fall through the ceiling into the living room! After that, he went outside to check out the exterior. Finally, we sat down again in the dining room while he completed a report for me to keep and refer to in the future.

So, want to know what he said??

First of all, the amount it costs to heat our home in the winter (tops out around $250) really isn't that bad, all things considered. So that's good to know. And for the most part, the house is relatively efficient...also good to know. But of course, there were some areas where we can improve. And ironically, many of them are simple things we can do ourselves with very little effort and cost. Yippee!

1) Seal leaks. He said we should caulk around the fireplaces in both the upstairs and basement, where the brick connects to the wall.

2) Insulate. We need to insulate the exterior outlet with the little foam plates that came in the kit. A box of them can be purchased for about $3 if we run out. Also, we need to wrap the hot and cold lines on the water heater with 3/4 pipe wrap insulation. And, a bigger project, the recessed lights in the ceiling on the main floor are visible in the attic - they need to have insulation boxes built around them so they can be insulated with insulation. HA! (how many times can I use a form of the word insulate in one sentence? Three.)

3) Keep it Clean. The exterior air conditioning unit needs to be cleaned. Apparently, it's pretty "gross", and that can affect the operation of the unit.

4) Turn it down. We are pretty good about keeping the thermostat set at a reasonable temperature, but it wouldn't hurt to dial it down a few degrees in the winter - especially during the daytime when nobody is home (assuming I get a job!) and overnight. Even a few degrees can make a difference. Also, our hot water coming from a bathroom sink measured 134 degrees, too hot! He recommends no hotter than 120 degrees, so we need to turn down the thermometer on the water heater too.

So all in all, I think for a 12+ year old house, we did pretty well! With a few minor adjustments, we will be on our way to (hopefully) a lower energy bill and certainly on the road to saving energy.

Check out Sandy's energy audit on her awesome blog, Modern*Simplicity. And while you're at it, give your local electric company a call and ask about getting an audit for your home!