Half Off Turtle Magazine (Preschooler Magazine, ages 2-5)

Who really wants to pay $24 for Turtle Magazine when you can get it for only $10.99?

Turtle Magazine is the exclusive read for preschoolers. Kids always enjoy getting their very own magazine delivered right to them, so why not give as a gift today? Though this fantastic Broadcast Bloggers offer you can get 1 year of Turtle Magazine (6 issues) for over half off the cover price!

*Deal ends on Wednesday, 12/7/11 at 11:59pm MST (while supplies last)
*Orders open to US mailing addresses only
*Please allow approximately 6-8 weeks for your first issue to arrive

This post contains affliate links. Should you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I may receive a referral commission. This in no way affects the price you would pay for the item. The retailer is simply compensating me for recommending the product to you.

How to Make a Wine Bottle Gift Bag from A Shirt Sleeve

Isn't this a pretty package? Can you believe I created this out of a discarded dress shirt in about 10 minutes?

The only thing that would make this more simple would be putting it in a gift bag (but then I would have to go out to buy one and dealing with some parking lots would make it less than simple.)


This was literally 2 scissor cuts and 2 straight stitches. And if you don't have a sewing machine, this would not be overwhelming to hand stitch.  


To determine the length you need, lay your bottle on top of the sleeve and cut 3 inches below the bottom.


Next turn your sleeve inside out and press.


Stitch across the bottom leaving a half inch seam. You could stop here if you wanted and turn it right side out.


 Or you could also stitch up the side to  decrease the width of at the bottom of the sleeve. A sleeve is constructed so that the narrowest part and it widens as it approaches the body of the shirt. So, depending on the size/fit of the shirt the width may need to be altered.


Then tie with a ribbon around the neck.


It seriously only took me 10 minutes to cut, press, stitch & tie a ribbon.


And don't stop there! Make another one with the other side, even if you don't need it now. You're on a roll, so make it to use for the next occasion.


I also made a gift bag out of the body of the shirt as well, this required more cutting & stitching. I needed a large & flexible gift bag to accommodate several things that are of various shapes that are not easily wrapped.

Upcoming Review & Giveaway!

I mentioned on my Facebook Wall that I had an upcoming giveaway, here is the information I was given regarding the artist, Suzi Shelton. Check back here on December 5th, when I give you my review (& GIVEAWAY!) of the three brand new songs mentioned below and my take her new music video. I am so excited for this giveaway.

But in the meantime, check out her website to hear some of her other music. 

Award winning NYC Kindie singer/songwriter Suzi Shelton is getting ready to release a new EP with her brand new music video "Tomboy In A Princess Dress" on December 11th. Originally inspired by her seven year old daughter, this song portrays some pretty active and strong girls who also love to wear princess dresses, tiara, and tutus. “I can climb the tallest treetop, barefoot without a care. Tough as nails and fast as lightening, braids and ribbons in my hair.” The eponymous title track “Tomboy in a Princess Dress” is written for families to celebrate girls who embody extraordinary girl power whether it’s climbing a mountain (literally or figuratively), riding a skateboard or starting a water balloon fight…while not diminishing the need to express themselves in dress up. Suzi's new release features 3 brand new recordings with her rockin’ band including “Tomboy in a Princess Dress,” “Smile in My Heart” featuring her daughter Emma on backup vocals and traditional song“Pony Boy.” It also contains the brand new music video for “Tomboy in a Princess Dress, " produced by Roley Poley Productions.
On “Smile in My Heart” Emma makes her recording debut, although she has been performing at Suzi’s concerts for years as part of the backup group “The Gumdrops.” “Pony Boy” is an upbeat, sweet, traditional folk song and features Chicago-based children’s artist, and kindie pal Little Miss Ann. The EP was produced by Marc Bazerman and features Suzi’s band including Steve Elliot on guitars and banjo, Matt Clohesy on bass (both upright and electric) and Rob Heath on drums as well as Erin Hewgley on cello, and the Gumdrops, Samantha and Sabrina van Putten.
Suzi is also a local mom blogger who writes about her parenting experiences with a 7 and a 13 year old, and life as a kindie rocker. She has been in the children's music industry for over 10 years and has a great FB presence and twitter following. She is also the host of a series of music and movement videos for Gymboree Play + Music. She has performed at Symphony Space and The White House, and is a regular at 92YTribeca's B.Y.O.K. (Bring Your Own Kids) and Madison Square Park's Outdoor Summer Concert Series. She has also traveled and performed to her young fans in St. Louis, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Washington D.C. and as far away as Portland and San Francisco.

Suzi Shelton is offering an ONLINE FAMILY HOLIDAY SHOW (pay what you wish) via Stageit.com on Monday, December 19th at 6:30pm (EST). Anyone with a computer can join in on the fun and hear the new songs, and email her their song requests during the show. http://bit.ly/stKG2w

Pumpkin Cream Coffee Cake

Time for another pumpkin recipe! 

Pumpkin Cream Coffee Cake


Streusel
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 finely chopped nuts
1 tsp cinnamon


Cake
1 1/2 C pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 10oz container of Cooking Creme (could use 1 brick cream cheese + 1/4 C sour cream)
1/2 C apple sauce
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 C white whole wheat flour (I used white, but regular WW would be fine too)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan.
Mix streusel ingredients together and set aside.
Beat pumpkin, applesauce, oil and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating until well-combined. Measure the flour. Dump the flours on top of the cake batter, but do not mix in yet. Spoon baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger and salt on top of flour. Now, with the electric mixer on low, mix the flour into the batter. Make sure it is completely incorporated, but do not overmix. Spoon half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle the streusel filling evenly over the cake batter, being careful not to allow it to touch the sides. Spoon the remaining cake batter over the streusel filling. Bake 55-60 minutes. Invert cake and let cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Recycle Your Christmas Lights & More at Lowe's

Did you know you should recycle your old Christmas lights that no longer work, or if you are upgrading to LED lights? Lowe's makes it easy with convenient recycling containers at the front of the store.

You might even be able to find other locations that recycle Christmas lights. I know that in the past, one of our local libraries had containers out with signage indicating you could recycle them there.

Today, we brought in 4 strands of old Christmas lights to be recycled and I was happy to see that we were not the first people to drop some off.
And while you are at Lowe's, why not pick up some new LED Christmas lights, they savings on your energy bill can be pretty amazing. Considering that it could cost you only 4 cents to run a strand of LED C7's for a month, compared to $2.70 for a month of running a regular C7 strand. I will blog more about this on Northern Cheapskate in December.

BTW - I was not sponsored by Lowe's or anything for this article; I did not receive any compensation and they are not even aware of the blog post, although if someone from Lowe's does read this I would love to do some reviews for you; our house loves Lowe's.

It is not only Christmas lights that you can recycle at Lowe's, but also rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CFL light bulbs, & plastic bags.

Just as a note, many non-profit organizations collect old cell phones (& printer cartridges) because they can turn them in for money, which allows you to get a tax deduction out of your donation.

I have also noticed that some Wal-Marts also have a place where you can recycle your old plastic grocery bags, that is if you have any left after making a bunch of flower bows for your holiday gift wrapping.

Super Easy Pumpkin Brownies

Make your brownies a little healthier by replacing the water and oil with pumpkin (cutting out some fat & adding more fiber) or make them healthier still by replacing the eggs with more pumpkin. Who says you can't watch what you eat and still have chocolate? Just make it healthier.

Super Easy Pumpkin Brownies

Version #1 (cake-like, pictured)
1 Family Size Box (13x9) of Brownie Mix
1 C Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
1T cinnamon (optional)

Or

Version #2 (fudge-like and a little healthier)

1 Family Size Box (13x9) of Brownie Mix
2 C Pumpkin Puree
1 T cinnamon (optional)

Mix and bake as directed on the packaging. Simple as that.



If you would like to know how to bake your own pumpkin, please check out my post on Northern Cheapskate.

And be sure to try my other pumpkin recipes:
Sugar & Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Curry Soup
Pumpkin Jam

Yesterday I had posted a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 C pumpkin puree
4 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Mix melted butter with graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350º F. for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Beat at medium-high speed until well combined. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again until the mixture is completely smooth. This may take 1-2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Bake at 350º F. for 60 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Run a knife blade along the rim of the springform pan to release the edge of the cake; but do not remove the outer ring of the springform pan just yet. Leave the cheesecake on the wire rack until it is completely cooled. Remove the outer ring of the springform pan and place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.

If you would like to know how to bake your own pumpkin, please check out my post on Northern Cheapskate.

And be sure to try my other pumpkin recipes:
Sugar & Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Curry Soup
Pumpkin Jam

Tomorrow I will post a recipe for Super Easy Pumpkin Brownies.

How to Make Flower Bows out of VHS Tapes

To make these, you will need a Flower Loom. I like the one by Knifty Knitter and that is what I used, but there are a couple other varieties out there. The Knifty Knitter will come with a hook & plastic needle that you will need.

Other supplies you will need include an old VHS tape (as opposed to all the new ones you have laying around - HA!) or some plastic shopping bags and a pair of scissors.

The yarn is optional, as you could continue to use the VHS tape or plastic bags to complete the center of the flower. This was leftover yarn and thought it added some nice color.

To make the flowers, you just follow the instructions included with the loom where you loop from one peg to the peg across from it and work your way around the loom at 2-3 times. To join & finish the flower, you thread your yarn/plastic/tape/etc through the needle and sew diagonally across the center. Boy, that center part is hard to explain, but the instruction that come with the Knifty Knitter flower loom kit explain it easily. It's not as difficult as I am making it out to be.

To remove the VHS tape from the cartridge you will need a thin screwdriver to remove about 5 screws from the back. After they are removed you can just pop the cartridge apart and take out the reel of tape.

But before you do this, make sure to rewind the VHS (if you still have a player) to make it easier to use.

If you don't have any VHS laying around, check a thrift store or Freecycle or free boxes at rummage sales. I have seen thrift stores sell them for $1, but I picked some up in a cart of free stuff. 
If you don't have any VHS tapes to re-purpose, then try out some plastic shopping bags. You will need to cut one long strip by circling the bag over & over again. Be sure that your strip is 1-1 1/2 inches thick; if it is too thin it will rip and you will need to start over with an intact piece. You could use the thicker shopping plastic bags that you get from department stores and that would be stronger.
I really liked using the VHS tape because I could pull it tight and it would not tear. It works really well for tying around a present. Plus, there is SOOOOOoooo much tape to use. The video I started with was just a 30min. long show and I have already made 3 flower bows and tied 2 presents with it and only used about half. And I like the glossiness of the tape as well.

So, interested in seeing this on a present with the tape tied around it? Well, you'll have to just wait a bit. Next month I will feature a post on Northern Cheapskate on How to Green Up Your Holiday Wrapping. I will feature many ideas including this one and my most recent post on How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments and Gift Tags as well as a few more I am working on.

In the meantime, catch on reading about my other how-to projects and green tips that I have posted on Northern Cheapskate.

How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments & Gift Tags

There are lots of recipes out there to make these ornaments, but sometimes short & simple with few ingredients works best. This is the recipe that we used to make our ornaments that double as gift tags for presents this holiday season.

Cinnamon Ornaments

• 1/2 cup ground cinnamon,
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 Tbs. Tacky glue

Mix in bowl and stir until well blended. Work mixture in hands for three minutes to form a ball. Add more applesauce (too dry) or cinnamon (too wet) if needed. Knead ball on cinnamon-sprinkled surface until it holds together well. I roll this out and use cookie cutters for the shapes. Use a drinking straw to cut a hanging hole or toothpick. These can be air dried for 24 to 48 hours. Turn several times.

Check the dollar store for cheap cinnamon. These ornaments will give a delightful scent as they hang on the packages and/or tree. They can be kept for years or as long as they hold up.

If you don't want to deal with mixing, or want to have a paintable project, then consider using air-dry clay. There is clay that needs to be baked, but why use energy to bake them when you can let them air dry over a couple days and have the same product.

WINNER: Case of Crunchmaster Crackers

The winner of the case of Crunchmaster Crackers is:

#43 Sharon (Become a Follower of This Blog)


The winner will have 48 hours to reply to the email sent through Rafflecopter. If the winner does not reply within 48 hours, a new name will be drawn using Random.org.

Recyclebank: Earn 90 Points from Green Your Seasons

Recyclebank just posted a new way to earn 90 points NOW to add to all the other ways to earn about 200 points just by taking a few pledges and quizzes. This effort is called Green Your Seasons and they are starting with Autumn and it says that Winter and New Year are Coming Soon.

Remember, you start earning free items at only 20 points and for 100 points you can get coupons for free items at McDonalds.

SIGN UP NOW!

The owner(s) of this website is compensated through various affiliate programs and some content presents opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this website may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website’s’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

Fun & Different Homemade Play Dough Recipes

The theme for our most recent play date was Brown and I thought it would be fun to make some new, fun & different play dough for the boys to play with. I made Cinnamon scented play dough and Coffee play dough.

To let you know, the coffee play dough is more like wet sand. It's still moldable, but it's gritty and falls apart like sand. It does not stay in nice ball like play dough will. We will be playing with the coffee play dough in a storage bin on the floor with a bunch of cups and spoons. And I will not be sweeping the floor before this play date, because I will definitely be sweeping it afterwards. I do think, however, that they boys are going to think it is a ton of fun to be playing with "sand' in the house.

Coffee Grounds Play dough (Sand)
1 1/2 cups used, dry coffee grounds
1/2 cup salt
1 1/2 cups of cornmeal, plain – not self-rising
1 C warm water

Directions:
Lay grounds out on a cookie sheet to dry. Mix grounds, salt and cornmeal.
Add warm water slowly while stirring until a dough-like consistency is achieved.

Cinnamon Scented Play dough

1 cup flour

2T cinnamon

1/2 cup salt
2T cooking oil
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup hot water
food coloring (optional)

Directions:
Mix flour, salt, cinnamon & cream of tartar. Make a well in the center. Mix food coloring in to water. Mix water & oil together. Pour in the water & oil mix. Mix into a ball. May need to add more flour or water.


Other play dough recipes I have made include
Basic Play Dough
Kool-Aid Play Dough
All-Natural Play Clay

"Green" Toys Deals on Amazon

Please note that Amazon frequently changes prices. Sometimes you need to act fast to get a price and other times you might just need to check back.


Most of these ship free with Super Saver Shipping if you spend $25+ or ship free at any amount with Prime Shipping.


Under $10
Stacking Cups ($9.17 - 17% off)
Pink Jump Rope (in Green) ($9.52 - 5% off)
Planting Kit ($7.04 - 22% off)
EcoSaucer Flying Disc ($6.10 - 39% off)
Green Sprouts Fruit Cool Soothing Teether ($3.76 - 6% off)
OWI Frightened Grasshopper Kit - Solar Powered ($4.98 - 67% off)




Under $25
Plan Toys Modern Family ($12.76 - 36% off)
Green Toys Recycling Truck ($17.77 - 37% off)
Green Toys Dump Truck ($17.99 - 25% off)
Indoor Gardening Set ($19.12 - 36% off)
Sprig Dino Adventure Rig ($17.75 - 29% off)
Hape International Bamboo E-Plane ($17.49 - 30% off)
miYam Baby Victoria the Bunny ($14.01 - 44% off)
Under the Nile Organic Stuffed Multi Fruit Tote ($23.48 - 22% off)
Educo Gourmet Chef Cookware ($21.71 - 28% off)




Under $50
Haba Fantasy Blocks ($36.35 - 9% off)
miYam Organic Gift Set ($30.95 - 38% off)
Plan Toys Musical Band ($40.92 - 36% off)
Educo Early Melodies Pound and Tap Bench ($29.95 - save 4cents)



The owner(s) of this website is compensated through various affiliate programs and some content presents opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this website may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website’s’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

WINNERS: Free Torani Syrup Giveaway

The random winner picked by Random.org are:
#22 Jennifer Shepard
#12 Kelly Gentz
#18 Jen

Please watch your inbox or junk mail for an email from me with instructions on claiming your free coupon.

If you did not win and are interested in purchasing Torani syrups, you could buy it online directly from Torani, from Amazon, or in your supermarket or request it at an area cafe or coffee shop. My blog readers can buy it directly from Torani and get 10% off by using code shespeaks.

WIN Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers - Product Review & Giveaway

I am so excited to offer you another giveaway. One lucky reader will receive an entire case of Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers. If it is like the box that I received, you will receive a box with four bags of three varieties: Sea Salt, Garden Vegetable and White Cheddar. We have enjoyed these crackers at home, a Creative Circle get together, a MOPS meeting (well, we will be on Tuesday!) and maybe I will make a spread to serve them with at Thanksgiving.

I don't require a gluten-free or wheat-free diet, but I enjoyed these crackers just the same. I have had several other varieties of brown rice crackers and these offered the same light crispness that I have enjoyed in the other. These crackers are not just brown rice crackers, they are multi-grain and all the grains and seeds it includes are: brown rice flour, whole grain yellow corn, oat fiber, sesame seeds, flax seeds, millet and quinoa seeds. In fact, the only other ingredients in the Sea Salt variety crackers are potato starch, safflower oil, evaporated cane juice and sea salt. I just love that all the ingredients are items I know and can pronounce!

The winner of this giveaway will be drawn on Monday, November 21st randomly through Rafflecopter. The winner will need to provide me with a street address to have the manufacturer ship you the box.

You have up to four chances to enter. To enter, please comment on this blog as to what flavor you find most interesting. Then click the GREEN I Did This! button and it will allow you to enter your name and email address. After you complete the mandatory entry you can earn extra entries by subscribing via email, becoming a blog follow of Liking this blog on Facebook. If you already follow the blog, subscribe via email or Like Save Green Being Green on Facebook, then be sure to enter those as well.

How to Make Pumpkin Jam

I have an abundance of pumpkin to use this year and have made some pretty tasty things already. You can use your own pumpkin you baked (tutorial here!) or buy a store bought can. Each year I pick a new jam/jelly to make and like to gift some of my jars during the holiday season.

Pumpkin Jam Recipe


4 C Pureed Pumpkin
4 C Sugar
4 C Water
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Ginger
Pinch Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Almond or Vanilla Extract
Zest of 1 Lemon or of 1 orange
4 T Lemon juice
2 tsp Cointreau or Triple Sec


* In a pan, stir together all ingredients and bring to the boil.  Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 45-60 minutes, until thick. Pour into clean/sterilized jam jars/pots.Seal the jars hermetically. Let cool.

Check out other pumpkin recipes I  have made this season:
Pumpkin Curry Soup
Sweet & Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (recipe from Taste of Home)
Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe from MarthaStewart.com)

Or check out this Pumpkin Cookbook on Amazon:


The owner(s) of this website is compensated through various affiliate programs and some content presents opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this website may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website’s’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

Recyclebank: Earn 25 Points from Kashi Video

I have blogged about signing up for Recyclebank before. It is free to do! And even if you can't earn point for recycling in your community (wish I could!) you can still earn points by taking short quizzes after learning more about recycling or buying products made with recycled materials & entering in the code.

So what do you get? FREE COUPONS for Products, Stores & Restaurants.


The lowest points for free coupon I saw is 20 points for a $1 off Dagoba Chocolate Bar, which if you watch sale ads at your Natural Foods Store could score you a FREE or cheap candy bar. For 100 points you can get a FREE Cone or Fruit & Maple Oatmeal from McDonalds. Or keep saving your points to get free $10 giftcards (although you need a lot, so the other coupons & free McDs food is a better deal.) Plus they have featured deals for a discounted amount of points (right now there is a $2 off coupon for any Kashi food discounted to 75 points from 125.)

There is a new short video with a short quiz about the Turn Off the Tap and Save. It is worth 25 points!

Also you can:
Pledge to use your Travel Mug (5 points)
Enter a Code from your Kashi Cereal Box (50 points)
Take an Aveeno Pledge (10-25 points)
Lifecycle of the Cereal Box (25 points)
Explore the Benefits of Hybrid Water Heaters (25 points) (plus get a $200 rebate from Sears or Lowe's)
Pledge to Switch from Bottled Water (25 points)
Learn About Composting (25 points)
Sigh Up for Earth911 (5 points)
Sign Up for Uncommon Goods Newsletter (5 points)
Enter code from Ziploc Bags (7-12 points)
Paper Pilot (25 points)
Sign Up  ThredUP (10-25 points)

So, if you haven't yet. SIGN UP FOR RECYCLEBANK! The way I look at it, just by doing the short videos/quizzes/pledges you will earn 180 points, another 20 points for signing up for 3 websites. That's 200 points and gets you a free ice cream cone & free Fruit & Maple Oatmeal at McDonald's. And if you have kids, like I do, you are probably going there for playland anyways. Plus there is always the opportunities if you buy Kashi & Ziploc products, recycle and many more quizzes that they will continue to add.

The owner(s) of this website is compensated through various affiliate programs and some content presents opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this website may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website’s’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

If clicking on the picture does not work, please click HERE.


The owner(s) of this website is compensated through various affiliate programs and some content presents opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this website may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website’s’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

WIN Torani Syrups - Product Review, Giveaway & Coupon

I was recently given the opportunity to review Torani syrups from SheSpeaks. I could not help myself and had to brew a pot of coffee right away. I decided to start with coffee made with some fat-free half & half and 1 T of sugar-free brown sugar cinnamon. It was so delicious. The syrups came with a booklet of recipes, but you can find many recipes on their website.

I must admit that a bottle of syrup at $8 seemed a little steep to me, but when I only need 1T or even a splash for many of the recipes I realized that one bottle is going to last a long time. I am really excited about the variety of sugar free syrups they offer, which will allow me to make flavored coffees, cocktails and Italian sodas without all the extra calories. But you don't have to pay $8! At the bottom of this post I have a coupon code for you and a chance to win a free coupon.

I tried the Sugar-Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon in both coffee and on top of some plain unsweetened yogurt. I thought the cinnamon flavor was stronger than the brown sugar flavor of this particular syrup. It was very tasty on both and very little of the syrup is needed. 

The other bottle I received was Peppermint, which is so perfect for the upcoming holidays. Twice I have made a Chocolate Peppermint Coffee for myself, a friend & my husband. My recipe is simple, just pour yourself a cup of coffee, stir in 1 tsp of Torani Peppermint syrup, 1T fat-free half & half and 1 tsp of sugar-free chocolate syrup (I used a store brand, but I saw on Torani's website that they make one as well) and topped with some chocolate Redi-Whip (we always have whip cream in a can on hand in our house.) I have also put a teaspoon of this syrup in a cup of hot cocoa, topped with whip cream of course! Of the two flavors I received, this was my favorite. 

There are so many other flavors I would love to try including Salted Caramel, White Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, English Toffee and many more.

If you are interested in purchasing Torani syrups, you could buy it online directly from Torani, from Amazon, or in your supermarket or request it at an area cafe or coffee shop. My blog readers can buy it directly from Torani and get 10% off by using code shespeaks.

Three lucky readers will have the opportunity to win a coupon for a free bottle of Torani syrups ($8 value). To enter, please comment on this blog as to what your favorite flavor would be. Then click the GREEN I Did This! button and it will allow you to enter your name and email address. After you complete the mandatory entry you can earn extra entries by subscribing to emails from the blog and Liking Save Green Being Green on Facebook.

Facebook Page

Thanks for visiting Save Green Being Green! If you would do me a favor and please like my Facebook Page.  You can click the link above of the link on the sidebar. Thank you so much!

Recovering a Freecycle Children's Chair

This post isn't going to be a tutorial, I just wanted to show the children's chair I obtained from Freecycle that I recovered. I removed fabric and recovered this 4-5 months ago and had intended to post a nice little tutorial, but I was just too buy this summer. Now as you can see, 4-5 months later, my children have used & stained the chair.

This fabric was purchased to cover the entire chair, but after examining it closer I realized that only the fabric in the arms and seat were torn & worn. So to save myself  A LOT of time and have fabric to use for other projects, I only replaced the arms and seat. Plus the blue fabric matched nicely with the blue in the car print and added a bit more overall vibrant color to the piece of furniture.

So, with that leftover fabric I have used it as backing to a (cheater-panel) Thomas the Train quilt I made for my son for his birthday, a pillowcase, puppet theater curtains (to be featured later on Northern Cheapskate), and a book sling (yet to be made, but a tutorial will be coming). There is just a small section of the blue fabric left and I am sure I will come up with something to use it for.

Make a Monster Puppet

I need to give credit to I Can Teach My Child for the idea to make this puppet. And because she has such a wonderful tutorial on her website I am going to let you learn from her and just tell you about a few things I did with mine.

* I used leftover yarn from a bunch of other projects

* I re-purposed a glove that was not able to be used for it's intended purpose because it's mate was damaged

* I used 5 different sizes of googly eyes in order of biggest to smallest so I can use it to teach that concept too

* I hand stitched the pom poms on so that they were more secure

I love the idea of using 5 different colors like was done in the tutorial so that you can use the puppet to teach colors. And the idea of using 1-5 googly eyes on each one to encourage counting is fantastic. So many things to teach your child in one puppet.

Now how fun is that! 

I plan to give this puppet to my son for Christmas along with a Doorway Puppet Theater that I made and blogged about on Northern Cheapskate. Keep an eye out for that article to be featured later this month.

And if you like monsters, be sure to check out the Monster Stuffies I made my kids for Christmas presents as well.

Thank You, God, For Blessing Me: Book Review

I have the opportunity to review books through BookSneeze.com and this is my first review for them. I received an electronic copy of Thank You, God, For Blessing Me from them to review.

Reading books electronically to my kids is not a new concept to me, as we like to read books on Starfall.com as well as as through Tumblebooks, which is a service that our library provides. Even though my copy was provided electronically, you can buy it in a board book version on Amazon, as well as a download for you Kindle.

Thank You, God, For Blessing Me is a cute little board book featuring Hermie the caterpillar. My children were instantly drawn to the adorable pictures of Hermie and his friends and soothed by the sing-song rhythm of the words and drawn in by the rhyming. So much so that they had me read it to them three times in a row. I think this would be a perfect addition to any toddler or babies' library.

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