Please Vote :)

I have just learned that one of my pieces is in the Etsy Voter this week.  This is a first for me and it's rather exciting. The theme this week is "What is your favorite Lux Gift" and my friend Natalie from Humblebea (she makes the cutest things - you should check out her shop!) nominated my Eastern Spice Necklace Set

So, I ask if you have an Etsy account and a minute to please vote for me.
Thank you.

Book Review and Giveaway - Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory

From the Author's webpage:
Travel back in time with a medieval knight for a dramatic tale of romance and adventure. Follow our warrior-knight as he meets the heroine—and faces his toughest battle yet. Sparks fly but danger follows, for this is a woman who is willing to spy for a prince, lure an enemy to save a friend, or use that dagger she has hidden under her pillow.
A cast of medieval characters—wily royals, charismatic rebels, unlikely spies, and traitorous relatives—raise the stakes for our knight and his lady. Together, they must face the dangers… and discover the true meaning of love, honor, and loyalty.

My Opinion:

This is the second in the author's All the King's Men series but I didn't need to have read the first book to enjoy the second. I will be honest - I had the flu last week and couldn't do much for three days so I haven't quite finished this book. I am about half way through. I AM enjoying it though. It's a light and easy read; just what I like in between my heavier books. I tend to switch off from weightier books and then lighter books. As with most historical romances the female heroine is strong minded and not typical to the time but that is what makes these books so much fun. She does bow to her father's wishes early but finds ways to butt at the men directing her life after that.

I am sure there will be a happy ending - it wouldn't be a romance without one and that is part of the fun. That and the boy meets girl, boy and girl keep away from each other, boy and girl keep getting thrown together until they ultimately realize they were meant to be.  So Boy and Girl have met but are still struggling but I know TRUE LOVE will out.  As I said, I am enjoying the book; it's a time period I like - Henry V - and right now we are in France. I suspect I will pick up the first one and look forward to the next in the series.

Knight of Pleasure is available at Amazon.com

Now for the giveaway!  Thanks to Anna at Hachette I have 5 copies of Knight of Pleasure to give away. How cool is that?  So how do you win?  Read on, read on....

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to Margaret Mallory's website  and tell me the name of the next book in the series. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.




EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee is giving away 5 COPIES of Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory @http://tinyurl.com/yfqqftc
#giveaway

3.Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee  (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

8. Follow Margaret Mallory on Twitter  

9. Become a fan of Margaret Mallory on Facebook

All entries have to be in by 9PM MST on December 14th when I will go to Random.org to choose the 5 winners. They will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose new winners.

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure:  I received a gratis copy of Knight of Pleasure from Hachette Books. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the book. 

Boulder Opal

I love boulder opal. It is just so gorgeous. And each stone is unique. I had fun playing with boulder opal this weekend! Yes! I was able to make some new jewelry. Hooray for me! Not everything is listed yet, but will be by tomorrow afternoon. And remember - everything is 30% off through midnight tomorrow and if you put "blog" in the notes to seller you get a bar of Pricilla's rich soap!

So here are my latest creations...at least the boulder opal designs.

A lovely, delicate necklace using tanzanite and freshwater pearls as accents.

This necklace uses a boulder opal ammonite with some brilliant fire at its center. I used some stunning mystic aquamarine hearts with messy wraps to accent.

Some simple earrings showcasing the beauty of the gemstone. They look like little globes, don't they?

Be sure to check out everything in the shop during this great sale!

GIVEAWAY - Your Dog Can be A LUCKY DOG!

I am so happy to offer you all a chance to win something for your canine friends! Marlene from Lucky Dog Treats Company has come to me to offer you all the chance to win your choice of Doggie Delights from her shop! How cool it that?

I will tell you I was surprised at the number of yummies available for the doggies out there; there are the delicious looking Benny's Big Dog Bagels

The uber cute Large McGregor's Greens

and many, many more. I think you should go check them out. That's right! In order to win your own - well your dog's own - spiffy, yummy treats you will have to do just that.  Here come the details!

The Prize:  An order of dog treats of your choice from Lucky Dog Treats Company

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Go to Lucky Dog Treats Company and tell which treats your doggie will love best. Be sure to leave me an email address so I can contact you if you win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and Lucky Dog Treats Co. are giving away Yummy Doggie Treats at @http://tinyurl.com/yjrhncp
#giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Lucky Dog Treats Company (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

8. Heart Lucky Dog Treats Company on Etsy. 
9. Follow Lucky Dog Treat Co. on Twitter.


All entries need to be in by 9PM MST December 10th when I will go to Random.org and pick a winner. He/she will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose another one.

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure:  I will be - or I should say my cats will be - receiving an order of cat treats for hosting this giveaway. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and are not effected by the receipt of the cat treats. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your turkey or tofurkey which ever you choose to eat. Me, I'm more for the potatoes and gravy. Mmmmm. I hope you all have a day full of family and fun.

Don't forget that starting tomorrow and running through Monday I have a big sale in my etsy shop!
30% off all sparkling pieces AND free shipping.

It's a great time to get yourself that piece of jewelry you've been coveting or to get a jump on your holiday shopping. So go on - check out the sparklers...it doesn't cost a thing to
just LOOK!

Coming Soon! Review of Golden Moon Tea

I am very happy to announce that I will soon have a review for you of several different teas from Golden Moon Tea including an oolong tea from their truly delicious sounding selection of teas.

I have been browsing the site and there are a wide variety of teas from which to choose. I know I am going to enjoy brewing my tea and letting you know all about it!

They even offer a Tea University with different links to why Golden Moon teas are different to how to brew your tea! There is a lot of information making it fun to learn about various teas and their properties. Cool, huh? Or hot, I guess depending on how you want to drink your tea. Heh heh.

So stay tuned....

Review and Giveway - Savespro.com Shopping Site - $20 Giftcard to Amazon.com

It's that time of year!
You are trying to get all of your shopping done and are running around like mad!
What if there were an easier way?
What if everything you needed were in one place and available at the click of a button?

My kind of shopping.

Savespro.com is just that kind of site. Full of lots of categories and loads of products with great prices.

I was able to go on a little shopping trip there and I chose this mighty cool Xylis Mini Food Chopper 'cause my food chopper had bit the big one and I was tired of chopping onions.

Isn't it pretty? My husband thinks it looks like R2-D2. *sigh* It does have a cool feature where you can shrink it down for storage and in that mode he might have a point, but onward.

I needed to chop some chocolate for brownies I was making for the firemen and now I didn't have to do it by hand - Woo Hoo!

Looks good, doesn't it?
Much easier than chopping it with a knife.

So now how can you go on your own little shopping trip? It's easy, but first the details.

THE PRIZE:

A $20.00 Gift Card to Amazon.com for ONE winner

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to Savespro.com and tell me what you might buy if you won.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and Savespro.com are giving away a $20 Amazon GC at @http://tinyurl.com/yz3nsh2 #giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Savespro.com (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on December 9th when I will go to Random.org to pick the winner.  He/she will have 48hrs to get back to me or I will choose a new winner. Good luck!

Disclosure:  I received the Xylis Food Chopper at no charge for hosting this giveaway. Any opinions stated are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the food chopper. 

Book Review - Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

 

Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is a physician with twenty years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His interest in baking and preventive health sparked a quest to adapt the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for healthier ingredients.

Zoë François, coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is passionate about food that is real, healthy, and always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking and pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry and is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons.

The authors answer bread questions at their Web site: www.healthybreadinfive.com.


FROM THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE:

From the authors of the groundbreaking Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day comes a new cookbook filled with quick and easy recipes for healthy bread Their first book was called "stupendous," "genius," and "the holy grail of bread making." Now, in their much-anticipated second book, Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François have taken their super-fast method and adapted it for the health-conscious baker, focusing on whole grains and other healthier ingredients.
The method is still quick and simple, producing professional-quality results with each warm, fragrant, hearty loaf. In just five minutes a day of active preparation time, you can create delectable, healthy treats such as 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Grain Garlic Knots with Parsley and Olive Oil, Black-and-White Braided Pumpernickel and Rye Loaf, Cherry Black Pepper Focaccia, Pumpkin Pie Brioche, Chocolate Tangerine Bars, and a variety of gluten-free breads. And many of the recipes are 100% whole grain.
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day will show you that there is time enough for home-baked bread, and that it can be part of a healthy diet. Calling all bread lovers: Whether you are looking for more whole grains, watching your weight, trying to reduce your cholesterol, or just care about what goes into your body, this book is a must-have.

MY OPINION:

I am in bread heaven. Now I just need more space. *sigh*
I had bought the first book in this series the minute it came out because there is nothing I like more than bread hot out of the oven. Now I can have healthy bread hot out of the oven. Mmmmmmmm!

The main premise in this book is to keep a supply of dough always at hand in your refrigerator so you can have hot, fresh, yummy bread in minimal time. Isn't that BRILLIANT?! But I don't have a full sized refrigerator, I have the mini one that comes with the trailer so while I adore these recipes I'm a little stuck at the moment. It doesn't mean I still can't play, though, I just have to adapt a bit. In fact I am going to be adapting tomorrow when I make bread sticks and garlic knots to add to the breads I am taking to our friends for Thanksgiving dinner.

The recipes are well written and easy to follow with lots of good information on the different flours and grains you can add to help "health you up."

You know I am all about adding some more healthful elements to my diet these days as you have seen with my posts on the White Whole Wheat Flour - well this is the cookbook for anyone looking to do just that too! The book gives you a myriad of ways to take some of your favorite breads and make them much better for you with whole grain flours or the addition of nuts and seeds.

There are some lovely photos to help those who need to see a finished product. This is a wonderful concept and delightful, fun cookbook.

Are You Ready? It's Time to Shop!

I mentioned several posts back that I was going to have a BIG SALE for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. Woo hoo for sales!

Now I am going to give you all the details so you can go check out all the sparklies in my shop and get ready to to find some holiday presents!

For the first time (and probably only time) I am offering

30% OFF EVERYTHING IN MY SHOP!!!!

WOO HOO!

How exciting is that?!

And remember, there is always FREE SHIPPING at Broken Teepee Designs! Even during this amazing sale!

The sale will start Friday, November 27th at 12AM and go through Monday, November 30th until 12 Midnight so that gives you plenty of time to shop.

Now, just for my faithful blog readers -

if there is something you would like to buy send me a conversation through Etsy and I will put the item on reserve for you ahead of the sale so you know it's yours! 

I want to thank you all for visiting the blog. Just mention the blog in the conversation you will get a bar of Pricilla's rich soap with your order.
Could it get any better?

It's my holiday gift to you!

(The discount will be sent by refund through paypal or I will send an updated invoice whichever you prefer. If you choose to reserve the item early I will put the item on reserve at the discounted price.)

Giveaway Winner - Butter Bell Butter Crock

It's that time again...time to announce the winner of the Butter Bell! This was a popular one..

So, drum roll please....

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 6 

And the winner is:

Carolyn!


Yay for Carolyn! I have sent an email and she has 48 hours to get back to me or I will pick a new winner. Congratulations!


Thank you to everyone who entered.

2UX64QBC28TT

WHAAAAAT?! Tofurky and Gravy SODA?!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.


Did I want a sample of Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda ?

This is exactly how I reacted to the email I received the other day:

HUH? This HAS to be a joke? Tofurky and Gravy SODA?!

But hey! I am an adventurous soul. I will try most anything.
Once.
So what the heck!
Send the Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda.
What's the worst that could happen as they say?

Erm, the turkey hat?

My camera is dead so I can't provide a photo right now but let's just say it's beige, velour and has those little decoration thingies that chefs put on birds when they are fancying up a meal.
No, I am not going to wear it.
I am going to give it to my girlfriend's children and watch them fight over it.
Bwahahahahahaha!

But on to the Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda. I tasted it.
I DID!
The hubby wouldn't go near it. No guts that man, no guts at ALL!
To me it tasted more like cold, fizzy mashed potatoes and gravy than tofurky and gravy, but then again, I have never had tofurky so what do I know?

Would I buy this soda to drink? Uh - NO!

Would I buy this soda to give as a gag gift? Uh - YES!

GIVEAWAY - Baking with the King - King Arthur! Apple Pie

As you know I have been playing with my box o'fun from King Arthur Flour. Well, it's finally time for you to play too!

That's right! I have a giveaway for you from the fantastic folks at King Arthur. I have been telling you how much I love, L.O.V.E, love the White Whole Wheat Flour and now you will get a chance to bake with it too.

After I tell you about my yummy Apple Pie you will learn how you can win a 5lb bag of this fantastic flour.

I truly have been trying to get more whole grains into my diet but as I have said I am not a fan of whole wheat flour. But this White Whole Wheat flour has totally changed my mind. I decided to try using it in my favorite pie crust recipe. Now, I didn't make the crust with 100% whole wheat flour. I knew that would not work well so I did it half and half. And you know what? It made about the prettiest pie I have ever made.

I start with my gorgeous hand thrown pie plate that my husband bought for me from his friend in Vermont (The Turnpike Road, Woodfired Pottery). Isn't it gorgeous? A good pie plate can make all the difference, in my opinion.

I use the pie crust recipe in my ancient Betty Crocker cookbook. I received it as a shower present and I got married in 1982 - you do the math as to its age. The only thing I change is I add about a tablespoon of sugar and instead of all ice water I use half ice water and half cold apple cider vinegar. Oh, and I do half butter and half shortening.
I guess I mess with it a fair bit...*sigh*
After making sure my dough is cold I bring it out to roll.

This dough rolled like heaven! Now, I am not a neat dough roller...

The dough was also easy to move around. It was a dream to get from my counter to the pie plate.

In went the apples - I used three kinds; gala, mutsu and winesap - mixed with white sugar, brown sugar, the juice of half a lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Some of my homemade butter dots the top.

The top crust goes on and is crimped. I cut some slits so the steam can escape.

I brush it with an eggwash and sprinkle some sugar in the raw.


It bakes.
Mmmmm, smells good!

I am telling you, this was the prettiest pie I have ever made. I know it looks good - but how did it taste?

IT WAS YUMMY!

Now, the crust wasn't as light as when I use all white flour but it was still flaky and the white whole wheat flour added a slightly nutty flavor that was very compatible with the apples. I will be using this flour in my pies from now on!

Now how can you get some of this great flour for yourself? It's easy!

THE PRIZE:

One 5lb Bag of White Whole Wheat Flour from King Arthur Flour

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to King Arthur Flour and tell me another product that makes you want to bake something new. Be sure to leave me an email address so I can contact you if you win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and King Arthur Flour are giving away White Whole Wheat Flour @http://tinyurl.com/yfjjdsd #giveaway.

3. Sign up for the King Arthur newsletter (the signup is at the bottom right) and leave the email with which you did so (good for three entries so leave three comments)
4. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and King Arthur (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)

5. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you.

6. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...
7. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link. 


BE SURE TO LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY. THANK YOU



All entries need to be in by December 6th by 9PM MST when I will go to Random.org to pick a winner. He/she will have 48hrs to respond or I will choose another winner.

Good luck and happy baking!

My series, Baking with The King is not over! I have a couple of more posts using the White Whole Wheat Flour and I haven't really started with the cake flour.  I will have a giveaway for the cake flour in the near future so be sure to stay tuned!!!


Disclosure:  I received a bag of White Whole Wheat flour gratis from King Arthur. Any opinions  expressed in the review are my own, are honest and were not impacted by the receipt of the flour.

Book Review - Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh

About the author:
Joseph Wambaugh, a former LAPD detective sergeant, is the bestselling author of seventeen prior works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Choirboys and The Onion Field. In 2004, he was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in southern California.
(From the Hachette Book Group Website)





From the publisher's website:

There's a saying at Hollywood station that the full moon brings out the beast--rather than the best--in the precinct's citizens. One moonlit night, LAPD veteran Dana Vaughn and "Hollywood" Nate Weiss, a struggling-actor-turned cop, get a call about a young man who's been attacking women. Meanwhile, two surfer cops known as Flotsam and Jetsam keep bumping into an odd, suspicious duo--a smooth-talking player in dreads and a crazy-eyed, tattooed biker. No one suspects that all three dubious characters might be involved in something bigger, more high-tech, and much more illegal. After a dizzying series of twists, turns, and chases, the cops will find they've stumbled upon a complex web of crime where even the criminals can't be sure who's conning whom.

Wambaugh once again masterfully gets inside the hearts and minds of the cops whose jobs have them constantly on the brink of danger. By turns heart-wrenching, exhilarating, and laugh-out-loud funny, Hollywood Moon is his most thrilling and deeply affecting ride yet through the singular streets of LA.

My opinion: 

I must admit to struggling with this book. It didn't hold my interest as much as other books by Mr. Wambaugh. It has been a while since I read one of his books so perhaps that is why. It could be that there were just too many characters for me to get to know; not many of them very likeable. The ones I did like didn't show up nearly often enough. The plot was thin and while it did all tie up in the end I wondered if all of these people were truly necessary to the story. I am guessing that all of the cop characters  were there to build the cameradery of the police force but at times it seemed more like a police farce. Perhaps this was intended and I was just not engaged well enough in the book for it to work for me.

The last few chapters were the best part of the book. All of the little plot points did tie up well and all of the characters did come together (finally) smoothly. I obviously don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I will leave it at that.

Disclosured:  I received a free copy of this book from Hachette book group for review. The receipt of the free book did not impact my opinions in any way.

Painting the Yurt

It has begun!

I have painted.

And it is pink.

I have painted the closet in the bedroom of the yurt.( Three coats altogether; one of primer, two of the paint.) I really should take a photo but it's a closet. And it will look far more dramatic when I get the actual ROOM painted. The raspberry color is as pretty as I had it pictured in my head. Dark, rich and bright! It's going to look really great in the bathroom where it will dominate the room and really wrap you in color when you enter.

I can't wait.

Not that I love painting, 'cause I don't. But it has to get done. I think the cleaning up AFTER the painting is almost worse than the painting itself. That part is going to be real fun in the bitter cold of Montana's winter. It has to be done outside since I can't let the paint go down the drain of the trailer.

Can you say NUMB HANDS?

Oh, wait! I don't feel them anyway so what's the difference?
*sigh*

But it's a start. The hubby has the bedroom and bathroom ready for paint. He is almost done with the living/dining/kitchen area. Then there is just the hallway and craft room. Then the floor goes down, the cabinets and countertop go in, the appliances, then us.

It. Might. Just. Happen.

WINNER - 18 x 24 Poster Print from Digital Room

You know how much I love to pick winners - well Random.org does the picking but still it's fun to announce the winners. So here goes, I have one for the great Poster Print from Digital Room.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 10

I had to do some figuring and factoring but the winner is:

Alexis!

Yay! I will be sending her an email and she will have 48 hours to respond or I will have to pick a new winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Christmas In Branson - It's a Wonderful Life!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.
The holidays are a magical time of year. The tree, the presents, the big meal; all with family happily sharing the fun. But who is it that does all the work? Riiiight! So why not take the family on a great holiday vacation where you can still have all of those things but YOU don't have to do all the work? If you go to the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel in beautiful Branson, Missouri there will be someone to do the cooking and someone to do the cleaning. How cool is that?

The "It's a Wonderful Life" package starts at $329.00 a night and runs from November 15th through December 23rd. If you choose it you can have the Wonderful Life in Branson because it includes a passport full of coupons and discounts for the shops and restaurants in the area, a relaxing treatment at Aspire Medical Spa. Mmmm, my muscles are melting at the thought.

For a special treat for the children take them for a little vacation Fridays through Sundays during the same time period for Story Time with Mrs. Claus at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. Won't the kids love that? But it gets better! Santa himself will deliver presents, cookies and milk to your room with this Santa's Coming to Town package. Wouldn't that be the greatest surprise? This package starts at $189.00 a night.

These are just two of the offerings available for delightful holiday treats from the Hiltons of Branson. Why not check out the possibilities and enjoy a holiday free of dishes and bed making?

GIVEAWAY - Curious Chef Pizza Cutter

I was introduced to Curious Chef when I read about them on another blog. Their products intrigued me because I used to cook with my nieces and nephews all the time. It is nice to know there are products that let children participate in the kitchen yet still remain safe.  Their website says it best:

"Curious Chef is all about stirring the creative and curious side of children. Under the guidance of adults, budding chefs proudly take their first steps towards a lifelong love of cooking. With each uniquely designed kitchen tool, discovery and fun is just around the corner.
Our products coupled with a favorite family recipe and an adult's love and encouragement can produce the most memorable moments in a young person's life"

Curious Chef has provided me with one of their PIZZA CUTTERS to give away to one lucky reader.

Product Features -

• Nylon Pizza Cutter
  Unique guard keeps fingers from blade
  Safe for Non-Stick Surfaces
  Soft Touch Button Grips
  Dishwasher Safe
  

How cool is that?
I just love the bright lime green color - it's going to make it fun for your child to help you in the kitchen - whether it be cutting pizza or cutting cookie dough. A cutter like this has many uses and it will allow you and your child to have fun in the kitchen.

So, how do you win? It's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to Curious Chef and tell me another item you would like from their shop. Be sure to leave your email in your comment so I can contact you if you win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and @Curious Chef are giving away a Child's Pizza Cutter at @http://tinyurl.com/yjyj3r6
 #giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Curious Chef (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.
All entries need to be in by December 3rd at 9PM MST when I will go to Random.org and pick a winner. He/she will have 48 hours to respond or I will have to pick a new winner.

Good luck!

Disclosure: Cruious Chef provided me with one free pizza cutter. The receipt of the pizza cutter in no impacted my opinions. 

Baking with the King - King Arthur: Fruitcake Mix

I went back into my big box o'fun from King Arthur. It didn't just contain flours, oh no! When I was emailing back and forth I mentioned that I had eggs, lots and lots of eggs. The lovely representative from King Arthur wanted me to review one of their mixes and I was cool with that - just let it use eggs 'cause if I didn't use some soon they were all going to fall out of my refrigerator and I was going to have a huge mess to clean up but that is besides the point and not the King Arthur rep's problem.

She asked me if I would try the Fruitcake Mix. I was like FRUITCAKE?! FRUITCAKE?! That stuff people use for doorstops? Suuuuuure, I said. I'll try fruitcake. I'll send it to the firemen for their meeting. And so began my adventures with fruitcake. But read on...I was and you will be pleasantly surprised. So were the firemen!

 When you purchase the Fruitcake Mix from King Arthur it comes complete with the dried fruits  and candied cherries. You need to add your own eggs (yay, it uses eggs!) butter,milk, corn syrup, and liquor (hic - if you want. You can also use water but where's the fun in that?) You can also choose to add in nuts if you want. Since I AM nuts I added in the nuts. heh heh

The dried fruits are G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. They are colorful, plump, tasty and moist. And let's just say that the entire package did not make its way into the fruitcake batter and leave it at that.

The candied cherries are bright red and add a pretty color to the mix. Now I am always honest in my reviews! I am not a big fan of the candied cherry. When I make this again I would not add them 'cause as beautiful as these cherries were, I didn't like them. Now, the hubby did and he snitched a couple and I had to slap his hand! Maybe I would make one loaf with 'em and one loaf without and then both of us would be happy.

OK. This mix was easy to make. You are supposed to mix the the cherries and the dried fruits together with your liquor ( I used Jack Daniels 'cause it's what I had) or water and let it sit overnight. Since this is me we are talking about and I didn't plan ahead I went with the "do it now" directions of putting it in the microwave for a minute and letting it cool.

Then you put the mix and softened butter in a bowl

 and beat it until the butter is mixed in and not so lumpy.

ACTION SHOT!!!! (or modern art - you decide)

Then you add the eggs one at a time until well combined. And add in the milk and corn syrup and beat until fluffy.

I thought that looked pretty fluffy!

Now you fold in the liquored up fruit and the nuts.

Yum!
Into the pans it goes...I chose to bake two large loaves but you could also make three small loaves.

They bake for 80 minutes until nice and brown.

Ta Da! Isn't it pretty?

The directions said to brush the warm loaves with some more liquor but since these were for the firemen I didn't do this step. I figured that they didn't need the liquor at their fire meeting....they also said the loaves were better the next day but of course I sent them in the same night. *sigh*

Now, the verdict!!!!

I am totally shocked! I loved this fruitcake. I admit to trepidation in tasting it at first. I can honestly admit I have never eaten fruitcake before; it's all those stories you hear. But this stuff was good; a little sweet but that went away on the second day when it was just a moist, yummy, fruity piece of cake. I think if you like dried fruit - and I do! - you will truly enjoy this cake.

Now the firemen all did a taste test for me and my hubby says he got not one negative out of his men! Some of them were reluctant at first, just like me but he told them that I had been baking for them for three years and they at least owed me a tasting. So they did and they were as surprised as I was. He also said that there were several confirmed fruitcake lovers in the group and they said that this was very good fruitcake. Those men said it could have used more booze but we already know I didn't go there but could have.

So, to my everlasting surprise I heartily recommend the Fruitcake Mix from King Arthur. I am still eating it and enjoying it. Isn't it wonderful when life can still give you little gems like this?

So thanks to King Arthur for opening my eyes to a cake I have ignored my entire life due to false rumors. Dr. Seuss was right when he wrote Green Eggs and Ham.


Disclosure:  I received a Fruit Cake Mix kit gratis for writing this review. The opinions expressed are my honest opinions are were not impacted by the receipt of the kit.

Time to Prepare for Some Serious Holiday Shopping

*This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hoover and Dirt Devil. All opinions are 100% mine.*


It is hard to believe that it is Holiday shopping time but I read somewhere that Christmas is only 40 some days away if not sooner. ( I don't want to look for fear of scaring myself with all I have to get done!) But you don't have to worry because the great folks at Dirt Devil have put together a truly cool shopping aid just for you. It's the Dirt Devil Holiday Gift Guide and it is chock full of information on where to look for the best deals over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping frenzy weekend.

And it's not just vacuum cleaners! Oh no! It's full of great gift ideas for the different people in your life! It gives you links to computer deals, clothing, kids toys, kitchen wares. There are so many categories I could have spent two days just browsing around. It also has links to stores that have coupon deals and that are offering free shipping! Just the kind of information you need to do your best shopping right from your computer. Now that's MY kind of shopping!

The guide can also link you to handmade and one of a kind gifts - which if you ask me are the best kind. HINT HINT!!! I am sure your gift recipients would love something that they know no one else has. That's the best part of shopping handmade!

And if you really want to go big for a gift - the guide has several links to vacation sites. Hmmm, a nice warm vacation. Now that sounds good! I wonder if there are any places that take goats?

Whatever you need, check out the Dirt Devil Holiday Gift Guide I am sure you can find a great idea for a holiday gift!

Review and Giveaway! Beautiful Pashmina Scarf from NIMLI.COM

I am very happy today to review for you this lovely scarf from Nimli.com

I am doubly happy to let you know that I have one to give away to as well. Woo hoo!

The very kind folks at Nimli sent me an Azuri Pashmina Scarf in a g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s. apricot color. It's the kind of color that I probably never would have bought for myself 'cause I go for screaming brights but now that I have it I see how it goes with just about anything. I should probably learn something from this and tone down my color choices. heh heh

It is woven with 55% pashmina and 45% silk so it is very light and airy. You almost don't feel it when you are wearing it, yet is it quite warm. It is quite large at 12" x 60" so you can drape it and tie it in clever ways. I said YOU, not ME!  I am ALWAYS cold so it is nice to have something warm and fashionable to wear. Not to mention soft.

I want to thank Nimli for sending me this beautiful scarf and for letting me give one to my readers!

OK - Here are the details:

Giveaway Prize:  One Azuri Pashmina Scarf - color to be determined by Nimli.com (I had a lovely surprise, you should too!)

Shipping only to the US

So how can you enter this giveaway? It's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to Nimli.com and tell me what else you love in their shop. Please be sure to leave me an email address where I can contact you if you win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and Nimli.com are giving away an Azuri Pashmina Scarf at @http://tinyurl.com/y9kyqzy
#giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Nimli.com (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Go to Nimli.com and sign up for their newsletter. This is good for two entries so leave two comments.
5. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
6. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

7. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

8. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on November 30th when I will go to Random.org to pick the winner. He/she will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose another.

Good luck!

Disclosure:  I received an Azuri Pashmina Scarf for hosting this giveaway. The opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the scarf. 

IZEA Announces Sponsored Tweets Program

*This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Sponsored Tweets. All opinions are 100% mine.*
IZEA the company behind Social Spark is now offering a cool new application called Sponsored Tweets.  I signed up when it was in Beta testing and have found it to be an interesting way to make a few dollars.  I get an email whenever a company is interested in my sending out a tweet for them. If I like and agree with the company and its tweet I send it out. If I don't I decline the opportunity. I have never felt forced or pressured to send out a tweet and I am not constantly seeing emails in my box to send out spammy tweets. Now of course, I don't have 4 million followers so that could be part of the reason. But I have been very happy with how it has worked for me.


It is a very easy program to join; you can sign up for sponsored tweets using this simple link! Once you set up your account you will see a page that looks like this:



Now, I don't get anywhere near $100 per tweet - in my dreams! But Sponsored Tweets does have a roster of celebrity tweeters including Bob Vila and Leann Rimes.

I took this right from the IZEA site. They are committed to Ethical Tweeting!

Everything within our platform is designed with ethics and safety in mind. Tweeters remain in complete control of their accounts at all times. We don’t auto-inject ads; every tweet must be manually reviewed and approved by each tweeter. In addition, we have a strict Code of Ethics, which includes:

• Mandatory Disclosure
• Freedom of Authenticity
• Freedom of Choice
• Transparency of Identity

It's a great way to earn extra dollars for really very little work. As soon as your account builds up to $50 you can cash out to your paypal account. It's that easy.  So why not give it a try? I have been quite please, as I stated, with my experiences so far. I have received several offers and I have accepted all of them. None were such that I felt uncomfortable sending them out to my followers.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's Tuesday so it's time to go all Random on you. That's not like Rambo - THAT would be bad. Random is good and it's all due to The UnMom.  So here goes:

I didn't do Random Thoughts last Tuesday. How Random was that? Huh, huh?

My stupid goat Jillian keeps sitting down while I try to milk her. This is not working. I can't get to her teats and she can't get to her grain so neither one of us is happy. But I'm not the one with my head strapped into a milking stand so I have all day.

Why can't my husband put his dirty socks and underwear in the hamper? He can leave them on the bed but can't seem to walk the three feet to the hamper. I don't get it.

My kitten Sherpa has the stinkiest poops in catdom. Even stinkier than Stinky and that is how Stinky got her name. It is not good in a 400 square foot trailer to have a kitten who makes stinky poops.

The bald eagle is eyeing up our chickens. I think the fishing is starting to get harder and the chickens are looking like easy pickings. Especially when the stupid things stand by the river bank and go all "hi eagle come and get me, I'll be a tasty meal for you."  Stupid birds.

Today I get to go paint the closet in the yurt. Woo hoo.

Have a great Random Tuesday and go check out the creator of all Tuesdays Random, The UnMom.

Get the Picture - The BIG Picture Thanks to Digital Room!

I have another great giveaway for you from my blog sponsor, Digital Room!

And it's a big one - 18" x 24" big to be exact! Woo hoo!

That's right! One of you can win a photo enlargement poster print from Digital Room just in time for Holiday gift giving.

Just think, you could take that great photo of the kids and get it blown up for the grandparents.

Or take that great vacation shot and blow it up and give it to your spouse/boyfriend/significant other/partner as a great present.

And what about you gentlemen planning to propose this December. Huh, huh? Just think of the fun you could have with a giant poster print. The possibilities are endless!

I am going to give my free poster print (I get one for hosting this giveaway) to my husband. He is going to make a poster to use at his firehouse. He's the fire chief and I know he will design something cool to use as a training aid.

I am sure my clever readers can come up with other great ideas that I haven't thought of - I mean you are all brilliant!

I hosted a giveaway in the past and have received one of these prints and just love it! I had it made with my goat, Pricilla's face on it. The photo was sharp and clear and I couldn't be happier. If you want to see what other people think of their products you can read reviews here.

So let's get down to the nitty-gritty; here are the details of the prize:

Giveaway prize: (1) 18x24 poster print for One Lucky Winner Paper: High Gloss; Semi Gloss

Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the US

Eligibility: Limited to US Residents due to shipping costs. We will negotiate better shipping rates soon.

How do you win? Hey this is me! It's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY: 

Leave a comment telling me how you would use your poster print if you won. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and Digital Room are giving away an 18"x24" Poster Print @http://tinyurl.com/yhmjk5o

#giveaway@UPrinting
3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Digital Room  (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Go to Digital Room and let me know what else you might purchase other than what has already been mentioned. Good for one entry.
5. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
6. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

7. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

8. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

That's it! Lots of ways to enter if you would like extra entries.

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on November 20th when I will go to Random.org to pick a winner. He/she will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose another winner.

Good luck to everyone!


Disclosure:  I will be receiving a poster print from Digital Room for hosting this giveaway. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were in no way impacted by the receipt of the free poster print.

Weekend Wrap Up

Whew! A busy weekend indeed. It really all started on Thursday when I had a doctor's appointment. You would think that would be simple but not on a goat farm. It was an appointment for blood work that involved fasting - for both myself and the hubby so it had to be early. I can go all day without eating but he can't. Plus he can't go long without his morning coffee concoction that involves milk, chocolate and who knows what else. I drink mine black so I was good to go on the caffiene front. We had to be at the office by 9AM. Not bad you think. Aaaa, this is Montana! The doctor's office is an hour and 15 minutes away. So I had to get up at 5:30 in order to milk the four goats and get them ready to roll. It was STILL dark when we needed to leave so they had to stay in the barn.

We get to the doctor's office and they have no appointment for us. It appears they had hired someone who liked to make appointments and then not put them in the computer. *sigh*  She no longer works there. They sent us to the lab, we went out for breakfast and went back and read until they could "squeeze us in" at 10:45 11:30. Did wonders for our plans for the day. Soooo glad I brought a book.

Friday was my weekly volunteer day at the food bank. We have been so busy lately. This is a poor community to begin with and you add in the impact of the economy and I am giving out food to 24 families almost every 2 hour shift I work. It's a lot of work as you need to wait on them then refill the bags. It wears me out and really aggravates my health problems but they are so short of volunteers and I bring down the average age by about 20 years.

Saturday I had a craft fair and was again up extra early as I had to be there at 8AM to set up. Fortunately this was in town and only a 10 minute drive but the goats still need to be milked. It wasn't very busy for any of the vendors and again we all felt it was the economy. It wasn't a loss but you always hope you do better for all of the work that goes into them.

Boy am I whiney today! Sorry about that, I'm tired and plum worn out. I'm making cheese today because I'm drowning in milk (parmesean) and I have to make soap tonight. What I want to do is sleep.

I did get another pair of earrings listed in my shop. Lovely smokey quartz and golden rutilated quartz on gold fill leverbacks.  For anyone who is thinking of jewelry as a gift this holiday season I will be having a tremendous sale over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend. The biggest sale I have ever had so stay tuned for details!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I will have more giveaways listed in the next couple of days so be sure to keep checking back!

WINNER!!! 50 Custom Thank You Cards with Envelopes

Yay! I get to announce another winner. Woo hoo for me! And, well the winner. So without further ado

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 35 

The winner is Hannah!

I will send her an email and she will have 48 hours to respond. If not I will pick a new winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

New Jewelry!!

I know this will come as a shock but I actually had some time this week and I made some new jewelry!
The holidays are coming and I wanted to get some pieces in the shop that would work well for parties or for great gifts!  So far I have listed three pairs of earrings and one necklace with a few more pieces to follow.

I was thinking of spring when I made these earrings; using my favorite combination of London blue topaz and peridot

I also made a necklace in the same vein. I just love the rich blue and bright green combo. The design is unique and somewhat of a signature of mine..

Since I had my peridot out I paired the rondelles with some high quality smooth rondelles of golden rutilated quartz for a simple yet dramatic pair of earrings.

Then paired that same golden rutilated quartz with some faceted smokey quartz for a lovely pair of leverback earrings.

You can click on the photos and be taken right to the listing in my shop where you can see other photos.

I will have more pieces listed over the weekend. I have my weekly volunteer shift at the foodbank on Friday and  then a craft fair on Saturday so I'm going to be busy the next couple of days. I'll get them posted soon though, so you can see them.