Seventh Generation Natural Hand Wash - Review

As a member of Smiley360 I recently received this Seventh Generation Natural Hand Wash to review. It was great to get a full sized bottle so we could use it several times and get a good idea of how much we like it. This particular bottle is the Mandarin Orange & Grapefruit scent.

First of all, I love the clean and fresh look of the bottle. I like that I can see through the bottle. The design on the bottle is great too. Very simple but eye catching. I have had this bottle sitting in our main bathroom for us and company to use. It is gentle on my hands and smells nice. I do wish the scent was a little stronger. It seems a tad weak to me. I like it to linger a bit more but that's just my opinion.

This hand wash is made with plant- based ingredients. It is free of triclosan, dyes, and phthalates and also is a hypoallergenic formula.

If you'd like more info on this Seventh Generation Hand Wash or their other products you can find them here.

I received this product for free from Smiley360 in exchange for my review. Opinions are my own.

Down South- Book Review

This cookbook has a great variety of recipes. The photos are beautiful and I enjoyed learning more about the South in general. Each recipe has a background story or a tidbit of info about it. I really like the layout of the book and how easy to read it is.

I was a little disappointed as most of the recipes are a bit fancier than I was expecting for Southern food. Maybe fancy is not the word I want but maybe a bit more sophisticated like restaurant feel than home cooking. I did find a few recipes I will be trying like the smoked chicken thighs, yeast rolls, and chocolate chunk monster cookies. Of course I had to tell my boys there is a recipe included for frog legs. The frogs in our yard though are teeny tiny so they won't have to worry about ending up in my kitchen.

I think this would be a great cookbook for someone who likes to have dinner parties or even leave out on the coffee table for company to look through since it contains more than just recipes and photos of food.

If you'd like more info on this cookbook by Donald Link you can find it here. If you'd like a sneak peak of it you can look here.

* I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review. Opinions are my own.

The Homesick Texan's Family Table - Book Review

I just have to start out by saying this cookbook was even more than I was hoping for. The photo on the front really caught my attention and I was so happy to get to do a review for it.

The photos are just beautiful and I have so many of the recipes marked already for my "want to make" list. I love that they all seem to have easy to access ingredients. A majority of them I know my family will love. I don't cook as much in summer trying to keep the house cool but I can't wait to get started making some of these. We have cooler weather coming over the weekend and I plan to make the plum cobbler and oatmeal bread first.

The background stories for each of the recipes are a great addition. I really like it when an author inclueds the background of how or where the recipe came about. There is also a resource guide at the end in case you have trouble finding any of the Mexican ingredients needed for a few of the recipes. This cookbook is just a dream to read and I can't wait to share with my family. As I was glancing through the book when I first got it I actually called my mom right away to tell her about the divinity recipe included. I'm going to make it for her when she comes up to visit us next month.

If you'd like to find out more Lisa Fain and this book you can go here.  I definitely recommend this book. Cooking with or for your family from this cookbook is sure to make for some happy tummies!

* I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review.  Opinions are my own.

***Update*** Sept 12th

I finally got a chance to make the plum cobbler on page 229. It is so good & very easy to make.

Ten Years of Homeschooling

Hard to believe we just started our 10th year of homeschooling. I have no clue where time has gone. Each year I've said we'd take it year by year and here we are our oldest is in 9th grade. I'm always so thankful we have the freedom to choose this path for our family.

We're about 2 weeks in for this year. We take it slow getting back into a routine of sorts. The oldest is doing almost all of his work this year on his own. Of course I keep a daily check on what he's doing and how it's going. We used America the Beautiful for all 4 boys last year for American History and just loved it so he moved on into their World History for high school. I am actually reading this along with him just because it's so good. Well, and I want to be prepared for when he's got questions!

The younger 3 are doing Uncle Sam and You. This one we do as a read aloud and then discuss it. I'm looking forward to this one also because it touches on more local things such as your own community and how things work.

The older 2 boys are using Apologia Physical Science and working on that together. The younger 2 are using the new Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics and really enjoying it so far. They are quite excited they get to do some experiments.

Today it was so nice out so we actually did our lava lamps outside. I wanted to be sure the Alka-Seltzer tablets didn't cause a mess in the house in case the lids didn't get on the bottles quick enough. This little experiment was about density. 

Of course we have math, English, and all that other stuff thrown in the mix of school time. Daily life happens too. Which is probably why I'm just now getting to this blog post after we've started 2 weeks ago.  :o) 

A Triple Knot - Book Review

One of my favorite genres of books is historical fiction. I can't just pick up a history book and get excited about it but when reading a book like A Triple Knot and others like it, it is a completely different feeling. I love being taken back in time and feeling like I'm right there with the characters in the book. I however am very thankful I was not born any sooner than I was because I wouldn't have made it.

I had a hard time at first because of all the confusion of so many names of characters in the book. It is common for that time though and I've had this happen with other books as well. Don't let this hold you back from reading this book though. I just plod through and eventually the main characters stick with you. It was also a bit slow going the first part of the book and yet the last part was almost too quick. It seemed like it didn't have all the details as the first part. I did feel though that I was right there with Joan. I know when I am engrossed in a book that makes me feel a part of it the author is doing their job well. It's like I have to readjust once I stop for a bit and remember I'm not in the book.

I so liked the character of Joan. The poor girl dealt with so many things from a young age. From losing her father so early in her life to being caught in a love triangle and pawned by her uncle to benefit the kingdom. I just don't know how one could handle it all but it sure makes for good reading.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I'd recommend it if you like this type of book and enjoy a bit of love and betrayal.

If you'd like to learn more or check out her other book you can look here.


*I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review. Opinions are my own.

My Irish Table - Book Review

I have always dreamed of going to Ireland some day. This lovely book was like a little pretend visit there. It is full of wonderful stories about Irish food and family in addition to the recipes included. I really loved all the tidbits about where some of the recipes came from. You can tell how much love is put into them. The photos included are just beautiful. 

I don't like to wish time away but I look forward to cooler weather when I can try out some of the bread recipes. I don't like to heat up the house any more than necessary in summer. There are several side dishes and desserts that sound excellent also. The Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cauliflower Baked in Cheddar Cheese Sauce, and Apple Crumble are just calling my name. I'm also looking forward to a big pot of Chicken Noodle Soup. The recipe for Cheese on Toast looks super easy and the photo in the book looks good enough just to pull right out of the book and eat! I've never thought of something so simple as this recipe. 

There is a nice mix of recipes in this book. A lot of them will be good fall and winter comfort food. There are a few that look a little complicated and some a little more on the spendy side to make. Lamb is a bit pricey for our family but I like when cookbooks give you such a variety to choose from. 

Definitely a great cookbook if you'd like to try Irish cooking for yourself. The stories and photos are worth the purchase of the book even if you don't like to cook. 

If you'd like more info about this book you can look here. 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. 

July Taste Trunk Gourmet Box Review

I have been a subscriber to Taste Trunk for several months now. I think it's maybe even close to a year by now. I have loved every single box I've gotten. So many wonderful food products by companies I never would have heard of if it wasn't for this subscription.

My July box.

Taste Trunk does an excellent job of packaging everything. I have never had anything arrive broken. They wrap up all glass products with bubble wrap and it arrives all in pretty tissue paper and a ribbon. They also include cards with ideas/recipes on how to use the included products and also a bit more about the company they've come from.

This month my box contained Hickory Liquid Smoke from Lazy Kettle Brand, 1849 Tri-Tip Meat Marinade, Cranberry Pear White Balsamic Vinegar from Amphora, CC Made Pistachio Nut Caramel Corn, and CC Made Rosemary Caramel Sauce.

My husband is looking forward to using the liquid smoke and meat marinade in one of his next grilling adventures. We grill a lot all year. Well he grills. :o)  We've also recently gotten an electric smoker so we're always up for cooking up something delicious outside! 

The pistachio nut caramel corn was good. I would have liked a few more pistachios but I love pistachios! I think I'm going to try the rosemary caramel sauce over a plain cheesecake. I'm not sure I liked it over ice cream. It was a bit of an odd combination but I'm thinking it might be tasty with cheesecake. I haven't tried the balsamic vinegar yet but am guessing it will be mixed with something over a salad. I've received other products from Amphora like olive oil in past boxes and think the quality and taste are great. 

This is one of the very few subscription boxes I've kept. I love it so much. They do an awesome job with their boxes. Taste Trunk's customer service is excellent also. 

If gourmet is not your thing they also offer BBQ, Healthy, and Sweet boxes. I like that mine has included a variety of things. In the past I've received chocolate, flavored sea salts, scone mix, marinades, dip mixes along with the cutest dip serving bowl. I'll have to find the photo I took of that and add it later on. 

If you'd like more info on Taste Trunk you can visit their webpage here.  They offer many different options for subscribing or gifting. They are also on facebook.

* I pay for my own monthly subscription to Taste Trunk. Opinions are my own.