Random Tid Bits

1. I've been kind of away from blogging more so this week. It's the week before finals. This week is just as busy as finals week because many things are due.
   
2. Mica's been struggling with his honors Algebra. Travis asked his teacher if she thinks he should go back to the regular math class. Nope! He just needs to practice more. If we could get him past thinking he knows it all. Typical teenage attitude.
   
   Travis is brighter in math than I am, so he's been a very patient tutor. He's had to relearn things.
   
3. Isaak has had about 2 hours or more of homework each night. I'm just not happy with his last year of elementary school. Every week I shake my head about something he says, brings home, and so on. The latest is that his teacher gave him a word to look up, find synonyms of, and use it in a sentence. He couldn't find the word in his not organized notebook. We snapped at him for not being organized. Then we learned that she gave him his word to write down, while he was in the middle of a test. Say what?! I've been helping Isaak with his homework.
   
   On the side meal prepping, snow shoveling, and basketball practice.
   
4. All weekend last weekend and the weekend before I baked, and decorated. We have one less holiday function, so I made less sugar cookies. I broke about 7 of them that the boys ate. I also made Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - that taste a bit like the Girl Scout ones, Chocolate Malt Cookies, and Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies. Lots of work, but 1 plate goes to Travis' work, 1 plate goes to my work, another batch goes to sell at the elementary school, another plate for Christmas Eve, and we typically have a New Years Dance Party for kids.
   
5. I've also been working on my Christmas card, which will be a Christmas photo this year. I didn't get my rear end in gear to get postcards made. They are still cute. I'll share the flop, and will share the real one next Tuesday on here.
   
   I wanted to do a Parody on The Scream By Edvard Munch. It wasn't turning out as I envisioned. I played and played with it, then I played with something different that I liked better. So...I went with that.
   
   Here's my flop that never got finished:
   
   
   
   
   

Anti-Fatigue Mat Review

I love my new Anti-Fatigue Mat! It's so plush. It feels wonderful to stand on. If you've never had an Anti-Fatigue Mat I strongly recommend getting one. 

Who should have an Anti-Fatigue Mat?

• They are great for someone like me that has weak ankles.

• They are awesome for people like my mom that had Polio.

• People like my Aunt Becky that have had full knee replacements would love an Anti-Fatigue Mat.

• They rock for people like my husband that has a bad back. 

• Anyone that's in the kitchen a lot like I am could use a mat like this. 

• People that have standing jobs; where they are in the same position for long periods of times should use a mat like this.
  
  Some examples include: A baker, a bank teller, a factory worker, a metalsmith, a hair dresser, and a framer. There are many more jobs like this. 

Comfort:

• It reduces pressure on your feet and knees by up to 40%. This helps with body fatigue.

• It has a thick foam that is high-grade that feels wonderful to stand on with or without shoes. Just don't wear high heels on it. High heels aren't good on these mats. They dig into them.

Product Details:

• It's made by Cushable. 

• This mat is 24" x 36".

• It's 3/4" thick.

• It's waterproof and easy to clean. 

• Each mat is a solid one piece with no laminate to ensure it to last long! I've had other mats that were laminated, and started to break apart. I'm super excited that this mat is one piece!

• It's non-slip and non-toxic. It moves if I move it. It won't move if you're stepping onto it, dancing on it, or standing there. 

• It is tapered on the edges, so people like my Mom that had Polio doesn't trip. Having a mat like this scared my mom. That is until she saw the edges, and how they taper off. Now I know what to get her for Christmas. 

• The antique brown mat that I got to review costs: $89.99 and is on sale for $39.99.

• They also have a black mat that costs: $74.99 and is on sale for $35.99.

• Both color options can be shipped with Amazon Prime. Free shipping!

• It came in a big box, and was wrapped in plastic to ensure nothing happened to it during shipment. 

It is nice that it comes in two color options for each person's decor. I suppose they could add a few colors to the mix to have even more variety. If they had a red one I'd buy it. I could also see a mustard yellow color in my kitchen.

I happen to really like the brown because I think it shows less dirt than the black might. I do find that I have to clean my mats often.

I use my mat all the time, but here are some key times that I really appreciate using it:

• When I'm canning. It's a 1/2 day to all day event. 

• When I'm making holiday cookies. I make a lot to take to work, and sell at the boy's holiday concert for school. 

• When I'm hand washing a sink full of dishes. Usually I've been in the kitchen for awhile cooking, or baking. When it comes to doing the dishes I'm kind of done with standing. 

• When I'm over a hot stove for a long length of time. 

Do you have an Anti-Fatigue Mat in your house? 

Have you ever worked a job where you had to stand in one place for long periods of time?

Disclaimer: I received this Anti-Fatigue Mat for a discount for the purpose of this review.

KITCHEN SELECT Russian Icing Piping Tips Reivew

I love to decorate sweet treats. I have to say that I need a ton of practice when it comes to piping. I have just always tried to stay away from the piping part by decorating with candy, or sprinkles. When it comes to things like Cake Walks at school I always wished I was better with piping. I now have the tools to get better. Kitchen Select gave me a Russian Icing Piping Tips to review.

The set comes with 25 pieces. The cost is $25.99. It comes with 23 tips, 1 silicone bag, and a coupler. I didn't know what a coupler is. It fits on the tip with 3 sections. You can put in 3 different colors in 3 different bags. I'm not that fancy, yet.

Everything fit in one small box:

Here's some close ups of the tips:

I had some pink frosting I needed to use up, so that's what we used. It's important to keep your icing cold before making the flowers! If it's room temperature forget pumping out anything that will stay.

Put the cold icing on clear plastic wrap, and have a scissors and twisty tie handy. 

First we put a tip in the reusable silicone bag. We had to cut a bit of the bag, which is normal. It stretches a bit, so we made it smaller than needed. 

The next step is to roll the icing into a sausage type roll, cut the tip off and twisty tie the back. That went in to the silicone bag.

Then we were ready to pipe. I used one of the star tips because it's 4th of July time, but it didn't look like a star at all. It ended up looking more like a jelly fish.

I ended up doing most of them like this:

It was simple, but I didn't have a lot of frosting. I certainly didn't want to make more. The cupcakes are lemon.

The boys helped me. It was a fun family decorating event. I'm having company over tomorrow, so this will be a nice treat. 

I can't wait to dive into using other colors.

Do you like to decorate treats?

Disclaimer: I received this Kitchen Select Russian Icing Piping Tips set for a discount in exchange for an honest review.

Sunsella Pastry Scraper & Chopper Review

Baking season is among us. I tested out a new product that will help with this time. Sunsella Pastry Scraper & Chopper is fabulous. The best thing is that it's not expensive. It was $21.99 and now it's $7.99. A great price for something so helpful in the kitchen. 

I decided to make Empanada Pop-Tarts. 

Empanada's are not healthy by any means. I made some revisions.

Usually I make Empanada's by rolling the dough out, putting a small round plate on top, cut around it, put pie filling inside it, and roll it up to bake. I wanted to use my Sunsella Pastry Scraper and Chopper, so I rolled out the dough, cut it in rectangles. It was great because the cutter has a ruler right on it.

I changed up the ingredients from my original recipe a bit:

• Coconut Oil replaced Shortening
• Coconut Sugar replaced White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Flour replaced some of the All Purpose Flour 

Empanada Pop Tarts

Mica helped me make the dough. I could have used a little more water, to get the dough thinner. It's been years, since I've made Empanada's. Isaak helped me put the blueberry pie filling in the centers, and pushed the edges down with a fork. They were a bit messy with the kids helping, but not bad!

I thought they turned out good!

You can mix up powdered sugar and water to pour on top of them when they are done. I'm not used to a whole bunch of sugar, and I think the filling is enough.

You can also use the Sunsella Pastry Scraper & Chopper Review to help clean up your mess. I scrapped all the excess flour off the counter after rolling out the dough.

It's sharp enough to chop up fruits and veggies. It works great for scraping cut up veggies in to a pan, or cut up fruit into a bowl.

What would you use the Sunsella Pastry Scraper & Chopper for?

 

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in exchange for a review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Elegana 10 Piece Premium Ceramic Knife Set Reveiw

I love the new Elegana 10 Piece Premium Ceramic Knife Set I got to review! 

Have you ever tried ceramic knives? They are so sharp compared to other knives.

I love everything about this set. It comes with 4 colorful knives, knife protectors, a peeler, and a care cloth. The packaging is elegant. 

My husband got all creative on me, and decided to make his own Pumpkin Pie, which is more like a Quiche. 

I had my doubts, but it was wonderful!

Brisket Pumpkin Pie

The only problem was that he was having trouble cutting his Brisket Pumpkin Pie. He needed a really sharp knife. The ceramic knives I got to review came to the rescue. You can see how sharp the cuts are in the center. The edges where with a different knife.

About:

• Great Quality Ceramics - Up to 2x sharper than steel! Guarantees a tougher and more durable blade! Make ultra-thin slicing, dicing and gliding through food effortlessly.

• Stylish and Elegant - Expertly crafted blade polished to a remarkable shinny mirror finish. Add a touch of classiness and finesse in your kitchen with these elegant premium set.

• Safe - Germ resistant, BPA free, nonporous, odor free blades and NEVER rust! Stores safely in beautifully made protective blade covers. I am glad about the covers. I have to be safe having two small boys.

• Value - 10 piece knife set includes 4 white mirror finish Knives, 1 multi-purpose ceramic peeler, color-coded protective sheaths, polishing microfiber cleaning cloth and premium gift box. The cost is: $88.99 and on sale for $35.97!

• Gift Ready - This would be a perfect Christmas or birthday gift!

 

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for a discounted price in exchange for a review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.