Valentine's Day Giveaway and more

Hey Friends, I'm sharing this weeks Giveaway

Last week I Gave Away a Coupon Organizer 

 and this week I'm giving away a

Valentine's Day Themed Re-usable Drink Sleeve.

Enter via the Rafflecopter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coming Next...

{Week 2/18}

An Elizabeth Wallet

Designed to help you keep small things in one place this simple wallet, with vinyl outside window and key ring, make taking small stuff on-the-go easier and more stylish.  Measures 8” x 4 3/”. Closes by way of zipper.  

A bigger version of the Liz, equipped to hold a cell phone. 

{Week  2/25}

The Hilani Purse

I'm excited to see who wins these great, and popular, 

products I so love to create.

      

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Have cans of left over Pumpkin..now what?

Panic Mode! That was me this past October.  I bought 13 cans of canned pumpkin because last year, 2010, there was a shortage.  I love making anything pumpkin, who doesn't. It's a double duty winner, makes the house smell great, and a small effort of mixing ingredients makes for great yummies (is that a word)! 

I received, as a gift, years ago the Jessica Seinfeld Deceptively Delicious cookbook because my youngest wasn't a fan of veggies or fruits.  I was grateful for the gift, seeing my friend knew I was struggling with 'mealtime'.  

Now that he's older, he's more willing to try new foods, but man, it was touch and go there for a while.  I dusted off the cookbook recently because I'm in search of having healthier snacks on hand. As a busy mom, I find I enjoy grabbing a quick snack to hold me over until I can have a meal. If I prepare something healthy ahead of time, I'm better off. I've only got "me" to look out for "me" during the day. 

So, with plenty of canned pumpkin leftover, I decided to try her Donut recipe, with a twist. I'm not an owner of a donut baking mold so I created donut texture muffins instead. Plus, the recipe called for pureed sweet potato, which I did not have, so I substituted more pumpkin. 

Below is the recipe:
Prep Tim - 8 Minutes
Bake Time - 20-25 Minutes
Cool Time - 10 minutes

Preheat Oven to: 350

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup of sweet potato puree (I substituted pumpkin)

1/2 cup nonfat milk, lowfat or 1% buttermilk

1 large egg WHITE

1 tablespoon trans fat free soft tub margarine spread, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cinnamon or pumpkin spice (I used cinnamon)

1/4 cup confectioners's sugar (I didn't have this on hand, so I used sprinkles)

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, pureed items, milk and egg white, margarine, and vanilla.  

Mix in a separate bowl, flour, baking soda & powder, spice

Mix both together on low.

Pour batter into a gallon-sized plastic bag (or pastry bag if you have on) and cut the bottom tip off of one side of the bag. Squeeze the batter through, into the donut hold. **If using a muffing in,just pour an ice cream scoop worth into each greased section. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 20-25 minutes.  


When done, cool on a rack. When cool, dust with confectioners' sugar. I happen to have Valentine's Day sprinkles on hand.


Store in an airtight container at room temp. for up to 2 days and freeze for up to a 1 month.

Enjoy!

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Hand on my Heart

I'm a very compassionate person, and being sentimental means a lot to me; it makes my heart smile.  I'm always excited to hear from people about the things they choose to hold onto because they remind them of something significant or it comes from a different time in their life.  It's a chance to learn more about that person in a different light.  Below, on this heart shaped door accent, is a "hand" button which holds sentimental value and an interesting story.

I've had this button for over 11 years.  

I never knew when I'd need it but with Valentine's Day coming up, 

I decided to put it to use. Over 12 years ago I held a job of which I tell people, outside of being a mom, was the best job I'll ever have!  I was honored/blessed with the experience of holding a personal assistant position to a radio talk show personality, with a very large following, Dr. Laura Schelssinger, yes "the" Dr. Laura.  

During my 2 year's with her, she embarked on the hobby of Beading.  While shopping for exotic beads one weekend, this hand button stood out to me.  So, seeing that buttons weren't apart of her current hobby, I decided to purchase the button myself.

And here, 11 years later, I've finally used it.  (wink, some form of hoarding is ok)

I like it because it symbolizes your hand is on my heart.  I've decided to hang it on the interior garage door that we frequent throughout the day.  It's a great reminder to those passing through, you have my/our hand on your heart.

Remember those that have passed through, often, they've passed through for a reason.

PS: Due to a confidentiality agreement I signed, I'm not at liberty to speak about anything specific regarding her or my time with her but I can tell you...she's a wonderful women, that's misunderstood and does amazing things for people.

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A project in the making....{Valentine's Day} Card Craft for Kids

A Valentine's Day Card craft for kids 2.5 + years old

I've been doing this with my oldest son for 3 years now, and this will be the first year with my youngest.  It's a great craft, inexpensive and fun learning project for Valentine's Day Cards.

Stay tuned...a Google Docs with the Star Card Cut outs to come soon.

Supplies Needed:

Red (Or any color you like) Glitter

Craft Glue

White Construction Paper

Printer

Scissors

Measuring Spoons

Craft Benefits:

Small Motor Skill - Scissor Cutting Practice

Concept - Portion Control

Science - Glue Hardening

Math - Counting

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{2011}, a year full of great things...{2012}, a year where great things can happen

So, Christmas is over...and the decorations are still up.

I'm giving myself until 1/2/2012 then all my decorations will start making their way into boxes until next year.  This seems to always result in a minor panic attach because my home seems so bare afterwards.  I feel so blessed because I have so many wonderful  Christmas Decorations and, I also have a Christmas Ribbon addiction.  It was a great holiday for me and my family. We couldn't all be together but shared our love through Facetime.

With Christmas gone, and the New Year right around the corner, I've started to compile my 2012 Goals, both personal and business.

Top 3 Personal

1.  Stop having expectations (this one is gonna be tough).

2.  Use fewer Paper Towels (I'm lazy about how many I use when a rag could be used instead).

3.  Workout 4 days a week, no matter how short or long.

Top 3 Business

1.  Invent 2 New useful products.

2.  Add 1 more Wholesale Retailer to the list of stores selling Handmade by Hilani

3.  Giveaway two Coupon Organizers to families that could really use one.

Up My Sleeve...Coming Soon

1.  Kids, Valentine's Day Card DIY - glitter, construction paper, home printer and scissors. 

I've been doing this one with my 6 1/2 year old since he was 3.

2.  A great Football Party Dip - Cream Cheese, Brown Sugar, Caramel, and Crushed toffee bars.  Green Apple slices dip into this sweet goodness!

3.  Coupon Organizer Giveaway - I'll be pairing up with another blogger (details to come) and giving away one of my handy, dandy Coupon Organizers. Here's a story from a recent winner: Carmella, from Creative Carmella

      

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