Introducing the "Contributing Angels"

Hello Everyone! I’m so excited to have these amazing women contributing on my blog.  They are so creative and talented! 

I’m sure you all are going to love their shares!

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My name is Angie Ouellette-Tower and the purpose of my blog, God's Growing Garden, is to help fellow “backyard farmers” in their varying degrees of experience.  

I am a Christian and I believe that we need to be good stewards with what God provides.
I do NOT profess to know everything but I do have 40 years of experience gardening, cooking, baking & canning.  Most of this knowledge I learned from my parents: my father grew almost every vegetable & fruit available in the mid-west region and my mother used this garden produce for baking, cooking, freezing or canning.  Many of the recipes that I share on my blog are my mom’s & other recipes are my own creations.  Nothing compares to the taste of fresh grown produce and made-from-scratch meals.  My husband & I try to grow everything as organic as possible. 
Doing everything from scratch not only tastes better but it will save you money also!
BLOG MOTTO:  Plant, Grow, Harvest, Preserve, Consume and Enjoy

You can find me here:

                                          

    

 

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I am a nurse that is staying at home right now to care for our 

rambunctious brood and get them to all of their activities.

I am a christian that attended Kahului Baptist Church from the time I was a little girl until just a couple of years ago when we moved from Maui to Oahu.  I am a devoted christian that has lost some faith many times throughout my diversities.  Somehow God never left my side and even in the depths of my darkest hours I had that little mustard seed of faith.  The one my grandparents would tell me to never lose.  I believe and support every ones faith or lack of faith.  Our differences are the things I find most beautiful about mankind.  

I believe we are all in this together and we 

need to support and welcome our differences.

Heartbeats Soul Stains is a place I’d like to share my thoughts and experiences on being a woman, wife, a mother of 7, friend and survivor of many 

different obstacles, challenges and tragedy.

I will share the good, the bad and the oh so ugly things that happen in a family our size.  Life is hard for all of us, we all have those crosses to carry.  Life is also very beautiful and precious and I am determined to never take the amazing

 blessing I have been given for granted.

I am so excited to be able to share my life, my family recipes, mommy tips, 

and whatever else that makes me who I am, with you.

You can find me here:

   

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My name is Natalie and I love anything that is beauty and health related. I spend countless hours a day watching online videos, reading, and educating myself on great products, cheap finds, and natural remedies to share with others through my blog...my little escape from a stress-filled life as a university student.

A few facts about me:

• Age: 21
• Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Height: 5'7
• Eye Color: Green
• Hair Color: Dark Blonde with Natural Highlights, Thick, Wavy
• Skin Type: Fair, Combination, Acne Prone
• Studying: Geography and Sociology
• Ethnic Origin: Polish and Slovenian
• I Speak: English, French, Spanish, Polish, and Slovenian
• Favorite Stores: Dynamite, American Eagle, Forever 21, Simons, Winners, Sephora, MAC and any drugstore!
• Favorite Makeup Brands: Revlon, Wet n Wild, NYX, Essence, Jordana, L'Oréal, Urban Decay, Benefit, MAC, Makeup For Ever and Stila, just to name a few!
• Beauty Must-Haves: Foundation/BB Cream, Concealer, Blush, Eyelash Curler and Mascara
• A Perfect Day: Sipping on iced tea while indulging on a 'simply cannot stop reading it' book by the pool on a beautiful summer day :)

You can find me here:

      

       

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As soon as we could, my sister and I were in the kitchen.  We were either helping or, when we got old enough, just down right cooking dinner.  Both my parents are good cooks, so I learned from them both.  I got the baking skillz from Mom and Nana and cooking mainly from Dad, with some lessons from Mom in that are, too.

My kitchen is my zen place.  It's rarely a place where stress goes, unless I'm trying to make bernaise from scratch.  Yeah...didn't happen.  *sigh*  I love to mutate recipes into my own creations.  I am thrilled when my baking comes out yummy!  I only wish I had the technical knowledge to be able to really create baked goods from my own brain instead of some mutant version of one I've tried.  But, not all of us can go to culinary school.

The healthy kick?  Yeah, that came about in 2006.  I had escalated to around 280 when I was just downright unhappy...in life, in love, with myself.  That's when I decided I needed to get off my lazy arse and do something about it.  I did Weight Watchers online for about 2 years, lost about 100 pounds and have kept it off for about 4 now.  I've slacked a little lately because we're lazy on the weekends, but I still keep portions down and calories/fat under control to not balloon back up.

My claim to fame?  *I* was on Emeril Live!  Yup!  I was!  Seriously!!  I love sweet potatoes.  One day, the fam was out to dinner and dancing and we wondered why there weren't any sweet potato skins.  So, we discussed what would be ON said skins and Elegant Sweet Potato Skins was born.  I peruse foodtv.com frequently and saw the contest for potato recipes.  BAM!  *giggles*  I completely forgot about the entry when they called me.  Check it out!  The recipe is still there and they are still fabulous!

You Can Find Me Here

          

      

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I'm Steffany, ovarian cancer survivor and former journalist and public relations professional. I like to pretend that I'm a master of the Crock Pot, but I mostly burn everything I try to cook in it. I am a couponing novice, crafting DIYer, and a lover of Pilates. I enjoy planning Tot School activities for my sweet toddler twins, and watching them learn through purposeful play.

I'm a native Texan, and so is my husband. We don't fit into the stereotypical cowboy/rough and tough type. We do, however, really enjoy barbecue and Dr. Pepper, and we take annual photos in fields of wildflowers and bluebonnets, our state flower.  And yes, we do own pairs of cowboy boots, but there are no ten-gallon hats in our house! (My brother's is a different story...)

Our twins, Corbin and Lynley, were born on October 20, 2012, nine weeks early. By the grace of God, our children had no physical, mental or health issues due to their prematurity, and so far have not displayed any developmental delays. As we enter into "toddler-dom," we are enjoying the full-of-life personalities that our little ones possess. They love to dance, play chase and hide and seek, and they love to be tickled. Our favorite pass time is to all cram onto the twins' tiny kid sofa and read books together and snuggle.

On the blog,  I write about our adventures of juggling boy/girl twins, an 80-pound bundle of trouble, known as Jeep, and my family who lives five hours away. I'm not afraid to put it all out there. My posts are normally filled with pictures, and I try my best to make you laugh! I also post Tot School lesson plans and tips, recipes and craft projects.

You can find me here: