Wake Up Wednesday "Linky" Party #77

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 Wake Up Wednesday "Linky" Party

@ Sew Crafty Angel

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We are so excited to have so many amazing bloggers party with us.
Check out this weeks Featured linkups.

Thank you so much to all those who share your blog in our party.

Last week we had  436 awesome linkups!   

 Wake Up and be happy, get excited and have fun with us! 

We want to be inspired, entertained, laugh and have a good time!

Your link will appear on the blogs of

Please take time to visit your hostesses.

 Sew Crafty Angel

            

 Cuddlebug Cuties

          

God's Growing Garden

               

 A Peek Into My Paradise

                 

 Epic Mommy Adventures

                    

 Natalie Loves Beauty

               

 Heidi's Wanderings

          

 The Organized Dream

                  

 Far From Normal

           

  Relaxed Thairapy

                 

   Blogghetti

                   

  Marilyn's Treats

               

Eclectic Red Barn

                  

Ramblings of a Bad Domestic Goddess

                  

iknead2knit

                 

Living Intentionally Simple

           

Pretty Shabby UK

                

Tulips & Orchids

           

This weeks 

Featured Bloggers

S’mores Cake Recipe
PinkWhen

S’mores are everywhere and there are a bazillion different ways to make them.  I totally love the original, but decided to make this awesome S’more Cake for a large family cookout we recently had.  It was such a big hit I decided I would share it here with you.

Cheesy Chicken Spinach Enchiladas in Jalapeño Cream Sauce
Jenn's Random Scraps

I have made these three times in the past month.  Cheesy Chicken Spinach Enchiladas in Jalapeño Cream Sauce.

Chicken, onion, spinach, and cheese, all rolled up on soft tortilla shells and baked under a smooth and spicy jalapeño cream sauce.

Summer Reading List (3rd-5th grade)
Outside The Box Mom

Are you looking for a list of books for your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader to read this summer? I’ve compiled a list of must read books that your child is sure to enjoy!

How to Recognize the Warning Signs of Mental Illness
Urban Naturale

Mental health is a complicated subject that can be daunting; but we can all learn to look out for
early signs of a developing issue.  Problems can be spotted early on if you know what you are looking for, and knowing how to intervene in good time can make a huge difference to the management of what could become a long-term issue with a very deep impact.

The 10 Minute Declutter
A Virtuous Woman 

The 10 Minute Declutter is a perfect solution to taming those piles where ever they may be! Each morning or evening, or even more than once a day, set the timer for 10 minutes and tackle an area in your home that has collected clutter.

DIY Pool Noodle Garden Markers
Premeditated Leftovers

I love not only finding fun ways to use pool noodles, but also finding fun ways to label our garden plants. These pool noodle garden markers combine both of my loves, and create a cool way to mark your plants and even help kids get in on the gardening action! Take a look below at how you can craft these easy and inexpensive pool noodle garden markers, perfect for keeping your plants organized.

3 Berry Cheesecake Ice Cream {No Churn}
The Baking ChocolaTess

Cheesecake lovers unite!  Got this cheesecake covered with 3 different succulent berries!  Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are rockin’ this luscious 3 Berry Cheesecake Ice Cream with some vanilla Oreo cookies bits!

Ohhh Pure Yumminess!

How To Turn A Chandelier Into A Bird Feeder
Diva of DIY

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Happy Deal - Happy Day!

I’ve tried baking many a perfect chocolate chip cookie.  It wasn’t until my mother gave me this recipe that I finally found how to get the most MOIST and PERFECT and CHEWY Chocolate Chip Cookie you can find (with one secret ingredient that made all of the difference!!!)

How to sew a table runner
Flourish & Knot

One night a few weeks ago, in the midst of preparing school concerts, I decided that I needed to do something, anything, unrelated to music. I love music. It’s kinda my life and all. But I just needed an escape from beginner-violin-meets-beginner-trombone. You know what I mean?

Tahini Celeriac Potato Salad
Strength and Sunshine

Take that boring potato salad up a notch! With roasted tri-color potatoes and celeriac root and a creamy tahini sauce, there’s nothing not to love! Gluten-free, vegan, and paleo without the heaviness of the classic, there’s a new favorite in town!

Toddler Cloche Summer Hat
Lacy Crochet

The pattern is very detailed. It includes the pattern for the flower and the instructions on how to shape and starch the hat.

 

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Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, crafts, decorating, fashion, makeup, health & fitness, recipes, mommy moments -- anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly.  Please visit some other bloggers and make some new friends and say hello to old friends..

• Please leave me a comment , I love to hear from you.
• Please Link to your family friendly post 
• I'd love for you to grab my party button for your blog party site but it's totally optional
• Please No adult content blogs
• Please do not add links to shops or selling websites (they will be deleted from the party)
• Giveaways are always welcome.. Add your giveaways to Sew Crafty Angel's Pinterest Community Giveaway Board too.  

Adding your link to this blog hop gives Sew Crafty Angel permission to share your posts and pictures via social media and as features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts.  Note- All features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts will be linked back to the original source .Social media features are linked back to the linky party.
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An InLinkz Link-up

5 Minutes to a Healthy & Delicious Chocolate Parfait

Delicious and good for you treats don't have to be hard.

Perfect for a dessert or for a meal.

I often have my yummy parfait for breakfast or a night time snack.

All you need is your favorite yogurt, I prefer Yoplait Vanilla.

Then a Chocolate Fiber One Brownie Bar and a fun glass container.

Layering the ingredients in a fun glass will make your kids think they’re 

eating dessert, not breakfast.  They’ll get a much-needed dose of calcium 

and a healthy fiber boost to start off their day.

Spread half a of yogurt in the bottom of your container.

Crumble up your chocolate brownie.

Evenly spoon the remaining yogurt over your brownie.

Add a cherry or garnish of your choice.

Enjoy!

So easy and totally delicious.

Angel

It's The Chain Linky CLIMB Party

Tweet #ChainLinkyCLIMB
<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/p/chain-linky-climb.html" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank"><img alt="God’s Growing Garden" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/Sponsors/Climb200_zps6c2cafff.jpg" /></a>

  WELCOME! It's the month long Networking Blog Hop  Networking means helping each other grow!!  If you want to promote a CLIMB link, then use #ChainLinkyCLIMB on Twitter or Google+ so that we can all help each other grow! Here's how the Giveaway & Co-hosting works - the co-hosts from the previous month's CLIMB will have the opportunity to participate in a Giveaway during the next CLIMB - that gives co-hosts 2 months in a row of blog growing fun!!  (If you would like to co-host please sign up at the end of this post using the last "Linky")

Please welcome The July 2015 Chain "Linky" CLIMB week#3 co-hosts:

Cathy from "A Peek Into My Paradise"

(Click on the blog button below)

  Cathy is our permanent week#3 co-host.  Checkout what's been happening on "A Peek Into My Paradise" lately:
Pumpkin Pie Cookie Butter Smoothie Fun With Four Blogiversary Giveaway Google Plus #GrowingCirclesHop
& Bev from "Eclectic Red Barn" (Click on the blog button below)

Bev is our permanent "fill-in" cohost.  Checkout what's been happening on "Eclectic Red Barn" lately: Keeping the Old Dog Healthy  Wake Up Wednesday Linky (every Wednesday) Fun With Four Giveaway _________________________________________________________ 
Also, our CLIMB GIVEAWAY! Please enter below -one person will win: - $25 Paypal cash from Eclectic Red Barn,  Sew Crafty Angel &  Cuddlebug Cuties 
- Ad Space on A Peek Into My Paradise - $30 value
- 1 Month Ad Space on The Myrabev Life - $10 value
- 1 Sidebar Ad Space on God's Growing Garden - $10 value
- A beautiful Bluestone Necklace by ShorelineDesigned - $20 value

LOVELY LAVA BLUES NECKLACE

 Lava Blues - Lovely Lava Blues, Rare Leland Bluestones, Blue Slag Glass Stones/Lake Michigan, Blue Lava Beads, Copper Glass Beads, 22 Inch Copper Necklace .

by ShorelineDesigned Total prize value is $95!!
CLIMB Giveaway Rules & Conditions: - this is open worldwide (void where prohibited) - You must be 18 years or older to enter  - You MUST have a blog to win the Ad spaces (otherwise these will become second place prizes) - You must live in the lower 48 of the United States to win the Necklace (otherwise this will become  second place prizes)
- You MUST have a valid PayPal account to win the Paypal Cash (otherwise this will become a second place prize)

- This Giveaway is open from June 30th, 2015 until July 31st, 2015

- Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or a different winner will be chosen

- Giveaway Hosts & Co-hosts can NOT enter this Giveaway!, however - JULY 2015 CLIMB blog hop co-hosts ARE allowed to enter this Giveaway (provided they are not also part of the Giveaway)

- correspondence is done through email and the winner's email addresses will only be used to deliver or set-up e-prizes.  Email addresses will NEVER be sold or shared.

- All prizes will be delivered by the contributing Bloggers/Shop Owners.

- if you have any questions or concerns about this Giveaway please email one of the hosts:

Angie:  angeliquetower@gmail.com

Angel:  sewcraftyangel@gmail.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now onto the CLIMB (blog hop): We have changed it up a bit - instead of linking your homepage you may now link up to 4 of your family friendly blog posts per month!!

 


By participating in this blog hop your understand that your link might be featured &/or promoted on our blogs & social media.  Also, by participating in this blog hop your email address will be added to our CLIMB list & you will be sent an email reminder next month. 


Remember - If you co-host you will receive a free Weekly Sidebar Ad and your blog button will appear on both Angie's blog & Angel's blog!!
(The Ad will run live a few weeks after you have co-hosted)

We are looking for amazing Bloggers like you to cohost the CLIMB! (We are scheduling for the end of July & for August 2015) - please click the purple button below to sign up to cohost or click HERE!

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Sign up to receive emails about the CLIMB

Fan-tastic Giveaway @ Sew Crafty Angel

It's time for another great Giveaway and I've once again joined up

with my friend Katherine and some other bloggy friends to bring you a 

One winner will receive-

a Hunter Fan Windemere Brushed Nickel Two Light 54 inch Ceiling Fan with Light 

and Remote

and  

$200 (USD) in PayPal Cash

Katherine- Katherines Corner

Angel- Sew Crafty Angel

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Angie-Gods Growing Garden

Diane- Mamal Diane Keeping Life Simple

Kat- Inspiration Can Be Found Everywhere

Jas- All Thats Jas

Natasha-Epic Mommy Adventures

Adriana-Yogurt Hydro

Kim-Made In A Day

Christine-I Dig Pinterest

Maria- Simple Nature Decor

Sherry-Life Of The Party

Tamika-Bubbling with Elegance and Grace

Entering the Fan-tastic Giveaway is easy-

Just log into the entry form using your email address or facebook and click on the first entry on the rafflecopter form. Please read the terms and conditions and write yes.

Confirm you are an email subscriber of Katherines Corner or become an email subscriber (this will be verified) and enter as many bonus entries as you would like.

Open to all Katherines Corner subscribers over 18 where permitted . Giveaway starts today and ends July 31st.

Copy the button below for the Giveaway extra entry. Please place it on your blog with a link back to Katherines Corner for an extra entry

( see rafflecopter entry form Grab The Button entry option)

( remember to let us know where to find it ).

Good luck in the Fan-tastic Giveaway ♥

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Basics of Canning

Have you noticed how expensive food is getting these days?  Whenever I say that it can't go any higher it does!  That's why learning to preserve your own food makes so much sense.  Even if you don't have the space to grow your own food it's still cheaper to buy fresh veggies & fruit from your local farmer's market when the produce is in season and therefore inexpensive.  Then, preserving this farm fresh produce will create savings in the off season.   Today I will be talking about the basics of canning in my 16th "Contributing Angel post" (Thank you  again to my friend Angel for allowing me to contribute to your amazing blog!)

Of course there will be an initial investment to purchase of the following canning supplies but they will last a lifetime (except for the lids - see below).  Often I have seen canning supplies at garage sales and they are sold for almost nothing or many times even free!

CANNING JAR SIZES

1.  Half Pint - 1 cup capacity.  Mostly used for jams and jellies. 
2.  Pint - 2 cup capacity.  Can be used for larger quantity jams and jellies but also used for salsas and relishes.
3.  Quart - 4 cup capacity.  Used for tomatoes, peaches, sauces, soups, juices.

Mason, Ball and Kerr are all good canning brand names.

There are also two different sizes of the jar top

1.  Regular

2.  Wide-Mouth



You will also need a large "Canner" or large stock pot used for sealing the jars after they have been filled with garden produce.  Above you will see two pictures:
"Water Bath Canner"  & a  "Pressure Canner"
 Most of the canning that I do is sealed in my "water bath Canner."

There are a few veggies/fruits that can only be pressure cooker canned - an example is green beans.



1.  Jar Lifter  - this handy utensil easily grips any scalding hot jar without any worries of burning yourself.  It is covered in rubber so you also don't have to worry about the jar slipping. 
2.  Canning Funnel - this funnel fits perfectly onto any regular or wide-mouth canning jar and allows you to pour whatever you are canning without wasting or spilling over the edge of the jar.  I prefer stainless steel but they are also available in plastic or aluminum.
3.  Rings - I reuse canning rings year after year - they end up lasting 5 - 10 years.  Throw away when you notice the inside of the ring getting rusty

4.  Lids - You MUST use a new lid everytime you are canning to ensure food safety.

5.  Magnetic Lid Remover - you can use a normal pair of cooking tongs but many times the lids will stick together and that never happens with this magnetic Lid Remover (it is also very inexpensive- only a couple of dollars).

Sterilizing Jars and Lids

Before filling your jars with whatever you are canning, the first thing to do is wash your jars in soapy water.  (My extra jars are stored in my garage so I always make sure that the dust, bugs and whatever else is washed off the jars). 

Next, boil your clean jars.  Some people only scald their jars before canning but I don't want to take any chances, so I boil my jars and lids for 5 minutes before canning.  (I always add a couple tablespoons of white vinegar to the boiling water - this helps keep the glass clear and this is also especially helpful if you have hard water).  Another way to sterilize your canning jars is to run them through the dishwasher and remove them just after the drying cycle when they are so hot that you can barely touch them.  I prefer using the boiling water method because you can do a few at a time and you don't have to wait the entire dishwashing cycle.

Then the jars are sterilized and they are ready for whatever produce you are canning.  I place the lids in the boiling water just before I begin filling the sterilized jars.  Once I have finished filling the jars then the lids are ready to be used.

"Raw Pack" vs "Hot Pack"

Now, here we are talking about "packing" our garden produce into Canning Jars and there are 2 different ways to do this.

1.  Raw Pack or Cold Pack is just what it sounds like it would be - placing your vegetables or fruits into your sterilized canning jars raw.  I want to be clear - these fruits & vegetables have been cleaned and any blemishes or wormy spots removed.  Examples of "raw pack canning" are pickles, green beans and whole tomatoes.

2.  Hot Pack is of course placing your garden produce into your sterilized canning jars after it has been cooked or lightly warmed (while it is still hot).  Now you are also able to "hot pack" pickles, green beans and whole tomatoes but I always do those 3 "raw pack."  Examples of only "hot pack" canning are: jams, jellies, tomato sauce and apple sauce.

There is a controversy as to whether "raw pack" is safe - I have been "raw packing" my pickles, green beans and whole tomatoes for decades and (thankfully) I have never had a problem.  But remember - even when "raw packing" there is always a boiling liquid brine that is poured over top of the cold vegetables/fruits.

Cleanliness is the key to safe canning!

ENJOY!!

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