Homestead

Monday, April 16, 2012

Spring Can Be Scary

I love warm weather. Spring and summer are my prime months.

I love the flowers and vegetables and warm weather and times with friends. When the weather is warm, you will find me spending all my spare time in the garden or at the beach!

Unfortunately, these are the times of severe storms that can wreak havoc on our carefully cultivated lives. Tornadoes, floods, and other disasters always come when we least expect it. For those in the Austin and Dallas area, The Steam Team is the number one choice to help you put the pieces back together after a disaster, especially water damage. They've been in business since 1983 and use their experience to strive for complete customer satisfaction. With service 24 hours a day and seven days a week, The Steam Team uses state-of-the-art methods and products to help restore and protect your property. They use the latest products, procedures, and equipment to assure the highest level of cleaning performance and protection for your property and furnishings. They use a six-step process that concludes with them monitoring the progress of the restoration.

In addition to water-removal services, The Steam Team also offers cleaning services for oriental rugs, tile floors, hardwood floors, leather, upholstey, air ducts, and drapery. They'll also treat your home for smoke and fire odors as well as pet odors. Another reason to hire The Steam Team is their commitment to the environment. They use the safest chemicals possible, and all of their products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and safe for pets and humans.

Do you have round rock water damage? Do you just need a little extra help? So whether you need help rescuing your home after a disaster or just help sweeping out the cobwebs during your spring cleaning, call The Steam Team to get that extra help you need.

(*This post is brought to you by your friends The Steam Team.)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Review and Giveaway with LorAnn Oils!

I'm particularly excited about today's review and giveaway, because it gave me the chance to try a product I was completely unfamiliar with: baking emulsions. I love to bake, but I've always used extracts in my creations....until now!

Meet LorAnn Oils.

This company out of Lansing, Michigan has been in the "oil" business since 1962. LorAnn was founded by O.K. Grettenberger, a pharmacist who began distributing essential oils (such as peppermint, lemon, clove, etc.) to pharmacies. Gradually expanding to consumers, LorAnn oils now offers a full line of baking products.

LorAnn's provides everything from baking emulsions to candy molds to ice cream flavors. Their selection is beyond extensive, and they also have an online recipe book!

For this review, I received LorAnn's Butter Vanilla Bakery Emulsion.

Confession time....I didn't know what an emulsion was. And I call myself a baker! In the off chance that you don't know either, an emulsion is a water-based flavor, unlike an extract, which is alcohol-based. This means you won't lose flavor due to evaporation while cooking. It also substitutes perfectly for an extract in measurement--one tsp. of extract equals one tsp. of emulsion.

I put vanilla extract in everything I bake, from cupcakes to muffins to pancakes, so I was curious and excited to try this product. I decided that the perfect theater in which to test the its performance would be a good ol' pound cake. I was first struck by the color and texture of the vanilla emulsion. It's nothing like the extract, which has a very thin consistency and is very dark. The emulsion was light and had a thick, slightly creamy texture.

I used the emulsion just as I would have an extract. The results were wonderful. I can honestly say the flavor of the emulsion seemed much more authentic than that of an extract. As I noted earlier, the flavor won't cook out when exposed to heat.

For this review, I also got to try LorAnn's natural peppermint oil. I've never used oils for flavor, so this was an exciting and new thing for me. I used it to flavor the icing for cupcakes, and they were delicious! Just a drop or two gave the freshest flavor, and I can't wait to try it in future creations.

The good folks at LorAnn Oils have offered to give one Till Death Do Us Part reader three of their amazing products: Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion, Lemon Bakery Emulsion, and as a bonus, a vial of natural Peppermint Oil.

Ready to win? Here's how!

To Enter:

(Please leave a separate comment for each entry.)

1. Be (or become) a follower of Till Death Do Us Part via GFC. (Mandatory)

2. Like LorAnn Oils on Facebook. (Mandatory)

3. Follow LorAnn Oils on Twitter

4. Like Till Death Do Us Part on Facebook.

5. Follow Till Death Do Us Part on Twitter.

6. Be (or become) a follower of Till Death Do Us Part via Linky Follow.

7. Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway.

8. Pin this giveaway via Pinterest.

Eight ways to win! This giveaway is open to residents 18 years or older in the continental U.S. All entries will be verified. Winner will have 48 hours after being noified to claim their prize before another winner is chosen. Giveaway will run until Wednesday, April 25 at 10 p.m. CST. Winner will be chosen via Random.org.

Good luck!

(*Author was supplied with free product for this review. All statements and opinions, however, are solely that of the author.)

Outdoor Furniture

The weather is warming, and I'm spending more and more time outside, whether it be for gardening or grilling and the like.

Outdoor furniture is essential to the summer experience. At the top of my wish list is
adirondack chairs. They're such a popular choice for outdoor furniture. They're so chic and stylish, and the ones from Terra Bound Solutions come in wood, teak, or 100% recycled plastic, which is my personal favorite, because it won't mold, rot, and splinter! These chairs come in dining, bar stool, and love-seat style. And they're available in kid's sizes as well!

I also love the idea of picnic tables. What's more summery than a picnic? They are so versatile and are great choices for parks, backyards, playgrounds, churches, and schools, just to name a few. Terra Bound Solutions offers tables in a variety of materials such as wood, recycled, aluminum, and even concrete! They also make picnic tables that are wheelchair accessible.

And last but not least, park benches. My neighbors have a park bench in their yard, and it's just so charming! Although I like a more traditional look, Terra Bound Solutions has a wide variety of styles and sizes as well as materials, such as aluminum, wood, or concrete. These can be mounted into the ground for added stability. They also supply steel benches for locker rooms!

What are you waiting for....get outside!

(*This post bought to you by your friends at Terra Bound Solutions.)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Winner of the Giveaway with Kami's Beauxtique!

Thanks so much to all those who entered the Kami's Beauxtique giveaway! The winner, chosen via Random.org, is Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy! Congrats!

Stay tuned for another giveaway starting tomorrow from Jonathan's Spoons!

Dreaming of Vessel Sinks

There are several things on my dream-bathroom wish list: a window (I've never had a bathroom with a window!), real tile (never been lucky enough to have that either!), a whirlpool tub (or that!), and my most recent addition to the list--a vessel sink! Since I obviously come from a long line of ordinary bathrooms, I am new to the world of vessel sinks. They are so stylish and unique and can add so much charm to a bathroom. One thing that's so appealing to me about vessel sinks is the variety--they come in glass, copper, or stone and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. What a unique touch!

Bathroom Vessel Sinks has a huge selection of these sinks, and they also offer free shipping on orders over $199, no sales tax, and a staff of experts to help you purchase the right product for your home. My favorite sinks they have to offer would definitely be the colored glass sinks as well as those made of porcelain and marble. I love traditional elements used in modern ways.

Are any of you lucky enough to have a vessel sink? Which one would you choose?

(*This post brought to you by your friends at Bathroomvesselsinks.com.)

Spring Renewal

In spring, when everything is being renewed, I get the urge to do many things--clean, garden, cook, organize, and most of all, redecorate my home! If the outside world is being renewed, why not my house as well? With a world of products available at my fingertips online, I've been dreaming of everything from new sinks to dining room chairs to throw pillows to chandeliers.

Become.com is my friend in this situation. It's a fantastic product-search website that searches millions of sites for relevant results and allows you to comparison shop and save products--all in one convenient site! A few great kitchen remodel products I've found on Become are these 14 inch vessel sinks and a product that makes my heart skip a beat--a 10-inch deep kitchen sink! I could get a lot done with a sink like that! I'm also loving the idea of upgrading to a nice new 12 light brass chandelier to bring some light into my somewhat-dim kitchen and dining area. How elegant and charming would that be!

Check out this site and start searching! What upgrades are you dreaming of this spring?