You're Gonna Love It - Week 14

First, I want to thank you all for your

prayers for my city and state.

Although we weren't directly affected by the horrible

shootings, it still made us very sad and angry.

As I told some of you,

your prayers will surely

help us all to heal.

 

Unbelievably  July is almost over!

August will be pretty exciting around here.

First, my youngest son and his beautiful

girlfriend will be delivering my handsome

new grandson in August!!!

 (aren't they so cute!?)

 You can be sure, I will be sharing 

many pictures of Joshua!

Next, I will be getting a big

makeover here at the ole blog.

With my one year blogiversary in August

I decided things around here
needed some freshening up.
I plan for the new look to go live
starting on August 1st
and so things could be
a bit wonky here for a few days.

Be sure to keep an eye out for her new 'do!

And finally, as I stated,

my one year blogiversary is August 24th

and I am in the process of setting

up a big giveaway to celebrate!

I'm thinking of making it a week long event,

cuz, well, you know I like to party!

 And, speaking of which,

what say we get this weeks party started?!

The most viewed post last week

was a newcomer to the party and to blogging too by the looks of it!

Welcome Veronica and Daniel

from 

Adventures of D and V

(speaking of cute couples!)

and their post showing

A Better Way To Cut Watermelon

Grab an "I've Been Featured button", you cutie patooties -->

Now I want everyone,

to put on your party hats

and grab your red solo cups

cuz the 

You're Gonna Love It Party - Week 14

starts right NOW!

  Feel free to link up anything you created, baked, mashed,

 decorated, wrote, photographed, discovered etc.!
Anything you are just so proud of
you must share it with others!

As always, I don't require that you
be a follower
in order to link up.
 I want you to follow
Kathe With An E
because you want to.
Not because it is required.

Ohh and you can now follow me

on Facebook (Kathe With An E) 

and Twitter (@kathewithane123) too!

(Of course if you do decide to follow,
either with GFC or the newer Linky Followers,
you will be able to see on your dashboard

  exactly when the party starts each week
and, let's be honest,
you will make me smile and
I love to smile!)

As always,  I will ask that you think
about disabling your word verification too.
It makes it difficult to leave a

comment and some

bloggers, when they see 

you have it, won't bother to leave a comment.

Don't know if your blog requires word verification 

or how to remove  it?

 My blog buddy Shannon over at

Fox Hollow Cottage

wrote this great post on

how to remove word verification from your blog

And I have a new one!

I get so many

lovely comments from you all

that I can't reply to because

you are a no-reply comment blogger!

That makes me sad because, no matter

how busy life gets, I ALWAYS reply

to every single comment you leave. 

 

I would also love it if you would link back
in some way
so that others come and party with us. 

 Either grab the party button
or add my blog link
to your post or on your

 blog party page.
But again, it's not required. 

Only one real rule:

  I do ask that you
please DO NOT link up

  Giveaways, anything for sale,or Etsy shops.
Save those for the party on the first Tuesday each month.

Link to your specific post URL, not your main blog URL.
And don't forget to come back and mingle

with the other linkers!
Let them know you met them at
the party here.
That's it!

Link up buttercups!

This week’s party is sponsored by:

Did you know that you can earn money blogging

about brands you love?

Click on the image above to learn, and earn, more

My First Cloche Encounter

I was soooo excited when Marty at

A Stroll Thru Life

announced her Summer Cloche Party!

I have been sitting on the

sidelines ogling at all of the

lovely cloche displays for several years now.

Before I even began blogging!

A while back, gosh maybe a year ago, I found the

perfect cloche at the thrift store!

 I paid a whopping $1.00 for it!

I then had to come up with

how I wanted to decorate it.

It sat just there taunting me

to come up with SOMETHING!

I went through most of my bins in

the basement and I think

I finally came up with a

cute and fun display to share.

I have it set on a thrifted silverplate tray

and added a wine glass from the Dollar Tree

and a glass grape cluster from Michael's

A chunk of faux cheese,

another cluster of grapes

and a small bottle of wine

sit inside the cloche.

I am loving the little display

under glass on my buffet!

It's like my own little

personal wine party!

Now head on over to Marty's 

on Tuesday July 24th

and check out all of the amazingly creative

cloche decor!

Click here to see where I may be partying this week.

And don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

AstroBrights Papers #goastrobrights

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I am always trying to be more crafty.  I am also planning to redo our smal powder room and even smaller laundry and want something unique and colorful. Then I heard about AstroBrights paper!  I love this paper for a number of reasons, one being,  AstroBrights papers come in 23 bright colors!

I checked them out and I love the quality of the papers. What's nice too is that you can purchase a pack with a variety of colors, or choose just one color that will make a statement.

I can see using the AstroBrights papers for backgrounds in frames for art pieces as I go about redecorating our powder room and laundry room!
And, right now, you can support your local elementary school by entering the "Give a Brighter Year" sweepstakes.  You can win a cash prize plus school supplies valued at $30,000 for the school of your choice!
You can also participate in the family-friendly "Make Something Astrobright" design challenges.  There are four contest entry periods that you can particpate in:

Challenge 1: July 16th – July 29th

Challenge 2: July 30th – August 12th
Challenge 3: August 13th – August 26th
Challenge 4: August 27th – September 9th
Can you find a craft project on Pinterest or a DIY site and make it better using Astrobrights Paper?  Try it and maybe you could win! To enter, visit Astrobrights Facebook page and go to the Contest tab.  Make a unique project using the guidelines for the week and then submit an original photo of your artwork.  You could win a Visa Gift Card!

July Sponsor Love

It's that time again for me to spotlight one of my fantastic sponsors!

 

 Appliance Online

Appliances Online is the UK's Largest Online Kitchen Appliance Retailer

I love a company that offers a no fuss 10-day return guarantee,

price matching and FREE next day delivery,

7 days a week!

For a small charge they will even haul away 

your old appliances!

And they recycle!

They carry a full line of name brands such as

Bosch

Hotpoint

Whirlpool

Everything from fridges to freezers to ranges and cooker hoods.

 Appliances Online carries a full line of beautiful cooker hoods

Check out the top five cooker hoods here 

No matter what kind of ventilation you’re after, you’re going to want great performance as well as some good looks.

Since your new cooker hood is going to be taking center stage in your kitchen, it needs to complement your existing space as well as providing all the ventilation you need. Check out all of the cooker hoods here.

I am proud to have Appliances Online as a sponsor because the really do care care that you are happy with what you buy and that they want to amaze you with their service!

If you live in the UK and are in need of

a new appliance, I encourage you

to check out

 

 Appliances Online

 If you are interested in advertising with Kathe With An E, I'd love to hear from you. 

Click on the advertising tab at the top or email me  for more information!

Too Close To Home

I'm asking all of my friends here

to please say a prayer

to all of those killed and injured last night 

and, for their families.

 I usually avoid giving specifics

of where in Colorado I live

but, this is my hometown.

We live less than 2 miles away

from where this horrific tragedy took place.

The survivors were taken to

the high school I graduated from.

It's just too close to home.

I love Aurora.

I moved here with my family over 

40 years ago.

It is where my sons grew up.

 It truly is our home.

My hope is that this incident

does not cast an unkind light

on our fine city.

Again, prayers please.

Thrifted Bedside Table

A few weeks ago,

I think it was July 4th,

Mr. B & I were taking it easy,

as we are want to do,

when Mr. B asked if I want to

got to ARC.

ARC is a Colorado based

thrift store chain.

Did I want to go??

Hello? 

YES, I wanted to go!

He was on a mission to find

some widget he needed for something

(I really wasn't paying much attention...sorry Mr. B).

I had no mission.

I just wanted to wander the aisles to see if

anything caught my eye.

Luck would have it,

it was also

50% off most colored tag day.

You know me,

I live for those sale days!

I moseyed around while he went off

to find, gosh, I don't know what it was.

None of the dishes or textiles

called to me.

It appeared I might actually leave empty handed.

Mr. B joined me, having not found

whatever gadgety thing

he was looking for.

This trip was looking like a total bust!

We decided to walked to the back
to where they keep the furniture.

We saw a few interesting pieces and then,

I saw this!

I had been wanting a little table

for my side of the bed.

Something to hold a lamp, my iPad and my iPhone.

I had been using one of those

round MDF tables with 3 legs with a

cloth over it.

Functional but not really my style.

I dreamed of something nicer.

Something just as perfect as THIS!

I looked her over real closely.

I wanted something sturdy yet, feminine.

She (yes she is a she) is all wood.

No MDF or fiber board.

I wasn't familiar with the manufacturer

but my research shows she is a good piece.

Look at her jewelry!

Oh she has some nicks, laugh lines if you will

 but, no major damage.

And best of all,

she had a blue colored tag!

Yes!  I only paid $7.50 for her!

We brought to her forever home

(is that something only said about pets? No, I think

it applies to unloved furniture too!)

and I immediately set her next to our bed.

Oh I just love her.

I do plan to give her new clothes.

My inspiration comes from

a guest post one of my favorite bloggers

Centsational Girl

did over at one of my daily blog reads

The Art of Doing Stuff

 

Here's where I need your advice.

I plan to try my hand at chalk paint.

I was thinking I may sand and 

stain the top a walnut finish

and do a vintage white on the rest of her.

What do you think?

She is truly one of my very favorite

thrift finds!

I think I shall name her 

Veronica!

Click here to see where else I may be partying this week.

And don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

You're Gonna Love It - Week 13

Before we get our party on, 

my 1 year blog anniversary is next month, 

and I  need some help from YOU. 

I would love to celebrate by offering a BIG Giveaway!!! 

If you are interested or, know someone that might be interested, 
in sponsoring or donating to this BIG giveaway, 

please e-mail me at 

kathewithane(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Well Now,
Happy Tuesday!!

Once again you guys all brought 

your A game!

Each new addition to the party 

had me shoving my iPad

in Mr. B's face exclaiming

"Look at this one!"

Recipes, crafts, gardens, decor!

I loved every single one of them!

 Thank you all again for

making this, your party,

one of the best in the blogisphere!

And speaking of bringing their A Game,

the most viewed link was

again from Pam at

Virginia Retro 

Pam shared her "Hot" yard sale finds

which included this I Love Lucy
salt & pepper set that she scored for...

$1.00!

Had I been there, there would have been some

serious arm wrestling going on!
Pam go ahead and grab an
I Been Featured button -->

  On to week13!

Feel free to link up anything you created, baked, mashed,
 decorated, wrote, photographed, discovered etc.!
Anything you are just so proud of
you must share it with others!

As always, I don't require that you
be a follower
in order to link up.
 I want you to follow
Kathe With An E
because you want to.
Not because it is required

(Of course if you do decide to follow,
either with GFC or the newer Linky Followers,
you will be able to see on your dashboard just

 when the party has begun each week
and, let's be honest,
you will make me smile and
I love to smile!)

As always,  I will ask that you think
about disabling your word verification too.  
It makes it difficult to leave a

comment and some

bloggers, when they see 

you have it, won't bother to leave a comment.

Don't know if your blog requires word verification 

or how to remove  it?

 My blog buddy Shannon over at

Fox Hollow Cottage

wrote this great post on

how to remove word verification from your blog

I would also love it if you would link back
in some way
so that others come and party with us. 

 Either grab the party button
or add my blog link
to your post or on your

 blog party page.
But again, it's not required. 

Only one real rule:

  I do ask that you
please DO NOT link up

 anything for sale, Giveaways or etsy shops.
Save those for the party on the first Tuesday each month.

Link to your specific post URL, not your main blog URL.
And don't forget to come back and visit
the other links!
Let them know you met them at
the party here...oh and...

  The party starts now!

This week’s party is sponsored by:

Did you know that you can earn money blogging

about brands you love?

Click on the image above to learn, and earn, more

Coconut-Maple-Bacon Cupcakes

You may remember a few weeks ago

I shared in this post how I fell in love in LOVE
with the maple bacon cupcake!
I decided to do my spin on it for the challenge.

Here are my ingredients

You know I'm all about semi-homemade!

I started by taking about a half cup 
of sweetened coconut and spreading it on a small baking sheet.

 I place it under the broiler for about 2 minutes.
I am here to help so, 
don't go off to throw a load of 
laundry into the dryer while this is cooking.
It toasts up 
QUICK, seriously QUICK!

 Here is the second batch of coconut all nice and toastedy.

Next, I prepared the cake batter per the instructions on the 
back of the box using just egg whites.
I added one and a half teaspoon of maple flavoring to the batter.

I then coarsely chopped up 5 slices of cooked bacon.
You can, and I should have, use more if you'd like.
Add to the batter making sure it is all nicely distributed.

For the first batch I filled the cupcake cups
and then put some of the toasted coconut on top.

For the second batch I just put it right in the batter.
I liked them much better with the coconut in the batter.

I had preheated the oven to 350.
After placing the cupcakes in the oven, I dropped 
the temperature down to 325 and baked for 20 minutes.
They came out perfect!

For the frosting I followed this recipe from Karlynn from
The Kitchen Magpie
My favorite icing is buttercream and when she says
hers is the best, I just gotta agree!
Sure, I could have gone with a tub of frosting but,
I don't like the artificial taste of tubbed frosting 
so, I went for homemade!

 Now, you real bakers out there may already know of this 
little magic bottle of sweetness but, it was new to me!
The Denver Cupcake Truck uses it on their cupcakes
and it makes a cupcake a CUPCAKE!
Plus, they are sparkly and I like sparkly things.

I frosted, added the shimmer gems and more of the toasted coconut
and topped them with a sliver of bacon.

How cute do they look on one of my candlewick dessert plates
placed on one of the candlesticks I scored on my big thrifting day?

So, how do they taste?
Let's just say that,
I no longer have to hunt down
the Denver Cupcake Truck!
Or, pay big bucks for a fancy cupcake!

Mr. B thought they were BETTER
than the Cupcake Truck!!
So, even if I don't win the challenge,
I scored big points at home!
He said that the addition of the coconut took them 
right over the top!

So, there you have it, my gourmet, semi-homemade
Coconut, Maple Bacon Cupcakes.

I hope you give them a try yourself cuz I know,
You're Gonna Love It!

   Click here to see where else I may be partying this week.

And don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

SAVE with the San Antonio Vacation Experience!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAVE for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mr. & B & I love to travel to new places. And, we like to try to take in all the local sights, inexpensively mind you. I was overjoyed to find out about the SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience.  Neither of us has been to the state of Texas but I have heard how beautiful San Antonio is. Known as one of the nation’s most affordable vacation destinations, San Antonio is making visitors’ summer getaway even more value packed with SAVE. With more than $600 in savings to theme parks, animal adventures, top shops and historic tours, plus great deals on hotels, summer is the time to SAVE in San Antonio!

SAVE  Hotel partners include: Grand Hyatt San Antonio, Hyatt Regency San Antonio on the Riverwalk, San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk Hotel, Hilton Palacio del Rio, The Westin Riverwalk San Antonio and many more!

SAVE  attraction partners include SeaWorld, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Schlitterbahn, Splashtown, Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, San Antonio Botanical Garden, & more!

Check out just a few of the Theme Park Thrills you can SAVE on:
Brimming with adventure, San Antonio is home to theme parks SeaWorld San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Morgan’s Wonderland.  SAVE discounts include deals on family-four packs, second day free, $10 off admission and more.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas features over 50 rides and attractions, including eight roller coasters.  SAVE discounts include adults pay kids price, buy an adult ticket and get a child’s free, next day free and more.

Water Fun
Schlitterbahn  Check out The Falls, the world’s longest waterpark ride at 3,600 feet of continuous rapids. SAVE discount is up to $10.

San Antonio’s Splashtown is a perennial favorite, with over 50 rides and attractions, concerts, and “Dive In Movie” nights for families. SAVE discount is up to $42.

Outdoor Adventure

• The San Antonio Zoo’s exhibit Africa Live! has exotic exhibits and even an African street market.  SAVE discount is $2 off admission.

• Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch has animals from all over the world: zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, rhinos and more. The SAVE discount is $2 off admission

• San Antonio Botanical Garden offers acres of lush vegetation. . The SAVE discount is $1 off admission.

If I were to plan our vacation to San Antonio, I would be all about saving on attractions! The SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience program really helps us cut down on costs!  I would first figure out when I was going and then look at all the hotels in the SAVE program and see which one in the best deal!  

We would want to get a lay of the land, so how much fun would a Trolley ride from the Alamo be?? Plus, we would be saving $2 a person!  We both love zoos, so the San Antonio Zoo would be a perfect fit too.  We have amusement parks here in Denver, but not a Sea World, so it would be a must to see the shows and the aquatic annimals!  It's not very often does one see a whale!  Plus we get to save money while doing so!  Winner!

There are so many things to do and see, it is so hard to decide what would be on our  wish list!  We both love history too, so the Institute of Texan Cultures and The Buckhorn Museum & The Texas Ranger Museum would have to be on our list!

This is just a sampling of what SAVE has to offer. We can begin planning our next vacation and SAVE now at SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience.  You can also download the mobile app by searching for SAVE in San Antonio. And be sure to follow them on Twitter - @SAVEinSA to keep up on the latest deals! You don't miss out on their  Limited Time Offers!