Hashbrown Casserole
Mom’s Famous Hash Brown Casserole
Whenever there is a family event, people come to expect Mom to bring this dish. My husband is always asking her to make it, and I’m sure, if left to his own devices, he could eat the entire pan!
It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s delicious!
Hash Brown Casserole
In a big bowl, mix
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cups of Grated Cheese
Chopped onion
1 Bag of Frozen Hashbrowns
Spray a 9×13 pan
Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.
Melt ½ Cup Butter in the microwave.
Add 1 Cup of Cornflakes.
Mix.
Spread over the top of the mixture in the pan.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Make often! There will be no leftovers!
Balloon Tennis
Balloon Tennis
Are the kids going stir crazy inside on a rainy or stormy day?
Or need a new came to take out in the yard?
Try balloon tennis!
This game started in our living room and has become an instant favourite with the neighbourhood kids.
We start by moving the couch to the middle of the room. This becomes our net.
We then went to the dollar store and bought 4 fly swatters. Give each player a fly swatter. We like playing 2-on-2.
Then, use a balloon as your ball.
It’s that easy, and the kids have that much fun!
Count the number of times you can get back and forth before it hits the floor, or keep score like in volleyball!
No matter what, it’s a great way to have family fun!
Old Orchard Inn Sunday Brunch
Old Orchard Inn Sunday Brunch
**Disclosure: I received a complimentary meal in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are my own. However, if you try it for yourself, rest assured you will have the same opinions!**
“That was so utterly fantastic, I cannot recommend it enough!”
My husband cannot stop raving about the Sunday Brunch at the Old Orchard Inn.
Our plan to go to the Old Orchard Inn for brunch started a year ago.
Last year, we had an etiquette party for the boys and their friends.
Read about Etiquette 101 for kids
The kids (not to mention the adults, too) learned all the proper table manners. As a reward for keeping up with their manners, their instructor, Nicole, suggested that we take them somewhere really nice to put these new behaviours into practice.
The Old Orchard Inn’s Sunday Brunch was our immediate thought!
After a year of not getting around to doing it, we finally decided to put them to the test. And our family headed to the Old Orchard Inn for Sunday Brunch.
I had often hear about this amazing brunch buffet, but had never gone before. And, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take the kids or not.
When arrived at the Inn. We barely got through the main doors when the boys were distracted by all the amazing things on the walls – especially the bison heads! They kept going back over and over again to have a look!
As we walked into the room, I could immediately see that this was a family-friendly restaurant. There were many families there with children who were infants, toddlers, up to teenagers. Having our boys (7 and 8) here was NOT going to be a problem. That immediately set us at ease.
Our carload arrived first. Daniel wanted to immediately start loading up his plate. However, I reminded him that it was polite until everyone in our party arrived.
“Mom, this is just torture seeing all of this amazing food and having to wait.” He kept repeating this until everyone arrived and he could dig in.
This Sunday brunch buffet really is a paradise for kids. I know my kids love and will willingly eat without complaint breakfast food. To have all of it spread before them, for them to eat as much as they wanted, was heaven!
“My goal is to have a 15 metre high pile of bacon,” said Daniel. The boy loves his bacon and couldn’t wait to dig in.
Absolutely everything on the buffet was delicious. The flavours, the variety – everything.
“The only problem is,” said my husband, “I know I have a limited amount I can eat. Do I go back for the things I really loved, or do I try the rest of the things, which I know are going to be equally as delicious?”
Such are the problems of life.
Daniel had the same problem. At one point, he looked at his plate and looked so sad.
“I know I’m going to be full after this, and there are so many good things I want to try!”
I think this just means we are going to have to come back!
We are already planning who we will invite with us next time, and how much they will enjoy it!
After brunch, while the adults were finishing up, the boys went out on the balcony to enjoy the view and the sun.
It was an all-round perfect morning, and Daniel said it was the best weekend he’s had in a very long time, and that this meal was his highlight.
Two big thumbs up from the boys, not to mention from the adults!
Great value for the cost, delicious food, nice atmosphere, and kid-friendly all round!
Details about the Sunday Brunch
• Dates: From Thanksgiving till Father’s Day
• Time: 11:00am – 1:30pm
• Price: $21.95
• Holidays and special occasions: $25.95
• Reservations Recommended: (902)542-5751
More information
The price above is for adults. Although not listed on the website, children 5-12 are half price. Children under 5 are free.
You really should make a reservation before you go. Especially on special occasions. Phone or book online.
Plus if you book in advance, you will have a greater chance at being seated in front of the window with the incredible view of Blomidon!
Overall, the Sunday Brunch at the Old Orchard Inn is definitely worth checking out.
It was a safe place for kids to try out their manners – and they did a great job and we were so proud of them!
However, we couldn’t resist getting a few sillies out!
We can’t wait to go back!
Release Wrinkles with Downy Wrinkle Releaser
Downy Wrinkle Releaser
*Disclosure: I received a sample of this product. I am so glad I did, because it means I really never have to iron again!*
“Mommy, what is that thing?”
My son was referring to the iron that was sitting on the kitchen table.
It is no secret that I HATE ironing.
It’s one of the worst household chores, EVER.
Needless to say, my kids had never seen me iron before, and didn’t know what an iron looked like!
When my grandmother was alive, she’d come over and iron my husband’s work shirts.
Annually, at a local charity auction I buy a certificate from a woman to iron all of his shirts.
Otherwise, I hang them up wrinkled, and hope no one notices!
I will do anything to avoid doing ironing.
This is why I was so curious to try the Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus.
I was a bit of a skeptic. A product that means I don’t need to iron any more? NO WAY!
I found a shirt in a pile in my room that I had been avoiding wearing because it was so wrinkly.
I followed the simple directions on the back: spray, tug and hang.
As you can see, in 20 seconds, my shirt is wrinkle free! I am a convert!
No more excuses! I will never need to iron again!
Thank you Downy!
Here’s what the website says:
Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus is an easy-to-use wrinkle spray that reduces wrinkles and helps keep your clothes looking neat without the hassle of ironing. But it can do so much more:
• Wrinkle Spray
• Odor Eliminator
• Fabric Refresher
• Static Remover
• Ironing Aid
• Wrinkle Remover
• Great for Travel
• Try it on curtains, tablecloths, sheets, pillowcases and more
Visit them here:
Website
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
WIN with the Epic Baby Shower!
Boogie Wipes, Dreft and Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus are hosing an Epic Baby Shower all month long! Instagram challenges a Pinterest party and a HUGE giveaway! Click here to learn more and to enter to win!
How to Organize a Community Clean Up
How to Plan a Cleanup in Nova Scotia
Now that the snow is almost all gone, we see what has been left behind – the mounds of garbage (not to mention dog poop!)
Why not organize a spring cleanup with your organization, neighbourhood or family?
I am in the process of organizing one for our community and learned some interesting tips that I thought I would pass along.
Clean Nova Scotia has the Great Pick-Me-Up Program
The Great Nova Scotia Pick-Me-Up is Nova Scotia’s biggest volunteer-driven community clean-up program, promoting litter clean-ups across the province.
In 2014, over 18,000 people participated in nearly 300 clean-ups. They filled up around 7,000 garbage bags and almost 700 recycling bags.
Litter is an eyesore, poses health risks, affects water quality, and is often mistaken as food for wildlife.
Studies show that litter begets litter, meaning people tend to litter in areas where there is already garbage on the ground.
If you are planning a group clean up, register yours through Clean Nova Scotia.
Go online and fill out the date, time and location of your event. Then, you will receive a package in the mail. In fact, mine arrived 2 days later!
Inside were garbage and recycling bags, a t-shirt, posters, and a handbook about conducting a cleanup, and the necessary safety precautions.
Included is a data sheet, so when you are finished collecting, you can fill out what kind of garbage you collected, and return this to Clean Nova Scotia for their statistics.
Then, what do you do about the garbage?
I contacted Valley Waste (who told me about the Clean Nova Scotia Program) and told me that if groups are conducting a waste pick up, there are few things that they can do with the garbage.
In the past when we’ve done it, we’ve put it out with our regular garbage collection. However, if you have more than that, contact Valley Waste directly.
For General Inquiries: info@vwrm.com
Tel: 679-1325 Toll-free: 1-877-927-8300
I was told that Valley Waste can either pick-up the materials when you are done or they can send you a letter that you can present to the scale house and get the tipping fees waived.
Please note! If you do want the tipping fee exemption, you need to give Valley Waste a week or so notice advance so that they can make the arrangements.
So, grab a pair of gloves and some friends and make a difference in your community. No excuses!
Select your Specs with SelectSpecs
See better with Select Specs
**Disclosure: we received a free pair of glasses in exchange for this open and honest review**
When I was approached by SelectSpecs to review to try out their glasses, I could clearly see that this would be a great campaign to get involved with.
However, being cursed with perfect vision, I consulted my sister (who is not quite as perfect as me) to bring her on board as my guest blogger.
Here’s what she had to say about SelectSpecs.
My Mission:
Find a pair of red frames – fun, but not too funky that I couldn’t wear them every day.
SELECTION:
SelectSpecs has a HUGE selection. There were over 7000 styles to choose from for ladies glasses, and about the same in styles for men.
Many are indicated as suitable for children or for people with narrow faces. But with that many glasses to choose from, it was crucial that the website’s search tools would help me focus in on the ones I wanted.
This is where SelectSpecs gets a gold star from me!
You could select glasses based on style (e.g. Aviator, cat eye, rimless…), material (bamboo, plastic, titanium…) lens type, colour, price, and size. Using these options, it took me about three clicks to find a nice pair of red frames that I liked.
Most of the glasses have comments from other wearers, and are worth a browse when selecting a pair.
There is an enormous range in prices for glasses on this site. If you are just looking for a cheap spare pair, there are many for less than $20.
And then there are the “Luxury Brands”. I saw some Porsche brand glasses on there for about $6000. So, yes, there is something for everyone.
There are some really nice options here for kids. You wouldn’t mind buying your kid a couple of pairs from SelectSpecs just in case one (or two) gets lost or broken.
FIT:
But when you are shopping online for glasses, how do you know if they will fit or not? This is where it helps to have an old pair of frames that fit. On the inside of the frame there usually are a few numbers stamped. One number will refer to the length of the arm (mine is 135mm), one is the width of the bridge (mine is 15mm) and the other is the width of a lens (mine is 50mm).
You want these numbers on your new glasses to be pretty close to what you already have so they will fit nicely on your face. If these numbers aren’t on your old frames, the website’s size guide will show you how you can measure to get a rough idea.
One thing that I wish this site had is a try-on function. I have used this on other online glasses shops, and it allows you to upload a photo of yourself to see how the glasses would look on your face.
ORDERING:
So with the first step of choosing my glasses complete, off I raced to the checkout.
The first step is to choose the kind of lenses you need: Single vision, bifocal, progressive, etc.
If you don’t know what all the different kinds are, they have good descriptions to help you choose, or they offer you a chance to contact them with your prescription to verify before you finalize your order.
I needed my glasses for computer work so I chose Intermediate Single Vision lenses. Then you can choose the thickness/ durability of the lenses. The nice thing is that standard lenses are free!
If you need thinner lenses or some for high impact situations, you can get those as well, for a minimal extra cost. AND you get free coatings whichever lenses you choose, depending on the rims and prescription: “This includes a UV coating, scratch resistance, anti-reflection, anti-smudge, and water & dust repellent treatments.”
You can get tinted lenses, polarized lenses, photo chromatic lessees and a ton of other kinds that I have never heard of. I was VERY impressed by the huge range of options available.
At some point in the process, they will ask you for your prescription. You can get yours by contacting your eye doctor and requesting it. It is very straightforward, and SelectSpecs offers to help you with this step if you are at all confused.
I love how supportive they are with lots of opportunities to contact them: there is a phone number and email link on the top of every ordering page just in case you need help.
I decided to test out the customer service and emailed them with a question about my prescription. This was on a Friday afternoon (Friday night GMT where SelectSpecs is based). I immediately received an automatic response to say that their email volume was high, but they would respond to me as soon as possible. I got my answer (a lovely personal email) on Wednesday.
So I ordered my glasses on March 6th, and they were shipped (from the UK) on March 20th. They finally arrived in my mailbox (with a free case, cloth and cleaner) on April 14th. A little more than five weeks for a new pair of glasses! I have ordered glasses from other companies in the past and had them within two weeks, but still, at these prices, I can certainly wait five weeks.
So here’s my view on SelectSpecs:
HOORAY!
• HUGE selection,
• Fantastic prices and options!
• Friendly, helpful customer service
MEH:
• Lacks try-on view for glasses
• A little bit slow to deliver compared to other companies
AS I SEE IT:
For price and selection, you really can’t beat SelectSpecs. You’ll probably end up paying an eye and a leg for glasses at many optical places, so I would encourage any glasses wearer to give them a try.
If you are feeling nervous about the whole buying-glasses-online thing, there are tons that are really cheap. You can order a cheap pair, try some different options and coatings and tints, see if they fit you, and then later on, order a second pair of more expensive glasses with the features you like.
What do you think of my new look?
