Wilton Tent Sale 2012

This year's Wilton Tent Sale starts in one week. As my regular readers know, this event is like a mini-version of Christmas for me.   I just can't wait to get my hands on all that great, discounted cake/candy/crafting stuff!

For those not familiar with the company, Wilton is famous for their cake-decorating and candy-making supplies.  But did you also know they are the makers of all things Copco, the Mario Batali Italian Kitchen line, EK Success products and....MARTHA STEWART CRAFTS?!!!

And during their once-a-year Tent Sale in Woodridge, Illinois, many of the items they make are sold at a substantial discount.  While the selection varies from year to year (some years there have been more craft items, some years it's more about the cake decorating supplies), all items are 40-75% off regular retail prices. 

Here's what I bought in:  2011, 2010 and 2009.  Substantial hauls, each and every one! This year, I'm on the hunt for all things pirate, since that will be the theme for Little Guy's 5th birthday.  These pirate cupcake liners and candy picks are on my "must have" list:

The Tent Sale runs from June 1-19.  On June 1, the sale is open 1-8pm.  After that, it is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 6pm.  Read all about the Tent Sale here.

My plan is to be there on June 3.  See you there!

We Grow Dreams

Last year I heard (can't remember how) about a great greenhouse/nursery in the Western Suburbs whose mission was to give folks with developmental disabilities training and work experience while providing high-quality plants and seedlings to the public.  I was intrigued, but never had the time to go.  Finally, this spring I made it there.

We Grow Dreams is a great source for beautiful flowers and vegetable seedlings.  I took the kids on Mother's Day, and purchased some eggplant, summer squash and winter squash seedlings for the vegetable garden.

We had a great time wandering in and out of the greenhouses admiring all the plants. 

In an unrelated note: thanks for the Thing 2 shirt, Shannon!

The good folks at We Grow Dreams have an extensive aquaponic vegetable garden. 

Of course, while I was marveling at the entire system, Little Guy and Little Miss were fascinated with the fish...

...which the folks at WGD were kind enough to let them feed.  It made their day!

If you are in the western suburbs, be sure to check out We Grow Dreams in West Chicago.  Happy shopping!

***Disclaimer: We Grow Dreams has no idea who I am. But I was VERY impressed with their seedlings, and their mission, and I just had to share this organization with you!

Manda Monday--Now at Wheaton Park District!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I'm thrilled to announce that in addition to my summer classes at Waubonsee Community College, I'm now also at Wheaton Park District! I hope you can join me for one, or all, of my classes there.

Coupon Royalty

Coupon queens (and kings!) are able to cut their grocery and drug store bills in half and obtain products for free, and so can you! Become “coupon royalty” by making coupons work for you.   Learn the rules for spotting the best deals in stores; pairing coupons with sales, rebates, and customer loyalty programs; and using the best coupon web sites. Join Coupon Princess Amanda Grant (that's me!) in pursuit of the perfect balance of efficient and ethical couponing techniques.

Mondays, June 11-25, 7-8:30pm, Cost: $31 for residents, $39 for non-residents


The Ultimate Roadtrip: How to Survive (and enjoy!) a Family Vacation

Summer vacations are a great time to create memories with your family.  Make sure those memories are happy ones with surefire strategies that make “getting there” half the fun! Learn fun games suitable for all ages, techniques to get the best behavior from your travel buddies, and ways for each family member to participate in decision-making.   Tips for travelling on a budget with kids are included.  Happy travels!

Tuesday, June 12, 7-9pm, Cost: $29 for residents, $36 for non-residents

Saved by the Bell: Getting Your Family Organized in Time for School

The school bell will ring in a few weeks…is your family ready to make the transition from summer fun to school readiness? Start the process now with tips and techniques to get your family organized including:  strategies for getting ready for school the night before, how to get kids to complete housework and homework with minimal complaint, creating routines that get your family out of the door on time in the morning, and ideas for a family communication station to handle permission slips, sports schedules, family events and more. Make the transition from summer fun to school adventures a happy and calm one for your family.   

Thursday, July 12, 7-9pm, Cost: $29 for residents, $36 for non-residents

For more information, or to register, go here.  I hope to see you this summer!

Desserts for BUNCO

I play BUNCO once a month with a lovely, and sometimes rowdy, group of ladies. We each bring a dish and eat/gab for an hour or so before we start playing. It should come as no surprise to you that 90% of the time, I bring a dessert.

For April BUNCO, I made this amazing Cookie Dough Dip from Add a Pinch (her photo, not mine):

I don't have any photos of my version because every time I went to take a picture, I ended up eating some.  It was so rich and so, so good!  If you need a quick dessert to take to a potluck or summer outing, then this is it!  I served my cookie dip with plain animal crackers, chocolate animal crackers and graham crackers.  I liked it on graham crackers the best, but let's be clear: the cookie is just the delivery device for the dip. The dip is the star here!

Then, for May BUNCO, I made Pioneer Woman's Knock You Naked Brownies (again, her picture, not mine):

These brownies start with a boxed cake mix and turn into something so much more.  These brownies are so rich, so delicious, that they really do almost knock you naked. Even if it's because you eat so many that your clothes no longer fit and you have to run around naked and when you go to the store to buy new clothes you end up buying more ingredients to make more brownies.

In unrelated news, I'm trying to make muumuus the big fashion hit of this summer. Stay tuned. 

PW notes that this dough is really thick, and she mentions shaping a glob for the top layer of brownie with her hands.  My solution is much neater than that: flatten the glob between two sheets of waxed paper for less mess.

Finally, while PW's recipe calls for baking the bottom layer for eight minutes before adding the caramels and top brownie layer, I skipped that step and just baked the whole thing at once. It turned out just fine.

Give these two desserts a try--you'll be glad you did!

$5.00 art

There's a thrift store in town that I like to frequent: Thrift & Dollar. They have a variety of stuff from high-end antiques to everyday thrift items.  Each time I shop there, I make sure to stop by the $5.00 art section to see what they have. There are nice painting (for nice chunks of money) throughout the store, but I've found several nice treasures in the $5.00 section.

Lots of the prints in the $5.00 art section are nicely framed and protected by glass.  This reprint of "Home for Thanksgiving" by Grandma Moses is over the doorway that leads from the kitchen to the dining room. It's not the best place for picture-viewing, but it livens up the space.

This nice oil? acrylic? (whatever, I don't know anything about art) painting has a nice gold frame. It hangs in the half bathroom.  Because I support art.  Especially in the bathroom.

This painting is called "Best Friends." I put it in the hallway leading to the kids' room because, at this stage in their lives, they really are best friends.

The picture came matted, framed and covered in glass, which is a huge deal for $5.00.

Little Miss has been the beneficiary of several of my $5.00 art finds.  I like her room to have a flowery/feminine feel, so these Monet-ish paintings were a perfect fit:

Though it's hard to tell in the one below, it is a scene of several Victorian-ish women lounging outside, some of them napping.  I hope this inspires Little Miss to continue her naps for the next year or two.

Both of those paintings are in the corner of her room with the glider. 

Finally, this last piece was a huge find, especially since it was only $5.00.  I found this great gold-framed mirror and hung it at just the right height for Little Miss. 

This might be the best $5.00 I've ever spent.