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21 More Tips & Tricks To Simplify Life

Drip dry stone trays. I love the look of this.  It would be perfect for our sunroom!

Refrigerator magnet cups. I think this is brilliant.  It sure would save on dishes!

Source: solutions.com via New on Pinterest

Quilted iron mat with magnets for the dryer. I hate lugging out my ironing board, so this is appealing.

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via New on Pinterest
Use mitts from the Dollar Store to use as dry board erasers.

Recondition and Re-Season cast iron pans.

Instructions on cleaning your AC unit.  Save money and increase efficiency while prolonging the life of your unit.

Travel crayon holder from re purposed spice or Parmesan cheese container.  Can even put them in child car seat cup holders.

Treat box for traveling.  One per kid, no refills!  Tackle box.  Love it!

Freeze green onions in water bottles.  Shake out the right amount and return the rest to the freezer.  Recipes usually do not call for more than 3 stalks, so I am always wasting green onions.  Awesome tip!

Toilet paper rolls keeps it together!  Tip–use two per roll.

Source: buzzfeed.com via New on Pinterest

This happens to me all the time.  Who knew there would be such an easy fix?

Source: madtownmacs.blogspot.com via New on Pinterest
Perfect polish trick.

How to break in new shoes in less than 2 minutes.  Everyone should know this!

Soak paper towels in vinegar.  Wrap around faucets. Wait an hour and wipe off.  I tried this and it worked beautifully!

Source: providenceltddesign.com via New on Pinterest

No more blisters!  Just rub a little where there is friction, it is just like wearing a sock!

DIY taco bowls.  Turn muffin tins upside down, spray with cooking spray, and bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Use tape to measure between two holes, then put the tape on the wall.  So simple and so smart.

Use this trick to keep from putting unnecessary holes in your walls when hanging anything from shelf brackets to towel racks.

I’ve wasted countless ziplock bags when traveling and still had a lotion leak all over this last trip.
Plastic wrap as a spill safe solution = genius!

How to hem jeans or any pants while keeping the original hem.  Awesome!

Freeze fresh herbs in olive oil & throw into a pan when needed!

There are more…click here to see and follow me on Pinterest

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Nectresse Sweetener- 100% Natural Made from Monk Fruit

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

Nectresse product family.jpg

If you have read New Nosgalgia and know me, you know that I like finding healthful ways to make food taste good, so when I read NECTRESSE™Sweetener, it caused me to take a closer look and explore if it is a product that I would love and recommend.

Nectresse product family.jpg

Now, we all know I like my whole food sweeteners, but there are times, especially when I am on the go, that I would love the convenience of a packet sweetener.  Fitting a bottle of 100% maple syrup in my purse is just not an option!  When I read that Nectresse is the one and only 100% natural sweetener made from fruit – monk fruit extract, my curiosity perked up a bit.

The first place I explored was the NECTRESSE™Sweetener website, which is so well organized that I was able to quickly find the ingredients that NECTRESSE™Sweetener contains.  Monk fruit extract, molasses, sugar & erythritol.  The only ingredient I was not familiar with was erythritol.  After further reading, I learned that it is an all natural sugar alcohol that is naturally fermented and found in many fruits and vegetables.  Monk fruit extract is blended with the perfect blend of these other natural sweeteners to give the rich taste of sugar with out all the calories.

NECTRESSE™Sweetener not only comes in packets (40 packets for $3.99), but also in a canister (140 servings for $6.99).  The canister is easy to hold and comes with a multi-purpose lid for easy sprinkling, pouring and serving.  It is 150 times sweeter than sugar, and can be used in cooking or baking to a zero calorie per serving sweetness to beverages or a variety of recipes.

Lisa Ling is the spokesperson for NECTRESSE™Sweetener, the video below tells of her love for the product and shows such beautiful pictures of Monk fruit growing on lush vines in Asia.  

NECTRESSE™Sweetener was perfect sprinkled into my green smoothies.  I loved that it does not have any strange aftertaste.  I threw a couple packets into my purse for green tea sipping on- the- go, and to sweeten up my coffee when I visit coffee shops, which is frequently!  You can have your very own FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener to try it out for yourself.

I also used it sprinkled into my favorite breakfast at the moment–Strawberry Banana Raw Chia Oats!  Delicious!

 

Strawberry Banana Raw Breakfast Oats
 
1 banana, mashed
4-5 strawberries, cut up
1 cup oats (or two handfuls)
2 tbls chia seeds (or 2 palmfuls)
1 tsp vanilla (or 1 capful)
1-1/2 cups milk (almond, coconut, dairy)
________
 
one packet of NECTRESSE™Sweetener
________
Mash banana.  Add strawberries, oats, seeds & vanilla.  Add milk.  Stir.  If too thick, add more milk, you want them slightly runny like picture above.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.  Before eating, sprinkle with one packet of NECTRESSE™Sweetener.  Can be refrigerated up to a day.  
 

Visit Sponsor's Site

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Featured/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES

Date Paste – A Healthy. Raw Sweetener

Date Paste is popular in the raw food world.  After making it a few times myself, I can see why!  I am not a fan of dates-maybe it is their shriveled up wrinkly appearance but when softened with water and blended in a food processor into a smooth paste, then I become a BIG fan!

Date paste is creamy and has an almost “caramel-y” like flavor that I fell for immediately. My favorite way to use date paste is on my oatmeal in place of brown sugar.  I have also used it to sweeten smoothies & chia oats. We have spread it on tortillas, added banana & chia, then rolled up as a healthy snack (post on that coming soon!)  My kids loved these, but FYI, make the date paste when they are not around.  My girls saw the dates soaking and were a bit skeptical to try it.  The second time I made it, I did it privately, and called it “sweetener.”  They ate it up.

So why go to the trouble to make date paste?  Well, first, it is not much trouble.

Second, I like that it is one more way to satisfy our sweet tooth while keeping blood sugar levels stable due to the fiber that dates contain. They are also good source of iron, vitamin A & potassium. They have their fair share of antioxidants and are not processed like most sweeteners are.

I have seen date paste used not just raw, but in all types of baking, like this Banana Date Paste Bread Pudding, which I want to try, it looks awesome!

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Date Paste

1 1b Medjool dates

1/2 cup reserved soaking water

Pit and cover dates with water.  Soak for 10 minutes.  Pour off water reserving 1/2 cup.  Process in food processor until desired consistency, adding more water if needed.  Place in a jar and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

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What about you?  Do you look for more healthful ways to satisfy your sweet tooth?

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Attention New Nostalgia Readers

*Important Information Regarding The BEST deal I can possibly offer.  
Keep on reading if you are interested!

As you have probably noticed, New Nostalgia now has sponsors.  We have been offering sponsorships for a few months now, and really have been trying to figure out what fits best here at New Nostalgia.

We have been experimenting with ad size, placement, and price…and I think we finally have figured out what is best for both New Nostalgia, our sponsors, and our readers.

Let me start by saying what a blessing it is for the opportunity to have anyone sponsor New Nostalgia.  I do not take it lightly that New Nostalgia is a place where others would want to be seen and known.  I see my sponsors as those who come along side of me and together we work at making the web a better place while at the same time, support our families through our art.

That, my friends, is an important relationship.  One that I want to nurture.  One that is much more than just money, even though if we are all honest, money plays a key part.

I  know how much time, energy and money it takes to put your art out there to be seen by the world, which is why I want to be the best support I can be here at New Nostalgia.

Because of this we have been doing a lot of brainstorming here and have come up with a plan that I feel excited and super good about, for Sponsors of all types and desires.

Here is what we now are offering:

There will be 2 large 250×250 ad spaces for $75.00 for 30 days. These are at the top right sidebar. This is where you want to be if your desire is to be seen and if you are willing to pay for prime space.  This comes with a solo giveaway or feature post during the month, which is a $200.00 value.

The only other ad size and price I will offer will also be in the right side bar, a 250×150 ad space size for $25.00 for 30 days. No giveaway or featured post.  This is where you want to be if you still want exposure to all our wonderful readers, you still want a nice size ad, but want to keep the price at a minimum.  A MAJOR minimum. 

Yes, this is an amazing deal and I get that it is way underpriced.  We have been successfully selling the same size ad (250×150) here at New Nostalgia for $50.00, but I was never super comfortable about that.

 Here is why…
I preach frugality.  I preach simplicity.  I want to offer both.

With the number of readers we have been blessed with, which also means the number of times your ad will be exposed if you choose to sponsor New Nostalgia, this price is an AMAZING deal.  I don’t think you will find a better one on any other blog with our size following.  That is the desire of my heart and that, my friends, is what I am going to offer!  That covers the frugal part.

Current Statistics (as of July 2012):
500,000 pageviews per month
5,100+ subscribers via RSS, Google Feed Reader, and Bloglovin’
1800+ followers via Google Friend Connect
3100+ Facebook Friends
29,000+ followers on Pinterest

As far as simplicity goes, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for my sponsors to sign up and submit an their ad image, so I have decided to use Passionfruit as a way to do just that.

What does this mean for you?

{To Sign Up RIGHT NOW & have your ad up and running in no time, CLICK HERE}

 It means you just click and purchase your ad spot, upload your ad, and it will show up on New Nostalgia for 30 days! It means that you can sign up for an ad at ANYTIME during the month and that your ad can start running as soon as you are approved, which can be within a day tops!  No more waiting for the beginning of the month. The ads will also rotate automatically, with each page view to keep things fair and square. Passionfruit utilizes Paypal & all types of credit cards, and will walk you through a few easy steps to get you up and running.

Oh, and don’t worry.  Although we are utilizing Passionfruit, Robyn is still here as busy as ever helping me run New Nostalgia as smoothly as possible.  Let us know if you have any questions or need help with anything.  Shoot us an email at “sponsornewnostalgia.gmail.com” and we will help you the best we can.

{To Sign Up RIGHT NOW & have your ad up and running in no time, CLICK HERE}

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Saturday Giveaway: Clean Mama

This week’s giveaway is a doozy …Becky of Clean Mama is offering up one of her New Busy Mom Kits (valued at $25.00) to one lucky winner!

It’s tough being a mom – this kit is for all the busy mamas out there in need of a few great lists to keep it ‘all’ together.

This listing is for NINETEEN documents that will keep your homekeeping manageable and on-track. The ALL NEW Busy Mama Kit is designed in fun fonts and colors and is meant to be used month after month, year after year.

All printables are in PDF file format – to be printed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. (Feel free to print documents in grey scale and to resize in your preferences folder of your printer file). These are digital files – once the order is finalized, you can print your pdf files as many times as you want for your own personal use.

Becky has assembled tools to make your homekeeping easy and more manageable in an attractive, easy to use format that will work beautifully for you and your busy family. All the pdfs work well together or separately to keep your home tidy and organized.

The ALL NEW Busy Mama Kit includes:

  • Today – a daily planner with a schedule, mini to do list, notes section and dinner box
  • Flexible Weekly Docket – cute checkboxes with don’t forget, calls and emails section
  • Schedule for the Week – track your day and week in half hour increments 6am-midnight
  • Perpetual Calendars (2) – aqua and lime
  • Household Food Inventory – keep track of the food in your house
  • Shopping List – 2 checkboxes per item (coupons, quantities, or in your cart)
  • All Over, Everywhere Shopping List – perfect for those multiple errand shopping trips
  • Monthly Cleaning Checklist – blank month and blank sections so you can fill in your own rotating cleaning tasks
  • To Do List – three columns so you can fill in you to dos
  • Before I Forget – never forget a milestone again – just keep a running list
  • In Case of an Emergency – write down simple emergency information and have it in a handy spot, just in case
  • Weekly Family Schedule – never forget a class or play date
  • Card + Gift Record – keep track of cards and gifts sent
  • Important Dates to Remember – never forget an anniversary or birthday again
  • Appliance Maintenance Log – a great way to keep track of when you serviced or fixed your appliances
  • Automobile Maintenance Log – no more oil changes at 8,000 miles – keep track!
  • Insurance Policies – write down all your insurance policies so you never let a premium lapse
  • Family Medical Information – keep your family’s medical information on one page 

Wow! What an amazing giveaway! To enter, use the Rafflecopter plug-in below (remember, comments aren’t counted as entries!)

terms: All entrants must provide a valid email address and first name along with your comment entry. Please avoid putting your contact information directly into your comment, winners could be posted publicly. Once the giveaway has ended and the winner is chosen, they are contacted and put in touch with the sponsor. New Nostalgia does not handle nor distribute giveaway items at any time. Giveaway items are directly distributed to the winners by the sponsors themselves. If a winner fails to claim their prize within 30 days, they forfeit their winnings and another winner is chosen and contacted via email. All winners are chosen randomly.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Waiting, an MRI Scheduled, & a Celebration

I love this verse.  
My heart has been at complete peace.  I know He hears your prayers and mine.  
He turns toward, never away.
He is aware, so I sit patiently & wait.
_________
MRI is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday at 3:00)
I will be so happy to finally get it done! 
I will have results later in the week.
One more prayer request if I may?
My Grandpa Tom went to meet His Maker last week.
We are celebrating his life today.
Despite it being a celebration, I know it is hard on my Mimi and so many who loved him.
Prayers of peace for his bride and 4 children, 18 grandchildren, 55 great- grandchildren & 3 great-great- grandchildren & other extended family members & friends.

*red shoes–Target

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