Saved by Grace

Studio Oh! Mini- Box of Cupcake Recipes review and giveaway

Published on April 19, 2024, by Christine in Giveaways, Product Reviews.

Studio Oh! has some great products. I already have a couple of them that I won on another blog, but I really wanted to review something else of theirs’.

I was lucky enough to be given the chance to review their mini box of cupcake recipes. I have their mini-box of chocolate recipes as well.

I was very happy to see that the recipe box included recipes for icings and frosting as well.

What I really love about the mini box of recipes is the vintage-y, whimsical designs on the product.

The recipes seem easy and I was practically drooling after flipping through them. They come in a really neat box with gold-tone designs.

Each recipe card is easy to follow and folds so they fit nicely in the box. They are printed on high quality card-stock. The recipes are unique and far from boring!

You can make anything from Peanut butter frosting or Luscious Lemonade Cupcakes!

Studio Oh! was GENEROUS enough to offer a chance for one of my readers to win a min-box of cupcake recipes as well! This would make a GREAT mother’s day gift!
Please click “read more” to enter on the Rafflecopter form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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10 Comments.

Help support Shelter cats

Published on April 19, 2024, by Christine in Christian Living, Homelife.

So to those that know me personally, you know I LOVE my cat. He is a therapy cat, or technically called, an emotional support animal. I deal with major anxiety and I have actually been amazed at how much my cat has helped with this. I used to feel worried and be very anxiety ridden when my husband would go to work and in the time I have had my kitty, that has greatly reduced.

In any case, I wanted to talk about a company that is helping shelter kitties. You may have seen the commercials for World’s Best Cat litter. Well, they are offering a way to help shelter kitties have FREE litter. It’s called the GiveLitter Charity.

It works on a voting system and they will give one pound of litter for each vote to participating shelters.

You can even submit a shelter/charity for voting.

You can vote for one shelter a day, so come back every day to vote.

Also, soon, Saved By Grace Blog will be having a review and giveaway for World’s Best Cat litter, so come check it out!

Click HERE to participate in GiveLitter!

3 Comments.

Koma-the anti-energy drink

Published on April 18, 2024, by Christine in Giveaways, Product Reviews.

I was given the opportunity to review KOMA.

You have heard of energy drinks, but what about drinks and “shots” that help you relax and sleep well?!

KOMA has you covered!

KOMA is made by BeBevCo.

KOMA is wonderful. What can I say? It tastes great and it ACTUALLY works! The wonderful part about KOMA is it’s designed to help you relax and sleep without the use of drugs designed to help you sleep. I was skeptical, but after trying it and after my husband tried it, we are convinced-it really helps you relax!

The secret is the natural supplements. It contains Melatonin, Milk thistle, Rose hips, and Valerian root. It is fizzy like a soda. The taste is like a mixed berry. I found that it tasted just like grape soda. Unlike some drinks with supplements (like energy drinks), it does not taste funny. You taste nothing but the great berry flavor and it has no goofy aftertaste.

It works fast as well. I drank it and was relaxed and ready for bed in about 15 minuets. I normally have trouble falling asleep and I had no problem after drinking KOMA. I also suffer from anxiety and at night, it kicks into full gear. I was so relaxed after drinking KOMA I didn’t even have a bit of anxiety. It really does work the way it’s supposed to!

My husband slept like a rock that night! He went to bed before me and when I went to bed, I had to shake him to make sure he was alive haha! He was sleeping so deep, he wasn’t doing his usual snoring!

When we both woke up the next day, we felt refreshed. I have to say, it was a really good night of sleep.

I also tried the shots. They are flavored in orange. It worked about the same, but quicker.

KOMA unwind also makes a sugar free (sweetened with Splenda) version of their relaxation drink.

You can buy KOMA unwind and other BeBevCo products on their website. They hope to have them available for retail purchase in stores nationwide soon!

You can also sign up to win 2 free Energy shots in orange flavor right here on my blog! Just click “read more” to go to the rafflecopter form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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8 Comments.

Cj’s Mystery bars

Published on April 16, 2024, by Christine in Recipes.

Today, I have a guest poster. She is a fellow Montana blogger and wanted to share her recipe with my readers. Please show her some love by visiting her blog and by leaving some comments here.

Please also vote for Cj’s Recipe!

All you have to do is LIKE the Cook’n fan page and Like Give oh Giveaway’s recipe for mystery bars. She’d really appreciate your help! Thanks! If she wins, she wants to give it away on her blog! Remember, just like the comment made by Give oh Giveaway!

Without further adieu here is my bloggy friend, Cj, from Give Oh Giveaway

Hello! I am Cj from Give oh Giveaway. I am a stay at home Mommy of 3 little girls under the age of 5. I love to coupon, do reviews & giveaways and LOVE to bake! My hubby always jokes, “Don’t eat a cookie Cj makes!”, because honestly I can’t make cookies even if it was to save my life…but I have developed a talent for baking pies and bars.

The recipe below is called Mystery Bars, as a child growing up in Las Vegas my family of 10 would make the 1200 mile drive to middle-of-no-where Montana to my Grandparents farm house for Christmas. Grandma Santa (yep, that is her real name, not a nickname) would be prepared with dozens of these awesome bars. They were our favorite Christmas treat! Every time I asked her what they were made of she would always answer….”It is a mystery” and wink at me! She would send some home with us every year, but they never made it Idaho border. We eventually moved to Montana and I luckily got to spend many hours in the kitchen with Grandma Santa baking mystery bars and learning all her secrets! I want to share with you my family’s favorite tradition and I hope you love them as much as we do!

Mystery Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Butter (margarine won’t work)
1 bag of Chocolate chips (or 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
40 saltine crackers

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray well with PAM (easy clean-up). Line crackers side by side on cookie sheet until it covers the whole pan. Boil brown sugar and real butter over medium heat (stir often) until it reaches rolling boil. After it reaches a rolling boil, time for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour and spread over crackers. Place in oven for 8 minutes. Turn off oven, remove from cookie sheet from oven. Let rest for 30 seconds. Press crackers back into place with wooden spoon as best you can. Sprinkle choc. chips over top and place in TURNED OFF oven for 2 minutes. Take out and spread melted chocolate chips. Sprinkle with nuts (optional)

Let cool and break up (with hands or wood spoon) into pieces. DO NOT CUT with knife; you will get foil pieces in your bars. For quick cooling, place on hot pads in freezer of fridge until hard. Store in airtight container in fridge or freezer. This recipe is a great make ahead of time, freeze and thaw later dessert! Will last up to 3 months if stored in airtight container with wax paper between layers of cookies. So yummy too! Blow your quests away with this inexpensive but tasty treat!

You can visit Cj’s blog, Give Oh Giveaway here: http://www.giveohgiveaway.blogspot.com/

Also, please make sure to stop by her Facebook Fanpage and “Like” it!

You can also follow Cj on twitter!

4 Comments.

Magical Mashed Potatoes

Published on April 15, 2024, by Christine in Recipes.

Ok, so they aren’t technically magical, but they are pretty darn good and always get eaten up in my house. Feel privileged. I am sharing my secret! (My husband calls them “love potatoes” because he says the reason they are so good is because of the amount of love I put into them-goof.)

picture from flickr by Nisha A

Chrissie’s Magical Mashed Potatoes

(Makes a huge post of mashed potatoes-I never really paid attention to how many servings, but my best guess is 10-12)

10-12 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Onion powder

Garlic Powder

about a cup of ranch dressing

1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded cheese

2 Tbsp dried chives

salt

white pepper

Pretty simple:

1. Boil potatoes until soft, but not super mushy and drain. Put back into pot.

2. Hand mash (not with a mixer) to break up larger chunks. Add cheese and mash together.

3. Add milk and ranch

4. hand mash or use a mixer (I always hand mash-I like a chunkier texture with my mashed potatoes, not a puree)

5. Add a dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and add chives. Mix well and adjust to your tastes.

My family thinks these are so good they don’t even need gravy, but you are welcome to eat with gravy

2 Comments.

God’s little reminders

Published on April 15, 2024, by Christine in Christian Living.

I am always amazed at how God works. It is always so much more than I can ever begin to imagine and so much bigger. I mean, I know He is God, so He does big things.

What I am saying is, is He is always there loving me, even when I don’t deserve it. His grace is so unchanging and so huge and it really inspires me.

Yesterday, my daughter was bit by a dog. We were out for a jog since I am doing this Couch 2 5K thing, and this house we usually pass that has this intimidating dog was where it happened. We had barely gotten past the halfway point in the gate when I saw the dog jump the fence out of the corner of my eye and suddenly she just bit down on my daughter’s calf. Terrified, we both started running as this dog chased us, baring teeth and snarling.

My daughter was hysterical. She was hard to calm down and when she finally let me look at her leg, I realized it had not broken skin, but was very bruised and you could see teeth marks. I took her to the urgent care that is open on the weekends. They cleaned it and told me she would be fine (which I figured, but I wanted documented medical proof).

I was so angry all day. Just stinkin’ mad. The urgent care had reported to Animal Control and the Animal Control officer and I had a couple heated conversations. We could not communicate because I was so angry that not much could be done at this point and they could not make contact with the owner of the dog. Plus, my “mommy instinct” was on high alert. I was honestly pretty cantankerous with her, shamefully. She talked me through it and I was more calm soon, but I was still not very happy.

I went to church yesterday evening and when I came home, there was a message in my voicemail. I checked it and it was the Animal Control officer. Instead of checking my email, I accidentally pushed “send” and my phone started calling her. I realized and hung up. It was nearly 9 at night and I hoped I had not disturbed her.

Well, she called me back in about 5 minuets. She re-iterated what she had said on voicemail, and for some reason mentioned she was busy trying to read the bible when I called. Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head and I realized this was a test. (Not the whole thing, but this single conversation). I suddenly felt the need to apologize to this woman for my horrible attitude earlier and we had a lovely conversation after that. I told her I was a Christian as well and told her I was sorry for my UN-christlike attitude with her earlier on the phone. She told me she forgives me. She told me she respected my apology. We carried on and then talked about breeds of Dogs and our shortcomings as humans and how God has grace. She also admitted she had. had a bad day and was a bit too short with me as well. We are all human!

I then decided to extend that grace to the owner of the dog, whom by the way was very,very sorry (and honestly mortified) his dog had bitten my daughter, and had agreed to cooperate with Animal Control and also agreed to pay for the trip to urgent care as well as build an enclosed dog run in his yard.

I am always amazed by these moments in my life. I believe they are God’s little reminders that his grace is so unending for us, and he expects us to extend the same grace to others. Thanks God. I needed that yesterday.

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Dress Up Time!

Published on April 14, 2024, by Christine in Product Reviews.

I was given the opportunity to try a costume from a wonderful online costume retailer, Wholesale Costume Club.

I fell in love with the infant costumes and asked my friend, Jenna, if I could “borrow” her baby girl, McKenna, 14 months.

We both loved the Ladybug infant costume and eagerly awaited to have it in person.

I was very impressed by the quick shipping and many affordable costumes on the website. There are so many costumes to choose from for every holiday or just dress up. This in NOT just a place to check out at Halloween.

When I got the costume, I excitedly called my fellow Momma friend, Jenna and she brought over the baby. She was excited to put it on her and we were both impressed with how high quality the costume was. It was not a cheaply made costume made of mostly plastic and was well put together. I loved the taffeta/lace on the bottom of the ladybug costume and how it made the dress puff out. It looked like a boutique style dress!

The great part was the wings were detachable so this could easily turn from a costume into a boutique outfit for pictures. The detachable wings made it easy for an infant to wear because if baby was bothered by the wings, momma could easily detach them, although McKenna didn’t seem to mind. She was all smiles! Great for transport in a baby car seat to a fun outing as well.

Baby ladybug:

The costume came with the dress and detachable wings. Jenna added a hair clip and black leggings. It was simple to put on baby and simple to adjust for weather. Jenna and I talked about adding a black turtleneck for the fall for trick or treating. The costume came in a one size fits all in ages size newborn to 24 months.

Uh oh! This ladybug is outta here! Isn’t she adorable?

You can find all sorts of costumes at Wholesale Costume Club. From infants to toddlers to kids, tweens, teens and adults. There are even men’s and women’s plus size costumes available. Dress up the whole family!

Please browse Wholesale Costume Club to check out their awesome selection for the whole family or look through their adorable infant and toddler costumes to find one for your little one ! There are plenty of great costumes for your next theme party, school play or dress up time!

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“Empty Promises”

Published on April 13, 2024, by Christine in Book Reviews, Product Reviews.

I read the book, Empty Promises, by Pete Wilson

Pete Wilson is a pastor who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. This is his second book. I have not had a chance to read his first book, “Plan B”.

“Empty Promises” is about how we create idols in our own lives and how we fail to ever meet what these idols promise. It is also about how we can stop centering our lives around these idols and instead focus on the ONE who deserves our worship, God alone.

The book is an easy to understand, frank discussion on looking for ways to expose our heart and the truth about the human condition. The first commandment says, Thou shalt not have any other Gods before me, but we often find ourselves convinced that if we were only a little more beautiful/handsome, a little richer, more successful, had a better home ect we would be “truly happy” and thus we create these things as idols in our life, often without even realizing it.

This book really opened my eyes to what I was doing in my own life. It made me realize that if I spent half the time focusing on God’s will for me than I do I these empty promises, I would find the true happiness I am looking for.

I love Pete Wilson’s style of writing. He is open, frank and loving. This is an excellent book for new and more seasoned Christians alike.

From the moment I picked up this book I knew I was in for a ride. I got into it right away and started examining my own idols. I really could relate to what he was saying about having the perfect home. I am a stay at home wife/mom and I often feel like I really fall short on that because I try so hard to be submissive and the kind of wife God wants me to be and I am so overly critical about things that do not even matter to God. It made me realize what matters to God is my willingness to do his will and my time I spend asking for his guidance as well as my using my gifts to do his will are far more important to Him than how perfect my home looks and how dust free it is.

I think just about any Christian, at any point in their relationship, could get something wonderful from this book. There is always room for improvement.

“Empty Promises” was released in 2012 and is available online at Amazon.com and Barnesandnobles.com and many bookstores.

I was given this book free to write a review. The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. Although I was given this copy for free, the opinions and experiences expressed on the book are my own.

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I never had a honeymoon

Published on April 13, 2024, by Christine in Homelife.

There. I said it. I have been married almost 3 years (on May 2) and we never had a honeymoon.

Now, I know this will probably be seen as a whiny post, but its just something that has been on my mind.

I am not really a super high maintenance type, but a small honeymoon would have been nice. Ok, so technically my father paid for my husband and I to stay at a nice hotel here in town for the night on the night of our wedding. We did stay in the jacuzzi suite and had waffles the next morning, and I am grateful for that, but I wish we could do a getaway.

I am lucky to live in Montana. There are so many fun places here to go and the beauty is all around me. So, even just a getaway in Montana would be nice.

The problem is, we are broke. Beyond broke, actually. I try to save money, but it just gets used on something like gas, groceries, the laundrymat..life.

Normally, I am resourceful when it comes to making things happen, but this is one of the things I can’t seem to make happen.

I am open to suggestions. I figure for us to be able to make it work, at minimum, we need 1000 dollars and go!…

1 Comment.

Blogs I love!

Published on April 13, 2024, by Christine in Blog Roll.

I wanted to make a blog roll page so I could add to it and put my favorite blogs on it and help spread the bloggy love If you would like to be featured, please link me to your blog and a button I can add.

Some of my favorite blogs!