Apple Braised Stuffed Porkchops

One day, my wife got a package in the mail.  It was a meat tenderizer from Cave Tools.  She handed it to me and told me "Make something with this."

So, tenderizer in hand, I went to the meat section at the local grocery store and started to fantasize about what I could do. I decided to go with pork chops, because 1.) they are delicious, 2.) it is a tougher and thicker and would really put this new tenderizer to the test. I went through the rest of the grocery store thinking about what could go well with it, and that combined with the fact that pork chops go well with apple and I had earlier bought a huge container of apple juice, this is what I came up with.

Ingredients

4 pork sirloin chops

1 cup of apple juice

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

3/4 cup of ricotta or queso fresco cheese

seasoning salt

lemon pepper

Directions

1) Season the chop with seasoning salt and lemon pepper. Use a Cave Tools meat tenderizer to pound it down to a 1/4 inch thick. Marinate the pork chops in apple juice for 2 hours.

2) Chop spinach and cook in butter. Cook each side of the pork for two minutes on medium heat. 

3) Put ricotta cheese on the chop, then sprinkle spinach in it. Roll it up and skewer it with a toothpick (to keep it rolled). Braise in applejuice covered with the lid on medium low heat for about fifteen minutes.

4) Enjoy!

** We received a Cave Tool meat tenderizer for free in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.**

So, first off, let me compliment the design of the product.  Its simple, sleek, and the weight is very easy to work with.  It has surprisingly good leverage and requires very little strength to utilize. (I admit to punching a hole in the meat accidentally thinking I needed to apply a lot of pressure.)  Overall, it took no time at all to get the meat to the tenderness and thickness that I wanted, and cleaning was simple.  Very impressed with Cave Tool and I look forward to using them in the future (probably their BBQ skewers and rack). And it is dishwasher safe!

You can purchase the Cave Tool Meat Tenderizer on Amazon or on the Cave Tool website.

Cave Tools is also offering the readers of The Morrell Tale 15% off a cave tool tenderizer on Amazon. Use promo code: KRYLK4CT

Discover a New Recipe with Recipe Bingo

Justin and I have really gotten into Master Chef and Chopped. Really, I'm just getting a tad obsessed with any cooking show (I also really love the Great Food Truck Race). We love to play along with these shows and decide what we would cook with the given ingredients. It has sparked our creativity, and has made us think of a perfect date night: Chopped-themed. And, there are many ways to be creative with the ingredients available in the kitchen.

Via

All chefs know how rewarding it feels to get an idea for a recipe, and to check the pantry and see that you have all the ingredients you need. Sometimes, however, we find ourselves having to make do with what we have, and it’s in these instances that we end up creating the most delightful dishes. From using overripe bananas to make a fudgy cake to finding new uses for those berries you left in the freezer, there’s just something fulfilling about finding new uses for old ingredients.

Being able to make the most of the ingredients in your pantry is the sign of a truly skilled chef, and several mobile apps like Epicurious and Ratio have made recipe suggestions by ingredients an integral part of their features. If you’d like to challenge yourself, however, perhaps you’re better off playing a game of Recipe Bingo.

Bingo hasn’t always been seen as a game to be used in the kitchen, but these past few years have seen the game rise in popularity, to the point that Free Bingo Hunter has reported that there are hundreds of bingo portals with different themes operating out of the UK alone. The UK’s FSA has also seen it fit to use the game to promote healthy eating habits through a game called Eatwell Bingo. Home chefs can use bingo to experiment in the kitchen as well, and all you’d have to do is make a list of all the ingredients you have in your pantry.

Try to get as many ingredients as you can, and once you have your list, populate a 5x5 bingo card with the items by using an online bingo card generator like the one on Print-Bingo. If you don’t have enough items to fill out the card, feel free to repeat some ingredients, and then number the items on each row from 1-5. To start playing, simply roll a die for each row of the card, taking note of the ingredient that corresponds to the number you rolled. Should you end up rolling a 6, feel free to pick from the ingredients instead. By the end of the game, you should have 5 different ingredients, which will serve as the base of your next dish. Try to stretch your creativity and come up with a recipe that makes use of all the ingredients you’ve rolled for, just like they do with Mystery Box Challenges on Master Chef.

How fun does that sound!?! Especially if you are low on groceries and want to get the most out of them before you go to the grocery store! Would you do this at home?

*This has been a contributed post*

Lindsay from The Flynnigans

I love meeting new bloggers and Lindsay from The Flynnigans is no exception. She won an ad on my blog from a giveaway and it's been fun to get to know her. So, I though you should get to know her, too!

Blog // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Facebook // Google Plus

How did you come up with the name to your blog?

 The Flynnigans is a bit of a spin of my last name.  A few of my husband’s friends call us The Flynnigans and it’s catchy, so that’s why it has stuck with us.

Why did you begin to blog?

I’ve been writing and blogging for years.  Initially, I started a private blog where my then-boyfriend, now husband used to correspond back and forth when we first started dating and he was on rotating shifts.  Then it evolved to my creating another space where I could just “spill my guts” and put it all down on “paper”.  It was only this past January 2015 that my husband purchased me my own domain and I migrated over to Wordpress.  Since then, I’ve met a wonderful community of people that teach me new things daily, that support me and uplift when I need it and it is a space that I’m proud of and love to connect with people from all over the world.  I just love to share my love of pictures and my fondness for animals and pets with others.

What is your blog's mission or goal?

I guess my goal would be to continue inspiring people to appreciate the little things in life.  Life isn’t always unicorns and rainbows but I firmly believe that there is always something that we can be grateful for, to learn from and to find joy in.

What is the best thing about blogging for you?

Connecting with other animal lovers.  I’m such a diehard animal lover.  I just love this whole blogging community in general.  There are so many wonderful and supportive people out there.

What is the hardest/worst thing about blogging for you?

Time Management.  I find it very difficult trying to balance everything, but I’m learning to let it go and when I have time to post, I post.  If I don’t, roll it off my back and shrug it off.  There are only so many hours in the day…

What are 3 of your favorite posts you've written?

I have four:

·      My First Job – Starting Out

·     7 Tips for Planning your Wedding

·         Mother’s Day and Alpaca Sheering

·        10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week weekly linkup series

  

Besides blogging, what are some other hobbies of yours?

Traveling, SCUBA diving, photography, hiking, spending time with my husband and two dogs, meeting new people.

What is your favorite thing about the month of November?

November is bittersweet for me.  It is the month that my father died (29 years ago) and it also is my birthday.

Do you have any exciting plans for the holidays?

I plan to spend as much time with family as possible.  My mother in law isn’t well, so it’s important that we spend any and all time with her.

3 Books I Recommend // My Little Sunshines

Hello, hello! I'm Britt and I blog over at My Little Sunshines. I'm thrilled to be posting for Tayler today, and I hope you enjoy what I share with you. Just a little about me, I'm 26, I've been married to Kyle for 5.5 years, we have an 18 month old son named Abe, and I'm 36 weeks along with a baby girl! I graduated from BYU in 2011 with a degree in Human Development, and I currently am able to stay at home, which I love! I love the fall, all things organizational, reading, writing, and of course, watching Netflix while eating all the carbs ;) 

As I said above, I love to read. So today I thought I'd share three of my favorite fictional books to recommend to others with you! It's really hard to narrow my list down to just three (I think I have about 100 on my good-reads shelf!) but I did it. I tried to pick out more "obscure" books, not the ones that every one recommends, because I'm sure you've heard of them or read them before, (I'm talking about books such as Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, other classics, etc. --- although those are all great books, too!) So, let's get started! 
1 | The Art of Racing in the Rain This is one that I read a few years ago, and I instantly fell in love with it. I immediately bought a copy and read it again, although I'm definitely due for a re-read now. The premise sounds strange enough -- it's told from a dog's point of view. I will be the first to tell you that I'm not an animal person at all, and generally try to stay away from any "pet books", but this one... well, I'm so glad I read it. Enzo is a very smart dog who knows he's going to die soon, and as he looks back on his life, the story of his owner Denny, a race car driver, emerges and we're brought into a tale of his life. Beauty, heartbreak, family, loyalty, betrayal, and all other human experiences are present as Enzo tells this story. I highly recommend it. (Full disclosure: It's been a few years since I have read the book, but I believe there were a few swear words and one or two scenes of intimacy.)
2 | The Thirteenth Tale This book was recommended to me by my mother-in-law, and I wasn't sure about it to begin with. However, once I had read the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. The author weaves an amazing story through both the past and present, and the ending is fantastic. If you're a fan of books such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, you should definitely pick this one up. There are multiple similarities -- on purpose -- but it's told in a more "modern" setting. I can't say much more without giving anything away, but I can't say enough good things about it. It's one of my all time favorites. (I don't believe there was anything inappropriate in this book.) 
3 | The Kitchen House This one's for all the historical fiction lovers out there. It's a vivid representation of the dynamics between slave owners and slaves in the South, but also brings in a third layer, which is that of Irish indentured servants. Told over the course of years, I couldn't put this book down. It was raw, emotional, and well written and gave me such a better sense of what life would have been like back then. (Common scenes from those days including rape and other cruelty towards slaves are present, but not explicitly that I recall.)   So there you have it, 3 books I highly recommend. If you've read any of them, I'd love to know what you think! Or if you end up picking them up, let me know after you've read them. I'm always up to talking about books, so feel free to follow or friend me on goodreads, too! 

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The Throne of David

** I received a free copy of this book from Cedar Forts Publishing in return of a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have recently been studying the Old Testament. It is the second time in my life I am reading it straight through. The last time I read it was about 5 years ago, so there is a lot that I have learned and discovered this time. This week, I just finished reading about David, and now his son Solomon has taken the throne. So, when I was given the opportunity to review this mystery thriller about the "biblical" throne of David that was passed down through the tribes of Israel that supposedly settled the British Isles, of course I was interested.

I mean, come on:
1) Hebrew esoteric history
2) Celtic Christianity
3) British royal history
4) It all takes place in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Of course I'd want to read it.

The Throne of David by Ann Farnsworth is a mystery thriller, and while I'm not too keen on those, it still was an interesting read. The protagonist is David Lord, who is somewhat of a freelance detective from an accounting firm, or something like that. I never really quite grasped what he did. He is contacted by a college best friend who is the personal secretary of Prince George. A letter was found pertaining to the Prince that could lead to the change of the throne. David goes to England to help, but his friend is killed. Happenstancely, he meets the sister of his friend, Camryn, whose husband has been MIA for a long time in Afghanistan. The secret police follow them step for step and always try to capture them as they try to make sense of how the Stone of Scone (the historical mythological rock that is under the British Coronation Throne) is related to the Pillow of Jacob (a rock Old Testament Jacob laid his head on to sleep and then had a vision of God). Meanwhile, in the US, David hires ex-military information man Enrique to search for women mentioned in this romantic letter to Prince George to see if there were any children born.

I'm not going to mention more than that because I don't want to give anything away.

What I liked:
- The legends and myths of the Stone of Scone, leading into Celtic Christianity esoteric history and connecting it to the Pillow of Jacob. I really enjoyed reading about that since I had no idea about any connection previous. I want to go do my own research on it now.
- Always full of action

What I didn't like:
- I thought a lot of it was a bit cheesy or unbelievable--action and dialogue were sometimes forced or very cliche, dreams and visions with mystical powers didn't mesh well with the very realistic description of plot. The characterizing of the very Irish and the very Scottish was almost caricature-ized.
- At points, some information or events were a little confusing
- Information overload. A lot of times, there'd be a few pages of characters just stating the legends and lore, as if they were reading a Wikipedia article vertabum. It wasn't very well integrated into the novel.

If you like clean thrillers or clean mysteries with no graphic romance or graphic violence, then this is for you.
If you like Celtic, Hebrew, esoteric, Christian, or British history, then you might be interested in this.

You can purchase the book at the following:

  Barnes and Nobel//Amazon 

Find Out More About the Book and the Author at:

 Author's Website//Facebook//Twitter//

Would you be interested in reading this book?

Faith From Life With Mrs. G. and the Artist

I'm super excited to introduce you to another wonderful Peony Project friend of mine: Faith! 

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Faith blogs at Life With Mrs. G and the Artist. She talks about married life, religion, insecurities, and her daily life and daily favorites! She has also created such a fun vlogging link up that I participate in: The Golden Vlog.

She is one of my amazing sponsors this month, so I thought you'd like to get to know her better!

How did you come up with the name to your blog?

Actually my blog used to be named something else but when I recently did the rebrand I also renamed it. Life w/ Mrs G & the Artist is a little play on our name and the many talents of my husband. I blog about our life more than anything else. Our name is Golden and the Artist part is because my husband is an artist. He draws and paints and does just about anything he sets his mind to. 

What is your blog's mission or goal?

When I re-branded I decided that I wanted my blog to be more of a community for women in all areas of life to be inspired and encouraged. So that's what I've been trying to do. :) I love making connections with people.

What is the best thing about blogging for you?

Community!! I've said it time and time again, there is nothing like the community of blogging. These ladies are so willing to help and encourage and it's so refreshing to have that. Especially for people that don't have a lot of that in their every day life. It's a blessing for sure. 

How has blogging made you a better Christian?

Well, for me blogging has helped me be a better Christian because you have to live it in front of your readers. They don't see you or really even hear you. So you have to display the love of Jesus through what you are writing and it can sometimes be difficult but so rewarding when you touch someone heart with what the Lord has given you to say. 

Besides blogging, what are some other hobbies of yours?

Well, I love to read!! I read pretty much anything and everything I can get my hands on but I love fiction. Give me a good romance or mystery and I'm in heaven. I love singing in church. I teach a group of ladies sign language/interpretive drama and that is a passion of mine. It's amazing to see the Lord work through that ministry. 

What is your favorite summer time activity?

Ummm...I love bike riding. Actual bikes and motorcycles. Really just hanging with my husband and friends outside somewhere is always good too. I like going to the pool with my babies. I like to be outside in the summer. 

What are 3 of your favorite posts you've written?

Ohhh, this is a hard one. I always love writing about marriage and I think one of my favorite in that category would be either my post on the 5 ways to earn your husbands trust or things your husband needs to hear. I also like writing about blogging and what has helped me as a blogger to the pet peeves. One of the hard ones to write was when I wrote about abandonment and it's effects but I was glad I did. It seemed to really touch and speak to a lot of people. I always loved giving my testimony on the blog. It was a special day. Sorry .. that's more than 3. ha! 

{Check out this lovely lady}

Desiree from Macke Monologues

Hi Morrell Tale readers!

I'm Desirée and I blog over at Macke Monologues.

On any given day you can find me posting about life as a domestic engineer (or as most call it, SAHM). My three year old, Marcus keeps me on my toes, so we are always on the look out for new adventures. To add to our family fun, we are expecting our second child - a little girl! - August 14. The weeks are fleeting, and our family dynamic will certainly change when the little lady arrives.

Over at Macke Monologues I love to post new recipes (this Chicken Fried Rice is a family favorite), occasionally I'll write about my love of running, but most days I post about my little man and all that we do to keep our days busy. Some of my favorite daily posts are about life currently. To get a quick glimpse of life I thought I'd share that with the Morrell Tale Readers today.

Currently I am…

Thinking about :: just how fast this summer has gone, and our Bucket List of things to do. Marcus and I have really made the most out of last few months together as Marcus and Mommy. I'm hoping we can complete all the items on our List before the baby arrives.
Do you have seasonal bucket lists? If so, I'd love to hear what fun things you do!

Working on :: finishing up the nursery for our little lady. We just have to hang curtain rods and curtains and the room will be complete. Here's just a peek at the room. I'll be sharing a full reveal as soon as I'm sure the room is totally finished.

Prints are from TheDigitalStudio.
Oval frames are from primitivepincushion.
Rectangle frames are from ThePaintedLdy.

Reading :: The Garden on Sunset by Martin Turnbull. Most of the books I've read as of late have been thanks to suggestions from BookBub. Many books are at ridiculously reduced prices, sometimes they are even free! I've also noticed many of the books are by up and coming authors, so the books and authors aren't as well known, and I love supporting those authors.

Are you reading anything you can't put down? Let me know! I love adding to my ever growing must-read list.

Listening to :: Marcus is completely obsessed with the Luke Bryan song, "Kick the Dust Up." That's pretty much on repeat right now.

Eating :: watermelon and popsicles all the livelong day. Summer heat plus pregnancy cravings at their finest!

Watching :: my husband and I are HGTV addicts. Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop, Love It or List It, and Property Brothers are among our favorites. Maybe someday we'll actually have the courage to try a few at-home renovations of our own.

Wanting :: a backyard. We live in a townhome and our small back patio just doesn't cut it. I'd love to let me kids loose in a big grassy yard complete with a swing set and sandbox.

Feeling :: pretty big and tired these days. At 36 weeks pregnant that tends to happen.

Loving :: all the bows and headbands! I just received some adorable headbands for our little lady and I'm certain a girl can never have too many.

bow/headband

Do you have a favorite bow and headband shop? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

Thankful for :: these two and the little miss we'll be meeting soon. They're pretty awesome and make my world go 'round.

So tell me, what's going on in your world, currently?
Thanks to Tayler for allowing me to take over. Feel free to swing by Macke Monologues and say hi, I'd love to hear from you!

~Desirée

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{Check out this lovely lady}

The Hallway

So, I have a story for you.

I once found a blog. I can't remember how. But, I won a cute little notebook and set of pens from a giveaway she hosted. Then, she came to home deliver it because, guess what! She lived a few streets over!

From then on, we'd comment on each other's blog, share our love of cooking, smell delicious Scentsy scents together, and then we decided to take turns sponsoring each other's blogs!

It's Shannon from The Hallway!

...................................................................................................................................................................

Hi everyone! I'm Shannon and I blog over at The Hallway. I'm excited to be taking over Tayler's blog today to share the five kitchen gadgets that I think everyone should have.

My husband, Colby, is a chef, so quite a lot of cooking goes on at our house. These five things aren't your average kitchen appliances, so you might not currently have them, but for how much they're used, I think it's worth investing the money to have them as part of your kitchen!

1. Ninja Master Prep Pro: I love having this Ninja as opposed to another, maybe more high tech blender, because it doubles as a food processor and it's super easy to clean. I make everything from smoothies, to hummus, to curry in mine!

2. Cuisinart Panini and Sandwich Press: I never knew how one little sandwich griddle could change my life, but if you don't have one in your kitchen, you're seriously missing out. It's the easiest way to take your sandwiches to the next level! I make grilled cheese, chicken pesto, turkey and swiss, and my absolute favorite, my husband's Cubano. The possibilities are endless!

3. Pizza Stone: Colby and I make pizza all the time and it's one of our favorite things! (Especially when we score unrivaled cherry tomatoes at the farmers market - recipe here.) Before we had a pizza stone, we tried making pizza on a baking sheet and it is just nowhere near the same.

4. Chinois Strainer: A chinois strainer is a very fine mesh strainer, unlike the larger metal ones that you would use to strain spaghetti. You can get either a small one with a handle, like the one pictured above, or a larger one that can fit more. It has tons of uses that a normal strainer can't handle. We use it mostly for infusing flavor into soups when we don't necessarily want the ingredient in the soup, such as bay leaves or garlic cloves.

5. Silpat Baking Mat: I love my Silpat mat! We had it on our wedding registry but didn't get it, and it was one of the first things I rushed out to buy once we moved into our apartment. I bake cookies all the time and it makes it so easy, mess free, and uniform!

Do you have any of these? If so, do you agree with me that they make cooking so much easier? And if not, what are your must-have kitchen gadgets?

 The Hallway | Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin

How did you come up with the name to your blog?

My last name is Hall, and I pretty much just love puns and wordplay! I thought The Hallway would be a cool name for a little community, and a place to have adventures as a newlywed.

What is your blog's mission or goal?

My goal is to create a space where people can have fun, get to know each other, and feel alive. I blog about all kinds of things, from food, to marriage, to animals, to music, and more. Sometimes I write to teach you something, sometimes to make you laugh, and sometimes to make you feel.

Besides blogging, what are some other hobbies of yours?

I read a lot, do some yoga, and play soccer. I play the occasional video game with my husband and I also love hiking and being outside!

What is the best thing about blogging for you?

The community! I have met so many awesome people (Tayler included) and that number grows every day!

What are 3 of your favorite posts you've written?

Here they are: The Struggles and Victories of Fitbit, My One Day in Yoga School, and 5 Ways to Stay Healthy When You Work in an Office

Our Hand-me-down and DIY Apartment Decorated for Christmas

This is the second place Justin and I have lived since being married. Our first place was BYU married student housing. It was tiny. But, it worked for us and we spent two years there. Then, we had a child, graduated, and got grown-up jobs, so we needed somewhere else. (Also, I was tired of living in a college town for the past 6 years and having a 45-55 minute commute.)

So, we came to this wonderful townhome in Sandy, Utah. See what it looks like, here. But, it took us forever to find a town home (or apartment) in our budget that was good quality for us to rent. We weren't in a position to buy, and spent hours upon hours searching numerous websites for any hits. It was a long and arduous process. But, we finally found the perfect place for us. Scroll down to the very bottom of the post to see how this process could be much easier for you in the future!

We are still very much so newly weds--in our 3rd year of marriage--and just barely making adult wages. The only furniture we actually bought ourselves is in our bedroom: desk, bed, and dresser. Everything else was generously given to us or made for us.

Given:
- couch with recliners hand-me-down from my parents
- chair with ottomon hand-me-down from my SIL
- two hand-crafted, custom-made bookshelves as hand-me-downs from my uncle and aunt
- TV hand-me-down from my SIL
- stroller, baby swing, carseat from my SIL's and MIL
- kitchen table and chairs hand-me-down from my parents
- Mom's old rocking chair that all my siblings and I were rocked in
- Gradma's old dresser for Rhys
- crib from my parents
- floor rug hand-me-down from my parents
- gamecube hand-me-down from friends
- jean picnic quilt made by my mom

Created:
- Pensieve of memories from Justin
- decorations from treats, hand-me-downs, books, gifts from friends
- picture of Jesus with notes from our old bishopric
- Rhys's banner from my mom
- FHE Activity Jar I made
- picture of the Jordan River Temple and poem from friends

Needless to say, we have been very blessed. And, although our home is a bit eclectic, I've done my very best to tie it all together. In doing so, my living room and kitchen have a wooden, country, burlap-y feel the it. I really like it. I really, really do. A lot of our pieces of furniture are old and worn, and could definitely use replacing, but they are special to us and reminds us what a great family we are blessed with.

This year, I have more room to decorate Christmas with. I also have a fireplace, and wanted to make sure to have stockings for my family. So, I did a little DIY'ing this year for Christmas, and I'm not a DIY'er in the least! I was very proud of my effort.

With a lot of help and direction from my mom, I made these beautiful stockings. I designed them, did the lettering, and most of the sewing. Mom definitely helped with positioning of the patterns, and doing the trim of the stockings. I'm very proud of my effort. They aren't perfect, but that's what I love about them. You can tell I made them and they were made with heart.

I made this cute little nativity and scripture advent calendar at a Relief Society activity. I love them and think I did a good job.

This nativity is half missing. When I was a young girl in my church, we had an activity and service program. We worked towards different gospel-related goals and service activities. Each time we completed a section, we were rewarded with a piece of the Nativity. They were all made by a member of our congregation. I had completed the entire program and received all the pieces of the nativity. However, that was 10 or so years ago. With multiple moves, I've lost many of the pieces. The "Joseph" figure is actually a shepherd figure without his crook!

But, my favorite part is the Christmas tree. My family had a tradition: every year growing up, my Grandma would give all the kids an ornament. That is most of the ornaments on this tree. Also, last year, my mother-in-law invited me to participate in a big ornament exchange she organizes. Every year, all the wives in her family, as well as close friends, create (it has to be DIY) two dozen ornaments, send them to her, and she mails everyone out a set of each. Click here for last year's ornament I made. This year's DIY will be posted later next week.

So, although our home is a bit eclectic and hand-me-down-ish, it is perfect for us. We are in love with it and it will definitely grow with us in time.

But, I'm a little jealous of NYC. There is a cool new site that can help you find the perfect apartment to match your wants, needs, and even personality, called Urban Compass. Urban Compass is a real estate platform that connects folks searching for starter apartments with the neighborhood that matches their personality and taste. This site would be a big hit in Utah if they ever expanded, and it would have probably saved Justin and I a lot of tears and arguments and stress the first half of this year. If you are anywhere near NYC or thinking of moving there or know of someone who is, I'd definitely check out their website!

Rug Pad Corner Review

A/N I was given product for free in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so astounded when I received an email from Rug Pad Corner to do a review for them. A good housing product for a small blogger such as me?!? Of course!

In our new home, we have wood flooring in all the rooms except for Rhys's bedroom. Now, I love wood floors, and it was fine, except for the living room. I knew that when Rhys would begin rolling and crawling, he'd need something soft to land on. Thankfully, my parents had an extra floor rug from when they moved that fit perfectly and matched our living room colors. But, our wood floor is super slippery. Seriously! There is this one spot near the stairs that we (and many family members) have slipped and fallen on. So, although we had a rug, it was slipping and sliding. We stuffed it under our couch, and that worked for then.

But, Rhys started scooting faster than we could've imagined! He started leaving the area of the rug and his arms and knees developed almost a "burn" from the hardness. So, when we got the rug pad, we immediately moved the rug out from underneath the couch.

The "installation" (if you can even call it that) was super easy. We put the pad, soft side down. Then, we just plopped the carpet on top of that.

When we first walked on it, it felt soft! Holy cow! Not only did the rug stay absolutely still, but it was softer! This was perfect! Now Rhys would have some buffer as he fell down rolling and sitting!

I definitely suggest checking out Rug Pad Corner at their website! They have rug pads for rugs on any type of flooring, there is no adhesive or chemicals, and you can even get it custom cut! They also donate some of their proceeds to charities such as the American Cancer Society, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross.

And....if you use the coupon code, REVIEW15, you will receive 15% off your purchase, just in time for the holidays! Go now!

Check out this lovely lady!

Campus Book Rentals Is The Way To Go!

Last week was my husband's last day of school...ever! He has graduated college and finished his classes!

We have been very grateful with his job at the Bookstore, which allowed him to have free textbook rentals. And, with his major--Statistics--those textbooks were worth a lot!

I remember as a freshman going to the Bookstore for the first time with some new friends. We were going to buy our textbooks. Everyone knows how much the freshman load costs...I knew that used was way to go because they were cheaper. As a history major and an English minor, my total was about $300 (since most were books rather than textbooks). But, a friend of mine was a PDBio major. His first PDBio freshman class required a textbook that was very expensive. The used version was $800!!!!!! Can you imagine spending that much money on ONE textbook!?!?!?!?!?

Not everyone is going to be as lucky as my husband. Some will be as unfortunate as my PDBio friend. But there is a way to save money on textbooks, and that is....

CAMPUS BOOK RENTALS! 

Via

This is a great way to go, rather than relying on your bookstore, Amazon, or your campus "book trade." Here's why:

 -save 40-90% off of bookstore prices

-free shipping both ways

-can highlight in the textbooks

-flexible renting periods

-they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

What is Operation Smile?

Operation Smile is a charity that helps earn money for surgeries to correct children's cleft lips and palates in middle and low income countries! How awesome is that!?! My son was born tongue tied...that means, his tongue was connected to the bottom of his mouth. It was immediately snipped right there in the labor and delivery room and took all of 5 seconds and that's all that was needed. But, cleft lips and palates are much, much worse. It causes feeding issues and speech problems. So, I think it is absolutely wonderful Campus Book Rentals donates to this charity!

Via

But, these aren't the only cool things about Campus Book Rentals! They now offer Rent Back!

RentBack is new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own - to other students... which is awesome because it makes them 2-4x more money compared to what they'd make through selling their books back at the end of the semester.

I remember when I first started selling my books back to the bookstore. I had purchased them through Amazon for very cheap and was expecting to actually make money off my textbooks...well, that's if you consider $10 "making money." I wish I had know about this!

Since the school year is just starting up, it's the perfect time to go check Campus Book Rentals out!

A/N: This is post is sponsored by Campus Book Rentals, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm all about saving money and wish the same for you!

Grammarly

Use Grammarly's grammar check because otherwise, the Grammar Nazis will attack you in your sleep with your own terribly written paper, causing a plethora of paper cuts!

*This post is sponsored by Grammarly, The World's Best Grammar Checker at www.grammarly.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As you all know, I am an English teacher at a small charter school. I have mentioned numerous times that my charter school is quite rigorous. One part in our curriculum that we pride ourselves in is our school-wide writing program. Every day, our students practice grammar and writing techniques. Starting in first grade, our students begin to learn the principles of grammar. They are able to label and diagram sentences, identify clauses and phrases, and are able to use mechanics and punctuation correctly. The reason we focus so strongly on grammar is to help them in their writing ability--if they know the basics, they will be able to do self-editing as they write. Our students write a lot!!! They are writing a paper every single month. Now, our writing curriculum is spread out, so they learn to write in the different subjects, but they are always working on a paper. I love this--practice makes perfect, I feel. The more they write, the better they'll be.

Typically, our students do their prewriting and outlining in class. Once they get those checked off by me (or whichever teacher they are writing for), they type up their drafts on a site called utahwrite.com. This is a wonderful website that allows students to type in their paper, then allows me to look at them all. The website automatically edits them for grammar (green highlights) and spelling (red highlights) mistakes. I can then go in and add in my own comments (yellow highlight).

When the students log back in, they are able to click on each of the highlights and tips will be provided for you. But, this website can be limited, especially because some of the site-generated tips are vague, especially if we haven't focused on that grammatical concept yet. Also, it's not a perfect grammatical website, so it misses quite a few grammatical, mechanical, and spelling mistakes.

That's where Grammarly comes in. All you do is take whatever you've written, a five-paragraph essay for 8th grade English, a college term paper, or even tomorrow's blog post, and paste it right in their homepage. Click "Check Your Text," wait less than 5 seconds, and it will find mechanical, grammatical, spelling mistakes, and much more!

The three main goals of Grammarly is to, "Instantly find and correct over 250 types of grammatical mistakes, improve word choice with context-optimized vocabulary suggestions, and avoid plagiarism by checking your texts against over 8 billion web pages."

It highlights your paper, just the same as my students' utahwrite.com account does, but if you compare the tip bubbles, Grammarly's is far more specific and detailed.

I am really impressed with Grammarly. I think it'd be a wonderful tool for English teachers, especially High School English teachers to have their students use this website. Now, the downside is that you would have to pay for accounts, but if my school is willing to pay for a subscription to utahwrite.com which helps students improve their writing, then I don't see why schools would reject this website in their budget!

I'm definitely going to use it for my blog posts, as well! I'm excited, because, although I'm an English teacher, I'm not a Grammar Police. I'm actually one of the fugitives running from the grammar law. So, (as a teacher) I rely heavily on websites like this to help me help my students. But now, I can also use it to improve my own personal writing as well. I suggest checking Grammarly out!