My Garden is Blooming

Over Memorial Day weekend we set up an above ground garden and planted some plants. We purchased some big ones so we could have fruits and veggies right away. Other plants we purchased seeds. The seeds are starting to grow! We have green beans, brussels sprouts and watermelons starting to grow. My son has been having so much fun helping me water each day. Sometimes me and the dog get more watered than the garden but he is getting the hang of it.

Sunday Morning Cupcakes

I was feeling quite ambitious this morning so I asked my five year old grandson if he would like to make cupcakes with me. He obviously said yes, because here he is, still in his Batman pajamas. And I get points for being a cool Nana because he ate cupcakes for breakfast.
We bake a lot together, somehow it just happened that it became our thing to do, and I love it. He is the best helper but he does abandon me when it's clean up time, but that's okay.

I picked a recipe for devil's food because I just love the intensity of the chocolate flavor. I didn't have any chocolate sprinkles, and ours aren't quite as pretty as the picture in the book, but they sure taste great!

After all that work, time to eat! And time to clean up, too. I always wished I was one of those people who cleaned as they cooked, but I'm not. Oh well, we had fun, and I hope I'm making memories with this little guy. I hope he remembers that for no reason at all, we were silly enough to make cupcakes early on a cloudy Sunday morning in June.
Hope you are all having a great Sunday yourselves.

Sometimes Mom Needs a Nap

Found this cute pic at theberry.com

This has been an emotional roller coaster of week. Life has a way of piling up with small things that bug you but dont mean much, to loss and regret and then something in the here and now whacks you in the head. I am normally the most chipper, positive, always seeing the sunshine through the rain kinda gal and I still am. A lot of prayer and tears have made me realize to be happy for who I am, who loves me and what my future holds. Ive been exhausted and after about 2 1/2 years without one, I took a nap! It felt selfish to go in my room close the door, computer off, life on the back burner and just sleep. BUT oh man did I wake up feeling a million times better. My mind was so exhausted and needed it. I encourage you to when you are having one of those days or weeks to have a family member, even if you need to call one, to watch your little ones while you take a nap. Like the picture says, "When all else fails take a nap."

photo by me :)

Back to the Roots Grow Your Own Mushroom Kit Giveaway

Growing fruits and veggies is something we do as a family for fun but also to be more in touch with where our food comes from. I love to be able to show my son how we plant, water and grow some of our food. Mushrooms is something we eat often. I love them in pasta dishes, over a burger and fresh in a salad.

A company local to Northern California has made a fun product that is delicious and good for the environment. They created a Mushroom Growing Kit that allows you to grow mushrooms from home from coffee grounds. These are grounds that would have potentially been tossed out and now have been turned into a fun at home way to grow food.

You can find Back to the Roots products for sale at Whole Foods stores. The Back to the Roots' grow-at-home mushroom kit lets you grow up to 1 1/2 lbs of gourmet, tasty oyster mushrooms per box. You can harvest your first crop in as little as 10 days! If you order 2 Mushroom Growing Kits right now you can get FREE Shipping. 

Back to the Roots has started a fun new program for their customers. If you post a picture with your kit fully grown on the Back to the Roots facebook page and they will donate a kit to an elementary classroom of your choice to support youth sustainability education! 

I think the Back to the Roots Mushroom Kit would make a great Father's Day gift. Its a fun way to interact with your kids and simple. Three easy steps to grow your own mushrooms indoors. Open, mist twice a day (mister included) and harvest. Set in a window sill and watch them grow. The soil inside is 100% recycle coffee grounds. Safe, sustainable and 100% satisfaction guarantee.

To celebrate Father's Day we are hosting a giveaway for a Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit.

 GIVEAWAY

Win a Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit 

 

To Enter This Giveaway: (mandatory entry before extra entries)


Visit the Back to the Roots Pinterest Oyster Mushroom Recipes board and tell me what recipe you would like to try.

 

( I think the Vegan Mushroom Tacos look delicious!) 

*Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on.

-Follow Back to the Roots on Pinterest +1
-Like on Back to the Roots on Facebook +1

-Follow Back to the Roots on Twitter +1

-Follow/Add to your circle  Frugal Family Tree on Google+ ( right hand side) +1
-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1
-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on Pinterest +1

-Share this giveaway on Facebook ONLY, using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Copy and Paste This Tweet on Twitter and leave me the link (to find the link click on the time stamp under your tweet. Can be done once a day for the duration of the giveaway)

#Win a Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit from @BTTRVentures at @FrugalFamTree #Giveaway ends 6/22

 

 

 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 8 2012 and ends on June 22, 2012 at midnight PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.

Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY Sweepstakes

Six Flags has been a place we love to visit for many years. First in Southern CA when Sam and I were kids and then as teenagers Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. "Marine World" as it was known back then and now its even more awesome as Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We are super excited to be taking our own kids there this summer. I cant wait to see the kids reaction to all the cool animal shows, carnival games and for JJ the rides. So fun!!

Right now Six Flags is hosting a Sweepstakes for their summer ice cream day. Whats more fun than an amusement park full of ice cream!?!

Enter the Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY Sweepstakes for a chance to win your own, personal Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY. You choose your "flavorite" park, we'll provide the thrilling toppings! Prize includes TWO tickets, Front Line Access, Games and More! And make sure to join us at Six Flags on July 15th for Mars National Ice Cream Day!

Rise and Scream for Ice Cream!
Be one of the first 200 guests to arrive early for a chance to get your Mars Ice Cream Rise and Scream Wristband.* Start the day off with special VIP access to select rides before the park opens.

Mars Ice Cream Social Hour!

Take a break from the heat and cool down with a frozen treat during the Mars Ice Cream Social Hour. Purchase a Mars Ice Cream product from the Official Six Flags Ice Cream Day Location from 4-5 p.m. and you can receive a free Midway Game Voucher to use at Six Flags on July 15!**


Still Have Room for More?
Enter the Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY Sweepstakes NOW for a chance to win your own, personal Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY. You choose your “flavorite” park, we’ll provide the thrilling toppings!***
Prize includes:

• 2 admission tickets to any Six Flags Theme Park in the U.S.
• 1 parking pass
• 1 Gold FLASH Pass for 2
• 2 single-person meal deals & 2 souvenir sport bottles
• 1 souvenir photo
• 10 midway game vouchers
• 2 vouchers each valid for a Mars Ice Cream Treat!

 Enter the Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY Sweepstakes below for your chance to win and don't forget to join them on July 15 for Mars National Ice Cream FUNDAY!
If you're 14 or older, you may enter once per person/per email address per day through July 15. Click here for official rules.

Click here to Enter the Six Flags Ice Cream FUNDAY Sweepstakes