Smarter Sims & Weirder Stories: Living a "Sims" Life

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Finally The Sims™ 4 has arrived! My husband and I made a whole day of having fun playing the game and eating snacks on my day off. The first thing we did was Create A Sim to make our family on the game and build mode for a house. Funny enough just like in reality we had to compromise on the way the house looked and which neighborhood it would go in (but then I did realize he can make his own game too!).

Cute to see the child it made from my character and my husband's. 

Since the game first came out and my husband and I played in college we always giggled that we would be playing "real" The Sims™  once we were out of college. We are grown up now but still there is a kid inside that loves to play video games. The best part of The Sims™ 4 is the way the personalities are way more in depth with big personalities. I was cracking up at the way the characters were acting from picking traits that myself and my husband do have. 

The Sims™ has always been a fun little escape from reality. I like it since its a design game too. I am not a fan of app type of games as much as PC games so for me this is an epic game. It has depth of characters, good story lines and tons of replay value. 

We had a blast playing the game over the last few days and have been having several "SIMS" moments at home.

The funny thing about The Sims™ is how it really is like real life. Our personalities dictate what we like, what we need and what will bring us joy. It is to learn a little about humanity to play The Sims™ 4. How will your dream home look, what will your dream career be, find out when you play! #Sims4 

After we grab some snacks I will be heading back to my job as a writer, my beautiful home and my adoring son. (Thankfully my SIMS character has the same life on the game as I do in reality, well sorta lol) #CollectiveBias

I shopped at Walmart for my copy of The Sims™ 4. I grabbed some Sour Patch Kids Gum, soda, chips and candy for a day of enjoying the Latest PC Game. I encourage you to shop for the game soon since my store shelves were sold out!! 

Be sure to enter the SIMify yourself Facebook Contest here: https://www.facebook.com/simifyyourself. There are $8000 in prizes to be won including the grand prize where you could win a trip to Maxis studio in California! See the official rules here: https://collectivebias.box.com/shared/static/bgg20pn7ujnmkha77b6p.pdf

Spicy Beef and Potato Soup

September has always been the start of the new year for me. Going back to school is a very big deal, I think. It was for me when I was a child, it was for my own children, and now it is the same for my grandchildren.

I'm so happy to tell you that my grandson Jayden, who started second grade on Wednesday, loves his teacher and new classroom. I know I'm not responsible for him the way his parents are, but believe me when I say I was pretty anxious to know how that first day went.

September is also the time I start thinking about cooler weather, and the hearty soups and stews that my family enjoys. I love making soup in my big pot, and there are so many easy soups that can be made with very simple ingredients.

This Spicy Beef and Potato Soup is made with ground beef, potatoes, and corn, items that many of us already have on hand. This recipe makes a nice big pot of soup, with a delicious tomato flavor, and even the kids will love it.

Recipe for Spicy Beef and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
4 cans (8 ounce each) tomato sauce
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook beef until browned, drain off fat.
Add potatoes, onion, corn, and tomato sauce. Stir in 4 cups water, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour or until potatoes are tender and soup has thickened.

Makes 6 generous servings.

Share Sam's Club with a Friend & Plan a Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Sam’s Club. All opinions are mine alone.

When my friend Bree and I see each other work always seems to be the reason, but the times we all get together and have some fun are the best. We try to make time outside our busy lives of working full time, me being a Mom and Bree a full time student to just hang out.

Bree and I know many people all with birthdays right around one another and were thinking of planning one big party. Being the money savvy gals we are we decided to see what the cost would be like for a big party. I live down the street from Sam's Club so we grabbed some coffee and made a list. Sam's Club is one of those stores you can shop and get everything you might need all in one stop. It is my go to when we are planning a big party.

The first thing Bree said to me when we walked into Sam's Club was "I have never been in a Sam's Club but I have been in other big warehouse stores". I knew this was going to be a great trip to show her the prices and quality of the products for a party. Bree is known for the great parties she throws and the goodies she bakes. My son even knows the Bree makes all the goodies I bring home from work. He asks me if I have a "special treat" for him and I know he means did Bree make me anything lol.

Being the baker she is and her busy life I wanted her to see how convenient Sam's Club can be for parties and baking. The first thing we had on our list was disposable plates, cups and utensils. The only not so fun part of a party is the clean up, so I figured if we bought all disposable items it would keep clean up simple.

We started with Disposable party supplies and quickly the cart became full

We wanted to have healthy options for our party so we shopped for fresh food like fruit and a veggie party platter. Beverages are essential to a party as well. At Sam's Club they have a huge assortment of beverages to select from. We picked the basics of apple juice, water, soda and juice boxes.

Our favorite section in Sam's Club is the bakery area. I showed Bree how all the items can be used for semi-homemade treats. I know she loves to bake from scratch but I wanted her to see how she can save time while planning a party with pre-made items. We decided we would make bite size cake treats instead of a traditional birthday cake.

We purchased vanilla pound cake, chocolate chips, heavy cream and fresh blue berries & raspberries to make our chocolate covered cake topped with fruit.

Fresh Fruit Chocolate Covered Cake:

3 pk of Vanilla Loaf Cake
18 oz pack of fresh blueberries
18 oz pack of fresh raspberries
36 oz bag of chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
1 quart heavy cream

Pour 4 cups of chocolate chips into bowl, set aside. Boil 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream, pour over chocolate chips, stir slowly until blended. Cut vanilla cake loaf into even slices, cut in half. Drizzle chocolate glaze over cakes, top with fresh fruit, place in fridge 30 min to set.

Now that I have shared Sam's Club with a friend and planned a party we will spend the rest of the afternoon eating all the delicious food we bought and made. I am sure Bree will be shopping Sam's Club for her next party.

If you would like to #TrySamsClub for you or a friend you can read more on facebook and twitter. #CollectiveBias

Kicking off Back to School with a 21 Day Fix Challenge!

Hi everyone! Things have been going so great with my coaching that I am starting a Beachbody Challenge™ group. It starts on September 12th and would love for anyone and everyone to join! It's a 21 Day Fix Challenge and it's the easiest way to achieve your goals ever. 

As part of my group, you'll be one of four to six like-minded people. We'll track our progress along the way, hold each other accountable, and motivate, inspire, and encourage each other to achieve amazing results. It's easy! 

The best part is that the 21 Day Fix program is on sale right now for the month of September. I have heard so many great thing about this program and I know several people personally that have lost 10+ lbs. doing this! I am so excited to start it myself, I can’t wait! If you are interested in another Challenge Pack program there are lots to choose from, you can still join the group with any program.

But the spots will fill quickly—and you don't want to wait 'til the next group! When you're ready, just visit my Web site at http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Samantha0916 and follow the link, click on the Challenge Pack picture located to the right and select the 21 Day Fix to sign up. Or call or email me and I'll walk you through the process. Just an FYI it takes about a week to get your shipment so make sure you plan accordingly.

 

If you have been looking to start a program or to be a part of a great group then this is for you. I don't know about you but accountability and a positive attitude is what I need to succeed! Join me on this adventure and you won't be disappointed!

 

Toasted Coconut Donuts

I think I've mentioned before that ever since I bought a donut pan, I can make donuts whenever the mood strikes me. And it actually strikes me quite a lot.

When I lived in California, there was a donut shop practically everywhere you looked. Sort of like the equivalent of Seattle having a Starbucks on every corner. Well, I live across the water from Seattle now, and there are no donut shops around here. Or at least none I have found.

So of course that's the perfect reason to start making my own donuts, and my family loves them.

They are super easy to whip up on a lazy weekend morning, whenever we have a craving for them.

These Toasted Coconut Donuts are pretty fabulous, and if you are a coconut lover like I am, you will especially adore them.

This recipe makes a dozen donuts. You can make them without toasting the coconut if you are short on time, but they aren't quite the same. That extra five minutes or so that it takes is well worth it.


Recipe for Toasted Coconut Donuts

Ingredients:

For donuts:

Baking spray
2 cup all purpose flour
12 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup toasted coconut

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:

In a medium frying pan, place 1 cup of coconut. On low-medium heat, toss coconut frequently with a spatula. Cook until toasted, about 5 minutes, and do not let coconut burn. Place in a small bowl when done, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add buttermilk, eggs, coconut extract, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Carefully spoon batter into prepared donut pan, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until donuts are baked through. Allow to cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, coconut extract, and milk.
Stir until smooth, adding more tablespoons of milk as needed. Dip cooled donut in to glaze, and set on rack. Sprinkle heavily with toasted coconut. Repeat with remaining donuts.

Taking control of my health and starting an amazing fitness journey!

Hi guys Sam here! This summer has flown by and with our busy schedules and hectic lives I was feeling like exercise was the last on my list of priorities. My health was on the back burner and it was starting to show, not only in my body but in my mind. I was feeling tired, lazy and unmotivated. Here is a brief description of our summer and my journey to better health:  

 

My friends were doing an awesome stroller stride workout this summer but with my 7 year old out for the break it was impossible for us to join. I also felt like it was too hard to workout at home with all of the kids here. In my mind I needed to go to the gym to workout. So for the summer we bought a membership to the YMCA. Although it has been good for the kids, (they got swim lessons out of the deal) the entire summer I only got ONE 30 minute workout in. The kids hated the childcare so leaving them there was not an option. My dreams of working out in the gym were a bust.

Then my friend from junior high introduced me to Beachbody and Shakeology. The theory behind Beachbody is you don’t have to go to the gym to work out and it’s true. Since the beginning of August have been working out at home, drinking my Shakeology, eating better and I feel great! Not to mention I have lost several pounds and inches in this short time. I have more energy than I have had in years and it feels amazing. I have cancelled our YMCA membership and now my kids have started to join me in my workouts at home. Ha! I have loved it so much that with the help of my coach I have decided to become a coach myself!

This has been a great start to an incredible journey, that I can't wait to share with you all. I would love to be your coach. I would love to help you feel as amazing as I do. I would love share this feeling with everyone. There are so many great programs through Beachbody.  I promise you won't be disappointed. They offer a 100% money back guarantee, even if the bag is empty!

Check out the link to my profile to see me and what Beachbody is all about! The Challenge Packs are the way to go, that is how I got my start.


http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Samantha0916

Feel free to ask me any questions, I would love to answer them.




P.S. Stay tuned for my before and one month out pictures!

This is not a paid post, I just wanted to share my amazing fitness journey with you all. Thank you for reading my story.

The Latest PC Game: The SIMS™ 4 Launch is Happening!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I have been playing The Sims™ since the first one came out! My husband and I are gamers and Sims has been our favorite PC game ever. When my husband and I were in college together we would play The Sims™ Series between classes and after homework. We would laugh how we were playing a game that was the life we were going to college for, a career, kids, a home and  pets. My husband and I even speak "Sim" to each other and we so get what the other is saying, its hilarious.

Fast forward 10 plus years and we now have the kid, the responsibility of a house and jobs. Between raising kids and working we still try to take time to play games. After all playing keeps adults young at heart! When we heard that the Latest PC Game The Sims™ 4 was coming out we knew we had to get it. #Sims4 #CollectiveBias

This version of The Sims™ has the characters with bigger personalities by being able to customize personality traits, skills and ambition that all change how your character interacts in the game. The home creating tools are easier and faster with for the first time being able to hand sculpt each room to make it your very own. Plus you can more easily share your Sims creations with friends online.

I spent a few hours playing The Sims™ 4 Create a Character Demo and had a blast. I love how you can now change small details in a face that make a big difference to looking exactly like a real person. In the demo you can only create  young adults but its a great way to get a feel for the flow of the game and I was impressed. I was making a Sim that I thought looked like me to have my husband ask who I was making. That made me laugh because I realized I was indeed making the "cooler" me and ask for his tweeks to my character using the tools. Between the two of us making it I think its a close match. I am looking forward to making his character and building a house once the full version of the game is out on September 2nd.

Like many great games that come out its best to get a pre-order in. I have had to wait on games I thought would be available after not pre-ordering so I knew this game I would definitely need to. Walmart is making it simple and beneficial to pre-order the game online. Easy peasy you don't even need to go to the store! When you pre-order the game online you will get a packet of Sour Patch Kids gum and other limited time offers with the game like a keychain, VUDU movie credits and more. But hurry with your pre-order to get the extra perks.

My husband and I are looking forward to the game day launch of September 2nd to spend hours playing. I even made sure I had the day off from work! It is going to be a Sim-erific day with our Sour Patch Kids Gum and the latest version of our favorite PC game Sims 4.

There is a great Facebook contest for the The Sims™ 4 release. Here is some info:

Be sure to enter the SIMify yourself Facebook Contest here: https://www.facebook.com/simifyyourself. There are $8000 in prizes to be won including the grand prize where you could win a trip to Maxis studio in California! See the official rules here: https://collectivebias.box.com/shared/static/bgg20pn7ujnmkha77b6p.pdf

Have you played any of The Sims™ Series? Do you plan to play this one?

Help Your School With Campbell's Labels For Education #Labels4Edu #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Labels4Edu #CollectiveBias

I know many kids all around the country have already started school. Here in Washington State, we still have another week to wait, and the excitement is really running high with anticipation around our house. Like most parents and grandparents, we want to help our school function at it's best in every way we can. So we are very excited to be participating in the Campbell's Labels for Education program, where you just clip and save the UPC labels from thousands of participating products you buy everyday, and give them to your school to redeem for free merchandise.

There are soups, cereals, cookies, dairy products, beverages, school supplies and so many more that all carry the Labels for Education emblem that will help earn points for your child's school, or the school of your choice.

My family and I already buy many of these products on a weekly basis, so it really makes it easy to participate in this program and help us give to my grandson Jayden's school. It's very simple to find out if your school participates in the program, or a school in your district, on the programs website.

Jayden is thrilled to be entering second grade this year, and I'm finding it a little bit surprising that I'm the grandmother of a seven year old. It seems like only yesterday that he was a baby. The time has flown by, but I am so proud of this smart little guy.

Like most schools around the country, Jayden's school has budget challenges, and has needs that have to go unmet because of lack of funding.

By participating in the Labels for Education program, his school has the opportunity to get some of those needed items for free.

All you have to do is clip the labels and give them to your school. It's really easy, and we have a box that we toss them into and give to the school once a month. It's even kind of funny, because now Jayden will pick up a package or can and look for the Labels for Education to help out his school. He caught onto this very quickly, and feels great about finding the labels.

We have a large family, so I've recently asked everyone to clip and save their labels. The list of participating products is over 2,500, so there should be a good amount of labels coming my way every month from family members.

My town has a brand new Safeway, that I just love, and can't seem to stay away from. They have a great selection of so many items, many with the Labels for Education, including my favorite cookies. I love that I can eat cookies for a good cause!!

For my weekly shopping trip, I printed out some great money-saving coupons from the Labels for Education website. These are coupons for items that my family and I use all the time, and also lets us donate more labels to our school.

Since I live with my daughter and her family, which includes three of my grandchildren, we have a big grocery bill every week. So it's really great when I can use coupons to help save us money.





Campbell's soups has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite memories as a kindergartener was coming home at lunchtime to a cup of Campbell's soup and a grilled cheese sandwich that my Mom had made for me.

My grandchildren are soup lovers too, so we buy a lot of Campbell's soup. And now all the kids love finding the labels and helping me put them in the box to donate and help our school.

And there's another way we can help out our schools, one which I love, because I love sweepstakes.

Just enter your school in the Labels for Education $ 1 Million Sweepstakes. 1000 schools will win $1000.  Wouldn't that be great for your school?



When I was at Safeway, I also picked up some much needed pens for myself. On the back of these packages, I found the Labels for Education emblems to clip and donate,  plus all the Bic pens were 30% off. Doing good and saving money, yay!!

When my own children were growing up, the schools they attended were very important to me. And now that I am a grandmother, I want my grandchildren to be in good schools, too.

So any way that we can help out our school to be it's best, I'm happy to participate in. The Campbell's Labels for Education program is such an easy way to help, by clipping and donating labels from products that my family and I already buy.

Would you like to find out more about this great program? Visit the Labels for Education website for more information, and to enter the $1 Million Sweepstakes.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread



I really love chocolate, and somehow chocolate and zucchini just don't go together in my world. Except they do in this marvelously rich, chocolate zucchini bread that is filled with flavor.

The zucchini has been coming out of our garden quite regularly, and this is the first summer I've really embraced cooking with it. It's so versatile, whether you are using it for dinner, dessert, or snack recipes.

It's healthy for you too, of course, and I feel good when my family is eating their veggies. This recipe calls for a cup and a half of grated zucchini, which is about one medium sized zucchini.

This recipe calls for chocolate chips and cocoa powder, and it really packs a chocolate punch. It's moist and so, so good.

If you don't have homegrown zucchini from your garden to use, the farmers markets are still filled with them, and it's a nice way to end the summer, by making this yummy, chocolaty bread.


Recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened  cocoa powder
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup semi chocolate chips
baking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Football Fun with Chocolate MARS Candy Bar Ice Cream Brownie Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Football and good food seem to go hand in hand. I usually buy savory dips or spicy wings for football games and make the dessert myself. I enjoy making sweet treats to share with my loved ones. For this football gathering I made MARS Chocolate Candy Bar Football Ice Cream Brownie Cake.

The part of football we love the most is being fans. We like rooting for our team, wearing the team colors and being a part of the excitement with fellow fans. Another aspect of  football fun can be team rivalry and we have that in our family. My husband and I are all about the red and gold while our cousins are true black and sliver fans! It makes it a little more fun to have these opposing local teams be our different favorites. We do all agree on a love of chocolate candy bars!! #Chocolate4TheWin #CollectiveBias

Recipe for MARS Candy Bar Football Ice Cream Brownie Cake

1 bag of 105 count variety bag of MARS Candy bars
1 box of brownie mix
1.5 quart of vanilla ice cream

First make brownies according to the instructions on the boxed mix you purchased. After brownies bake allow them to cool before making ice cream cake. In a rectangle or square pan layer the ice cream, brownies and MARS Chocolate candy bars, freezing the ice cream between the layers for 10 minutes to set. Top layer should end with vanilla ice cream. For the fun size candy bars I smashed them first to make them easier to bite in the cake. I included Milky Way, 3 Musketeer and SNICKERS®  bars in my cake, you can select the ones you enjoy from the 105-count variety bag.

After letting the whole cake freeze use a knife to cut out the shape of a football, removing the outside ice cream brownie cake from the sides first making it easier to take the football shape out of the pan. Place the football shaped cake on a plate. Use the full size SNICKERS® to cut into shape of the football threads and add to top of the cake, freeze for one more 15 minute interval.

My husband, son and I loved the MARS Candy Bar Football Ice Cream Brownie Cake. I will be making this again next time we host a football party for our family. You can find the MARS 105-count variety bag and 48 count SNICKERS® at your local Sam's Club. We found our candy aisle near a sampling machine that dispensed candies and it happen to be a sampling day including candy. My son and I were having some serious candy fun!

My recipe can be interchangeable with the flavors of the main ingredients. Using blonde brownies and chocolate ice cream or many other combinations would be delicious with the MARS Candy.

I made a few MARS candy bar necklaces to wear while watching the game for easy snacking.