Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Baseball Life
Please do not steal or use my photos of my children without permission.
All photos on Simply Durant belong to Simply Durant.
Baseball is in full swing these days. I love being a baseball mom! When I was younger, I used to spend my weekends February through October at the ballpark playing on my competitive fastpitch team. It was a blast and I love watching my oldest learning to play the game.
He missed the first two weeks of the season due to getting his tonsils removed. He was bummed at first but now is loving being back with his teammates. He is making a lot of new friends.
He plays for the Cool Cats and is number 44 this season. He has yet to play one specific position but enjoys playing third base, catcher, and left field. Amari is pretty fast (when he is not being lazy) and is mostly in the outfield.
Three Saturday's ago he ended up getting the game ball. He went 2-3 at bat, scored twice, and had a great play at 3rd base. He was focused the entire game even though it was raining out. He also was excited that his Auntie was there cheering him on.
There are three more weeks left in the season and I am pretty sure my little baseball player is going to love the rest of the season with his teammates. So many great memories are made both on the field and in the dugout. And I am pretty sure he will dig his first trophy too.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Denisa Piatti Jewellery: Contemporary Jewelry
This post has been brought to you by Denisa Piatti Jewellery and has affiliate links. All images in this post belong to Denisa Piatti Jewellery. I was not financially compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Every woman loves jewelry. I can't even being to tell you how many pairs of earrings I have at home. I have a lot; from simple studs to long dangly extravagant earrings. Let's be real for a moment, it's the jewelry that really makes the outfit you wear and sometimes it's a struggle to find a unique piece that everyone doesn't have in their jewelry box. I hardly ever feel put together without a pair of earrings or a simple necklace. I never leave the house without a pair of earrings and if I do, I feel like something is missing. My go to earrings are my silver diamond studs and my whale tale necklace I got from my Grandmother on my 18th birthday. My whale tale necklace and I are going twelve years strong and though the metal is fading with age it makes it different and beautiful in its own way.
I have partnered with Denisa Piatti Jewellery to feature some of her beautiful handmade pieces. Each of her designs are original, handcrafted, and made with special meaning.
"When I was 13, my dad took me to visit the Secondary School of Applied Arts in my country-Slovakia, as I was always good at crafts and creative activities. Right there and then, I fell in love with the art of creating jewelry. Two years later, I enrolled in a 4 year intensive program focused on traditional jewelry techniques and materials. I continued to broaden my skills and creative thinking at another 4 year studies, receiving my BA in Three Dimensional Design at art school in Scotland. Since then, I work continuously on my creative growth and make jewelry on full time basis."
I am all about featuring products that focus on sustainability and that are friendly to the environment. Denisa Piatti does just that with her Seaweed and Horn collections.
The Seaweed Collection pays homage to the local women in Zanzibar who harvest the seaweed from the sea. The intricate shapes pulled ashore are reflected in the designs. Denisa use acrylic plastic and forms organic shapes that mimic the seaweed and carefully combines the acrylic with precious metals to form the designs. Just like the women in Zanzibar who work long extraneous hours harvesting the seaweed, Denisa also works laborious hours crafting this particular design.
"In my work, I apply organic forms and shapes to inorganic materials to
become body adornments. My most recent body of work is inspired by the shapes
of seaweed washed ashore. "
- As quoted by Denisa Piatti
The second collection is the Horn Collection. It was inspired in Africa during Denisa's travels. In many traditional African cultures, cow’s horn represents fertility, strength, and pride. Today it's been reduced to nothing but waste and has no inherent value anymore. She wanted to emphasize the beauty of this material by keeping its organic shape and patterns. By setting it in precious metals she makes it available to people around the country and the world in the forms of gorgeous jewelry. The material is sourced from the scrap yards of local butchers in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ghana. Through her craftsmanship, she wants to emphasize the disrespect to the animals by bringing back the forgotten values of the cow's horn through preciously crafted jewelry.
"Every piece I’ve made is special to me. Every time I finish one, I
remember the design and thinking process behind it and the reason why I have
decided to make it in the first place."
- As quoted by Denisa Piatti
Starting today through June 9th use promocode simplydurant to get 25% off your pair of Seaweed Earrings from the options below by Denisa Piatti.
Click here to purchase your pair of Seaweed Earrings.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Strawberry & Sour Cream Donuts
This post contains affiliate links.
A couple of weeks ago we made a batch of homemade donuts with sour cream with some of the kids we work with. My coworker found the recipe online but couldn't remember exactly from where. I went on a mission and ended up trying a recipe I found here. I decided to recreate them for my family for Mother's Day weekend. I tweaked the recipe a bit and added fresh puréed strawberries and mint to the batter. They turned out beautifully and were oh so tasty!
Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
12 strawberries washed and chopped (should fill a small cereal bowl)
2 teaspoons sugar
4 large mint leaves, washed
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine brown sugar, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Mix together until blended for about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat well into the mixture. Slowly add sour cream and vanilla and blend together.
2. In a medium sized bowl mix together 1 1/4 cup of flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir together with a whisk. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until combined.
3. Wash and chop 10-12 fresh strawberries. Cut in half and toss in food processer with fresh mint leaves on low. Add chopped berries to mixture and stir together.
4. Spray donut pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter. Spoon batter into piping bag (Ziplock bag if you don't have a piping bag) and cut off the end of one corner. Squeeze the batter from your bag into each circular donut mold. Each donut should be 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before removing from donut pan and placing on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining batter until done.
Glaze -
1. Whisk together 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cups milk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth. Dip the top of cooled donuts into mixture and set aside on cooling rack to harden.
2. Add sprinkles.
Serves these delicious donuts with a cup of coffee and enjoy. The fresh strawberries and mint makes these donuts. My family loved them. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Mabel's Labels: 50% Off on Allergy Alert Labels
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. All thoughts and opinions on this post are my own.
The school year is coming to a close which means summer is approaching quickly. I can't believe that my oldest son is finishing up his first year of school in less than 26 days. Where is my box of tissues cause this Mama Bear is about to cry! I guess it's time for me to start looking into summer camps and extracurricular activities for my boys. Thankfully, Mabel's Labels makes it easy to keep my youngest son safe this summer with Customizable Allergy Alert Labels! He is allergic to pineapple and I don't want him having an allergic reaction this summer.
Mabel's Labels has custom Allergy Alert Labels that are both durable and waterproof which makes them perfect for summer. The labels specify what allergies your child has and can be placed on lunch bags, food items, drinks, and travel gear. These labels are perfect for daycare, camp, and everywhere else your busy kid(s) may go this summer.
I plan on putting them on my son's snack bags and drink containers when he goes to sports camps, Vacation Bible School, and on his travel bag when we go on vacations this summer.
Click on the link or banner below now through May 24th for half off your custom Allergy Alert Labels. They will come in handy this summer.
Valid May 10th through May 24th
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Q & A with Amari: All About Mom
Over the weekend I started thinking about Mother's Day. It's coming up fast and I thought it would be fun to interview my oldest son about his mom (me). I have never been interviewed by a child, especially my own. Some of his answers are hilarious and I had a fun time interviewing him. He is a pretty funny kid and I am not just saying that because he is my own.
Back in 2012, I wrote a post titled Mother's Day Eve Tale: Why Being a Mother is Important to Me. I tweeted it a couple of days ago on Twitter but decided to link it to this post if you wanted to read it. It's a good read and gets a little personal. It gives a lot of insight about who I am as a person and why being a mother is of the utmost importance to me. The best job that I have ever had is being a mom. My three children mean the world to me.
Back in 2012, I wrote a post titled Mother's Day Eve Tale: Why Being a Mother is Important to Me. I tweeted it a couple of days ago on Twitter but decided to link it to this post if you wanted to read it. It's a good read and gets a little personal. It gives a lot of insight about who I am as a person and why being a mother is of the utmost importance to me. The best job that I have ever had is being a mom. My three children mean the world to me.
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1. What is your mom's name?
Tasha or Mom... *makes a funny face* You don't like it when I call you Tasha.
2. How old is your mom?
Um...16.
Um...16.
3. What is your favorite thing to do with mom?
Clean up the walls. Ugh, making dinner. And um, buying a toy at the store.
4. What is your mom's favorite thing to eat?
Um what? Salad...
5. What is your mom's favorite thing to drink?
Coffee! You drink a lot of coffee.
6. What is your mom's job?
Mentor. You hang out with kids all day.
7. What is mom really good at?
Cleaning up the house. Playing games like "hide-hide" and Star Wars.
8. What is your favorite meal that mom makes?
Homemade Mac N' Cheese and spaghetti!
9. What is your favorite treat that mom bakes?
Cookies. They are good and have lots of chocolate chips in them.
10. What is your mom's favorite color?
Pink... Its a girl color and you're a girl.
11. I love my mom because...
She lets me watch T.V.
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