The Domestic Diva » Monetary Monday

Last Minute Easter Dinner Ideas (recipes) #spon

The Domestic Diva — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:15:01 +0000

#spon

Easter has seriously snuck up on me. I thought I had a whole week left but looking at the calendar EASTER IS TOMORROW! But never fear, planning for Easter Dinner doesn’t have to be stressful.

With the help of Walmart, I was able to quickly run to the store and grab everything I needed for our Easter Meal. Whether your feeding the family or a crowd this meal is easily customizable to feed a little or a lot of people.

Plan your Menu before heading to the Store

This year our Easter meal will include:
-Glazed Ham (I bought a fully cooked ham from Walmart with a brown sugar glaze, this will give me extra time outside of the kitchen because all I have to do to it is heat it up and apply the glaze)
-Green Bean Casserole
-Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
-Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
-Individual Strawberry Shortcakes

Most of these dishes are fairly easy to prepare and some like the ham can be done the night before.

But today I wanted to share with you a recipe for my favorite holiday staple. At our house, it doesn’t matter what holiday it is, we MUST have macaroni and cheese casserole. I’ve been looking forward to holidays my entire life for this and only this dish.

Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

To make this dish easy for the day of, you can go ahead and prepare the casserole and refrigerate it until its time to bake it. Also one can use disposable baking pans to make clean up a breeze.

1 box Radiatore pasta (or use whatever type of pasta you prefer or have on hand)
4 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
12 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
(optional)Disposable Roaster Pan

Preheat 350°F.
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Spoon half of cooked pasta into bottom of dish.
Top with 2 cups of cheese.
Spread remaining pasta on top. We should have two layers.
In a mixing bowl combine dozen eggs and 1/2 cup of milk.
Pour egg mixture on top of pasta layers. Then top with remaining 2 cups of cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 1 hour.
After 45 minutes of baking, remove foil so cheese on top can brown.
Casserole is done when the middle is set, no runny liquid.

Tip: if using a disposable baking pan, place on a cookie sheet before placing in the oven. This adds extra stability.

Easter Dessert: Individual Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberries are ripe and ready for eating this time of year, so what better dessert to have on Easter than individual strawberry shortcakes. This dessert is super simple to make and like the mac and cheese casserole can be prepared a day ahead so all one has to do is assemble it the day of the event.

White Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

1 lb. fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 box white chocolate pudding mix
6 count Individual Bakery Spongecake
1 tub Whipped Topping
1 cup Milk

Ahead of time, cut stems off of strawberries and quarter them. Toss strawberries with a 1/4 cup of sugar. Cover and chill. The strawberries and the sugar will get happier the longer they stay together. So as early as possible to do this the better. The strawberry’s natural juices will dance with the sugar to make their own syrup. Stir occassionally.

Another layer of the Strawberry Shortcake to make ahead of time is the filling. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1 pkg of white chocolate pudding with 1 cup of milk. Then fold in 1 tub of whipped topping. Chill until ready to assemble shortcakes.

To assemble shortcakes, place one spongecake round on the plate. Top with a generous dollop of the pudding/whipped topping mixture. Then add your strawberries to the top. Enjoy!

My husband has been raving about these since I made them, so I’m guessing this dessert may be his new found favorite.

More Easter Meal Ideas

Some of my fellow Walmart Moms have also been busy preparing their Easter dinner ideas. You can check out a few of them at the links below. Also, don’t forget to check out Walmart’s Easter Ideas as well.

Frugal Upstate’s Easter Dinner for 10
Hoosier Homemade’s Ham Dinner for Easter
Modern Mami’s Easter Menu Plan
From Dates to Diapers prepares an Easter Meal with Savings from Walmart

I hope everyone has a blessed & happy Easter!

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. I have been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post and was provided giftcard for the purchases of the ingredients used in these recipes. As always my participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

DIY Project: Bling Laptop Skin! Making my laptop stand out in the crowd

The Domestic Diva — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 19:08:45 +0000

With various trips and bloggy events coming up I was looking for a way to make my laptop stand out in the sea of other laptops. I was looking around online to find something different and unique and stumbled upon a laptop skin that had rhinestones on it. The problem was the price! It was eary expensive and definitely not in my budget so I set out to recreate a blinged out skin for my laptop but a little more budget friendly. Below are the steps I took to create my fabulous, blinged out laptop skin:

Step 1: Gather your Tools

Needle Nose Pliers
E-6000 glue
Clear Contact Paper
X-Acto Knife
Toothpicks
Loose Rhinestones (from the Craft Store)
Tweezers
Extra Charms or Jewels if you would like

Step 2: Apply Contact Paper to Device

I was a little worried and scared that applying rhinestones directly to the surface of my device would damage it. So I opted to apply a layer of contact paper first to act as a barrier. One could even use an old vinyl laptop skin they might already have.

To get the right fit of contact paper onto my device. I first measured and cut out the contact paper slightly larger than my device. Applied it, smoothing out any bubbles. Then with an X-Acto Knife I used it to go around the edge of the device….very carefully! We don’t want to scratch the surface or ourselves for that matter. I opted just to do a simple rectangle because I found the the contact paper didn’t like to stick to rounded corners too well.

Step 3: Apply the Rhinestones

This is where the fun part comes in and also the part that will take the most amount of time and patience. With a toothpick, spread a small square of E-6000 glue onto the contact paper that is applied to the device. Spread the glue around evenly with the toothpick. With a pair of tweezers, place each individual rhinestone into place. Keep doing this in sections until the entire device is how one would like it. Do not apply glue in a large area because by the time you get to the end of the large section the glue will have already dried and one can’t stick rhinestones to dried glue :P

I worked on this on and off for about a week until it was completely done. I also allowed it to dry for about a day before I began using it again.

Show off your Finished Product and ENJOY IT!

I think I may perhaps love my lappy now more than ever before not only because its functional for work and stuff but because it is completely unique and original to me. I know that my laptop is definitely going to stand out in the crowd now :)

For those of you that are wondering how I created my blog logo to glue on top of the rhinestones. I followed this tutorial on how to make a logo using Shrinky Dink Printer Paper that I found via Tip Junkie.

Disclosure: please perform all crafts at your own risk. I can not verify that applying glue, contact paper, or any other thing to any electronic device will not mess it up, decrease it’s value, or ruin it for good. I am not an expert. I just wanted to share this fun craft project that I recently did in my own life. This worked for me, but it may not produce the same results for someone else.

Walmart brings back almost 9,000 items #spon

The Domestic Diva — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 01:38:29 +0000

(sponsored)

Occasionally I get word of something exciting happening at Walmart and today is one of those days. I just heard that Walmart is bringing back almost 9,000 items to their store shelves!

For me this is super exciting because of one item in particular that I’ve been missing in my life. Walmart used to be the only place in my area that carried this item but for whatever reason they all of a sudden stopped carrying it and I’ve been sorely missing it ever since. Hearing word that Walmart is trying to bring back almost 9,000 items not only makes me excited but a little hopeful as well.

I encourage you to check out your local Walmart to see if some of the items you’ve been missing have returned.

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. I have been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post & video. As always my participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

Every Day Low Prices and Ad Matching at Walmart

The Domestic Diva — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:53:08 +0000

(sponsored)

What does Every Day Low Price Mean? At Walmart they strive to be the low price leader. To me, that means that I’m going to get great savings. Every Day Low Price means “low prices every day on everything in the store”. That means I don’t have to run around to several different stores to get the best prices, sort of like a one-stop shop.

There may be an occasion though when one goes to Walmart for a specific item and say that that particular item was on a sale at another store. Walmart will Ad Match a competitor’s price with or without the ad! At the register one can tell the cashier that x store has been advertising this product for a particular price, with or without the ad the cashiers can check and price match the competitor’s price right at the register. This is great for me because I know most of the time I’m not going to have the ad on hand with me.

With Every Day Low Prices, Ad Match, and Walmart’s new updated coupon policy, Walmart is proving to not only be the low price leader but also help me save money.

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. I have been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post. As always my participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

Purex Complete Crystals Softener

The Domestic Diva — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:49:40 +0000

(sponsored)

As a Walmart Mom, I’m occasionally given the opportunity to try out new products. I was recently asked to give Purex Complete Crystals Softener a try. So with the samples provided my husband and I started to tackle the mound of laundry.

For a while now I’ve been making my own liquid laundry detergent with a recipe similar to the one that the Duggar Family uses. But one thing I’ve found that I’ve been missing since making my own laundry detergent is that fresh laundry scent. Since we don’t add any oils or anything to our detergent it doesn’t smell like much.

We started using the Purex Complete Crystals Softener a little over a week or so ago and it’s made a huge difference in the way that our laundry smells. Purex Complete Crystals is available in 3 scents but I’m a big fan of the Fresh Spring Water (the blue one), it smells amazing to me! Whenever a new load of laundry is brought in from the laundry room, it literally fills the entire room with the fragrance. The scent also seems to last a good while after the wash is done.

After doing some more research on Purex Complete Crystal Softener, I stumbled across this video below that I thought was rather interesting:

More information about Purex Complete Crystal Softener is available online.
“Like” Purex on Facebook for money saving coupons on Purex Complete Crystal Softener.
Purex Complete Crystal Softener is available at Walmart for about $3.97 for a 32-load size.

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. I have been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post and was provided with a sample of the product mentioned in this post. I have not been told what to say, and as always my participation is voluntary & opinions are my own.

New Updates for Walmarts Coupon Policy

The Domestic Diva — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:53:41 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I told you guys about some updates to the Walmart Coupon Policy. You can still view Walmart’s Coupon Policy online and even print out a copy for your own personal reference.

Below are some images that help clarify the new, updated coupon policy at Walmart.

Details about the updates to the coupon policy from Walmart:

“We have provided additional clarification on our coupon policy which is located at http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx . Our coupon policy clarifies our coupon acceptance guidelines and should be referred to for details. Please note the latest update has provided additional clarification on coupons that Walmart will redeem.”

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. I have been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post. As always my participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

Walmart Wants to Know: What do you think of their new Coupon Policy?

The Domestic Diva — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 06:40:34 +0000

Walmart recently rolled out their new, updated coupon policy. As someone that is learning how to do the whole coupon thing, I find things like this helpful.

As a Walmart Mom I’ve been asked to pass this information along to you guys, my fabulous readers, to give ya’ll the opportunity to let Walmart know what you think of their new coupon policy as well.

You can check out the new coupon policy here and let Walmart know what you think by filling out this quick 2 question survey here.

Do you use coupons often?

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. As always my participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

Budget Friendly Valentines Day Inspired Outfit from Walmart (Video)

The Domestic Diva — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:14:17 +0000

I mentioned the other day about how instead of going out for Valentine’s Day this year we are opting to stay in with our Dinner and a movie theme. But this doesn’t mean that I can’t dress up, right?

With the help of Walmart I went in-store to see what great budget friendly fashions I could find to put together a Valentine’s Day look for less.

My local Walmart is having a great clearance sale right now and just about every item I chose for my Valentine’s look was on clearance!!! The entire outfit including shoes and accessoires is averaged to be on around $30-$35.

Do you have your outfit picked out for Valentine’s Day?

Are you wearing anything special?

Let us know your Valentine’s Day plans in the comment section below.

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. I have been provided with compensated for my time and efforts in creating this video and blog post. I was provided a giftcard for the purchases of the items seen in this video. My participation in this group is voluntary and as always opinions are my own. I have not been paid or told what to say.
That is all.

5-Minute Makeup Look with Maybelline

The Domestic Diva — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:01:38 +0000

Ladies, I know mornings can be tough. Especially for me seeing how I am not a morning person in the slightest. But I absolutely hate going out the door without any makeup on. I try and pull myself together a little bit in the mornings to make myself somewhat presentable before leaving the house.

When I’m crunched for time the 5-minute makeup look is what I typically go for. Something simple and quick. When Walmart asked me to check out some of the new products that Maybelline has out, I couldn’t wait to try them. I absolutely love makeup. It’s one of my favorite things.

For years now I’ve been an avid mineral powder foundation user. I remember the days of the cakey, heavy, mask-like liquid foundations that I dealt with in my youth. Once I tried mineral foundation though, I never looked back….until today. Maybelline has a new line of liquid foundation called Fit Me. I was pleasantly surprised with how far liquid foundation has come since the time I was using it before. It seems to blend pretty well without leaving a line of demarkation along my jawline and didn’t seem to cake in place either. While I can’t seem to control the coverage “level” of the liquid foundation as much as I could with say a powder foundation its still a great tool to have for the 5-minute makeup look.

When browsing the shelves at Walmart, I like how the Fit Me display shows what concealer and powder matching the foundation that you chose. This really makes it easy to go into the store and then get out knowing you have everything in the exact shade that you need.

Maybelline has also come out with a One by One Volum’ Express mascara that is great to wear everyday. This is what I would consider a very light mascara which coats every lash without adding much bulk. This mascara would be a good day mascara for me because of how light and precise it coats my lashes.

And lastly let’s talk lips. If you’ve been a reader of my blog for any length of time you might know that I love to play up my eyes. Since I have smaller lips I like to play up my better feature, my eyes, and downplay the feature that I don’t particularly like the most. However, on days when I want to have a different look from my everyday I like to go with a somewhat stronger lip. When I’m not wearing lipgloss I typically lean towards long wearing lipsticks such as the Super Stay 24 Color by Maybelline. When I tried out this lipstick I was surprised at how well it really did stay on. The balm that comes with the lipstick that you apply over the color, makes your lips feel very moist. This was my favorite feature.

I put together a quick video to share with you all how I put together my 5-minute makeup face using the samples that Maybelline sent me. Of course, you can always use whatever brand you feel most comfortable with as well as make any adjustments you see necessary to match your features and skin tone.

What is your favorite brand of makeup?

Have you ever tried any of the products mentioned in this post? What was your favorite? What didn’t you like?

In case you missed it…don’t forget to check out our nail tip video as well from earlier today.

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. Samples were provided to me by Maybelline in order to help create this post. I have been compensated for my time and efforts in creating this post. I have not been told what to say nor paid to publish positive comments. My participation in the Walmart Moms group is always voluntary and opinions are my own. I am not a makeup professional just someone that loves to experiment with different makeup looks.

Essie Colored Nails: French Manicure with a Twist (video)

The Domestic Diva — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:03:28 +0000

I was recently asked by Walmart, since I am one of the Walmart Moms, to share my thoughts on the Essie line of nail polish that they now sell. To be honest I’ve stuck with the same nail look for quite some time now. I’ve always been drawn to the simple french manicures and pedicures. But I do remember in my younger years loving changing my nail polish color almost every night.

#162- Ballet Slippers

While I am now a busy Mom without much time to spare this doesn’t mean that I should neglect the look of my nails. So I’m trying to do better in the nail department.

#698- Mink Muffs

The sample pack of nail polishes I received courtesy of Essie was great. As soon as it arrived, I couldn’t wait to try it out. Most of the shades I tried required at least 2 coats and while sitting in front of the television soaking up one of my favorite shows I was able to apply and have my nails dry by the end of the show. Honestly though the nail polish was completely dry WAY before that but I was just scared of messing up the gorgeous color.

#381- Fishnet Stockings

The Essie nail polish typically lasted me around 3 days before it started to chip which I think is a decent amount of time for nail polish. When I went in-store at Walmart to select my own favorite shade I was amazed at how many colors they actually carried with varying shades from light to dark and descrete to bold.

#249- Wicked

Nail polish no matter what the brand is a great way of expressing oneself. I love how nail polish can add just the right pop of color to any look.

Since I know many people already know how to apply nail polish, I wanted to showcase Essie with my favorite color from their line, Bachlorette Bash, in a somewhat different way to wear. Many of you may have seen the color tip look done at many nail salons. It’s like the classic French look but instead of white tips on your nails its done with color. Any color will do, the point is just to have fun with it. Hope this little tutorial helps.

Are you a fan of Essie?

What are your favorite colors that Essie carries?

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. Participation in this group is voluntary. I was given a sample pack of Essie nail polish as well as compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All opinions, as always, are my own and I have not been told what to say or paid to publish positive comments. I’m not a professional, just someone who likes nail polish :)