I won!

I want to thank all my readers, and loyal followers for being a great support to me this last year as I grew Home Maid Simple. Never in a million years did I expect to be where I am right now.  Thanks to all of you, and some wonderful blogging friends who have advised me (Simple Stacie and Sassy Sanctuary specifically), I never would have had the opportunities this last year.

Two opportunities, in particular, that have given me more validation in what I do as a mother, homemaker, and blogger. The first came from a review I did for Cranberry Naturals in November.  As part of the review, they asked me to come up with a new recipe using Cranberry Naturals. It sounded like a lot of fun, and a way to start creating more in the kitchen. Yesterday I received an email telling me the Cranberry Wassail I created had won the recipe contest!  I honestly wanted to cry. Creating recipes has never been a strong point for me, and I almost always have to follow a recipe. Before making my wassail I took the time to search out other wassail recipes, get an idea for what generally goes into a wassail, and then I went from there, using my own ingredients and taste preferences. I may have won $100 visa card from Cranberry Naturals, but emotionally they gave me much more.

You can view my recipe on the Old Orchard webpage.

The second opportunity that has made me so thankful for all of you and this blog, came from Rodelle Vanilla. Back in October I blogged about the Rodelle Challenge; a contest that was being run on their facebook page. All you had to do was submit stories, photos, or video’s of memorable baking moments.  I personally have many memories from my childhood of baking with my mom, aunt and grandma, but I was trying to create more of those same memories with my kids. Once again yesterday, I was announced a grand prize winner of the Rodelle Challenge.  I hadn’t gone out of my way to create the memories I shared with my kids, but they were truly things we do on a weekly basis (we made a peach pie this last week, didn’t turn out so great, but it was fun making!).  To have those memories honored by a company like Rodelle, again was more emotionally gratifying than the actual prize (a KitchenAid Mixer!!). 

Without this blog, and the support you have all given me, I wouldn’t have had these opportunities. More than ever I have more motivation to keep making memories with my kids, pursue my culinary skills, and continue sharing the joys I find in my simple life with all of you. I hope you all enjoy what I write, and if you ever want me to post something specific, I’d love to hear from you!

You can always contact me at