gnocchi marinara sandwich
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Gnocchi Marinara Melt (she: Cathy)

Hey, Or So She Says! It’s Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling, here today to share another delicious recipe with you. Okay….I know it’s the middle of summer, and you’re probably grilling out and eating light….but every now and then, don’t you feel like you just need some good comfort food? I know I do, and this recipe is just that!
Have you ever tried gnocchi? I’m a HUGE fan of it, and have been ever since my sister worked at an Italian restaurant back in high school. I would order gnocchi with marinara sauce every chance I got….and it always felt like such a treat! Since having kids I’ve rediscovered it….and now my whole family loves it! (Score!)

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins www.orsoshesays.com
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Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

Alright, so I was thinking ‘summer.’ Then, I was thinking ‘food.’ Then I was thinking ‘nachos… the greasy gas station kind.’ Then I went and changed a diaper, did a load of laundry, and buzzed the heads of two children. Then I remembered what I was supposed to be thinking about… a post for you! Something summer, easy, kid-friendly… how about Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins?? I’ve had this recipe saved in an old Taste of Home magazine for a while now, so who better to share the deliciousness with than you? I looooooove raspberries. Love. And, these were delicious! Perfect for a summer breakfast.

lime mickey
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Easy and Yummy Lime Mickey Recipe (she: Adelle)

Hi Everyone! It’s Adelle from PackedwithFun.com, the official blog for Get Away Today. On a hot day there is nothing quite as refreshing as a Lime Rickey. Since we’re always trying to recreate some Disney magic at home, we decided to make our favorite drink with a twist and call them Lime Mickeys. They were a hit with my kids and I think they’ll be a hit with yours too!
You could get really creative here and use this recipe to make all sorts of syrup flavors. Cherry, Peach-Mango, Green Apple, Fruit Punch… the combinations are endless! Once you’re done with your syrup, transfer it into a container that will be good for pouring and storage.

printable cards
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Free Printable Cards You’ll Love to Send (she: Sharon)

Hi! It’s Sharon from Lemon Squeezy, happy to be joining you again this month on ‘Or so she says…’ I’m back with a couple free snail-mail printable cards that you can download. I love a simple card to mail to a friend or attach to a plate of cookies.

You can download one of these cards and print on card-stock. They fit A2 size envelopes which you can find online or at a paper store like xpedx.
I made two different cards, a “Thank You” and what you could call a “just because” card. Each has two color palette choices because sometimes I just can’t decide which colors I like best, so now you get both!

Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad by www.cookingwithruthie.com
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Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad (she: Ruthie)

Good morning to all my friends at Or so she says…

It’s Ruthie from Cooking with Ruthie and I’m so excited to be back again with you today! I love my garden and creating delicious ways to use the veggies that it produces is just so much fun.

Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad is one of my favorite ways to eat fresh tomatoes.

Well, actually… Caprese anything and I’m all over it! I’m seriously totally in love with that fresh mozzarella and basil- you’ll never get me away from the table 🙂

The only tomatoes that are ripe in my garden so far are the Sunburst variety BUT, I am growing several different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and I just can’t wait for them to ripen up!

Favorite Books and California Vacation Giveaway!
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15 Favorite Books & California Vacation Giveaway!!

How many times, in your stressful life, have you dreamed about laying out on the beach with a great book? ‘Or so she says…’ to the rescue! So, to further expand on our favorites, all of the OSSS contributors got together to give away their favorite books, perfect for summer reading! The coolest part is, one person will win EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. That’s right, the whole bundle! That’s 15 books, yo. Oh, but it gets better. Get Away Today, the greatest travel agency ever and ‘Or so she says…’ contributor, offered another winner a 3-night hotel stay in Anaheim or San Diego (winner’s choice) with their choice of two adult theme park tickets… PLUS, they get the 15 book bundle too!

family mailbox
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Family Mailbox Fun! (she: Veronica)

Hello again! It’s Veronica from Nine A Plenty. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It’s such a fun time for families, but I always can count on my kids getting stir-crazy. They do much better with routines and things they can count on. Lately, we’ve had a bunch of craziness, so I thought it was time for a fun activity that brought them closer together. Thus, the Family Mailbox has begun!
What is a Family Mailbox? Well, it really can be anything you would like it to be. That’s the best part. For us, we’ve been writing little notes to each other. These can express love, appreciation, something the other person does to make you happy, something you admire in them, etc. I’ve been surprised at how excited they were to do this for each other. Our mailbox has been full and it’s been fun to “deliver” the mail.

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports
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Tips for Visiting Utah’s Dinosaurland in Vernal (she: Allison)

Hey there! It’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips and today I’m sharing my tips for visiting one of Utah’s most under-rated vacation destinations – Vernal. The Vernal area is Utah’s Dinosaurland, and if you haven’t been there lately, you might be surprised to find how much the area has grown and how many fun activities there are. Vernal is located about three hours’ drive from Salt Lake City, so for us, this was an easy weekend getaway.
Here are our recommendations for a fun weekend visit to Dinosaurland in Vernal:

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Personalized Name Art – Creating Meaningful Art (she: Amy)

For the past few months, I’ve been in the process of re-decorating Elle’s room. I want to make a place for her growing book collection as well as create some meaningful art to display in her room.

One of the things I really want to display is her new skill of writing her name.

I know children writing their name is such a simple thing but for me it’s a big milestone. It was only the other day I witnessed my girl write her name all by herself for the first time!

We were at a community event and stopped at a booth where kids can paint their own frisbees. The girl operating the booth gave Elle (almost 4 years old) a white frisbee along with a black sharpie and told her to write her name on the back.At the beginning of the school year, her teachers taught her to trace her name written in dotted lines. Her tracing was everywhere and the letters had a life of their own! Then a couple months later her tracing got tighter and neater. Then she was writing straight lines and later her tracing was right on the dots. Up until a few weeks ago, she was able to write her name if she sees a sample of it.

So you could imagine my surprise when I saw her take the Sharpie from the girl and began writing her name. E-l-l-e she wrote, with the 4 letters filling up the width of the frisbee.

I was so proud of my girl! I cheered and we high fived. I commended her for her diligence which lead her to her accomplishment.

And so as I’m decorating her room and filling up a bunch of empty picture frames with meaning art, I want to frame her name written by her at age 3.8.

Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes | FiveHeartHome.com for OneSheTwoShe.com
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Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes (she: Samantha)

Happy July, everyone! It’s Samantha from Five Heart Home, and I’m always happy to have the chance to visit with y’all when my monthly Or So She Says post rolls around! Today I brought over a to-die-for seasonal side dish that showcases prime summer produce in an unbelievably tasty way.
These Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes are beyond delectable, y’all. Fresh ingredients and a simple preparation often yield the most delicious results, and that is certainly true of this recipe! All that’s required is to thickly slice some ripe, plump tomatoes, scatter a bit of minced garlic on top, and then sprinkle them with extra-virgin olive oil, flavorful balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. After roasting at a high temperature, the finished tomatoes become caramelized with an intensely concentrated tomato flavor that is simultaneously sweet and savory. The garlic plays off of such flavors beautifully, as do the chopped fresh herbs that garnish the finished dish.

Getting to Know OSSS Contributors ~ Blog Hop!

Getting to Know OSSS Contributors ~ Blog Hop!

Do I have the best contributors, or what?!? As you know, ‘Or so she says…’ is all about great ideas for women, from women. And the women who write (and have written) for this blog are who have made it so fun for the past 5 years. Thank you to all my contributors and guest bloggers! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So, we have a couple fun things for you, today and next Monday. Today, I wanted to give y’all the chance to get to know these ladies better. And, what better than with a good ole fashioned Q&A Blog Hop! I carefully crafted 10 questions that I wanted them to answer, that would help you get to know more about them and their blogs. Each one of these contributors have been hand-picked by me, and I know you will love all of their blogs. So, please show them some love today, give them all a big high-five, and bounce around to read their interviews, check out some of their favorite things, their blogs, and what makes them tick. And of course, I’ll answer the questions too

what to do when kids lie

What To Do When Kids Lie (she: Heather)

Happy Summer! Heather here, from FamilyVolley.com. Today I am excited to share parenting advice to make things easier in your home.

Call it what you will, Fibbing, a Whopper, Tall Tale, Story Telling, it is all the same. Lying. And it can be really frustrating when our kids start to tell them.

First, it is good to understand lying by age and stage. Young children tell fibs based on fantasy, and they are usually made up stories of who they wish they were (princesses), or what they wish they could do (today I ate 10 popsicles and didn’t get sick). Elementary School Children start to tell “smarter” lies to get out of punishment, to sound “cool”, and to get what they want.