Blog Transfer to Self Hosted WordPress? Check!

It’s done.

This blog is now closed.

The kitchen has now been officially moved from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress site.

I have a lot to learn going to self-hosted, so bear with me for the next few months at the new site HERE.

I have specifically kept the theme the same to minimize the transfer headaches for the lovely and uber-talented, eDee, over at StuckAtHomeMom.com, so it really won’t look that much different for now.

Without eDee, this move would not have been possible, because y’all know how tech savvy I am.

I know I have been a little lax on posting lately, but hopefully I will be back up to speed in the coming days.

So without further adieu…

Check out my new domain: InTheKitchenWithKP.com

Sweet new email: karen@inthekitchenwithkp.com

And of course you can also still find me at all my favorite social sites!

Email: inthekitchenKP@gmail.com

Facebook Fan Page: In The Kitchen With KP

Pinterest: Karen Hartzell/In The Kitchen KP

Twitter: @InTheKitchenKP or @GracoKaren

Google+:  http://gplus.to/InTheKitchenKP

StumbleUpon: http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/inthekitchenKP/

I’ll be looking for you at the new site. 
Don’t make me come hunt you down.

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What’s in a Name? Flawless12

The Day 4 prompt for Project Flawless12 was discovering what the meaning was behind our name. I already knew Karen was a form of Katherine, which in basic definition means “Pure”.

B000000o-ring.

I decided to go the same route as Christie and check out the meaning of my name on a fun urban dictionary app called Slango. I downloaded the free version and looked up my name…quickly followed by a few chuckles. As you proceed below, you can see why…

Definitions by Slango app for iPhone

In a nutshell….
I am AWESOME.

Do you know what YOUR name means?

Two, Three Punch – Project #Flawless12

Since I am still on the path to recovery, and with a little help from codeine cough syrup, I was fast asleep by 9:30 last night. Not exactly what I had planned, but if you know me, I am not one to turn down a good 8+ hours of sleep.

So catching up with the Flawless12 project…

Day 2 of #Flawless12 WAS dedicated to giving ourselves a pat on the back…to say “Girl, ya done good so keep it up!”

• My work life balance may not be perfect, but I will continue to make strives to find what works better for me and my family. My family will always come first.
• Marriage is work. Anyone who disagrees can stick it. I will work at it until my last dying breath because mine is worth that much to me.
• I love this blog and writing, but when I choose to read, snuggle, or watch movies with my children over tending to it, then that is and will always be ok.

 

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Day 3 of Flawless12 – if my life was a movie …I dream it would be like an action adventure with a little romance thrown in for good measure. Think SPEED with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.

In reality, it’s probably more like Cheaper By The Dozen with less kids.

I love the life they live, and how happy they are with what they have. Life may not be perfect, but Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt make it work. This movie epitomizes the theme that family always comes first, and that is how I live my life.

Please.

With these faces….

How could I not?

Now go hug your own kids!
This blog will still be here when you get back.

Mommy and Me Monday – Grilled Deliciousness at Chick Fil A

I love days off from work. Some days DH wrangles the kids so I can sleep in a little, and other days I enjoy sipping coffee and reading tweets while listening to the kids make pancakes with Daddy. Today was a little different. Our entire family was loaded in the car and on the road by 8:40 AM. A feat sometimes in itself.

We were heading out early to meet up with my friend, Maria, from Mamamlicious Maria, at the Chick Fil A Vinings. The location was a little bit of a drive for us, but worth it because, Maria was hosting a family-friendly get together to check out the new options for the Chick Fil A kids meals.

The new meals now include the option of grilled chicken nuggets and Buddy Fruits applesauce. The new grilled nuggets were a total hit with Baby…she even ate Jed’s. Jed, however, was more interested in getting back to the slide in the indoor play area. There was plenty of food, fun and giveaways! We even had a visit from an adorable Chick Fil A cow.

The kids had a great time playing while I chatted with some of the great moms and dads from our Georgia Social Media Facebook group. We left after a ton of fun, and a little bribery of Chick Fil A’s hand spun milkshakes. Everything in moderation, you know.

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Have you succeeded and gotten yourself out from behind the camera lately? Share and link up with Mommy and Me Monday over with Serious Krystyn.

Hosted by Krystyn

Do More of What Makes You Happy!

Things that make me happy…

• writing
• cooking
• reading blogs
• Pinning

Now, I have discovered I can link up with my favorite bloggers while I pin?

Genius!

First, I found Kelby’s post, from Type-A Parent, and her amazing group of Pinterest fanatics over here.

Tonight, I found Natasha from 5 Minutes Just For Me sharing her master list of bloggers here.

Are you on Pinterest too?

Want to link up with other bloggers that are Pinning?
C’mon….everybody’s doing it.

Go check out Kelby and Natasha’s posts and link up too!
You’ll see me already there!

See you around the boards!

Sugar Coma Festivals – Fall Edition Ticket Giveaway

Do you love indulging in the occasional sweet treat or do you have a full blown sugar addiction? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then this event is for you!

Designed for the discriminating sweet tooth, it’s an afternoon of indulging in cookies, cakes, candies…and much, much more…in a NO JUDGEMENT, family-friendly zone. You can taste until your heart’s content.

I have been to a few past Sugar Coma affairs, and they do not disappoint. Baby and Jed were all smiles when they went with me to the last event. With the dynamic campus of Atlantic Station as the backdrop, Sugar Coma Festival is the ideal environment for dates, girlfriend outings and a post-Sunday dinner dessert buffet.

Are you interested in attending the Fall Sugar Coma Festival? You can easily click here to register for tickets, or you can try and WIN a set of two FREE tickets (compliments of the always lovely, Shameeka, Broke Socialite right here!

All you need to do is leave me a comment below telling me your favorite sweet treat to eat.

This CAN NOT get any easier for you.
Seriously.

You can follow Sugar Coma Events on twitter here and on Facebook here so you stay in the know for all future sweet events.

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The Fine Print:
You must be 18 and older and a US resident (lower 48 states only) to win.
Please be sure to add your email address in case you win!
Contest is open until midnight on Sunday, November 6, 2011.
Winner will be chosen randomly, notified via email and has 24 hours to respond.
If no response is received another winner will be chosen.

3 Musketeers and Friends…a Match Made in Heaven

Last week I had the good fortune to spend an evening out without my children. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my kids, but as individuals, we parents also deserve some time to socialize on our own.  Occasionally I need to reconnect with who I am as a person, and to be not be seen as the mom of Baby and Jed.

Some great social media friends were hosting an event for 3 Musketeers, and we were invited out to try the new formula with richer chocolate taste.

Let me get this straight.
You want me to come out to chat with some friends AND eat candy?
Where do I sign up?
You know you are thinking the same thing.
Admit it.

So thanks to 3 Musketeers, Desiree from Mommy Reporter, Alicia from The Mommy Insider and Caleb from What Now Atlanta hosted a LIKE UP here in Atlanta!  A bunch of us met at Two Urban Licks for fun snacks, a few raffle giveaways, great conversation and of course tweeting with the #3Musketeers hashtag.  Which on a completely separate note, I was misspelling the first half of the night. Immediately followed by the #BloggerFail hashtag. Oy.

*Photo courtesy of the lovely Ann from Mundane Magic.
Pictured L to R Alicia, Caleb and Desiree.

Major highlight of the evening was the beignets made with the new formula 3 Musketeers. They were amazing! Look at the smiles on our faces.
Can you say Sugar High?

*Photo courtesy of the lovely Ann from Mundane Magic.
Pictured L to R Ann, your truly, and Desiree.

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE
–Linda Grayson

Klout Perks Redux

A while back I was rewarded a Klout Perk to preview Kung Fu Panda 2. Baby and I were so excited to see the movie, especially since it was a premiere event before it was opened in the theaters. Unfortunately, Baby ended up getting sick in the wee hours of the morning the day of the viewing. Poor thing was broken hearted. She was looking forward to the same fun we had previewing the movie HOP back in March.

A few weeks after the original preview date, I received an email from Klout asking if I was interested in receiving a Kung Fu Panda 2 movie prize pack. I thought it would be a fun treat for the kids since we had recently all went to see the movie.

When the package came it was filled with all sorts of fun items – a tshirt, poster, action figure and even themed gummy candy!

Jed loved the Master Shifu figurine. He already had a Po and Monkey figure from McDonald’s happy meals.

I said it before and I will say it again…
I love Klout Perks!

I don’t know how it works, but I love the rewards I get.

Big thanks also for the latest arrived perk – Subway gift card!
Sweet!
We visit often so why now make our next visit a little easier on the family wallet.

Are you registered at Klout yet?
What are you waiting for?

Zaycon Foods Atlanta Chickenpalooza

Have you heard about Zaycon Foods?

They are a privately owned company based in the state of Washington and founded in 2009 to bring fresh meats and other products direct to consumers at wholesale prices. They offer fresh 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.

Zaycon Foods will have sales events in locations across the nation. At these sales events you can purchase a selection of bulk products including- chicken, turkey, pork, beef, fish, and even fresh fruit. I was invited to give the company a try with an offer of 40 pounds of chicken.

Yes. You heard me correctly.
40 pounds of resh, boneless, skinnless, 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.

Have you ever seen 40 pounds of chicken?
I buy in bulk from BJ’s and Costco, but I have never bought 40 pounds of chicken at once.

Let me tell you…it A LOT of chicken.

So what does one do with 40 pounds of chicken?
Well cook it of course!
And freeze it!

After packing off numerous ziploc bags portioned for individual meals I was pretty tired!
Who wouldn’t be?
That’s A LOT of chicken.
Seriously.

If you are interested in some tasty chicken (or other offerings) you can register on the Zaycon Foods site here, and it’s 100% free to register. Where is says who referred you it would be pretty awesome if you said it was me – InTheKitchenKP! You can also connect with Zaycon Foods on Facebook and follow @ZayconFoods on Twitter!

Be sure to come back and visit In The Kitchen often. I’ll be posting some really fun recipes for chicken soon, since I now have 40 pounds in my freezer, which by the way, is so awesome! And just for good measure here are a few FAQs on the chicken, but remember Zaycon Foods offer so much more than chicken.

FRESH CHICKEN FAQ’S
Q – Is the chicken FRESH or FROZEN?
A – Our chicken comes fresh directly from the farm to our sales event and has never been frozen

Q – Where does the chicken originate?
A – We purchase our chicken from the highest quality farms and processors in the country. Our chicken typically originates from processing facilities in southern and midwest states

Q – What size packages can I buy?
A – We only sell our chicken breasts by the case. Each cardboard case weighs 40 lbs and includes four separate bags of chicken breasts, which are NOT always sealed and NOT uniform in weight. The larger outer bag is sealed in the cardboard case.

Q – How many cases can I purchase?
A – There is no limit on the amount of cases you may purchase. We have had individual families purchase as many as 10 cases and groups of families purchase much more

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Disclosure – I was provided the 40 pounds of chicken free of charge for an honest review. All opinions here are my own and future recipe posts involving the chicken will be clearly identified. Thank you to The Divine Miss Mommy and Coupons are Great for organizing the pick up locations.

Leavin’ On A Jet Plane

There are many reasons why I am proud to work for my employer. They are truly a company that not only talks the talk, but they walk the walk. And with a little extra style I might add. Our executive leadership strongly supports growth of employees with training and development opportunities for all positions on a regular basis, similar to the Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician training I received back in May.

This latest opportunity was a little surreal, yet completely believable given certain circumstances. I got to ride in the company’s private jet.

I know it sounds crazy, but When the Exton (PA) office was relocated to Atlanta, the corporate private shuttle had a new route added between the two cities. There were a number of people flying back an forth between the two on a weekly basis and it made sense as a cost saving option. Sounds kind of funny saying a corporate jet can actually save money, but it does. It eliminates high priced tickets when there is minimal advance notice. Employees spend less time in transit given the elimination of long security lines and wait times in airports. I just happen to luck out last week and have a customer meeting planned for Wednesday and took advantage of the flight schedule.

I was all geeked out and if you know me, you know I alreay had my camera out and announcing to the crew that I had a blog and I SO needed to blog about this!

I felt like I was boarding the plane with the members of my team to go profile some serial killer in a faroff city like they do on one of my favorite shows Criminal Minds. Yeah, that’s my flash reflection in the back mirror. There is even a mini bathroom on the plane, but even I have my picture taking limits.

You can see the cockpit and all the controls.

The work space was really great and I was able to work a little on the plane.

What do you think? ROCK STAR? DIVA?
I think I wear the private jet look well, dont’ you?

What was your latest adventure you found yourself so giddy you were geeking out and taking pictures?