I can't believe it

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since I've posted to this blog.  My life has gone haywire! I am still a Celebrating Home designer, however I mostly use my account to buy gifts for my family and friends.  My website is still available to shop from.  http://Stephanienorton.mycelebratinghome.com is the place to go for home decor, cookware, and much, much more!

Versitility

Celebrating Home ceramic cookware is very versatile.  For one thing, ALL of the pottery is Oven, Microwave, Freezer, and Dishwasher safe.  Bean Pots will keep your food hot or cold for up to 4 hours.

We have a Double Bean Pot that is perfect for making dinner AND dessert all in the same dish.  How's clean up looking for you now?  Bean Pots are amazing little vessels which as I said before will hold hot or cold food and keep it for up to 4 hours.  You can do everything from entree's to desserts in these little magic pots.  Our mixing bowls are great for preparing side dishes, and let me be the first to tell you that when you mix up and bake a cake in the same dish, making dessert isn't such a chore.  Our 9x13 casseroles, and 8x8 bakers are great for anything ranging from casseroles, meatloaf, brownies and even ice cream cake.
There are so many uses for Celebrating Home's pottery, I could spend all day naming them.  What uses can you come up with?

Busy Mamma's

Can your spouse cook?  Mine can't...at least not very well. When I met him nearly 12 years ago, his idea of cooking was going through McDonald's drive-thru or putting a t.v dinner in the microwave.  I have taught him a few things over the years, he can do spaghetti or mac & cheese these days without too much trouble.  Enter 2012 when I decided to become a Designer with Celebrating Home.  I hosted my party at my friend Susan's house, and Tami was the Designer in charge of changing our lives forever with this magic bean pot she totes around.  I had been thinking of adding another line of income to my family, and that night, Celebrating Home spoke to me through Tami & her amazing food in less than 30 minutes.  Ok, so I order my business kit that night & a few days later I fell sick.  I had some kind of nasty respiratory infection, my head was stuffy, I felt like my chest was tight & I couldn't get a good deep breath in, but I was still getting up every morning & going to work.  I made it through the day & when I came home, I passed out leaving husband & son to fend for themselves for dinner.  I didn't want food, I just wanted sleep & to feel better.  They survived on whatever they could find to fix in the fridge, and then my business kit came.  I had worked 12 hours that day, sick...Hubbs opened the box, got everything out including the bean pot & cookbook that I bought to go with it.  He found a recipe in there that we had ingredients for, and proceeded to cook dinner.  Wait...WHAT?!?  My husband cooking?  I had to eat just to see if it was edible...and it was, it was GOOD.   I spent the next 2 days laying on the couch or in the bed, sleeping & trying to feel better.  All the while, this man I've had in my life for 11 years at the time was actually cooking using a bean pot & the bean pot cook book, and it was all delicious!

So now I'm a bean pot toting Designer!!  Hubby & son both use the bean pot to cook, and you know I do.  I'm a busy Mamma.  With scouts, piano, baseball, home school co-op field trips & clubs, who has time to cook?  I do because I can make a meal & have it on the table in 7-30 minutes, although it's 10-15 minutes average & I can teach you to do the same.  Does your family table need a weeknight makeover?

Celebrating Home vs. Pampered Chef

When I mention that I am a Celebrating Home designer, I often get the reply "Celebrating Home? Is that like Pampered Chef?"  My answer is YES and NO.  I'm not here to bash Pampered Chef, please don't take it that way, however I don't know many facts about their products.  I'm sitting here with a Celebrating Home catalog AND a Pampered Chef catalog in front of me, and I'm going to note the similarities and differences so my readers can make an educated decision on which products they want to use & from which company they choose to purchase from.  If you have followed me any time at all, you know I talk about Bean Pot's nearly everyday.  Celebrating Home does carry more cookware than just Bean Pot's.  We also carry Casserole dishes, Spoon rests, Serving bowls, serving dishes, 8x8 bakers, Cool dip servers, and even Ceramic dishes.  All of our cookware, and dishes are made of Double Glazed Ceramic so it's nearly stick free. Everything is so easy to clean up after a meal.  A Bean Pot really is the work horse of our kitchen, and Celebrating Home has cookbooks that are full of recipes to make in your Bean Pot.  Something new from Celebrating Home is the addition of adding a personalized name or phrase to select varieties of cutting boards, wall art, and carrying bags.  And lets not forget home decor, I'm talking everything you loved about Home Interiors back in the day.  Wall Art, shelving, candles, sconces, mirrors, plaques, figurines, vases & containers.  Something to suit everyone's taste.  And last but not least, the addition of the BRAND NEW Penelope Ann line.  This line features carrying bags, purses, sunglasses, jewelry, scarfs.  We really do have something for everyone.  Now onto Pampered Chef...Like I said, I don't know many facts about their products, so I'm going with what's right in front of me in the catalog.  I see Pots & Pans, some are stainless steel & others are non-stick, lots of kitchen gadgets for stirring, mixing, cutting, chopping & serving.  I also see cookbooks and food items, but no home decor or fashion accessories. I'm looking at prices of items that Celebrating Home and Pampered Chef have that are similar, and I'm noticing that prices are comparable.  Some of Pampered Chef's items are a little higher, however, Celebrating Home's prices depend on which style you have your eye on to where Pampered Chef has a limited variety.  So when you think Pampered Chef you think "kitchen," and when you think Celebrating Home, you think of your entire "HOME."

More Than Cooking

I don't know about you, but I'm busy.  I'm a wife & mom, I work a full time job outside of being a Celebrating Home designer.  We home school our son, we have a lot of extra curricular activities...and 7 pets.  This is why I always post about how wonderful it is to have a Bean Pot from Celebrating Home.
This little ceramic pot is a true work horse in my kitchen.  I use it often, because I'm busy and don't always have the time to stand up and cook a meal, and quite honestly, the drive-thru is unhealthy and expensive.
I like to have some control over what my family is eating.  With my husband & myself being diabetic, we need to know what we're eating.  Now don't get me wrong, not everything I cook in a bean pot is the healthiest thing we could have, but more often than not what comes out of the bean pot is MUCH healthier than what comes out of the drive-thru window.
I've said all that to say this, Celebrating Home is about much more than cooking.  Celebrating Home began after Home Interiors went out of business.  The owners of Home & Garden party bought the Home Interiors brand, combined the two product lines and launched Celebrating Home.  Celebrating Home merchandise includes our lovely ceramic cookware & dishes, home decor, wall art, outdoor decor, candles, and our newest Penelope Ann line consists of purses & jewelry, scarfs & sunglasses. There are decorating & gift ideas for everyone.
If you're interested in seeing more of what Celebrating Home has to offer, a party is the way to go.  If you're local, I will come to your house & cook for you & your guests.  If you're not local, you can still have a party.  We can do Skype, or you can do an online party where you share my website with your guests & they place their orders.  The party will be set up in your name and you will reap all of the benefits.  The benefits of hosting a party are receiving free & half price merchandise.  You'll receive one half price item for every $100 retail your party total reaches & once your party reaches $200, you will also get 20% of the total in FREE merchandise.  April is a very special month also because on top of the regular free & half price merchandise, all of my hostesses who's party total is $300 or higher, will also get 3 pieces of merchandise from the new Penelope Ann line.
I can be reached on Facebook or by e-mail.

Hospitality Set

I am so excited to announce that Celebrating Home's Hospitality set now comes in ZEBRA!!  For those of you who know me or have followed me for any length of time, you know how much I am in love with zebra print.  I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these zebra hospitality sets. Now, these are not for "sale," they must be earned.  You can earn your very own hospitality set when you & 2 friends host $200 qualifying parties.  They can be catalog parties or in home parties.
These sets also come in different designs, there's one for everyone's taste.
I'm sure there are many dishes you can make in your hospitality set, but I am in love with braids.  They are beautiful, simple to make, and taste like you've slaved all day in the kitchen making them. These are so easy anyone, including my son can make them once you learn the "braid" technique.
Are you ready for your hospitality set?  If so, you can contact me by e-mail, or Facebook to set up your party.

So easy a kid can do it

A year ago, I would never have imagined being able to bake a cake in the microwave.  Then I was introduced to Celebrating Home, and my designer Tami baked a beautiful pineapple upside down cake in the microwave in about 10 minutes.  Pineapple upside down cake is my favorite, and it was delicious!!  After that, I became a designer, and Tami taught me how to bake cakes in the microwave using Celebrating Home's line of Ceramic cookware.  Now, I bake cakes for other women in my mixing bowls.  Mixing & baking in the same bowl makes for super simple clean up. 

It's so easy a kid can do it.  The cake pictured below was actually made in the microwave by my 11 year old son who was baking cakes in preparation for his Blue & Gold Ceremony in February.  I wish I had a really great recipe for the cake shown, but my son doesn't bake from scratch yet.  This cake was a devils food cake mix, mixed according to package directions.  No need to spray the pan because our ceramic cookware is *almost* stick free.  I have never had anything stick in my pottery.  So, even if you're not a "baker" you can bake a simple cake in the microwave in about 10 minutes that looks & tastes like you've slaved in the kitchen all day.  Visit my website to pick up pottery of your own. Do you like simple? Share this with your friends so they can simplify their life too :0)