Google launches review dashboard for business owners in Google Places

Gluten Free Sausage Balls

Hey there! It's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't been doing a whole lot of crafting here lately...the hubs was furloughed during the government shutdown, and we have been super busy with soccer as well. Thankfully both are over. 

We now have a few weeks to breathe before the holiday rush:o)

I have been doing some baking and sewing the past few days, and just happened to have my camera handy while doing so.

I had to go gluten free after my gall bladder surgery...crazy, but kind of good as well. I have had to make healthier choices since the surgery...you can't go wrong there!

Anyway, now that the holidays are approaching, I am trying to find ways to make some of my favorite cool weather foods into gluten free renditions.

I.love.sausage.balls.

I love the taste, but I think I love them more because my mother used to make them for us all the time. Especially when we were going on vacation. That was our staple breakfast car food. Memories:o) I actually do the same thing with my kiddos on long car trips...making memories of my own now!

Most sausage ball recipes call for Bisquick...Bisquick has gluten...boo! Now that gluten intolerance is more prevalent, there are more gluten free options available in local grocery stores. I found a baking mix at Publix that is gluten free...score!

So are you wanting to try your own?

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups of Gluten Free Baking Mix(I used Namaste)

2 cups of sharp cheddar

1 pound of your favorite sausage

Work the mixture in a large bowl with both hands. You will want to make sure that all of the baking mixture is thoroughly combined with the sausage and cheese. Your arms will hate you, but your taste buds will be thanking you very soon!

Roll out into little 1"-2" balls. Place on parchment paper...makes clean-up a breeze.

Bake at 350 degrees for around 15-18 minutes. 

The taste is slightly different, but not by much. They taste super yummy and are a great option for G.F. folks!

Happy Halloween!

I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween! Looks like ours will get rained out, but I have a back up plan;o)

Hugs!

Social WOM is rising in addition to offline WOM

After Google's recent announcement about +1 recommendations and WOM (word of mouth), it's social networks turn to tell marketers about the growing importance of WOM.

http://www.retailwire.com/news-article/17099/most-brand-conversations-happen-offline-but-social-w-o-m-is-rising

Timing is very important with WOM, seeing customer patterns and following up with every single customer is the key to effective WOM, because we can't tell from the outset which customer will promote your brand or business (and which one won't).

Is WOM part of your online strategy?

The Yummiest Popcorn Ever

Today I share with you my favorite snack recipe, stove-top popcorn. 

We gave up microwave popcorn a long time ago. After we started eating cleaner, I began to think about all of the fake stuff that is in the microwave popcorn. I always felt sick after eating it, so I decided to start popping it on the stove.

It tasted a lot better to me after cooking it on the stove top and I didn't feel sick after eating it. Super bonus!

For a while I was using canola oil, but then I started using coconut oil.

That could have been one of my best decisions:o)

I HATE coconut, but I love what this oil does to the popcorn. It's delicious.

Coconut oil is actually one of the healthiest oils out right now.

When we have a bunch of kids over to play, this is my go-to snack, and they all LOVE it! Crowd-pleasing, cheap snack-ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!!

So here's how you make it.

What you need:

Large pot with lid

Popcorn kernels

Salt

Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 

(click on the above link to order..it's cheaper on Amazon than in stores)

 Measure out 3 tablespoons. The oil is in a hardened state, but melts quickly.

Turn your stove on medium high. The oil will melt in just a few seconds.

 Pour 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels into pan, and cover with a lid.

 Once you start hearing the kernels popping, you will want to stand over the pan. I hold the lid while scooting the pan back and forth across the eye of the stove to keep the kernels from sticking to the bottom...usually about every 15-20 seconds.

There will be rapid popping kernels for about 25-30 seconds and then it will slow down to about 5-6 kernels per second. That's when I remove the pan from the heat, and let it sit for about 30 seconds. You don't want it to sit too long on the heat because the popcorn will burn and then your house will stink..no fun! Been there, done that!!

 When you remove the lid, this is what you should have.

Dump the popcorn in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. The salt will stick to the popcorn, and it's wonderful!

Let me know if you have tried it! I want to know if anyone else loves it as much as us!

Changing Table -Turned Dog Bed

A couple of weeks ago, I ran across a beat up, run down changing table on the side of the road. It was no longer safe to put a baby on. It was missing two shelves, and was super rickety. Because it was made of real wood and had interesting spindles, I felt the need to bring it home and make something out of it.

The hubs was obviously unhappy that I was bringing more junk home;o) Story of our lives, right?

Anyway, I thought it would make a perfect pet bed.

 This is how it started out. 

I used an electric hand saw and chopped the legs off. That was definitely an experience. Note to self...use a sharp blade next time. I was literally shaking so hard that I had blurred vision while cutting this piece because the blade wouldn't cut through the wood:o) 

I sanded down the feet to get a nice edge.

I then ripped the safety buckles off of the bottom.

And then spray painted it.

The cushion is made from painters' canvas and two large pillows from my couch in the bonus room.

I made the cover removable by adding a zipper to the back. That way when it gets dirty, I can just throw it in the wash.

Not bad for a roadside rescue?

What businesses can do to get customers? Why customer retention has become even more important

Here is the link to the recent story  http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/business/2013/09/23/exp-lead-intv-howard-bragman-crackdown-fake-reviews-yelp.cnn.html

I want to repeat one of the most repeated things in customer retention--staying in touch with your past, current and potential customers can increase retention by about 80%. That itself can make it amazingly inexpensive to run your business.

Internet is one place to get customers through affordable and long lasting marketing. It is very important for every business to build their presence online and take control of their online presence. There has to be one place where every business can login and see all their online assets (reviews, local listings, videos, asset sites, track their keywords, see their results over a period of time for keywords, store all their social media links and track their progress (and sometimes track the progress of the agency they have hired).

If businesses start with this, they will realize that they will build a long lasting source of customers they can rely on, which is always referrals from existing customers. Online reviews are a form of referrals. It is a public referral from a customer which makes other customers purchase from a business.