I leaned over her bed, late at night, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. As I did, one of my tears fell onto her face, falling down into her wild and curly hair.

I love this girl so, so much I feel my heart physically swelling at the sight of her, but I don’t get her and I don’t know how to get her.

She could easily be described as sweet and kind… but that sweet demeanor can turn on a dime. One moment happy, cuddly and cheerful… the next in a fit of emotion about something small, like the taste of her toothpaste. Even if it the culprit of the fit seems trivial, her pain over it is obvious. She feels so deeply, so loudly, every emotion she has. Whether happy or sad, she feels in extremes….

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Cheryl and I were blown away that there were 325 soup recipes shared in the link up and over 90 soup recipes shared in the comments section of our blogs. That means for SoupaPalooza 2012 we had over 400 soup, stew, chowder and chili recipes! That is one gigantic soup recipe resource. Thank YOU all for sharing your favorite soup recipes with us!

Congratulations to all the winners of the incredible prizes provided by our sponsors this year. Cheryl and I both used Random.org to choose the winners. Be sure to check out Cheryl’s winners at TidyMom because there were two winners for each prize!

• KitchenAid 7 Quart Stand Mixer (ARV $650) – Jesseca from Sweet Treats & Good Eats
• KitchenAid 6 Quart Slow Cooker (ARV $149) – Joy in My Kitchen
• Le Creuset 8 Quart Stock Pot (ARV $55) – Natalie V.
• Red Star Yeast Gift Basket (ARV $65) – Stephanie from Dairy Free Diva

We work with some of the nicest sponsors. Thank you again, KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset for being such an important part of SoupaPalooza 2012!

If you are on Pinterest, be sure to check out the SoupaPalooza 2012 board Cheryl and I are working on putting together. Soon we’ll have all the linked up recipes shared on that board!

And how could I forget? The SoupaPalooza that started it all took place last year! Make sure to check out the collection of over 200 soup recipes shared from SoupaPalooza 2011!

Thanks again for your participation and help in making SoupaPalooza 2012 such a great success. We hope to see you next year for more soup!

Thank you, Heidi, from FoodieCrush for the SoupaPalooza collage at the top of the post!

Disclaimer: Thank you to KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset for providing compensation and prizes for Soupapalooza. The views and opinions expressed on Dine & Dish  are purely my own and based upon my personal experiences with the products and brands.

The post SoupaPalooza 2012 Recap – Over 400 Soup Recipes! appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Cheryl from TidyMom and I have been anxiously awaiting this day. The 2nd Annual SoupaPalooza Linkup Party is finally here!

Last year we were amazed at the large collection of soups shared with us during our first SoupaPalooza. We know that this year will be even bigger and better and can’t wait to see the soups you share!

A bigger and better SoupaPalooza means even bigger and better prizes from great sponsors!

Share your favorite soup recipe for a chance to win!

A special thanks to KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset for providing these great prizes for SoupaPalooza!

• KitchenAid 7 Qt. Mixer (ARV $650) – 2 winners
• KitchenAid 6 Qt. Slow Cooker (ARV $149) – 2 winners
• Le Creuset 8 Qt. Stockpot (ARV $55) – 2 winners
• Red Star Yeast Gift Basket (ARV $65) – 2 winners

So many great prizes from some truly great sponsors!

Participating in SoupaPalooza is simple! Here’s how:…

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The post 2nd Annual #SoupaPalooza Linkup and Giveaways appeared first on Dine and Dish.

UPDATE: Soupapalooza Party is now LIVE – Over 300 recipe have been shared! you can find all of the details, and how to share your recipes here.

After an extremely mild few months of winter, we finally had our first real snow of the season yesterday. As much as I love warmer weather, I have to admit I miss those cozy up inside, soup kind of days. Soup, stews, chili and chowders just seem to go hand and hand with colder, more frigid temps!

Last year my friend Cheryl of TidyMom and I hosted the first SoupaPalooza. It was such a huge success we promised to bring it back this year, even bigger and better!

This year KitchenAid, Cheryl and I along with some other wonderful sponsors are inviting you to share your favorite soup recipes here at DineandDish.net and TidyMom.net from February 28 through March 5th.

And good news! Like every great party……..there will be prizes from some fabulous sponsors!!

A big thank you to KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset for joining in on the fun this year!

Here’s how you participate in SoupaPalooza:

1. Write and post a recipe on your blog featuring a soup, stew, chili, or chowder. (You can use an old post…just PLEASE be sure to link back AND follow #2 below)

2. Include “Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine & Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset” in your blog post. (you MUST include this to be eligible for prizes)

3. Starting February 28th through March 5th add your link to your soup post to the widget on either TidyMom or Dine & Dish (we will have the same widget code, so you only need to add it on one site).

4. Don’t have a blog? no problem…..leave your recipe in the comments section of either blog on the day of the SoupaPalooza party starting February 28th through March 5th.

5. We’d love your help spreading the word about Soupapalooza through social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

• Sample Tweet: Join @DineandDish & @TidyMom for #Soupapalooza Share your recipes (and WIN) here: http://tidymom.net or https://www.dineanddish.net Pls RT
• Instagram photo’s of your soup or making your soup using the hashtag #shotofsoup and/or #soupapalooza

6. Button for your sidebars or posts – just use the button below if you want a button in your posts or on your blog sidebar.

7. Have fun and enjoy!

Disclosure: Thank you to KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset for providing compensation and prizes for Soupapalooza.   The views and opinions expressed on Dine & Dish are purely my own and based upon my personal experiences with the products and brands.

The post Save the Date for the 2nd Annual Soupapalooza! appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Someone who was expecting their fourth child asked me the other day how going from three kids to four kids has been. I feel sorry for the poor lady because she asked me on one of those days when I was feeling quite overwhelmed, and I was bluntly honest with her!

I love my family and I love my kids more than anything. I am so proud to be their mom, but yes… going from 3 to 4 kids has totally kicked my butt. Leah, the baby, is about as easy of a baby as one can ask for. She is happy 99% of the time, is laid back and totally melts my heart with every smile she gives me. Ella, the 3 year old, is still challenging, but she can go from making me want to pull my hair out to making me want to pick her up and hold her all day in the matter of a few minutes. She is “spirited” as her teacher says, hilarious and full of spunk. Kelly, who just turned 6, is a mini-mom. She is so helpful and honestly sometimes I feel has a better handle on everyone than I do. Jacob, my 7 year old, is growing up to be such a kind and funny young man. We can have real conversations now… meaningful conversations. It is so interesting to see how his brain works! With Nick’s travel schedule, Jacob has really jumped in to help out when Daddy is gone….

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