Expert advice for this time of year - Kitchen Edition

So we are entering a busy time of year.....Mother's Day, Weddings, etc.

I have enlisted the help of some folks who I consider experts to help us out.  They are going to help us think of good ideas for Mother's Day.....for you to buy or put on your own list.....and some ideas for great wedding gifts.
Today will be our Kitchen Edition.  Make sure you come back Wednesday for our Home Edition and for sure don't miss Friday's Style Edition.

Should be a fun week.....so let's get started.

This is my friend Meg

Everything that Meg makes is delicious.  I don't mean just good.  I mean 'can I have another serving' good.  People say it is all about cooking with love and I really think that is Meg's secret ingredient.  She actually does everything with love and that is why I am so appreciative to have her as a friend. When I was thinking of someone to give us expert advice on all things kitchen, I knew it had to be her.  Thanks, Meg, for agreeing to share yourself with our blog family.

Here are a few things Meg would suggest for a great Mother's Day gift:

Sound Bar

This is a bluetooth speaker that would allow mom to listen to a podcast or her favorite music while cooking.  There are five color options and the price varies by color.  The good news is they are all under $30.  This one is also splashproof which makes it kitchen perfect.

Meg also suggested some pretty new kitchen towels

Williams Sonoma Towels

I could not agree more.  I may or may not have an obsession with some pretty kitchen towels. These are turkish cotton and perform beautifully.

If you have a gardener on your list, Meg suggests

Herb Starter Kit

Some of her favorite herbs to grow are rosemary, basil, thyme, spearmint and Italian parsley.  She loves being able to snip off a few mint leaves to garnish desserts or put in iced tea.  It's also a real treat to chop up some fresh basil and add it to her mayo for a homegrown tomato sandwich.  Now that sounds absolutely delicious.

Meg also shared this special note:  If you would like to attract Swallowtail butterflies, have a pot of parsley.  The butterflies lay their eggs on the parsley plant and they hatch into caterpillars.  The caterpillars munch on the leaves before pupating and creating a chrysalis.  When the cocoon matures it splits and releases a beautiful butterfly.   

Well there you go......fresh herbs and beautiful butterflies.  I never knew this but I do want a parsley plant now.

Next  up

Handmade Coffee Mug

These lovely handmade mugs from Etsy.  I am not a coffee or tea drinker but I do love a good mug.

Finally, for the kitchen a pretty soap and lotion set by the sink

Meyer Lemon Set

I have to say I agree with Meg and lemon is my favorite kitchen scent.

Now Meg also gave us these ideas for wedding gifts.  Here are the things she thinks  will be great as new homes are getting established.

I have an old home....but I would love these too

John Boos Cutting Board

If you watch as many cooking shows as I do, you have most likely seen all the great chefs chopping on these boards.

Next up, help the new couple stay safe with good cutlery.  We all know that a safe kitchen has the appropriate knives for the work you are attempting.  This is a great place to start

Cutco 9.25 Chef Knife

It is not only a pretty knife.....it is very functional

This next item can and will be used for a plethora of things in the kitchen.  It is a great basic and any new couple would enjoy using it

1/2 Sheet Pan

Who needs a fun place for their salt????.....everyone

Emile Henry Salt Pig

Lastly, lots of people don't even think about this item

Pampered Chef Cooling Racks

But we all need them.  Meg found us the perfect little set to help the new couple bake and cool.

Big thanks to you, Meg!!!!! You totally found some great things and gave us some great ideas.

If my family is reading this, please add these things to my wish list.  I have Mother's Day and a birthday coming up....so there you go.

See you all back her on Wednesday for great Home ideas.

Summer shoes - Yes Please!

I probably own 3 times the number of summer shoes than winter shoes.  In the winter I am either wearing my black booties, my brown booties or on the super wild day - my grey booties.  I am all about warmth and comfort and I just don't stray very much.  But the summer is another story altogether. There are so many colors and sure they are all sandals but there's wedges and slip-ons and espadrilles and so on and so on. 

Here are a few to wet your summer appetite

Bettanie

There are four color options and it's worth clicking on the link just to see them in pink.

This next one is a good mid-heel little slide

Aubrey

This orange is super cute and it also comes in coffee and the prettiest yellow.  I think this is a skirt, dress, pant and even jean shoe.  Versatile.....very versatile.

If you need a little animal in your life

Ritely

This one also come in a white pony print which is also very cute.

Finally, hit any shoe store and you will find this trendy idea in summer shoes......

If You Can

It is a platform with a sporty sole and I think any shoe that is a cross between a cute sandal and comfy sneaker is a real win.  This one comes in this color called greige and a black.

Pedicure up, girls, and grab some cute sandals to enjoy this summer.

Have a great weekend.

Talk to you on Monday.  I am working on a fun series for next week.  Fingers crossed I focus and get it done!

Drug Take Back Event - and a Reminder

This weekend is an official drug take back event.  If you have expired medication or medication that you will not be using, this is your chance to clean out.

Why? Medication needs to be disposed of properly to protect our environment and particularly our water supply. Also, with drug addiction and abuse so rampant it is really best to not have unneeded medication in our homes.

I was doing a little research on this and apparently our water supply has lots of micro-plastics in it.  These are teeny tiny particles of plastic that come from various sources.  Some of this comes from just regular old plastic items breaking down over time.  But the surprising source was some products like exfoliants and some tooth pastes were actually made with micro-plastics in them.  I know.  I was like what the what?????  This micro-plastic inclusion has been banned in the United states for 4 years.....but is still allowed in some parts of the world.  The mere fact that this was ever allowed is mind boggling to me.  Anyway, medication that makes its way to the water supply clings to this micro-plastic making our water supply even worse.  By the way, I did all this research on the internet.....so that makes it true....right?

How? This weekend you can take any old or unneeded medication and turn it in to be disposed of properly.
 - completely confidential
- no personal information collected

The National Take Back Event is this Saturday, 10:00 am - Noon

Where? 
Huntsville - the North Side of Wheeler Ave next to the Huntsville Police Dept (815 Wheeler Ave 35801)

Alabama A&M University Student Health Center

Madison - The Madison Police Dept (100 Hughes Road)

Harvest - CVS Pharmacy ( 5859 Hwy 53)

Meridianville - CVS Pharmacy (12275 Hwy 231-431

To find a location near you click here and put in your zip code.

Now here is your important reminder:
We are in the last week of April, encouraging you to finish strong with our prayer focus for this month.



See you back here on Friday.

Vacation Gift Bag

We've got a little beach trip coming up.  Both of my girls are graduating this year ....one from high school, the other from college.  It is the high schooler's turn to get a graduation trip with her friends.  So four moms are taking seven girls to the beach following graduation.  We've got a nice beach house rented and it should be fun.

I thought it would also be fun to have a little gift bag on each bed for everyone.  Because....well...why not.....

So I started picking up little things and then I started looking for a little bag for my goodies and I couldn't find one anywhere.  So I decided to just make them

I went to JoAnn's and bought the following supplies

That is a yard and a half of a simple muslin, three spools of 1/4 inch ribbon and some fun beads.

First I folded the fabric to an 11 inch fold and cut across.  Since my fabric was 44 inches wide this kept my measuring to a minimum and made my cutting super easy.

This gave me three strips that were 22 inches wide folded in half for an 11 inch by 36 inch pieces

I simply folded it in half and then in half again.

I then ironed it to form the creases

Then when I unfolded it I knew exactly where to cut

This gave me four 9x22 inches pieces out of each strip.  So enough for 12 bags

Once all the pieces were cut.  I just sewed up each side and made a little pocket to pull the ribbon through.  I just put the ribbon on a safety pin and used the pin to work through the little pocket.  

Which gave me these

I just chose random beads to tie on the ends of the ribbon so the ribbon would not pull out

Then I stuffed them.

The girl's bags each have some hair ties, a mini chap stick and a face mask.  I bought all of these things at Sweet Pineapple on Airport Road.  I went to Target and got some hand sanitizer, a pair of socks and a box of Skittles.  I then added a fun beachy lotion from Bath and Body.

Here they are all tied up and ready for our beach trip

Wouldn't you like to find this on your pillow

I am doing bags for the moms too.  The contents of those bags will be a little different but still along the same lines.  You know.....just little fun treats as a surprise.

On one of my trips I got to stay at the Ritz.  Every night when I got back to the room, they had my bed turned back and a little surprise on my pillow.  I loved it.  It was just a fun thing to look forward to.

If you are going on a trip with friends or family this summer, why not surprise everyone with a little pillow surprise. If you didn't want to make bags, you could buy a clear goody bag at any craft or party store.  You could also leave each treat individually over the course of your trip.  Or you could use a simple paper gift bag.  Just have fun with it and do it your way!

Make it a great Monday and have a great week!!!!

See you back here on Wednesday.