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.

Three words......

These three words

changed everything FOREVER.

I hope you enjoy a beautiful resurrection weekend.

I hope you embrace the gift of salvation and forgiveness.

If you have time enjoy He's Alive performed by Dolly 

Happy Easter, dear friends, He is Risen Indeed.

Pressing forward

Do you know what happens when you publicly declare at the beginning of the week how focused you want to be on Christ and how you want to forgive.......

OPPORTUNITIES.....MANY, MANY, MANY OPPORTUNITIES!!!!!

But that's ok because I have just been trying to draw closer and not lose my focus.

Life is interesting.  People are so interesting. What I planned on writing about today.....keeping with the Easter theme is

Peeps.

But not those peeps pictured above.  No, I am more talking about those in your corner.  Those in your circle of love and trust.  Those whose phone call you answer no matter how tired you are and that your favorite tv show is on. You know.....those peeps

Here are a few quotes I found and liked

Find those people who clap for you and you can cheer like crazy for them......those are your people.

Stay focused, girls.  See you back here on Friday.

What a week.....

It is the week leading to Easter and I am hopeful I can really stay focused.....really focused.  My morning devotion yesterday was about betrayal.  Here is the thing - we get ourselves really worked up when a stranger wrongs us.  Just think how upset we can get from someone we don't even know cutting us off in traffic or not letting us merge.  A total stranger on the road can ruin the morning commute.  I mean we can hold on to that  for hours......ok, speaking for myself......sometimes for days or years.  I still look for this guy on the road who I named "angry white truck" because he was so unbelievably rude with his little horn blowing and gesturing.  It was literally 3 years ago and I still remember it.

Now just imagine someone from your inner circle, one of your people, one of your confidants betraying you. Have you ever shared something with someone you felt really close to only to be surprised by their spreading it to others? Or them judging you or criticizing you or jimeny crickets........talking about you behind your back? Families break up over stuff like this.  Sides get chosen.  People refuse to be in the same room. Holiday gatherings can change. Major stuff goes down when people feel forsaken in this manner.

As we go through this week let's try to remember how Jesus must have felt when this exact kind of betrayal happened to Him.....the ultimate betrayal by one of His people, His inner circle.

As we go through this week let's try to remember how Jesus forgave this betrayal.

It is time for me to let "angry white truck" go.  It is time for me to let a lot of stuff go.

What do you really need to forgive? Really let go of?

Walking to the cross this week......forgiving others and fully accepting the forgiveness Christ offers us.

Have a wonderfully blessed week!!!

More than.....

Ok, I have to start today with a few or three disclaimers

First. what I am about to talk about comes from a beer company.  So I am not a beer fan but this is good. Let's face it some companies just make good commercials.  If I were in advertising, I would want to work for Budweiser, Hallmark or Publix because I think they own the commercial world. They usually give me goose bumps... I like a good touching advertisement.

Second, I am going to talk about Dwayne Wade who from  a distance I really like.  He seems fun. But I don't know him personally and he might be a completely different person.  I say all of that because of the third disclaimer.....

Third, Dwayne happens to be married to Gabrielle Union who I also really liked from a distance.  But now she holds the distinction of writing the book that not only did I not finish but I also returned. Language, young lady, language.

Now that all the disclaimers are done - here is what I really wanted to show you.  Dwayne Wade in his last year of professional basketball arranged to trade jerseys with other players as he went thru his last season.  So take a look

So the last line, spoken by his mother says it all.  "You are more than a basketball player...."

Whatever you do, 

however you answer the question "so what do you do?" at parties, 

no matter what your job is

You are more than that........aren't we all.  

The people you have supported, loved, helped, prayed for, listened to, inspired, stood by in good times and bad would describe you as much more.

Just stopping by today to remind you.....you are so much MORE than.........

Have a great weekend.  Talk to you on Monday.

Bumpy Lumpy Oranges

Have you seen these guys in the grocery store?

They are called Sumo Citrus.  They are a combination of the easy to peel Japanese mandarin and the best oranges of California.  They are such a treat they are often given as gifts between friends in Japan.

 They are seedless.  They easily peel and don't have that thick white membrane.  They are super sweet and have become quite a favorite at our house.  Most places have them for around $3.99 a pound.  

Because they are a little pricey I was afraid to risk my money and then hate them. Fortunately, I was in Publix and they were doing samples.....yep they got me hooked.  

I have been buying them ever since.

The season goes thru April.......so this is your month.  Do yourself a favor and enjoy this last month of Sumo Citrus.......and if you need a gift, I think this is a good one.  I would totally register for these on my bridal registry......don't judge until you give them a try.

Talk to you on Friday.

March Book Review

Well this was a very successful month of reading for me.  I read four winners.  I actually loved them all!!!  This doesn't happen a lot, but I welcome it.  Not a dud in this bunch.  Pick any one of these and enjoy. Here's what I read in March.



The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers.  I love a good Francine Rivers book.  She always gets me on page one and holds me until the end.  In this one a talented artist is risking everything- his reputation, his life.  He takes in an assistant who helps him learn just how valued he is. A fantastic read.  Francine packs a lot into a book.  Get ready to settle in for this one and enjoy.  If you are already thinking of what you might read on the beach this summer, this would be a good one to get in your stack.




These is My Words by Nancy Turner.  I have said a million times thank goodness I was not born during the pioneer days.  Please, y'all, don't wait on me to blaze a new trail or set out for parts unknown.  Nope not my strength.  However, if I ever embarked on such I would have to insist on having Sarah Prine with me.  This girl was amazing.  This is written in diary form, but it really doesn't feel like it.  I loved this book.  I thought is was very entertaining. It was one of those books that I couldn't wait to get back to.....read this one.  I think you will like it.



The Midwife's Revolt by Jodi Daynard.  I loved this one too.  It is historical fiction so it pulls in a lot of what we know happened in history but takes a little liberty telling it from a ficticious character who is quite lovable.  It is a further reminder of my thankfulness to not be born during this period of history.  There is love, loss, spies and some traditional family drama.  I really enjoyed this one too. It has a bit of an unexpected ending.....and I always love that.



The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.  I found this book because Amazon recommended it for me.  Well, Amazon, you know me well.....very well.  Quite honestly if I had run across this on my own and read the summary, I am not sure I would have gravitated to it.  But I absolutely LOVED it.  It took me a chapter or so to get the right reading rythm down but once I did.....I was hooked.  These characters are so well developed.  I could absolutely describe them to a sketch artist in detail.  Essentially this is the story of one family and all of their highest highs, lowest lows and every single thing in between.  This book is so well written you can smell the smells, you can feel the fear, you can taste the food and you can literally feel the good earth.  Read this and tell me if you love it too.  There are two more in the series and I am going to have to exercise some serious self-control not to scarf them down right this very minute.

Remember friends don't let friends read bad books..... if you have read anything good, let me know!

Nail Polish - Research

I have always been too cheap to regularly get my nails done.  Too stingy with my money and my time.  I just don't want to get fenced in to having to go back and back again.  Let's face it a regular manicure just doesn't last long......and the gel, or powder, or acrylic manicures mean you have to keep going back.  Have  you ever tried to take one of those off yourself at home? Uh yeah, that does not work out.

So I decided to try a couple of the "long lasting" nail polish kits.

So here we go.  First let me just start by saying do you all remember this old Army slogan

"In the Army, we do more before 9AM than most people do all day"

Well I just my be considered the Army of hand washing. I am fairly certain I have washed my hands more before 9:00am than most wash all day.

I am 100% sure I beat this guy

Pete Hegseth - Fox News Weekend Anchor

Do you all remember him? He announced on live television that he had not washed his hands in 10 years.  All I can say is how sad is everyone who ever shook his hand, or shared a cookie, or opened a door in the same building as him or borrowed an ink pen or asked him to hand them something.....sad.....very sad.

So all of that to say my nail polish gets a real workout.  I am pretty tough on it. Because unlike Pete I am always washing my hands.

I first tried this

This is the essie gel kit that promises 14 days of wear

I think the color has a weird name.  It is called 'take me to thread' and it is a dusty purple color

Here is day one

Here is day 7

 Very respectable.  Anything that last a week on these hands is a pretty good product.

But that was about it.  I had to remove it.  I can't take the chips and peels.
The good news is though it lasted a good amount of time and it came off super easy with regular nail polish remover.

Then I tried this

This is the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel kit.  It also promises to last up to 14 days.

The color is Make Me Mauve.

This one went on a little easier.  

Here is day one.

Here is Day 7

Here is day 13.....just starting to chip

So I am going to have to remove it now but 13 days.....wowser.  

I would totally use this one again because I will sit and paint my nails every couple of weeks.  That is very doable.

I have a couple of other options I want to try out but right now I am going back to regular old natural nails......back to my no maintenance mode that I love so much!

Have a great weekend......talk to you on Monday.

Surrendering - A year of prayer April Edition

First, I loved all your emails and texts and phone calls about Monday's blog post.  Thanks for playing along....who can't use a good laugh here and there.  While I may not be a runner I am still a prayer so let's do this April edition of our year of praying together.

Here is our year long prayer guide

If you still need to print it to post and keep handy, just click here.

How perfect that this month we are praying for renewal.   It is spring.  We are in the midst of Lent.  It is a season for renewal.  Here is our inspiration verse for this month.

Click here to print this month's verse.

Whatever you need to renew in your life, the heart is a the perfect place to start.  

Here's to renewed hearts.....relationships.....outlooks.......friendships.....enthusiasm.....passion......love.....forgiveness...

Thanks for praying with me!

Preparing for a new adventure

So.....maybe it is because I am 50.  Maybe it is because my kids are older and I feel like I have a little more time.  Maybe it is because I've lost a little weight and now feel inspired. Who knows......but here is the thing.  I have decided to train over the next year for a half marathon.  I KNOW!!!!! It is a little crazy but I feel like now is the time AND I feel like by saying it here I kinda have to go through with it or at least give it a good try.

So the first thing I did was go to Find My Marathon  This has a list of all upcoming races.  All you have to do is search by state and you can find a race near you.  I found the Rocket City Marathon which is described as a mostly flat course.....which is highly recommended for a first race.

I then did some research here on how to prepare and here is what is recommended and what I have planned to do

1) Work on 3-5 runs a week slowly building my mileage

2) Once I have built up my mileage do a long run every 7-10 days to get my body used to long distances

3) Do some speed runs at intervals to increase cardio ability

4) Rest and recovery - value the time my body needs to rest and recover between all this training

I feel like I am going to excel at number 4.  I may be best at this step.

The other important thing is finding the right shoe.  Apparently, multiple pairs will be needed as all this running shortens the life of the shoe.  So I guess this is totally unlike the Nikes I have had for 7 years that I wear about twice a year.......yep these running shoes will get worn more in one week than those get worn all year.

Luckily we live fairly close to Research Park and the loop there is almost an exact mile.....so I just need to build up to 13 quick laps......doesn't that sound doable?  It really does, I hope.

There are several running maps developed by avid runners in town.  If  you are interested, click here.

And I gotta tell you, I am very excited about the gear I will need to buy.  Runners have some cute outfits...and accessories.  That part is really exciting.  I think I will reward myself with a little running related retail item as I progress through my training.

Ok, this time next year I should be running my first half-marathon.  Maybe you'd like to join me.

So how does all of that sound?  Are you excited for me? Surprised?  Or do you already know that I am about to say April Fools......because come on.....you guys know me better than this.

I did, however, just spend an entire hour researching all of this so the links I included are real......all the rest of it is fake.

I will not be running a marathon,  half or otherwise.  I will be doing exactly what you know me for....I will be on the couch under a throw.

Be on the look out today for people trying to trick you ;)

Have a great week!