Cherry Picking

I just don’t understand Daylight Savings time. Who are we trying to fool?? We all know that when my alarm went off at 6…it was really 5!! I am only one HOUR into it, and I am already exhausted. Today will include a nap for SURE!!

You guys…I have been stressing ALL WEEK. I have to speak in church this week and public speaking makes my tummy hurt. I also cannot stop stress eating Cadbury Mini eggs. I am actually not sure WHY I keep buying them. BUT somehow when I start to feel stress, another couple bags just APPEARS in my cart. I am gonna look like an Easter Egg by the time Easter finally rolls around!!

This was a fun week over on the blog. I shared a fun recipe for mud pie cups that will be PERFECT for a St. Patrick’s Day treat. AND we talked about 10 tips for decorating like a pro!! So if you have EVER wanted to create beautiful bookshelves, coffee tables, tablescapes, or kitchen countertops, head on over for some tips and tricks. And of course if you missed LAST weekend’s Cherry Picking, you may have missed my FAVORITE Amazon find EVER…I am not kidding, these lids have changed my life…NO MORE SARAN WRAP…EVER AGAIN!!

Wanna know what I found this week that I CANNOT live without?!?!

If you or someone in your house has a retainer or nightguard…YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE!!! Ethan recently got his braces off, and his retainer was getting DISGUSTING!! He thinks it is fun to watch it fizz…kind of like a fun science experiment, and his retainer smells and looks SOOOO much better. I honestly don’t know how boys can be so gross sometimes, but if a little fizzy tablet can help…I am alllll in !!

I did it again!! I have used THESE peeling foot masks a few times before, but it is almost flip flop season, so I decided it was time for soft feet again. I KNOW it is going to make my entire foot peel off like a snake, but it surprises me EVERY TIME!! My kids are completely grossed out with me and wont even LOOK at my feet. But it is all worth it AFTER the peeling stops…haha!! I try to get it over more quickly by soaking in the tub at night and scrubbing a bit on my feet with a loofah. BEWARE…these take a while to start working, so DO NOT put a pair on a few days before a vacation or event. It has been a week since I put the mask on, and I am still pretty peely.

We have been paper towel free at our house for around 10 years and I just had to re-order my favorite cleaning cloths. I use THESE for EVERYTHING!! They are great for mirrors, countertops, spills, floors, fridge smudges…ALL THE THINGS. And while we are on the subject, we went paper towel free by complete accident…I am not that great at being environmentally friendly. Emersyn was around 2 or 3 years old and we went to the library for story time. They talked ALL about recycling and saving the planet and Emmy came home ALL fired up about us doing better to save the Earth. We bought recycling boxes, made trips to drop off cardboard, and gave up paper towels. We use a combination of these cloths and flour sack towels and now my kids don’t even remember when we had paper towels.

Because of his dyslexia and dysgraphia, Ethan has SUCH a hard time with spelling…even simple everyday words. So we grabbed THIS game to help him practice spelling. PLUS, it has math facts on the edge including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You leave the bottom flap flipped up while spelling, then flip down the flap to check your answer. OR for younger kids you can just leave the flap open and have them copy the spelling word. For Ethan, the act of picking up and placing the letters has helped him grasp the spelling MUCH more than writing words on paper. AND we can use the blocks to spell out his regular spelling words as well. For under $10, this has been a great addition to our homeschool day.

Have you heard of Amazon FIRST READS yet?? Basically, if you have Amazon Prime, you can get one free book per month through FIRST READS. They choose books from all different genres and create a new list each month. Then you choose which book you want for the month and get it for free. THAT IS 12 FREE BOOKS EACH MONTH!!! If you don NOT have Prime, the books are only $1.99. Plus, you can read with the Kindle app on any device…even if you don’t have a Kindle. This month I chose THE SECRET STEALERS, which is about an American spy in Nazi occupied France. I cannot wait to get started on it…and FOR FREE!!

And while we are on the subject of FREE books, did you know there are lots of FREE books available to Amazon Prime members??!! Go to the Amazon Kindle Library and choose the PRIME READING tab. When you click on the book you want and go to checkout, make sure you click the read with PRIME button and NOT the KINDLE UNLIMITED button…otherwise you will sign yourself up for Kindle Unlimited…which is NOT FREE!!

I actually stumbled onto a whole collection of Jane Austen retellings over on Prime for FREE. I have only read FIRST IMPRESSIONS, but I will probably read the rest just because. It was not the GREATEST Jane Austen inspired book I have ever read, but it was a cute sweet retelling of P&P where the Darcy character is a wealthy Texas rancher…I mean…COME ON!! How do I resist a southern cowboy Darcy??? I DON’T!!!

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What is catching my eye over on Pinterest this week??

Since I posted this week about HOW TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTE, I created a Pinterest board with ALLLLLL the pretty vignette inspiration. Head over to Pinterest to follow AND get your creative vignette juices flowing!!

You know I love a good DIY, and this little DIY CAKESTAND is just tooooo perfect!!! My friend Danielle over at The Faith and Farmhouse Blog shares how to make it in for under $10. I just love that chunky wood base:)

A few weeks ago I shared this recipe for Pioneer Woman Baked Potato Casserole and I FINALLY made it. It was JUST as yummy as I imagined it would be. Yummy mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon…and 2 sticks of butter!! My husband was a BIG FAN of this one. It is now officially in my recipe binder!!!

THIS Spring porch is giving me ALLLLLLL the ideas!! I love the simplicity and farmhouse cozy vibe!!

I have never thought of decorating in BLUES, but THIS blue and white room decor is screaming my name. The milkglass and THAT RUG!!! I am ALL in for this cute blue room!!

A few posts back, I shared an idea for RAIN BOOT Easter baskets, but check out these UMBRELLA Easter Baskets!!! SOOOOOOO cute and practical. We can NEVER find an umbrella when we need one at our house.

You know I am ALLLLL about holiday themed food…and these BUNNY PANCAKES are HAPPENING over here for sure!!! The whipped cream tail…SOOOO CUTE!!

The minute I spotted these Carrots made from napkins for Easter…I KNEW!! Carrot Utensils MUST be a thing this Easter…TOOOOO stinking cute!!

Check out THIS idea where they cut fruit into spring shapes…genius. And the lemon dip recipe sounds divine too!!

We make fruit pizza all the time, and we even make it for Easter, but I have never thought of making an egg shaped fruit pizza!!

ANDDD one more Easter idea for the road!! THESE colored deviled eggs are almost TOO pretty to eat. I mean I would TOTALLY eat them…but man they are pretty!!

Come join me over on PINTEREST for more inspiration!! I love looking at projects I will NEVER complete…haha!!

WORDS FOR THE WEEK…

An optimist is the human personification of Spring. –Susan B. Bissonette

If I could choose what kind of person to be…I would choose SPRING. Filled with hope, new beginnings and joy. OH WAIT…I totally CAN choose what type of person I want to be!! SOOO this week I am going to choose to be SPRING personified!! Happy ALMOST Spring friends. Let’s chat again soon!! JESS

You can find more of my CHERRY PICKINGS HERE and HERE. Happy Sunday!!