Turning over a new leaf, literally

Here is my second ever major attempt at gardening. The first attempt didn't end well...I think I blogged about the sorry over-the-fence basket of dead basil...but due to its lack of interest and my embarrassment, that post has been long deleted.  (Oh, you didn't know I censor old posts? All the time.)

So, I have been tempted for a while now by beautiful succulents and their itty bitty garden space.  Throw in a recent blog post from a favorite blog of mine, Kristin Eldridge, (I've also made her granola bars YUM) and I was inspired. That and finding 6 triangular candle holders for under $3 that I *thought* would be perfect for succulents. (You know, since reading a post or two made me such an expert.)

The next day, I found myself at OSH, the store that I continue to go back to despite the fact that they NEVER have everything I want...I'm not sure why. I need to work on that. Anyhow, 10 succulents later, and rocks, and seriously overpriced moss, I was on my way out the door. Mind you, not that I re-read the original blog post or anything reminding me about anything...

So I planted my succulents. It was a so-so job.  I didn't buy any extra dirt so they were still in the exact mold of that cheap plastic cup...not really doing it for me.  So after another trip to OSH (and another experience of them not having everything I wanted...seriously...a saucer for a 4" clay pot...really??) I finally had it all together. Here is the final result!

One of the things I like about the triangular holders is that I can rearrange them (i.e. remove one when I kill one of these plants)

 Aaaand, a cute little circle.

I also planted some in small vase for my Grandma on Sunday...ssshhhh its a surprise!

 Last but not least, I got this orchid at a wedding I was recently in. Its been...11 days and I haven't killed the orchid. Shocking, I know. Its even blooming more! Does anyone know how to take care of these? I think this is the variety that is supposed to be in a hanging basket, but I really have no idea.  (Anyone local want an orchid??!!)

Beth's Bridal Shower pics

I promised some more pictures from a shower I helped throw last week and I finally got them! I was in charge of favors (which ended up being an in-shower craft) and desserts.
Here is a picture of the towel cake we made for Beth. (I think I already posted about this.) The theme of the shower was Paris/Purple/Butterflies and the gal in charge of decorations did AMAZING! I don't know where she found everything but it looked amazing.

 Here are the beginnings of the sugar scrub craft...

 Here are the spoons that we tied to the top (yes, the old ice cream cup kind!) embellished with lemon slices (for honey-lemon scented), lavender (lavender and lavender-thyme) and just some button ones because I thought they were cute.

 I wrote up some instructions (which are long since in the garbage, so hopefully I don't need to do this again!)

 And, because I can't sort pictures well when I blog, here is dessert #1: Chocolate mousse heart cups.  Delish.  The mousse is made with cook and serve chocolate fudge pudding (made with whole chocolate milk and using about 1/3 less milk than the recipe) plus equal parts heavy whipped cream. Put into chocolate heart cups (never going to make those again...at least not 100ish of them)

 And we also had lemon flavored...delish!!!

 The other dessert was brownie pizza. This represents 4 portions...got cut up after the photography session. 

 Both of these ideas were mostly inspired by pinterest, of course.
Oh, and here is the final product, someone's hand scrub:

Do you buy a lot of stuff online? Get cash back.

*Sales Pitch*

I wanted to share these 2 links with you in case you are interested.  These are my "referral" links so if you happen to use these (versus signing up on the websites) then I get a small kickback. But, no sense in pimping out your email address (that is totally what I call it) if it isn't stuff (purchases) you really need. 

#1 Ebates --  I check ebates before I make any online purchase. (except amazon and costco.) If you start on their website, and type in the store you know you are going to go make a purchase at (if its on their list) they'll show you a few specials they might have and a % Cash Back value. You click on the store and you get a little message that they are opening a ticket for you. Then whatever you spend at that other store, you get the % cash back (i don't think shipping counts) in a quarterly check. Only once when I forgot my password to snapfish did I not get my credit, at which point I just checked with ebates, found the ticket that should have linked to the purchase (i.e. you MUST "start" on ebates then go to the store from the ebates link aka "ticket") and emailed them my invoice and had my credit the next day.  Sometimes Snapfish is 20% cash back and even 40% cash back and I have gotten 50% cash back at magazines.com for gift subscriptions!  I also use it for just like target.com, vitacost.com (vitamins and health), staples, etc. Below is my referral link. If you join ebates through that link, then after YOUR first qualifying purchase of I think $25 (or multiple purchases combined to $25) both YOU and I get a $5 gift card. (It used to be $10 for you, the new member, but right now it is $5)

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=ub23whUfoQuFztOog9DovQ%3D%3D  (Update: looks like no sign-up bonus right now, but still a good deal for a nominal cash back on purchases! Update again: the referral link still says you qualify for a bonus when you sign up AND make a qualifying purchase...best bonus is a $10 Target gift card!!!!!)

#2 Vitacost.  Simple website for discounts and deals on vitamins and other health stuff. I got the lemon and lavender oils for Beth's shower scrubs from this site and they have a lot of prenatal vitamins and all other stuff.  With my referral link, if you sign up you get a $10 coupon off $10 purchase in your email almost immediately. (I'm pretty sure this can go towards shipping even...just keep in mind if you go through ebates first and pay only with the coupon you aren't spending "cash" so you won't get cash back on that particular purchase.)  I think I also get a $10 coupon as well! Crazy right? Ok anyhow, here is my link.

http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralCode=90197014

I will say that ebates spam-mails me about 2 times a week and Vitacost about twice that often.  But both of these sites (especially ebates) have put otherwise pricey gifts into a super-reasonable window. (Especially photobooks at snapfish and magazines.com! Macys.com is 6% back...like for wedding gifts, tons, literally tons of possibilities!)

M&M Button Cookies

((source idea: http://griffithsrated.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentine-prezel-buttons.html))

On Saturday I helped host a bridal shower for a friend. It was SO fun to plan the details, I've been working on these ideas for literally weeks and loving it! I was in charge of the desserts and the favors (which ended up being an in-shower craft.)  I will blog more about these when I get better pictures from someone else, but I couldn't resist at least one post.

These bite size delights are super addicting.  I was able to snag some purple M&M's after Valentine's day, which were perfect for the color theme of the shower!

Basically you melt a Hershey Hug on a square pretzel in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 minutes. After the chocolates get melty enough, pull them out and push on the M&M. I was careful to put the "M" logo on the down-side so we didn't see them with the cookies.  They set much faster if you put the cookie sheet in the fridge for a bit after it cools.

I also tried this with some Andes Mint Kisses and while those kisses did have intense minty flavor, they were not as good as the white chocolatey mix that was part of these cookies.

Can I plan a zebra-themed event for the sole purpose of making more of these?

March Meal Plans

I don't think you have to be a pinterest member to follow this link. I posted my main meals for March that I'm planning to be cooking...if we make it to the store to get everything!  The next couple weeks are going to be busy here but I think we can make do for a while!

http://pinterest.com/cmdaven/march-meal-plans/

I do have some other ideas but either I could't find a version of the recipe online or I am too lazy to share the recipe I have.

-C

This Month's Menu

My awesome friend Emily posted her menu for the week recently. I've been meaning to do the same because some of these recipes are AWESOME and I would love to share them! I don't have pretty pictures this time, because I don't know know how to give proper credit to the source, so I'll just list menu items and links here.  I should note, I only plan 3 meals per week and I don't always plan them when I'm going on a business trip. But, here is what we have going on in February:

Baked Pasta and Broccoli with *chicken* and Cauliflower Cream Sauce.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/baked-pasta-and-broccoli-with-ham-and-cheesy-creamy-cauliflower-sauce/  Notes: Not for the faint of heart. Took a good 45 minutes to prepare. But..4 adults devoured the entire bowl (almost).  Added: Red Peppers, small whole mushrooms (sauteed.)

Italian Potato Sausage Soup  -- Tasty! We used a mild sausage and the soup still had tons of flavor. I would half the recipe for just us next time...this recipe makes a ton.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/italian-potato-sausage-soup/

Buttermilk Roast Chicken - This recipe is DIVINE and SO EASY. As in, the 2 hardest parts are remembering to buy buttermilk and throwing it together the night before for at least 24 hours of soaking.  I love chicken, especially dark meat, and this was a huge favorite.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/01/buttermilk-roast-chicken/

Not as many recipes for what else is on the menu:
Lasagna
Salmon (Pesto style or parchment paper)
Tomato Soup
Fajitas (I made them with taco seasoning...not my favorite fajita ever)
Mini Pizzas

We don't always eat exactly what we plan, but I at least know that I have some menu options.  Any ideas for new recipes?

For posting to Pinterest

If you're here from Pinterest, this lady is the talented one who made this and this is her store.

I have recently discovered the time-drain that is Pinterest. I can't really say I'm "TOO" addicted (yet) since I think the searching feature is kind of lacking and I'm not too into random browsing. I still prefer to find other addicting crafting sites via "linky parties" from a few of my favorite bloggers.

But recently my sister in law (seriously crafty and talented) made us this wreath for Christmas. I texted a picture to my sister for evaluation (of how it looked on the door. I already knew it was awesome). She immediately exclaimed it was amazing and looked like it should be on Pinterest. So here I am blogging about it just so I can pin it. Wild, I know.

This craft technique is the widely popular felt flower approach. I am making some of these flowers for a ball ornament/ball thing for our mantle which will be a white version of this cute ornament (I found this site on a linky party, not Pinterest!)

Anyhow. Toodles.