I'm On One Good Thing by Jillee!!!

Do you read the One Good Thing by Jillee blog? 

 

If not, you should! She is AMAAAAZING! I have been following her for a long time. She is the one that I got my oil washing idea from, my homemade laundry detergent from, and so many other great money saving tips and ideas. I am an absolute stalker of her blog.

So, imagine my surprise when I'm checking my stats and for some reason, there is a bunch of traffic coming from her blog! {scratching head???} I click on the link, and sure enough, her blog pops up! And do you know what I see??? {I fall out of my chair...}

Uh-huh....she found my homemade maple syrup! And she likes it! And then she did an entire BEAUTIFUL post about it! And I'm totally star struck. Can you tell? :)

So...I can die now. Or at least go to bed and dream of her dipping her pancakes in my maple syrup as she gives me the secrets to her amazing blogging superpowers and gives me pointers on how to clean my house. 

{Pin}spired copycat Week 10: Sea Salted Caramels With FREE MATCHING PRINTABLE!

Oh man. Have you tried sea salted caramels yet? If not...you need to. They are salty AND sweet, so if you've got a monster about to drive you nuts craving for something but can't figure out if you want salty or sweet, try these. And you won't believe how easy they are to make!

Pinned {here}

 and {here}

Yes, that's right they are easy to make. Easy, as in, you put the first 6 ingredients into a microwave safe bowl...

• 1/4 cup butter, cut in 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• Coarse sea salt (hold yer' horses, don't put this in the bowl!) 

Put the bowl into the microwave and cook for 5-6 minutes (for soft & chewy texture) or 6-7 minutes (for firmer yet still chewy texture), stopping to stir it every 2 minutes.  When it's done cooking, give it another good stir and pour it into either a greased baking pan, or a baking pan lined with wax paper or something the caramel won't stick to. Smooth it out, give it a light sprinkling of sea salt, wait for it to cool, cut it up, and you're done!


And, if you're like me, you want to hoard them all, but end up wrapping them in waxed or parchment paper, putting them in cute packages and giving them to your friends and family. So, in case you feel like sharing them, here is a free printable label to go with today's {Pin}spiration!

Click {here} to download!

You can open/edit it in any sort of picture editing thing, or even Microsoft Word or whatever to change it to the size you want! :)

Enjoy! And...if you make some, save some for me. Fer' reals.

Linked Up To:
DIY Home Sweet Home

NatSprat's Top Ten Pins of the Week

Wow, it's been a busy week. Busy, but good. Are you ready for NatSprat's Top Ten Pins of the Week? Here we go!  

1. Craft of the Week

DIY wire heart ring. So cute and so easy! I'll be doing this for sure.

2. Cute Outfit of the Week

Love it all. Especially the ring! 

3. Tip of the Week

 

Oh, DUH!!! Cut a foam wreath in half and it lays flat against the door AND now you can make 2 wreaths! One for you, and one for me. :)

4. Kid Craft of the Week

 

 This looks like fun! It's sort of like a pinata. You have a hole for each kid coming to your party, and they get to pick which hole they punch through. Behind each tissue paper is a prize!

5. Good Laugh of the Week

 

Hahah! So sad...but true. 

6. Inspirational Quote of the Week

Oh, how I love Thomas S. Monson, he always has something amazing to say. 

7. Drool of the Week

If the dumb birds would stop eating my strawberries from my strawberry patch I would totally do this. Bake them in the oven at 250 for 3 hours and they taste like candy but are healthy! This would also solve my clapping thighs dilemma...

8. Beauty Tip of the Week

 

DIY microdermabrasion. I've been doing this and it seriously works! 3 T baking soda and 1 T water. Apply to face in a circular motion, let sit for 5 minutes, rinse with warm water. Do this once a week, and watch as your skin changes into healthy, beautiful, glowing skin!

9. Home Inspiration of the Week

 

I have been wanting to do this so bad...I absolutely love this idea! The blog is super cute, too! Go check out Casa De Lewis. 

10.  Fitness Tip of the Week

Okay, this totally cracks me up, but seriously, the most pinned fitness tip was "How to tone your thighs in 1 month." We are definitely on a thigh kick this week, aren't we! Hahah! I have to say...I may miss the "applause" as I run.

And, my friends, this concludes my Top Ten Pins of the Week! Have a WONDERFUL Memorial Day! Thank you to all of those who gave so much for us. "Feedom Isn't Free". 

Pinned {HERE}

My Brother, Brett

This is my "little" brother, Brett. And today, he is graduating from High School. Which, for me is bittersweet. First of all, I can't believe he's old enough to graduate...it seems like just yesterday he was drinking out of our dog's water bowl while still in diapers. Look at him now, such a grown man, ready to face the world and all of it's challenges head on. He has enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and will be leaving for training in just a few months. My little brother is all grown up. And he amazes me. He is one of the most talented people I know. He is brilliant. He is funny. He is sweet. He is brave. (And incredibly photogenic, I must say!) We have always been very close,  (UGH...I am crying already!) and it will be so hard to not have him at home. It will be so strange to walk into my parents house and not see him there in the kitchen cooking something, or sitting at the piano playing a beautiful melody, or frantically trying to clean things up because his girlfriend is coming over. (haha.) He is one of my very best friends and can make me laugh until my sides split. He knows me better than most people do, because we are exactly alike in so many ways. I have been so blessed to have him in my life, and I am so very VERY proud of him. Brett, I know that whatever you do in life, you will do with strength, courage and dignity. I know that you will bring light and joy and laughter to any who are fortunate enough to get to know you. I know that your brilliance will help and support countless others. And I know that your heart will touch so many lives, just as it has touched mine. I am proud to call you my brother and my friend. I will miss your guts like crazy, and I love you so much!!! Congratulations, "little" brother. :)

Favorite Things Friday

Happy Friday!!! It's time for my Favorite Things! The time of the week when you get to learn a little more about me and what kind of stuff I'm into! Here we go!

1. Rival Snow Cone Maker: I am addicted to snow cones. They are my favorite thing in the world. Especially white coconut flavored syrup and then you drizzle sweetened condensed milk...it's like Coconut and Cream HEAVEN. This little snow cone maker has been used pretty much every day this week!

 2. Nutella. Okay, so I know they are in some sort of a big lawsuit right now because apparently the commercials make it seem healthier than it really is, but who cares. This crap is GOOOOOOD! I like it on toast, bananas, graham crackers (helloooo smores!)...this stuff would probably even make broccoli taste good.

 3. My mascara dried out and I was due for a new one, so I decided to try this one out. I usually have some major raccoon eyes after wearing mascara for a few hours, especially in the sweaty summer heat. But this stuff really does what claims to do! This stuff does not flake off...it does not smudge...it really does stay on for 24 hours or until you are ready to take it off! I think it may be my new favorite!

 Bath and Body Works Bali Mango. OH...MERCY. This stuff is AMAZING! I LOOOOVE the B&B fruity scents...but this one literally makes my mouth water! It's a mix of juicy mango, sugar cane, pink passion flower and nectarine. It is PERFECT for summer! I wear it pretty much every day. Mmmm.

 My shovel. Lame. I know. But this week I have been working on planting a garden in our pathetic backyard, and I have relied on my shovel EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I'm excited to finally turn our dirt in the back into something useful. So far I have a strawberry patch, blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes and a herb garden. Next week I'll plant the regular things like tomatoes and zucchinis and all that good stuff. 

 

Whelp...there you go! Maybe you'll find something here you end up liking too! I'd love to know what some of YOUR favorite things are!

Have a wonderful weekend! See you again soon!

Today on Prepping With NatSprat...

 

Head on over to Prepping With NatSprat for the full post! And don't forget to follow along!

See you there!

NatSprat's {Favorite} Free Fonts

I love fonts. It's a slight addiction I have. Basically...you get really cute stuff and it's all for FREE! Whenever I have the shopping itch but don't want to spend money, this is where I go to hang! Dafont.com, baby. Want to see some of my favorite free fonts? Heeeere you go! Do you want the font? Click on the linked names at the bottom and go to town! 

Richard Murray       Little Days     Bohemian Typewriter

Singer Meas     Ballpark    Callie Hand    Simply Glamorous

Quicksand dash   Nilland

Deftone Stylus     Road Movie     Sunshine In My Soul

Peach Sundress    Madfont     Rio Grande    Chanelle

Need to know HOW to install a beautiful new font onto your computer? It's easy! Click HERE for instructions for Windows.

Oh, and FYI, Fontaholics Anonymous meet on Friday at 7 p.m. Hahaha...just kidding. Sort of.