Scrumptious Salsa

Thanks to our friend Nathan, I've been blessed with lots of fresh tomatoes!  YUM!  We've been eating BLT's, and I've been enjoying tomato/mozzarella/basil salads.  My favorite, by far though, is fresh salsa!!!

I didn't follow a recipe at all, this was one of those "I'm hungry and salsa sounds good so I'm just going to start making it" deals.  Here's the basics though:  Chop up some tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro.  Add some fresh lime juice.  Stir.  Easy enough, right?  I'm thinking of adding some other things for more variety....black beans?  corn?  The only problem:  the hubby doesn't like fresh/chunky salsa, so I pretty much have to eat this on my own.  Wait, did I say problem??  I think I should have said the best part!

Do you make salsa?  What ingredients do you use?

FREE Decor from Paper Coterie

I have another great deal to pass on to you, and this one even deals with home decor!!  Have you heard of Paper Coterie?  If you haven't already, I am insisting that you go check it out.  They offer great personalized photo products like calendars, growth charts, wall decals, and photo books.  Right now, for the entire month of August, they are offering an incredible promotional deal ~ $40 off your purchase!!  (You just pay the shipping).

The last time they had this deal, I bought two wall decals.....one for each kiddo.  I put a picture, their name, and the verse we picked for them when we dedicated them at church.  I was so impressed when they arrived!  The decals have a fabric-feel, not plastic-y at all. 

We finally put them up in the toy room tonight and I love how they turned out!

I was super excited when I saw Paper Coterie is offering the same deal this month.  Just use the code BEGINANYWHERE at checkout, and it will take $40 off your purchase (again, you have to pay shipping which varies depending on your order).  I have already taken advantage of this deal, but I can't show you what I got this time because they might end up as Christmas gifts ;)  Again though, I was totally impressed.  I put my order in last week and already received my products!  For my order, shipping was less than $5.  It's a great company that I recommend 100% - go check it out!


Side note:  often, when there are great deals like this available, the site can run slow.  I did not have this issue at all, but I have heard that it has affected some people.  If it happens to you, just try again at another time!

Disclaimer:  These opinions are my own, based solely on my experiences with the company....Paper Coterie has no idea I am writing this review.  I just wanted to pass on an amazing deal from a great company to all my friends! 

New Swagbucks Bonus Opportunity

Have you been waiting for a great time to join Swagbucks?  Now is the time!!!  Until Friday (August 12), new Swagbucks members can get a 50 Buck bonus by entering the code AUGUSTBONUS at registration (sorry, this code is for new members only)!

Heard of Swagbucks but not totally sure what it is?  Taking the description right off their site.... "Swagbucks allows web users to earn virtual currency by doing the things they do every day - searching the web, shopping at favorite retailers, and by engaging in other activities such as phone recycling, submitting polls, and completing special offers."  Basically, it's a way to get great stuff FREE - and who doesn't like that?!

Personally, I am a HUGE fan of Swagbucks.  As I've said before, my all time favorite thing to earn would definitely be the Amazon gift cards - I try to save them up for Christmas or other gift-giving occasions, and it really helps save money!  Are you ready to take the plunge and start earning great prizes?  Sign up through my referral link today - and don't forget to use the code AUGUSTBONUS for an additional 50 Swagbucks!

Friday Favorites #2

Here's a few things that have caught my eye this week...

#1:  Painted Planter at Clean & Scentsible.....love the colors and (of course) the label!

#2:  If you love a good Before & After....check out the "2 Year Homieversary" at Involving Color.  I think my favorite room is the dining room, but it all looks great!

#3:  Lighted Flower Garland at Positively Splendid....so fun!  What a great idea!

#4:  I love old windows, and I love this Bathroom Routine on an old window at OrganizeYour Stuff Now.  The colors look great ~ I would love to see the rest of this bathroom!

 

#5:  Paper Cone Wreath at Wolfe Pack...the colors Megan chose are great, but I love that you could take this idea and run with it....endless possibilities!

Ahhh.....I just love all the inspiration around blogland!  Have a great Friday everyone!  (If you were featured, feel free to grab a button!)

Table Advice Needed

I really like my living room.  It's cozy.  I like cozy. You can see the tour here.  But lately I've been thinking it really needs some more color, since everything just seems to mesh together.

I'm thinking about the painting the table.  I love it, but I think it might be one of the easiest (and least expensive) ways to add some color.

What do you think?  I thought about just bringing it down a few shades to a lighter off-white.  Then I was thinking about yellow.  I've had this picture from Liz Marie pinned for awhile....

I also thought about the Colonial Red color that I used on this chair a little while ago....

So, fellow DIYers, what is your advice?  I'd love to hear if you would paint the table, and if so....what color?  I'd also love to hear some of your other ideas for livening up the space (I am planning on putting some kind of plant in that 7up crate, and I will probably make some new pillows or a blanket for the couch).  Let me know what you think!!

Laundry Hamper: Drab to Fab

I've been totally overwhelmed and drowning in adoption paperwork lately and tonight I really needed to take a break and do something different.....when I was going over my mental "to-do" list, I thought of my boring, drab, blah laundry hamper.  I spend enough time with this thing ~ might as well cutesy it up a bit!

No, it doesn't normally sit in the middle of our living room, but that's where I do most of my projects.  And please, when you look at this picture, try to ignore all the baby toys, the empty Dunkin' Donuts bag, the 4th of July decorations that are still out, and the fact that yep, there's dirty laundry in the hamper (which could stand to meet an iron).  The hamper certainly serves it's purpose, and was really inexpensive, but it's just so boring.  Enter my love of all things labeled.

I grabbed my favorite chipboard letters (same ones I used to stencil on the porch swing) and some fabric paint.  I first traced the letters...

and then, totally ignoring the paint's instructions to lay the fabric flat, I painted in the letters.  Super easy!

So "gentle" went downhill a smidge.  That's probably due to my refusal to measure.  But I'm still happy with the finished product!

Anybody else crafting to relieve stress tonight?

Linking up to a few of my favorites ~ go check them out!

Friday Favorites #1

Sharing some of my favorites seems to be a good way to wind down the week, right?  I totally stole this idea from fifty-hundred (my 5 year old's favorite number) other bloggers, but who doesn't like to see some favorites?  Plus, it gives me a chance to feature great ideas, which I don't do often enough!

So here they are....
#1:  Wall of Vintage Pie Plates ~ doesn't this just look cool?  I don't have a single vintage pie plate, let alone the amount needed to necessitate a wall.....but I think I'm going to start keeping my eye out for some!  This picture is originally from Martha Stewart, but I saw it over at Cozy.Cottage.Cute., where Sarah was lucky enough to score some pie plates!  Check her blog out, it's exactly what the title says, no false advertising there!

#2:  Paper Towel Cubby ~ From Southern Living, but originally found on Annie's Pinterest, I looove this idea.  It went directly onto my Pinterest's Dream Kitchen board.  Currently I don't have enough drawer space as it is, but eventually (years from now) when I have storage out the wazoo, I want to do this.

#3:  Speaking of Annie of Arlington Mama, she made an amazing growth chart (inspired by mine here).  I am loving it, especially the numbers!  She was smart enough to copy down heights the had marked on a doorframe and just transferred them over to the new chart.  Do yourself a favor and check out her blog ~ it's another great one!  (Another recent project of her's I love is the shower curtain she dyed!)

Oh, and speaking of my growth chart, it just made the Top 10 over at The DIY Club!  So exciting!!

#4:  Cookie Dough Brownies ~ need I say more?  Probably not, but I will.  I made these brownies to take on vacation and they were super yummy!  Super sweet too, so best with a cold glass of milk or if you are me, iced coffee.  Thanks, Chef in Training!  (I think after this recipe, you have officially passed the training!)

#5:  Fall Pillow ~ During the heat wave we've been having, I've been thinking ahead to the cooler temps of Fall....doesn't this pillow just take you there?  I think I originally saw it on Pinterest, but it's originally from Cluck Cluck Sew, back in 2009!  (One of the many reasons I love Pinterest....I never would have found this pillow without it!)

And now for a few plugs...

#1:  Attention All Coffee Lovers!  :)  As you know, our Just Love Coffee Adoption Fundraiser is underway!  Just Love is an incredible company that sells Fair Trade coffee to help orphans world wide.  There are many varieties of coffee available that you are able to purchase in ground, whole bean, or even green bean if you like to roast your own.  This specialty coffee is not even roasted until the order is received, so you know it is SUPER FRESH when it arrives!!  We received our first shipment yesterday (we tried the African Skies variety) and I could smell the deliciousness as soon as I opened my mailbox....no joke!  Also, I wanted to mention that if you have become wary about drinking decaf, hearing about the chemicals used in the decaffeination (if that is a word) process, Just Love offers organic decaffeinated coffee that uses a water-based process, so no chemicals.

***Anyway....... TODAY ONLY, there is a CHRISTMAS IN JULY SPECIAL at Just Love!  If you buy any 3 13oz bags of coffee, the Roastmaster will throw in another bag of his choice when your order is shipped.  Being fair trade specialty coffee and a fundraiser, the coffee is more expensive than the Folgers or Maxwell House you buy in a grocery store, but 4 for the price of 3 is a great deal!  (And it's never too early to start stocking up on gifts for the holidays!!)***

As a reminder, we need to raise between $25-35K for our Ethiopian adoption, and we get $5 per bag of coffee sold!  We are thankful to Just Love for this opportunity!  Feel free to spread the word to all your coffee-lovin' friends!  I have also added a PayPal donation button to the sidebar if you would like to donate in that way (PayPal does take out a very small fee).  I would never want anyone to feel pressured to buy coffee or donate, but I just want to let you know that these options are available if you feel led to do so!

#2:  Swagbucks ~ Today (and every Friday) is MegaSwagBucks Day, where there are larger than normal amounts of Swagbucks to be found by using the search engine!  Even more exciting, this coming Monday, 8/1, will be a Swag Code Extravaganza, meaning multiple Swag Codes can be found throughout the day.  If you have never heard of SwagBucks, it's a great way to earn FREE prizes (my favorite are the Amazon gift cards) through doing things like using SwagBucks as a search engine, finding codes, daily polls, completing surveys, etc.  Lots of ways to earn bucks to get prizes!  I save the Amazon gift cards I earn and use them around Christmas time ~ last year it really helped cut back on my Christmas spending!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  If you were featured, feel free to grab a button!