Giving thanks for The Nester, other blogs, and products...

I have enjoyed following The Nester, on www.thenester.com, I enjoy home decorating ideas and she provides fun inspiration. A few things I have gleaned thus far...bring the outside in and incorporate more white. I don't have white walls (since I enjoy colored walls so much), but I found some lovely white treasures at Goodwill the other day. I spotted a great vintage bright green vase I really wanted to get, but we decided not to, since nothing we have would match and it would require painting to make it match. So here are my inexpensive finds that add some "pop" to the house- thanks Nester!:)





The following is a piece of fabric from one of my sis-in-laws (that she is using to make Baby #4's quilt). It is a hopeful reminder of our child to come and adds some fun color to our plant's pot.




This frame was only $2.99 at Goodwill- it had a not so lovely oil painting in it...I popped it out and used it as a frame for our calendar. It helped jazz up the look of our calendar and now looks like a work of art (isn't that what the details of our life turn out to be when they are viewed all together- a masterpiece of grace designed by the Great Artist Himself)?!






Here is a special bird ornament I received this Christmas and my darling daughter found this nest outside on the ground.



A thank you to www.thekrazycouponlady.com for this great deal, 25 photo cards for $1.49 from Fujifilm, at www.seehere.com


Currently, my favorite local savings blog is www.savingaddiction.com, these ladies post the Meijer deals, which is where I shop, so it is really helpful.




Shown above are the four ingredients that we used (3 from Meijer) to make a smoothie recipe (that daughter found in the Mini Page). The strawberries were picked and frozen from a local fruit farm (fun to be enjoying this fruit in the winter). We made it on our new "Ninja" blender!

We tweaked the recipe and here is the magic combination:

Joyful Winter Smoothie
1 cup frozen peaches
1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup 100% fruit juice (we used Berry)
1 cup vanilla yogurt (we tried plain but it was not sweet enough)
(if it is not sweet enough for you try a bit of raw honey)
Blend and enjoy!

Lastly, is one of my new favorite hangouts (this store) and past times (drinking tea). Check it out at www.chocola-tea.com/! Daughter and I went out for their amazing Peanut Butter Pie and drank spiced plum herbal tea the other day. The pie is $3.99 for a slice, but it is so delicious (don't try and eat a piece on your own though- def. meant to be shared since it is so sweet). I found that if something has good enough quality you don't mind the price too much or the drive to get there. Hence, Rise n Roll Bakery, www.risenrollbakery.com (cinnamon caramel doughnuts- enough said).