Teacher Appreciation Week is COMING!

Being a teacher myself, I am very enthusiastic about Teacher Appreciation Week! :) Here are some of my previous posts with goodies to share with those wonderful educators in your life!!

Teacher's Deserve Treats!

School Memories

Teacher box

Personalized hand sanitizer

Personalized Post Its

You deserve chocolate!

You are o"fish"ally the best!

:) Tracy

Bathroom Cleaners

Ok, so as you all know...I have two boys. They use the front bathroom which is also the guest bathroom.  The BOY smell had taken it over. UGH! Part of this was my fault, as we have been so busy lately...I have neglected that area. Part of this is the fact that little boys aren't SUPER aware of themselves...if you know what I mean. 

WELL.

I had had enough. Maybe it was my spider senses (I like to call my senses "spider senses" when I am prego cause they seem heightened), but I was just about to toss the entire room.

After cleaning the bathroom previously, I really didn't feel like the smell was completely gone. It lingered. I had to find something to knock this biz out for real.

So here we are. My answer. And it worked. YAY!

FOR THE SMELL: 

Mix baking soda with a little lemon juice or water until it's a pancake batter consistency. Work over the area, then let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Spray with vinegar, and wait a few minutes.

Wipe down with warm water and rag.

I was feeling so good about ridding the bathroom of the "linger", that I decided to go ahead and do my spring bathroom clean. The tile needed to be scoured badly. I came up with this...

For the grout/tile:

Again, make a mixture of peroxide and baking soda that is of pancake batter consistency. Scrub area with mixture and toothbrush (not the one you currently use). :)

Wait about 10 minutes or so, and wipe clean with warm water and rag.

I have read that some folks mix baking soda with bleach, but I didn't want to breath the fumes.

BEFORE

Not a great pic, I know...

AFTER

It really did a good job, even if my pics don't do it justice! :)

Just thought I would pass along this helpful tip!

Happy Wednesday-

Tracy

Creative Craft Club: April

This month was the last time my Creative Craft Club at school will meet.  We only have May left before we are out for the summer, and it is a SUPER busy month for us all!  Since Mother's Day is coming up,

(MAY 13th!)

 I thought this would be a cute craft the girls could make for their moms.

A couple of months ago, I made some flower pins that were similar, but made with twine and fabric. You can see them HERE.

My friend, Kristy, over at A Pocket Full of Poise had a tutorial showing how to make these felt flower pens.  You can check the tutorial out HERE.

The girls did a great job making these! Aren't they super cute?!?!

You know you want one!!

Hope you have a relaxing weekend!

Tracy

Check This Giveaway Out!!

Ok, party people, 

you need to head on over to my good

friend, Erin's blog-

A Bird and A Bean.

She has a cool giveaway going on, and you all need to check it out!

Have you ever tried Coconut Oil? Well, here's your chance to win some 

fo free. That's right. Fo Free.

Homemade "Cafe Du Monde" inspired Beignets

YUM.

Ohhh my, these are tasty.  Of course, it is fried bread with powdered sugar....how could we go wrong? :)

hee hee. Definitely not super healthy, but hey- sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and enjoy life (or bite the beignet).

My husband is from Louisiana, and so is my grandfather's family. When we visit New Orleans, stopping by Cafe Du Monde for beignets is a MUST. We don't get to visit as often as we would like, so making these at home is the next best thing. :)

What you need:

*crescent rolls

* fry daddy or skillet

*oil

*powdered sugar

And here's what you do...

Unroll a tube of crescent rolls. Any brand will do.  Keep in precut triangles for larger selections or divide in half with pizza cutter for smaller triangles. Drop into hot oil warmed to 375°. Monitor closely. When underside is golden brown turn and cook the other side. Remove from heat quickly. Let stand on several layers of paper towels to absorbe excess oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar evenly using sifter or shaker. Serve warm. Pare with cup of Cafe Du Monde Coffee and Chicory or Community Coffee and Chicory. 
 Bon appétit.

Wordless Wednesday- Last week in Destin

Hello everyone! 

This is my final big Jewel Kade SALE!  With the new baby on the way, I don't think I will have time for JK. I am selling inventory at half price to downsize.

IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY!

Initial 'T' pewter earrings $9.00   (retail $18)

Above-Front: "Amour" heart charm 1.5x1.5  $ 15.00

Below-Back: "Amour" heart charm (retail price $38)

Small Oval Link necklace 18" in  $9.00 (regularly $18)

Rolo chain 30" in  $ 19.00  (regularly $38)

Rolo chain 16" in $ 15.00 (regularly $30)

Halo necklace, adjustable up to 28" in. $12.00 (retail $42)

Pearl Drop necklace 18"in. $12.00 (retail $28)

Ribbon necklace 18"-24" in $15.00 (retail $38)

Silver twist 20"in $12.00 (retail 36)

Above- Front/Below-Back

Purple Cross .75"x1" $19.00 (regularly $38)

Silver Follow Your Heart 1"x2" $17.00 (regularly $34)

Freedom 1"x1" $19.00 (regularly $38)

Above- Front/Below-Back

Mother .5"x2" $14.00 (retail $28)

Teacher .5"x 2" $14.00 (regularly $28)

Sister .5" x2" $14.00 (retail $28)

Above- Front/Below-Back

Emma 1"x1" (T) $ 12.00 (retail $ 28)

Bronte (T) 1"x2" with crystal drop $19.00 (regularly $38)

Brooke Large (A) 1"x1" $14 (regularly $28)

Brand new, never been worn JK fitted t-shirt.

$15.00

size Large

Email me ASAP at

Violetpixi@gmail.com 

or text

if you are interested.

These beautiful prices won't last long!

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a blessed day!

This year, we had the opportunity to go to Destin, Florida the week before Easter. It was our spring break, so we took the offer! My family and two other families went together, and it was a blessed time of relaxed fellowship.  

The only drawback was that we weren't at our church to participate in the beautiful Easter Sunday service. However, waking up to a beautiful ocean with dolphins jumping....can really speak to you about the Father we serve!

He has risen!

Much love-

Tracy

Mini Cheesecake Easter Baskets

I actually made these on Palm Sunday. We had dinner at church, and I always like to bring fun desserts.

These mini cheesecakes are yummy, and are WAY easy to make!

What you need:

2

pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2

cup sugar

1/2

tsp. vanilla

2

 eggs

12

 NILLA Wafers

1-1/2

cups Coconut, tinted green

36

small jelly beans

What you do:

Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs;beat just until blended.

Place wafer on bottom of each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over wafers.

Bake 20 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top evenly with coconut and jelly beans just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Belletristic Skirt Society Meeting: Unbroken

For the Month of March, the Belle Skirts read

 Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

By Laura Hillenbrand.

(The author of Seabiscuit)

It was Amy's month to host.

Kudos, Amy. :)

Here's what Amazon had to say about it....

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Ary Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, and a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man's journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Oh. My. Goodness. This man's story is AMAZING! It's mind blowing what he went through, and how he held onto the hope that he would make it through. The story alone is gripping, and very well written. 

Go. Find. This. Book. 

AND READ.

That's all I can say.

April's book is

Into the Forest

by Jean Hegland

Stay tuned!!! (And read UNBROKEN!!)

Tracy