Light Lemon Cookies for Spring

I know I'm not the only person who is ready for spring! 

 I've been throwing open the windows and enjoying the warm breeze every chance I get- and I'm totally ignoring the fact that we have a chance of snow again this weekend.

You know, I love the snow and cold- being raised in a region that is virtually seasonless has left me with quite a feeling of novelty when it comes to winter.  That being said, as soon as I get my first taste of spring-time warmth I'm done with it.  I'm suddenly reminded that shorts, flip-flops, and sunshine make me very very happy!

This time of year I enjoy bringing a little bit of that sunshine inside- and does anything taste more like sunshine than lemon?

Who Knew Making Tortillas Was So Easy?

Am I the only one who has a mini heart attack when she sees the price of sweet bell peppers?

Overpriced, undersized peppers mocking me from their pre-packaged plastic bag in the produce section, knowing I'm going to fork over the money even though I really don't want to.

Totally makes me long for summer when my garden is throwing them at me faster than I can cook with them!

Last time I went to the grocery store I noticed that sweet bell peppers were on sale for $1 apiece- about half their normal cost- and they were good quality to boot.  Big, firm, not packaged in a plastic bag.

How I Make Free Money - And You Can Too!

I know, I know...that sounds like some kind of an over-the-top marketing ploy aimed at suckers.  But really, I'm just sharing my experience- and it's been a good one!

First of all, let me just say that I am the world's most skeptical person.  I'm the first to Snopes something and I take just about any new piece of information with a massive grain of salt.

That being said, when a page I follow on Facebook- Coupon Clipinista- started posting about earning money by taking surveys, I took notice.

Then she kept posting...but what really caught my attention were all of the people commenting on her posts about how they too were making money- like, a LOT of money.  Pay for Christmas money.

Lavender Lemon Bars - My New Obsession

I remember both the first time I tried lemon bars and the first time I tried lavender.

Lemon bars take me right back to the same after-church potlucks that egg salad sandwiches do.

I have absolutely no idea who always brought them, but I do know I probably owe the congregation an apology for finishing off far more than my share.

Lavender?  Well, that takes me to Asheville, NC.  My 32nd birthday to be exact.

My husband and I snuck away for the night- a somewhat surprise.

And do you know what he did?

He fed me.  The man knows the way to my heart ;-)

Classic Chicken Salad and No More Snow!

I've been sitting here doing nothing for two hours now.

Aaaaaahhhh...mazing.

With all of our snow days and one teacher development day this is the first time my son has gone to school in three whole weeks!

This morning he literally ran down the driveway, pulling me along with him, yelling excitedly about the bus as it pulled up in front of our house.

Me?  I buckled him into his seat on the bus, went inside, turned on some very loud music, hopped in the shower, and then plopped down right here.

Rainbow Trix Treats for St. Patrick's Day

I usually don't buy sugary cereal for our family except for birthdays- that sounds a little nutty, right?  

I know.  Blame my mother.

It was her rule and I adopted it with my own kiddo.  While she might sound a little silly standing in the cereal aisle carefully plotting out what her next birthday cereal choice will be, it's all worked out for the best- I have an eight year-old who loves regular Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Wheaties, and Kix.

Really.  She loves those cereals and doesn't even add sugar to them!

But, she's a kid.  And those brightly colored sugar-laden cereals are enticing when you're face-to-face with them in the grocery store.

Homemade Mall Pretzels and SO Much Snow

My daughter's favorite thing in the world are soft pretzels from the mall.

They are her favorite.

As in last summer I took her on an honest-to-goodness shopping spree because she had outgrown ALL of her warm weather clothes and the thing she cared about most when I told her we were going to the mall was not that she was going to get a bunch of new stuff- it was that she was going to get a pretzel while we were there.

Anyway, last week we went to the mall to grab some new jeans and I was in such a hurry to get home that we couldn't stop by Auntie Anne's- she was crushed.

I promised that I would do something even better than buying a mall pretzel- we would make our own!