Spark of Loves this Week: Rain, tape, love, boots, umbrellas, chairs, moment, lamp, manicure, and crabs

This Rain.

Because it was on the sunroof of my car one morning and just looked so pretty despite how nasty it was the rest of the day.

This Tape.

Because Scotch has gone a bit greener and I love it!

This Love.

Because she is my reading buddy and loves to love me.

These Boots.

Because they were the cutest, but unfortunately I couldn't find Skylar's size.  :(

These Umbrellas.

Because I just love them.

These Chairs.

Because they are really pretty and so colorful.

This Moment.

Because it was a wonderful moment to witness my son's true personality.  I love him.

This Lamp.

Because I made it and it was fun!  I used the parasol umbrellas and a paper lantern.

This Manicure.

Because from time to time I like to treat myself to something special.

These Crabs.

Because sometimes we just like to watch them crawl around.

Eco-Tip:  Conserve gas and do your errands all at once instead of breaking them up into several different trips.  If you need to pick up the dry cleaning, the kids, and return books to the library, schedule it all at the same time and save gas.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

My first Foodie Penpal package (from Oklahoma)

This past month I added my name to the Foodie Penpal list over at the Lean Green Bean.  This pen pal list is a group of people from around the nation, including the United Kingdom that send a foodie package to a selected member in exchange for the same from another member.

                

I was paired up with Chris and Amy from A Couple in the Kitchen as a sender and I sent them a few items that are popular here in Oregon, like Tillamook Cheese and Wall's Berry Farm Jam. But my name was paired up with Theresa from A Change of Pace.

My Foodie Penpal actually lives in Oklahoma, so I was so pleased to get items from the south and products that are based out of Oklahoma.  I miss Arkansas and the south so much, so this foodie box was welcomed into my home with open arms.

On another note, since Theresa is from Oklahoma, I had to check on her after the tornado hit the area.  I emailed her quickly to find out if she was okay and she let me know that the bad part of the storm was east and west of her and missed her area.  I was so relieved to know that she was okay and after learning how bad Oklahoma was hit by the storms and how horrible and devastating some places are right now it made me appreciate my items even more.  

Theresa sent me the most amazing items!  First it was the homemade taco seasoning that caught my eye.  And the all-natural salsa from Maria Rea's.  She had sent this wonderful homemade bag of taco seasoning that ended up prompting us to have a homemade taco night.  The best part about it was the fact that she stapled the recipe she follows with the bag of seasoning so I can make more.  It was delicious!

The rest of the package contained items that I love!

Larabar Blueberry Muffin bar, Epic Bison Bar, Annie's Cheddar Snack Mix, and Justin's Maple Almond Butter.

So great! 

  

She also sent this wonderful seasoning salt called Head Country All-Purpose Championship Seasoning that we used on our rib-eye steaks.

The seasoning salt was delicious and was probably one of the best we've had. 

It was a great package for my first Foodie Penpal and I loved the fact that everything was healthy and contained good ingredients.  

Theresa did a great job with this box for us and I can't wait till next month!  

Thanks so much Theresa for sending us such a great box of goodies!  You made my first month with the Foodie Penpals so enjoyable!

If the Foodie Penpals is something you would want to be part of head over to The Lean Green Bean and sign up.  The sign up process is super easy and trust me, you won't regret it!  It's a load of fun and you get to meet new people and try food items you might not otherwise get a chance to.

Eco-Tip:  Look to foods on the market that are market as organic and carry the USDA seal.  The better choices you make when food items the better your health will be overall.  Your body is a machine, you have to take care of it in order for it to keep working.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

May Brit Kit Co-op DIY (PAR-DIY)

May brought about another Brit Kit Co-Op for me and this one was a BIG hit!  The chalk board cheese trays from last month were a big hit, but May's Brit Kit was so much fun to make and there was so much creativity brought about with this kit!  We all loved it!

I'm a bit old fashioned when it comes to party invites and I like the personal touch when handing someone an invite to a party.  I think a lot of people have lost touch with that tradition though, but I am still holding on strong with it. 

The rain held out for a few minutes longer while I took some pictures and while DIYers arrived, but then hit again later that evening. Good ole' Oregon.

We put our April Brit Kit, with the chalkboard theme, to good use for this co-op too.  We had quite a lovely spread of goodies and thanks to some of the Party City party ware left from last month we were all set.

Everyone put their creativity to work with this Brit Kit and it was fun watching everyone come up with different designs.

I even let Skylar paint a bag.

Some people free-handed a design, and others used the tape to lay out straight lines. 

While our bags were drying we made some tea and enjoyed the snacks.

The tea with this Brit Kit Co-Op package came from Blackbird Tea Co. and was amazing!  It was so delicious that we all had two or three mugs full.

The flavors we enjoyed were Marrakech Mint and Chai Rojo and you can actually get these flavors yourself right from the Blackbird Tea Co. site for under $12.   The tea is loose leaf tea and comes with the most adorable tea bags that you fill yourself.  It was so much fun to be able to experiment with different amounts and changes of flavor with this tea.

Thanks so much Blackbird Tea Co. for offering us a new adventure with tea. 

Blackbird Tea Co. is on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and even YoutTube too, so be sure and follow them and find out more about the tea company.

Thanks so much Brit + Co for another great Brit Kit Co-Op party.  We all had such a great time making our Brit Kit bags and everyone had different ideas on how to use them.  From the beach, to the grocery store, to even used as a library bag for books.  

If you haven't heard of Brit Kits, you're totally missing out.  These kits are so fun and bring you a different DIY kit once a month.  The kits come with everything you need to create that month's project and these projects are modern DIY projects too.  To get this month's kit head over to Brit + Co and snag one.  You can also purchase past kits and even sign up for a subscription to the kits, so you are on the list automatically and will receive your Brit Kit without worry.  

And be sure to follow Brit + Co on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and even Google+.