The "I love you Bean"

During the Easter holiday Skylar received an "I Love You Bean" as part of his Easter basket from the "Easter Bunny."  We didn't really want to plant it right away, instead we waited and we're glad we did.  It was the neatest little bean to watch grow and it will be planted in our garden before too long and give us other beans to plant along side it the following year.

The pun on this bean is the fact that it's a play on words for Skylar.  His nickname is Bean, so technically it was the "I Love you Bean" for Bean.  

Such a fun little bean to grow and it's great for kids too.  Snag your own "I Love You Bean" here from Think Geek for under $7.

If you grew this bean too, talk to me about it in the comments below and let me know how awesome it was for you to see "I Love You" on the bean.

Eco-Tip:  Hit the yard sales this summer instead of buying things new.  Check out local thrift stores too and snag a one of a kind find.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

The winner of the summer giveaway (Two boxes of handmade Victorian Chocolates)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nice job Donna!  Hope you enjoy and be sure to come back to South North South to let everyone know how wonderful the chocolates are from the Victorian Chocolate Company in Oregon.

If you didn't win this giveaway, you have plenty of other chances to win more giveaways here at South North South.  Look for more coming soon!  

Recap of the South North South Summer Giveaway:  See the full post HERE!

Victorian Chocolate Company (GIVEAWAY)

at Monday, May 13, 2013

South North South is giving away two boxes of the chocolates from the Victorian Chocolate Company and all you have to do is leave a comment on what kind of chocolate-covered candy you love.  That's it! 

There is a quaint little place here in Lebanon, Oregon.  It's almost like a hidden chocolate factory right here in our own town.  The candy man that works at this chocolate factory makes some of the most delicious chocolates that you've ever tasted.  He even makes his own marshmallows. 

The Victorian Chocolate Company offers handmade and hand-dipped chocolates from caramel and mint, to almond butters, and toffee.

With the chocolates you pick from a large display cabinet, he takes the time to wrap them up and make them special, even if the chocolates are just for yourself.

Skylar and I like to go in on some Fridays and pick up some special chocolates to help ease the end of the week.

Want to get your hands on a box of handmade chocolates?  Well, now you can.

South North South is giving away two boxes of the chocolates from the Victorian Chocolate Companyand all you have to do is leave a comment on what kind of chocolate-covered candy you love.  That's it!   Contest ends June 1, 2013.

You can also earn additional entries by sharing this giveaway on Twitter and Facebook!

 To enter, leave a comment below in the Rafflecopter entry form and add your entry to the total.  Also, while you're here, leave a comment and let me know what your answer is. 

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.