Spark of Loves this Week

These Peas.

Because I saved them myself from last year's crop.

This Filling.

Because Nutella with Marshmallow is pretty darn yummy.

This Yogurt.

Because it's my new fav.

This Pie.

Because it's a s'more pie.

This Cat.

Because she's cool.

This Picture.

Because it's the last.

These Nails.

Because they are so darn pretty and perfect for the summer.

This Statue.

Because let's face it, whether you swing this way or not, this statue is simply beautiful.

These Files.

Because my volunteer time is over.

This House.

Because it's pretty and very original.  The people that live there call it the Rainbow House.  (for good reason) 

This Receipt.

Because I found it the other day and realized why I kept it.

This Arby's

Because their sign always makes me smile.

This Popcorn.

Because it was fun seeing Skylar at lunch when I helped out.

These Rubbers.

Because we had to wear them a few days ago.

This Chili.

Because sometimes, even in the summer, chili is called for.

These Tator-tots.

Because I couldn't get over how big the bag was.

This Kid.

Because he is getting too big, too fast.

This Sign.

Because it was on a store front and I couldn't help but wonder........

This Price Tag.

Because it was funny to me.

These Fries.

Because they were sweet potato fries and I couldn't resist.

This Box.

Because we've been so busy lately, I will admit, we've cheated.

This Chocolate.

Because it's so darn good.

This Cup.

Because it changes colors and comes from our bank.

This Moment.

Because it's moments like this that you can't ever get back.

This Cheesecake.

Because I made it, and it was good.

This Beer.

Because it's my new love.

This Taste.

Because he tasted sparkling grape juice for the first time.  I think he liked it....we are still in debate. #pickyeater

This Sunset.

Because it just needed to be shared.

This Mirror.

Because it was on the hotel bathroom mirror when I got out of the shower.  Ha!

This Sign.

Because I love it.

This Sticker.

Because, even though I use Twitter (@sh3lly) I think this is very accurate!

This Shirt.

Because the Mr. loved it.

This Owl.

Because it reminded me how important my little boy is no matter where we are.

This Rain.

Because honestly, Oregon rain.

This Sign.

Because I love creativity like this.  What a fun way to stand out!

This Pose.

Because he was so tired after so much to do this week.  Yes, we had to wear jackets one day this week....craziness!

This Coffee.

Because I don't drink coffee, but I just had to have something in this mug.  

This Book.

Because let's face it, it looks damn interesting.

This Box.

Because it seems to be out of place.  Along with the Lifesavers Christmas boxes.

This Moment.

Because it was just that, a moment in time.

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Eco-Tip:  A lot of people shun yard sales, but did you know having a yard sale can no only keep things from ending up in our landfills, but also put a little extra cash in your pocket.  And if you visit yard sales, you might just find that special something that no one else has.  By buying used you save a lot more than just money in the long run.  This summer, stop by the many yard sales that will be in your area this time of year and help keep items from becoming trash.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth & Me:  Go Green.

June's Foodie Pen Pal Goodies (From Georgia)

So last month I mentioned a program to get rare, local, and healthy food from people all across the United States.  It's a program called Foodie Pen Pals and last month was my first time checking it out.  I got a lot of great items from Oklahoma.  You can check out that post here.

This month I was paired with a couple that lives in Georgia, the Beeley's, to receive items from and I was paired with Kendra from Washington that blogs over at Biting the Hand that Feeds you to send food items too.

The Beeley's sent me some great items.  Here is what was in my June Foodie Box this month:

1.  Papa's Sweet Shoppe Peanut Brittle from Tommy Mc's Produce in Albany, GA.  I am not a big fan of peanut brittle, but this was really tasty.  We ended up stashing this in our goodies bag when we headed to the Fourth of July Celebration here in town.  

2.  Tommy Mc's Vidalia Onion Mustard.  We are big sandwich eaters in our house so this mustard was a great choice for us. 

3.  The Mayhaw Tree Mayhaw Jelly.  My son ate this up in two days!  Great choice again for us!

4.  Last, but definitely not least at all was the Nora Mill Granary, Inc, "Georgia Ice Cream" Grits.  I am a southern girl through and through and I love some good grits, and these were fantastic.  I love that the grits came in a reusable canvas bag too!  

I loved everything that was sent to me this month and love the fact that the foods were all local to the Beeley's area in Georgia.  Thanks so much!

Unfortunately this is my last month of the Foodie Penpal program until after I get moved back to Arkansas.  A bit bummed because I have had a wonderful time with it the last two months I was part of if.  But hopefully in October I can get back on the program.  

Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

***If you’re in the UK, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

Eco-Tip:  Reduce the waste that comes into your home.  Say no to paper, plastic, and even metal waste.  Cutting down on waste coming in will help prevent waste going out as well.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.