Extra Grace Please

grace:: the love and mercy given to us by God, not because we deserve it or have done anything to earn it, but because He desires us to have it.

There are days as a mama to two little girls that I feel like a failure. Let's face it. Motherhood is hard. It's not at all for the faint of heart. There are times that I yell. I say things I shouldn't. I do things I shouldn't. I don't play enough. I don't play at all. I'm distracted. I don't hold her enough. I don't hug her enough. My priorities are not where they should be. 

And at the end of the day my head hits the pillow and it's all I can do to fight the tears. There's something about the dark that makes us more aware of how precious our time here is. I begin to pray and He whispers to me...

My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Morning dawns with snuggles, smiling faces, and forgiving hearts. For today is a new day full of His mercies and grace. 

Today I'm sharing over at The Lovely Words. Join me! 

Valentines Marshmallow Heart Pops ((a recipe))

Yum. These are so easy to make and my kids loved them! You could even whip them up and deliver them as part of 14 days of love!?

Here's what you need...

Then do this...

Melt this...

Then do this...

Then add these...

That's it!

Happy Tuesday Friends.

14 Days of Love

I'll make this short and sweet. Today is the first day of February. The month of love. I "love" everything about it. The colors, the sweets, the girlishness, everything. So, in honor of this month I've decided to do at least one kind, out of the blue thing for someone each day through Valentines Day. I'm calling it 14 days of love!

Today, we baked yummy strawberry cake cookies and packaged them up all pretty to be delivered to a few of our elderly neighbors. Simple and sweet. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what we're doing tomorrow. 

I would love for you to join in. Nothing fancy. Just 14 random acts of love and kindness. Also, you can follow along on Instagram using #14daysoflove . 

"Dear Friends, Let us love one another, 

for love comes from God..."

1 John 4:7

Happy First Day of February Y'all! 

How I Make Money by Getting Rid of Stuff

photo via

You like that title? There's really no fancy way to word it. That's exactly what I've been doing since the new year began. It was sort of a goal of mine to purge. You know, get rid of stuff that we no longer use or need. And I don't know about you, but we have a lot of "stuff." 

Slowly, I've been going through each room of the house and purging. I have 4 different categories or piles that I make with the "stuff."

:: trash

:: Goodwill

:: sell

:: keep 

Today I want to talk about my "sell" category. 

Consignment is one good option with little work involved. You probably have several consignment shops in your area that would love to have your unwanted items. Usually, you just have to hang it and take it by the shop. They will look everything over and decide what they will take. This is a great way to make a few dollars, but keep in mind that most consignment shops keep 60% of what the item sells for leaving you with only 40%. Also, you have to wait for the item to sell before you can collect.

Another option is Craigslist. I use this to sale larger items such as furniture. However, you will find just about everything for sale on this site. The only drawback it that you have to do the work. It takes time to photograph and list items. Also, you may get some super random replies. I always leave my email as anonymous and I usually give my husbands number. He doesn't mind because usually it's something that he will have to haul with the truck. Also, I NEVER let anyone come to my home. I always meet at a shopping center in broad daylight and never alone! There are crazies in this world people. 

Lastly, Facebook is where I make the most money. Seriously. We have a local area facebook page for yard-sale items. You just upload a pic from your phone and add some text. So easy. If someone wants the item or has a question, they just leave a comment. I sold everything from flip-flops to an antique desk. I follow the same rules for meeting the buyer as with craigslist. Often times I just post a picture to my personal facebook account and someone I know buys it. You never know what someone else might need or want. Just like the old saying, "One mans trash is another mans treasure!" 

Today I'm linking up again with Ashley from The Vanilla Tulip. Be sure to hop on over to find other money saving ideas and tips! And just in case you missed it, last week I shared 3 ways that I save money in the kitchen. 

A Facebook Fix + A Shop Update + A Winner

I love facebook, but honestly it's sort of aggravating to me. Did you know that "they" being the facebook gods decide who see's certain posts and who doesn't? Crazy right? I have absolutely no idea how this happens, but I have a fix for ya! 

First go to The Pickled Poppy facebook page. Then hover over the liked button and check Show in News Feed. That's it! Doing this will ensure that you I'll show up in your feed when I post to the page. Don't worry...I'm not posting a bazillion times a day or anything but I do post every now and then and you may not want to miss out! 

I also wanted to mention the new paper bunting kit that I've just listed. Each kit comes with vintage book pages spelling out something special in washi tape along with bakers twine and mini clothes pins for hanging! I can't wait to add more of these soon. 

Here's the one that I have hanging in my kitchen...

Such a sweet little way to pretty up your space!

Now that we've taken care of business the winner of the Valentines Garland from my shop is Amy of The Landis Family! Congrats Amy! Email me your address and I'll get it out to you this week. 

I also want to say thanks so much to each of you that left a comment letting my know what you want to see more of around here. I aim to please.(wink) Many of you are fans of DIY projects so you should probably check out my handmade paper bag valentines! Simple and so cute. 

See y'all tomorrow for another Thrifty Thursday post!

Paper Bag Valentines ((DIY))

I have such a fun and simple DIY for y'all today. Valentine's Day will be here before we know it and I know some of you are already brainstorming and pinning ideas for your little ones. 

To me anything handmade is so much more special than store bought. So if you and your little get started on this project now, you'll have plenty of time to give something unexpected and truly heartfelt. 

What you'll need::

:: paper bags, kraft paper, or scrapbook paper

:: scissors

:: stamps, stickers, markers, etc. for embellishment 

:: valentine's candies

:: sewing machine or needle & thread

Step 1:: Cut hearts out of whatever paper you have or choose to use. Make sure that they're large enough to stuff with candy and sew around.

Step 2:: Decorate. I used stickers and stamps but you could just as easily use markers or crayons. 

Step 3:: Place 2 hearts together and sew around making sure to leave a space for inserting the candies.

Step 4:: Fill with candy! I'm thinking conversation hearts, red hots, skittles, m&m's, or any other small candies.

Step 5:: Now just stitch the hole.

That's it! 

Now your Valentines are ready to share.

This is so simple and cheap. You probably have everything but the candy and each heart only needs 5-10 pieces. No need to go out and buy special stickers or paper, just use what you have. I was thinking even notebook paper would be cute. The kid's could hand write a special message or color a cool design. Fun and thrifty! 

Oh, and don't forget about the Giveaway that ends tomorrow! 

Join Me For Coffee?!

What a fun idea for a post! A virtual coffee date! If you know me, then you also know I love coffee & especially coffee shops. There's just something so soothing & relaxing about having coffee made for you, piping hot and smelling so yummy. You would also know that I take my coffee with a muffin. Preferably mixed berry. Got the picture? Alright, grab a cup and let's talk.

If we were having coffee together today I would tell you that this week has been such a blessing to me. The Lord is continuing his promise to provide for my family's needs through a rise in sales in my shop, random temp jobs like selling perfume at the mall, and plenty of substitute teaching opportunities. Oh, and that I'm celebrating with my readers by giving this paper garland away. 

Me awaiting the arrival of "the big kids."

Speaking of subbing, I would tell you that yesterday I subbed in a high school art class. That's right, high school. I was so nervous. Big kids scare me! But the hubs was so great. He showed me to the office, walked me to class, and called to check on me. Probably just to make sure one of the big kids hadn't stuffed me in a file cabinet or something. It was great. I was able to channel my inner Bob Ross and show those kid's what's up! J/K

In other news, bible study started back up. My class: "What's It Like to Be Married to Me?" Ouch! I gotta tell you it's rather eye opening. I'm learning to see the hubs through God's eyes. My goal this week is to turn my negative thoughts into a "thankful." So instead of saying, "Why don't you ever clean up the mess you make around the fireplace?," I'm going to remind myself that I'm thankful for a man that gathers, cuts, chops, stacks, and brings in wood for the fire that he makes to keep his family warm. See. That was easy. Right? We'll see. (wink) 

By this time, you're probably sick of hearing me talk and my coffee's probably cold from blabbing. So, let's plan on doing this again soon! Mkay?  

Today I'm linking up with Alyssa for a coffee date. Pop on over and see what everyone else has been up to!