15 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in January 2015

Freeway Daisies – one of the 15 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in January 2015.  Even though its January, Freeway Daisies are popping up in my garden bringing renewed hope of the beautiful Spring to come!

Technically known as Osteospermums in the gardener’s realm, Freeway Daisies are also called African Daisies.

In California, they are known as Freeway Daisies because they dot the landscape and line the sides of the roads and hillsides throughout Southern California.

It’s hard for me to pick my one favorite flower because I love all flowers, but Freeway Daisies are definitely one of my top favorites because they bloom frequently, they are low maintenance and easy to raise plus they self-propagate.

Kinda like blogs, except for the “low maintenance and easy to raise” part!  If you are a blogger, blogs are definitely NOT low maintenance and easy to raise!  But, if you are a blog reader, blogs are low maintenance if you choose to “follow” them because they’ll either automatically appear in your RSS feed, your email, your Bloglovin’ account, etc.

Plus, as a blog reader, you love that they “bloom frequently” with a constant stream of new posts and “self-propagate” because they usually lead you to other blogs to read and follow.  Which is what my monthly post of Awesome Things I’m Sweet On is all about – promoting other bloggers and other sites around the web!

Which, by the way, brings me to a shameless plug – please take a moment and follow me! I’d love it if you were a regular reader!  Just pop over to the sidebar at the top right-hand side of your screen and click all those cute little buttons – I wouldn’t mind it if you followed me on all the Social Media outlets, too, so click away on the Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ buttons while you are at it!

I think blogs readers are like bees – we (I’m including myself as a blog reader, because I am – I read a ton of blogs!) flit around from blog to blog, checking out what’s new and garnering inspiration from all corners of the world.  Which leads me to the 15 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in January 2015:

3 Little Greenwoods – with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Ashley shares these DIY Felt Ornaments for Valentine’s Day; they are just so cute and look pretty easy to make. Love them!

Mamavation – guest blogger, Elizabeth from the Pirate Prerogative, did a post about 25 Ways Apple Cider Vinegar Will Change Your Life and included a link to my Fiesta Coleslaw!  Here’s a picture of my recipe:

Her link to this recipe drove an amazing amount of visitors to my site and I’m grateful! Thanks, Elizabeth and Mamavation!  Plus, I loved the post and love apple cider vinegar and I’m inspired by all the ways to use it.

Crazy for Crust – speaking of alternative uses for food, especially leftovers, I’ve been on a leftover kick recently and have way too many frozen bananas in my freezer!  I have them because I love bananas, but only go grocery shopping once a week (I live in the country; no “quick trips” to the corner store).  Anyway, I always buy a minimum of 12 bananas (one for me and one for Charlie for 6 days) and inevitably, a few are overripe before we get to day six or day seven and I grocery shop again!  So, I peel them and put them in a baggie and freeze them and use them for my Coffee Banana Protein Smoothie.  Here’s a picture:

But, Dorothy at Crazy for Crust has 66 Recipes Using Overripe Bananas!  Wow – am I ever inspired!

Messy Nessy – Vanessa (Nessy) lives in Paris (lucky girl) and has the coolest travel-type blog.  I say “travel-type” because she does blog about other things.  This post I love:  The Travelling Troupe of Giant Marionettes.  I’d sure love to see them, but I think I’d have to travel abroad because it doesn’t look like they plan on coming my way anytime soon!

Labeley – I know it’s a little late, because Super Bowl Sunday is today, but if you are looking for a way to make labels for bottles (beer, wine), jars, for your pantry, for kids, for school, for camp, for sports, for fun – check out this site!  The possibilities are endless!  P.S. This is not a sponsored posts; they just sent me a link, I thought it was cool so I thought I’d share!

Speaking of Game Day, Julie shared Game Day Dips and How to Decorate a Cake with Flowers and so much more on her stunningly beautiful blog!  When I grow up, I want to be her!

And, the team over at Best Friends for Frosting shared DIY Confetti Stix, which are so sparkly and beautiful!  Don’t know why I’d ever make them, because I’d be afraid I’d be cleaning up sparkles and glitter around my house for the rest of my life, but they sure look amazing!

And, speaking of beautiful blogs, I love For the Feast.  I’m not directing you to one specific post on Carrie’s site, because I couldn’t choose!  They were all beautiful, so check her out!

Sondra Lyn at Home shares a Peacock Napkin Fold that I wished I’d discovered BEFORE I had the peacock-inspired birthday party for my mother last year!  Well, if I repeat that party theme, I’ll be sure to include Sondra Lyn’s unique napkin fold as part of my peacock tablescape!  Here’s a picture from my post:

Now for a bit of reflection:

Julia and Don over at Minivan Dreams shared Betting on the Gates – 2015 Annual Letter – the Gates’ passion for changing the world through immunization, feeding the poor, empowering girls through education, improving lives with technology is inspiring.  I’m betting on them to succeed.

Glennon at Momastery writes an indescribable post titled, Cool Ashes.  You’ll just have to read it; she’s that inspiring.

Kristen at When at Home writes a thought-provoking post, I’m Lowering My Expectations for 2015 and You Should Too.  Well said.

My friend, Heather, over at It’s a Lovely Life, is always good for a pick-me-up with her round-ups of motivational quotes.  Here are 10 Quotes to Help You Through a Difficult Time.

Now, for a lighter note, Heather Armstrong over at Dooce, wrote this funny post about Mercury in retrograde, In Case You Were Wondering Why Everything is Broken, about just one day in her life.  It reminded of a day when I was babysitting my niece, Tiffany (she was about 3-years-old; she’s 34 now) and decided I’d take her to Chuck E. Cheese.

Well, I didn’t have a car that day (borrowed by current boyfriend) and the strip mall where Chuck E. Cheese lived was about a mile away.  “Okay,” I thought to myself, “me and Tiff can do this.”  But, another wrinkle popped up – I had no cash!  This was my pre-credit card days (I was young and poor), so cash was my only option.  And, I had some cash in the bank.  So, I decided we would first walk to the nearest ATM to get said cash.

So, off we go, hand-in-hand, at the nice leisurely pace of a 3-year-old.

The nearest ATM was located on a nearby college campus, but “nearby” was more than a mile away!  Ten minutes into the walk, little Tiff was pooped and couldn’t go another step.  I don’t know what I was thinking in believing a 3-year-old could walk a mile, much less many miles!  So, I carried her all the way to the ATM, got the required cash, carried her to the nearest Jack-in-the-Box, where we had a rest and drank soda and I taught her to make worms from the paper covering the straws, then carried her to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and fun.

Then, we walked home together, with me carrying her part of the way.  I never promised any kiddo another day ANYWHERE unless I had my car!  Probably, most likely, Mercury was in retrograde that day.

Lastly, for all my blogging friends out there, Bjork from Pinch of Yum and Food Blogger Pro, wrote a guest post for his friend, Jason, over at Pro Blog School titled One Percent Infinity. Bjork is so inspiring and motivational.  I loved this concept and I’m practicing it going forward.

There you have it – 15 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in January 2015!  Now on to February…

Tootles,

 

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(other posts about bloggers I’m Sweet On)

• 21 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in April 2014
• 18 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in May 2014
• 26 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in June 2014
• 19 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in July 2014
• 15 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in August 2014
• 17 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in September 2014
• 12 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in October 2014
• 6 Awesome Things I’m Sweet On in December 2014