A Week in CASL photos: May 25th- May 31st!

Happy Sunday!  I am glad you stopped by to visit me today! Hope you are all enjoying and having a wonderful relaxing weekend! The girls and I have been busy out in the garden, planting corn, sunflowers and zucchini. Then Lindsay and I had fun making a concrete garden stone. Oh my goodness, almost ten years ago, I made three stones for my MILs garden of the 3 oldest children, Marissa, when she was about 11, Josh 5 and Katelyn 2. Lindsay, keeps eyeing those stones and wondering when we were going to make hers. Today is going to be that day!

What I like about doing a Photo365, is that I get to share with you a peek into what my week has been like, and possibly a sneak peek to what next week will bring. I've tried 365 Photo or Daily photo memes several times before, and surprisingly, I am getting farther posting my photos once a week, instead of once a day. It makes a big difference, and it's really nice to look back and see a slice of my day!

May 25th- Happy Memorial Day!

 

 

 

May 26th- Daily Routine- Dinnertime....Steak Fajita Burritos

 

 

May 27th- Borrowed...These are some wonderful cookbooks, I borrowed from the library for some Summer reading! I am especially liking the Coastal Living one, and my husband found a smoker, and he's enjoying the BBQ one. The Smitten Kitchen one, if you enjoy reading her blog, as I have for years (seriously, between her and David Lebovitz, my mouth has watered over many of their blog posts) you'll enjoy her cookbook. The cancer cookbook; it's intriguing to me to learn about the cancer fighting properties of anti-oxidants in food. I try to eat berries and broccoli (or other green leafy vegetables, like kale, spinach, and romaine) everyday!

 

 

May 28th- Pink- The children and I have been getting out, walking to the rec center not to far from our house, and these stunning trees, full of these delicate pink 'orchid' like blooms, with a faint sweet fragrance, line the walkway. I really wanted to find out what the name of the tree was, and found out that it is called Chilopsis linearis or 'Desert Willow'. I'm even thinking of putting one in our back yard!

 

 

 

May 29th- Starts with 'S'....Sculpture of a Succulent....Love these planters!

 

 

May 30th- Over there....Four Beautiful Horse statues 'Over There'!

 

 

 

May 31st- Hahahaha....My Silly Girls! Katelyn is even wearing her favorite "Meow-Stache" Tshirt!

 

 

 

 

 Are you on Instagram? You really should be!!  You can find me here on Instagram! 

 

   I recently started following a photo a day prompt on #fmsphotoaday.

 Let me know if you decide to join in the fun!

Have a great rest of your week! Until next time!

xo, Christine

 

Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life? Don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest! 

Follow Friday #23: Summer Dreaming

 

Rose Lemonade

Happy Friday! Hope your week has been going well!! I've missed a couple Follow Fridays with Mother's Day weekend, and end of the school year functions; and to be completely honest, my children have been out of school a week. A Week!!! For me, that is so hard to believe that a week of Summer vacation is already gone! This weekend, we're not going anywhere, but I have a few projects, that have been looking me in the eye ever since we've moved, to get them started, so that's what I am going to be doing.

For Follow Fridays from now on, I think I will be featuring 4 different blogs, one cooking/baking, one gardening, one décor/style, and one crafting.

The Graceful Gardner

If you are looking to add some color to your garden, you will definitely find it here, along with some absolutely beautiful photography! From Roses, to succulents and everything in between. Of course for me it was the roses, I was swooning over every single gorgeous one!

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     The Little White House by the Sea 

 

When I saw this blog, it was as if I had stepped into one of my dreams, to one day not only live in a cottage by the sea, but on the coast of France. I love everything about this photo, it's absolutely charming!

 

 Bloglovin     Pinterest    

 

Salted Dark Chocolate Nut Bars by Dolly and Oatmeal

 

Both my husband and I are trying to eat cleaner and healthier. These are definitely a treat I could eat and not feel one bit guilty about! *unless I ate the whole plate*

 

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One craft I've wanted to try my hand at is making a rag ribbon garland. Also, I am loving State Art right now; California, Arizona, and Washington!

 

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   Hope you have a lovely and relaxing weekend!

Until next time!

xo Christine

Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life? Don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest!  

 

 



Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint

Happy Day before Friday! How is your week going? Summer is heating up around here, and both my husband and I are starting to crave salads. One thing, I've been wanting to do for a while now, is to cook and prepare a weeks worth of meals on a Sunday, but haven't been able to get organized enough. lately to accomplish this. Something I am working towards. In the mean time, Lindsay has made two requests for me this week, one buy a watermelon, and two make stuffed peppers. So, I'm skipping on posting something sweet this week! I love the sweet, spicy, salty combination of this salad. In one bite you get a refreshingly sweet, and juicy bite of watermelon, with the creamy and salty feta cheese, and the heat from the Sriracha to balance this salad all out!

As it happens, I already have most of the ingredients on hand for a watermelon salad, except for the watermelon and the mint. The inspiration for this salad comes from one of my most beloved chefs Jacques Pépin. When I was younger, I would  watch his cooking show on PBS, late at night, after work, between reruns of MASH or Diagnosis Murder. It's the simple way he takes fresh ingredients and turns them into something extra ordinary, that amazes me. Two of my favorite recipes from him, include Strawberry Buttermilk Shortcake and his recipe for Roast Chicken.

With this recipe I tweaked a few things, one I just cut my watermelon up; he melon balled his, and he used Tabasco, I used Sriracha, or I would use Cholula hot sauce. You could also choose not to use hot sauce all together, if you don't like the spiciness. Another one of my strange food habits is, putting hot sauce of salsa, just about on everything, even my pizza. I know, I know, I'm odd. Please don't judge me! For me, the hot sauce enhances the flavor of the food, and seems to compliment the flavor of the mint. Believe you me, a little hot sauce goes a long way! Oh, and another ingredient, I didn't use were the Kalamata olives, for me the Feta cheese is salty enough, instead I actually wanted a little more sweetness, so I added some Mint simple syrup.

On a hot Summer day, this is a perfect salad to serve at picnics and barbeques! If you don't like Feta cheese you could substitute it for goat cheese, and for the Sriracha you could even substitute it for fresh chilis; serranos or jalepenos!Oh and before I forget the Mint, it really does cool the heat off from the Siraracha, and refreshes your mouth for another bite of this seriously mouth watering salad!

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint

1 small seedless watermelon, about 3 pounds, peeled, and either cubed or balled

2 Tbls. Mint simple syrup

2 Tbls. Sriracha hot sauce

4 Tbls. Apple cider vinegar

2 Tbls. freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 Tbls. olive oil

1/2 cup mint leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

6 oz. feta cheese crumbled

Mint leaves for garnish

1.In food processor, combine mint syrup, Sriracha, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and mint leaves.

2. In bowls, add watermelon, top with cheese, and drizzle Mint/Sriracha vinaigrette.

3. Garnish with Mint leaves, season with salt and pepper!

For the mint simple syrup, take 1 cup of mint leaves chopped, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Return to low, and simmer 3 minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Strain. Seal in a bottle, and refrigerate. Store for two weeks!

Hope you have a lovely and relaxing weekend!

Until next time!

xo Christine

Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life? Don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest!

Bringing this to these parties!

Full Plate Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Feathered Nest Friday
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
No Rules Weekend Party
What to do Weekends
City of Creative Dreams
Funtastic Friday
Creative Collection
Home Matters
Freedom Fridays
Ideabox Thursday
Thursday Favorites
Show and Tell Friday
Share Your Style
 Link Party Palooza
Friday Features
DIY Sunday Showcase
Silver Pennies Sundays
Snickerdoodle Sundays
What's on the List
Sunday's at Home
Best Recipes and DIY
Saturday Sharefest
 Happiness is Homemade
Metamorphosis Monday
Something to Talk About
Inspire Me Monday
LouLou Girls
Wake Up Wednesday
MoonLight and MasonJars
Treasure Box Tuesday
Pin Worthy Wednesday
Teach Me Tuesday
Dream Create Inspire

Oh My Heartsie Girl Wordless Wednesday and Giveaway

Welcome to the Oh My Heartsie Girl Wordless Wednesday Link Party! I hope you  all had a fabulous and relaxing weekend. 
 I am so glad you’re here and linking up and sharing your inspiration with us!

If you are new to the party, this is where many bloggers can link up their favorite crafts, diy, recipes and more posts.  You will find amazing and creative projects, inspiration and DIYs.  This party is also a fantastic way to meet and make some new friends, as well as a great way to get more exposure and traffic to your website. I showcase and share many of your creative ideas on social media,  mostly Pinning and Tweeting your posts;
 I do also share on Facebook!
The party link will be up @ 11 am on Tuesday and run until Friday @ 8am!
 Let's get this party started!

Oh My Heartsie Girl and bloggy friends Welcomes you to The Oh My Heartsie Girl Wordless Wednesday, and we take the opportunity to introduce you to meet new friends, as they are highlighted in our post each week. Something new, you can be sure!! Our Wordless Wednesday is One Party Seen on (11) blogs ❢❢❢ What do you have to share, a recipe, review, diy craft, gardening hints, travel, beauty ideas, jewelry you make, a card you have made, we want to see it all!

 

 

And if you Missed Last Weeks Party You Can Still Check Out All Those That Linked up along with out Co-Hosts and their wonderful Blogs!!!

:❢:❢ You Can Review It Here :❢:❢

 

♥Karren-Host //Oh My Heartsie Girl // Plants for Your Container Garden // Gardening in containers has become very popular for several reasons, one space and two the time to cultivate a garden in a yard. Now you can grow fresh herbs and vegetables in containers just as you would grow house plants and save money at the store.

Twitter | Bloglovin | Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

♥Co-Host Cathy// A Peek Into My Paradise // Slow Cooker Chicken Burritos // Living in the Central Valley of California we have hot summers! From Memorial Day to Labor Day most meals are cooked on the grill or in the slow cooker. Working full-time, I love recipes during the summer that take no time in the kitchen. Slow Cooker Chicken Burritos

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♥Co-Host Ashleigh // Simply Wright // Simple Chocolate Chip Scones // And you thought scones were hard to make? Not when you use pancake mix. These scones are delicious and so simple to make. They also are egg, milk and oil free!

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♥Co-Host Christine // Cherishing A Sweet Life // Sticky Toffee Pudding// Today I am sharing this heavenly,super moist dessert, inspired by my recent cook book review 'XX Dinners'.

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♥Co-Host Sarah Hamlin // Living Intentionally// 13 Healthy Living Hacks //I have seen so many beautiful pieces of furniture done with lace painting and I really wanted to give it a go. I think it gives such a beautiful and unique finish and is such a great way to dress a dated piece.
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♥Co-Host Mary Burris // Jingle Jangle Jingle// The King of Blues - The Thrill Is Gone // A tribute post to the late BB King, dubbed "The King of Blues". He and his musical contributions will surely be missed.
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♥Co-Host Pamela Barton // Growing Up In the 70s // Vintage Paper Dolls //I have always had a passion for paper dolls for as long as I can remember. You can even go online and print your own dolls and accessories and choose to color them.
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♥Co-Host Shannon Crossin // The Daily DIYer // DIY Lantern Hook //Use your scrap wood to create a beautiful rustic hook for hanging lanterns and luminaries! A very simple and quick DIY project!

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♥Co-Host Evija Roberts // From Evija with Love // DIY Lace Painted Chest of Drawers //I have seen so many beautiful pieces of furniture done with lace painting and I really wanted to give it a go. I think it gives such a beautiful and unique finish and is such a great way to dress a dated piece. Twitter | Bloglovin | Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

♥Co-Host Shellie Bowdoin // The FABulous Journey // DIY Swimsuit Sarong // Good swimsuits can be really pricey. Then, if you want to add a cover-up, you are running into some serious money. Here is a DIY swimsuit sarong that you can do with little sewing expertise. Make Your Own!! Twitter | Bloglovin | Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest |Instagram

♥Co-Host Heather // Moms Who Can // Setting Goals Part 2 // "Winners must have two things: definite goals, and a burning desire to achieve them." Brad Burde. Without a reason, a why, or the desire to achieve your goals they simply become something on a piece of paper or a thought lost in your mind. I hope that achieving your dreams comes with a Why to keep you motivated.

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Summer Scraps //Fathers Day Printable //This is a great way to make a Fathers Day gift with a Free Printable and a fudge recipe.

 

My Newest Addiction // Dr Pepper® Cherry Cupcakes // Create a great memory with these and better than a whole cake these will be delicious!!

 

 

Joy•Love•Food // Strawberry Shortcake Scones I have featured many of Joy's recipes and this one looks delicious. These Strawberry Shortcake Scones are delicious for breakfast with a cup of coffee, they are also wonderful as an afternoon snack along with a tall glass of iced tea or lemonade.

 

 

From Linda at My Sew What Blog// Recycled Jeans into a Rice Bag // Taking advantage of a pair of jeans that have outlived their purpose, now this Rice Bag works well with a heavy weight fabric.

 

 

From Ash and Crafts// Crepe Paper Succulents // A tutorial for you for succulents that are not just drought-resistant, but drought-proof! Crepe paper??

 

 

A Few Rules And Etiquette For The Party Are Simple ~ Please follow the Host and Co-Hosts on at least 1 of their Social Media ~ NO adult content please (They will be deleted —-of course) And please ♥::: Leave a Link.....Leave a Comment….Please ::::♥ ~ Don’t be a drive-by shooter- Please comment, Thank you :) ~ Help Grow Our WW We Would Love It If You Grab Our banner for your side bar, just copy and paste, or link back in your WW post. :)

♥ If You Would Like To Co-Host Our Wordless Wednesday, please signup now and reserve your place in The June's Wordless Wednesday!! Read All The Details and Enter Your Information Here ❢❢❢

An InLinkz Link-up

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A Week in CASL photos: May 18-24th

Happy Monday!  I am glad you stopped by to visit me today! Hope you are all enjoying and having a wonderful relaxing long weekend!

 

First, I want to take time to remember and to thank those who are serving and who have served and for those who have lost their lives  for our country, so that we can enjoy our freedom.

 

 God Bless America!

 

source

 

 

 

 

This weekend, has been the first official weekend of Summer vacation, and this is what I needed a little R&R; swimming by the pool, watching a couple of movies, planning a little of the Summer out.

I'll start a Pinterest Summer board tomorrow; quite possibly, and almost maybe some of those pins will actually get made. If not, I still enjoy the inspiration all the same.

 

What I like about doing a Photo365, is that I get to share with you a peek into what my week has been like, and possibly a sneak peek to what next week will bring. I've tried 365 Photo or Daily photo memes several times before, and surprisingly, I am getting farther posting my photos once a week, instead of once a day. It makes a big difference, and it's really nice to look back and see a slice of my day!

 

May 18th- Musical...From my early days of playing piano!

 

 

May 19th- Mood...Which is just about everyday...I want to bake something!!

 

 

May 20th ... Today was a day to celebrate, Katelyn graduated 6th grade!

 

 

 

May 21st- Equal...Celebrating Katelyn graduating

 

 

And my first cookbook review 'Twenty Dinners'!

May 22nd- In a drawer...Every kitchen tool should be here...I never know when children empty the dish washer!!

May 23rd- The Weather- Actually it is a very warm sunny day! It looks like the sky was white washed!

May 24th- Goodtimes...This is where you will find me all weekend...Poolside!

 Are you on Instagram? You really should be!!  You can find me here on Instagram! 

 

   I recently started following a photo a day prompt on #fmsphotoaday.

 Let me know if you decide to join in the fun!

Have a great rest of your week! Until next time!

xo, Christine

 

Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life? Don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest!