pinterest pick of the week

happy monday, folks.  hopefully, you have off today in observation of columbus day.  if your kids are off too, get outside...today looks like another beautiful day.  

pintrest may very well be the ultimate time suck. but, in a good way. life changing way.  i'm going to go out there and say it is up there with the other internet greats like amazon, google, and twitter.  for me at least.

(haven't been there yet?  finish reading my post and head on over immediately...then go outside!)

the purpose of the site is to maintain a collection of "pins" that anyone on the internet like/love. you see a cute pair of riding boots on some website?!  you "pin" it to pinterest for everyone else to see.  it's like a more refined google image search with pictures of things people actually like, a lot.

looking for bathroom decor ideas?  or crafts for toddlers? wedding favors? just type it in the search.

there are so many great ideas on there.  i seriously need an accountability partner to limit my searching.

anyone?  ::cricket, cricket::

great!  i'm not ready to give up one of the few things that fill my cup daily.  there are also some hilarious things people pin that really crack me up.

c'mon, you know that's funny!

i try to do a recipe, craft, or whatever else looks interesting, once a week.

this past week, i gave the pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes with cream cheese icing a try. can you blame me?  people were re-pinning these things like hotcakes. haha...get it?  hotcakes.

recipe girl has provided the recipe and detailed directions for these delicious delights.

my only suggestion is to prep everything the night before. it's a bit more time consuming than your traditional boxed pancakes and maple syrup.  prep the flour, cinnamon swirl, egg, and icing mixtures separately.  you'll have less dishes to do in the morning and gives you a tasty reason to get up.

again with the sideways pictures, my apologies.  the final stamp of approval comes from natalie.

i'm on a pumpkin kick, as is everyone else this time of the year. stay tuned...another tried and true pumpkin recipe will be posted this week.
let me know if you give these pancakes and/or pinterest a try.  you won't be disappointed.

**disclosure:  jersey shore l'amour does not take responsibility for decreased productivity in the home not limited to laundry bottleneck, dirty dish overload, filthy children, and/or hungry husband.  approach pinterest with caution.  


thanks for stopping by.
jill

it's a bug's life.

hi.

how are you? great!

me? oh, just getting more pregnant by the day, dreaming about the day we'll have our house as the way we want it, and sucking down more coffee than i probably should.

summer was rough. really rough.  the best way for me to cope with the overwhelmingness (this is a jill word, btw) was the get out of the house and in the yard.

since we live in the sticks, we see all different kinda buggaroos. i love that my four year old knows the difference between a beetle and a stink bug. or that she can spot a stick bug faster than i can. and that she can surprise attack daddy with a supersoaker in a snow white dress.  love her.

thankfully, one of the gems i came across was called insectropolis. for all you wussies out there who hate bugs...this is not the place for you.  located in toms river, this is great for those of you with small kids who just happen to be visiting the seaside heights area. actually, it's not too far from the parkway...you can visit if you're passing by to go to other shore points.

believe it or not, this thirty year old, mother of two has a bug collection. true story.  i even took a pic of myself with it to prove that i didn't find this pic on google images.  this is what is left of about half my collection.

with my two kiddos, it took thirty minutes to walk through the entire museum. i opted out of the guided tour...attention spans will suffer. including mine!

 

goliath is an understatement.

for some odd reason, i was able to edit the photos below in iphoto so it wasn't sideways...but blogspot is failing to recogniiiize.  so suck it up and tilt your head.  

this was a neat display of honeybees doing what they do best: making honey.  the hive has a tube on the bottom that allows the worker bees to exit and enter the hive from outside.  

hungry?  they even have a snack bar.  kinda.

if you're local, check it out.  the kids will love it.  they do birthday parties, too.

and if you have giant european hornets building a basketball sized nest in the attic above your bedroom like we did, they even have extermination services.  no joke.  call them, they'll take care of business.  ozane pest control.  

if you live closer to philly, there is a sister bug museum called insectarium.  i have to admit that i have also been to this one. it's not as good as insectropolis, but they do have a gigantic, clear cockroach house which was pretty awesome.  you spray water over the edge and all the cockroaches run up the side and go to the water...and...oh, nevermind.

i'm a nerd.  i know.

hope everyone is doing well.  miss you all.

thanks for stopping by!

jill

chalkboard paint magic.

i love. love. love chalk board paint.

i see it all over the craft blogs.  people use it on their fridge. their walls. jars. lamps, pumpkins. coffee tables.

yes, pumpkins.

say goodbye to that hideous almond colored fridge!

love this.  a lot.

cute wedding place "cards".

ahhh.  organization.

crib ends turned into an easel.

i really can't get enough of it.  i may have gone overboard with all the pics, but you gotta agree...these are some great ideas and so fun to look at.

now, if i can get my hubby to agree to paint an entire wall in the kitchen.

back during mother's day, we helped the 217church tots make special chalkboard paint flower pots for all the mommies.  they came out super cute.

you can get the terra cotta pots at any craft shop.  i bought the chalkboard paint, rhinestones, and pink paint at wal-mart...may be a bit cheaper there than at michaels or ac moore.

just use the sponge brush to paint a coat or two with the chalkboard paint.

let it dry completely so you can hold the pot to paint the top lip.  pink would definitely not be my first choice of color, i'm more of a turquoise-kind-of-girl. or you can paint the whole pot black.

once everything is dried, rub chalk all over the chalkboard paint to "cure" the writing surface.  

just from my own, personal experience, i can offer you these two very, very important suggestions...

tip 1:  do not paint over white carpet.

tip 2:  do not let your pre-schooler help. 

just sayin.'

traditional chalkboard colors green or black don't tickle your fancy, but you'd love to have a chalkboard wall in a more desirable color?  good ol' martha has come up with a recipe to make your chalkboard wall dreams come true.

what's your favorite chalkboard use from above?  have you used the paint before?  how did it work out for you?

thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay cool...this heatwave is sick.

jill

i love me a farmers market.

oh and especially if they're right down the road.

double score.

we've hit up a few in the area, toms river, barnegat, seaside heights...

last week, the lacey farmers markets down the road from us opened, but i missed it due to rain.  still not sure what they have, i stopped by there two years ago to pick up berries for a pie i'd make weekly for the cafe.  then i realized how much easier it was to buy the large bag of mixed berries at costco.

easy trumps local/organic when you're running a business with a toddler in tow.  sorry.  but, if you are heading out to a market for your personal shopping, these places can be gold mines of cheap, fresh produce.  fresher than anything you can get in the supermarket.

as long as i can get a great loaf of bread, some pickles, and maybe some cider donuts with lots of sugar...then i'm a happy mamma.

don't let the carrots fool you, they have cider donuts in their hand.  i tried sneaking the donut bag under the stroller, but natalie can smell those things a mile away.

funny thing about these farmers markets down the jersey shore is that they are all primarily from north jersey.  why you ask? well, they go where ever the benny's are...and they are all "down the shore."

benny's = anyone from bayonne, elizabeth, newark, and new york.

and while i'm at it, let me define shoebies = philly folk that grace jersey beaches with their presence.  they got their namesake from bringing their lunch in shoeboxes to the beach, back in the day...according to my grandma.

my dealer.  

by the way, i don't share well with others...when it comes to pickles...  

unless you're cute.  lucky for these guys, they qualify.

and i have to say, those bakeries up north know how to make some kick-ass bread.  crusty exterior, chewy interior. amazing. i would have taken pictures, but i was too busy stuffing my face with samples.

aside from the few things that i look for specifically, these markets carry some great local products you can't really find anywhere else.  artisan shortbread cookies.  specialty vinegars. crab cakes.  local honey.

suffer from seasonal allergies?  head over to your farmers market and grab a jar of local honey.  here's why.

and they even have replacement jade plants for the one that was destroyed in our move.

look how pretty the replacement options are.

i'm sure where ever you live, you know of the farmers markets nearby.  but, just by chance you care to visit another farmers market if you're traveling out of the area...i've linked a page for your convenience.

what's your favorite market?  what do sell have that you absolutely must get every time you go?

while i'm at it, let me mention to those in jersey the upcoming food/wine festivals you should check out.

ocean county fair.  july 12-17.  berkeley township, nj.  okay, this doesn't really count as a food festival, but it may be worth stopping by if it isn't scorching out.

3rd annual lobster fest on the beach.  july 16th. bradley beach, nj.

9th annual state ice cream festival.  july 16th. toms river, nj.

walk in the vineyard wine trail weekend.  july 16-17.  statewide.

atlantic city food and wine festival.  july 28-31.  ac, nj.

we're going to the ice cream festival.  i. can. not. wait.  if anyone would like to meet up with us, contact me.  the more, the merrier.

by the looks of it, i'll try to make wednesday my post day.  if i aim for monday, i can get it on here by wednesday:)  let's just call that "the-jill-two-day-delay."

this may or may not have anything to do with the fact that i am pregnant...again.  wasn't really planning on another so soon, but it's all in God's timing.  and i'm alright with that:)

one thing is for sure...i'm in for it.

hope you all have a great week and upcoming weekend!

thanks for stopping by,

jill