Every week keeps getting better and better for my ‘link love’ posts!  I followed 9 new blogs this week and found so many great links!

New Blogs I Followed

- Adventures In Cooking
- Baked Bree
- Chez Us
- Coconut & Lime
- Love From The Oven
- Simple Bites
- The Crepes Of Wrath
- The Jungalow
- The Lavender’s Longshot

Links Loved

- Grown Up Strawberry Shortcake – A strawberry shortcake alcoholic drink?  Yes, please.
- How To Make Simple Fruit Ice Cubes – This is a much better alternative to the sangrias I’ve been making because it combines ice with the fruit.
- 10 Of My Favorite Blogger Room Overhauls – I love looking through before & after photos.
- 11 Spring Recipes For The Homesteading Cook – All of these recipes look fantastic.
- Sourdough Starter Recipe – I don’t know if I have the patience for making sourdough, but I’d love to try.
- Here’s A List Of Everything That’s Leaving Netflix in April… – I better watch these movies/shows before they’re gone forever.
- Fixer Upper Is Getting A Spinoff – I love this idea!  It’s a more in-depth look at Fixer Upper!
- Orange Crush Bundt Cake  - An easy recipe with 7-Up?  Count me in.
- Spaghetti and Meatballs – These homemade meatballs give me hope I can make my own from scratch.
- A Modern, Renovated Home In Cleveland – This is a cool renovation.  I love the loft space.
- DIY Piñata Surprise Easter Eggs – How cute are these?
- Grocery Budget Makeover Workshop – I’m always looking for ways to
- 3-Ingredient Pineapple Muffins – Easy to make muffins are the best.
- How To Make The Best Muffins Ever – These tips are awesome.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I was super excited to go to Starbucks when we were in Niagara Falls, NY, last week. Living in the middle of nowhere has its perks, but sadly, Starbucks isn't one of them.

One of my favorite drinks from Starbucks is the Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade. I ordered a Venti when we were in Niagara Falls & absolutely had to find a way to recreate the recipe at home.

I headed to the grocery store in search of the perfect tea. Tazo Passion Tea is an excellent choice. I'm relatively sure Starbucks uses Teavana teas for its drinks, but Tazo is an excellent alternative.

To make the passion tea lemonade, all I did was steep a bag of tea following the directions for hot tea. Once the tea was cool, I added some store-bought lemonade (in the refrigerator section) & my copycat recipe was complete!

Last week my husband & I took a day trip to Niagara Falls, New York.  We live about 3 hours from the falls so it was a nice little trip.

I love going to Niagara Falls in the off season.  During our first year of dating, my husband & I went to the Canadian side in August.  There were so many people & everything was so expensive.  We paid way too much for a hotel room but we had a lot of fun.

I've been to both the Canadian side & the US side in the winter & it's a totally different vibe.  It's also super cold!  My husband & I went to a concert in Niagara Falls, NY in February & it was so cold & icy!

Okay...so now about the squirrels!

Once again, I have a bunch of new blogs for you to check out!  I went a little overboard yesterday with the “subscribe” button and ended up adding 11 new blogs to my reading list!  I’m so happy that I can add so many blogs to my list these days.  I love seeing what other bloggers are up to!

New blogs to check out this week:
- $5 Dinners
- A Couple Cooks
- Bake At 350
- Dinner:  A Love Story
- Frugal And Thriving
- Frugal By Choice, Cheap By Necessity
- Heart Of Light
- Lara Casey
- Penniless Prairie Girl
- The Frugal Girl
- The Vanilla Bean Blog
- Top With Cinnamon

Links Loved:
- The Weekender Episode 6:  Nola Kitchen Makeover
- Life Changing Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Lazy Day Blondie Bites
- 15 Lifehacks That Are Making My Life Easier + More Awesome
- How To Host A Freezer Meal Party
- This Charming Tiny House On Wheels Is Only $72K – House Of The Day
- Before & After:  A Tiny Kitchen Gets A Chic New Look On A Budget
- Pistachio Butter Cookies with Chocolate Tres Leches Drizzle
- Coconut Cream Pie

Have a fantastic weekend!

I honestly wasn’t even planning on doing a link love post this week because I didn’t think I had a lot of links to share, but I’m so glad I gathered these together.  There are so many good ones!

- How To Make Stuffed Crust Pizza
- 31 Incredible New Books You Need To Read This Spring
- Spring Flowers In A Watering Can | Printable Wall Art
- Easiest French Fries
- 8 Common Salad Mistakes
- Before & After:  A 30-Hour Total Kitchen Turnaround For Under $600
- Delicious Skillet Pancake With Strawberry Syrup
- DIY Easter Bunny Gingerbread House
- Irish Soda Bread French Toast with Whiskey Syrup and Whipped Cream
- Sparkling Matcha Lemonade
- The Best Beer Bread Recipe
- 10 Delicious Cookies You Must Try

Have a great weekend!

This might be the best thing I’ve made all year!

It’s a new spin on the famous Grandma’s Punch.  A more shamrocking version, if you will!

The only thing I changed with the recipe is that instead of the traditional red Hawaiian Punch, I used the Lemon Lime Splash flavor.  Also, instead of using the rainbow sherbet, I just used lime.  I was kind of worried how the new flavor combo would turn out but it really tastes great!  It’s a perfect St. Patty’s day drink, but I liked it so much I would make it year round!

A rainbow in a jar is a great last minute St. Patrick’s Day gift.

I just layered some Skittles in a jar I already had and painted the lid gold with a paint pen.  Easy peasy!

I’m labelling this as a St. Patrick’s Day craft, but I feel like this would be an acceptable gift at any time!

I thought it would be fun to share my weekly workout jams!  My taste in music is kind of weird – I like listening to the same songs over and over again.  I’m also not very hip so there’s not a lot of new songs on here, but I will say that It Ain’t My Fault by Brothers Osborne is one of my new favorites.

I also had high hopes in working out all 7 days, but I only did Monday-Friday.  Maybe this week?  Haha.

Monday, March 6
1.  Blame It On Waylon – Josh Thompson
2.  Blame It On Waylon – Jason Cassidy
3.  Blame It On Waylon – Cody Wickline
4.  Take It On Back – Chase Bryant
5.  Drunk Like You – The Cadillac Three

So…why so many Blame It On Waylons?  When I went to add the original Waylon, I found these covers and wanted to check them out, so it kind of became my Blame It On Waylon workout!

Tuesday, March 7
1.  Blame It On Waylon – Josh Thompson
2.  Hole In A Bottle – Canaan Smith
3.  Take It On Back – Chase Bryant
4.  Lotta Boot Left To Fill – Eric Church
5.  Just Keep Drinkin – Chris Cavanaugh
6.  T-Shirt – Thomas Rhett
7.  Drunk Like You – The Cadillac Three
8.  Body Like A Back Road – Sam Hunt

Wednesday, March 8
1.  It Ain’t My Fault – Brothers Osborne
2.  Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson
3.  House Party – Sam Hunt
4.  You Look Good – Lady Antebellum
5.  Right Round – Flo Rida
6.  Party Like You – The Cadillac Three
7.  Just Like Fire – Pink

Thursday, March 9
1.  Beer On The Table – Josh Thompson
2.  It Ain’t My Fault – Brothers Osborne
3.  Cruise – Florida Georgia Line
4.  Make Me Wanna – Thomas Rhett
5.  Hicktown – Jason Aldean
6.  Drunk Like You – The Cadillac Three
7.  Sideways – Dierks Bentley
8.  Alcoholiday – David Adam Byrnes

Friday, March 10

1.  Sweet Distraction – David Adam Byrnes
2.  Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
3.  It Ain’t My Fault – Brothers Osborne
4.  Get The Party Started – Pink
5.  You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC

Aaand these are all links to food!  I should really stop looking for links when I’m hungry!

- 10 Free ALDI Freezer Meal Plans That Will Literally Change Your Life
- Chocolate Peppermint Cups
- 30-Minute Sheet Pan Dinners For Busy Weeknights
- Cowboy Casserole
- The Best Beer Bread Recipe 

Also, I went on a little internet search yesterday for free stuff and scored a few things:
- Free Jiffy Recipe Book
- Free Sample of Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Zero Frizz Control Shampoo, Conditioner, and Styling Product
- Free Immunocologie Samples
- Free LeCharm Tea

Have a great weekend!

The best thing I made this week was a homemade Shamrock shake.

It’s also the most unoriginal thing ever because literally everyone is doing this right now.

But…it’s so easy to make!  That’s all I’ve got in terms of defending this.

All you need is vanilla ice cream, peppermint extract, milk, ice and food coloring.  I added some whipped cream to the top, but that’s totally optional.

I only used a tiny amount of peppermint extract (like 1/8 teaspoon), but since this is homemade, you can use whatever amount you want based on your preferences.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m super competitive about everything my fitbit steps, but they’ve taken quite a hit lately.  Since the beginning of the year, with my new lifestyle change, my step count has gone down in a huge way.  It used to be nothing for me to get 10,000+ in a day and now it’s a constant struggle to get those steps in.  Last week, I finally decided to do something about it and started a little workout routine. 

So what do I do to workout?  Well, I’m just…moving.  I make up these little playlists that are about 20-30 minutes each and just dance around or do moves that I remember from various workout videos I’ve done in the past.  I constantly move for 20-30 minutes without stopping.  I try to pick fast songs that are easy to dance to and slower songs to cool down at the end when I get tired.   Maybe it’s not so much a “workout routine” and more of a “get up and get moving routine”!  Even though it’s not much, I feel better throughout the day when  I get my little workout in.  It’s also an easy way to get a lot of steps in a short amount of time.

Since I knew I was posting this today, I try to do a slightly more difficult workout this morning.

And here’s my playlist for today.  I usually throw these things together in just a couple minutes based on what songs I like and/or can workout to.

Today was a country day, but last week I did my workout to all ‘90s hits!

So there’s my little workout routine!  It’s not scientific by any means, but it gets me up and moving for a few minutes a day!

It’s been forever since I’ve done one of these! 

Aaand this one is going to be a little different.

I use Feedly to keep track of my favorite blogs and recently noticed the “You Might Also Like” feature next to the blogs I already read, which gives me a few more blogs just like the one I’m currently reading.  Well, after a looong time in front of the computer, clicking away at blogs I might also like, I’ve found a few new ones and I’m sharing them in my comeback ‘Link Love’ post!  I’m going to spare you the commentary and just give you the links.  They’re basically personal and food blogs, which are my favorites.

Wit & Whistle
Making It Lovely
Apt. 2B Baking Co.
Glorious Treats
Pastry Affair
Living Well Spending Less
Budget Bytes

Have a great weekend!

I’ve been spending a ton of time in the kitchen this year, doing both recipe development on my own and trying out new recipes I find on Pinterest.  Since I’ve had some success with the recipes, I thought I would share some of them weekly with you as sort of a highlight reel of the best things coming out of my kitchen that week because they’re just too good to keep to myself!

The first recipe is actually one I found on Pinterest last week.  I had some bananas that were going bad and wanted to use them up so when I found this recipe for Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal, I knew I found a winner, especially since I had all of the ingredients on hand (which never happens!).  When I first made it, I followed the instructions and put my batter in a square pan and it turned out fantastic…so fantastic that I wanted to make it again!  This time, I wanted it more bite sized so I made the batter into muffins.  I was worried about the muffins being too soupy, but they actually turned out great.  They’re perfect for a quick breakfast or a sweet snack!

I almost didn’t write this post because the list of things coming to Netflix in March didn’t interest me, but I managed to find a few movies/shows to watch so here we are!

Jurassic Park Trilogy (3/1)
The Jurassic Park movies have always been ones that I’ve never watched in their entirety so I’m excited to binge watch the first three movies.

Disney’s The BFG (3/15)
This movie looks so cool!

How To Get Away With Murder (3/23)
I watched the first season of this show and loved it, but somehow missed seasons 2 and 3 so I’m looking forward to catching up!

Check out the full list of everything coming to Netflix in March here!