Hello, May

Hello, May.

Hello, Favorite Meme.

Here is the song that caused the meme:
 

JT is the best....even in the 90s when he had bleached ramen noodle hair.  

For all of you who love the Justin Timberlake "It's gonna be May" meme. You need to watch this interview that he did earlier this year. 

 I've watched it over 10 times in the past few days.
Kevin doesn't understand why I think it's so funny. It makes me cry/laugh!

Hello, Teacher Appreciation Week.

 This week is Teacher Appreciation!

Look at the cute sign Leadership made me:

 I think Teachers have one of the hardest jobs out there and as a parent (who is ALSO a teacher) I want to make sure my kids teachers KNOW how much I appreciate them :)

I like giving little goodies to my kids teachers throughout the year (and giving them THIS questionnaire at the beginning of the school year is super helpful)

Need some Teacher Appreciation Ideas?

Here are some other free printables that I have on my blog that would be perfect for Teacher Appreciation and/or End of the School Year Gifts!

Dinner is on Us:

Free Printable {HERE}

Cupcakes in a Mason Jar + Free Printable:

{HERE}

I'm so lucky to have a teacher like you Printable (I add a gift card to this)

{HERE}


Thank you for being my Teacher (Cookie in a CD Sleeve with gift card)

{HERE}

Thanks a latte for all you do:
Get the printable {HERE}

I love this idea because this is what is inside the box....my favorite Anthro mug & coffee gift cards :)

Thanks for helping me bloom printable:

{HERE}

The World Needs S'more Teachers like You Printable

Printable {HERE}

 S'mores Bar Recipe {HERE}

In the Cookie of Life, Teachers are the Chocolate Chips:

Free Printable {HERE} 

How Sweet it is to be taught by you:

Free Printable {HERE}

So, there you have it.
Several easy (& cheap!) gifts you can give the teachers/coaches/office staff in your life as a way of saying Thank You. These work for Teacher Appreciation Week, End of the School Year or Just Because!
And, the beauty of these gifts is that you could always attach a $5 or $10 giftcard to any of these treats (if you want to) 

Trust me, as teachers, we ALWAYS love gift cards :)

Happy {almost} Teacher Appreciation Week to all my fellow teachers out there!

Keep up the good work!
It's almost Summer....we can do it!!

Hope some of these ideas are useful to you :)

Hello, Instant Pot.

You guys...my love for my Instant Pot keeps growing and growing.

I made POPCORN with my Instant Pot!!!!!!

I cooked it with 2T of coconut oil. Then added some pink salt after it was done cooking.
Tastes so fresh & not gross like microwave popcorn.
You need this venting lid when you make the popcorn

I just love my Instant Pot.
I can't stop and won't stop talking about it. LOL!

 It is way better than a crock pot because it can slow cook food, but it is also a pressure cooker. I can cook some of my slow cooker meals in the Instant Pot in under an hour! You need one in your life.

I have posted 8 Instant Pot recipes so far...stay tuned for A LOT more!

The 8 recipes I have posted (along with the slow cooker directions) are:

Korean Beef

Split Pea Soup

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs 

Chicken Taco Soup

Jambalaya

Rosemary Beef Stew

Butter Chicken

Shredded Pork Tacos

 The 5qt, 6 qt the 8qt are available & on sale! I have the 6 qt size.

Hello, R+F May Special.

I wanted to let you know about my Rodan + Fields special for the month of May.
$20 cash back, 10% off your order, Free Shipping & Free Essentials item!
I love our Essentials items....you get your choice of our Daily Body Moisturizer, SPF 30 Body Sunscreen, SPF 25 Lip Shield or our AMAZING Sunless Tanner.....which sells out every Spring/Summer....get yours now before it's too late!

***For those of you who were interested in my bulk order, our websites have been down tall weekend because they are updating it to a global platform for when we go global to Australia in a few weeks. Our websites should be up and running in the next few days, so I haven't been able to place the bulk order. I will do that this Friday, May 5th***

In case you missed it....these are the products I am placing a bulk order of at my Preferred Customer Pricing:

NEW Active Hydration Serum - $100
Eye Cream - $60
Micro-Dermabrasion Paste -$68
Lash Boost - $135

The eye cream & paste  each last 5-6 months.
Lash Boost will last 4 -5 months
I know so many of you who are curious about R+F products, but are nervous to take the plunge!
  Now is your chance to try them out!

Email me to place an order:
melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

Hello, Hair Donation!
A couple weeks ago my girls got 8 inches of their hair cut off.

For the past 18 months, they have been growing out their hair so that they can donate it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program which makes it possible for women everywhere to share their hair with women who’ve lost theirs.
Pantene has partnered with the American Cancer Society to make and distribute the wigs.

 I am so proud of my girls for donating their hair & I am so glad we don't have to deal with brushing all that long hair. Perfect short hair cuts for summer!

Hello, 2017 Vegetable Garden.
This weekend I planted my garden.

I'm adding a few new things this year since we aren't in a drought anymore. I will have my 2017 Garden post up later this week :)

Hello, warmer weather (finally!!)
We had a rainy, wet & cold Winter/Spring here in California.
This weekend, the weather finally warmed up!

Hello, BBQ & grilling season

Because of the warm weathter, we fired up the BBQ and at dinner al frecso poolside.

Steak, Grilled artichokes (from Kevin's boss' garden), kale salad and fresh fruit!
Love all the fresh food this time of year!

Hello, Cruiser Nights.
 One of my favorite things is riding our cruiser bikes!

Kevin and I love doing this for date nights and my girlfriends and I love riding our cruisers downtown for dinner.
Tonight we had our first cruiser night of 2017!
This is my group of girlfriends (we all have 2nd grade kids) and Mondays we all watch the Bachelor together. Always fun with these ladies.

Hello Cinco de Mayo

We are heading to a Cinco de Mayo party on Friday night & I am deciding what to bring.

Here are some of my favorite Mexican dishes/drinks/appetizers.....

Making the BEST Margaritas Ever!

7 layer Dip: 

Baked Chicken Nachos:

 Corn Dip

Fiesta Stuffed Peppers:

 Chicken Enchiladas Verde:

Instant Pot Shredded Pork Tacos:

Can you tell.....we love Mexican food!

Hello, Chicago...can't wait to meet you this month.

If you live in Chicago I would LOVE to hear your list of things to do & places to eat!

We are going to a Cubs game & the boat tour. And of course eating Pizza!!!!

Hello, Birthday Month.
Saying hello to the big 3-8 in a few weeks.


One of my teacher friends sent me a link to this shirt. Get it? Ha!


What are YOU saying HELLO to this month?