caught my eye + deals 4.12.19

12 April 2019

* Check out this Mississippi farmhouse for a family of 6 at Country Living:

* the best carrot cake ever! If you would rather have the sheet cake version, here you go!

and DEALS! These are the prices when I hit publish and can change or run out at anytime:

* RUN! Southern Living is $5 for a 1 year subscription! Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living also are $5! This is only happening once a year now...remember to turn off the auto renewal in your magazine manager

Look at these upholstered bed deals at Target!

* Baxton Upholstered Queen Bed $142 when you use code SPRING at checkout

* Odette Queen Upholstered Bed $149 when you use code SPRING at checkout

* If you don't have a Target Red Card, now is the time to sign up! I love it because it's debit, not credit -- it saves you 5% and gives you free shipping and early access to sales. Right now, you'll get $50 off $150 future purchase!

* So many Nike women's shoes on sale at 6pm.com!! Lots of different colors available, free shipping at $50

* Nike Renew Rival $42.50

* Nike Viale $39.99

* Nike Lunar Apparent $42.50

* Nike Hokata $40

* Old Navy Women Cardigans are only $8 today! Girls are $7

* Sherwin-Williams Paint & Stains are 40% off this weekend! PLUS you can text COLOR to ASKSW and get $10 off $50 coupon! This is the best sale -- it doesn't get cheaper than this! Remember, you can buy your paint now on sale and have them tint it later if you haven't decided on colors yet.

* Gorilla 22 ft Multi-position ladder $99

* Tom's has free shipping on all orders today!! Plus, if you wait around their site you should get a pop up that will give you a $10 off $50 or $15 off $75 when you sign up for emails. This worked for me in Internet Explorer but not Chrome...they have some adorable kid's styles on sale

I think the Majorca Cutout Sandals may be my favorite ever -- I got them for my birthday last year and still love this classic style.

* Awesome prices on duvet cover sets! Use code T8LSY7YA to take an extra 30% off and don't forget to clip the 5% coupon as well! The queen sizes only end up being $18.84 with both coupons! We got a Snowman white goose down feather comforter for Christmas last year (LOVE it ♥♥♥) and I got one of these to keep it clean and protected.

* J. Crew Vail Parka $59.99 with code BLOOM -- free shipping with Rewards Account (free to sign up)

* lowest price: Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner 2 pack $3.22

* Brother Compact Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Printer $44.99

For Easter Baskets!

* lowest price: Wikki Stix 24 pack only $3.78

* lowest price: Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals $3.55

* lowest price: Book of Life Blu-Ray only $4!

* Just released: Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid Hardcover $8.39

* lowest price: Calico Critters Rabbit Grandparents $8.44

* lowest price: LEGO Futuristic Flyer $11.99

* lowest price: Emma's Art Stand LEGO Friends $12.99

read article

Landscaping Tips * Landscaping Ideas * DIY Landscape

10 April 2019

Don't you love walking into nurseries when they are bringing all of the plants and flowers out??
As we're getting into landscape season around here, can I share some tips that I wish we would have done or known as we self-installed our landscaping? We've already talked about what we wish we would have done with our house, so let's take it outside:

1. While you are deciding what to do, put down landscape fabric over the areas so just have to cut out holes where you want to plant. Otherwise you'll have massive weed beds (like we did!

2. My neighbor, Lisa shared this with me when we were talking about lessons we'd learned while landscaping: buy bigger trees and smaller bushes. Bushes grow so fast! Buy the less expensive $8-$15 ones and put the money into bigger trees since they take longer to grow.

3. Speaking of trees -- be sure to some protection around the bottom with mulch or rocks or at least some plastic protection at the base. We couldn't figure out why our trees in front weren't growing! My Dad was visiting and showed me:

The boys had been hitting the base of the tree with the lawn mower and so it stunted the growth. Now we put the plastic protection or the concrete tree rings with mulch to protect them.

4. Keep a landscaping folder. Put all of your receipts, tags from trees and bushes with the dates. Most stores have a 1 year plant guarantee so if they don't make it you can return them. It's also helpful to remember the names and see what works and what doesn't.

5. Use drip around trees and in flower beds. It's so much easier to run little lines to individual trees and plants instead of wasting water with sprinklers and adjusting them each year. (We really need to cover our hoses)

6. If you have a slope, don't use small rocks, they will slide right down.

We learned this the hard way and had to replace all of the small rock with larger rock that stays put.

Also, if you have any areas that you don't want ANYTHING growing like a rock driveway, pathway, or firepit, use heavy black plastic. Every landscaping fabric we've used from Costco's to professional landscape quality has let weeds through and we had to replace those and put down the heavy duty black plastic with rock on top.

7. Take pictures, talk to people in nearby neighborhoods that have more mature landscapes about what works and what doesn't and what that beautiful tree in their front yard is. I don't trust the deer resistant signs at nurseries -- look at the number they did on this pine this winter! This one will be covered with burlap next winter.