Brownies just might be my favorite dessert. Who doesn’t love chocolate? If you don’t, we seriously can’t be friends… ok, not really, but you might want to get that checked. It’s not normal…

This recipe comes from Love & Lemons. Check them out! Although, fair warning-it WILL destroy your summer bod…

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar,
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or substitute extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish (not a 9×9 dish or your brownies will overcook) with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, water, and vanilla.

4. Sprinkle the dry mix over the wet mix and stir until just combined.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached. It’s better to pull the brownies out early, so the edges aren’t too crispy or thick to eat. Loosely tent the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and leave to fully cool before enjoying.

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It’s almost Valentine’s Day… time to get crafty! I wrote this how-to a long time ago and never published it (fail… I have two kids… it gets hard, y’all…). It’s pretty simple, so there really isn’t much to explain, just to show! Here’s a list of what you’ll need:

Supplies

• Canvas, board, or other display surface (Hobby Lobby to the rescue for this one!)
• Paint (acrylic works great for this project)
• Pom-poms of various sizes (if you’re making a bear)
• Felt sticker decorations (if you’d like to use them, but they’re optional!)
• Tiny hands and feet to make the prints

Directions

First, decide what kind of design you want-this is where Pinterest comes in. If you search for “Valentine’s Day handprint” or “Valentine’s Day footprint” the possibilities are endless… literally. Choose what you want, grab your paint and stickers and get crafty. They are fairly simple, cute, and kids always love to see their hand and footprints on wood or canvas. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Guys, I don’t even know where to begin with this one.  I’m not sure what happened to us as a society that people have become so. darn. shameless.  Yep-that’s a strong word, but it is absolutely fitting for what people have become.  Shameless and prideless (yes… it’s a word-Merriam-Webster says so… link provided for ease of fact-checking).  I’ll stop beating around the bush because at this point, with everyone being offended by EVERYTHING, I honestly don’t care who is offended by this post.

Here is a list of solicitations I have received in the past few years from people I haven’t spoken to or seen in years.  Sometimes longer than ten years.  Yes, TEN YEARS.

• Jamberry Nails
• Color Street Nails
• Rodan + Fields
• Lularoe (oh, goodness the buttery soft legging messages were relentless)
• Premier Jewelry
• Usborne Books
• Mary Kay
• Norwex
• Young Living Oils (or insert miracle curing oil of choice here… there are a billion to choose from)
• Lashboost (is that a “company” or a product from another pyramid scheme brand?  I don’t know… I’ve lost track…)
• LipSense
• Scentsy
• Origami Owl
• Advocare
• Spark
• Herbal Life
• Amway
• Pampered Chef
• [Insert chosen brand here] toothpaste
• [Insert chosen brand here] toothpaste
• [Insert any “work from home startup business” here] (yes, I’m a mom, no, you shouldn’t assume I want to join your pyramid scheme for “extra income”… if you knew anything about me whatsoever you would know I work outside the home)

This is just a small sampling of only the direct messages I have received for solicitations to join a pyramid scheme.  This does NOT include requests for donations to organizations, childcare (although this doesn’t necessarily apply to me, stay-at-home moms can relate to this one), or various other “businesses”.  I can’t count how many times someone has contacted me that I haven’t spoken with in years starting off with “Your kids are adorable.  I’m starting a new business where you can work from home and earn some extra income and as a mom I’m sure you might be interested”.  Do you really think people don’t see your true intentions?  Do I have “gullible” written on my forehead (I checked… I don’t)?  I’m assuming the thought process goes something like this: “Oh!  She has kids.  She probably stays home.  She might need money.  She might jump on board if I pretend to be at all interested in her life.”

Does this sound harsh?  Absolutely.  Do I care?  No.  Why?  Because they obviously don’t care to waste my time by shamelessly soliciting their “business” because they think I’m a gullible person.  So, no.  I don’t care that this sounds harsh solely because they don’t care about me, my family, or my time.

You see, everyone has a different path in life-as they should.  No one is the same.  Not everyone goes to college, not everyone holds a full-time job, not everyone holds a part-time job.  Some people travel the world.  Some people get married, some people have kids, and some people do none of the above.  I am in no way shape or form hating on anyone’s side hustle.  A lot of people find products or companies they love and benefit greatly from promoting these products or companies on the side or as a full-time job.  If that works for you, that’s a pretty good gig, so keep it up!  Social media is a great place to share information-such as a business.  I’m all for it.  It’s effective, it reaches a large audience, and it’s easy and convenient.  Share away, people!  Honestly, I’ve found some of my favorite products from a Facebook ad or a post a friend made and I decided to check it out, but please, PLEASE stop direct messaging people PRETENDING to be interested in their life.  Frankly, it’s insulting when you act like YOU are doing ME a favor by pushing this product or company on me when I never even asked.  If you’re a true friend (or even a decent human being) you would not be contacting me out of the blue after having no contact with me for years.  This is not a business.  It’s harassment.

If someone truly believes in their company or product they won’t need to shamelessly solicit to everyone they have ever come in contact with throughout their life.  I have many friends who sell products for a company or are a brand ambassador who wholeheartedly believe in the products and company they promote.  They post to their social media regularly with real results they have experienced, don’t advertise gimmicks, and they only approach people who contact them with questions.  These are people I purchase products from.  People who are passionate about their product or company and not the money it COULD bring in.

Let’s be honest… is your side hustle going to make you rich?  No.  Just no.  Those that make money by promoting products or companies work very, very hard.  They don’t shamelessly send a message with little effort to everyone in their contacts list and hope a few people might be desperate enough to fork over their hard earned money.  If anyone is successful using this technique, the success won’t last.  This model isn’t sustainable and soon people will run the other way every time they are contacted.  Not to mention, mathematically a pyramid scheme is not sustainable.  Yep… had to throw some nerd at ya 😉

Last month I joined the Poshmark world.  Never thought that would be a sentence I would write.  I was always intrigued by the idea of Poshmark, not because I want to purchase things, but because I now have a plethora of clothing that will never, ever fit me again.  That and I have 562.5 pairs of maternity jeans that have a lot of life left in them and I would love for someone to be able to use them.

My sister-in-law sent me a text saying she was starting a Poshmark boutique (check her clothes out… they’re adorable!) in addition to her “closet”.  Huh?  English, please… I just want to sell things I can no longer fit in.  Translation?  You can have a “closet” to sell your used clothing or you can purchase clothing through Poshmark wholesale and create a “boutique”.  Pretty awesome, right?

As I’m navigating Poshmark for the first time, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way (most thanks to my awesome sister-in-law veteran Poshmarker):

• It’s super easy to list your clothing.  Take a picture in the app, list the details, such as size, brand, the item’s original price, and a description of the item.  Here are a few tips for listing:
  • Take clear photos of the item.  Add several pictures to show important details of the garment.  Are there any flaws or worn spots?  Take pictures of those so buyers are aware if there are any issues.  You don’t want unhappy customers!
  • Give a very detailed description so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.  Add details like color of item, condition, and any added details that may not be clear by the images you add.
  • Pairing items with accessories or shoes gives items a little more character and may give buyers a better idea of how great your item may look as an outfit.
  • Brand name items sell much more quickly than non-name brand items.
  • Does your item still have tags?  Even better!  There is a “New with Tags” category.  In addition to the category, make sure you add “NWT” to the beginning of the item name.  People will see this when you list the item.  If you have a new item with no tags, you can similarly list the item as “NWOT”, or “New Without Tags”.
• How much do you get paid when you sell an item?  Pretty simple-Poshmark takes a cut of what you get paid (around $2.95 per item from what I can tell) and you can see exactly what you’ll be receiving when you set the price of an item.  It will display the price you are asking for the item in addition to what you will be paid for the item when sold.
• How do you get more views and get your clothes out there easier?  Share, share share.  It also helps to follow A LOT of people.  I actually had to turn off my “follow” notifications the day I created my account because so many people follow each other to get more views.  It also helps if you share items that you see that you like.  If you share an item, that seller is likely to share an item of yours, which helps get your item more views.
• Join parties relevant to your items.  Is there a dress party going on?  Join the party, then go to your closet and share every item that is relevant to that party.  People in the dress party will see all of your items and you will receive more views.
• You can offer bundles.  Have a lot of accessories you’re willing to part with for cheap?  Bundle them by offering 5 bracelets for $20.  People see this as a deal, cheaper shipping because they all ship together, and you can sell more items this way.
• Share your items frequently.  This way your items are seen by more people and the more people that view your item, the more likely your item is to sell.
• You can connect your Poshmark to your Pinterest.  People may see your items on Pinterest and may be taken directly to your Poshmark closet to purchase items.  Pretty cool, huh?

I’ve noticed that after having successfully sold a few pieces with positive feedback, I receive more offers.  In the beginning it seems you just take offers you can get, even if that means you’re not making much on each item.  Building a good rapport goes a long way and will allow potential buyers to see they will receive quality items that ship quickly.

I’m still learning the ropes in this Poshmark world, but hopefully one day I will become a Poshmark expert.  That’s my experience so far-check out my closet while you’re at it for some inspiration 😉