Instead of our traditional Painted Rock Challenge list for May, I decided to do a themed challenge. Since April showers bring May flowers....this new challenge is 31 days of flowers!! I can't wait to see the bouquet of paint rocks that will never wilt!! What are your favorite flowers? Which flowers do you look forward to receiving at Mother's Day? Which flowers are currently blooming outside your house? There are no rules in rock painting, so just have fun! If you decide to skip a day (or two), no one is grading you or kicking you out of the club. Life gets busy and many of us can’t complete the entire challenge, the ideas are just to keep you motivated and inspired. If you want to share your creations,the Painted Rock Challenge group is a fun place to share your rocks and get inspired by other rockers. It’s a private group on Facebook and easy (and free) to join! New to Rock Painting? Start here: Painted Rocks – How to Get Started ... [ Read More ]
Are you Green Enough? {Book Review & Tips}
Hint: There is no wrong answer here! You ARE enough and we can all make changes in our lives to be a little more green. About a week ago I received a book from a friend and fellow blogger, Leah Segedie. The book, Green Enough, will be available on Amazon starting March 20th. You can preorder it now! To shop my Amazon Affiliate Link: http://amzn.to/2HOCmAG Green Enough is available in hardcover and on Kindle. ...before you start rolling your eyes, I need to confess something. I am NOT the super "eco chic" that many of my followers once considered me to be. Way back in the days when I first started this blog it went by a different name, The Eco Chic. A few years ago I was struggling with identifying with that title any longer because I felt like I was more than just someone who wanted to write about eco-friendly living. I also realized that there was so much more to being a green influencer/blogger than recycling, cloth diapers and menstrual cups. Several years ago, the ... [ Read More ]
Candy Cane Pie with Stonyfield Yogurt
Candy Cane Pie with Stonyfield Yogurt (Recipe) This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt. All recipes and opinions are my own. We're right at one week away from Christmas and the spirit is flowing in our home. Cookies have been made (and mostly already eaten) and the candy canes are taunting us to create something yummy. What better way to use candy canes than in a festive candy cane pie! This is a very simple recipe and one that doesn't require too much planning or prep time. The only ingredients are Stonyfield Organic Greek yogurt (vanilla bean of course), cream cheese, whipped cream, and a pie crust! Oh, and don't forget the candy canes!! For a smooth consistency I used my electric mixer (referral link to Amazon for the mixer I use) to mix the whipped cream, cream cheese and yogurt. I added a few drops of peppermint extract to make the peppermint flavor more noticeable. Once the mixture is creamy and blended then you can stir in the crushed candy canes. Then you ... [ Read More ]
Warm Gifts to Give (or Keep) with prAna
Happy Holidays and thank you for visiting Back to Calley blog. This post is sponsored by prAna in exchange for the outfit shown here. All opinions are my own. Use coupon code CMWL17 at prAna to save 15% off through 12/20/17 plus free shipping through 12/15/17. #giftedprAna It's getting chilly around the country this week and it's FINALLY starting to feel like the holidays are coming here in Florida. Our cold front is almost here and I'm excited to pull out my sweaters; for a few days at least. I've seen rumors or white stuff (snow) in colder parts around the US too. What's on your shopping list? Who do you still have to shop for? If you're shopping for an outdoor lover or someone who is athletic they may like some of the items you can find with prAna. They have some super comfortable athletic apparel that is perfect for the yogi or runner. I'm a huge fan of their Kara Jean (shown above in Indigo) for everyday wear. I love that they are long enough to wear cuffed or ... [ Read More ]
Minecraft Painted Rock Challenge
My kids are addicted to playing Minecraft! This mini-painted rock challenge was created with them in mind and with their help. The words featured on this mini-challenge are things that they may encounter while playing Minecraft. If your kids love Minecraft as much as mine do, this might be a fun way for them to enjoy the game offline! If you want to learn how to play Minecraft with them, you may benefit from my Minecraft 101 for Moms blog post from a few years ago. My daughter's 7th birthday party was a Stampy Cat/Minecraft Birthday themed party and I have some fun party ideas in an old blog post also. I told you my kids love Minecraft!! Please feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram. If you’re posting your rock paintings online, I’d love to follow along and see what you create. Just use the #PaintedRockChallenge hashtag. Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? The Painted Rock Challenge group is a fun place to share your ... [ Read More ]
Colored Pencil on Rocks
Yes, you can use colored pencils to "paint" or color on rocks instead of paint! I didn't feel like getting my paints out this evening so I decided to try colored pencils instead. I had a brand new bag of rocks just waiting to be colored and I couldn't resist! I'm in love!!! I used my favorite Prismacolor colored pencils on the raw rock. The only thing that I did was rinse and dry the rock before I got started. I've always loved my Prismacolor pencils because the colors are so bright and vivid. They are super soft and blend easily (unlike cheaper colored pencils) and these are even waterproof. You could use paint and pens/markers along with colored pencils if you wanted an even richer look. When I was done I wanted to see how well my sealer worked and prayed it wouldn't smear the colored pencils! Guess what, it came out perfectly with my clear spray sealer. I'm excited to have another media to use on my rocks now and can't wait to work on a few more colored pencil rocks ... [ Read More ]
Finding Beauty After the Storm
This post is sponsored by prAna. "If you truly love nature, you'll find beauty everywhere." - Vincent VanGogh ...you can even find beauty following a hurricane. It's been over a week since Hurricane Irma left her mark on my beautiful State and my spirit, but in the devastation I found beauty all around me. As we watch the oceans for the devastation that Marie may bring to the islands, I'm looking very hard to find the rainbow that will happen following that storm. It's not easy... My spirit is still shattered from the stress that Irma brought to us. The hardest decision that we faced was if we should stay or if we should leave. That decision changed daily as Irma inched her way closer to our home. Many of our friends and neighbors stayed and weathered the eye of the storm; I'm sure we would have been fine had we stayed. We came back to very little damage (thankfully)....but what if the storm would have been a little bit closer? There are so many "what if's" and it's hard ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – September 2017
Hello there rock friends! I bet you're looking for the next painted rock challenge, aren't you? You are in the right place. This is the home of the monthly Painted Rock Challenge. I began this adventure earlier this year as a way to challenge my creative limits. I had no idea it was going to be shared all around the world, so thank you so much for being part of this journey. I personally didn't get to paint much in August, because life happens and hobbies get pushed aside. We're finally getting back into our Back to School routines, so I'm hopeful I'll have more time this coming month. Please feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or anywhere you happen to be. If you're posting your rock paintings online, I'd love to follow along and see what you create. Just use the #PaintedRockChallenge hashtag. September has a few special dates and holidays that sparked some of the ideas in the challenge. Sept 2: International Bacon Day, Sept 9: Teddy Bear Day (AKA ... [ Read More ]
Summer Travel Essentials
Sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. It is my favorite times of summer, I finally get to travel myself. The rest of my family have all taken trips this summer and it's finally my turn. We're a bit non-traditional over summer and don't always get to travel as a family. Earlier this summer my husband took our youngest on a special trip to LA. Both of the kids have traveled with my parents in their new RV; and my husband travels all the time for business. Our annual family getaway is coming up in a few more weeks as we head back to the river for some tubing with friends. ...but this is my week! It's a (mostly) pleasure trip with a little bit of work tossed in. Traveling can wear you out and flying can be horrible on your immune system. It's a great time to boost your vitamins and stock up on a few small travel items. I don't usually check bags when I fly, so having smaller travel sized body care items is essential. My friends at Sprouts Farmers Market are having a Vitamin ... [ Read More ]
Sweet Summer Chicken Salad
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and Taylor Farms as part of the Stonyfield Yogetters Bloggers Network. Summer is in full swing in our house and I'm TRYING to eat more healthy. At the end of May I started a 21 Day Fix "diet" through a friend of mine to help me kickstart some weight loss. I hate the word "diet" because that makes you feel "fat" and I still don't feel fat even though I'm not my ideal weight. I've gotten into some bad eating habits and I really just needed to refocus my priorities and start making better choices. Our family is plagued with heart disease and I am not getting any younger. Plus my kids need to start seeing me make better choices so that they won't have to struggle so much as they get older. ....anyways.... For almost an entire month I've given up dairy, coffee (WOW), breads, pastas, rice, and processed foods. I've been focusing on whole fresh foods; which means a lot of salads. I've slowly started to add back some dairy in the form ... [ Read More ]