Archives for October 2015

Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice

There are so many recipes that I love to bake this time of year that use pumpkin pie spice.  I was getting ready to make my favorite pumpkin cranberry bread the other day and realized as I rummaged through my cabinets that I was completely out of it.  The worst part was that I had somehow returned the empty canister to my spice rack so I had some false hope for a fraction of a second. I was … [Read more...]

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

When the weather begins to cool, my favorite comfort foods always start to work their way back into the rotation.  Something about being chilly always leads me to crave the favorites of my childhood. These incredible peanut butter and jelly cookies are the perfect amalgamation of grown up sophistication and childhood adoration of all things PB&J.  They are warm and gooey, astonishingly … [Read more...]

Chalk Paint Mantel

This month marked our four year anniversary in our home.  As crazy as it sounds, this is the longest that I have ever lived in one house in my entire life.  Although my husband is in the military, we plan on staying here for years to come and it has been such a joy to decorate and create the home of my dreams, and not just the home that I think will sell the easiest. And with that thought in … [Read more...]

Stay on Budget While Traveling and #ServeSomeGood

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for American Express Serve. I applied for the Serve Cash Back card to facilitate my review and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation. As some of you may have read, I have unintentionally and unexpectedly been traveling quite a bit as of late.  The kids and I flew to Montana to be with my grandmother … [Read more...]

25 Hilarious Kid’s Jokes

Early last week I received news that one of my husband's close friends had passed away.  It was the kind of news that rocks you to your core and shakes up all of your feelings.  This time last week I was booking flights for my husband and I to attend his memorial in San Francisco and looking through old, happy photos that were posted online. One week ago I was searching for a Hawaiian shirt and … [Read more...]

You’ve Been Booed! Halloween Fun and Free Printable

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TrickOrSweet #CollectiveBias My neighborhood is full of young families with lots of little kids running around which means a super fun Halloween night for my kiddos.  They love to walk around and go door to door and chat with friends, check out everyone's costumes and fill up their goodie bags. … [Read more...]

Protein Powder Muddy Buddies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DoMoreWithEAS #CollectiveBias Y'all already know how much I love to throw protein powder into my recipes (be sure to try my protein popsicles and vanilla iced latte shake) so when I was looking for a new way to change up a family favorite snack I, of course, reached for some more protein … [Read more...]

Fall Simmering Pot

I got a phone call last Wednesday that rocked my world a bit.  It was my mom, who happened to be visiting her mom, who is without a doubt one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, and they had just heard that my grandmother needed to have surgery. A pacemaker. With my hubby out of town for work and my kids on fall break from school it was an easy decision for me to choose to come up … [Read more...]

Getting out to Play with BGCA

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Boys & Girls Club of America. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation. My kiddos and I are enjoying the incredible fall weather while we are in Montana (I'll fill you in on that tomorrow) and are getting out and keeping active while we are at it.  Any time that I can marry the great outdoors … [Read more...]

Beer Macaroni and Cheese

There are some foods that are just meant to be paired together.  Peanut butter and chocolate immediately jump to mind as do apples and cheese. But beer... Something about beer screams at me that it should be added to all kinds of recipes.  I've already added it to bread, brownies, stew, bacon, pretzels, truffles and even lemonade but I keep looking for new ways to include it. This beer … [Read more...]

DIY Glow in the Dark Window Clings

This post is brought to you by Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social. The opinions are my own. My kids are in love with window clings.  We generally head to the dollar store for every holiday and they pick out what they want to use to decorate their room and sometimes even "their" window in the car.  But when I was challenged by Plaid to create something with a box of surprise supplies, we decided … [Read more...]

Yarn Candy Corn Cones

It has been raining cats and dogs here in NC for what feels like forever now.  In all actuality it has really only been two weeks, but the gray skies and lack of outdoor time for my kids has me feeling the blues.  I had to find a fun indoor project to do with supplies that I had on hand to keep me from losing my mind.  These yarn candy corn cones were easy and fast and gave me a hint of sanity at … [Read more...]