Copy Cat Crafter

Happy Halloween!

2012-10-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

"Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon's silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play."
~ Joel Benton

Wake County Parade of Homes

2012-10-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

The Wake County Parade of Homes has been going on for a couple weekends now and the hubster and I decided to check out some of them. He was a real trooper in going to look at a few ton of homes, and I loved looking at some of the staged ones, and also all the different layouts and features the different builders had to offer. I picked up several good ideas, and took pictures of some of my favorites! Have a look...

My favorite house from the outside...inside is just as cute but it's three stories and we're looking for a ranch or at least a first floor master in our next house. It is adorable though!

Some of the homes had some fun accent walls

Love this bathroom wallpaper

The grey and yellow was a popular color choice in several of the homes...for good reason!

These doors were in several of the homes...I love the detail on it!

I will have this backsplash in my next kitchen!

I'm loving the built-ins and the tile in the fireplace!

Wouldn't this be a great entertainment space!

The framed mirrors and lights in this bathroom make it look like anything but builder grade!

I had a lot of fun checking out the homes, finding some ideas for my next home, and the builders and stagers did an excellent job! What about you...if you live in the area have you had a chance to check them out yet? There's still one more weekend left!

Wine and Design - Also Known As The Post In Which I Actually Did Well At Painting!

2012-10-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

The hubster and I tried out one of those art classes that are popping up everywhere. The BYOB ones where they provide all you need to paint and you supply the snacks and drinks. Instant date night, and tons of fun! My hubster insists he has no artistic ability, and I've posted before about how my craftiness skills do not include painting, but both of our paintings turned out awesome! We went to Wine and Design in Cary, NC, and it was by far one of the funnest dates I've been on! The night we went was Starry Skyline, and you got to choose from 5 city skylines. I chose San Francisco (the city has stolen my heart) and the hubster did Raleigh, NC. Check out the results!

Fun right!? I love them, and they're currently on display in one of our guest bedrooms. It was really cool how we were all being guided to paint the same picture, and yet all of them turned out different.

So, have you tried out any of these classes? Where's your favorite place to paint?

Fun Fall Decor

2012-09-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for a while, with only the occasional sponsored post written by me. Did you notice? Well lets just pretend it didn't happen and carry on where we left off shall we? Here, look at these awesome things I found on a recent shopping trip at Target. Ooooh, pretty pictures; forgetting my lack of posting already aren't you!

Aren't they lovely!? I'm loving the owls, but I'm pretty sure the hubster might get upset at bringing in another one...I already have 12 i~~n my living room alone~~ (hey don't judge, it's tastefully done :D). For now I'll just gaze from afar (at least until after Halloween when they're marked down). Anything you've been drooling over for the Fall season? Don't you just love Target!?

Update: After posting reviews and sponsored posts, I realized after I posted this that it might seem like one too. Really, it's not; I just loved what I saw when I was wasting time the other day and thought I'd share with you. However, if Target has an interest I wouldn't turn it down...just saying!

Famous Footwear - Back to School Sale!

2012-08-08T04:34:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

School's starting back soon (seems to be the theme of most of my recent blog posts!) and Famous Footwear is having a fabulous back to school sale! Time to go pick up some new shoes for the kiddos (man their feet grow so fast!) and yourself (oh how I'm suck a sucker for a cute pair of flats!). They offer such a variety of shoe types, from tennis shoes to sandles, boots, dressshoes, and even a narrow and wide (yes!) categories, all for men, women, and children! The back to school promotion is Buy One Get One Half Off, plus a 15% off coupon...what an amazing deal! Follow the link to pring off your coupon and redeem it in-store now through August 18th BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon.

If there's not a Famous Footwear near you, or if you just don't have time to go into the store to shop, you can order online at at www.famous.com and have them shipped to their favorite store for pick-up at no charge, or to your home for an added convenience (did I mention I have a slight obsession with online shopping...no lines, no having to get all cute to go out, and a lot easier to look up reviews of the product before buying...LOVE IT!).

Oh, and if the 15% isn't enough for you, you can join Famous Footwear's rewards program and get 20% off to use in stores until August 18th. You also get 1 point for every $1 you spend at Famous Footwear (in stores or online) and can cash in the points for up to $100 in certificates in a year! You'll have access to other special offers, including one when you sign up, and best of all it's free! So go shop, and send me a link to what you buy so I can see the fabulousness that you're wearing!

Summer Vacation - SAVE in San Antonio

2012-08-04T02:58:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAVE for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So the Summer's coming to an end, but it's not over yet! There's still time to get out there and explore! I love visiting different places around the US (visiting every state is on my bucket list), and recently I've become aware of SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience. It's a site that offers discounts for attractions and hotels in San Antonio, with more than $600 in savings available! On their site there are also Limited Time Offers, so be sure to check those out and plan your vacation!

Unfortunatly, I'm not going to be able to take another vacation this summer (bummer!) but it's still fun to plan one out and see all the wonderful things there are to do! Using SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience, I learned there are so many attractions in San Antonio I wasn't even aware of!

So, my dream vacation experience in San Antonio for a long weekend would start off staying at the Westin (hands down the most comfy beds ever!) where you can get discounts from SAVE for room prices starting at $119. After checking in and putting away luggage, change into swimsuits and head to http://www.splashtownsa.com, 20 acres of family waterpark fun featuring 40 waterslides, the 1/2-million-gallon wave pool, the 1/4-mile-long Siesta Del Rio, a huge kids' pool and activity pool with water volleyball, water basketball and more! The SAVE discount is up to $42, and now through August 10th the waterpark has "dive in movies" on Fridays, where visitors can enjoy family-friendly movies while hanging out in Splashtown San Antonio’s wave pool.

The next day I would go to http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sanantonio/ ! Sea World is my favorite park, and while I've never visited the one in San Antonio, it looks fabulous and SAVE offers $10 off each ticket! I usually don't stay at an amusement park all day, but if it's anything like the other SeaWorld park I've been to, then with all the shows and exhibits to see then it'll be an all day affair.

The next day I would split the day between the San Antonio Zoo (http://www.sazoo-aq.org/ - $2 off admission with SAVE)

and Six Flags Fiesta Texas (http://www.sixflags.com/national/index.aspx - multiple discount opportunities avaialbe through SAVE, including everyone paying kids price!).

Before heading home on the final day, the hubster and I always take a tour of each city we visit, and the Grand Trolley Tours offers a historic journey through beautiful San Antonio on a 60 minute ride, where you can use SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience for a $3 discount. On the way out of town (or into if you want to do it like the normal people) stop by the San Antonio's Official Visitor Information center and get a free gift if you purchase over $15 worth (perfect place for souviners for those who weren't lucky enough to have all the fun you just did).

So that's a jam packed itenerary, but with SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience offering so many discounts and offers, what would be a pricy vacation suddenly got much cheaper! Follow@SAVEinSA on Twitter for more updates on deals, Limited Time Offers, and other ideas for iteneraries. Do you have any vacation plans coming up or any experience using SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience ? Let me know so I can live vicariously through you!

Astrobrights Paper

2012-07-22T01:43:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So the school year is coming up soon (oh no, where did Summer go!?) and there's so much to prepare for the upcoming year. As a school teacher this time is both exciting and hectic! There's meetings to attend, curriculum to write, and the most fun part (for me at least) decorating the classroom! I've spent the whole summer on Pinterest gathering inspiration from all the great and creative classroom theme ideas I've seen, as well as coming up with some new ways to organize everything!

With 20something kids and just one of me organization is key, and that's where AstroBrights papers come in! These are papers that come in 23 different colors and are perfect for all sorts of things! My plan is to use it to print all those forms on that you have to send home at the beginning of the year. Print each one on a different color paper, that way when they all come back in a big pile it's easier to sort by color instead of having to read each paper to know where it needs to go. Another idea I'm toying around with this year is assigning each child a different color, and that way all their stuff can be easily identified and there won't be any arguements over who the glue stick belongs too (can you tell I'm with the young ones! :D)...just cut off a square of that childs color, ModgePodge it right onto the supply (glue stick, crayons, notebooks, folders, etc.) and then there's no question about it. AstroBrights papers would also make a great addition to the kids self evaluation notebooks - there's about 5 different sections in there, and with the bright and bold colors of the papers, it would make it really easy for the kids to identify what section to flip to if the AstroBright papers are used as dividers (plus it'll help out for my little ones who are still struggling with reading)!

The possibilities are endless for uses in the classroom, but AstroBright papers have so many more uses: afterschool chore charts, flyers for your neighborhood garage sale (wouldn't a bold color get so much more attention than that white printer paper you've been using!?), and much more.

Oh, and do you want to get off on the right foot this year with your child's teacher...enter the "Give a Brighter Year" sweepstakes and you could win a cash prize and $30,000 worth of school supplies for the school of your choice! AstroBrights is also having a "Make Something Astrobright" design challenge, where you can join in the fun and share your projects for a chance to win prizes. You can share via Pinterest or Twitter and use the hashtag #goastrobrights. So got check out AstroBrights papers on Facebook, get your creative juices flowing, and have fun with what's left of your summer with the bold and beautiful colors available!

Celebrating At Chili's With A #CoronaRita

2012-05-04T18:43:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chili’s Grill & Bar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sure you've all seen the infamous CoronaRita floating around Pinterest. Well Chili's has taken the work out of it for you and has it on their new menu! The name is pretty self explanitory, but in case you were wondering, it's a margarita made with Jose Cuervo Especial Tequilla and Coronita. I'm so excited to try this; doesn't it look amazing!?

Tomorrow being Cinco de Mayo, it's the perfect opportunity to go out to eat some southwestern inspired food at Chili's, and to try out the CoronaRita at Chili's. The hubster and I already have plans to visit and check out this drink, as well as some of the great sounding food on their menu. They have a 2 for $20 option that comes with an appetizer and 2 entrees...add the drinks and it sounds like a great inexpensive date night to me! I love the crispy onion and jalapeno stack, and they're texas cheese fries are amazing! I'm planning on getting the Quesadilla Explosion Salad (seriously, if you haven't tried this you should...AMAZING!) and the hubster will more than likely go with the Chicken Fajitas. Doesn't it sound like it pairs well with a nice cold refreshing CoronaRita?

We usually get the same food every time we go to a restaurant; find one that's good, why switch it up right!? What do you usually eat at Chili's? Maybe we'll get daring and change our food order (but truthfully, probably not :p)

I'm definitely a margarita gal, and you can't beat a Corona, so I can only imagine how great it is! I'll update this post and let you know how I liked it after I try it out Saturday! Have any of you tried it yet? Of course, this should go without saying, but you must be 21 or older to drink alcoholic beverages and as always, please remember to drink responsibly.

February Valentines

2012-01-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm a bit nervous in posting this that the surprise will be ruined, but hopefully the recipient of these gifts won't read this!

YES YOU! STOP READING IF YOU SEE THESE BAGS ON THE COUNTER!!!

Ok...hopefully it's safe now! :)

Mommy By Day Crafter By Night shared this idea, and her really cute free printables. I totally ~~stole~~ borrowed the idea from her, and then tweaked it a bit to fit what I found. Like the 12 Days of Christmas, but instead 14 Days of Valentines (so maybe not like it at all except in that it involves numbers and holidays), you give a gift a day starting February 1st and build up to Valentines Day. I know it's only a day before you're suppose to start, so I'm a bit late in posting, but maybe you can use some of the ideas. I found everything either at the Dollar Tree or at Walmart, so it was relatively inexpensive and super fun!

The Spread

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

(it says "we make a good duo" and it's a duet chocolate bar)

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

All set up :)

Like I said, go check out Mommy By Day Crafter By Night and the ideas she shared, and I'll attach the tags I made too. I made the tags for 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11. Hope between the two of us you'll be inspired and be able to find your own stuff! Enjoy!

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Link Parties - I don't get to all of them with each post, but you should check them out!

Sundays: I <3 Naptime, 1+1+1=1 ( kid friendly), Little Wonders' Days (kid friendly)

Mondays : C.R.A.F.T.,Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Home Stories A to Z
Ninth Street Notions, Polly Want A Crafter, Ask Anna, Pinkapotamus, So Creative
Tuesdays: Today's Creative Blog, All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee Crafts,Tales of A Trophy Wife, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just A Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Crayon Freckles,
Wednesdays: Fireflies & Jelly Beans, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design , Lil' Luna, Polka Dots On Parade, Free Pretty Things For You, A Little Tipsy (DIY under $5), DIY By Design, Raising 4 Princesses(kid friendly), This Chick Cooks (recipes), Lollipops (what I love), Sew Much Ado, Organize and Decorate Everything, The Girl Creative
Thursdays: A Glimpse Inside, My Repurposed Life, Simple Home Life,

Fridays: TaterTots & Jello, Sun Scholars (kid friendly), Remodelaholic, Bacon Time, Stuff & Nonsense, At The Picket Fence

Saturdays: I Can Teach My Child (kid friendly), Be Different, Act Normal,

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but it's not really feeling like Christmas to me this year. There's a lot going on in my personal life, and the fact that it's been in the 60s and 70s the past month (NOT that I'm complaining!), has kind of put a damper on my Christmas spirit. However, I'm blessed to have friends and family that love and care and I got to spend some time with. Also, I get tomorrow off (meaning I get to sleep in, woot!), so hooray! Oh, and I got some awesome swag this year - a sewing machine and a Kindle Fire! So excited to get to mess around with them both and discover their amazingness. I'm hoping to get started with the sewing machine soon...maybe try to make

this seat cover (are everyone elses dogs shedding like crazy now!?)

these adorable baby booties

and this adorable pillow.

I've never sewed before and I'm kind of clueless about how complex/easy these tutorials might be...we'll find out soon I guess!? Any other recommendations for beginner sewing projects?

Hope you all have had a fun holiday weekend...I would say relaxing but if your Christmas is anything like mine it'll be far from it! :)

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas

2011-12-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

I don't have kiddos of my own, but I did get the chanced to keep the kids I watch over a long weekend, and they have an Elf on the Shelf (named Carl) so I got to play along with all the fun I see floating around the blogs!

I finally got around to decorating my house for Christmas too!

This is our upstairs tree, and it's a travel theme. Since we've been dating, the hubster and I pick up an ornament from every place we visit, so that's what's on this tree, along with some fun pink and turquoise ornaments for a fun!

Last year we got a new tree for downstairs, and it's SO pretty!

I LOVE the berries and pinecones that are on it!

Our kitchen table even got a mini makeover too!

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Link Parties - I don't get to all of them with each post, but you should check them out!

Sundays: I <3 Naptime, 1+1+1=1 ( kid friendly), Little Wonders' Days (kid friendly)
Mondays : C.R.A.F.T.,Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Home Stories A to Z
Ninth Street Notions, Polly Want A Crafter, Ask Anna, Pinkapotamus, So Creative
Tuesdays: Today's Creative Blog, All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee Crafts,Tales of A Trophy Wife, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just A Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Crayon Freckles,
Wednesdays: Fireflies & Jelly Beans, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design , Lil' Luna, Polka Dots On Parade, Free Pretty Things For You, A Little Tipsy (DIY under $5), DIY By Design, Raising 4 Princesses(kid friendly), This Chick Cooks (recipes), Lollipops (what I love), Sew Much Ado, Organize and Decorate Everything, The Girl Creative
Thursdays: A Glimpse Inside, My Repurposed Life, Simple Home Life,
Fridays: TaterTots & Jello, Sun Scholars (kid friendly), Remodelaholic, Bacon Time, Stuff & Nonsense, At The Picket Fence
Saturdays: I Can Teach My Child (kid friendly), Be Different, Act Normal,

Fun and Ideas - NC State Fair

2011-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, these are pictures from the fair almost 2 months ago...don't judge, just enjoy! :D

Check out how cute these fair food cupcakes are!

One of my favorite things to visit is the building with all the weird produce, biggest pumpkin, etc. They have kids use pumpkins and apples to make a scene and these were a couple of my favorites!

The cake's entered in the competition look amazing, both professional and non-professional ones!

Take a look at these cute table settings! Great ideas to use for future Fall and Winter parties!

Last but not least, I'm not sure what contest this was entered for, but it won and it looks like it took someone a LONG time to make it! So cute, and the detail that went into it is incredible!

Baby Cake Number 3

2011-11-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

I decided to try making a diaper cake differently this time. The recipients of the diaper cakes I've made in the past (see my first one here and blanket wrapped one here) have loved their gifts, but I always felt bad they had to take off a rubber band and unroll each diaper to use them, I wanted to make it a little easier this time. I just did some guessing and reworking, and it all turned out good!

Supplies: ribbons, johnsons travel pack, baby washcloths, artificial flowers-stems cut off, tape, 42 size 2 pampers, clothes

1. Lay the diapers out in a line, overlapping evenly. These had images at the top, so i just had the next diaper start at the bottom of the design.

2. I folded up the clothes the width of the diapers and included that on top before I started rolling...then just start rolling it inwards on itself.

3. Add more diapers and clothes to make the "layers" different sizes. Secure with a rubber band (making only one rubber band to take off than one on each diaper!) and stack on top of one another.

4. Cove the rubber bands with decorative ribbons,

add in flowers and goodies,

Tah-dah!

It's sitting on top of a cute magnetic memo board that can be used in the nursery, and I can't wait to give it to the mommy to be!

How Does Your Garden Grow? - Dig, Drop, Done!

2011-11-12T16:01:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love flowers, but really am an awful gardener! I try to keep my flower beds looking nice and pretty (see my gardening post here) and I do love to use bulbs! It's a nice surprise when flowers pop up later on! Luckily, DigDropDone.com has made it easy for you to use bulbs, and shows you endless possibilities of beautiful flowers! They have three leading ladies who you can identify with, and who will share tips and ideas with you! I really identify with Marcy - the supermom!

While I don't have kids of my own, I do take care of 3 kiddos full time, and like me, she is super busy running around everywhere! She loves that she can get beautiful flowers from bulbs without having to spend a ton of time on gardening, and she shares tons of tips with you to make your home and garden beautiful. My mom didn't pass the gardening gene onto me, but she did pass on her appreciation of flowers! I am excited to use Digdropdone.com to help me with tips on how easy it can be to grow flowers! Bulbs aren't just for planting outside in flower beds either. You can use them in cute planters for the front porch, add some color to your bathrooms, or even throw a couple in a cute watering tin with a pair of gardening gloves for a great Mother's Day or housewarming gift! Go and visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more about how you can beautify your surroundings using bulbs. It gives you month by month tips for keeping your garden looking great. According to the bulb calendar, "The month of November is perfect to start on that first round of tidying up the garden. For some plants, a layer of leaves offers good protection. But gardeners beware: if you fail to move the debris quick enough come spring, the earliest flower bulbs may be hindered. To give your bulbs growing freedom, remove excess leaves and plant debris early on, making sure to keep your lawn particularly clean. Add some fertilizer to those bulbs that you left in the ground after they bloomed this past spring. You will be rewarded with more blooms next spring!" Go try it out and let me know what you think!

DigDropDone.com also has an exciting contest with Curbside Chaos called "Bulbs. Dig Drop Done." where you can upload a picture of your yard and win a $5000 makeover for your yard! Not only do you get a yard redesign, you also will get a visit and consultation from Taniya Nayak (@TaniyaNayak on Twitter)! Also, for every tweet shared about "Bulbs Dig Drop Done", they will donate $1 to Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization that works on revitalizing communities! How exciting would that makeover be! Also on you can use the Garden Guru Tool that lets you choose where you live and then gives you a planting guide based on what will grow best when!

Now I know what I can plant to make my garden look great year round! Have fun exploring all the possibilities for you! Go visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more and Curbside Chaos !

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrated this weekend by carving some pumpkins and taking a quick trip to Savannah with the neighbors! Love that place, and it is the most haunted city in America after all! How about you?

H is for Halloween - Toddler Teaching

2011-10-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

It's been super busy around here, I've been working extra late, and I'm fighting off a cold, so all those combined are excuses for my lack of posting as of late! I don't have a super long post today either, but I didn't want Halloween to pass without posting some of the great stuff I've found for toddler activities. The tot and I made this with his hand and footprints (~~idea taken from~~ ok stolen, from Handprint and Footprint Arts&Crafts),

and we painted a pumpkin with some stripes using painters tape then drew on a cute face.

We did lots of the other stuff on my H is for Halloween Pinterest Board too (like soda bottle bowling and frozen "boo"nana pops), but I didn't take pictures, so check out my board if you're interested in more ideas!

Oh My Gourd! - 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

I found this pin on Pinterest of 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins from Sweet-Verbina, originally made as a pumpkin cake on Big Red Kitchen. The hubster and I both LOVE pumpkin, so I knew I had to try it! I used Spice Cake instead of the Vanilla Cake used in the original recipe, and it was amazing!

You just empty the cake mix and the 16oz. can of pumpkin into a mixing bowl and mix it. That's it! No eggs, no water, nothing! I did this at work so there wasn't an electric mixer, and mixing it by hand made it kind of sticky and not batter-like like it was supposed to be, but it tasted yummy anyway, even if it didn't look the best.

Tah-dah!

I ate some plain, but I also bought some Cream Cheese frosting for the top and it tasted really great too!

Other Variations :

Big Red Kitchen has a recipe for a glaze with her post
Sweet-Verbina dusted hers with powdered sugar
I bet it would taste great with chocolate chips added in
I might try making these as pancakes too; yum!
I'm thinking about trying it out with carrot cake mix too

Have you tried these out? Any other ideas to change up this simple recipe?

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Link Parties - I don't get to all of them with each post, but you should check them out!

Sundays: I <3 Naptime, 1+1+1=1 ( kid friendly), Little Wonders' Days (kid friendly)
Mondays : C.R.A.F.T.,Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Home Stories A to Z
Ninth Street Notions, Polly Want A Crafter, Ask Anna, Pinkapotamus, So Creative
Tuesdays: Today's Creative Blog, All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee Crafts,Tales of A Trophy Wife, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just A Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Crayon Freckles,
Wednesdays: Fireflies & Jelly Beans, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design , Lil' Luna, Polka Dots On Parade, Free Pretty Things For You, A Little Tipsy (DIY under $5), DIY By Design, Raising 4 Princesses(kid friendly), This Chick Cooks (recipes), Lollipops (what I love), Sew Much Ado, Organize and Decorate Everything, The Girl Creative
Thursdays: A Glimpse Inside, My Repurposed Life, Simple Home Life,
Fridays: TaterTots & Jello, Sun Scholars (kid friendly), Remodelaholic, Bacon Time, Stuff & Nonsense, At The Picket Fence
Saturdays: I Can Teach My Child (kid friendly), Be Different, Act Normal,

Pumpkin Party @ Confessions of a Stay At Home Mom

Weekend Wrapup

2011-10-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

The hubster and I are on a budget this months so we're not really going out and doing a lot, but this weekend I had to get out of the house! It was a beautiful day so we spent the day strolling the farmers market, stopping by his office to get some awesome apple cider in the cool Keurig machine they have (seriously, have you guys seen/used these!? They're so quick and make all kinds of yummy drinks), and then went strolling around Target to do some inspiration shopping for decorating his new office building. We only spent $5, and it was on these beautiful flowers (have I mentioned I'm a sucker for sunflowers?)

and it was some of the most fun I've had in a while! The best part...driving around hand in hand with the windows down! Yay for great weather and company!

Side note...I bought these chairs from World Market (in the color "soap") because they were close to what I wanted for the cheapest I have found by far (especially since I had 2 coupons, they equaled about $60 each!), but not exactly what I wanted (they had brown legs and I needed black). So I sanded down the legs and painted them (making them nonreturnable), and now that I have them with the table, I think I like them, but the hubster is bothered that the whites of the chair and the table legs aren't matchy matchy. Do you think they look ok? - be honest!

I also made some 3 ingredient pumpkin spice muffins (recipe coming Thursday) that were delicious,

and watched this movie (not really recommended, but I couldn't pass it up because it had Mandy Moore and one of the vamps from Twilight in it!). We have a Blockbuster movie pass, so for $15 a month we have unlimited rentals (one out at a time) of anything in the store (games and movies) - Blockbuster's making a comeback y'all!

Oh, and one of the cutest things I saw at Target - this adorable snowman! But at $50, I had to pass him by...maybe I can figure out someway to DIY! It really is super cute!

Hope you all had a great weekend as well! See you tomorrow for Must Make Monday!

Tasty Thursday - Copy Cat Mexican Shrimp Dish

2011-10-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

There's this one Mexican restaurant by my parents house that has a dish called "AC Shrimp." I haven't seen it at any other restaurant, but it is amazing! I decided to try and recreate it at home, and while it's not exactly like the dish at the restaurant (really, it's never the same is it!?) it still turned out pretty dang good!

I started some Spanish Rice,

I cut up a green bell pepper, half an onion, a summer squash, and some broccoli and sauteed them in the skillet until they were soft. Then I threw in some precooked shrimp to heat them up.

I put some mexican cheese dip in the microwave and melted it,

then served it all on top of the rice.

Yum!

Do you have any good copy cat restaurant recipes? I know this isn't a complicated dish, but I was pretty proud of myself for thinking this up, and it totally satisfied a craving I was having for Mexican food! If you try it out, or if you've had it before and have any suggestions for making it better, I'd love to hear!

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Link Parties - I don't get to all of them with each post, but you should check them out!

Sundays: I <3 Naptime, 1+1+1=1 ( kid friendly), Little Wonders' Days (kid friendly)
Mondays : C.R.A.F.T.,Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Home Stories A to Z,Ninth Street Notions, Polly Want A Crafter, Ask Anna, Pinkapotamus, So Creative, Mrs. Happy Homemaker
Tuesdays: Today's Creative Blog, All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee Crafts,Tales of A Trophy Wife, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just A Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Crayon Freckles,
Wednesdays: Fireflies & Jelly Beans, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design , Lil' Luna, Polka Dots On Parade, Free Pretty Things For You, A Little Tipsy (DIY under $5), DIY By Design, Raising 4 Princesses(kid friendly), This Chick Cooks (recipes), Lollipops (what I love), Sew Much Ado, Organize and Decorate Everything, The Girl Creative
Thursdays: A Glimpse Inside, My Repurposed Life, Simple Home Life,
Fridays: TaterTots & Jello, Sun Scholars (kid friendly), Remodelaholic, Bacon Time, Stuff & Nonsense, At The Picket Fence
Saturdays: I Can Teach My Child (kid friendly), Be Different, Act Normal,

http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2011/10/halloween-ideas-party.html
http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2011/10/fall-fun-party.html
http://www.craftyconfessions.com/2011/09/pumpkin-addicts-anonymous-link-party.html
ishareprintables

Whatever Wednesday

2011-10-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

I hung out with the toddler inside a McDonalds playspace because the older kiddos were still in school and the toddler decided he was too big to be satisfied with the age appropriate section. He was excited, me not so much...those things are stinky! P.S. Sorry for the blurry pic but since the kiddos not mine I didn't want to show too much.

Some of the neighborhood ladies all got together and we went to Diva Night at Crazy Glaze. It was tons of fun, and in a week from yesterday I'll have a new spoonrest to match the placemats on my kitchen table!

Must Make Mondays

2011-10-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

I've found some fantastic ideas floating around this week, and here are a few of my favorite...

Procrastination Station shares this cute idea for a baby shower gift - to go bags with wipes, formuls, onesies, etc.

Be Different Act Normal featured this adorable witches hat and broom meal - my kiddos would love it!

Big Red Kitchen has a recipe for a delicious looking 2 ingredient pumpkin cake - I'll be tryin this soon!

Tablespoon shows off some cute Nutter Butter Ghosts - wouldn't this be adorable for a Halloween party?

A Brooklyn Limeston In Progress writes a how to for this wonderful DIY Dinnerware!

Dashing Dish shows off how to make mini deep dish pizza - this would be great for a party too! I could even see buying some muffin tins that make 6, throwing a party and having a pizza bar set out where each couple takes their own pan and adds their own ingredients! How fun!?

Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas! I can't wait to try these out!

Weekend Wrapup

2011-10-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Fall weather has arrived and I'm LOVING it! A cool 60 degrees is my favorite type of weather! I've spent the weekend getting out all the Fall decor and sanding and painting the legs on some chairs we finally found for the kitchen table I painted a while back. I'll share the story of the chairs with you in a later post when it all gets done, but for now I'll show you what I have out for the new decor!

First off, I made a wreath for our front door. I used the same grapevine wreath frame from my July 4th wreath, bought 4 bunches of flowers from the Dollar Tree

ripped the flowers off their "stems" and placed them all around the wreath.

I used the "Happy Fall Y'all" printable from It's A Crafty Life, cut off the boarder, and taped it to an empty picture frame to weigh it down. The "leafs" on the printable are foam table scatters, also from the Dollar Tree.

I switched my Summer mantel out for this one

I made the banner with scrapbook paper and cut all the circles and letters by hand. The pumpkin on the left side is from Kohl's last year after Halloween, and all the figurines come from Dollar General. The turkey votive holder also came from Kohl's last year, and the candles and candle holders came from my bridal shower years ago (yay for repurposing)!

I finally got that bookcase and console table I wished about in this post, and decorated them as well.

The console for Fall,

(you can't really see in the picture but the chair has a pillow that says "Boo!" , and check out the cute owls my awesome hubster picked up for me from Pier 1!

and the bookcase decorated for Halloween.

The "ghosts" on the 2nd to bottom shelf are glass light covers for a chandelier I picked up for $0.75 each at the local thrift store and colored ghost faces on last year. They have battery powered votives under them and cast a cute glow at night! The wooden sign up top is also a thrift store find for $1.75! I covered the 6 books on the shelf with some scrapbook paper I had, and the rest of the Halloween stuff is all from clearance after the holiday last year from Big Lots and Dollar General.

I threw some cute Halloween stuff on our dining room table

I made the pumpkin with a white craft pumpkin and some ribbon. I just ran some glue dots up to ridges of the pumpkin, cut some ribbon to fit, and cut a tag using scrapbook paper and stickers to say "boo."

The lanterns came from this HUGE antique barn in Asheville, NC. The table runner from, once again, Kohl's (seems to be a reoccurring theme in this blog post).

Did you spot the birds above my window? They're up there year round, but can totally pass as Halloween-y too right?

So there you have it! All decorated, at least until the end of the month and Halloween is over...until then I'll be searching for some cute Fall bargains!

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Link Parties - I don't get to all of them with each post, but you should check them out!

Sundays: I <3 Naptime, 1+1+1=1 ( kid friendly), Little Wonders' Days (kid friendly)
Mondays : C.R.A.F.T.,Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Home Stories A to Z
Ninth Street Notions, Polly Want A Crafter, Ask Anna, Pinkapotamus, So Creative
Tuesdays: Today's Creative Blog, All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee Crafts,Tales of A Trophy Wife, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just A Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Crayon Freckles,
Wednesdays: Fireflies & Jelly Beans, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design , Lil' Luna, Polka Dots On Parade, Free Pretty Things For You, A Little Tipsy (DIY under $5), DIY By Design, Raising 4 Princesses(kid friendly), This Chick Cooks (recipes), Lollipops (what I love), Sew Much Ado, Organize and Decorate Everything, The Girl Creative
Thursdays: A Glimpse Inside, My Repurposed Life, Simple Home Life,
Fridays: TaterTots & Jello, Sun Scholars (kid friendly), Remodelaholic, Bacon Time, Stuff & Nonsense, At The Picket Fence
Saturdays: I Can Teach My Child (kid friendly), Be Different, Act Normal,

Halloween Party @ Come Together Kids
Fall Party @ Come Together Kids
Pumpkin Party @ Confessions of a Stay At Home Mom
ishareprintables

Tasty Thursday - Hot Pepper Jelly

2011-09-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

I had this recipe years ago, and then my boss made it this year and reminded me how good it was! I found the recipe on Kraft and once it's made and anned it will last for a long time! I pulled it out and poured it over a block of cream cheese to serve with some wheat thins when the hubsters friends came over for football Sunday. It looks a little icky but tastes great!

what you need

1 green bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

6 jalapeño peppers, seeded finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

1-1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. butter or margarine

6-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

1 pouch CERTO Fruit Pectin

Make It

BRING boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
PLACE peppers in 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Add vinegar and butter. Stir in sugar. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
STIR in pectin. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

This was great to use as a quick dip to make and throw together for a simple gathering with the neighbors. Do you have any good recipes for good and quick snacky type foods?

Whatever Wednesday

2011-09-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

Life has gotten in the way of my posting this week. I have a few minutes to chat right now so lets play catch up ok?

Must Make ~~Monday~~ Wednesday

Toilet Paper Tube Marble Run @ Two Chicks and A Hen - The kiddos love marble runs, and this one looks so simple to make and transport. I will totally be making this and saving it for a rainy day!

Fall and Halloween Mantels Roundup @ Rusty Blue Bird - This mantel really caught my eye! I'm LOVING the witch feet hanging down!

Modge Podge and Fabric Phone Covers @ Decorganize Crafts - Beautiful and inexpensive! I am a little obsessed with phone covers, and now the possibilities are endless!

Jalapeno Popper Dip @ Big Red Kitchen - This looks amazing, and with football season here I'll be making lots of dips in my near future!

Nutella Cookies @ Tasty Kitchen - I made these for a church function Monday night. Mine didn't look as pretty but they tasted good!

Jack-o-Lantern Jars @ Not So Idle Hands - So cute and I totally have all the stuff to do this on hand.

Feel free to pick up a button on my sidebar if you've been featured, or if you're just cool and want to! :)

Toddler Teaching ~~Tuesday~~ Wednesday -

C is for Colors

I kind of cheated this week, ok...I totally cheated this week. I used the same foods and songs from last weeks B is for Brown Bear unit, we colored a lot of coloring pages and did lots of finger painting, and then I just made it a point to focus on the different colors as we came across them in life. The bad news is I feel kind of guilty but the good news is colors can come up in lots of other units, and also that K is pretty young so colors aren't really something all that age appropriate anyway and he has a lot of time to learn them! That might just be me justifying it but hey, remember that whole life thing from the beginning of this post, it also got in the way of my creativity and making anything new time. Oh, and K totally knows red now so at least he learned the most important color (go Wolfpack!).

There, all caught up. Tomorrow I have a totally yummy recipe for something that looks disgusting but is declicious! See you then!

Halloween Printables

2011-09-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've messed around on Picnik, and used some images from Microsoft Word to create some Halloween printables. You should be able to click on the pictures and it will take you to the file where you can print, but if it's not working let me know because I'm still trying to figure this out! Thanks!

From September 25, 2011

Linking Up To
ishareprintables
Sundays: I <3 Naptime
Mondays : C.R.A.F.T.,Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do,
Ninth Street Notions, Polly Want A Crafter, Ask Anna, Pinkapotamus, So Creative
Tuesdays: Today's Creative Blog, All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee Crafts,
Wednesdays: Fireflies & Jelly Beans, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design,
Thursdays:
Fridays:
Saturdays: