Keep Home Simple

Snow Cream + A Fabric Bulletin Board

2012-01-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

I have really enjoyed my short break from blogging. It's taught me a lot of things: like to slow down!!! play more with my kiddos!!! be my own kind of creative!!! enjoy the current fleeting moments that will never last!!! I feel like I'm finally ready to blog again, but I'm going to take it slow. I'm only going to blog when I feel like it. I'm not going to put myself on any silly schedule or put undue pressure on myself that is totally not necessary {I don't know why I'm constantly having to tell myself that. Please tell me I'm not the only one!} And in the mean time I'm going to live and soak up every moment I can being a young mom and wife. Life is so great! It's not perfect {at all!!!}. But it's still so great! Lots of things to learn and do everyday. And speaking of doing things. Here are a couple of things I've done during my blogging break.

The first one is Snow Cream.

My mom emailed me this recipe last week. The timing couldn't have been more perfect either. We were finally getting snow around these parts, school was cancelled, and we needed some "I'm bored mom!" inspiration. So you want the recipe too? Okay, here goes:

1 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4-5 Cups of Fresh Snow

Directions: Bring a bowl outside and scoop up 4-5 cups of fresh, clean snow. Bring it in the house and set it in the freezer until you need it. Mix together milk, vanilla, and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Slowly add the snow to your mixture, stirring constantly, until it is as thick as ice cream. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes and then take it out and enjoy!

We added oreo's and chocolate syrup to ours. It was sooooo good, I'm not even kidding.
If you double the recipe you'll have enough not just for the kiddos to enjoy, but for the whole family.

The next project I wanted to share with you is this fabric covered bulletin board.

I've had this bulletin board hanging on my fridge {by several magnets hot glued to the back} for about 6 years. I put it together while we were still living in Utah. So it's been a long time. I really like having it. It's a fun way to display pictures, cards, etc. from friends and it keeps everything on the fridge looking a little neater. Plus it's cute! Anyway, I was getting tired of the black and white fabric it was sporting.

So I decided to change it to this hip and fun gray and white chevron material. This fat quarter cost me three dollars at a local craft store. Totally worth the three dollars if you ask me. And if you noticed, I also switched out the fake lemons in my apothecary jar for green limes. I don't know, it's just something about the dreariness of winter that was making me miss the color green. I needed some green in my kitchen to liven up my mood. And it totally worked. Those limes make me happy when I look at them. Silly, I know, but it's true.

Alright, so I'll probably be back later this week with another simple project or two that I did during my blogging break. {But no promises, because life happens.}

C-ya then friends!

CHEAP Wire Baskets

2012-01-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

I've really been enjoying my temporary break from blogging these last couple of weeks.

But I just wanted to pop in really quick to share a really good deal I found. Because this deal may not be around forever, I didn't want to wait till later to tell you about it.

Last week I was at Target browsing through their dollar section and I found some amazing wire baskets {pictured above} for 2.50! Since this is typically "organization season" for many of us, I got so excited and snatched up quite a few of these babies. I've found a lot of uses for these baskets so far, but my favorite use so far is to organize all of my tupperware lids. Now they don't all fall out in my face and all over the counter when I open the cupboard door. They're nice and snug in this cute wire basket. Man, it feels so good to be more organized!

Anyway, if you are taking a trip to Target sometime this week, go check out their dollar section and they may have some of these great baskets at your local Target too!

Alight ...over and out.

Back to my break from blogging :)

Taking a Break

2012-01-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

{via: pinterest}

Other things in life just seem more important right now.

So I'm taking a break from blogging.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

And I'll see ya when I see ya!

~Robin

This Years Neighbor Gift...

2011-12-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

Last week, my family and I went around to all our neighbors on our street and delivered some of these as Christmas gifts.

I kept this years gift reeeally simple.

Homemade granola

in a mason canning jar,

wrapped in green yarn.

(Granola recipe found here.)

If you're still looking for a neighbor gift idea, this is a nice simple one!

Christmas is in full swing around these parts this week.

The kids are out of school, we're hoping to go visit one of Santa's reindeers later this afternoon, I'm taking my oldest today to buy presents for her siblings (I'm so proud of how hard she's worked to earn her own money to buy them gifts), and I've been pinning lots of Christmas treats that I want to make in preparation for our big Christmas Eve dinner this Saturday.

I hope you're all having a fantastic week full of warm memories and great family traditions.

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Sharing this post today here: Making the World Cuter

A Collection of Christmas Crafts for Your Kiddos

2011-12-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Winter Break begins for my kiddos after school gets out this Friday. I'm soooo excited to have them all to myself for the next two weeks. I want to be prepared to have lots of fun with them during this long break, so today I've been doing some research on pinterest to find fun crafts to do together when we're at home.
Want a peak at what we'll be up to???

1. Christmas Cookie Puzzle via ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com

2. Christmas Tree Cookies via realsimple.com

3. Christmas Tree Candy Cones via couponclippingcook.com

4. Graham Cracker Houses via marthastewart.com

5. Stick Stars via pinterest

6. Paper Snow Flakes via kidspot.com

7. Cardstock Paper Ornaments via designmom.com

8. Twig Snowflakes via littlethingsbringsmiles

9. Snowglobe via pinterest.com

10. Paperplate Yarn Tree via being grown up

11. Glittery Christmas Playdough via artfulparent

12. Clothespin Airplanes via parents.com

I can't wait to scrounge around my house for supplies for all of these fun crafts and then shop for what I don't have. It should be fun! I'm looking forward to making lots of fun memories with my family as the rest of this year quickly winds down.

Handmade Manila Folder Gift Tags

2011-12-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas, I'm topping each wrapped gift with a handmade numbered gift tag.

Want to make some too?

Here's how:

Supplies needed: Manila folder(s), hole punch, scissors, craft paint, sponge brush, number stencils, and red and white twine (or regular twine, ribbon...whatever you have).

Step 1: Cut a rectangle out of the manila folder.

Step 2: Cut the two corners off of the top of the rectangle.

Step 3: Hole punch the top.

Step 4: Tie red and white twine through the top hole.

Step 5: Stencil on a number.

Each member of my family has a number this year, 1-5. But my numbers are not a secret. Number 1 is for the oldest member of our family (daddy) and number 5 is for the youngest (our daughter Cali).

I love the way the brown paper packages tied up with red and white twine and topped with manila tags looks under our Christmas tree this year. Simple + classic.

My goal is to get all of my Christmas wrapping done by the end of this week so that by next week, when my kiddos are all out of school for Christmas break, I don't have to think about it anymore. We can just relax and enjoy this special season.

Gift Tags shared here: Centsational Girl, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Tatertots and Jello

What Christmas Looks Like at Our House: Part IV

2011-12-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make some felt circle garland {like this kind shown here} for forever, but my sewing machine is broken. So last week a very kind friend let me come over to her house to use her machine and I was finally able to make some. Besides the time consuming task of cutting each little circle out by hand {which can be done while watching a movie to help pass the time}, it was a really fun and easy project {even if you only have beginning sewing skills like I do}. I made a really looong strand of this garland and then cut it up into three different sections.

One to wrap around the banister on the stairs...

one to hang black and white pictures on from Christmas's of years past...

and one strung along the top of a book wreath I have hanging down at the end of the hall.

Love it.

And that's what Christmas looks like at our house this year.

To read more go here: Part I, Part II, Part III.

~Have a great weekend everyone!

What Christmas Looks Like at Our House: Part III

2011-12-07T01:01:00.000-08:00

Living Room at Christmas time :: Christmas tree, wreath hung with ribbon by the window, stockings hung by the fireplace, red striped pillows, and so far ...only a few gifts wrapped and under the tree.

Our family tradition is driving down to Home Depot and picking out a live tree. Then we bring it home, my husband puts it in water, trims the branches, and strings the white lights onto it. Then as a family, we watch "White Christmas", drink sparkling cider, and decorate the tree. This year, our tree is full of all different kinds of ornaments. I had thought about thinning them out one of these nights, after the kids had gone to bed, but then changed my mind. While at one point in my life I may have done this, right now I'd rather not waste my precious time around the holidays erasing the work of my children. I like to see how proud they are of each little ornament that they hung and the little stories they remember about each little one. In the end, it doesn't really matter how crowded the tree may look. I don't think any little changes to it could make this tree look any happier.

Oh, and every year we like to string popcorn and cranberries together for our tree too. It's really fun until you poke your finger with the needle a time or two. :)

Also... a few left over Christmas tree trimmings made it into this white pot in the corner of our dining room.

{Oh dear, please ignore my dirty floor.}

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed the addition of these two chairs from the picture at the very top of this post. These lovely chairs were on a fantastic sale at Target a couple of weeks ago and had been on my wish list for that empty space by that window for awhile. I love them! Now their is room for everyone in our family to have a place to sit during a movie or family scripture study, etc.

Well, that's the living room for ya!

I'll be back later this week with a tiny bit more Christmas decor. I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with lots of red little circles...

What Christmas Looks Like at Our House: Part II

2011-12-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a wonderful December weekend.

Mine was wonderful, but ended with a sick feverish child by Sunday night.

I hate all the yucky germs that get passed around during these cooler months.

But lucky for her {and us}, this was the first weekend we were able to enjoy a fire in our fireplace.

We've lived in our fixer upper for nearly 2.5 years now and this was such a sweet reward for all the hard work we've done around here since then.

It brings such a cozy feeling to our home, which is especially nice when you're not feeling well. :)

The smell coming from the fire is amazing too {reminds me of camping}. I'm looking forward to smelling it all winter long.

Okay, so besides the addition of a fire in the fireplace that adds to the coziness of what Christmas looks like around here, here's the 411 on how I decorated the fireplace for Christmas:

I kept it simple, using the traditional Christmas colors of red, white and green and then I decided that I liked the contrasting color of turquoise mixed in there too.

Using the same 1.99 roll of ribbon that I used here, I looped the ribbon across the mantel to add additional focus to the stockings.

The greenery on top of the mantel is from some fresh pine trimmings from our live Christmas tree.

{Do you do real or fake Christmas trees at your home? I love the smell of real trees!!!}

The two white vases, the statue of Christ {very appropriate for this special season}, and the white clock are staples on my mantle and are pretty much there for every season I decorate for.

The frames were a fun simple project I did a couple of weeks ago. I love the pop of color they add.

Both frames are from Michael's. I bought them at two different times, but each time I went I used a 40% off coupon to buy them. So I think they each cost me between four and five dollars. Not bad huh? I love the thin black lines of them and the simple white matting {all included, by the way}.

I filled each frame with turquoise scrapbook paper and then added a gold snowflake ornament to one and a white snowflake ornament to the other. {Both ornaments were bought after Christmas last year for like, pennies!} I didn't have to glue or tape the ornaments to the scrapbook paper to make them stay in place. Stuck between the back of the frame and the glass, they are held in there pretty snug.

As for our stockings, the kiddos each have one with their name embroidered on it from Pottery Barn, bought a couple of years ago on a fantastic Cyber Monday sale. The two plain red ones at either end were bought at the Dollar Tree several years ago for my husband and I when we were just newlyweds.

And that's that.

Simple + inexpensive + pretty.

Is your home all ready for Christmas yet or are you still tweaking it some more?

I'm pretty much done, minus one little project. As long as child number one isn't feeling too terrible tomorrow, I'll be back with part III of "What Christmas Looks Like at Our House".

~ Have a great day everyone!

Shared my mantle here: Home Stories A to Z

What Christmas Looks Like at Our House: Part I

2011-12-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Are any of you as excited as I am that it is finally December?

I'm so excited for everything that this month entails. I have a lot of things to share with you this month too.

First up: Christmas Decorations. The stockings are hung, the tree is trimmed, the lights are hung, there's a wreath on my front door, etc. But I thought I'd slow things down a bit and just show you one thing at a time throughout the next week.

So first up: our pantry door.

I love that it's a chalkboard because that means that I can change it up all the time with different quotes, etc.

For this special time of year, I chose to write "Let Earth Receive Her King".

It's a wonderful gentle reminder about what the true reason for the season really is about.

I think it's so important to keep that focus, without getting too caught up in the materialistic hoopla that can slowly creep into our lives around this time of year.

I also added a green wreath and some festive red and white striped ribbon to the door to cheer it up a bit.

{Which were both a steal by the way!}

Wreath :: Michael's :: $1.99

Ribbon :: Michael's :: $1.99

Great deal, right???

I'll be back with more posts about "What Christmas Looks Like at Our House" next week! So check back soon! {...maybe I'll even surprise you with anther one tomorrow.}

Alright, have a great weekend everyone!

~ Merry Christmas!

Shared Here: The Shabby Nest, Simple Home Life

A Month of Gratitude - Day 30

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

{source}

Day 30: You, the readers of this blog.

Holy Cow, I did it! I made it through all of November sharing something I was grateful for each day! This exercise has definitely made me more aware of all the things I have to be grateful for. It has also given me an added measure of happiness each day as I focus on the positive things in my life.

For those of you who have gotten through reading all 30 gratitude posts {or even just half that many!}, I'm grateful for you for sticking with me through this month's posts. I promise that next month I'll be back to sharing some fun new projects and updates from around our fixer upper of a house. I'm especially excited to share with you all the Christmas decorating I've been doing the last few days. So for this last day of gratitude, I just wanted to say thank you dear readers for reading my blog. I also wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes on gratitude that have inspired me. I hope they inspire you too!

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"When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."
-Anthony Robbins

"Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

~ I hope you have a lovely day!

A Month of Gratitude - Day 29

2011-11-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

{source}

Day 29: Reliable Transportation.

Don't get me wrong, I love walking when I have the chance, my destination is fairly close, and the weather is cooperative. But being able to get from point A to point B quickly is a huge blessing. My mini van isn't quite as cool and chic as that scooter pictured up above. However, it does, without fail, get me and my family to where we need to go.

It's a blessing I don't ever want to take for granted.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 28

2011-11-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

{source}

Day 28: My parents.

I owe a lot of who I am today to my parents.

I don't know how I got so lucky to be raised by two really amazing people.

They blessed me with such a loving and stable childhood.

And now that I'm a parent myself, raising my own children, I realize how much work that really takes.

Through their examples they taught me to serve, to be kind and patient with others, to work hard, to take education seriously, and they taught me who I am and how I should live my life to the best of my ability.

Now, as I take on the roll of a parent and they are now grandparents, their love and examples continue to bless my life and the life of my husband and children. What a blessing it has been through the ups and downs of my life, to have such loving and supportive people, within my reach, my entire life.

Love you mom and dad!

A Month of Gratitude - Day 27

2011-11-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

Day 27: I'm grateful for good, old fashioned, wholesome entertainment for my children. I'm also really grateful when they play together nicely and get along. :)

A Month of Gratitude - Day 26

2011-11-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

Day 26: I'm grateful for late night creative inspiration.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 25

2011-11-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

Day 25: Thanksgiving yesterday was amazing.

Great food, family, friends, games, and great conversation made it a wonderful day.

And on this day after Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for some really great money saving Black Friday sales. {I was one of those crazy people who stayed up till midnight and then headed to Target ...and only Target. It was crazy busy, but being part of the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers was kind of fun too.}

Today I'm also grateful for this post.

And...

I'm grateful for Bob's mints in my mouth and Bing Crosby Holiday music on pandora playing in the background as I put away everything fall and Thanksgiving to make a clean slate for everything Christmas.

As a family tradition, tomorrow our family will be picking out a Christmas tree and decking the halls around this neck of the woods.

I can't wait!!!

A Month of Gratitude - Day 24

2011-11-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

Day 24: I'm grateful for a holiday that celebrates families and friends gathering together to give thanks.

I'm grateful for all the food I'm going to get to eat today too.

Mmmm ...pie.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 23

2011-11-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

Day 23: My dishwasher.

I am grateful for anything that makes my life a little easier!

A Month of Gratitude - Day 21 & 22

2011-11-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

Day 21: Oh boy, yesterday was not one of my better days. {Hence, no gratitude post yesterday.} I woke up with the WORST muscle spasm in my back. Oy! Do I have a lot more sympathy now for people with back problems. It took everything I had just to sit in my car to take my kiddos to school in the morning. I will not lie, I cried.

BUT, what I am grateful for yesterday, was that I had a nice husband who called and got me an appointment with the chiropractor {he drove me there too, btw}. I'm grateful for that chiropractor who worked his magic to try and mend my back. I'm grateful for over the counter pain meds, and I'm grateful for fast food. We rarely ever eat out, but it was so helpful last night to just send my husband out for food and in a few minutes, he came back with a hot, ready, {totally not nutritious} meal.

Day 22: Today I am grateful that my back is feeling about 25% better and I'm grateful for this yummy soft sugar cookie recipe that I found on pinterest. I am currently groaning my way {because my back is still causing so much pain} through baking 26 unfrosted sugar cookies for my little boys first grade class. And then I'm going to do my darnedest to go and help out in his class for an hour this afternoon as they do a little Thanksgiving celebration. Oh boy. Wish me luck! {My husband is trying to convince me to back out of helping out today, but I just hate backing out of something at the last minute!}

A Month of Gratitude - Day 20

2011-11-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

{source}

Day 20: Today, I am grateful for {THIS} inspiring talk.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 19

2011-11-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Day 19: Today I'm grateful for...

lazy Saturday mornings...

and snowy Saturday afternoons.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 18

2011-11-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

Day 18: I'm grateful for my eyes so that I can see beautiful things like...

{source}
Changing Seasons.

{source}

Beautiful sunsets.

{source}

Christmas lights.

{Fall 2009}
And my sweet children.

Have a great weekend everyone!
I'll be back tomorrow with another grateful.!

A Month of Gratitude - Day 17

2011-11-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

{source}

Day 17: Today I'm grateful for a silver lining.

I found out early this morning that my facebook account has been hacked. And because my personal familiy email is connected to my facebook account, it got hacked too. I couldn't get into either. I still can't. So...needless to say, when all this hub bub gets completely taken care of {and we're working on it}, I will no longer be friends with facebook. Although I'm sad about this, because I do love staying in contact with people through facebook, there is a silver lining behind it all.

The amount of time I do spend online has been weighing on my mind. {Not that it keeps me from getting things done or spending enough time with my family, but I could do better.} Now that facebook is bye bye from my life {at least for a while}, I have one less excuse for being on the computer or online. The time that I would have spent on facebook, I can now spend doing other more important productive things in my life.

Sometimes it's hard to find something good about something bad that happens. But if you look hard, the good can be found.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 16

2011-11-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Day 16: One on one time with my children.

My sweet eight year old daughter started her homework as soon as she got home from school. She fell asleep in her bed last night with two pages of homework still undone. {Talk about too much homework for someone this young! But hey, that's just my opinion and a whole other topic for another day.}

I set my alarm early for the next morning. The house was nice and quiet when I tiptoed up the stairs to her room. I woke her up and told her that I would sit with her at the kitchen table while she finished her homework before school this morning. I poured her a cup of hot cocoa...with marshmallows. Although the reason we were up this early in the morning wasn't very fun, it was fun just being up together alone. {She works faster when it's quiet too!} She's such a sweet heart. She's my first born and has the key to my heart. I love having one on one time with my children. I think it really helps us grow closer.

A Month of Gratitude - Day 15

2011-11-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

Day 15: Warm Clothing.