But I also found out while I was out of town that our moving date was suddenly 4 days earlier than I planned. Now, we are back home and in a flurry of packing and last minute preparations for moving. I’m feeling stressed and wishing I could just stick my head in the sand for about a week and a half. Oh, and Jaye and I are volunteering at VBS this week. So, needless to say, I won’t be focusing on blogging this week. But stay tuned for pictures of our new place by next week!

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1. Choose the jars for your spice storage.

I used Gerber baby food jars for the spices. Once they were super clean, they were the perfect size. I had two different sizes of jars. The bigger size was reserved for spices I use the most often, like taco seasoning. Choose jars that have an airtight seal to keep your spices fresh. I have seen the Gerber baby food jars for sale at kids consignment sales like Just Between Friends if you are looking for them.

2. Sort through your spices.

This spice storage project is a great time to sort through your spices. Throw away old spices that aren’t fresh any more. Spices don’t go “bad” per say, but they will lose their flavor and potency. Generally, whole un-ground spices stay fresh for about 3 years, ground spices for 2 years and dried herbs for 1 year. You can check this handy website to determine specific storage times for spices and herbs. Keeping only fresh spices makes sure all your dinners are the most flavorful! Also, go ahead and toss that weird spice you used once for one crazy recipe two years ago. Keeping only the spices you really use the most helps keep your spice storage uncluttered and makes it easier to find the spices you need!

3. Label your spice storage.

To make a super easy, but still cute label for my spices, I used some cute washi tape. I got mine at Target, but you can find washi tape at other crafting stores like Hobby Lobby or JoAnns or even online on Etsy or Amazon.com.  I love how re-positionable the washi tape is. I cut lengths of it, stuck them to the table to write my spice name on, and then peeled them back off and applied them to the jar. Plus, if I use up a spice or decide to change a jar out for a different spice, it’s easy to peel off the old label and add a new one.

 4. Put your spice jars back in your cabinet.

Spices keep best if stored out of the sunlight and in a cool spot. My jars are in a cabinet to the left of the stove. I used a three-tier expandable shelf organizer like this one below that I found at Goodwill for $2. The spice jars would also work well lying on their sides in a drawer if that’s how your kitchen works.

5. Step back and glory in your lovely organized spice storage.

And, if you’re like me, kick yourself for not organizing it sooner! What have you all been organizing in the kitchen lately? What’s your best method for spice storage?

The post The Spice of Life: Cute and Easy Spice Storage appeared first on Real Life Notes.

Which is why I was extra excited to host a Gevalia Make Friends party! So last week, I hosted my very first play date at our house. I invited several moms from church and their little ones to come over and hang out.

So, I headed out to Tom Thumb with a $50 gift card looking for some treats to keep hungry mamas and cranky toddlers happy. First stop, of course, was the coffee aisle. I picked out two varieties of Gevalia Coffee: Espresso Roast (because deep and dark is my favorite) and French Vanilla (because a play date is a great time for a treat). I also found some delicious treats to go with the coffee: mini sour cream coffee cakes, lemon scones, and smores muffins (yum!). Cheese and crackers and baby goldfish were popular with the younger set–you might have noticed it was hard to keep a certain grabby toddler hand away

The Gevalia Espresso Roast was my favorite. It was rich and strong. But not bitter at all. The coffee was smooth and dark and just slightly sweet, reminding me of the natural sweetness of a perfectly brewed shot of espresso. The coffee stood up well to my favorite addition – pure heavy whipping cream. The Vanilla flavored coffee was also surprisingly good. I don’t usually like flavored coffee, but the Gevalia coffee was good. The vanilla tasted natural and not artificial and fakey and gross. It wasn’t super saccharin-y sweet, either. It was just a hint of vanilla subtly gracing the backdrop of the coffee.

Once everyone had been plied with caffeine and sugar, we could really get into the spirit of the play date, i.e. we sat around and talked while the babies crawled and/or ran back and forth. It was really great to be able to chat with spend time with friends in my own home. There’s something about inviting people to your home and sharing food with them that really builds community and friendships. Perhaps it’s because it’s easier to talk when you’re not saving Jaye from leaping off the highest point of the playground or keeping the littler ones from being trampled by some too big kid at the mall play area. Or perhaps its because by opening your home to others, you are opening up part of yourself to them as well.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Terrace Park Details:

• Location: Grove Rd. and La Salle, east of 75, north of Beltline, map here.
• Surface material: wood chips
• Structure material: metal and plastic.
• Equipment: big kid area, toddler area, climbing walls, many slides, monkey bars, swings, baby swings, bouncing ride-on toys
• Benches and picnic tables, covered pavilion next to the park
• City pool located next to park

There are two main play structures at Terrace Park. The top picture is the smaller structure, geared more towards younger kids. But it really wasn’t very toddler-centric. Above, here is the bigger structure. There’s a monkey bars, long inclosed tube to climb through, and a twirly slide. On the right, is a three person racing slide with different textures on each slide.

In between the smaller play structure and the bigger one are three bouncing ponies. Jaye loved looking at these and talking about them, but she refused to ride one–even though she loves her rocking horse at home! Beyond the ponies is a tilting, bouncing platform. I’m not sure what to call it because I’ve never seen one at a park before.

On the far side of the park there were two really neat climbing things for older kids: a big climbing wall and a cable climbing spider web. Luckily for me, Jaye paid no attention to these. Not photographed are the swings and baby swings which are separated from each other, i.e. one person couldn’t push a baby and a bigger kid at the same time.

The Jaye Rating:

Jaye’s favorite part was these climbing bars, which kind of terrify me. She insists on doing them by herself. Getting too close because you are worried about her falling means that she lets go with one hand to push me away. It’s a catch 22 because if she’s going to do them herself, I want her paying her full attention, but I also want to be right there to catch her. She’s getting so much better at it, though. She loved climbing these, then crawling up the tube. With me in hot pursuit, she’d rush to the big tornado slide and down she’d go. I’d find her laughing at the end and have to hurry to catch up to her repeating the circuit on the climbing bars.

What the City Says about Terrace Park:

10.24 acres at LaSalle and Lois; picnic and playground equipment, shelter, swimming pool, baby pool, two lighted baseball fields, small backstops, two athletic fields, and two lighted tennis courts. Restroom facilities.

Check back soon for more Richardson park reviews.

The post Terrace Park, Richardson TX appeared first on Real Life Notes.

That’s my Jaye. Always doing the boldest things she can.

The post Sliding Head First appeared first on Real Life Notes.

11. Aww. Penguins. Jaye says that penguins say “Flap, Flap Flap” and she flaps her arms. We never taught her that, she made it up. From Orange Kitty.

12. I love the little speech bubbles to make this card more personal and meaningful. From Faithful Provisions.

13. I love the typography on this card. And it’s available in different colors, too. From Miki.O.

14: This one’s a little cheesy for my style, but if there’s any time to be cheesy, it’s probably Father’s Day. From Cherished Bliss.

15: Mount this printable on construction paper or card stock, and it’s a cute card that Dad will keep forever! From Faithful Provisions.

16: This “iDad” card is pretty cool. It’s designed to use as a coupon book, but you could also put pictures or a message behind each flap! From Cul de sac Cool.

17.  Just say it like it is. With matching gift tags. From Elegance and Enchantment.

18. The tie card is a classic. This version folds up to look more 3D. From In Honor Of Design.

19. Sometimes keeping it simple is the way to go. From The Lovely Dept.

20: Love this funny subway-art-style card full of typical Dad-isms like “Do you think that money grows on trees?” From A Proffitable Life.

The post Best of the Best: Free Printable Father’s Day Cards, Part 2 appeared first on Real Life Notes.

Anyway, I managed to narrow it down and here are the 20 best free printable Father’s Day cards (IMHO). So lets get to the details.

1: This elaborate card has a spinnable center where you can fill in the blank on 3 different phrases, like “I love you because.” From Farouche.

2. I love these whimsically drawn ties. Reminds me of the crazy ties we used to get my dad for Father’s Day. From e.m.papers.

3: I love the bright colors on these cards themed for the handy hubby. From Sarah Hearts.

4. You can personalize this word search card by circling your own message! From Paper and Pigtails.

5. Add your own pictures to personalize this card! This one may be my personal favorite from the whole bunch! From Gray Sparrow.

6: My dad loves gardening (and terrible puns) so this card is perfect for him! From We Love Crafty Tracey.

7: I’m a sucker for cards that kids can participate in and this one’s great for any age! From Bitsy Creations.

8: This sweet card would be a perfect companion for a present of chocolate kisses! From My Sister’s Suitcase.

9: For the dad who’s still a kid at heart. This one makes me think of my brother. From Thirty Handmade Days.

10. Here’s a red letter card! I think the brown craft paper it’s printed on looks particularly awesome. From Sweet Scarlet.

Okay, it’s getting late. And my fingers are getting tired because I’m using the track pad instead of a mouse. So, you guys are just gonna half to wait. Stay tuned for 10 more awesome free printable Father’s Day cards tomorrow!

The post Best of the Best: Free Printable Father’s Day Cards, Part 1 appeared first on Real Life Notes.

But she was also an incredible mess. Everytime she drank, there would just be streams rivers of drool running down her jowls and onto the floor or whoever was unlucky enough to be nearby. We kept special “Big Margo” towels hanging on hooks in the kitchen that were designated only for wiping up her face or the drool on the floor.

I mean, just look at those jowels. Imagine them slinging drool everywhere! We’ve been talking about getting another mastiff soon, now that we will soon own our own house again. And when we do, we are definitely going to need one of the Neater Feeders in this giveaway!

Neater Feeder Giveaway Hosted by Pea of Sweetness

Sponsored by Neater Feeder

The Neater Feeder is designed with protective walls to contain splashes and spills from an inadvertent kick or an excited pet. This revolutionary system holds spilled food in an upper reservoir while spilled water flows down a gentle slope through a patent-pending filtering system.

The spilled water drains into a lower reservoir that can safely contain more than an entire bowl of spilled water, keeping it off the floor until you are ready to dispose of it. Keeping the spilled food in the upper reservoir, off the floor, not only saves you work, but also keeps it clean for reuse. Read the full Neater Feeder review on Pea of Sweetness where she put it to the test with her sloppy mastiff.

About the Giveaway: This giveaway begins on 6/2 at 7pm CT and ends on 6/16 at 11:00pm CT and is open to US residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.

The Prize: One lucky winner will receive a Neater Feeder in their choice of size and color!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may be different than yours. Jill and www.reallifenotes.com are not responsible for prize fulfillment.

The post The Mastiff Drool Solution: Neater Feeder Giveaway appeared first on Real Life Notes.

So the last post I wrote about how we bought a new house was a little on the negative side. Or maybe a lot on the negative side, as I explained why buying a house is a bad idea.  Nevertheless, we, of course, bought a house anyway. Because, really, we aren’t going to let all the risks and trouble and expense of buying a home hold us back from it.

Of course there are risks when you own a home. But there are risks to everything you do. And the rewards are more than the risks. We are so looking forward to moving into our own place. The work (and sweat and tears and time and LOVE) we put into it will be for US to enjoy for years to come, to create the HOME that Jaye (and any future siblings) will remember as where they grew up.

So without further ado, here’s a quick look at some of the good (and bad) about our new house. In general, the pictures look much nicer than the house in real life.

Here’s the view (basically) from the front door. The good: this is the only carpet in the house! The bad: the dining room is carpeted. What genius decided to do that?

And the kitchen. The good: it’s super, super open. This was one of the most important characteristics we were looking for in a house. Maybe even THE most important. The bad: the oven doesn’t work. The good: We are planning to totally remodel the kitchen. I’m so excited to pick out the finishes I want! The bad: We can’t afford to remodel the kitchen for awhile, and it’s likely that the broken oven is too narrow to replace with a modern oven. So we might be crock-pottin’ and grillin’ for awhile.

The big main living room. There’s also a small living area directly across from (and open to!) the kitchen. Jaye will probably have toys in both places. The good: I love this big room. It’s going to fit our family perfectly! The bad: Not much a little paint and better furniture and light fixtures won’t fix!

The lovely porch. The good: I love this covered porch. It’s going to be such a nice extended living area. And nice to be able to set up some patio furniture without worrying about it getting wet. The bad: In real life, the porch is pretty beat up. Some boards are rotten and the paint is peeling.

The main bathroom. The good: It’s good sized! And there is a second bathroom of the master bedroom! The bad: It’s pink, if you hadn’t noticed. And there’s a bunch of leaks and water damage under the floor. The bathrooms are #2 on our fix-right-away list right behind the cruddy electrical at #1.

The laundry room. The good: There’s a laundry room! An entire separate room! And that door leads to a really huge closet. The bad: It’s currently kind of a gross little room. And there’s some water damage around the window sill that the inspector noticed. I’m hoping to follow my own tutorial and install and grout self-adhesive vinyl tile in there before we even move in.

Speaking of moving in, one of the things we had to do before closing was buy homeowners insurance! We decided to go with Allstate because we used them before on our last home and they had the best rates for our new home too. We bought the insurance on our own dime long before I was asked to write this sponsored post, so rest assured that my opinions are honest here!

The idea of taking both the good and the bad, but focusing on the good and not letting the bad hold you back is part of Allstate’s new campaign “Good Hands for the Good Life.” I think Allstate’s new brand vision, Allstate Good Life, is a really awesome (and unusual) attitude and campaign for an insurance company!

So as we look forward to closing on this home and moving in, we are going to focus on the positive because (as the Allstate video below says) people live for good.

The post New House Sneak Peek: Focusing on the #GoodLife appeared first on Real Life Notes.

Jaye and I on her first day of Mother’s Day Out last September. Such a little baby.

And here we are/were this morning. My round little baby is looking like a real little girl now! Cue the mama tears and the “oh they grow up so fast” wistful reminiscing.

. . .

Okay, enough of that. Time to get busy enjoying my last day of child-free time!

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