Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, Amy From A Blossoming Life, Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Katie from The Casual Craftlete. Featured posts from last week: Mrs Bomb linked up a great tutorial on How to Paint A Fabric Ottoman. This is a great & frugal project! Mom's Beloved Congo Bars from Love Pasta & A Tool Belt. This recipe has 5 steps to it. FIVE! That's my kind of recipe! Just ... read more
First Day Of School Picture {Tutorial}
*Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. This means that if you subscribe to Picmonkey's Royale version, you will be helping to support Carrie This Home at no extra cost to you. My daughter started pre school last week. As the "blogger mom" I wanted to take a super cute posed back-to-school picture with her holding a homemade "back to school" sign. Problem was I didn't have time to make the cute sign. Let's just say it's been a crazy busy month. No time to make cute little signs. On the first day of school my daughter got dressed, I helped do her hair and took her picture anyway (after bribing for a good smile of course!) I started with this ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 40
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, Amy From A Blossoming Life, Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Katie from The Casual Craftlete. Featured posts from last week: My first feature comes from A Sweet Fragrance. She linked up Make Your Own Chalkboard Wall tutorial. It looks super easy and inexpensive to do. Now I have to decide where to do this in my own home! I also loved this link up from Like A ... read more
Overnight Pumpkin Crock Pot Oatmeal
I love overnight crock pot oatmeal. It's a super easy way to have a hot breakfast in the morning. Now that fall is almost here, I decided to try a pumpkin version. It turned out great so I'm going to share it with you today! Let me introduce you to Overnight Pumpkin Crock Pot Oatmeal. The house smells wonderful as it cooks! *This post contains an affiliate link for your convenience. See my disclosure here. By the way, *this is the crock pot I use and I absolutely love it! It cooks meals automatically with a built-in meat thermometer, it's big enough for roasts, and has a spill-proof lid that clamps shut. It makes cooking so simple and it's worth every ... read more
Open Concept
This summer we did a LOT of projects to our home. One project we wanted to do was open up part of the wall between our living room and kitchen. We wanted our living room and kitchen to have more of an open concept feel. Problem was we couldn't take the whole wall down. But since we've finished this project we've discovered that taking part of a wall down can still create a great feeling of openness. Today I'm going to show you how to get an open concept feel, even if a whole wall can't be taken down. Opening up the wall didn't cost much money but it was more labor intensive. Before I go on sharing the details on how we did this....when I talk about "we" or "us" doing ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 39
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, Amy From A Blossoming Life, Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Katie from The Casual Craftlete. Featured Posts From Last Week: I loved this idea from Beauty Through Imperfection on the magic of closet toys. Her idea is genius--keep special toys in the closet just for special play time. Since these toys aren't out all the time the become "special" in the child's eyes so ... read more
Meet The Bloggers
Last week I shared this awesome giveaway I am participating in with 10 other bloggers! We are giving away $300 cash to one lucky fan! Today we are going to meet all the fabulous ladies that are participating! But first, click here for your chance to win! Amy from A Blossoming Life Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, Twitter, Instagram Hey, I’m Amy, the author behind the creative lifestyle blog A Blossoming Life. I started blogging when I first got married 2 years ago in hopes to inspire others to create things homemade, enjoy life, and encourage a faith filled life. I like to share bits of my craziness like crafts, tasty recipes, DIY projects, furniture makeovers, fashion, and all ... read more
Bowl Licking Good Guacamole
The title of this post is no joke. The first time I made this I ended up scraping the bowl with a spatula and licking every last morsel. I would have licked the bowl clean without the spatula if it were big enough to fit my face. How's that for a visual? I just couldn't help myself. The creaminess of the avocados mixed with the crunchiness of the red peppers and chips was to die for. Just typing this out makes me wish I had some right now! Ingredients: 2 ripe avocados (Here's how you know if an avocado is ripe) 1/2 onion, chopped 1 tsp minced garlic 1/2 cup chopped red peppers 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp mayo This post contains some affiliate links for your ... read more
Awesome Autumn Giveaway
I'm super excited to announce the Awesome Autumn Giveaway! Ten other bloggers and I are teaming up to giveaway $300 to celebrate fall! Fall is a time where I try to pause and remember what I'm thankful for. One of the things I'm thankful for is all my readers so this is my way of giving back to you! Check out all these wonderful, super creative, and inspiring ladies that bring you the awesome giveaway... Amy from A Blossoming Life Sarah from Alderberry Hill Jen from Craft-O-Maniac Jill from Create. Craft. Love. Kristi from I Should be Mopping the Floor Jordan from LilyWhite. Designs Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof Kelly from Smart School House Katie from The Casual ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 38
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, Amy From A Blossoming Life, Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Katie from The Casual Craftlete. Featured Posts From Last Week: Turnups 2 Tangerines linked up this fabulous Creamy Pork Roast. It's a simple & frugal crock pot recipe that looks delicious! While He Was Napping linked up this awesome printable. I have to be reminded of this fact a lot! I ... read more
How To Clean Outdoor Toys
My kids have several different types of outdoor toys and they love them! Unfortunately, so do the spiders, ticks, leaves and birds. I swear the birds in my neighborhood love to use outdoor toys as their personal bathroom. The thought of my kids playing in that yuckiness gives me the chills. Out of necessity (and a little germophobia) I found two methods on how to clean outdoor toys. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience and *a sponsored link from Contractor Quotes Corp. See my full disclosure here. The first method involves using a power washer. I know not everyone has this handy tool, so if that's you--don't worry. Just keep reading. ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 37
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, Amy From A Blossoming Life, Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Katie from The Casual Craftlete. Featured Posts From Last Week: I loved this Scary Basement Washroom Makeover link up from the Learner Observer. Talk about a great transformation for under $200! I also loved this cheery Improve Your Curb Appeal link up from Wonderfully Made Persuits. Painting the front ... read more
Going Through Security
On our trip without the kids the hubby and I were in St. Louis and decided to take the tour of the Arch. During the tour, guests get to travel all the way to the top of the arch and see the city from a birds eye view. It's a really great way to see St. Louis. The first part of this adventure meant going through security. This is normally never a problem for us. We follow Jesus. We try to do what's right. We have nothing to hide. We went through security like normal. I put my behemoth of a purse in the plastic container to be scanned through the X-ray machine. My purse isn't just a normal purse. It's a purse/diaper bag/camera bag/dumping ground for all sorts of junk. In ... read more
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
I love to make chocolate covered pretzels because the salty/sweet combination is perfect. Not too much salt and not too sweet either. Another reason I like them is they make it look like you spend hours slaving in the kitchen over them. Bringing a plate of these to any occasion will give you some impressive looks. Surprisingly, they're really not that hard to make. Today I'm sharing my secret to making easy chocolate covered pretzels. Ingredients/Tools Needed: 1 package of pretzel rods (or regular pretzels) 1 package of sweet chocolate chips Rubber spatula Parchment paper lined cookie sheets (for cooling) Double-boiler If you're like me and don't have a ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 36
I am so excited to announce that Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop now has a new co-host! Now your posts will get exposure on FIVE blogs instead of just four! It's a win-win for all of us! The party opens at 8:00pm CST Sunday Evenings! Our new co-host is Katie from The Casual Craftlete! Katie loves to blog about running, recipes and super cute crafts so she fits in perfectly with Frugal Crafty Home! Now for the party! Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your ... read more
How To Paint Cabinets
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See my full disclosure here. This may be the biggest "bang for your buck" project we've ever done. We have builder grade oak colored cabinets in our kitchen. They were in pretty good shape but we were getting tired of the oak finish. We decided the best choice for our budget would be to paint the cabinets we had instead of replacing them. Painting the cabinets is MUCH less expensive than replacing them! I'll take you through the process and share little tips that worked well for us. Before we get started here are a couple things to think about. Painting all of your kitchen ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 35
This has been a really busy summer for us. We've been working on tons of DIY projects in our house {all the details are coming up in future posts!} We've also spent a good part of the summer saying goodbye to some great friends. Some moved to start new churches in Bowling Green, Kentucky and State College, Pennsylvania. Some close friends moved to take jobs at Truman State University. All I have to say is those three cities are getting some awesome people! So anyway, enough about me. I want to know what you've been up to! now on to the blog hop! Rain On A Tin Roof linked up this awesome tour of her renovated ranch home. I absolutely LOVE taking tours of homes. Day 2 Day ... read more
Take A Trip Without The Kids
I'm a huge fan of family vacations. I really believe that taking at least one family vacation a year is a necessity. Even if money is tight taking a small trip to do fun things with the kids is worth it. While family vacations are great, a trip without the kids is equally important. After some good encouragement/pushing from some good friends, the hubby and I finally took a trip by ourselves for the first time in many years. With no kids! This is how we felt about it: Our "jobs" as parents is pretty consuming. From the moment I get up until the end of the day I'm constantly responsible for my two little ones. Feeding, playing, bathing, discipline, encouraging. You ... read more
Bacon Grilled Chicken
Summertime brings great grilling opportunities. A couple years ago my hubby created this fantastic way to grill chicken with a not-so-secret ingredient. Bacon. You can't go wrong with bacon, right? We love to grill chicken since it's so easy and it's a great excuse to get outside. The problem is grilling often gives chicken a rubbery texture because it dries out so easily. This method solves that problem. The bacon seals in the moisture as it's grilled so it turns out moist and heavenly. The hubby and I make this meal often because it's so easy and delicious! So....on to the recipe! Bacon Grilled Chicken Step 1: Make the dry rub. We usually throw this rub together ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 34
It’s time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. We had a lot of great link ups last week! Here’s some of my favorites: The Casual Craftlete linked up this adorable Burlap Chevron Wreath. She was able to get all the supplies for less than $20.00! I think my favorite part is the chevron burlap. I love everything chevron lately! Here's a great tip from Turnips 2 Tangerines. She linked up a post on How To Clean A Coffee Grinder. As a daily coffee drinker, this tip comes in really handy! My Snippets of Inspiration linked up this super ... read more
Don’t Forget To Bring The Camera
While on vacation the hubby and I got to escape went out for a date while my in-laws put the kids to bed. Before leaving, I remember having a debate in my mind. Should I bring the camera? Bringing the camera involves dedicating a LOT of room in my purse. So I usually only take it when there's high potential for a Kodak moment. I went ahead and put the camera in my purse thinking I wouldn't use it. The hubby and I went out on a little date night and ended up driving through this beautiful covered bridge. This is so pretty--how could we not take a picture of it? Then the hubby offered to take some pictures of me. I'm a busy stay-at-home mom. Most days my makeup is ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 33
It’s time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. We had a lot of great link ups last week! Here’s one of my favorites: I love this alphabet preschool activity from Tiny Sidekick. I can see my daughter and I having fun doing this during our special time together. I was also intrigued by Nourishing Passions 2 Ingredient Snack Balls recipe. She offers these as a healthy and frugal substitute for store bought granola bars. I love it because it only takes 2 ingredients. TWO! Now that's my kind of recipe! This Summer Squash Gratin recipe from Feeding Big looked ... read more
Budget Bathroom Makeover
Recently the hubby and I were on a date night and we ended up at our local home improvement store. For fun. That's what happens when you become a DIY blogger. Somehow we ended up in the bathroom vanity section and got inspired to replace the counter top in our guest bathroom. We'd been talking about replacing it for years but never got around to doing it. One thing I learned recently is you don't have to spend a lot of money to make a big impact. Our little budget bathroom makeover is a great example of this concept. We have a small guest bathroom on our first floor. Since it's a small space we've re-decorated it at least four times in the six years ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 32
It’s time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. We had a lot of great link ups last week! Here's some of my favorites: I really this entry way tour from Maison de Pax. I think my favorite part is the mirrored table. Or the chandelier. Hard to choose! I thought this baby gift set from The Domestic Groove was so sweet. You can never have enough bibs. I'd almost be too afraid to get them dirty because they're so cute! This blueberry oatmeal coffee cake from Posed Perfection looks so delicious & easy (you know I love easy recipes!) Speaking of easy, ... read more
Inspiring Ideas
Considering all the inspiring ideas I see on other blogs and Pinterest, I thought I would start doing a (semi) regular series sharing ideas that inspire me. Sometimes an easy recipe will get me in the kitchen. Other times seeing someone transform a piece of furniture makes me want to run out the door to my local thrift store to search for the next great transformation. Here's some great inspiring ideas I found this week! Fabric covered plywood from Now At Home Mom. She took a piece of plywood, covered it with beautiful fabric and transformed it into a functional office pin board. This is a low cost project that makes a big impact. I'd LOVE to do this in my office to hang my ... read more
Summer Vacation
My family took a short vacation recently with my hubby's parents and I thought I'd share the highlights with you! We vacationed in a couple spots in Indiana including Holiday World, Mesker Park Zoo, and Wilstem Ranch. Vacation was finally here & my daughter was so excited she wore her bathing suit at breakfast! I try to remember to turn off my "rule book" and let her do small things like this can really make her day! My son and I played lots of peek a boo in the van! After suggestions from a couple friends, we decided to stop at Mesker Park Zoo. So glad we did--it was a lot of fun! The hubby took this awesome photo of one of the many beautiful flowers in the zoo. I love ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 31
It’s time to Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Link up! This blog hop opens up every Sunday at 6 PM Central time! Your link will appear on all four blogs giving your posts more exposure! Posts on crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing & happenings around the house are welcome to link up. Link up directly to ... read more
Overnight Crock Pot Oatmeal
I originally saw a recipe for overnight crockpot oatmeal at Turnips 2 Tangerines. She made a great version with cut up apples in it & it was delicious. There's only one problem. I'm a lazy cook. I wanted to make an easier version (with no apple cutting) and still get a good result. I made the recipe a couple more times, tweaking a couple ingredients. The result is this: Homemade Overnight Apple Cinnamon Crock Pot Oatmeal. I love making this because: The house smells awesome while it's cooking Very easy way to make a hot breakfast Makes a big amount that saves well & tastes just as good re-heated It's healthy Here's how to make ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 30
It’s time to Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop is a great place to check out every Sunday night to get great ideas for crafts, activities, home projects and ways to save money. You can come just to check out the links at the bottom of the post or you can share some of your own. Link up! This blog hop opens up every Sunday at 6 PM Central time! Your link will appear on all four blogs giving your posts more exposure! Posts on crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing & happenings around the house are welcome to link up. Link up directly to ... read more
Flavorful Italian Chicken
Let me introduce you to the easiest way to make chicken. Ever. This recipe was really more of an experiment. I was having a really busy week & honestly I was too exhausted to put much effort into dinner. In the morning, I decided to defrost some chicken breasts & I marinated them in Italian dressing as they defrosted. Fast forward to dinner time. My hubby grilled the chicken and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this meal was, especially since it took so little effort! Sometimes being really lazy with dinner pays off! Flavorful Italian Chicken 4 Chicken Breasts (frozen or thawed) 3/4 bottle of Italian dressing Find a pan that is big enough to lay ... read more
