Thanks for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. This is a great place to check out every Monday to get great ideas for crafts, home projects and ideas of how to save money. You can come just to check out the links or you can share some of your own. If you have a post, project, or story you’d like to share, click the link at the bottom of this post. Link up (directly to the specific post) of your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little link at the bottom of ... read more
Avocados–A Great Baby Food
A couple weeks ago the hubby and I were going to a gathering and we were in charge of bringing veggies for tacos. I got the usual--lettuce and tomatoes. On a whim I decided to get avocados. I've never really tried raw avocados and I've never been a huge fan of guacamole. That night I tried an avocado chunk with tomato and WHOA it was good! I didn't think I'd end up liking it so much. Little did I know avocados are a really healthy food for young babies. They do have a fair amount of fat, but it's healthy fat. Avocados are #1 on Dr. Sears list of recommended first foods for babies. Yes number ONE! Click here for more information from Dr. Sears. My son is a ... read more
Mourning The Loss of Nap Time
Recently I went through a grieving process. That unfortunate time has come upon my 3.5 year old daughter. No more naps. I wanted to cry. Did any of you feel that way when your child stopped napping? I've been denying it for months. I didn't want to give up nap time for selfish reasons. In my mind, nap time is about ME. I need some time alone to relax and nap time usually gave me that. Taking nap time away from me is like taking a pacifier away from a baby. Not easy. But there's one key thing I've learned: I used to think no naps = no me time. That's actually not true. Keep reading and I'll show you why. I honestly thought she still needed a short nap in the ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop
Thanks for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. If you have a post, project, or story you’d like to share, click the link at the bottom of this post. Link up (directly to the specific post) of your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little link at the bottom of your post! Feel free to spread the love and tell your friends about our blog hop! The featured blog from our last blog hop comes from Finely Ground. Marissa shares a simple but awesome way ... read more
Tip To Keep Leftovers Fresh
This tip is so easy I feel a little stupid sharing it. I'll do it anyway ;) How many times have you looked at that half empty jar of salsa and wondered how long it's been in the fridge? Then you wonder--is it still edible? Should I take the risk and eat it or should I throw it away? We do that ALL.THE.TIME. My memory is terrible so I never remember when the jar in question was opened. Or whether or not it's still okay to eat. I'm more likely to go ahead and use it as long as it doesn't smell bad. On the other hand, the hubby is usually more concerned about the age of food and worries if it's gone bad. This situation always creates a small debate between the hubby and I. I ... read more
Good Short Books I Want to Read
First off let me make a confession. I'm a reader wanna-be. I see books that look really good and for a moment I get really excited about the possible impact they could have on my life. Then reality hits. I'm not a reader. Never have been. I look at books and wish I had the time and desire to read. But I don't. Honestly I'd rather have the cliff notes version of books rather than the original. I recently got a Kindle Fire as a gift. I was a little nervous getting something I wasn't sure I'd really use. Maybe this new "toy" will help inspire me to read more. So far it's working. We'll see how long it lasts! Part of why I'm blogging about this is for accountability. I ... read more
Provision
I'm a stay-at-home-mom to two kids and my husband is a high school science teacher. We have four people in one household living on one teacher's salary. And we're making it. All the bills get paid, we have a roof over our heads, and food on the table. How is that possible? Two words. God's grace. I didn't think we'd be able to afford for me to stay home. I went through my entire first pregnancy thinking I'd go right back to work after my maternity leave. I even had my return date set with my boss. Meanwhile the hubby gently shared his feeling that I'd change my mind and want to stay home after the baby was born. I was stubborn and insisted that I would have to go back to ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop
Thanks for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. If you have a post, project, or story you’d like to share, click the link at the bottom of this post. Link up (directly to the specific post) of your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little link at the bottom of your post! Feel free to spread the love and tell your friends about our blog hop! The featured blog from our last blog hop comes from Liz at Love Grows Wild. She made a monogram canvas art ... read more
Indoor Sledding
Yesterday, the hubby and I were looking at a plastic storage container I found under our bed. As we tried to think of what we were going to do with it, we both came up with very opposite ideas. Me: "we could put this under the bed and use it for storage." Hubby: "we could use this for indoor sledding!" Funny how men and women look at things so differently! I'm all for finding activities that are fun to do while we're trying to keep cabin fever at bay. So I agreed to try it on one condition: make sure it's safe. The hubby got pillows and a big comforter and put them at the bottom of the stairs. Then he got my daughter's bike helmet for added safety. The end result? We ... read more
Year In Pictures
As I've said before I love pictures. I can't count how many I took in 2012. As I was writing this post, there were so many to choose from it was hard to narrow down. Here's a quick look at my favorite pictures and memories from 2012! Happy New Year! ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 4
Last week the ladies at Frugal Crafty Home took a break from blogging and blog hopping so we could spend time with our families. Now that we're all getting back in the swing of things it's time for Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. If you have a post, project, or story you'd like to share, click the link at the bottom of this post. Link up (directly to the specific post) of your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little ... read more
Trick To Keep Warm And Dry In The Snow
Today we woke up to something really amazing. Over TEN inches of SNOW! That almost never happens in our town. When it snows here we only get a couple of inches at a time and it usually melts after one day. Needless to say we don't buy big snowsuits for the kids. This morning as we woke up, I started making mental plans of us playing in tons of snow, sledding and building snowmen. This is SO much fun with a 3-year-old! Then I realized we didn't have any snow clothing for the kids. Great. How do I make sure my kids stay warm and dry without a snowsuit? While brainstorming for an idea, I had a flashback to when I was a child. I remember seeing my ... read more
How To Focus on Jesus at Christmas
My husband and I have been trying to teach our daughter the real meaning of Christmas. We want to have lots of fun around Christmastime but we don't want to put too much emphasis on the wrong things. Through the years I've found a couple of books and items that really help put Jesus at the center of our Christmas. Teaching your kids anything involves putting the message on a level that they will both understand and enjoy. For my 3.5 year old daughter, she loves books. Loves them so much that she ends up memorizing them! So for us, reading books and playing with a couple intentional toys has helped her learn more about why Jesus is so important at ... read more
I Love/Hate Shopping Carts
I have a love/hate relationship with these shopping carts. I love them because they help keep my kids happy and contained while I shop. The hate part of this dysfunctional relationship starts as I put my children in. There are three universal truths about these carts: 1) They are always dirty. 2) The straps and buckles are always broken. 3) Maneuvering them can be like pushing a camel through the eye of a needle. Before I had kids when I saw other parents struggling to maneuver these through too-skinny aisles I had pity on them. I knew these carts wouldn't be easy to use. Once I started using them I realized they're harder to use than I thought. As you can see my ... read more
How To Make A Loud Toy Quiet
Now that Christmas time is almost here, I thought I would share one of the greatest discoveries my hubby and I have made in our parenting journey: How to make a LOUD toy quiet. I know....it's not exactly earth-shattering but I have to say this little discovery has made a real difference in keeping our sanity. Both of my children LOVE toys with sounds and lights. I love them too because they're more likely to keep my children's attention. But let's face it--some of them are just too loud. Here's a good compromise between keeping your child's happiness and keeping your own sanity. Find the toy speaker. It will look something like this: Take some clear packing tape and ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop #3!
Happy Monday! Thank you for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy From A Blossoming Life. If you have a post, project, or story you'd like to share, click the link at the bottom of this post. Link up (directly to the specific post) of your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little link at the bottom of your post! Feel free to spread the love and tell your friends about our blog hop! This weeks featured post is from Artsy Fartsy Mama. She posted and wrote a tutorial on how to make a ... read more
Car Air Freshener
Remember last week I shared a recipe on how to make Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments? Today I had a good idea. Why not hang one of these up in my car and use it as a car air freshener? So I did! My car could use some MAJOR freshening. At any given time my car is a plethora of messes. And smells. I'll spare you from showing you pictures what my car really looks like. {You're welcome} Maybe someday when the kids get a little older the messes will be a little more manageable. But until then at least it will smell good ;) Do you have any good tips on how to keep your car smelling nice? ... read more
Beating Cabin Fever
Oh cabin fever. How I loathe you. In the wintertime, myself and many of my friends with small kids have a hard time. It's too cold to go outside so I end up stuck in the house. Then boredom sneaks in. In my house bored kids = kids getting in trouble which then = stressed Mommy. Thankfully during Christmastime there's so many family friendly activities to do. And some of them are free! Today I thought I'd share about a recent adventure we had. My Mom and I took my 3.5 year-old daughter and my 1-year-old son to a mall about an hour away from our home...all because of a train. My daughter LOVES trains. In this cute little train adults and kids can ride together as it ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop #2
Time to blog hop! Thank you for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy from A Blossoming Life. Are you ready for this week’s link up? Link up your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Make sure you link to a direct post not just your blog :) It makes it easier for people to find your post! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little link at the bottom of your post! Feel free to spread the love and tell your friends about our blog hop! This weeks featured post is from Tilly's Nest ... read more
Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments Activity
Last week we were helping my in-laws put up their Christmas tree. My hubby's sister told me about a Christmas tree ornaments activity she did with her 3rd grade students. She held up an ornament she made years ago. It was a cute little brown ornament with a great apple cinnamon scent. Even though the ornament was made so long ago it still smelled GREAT. After all those years. I was impressed. Impressed so much that I got the recipe from her and did the activity with my daughter. It was really fun and my hands smelled like cinnamon for most of the day. Win win! The recipe is originally from cooks.com and you can see it HERE. I didn't have all the spices on hand ... read more
Orange Creamsicle Cookies
I LOVE orange flavored anything. Still to this day when I eat skittles I eat them one flavor at a time usually starting with orange. If you like orange creamsicles, you'll LOVE these cookies. The orange flavors from the cake mix together with the creamy vanilla hints from the chocolate chips create an orange creamsicle wonderland in your mouth. It's pure bliss! So...on to the fun part! Orange Creamsicle Cookies Ingredients: 1 box of orange cake mix {important note: you will not follow the directions on the box} 1 tub of Cool Whip 1 egg 1/2 to a full bag of white chocolate chips depending on how much you want 1/2 cup powdered sugar (if desired to keep cookies from ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop #1
Thank you for joining me and the other blog hop ladies: Jordan from Lily White. Designs, and Sara from Sneaky Spoons, and Amy from A Blossoming Life. Are you ready for this week’s link up? Link up your crafts, frugal finds, recipes, DIY projects, clothing, happenings around the house, homemaking…. anything made by you! Link back to us… Grab a button or just put a little link at the bottom of your post! Feel free to spread the love and tell your friends about our blog hop! ... read more
My Latest Struggle
I can't believe it. My son is going to be one next week. Where did this last year go? Lately I've been thinking a lot about what I was doing this time last year an it's bringing up a lot of bittersweet feelings. Sweet remembering snuggles with my baby boy. Sweet remembering how God came and intervened. Bitter knowing that the moments with my little baby are soon going to change. One year ago I was super pregnant with my second child. Like there's-a-torpedo-sticking-out-of-my-belly pregnant. Here's the picture to prove it. We never expected this pregnancy to make it this far. Six weeks before my due date I went into the hospital with preterm contractions. {During my ... read more
Inexpensive And Easy Gift Idea For a Child
Today I'm going to share an easy and inexpensive gift idea for a child. Easy + inexpensive gift idea = happy Carrie! One year as Christmas was approaching I wanted to make something for my daughter that would be special. I didn't want to spend much money and I also needed some artwork for her bedroom. Then the idea came to me: take some great pictures of her favorite stuffed animal and decorate her room with them! Every child has that one special toy. You know--the one they want to take everywhere. For my daughter it was her stuffed lamb, Lammy. A neighbor gave it to her when she was a baby. Little did we know it would become her first best friend. So I staged a little "photo ... read more
The “Things” I’m Thankful For
Happy Thanksgiving! I love to look at my life through pictures. We took a TON of great pictures this month. Today I'm taking time to thank God for the things I'm thankful for. Then I realized that the "things" I'm most thankful for aren't things. They are my family and the memories we've had. One day my hubby put my daughter up in a tree in our neighborhood and now she LOVES to hang out there. Perfect photo opportunity! Watching my hubby interact with my daughter is one of my favorite things to see. I married him for several reasons, one of them being I thought he'd be a great dad. It's amazing to see how sometimes God surpasses our expectations. The father/daughter ... read more
Easy Crock Pot Turkey Breast
Thanksgiving is almost here! One thing I'm thankful for is this crock pot turkey breast recipe that my friend Kristin shared with me a couple of years ago. This is literally the easiest way to cook a turkey breast but it tastes like you spent all day on it! *This post contains an affiliate link for your convenience. See my disclosure here. I'm not Julia Child. My kind of cooking consists of throwing a few ingredients into the crock pot, turning it on, and then enjoying the food that night for dinner. Over the years my crock pot has become my best friend in the kitchen. So naturally, this recipe fits in nicely with my ... read more
Easiest Cake EVER
Today I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes. Actually, it's more of a little trick that my Mother-in-law taught me. It's the easiest way to make a cake. Ever. I love this recipe because it's easy, inexpensive, and I can eat the dough with no worries! This cake has 3 ingredients, minimal steps, and the cake always turns out moist and delicious. Since oil isn't needed this cake is also great healthier dessert option. Easy. Healthier. Inexpensive. That's my kind of cooking! Easiest Cake EVER Ingredients: 1 box of cake mix (any flavor) {Important note: do not follow any of the directions on the cake mix box} 1 12oz can of Sprite or 7-up 1 tub of Cool ... read more
When We Get Out…
This is what happens when the hubby and I get out just the two of us. Let me explain... A couple of months ago we went to a wedding and left the kids with Grandma. At the reception, there was a photo booth set up and we had SO much fun taking crazy pictures. I think being sans kids for the night made us a little giddy. It's good to get out just the two of us and have some time to be silly. It's also good for my kids to know that Mom and Dad have fun together. Over the years, I've learned that getting out just the two of us for a little bit is vital to keeping a healthy relationship with my husband and my kids. When we go out and choose not to worry about the kids, we ... read more
Learning To Be Content
I have to confess something. I waste too much time wishing the hours away. As a stay-at-home-mom I'm on call 24/7. The "job" never ends. Having two little ones around me means I'm needed for something ALL.THE.TIME. I can't even go to the bathroom by myself anymore! (For my friends that don't have kids--enjoy the bathroom time alone while you can!) Needless to say I crave having some time alone to relax. So many of my days are spent struggling through balancing all the things I "need" to do while trying to find some time to relax. The mountain of laundry needs to be put away. The dishes are overtaking the kitchen. My son (Number 2) needs a diaper change. My Daughter ... read more
DIY Laundry Detergent–Is It Worth It?
(UPDATE: I wrote this post about a powder version of homemade laundry detergent. Since then I've discovered a recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent that I like even better! To see that post, click HERE) I used to think DIY laundry detergent was the dumbest idea ever. Why in the world would I make my own when some detergents aren't that expensive? Well, I'm now eating my words. Again. Now that our family of four is living on one income we're trying to find new ways of being more frugal. Lately I've found lots of money-saving ideas on Pinterest. There's a make your own EVERYTHING on Pinterest. Some things are worth making on your own and some things aren't. In my ... read more
