I have had a long love affair with fried rice. It's my go-to meal at Chinese or Thai restaurants. You just can't go wrong with it! The Problem We live on one income so eating out at a nice restaurant is not always an option. Sometimes I have expensive taste when it comes to food. What makes it worse is we'd have to get a babysitter so we could actually enjoy said expensive meal. Because of those circumstances, we don't go out on dates to Chinese or Thai restaurants very often. So my fried rice cravings go unmet. The Solution With the culinary genius of my Hubby, he created a fried rice recipe that tastes like take out but has a much lower price! ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 80
*This post contains affiliate links and referral links. If you decide to make a purchase, you’ll be supporting Carrie This Home at no cost to you! All opinions in this review are my 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. We each pick different features each week so be sure to check out the other lovely features! This party starts each Sunday at 8PM Central time You can subscribe to my email list to ensure you won’t miss a thing! This week at Carrie This Home I shared one of the best time saving secrets for bloggers. ... read more
Save Time With CoSchedule
I love blogging! It's the perfect creative outlet for me where I can share easy recipes, how-to tips for home projects and share my life and faith. But there's a problem. Blogging takes a lot of time! One post will take HOURS to complete. It takes time to write the post, more time to take photos, and then even more time to promote the post on social media. Promoting one post on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest takes so much time that I've felt the need to be connected to my computer all.the.time. Being a blogger means having a presence online. The problem is I don't want to be on the computer all the time. I have a family to take care of ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 79
We just got back from our big family vacation to Branson, Missouri. It was a lot of fun but I am so thankful to be sleeping in my own bed tonight! Now for the party! 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. We each pick different features each week so be sure to check out the other lovely features! This party starts each Sunday at 8PM Central time You can subscribe to my email list to ensure you won’t miss a thing! This week at Carrie This Home This summer I can't wait to spend more time with my little ones. I shared a ... read more
Easy Summer Snack Ideas
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. #SummerGoodies #CollectiveBias I'm really looking forward to spending a lot of quality time with my children this summer. Our daily life is full of laughs, challenges, snuggles, and new accomplishments. They will not be this age for long. I want to take time this summer to slow down and just enjoy being with them. Having an outdoor picnic is one way I like to spend quality time with my kids. I love to make it an activity ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 78
After a very long week I'm excited to announce that my family is officially on summer break! What did that long week teach me? Single mothers are rock stars. My hubby was out of town with his track and field athletes this week. That meant I experienced the life of a single mom for a majority of the week. Single mothers have the HARDEST job on the planet. Hands down. If you are a single mom you've got a lot of respect from me! Now for the party! I've been so happy to see many new people here lately at the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Weather this is your first time linking up or you're a returning loyal linker, I'm so glad to have you ... read more
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pudding
The other day my mother-in-law dropped off some strawberries from a local farm. Aren't they beautiful? What would you do with a fresh bowl of strawberries? I love to eat fresh strawberries and most of the time I just eat them as is. This time, I decided to do something special with these beauties. I used them to create a guilt-free way to get a chocolate fix! How does this sound: a dessert that has the taste of a chocolate covered strawberry, with low calories, and minimal effort. I thought that sounded good too! I love this chocolate covered strawberry pudding because you get all the taste of a chocolate covered strawberry with fewer calories, less mess and ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 77
I'm so glad it's Memorial Day Weekend! May is a very busy time for our family so we really needed a break! We had ZERO plans for this weekend and it was wonderful! I'm so glad you're here to join us! I'd love to see what you've been up to on your blog! 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. We each pick different features each week so be sure to check out the other lovely features! This party starts each Sunday at 8PM Central time You can subscribe to my email list to ensure you won’t miss a thing! This week at Carrie ... read more
Easy Ways to Save Money {Part 2}
Get ready for the mother load of money saving tips! {Part two!} In case you missed it, last week I started a two part series on Easy Ways To Save Money. I shared my best money-saving secrets on food, home maintenance and decor, personal care, and parenting. This week I'll continue the mother load of money saving tips with a few new categories! We are a one income family of four. The one income we have is not a big one, either. We have four people, two cats, three cars, a mortgage, and somehow we make it each month. How is that possible? Two reasons. God has been so good to us by providing what we need Finding a LOT of little ways ... read more
Connecting Friends With Hallmark Friendship Cards
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. #CollectiveBias Do you have a friendship that has survived the test of time? I do. I have a friendship that has survived many years, silly fights, hard times, and long distances. Sending a meaningful Friendship Card is a great way of #ConnectingFriends. Let me introduce you to my friend Danielle. Danielle and I began our friendship as young children when we became next door neighbors. As she and her parents were moving in, her ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 76
I am so thankful for each and every person who links up with us each week. It's truly inspiring seeing what you all have been up to! 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. We each pick different features each week so be sure to check out the other lovely features! This week at Carrie This Home I started a two-part series on Easy Ways to Save Money. If you're looking for ways to stretch your budget a little further you don't want to miss this series! You can subscribe to my email list to ensure you won't miss a thing! Some of my ... read more
Easy Ways To Save Money
Get ready for the mother load of money saving tips! We are a one income family of four. The one income we have is not a big one, either. We have four people, two cats, three cars, a mortgage, and somehow we make it each month. How is that possible? Two reasons. God has been so good to us by providing what we need Finding a LOT of little ways to save money Today I'm starting a two-week money saving series. I'm sharing all my money saving secrets and I hope to inspire others to stretch their money in lots of easy ways. Ways To Save on Food Make a dinner plan. Each week I write down a list of dinner meals that we'll eat for ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 75
Happy Mother's Day and welcome to the 75th Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! I'm so glad you're here! 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. We each pick different features each week so be sure to check out the other lovely features! Earlier this week I shared my favorite printable of all. This I Love Us printable paired with a great frame will make a great addition to a gallery wall or make a great wedding gift. Here are my features from last week: Cast Iron Bathtub to Outdoor Sofa from One Krieger Chick Work Space Reveal from Homey Oh ... read more
I Love Us {Free Printable}
This month, the hubby and I will be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary! I still can't believe our wedding was TWELVE years ago! Where did the time go? To help celebrate, I'm sharing this free "I Love Us" printable artwork you can enjoy for yourself or give as a memorable gift! But before I get to that, I'd love to share the story of how I met my husband. How We Met As the years go by, I'm more and more amazed at how God works things out. The hubby and I met our sophomore year in college as we started going to the same church. I had just given my life to Jesus and was discovering what it really means to follow Him. I had a ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 74
Welcome to the 74th Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! This is a great place to share your posts and get some awesome inspiration! I'm so thankful for all of you who take the time to visit the party each week! 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. We each pick different features each week so be sure to check out the other lovely features! Mother's Day is coming up really fast so if you need a gift idea look no further! I made it super easy. Check out my post on how to make Sugar Body Scrub. I've even included some super cute ... read more
Sugar Body Scrub (With Free Printable Labels)
Do you have your Mother's Day gifts purchased yet? Me either! The good news is today I'm sharing a super easy & inexpensive gift idea Mom will love! Let me introduce you to Sugar Body Scrub. This body scrub smells wonderful, makes your hands super soft, and it can be used on feet to get them flip-flop ready for summer! Mom has spent years pampering you. Take a turn and pamper her for a change! This recipe yields enough to make three 3oz. containers of body scrub. You can find the squeezable containers in the travel container/sample toiletries area at your grocery store. Here's how easy it is to make Sugar Body Scrub: Fill a measuring cup ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 73
Welcome to this week's Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! I'm looking forward to seeing all your great posts! In case you missed it, last week at Carrie This Home I shared an AWESOME recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Balls. These wonderful things are seriously addicting! Now…time for the blog hop! Here's the features from last week's party: Delineate Your Dwelling wrapped up her Kitchen Renovation for Less series and shared the awesome results with us. This is a must read for anyone wanting to do a DIY kitchen renovation! I loved this Upcycled Tray from Paper and Fox. Now I want to make one of these for myself! One dessert I really want ... read more
Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Balls
The first time I made these Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Balls, my hubby and I ate the whole batch in one night. They have the perfect taste combination of peanut butter & chocolate so we just couldn't resist! Energy balls are also a great post-workout snack. The protein and calories will help your body rebuild after a long workout. They're also a great on-the-go snack--especially for athletes. I would know. I used to be a sprinter and hurdler in high school and part of college. Our track meets were really long & I had to bring enough food to make sure I had enough energy to compete. I ran in several different events and some meets I ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 72
Happy Easter! Today our family went to the Easter service at our church and had a fun egg hunt at the grandparent's house. Our weather was gorgeous--it looks like spring is finally here! Now it's time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! I'm looking forward to seeing all the awesomeness you guys have come up with! Before we start the party, here's what's been going on at Carrie This Home: I haven't been blogging much in the past month. I recently shared a more personal post about Being Thankful in Hard Times. It's all about the struggles my family has faced recently and the awesome things God has done in the midst of them. Now...let's move on ... read more
Being Thankful in Hard Times
Recently I was joking around with my Hubby about how we haven't watched a single minute of the NCAA Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness). He replied "yea--March Madness describes our life for the past three weeks" He was right. The last month has been insane for our family. I feel like I've been in crisis mode all month long but... ...I'm thankful for hard times. I know this is a strange thing to say. I'm not thankful for the bad things themselves, but I am thankful for what I've gained in going through them. I didn't always see things that way. A good friend of mine had her first child a couple years ago. Weeks after the baby's birth, her husband ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 71
It’s time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! I’m excited to see what you all have been up to! This week I shared a sweet moment I had with my daughter while having an Easter Tea Party Activity. I'm going to have to make this a weekly event! Now it's time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Here's some projects, recipes and crafts that caught my attention from last week's party: Calm, Layered and Minimal Master Bedroom from Bigger Than the Three of Us. Coconut Quick Oat Bars from Besa GM. They are super easy to make and look like the perfect spring treat! I loved the tips Curly Crafty Mom shared on 5 Ways to Style Floral Prints. I ... read more
Easter Tea Party Activity With Bigelow Tea
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. #AmericasTea #CollectiveBias To help celebrate Easter, I had a fun afternoon tea party with my daughter. Who doesn't love to get dressed up, get out the fancy tableware and sip on some fabulous Bigelow Tea? As a busy mom I'm often pulled in a lot of different directions all at the same time. I want to make sure that I slow down to spend some real quality time with my kids. Having tea parties is a great way for me to put aside the chores and tasks of the ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 70
It's time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! I'm excited to see what you all have been up to! This week I shared a super easy DIY Monogram that only cost $10 to make! Now for the party! We had some fabulous link ups last week. Here's some of my favs: Jenna at Rain on a Tin Roof gave us 6 Room Decorating Ideas for Spring. Don't these Red Velvet Brownie Bites from Petite Chouette look amazing? Updating Thrifted Frames from frazzled JOY 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. We each pick different features each ... read more
DIY Monogram
I'm such a cheap decorator. Maybe I should re-phrase that. I get really excited when I discover ways to decorate my home without spending a lot of money. There--that's better! Recently I made my own Monogram to go in my gallery wall as part of our $30 Budget Bedroom Makeover. This project took minutes to make (minus the dry time), made a big visual impact, and cost less than $10! At the time when I made this monogram, the weather was really cold. Too cold for projects. But I bit the bullet and made it anyway! Who cares if it's only 20 degrees outside...I've got projects to do! Today I'll show you how to make your own Monogram. It's super ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 69
Welcome to another Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! I love seeing everyone's inspiring projects, crafts, and recipes. I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week! There's nothing like biting into a fresh peach in the middle of summertime, right? Even though the calendar says it's spring, the weather has not gotten the memo. So to help keep the winter blues away, I shared a recipe for a Low Calorie Peach Green Smoothie. This tastes like summertime and is packed with vitamins and minerals. You'll love it! Now it's time for the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Last week we had TONS of great link ups. Here's some of my favorites: I loved ... read more
Low Calorie Peach Green Smoothie
Remember when I shared a Low Calorie Green Smoothie recipe? I loved it and it seemed like a lot of my readers did too! Since then I've experimented and made some other low calorie green smoothies. Then it hit me--why not try this with peaches? The results were awesome. I'm not kidding. Dare I say I like this one even BETTER than the original? Yes. It tastes like a fresh peach in the middle of summertime. It's light, refreshing and packed with good-for-you vitamins and minerals. Your body (and taste buds) will thank you! Just like my original low calorie green smoothie, this drink will ensure you pack in a lot of veggies with an awesome ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 68
Welcome to the 68th Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Before we started with the party, here's what I've been up to this week: One song that has helped me through a lot of struggles this year is Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin. Keeping those lyrics in my head really helps me remember that trust God no matter what is going on. I love that song so much I made a printable that I'm sharing with all of you. Click on the link below to see the post and download the printable. God of Angel Armies {Free Printable} Now...on to the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop! Thanks for joining me and Jordan from Lily White. Designs, Amy From A ... read more
God Of Angel Armies {Free Printable}
Have you ever had those moments when you listen to lyrics from a song and they hit you like a ton of bricks? For me, Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin is one of those songs. The lyrics remind me that no matter what I face, God is by my side. Some people say "God won't give you more than you can handle." I've come to realize that is not true. Sometimes I have WAY more than I can handle on my own. I need Jesus to carry me through those times. He gently reminds me that I don't have to have it all under control. He does. I struggle with a lot of things. Historically my main struggle has been worry. I worry about ... read more
Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop 67
Worst.Spring.Break.Ever. That's how my week was. My daughter fell and cut her chin open that required 7 stitches in her chin. Nothing like taking a selfie in the Emergency Room, right? Then the next day my family was involved in a pretty bad car accident. Thankfully all four of us were safe. Through all the trauma of this week I can wholeheartedly say that God is good and He protected us in so many ways. Things could have been so much worse. Some parents take their kids to the hospital for chemo treatments. Or open heart surgery. I took mine for stitches and went home the same day. Some people don't survive accidents. All four of us were ... read more
Get Ready For Spring Giveaway
I am so over winter. I miss playing outside with my kids. I miss being able to run outside in the sun. Spring can't come soon enough for me! To help you get ready for spring, I teamed up with some friends to give you a chance at winning a $150 gift card to Target! If you had a $150 Target gift card what would you use it for? Get Ready For Spring Giveaway! Organized by: Carrie This Home Sponsored by: Rain on a Tin Roof, The Casual Craftlete, Mommyhead Adventures, Carrie This Home, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, and One Krieger Chick. Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. All entries are optional. Giveaway starts March 11 and ends ... read more
