I've been wanting to write my thoughts about New Years resolutions, but each year goes by and I drop the ball, and I don't mean the ball in New York City (hahaha). I decided I would finally gather those thoughts and share them right around the start of the New Year, then some things changed (so I'm sharing those thoughts now). I've been evaluating a lot in my life. I've finally slowed down enough to ponder a lot of things. Because of that pondering, it had me thinking of some New Years resolutions for myself for the coming year. I began making a list and thought, "I want to begin all of these ..read more

I made my very first recipe book six or so years ago when I was new to the making/baking/creating world. I have never been an avid cook or baker. I like my recipes clean, easy, and concise. Nothing too fancy. I needed a place where I could keep my collection of favorite (quick meal) recipes. I am surprised and impressed at how well-used and well relied-on, my recipe book has become in my life! After (6 or so years) of practicing, collecting, and perfecting recipes, I decided it was time to revamp and reorganize my cook book! When I began looking at recipe books online, I realized I was very pi ..read more

You guys! It’s been a while since I’ve shared some thoughts. It's usually in vulnerable moments, weakened moments, broken moments, challenging moments, that I tend to rely more on the spirit, give all that I have to the Lord, and in-turn think more deeply and feel the urge to write raw thoughts and emotions. I want to write meaningfully on a more regular basis, not just when I'm knee deep in affliction. I want to feel as close to the spirit everyday, as I do when I'm struggling. Oftentimes, I avoid writing because I just have so many different thoughts that I push them aside or struggle organi ..read more

We have officially rolled into fall and as always, I'm excited about it! Though, I will miss summer and especially all of the time outdoors. We love outdoor walks, splash pads, pool time, chalk, water play, picnics, the park, the zoo, etc. Fall and winter will bring much more time indoors and that means getting creative with activities. I love this list of ideas because it honestly applies to babies who aren't quite mobile yet, to toddlers! Such a large age range even if you have to modify a few of the activities a little bit. Most of these are interactive fun not requiring any items, others ..read more

It's the middle of October and all of the Halloween festivities are just around the corner!! Pause. Did I just say it's the middle of October? Where does the time go?? Sometimes I wish we could have like 7 months of October...3 months of July and 2 months of Christmas. Something like that. Oh well, each month really is special and unique in its own way. But back to what this post is really about... this SNAKE CAKE! Such a fun, easy, tasty Halloween dessert. INGREDIENTS: 1 package of Oreos (crushed) 8 oz. cream cheese (softened) 1 c powdered sugar 1 (3.9 oz.) box instant chocolate pudding 1 (3 ..read more

I was recently working on a new little project around the house that included refinishing some vases and picture frames. With some research and experimenting for a very particular look, I LOVE how they turned out! I used a method I call Dry Painting! Dry Painting is when you add some baking powder to your paint which gives the objects you are painting, some texture! This technique completely accomplished the raw, natural, clay, concrete look I was going for! Adding a little bit of texture made a huge difference. This is a DIY game-changer! It was super easy and I had the supplies already on h ..read more

I could go on and on about all of the self-tanning products I have tried, what I do or do not like about each, and which ones are worth spending your money on, but sometimes ya just wanna get right to the good stuff! Right!? So I'm not going to waste my time, or yours, going through all of the pros and cons of each product, when there is simply just one that I completely recommend trying. So, we will get right to it, but before doing so, I will just insert a list of products that I have tried, so that you have an idea of what I am comparing this product to. Fake Bake: Luxurious golden bronze ..read more

Is grocery shopping enjoyable and therapeutic to you? Or does it bring you stress and anxiety? I kind of enjoy it as it allows us to get out of the house. But it can be inconvenient and time-consuming some days and also a challenge with a baby! What I really dislike, is when I am looking for a particular item that I don't normally buy and I spend an embarrassing amount of time going up and down the isles an embarrassing number of times trying to find that certain item! Ughh frustrating. I saw the big orange signs for Walmart's grocery pickup but honestly thought you had to be someone special ..read more

Birthday parties don't have to be extravagant or expensive to be cute and memorable! We threw a really fun birthday party with some cute decor that didn't cost much at all! We had a large number of people and chose to include food so that was an additional cost, but just talking decor and supplies, this birthday was right around $25!! Here's how we did it: DOLLAR TREE ITEMS: BALLOONS $3 GREENERY $4 PLATES $4 NAPKINS $3 CUPS $4 TARGET: WOODEN BANNER $5 WALMART: SMALL CAKE (mix, frosting, candle) $3 LET'S TALK "HOW TO" SPECIFICS. BALLOON GARLAND Cut a string the length that you want your garla ..read more

"Babies need so much stuff!" Raise your hand if you’ve heard it. I’ve heard this so many times. Truth is, they really don’t need that much. Diapers, food, and place to sleep, right? ;) I have had many questions about which items we used and loved for baby's first year. I put together a list of just that, the items we absolutely loved and actually used during baby’s first year and it consists of 33 items! So, back to-- "babies need so much stuff!" I wouldn't say 33 items is much, but maybe everyone’s idea of “a lot” is completely different. Maybe 33 items is a lot to someone else, but maybe it ..read more