About a year ago, I created a study area in our large upstairs hallway for my two daughters. We used to have a large office desk in that area, but since getting our laptop, we didn’t use it much. Plus, the desk was so big, that my daughters had to walk a big circle around it at night to get from their shared bedroom to the bathroom. The desk was just way too big! So, I took that big behemoth desk apart and stored it in the basement. I brought up some items from the basement (I swear our basement has just about everything stored in it): a large folding table, an office lamp and two Continue reading...
12 Days of Christmas!
Fatigue, sadness and excitement were all on my daughters’ faces this morning as they prepared to go back to school today after the Christmas holiday and winter break. One of my daughters was particularly excited about going back to school, since she sports a new haircut (a haircut that was necessitated by an extremely persistent and large knot in her once long hair) and newly pierced ears today. I was sad to drop my kids off this morning, as it means Christmas, which I spent weeks preparing for, and a week-long of shared family times, have already passed in a blur. Our New Year’s Continue reading...
Magic Reindeer Food Free Printable
Now that Christmas is a week away, my children are very excited for Santa's visit. One tradition that we have and that my children look forward to, is sprinkling magic reindeer food on our driveway Christmas Eve. Luckily, they are usually given a bag of the "magic dust," by one of their friends. But, the reindeer food, which is a combination of quick-cooking oats/uncooked oatmeal and glitter, can easily be put together on one's own. All you need to do is take about a cup of quick cooking oats and mix it in with a little glitter from the craft store. In the bags of reindeer food that my Continue reading...
Helping Our Neighbors and Ourselves
As I write this post, my heart aches for the sweet children who lost their lives Friday in Connecticut and for the families who now have a hole in their hearts that will never be filled. We obviously have a problem with violence in our society, one that has taken so many innocent lives and brought grief to so many others this year. Finding a solution to this problem will be a difficult one, as politics and political differences will likely stand in the way. We will all surely be discussing and debating gun control, school security and mental health issues in the coming weeks and Continue reading...
More Projects With Duck Tape®
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. The custom Duck Tape® placement that I created. I have been loving Duck Tape® lately. The tape is inexpensive, durable, comes in great designs and is an easy way to add some flair and durability to household items. Recently, I used a star pattern and a pretty spring green Duck Tape® to dress up some cardboard storage boxes that I use to store my children’s toys in our basement playroom. The colorful Duck Tape® adds some interest and fun to our unfinished gray Continue reading...
Box Snowman Advent Calendar
I’ve always wanted a new advent calendar. I got our advent calendar, which is shown in my Christmas Countdown post, at a holiday sale at my daughter’s school. It is cute, but I’ve always wanted to have a bigger, more fun option for my kids. A while back, I pinned a really cute snowman gift tower from House Bella on MomHomeGuide’s Christmas Pinterest board. So for the past few days, as boxes filled with Christmas gifts Continue reading...
Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer — A Hot Father’s Day Gift!
I love my family's Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer. I originally bought the coffee maker as a gift to give to my husband for Christmas, but my kids convinced me to give the brewer to him right away, since he often drinks coffee on the way to work in the morning. If the man in your life doesn't have a K Cup home brewer, it would make a perfect Father's Day gift! The brewer has become a family favorite. My kids love it, because now they can make their own hot drinks on their own, instead of asking me to heat up some hot apple cider, hot chocolate, etc., in the microwave. I keep large mugs in a great Continue reading...
Christmas Countdown
The Christmas season officially began in my house on Saturday – just two short days after Thanksgiving. My family has never decorated so early for Christmas, but since one of my daughters just LOVES Christmas, and couldn’t wait to get the Christmas tree up, I just had to oblige the very first day we had some time. My daughter is so looking forward to Christmas that the minute we came home from our Thanksgiving celebration, she donned her felt Santa Christmas hat. Christmas Organization Thanks to some organizing I did just after last Christmas, I was able to get the Christmas tree up Continue reading...
Pampered Chef-Style Chicken Fajita Dinner
I had a Pampered Chef party at my home last Friday, and it was a lot of fun. For the party, a Pampered Chef consultant came over and demonstrated the Pampered Chef's cooking tools and products. For my guests, she made a great chicken fajita recipe in my kitchen’s microwave in only 14 minutes. She used the Pampered Chef deep covered baker to make the dinner recipe. I was quite impressed – the Pampered Chef covered stoneware casserole dish that she used made the chicken nice and juicy – not rubbery, like one would expect from the microwave. I immediately wanted to order the Pampered Chef deep Continue reading...
Cleaning Out the Toy Chests
Ever since my kids were tots, we’ve kept their wooden toy boxes in our living room. The living room, which is only furnished with an upright piano, was the perfect place for them to play in. The plush carpeting was nice for them to play on and cushioned their falls, and the room’s location just off the kitchen made it easy for me to keep an eye on them while I was cooking. But now that my kids are both 9, I am hoping to move the toy chests downstairs into a basement playroom. I would love to turn the living room into more of an adult living space, and furnish it with a small loveseat and a Continue reading...