Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Bathtime Paint- Homemade

My child loves the bath! At almost 3, she takes a bath every night and will spend about an hour in the tub. I love giving her bath toys and foamy soaps, but she uses them up quickly. I saw a homemade recipe on Pinterest and finally made it. So easy and man, she is going to smell so good!
Pour 1 cup of bubble bath into a measuring cup. I went generic and it worked just fine :)
Add in 4T of cornstarch and mix. Pour into tupperware bowl with a good tight lid.
Add in a few drops of coloring and mix it up!
Clean bubbly goodness just waiting for your little one!
Be careful not to overdue the color or you might stain your tile or grout. Keep it pastel!
I can't wait for Abby to play with these tonight. You could easily gift these with a paintbrush for other children. Share them as party favors, even!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

So Simple Pulled Pork

I love Pulled Pork and I do an awful job making it, until I found this recipe. I'm so glad I didn't give up on it.
So Simple Pulled Pork
(from Pinterest I think!)

Pork Tenderloin
1 bottled root beer (16 oz)
1 bottled BBQ sauce

Place tenderloin in crock pot and pour root beer on top. Cook on low until done (mine was about 4 hours). Shred with fork and toss with BBQ sauce.

Enjoy!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Screensaver Worthy

We visited the pumpkin patch near our home last week and I captured these beauties. God's imagination is shown in his creation of pumpkins. I love the colors, shapes and textures in something so simple as a pumpkin. Enjoy!








Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Ladies who Lunch

I hosted a playgroup a few weeks ago and it included lunch. I love making food for a crowd- it is always fun to decorate the tables, buy coordinating paper goods and make yummy food!
In case you are looking for a fall dish for ladies who lunch, here is our menu

Croissants

Someone had asked what was in the crunch cake and while describing it, I mentioned "sticks of butter" and everyone about died, except for my friend Tabriah who appreciates all that butter can do for cake and forgets what it can do to our hips.

Enjoy!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

WonderFALL Season

I think I love decorating for fall more than Christmas? It is the start of the collective holidays and stays up a little longer than the rush of Christmas. My front porch got a little extra treatment this year- I wanted it to be more festive than just my new wreath.
My porch is long and skinny, so I just decorated the existing bench with pumpkins, a pillow and garland. I also added this Spooky sign. It doesn't stop anyone from ringing the doorbell during naptime, but does make me smile.
I found this Fall bucket list online and printed it out. I won't be doing everything on this list, but it does remind me of all that is wonderFALL about the season.
It is displayed on my red entry table with garland, acorns, pictures and my huge ivy!
My formal dining room isn't used much, so I always try to make it look pretty. A big empty room open to the family room isn't ideal. ;) I tried to bring some red into the golden hues this year to match my red walls- the crabapples in the yellow urn with cinnamon sticks and a vanilla candle were the perfect touch.
My kitchen has the leftovers- every time I decorate someone gets the leftover hodge-podge mix of seasonal stuff in the bottom of the rubbermaid tub. I'm happy with the randomness.
I can't imagine living without a mantle. I love to decorate mine! I used my handmade Ragamuffin garland that I still love! It is my most favorite thing to pull out of storage each year. I really should make an everyday one!
I hope your fall is wonderFALL also!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Tex Mex Quiche

I made us quiche the other night for dinner and it was a wonderful high protein dinner after a good workout!
Did I mention it was super easy- pie crust sprinkled with chili powder. Add dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and bake.
This recipe comes from my cousin who has amazing cooks in her family so I should have known it would be good. It is more than 10 years old since she is married now and this features her maiden name and was printed in my grandmother's church's cookbook. My Nana has been gone for about 10 years as well.
Family recipes in church cookbooks always pass our family's test. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Erin Condren on One Kings Lane

UPDATE: Link to One Kings Lane is fixed now! Sorry- I was blogging with my awake toddler at 6 AM and didn't wake up enough myself!

I bought an Erin Condren planner last month and I am in love! It is colorful, smartly designed, and durable!


With the planner she included the cute circle paperclip, gift labels, and a variety of coupons. Score!


Today starting at 10 central time, she is on One Kings Lane where you can shop her store at a discount.

Click here to join (it is free) shop Erin. You will love it!

Go here to check out her goods before the sale starts!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Going Green

I saw this picture on Pinterest and fell in love! It is warm and Christmas-filled, but it is also vintage and just plain spectacular. I could move right in!
My bedroom has been black/khaki/red since we moved into our house. You can see a picture here. So, I didn't think it would take much to switch to this look. I just needed a little green.
I found this quilt on Amazon for $50 for a king! That was the style and price I was looking for! I found the Keep Calm and Carry On pillow at Hobby Lobby and of course it was 1/2 off!
The folded quilt at the base is my original red and white quilt, just the back side. I plan to turn it back to red and green in December. I hope to add a wreath at the foot of the bed then and a few more of my red accessories, too!

All of the throw pillows I already had. I removed the red rug and traded out my red ticking stripe lampshades with a khaki linen that I had in the living room.
In total I was able to change out my bedroom look for less than $75 and that makes me and my bank account very happy!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

VitaZing by Origins

I think I have talked about my face on here before... it was super oily until about age 30 and now it is dry. I am sure there is some biological reason for that, but it has made a for a whole new world of makeup! On top of that, I am really pale. I have no peach/orange in me and that is what most makeup seems to have too much of.
I fell in love with this powder by Origins this Springs and have loved it, but I wanted something a little heavier when I know photos will be taken. With holidays and family photos coming up, I went back to Origins and they recommended VitaZing. I am in love!

It is a tinted moisturizer that is good for my skin! It goes on white and then adjusts to my skin's pigmentation. Amazing! The photo above is no foundation and no powder, just my new moisturizer! Seriously! Oh and by the way, because I know you can't tell, I am still a little sunburnt on my nose from our trip to Cabo and peeling.

If you need a new moisturizer for winter, go VitaZing!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Frame Collage

I fell in love with Delta Girl frames months ago and bought my first set for my craft room earlier this summer. I love them in there so much that I wanted another set for the main part of the house. Just inside my entry I had a large silver framed collage. That silver had been removed from all other parts of my entry, so it made the perfect open wall for new Delta Girl frames.
Her friends are super thick- literally big pieces of wood, stapled, painted, scraped and aged to make timeless frames. These each hold a 5x7 picture and are 12x14 inches large.
The other thing I love- you customize them. I was able to pick the prints, the colors and even the trim and trim colors. She builds them completely custom just for you!
For me, Delta Girl frames are a splurge, but I know I'll have them forever and they truly become a work of art in the home. Just in case you are wondering, I wasn't asked to write this post. I just love her stuff and thought you might as well.

You can find her on etsy and on facebook. Enjoy!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Motorcycle Party

I had the pleasure of designing a motorcycle party invitation for a friend. Michael is my daughter's best little boyfriend and we love him!
Since I don't have a little boy and rarely get to do boy things, I created a Pinterest board to get his Mom's brain going on the motorcycle theme. You can see my finds here.

Happy Birthday Michael Michael Motorcycle!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

October Desktop and FFF Update

If you have read this blog for any period of time, you know I love fall. I love football, fall candles, pumpkins, soups, scarves, browns and oranges, all of it! Enjoy this month's calendar- one of my favorites.
You may remember, I quit my job in August to be at home with my daughter more. I now work about 15 hours per week doing marketing for a real estate group and planning four events per year for my former employer. It is the perfect balance of home and work for me and I love it. However, we cut our income to give me more time with Abby and that means a lot less shopping for shoes. So, I won't be doing Friday's Foot Fetish every single Friday. I'll share on occasion when I come across some, but looking at shoes every week isn't healthy for my budget!