It’s the same every year. The alarm sounds and my adrenaline starts pumping. In my mind I immediately see the goal and I’m walking toward it-tunnel vision-focusing on nothing more than that new electronic I’ve been stalking for months. As I come back to reality I push away the bedcover and b-line to the bathroom…
Crafty people crave the ability to make something useful and then give it away to someone else. It gives us purpose behind our love of creating things. In this machine made, automatic, get it now kind of world we live in, sometimes it’s nice to just make something with your hands or design something you…
Do you ever have those years where money is just tight? You know you could really use a vacation but the reality is that there are bills that have to be paid. When it’s impossible to increase your income, the only change you have left to make is to cut your expenses. That might involve…
Year after year I strive to come up with really thrifty gift ideas. During the Holidays I often find that there are people on my list that I buy nice gifts for and then there are people that I do nice things for. This is simply because I don’t have the cash to give everyone a gift….
So you’re staring at your ugly sweater Christmas party invite. You keep re-reading the part about bringing a $15 gift for the white elephant gifts exchange game. Your mind races with various ideas but you settle down in the comfort of knowing that with everything else you have going on during the holidays, there…
I’m gonna be brutally honest here. Finding cool gifts for guys can be hard. Am I right? Men are the hardest people on the face of the earth to shop for. You might think you’ve found the ultimate gift for that person only to have them look you square in the face and tell you…
Something most people don’t know about me is that I am a caramel addict. I walk by a stand of caramel candy apples and it’s over. But you know what the real problem is? Candy apples are darn HARD to eat. So when Chocoley, a gourmet chocolate and candy supply company, offered to send me…
There is no doubt that people greatly differ in how they handle their finances. Some people’s plan revolves around paying all their bills using whatever forms of payment they have. There are people who make sure that they never spend more than what is in their bank accounts in cash. Then there are those accountant types…
Have you ever gone on the hunt for the perfect gift for your wife but come up feeling a lot of pressure and overwhelm. You are in the right article then. I’ve turned this post into the useful birthday gift for wife guide! Some are simple, some are fancy and some are techy. My goal…
Ahhh pizza night! As a kid, when I knew my mom was making her famous homemade pizza for dinner I couldn’t wait to get home from school! She made the dough. She used her made from scratch, beef filled spaghetti sauce and topped it all with simple ingredients. No frozen or take-out pizza could touch mom’s homemade…
Welcome to week 8 of the Lose a Turkey Challenge. We are over half way through the journey and although I’m not even close to 15 pounds yet, I’m learning so much about myself. Last week I just didn’t weigh-in. Sometimes you just need a day off. I took it and I’m okay with that….
What memories does Halloween conjure in your mind? When I think back I remember really loving Halloween. As a creative type, I couldn’t wait to make my own costume. I don’t think I EVER had a store-bought costume in my life! I went door to door typically in those suburban cookie cutter neighborhoods because…
Whether you are a complete newbie to craft fairs or an old pro, organization is the same for everyone. You’ve got to be sure before you get in that vehicle to go to your show that you are ready to go. That starts with a solid list. So in this post I’ll share the free…
You know that feeling you get when you know that it’s time to break it off but you feel such a sense of security that it’s hard to just…let it go? (Go ahead and belt out the chorus to the Frozen song like you’re a preschooler in a mini van…I’ll wait here…) That feeling is…
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…..Have you ever been sitting in a room so quiet that you can hear the minutes ticking away on a walk clock? It’s seconds and minutes of your life constantly lost by a small movement on a plastic, battery-operated device. Maybe you’re listening to one of those creepy, eye moving, tail…
I came to one, huge epic conclusion when I lost 3 pounds this week during the Lose a Turkey By Thanksgiving Challenge. Meal planning makes all the difference in the world! If you checked into the Lose A Turkey by Thanksgiving Challenge last week, I typed up a day by day meal plan for a…
For all you other frugal loving people out there, one of our favorite shopping days is quickly approaching. Black Friday will be here before we know it! And while your kids and most everyone else is in a turkey-induced coma, you’ll be up with your coffee in hand ready to get every good deal you can…
True confessions of Kim Anderson here. I love making really easy, non-bake desserts. As you may know, I’m not a fan of measuring. That’s why I love to create desserts like this, Creamy Double Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle, where I have minimal work for maximum effect. I like to pretend I’m fancy when in reality I…
It’s October and that means that Halloween is on its way. This month brings all sorts of fall fun for everyone whether you are a trick or treat kind of family, a trunk or treat kind of group, or even if you prefer fall festivals. However you celebrate fall with your family, I wanted to…
One thing I love about Christmas is the parties. Every year we go to catered parties and company dinners and get to sample all varieties of amazing and delicious gourmet salads. The salads are so amazing that I wish I could have them more than once a year. That’s why I came up with this…
My favorite way to bring my family together is gathering around a blazing, warm fire pit. I don’t know what happens around a fire pit but it almost seems magical. Fire has a way of bringing people together. I want to help you make one for free. Anyone can have a fire pit for enjoyment….
If you are looking for the easiest white chicken chili recipe on the planet, you’ve come to the right place. Okay, so maybe it’s not as easy as buying chili pre-made in a can, but I think this recipe is pretty darn easy. Do you love white chicken chili like I do? Do you imagine…
Have you ever wondered how to make the transition to a stay at home mom? Check out my guest post on one of my favorite blogs, Creative Savings that shows you 6 smart ways to make the transition! These are tips that I learned in my own journey home. Here’s an excerpt from the post: “I still…
Chalkboard. It’s all the rave right now. I see it everywhere and it’s awesome. It’s adorable! While picking up a few things at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago I found this super adorable wooden pumpkin that screamed “spray me with chalkboard paint and make me amazing!” Not literally, but in my head it did!…
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not big on baking. I’m a free spirit in the kitchen. I don’t like to “measure”. I like to just cook with my heart and my taste-buds. Typically this isn’t a good idea in baking. You need to measure or else stuff doesn’t come out the…