This past week, while all my birthday giveaways were stealing the show; Dave and I were busy working on our house renovations. We crossed a TON of things off our to-do list and I can honestly say that we seem to be rounding the final corner and headed for home!!! I can not wait for …
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Blog
The Gift of Food
Where I come from {and I suspect most of you can relate} whenever something significant happens, we run to our kitchens and start making our favorite foods. Whether it’s a birth, a death, a sickness, or just a special occasion, I don’t know anyone who does not appreciate the gift of food! Personally, I always …
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Unique Gift Ideas for Dads
The following is written by Mel from Unique Holiday Gift Ideas: I don’t know why, but Fathers Day always seems to sneak up on me… and then I am scrambling to find unique gifts for my dad, husband, and father-in-law. This year I am being more intentional about planning the holidays so that I can …
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My Favorite Organizing Containers
It’s no secret that I LOVE organizing containers. If I weren’t so frugal, I would probably buy stacks and stacks of extra storage containers because I just love them that much! While I have an appreciation for nearly all organizing containers, I most definitely have certain “go-to” containers for different purposes around our house. And after years of …
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Do You Have “Fun Money”?
source & source About two months ago, I won a $100 American Express gift card from an affiliate program I’m involved in. Yes, I’ve won things before, but they were always “things”… not cold hard cash! Need-less-to-say, I was pretty excited! When the card came in the mail, my initial thought was, I could probably buy …
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10 Ways You Know Your Baby Bump is Growing
I’m just over 19 weeks now, and even though I felt like I was really “pushing it out” in my 19 week picture, I now see that there really isn’t a big difference from 17 weeks. Oh well. However, this past weekend, I realized that my bump must be growing. Maybe some of you can relate… 1. …
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Worrying – It’s All Mental Clutter
source: Have you ever left for a vacation and spent the entire drive/flight worrying that you forgot to pack something? Have you ever been at work or at the store and worried if you remembered to lock the door, turn off the coffee pot, shut the garage door, turn off the lights, etc. etc. Have …
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How I Remember…Seasonal Home Maintenance
Have you ever wondered… “When was the last time I changed my toothbrush?” “How long has that food been in the freezer?” “Does my car need an oil change?” “Do I need to change the furnace filter?” Me too! After we got married and were “out on our own” there were so many little home maintenance chores …
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Getting Ready for the Canning Season
Once June rolls around, my mind immediately starts thinking about canning and preserving all the many fruits and vegetables that will soon be available across West Michigan. My stockpile is running pretty low {the picture above is from last summer} so I’ll most likely be doing a good amount of canning this summer and fall — …
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22 Free Summer Activities for Kids
I was one of those weird kids who absolutely LOVED school — and I honestly did love everything about school! So even though I was always excited for summer vacation, I was already “bored” and ready to go back after a week or two {I think my mom was ready for that too}. I did play …
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Bouncing Back After a Long Weekend
source I often find that after a long, Holiday weekend away from my “regular routine”, it’s more difficult for me to buckle down and get back on track. Can you relate? Dave and I got SO much accomplished this weekend and crossed a bunch of things off our very long to-do lists. However, this morning, …
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Our Memorial Day Weekend
Happy Memorial Day! I don’t have any fun porch decorations or hanging baskets yet, but our house still looks very patriotic due to the flags…don’t you think? Oh how I love four-day weekends — especially when my “House and Yard Project” to-do list is spiraling out of control and getting longer by the day! Here’s …
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Simple Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
I love fresh-from-the-oven cookies, but I don’t always love the time it takes to scoop out every individual cookie and then wait in the kitchen while the first tray bakes, then quickly swap the first tray for the second tray, move the first try to the cooling rack, scoop more cookie dough onto the next …
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Having a Baby on a Budget
source: Ever since I announced our “big news” a few weeks ago, I’ve been overwhelmed {in a good way} with comments, emails, facebook messages, tweets, snail mail, and even in-person advice as to what I should do, what I shouldn’t do, what I’ll definitely need, books to read, etc. etc. And for the most part, …
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Clutter Control and Summer Vacation
It’s the last week of May — which means school is ALMOST finished and summer break is ALMOST here. And that means you will be in charge of entertaining, occupying, and cleaning up after your children every. single. day. for the rest of the summer! You can do it! I have a bunch of really …
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Simple Tips to Start Meal Planning
I hear women talking, or even posting on Facebook, about the fact that it is 4:30 PM and they probably should figure out what to do for dinner. Of course by that time, they generally realize it’s really too late to actually make a decent meal. And after rummaging through their pantries, they realize it …
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Cleaning With Lemons
I’ve always loved lemons…always! I love baking with lemons, I love decorating with lemons, I love the bright cheery color of lemons, I love the smell of lemons, I love lemonade, AND I love cleaning with lemons! No, I’m not just talking about lemon Pledge — although that is a delicious smell that remind me …
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Blogging Conference, Organizing Bags, and a Baby Bump
This weekend I’m attending and speaking at Gleek Retreat — a blogging conference right here in West Michigan — and I’m so excited for everything I’m going to learn and for all the amazing blogging friends I’ll FINALLY get to meet “in real life”. I’ll share more about the blogging conference next week, but I just …
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