Have you ever tried peeling an orange but the skin didn’t come off as well as you planned? That’s because cutting fruit is one thing — peeling is another. Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to get to the “meat”, but knowing a few tricks of the trade can make life a lot easier. …
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10 Things I’m Willing to Splurge On
It’s true, I’m one of the most frugal people I know — in a good way! Fortunately, Dave is totally “on board” with my scrimping and saving mentality because by not spending money on some things, we are able to save up for other more important things. Now obviously “the important things” are different for …
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Strawberry Shortcake Cups – Think Spring!
The weather here in West Michigan has been in the 50’s and sunny — spring is almost here! Yes, I know this warm weather won’t last, but I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity for strawberry shortcake. It’s my official “spring-time dessert”… and I just love how simple it is. For the first 24 years …
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Credit Cards — How to Use Them Wisely
Do You Use Credit Cards? If you don’t use credit cards — good for you {especially if you have a tendency to over-spend}. I think using cash is a great budgeting tool and one of the best ways to stay in-control of spending. However, if you’re like me and use a credit card for every single thing …
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Keepsakes and Family Heirlooms
Over the past few months, I’ve received several emails asking how I deal with keepsakes, family heirlooms, and emotional clutter. Well, to be perfectly honest — if I don’t want it, I don’t keep it. I’m not emotionally attached to anything so it’s really easy for me to toss {sometimes too easy!}. However, I know most people …
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Daylight Savings – “Add” Hours to Your Day!
If only you could add a few more hours to your day — think how much you could accomplish! Unfortunately, many of us will actually LOSE an hour tonight, as we push our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings. And even though we can’t create more hours, there are a few things we CAN do …
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Simple Microwave Jam – You Can Do This!
Yes, I know…it’s only March and fresh berries aren’t even close to “in season” — at least not in Michigan. However I did see the very first batch of rhubarb at the store today…spring is almost here! Even so, it’s still possible to make a small batch of homemade jam TODAY. I guarantee you can do this! Recently, I …
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The New Hoover Product Line!
look at this amazing line-up of Hoover vacuums — um, I’ll take one of each Did you know that I LOVE to clean? It’s true — not only do I love the end result of a clean house, I also really enjoy the cleaning process. And one of my most-loved cleaning activities is vacuuming. I can …
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How I Organize My Ideas
source I often have so many ideas floating around in my head — ideas for house projects, ideas for my business and website, ideas for dinner, ideas for gifts I could buy, things I should do, errands I have to run, etc. etc. However, the more ideas I have, the more overwhelmed I start to feel. And …
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Home Renovations on a Budget
It’s no secret that Dave and I are in the middle of a pretty big home renovation project right now. More than a third of our house is completely gutted and we’re just FINALLY starting to round the corner from the demolition phase into the “putting it back together and making it look nice” phase. I’m definitely anxious to …
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Guess What I’m Doing Today…
Guess what I did this morning… I got up, got ready, packed a bag, drove to the airport, and flew to Chicago. Want to know what I’m up to? For the next two days, I’ll be attending the Hoover International Home and Houseware Show, meeting with Hoover executives, seeing the latest and greatest new Hoover products, …
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Hearty Ham and Potato Soup
A few weeks ago we got our first taste of spring. All the snow melted, the weather was in the low 50’s and the sun was shining. We fired up the grill, made a bunch of salads and ate lots of fresh fruit. Then it snowed — a lot! So I came back inside, made …
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Gmail Labs that Save Me Time
I’m sure you have felt overwhelmed with email at some point in your life…right? {If not, give me a few of your tips!} I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of time I have to spend processing and replying to emails. But thanks to Gmail’s amazing list of time-saving Labs, I’ve significantly reduced the amount of …
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Creative Craft Organizing Ideas
Today I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for one of my favorite crafty bloggers… the famous Gussy! You know…from Gussy Sews. The girls with all the ruffles!! Did you know, Maggie {a.k.a. Gussy} is from Grand Rapids? Yup, she is! We even got to hang out over Christmas break when she was …
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My New Favorite Cookies
I love fresh-from-the-oven cookies…but I don’t always have the time to to mix and bake cookies {especially at the rate we plow through them!} So sometimes I mix up a bunch of cookie dough and freeze it, other times I bake and freeze whole cookies. But there are still other times, when I simply reach …
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Simplify Your Laundry Routine
Laundry might seem like a never-ending chore — especially if you have a large family. But it doesn’t have to be! Make this task go more quickly and easily with these simple tips to help you get you out of the laundry room and back to more important things! 1. Stop sorting. I was always …
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Discount Produce – Is It Worth the Savings?
I’m ALWAYS looking to get a good deal…especially at the grocery store! I create a weekly meal plan around what’s on sale. I make my grocery list, clip coupons, and try to find the best deals possible while still maintaining a healthy diet — I have my system down to a science! I keep our freezer full …
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And You Thought Your House was Messy – Week 2
Remember last week, when I showed you how messy our house was? Well, this week isn’t any better…. Our wood flooring was delivered yesterday, and to my surprise, 700 sq. ft. of wide-plank wood flooring takes up a lot more space than I origionally envisioned! YIKES! Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited to have reclaimed …
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