It’s time for another of my monthly “Favorite Things” posts — and I’ve got lots more to share.
Everything from kitchen gadgets, gardening tools, kids toys, craft items, and more!
Blog
Banana Chocolate-Chip Pancakes (Gluten Free)
Several weeks ago, I shared my most favorite pancake recipe with you. While those pancakes do taste delicious, I recieved many requests for a yummy pancake recipe that was gluten-free.
So today, I’m sharing an extremely simple gluten-free recipe for banana chocolate chip pancakes… and they taste amazing!
Working With Self-Imposed Deadlines
When I made the transition from working full-time outside of the home to working full-time from home, I struggled with self-imposed deadlines — and therefore, struggled with productivity. However, after a few years of practice, I’m getting better 🙂
In my personal experience, self-imposed deadlines are one reason I’m able to do everything I do and still have time left over for fun!
New Life to Old Frames – My $4 Makeover
I’m over-the-moon-excited to share today’s post with you — not necessarily because it’s such an amazing project or earth-shattering before and after pictures. No, I’m excited to share this with you because it’s a project I’ve wanted to cross off my list since early November!
Hooray for one more thing FINALLY crossed off my to-do list!
MAY: Our Month-Long No-Spending Challenge
One idea Dave and I have tossed around for the past year is not spending any “extra” money for an entire month. We’re hoping it will be a way to pad our savings AND reflect back on what we really need versus all those things we just want.
We decided that May would be the month we chose for our “No-Spending Challenge” — and we’d LOVE to have you join in on the frugal fun too!
Simplify Family Schedules with Routines
Easy Cream Cheese Danish
One of my favorite desserts is cheesecake — however, I rarely have the necessary 4-5 packages of cream cheese in my refrigerator. So I’m always on the lookout for simple cheesecake-like recipes… and I’m excited to share one of my new favorites with you today.
Dave and I both give this simple recipe 2 thumbs up, and it’s SOOOO much easier than cheesecake!
A Look At My Crazy Work Schedule
I get lots of emails and questions asking “What exactly do you do?”, so I thought it would be fun to share more about what my work schedule looks like on a weekly and monthly basis.
If you ever wonder what I do when I’m not clipping coupons, changing diapers, making dinner, scrubbing toilets, pulling weeds, and folding laundry… keep reading!
How to Make a Personalized Alphabet Book
A couple weeks ago, I shared a photo collage featuring just a few pages from a personalized alphabet book I made for Nora. And from that day on, I’ve received question after question asking how I created the book.
Today’s post is quite long, but if you’d like to learn how to make your own book (or if you just want to peek at Nora’s book) you’ll definitely want to keep reading!
Save Time by Freezing Pre-Cooked Ingredients
If you ever stop by our house and open up our deep freezer, it will most likely be quite full… however, you might be surprised to know that most of what’s in our freezer is NOT fully prepared meals.
Our freezer is often filled with pre-cooked and pre-portioned ingredients ready and waiting to help me whip up a quick meal in a moment’s notice — which saves me SO much time in the kitchen!
Welcome to AndreaDekker.com!
Simple Organized Living… the Last Post
Today is my VERY LAST post as Simple Organized Living. By tomorrow morning, the new logo and URL should be in place, but there won’t be a new post as I’ll be working to tie up several loose ends that can only be done AFTER the switch takes place.
It’s going to be a busy and stressful weekend, but I certainly hope to see you ALL back here on Monday for an extra-special post, welcoming you to the new AndreaDekker.com!
Just Call Me the Bag Lady
As a work-from-home mom, I wear a lot of different “hats” every single day — I’m certain most of you can relate! And over the past several months, I’ve noticed that each of my different hats requires a different bag.
I know it might seem crazy for a ‘simple living’ person to have so many different bags, but each one serves a purpose and I’ve found that multiple bags is the key to successfully wearing multiple hats. Today, I’m sharing my FAVORITE bags with you!
3 Tips to Sell More at Garage Sales
Garage sale season is here! I’m a big fan of shopping garage sales and have found many fabulous deals over the years… and in my opinion, there are 3 variables that make or break your garage sales.
None of these things are difficult to do, but they will make a difference in your bottom line — I guarantee it!
4 DIY Stainless Steel Cleaners
Before I had stainless steel appliances, I was ALWAYS told how difficult they were to keep clean — and how expensive the cleaning products were. I was unsure if I’d be able to find a more frugal cleaning alternative… but I had to at least try.
After a little research, I found 4 different DIY stainless steel cleaners you most likely already have in your home!
10 Ways to Boost Productivity in 10 Minutes or Less
As soon as the weather starts getting warmer, I find that my productivity starts to plummet. My solution is to make a list of quick tasks I can do in 10 minutes or less… and thus quickly get back in my productivity groove.
Today, I’m sharing 10 of my favorite ways to boost productivity — all in 10 minutes or less!
Video: How I Tie My Scarf
Last week I blogged about my new blog name and shared my new profile picture. I was thrilled to receive such positive feedback from everyone — but I had to laugh about how many questions and emails I got asking me to explain how I tied my scarf!
So instead of trying to take a bunch of pictures, I made a quick video to show you the simple steps.
Savory Sausage Pasta Bake
I’ve posted a bunch of pasta recipes already — but was surprised I hadn’t posted this recipe for Savory Sausage Pasta Bake. It was one of my all-time favorite recipes growing up — and although I’ve adapted it a bit from my mom’s recipe, it’s still one of our favorite weeknight meals.
If you’re a big pasta lover (and don’t like to spend all day preparing for dinner), you’ll definitely want to save this recipe!