SUMMER!!!

I am SO excited for summer to be here!

Mostly I'm excited for lazy days with my girls.  That's what summer is all about!

Hopefully summer at our house will look a little something like this:

These are my girls playing in the backyard a couple of weeks ago.
Don't you love Instagram?

On our summer to-do list?
- Play in the kiddie pool. A lot.
- Ride bikes
- Play outside
- Popsicles.  Lots of popsicles.

What's on your summer to-do list?

New FB Page!

Hello?  Is anyone out there?

Don't worry, I'm still alive, just busy as can be!

I haven't been crafting.

I haven't been taking pictures.

I haven't been blogging.

But I HAVE been busy!  Being a mom, a Scentsy Consultant, a voice teacher and involved in my church has kept me busy as a bee.

I have a new Facebook page, too!

Do you like Scentsy?

Do you even know what Scentsy is?

If not, you need to find out, like, now.

You can read about it in THIS POST.

I LOVE Scentsy (hopefully, since I sell it, right?!).

Do me a favor?

Go to my Scentsy Facebook page and click "Like".

As soon as I reach 50 followers, I'll do a giveaway on FB.

When I reach 100 followers, I'll do an even bigger giveaway on FB!

And today is the last day to get 10% off of your Scentsy order!

Plus, today is the last day to stock up on your Fall/Winter favorites - they will be discontinued as of tomorrow (you can see all of the discontinued scents on my Scentsy FB page).

So head over to my Scentsy website to place your order!

Hope you are all having a fabulous February (and Leap Day!)

The best granola . . . ever!

So, you might think that this post will have a recipe for the best granola . . . ever.  But I'm actually on the search for the best homemade granola recipe!  I've never actually made granola (until today) but I LOVE it - it's my cereal of choice.  But it's so expensive and some of the ones at the store aren't that tasty.  Which is why I am on the search for the best homemade recipe!

I started with my first recipe today.  You can see the recipes I'm trying on my Pinterest board, On the search for the best granola recipe . . .

Today, I'm starting with this crunchy granola recipe (made with less oil, which is why I picked it), found over at Family Fun.  I'll let you know what I think!  It's in the oven baking as we speak.

I tweaked it a little, using milled flaxseed instead of wheat germ, adding some coconut, replacing the sesame seeds with sunflower seeds and using almonds and cashews for the nuts.  And since I want it a little chewy, I may only bake it for 30 minutes instead of 40.

If you have a favorite granola recipe, please share!!!  I'd love to add it to my Pinterest board.

I hope you are all having fun, baking away and spending time with your families.  I truly love this time of the year!

Exciting News!

Have you ever heard of Scentsy?

It's a wickless candle system.  Scented wax is melted in a warmer with the heat of a light bulb.  Yes, a light bulb!  

No more black soot on your walls from the evaporated wax.  

No more fire danger - how many times have you left the house or gone to bed, forgetting to blow out your candles?  I have done it WAY too many times.

In fact, you can leave your Scentsy warmer on all. day. long.

The big warmers use a 25-watt light bulb.

The smallest warmers use a 15-watt light bulb.

I've used, and loved, Scentsy for years.

It wasn't until this past month that I decided to become a Scentsy Consultant.

And I'm really excited about it!

So excited that I want to share this product with you!

When you order a Scentsy warmer, there are a ton of different designs to choose from.  And there are warmers that sit on your counter or table and warmers that plug right into your wall.  Here are a few:

 {Full size warmer - Jane}

{Plug-in warmer - Grotto}

They even have seasonal warmers:

{Full-size warmer - Blizzard}

 {Full-size warmer - Fright Night}

And what, you ask, does the wax look like?  The wax comes in little squares (or big squares if you order a brick instead of a bar) and is packaged like this:

As you can see, Scentsy offers more than wax.  There are also room sprays, Scent Circles for your car, Travel Tins to take with you when you travel, Scentsy Solid Perfumes and Scentsy Buddies, the cutest little stuffed animals that you slide a Scent Pak into.  Oh, and lets not forget the Fragrance Foam, an anti-bacterial hand foam.

There is a HUGE variety of scents.

There really is something for everyone!

I love the Corner Cafe line - I like that my house can smell like something delicious that I've baked when I haven't even lifted a finger.

There's also a Fall/Winter line (your house can smell like Christmas with the Festival of Trees or Christmas Cottage scents), a Spa line, a Romance line, a Scentsy Man line, a Seven Seas line and a Favorites line.

If you'd like to try Scentsy, check out my website!

I'm having a Launch Party, which you can order under.  From my homepage, click on "Buy From Party" next to "Michelle's Open House Launch Party!".

Try it, you'll like it!

(Wise words from Yo Gabba Gabba - Ha!)

Scentsy really is a great product.  I will never go back to burning candles again!  And I get comments all the time on how good my house smells.  All. The. Time.  No joke!

Let me know if you have any questions about any of the Scentsy products.

And YOU can sell Scentsy, too.  It's fun and easy!  Ask me about becoming a consultant.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL (and safe!) Thanksgiving!!!

Easy Canvas Prints {Review}

Christmas is right around the corner - can you believe it?!

I'm sure you're all getting your Christmas shopping started, or at least making lists of what gifts to give.  I'm pretty much DONE with Christmas for my kids!  I am SO happy about that!  I just need a few stocking stuffers and then it's time to focus on husband and extended family gifts.

I am so happy to share a wonderful company with you today!  Easy Canvas Prints is an online canvas company that can help you turn your photos to canvas.

I had an 11x14 canvas print of my family done by Easy Canvas Prints.

They were so wonderful to work with!  And I love that I now have a current family photo hanging in my house.  I've lost about 30 pounds since the one we've had up was taken.  So it was definitely time for an update!

I love the quality of the canvas that I received.  I've had photos printed on canvas before from other online companies, and I can definitely tell a difference in the quality.

And their customer service is awesome.  They were so patient with me!

So if you're thinking about turning any of your photos to canvas, give Easy Canvas Prints a try.  And if you "Like" them on their Facebook page, you will get 50% off of your next order, plus free shipping!  I love free shipping, don't you?  :)

Soy Lime Fajitas

Oh boy, you guys are gonna love me for sharing this recipe with you!!!

I originally got this recipe from my cousin, April, from Sweet Ruby {check out her website, she's got super cute stuff!}.  And now we make it all the time.  Thank you, April, for introducing us to this super delicious meal!!!

And not only is this recipe super delicious, it's healthy, too.  And I love finding healthy AND delicious recipes.

SOY LIME FAJITAS

1.5 to 2 lbs chicken or skirt steak, cut into strips

1 med onion, sliced

2 large peppers, different colors, sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tsp chili powder

2 Tbsp oil

Combine soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, and oil in large bag (last time I used half the oil and it was totally fine).  Slice meat and place in bag with marinade.  Let marinate for two hours in fridge.  You can freeze it at this point if you want to do a freezer meal.

Cut up your veggies in strips and set aside.  Sometimes I'll throw in some mushrooms, too, if I have them.

Cook your meat fully and remove from pan.  Cook your veggies in the same pan until softened.  I usually salt and pepper my veggies.  Add the meat back to the pan once the veggies are softened and let it heat through.

I usually buy the raw tortillas, cook them up and serve my fajitas on them.  They are so yummy!  And while the second side is cooking on the stove, I will melt a little cheese on the tortilla.

Add your meat and veggies, a little sour cream, maybe some Cholula, and you are good to go!

This is one of our go-to meals.

You should definitely give it a try!

Thank you to Bountiful Baskets for providing me with red peppers!  I love getting red peppers in my basket - it means we will be having Soy Lime Fajitas that week :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sorry I've been a little MIA lately - I have been so busy and blogging has not been at the top of my list.  But I've got some fun new posts planned in the near future, so don't forget to come back!

To see where I link up, check out my sidebar!

{Bat Garland}

Oh my goodness!  I have been MIA!  So sorry!
I've been SO busy with church responsibilities, planning and getting ready a Halloween party this weekend {I'll post pics of all the fun food and decorations my friend, Brooke, and I have been working on} and I started working part-time {on top of the voice lessons that I teach}.  So, yeah, I've been busy!

Remember that I did a Blog Swap last week with Beth @ Through the Eyes of the Mrs?

I thought I'd re-post my thrifty Halloween project that I shared, just in case you missed it.  'Cuz I'm cool like that.

Now, you all know that I am all about thrifty decorating.  My husband is in school so I have to be thrifty.  But it helps me to be creative!

I was at Joanne's the other day and saw some glittery foam bats.  They were really cute and I knew I could do something with them.  And with a 40% off coupon, they were around $1.50.  Score!

I wanted a fun garland and decided the foam bats would be perfect!

I started out by punching holes in the ends of the wings with a paper hole punch:

I got some twine and strung it through the holes:

And then hung up my bat garland!

Isn't it cute?

You could even glue some red rhinestones on for the eyes to add some extra spookiness :)

I don't have a mantle since we live in an apartment so I usually hang my garlands on this mirror I have above my piano.

So simple, easy and thrifty!!!  That is my kind of project.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Decorating Solution!

A couple of months ago, I thought it would be SO cute to put some Candy Corn in a hurricane w/ a candle!  And I thought I was SO smart coming up with that idea . . . and about a week after I "came up" with the idea, I started seeing these Candy Corn/hurricanes pop up all over blogland and Pinterest.

Guess I wasn't as original as I thought!!!  Great minds think alike, right?  And there are lots of ladies out there with great minds :)

Anyways, so I made my little Candy Cane/Hurricane display, put a plain white candle in it and decided it needed a little more "oomph".

 {See?  So plain}

So here's what I did.

I took some twine.  I LOVE twine.

And I put a little dab of hot glue on the back of the candle and stuck the end of the twine to it:

Then I wrapped to my little hearts content!

And here's what I ended up with:

SO easy!!!  I put another little dab of glue to stick the other end of the twine to the candle.

I love it when that "oomph" that you need is so easy!

And I love the color that this super easy, super cheap Fall/Halloween decoration adds to my home.

This is the "before my Halloween decorations are out" photo:

And the "after my Halloween decorations are out" photo:

PS - like the Halloween printable?  You can get yours HERE!

PPS - new here?  I'd love it if you followed along!  Don't forget to say hi, though :)

Wanna see where I link up?

Check my sidebar! --->

Blog Swap with Through the Eyes of the Mrs!

Hey everyone! Today I'm doing a blog swap with Through the Eyes of the Mrs! So exciting :) Give her some bloggy love! And stop by her blog to see my super easy, super cute project! Hope you all had a great weekend!

Hey There Everyone!

I'm Beth from over at

Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

So do you want to know more about me?

I'm a Momma to three, Wife, Thrifter, Lover of Peach Roses,

Animals, Hot Baths, Comfort Foods, & all things Handmade.

You can read me about me Here!

I spend my days Cooking, Cleaning, Blogging, Breaking up Arguments,

 Responding to Emails, Crafting, and end my days with my supportive husband.

I'm working on opening my own Etsy shop this spring.

You will see things like this...

Today though I have a Simple Fall Tutorial for you.

Halloween Tree

It's super simple and I love the orange lights this time of year.

It's perfect for indoors or outdoors.

Supplies

Leaf Garland

Orange Lights

Grapevine Tree

It's pretty self explanatory right?

String your lights & then your garland.

Plug in and enjoy!

You will find Parenthood, Thrifting Tips, & More.

Stop by and check out this craft.

 Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

Facebook

Twitter

Thank You so much Michelle for having me.

Make sure you stop by my blog & show her some love!

Thanks Beth!  I LOVE quick and easy projects!  Make sure to stop by her blog and say hi :)

Cookie Cutter French Toast

French Toast is a favorite at our house for breakfast.

Seriously, why is French Toast so good?

And my kids love helping with anything in the kitchen.  Usually it's stirring the egg mixture for the French Toast {yes, I'm capitalizing the first letters in those words.  Because French Toast deserves it.  Because it's that good}.

So I thought it would be fun to let my kids cut shapes out of the bread first {who likes the crust anyways?  My kids don't!}.  And since it's fall and Halloween is right around the corner, we used our Halloween cookie cutters!

First make your egg mixture.  Here's how I make mine - it's super yummy:

Michelle's Perfect French Toast

2 eggs

Splash of milk (probably 2 Tablespoons-ish)

1/4 tsp cinnamon (I'm totally guesstimating that.  Just sprinkle it in until it looks like the amount you'd like)

Dash of nutmeg (around 1/8 tsp.  Again, guesstimating here)

1 tsp vanilla

4-6 slices of bread

Whisk all ingredients together in a shallow dish {I usually use a pie dish}.  Like I said, my kids love helping on this part.  Any kind of stirring is so exciting to them :)  Sometimes I'll add an extra egg and a little more milk if I run out of my egg mixture before I'm out of bread.  Just depends on the day and how many pieces of French Toast we want to eat.

Dip your bread in the mixture and turn so each side is submerged.  Then your bread is ready for the griddle!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  You need to cut out your shapes first!  We had a cat, pumpkin, witch and bat.  All perfect for Halloween!  And, of course, the kids love this part, too!

Time to grill to perfection on your griddle {or fry pan, whatever you use}.

And this is the result you will get:

You can't beat that - a smiling face on a Saturday morning!

What things do you do to incorporate the holidays into your everyday routine?

Check out my sidebar to see where I link up --->

Halloween Linky Parties!

Looking for some parties to link up your Halloween projects, recipes, decorations or party ideas to? Or do you just want to get some ideas for yourself?  Here are a few Halloween linky parties that I know of. If you know of any others, let me know and I'll add those buttons, too!

Quick Tip: Celery

I'm going to start a new series of posts called "Quick Tip".  They will give you quick tips about everyday things!  Things you'll probably want to know :)

So, today's Quick Tip is about celery.

Celery?

Yes, celery.

I can't tell you how many times I've purchased celery and totally forgotten about it.  Somehow it gets stuck in the dark corners of my produce drawers!

And when I forget about it, it tends to get a little rubbery.

I know this has happened to you!

What to do?

All you need to do is get a pitcher of cold water and place the celery (ends cut off of the stalk) in.  In a few hours, the celery will be good as new!  No more rubbery, bendy celery!  It will be crisp and delicious, just as celery should be.

So next time you find celery in the dark corner of your produce drawer, you'll know what to do!  And since it's soup season, you'll be able to make some delicious chicken noodle soup, WITH celery!

Black & White Pumpkin Topiary

Are you all SO excited for fall to be here?

Cuz I sure am!

I keep thinking of all the yummy soups and pumpkin recipes I'll be making soon.

It makes me a little giddy!

The project I'm sharing with you today was inspired by a black and white pumpkin project I saw last year over at Imperfectly Beautiful.  I LOVED the idea of painting the pumpkins black and white.  

And a topiary?  Yes, please!

I have a big urn planter sitting by my front door and I knew that was the perfect place for my Pumpkin Topiary!

I got the smaller pumpkins at The Dollar Tree but couldn't find one big enough for the bottom of my topiary there.  So I headed to Walmart and found the perfect one there.  I spent a total of $7 on my pumpkins.  Not too shabby!

I started spray painting when I got home!

 I forgot to take before pics of my pumpkins. Oopsy!

I broke the stem off of the pumpkin above . . . don't worry, it was on purpose!  I took the stems off of the bottom two pumpkins since they would be sitting on top of each other.

So here is my pumpkin topiary before I fancied it up:

I didn't want to spend much money on this project.

I had some sticker paper on hand and decided to use that rather than running to the craft store to buy some white vinyl.

So I used my Cricut to cut out my fancies :)

I decided to do polka dots for the small pumpkin and the fancier flower pattern for the bigger bottom pumpkin.  And since there was so much going on with the black pumpkins, I decided to keep the white one plain.

The sticker paper was definitely not as sticky as the vinyl would have been so I ended up using my glue gun to help keep the stickers on.  Great solution since I didn't want to spend much!

I love the way my Pumpkin Topiary turned out!!!

I haven't done anything yet to fasten the pumpkins together but I'll have to do it soon.  My kids keep taking the pumpkins apart to play with them :)  And I still need to add some leaves or something around the bottom pumpkin, but I was too excited to share this project to wait!

One of my favorite things about my Pumpkin Topiary is that it cost $7 - I only had to pay for the pumpkins.  I had everything else on hand!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

To see where I link up, check out my sidebar --->