Simple Gift Wrapping & Some Fun
We wrapped the girl's Teachers gifts and they turned out pretty cute! Super simple too.
We used brown paper bags, these cute printable tags I found HERE, and tiny clothes pins.
Now for the fun! Yesterday my little Lilians Kindergarten class made Gingerbread houses. It was so fun to go and help her!
Once we got home the girls wanted to play in the snow... Haha, in their school clothes no less.
Hope your enjoying your loved ones during this Christmas season!
A Day of Crafting
Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend some time crafting! It's almost food for the soul! Here are a few of my creations I made while Cadence and Owen we're napping... 
We've all seen those cute signs on Pinterest similar to this...
I love my new version of it!
I can't show this entire sign because it has the family last name of the person I'm giving it to. But I think it turned out pretty cute.
I can not wait to give these as gifts for Christmas! There is nothing better than a Hand Made gift! It really makes you feel like someone has thought of you. Happy Crafting!
Wednesdays Win {John Wayne Casserole}
I found this amazing picture on Pinterest and I've had it pinned for sometime now. I've found that I have a ton of recipes pinned on there and I've decided that each week we're going to try one! This week was this John Wayne Casserole. You can find and print the recipe over at The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife. The only change that I made was to use my own biscuit recipe rather than a pre-made one for the crust. It's super simple and take just a few minuets.
Crust: Baking Powder Biscuits
Pin It
Crust: Baking Powder Biscuits
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup milk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'John Wayne Casserole'
Source: Adapted
from Mississippi Magazine
Ingredients
2 pounds ground
beef, cooked and drained
1 (1.25-ounce)
packet taco seasoning
4 ounces sour
cream
4 ounces
mayonnaise
8 ounces Cheddar
cheese, shredded and divided
1 yellow onion,
sliced
2 cups biscuit
mix
2 tomatoes,
sliced
1 green bell
pepper, sliced
1 (4-ounce) can
sliced jalapeno peppers
Directions
1. Heat oven to
325. Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning and water, according to
packet instructions; set
aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine sour
cream, mayonnaise, 4 ounces of cheddar cheese, and half of the onions;
set aside.
3. Stir biscuit mix and water (directions on
box) to form soft dough. Pat dough on the bottom and one-half-inch up the sides
of an 9 x 13 in. greased casserole dish.
4. Saute remaining onions and bell peppers
until slightly tender.
5. On top of biscuit mix, evenly distribute
ingredients in the following order: ground beef, tomato slices, green peppers,
onions, jalapeno peppers, sour cream mixture and end with remaining shredded
cheese.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until edges of
dough are lightly browned.
I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving Tomorrow!!!
Thanksgiving is 2 Weeks away
Thanksgiving is just 2 short weeks away!!! Time with family along with YUMMY food!
I found the above Menu Planner and thought it was supper cute! What a fun way to be organized for the big day.
Isn't this Thankful jar adorable! I love seeing others posts on Facebook each day during the month of November as they say what there thankful for each day. This has a bit more of a personal touch, my entire family can be involved and keep it for years to come to look back on.
And pumpkin pie!!! I bought my ingredients for this today, on sale. I love a good slice of homemade pumpkin pie.
Here's to planning for a very Happy Thanksgiving!
O what a little spray paint can do!
We've had this lovely mauve lamp beside our bed for years. I decided to try and update it... so glad I did!!!
Love how she looks now.
A bit more updated, simple, and a lot less mauve!
Happy Wednesday :)
Pinterest Marketing Tips

Don't you LOVE Pinterest! I do! It's so addicting and one of the biggest social media sites out there. Here are 9 tips that will help you in marketing your website on Pinterest. 1. Plan for Success - Be sure to properly set up your account and create Boards that will apply to your niche market.
2. Be Social - Pinterest is a visual social media website. Meaning you need to interact with others. Follow others, comment on their pins, thank others for re-pinning your pins and create relationships. This will enable you to gain a strong following.

4. Pin It - Along the same lines as having others follow you on Pinterest, you need to have a Pin It Button on your blog so others can Pin your images. Be sure your creating quality material to be pinned.
5.Create larger images - Grab attention by having longer images. This will take up more space and gives you more screen time.
6. Remember your SEO - Search Engine Optimization is so key to being found. Use #hashtags, keywords and url's in your pins.
7. Promote Creatively - Add a call to action in your pins... Something like "Pin if you agree" with a favorite quote.
8. Pin Different Image Types - photos, images, text and even videos!
9. Be Copyright Savy - Don't pin images that have copyrights - you can get yourself into trouble. On your own images be sure to add your website address and link back to your page.
Happy Pinning :)
UPDATE: This Articel was just Featured on Divine Caroline's Home Page! Hop over and check it out.
My DIY flower boxes
Our garage has slowly been getting a face lift. I can't wait to show it off once it's completed! Here is my DIY flower box project though....
Not too bad right!
So I started out by making 4 square boxes out of 2x4's.
We had a stack of old picket fence planks. I picked the past of them, cut to size, scraped off the old paint, screwed them into my frames and re-painted.
I've been seeing these super cute lanterns on Pinterest as well. So I made a few for myself.
I also made this fun sign that is hanging outside the walk in door along with scrubbing, repainting and putting a new light bulb in the outside fixture. Several more things yet to do but it's feeling so much more finished day by day.
Have a great week!