Butterfly Princess Costume {diy}

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

If any of your are like me.. I tend to look over Halloween a little bit.  I get so busy around this time of the year that it just completely evades me.  Until my daughter starts getting excited over it, that is.  But she's not quite there yet.. and here I was last week.. twiddling my thumbs over what to do for her costume.  What I did know was that I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I wanted to keep it simple.

My daughter already had a pair of butterfly wings in her closet (a couple, actually), I found a wand in her toy box, I used one of my sparkly headbands, and then I made a simple fabric circle skirt.... and.. glued some Cottonelle onto the skirt for a fluffy, princess-y effect.

We dubbed it "Butterfly Princess".

If you have a daughter, then more than likely you have something in your house that can be transformed into some sort of princess/queen/angel/butterfly/something-else-girly for a costume.  And I'm sure you all have toilet paper in your house - at least I hope you do.  If not, just head to Target and get yourself a 12 pack of the Cottonelle Triple Roll (your behind will also thank you for this).  The key is to find stuff that you already have laying around the house... I invested hardly any time or money into this.  And this girl just had a ball in it.

  

Even daddy had fun playing "Butterfly Princess"... he had his own set of wings and everything.  ;)  Precious, right?  He was definitely mean to be a daddy to a little girl.  Can't wait to stick this photo in a scrapbook!  

Do you want to try the super soft Cottonelle Triple Roll?  Whether for a fun getup... or...... your bottom.  Yes, I said it.  ...Well if you do, grab this coupon and you'll get a free box of Kleenex when you pick up a 12 or 20 roll package, while supplies last.

Ghostly JELL-O JIGGLERS

This past week Clara helped me make some fun JELL-O JIGGLERS... she always wants to be on the counter while I'm cooking.. my little assistant.  I let her pick out the flavors to use, and as you can see in the photo below.. she was very excited about her Orange and Grape JELL-O.  ;)



These treats were simple enough for her to help with, and the prep took hardly any time at all.  The hard part was, of course, having to wait for them to set.. so we could decorate and eat them!  I decided to make little ghosts up top of our JIGGLERS!

I just used muffins tins for the molds.  And after setting them in warm water for about 15-20 seconds, it was really easy to remove the JIGGLERS from the tins!  Clara loved helping me put the "ghost" on top too.. I used COOL WHIP whipped topping for the ghost, and mini chocolate chips for the eyes!

As you can see above.. she was really impatient to try out her creation.  Can you blame her?  It didn't take her long to scarf it down, that's for sure.  Or my husband, for that matter.  There's nothing like spending some quality family time in the kitchen.. and then getting to devour all the deliciousness afterwards!  ;)

Jello.com has some fun ideas for Halloween treats.. I'm really loving the MMMMonster JIGGLERS and the Creepy Crawly JIGGLERS (that you can make from an ice cube tray!).  Have you  made any fun Halloween treats yet??

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Erin Condren Life Planner {review & giveaway}

I've had my eye on these Erin Condren Life Planners for a long, l o n g  time.  I finally sucked it up and bought one.. and I must say that I love it.  It's every crazy-organizer-list-makers dream.  I bought the 18-month classic life planner in "viva espana watercolor".  The planner is so sturdy and well made... I have no doubts that it will last.

I like the fact that they're so colorful and bright.  And the fun quotes they throw in there are definitely mood-boosting!  It has a whole section for "special dates" such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  And then there's space for important numbers and contacts.  I like having everything all in one place!

I just love that there's so much space in these!  They have a monthly view of each month, as well as a daily view.  With tons of room to right what you need.  I use my binder for practically everything... my blog (scheduling posts and keeping track of deadlines), meal planning, weekly to-do lists, exercise, appointments, and just to jot down things I want to remember!  These planners are so worth it.

This neat little video kind of takes you through and gives you a closer look at it.



 And now, the exciting part!  Erin Condren is offering a $25 gift code for one lucky winner!  Say whaa!  That's right.. just enter below using the rafflecopter form for your chance to win!  You can put it towards a Life Planner or one of their other fun products from the website!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Didn't win or just can't wait?  You can sign up and order your Life Planner here!

Our Little Carving Party

If your read my blog regularly, you already know that we went to the pumpkin patch last weekend.  It was a good time, and of course, we found a couple pumpkins to carve up!  This is the first year we've carved pumpkins since Clara was born, and it was a lot of fun because she really got to be involved with it.  We wanted to carve the pumpkins outside, but it was raining so we opted for the garage instead.  More room to move around and make a mess than inside the house.  ;)

We were gifted the Pumpkin Masters carving kits, tools, and little strobe lights for inside the pumpkin.  They were actually really neat.  It came with all the tools you need to carve and scoop and even came with fun designs to trace and carve out.  I've seen these kits a lot of places.. Walmart, grocery stores.. I even saw them at the pumpkin patch last week!

I will definitely be using these kits every year.  I don't think I could carve a pumpkin with a big ol' kitchen knife while my 2-year old is running around.  And with these, she was able to sit down and 'help' me do it!  Plus it was just so easy to use.

And although she liked the carving part, she was not a fan of the whole scooping-it-out part.  She did not like the way the pumpkin felt on her hands... she's such a girly girl that way.. she does not like her hands being dirty.

My husband decided to carve out a ghost, and I did a "surface carving" of an owl.  If you didn't know, a surface carving is where you just shave out some of the pumpkin, and not carving out a whole piece.  All I had to do with tape my outline onto my pumpkin, and then I took my rotary and marked long the lines... it left an outline on the pumpkin, and you just shave out the designated areas with their little shaver tool.

Ta-da!  My owl!  I've never surface carved before, so it was pretty fun!  It's not perfect.. but hey, it does look like an owl.  ;)  Made me feel all creative and artistic.. haha!

If you want to get all creative and artistic too, you should enter the Pumpkin Masters' annual carving contest!  The contest runs until October 31st, and you can catch up on all the details here.. you'll have a chance of winning quite a few cool prizes.. including $5,000 for best pumpkin!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

"Punkin" Patch 2013

Last weekend we took Clara to the pumpkin patch.. she loves going to pick herself out a 'punkin' (as she says).. we let her pick out one of the little baby ones.. and she'll carry it around the house for days, haha.  We went with my bro-in-law, sis-in-law, and niece... Clara loves hangin' out with her cousin.  :)

We did all the usual pumpkin patch things.. rode a hayride.. went through a maze of haystacks.. petting zoo.. and pig races.  Let the kiddos run around for a bit.  It was a pretty hot day for October.. in the 80s.  The cooler weather can come any time now.  Please.

My child didn't get a 'proper' nap that day.  So she didn't want much to do with the camera.. and was a bit of a sassy pants.  But I can't blame her, I'm the same way with not enough sleep.  I think she was out before we even left the parking lot!

She was not a very big fan of the animals.  The goats kind of freaked her out, haha.  I can't quite blame her.. their eyes creep me out too.. but on the other hand, they're so cute.  We had a good time.. we always do.  Everyone loves the pumpkin patch!  ;)  Anyone else been the pumpkin patch yet?

An Honestly Good Break

"This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group and Lean Cuisine, but all my opinions are my own.  #pmedia #HonestlyGood #ad  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO"

You may or may not have noticed that there's been a serious lack of posts the past few weeks.  My life has been a whirlwind of crazy.  I'm still figuring out how to balance things now that I'm working.  I have significantly less time outside of work.. and getting a good schedule on cooking, cleaning (is it just me, or does the laundry pile up entirely too fast?), filling Etsy orders, blogging, and quality family time isn't something I've quite got the hang of yet.  Bless my husbands heart for having to deal with my scatterbrained self lately.

I love cooking for my family, but sometimes I just need a break.  I was given the chance to try out these new Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals - and man, were they good.  As I've said before, things have been crazy busy around here.  My husband also has a hectic work schedule and goes to class two nights a week... and with these I knew we were still getting something that tasted fresh and delicious.. and fast!  Quick and easy can still be healthy - and with these Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals you still get 100% natural with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.  Win!

You can buy Lean Cuisine's Honestly Good meals at Target (one of my happy places).  The meal pictured is the Pomegranate Chicken.. is was so good!  It had a whole grilled chicken breast filet, whole grain pilaf with currants, green beans, yellow beans, ribbon cut carrots, and a pomegranate glaze.  I almost forgot I was eating a frozen meal!  They have 5 other delicious meals that include:  Honey Citrus Chicken, Lemongrass Salmon, Pineapple Black Pepper Beef, Plum Ginger Grain-Crusted Fish, and Roasted Red Pepper Chicken.  

I wasn't sure about the pomegranate sauce when I first bought it.. but after tasting it, it went so well with the chicken and the pilaf!  My husband enjoyed it too.

The next time you're at Target, I highly suggest picking up some of these Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals to keep in your freezer.. you know for those times that are just too busy, or you're just too tired but you still want to have a good meal.  If you try them out, comment below and tell me what one you like best!

21 Things You May Not Know About Me

 But now you do.

1.  I'm a book worm.  I love fiction and nonfiction.  All books by Francine Rivers and Karen Kingsbury.  I don't have a kindle or nook because I like having the actual book... and some day I will have a "library" in my house... ceiling tall book shelves filled.. and comfy chairs..

2.  I binge watch TV shows.  I watched all 9 seasons of Grey's Anatomy in about 2 months.  And all seasons of Gossip girl in less than that.  I can't help it... and my husband hates it.

3.  I'm a big home-body.  There's no place like home!

4.  I've seen the Goo Goo Dolls in concert 4 times, 3 of those times I was front and center.  And all of those times I was with my Dad.  It was kind of 'our thing'.. and if they ever decide to come to Little Rock or Memphis.. you can bet I'll be there!

5.  I was a stay-at-home mom for a little over 2 years (from when my daughter was born in 2011 until about a month ago).. I just returned to the workforce!

6.  We lived in Korea for 2 years, it's where my daughter was born. 

7.  I've been to 2 countries (other than the U.S.), and 21 different states.  I hope that list continues to grow.. I love to travel and I've been blessed with a kid who's a good little traveler too.

8.  I can play the flute.

9.  I have a borderline unhealthy love for ice cream.  Blue Bell is my favorite brand, but Breyer's Natural Vanilla is my favorite vanilla ice cream.  I'm kind of a snob about it.

10.  The only makeup that I wear on a consistent daily basis is mascara and lip stain.

11.  I broke my wrist when I was in 6th grade while at a skating rink with a friend.  I think that hurt worse than childbirth.

12.   I really really really really love lefse.  I always have to have it during the holidays.

13.  I went to school for Dental Assisting.  I loved it, but I'm not so sure it's a 'passion' of mine anymore.

14.  I'm from the Midwest.  I miss it.  Also, Iowa has the best sweet corn (I love sweet corn).  My husband is in the Air Force and we currently live in Arkansas.

15.  I'm part Swiss.. and there's a mountain in Switzerland in the Bernese Alps that has my maiden name in it's name.  Also, I think ancestry is fascinating.

16.  My husband proposed to me on the beach in front of our friends and his sisters.  It was so sweet and romantic... and I never saw it coming!  He's sneaky.

17.  I got married when I was 20 years old, in Virginia, in the living room of the Justice of the Peace (he had a really huge and awesome victorian style house.. it was gorgeous).

18.  We had a vow renewal ceremony a year and a half later in Iowa.

19.  I have 5 tattoos.  One of them is an old lock with my wedding date underneath it in roman numerals (my husband has the key tattoo;)

20.  I love Italian food.  And pasta.  And all things carb-related.

21.  I really enjoy playing tennis and if we would have had tennis as a sport at my high school, I for sure would have joined.