Lace Crown Tutorial

Isn't this little lace crown adorable? You can make this simple crown craft by following the tutorial in this post!

 
I took some photos throughout the process so that I could share them with you in this lace crown tutorial:

Little Man Mustache Baby Shower

When my sister-in-law got pregnant with her second little boy, we were so excited and threw her a "little man" baby shower! Specifically, we went with a diaper shower, since it is her second baby and her second boy baby shower. 
We invited a few close family and friends and had a little party to celebrate this special baby boy's arrival in style!  

Boy Baby Shower Plans

Keep reading for lots of little man baby shower ideas!  These could also be used for a fun gender reveal or boy's birthday parties.

DIY Pennant Banner (Paper Triangle Bunting) Tutorial

This simple tutorial will show you how to make a pennant banner out of paper- perfect for parties, seasonal decor, or just adding a touch of charm to any space. When I shared the paper triangle bunting I made for Talia's Teddy Bear Picnic Birthday Party it became a popular post. The tutorial I linked to is no longer available, so I've received a lot of comments from people requesting a tutorial.

Here it is!

Pennant Banner Supplies:

How to Make a Pumpkin Roll Video

It's Fall and it's time for my How to Make a Pumpkin Roll Video!  I recently had a friend ask for this recipe, and I thought it was about time I shared this recipe on the blog again.  With Canadian Thanksgiving just a few days away, it's a great time for Pumpkin Roll!
Years ago, I posted at HowDoesShe about the Pumpkin Roll recipe that I use that seems to be a hit everywhere I've taken it.

Since then I've had several people say that even with all of the photos in the tutorial, they're hesitant to try it. A friend of mine mentioned that a video tutorial might be helpful, so I had Ken video tape the process for me and I squished it into a 5 minute video.

Easy Christmas Holly Wreath Treats

This Corn Flakes version of Rice Krispies Wreaths is my go-to treat to add to a Christmas cookie plate for neighbours or for a holiday party food display. 

These Holly Wreaths are one of my favourite holiday treats to make because they remind me of when I was little. :) They're only slightly more work than Rice Krispie Squares which is a great bonus- and they're fun for kids to help with, too!

Rainbow Cookies

This rainbow cookies post became very popular so I created a recipe tutorial with pictures of how to make these cookies if you would like to check it out and try making them yourself!

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In honour of St. Patrick's Day one year, we made some fabulous rainbow cookies! :)

Rainbow Cookies

Decorative Thanksgiving Blocks (Craft With Your Kids!)

For Thanksgiving several years ago, my kids & I made these easy decorative "Give Thanks" Thanksgiving Blocks together. It was a gem of a project & I still use the blocks every year! We originally did this for a sponsored post with products we found at Michaels Arts and Crafts Stores.



It was such a fun project to do together and I wanted to share it again this year so you could give it a try if you'd like. It was from way back in 2013, so re-posting seemed in order! :)

Easy Rainbow Cake! (with cake mix & frosting!)

You don't need any fancy baking skills or experience to make an easy rainbow cake using cake mix- the quick and simple version of  the infamous rainbow cake that Kaitlin from Whisk Kid created and blogged about, then shared on the Martha Stewart show!
(This photo is of my version)

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Love One Another Wall

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I came up with a project for our family to do that would help us to focus on showing love to others. Originally published in February of 2013, this is great if you're looking for Valentine Family Home Evening Ideas.


I made a "Love One Another" wall and then introduced it to them during a Family Night. 

Apple Shaped Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

With Fall around the corner, it felt like the right time to share these Apple Shaped Oreo Cheesecake Truffles! I have a recipe for you, but don't feel you have to make them look like apples- they're good with any coloured coating, fancy-looking or not!

It's been nearly 10 years since I threw my sister a School Themed bridal shower, and made these Oreo cheesecake truffles, dressed up to look like apples! They were so cute and it's time to revisit that recipe!

My mom & I worked together on these with a recipe from a friend of ours that is so simple & so delicious! Want to try them? I thought so! ;)

Rolling Stamp Wrapping Paper

When I saw these little foam shapes in a package at the store, I had the idea to use my rolling pin to create this rolling stamp wrapping paper. It turned out to be a really fun project with really cute results!
If you know us, you'll recognize that these are photos from an old project- we did this TEN years ago!

Here are the supplies needed and my tips for how to do this project:

Jo Totes Millie Bag in Grey Review

Last week I shared a review of my Kelly Moore B-Hobo Bag and I mentioned that I would share another camera bag/purse review today. That's because ever since Jo Totes came out with their Millie Bag, I have been thinking about it! I finally purchased the Jo Totes Millie Bag in Grey in November and want to share my review of it with you today.

The reason I wanted to own this bag in addition to the B-Hobo was that I thought the Millie would be a smaller bag, perfect for bringing along to events with my 'big' camera, when I didn't need an extra lens. I liked the idea of a smaller bag. The B-hobo served that purpose pretty well, but it was still a bit big. Turns out the Millie worked great for this purpose! I was especially relieved to find that my camera (the Canon 5D) fit into the bag just fine, despite hearing that it may not.

But that's enough about the B-Hobo for now. I'll be back next week with a comparison between the two bags. For today, I want to focus on Millie:



I opened the box to find the bag wrapped up & protected in this bag:


The Millie has a large zipper pocket on the back:


The strap is adjustable and has an easy to remove, snap-on shoulder pad:


The front flap of the bag closes with a snap that attaches to the bottom of the bag:


Under the flap, there's a large front zipper pocket. The top, main section of the bag also zips closed:


This bag comes with 2 removable, padded dividers. They have velcro on three sides.


Because I like to carry my camera with a lens attached, ready to shoot, I only use one divider. This gives me room to store my Canon 5D with a Tamron 28-75mm lens attached on one side, and my Canon 480 ex flash in its case in the other. I also have a bulky camera strap cover that fits just fine, above the camera.


Here are a couple of pictures of me, wearing the bag. I found shots like this helpful when I was shopping online for a camera bag because it gave me an idea of how big the bag actually was. The left 2 photos are just over the shoulder, and in the right shot, I've lengthened the strap in order to wear it across my body.


...and that's the Millie! If you've got any questions for me about the bag or my experience with it, let me know in the comments, and I'd be happy to reply.
My review of the Jo Totes Abby Bag.
My review of the Kelly Moore B-Hobo Bag.
My review of the Jo Totes Gracie Bag.
My review of the Jo Totes Missy Bag.My review of the Jo Totes Siena Bag.

CD and DVD Storage & Organization

I have been wanting to find a better CD & DVD Storage and Organization solution for a LONG time. We had been storing all of our DVDs in a box in the basement (we just didn't have space in our living/family room for them) and we had our CDs in one of those big black, zip-up binder things. These methods were kind of working, but weren't that great.
The problem with the DVDs: Our method was really ugly, really bulky, and kind of annoying ;)

The problem with the CDs: Our method was hard to keep organized (you would have to shift all the discs if you wanted to add a new one to the correct 'section'), and the CDs tended to slip out if you accidentally tipped the binder... and I just didn't have a good place to PUT the binder.

So, I give you our new solution! :

See that box FULL of DVD cases? It's going in the basement (in case we ever want to change our system or sell a DVD with the case or something). See that little box of discs? That's all the DVDs in a cute little box that will easily fit on a shelf in our living room- yay! :)

So, disclaimer: This was not my original idea. When I was on my blog break in February, I discovered a couple of organization youtube channels and this idea came from Alejandra at Alejandra.tv (see her video here).

Products I Used:

I found the white plastic bin at the dollar store for $2.

I used Post-it Tabs (recommended by Alejandra in her video) for dividers.
(You can stick these right to the envelope or you can cut out a 5x5 piece of cardstock for a divider and add the tab to that instead of to the envelopes)

I used these Memorex Keepers (plastic disc sleeves - also shown in Alejandra's video) which I found at Staples.

I also used the paper ones for our CDs (we got a separate bin for those) because we don't take them out as often (so I wasn't worried about how well they'd hold up) and they were cheaper than the plastic ones (found these at Walmart).

I thought about which categories of DVDs we have and sorted them all with dividers. I've explained the system to the girls and so far they've been good about putting them away, so I'm excited about this system!

You can see that our box still has room for more DVDs- just think of the space you could save if you had twice as many DVDs as we do! (2 of those big boxes of cases compared to one of these little bins!)

If you haven't heard of Alejandra, and you like to organize, I recommend her channel!

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It's All or Nothing - I'll See You in March!

Last month I shared my blogging resolution with you.  I set a goal to limit my blogging time and see how that went.  I wanted to see how much I could get done in a certain amount of time each day, and if I couldn't get something done in that time, it would have to wait.  I also wanted to see how much "other stuff" I could get done in my leftover time.

I was asked to share a follow up with you, and I did- one week after posting my original post.  That was when I renewed my resolution because quite frankly, I wasn't doing a good job of sticking with it!  Now, one month later, I am here to tell you that yet again, I am starting over.  Basically, I failed at my resolution for the month of January.  I did have some good days where I stuck to my goal, but I'm not too pleased overall.  

In my original post, I wrote that it was "to be reviewed at the end of the month and adjusted as needed".  So, that's what I'm doing.  I've been thinking about this for several days, and I've finally decided to make an "all or nothing" move with this blog.  Just like last month's resolution, this one will not be permanent.  Basically, you guys, I'm not doing so well with the whole moderation thing.  It's frustrating me and I am done with waiting around for myself to do better.  So, I'm cutting myself off (mostly) for a month.

I'm taking a blog break for the month of February.  

I'm hoping this will give me some time to remember what life is like completely sans blog- to get some of the things done that I keep running out of time to do (sewing projects, photo yearbooks, etc.) and to just clear my head of blog stuff for a while.  I'm hoping that coming back to blogging in March, I'll be able to re-try the moderation thing and hopefully do better.

Details:

I'll post the Sharing Time Link Party on Saturday and the same Sharing Time post will remain up for the month, so you can come back any time throughout the month to add links to it and check out each others' awesome posts.

I plan to return to the blog in full force in March! (Technically, I'll be back on the 28th- I have a book review for you that day!)

I have a lot going on in February, so I will be taking photos and will be ready to share a lot with you when I get back to blogging.  I will have 4 parties to share with you, as well as Talia's baptism.  I have recipes ready to share and at least a couple of product reviews coming.

February is my birthday month AND I am taking a solo trip to Utah to visit my little sister who is having her third little girl sometime around Valentines Day! (I can't wait to meet her & take pictures of her!)  While I'm on my blog break, you can check out some past photography posts of my sister & her family here:  Hilary & Eric 2007 (this was not long after I got my first camera ;), Hilary Maternity 2008, Baby Sierra 2008, Sierra is One 2009, Baby Brooklyn 2011, Family Photos 2012.  It's fun to look back at these and see my photography in years past :)

Don't miss me too much while I'm gone ;)  And please don't forget to come back here in March!  (but come back every now & then in February too, to see the great posts that will be linked up to Sharing Time :)

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Products We Love to Love - Giveaway!

What's better than a Valentine's giveaway that includes one of my absolute favorite products? How about a Valentine's giveaway with nine of my favorite bloggers and all of THEIR favorite products too?!



That's right- we've put together a Products We Love to Love giveaway for ONE lucky winner! The entire giveaway is valued at $245!

Check out what you can win:

Easy Fruit And Yogurt Parfait (Healthy Eating On The Go!)

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #CollectiveBias

In 2014, my husband and oldest daughter have decided to try to go a year without eating sugary treats! Talia is not eating candy or cake/cookies on regular days but she will eat cake on special occasions- there are a few exceptions. Ken is really trying to stick with it for every day. This is a great goal and I'm impressed with them for sticking with it so far! It's helping me to think about being more healthy as well, as I try to cater to their choices.

Like many families with young children, we are busy! I am usually trying to think of snacks and meals that can be made quickly! One healthy treat that we love to make at our house is a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait!
It only takes a few ingredients and is very easy and quick to make.

Ingredients:

How to Surprise Someone With a Trip :)

Last June, we surprised our girls with a trip to Storybook Gardens. We had seen plenty of Surprise Disney Trip Ideas online and although we weren't doing something quite so major, we wanted to give them a surprise trip!
(Don't miss the video at the end of this post!)



The Night Before
Ken & I had everything we needed ready to go the night before- lunches, picnic blanket, sunscreen, swimsuits, etc.  We had everything in the trunk of the car the night before (lunches in the fridge- we got those in the trunk when they weren't looking in the morning).

The Morning of the Trip

We were planning to go on a school day, so we let the school know they wouldn't be there and we "accidentally on purpose" missed Talia's bus that day. We told the girls we would have to drive Talia to school, so they hopped in the car with her backpack ready to go. We set up our portable DVD players and told them we wanted to test them out for another road trip we would be taking- they were happy to watch a Disney Movie while we embarked on a rather lengthy car ride.

We were hoping the movie would distract Talia enough that she wouldn't notice when we took some 'wrong' turns. We were also hoping that she would take longer to notice that we were taking too long to get to school. It TOTALLY WORKED! They were distracted for over an hour of driving & didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until we arrived at the park!
The Surprise!

We videotaped their reaction- it was great :)

This was so fun to do and the girls will probably never forget it!

It was fun to watch this video again and remember what it was like to have sunshine and warm weather ;)

I can't wait 'til June comes around again! Maybe we'll plan another surprise trip when it gets warmer out :)

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