We are so close to Halloween! Although I personally am not a fan of anything too spooky or frightening, I do love the excitement that comes with dressing up, eating lots of candy, and celebrating fall. I particularly like this season this year, now that my little one is just over two and can engage more actively, play dress up, and eat a few small sweets.
And while I don’t enjoy super scary films, I do enjoy iconic fall and Halloween movies from my childhood. Think Halloweentown, Casper, Haunted Mansion, the Harry Potter films that usually premiered in theatres in the fall, et cetera. And when you watch a good movie, you always need a good snack. Something sweet and a little salty, like candy and popcorn at the theatre.
My Halloween Salty & Sweet Snack Mix is perfect for this season of nostalgic movies and blanket weather!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup of cinnamon life cereal
1 cup of mini pretzels
1/2 cup candy corn
1/2 cup of salted peanuts
1/2 cup of white chocolate baking chips
First pour your half cup of white chocolate baking chips in a glass bowl or measuring cup and put it in the microwave. You’re going to melt them into the thick syrup consistency, so you’ll probably need to put them on high heat for about 90 seconds to two minutes.
While that’s melting down, go ahead and pour all of your other ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Once your white chocolate chips are melted, drizzle them slowly over the mixture in the bowl. I used a fork at first to get the primary amount in there as I stirred with a rubber spatula. Then I used the rubber spatula for any remaining white chocolate out of the Bottom of my glass measuring cup. Continue stirring for a minute or two to make sure that most of your mixture is covered in a light amount of white chocolate. It will start to stick together which is exactly what you want.
Once your mixture is covered fairly well, it should look like the picture below.
Now, put your mixing bowl complete with your entire mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes. You want the white chocolate to harden just enough.
If you’re making it for family or friends, you can use cute Halloween or fall bags and tie with festive ribbon. If you’re eating it on your own in your pajamas on the couch – no judgment – you can just leave it in the mixing bowl and eat it right from there.
If you’re making this for more than about two or three people to just casually munch on, you’re going to want to double or even triple the recipe.
Enjoy! If you make it, comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
If you’re like me, clutter drives you NUTS – but when life is busy, it starts to pile up. As it piles up, I can simultaneously feel the anxiety rising in me. One place that seems to clutter up quickly for me is my refrigerator.
Between my own Diet Cokes (yes, it’s an addiction and yes there’s aspartame, leave me alone, it’s my vice), my little one’s yogurts and applesauce packets, and leftovers (because who can cook the perfect amount for one adult and one toddler every time?), my fridge fills up and gets chaotic QUICKLY.
I was beyond frustrated with the amount of sheer STUFF in my fridge, so I used a night that I didn’t have my little one and took the time to really clean it out and reorganize.
I started by spending my lunch hour at Dollar Tree. Y’all know I love a good bargain. At Dollar Tree, I got several plastic placemats, three bigger white basket-bins, and a 2-pack of the smaller white plastic bins.
The first thing I did was line the bottom of all the shelves with the placemats. I have a fairly small fridge, so I did have to cut some edges to fit properly in various places. I did also line my crisper drawers with trimmed placemats for easier cleaning. You can see the bottom of the crisper drawers here. I store produce on the left and things like tortillas and pie crust on the right.
I then started organizing my shelves. The top shelf has bottles, drinks, and leftovers, so it was easy enough to organize. The second shelf fit 2 larger baskets and 1 smaller bin. I love sauces, so I always ask for a lot of extra sauce when I’m out places. A few weeks back, my boyfriend brought takeout Chinese over, and I love duck sauce, so he asked them to toss in some extra – we have so much duck sauce I could bathe in the stuff (and if given enough eggrolls, I might). I put all of my miscellaneous sauce packets in the smaller bin and stuck it between the two larger bins. The larger bins contain deli meat and cheese on the left and my toddler’s yogurt and applesauce on the right.
On the bottom shelf, I organized canned drinks on the right and used the remaining white basket to put in my miscellaneous items like my Greek yogurt, individual containers of hummus, laughing cow cheese triangles, et cetera.
For the side door, I made sure to wipe out the ledges. I spent a lot of time throwing out or recycling near-empty bottles of sauce or dressing. You don’t realize how much you have until you start tossing things out! I left just the items that were in-date, usable, and of interest.
All in all, I spent about $7-8 on placemats and $4 on bins/baskets, so with tax, I was under $15 for this fridge clean out and organization effort! It took about an hour of my time, but in the days since I did it, I’ve felt way less stress opening up the fridge or preparing meals, and my two year old can reach in and grab his yogurt easily, too.
What tips and tricks do you use for organizing spaces in your kitchen? Comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
This single momma hen is also a working professional. I’ve worked at the same institution (my undergrad alma mater) for over seven years now, and I’ve moved from an entry level recruiting position into a director-level role. I don’t say that to brag – I say that to share that I have learned a lot from being a relatively recent new professional and then hiring and training many recent college graduates.
I hope that some of the things I’ve observed in my almost eight years of professional, fulltime work, and approximately six years in supervisory roles, will be of help to you.
These are just seven simple items that will help you look composed, organized, successful, and professional on the job.
#1: Make and manage your to-do list.
How in the world can you say you’ve had a productive day if you didn’t measure it from beginning to end? How can you end the work week and say you feel accomplished?
I always start every work week by coming up with achievable, priority goals. I even ask my recruiting team to send me the same; every Friday, they’re expected to send me their 4-5 achievable goals for the next week. As their supervisor, this lets me do two things: 1) see how busy they are so I don’t try to over-delegate tasks to one and under-delegate projects to another, and 2) let me know where they are focusing and offer re-directional coaching if needed.
For my own goals, I tend to write down larger, over-arching projects that must be done by the to-do list end-date (either today or this week).
Giving myself clear priority goals helps me make sure that these are the items that are done – but it also allows for time to accomplish those smaller items, like a surprise walk-in visitor that needs to be assisted or phone call that absolutely needs to be taken.
The particulars of your to-do list don’t matter. If you like color coding in your printed daily planner, great. If you like using the calendar app on your phone, awesome. If you simply have a yellow legal pad with your to do list jotted down in sharpie, that’s fine too. If a white board is up in your office, go for it. Whatever works for you, that is systematic and easy to replicate each time you start a new day or week, is what you should continue doing.
Don’t forget – check off or highlight each completed task as you complete them. It’ll make you feel accomplished!
#2: Dress for success. Look like an adult, not a preteen.
If you are working a professional-level job, even if it’s not your dream job or the end-goal, dress like a professional. You were hired because you projected the impression that you could handle this work – that you had the abilities and the level of competence to get this work done, and that means looking the part too. You likely dressed up for the interview, so don’t slack off now.
I read once that we should all dress for the job we want, not the job we have. That means that we’re not walking into a “Netflix and chill” scenario, so no jeans unless approved by the supervisor, no graphic tees (yes, even tucked into a cute skirt or pair of dress pants, ladies – and yes, even if it’s under a half-buttoned button down shirt, fellas), and no off-brand (or on-brand, for that matter) Ugg boots, for crying out loud.
If it’s a dress down day, don’t feel bad asking your supervisor what’s okay and what’s not. I’d much rather be asked what the appropriate shorts-length is for a Saturday team bonding experience is than to see your butt cheeks all day.
Dress professionally. If you are doubting that it’s professional, go with your gut and wear something else. (And yes, that includes your ties that have cartoon characters on them, gentlemen.)
As a side note: If you have a nametag, it goes on the right side of your shirt.
#3: Know how to appropriately use Outlook features.
It’s likely that your organization uses Outlook. If not and you’re using another resource, like Gmail, replace every use of “Outlook” with your resource’s name.
First off, read receipts are the worst invention ever. They are straight up annoying. Why do you, as my colleague and not my supervisor, need to know if I read the email you sent? Also, even if you are my supervisor, what if I’m not ready to reply yet because I’m trying to allot the appropriate amount of time to answer fully? Maybe I’m swamped and can’t devote the time right now to get you the detailed answer you need. What if I’m mad about what you sent, and I need some time to mull over and respond respectfully? Using “read receipts” is a surefire way to get marked off of your coworker’s Christmas card list. Don’t use them.
Second, please understand how to check your coworker’s outlook calendars (or google calendars) before you schedule a meeting. Conflicts arise and can’t always be avoided, but if you’re leading an event or project, and you schedule a meeting when everyone else has other meetings on their calendars, that’s on YOU as a poor project manager. Pick the time you have available that has the least conflicts – and then make sure to save notes for the folks who do have conflicts so you can catch them up to speed.
#4: Learn the basic rules of grammar – and apply them all the time, not selectively.
You would not believe how many college graduates I hire or interview that don’t use proper grammar in written communication. If you are representing an organization, I assume that that organization wishes for you to project an image of authority and education.
First and foremost – read everything you send BEFORE you send it. If you need a second set of eyes, that’s okay – make a friend at work or, if you have a boss that appreciates coaching and mentorship, you can ask them to review some items occasionally, too. As a supervisor, I want to know when my staff members are trying to improve and want to offer help, so knowing that someone sees this as a professional weakness but wants to grow is incredibly important to me. I’ll make the time to quickly review and offer my edits and suggestions.
If you are not a grammar wizard, that’s okay! There is a really simple solution. Simply type everything you’re planning to send out of your email or messaging system in a Word document first – and make sure your spell and grammar check functions are on. Trust the squiggly lines to correct you. While Word isn’t 100% on the nuances of the English language and might try to tell you to stop using contractions when you actually DO want to us them, you’re likely to have 90%+ success with this method.
If you’re struggling beyond that, there are a TON of books available that focus on improving your business writing skills. Just check out amazon using key words like “business writing” and “improvement” or “help.”
#5: Ask questions about expectations and policies, and then meet them.
What does your supervisor consider a job well done? How do your departmental goals fit into the overall goals for the company? What processes exist that need to be taken for requesting time off, submitting project results, or in preparing for team meetings?
Y’all might not believe this, but out of the over ten folks I’ve either helped train or hired myself, a sold 3-4 of them have had NO idea that you are supposed to REQUEST your time off, rather than just take it whenever you please without supervisor approval. (I hope y’all knew that, too.)
There is likely a formal process for things like requesting personal time off (also called PTO in the business world), for alerting your supervisor when you need a last-minute sick day, or for scheduling adjustments. Ask your supervisor for their preferred method of PTO and sick time requests – then, follow that instruction.
You may also think you’re doing a great job in your role, but you may feel like your supervisor thinks differently. Schedule a fifteen-minute sit down with your boss and ask them directly what things are required to be seen as “meeting expectations” in your role. DO this BEFORE your annual performance review so you have time to excel in your role. IF you’re starting a new job, the way I’d ask this is two-fold: 1) “What are the top three objectives of my job?” and 2) “What are the characteristics of a successful [position title]? How will you measure those on my evaluation?”
It will help you to know exactly what your supervisor expects. Without knowing expectations, you can’t meet them – and you certainly can’t exceed them.
#6: Find your why – and remind yourself of it every day.
There is a reason you took this job. What is it?
Maybe the job provides you with fulfillment – that’s awesome. If so, you buy into the mission of your organization so much that it brings you personal joy and contentment to do the job! That’s a total win.
Maybe the job has amazing healthcare benefits for your family. If so, then keep on keepin’ on, because that is rare in a capitalist world that prioritizes work outcome over family care.
Maybe the job is providing a great schedule or PTO for you and your home life. This is a big why for me in my current job. I get off of work at 4:30 PM – that’s an extra half hour (or more) with my kiddo than many working adults get. On top of that, I get two weeks of vacation days and a few personal days, and I can use my sick time for my dependents, so if my toddler needs to go to the doctor, I can use my sick day for that appointment. Because I serve a faith-based institution, I also get a wonderful Christmas break and a four-day weekend for Easter, and I treasure spending those religious holidays with my family.
There a ton of reasons why you might love or appreciate your job – why you continue to plug away at your to-do list even when you’d rather be in your pajamas watching Hallmark Christmas movies in October, why you vent about your boss but then turn around and hand him a report that exceeds expectations, why you want to turn on snooze on your alarm but get up out of bed and get ready.
Why? What’s your motivation? Make note – stick the picture of your family on your desk. Pin up an encouraging note from your coworker or a thank you note from a customer. Save that email from your boss that says you did great work on your last solo assignment.
Remind yourself frequently that your work provides something (or lots of somethings) that make your effort worthwhile.
#7: Declutter and organize your workspace regularly.
Be honest: what does your desk look like right now? Is it a hot mess express? Or is it organization central?
Mine gets cluttered up by the end of each week. It’s important to clear off the nonessentials (or the items that don’t make your workplace productive or happy) and file them for future needs. Give yourself a few minutes each week (either at the start of the day Monday or last-thing on Friday) to clear off your desk and get prepared for the week ahead. It’ll be well worth the five or so minutes you spend.
Clean workspace, clear mind.
I hope that this was helpful! I’d love to hear some of your on-the-job success tips in the comments below.
I am joining the Halloween train, y’all. I don’t usually decorate for this holiday – for two reasons: #1) I love my fall décor and really dislike the idea of taking it down and then putting it back up through Thanksgiving, and #2) I don’t really love spooky stuff and I’m not a huge fan, personally, of skeletons and skulls and severed fingers and zombies. (I don’t mind this stuff out for the actually holiday, but I don’t really like it in my own home for an extended period of time. I will say that I have seen some people use skulls and skeletons with flowers, and I think in the right space that looks so elegantly spooky – so if that’s your jam, you do you!)
However, having said all of that, my boyfriend Jake is a HUGE Halloween fan. I am still not at all planning to have bloody limb décor or anything too scary, but I am compromising and doing some more traditional Halloween décor. Things like traditional ghosts, classic jack-o’-lanterns, et cetera. I’m thinking lots of wood and twine to make it looks really rustic. I find that style to be charming and match more with my personal tastes.
I am only going to be decorating for Halloween for one week – because, seriously y’all, I love my fall décor. The week leading up to and including Halloween, I will incorporate several Halloween pieces I’ve found that are starting my future Halloween collection.
Yesterday, I made an additional décor set to go with the few purchased pieces I’ve found. So today, I’m going to take you along my DIY journey on how to make these cute, rustic candy-corn jar lanterns!
Here’s what you need: 3 mason jars; craft paints in white, yellow, and orange; paint brushes; 3 flameless votive candles; twine; glue gun & sticks.
First, it’s important that you know that the idea is to dry brush on the paint – so don’t wet your brush down. Instead, pour a little of each paint on a paper plate (or artist palette if you’re getting fancy).
I started with the orange paint in the middle. (And in case it’s been a calendar year since you saw candy corn, remember that the colors, from top to bottom, are white then orange and then yellow. I had to check because my organized mind wanted to put them in color-wheel order.)
When I brushed on the paint, I did the entire middle section – encompassing the “ball” raised logo on the jar. Once you’ve covered the middle, let it dry. If you’re short on time or impatient like I am, you can use a hairdryer on low to help the drying process along.
Then, paint the white section at the top. Only paint down to or on the first part of the raised wording/branding, and be sure to paint up to the lip at the top of the jar under where the lid screws on. You should let this dry now, too.
Finally, paint the bottom with yellow, covering the “mason jar” writing. Let this dry.
Once all of the paint is dry, screw the lid back on but without the flat-top seal lid. Essentially, you’re using the metal twist lid, open, for the sake of country décor. Trust me, it looks cute – gives it a little of a galvanized metal feel.
Now, get your hot glue gun ready and cut your twine. If you’re making three of these as a set like I did, you want to cut three lengths of about your wingspan. (Mine is about 5 feet, so that’s what I cut three times.) I then wrapped these around the top of the jar from lip to the start of the metal lid, using hot glue as I went to secure them in place. They don’t have to look perfect – in fact, a little imperfection looks great with a country rustic décor theme.
After these are securely glued on, I decided to add little twine bows to really up the quaint & cute factor. I tied these and then hot glued them on, using a dab of glue behind the knot of the bow and on the end of each tail.
Once all of your jar decorating is done, it’s time to place them and add the lights! I got my flameless votives from Walmart in a large pack for under $8 – you can get flameless tea lights at Dollar Tree too, but I like that the votives give a little more height, and I figured I’d get a bigger pack and use the others elsewhere in the future.
I absolutely love how these turned out! I think they add a fun, whimsical touch to my newly-acquired rustic & traditional Halloween décor!
What do you think? What Halloween DIY décor items do you love in your home? Comment below – would love to hear from you!
I’ve said it before: I am not a seasonal food person. I think if you like food, you should be able to eat it whenever you want, so that means chili in summer or hot cocoa in spring. However, some things are just the right amount of cozy for certain times of year. Think Christmas cookies or, in this case, crockpot soup.
I love homemade food, but as a working single momma hen, I don’t always have the time to make everything completely from scratch. Even before I was a mom, or when I was a mom but before I was divorced, I didn’t always have the time to make the homemade things I wanted. So, I created some easy hacks to still make the food I wanted without simply making things straight out of a box from the store. This soup is one of those hacks.
If you love a warm bowl of soup on a chilly day (or let’s be honest, any day), this recipe is something you have to try. All you need is a crockpot and the following ingredients:
one can of beef broth
3/4-1 cup of frozen corn
3/4-1 cup of frozen green beans
3/4-1 cup of frozen peas & carrots
onion flakes
salt & pepper
Before you start, I do recommend using liners because they’re not that expensive and they help keep your crockpot a lot cleaner. I didn’t have any in my cupboard when I made this batch, so you won’t see one pictured here, but I do prefer to use them usually!
Go ahead and add all of your veggies to the pot, then pour the broth in. If you pour the broth in first instead, your veggies will cause it to splatter, so I always do my vegetables first. Go ahead and stir everything up so that it’s all mixed together and you don’t end up with a pile of smooshed peas on the bottom.
Add onion flakes and then salt and pepper. Remember you can always add more salt and pepper later, but you can’t take it out once you add it in. My tip is to always salt and pepper moderately in the beginning, and taste test when the dish is closer to done.
Turn your crockpot on low for four hours. If you’re home and able to check it occasionally and stir it up, that’s great. If you’re not home, it should be fine, but I do recommend trying to be home a little before your four hours is up to stir it at least once or twice.
At the end of four hours, your veggies and broth should be hot. This is a great time to test for additional salt and pepper. Then it’s ready to serve alongside a grilled cheese, hot hoagie, or warm Italian or French bread.
My entire life, I have been deemed a “girly girl,” and, even as a certified #BoyMom of a superhero-and-sport-loving toddler boy now, that is still absolutely true. My makeup time sometimes is the only “me” time I get in a day, so I really try to take that time to get myself ready and feel good about myself.
In one of my summer blog posts, a post about yogurt parfaits, I got a little real about my struggle with an eating disorder and body image issues. I have to be really careful and intentional when it comes to body positivity and self-care. One of the ways I do that is by challenging myself to wear make up that enhances my existing features, rather than wearing too much makeup to alter how I look.
A few summers ago, I joined Avon as a representative. This was right after I had my son, and my budget changed completely when I had to make the decision to switch from breastfeeding to formula feeding, and I was beginning to run out of diapers provided from the baby shower. So my “extra” expenses, like personal care and makeup, were becoming difficult to justify. Avon had a low-cost sign up to become a representative and I knew that if nothing else, I could make enough to help cover the cost of my own cosmetics.
This isn’t an Avon call to join post, so I’m not going to spend a ton of time on the whole “join me” thing – instead, if you have questions, reach out to me anytime. This post actually features some other beauty vendors and companies, too, so I’ll be sure to share those as we go.
Let’s get into the makeup with me situation! I have found that taking the time to put on my cosmetics and spending some energy to make my makeup affordable has paid off in a big way for me. It makes me feel good to look good, but by making sure that I use products that compliment my natural looks also keeps me from spiraling back into an existing internal issue with body image.
I want to share the products and process I use to put on my makeup.
As a note, I always buy ELF makeup brushes. I usually pick mine up at Target or Walmart, but you can also find really cute sets on the ELF Cosmetic website.
I always start with a clean face. And while I promote healthy skincare, I also know that it’s unrealistic to think that all mommas or working ladies always take the time to wash and moisturize before bed. There are definitely mornings that I am waking up with yesterday’s makeup still on. I don’t have a picture of it, but I use and recommend Equate Beauty Night-Time Soothing Makeup Remover Wipes from Walmart. They’re affordable and the are fairly soothing to the skin. I try to use mine at night, but, like I admitted, I sometimes have to use them in the morning.
After I’m sure my face is fresh and clean, I’m going to start with primer and liquid foundation. I use Ink Lasting Primer, and I spread a small amount over my face. Then, I use Ink Lasting Foundation; the shade I use is C10 0 “neutral ivory.” I use a blender sponge first and then use a foundation brush to fill in places like under-eye circles.
After my foundation is set, I use a foundation powder. This one, Avon True Color Flawless Mattifying Pressed Powder, is actually no longer made, so I’m going to have to try another line soon – and you can tell I’m almost out. Then I use the Blushed in Love blush & highlighter palette, adding the blush to the apples of my cheeks and the highlighter to the top of my cheek bones right beneath my eyes, to the top of my forehead, and to the bridge of my nose to give some highlighted definition to my face structure.
Next is my eyes!
Y’all will find this shocking if you are knowledgeable about direct sales, but I actually use a Mary Kay Eyelash Curler. I bought it from my boyfriend’s sister when I didn’t have one available in my own brand, and I really love it.
After using this, I pull out my Mono Pop Eyeshadow Palette. I use one flatter-tipped eye shadow brush to brush on the darker shade I want to use. Then I use a larger eyeshadow blending blush to add in a lighter color – you can see the shade I use up most here.
After my eyeshadow is applied, I use ELF Cosmetic’s liquid eyeliner. I use more on my top lid, using just a little on the bottom lid to connect the outside corner of each eye and give a really small “wing” effect. I think big eyeliner wings can really work and look great, but I personally reserve them for bigger or more special occasions when I might really want to look “dolled up.” After eyeliner, I apply my favorite ever mascara, Love at 1st Lash. I apply 2-3 coats on the top lashes and a quick coat on the bottom lashes.
Then it’s on to the lips! I use Nivea’s Milk & Honey lip balm. It’s my favorite because it’s really soothing to my lips but doesn’t have a super sugary or concentrated flavor to it. I don’t know about y’all, but the allergens I experience in East Tennessee coupled with wearing a mask every day has my lips dried out for real – and I find myself using this a few times a day to keep them moisturized and soothed.
I also use lipstick on top of my lip balm. I like the color it brings, but lipstick can crack, so the foundation of balm helps. I use this shade of Sparkling Rose.
If you don’t use a setting spray, I highly recommend that you find one you like. Mine is True Color Setting Spray, but I know that companies like ELF make them too. These make a difference in the day-long lasting effect your makeup can have. I won’t say it WON’T rub off or wear off, but I do find that I get an extra couple hours’ wear out of my makeup when I spray it.
After that, I’m all done, and I just have to do my hair and get dressed!
What does your makeup routine look like? Do you have products you simply can’t do without? Comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
I have always liked the M&M cookies in the grocery store. You know, the ones that come in a plastic container and are made by the bakery and deli at the grocery store in your local neighborhood store? They have M&Ms or some attempt at M&Ms – some chocolate coated candy baked into them. And as a kid I always thought it was really neat how the color of the M&Ms absorbed a little into the cookie.
I wanted to figure out if I could make my own. I know there are a lot of recipes on Pinterest for cake batter cookies. My mom had handed me a recipe before for cake batter snickerdoodles – and it’s delicious. Now she, my sister, and I all make them.
I wanted to try my hand coming up with an M&M cookie recipe using cake batter as its main ingredient.
Here’s what I used:
1 box of Pillsbury yellow cake mix
1 box of M&Ms (think movie-theatre style box, but a bag or two would work too)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of cooking oil
I preheated the oven to 350F. Then I mixed my cake mix, oil, and eggs together until they were all blended well. It’ll create a sticky sort of dough.
I slowly stirred in my M&Ms so they are evenly dispersed.
Then, once your batter is all set, spray your cooking pan with a light dusting of nonstick baking spray (and yes I do this even if they are nonstick pans), and set down rounded, ball-like scoops of dough. I spread them apart pretty far here because I wasn’t sure how large they’d bake to be, but I think you could reasonably fit 6-8 on a standard-sized cooking sheet.
Bake at 350F for 10-11 minutes.
Y’all, these are so soft and delicious – I was surprised at just HOW good they were; I thought that with a made up attempt at a copycat recipe, they might not be super great, but here I am, blogging about them the very next day because I actually like them better than what I would buy from the bakery at my grocery store!
One batch should make about 18 large cookies, or, if you used smaller dough portions, 24 smaller cookies.
It’s fall, y’all! I know it’s just now September 1, but like I told my favorite Walmart cashier (and yes I have one because she is the sweetest), “if decorating early for fall makes you happy, then by all means, decorate early!” (We also talked about watching Hallmark Christmas movies, but that’s neither here nor there.)
I started prepping for fall weeks ago – and, honestly, I would have done a lot of decorating much earlier, but I decided that I had to get a larger project done alongside decorating: refreshing my living room.
When I first moved in, I had a lot of furniture that had been passed down to me from my grandparents. When my gram passed and my grandfather moved into assisted living, I was also in the process of moving into my first apartment with my now-former husband. My grandfather gave me a lot of furniture that he didn’t need as he moved from his apartment into a smaller assisted living space, and then when we bought our house, my mom handed off some additional furniture that was helpful. I had two bookshelves with storage cabinets in the bottom that were pretty worn, but worked well. I have used them for the past year, but for a while now, I’ve wanted to update the living room space of my rental, and I just knew that more modern shelves could do that.
before the living room refresh
My biggest concern was that I have a Queen Anne-styled sofa table that I use to display my TV, and it was a cherry color – so VERY traditional. I wasn’t sure how to merge the two styles I wanted, but I did want to keep the Queen Anne table, as it had been my gram’s and also fits my space perfectly. I also don’t love houses that have only one style in them – when someone says that everything they own is one style (whatever style it is), I cringe a little. I appreciate variation – and I think we are comprised of the things we love, and our homes should be, too.
I saved a little for new shelves, and I decided to refinish my Queen Anne table. I asked my mom if she thought my gram would have been okay with this, and she literally laughed – my gram was the queen of refinishing furniture. We decided she might be more offended if I didn’t.
My new shelves are from Walmart.com (click here to see the Gymax 4-Tier Ladder Shelves), and because they featured black and wood, I chose to refinish my sofa table black. I asked my dad what he would use to do this project, and he happened to have Miniwax PolyShades in black, which is stain and polyurethane all-in-one.
This was super easy to do – I simply had to use steel wool to scrape off a thin layer of the previous stain (not too much – you’re really just scrubbing off enough so that the new stain sticks), then using a paint brush to restain. I did 3-4 coats because I wanted a really thick, solid black color. This process took a few days because I did want the stain to dry between new coats, and I did use a little steel wool between each to let the next layer adhere a little better.
It’s by no means perfect, but I really do love how this piece turned out!
I also decided that, because my rental has wood paneling in the open concept living space, I should probably paint my wood and brown lamps a lighter, brighter color to pop off of the black and wood furniture. (Two of my favorite furniture pieces are the end tables that my dad got at a garage that he completely refinished for me, which have black wrought iron legs and wood tops – so the lamps standing out against these tables and the paneled walls was the goal.) I decided to take the lamps outside and do some spray painting. I used Rustoleum’s Heirloom White spray paint to paint all of these lamps, and I think they turned out even better than anticipated.
Since I had spent a few days working on the paint projects, and because I was still waiting on the delivery of my shelves, I figured I could shop, shop, shop for some updated fall décor! Last year, I had just moved into my rental around the fall season, so I didn’t buy a ton of décor, but I had about one box full of pumpkin-related décor items. I started sorting through that – and my two-year-old son kept picking things up enthusiastically, “pumpkins! Oh, I love it! Leafs, oh I love it!” It was precious. (He now has a felt leaf garland in his playroom on the window because he seemed to the love the fall décor so much.)
When I looked through what I had in storage, I realized I could use some more pumpkins and a few small items here and there. As I waited for my shelves, I went to a few low-cost décor places: Dollar Tree, Walmart, and Old Time Pottery. (If you haven’t explored an Old Time Pottery yet, you absolutely should! It’s one of my favorite stores – probably because my mom and gram used to love going in Ohio when I was kid – and the prices are great. My sweet boyfriend knows how much I love it, and since my son is on vacation time with his father this past weekend and week, Jake suggested that we make a trip. He never even complained, the whole time we were perusing the store – and we had such a good time looking around and finding some new fall pieces! Girls – get you a boy who takes you to craft and décor stores and makes the best of your shopping sprees. That’s love.)
I’ll take some time below to show off the completed living room all put-together as well as to show off the new fall décor pieces I found this season!
We’ll start outside. The first picture is my front porch, which, as I’ve said before, is a huge blessing! The original owners of the house built it backwards, so the front faces away from the road or driveway, but it’s because this view is breathtaking! So every season, I feel like I need to decorate a sweet space to see the view. This year’s was primarily brought to us by Walmart’s seasonal section – the pumpkins, gord, flowers, square hay bale, and pillows are all from Walmart. The scarecrow was a Dollar Tree purchase, and the fall sign was actually a reused piece of decor from last year.
The sitting area in my car port (featured in my spring blog here) was a quick fix this year for me – probably an area I can invest more in next year. I just grabbed a few small signs from Walmart. The door though, is a spot I love. My sister made this twine wreath for me right before I moved into the rental house, so I wanted to display it on the door. I’ve started adding floral picks or wood signs to give it a little seasonal flair, and this sign was under $2-3 at Walmart and the pick was under $1.
When you come through the door pictured above, you step into my kitchen. I have a few small touches of fall in the kitchen. The ceramic glass pumpkins are from Dollar Tree, the green pumpkin plate was a set I had found last year at Bargain Hunt (originally Target), the glass pumpkin plate was from Bargain Hunt as well, the “grateful” sign is a Walmart find, and the galvanized metal cylinder with a pumpkin cutout was a gift from my sister last year, which she found at AC Moore before they closed.
As you look out from my kitchen, you see my dining nook and living room, which are open concept. There’s a built-in bar between the kitchen and the dining nook, so I decided to decorate the bar a little for fall as well.
I am loving all of the decorated tiered trays on Pinterest and Instagram! I have wanted one for a while, but didn’t want to order one that looked exactly like what everyone else had. So I searched a lot of places, but I ended up finding one on Amazon; this is a metal, oval-shaped, two-tier tray, and I love it! I invested in it because I know that I can use it each season to decorate with smaller items that I either already have or can get on the cheap!
On my two-tiered tray, I have a wooden leaf I found at Target last year, a glass ceramic pumpkin from Dollar Tree, a sign from Walmart (“you are the apple to my pie” – too cute), mini fall floral picks from Dollar Tree last year, two mugs I got last year at Big Lots, a fall pumpkin pick from Walmart, and farmhouse beads from Amazon. These farmhouse beads came in a set of three – two small ones and one large one – and they have a nice mustard-like yellow tassel that I love for fall!
The green pumpkin pate is the second in the set I found at Bargain Hunt last year, the “beyond blessed” sign is a Walmart find, and the Rae Dunn mug was actually a thrift store find last year.
Moving into the dining room…! My pumpkin garland was a Target deal last year in the $1-$5 section. It’s wooden, and it was one of the décor items that my toddler said “I love it!” to – and I couldn’t agree more! The centerpiece is a placemat from Walmart (like $4 or less), a fall mini pitcher from Walmart with a pumpkin pick from Walmart combined with a cotton pick from Old Time Pottery in it, a Mainstays candle in Cozy Gathering scent from Walmart (my favorite – you should order one!), another small strand of my farmhouse beads from Amazon, and plastic pumpkins from Dollar Tree in a sunflower bucket that originally came with a floral arrangement from my boyfriend a few weeks ago.
I recently bought a small piece of furniture for really cheap from a place in my hometown called Dandridge Furniture Outlet. I’m using this storage table for mail sorting and other important small items. I quickly decorated the top with a pitcher I got from Old Time Pottery last year filled with dried floral pieces I already had, a ceramic pumpkin from Dollar Tree, and a frame from Old Time Pottery with a recent picture of my little one.
The living room probably has the most fall décor – with new shelves, I took the opportunity to do a LOT of seasonal decoration.
I’m really happy with how the freshly-painted lamps look on my wooden tables, and I am obsessed with throw pillows, so my few fall-inspired ones bring me a lot of joy. The “thankful grateful blessed” pillow was a Walmart purchase last year, but my location has some this year, too. The mustard yellow one on the couch was from Walmart.com and it’s a soft faux-fur material.
My largest, non-window and non-door wall houses my TV and shelves. You can see the end result of the Queen Anne sofa table and the new shelves all assembled (thanks, Jake – he’s my boyfriend and my assembly man!). I am SO pleased with how these turned out!
The yellow throw in the left corner on the basket was supposed to be a larger couch throw, but it was TINY when I got it – I guess I didn’t read the Amazon description closely enough, but that’s okay because it gives a great pop of color behind the white, rustic pumpkin I got at Walmart last year. The pumpkins and fall décor on my shelves from a variety of places – Target last year (the fabric ones), Bargain Hunt last year (the terra cotta one), Dollar Tree (the small ceramic ones), Walmart (the larger one by the candle sticks), and Old Time Pottery (the wooden one on the top right). The wooden leaf was another Target find last year, and I have the wax warmer cubes in the scent Cozy Gathering (again my favorite at Walmart) in the black and tan warmer on the second left shelf.
The “autumn” sign was a find last year at Walmart, and it fits perfectly on my TV base, right under the screen to bring that mustard-yellow across the room. The floral arrangement on top of my BluRay player is a combination of a pumpkin pick from Walmart and a cotton pick from Old Time Pottery in a thrifted vase I found at Goodwill recently. You’ll also notice I have the longer strand of farmhouse beads on the end of the second shelf – I wanted to pull a lighter color into the corner and the mustard color all the way over the wall display.
My little boy has this cuter-than-pie rocking chair that I found at a local Goodwill over a year ago. I stuck a fall board book on it for him and placed it in front of his handmade rocking horse that a church friend made for him this past spring!
Overall, I’m so pleased with my living room refresh and my fall décor! Have you started decorating yet? Where do you find your favorite fall décor items? Comment below – I would LOVE to hear from you!
When I was little, I hated green beans. And when I say I hated them – I mean, y’all, I would count them out so I only ate as many green beans as my mom said I had to. Oh, three bites so I could leave the table? The three shortest beans, it was then!
Now, as an adult, I find myself making green beans a lot. It’s sort of a side dish staple for me – and I’ve come up with a recipe that I absolutely adore!
If you are a vegetarian or are preparing meals for a vegetarian, I hate to break it to you: this is not the blog entry for you.
Here’s what you need:
Fresh green beans
Onion Flakes
Salt & Pepper
5-7 cooked slices of bacon
1 can of chicken broth (14.5 oz)
First and foremost, make sure that bacon is fried up! (I make a whole pound and then eat some, honestly – and use the rest for this recipe. The more bacon, the better – always!)
Next, rinse off your green beans in a colander and then start breaking! If you’ve never been taught to break beans, this is important: you HAVE to snap both ends off – the reason green beans are called “string beans” is because they literally have string-like fibers along each side. When you break the ends, the strings will pull out. You don’t want to have strings in each bite of green beans – and you’re bound to miss a few, but I made some recently that I somehow missed the strings on a good handful and it was like nature’s floss on my plate. Do NOT cut with kitchen scissors or a knife – physically snap the ends of the beans off so that the string pulls with the break.
Once you’ve snapped them all, put them in the crock pot. Pour in your chicken broth, then sprinkle in onion flakes, salt, and pepper to your preferred taste.
Break up your bacon strips into small chunks and add to the mixture. You can use bacon bits if you want, but I prefer the grease and flavor of real bacon in mine if I have it.
Stir everything together well so your bacon and seasonings disperse somewhat evenly. You can put this on low for 4 hours or so, and they will be ready to serve.
Enjoy with your regular weeknight dinner or a holiday or special event dinner!
If you are like me, you save and reuse those plastic Walmart (or anywhere else) bags. I use them for everything – particularly rough pull-up explosions (because while we are learning to tinkle in the potty, we outright refuse to do the other in the potty), bathroom and bedroom trash can bags, car trash bags, and puppy accident clean up bags (ugh, potty training TWO, I suppose).
I’m happy to reuse the bags because I absolutely hate the idea of them just being used once and tossed – the earth doesn’t have time for such literal garbage. But I do have a few rules:
I toss out all bags that had items with condensation in them so they don’t mold as they’re being stored.
I toss out bags with ripped handles or holes.
I toss bags that carried raw meat, so that they don’t stink or carry excess germs.
I don’t use these bags as fast as I end up collecting them, and a bag full of bags is ugly in the kitchen hanging on a hook or doorknob, so I decided to get crafty!
Check out this DIY no-sew plastic bag holder.
All you need is…
Precut fabric in the color/pattern of your choice
Liquid stitch
Bias ribbon-tape (or ribbon in a similar width)
I got all of these items in Walmart’s craft section. You could easily use a fabric fat quarter too, but I preferred getting a yard in case I messed up or to double up on the fabric for thickness.
The first thing I did was cut my fabric yard in half. Then that half got folded evenly to double up the fabric. I laid out my now square of fabric to have the folded end closest to me as the bottom and frayed but matched ends at the top. Because I folded in half, I have the pattern facing the inside (facing up) and outside (facing down on the table top).
At the folded end at the bottom, I went ahead and tucked in one long piece of the white ribbon tape. It nestled perfectly into the crease. Above where the ribbon tape laid in the crease, I drew a thin line of Liquid Stitch. Then, I folded the fabric back and pressed the Liquid Stitch into place. This created a pocket for that ribbon tape, which can (when dry) become a pull-able and tie-able end.
At the top, frayed end, I wanted to create a smooth edge, so I drew a zigzag of Liquid Stitch and folded over, pressing down to seal.
Then, I cut another strand of ribbon tape. I cut two minor slits in the now-glued top edge. This allowed me to thread through the ribbon tape. I glued the edges down to create one handle. This is going to be the top of the bag, where it can hang and where you can place in your plastic bags easily.
The remaining side edges are frayed (or have potential to be) as well, from having been cut. These edges will need to come together to create a round tube for the bags to be held in.
I first folded over the edge that would be the exterior edge so it looks smoother and cleaner. Then, on the other (non-folded) side, I put a thick amount of Liquid Stitch.
I pressed my neatly folded edge into the Liquid Stitch fabric glue until it seemed to seal. Now I had a tube made of fabric.
When you pull the bottom ribbon tape into a pretty tight bow, it creates a small opening from which you can pull one bag out at a time. If you need more than one, you can untie your bow and collect many (or all) of your plastic bags.
This quick, no-sew project created a useful kitchen storage solution that looks as cute as it was simple!
And the best part – if the Liquid Stitch wears off (which I don’t anticipate since I really do trust this brand), I can add in really small stitches to hold it together. But for now, it’s a complete no-sew project that makes life just a little bit easier!
What do you reuse plastic bags for in your home? Do you have a storage solution?
Kate with a Twang 