Happy March

I know, I know…I have been seriously slacking on this blog.  I need a few more hours in the day!  What have I been up to?? Well, changing decor in a room, of course!  We have a breezeway that needed some love.  The walls used to be a warm, milk chocolate color.  Now they are a bright, crisp white.  My color palette has changed a few times, but I ended up with linen & indigo with silver and gold accents!  Here is my original Olioboard.  I put some of the pieces of the puzzle together first to make sure I was heading in the right direction.

178984_286x200

The room is about 1/2 done, but so far I am loving my purchases.  Everything I bought was on sale, with the exception of a couple of things on Etsy.  I spray painted some ledges and picture frames that I already had, and now we have to decide if we are going to do the floors over.  I love the idea of ledges because you can change out accents and pictures easily, so we ran out to Ikea and bought 2 long white ones.  {45 1/4 inch for $14.99 – click pic to learn more}

RIBBA Picture ledge IKEA The picture ledge makes it easy to vary your favorite motifs as often as you like.

I think I might need an Etsy intervention.  I have spent hours each night looking at such creativity.  When some of my wall art arrives, I will post links to the shops.  In the meantime, stay tuned for the CUTEST Etsy shop!!!!!!!  I will post what I found later today or tomorrow!

 

Valentine’s

Did you make/buy your kid’s Valentine’s yet? My son is going to bring something like this.  I have some clear Avery address labels to add to Washi tape.  Cute & inexpensive!

{photo from Cricut site}

And my daughter is going to bring in these I DIG YOU ones. I posted about them last year HERE.  I was able to find multi-color shovels on Ebay, and we will use regular M&M’s instead of the Valentine’s mix.

{photo from Fry Family}

Festive Fashion

These flirty dresses are 30% off until Thursday. There are hundreds more over on ModCloth! Do you know what you are wearing for your holiday get togethers? Me? No clue, but these cute dresses are getting me excited to get all sparkly!

Gather Ye Rosebuds Dress from ModCloth

 


Ahead of Timeless Dress from ModCloth

 


A Berry Important Date Dress from ModCloth

 


A Grand Weekday Out Dress from ModCloth

Elf on the Shelf

If you have one already, don’t forget to put it out tonight.  If you don’t, hurry over to grab one.  I hope ours is magical again this year :)  Our elf is a boy,  but over on Amazon you can grab a few different versions…and the DVD!

The Elf on the Shelf - Girl Elf Edition with North Pole Blue Eyed Girl Elf and Girl-character themed Storybook

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition North Pole Pixie-Elf

 

Maintenance

Hello! My site is bothering me lately, so I am going to try to work on it over the next week.  I will be back with lots of holiday gift ideas and recipes after Thanksgiving.  Sorry about the giveaway…I will try it again with MORE stuff in December!  Don’t forget to email me with any questions about gift ideas, beauty, fashion, etc to help with your holiday stress . kelspence@gmail.com  Hoping your Thanksgiving is spent with those you love most.  I am hosting for the 1st time this year, so wish me luck!

Halloween Ideas

Over the next month or two I am going to mix in older posts with brand new posts.  This way I get to share posts some of you new readers have never seen!  How is October treating you? I feel like September blows by so fast, right? Did you decide on a Halloween costume yet? Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Started holiday shopping yet?  The kids picked out their costumes, and my husband I are going to be zombies…I think.  For the 1st time in my life, I will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  My mom has had some health issues this year, so I thought I should take the reins and give her a nice meal (fingers crossed).  I just started Christmas shopping (1 gift).  I plan to post  LOTS more about the upcoming holiday season.  It is my FAVORITE time of year…..now until December 26.  After that, BORING. Below are 3 Halloween ideas from last year. Let me know if you give them a try.

Melted Witches & RIP Pudding

Glowing Eyes

 

The Hidden Hotel

Are you local and looking for a Halloween attraction?

Though it may not be close to midnight, you certainly sense something spooky’s lurking in the dark; the real thriller is today’s deal: Pay $18 for admission for two to The Hidden Hotel in Canton (a $36 value). As darkness falls across the land, head over to this vintage Washington Street hotel, where the team behind this new and edgy haunted attraction boasts more scares than ever before. As the clock strikes 6 p.m., gather up your buds and hold hands as you venture through the hotel grounds, and get ready for ghastly ghouls and sinister spooks that might linger at every bend. Stop by on weekends and select weekdays in October, and brave the moonlit night to find out what makes The Hidden Hotel the scariest haunted house experience in the Bay State.

You can score 50% off your admission right now. Hurry over →LIVING SOCIAL DEAL

2 Fall Recipes

Here are 2 recipes I tried this month.  Both turned out great, and the whole family enjoyed them!

BBQ Chicken Sliders

BBQ Chicken Sliders { The Crockin’ Girls}

Cook Time 6 hrs  Temp Low

Used 6-quart slow cooker

  •                             3 Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)
  •                             1 Bottle of Barbecue Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s)
  •                             1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
  •                             1-2 Packages of Dinner Rolls
  •                              Lettuce
  •                              Tomato
  •                              Pickle
  •                              Onions

Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.  Pour cream of chicken soup and BBQ sauce over the chicken.  Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours and shred chicken when fully cooked.  Slice dinner rolls and stuff with BBQ chicken and garnish.

I didn’t use the whole bottle of BBQ sauce, and my chicken started to burn around the edges a little at 5 hrs.  Just keep your eye on it.  Make sure you visit their site for TONS of ideas.

(photo from Crockin’ Girls)

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins {Money Saving Mom}

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 (16 oz.) can pureed pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 cups oil
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

I used olive oil, and 2 parts wheat flour/1 part white.  My chips were 3 parts milk chocolate/1 part dark.  Random, right?  I used the batter to make 12 regular muffins. 12 mini muffins, and a small loaf.  Kids practically inhaled the minis!  Threw some in the freezer for school snacks and rushed mornings!  Money Saving Mom is a pro at freezing meals!

Wholesale Costume Club

 Wholesale Prices

Are you dressing up this year? Are your kids?  Like many years prior, women have an enormous selection if they want to dress extra  provocative!  I can already play out the fights my daughter and I will have when she gets older.  Yeah, she is only 4, but she can be {how shall I put this}…strong-willed.  My kids are starting to throw this phrase around like it was their job, ” well so and so’s parents let them do it.”  I go into my usual rant about why I parent the way I do, and I can hear my mother’s voice the ENTIRE time!

Ok, sorry. Back to the costumes ;)  Wholesale Costume Club offers great prices to members and non-members.  A 1 year membership costs $5 , but if you use code SAVENOW you can become a member for free!
For example, this Snow White and the Huntsman costume is $42.98 for non-members, but only $37.96 for members.  I am going to buy my kid’s costumes this weekend, so stay tuned for another costume post in a few days.  Go get your free membership HERE
Snow White Movie Adult Costume

 

 

 

Minnetonka Madness

I just might get some Minnetonka’s for the whole family.  I already mentioned that I bought some mocs for my son, but I am sooooo loving these pairs from Minnetonka too.  Click on the links below each pair to see more options.  There are tons to choose from…even cozy slippers!

 


Minnetonka Women’s Leopard Kilty Mocassin

 


Minnetonka Double Fringe Moccasin (Toddler/Little Kid/Big Kid)

 


Minnetonka Men’s Classic Camp Moccasin

 


Minnetonka Women’s Tall Studded Knee-High Boot

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