taco tuesday print

I created this design based off of HolFox cookies, because who doesn’t love a good taco Tuesday?!

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back. 

May the sun shine warm upon your face; 

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, 

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

happy fourth

 

Happy Fourth of July, friends! & Happy Birthday, America!

Valentine’s Day charcuterie

 One of the best parts of Valentine’s Day (for me) is the treats! Chocolate, candy, cookies….more chocolate! This board was so easy to pull together, and most of it I got from the dollar store! Can you believe it?! Only 2 items are from Trader Joe’s…can you guess which ones?!

banana cream protein shake

celebration supply bin

Months ago I shared a few stories on Instagram of my bin of “Celebration Supplies”. Yes, that’s exactly how my bin is labeled, because I’m prepared to celebrate on a moment’s notice!  While I don’t actually throw parties at the drop of a hat, I do create birthday boxes, special treat & holiday festivities at the drop of a hat.  I dip into this bin at LEAST once a month, depending on the month.

Some of the items are leftovers from parties, or things I have bought on sale or things I have just grabbed on a regular shopping trip that I think are cool & would be a good addition to my bin.

So let’s dig into what’s actually in my bin, in order for you to be able to start creating your own stash!

1. Silverware   I have accumulated a few different colors, and they’re fun to pull out for holiday meal celebrations within our family. i.e. St. Patrick’s Day, Valentines Day, birthdays

2. Garland    If you don’t have a garland or two like this in your stash, add one immediately!  I made this one, and have a few other ones that I pull out for every birthday, or even end of the school year celebrations.
3. Plates     These are also a must for delivering treats to friends & neighbors, or setting fun place settings for holidays. (See silverware for ideas!)
4. Dollar Store Decor    This is one of my favorite places to grab things to add to my stash.  They have REALLY stepped up their game (.99 store is my go-to).  Small foil balloon numbers, DIY tassel garland, cake toppers, etc.
5. Balloons    This seems like an obvious addition, right? You can also blow them up partially and use them to decorate presents, treats & even top birthday cakes.
6. Confetti    I definitely don’t use this all the time, because..yikes. But something to have for REAL special celebrations!
7. Honeycombs    I bought a big pack of mini ones off Amazon that are great to pull out for a specific color theme.  The dollar store also has some & you can also buy REALLY big ones online as well. Cheap, easy and completely reusable for all kinds of celebrations.
8.  Party Hats    Like confetti, this one should be a little further down on your list to add to your bin, but still a fun thing to have for kid’s birthday celebrations.

9. Treat Containers & Bags         These are probably the items I have to replenish the most.  I buy these at Walmart because they do have a good selection for a good price, but Michaels & Hobby Lobby allow you to use coupons, so just pick a spot & get you some!  Treats for neighbors, teachers, holiday treats for school staff, the list goes on.  Grab some cute bakers twine or ribbon to tie them up!

10. Tablecloths    These are great for more than just parties, but come in handy when have family over for dinner or throwing over a pop-up table to make for easy clean up. 

11. Straws    Once again, great for holiday celebrations and also for girls night in or putting out in your kitchen to add as part of your holiday decor. 

12. Napkins     I grab these often in the Target dollar spot!  So grab your napkins, paper plates, straws & silverware at set out for a festive holiday-themed breakfast for your family that will make your kids feel so special and excited!

13. Streamers    I keep at least a few colors on hand because I use them to create a curtain on our kids’ doors for their birthday morning.  I’ve learned that if I don’t just keep some in my bin, I’m having to run to the store late at night or face a disappointed child in the morning!

14. Mini Piñatas     .99 store for the win! I have used these for end of the year teacher gifts/ teacher appreciation treats & they are always a huge hit!  See THIS post for details.

So...what else is in my bin? Mini popcorn containers, photo booth props, a balloon pump, balloon garland tape, and just a WHOLE lot of all these items!  These things have saved my butt more times than I can count and have just made things a whole lot easier on me.  You don’t need to go out and grab ALL these items at once, I definitely did not.  Just start grabbing things when you see them, or save leftovers and you’ll thank yourself later!  Because those holidays & birthdays come every single year, friends.  Happy Celebrating!

carrot & oat muffins

My two biggest struggles when it comes to feeding my kids is breakfast & packing lunch.

Breakfast is always hit or miss, especially for my little one...and a filling breakfast makes a big difference on how our morning goes!

Lunch is a whole other struggle...luckily my older son is pretty easy-going, but that doesn’t mean I want to send him to school with the same pre-packaged food everyday, either.

That’s why I love these muffins so much.  They’re a (kid) crowd pleaser no matter the age or time of day.  The biggest bonus of these muffins? CARROTS.  A veggie I don’t have to force feed my children?!  SIGN ME UP.

• These are pretty easy to mix together, I use my silicone muffin molds & they pop out beautifully. (They’re amazing and I don’t know what took me so long to get them, so if you don’t have them you need to just pull the trigger and get some!  ...SERIOUSLY)
•  I usually make 12 regular size muffins & about 16 mini muffins.  I like getting both sizes out of one batch of this.
• Don’t over mix your batter once you add in your dry ingredients! Once they’re combined, stop and use a cookie scoop to fill your molds.

Adapted from Yellow Bliss Road