Inspiration for Fall Decor

I'm not sure how the weather is where you are, but it's still fairly warm here - in the 80s and 90s during the day. I'm really looking forward to cooler temps! Nothing much, just in the 70s. In hopes of helping to usher in fall, I've been eyeing some super cute fall decor. I haven't started on anything yet, just browsing.

(All of these were found through Pinterest, so some may not have the actual source included. Sorry - I tried!)

So far I'm loving the whole pumpkin theme. Check out these Magical Pumpkins from The Charm of Home.

More pumpkins! I'm loving the Pumpkin Garland from A Glimpse Inside. This is something that I think even Andyroo could help make!

I also really like the look of the leaves on this Centerpiece from Thrifty Parsonage Living

These framed letters would be perfect for our apartment if they were a little smaller. Easy enough, right?

Source

I have yet to put up a wreath - ever. Anyone else with me on this? After seeing some of these cute (and easy) wreaths, I just might have to give it a go!

Found on Pinterest - Pin source says Ucreate. I didn't search through
the whole website to find it. Sorry :)

P'Zookies

Have you ever heard of P'Zookies? It's a yummy mixture of warm, gooey cookie dough, ice cream, and whatever toppings your heart desires! It's heaven in a bowl! I've only seen these done at a local restaurant and they're so ooey-gooey good! Then I saw them done as individual servings over at Our Best Bites and knew I had to try it out. These are one of my favorite indulgences - when the stars align and I have both ice cream and cookie dough in the house!!

You can do this with either store bought or homemade cookie dough. I did mine in one of our regular ceramic (not sure what it really is) bowls that is oven safe. Make sure to use an oven safe dish! Put some cookie dough in the bowl (no need to spread or smoosh it). You could use any kind of cookie dough. Mine is chocolate chip.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes (until it turns golden brown - or until it's the doneneess you prefer).

Let it cool for 10 minutes. Your tongue will thank me. And I promise it will still be gooey and the ice cream will still get melty.

Top with ice cream and any other toppings (caramel, chocolate, butterscotch, etc). I used a chocolate/vanilla ice cream and didn't have any toppings to go with it. It was still delish without additional toppings. Enjoy!

Recycled Magnetic Organizers

One of the things that drives me nuts is having piles of paper scattered around the kitchen counter and tables. We have a small apartment, so I try my hardest to keep things put away and uncluttered. (No comments from those of you who have seen my house at it's not-so-great moments!) I would love the ability to set up a whole functional (and pretty) station or desk to keep myself organized. I just don't have the space for that, so I came up with this instead.

Want to know what I used?

That's right! A Pringles container and a couple of empty boxes!!! I had everything on hand, so this project was completely free. Free is awesome!

This project is pretty self-explanatory. Pick a couple of boxes. I used some fruit snack boxes because they were big enough to fit full-sized piece of paper. I contemplated using a couple of smaller boxes, but just stuck with 2 fruit snack boxes and the Pringles can.

The Pringles can cuts down easily with just a serrated kitchen knife.

Pick some paper and mod podge it onto your boxes.

Attach some magnets. Initially I used hot glue, but the magnets kept falling off, so I pulled out my trusty E600 which worked like a charm. I used 2 magnets on the can and 4 on each of the boxes. I didn't want them sliding around on the fridge.

I also used my Silhouette to cut out some vinyl labels. You could easily print labels or use stickers. One box is for things that I need to file and the other is for things that need my attention or that I don't want to lose. I think they might have looked a little better if I had put the vinyl on a solid piece of paper then glued it onto the boxes, but this will work for now!

Thanks to all the fabulous bloggers out there who take the time and effort to host these spectacular parties!! We're linking up here:


Mondays:
Just Something I Whipped Up, Craftastic Monday, Turquoise Lovin', Making the World Cuter Mondays, Making Mondays Marvelous, Creative Me Mondays

Tuesdays:
Get You Craft On, Tuesday Confessional, Who's Got Glam, Ta-Da Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesdays, Take a Look Tuesdays, Show Me What You Got

Wednesdays:
Whatever Goes Wednesday, Idea Sharing Wednesday, What I Made Wednesday, DIY Under $5, Woot Woot Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Lil' Luna Link Party, Hoo's Got Talent

Thursdays:
Strut Your Stuff, DIY Diva Thursdays, Hookin' Up With House of Hepworths, Get Your Brag On

Fridays:
Frugal Friday, Creative-ly U, Feature Yourself Friday, PityParty, Look At Me

Saturdays/Sundays:
Lovely Little Linkup, Weekend Wander

Makeup Review ~ Nars Lipstick

I was at the mall the other day and decided to step into Sephora. Sephora is a store with a huge collection of different brands of makeup and other body products. Basically....it's my heaven! Lol I thought I would start expanding my makeup collection some more and while I do I will give reviews on them. It also gives me an excuse to buy more makeup!

The first review I thought I would do is on Nars lipstick. Lipstick was Nars first product...so basically they are known for their lipsticks. They've had lots of time to perfect what goes on our lips. I love that I get to try on the lipsticks before I buy them. After much deliberation I chose....*drum roll*....Roman Holiday!

The color I chose is in the 'sheer' lipstick category. Nars' Sheer lipsticks are infused with ingredients to help nourish and improve the condition of the lips. It is a long lasting lipstick.

"Best Overall Lipstick” 2010 & 2011 InStyle "Best Beauty Buys”

I give it 5 stars! This lipstick lives up to it's company name. I can see why it has won best overall lipstick 2010 & 2011. It feels like I'm putting a high brand of chapstick on my lips. My lips were feeling dry the other day and instead of grabbing a lip balm I grabbed my Nars lipstick and fixed my problem. I love how the color lasts forever. This lipstick was definitely worth the money. I highly recommend Nars Lipsticks!
Check out their website! http://www.narscosmetics.com/



I was not compensated for this review.

LDS Idea - Scripture Directory

Instead of a FHE idea this week, I wanted to share something I found while browing Pinterest the other night. It's such a wonderful idea and I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. You don't have to be LDS to appreciate it, though it would help. If you're not LDS but are interested in checking out the scriptures it references (especially those in the Book of Mormon), you can always view them online at LDS.org.

Source 1 & Source 2

Unfortunately this isn't a simple pdf file to download. It's actually a jpeg that you can save and either print or copy into a word document and then print. My plan is to print this out small enough to fit in my scriptures and then I can easily reference it. It might also find its way into a few gifts here and there!

If you're children are a bit older, you could still use this as a FHE topic. You could look up the scripture references and have your children identify what it might help with. As someone suggested in one of the comments on one of the source pages, you could also try finding your own scripture references which might end up having more meaning for your family.

Free Calendar Printable

One of the thinks that I think is crucial to running a household is a good calendar or scheduling system. We all have our own ways and preferences and we use what works best for us, but I thought I'd share what works for me!

After high school, I worked as a nanny for a family in Connecticut and I was in love with her calendaring system. She had a gigantic wall calendar and used a different color pen/marker for each family member. I thought it was pretty genius!I tucked that method away for future use - and I used that system after Hubs and I first got married. But for newlyweds, it was a little bit overkill. I loved the large spaces and the color coding though.

The apartment we're in now has amazing cabinet space, but not a lot of wall space. Which means my gigantic calendar is out, for now. Someday! About 3 year ago, I found an awesome "mommy" calendar on clearance at Borders. It had loads of room to write and a space for each member of the family. Something like this...

Source


It's hard to see, but can you see the spaces on the left hand side for family member's names? I LOVED THAT! The next year, I searched and waited for the same kind of calendar to go on sale but I never was able to find it. I needed a calendar though, so I created my own!

It has the spaces on the left for out names and space to write more than one word. I can customize it for whatever month I need and then print it out. You could even print it out and then get it spiral bound for easy hanging or reference. It prints as two pages .The picture above is the first page. On the second page, there are another 3 weeks worth of spaces and a space for notes.

Want to try it out? Click here to download your own!

When you print it out, you'll be able to better see that there's a small line above each of the weeks to write the date.

If you do use it, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think! I'd also love to hear what you use for a calendar or scheduling system!

We're Versatile!

Guess what? We were given our very first blog award!

Pretty cool, 'eh? We're very excited! Thanks to Rhiannon from My Handcrafted Home for sharing the bloggy love! Part of the award is to share some things about ourselves. We're supposed to share 7, so since there are two of us writing this blog together, we're each going to share 7, so you get to read twice as much of the funny stuff! Yay for you!

About Miranda:
1. I'm a lifetime crafter. I was putting together my own scrapbooks when I was about 8. I started dabbling in sewing when I was about 14 or 15. And I've been going strong ever since!!

2. I love exclamation points!!! Despite what my teachers said about them losing their impact when you over use them, I still totally over use them.

3. I hate cleaning. Before I had Andyroo, I used to set aside one whole day (usually a night while Hubs was at work) just for cleaning and get it done in one fell swoop. Not anymore. If you ever come to my house, please don't judge the fact that the dishes are piled in the sink and that there are crumbs on the floor. Also, if you ever come to my house, don't look in stove. If you hate dishes as much as I do, then you'll understand. One day we'll have a dishwasher and I won't have to resort to hiding them when someone shows up unexpectedly. At least my son is happy! And don't worry. Despite the fact that I don't like cleaning, I do, in fact, clean. I just put it off as long as possible.
4. I hate answering the door. Since we live in a basement, I can accomplish this pretty easily. The main door is upstairs at ground level (and through a patio-type room), so I usually (honestly) don't hear knocks. I also unplug the doorbell on a regular basis, except when I'm expecting someone (like Visiting Teachers). Anyone who I want to see knows to either knock on the window or call/text first. I'm just anti-social like that.

5. I love my pajamas. Probably way too much. I'll change if I have to leave the house, but when I come back home, I usually at least change my pants. I practically live in my stretchy, yoga-type pants. If by chance you come for a visit (and if I open the door for you), you'll probably be greeted with pajamas. If I'm expecting someone, I'll at least change my shirt to something (usually) clean. So, don't judge me when you see me walking around in my grubby, black PJ pants. I'm comfortable.

6. I'm desperate to have another baby. Okay, maybe desperate isn't the right word. Maybe I should just say that I'm baby hungry? It's not the right time though, and I know that. In the meantime I'll just get all the snuggles in with our neighbor's baby.

7. I stay up way too late. So late, in fact that Heather, who lives in Hawaii, knows that she can text me at 1 or 2 am and I'll respond! After bedtime is my quiet/blogging time. I hate for it to end! Plus, Hubs likes to stay up late. I usually blame our late nights on him (because he's engrossed in a movie or game), but I really don't mind. Don't tell him I said that though.


About Heather:
1. I have an addiction to Pinterest. I can't get enough! Not to defend an addiction or anything but I know I'm not alone!!! LOL

2. I love to laugh. I laugh when I'm happy, when I'm mad, and I can laugh until I cry. Miranda and I have had too much fun and pain laughing over ridiculous nonsense.

3. I love self help books and articles.

4. My favorite color is pink. I get excited when I see bright colors, glitter, or sparkly anything.

5. I want to do motivational speaking someday.

6. I am a yellow personality. Yellows love to socialize and throw parties. Yellows hate overbearing personalities and drama. They avoid drama like the plague. I just love to have fun. :D

7. Life in the Motherhood is my first blog.

We're also supposed to pass this award onto 10 other recently discovered blogs, so here is who we're giving this award to:

1. Tanya at Kreative Korner
2. Meaghan at Raising our Family
3. Em at And Nothing Else Matters
4. Trish at Mom on Time Out
5. Carrie at The Created Home
6. Brie at Darling Doodles
7. Lauryn at Love Notes by Lauren
8. Mary at Sweetwater Style
9. Cookie from Cookie & Claire
10. Jess at Drops of Motherhood

So to those 10 bloggers, you must also share 7 things about yourself and pass this award on to 10 other recently discovered blogs! Be sure to grab the button and display it proudly! Have fun!



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