5 Reasons to Send a Handwritten Note PLUS Free Card Download

We just came out of one of my favorite seasons of the year. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards and every day when we check the mail, it's like a fun surprise seeing who sent a card that day. Bonus points if it's got a fun handwritten message or letter inside. The art of sending and receiving mail is dying, and sadly, I'm noticing fewer and fewer Christmas cards and letters too. But I'm hoping the art of letter writing isn't dead. I get it, sending texts are easier, but don't you get that rush when you see a handwritten note in your mailbox instead of a bill? Today I'm sharing a free PDF file with several different card designs that you can color in or paint with watercolor and then send off to a friend. Let's make sure the art of letter writing doesn't die!

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Mini Beef and Veggie Personal Pot Pie Recipe

There is getting to be a little crisp in the air, and it's about now that I start to fall back on those comfort foods. Seriously, nothing says fall like a warm homemade pot pie. Why not make these personal mini-sized beef and vegetable pot pies for dinner this week? You can double the recipe and freeze them for dinner on one of those busy weeknights. Read on for the recipe and some quick and easy variations.

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Homemade Tequila Lime Body Scrub

I know I fought them when I was a child, but now I'm totally loving a good bath. I love to soak in the tub and use all my fancy bath products including this tequila lime body scrub. Not only does it leave my skin nice and smooth, it also leaves me smelling fresh. A good scrub can take off all those dead skin cells and rough patchy skin brought on by winter.  Body scrubs make a great gift to give to friends and family and it's a little out of the ordinary from the traditional flowers or coffee card. I've got this easy tutorial so that you can make your own for yourself or for a friend.

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Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe

If you have been reading for any length of time you would know how important family meals are at our house. We eat together as a family every single night. When our first child was born we put him in his car seat at the table to join us and now that our family has grown, it's just been what they know. It gets difficult to find meals that the whole family likes and while I can't please them all all the time, this Alfredo recipe is a hit. Plus, even the most apprehensive vegetable eater will eat broccoli if it's smothered in this Alfredo! I call that a win. Come check out this easy to make family-favorite recipe and add it to your weekly meal rotation.

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DIY Coffee Sugar Scrub

I'm a big fan of homemade bath and shower scrubs. I love using items that I have in my pantry to create things that are good and all natural for my body. I'm sharing this DIY coffee sugar scrub that you can make for yourself or give as a gift {Mother's Day is coming!}. 

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Bacon Cheese Soup Recipe

If I had to pick a favorite kind of food, it would be soup. There are so many different ways to make soup tailored to fit everyone's taste buds. From a hearty meal to a light refreshing healthy food choice, soup can fit any need. This bacon cheese soup isn't the lowest calorie soup recipe you will find, but it sure is yummy! And I always find that some soups, like this one, taste even better when reheated the next day. This delicious creamy thick soup will promise to be a filling crowd pleaser.

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Easy to Make Cinnamon Citrus Holiday Air Freshener Simmer Pot

Do scents evoke the warm feeling of the holidays to you, too? At this time of the year, there’s nothing nicer than walking into a home and smelling the seasonal scents of cinnamon and spice. Making your own natural air freshener is simple with this cinnamon citrus recipe. Your guests will love the smell without being overwhelmed by the fragrance, after all, it’s natural. 

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Easy Caprese Appetizer Dip Recipe

Not one to be a quitter, I'm not quite ready to quit summer just yet, but I'm not one to let fall sneak up on me, which is why this warm cheesy caprese appetizer dip is the perfect transition food into the next season. I still have a few tomatoes hanging on and the basil is still growing, so a few of these ingredients are fresh from my garden, however, if you don't have any lingering still, these ingredients are pretty inexpensive at your local market. 

This dip is the perfect appetizer to bring along to your next tailgate or if you don't want to share, snuggle up with it on a crisp fall day and binge on Netflix! I'm not one to judge. It's pretty easy to make and is sure to be a new crowd favorite.

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Mojito Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

You know the feeling after you have been gone from home for a few days, there is nothing like coming home to a home cooked meal, especially if you have been eating out for days on end! Home cooked meals are my comfort food. There is something about using fresh, local ingredients {even better if some of those ingredients come from my garden} and knowing exactly what is in my food to give me that comfort food feeling, which is why I am so excited to be partnering with Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken, raised locally on the west coast {the best coast} with no antibiotics ever. 

Foster Farms Simply Raised chicken is one of the best foundations for your new comfort food meals. We all think of those traditional comfort foods as being really heavy and super rich, but I'm happy to say that there is an evolution happening and comfort food is becoming healthier and simpler to make. With growing kids at home and a metabolism that seems to be slowing down as I get older, I'm happy to embrace this new comfort food. 

I'm sharing one of our family favorites today, Mojito lime chicken served with a black bean salsa. I always make extra chicken because it's fabulous the next day cut up and served on top of a bed of lettuce. Two meals in one is always my favorite!

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How to make a driftwood mirror

When you think of beach combing, you usually think of shells. But not if you are on the Pacific coast. Living in Washington, most of the beaches are filled with driftwood. While I love to find shells on the beach, I have warmed up to the idea of the hunt for driftwood. Last summer, I collected a nice big bag of driftwood and have been using it for various projects. This driftwood mirror is my latest project. 

You won't believe what else I used to create it!

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Free printable for your Keurig K cups

I don't know about you, but I am slightly obsessed with my Keurig.  I'm not a "give me a whole pot of coffee" kind of gal, so one cup here or there serves me just right most of the time, which is why I love popping in a K cup here and there.

But those K cups need some personality, don't you think? I like pretty things and I like witty sayings. Combine the two and you have a winner in my books. 

I decided to create a little printable that I could put over the top of my K cups. They make me happy when I use them in the morning. And lucky for you, I'm giving you a free printable, so that you can make some yourself too!

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Easy {microwaveable} chicken burrito bowl

I am always looking for healthy easy meal ideas for my family of five, but I rarely find one that is as much of a crowd pleaser as these chicken burrito bowls were.  These were a major hit for me because I could cook everything in the microwave and I didn't have to heat up my kitchen.  

You see, I live in the greater Seattle area and while the summer is a gorgeous time to be around our city, it can also be pretty darn hot.  Less than 1% of the homes in the Pacific Northwest have air conditioning because we just don't need it.  Most of us learn to cook without heating our houses during the summer, because let's face it, when it's 85 degrees INSIDE your house, the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven!

Summer is a busy time for everyone.  I know I would rather be outside playing than inside cooking.  I can't wait to share with you my unbelievably easy, healthy and full of protein chicken burrito bowls that can be made totally in your microwave!  How darn convenient is that?!

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The only silver cleaner you will need!

Silver Cleaning the Easy Way

I have a hard time passing up anything silver at garage sales and thrift shops.

Especially when it's only $1!

I found this medium sized dish last weekend and it was pretty tarnished.

I thought I would try a trick that my husband's grandma taught me.

She explained how she used aluminum foil and baking soda and salt to clean vinegar.

I tried it on a silver pitcher in the spring and while I had some success, I don't think I had the precise ingredients and it didn't work as well as I would like.

I did some research and some tinkering and found a recipe that will become your best kept silver cleaning secret.

It's easy and uses ingredients you probably have on hand.

Start with 6 cups of boiling water.

I heat my water in the microwave, so while it's warming I get my other supplies ready.

Line your sink with aluminum foil.

Make sure that your foil is shiny side up in your sink.

This is the fun part!

Invite your kids to come help you in a little kitchen science experiment!

Mix 6 T of salt and 6 T of baking soda and pour it on top of your aluminum foil.

Slowly pour in 3 cups of white vinegar and watch it bubble.

Add your boiling water and place your silver on top of your aluminum foil.

It worked immediately!

I used the aluminum foil to rub the tarnish and was amazed at how quickly it worked.

This is the after.

It soaked for under two minutes in the sink and came out a whole new silver dish!

It's pretty amazing!

Go try it. I promise it will feel more like fun and less like work!

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Homemade carpet deodorizer

Homemade carpet deodorizer

We have a dog and three kids

but I don't want my house to smell like I have a dog and three stinky kids!

So I make my own homemade carpet deodorizer that I use once a month when I vacuum.

It's so easy!

I'm excited to show you how.

I pour baking soda into a bowl and add about 5-6 drops of fragrance to the baking soda.

Mix the two together.

I sprinkle the baking soda on to the carpet,

especially on the high traffic areas and those that the dog likes to sleep on,

and then vacuum it up!

If my kids are home, this is their favorite part.

They love making a mom-approved mess!

Easy as that! The house smells nice and fresh!

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