When I came across these DIY scrabble ornaments, I knew right away that I'd be making them this year! You see, every year, we give our girls a special ornament to add to their collection. These are packed away in individual tins after Christmas so that they have their very own ornaments to put…
Although we haven't done one in a couple of years, one of the most popular gifts we've given our parents and grandparents were these handprint calendars. With 4 little ones and 8 sets of grandparents/great-grandparents, they became a little too time-consuming to keep up with every year, but I think we'll probably do them again…
Are these not the cutest cards? Inspired by Martha Stewart, my mom and I had a lot of fun brainstorming our own designs and digging through our "button box" to find the perfect buttons. Every family should have a button box! Ours originally belonged to my Italian great-grandma, Mary Cicero, who gave it to my…
I've mentioned before that I had three junior high and high school teachers who each contributed to my success with their negativity rather than encouragement. Instead of building me up, like teachers are supposed to, they really did the opposite, both to my face and behind my back. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about…
In the wake of Christmas or "birthday month" in September (when three of our girls celebrate their birthdays in three weeks), I wonder if I'm ever going to get around to organizing and decluttering the toys and putting them away. They are showered with gifts from two aunts, three sets of grandparents, and several sets of…
This month's Eat Well, Spend Less topic is summer entertaining! I shared my ideas for throwing a party on a budget earlier this week, and everybody in the group is also sharing their best entertaining tips. Hospitality is not necessarily one of my gifts, but I want to want to, and I love the ideas…
A few months ago, I came across a picture of an apple crate shelf, and I was instantly hooked. I love the rustic look of apple crates in home decor, especially when combined with modern elements, and I would use them throughout my whole house if I could! Apple crates can be used in so…
I'm excited to release a new set of printables today based on requests from several readers. In this set, you'll find a monthly health journal to help you track your weight and blood pressure as well as how much water you're drinking and how much you're exercising. You'll also find logs for medication, exercise, healthcare…
Knowing When to Focus and When to Multitask I've talked about the dangers of multitasking before, and research study after research study shows that multitasking actually makes you less productive. In most cases, multitasking is not about doing two things simultaneously as much as it's rapidly switching between them. Each time you switch from one…
Adorable T-Shirt Flowers This week I'm seeing how many DIY projects I can get out of three old t-shirts. I'm not the craftiest person in the blogosphere, so if I can do these, anybody can! Today is making T-shirt flowers. I think this is my favorite project so far. These t-shirt flowers are so easy…