White Chocolate Popcorn & Pretzel Snack Mix

At the beginning of this month, one of my friends handed out a delicious popcorn, white chocolate, pretzel snack mix and I literally devoured it in about 2 minutes flat!  It was so good and I was so sad I didn't have more (so were my kids and husband).  I asked her how she made it and she listed off the ingredients and directions and I couldn't believe how easy it was!

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4 Tips For Staying Organized Using A Paper Planner

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: I love paper planners!  I received my first one in 7th grade and I've been hooked ever since.  But it wasn't until I got into high school and college that I started buying planners that were both pretty and practical.  I mean, it's so much more fun to stay organized if you love what you're using to keep yourself organized, right?

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First Annual Gingerbread House Competition

Christmas is in full swing here at my house.  We started our countdown to Christmas with the kids unwrapping a book each night for us to read before bedtime, as well as our 25 Days of Christ.  We all look forward to the time spent together each night sharing in the fun and excitement of the holiday, while also remembering the reason for the season.

I've always been a huge advocate for traditions.  In college, I did a semester project on traditions where I had to put together a class and then teach it, complete with feedback from the people who attended.  It hardly even felt like a project because it is something I love so much!  Creating traditions in connection with a holiday is a great way to help family bond together over shared experiences.  It gives meaning and enhances our enjoyment of the holiday.  I've teamed up with At Home (who has also gracious sponsored this post) to talk about Christmas traditions and #MyReason for incorporating them into our holiday.

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Mental Health Moments

Let's get one thing straight: I love being a mom.  It is one of the most rewarding things I do.  My children bring me joy and happiness.  They make me laugh out loud with their silly songs and attempts at being grown up.  But, man, it is HARD. 

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Mommy Style Monday: Favorite Children's Books

Hello and happy Monday!  I have to tell you that while the fact that it's Monday doesn't necessarily excite me, the fact that last week is finally over does!  I had a super crazy busy week and about half way through it, my body forced me to slow down a bit by giving me a nice little cough.  Super annoying, but it's felt nice to rest up a bit and get geared up for another week.

Today, I've teamed up with 7 other mommy bloggers and we're all sharing our favorite children's books with you!  One of my earliest memories about books was when I was about 5 years old and I was towing my little red wagon home from the library with my mom stacked high with books.  We went back every week because I literally devoured every book multiple times and got bored with them and wanted new ones.  I know for a fact that my love of reading came from my mom.  She read me books all the time and always had them available for me.  I memorized them before I knew how to read and when I finally learned to read, I kept on reading.  I was always getting in trouble for staying up too late reading on school nights.  So many of my memories with my family revolve around books and reading.

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Beautiful, Affordable Special Occasion Dresses

This post has been sponsored by NeeSee's Dresses.  All opinions are 100% mine.

At least a couple of times a year, I have an event I need to attend that requires me to wear something a little more fancy, beyond my normal church dress.  And every year I struggle to put something together that feels dressy enough for the occasion.  Because I don't have a need for nicer dresses very often, I hesitate to spend a lot of money on something that won't be worn more than a handful of times a year (at most).  To add to my troubles, I am tall (5'9") and many dresses aren't long enough for me.

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When Your Child Prefers One Parent

As a parent, I enjoy the feeling of being wanted and loved by my children.  When they get hurt or are scared, the little cry of "Mommy!" makes me feel that my kids know I'll help and protect them.  When they are excited about something and come grab my hand to show me their new "cave" or "store", I (usually) can't help but smile.  But to be honest, being a stay-at-home mom can be really exhausting.  Sometimes it's really hard to muster up the excitement and exclaim "wow!" for the 100th time that day or pick up their drink off the floor or sit down to eat some lunch only to have them ask for more food.

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Book Review: Disneyland On Any Budget by Jessica Sanders

Before my family and I went to Disneyland last fall, I did a TON of research on a million different website and blogs trying to learn as much as possible about lodging and food and travel and strollers and souvenirs and anything else I could think of that I might need to know about when planning a trip to Disneyland.  I learned a lot and everything I found was really helpful.  Our trip to Disneyland was a huge success and I even learned a few things that I've been able to share with others.

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Affordable Toys for Toddlers

During the next four months, we'll be celebrating Christmas and both of my kids' birthdays.  This means that we have to budget well for gifts and be selective in what we choose to bring into our home.  In addition, we want good quality toys that aren't going to break the bank.  I've always prided myself on being a bargain shopper and Christmas and birthday gifts are no exception.  Just last week I saved $15 on a present for my son by shopping around, which turned something over-budget into something affordable.  I always give myself a good pat on the back when that happens. *wink*

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What I'm Thankful For

In the last few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, one of my most popular posts has been What I'm Thankful For which I posted last year just before Thanksgiving.  I've been surprised to see it move up my charts and is currently the 5th most popular post on my blog!  People must really want to know what I'm thankful for! *wink*

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Simplifying the Season

At the beginning of this month, we had a lesson at church about the trio of holidays--Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years--and talked at length about how they are each related to each other and why celebrating them together can actually enhance our enjoyment of the holiday season.  I hadn't really thought about it in this way before but haven't been able to get it out of my head.

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Gift Guide: Women

Last year around this time, I did a couple of pretty extensive gift guides: one for parents/grandparents and one for men.  But I didn't quite have time to put together one for women.  As a woman, you might think that I would have a pretty good idea of what women want when it comes to gifts, but to be completely honest, I usually have a really hard time telling my husband (or anyone else) what I want for Christmas or my birthday.  Am I the only one with this problem?

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DIY Elf Door

I'm always trying to think of new traditions for my family to incorporate during the holidays.  Right now, we just have a handful of Christmas traditions but I've been wanting to add another one.  In August I got an email from Jane.com with a cute little elf door.  What at fun idea! I thought to myself as I clicked on the link.  As cute as it was, I didn't want to pay $24 for the door plus the other accessories (fence, lights, etc) and then pay for shipping.  I knew I could do it for cheaper myself and starting looking around online.

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You Know You're A Mom When...

 Last week, I was making dinner, talking to my husband on the phone and trying to prevent my daughter from dragging a stool over to the stove so she could "help" when my 2.5 year old son came up and told me his tummy hurt.  I assumed he was hungry since it was close to dinner time, but almost as soon as the words "It's almost dinnertime" were out of my mouth, the poor kid emptied his stomach all over the floor.  After a hasty good-bye to my husband, I walked my little boy quickly and carefully to the bathroom where he got a bath and told me he felt much better.

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Pumpkin Cake

I am not even kidding when I say I have been waiting all year to share this recipe with you!  Pumpkin cake has been a family favorite of ours for years.  We actually stopped making pumpkin pie and make this instead every year for Thanksgiving!  Yes, it is that good.

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Book Review: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh {Plus Book Club Discussion/Questions}

At the beginning of the summer, I put together a summer reading list and challenged myself to get all the way through the list before the official start of fall.  I'm happy to say that I made it through almost all of them, plus a few others that weren't originally on my list!  (You can find the list HERE and my reviews HERE.) The very first book I picked from my list was The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  I hadn't heard anything about it other than the synopsis I read on Goodreads.

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My Weekend At Pinners Conference 2016

For my birthday this year, I asked for tickets to attend Pinners Conference here in Utah, which is basically a weekend long conference that is like Pinterest in real life.  Say what?!  Yes, it's true.  There are tons of booths and over 100 classes to choose from!  The classes are on food, photography, make up, time saving tips, relationships, crafts and so many other topics.  It really is like Pinterest in real life.

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Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

I have a stack of quote cards that I keep in my bathroom.  Each week or so, I move the one on top to the back of the stack and read the next one, trying to keep it in my thoughts throughout the day and coming week.  Right now, the one on top says, "How quick we are to find the rainbow before being thankful for the rain." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

So often, we are looking for the rainbow or the light at the end of the tunnel because we just want to get through whatever we are facing and just be done with it so we can move on to other, happier things.  And don't get me wrong.  It's not like I think we should enjoy going through hard things or that we shouldn't feel relieved when they are over.  I like feeling happy and strive for it.

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How Decluttering Helps Your Community

I feel like I am constantly decluttering: used up coloring books, old toys, clothes and shoes that have been grown out of or are no longer wanted, empty cardboard boxes... The list could go on and on.  I've always been the type of person to use something for as long as possible before I get rid of it.  But as I've grown older, I've noticed a desire to purge my belongings more often and give away things I no longer like or find useful.  I don't like stuff just lying around cluttering up my space (pun intended).  Do you feel the same?

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Trick or Treat Safety Tips

Halloween is here!  It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are only a few weeks away and soon enough it will be the beginning of a new year.  I didn't understand what my mom meant when I was younger about time passing more quickly the older you get, but it certainly feels true now!  If your neighborhood is anything like mine, there are tons of families with young children.  This means that there will be lots of little people running around and knocking on doors asking for candy or treats tonight.  I remember one year my mom told some kids she wanted them to do a trick before she gave them a treat.  Haha!  They looked a little confused, but after a silly trick they got their treat.  *wink*  I have a few suggestions to (hopefully) make the night more enjoyable for everyone:

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Fab 5: Falon and Emily

Hello and happy Friday!  I don't know about you, but I am really glad it's the weekend.  I've been dealing with sick kids for the last week and a half and now it seems I've developed a sore throat.  I swear, moms should not be allowed to get sick!

However, I do have another amazing post as part of my Fab 5 series and I'm pretty excited about it!  As I've done this series over the last four months, I have loved getting to know each one of these ladies.  They are all so talented and just straight up awesome.

Today, I have Falon from Falon Loves Life and Emily from The Crafty Carlson.  I have a lot in common with both of these ladies, but I think you'll find you probably do too!

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Crock Pot Pork Roast

Sunday dinner in my house means enjoying time with family.  Sometimes it's just dinner with my husband and two kids.  Other times we eat with my siblings and parents or my in-laws.  When it comes to Sunday dinner, I try to make it as easy on myself as possible so I have more time to spend with my family and less time in the kitchen.

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Time Saving Hairstyles for Girls

When I got pregnant with my first child, I knew it was going to be a girl.  The same thing happened with my second child, except I knew it was a boy.  Isn't it funny how we can feel these things sometimes?  When I got the confirmation from the radiologist that she was indeed a girl, my mind started going wild imagining all the cute clothes I would put her in, fixing her hair, painting her fingernails and toenails, mommy/daughter dates...  I was pretty darn excited!

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3 Ways To Feel Good About Yourself

When I was going through my awkward pre-teen and teenage years, I received a lot of comments about my size and weight.  I've always been tall and thin.  I have a high metabolism as well as being active.  Some of the comments I got were positive: "Wow, you look great!"  (Thank you.)  Others were stereotypical: "Are you trying out for cheerleading?"  (No, I'm not.)  And others implied that I had an eating disorder: "What do you eat everyday?  An apple?"  (I actually ate more than some grown men.)

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One Year Blogiversary! {Plus 5 Lessons I've Learned}

Wow!  I cannot believe it's been an entire year since I started my blogging journey!  When I first had the idea to start my own blog, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Many nights have been spent at my computer writing up posts or editing pictures.  It's been exciting and crazy and frustrating and rewarding--sometimes all in the same day!  I've learned a lot about myself and met some amazing people.

When I re-launched my blog a couple of weeks ago, I received so much love and support and encouragement.  I was overwhelmed!  And so, my friends, this post is dedicated to you.

Today I want to share what I've learned (and am still learning) when it comes to this whole blogging adventure.

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150+ Halloween Coloring and Activity Pages

One of my kids' favorite activities is coloring.  I swear we pull out the bin of crayons, markers and colored pencils at least once a day.  As much fun as they have with our regular coloring books, it's good to mix it up a little and print out some holiday/seasonal coloring pages.  I've collected over 150 Halloween coloring and activity pages for you to choose from.

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Halloween Mantle Inspiration and Dec-O-Ween Blog Hop

Can you believe that Halloween is only a little over 2 weeks away?  This month is flying by!  Since I can only use my Halloween decorations for a limited amount of time each year, I tried to get them up quickly so we could enjoy them all month long.

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Fall 2016 Walmart Beauty Box Review

*I am reviewing this box by choice and have not received it for free, nor have I received any other compensation from Walmart.  All opinions are my own.*

I still can't believe that we are already into our second full week of Fall.  The weather here in Utah has definitely taken on a cooler feel with highs in the 60s last week.  Thankfully it's supposed to be in the 70s this week because I'm not quite ready to let go of the warmer weather.  Last week I received my Fall 2016 Walmart Beauty Box.  When I did a review of the Summer 2016 Beauty Box, I got a lot of interest in the post, so I thought I'd do a review of the Fall beauty box.

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Time Saving Mom Contributor: Interview

Hello friends!  I hope you had a good weekend!  Mine was pretty laid back.  My husband took my daughter with him to play with her cousins while he helped to lay sod at his brother's house on Saturday morning so it was just me and my 2 year old.  Sometimes I forget how to hang out with one kid, you know?  I get so used to having both kids around and they just play with each other all day.  My kids definitely get bored more quickly when their other half is gone.  Although running errands is a million times easier, so I can't complain there.  Sunday was relaxing with going to church and having our monthly dinner with my husband's family and just basically recharging for the week ahead.

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Preschool Halloween Party on a Budget

In August of this year, I attended a blogging workshop.  While there, I met a fellow mommy blogger named Kyla (she blogs over at Ford-ology) who lives about 15 minutes away from me and has two kids the same ages as mine but opposite genders.  It was like a match made in heaven!  That night, she and I got to talking and decided that we definitely needed to collaborate on a post in the near future.

One day Kyla and I ran into each other at Hobby Lobby with our kids, who immediately started talking and playing with each other like they were already friends.  As Kyla and I were talking about activities our kids could do together for a playdate, it slowly evolved into a preschool/toddler Halloween party on a budget.  (Funny how things work huh?)  The more she and I talked, the more it all came together.  So today we are each sharing how you can host a fun, simple and entertaining Halloween party for your kids and their friends without breaking the bank.

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Sunshine & Munchkins Re-Launch

Aaahhh!  I am SO excited!  I have seriously been anticipating this day for months.  What day is that?, you might ask.  It's the day I get to show you my whole new look for Sunshine and Munchkins!

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Fall Home Tour: Front Porch and Fall Mantle Inspiration

I love Fall.  I love the bright colors of the leaves as they change.  I love the cooler weather.  I love pumpkins and cornstalks and sunflowers.  So it should come as no surprise that these are the things I use and think about as I decorate my home for the change of season from summer to fall.  I've teamed up with At Home (who has graciously sponsored this post) to bring you some fall inspiration for your home.

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Fab 5: Dawnene and Justine

Hello and happy Friday!  I'm super excited to introduce you to two lovely ladies as part of my Fab 5 series.  If you're new to this series, it is basically a spotlight on the woman behind the blog.  Sometimes bloggers get lost behind the blog and I want you to get to know the person as well as check out their awesome blog!  The last Friday of each month will be dedicated to this series.

Today, you'll be meeting Dawnene from Beans and Peanuts and Justine from Little Dove.  Like I mentioned, I'm really excited for you to meet these two amazing women so I'll let them take it from here!

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DIY Burp Cloth Tutorial

When I had my first baby almost 5 years ago, I received a small stack of burp cloths from the wife of my husband's boss.  They were the perfect size and she had sewn cute coordinating ribbons on them.  Of all the burp cloths I received, these were definitely my favorite because they also covered my entire shoulder and partially down my back.  But the best part (for me, at least) was that they were so durable.  I have washed them countless times and they don't fray or fall apart and the spit up has washed right out.  That's what I call a good burp cloth!

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Summer 2016 Reading List Book Reviews and Ratings

At the beginning of the summer, I put out a reading list with all the books I hoped to read during the summer.  I loved being exposed to new genres that I wouldn't have normally picked up, although for the most part my favorites were still the young adult fiction that I stick to.  I did stray from my reading list a bit due to my book club, otherwise, I feel sure I would have finished all the books on my list.  I've included a short review for each book along with a rating out of 5 stars.  (If you want to read more about any given book, click on the title to be taken to the Goodreads summary.)

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Happy Pumpkin Spice Season {FREE} Printable

Fall is officially here!  It's time to bust out all the pumpkin recipes you've been drooling over and pinning if you haven't done so already.  As for me, I actually made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last week and they were so good!  Once I feel the change in the air, I can't help myself.

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How To Update Your Garage Door Entrance

One of the things I was most excited about when we moved into our home was the attached garage because up until that point, we'd lived in apartments with no covered parking.  Being in Utah, we have some pretty cold days in the winter and scraping snow off my car or cranking the heat in my car for a quick errand was really annoying.  Being in Utah, we also have some crazy hot summer days so then there is the opposite issue of trying to cool down a hot car or being worried someone is going to burn their hands or legs on the buckles.  So having an attached garage was just like icing on the cake of buying our first home.

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Fall Flowers and Berries Wreath

While fall might not officially be here for another three days, I think it's pretty safe to say that fall is here.  I've been pulling out my fall decor and even made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and spiced apple cider last week.  The air is cooler, which makes it much more enjoyable for my kids to go and play outside and inside we haven't had the air conditioner on more than a few times this week.  Yes, fall is here whether you want it to be or not.

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Book Review: My Lady Jane by Hand, Ashton and Meadows {plus Book Club Discussion/Questions}

At the beginning of the summer, I mentioned that I am in a young adult fiction book club.  Each book we read is suggested by another member of the group and then we meet every other month to discuss it and, of course, visit and eat treats.

This month at our book club we talked about the book My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows.  After reading it, I have to say that it is easily one of my favorite books and I don't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

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10 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Recently, it occurred to me that a lot of what I share on my blog are posts about how to do something or make something, tips on organization or parenting or my thoughts.  My kids inevitably come up in those posts and pictures considering they consume most of my day.  My husband shows up sometimes too.  But I don't really talk about myself much.  I always think it's fun to find out the little quirks and facts that make up who a person is so today I'm sharing 10 things you didn't know about me.

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Hallway Table Makeover

Before I had my daughter, I worked for a digital scrapbooking company in their home office.  Below the main office, there was a warehouse that was rented out by a furniture store to hold their stock.  Occasionally they would have a sale on pieces that were slightly damaged or missing parts and they would invite us to come and take a look.  It was during one of these sales that I found a cute little wood table for about $20.  It had a couple of tiny scratches on the top but was otherwise in perfect condition.  So I bought it and brought it home to my husband who looked at me like I'd bought the ugliest thing in the world.

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Grandparents Day Printables

Happy weekend everyone!  And speaking of weekends, did you know this Sunday commemorates two very important days?

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Bellissimo Bebe Bracelet Winners!

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Bellissimo Bebe giveaway!  Maranda is such a talented lady and I was so happy to be able to introduce you to her cute Etsy shop.  If you haven't read about her and how she started her shop, jump over to this post and then go visit her shop.  Her bracelets are darling and so reasonably priced you'll want to grab a bunch for your daughters, nieces, baby shower gifts or just because.

And now for the winners of the giveaway:

Congrats ladies!  I have sent your contact information to Maranda and she will be in touch with you for mailing addresses.

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The Worst Marriage Advice I Ever Received

This last May, my husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary.  It is crazy to think of both how short a time that is and yet how long it seems and how much has happened during that time.  We both graduated with our undergrad degrees, bought our first home, had our first baby, graduate school for my husband, finishing our basement and having our second baby, plus family vacations, birthdays, holidays... I could go on forever!

As many women who are to be married, I had bridal showers thrown by family and friends.  (I had a total of three.)  And at each shower, all of the women gave their advice for how to have a happy marriage.  It was fun and enlightening to hear what each person had to say.  Some I agreed with and others I accepted with a smile on my face but quickly discarded.  My favorite wedding advice I ever heard was at one of my best friend's bridal showers when her aunt or grandma (I can't remember which) said, "If you're gonna fight, fight naked!" HAHA!  I think there's probably some truth to that. *wink*

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Cabinet Door Makeover

A few months ago while I was browsing around a store, I found this awesome serving plate that had all the colors that I wanted to decorate my kitchen in.  The design was fun, the colors were bright and I think it cost me about $6.  Done and done.  Since buying that plate and putting it above my kitchen cabinets, I've slowly started filling in the space.  However, I've run into a few snags because of the way our ceiling slopes above the cabinets so the height varies a lot.

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Guest Post: Bellissimo Bebe + A Giveaway

It's been a couple of months since I did an official guest post here on the old blog and I decided it was time I get back into that.  I love being able to collaborate with other bloggers and business owners and then introduce them to you so you can love them too!

Today, I've got Maranda on the blog.  She owns a darling little Etsy shop called Bellissimo Bebe.  Maranda and I have known each other for a couple of years.  We live in the same neighborhood, go to the same church and are in the same book club so we see each other pretty regularly.  Maranda is super talented when it comes to all things crafty and home decor and you should see their house during Halloween through Christmas!  She totally puts the rest of the neighborhood to shame. *wink* I'll let her take it from here!

(p.s. There's a giveaway opportunity at the end so read about Maranda and then go enter!)

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The BEST Zucchini Brownies

When my husband and I bought our home a few years ago, we knew we wanted to make space in the backyard for a garden.  The first year, we grew cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, carrots and (my favorite) zucchini.  At one point, I ended up with a zucchini that was as long as my arm from my elbow to the tips of my fingers!  That is a ton of zucchini my friends.  And what do you do when you have ridiculous amounts of zucchini?  Make some amazingly easy, yummy, chocolate-y zucchini brownies with melt in your mouth, gooey frosting of course!

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Fab 5: Erin and Susannah

Hello and Happy Friday!  I'm excited to introduce you to two more lovely ladies as part of the Fab 5 Series I started last month.  If you didn't see last month's post, Fab 5 is all about getting to know the women behind the blog and seeing that amazing people they are.  The last Friday of each month will be dedicated to this series.

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