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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