I don’t know about you guys, but this is the week we have big baking plans in our house. The gifts are all bought, school is out for Christmas break, and we are turning up the Christmas music, lighting the fire and baking up a storm. We’ll definitely be making some of our favorite family … Read more
Every year Ash likes to come up with a little something fun to give her friends at school the last day of school before Christmas break. It’s always a little bit of a challenge to find something cute and inexpensive enough to give to lots of people, so hopefully these fun free printable gift tags … Read more
It’s hard to believe that we are already getting down to the wire as far as buying our gifts for gift giving. I saw an email pop up in my inbox yesterday that said “Need a great last minute gift?!” I thought, what?! I haven’t even bought ONE gift yet and now it’s already last … Read more
Happy Monday! I love kicking off the week with a Christmas Home Tour! I look forward to Marty’s amazing tours every year. There are so many beautiful homes for you to see all week. If you are joining me from Rhoda’s stunning blog Southern Hospitality, welcome! I just love her home and everything she shares. … Read more
I am SO excited to be sharing some of our Christmas home with you today! With Thanksgiving falling so much later this year, it has thrown me for a loop trying to hurry and get things ready for Christmas. I don’t know about you guys, but I need that extra week in between Thanksgiving and … Read more
I am so excited to be a part of this blog hop today with 20 of my favorite blogging friends sharing gorgeous ideas for Thanksgiving table settings. I don’t know about you guys, but even if I don’t host thanksgiving, I still find myself cooking thanksgiving dinner for my own family a week or so … Read more
One of the biggest decisions in our house this time of year…what will our Christmas tree look like this year? How do we want to decorate for Christmas. I have to admit, that being a blogger, it’s a bit hard to stick to traditional Christmas decor every year because there is always something new and … Read more
It’s hard to believe that October is already winding down…I feel like I have a million other Halloween ideas left to share and I am out of time! Thank goodness for next year…I’ll just have to keep you in suspense until then! 😉 I have been wanting to put together some fun ideas for non-alcoholic … Read more
I can’t believe it’s time to be thinking about Thanksgiving menus already! Do you host at your house, or do you usually go somewhere else? This year we’ll be heading to my aunt’s house in San Diego and I can’t wait! She has the most amazing property…her own farmhouse and gorgeous oak trees lining the … Read more
I have a confession to make…I’ve been pretty lazy about Halloween Decor this year. I can’t believe I’m saying that! I LOVE Halloween, but this year it has just kind of sneaked up on me and I feel like I am out of time! With the Orange County house renovation, unexpected overseas travel, busy senior … Read more
As much as I love Halloween, one activity I don’t particularly enjoy is cleaning out the gooey slimy pumpkin guts when it’s time to carve jack-o-lanterns. No-carve fall pumpkins have quickly moved to the top of my list of favorite Halloween DIY projects since they are cute and don’t involve any guts. 😉 This week … Read more
We are gearing up for Halloween fun around these parts and that means it’s time for some cute new free printable Halloween tags! You know I love making free printables, especially when they are attached to cute gift ideas. Booing friends and neighbors is really a great excuse to whip up some fun packages. This … Read more
Take me just about anywhere for dinner these days and I’ll be browsing the cheese and charcuterie board options on the menu. I LOVE the pretty boards full of delicacies styled to the nines. Creamy cheeses, nuts, dried fruits, olives, chutney, bread and crackers, spicy meats…so many good things! And let’s face it. There is … Read more
Halloween and cupcakes….pretty much two things that make me deliriously happy. Themed treats and punny sayings, costumes, decorations and parties…what is not to love about this time of year? I am so excited to be sharing one of our favorite cupcake recipes, along with this simple idea to turn them into the perfect easy kid … Read more
I love to decorate for Halloween almost as much as I do for Christmas. We are about to break out all the Halloween decorations around here this week and things will start to get a bit creepy. The weather has really taken a turn and it is definitely cooling way down, which makes Halloween decorating … Read more
Guys, can I just tell you how much fun I am having working with Oriental Trading these days? When they emailed a few months ago and said hey…it’s Friday the 13th in September….let’s get our skeletons out of the closet and party, I couldn’t help but jump on board. They are introducing a bunch of … Read more
Ah! October is almost here so I am officially all in for Halloween. I was actually in Halloween mode several weeks ago…but I’ve been trying to hold off and not make you feel overwhelmed here on the blog. 😉 I don’t want anyone to feel rushed to jump into the holidays…but boy am I ready!! … Read more
Where we come from in Orange County, Halloween is a BIG deal. Like REALLY big. As a matter of fact, it was voted the #1 place in the state of California to celebrate Halloween. Yep. That big of a deal. 😉 One of the factors that I’m sure helps, is the fabulous weather in Orange … Read more
Happy 4th of July! This week is always such a fun one with communities celebrating with 5k’s and pancake breakfasts, carnivals and street fairs…all leading up to the main event…BBQ’s and fireworks on the big night. I always feel such a sense of pride and gratitude for this country. I feel like so often we … Read more
I’m sure you’ve seen them all over the place. Those super cool tie dye cakes and cupcakes. You know the ones where you cut into the cake and it is all swirly and colorful inside? Well, Ash has been wondering how to make tie dye cake mix for some time now, so we thought we … Read more
A couple of years ago, when my parents relocated from San Diego where my dad had his office for over 30 years, we all went to help him clean some things out and pack up. I could not believe that he still had little notes I had written him and pictures I had drawn him … Read more
I LOVE the 4th of July! In case you haven’t been able to tell by all of my red, white and blue posts, free patriotic 4th of July printables and red, white and blue decor articles, I can’t get enough of it. I actually like to get the house all red, white and blue before … Read more
One of my greatest joys in life is gift giving. I LOVE the challenge of coming up with clever, thoughtful gifts for those that I love. I don’t always succeed, but I try really hard to pay attention to things that people mention in conversation and watch for clues throughout the year of things I … Read more
I can’t believe that we are headed into the final month of school! Teacher appreciation week is just around the corner and you know how much I love to celebrate our teachers! If you are looking for the perfect teacher appreciation printable, look no further! I have a collection of super cute teacher appreciation printables … Read more
Easter is quickly approaching and I am so excited to share these Happy Easter printables with you! I am trying something new with these free printables, and we’ll see how it works. I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for fun party backdrops and signs. When I was at Costco the other … Read more
Spring and summer are all about Strawberries. Strawberry Jam, Strawberry pie, a great strawberry shortcake recipe …I can’t get enough of them! I am always looking for pretty party centerpieces and these strawberry topiaries are always a hit at any gathering…baby shower, bridal showers, Mother’s Day brunches..you name it. If you are wondering how to … Read more
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again…time for clever, punny and funny printable Valentine’s Day cards for kids to take to school and deliver to their neighborhood friends. I LOVE coming up with a fun valentine or two each year and this year (albeit a little later than I am usually creating them) … Read more
I’m sure you have seen them pop up here from time to time, but did you know that Pink Peppermint Design has a giant library of Free Printables Online for every occasion? No matter what you are looking for, I’m sure we have something for you…for FREE…that can be downloaded instantly! You may or may … Read more
It’s that time of year when we are all looking for red and pink decor and fun heart shaped decorations to make. This wood button heart craft is my three favorite things: fun, easy and cute. In only a matter of minutes and with just a few supplies, many of which you probably already have … Read more
Hollywood award season is upon us and the next many Sunday nights will be full of glitz and glamour. When it comes to Oscar party ideas I don’t know about you guys, but I love any good excuse to get people together and eat yummy food! My idea of an Oscar themed party is to … Read more
