Show Us Your Life - favorite main dishes

~ Linking to Kelly's Korner - Show Us Your Life - Favorite Main Dishes ~

I try really hard to menu plan in advance, but that doesn't always happen.  With the help of Pinterest, I usually manage to throw something together every night, even if it is last minute.  Here are some of my favorite go-to main dish dinners.  You may notice a trend...each one is easy to make and serve, because that's how I roll.

Nothing says comfort food like good ole American Shepherd's Pie.  I. Love. This.

I love these lasagna roll-ups because they are so easy to make and even easier to serve.  I recently had a guest who couldn't eat dairy, so I made a separate pan of these without cheese...so much easier than trying to leave part of a whole lasagna cheese-free.

These little meatloaf muffins are wonderful.  I use the meatloaf recipe I've always used, but this it is so much easier to ensure all of the meat is cooked the whole way through...and they are perfect servings.

What are some of your go-to main dish recipes?

Show Us Your Life {Halloween Costumes}

~ Linking to Kelly's Korner - Show us your life - Halloween Costumes ~

Daniel was a cute little frog for his first Halloween at almost 10 months old, a bumble bee for his second, a bear for his third, and sheriff for his fourth.  But...an old ugly witch with a wicked laugh, wrinkly green face, and pointy fingers changed it all.  Since then, he has been contented to hand out candy {sans costume} to the trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood...until last year.  Joel was six months for his first Halloween, so I knew I could dress him up without any arguments.  He was the cutest little Nittany Lion you ever did see.  Knowing his love for Penn State, I asked Daniel if he would like to dress up as JoePa.  He agreed, and they were so cute!!  

I can't believe a year has gone by and this little guy is 18 months old already!  He will definitely be dressing up, but I can't make any guarantees for his big brother.  Stay tuned! :)

show us your life - mantles

~ Linking to Kelly's Korner - Show Us Your Life - Mantles ~

We have a small gas fireplace in our family room {beach theme}.  It has a tiny mantle, but I still love to decorate!  Our dream home will have a huge stone fireplace, but until then...

 

 

 

show us your life...dining room

 ~Linking to Show Us Your Life ~  Dining Rooms ~ Kelly's Korner~

 

Our dining room is pretty much an extension of our kitchen.  

We bought our dining set a few years ago and I absolutely love it!  

It's hard to tell in the picture, but it's a high top & I have always wanted one! 

I especially like the bench :)

I always decorate with a few patriotic pieces on Memorial Day and leave them out all summer.

Star dishes are from the dollar spot at Target {a find from several years ago}.

Tart burner from PartyLite {I bought those before we moved into our house almost eight years ago}!

Anchor place mat from Kohls {one of this summer's early markdowns}.

Lighting from Home Depot - I couldn't wait to get rid of the ugly brass chandelier the builder used!

 

This sever goes with the dining set & I love having the extra space for storage and decorating!

The hurricane candle, runner, pitcher, and serving tray are all from DaySpring 

The shelf & sconces are Home Interior.  

I got them when I hosted a party right after we got married...LOVE.  

Blocks are also from DaySpring {love that site}.  

I change the words to go with the current holiday or season.  

Right now it spells "Freedom."

My mother-in-law brought the bell {left on shelf} home from Jerusalem.

Right now the sconces have decorative floral napkins folded over inside.  

I love these because you can literally put anything in them & they look pretty :)

On right of server: our summer bucket list in a frame - we cross things off with a dry-erase marker as we go.  Yellow clay fish courtesy of Daniel's fourth grade art.

 This round side table was a Christmas gift from my parents the year after we moved into our house.  

This is another piece I absolutely love.  It has loads of storage space & I like to keep it decorated cute.

The wire candle is from Pier One.  Although you can't really see it, the square candle sits on an antique butterfly dish that belonged to my grandma...love keepsakes like this!  I keep our electric friendship {gift from a friend, how appropriate} candle lit all the time.  It works great for a night light on all those extra trips we make to the kitchen for Joel in the middle of the night :)

That's a peek into our dining room.  

It is not fancy, but it's where we eat almost every meal together as a family...love that.

Disclosure:  Don't be fooled...about 14 piles of clutter were cleared out for this photo shoot! 

show us your life...living room

 ~Linking to Show Us Your Life ~ Living Rooms ~ Kelly's Korner~

As you can see, our living room is truly where we live and spend most of our time.  It is not perfect or fancy, but it's our cozy space & we like it.  

I love  this sectional couch!!  We bought it when we moved into our house almost eight years ago.  

It fits perfectly in the space we have, and it's so comfy!   :)
The wall to the right still needs painted {notice the spackling. ha!}

Dan bought this leather lazy boy for my birthday when I was pregnant with 

Daniel almost eleven years ago...I loved rocking him when he was a baby, and now I'm rocking Joel.

It is so special to me!  :)

This ottoman serves as Joel's toy box as well as a bench for extra seating when we have company. 

 This  floor pillow moves all over the place, but this is its home when no one is using it.

{Board games under coffee table & scattered variety of toys courtesy of Daniel and Joel :)}

Show Us Your Life~ Moms of Boys

~Linking to Kelly's Korner ~ Show Us Your Life: Moms of Boys ~

Let me start by saying our oldest son was an only child for nine years until his baby brother was born last April.  We thought long and hard about adding another member to our family, but it just seemed like the right time and we started planning.  Almost everyone we told asked if we wanted a girl.  My response was always some variation of...It doesn't matter; We don't really care; Just so s/he's healthy; Either will be fine with us. I got tired of answering that question, because in all honesty, it did not matter to us one bit.  We wanted another baby and for Daniel to have a brother or sister.  That was the only thing that mattered.  For some reason, I had a gut feeling that we were having a girl...until the big ultrasound proved otherwise :)
Following that appointment, we drove to Kohls where we picked out a little brother onesie and baby blue security blanket.  Any thoughts of having a girl escaped and I didn't look back. 
We started thinking about names, planning a nautical nursery theme, and dreaming of what life would be like with another boy in it.  I can't imagine anything other than having boys.  There is so much fun and joy...and so little drama {yet}!!  I look forward to watching them grow and anxiously await what life has in store for each of them.  My boys are my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way :)

   

My sister and I have five boys!

Favorite shopping tips - what are yours?

~ Link up at Kelly's corner - Show Us Your life - Favorite Coupon Sites & Tips ~

The only real trick I have is to visit www.retailmenot.com before you check out when making an online purchase.  Some of their amazing offers include codes for free shipping and percentages & dollar amounts off.

There are several coupon sites that I "like" on Facebook.  They share online coupon codes, printable coupons, grocery deals, giveaways, free samples, and more! 

Frugal Living and Having Fun
Fun Finds for Famlies

Mojo Savings

Savings Lifestyle

Couponing 101

Target also has a daily deals site that offers great bargains with FREE shipping (the best ones sell out quick) and another site that shares free samples (these run out fast, so you have to hurry)!

There are a few awesome flash sites that have great daily finds!  They offer FREE membership, and you receive credit for referring friends.  Sweet!

Click on any of the links below to join and start saving today :)

Family Finds

Groupon 
BuyWithMe

Heartsy

Living Social

One Kings Lane

Rue La La

Save More

Totsy

Zulily

Totsy & Zulily are my absolute favorite finds for kids!! :)  I visit all these sites on a regular basis and purchase great finds for my kids, myself, and gifts for all occasions throughout the year.  I hope you love them as much as I do.  

I also shop online & pick small gifts up in stores throughout the year when I find a bargain.  I stockpile them in a cabinet & keep inventory so I always know what I have.  I save lots of things for Christmas (mostly stocking stuffers - but I hit Target's toy clearance at the end of summer, and I am just about done shopping for Joel!)...it is also a great go-to cabinet for last minute birthday parties, hostess gifts, and other special occasions that pop up when I don't have time for a shopping trip.  


I know you might not be thinking Christmas right now, but it's just over two months away!...Happy Saving! :)

This is just one shelf of my stockpile collection ;)

Disclosure: referral links used

Where do you shop for kids?

~ Link up at at Kelly's Corner - Show Us Your Life: Favorite Places to Shop for Kids. ~

I'm fortunate that Daniel (9) isn't picky about what he wears, but the days of buying "cute" clothes for him are over :( I bring things home, and he will normally wear them without saying a word. I buy most of his clothes at Target, Kohls, Old Navy, and The Children's Place. I typically won't buy something unless it's on sale and/or I have a coupon (unless it's something he really wants). I love clearance racks & online coupon codes!

Our baby boy is sooooo fun to shop for. I am a member of a couple private flash deal sites that sell merchandise at close-out prices...I love, love, love them! Membership is free, and you get credit for referring friends. How cool is that? It's a win-win. Both of these sites have products for boys & girls, as well as grown-ups...so it's fun to grab a little something for yourself when you're shopping for the little people in your family :)

My favorite flash deal sites for kids are Totsy and Zulily. They have awesome bargains on clothes, shoes, toys, and accessories for babies through pre-teens (and grown-ups). Beyond the Rack also has some great deals...they had baby wellies boots last week for just $14.00! 

Heartsy is another one of my favorite sites to shop for kids. They have exclusive deals on fabulous handmade designer items. They sell discounted credit vouchers to lots of unique etsy shops (for both children & adults). For example, I most recently purchased a voucher for $28 worth of product for $11. You absolutely cannot beat that! They offer a VIP membership that offers an even bigger discount on vouchers. You also get credit for referring your friends...I got a $5 credit for just signing up to be a member. I'm not sure if they are still offering the $5 sign-up credit or not. Simply sign up and go to "my credits" at the top of your membership page to check your credits.

All of those sites have great gifts, too! I find myself stocking up on birthday and Christmas presents year-round. Happy Shopping :)

Disclosure: referral links used

Favorite Places to Shop for Adults...

~ Link up at Kelly's Corner ~ Show Us Your Life: Favorite Places to Shop for Adults ~ 
Shopping...it's a favorite past time of mine.  I love to shop...for everything...clothes, shoes, handbags, scarves, kids' clothes, home decor, toys, and the like. But...since Joel was born, I haven't had much free time, so most of the shopping I've done in the past five months has been online or when I get a chance to peruse the clothing & shoe departments while I'm at Target on a toilet paper & toothpaste run.  Cash isn't exactly flowing freely in our household these days either, so I have to watch my spending...And anyone who knows me, knows that isn't easy.  However, my birthday was three days ago...My family came to celebrate last weekend...and they delivered!!  I was blessed with cash, gift cards from Mom & Dad and a gift certificate to my favorite day spa from Dan & the boys.  I can't wait to take a day and spend those babies!!!  
I don't have one particular style...a mix, I guess.  I love to layer with jackets, sweaters, and camis.  I like embellishments.  Matching is usually a must, but I'm getting better at mixing colors that compliment each other...and scarves are a favorite accessory.  I have more shoes and purses than one can imagine, and I don't carry a purse for more than a few weeks before switching to another.  I like capris, dressy pants, and jeans.  I rarely wear dresses & skirts - just not my thing.  So...what style would you call that!?  ha!  My favorite stores are Kohls, Target, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, and Ross.  I rarely buy anything unless it is on sale and/or I have coupon(s).  
Here are a few looks from Old Navy that I love...

 

I am also a member of a few awesome private flash deal sites...membership is free & you get credit for referring friends.   Some of my favorites are... Totsy (they mostly have stuff for kids, but I always seem to find something for me when I'm there!  Another favorite is RueLala.
Beyond the Rack is another great site...they currently have the cutest sweaters for $39 (reg. $100)!  I also love Heartsy - they sell handmade items at reasonable prices - I have an infinity scarf from TeaRex on Heartsy and I love it!!!
Have a great weekend...happy shopping! :)

Disclosure: Referral links used.

Baby showers - a hodgepodge

~ Link up at Kelly's Corner - Show Us Your Life: Baby Showers ~ 

Baby showers are so much fun!  I hosted showers for my sister and sister-in-law (and I've helped to plan lots of others).  I wish I had pictures, but my nephews (who those showers were for) are now 7 and 4...and I don't know where the pictures disappeared to!


We held my sister's shower in the fellowship hall of our church with about 50 guests.  I generated invitations on the computer and printed them on cute baby themed paper.  Her theme was teddy bears, so we decorated with bear tablecloths and other teddy bear decor.  My mom, sister, and her mother-in-law made all of the food.  We served a veggie tray, finger sandwiches, and other appetizers & snacks.  We sponge painted terracotta pots with pink, blue, green & yellow teddy bears as centerpieces on the tables and planted them with petunias.  Those also served as prizes for some of the games we played. We tied white mesh around votive candles and attached a cute baby poem and a plastic diaper pin to each one with pretty ribbon for favors at each place setting.

My sister-in-law's shower was similar, but she had a safari theme, so everything I did was in giraffes and yellow & green.  Favors for each place setting included giraffe-shaped cookies decorated with yellow & green icing (my mom, sister & I were up until wee hours of the morning piping frosting on these) wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with yellow & green ribbon.  They turned out to be soooooo adorable & I really wish I had pictures! For centerpieces, I used baby supplies (pacis, teething rings, powder, lotion, baby wash, shampoo, etc) as weights to hold the balloons down.  This was so cute & then my SIL could take the things home and use them for baby E :)

For both showers, I purchased cute prizes on clearance at Target and Bath & Body Works.  Games for both showers included:
* Baby Shower Memory Game
* Baby Bingo
* Timer game: Set a kitchen timer for random amounts of time.  When it goes off, the person whose gift the new mama is opening gets a prize.) - I can't find a website for this one, but it's simple & easy!
* Other games you could play

When my sister was pregnant with my younger nephew (who is now 3), I just made her a diaper cake & we celebrated with an ice cream cake to share in a small celebration with close family members :)

This froggie became F's "lovey"...he still carries it around... and I love that ;)

My most recent baby shower was my own!  My wonderful coworkers surprised me back in April before J was born.  It was a nautical theme, and I do have some pictures of that special day.  We didn't have time for games, because it was for breakfast before the school day started, and we only had about 30 minutes to eat and visit.  I waited to open my presents that night with my older son and husband when we got home. Food included baby sausage wraps & mini muffins :)

Sweet diaper cake, made by my good friend, Gina :)

Cute  gifts & lots of diapers...with onesies as decorations

Beautiful - and equally Delicious - nautical cake (chocolate w/ peanut butter icing - my fave!) made by my good friend's (Kim) sister

Cake table

sand toys for J...he can't wait to use them at the beach next summer :)

My sister and I always say that we would love to start up a party planning business...I wish we lived closer to each other so we could...that is our dream.  Maybe someday?  :)
And...if you haven't read my post about the BabyLegs giveaway, go here to enter! :)

Share your back to school traditions...

~Link up at at Kelly's Corner - Show Us Your Life: Back to School Traditions.~

D is getting ready to start the year in fourth grade at a new school (our district has K-3 buildings, then it's onto intermediate school for 4-6).  I can't believe how fast the elementary years flew by...before we know it, J will be in kindergarten and we'll be sending D to high school. Not even thinking about it!!
Anyway...back to school reminds me that carefree summer days are over and that new beginnings are upon us.  As a teacher, I'm home all summer with my kids, so we really don't have any one tradition that we do every year.  We have a blast all summer long...and for that, I am forever grateful!
I always let D pick something fun to do on our last week off.  This year, he opted to go mini golfing, have lunch & ice cream, and then we stopped at Target to see what we could find in the way of deals.  It was a fun day, and I enjoyed spending it with both my boys :)
We also stock up on special snacks for during the school day and coming home after long hours of hard work.  We actually just got back from grocery shopping...Our full pantry & my empty wallet tell me that we've got plenty of goods on hand.   He chose Pringles packs, mini boxes of raisins, pudding & applesauce cups, and individual bags of  Cheez-its & fudge striped cookies.  :)
I don't dedicate one day to back to school shopping, because I like to pick up good deals when I see them.  We are out and about a few times a week during the summer searching for crazy good deals. :)  The internet is also a great place to snag back to school stuff at good prices.
New kickers are a must-have for every kid...we stopped at the Nike outlet on our way home from the beach in July to see what we could find.  After trying on just a couple pairs, he found the perfect ones!  He also got new socks and cleats...soccer season is already in full swing with practice two nights a week and games starting soon.
We hit Target's back to school section.  Hard.  He loaded up on mechanical pencils, colored pencils, markers, a crazy big canvas binder (think new generation Trapper Keeper - ha!), Penn State folders & notebooks, soccer ball erasers, highlighters and the like.  He may never use some of the stuff, but by golly if it was cool, we got it....because I'm a cool mom.  Well, maybe not, but it sounds good. 

Keep it Real

Link up at Kelly's Corner - Show us Your Life - Blogging Tips.

I will preface this by saying that I'm new at blogging, and most of my ideas and suggestions are based on being a blog reader rather than a blog writer.  I've always had an interest in blogging...well, I mean ever since having personal blogs, mostly "mommy blogs," have become popular.  I love reading about how other people "do life," especially since there's a new baby in our house. :) 

 * I write best about what I know best.  I love my family.  Being a wife & mom are my favorite things.  I'm a teacher.  I'm a planner and an organizer.  I stay away from topics that don't interest me...If I'm not interested in writing it, no one will want to read it...even if it's something they're passionate about.

* Typos and bad grammar drive me insane!  I always check and double-check before I publish.   Even then, I usually find an error and have to go back to edit.

* I'm not a big fan of posts that create drama and big debates.   

* I'm honest.  Blogs that make the writer's life look like a fairytale aren't my thing.  Nobody lives like that...if you do, I want your secret!  Keep it real.

* I plan to write a few times a week about things that are on my mind.  It could be about my son's winning goal at a soccer game, my baby boy trying a new vegetable, a great deal, a new movie, a favorite recipe...how we do life in our house.  Mix it up!

* Make it fun :)