Laura Tucker

How I Made a Sour Moment Sweet with Budget Saver Twin Pops!

June 1, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by Budget Saver Twin Pops as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

There’s no doubt about it – my little one absolutely loves being outside. I believe she would run around and play out in the sun all day long if i’d let her. She had to have gotten that from her father, because I don’t have an outdoorsy gene in my whole entire body. I am an air conditioner enthusiast and I love nothing more than to kick off my shoes and run my toes through the soft, plush carpet. Just being honest, y’all! 😉
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How to Freeze Yellow Squash

June 1, 2017 by Laura Tucker 26 Comments

This tutorial for How to Freeze Yellow Squash is simple and effective at preserving those beautiful golden veggies from the garden this summer!

Over the last 4 years since we moved out to the country, my husband and I have planted a vegetable garden in our backyard. Planting a garden is a true labor of love, but the fruits of the labor always make the effort SO so worth it. If for nothing else, I love summer because of all of the delicious fruits and vegetables that are so abundant during this time of year. One of my very favorite vegetables is summer squash. Two years ago we planted extra squash in our garden so I could make baby food for our daughter. Our squash plants always tend to do very well, and by the end of the summer it usually feels like we have squash growing out of our ears!

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Splash Canyon VBS Craft Ideas

June 1, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

VBS 2017 has officially kicked off with the start of this new month! You may have seen my posts about Galactic Starveyors, Maker Fun Factory, and Hero Central (3 popular VBS themes for this year) floating around the world wide web – and it’s because I absolutely LOVE Vacation Bible School and all that it entails!

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Crispy Baked Green Bean Fries Recipe + Balanced Meal Idea for Busy Weeknights

May 30, 2017 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

It seems like the month of May is always one of the busiest times of the year. Schools are closing for the summer, graduation ceremonies are taking place, wedding season kicks it into high gear, little league games are coming to an end and parents are trying desperately to transition their schedules from kids being at school to kids being at home. No matter what the situation is, you may find yourself in a frenzy at one point or another, trying to balance work, school events, extracurriculars, and herding in the family around the dinner table to enjoy a balanced meal together.

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Even MORE Galactic Starveyors VBS Decor Ideas

May 27, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

SOUTHERN MADE SIMPLE IS A PART OF SEVERAL AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAMS. AFFILIATE LINKS ARE INCLUDED THROUGHOUT THIS POST AT NO COST TO YOU. ALTHOUGH I PARTICIPATE IN THESE PROGRAMS AND HAVE SPONSORED CONTENT, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Summer 2017 is practically here, and churches all over the country are gearing up for an exciting summer filled with Vacation Bible School activities! One of the most popular VBS themes for 2016 was “Submerged” by Lifeway, where kids learned all about submerging themselves in God’s word and finding that Jesus doesn’t just see what’s on the outside of people, but instead He sees what’s deep down in the inside of people and loves us no matter what. Isn’t that such a great message? If you got to participate in Submerged this year, I’m sure it definitely made a “splash” of an impact on your life. I know it did mine!

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Emoji Snack Crafts for Kids

May 27, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Affiliate links may be included throughout this post at no cost to you. Emoji snacks are a fun way to celebrate your love for all of those fun little icons on your phone!

Are you an emoji user? Chances are, you probably use a handful of emoji’s throughout the course of your day…and if you’re a youngster, you just might even use more emoji’s than you use actual words! They’ve been around for quite some time now, but it seems like year after year they gain even more popularity..and now they’re about to take the big screen this summer in The Emoji Movie, which will be hitting a theater near you July 28th, 2017!

Here’s a little sneak peak of the movie in case you haven’t heard about it yet! ;-)…

Despicable Me Inspired Minion Snack Crafts for Kids

May 26, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Have you heard the word? Despicable Me 3 will be out in theaters this summer (June 30th to be exact) and kids everywhere are going BA-NA-NAS! Despicable Me is such an incredibly cute movie series, and it’s one that I myself enjoy watching! In fact, I remember my husband (then boyfriend) taking me to see the very first Despicable Me movie when it hit theaters back in 2010. It was actually my very first 3D movie experience, and it made a huge impression!

Ever since then, I’ve had a special place in my heart for Mr. Gru, his lovable daughters and the whole minion gang! We’re really excited about the new movie coming out this summer, so to get in the Despicable Me spirit, I thought I’d put together a list of my favorite Despicable Me inspired snack crafts for kids! If you have a little one at home, these would be SO much fun to make before you head out to the theaters to watch it. OR if you’re having a Despicable Me party…make them all! 😉

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Patriotic Snack Crafts for Kids

May 25, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Affiliate links may be included within this post at absolutely no cost to you. Patriotic Snack Crafts are a fun and delicious way to celebrate our great country, and I love sharing my favorite finds with you!

With Memorial Day right around the corner and Independence Day quickly approaching, I’ve started my annual hunt for the cutest seasonal snacks and crafts on Pinterest (where I always spend way more time that I ever intended) to pin to my Fourth of July pin board. My toddler is starting to take an interest in creating things, and I thought it’d be perfect to find a few of my favorite patriotic snacks for kids that encourage them to have a creative eye and create something that’s not only super yummy, but also really cute!

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Meal Prep Made Easy with Rubbermaid BRILLIANCE

May 23, 2017 by Laura Tucker 56 Comments

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Rubbermaid®. All opinions expressed within this post are 100% my own.

Within the last month, my husband and I gradually started incorporating a small lifestyle change when it comes to the meals we prepare and eat. For years we’ve mostly eaten what we wanted and were able to get away with it, but as we’ve gotten a little older, our bodies have become a little bit slower and the weight started sticking to us more than we wanted. We both have jobs that require us to sit down a good bit, and even though I do chase around a toddler all day, I’m definitely not nearly as active as I once was. I’m certainly busier now that I’m a mom, but I’ve strayed away from quality physical exercise and exchanged it for trying to catch a break on the couch once my toddler is down for a nap. All that is to say, we saw that some changes needed to be made in our lifestyle, and the first place we started was eating healthier and better foods.

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Sharing Mommy & Me Styles and Smiles with Swap.com!

May 22, 2017 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

I received compensation in the form of store credit in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed within this post are completely my own. Affiliate or referral links may be included at absolutely no cost to you.

From the very first moment that I held my daughter in my arms, I felt as if I was holding the world’s most beautiful and precious little baby doll who completely stole my heart with her very first breath. I had spent the previous 5 months preparing her room, coordinating her bedding to the colors of her nursery, buying the latest and greatest baby gadgets and filling her closet with the sweetest little outfits I could possibly find.

Classic “southern” styles are what I’ve always gravitated towards when picking out clothing for my sweet little doll baby (who is now a vivacious little two year old,) but the price tags on that type of clothing don’t exactly line up with what my bank account agrees with. Does that mean I sacrifice style and let my daughter go the plain-jane route when it comes to her wardrobe? Goodness, no! I simply shop smarter – and I’m sharing my fashion secrets with you right here, right now! 😉

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