DIY Projects

Dr. Seuss Snack Crafts for Kids

February 19, 2017 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

I wish a wish that’s just for you, that you would read a book or two. That fun would jump right off each page, and that you’d laugh no matter your age! That you’d find joy with every rhyme, and that you’d want to read ALL of the time! Reading is fun, this much is true, and Dr. Seuss makes me laugh right down to my shoes. That’s why I thought it’d be so neat if only I could find some snacks to eat! A few that are clever, cute and yummy…and will make you smile when they fill your tummy!

Read Across America kicks off this year on March 2nd, which just so happens to be Dr. Seuss’s birthday. To celebrate such a fun occasion, I thought I’d put together a roundup of some of the cutest little snacks around that are inspired by that ol’ cat in the hat!

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15 Easter Snack Crafts for Kids

February 1, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Hippity Hoppity, Easter’s on its way! Here lately I’ve been seeing a lot of really clever and tasty ideas floating around Pinterest for some pretty spectacular Easter treats that are fun to make, and even sweeter to eat! Out of ALL of the holidays that have seasonal candy directly related to them, Easter is my very favorite. Why, you ask? One word: Cadbury Creme Eggs. Okay, maybe that’s 3 words… but you get the idea! I crave them all year long. Once the Easter bunny has come and gone, I waste no time heading up to the grocery store and buying all the Cadbury Creme Eggs as soon as they’re on clearance!

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St. Patrick’s Day Snack Crafts for Kids

January 26, 2017 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Everybody get your green ready, because St. Patrick’s day is quickly approaching (on March 17th, to be exact!)

I’ve always had a crafty side, so I always get a little giddy when I get to do a cute little craft project. I get especially excited when I get to be crafty AND eat fun and delicious snacks at the same time! I’ve put together this collection of fun St. Patrick’s Day Snack Crafts for Kids – all made by some pretty fabulous bloggers who have made some really creative and fun treats that are easy for the kiddos to put together as a fun seasonal project.

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A Strong Foundation: Bible Verses for Building a Home

January 21, 2017 by Laura Tucker 76 Comments

A Strong Foundation: Bible Verses for Building a Home

Last week I made a big announcement that we’ve started our home building project! It’s something we’ve been dreaming of since before we got married, and we feel so truly blessed to watch it all finally unfold. At just 26 and 27 years old and first time home owners (builders), we’re trying our hardest to make smart financial decisions for our family, but we also knew that building a home would be a one-time deal for us. This home is our forever home. These are our roots. When we formed our house plans from scratch, we made sure that we had the things we needed, but also things that we really wanted (within reason), too.

We’ve been praying over our home every step of the way. We pray for and seek God’s guidance as we make big decisions regarding our home every single week. Christ is the cornerstone of our faith and our family, and we knew we wanted to honor Him in all things during this build.

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BIG Things are Happening – We’re Growing!

January 12, 2017 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

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You Make My Heart Glow Valentine Idea + FREE Printable!

January 5, 2017 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

Affiliate links may be included throughout this post at absolutely no cost to you.

I don’t mean to brag here, but yours truly just so happens to be a 4th grade Valentine card box decorator champion. That’s right, y’all. I won the fourth grade contest for decorating a shoe box with glitter and cupcake liners to hold all of those little Valentine cards that all of the kids in class would deliver to each other during the Valentine’s Day party. It was a pretty special moment (and sort of a big deal,) not gonna lie. 😉

I’ve always loved decorating for Valentine’s Day. I loved taking the time to prepare my Valentine cards to pass out to everyone at school, and I especially loved receiving them! Sure, there were always the cool character ones with a sticker or tattoo that obviously came in a box from Walmart, but I always looked for the homemade ones. Those were always the most special to me!

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Valentine’s Day Snack Crafts for Kids

December 23, 2016 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Has anyone noticed that Walmart (and likely other stores) have already started putting out their Valentine’s Day decor and candies? It’s not even Christmas! I used to think that was absolutely crazy (I still mostly do,) but I can totally understand why they start doing it early. The longer it’s out, the more inspiration people gain! More inspiration = more fun crafts and treats! At least, that’s how my mind words! 🙂

So I went slightly against the one-holiday-at-a-time grain here and started putting together some inspiration I’ve spotted on Pinterest to start getting me in gear for Valentine’s Day (once Christmas is over, of course!)

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Easy Holiday Gift Idea: DIY Hot Cocoa Gift Basket

December 5, 2016 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

This weekend I got to sneak into “town” and do some special holiday shopping for my friends and family. My husband stayed home with my daughter, so I got to walk around the store completely uninterrupted. No temper tantrums, no little hands reaching for items on the shelves and throwing them on the floor, and no frantically chasing a toddler down the aisles. It was bliss.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may already know that I’m from a very small community in rural Alabama. There’s not much to my little town, just a few gas stations, a sandwich shop and a school. There is, however, a centerpiece in my community that makes surviving out here in the sticks much, much easier. It was also my store of choice on my much needed shopping trip this weekend, where I picked up a few supplies to put together a really fun little DIY project I’m about to share with you. You may be surprised to know that the gem that I’m referring to is my beloved Dollar General store, and I am pumped about all of the sweet holiday items I scored there!

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25 Edible Christmas Crafts for Kids

November 16, 2016 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s time to trip up the tree with Christmas stuff…like bingle balls and woofoo fluff! I remember the weeks leading up to Christmas break when I was in school were always so much fun. We’d watch Christmas movies at the end of the day while we munched on sugary Christmas-themed snacks and worked on our Christmas list to give to Santa.

Times were SO much simpler back then weren’t they? Seeing all of these delicious edible Christmas crafts takes me right back to those days, though. Maybe that’s why I love them so much! Since I’ve been looking for some really fun snack ideas to share with my daughter this season, I thought it’d be fun to put together a whole list of some of my favorite! All of the content is original to some AMAZING bloggers which I’ve listed beside each picture. Take a look around and let me know which ones are your fave! :-D…

3 Tips to Help You Prepare Your Home for the Holidays Ahead of Time

November 15, 2016 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateClean #CollectiveBias

You better watch out, you better not cry, and you certainly better not pout…and I’ll tell you why! The holidays are here, and all of your family and friends are coming to town! If you’re lucky enough to be hosting a crowd in your home this season, this one is for you. 😉

I’ve been there before. Slightly stressed, making lists, checking them twice, frantically cleaning my home to give off the illusion that I am, in fact, a clean and tidy person- and all because company was coming “home” for the holidays! But stress is not something that I really like to keep around during this time of year, so this time around I’ve got my head in the game and came up with a few tips that have proven to help me make my home holiday-ready without the stress!

One of the very first things that I do is make sure that my budget isn’t going to suffer while I’m out and about buying things I’ll need around the home when company comes over. As much as I love to hunt down a good deal and shop around for the best prices on household essentials, I feel that my time is way too valuable to be spending my energy doing that. Because this season is SO busy (and harsh on my pocket book,) I depend on Family Dollar to be my one-stop shop to get the best deals on the things I need to get ready for the holidays.

I love checking things off of my shopping list, and two of my must-have items on my list (Angel Soft® bath tissue and Sparkle® paper towels) were even on sale!

After making my stop at Family Dollar to pick up a few supplies, I started making my plan as to how to tackle the notion of making sure all of the guests in my home have a wonderful holiday experience. To avoid completely losing my marbles, I like to start this process a little early so as to not be completely loco come Christmas time. Here are a few tips that I’ve found to be super helpful for me, and hopefully they’ll help keep your home full of cheer this year, too!

Set a Cleaning Schedule

There is absolutely nothing fun about running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off moments before guests come over trying to clean and tidy everything up. Been there, done that. One way that I helped combat that hopeless feeling of not getting everything clean before company arrives is to start breaking down all of the tasks into smaller portions throughout the week leading up to people actually having to see and be inside my house. Who’da thunk something like planning ahead and getting things done early would work?! 😉 It totally does, and it helps me keep my sanity in check during this time of year!

To help me get all of my cleaning done, I print out a weekly cleaning schedule (there’s tons available to print for free online) and start breaking down big cleaning tasks into short 10-15 minute cleaning sessions per day. To make sure I tackle all of my cleaning with ease, I keep a roll of Sparkle® paper towels in my basket along with all of my other cleaning supplies. I can always depend on Sparkle® to get the job done when I’ve got a mess on my hands, and their price point is great for my budget. They’re also the perfect paper towel to keep on hand when you’ve got a house full of friends and family over to celebrate the holidays with!

Stock up on Disposables

A few years ago my entire immediate family (on my side) took up residence in my home for a few days during Christmas. As much as I love hosting, this particular year was hard. Like, really hard. My home is approximately 1100 sq feet and has 2 bedrooms and 1 tiny bathroom. It’s already cramped for my own family of 3, but adding 10 more people to the mix was rather…interesting. And I kid you not, y’all, it felt like we were blowing through a roll of toilet paper every other hour. The dishwasher could not keep up with the amount of dishes we were using, and spills were happening left and right.

Stocking up on disposable goods like toilet tissue and paper towels wasn’t something I really thought of. Luckily we made it through without any catastrophes or having to use leaves to wipe our behinds, but it’s a miracle! Making sure I’m thoroughly stocked up on Angel Soft® bath tissue and Sparkle® paper towels is a high priority on my radar from here on out!

Save those Toilet Paper Tubes

Say what?! I know what you’re thinking. What in the WORLD do toilet paper tubes have to do with anything at all? Why in the world should I be hanging on to those things when I’m trying to clean and declutter my house? Trust me, I hear you. But you know that mile-long Christmas shopping list that you’ve got that seems to have everyone in the world written on it? Toilet paper tubes can actually help you out with that! I’m not saying you should wrap them up and give them as gifts to people. No one would want that! But you CAN turn them into something really cute to put your smaller gifts in! Think along the lines of stocking stuffers, candies, money, gift cards, small toys and trinkets, etc.

Saving your bath tissue or paper towel rolls from your Angel Soft® toilet paper or Sparkle® paper towels is a really inventive and frugal way to plan ahead for the holidays. There’s little guesswork in how to wrap up a small gift for your friends or family – just stick the gift down inside the tube, wrap a layer of tissue paper around it, tie off the ends with ribbon and stick a gift tag on it! Voila – you’re done! I love that they look like little candies once they’re wrapped. I think it’s a really cute touch!

By the way, you can find a sheet of free printable gift tags (pictured below) that are already sized perfectly for a toilet paper roll by clicking right here. Think of it as my gift to you! 😉

Shop Smarter this Season at Family Dollar:

For a limited time, you can snag some sweet savings at Family Dollar on several of your favorite brands (including Angel Soft® bath tissue and Sparkle® paper towels) by using their digital coupons! They’re a great time-saving perk that lets you skip right over physically clipping out and keeping up with coupons. Just visit their website here and save them to the account that you create. Redeeming is as easy as entering your phone number on the keypad at checkout! Here’s a look at what I redeemed during my shopping trip:

Save 50¢ off ONE (1) Angel Soft® Bath Tissue, 12 Family Roll or 12 Big Lavender Roll

Offer: Save 50¢ off ONE (1) Sparkle® Paper Towel, 6 Roll

I saved $1.00 off of two of my favorite brands just by using Family Dollar’s digital coupons! These particular deals are valid from 10/20 – 12/27/16, so stop by and pick up these household necessities today!

Do you have any tips that help you stay sane and keep your home holiday ready during this time of year? If so, drop a comment below and share the love!