My Favorite Things

How to Plan a “Goal Worthy” Soccer Themed Party

April 8, 2021 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ItsThePerfectMatch #PerfectSnackMatch

I’ll never forget the chills I felt and the excitement that filled the air as I walked down the street just hours before the huge soccer match took place. I was a young teenager on a European tour and was doing a homestay with a family at the time. The country I was visiting had their country’s flags pridefully hanging from every possible place they could. Chit chat on the street was only about futbol, or soccer as we know it here in the states. That evening the family tuned in to the match on TV, and our eyeballs didn’t move off of that television for one second.

The place I was staying was in the countryside. There were other houses nearby, but they were still a good distance off. The moment the announcer declared our team the winner, that entire countryside came alive. I could hear families erupting with joy, excitement, and overwhelming pride for their country and the men on the field who led their team to victory. It was such a cool experience to be able to share those moments in another country, and from that moment on my love for soccer became very real.

I love to catch soccer matches on TV as often as I can, and my oldest daughter has begun to take a serious interest in the sport. To help cultivate her budding interest, I decided to host a little soccer soirée for my family to enjoy while we catch UEFA Champions League matches on TV. I decorated a dedicated area in our home with a few decorations and a variety of game day snacks and treats that my daughter emphatically said were #goalworthy. To kick off our snack station on a winning note, I stopped at my local Publix to grab a few must-haves to make our soccer party a success.

Make sure you take advantage of the exclusive Pepsi offer at Publix to kick off your winning game day celebration!

Currently you can find specially marked Pepsi products with UEFA Champions League packaging stocked at your local Publix, and it was the first thing to go into my shopping cart as I was picking out our snacks. Pepsi has also released a fantastic new flavor, Pepsi Mango that’s a fun addition to kick up your game day a few notches. Pepsi and mango paired together is a winning match, and my family loves to treat ourselves to it while we watch the game!

When planning a soccer themed party, I kept the menu pretty basic, but made sure to elevate the snacks a little by using black and white colors to match traditional soccer balls. A simple boxed cake mix became the cutest little soccer themed cupcakes with icing piped on to look like grass, and a bag of pretzel rods were transformed into party pretzels using a little white melting chocolate with black sprinkles and chocolate drizzled on top!

My children have a set of small practice goals they love to play with outside, and much to my delight they were small enough to use as a tabletop decoration. I stationed the potato chips and dip inside the goal, and I layered a strip of artificial turf underneath like a table runner to give the table a simple soccer field feel. You can typically find artificial turf in rolls for cheap at your local hardware store! For savory snacks, I sliced rounds of summer sausage, cheese and pepperoni and arranged them on a tray with a few crackers. Pro tip: If you have any older trophies from years past, dust them off and use them as serving bowls!

While shopping at Publix I also spotted a few chocolate cream cookie sandwiches that had a green filling in the middle. I knew these would be perfect for a soccer themed party. I used some of the leftover melting chocolate from the pretzel rods and dipped the cookies in to give them a soccer-feel.

I also spotted square shaped pretzels, which look like miniature soccer nets to me. I drizzled a little bit of melted chocolate on them, too, and they were a total hit with all of the soccer-loving fans in our house! I lined the corner of the serving table with chilled Pepsi cans, a bucket of ice and party straws. I also cut a small section of artificial turf and used a little bit of craft paint to make a soccer field! I love the idea of doing something similar to make placemats for a soccer-themed tablescape!

I also sprinkled the table with specially marked UEFA Champions League Pepsi cans for extra decoration. My family has always loved drinking Pepsi, and I especially love that as a proud partner of the UEFA Champions League, Pepsi aims to enable fans to get closer to the sport of soccer, the tournaments and the players. In 2021, Pepsi is also continuing to empower the Hispanic community to unapologetically enjoy futbol by bringing fans closer to the most exciting matches, teams and players.

If you’re a fan of soccer and tune in to UEFA Champions League matches, grab a case of specially marked Pepsi products and game day snacks from your local Publix! Making a #goalworthy snack bar or tablescape is very easy to do, and it adds a layer of excitement to the viewing party while watching the game at home! When my daughter walked in the room and saw the soccer decorations, I could see excitement light up her eyes, just like it did when I was a teenager visiting Europe.

A New Adventure + TWO Giveaways!

January 2, 2021 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Towards the beginning of 2020, my husband purchased a CNC machine with a laser attachment to cut and laser engrave on wood. He spent a lot of time tinkering with it, and one day he handed me a beautiful pair of earrings he cut and designed. And then, naturally, the requests began pouring in from me with ideas for new earring designs. Over the span of a few months, my wooden earring collection had grown quite a bit, but the thought of selling them to the public never even dawned on me until a few weeks before Christmas.

When the Hallmark channel started rolling out those beloved Dolly Parton Christmas movies, my love for The Queen of Country Music was rekindled, just like it always is during the holiday season. I asked my husband if he could laser engrave a picture of Dolly onto a pair of earrings for me, and ever since the moment those earrings first dangled from my earlobe, he’s been cutting and lasering earrings out in his shop ever since. I shared these earrings on my social media pages and the orders began rolling in! I was pretty surprised at the newfound success and demand these earrings brought. We cut dozens upon dozens of monogrammed and custom earrings for locals in our community shopping for last minute stocking stuffers. We honestly never thought we’d be selling earrings like this, but it’s been such a blessing to us!

When we built our home in 2017, my husband and Grandaddy saved several large chunks of the cedar trees that were pushed down to clean the land for our build. My husband has sawed and sanded each piece of cedar used to make these earrings, and in a way it’s our way of sharing a little piece of us with the rest of the world. Right after Christmas I opened up our own Etsy shop where people can search and shop online for our handmade items.

In fact, if you’d like to take a look at what we’ve got available in our shop, you can easily click on the “Etsy Shop” tab located at the top of my website! If you’re viewing this on your desktop computer, it’ll look like the picture shown above.

In the meantime, you can also CLICK HERE to go directly to our Etsy shop!

And now for the best part: The Giveaways!

I’m giving away a total of 4 pairs of handmade laser engraved earrings to two lucky Southern Made Simple followers! Each winner will receive a pair of leopard print earrings and a personalized pair of monogrammed earrings, just because I love you all!

You can enter over on Instagram and Facebook – and YES! You can double dip and enter at both places! The only requirement to enter is to make sure you’re following and to leave a comment sharing what state you’re following from. Easy peasy!

Click HERE to enter on Facebook

Click HERE to enter on Instagram

The giveaways will end on January 8th, 2021 at 11:59pm CST. Open to US residents only. The giveaways are in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Facebook or Instagram. Good luck, and thanks so much for following!

How I’m Preparing a Thanksgiving Dinner for FREE with Ibotta!

November 11, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post written by me in partnership with Ibotta. All opinions are my own.

Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite time of year. It even ranks higher than Christmas in my book, and that’s pretty impressive considering I really love Christmas time! My love for Thanksgiving is rooted in being able to slow down, spend precious time with family and truly reflect on the things in life that I am thankful for. Plus, I am always down for a casserole. It’s in my southern blood to love a good casserole! I also love that Autumn is still in full swing and the surge of consumerism that the holidays always brings hasn’t taken full effect yet. For me, Thanksgiving is a time to really show love for one another, and even though the pandemic is going to change what that looks like for most of us this year, I am still holding onto the things that I love so much about this season, and the giving part has always stood out the most to me.

It’s my honor and a true privilege to partner with companies who make it a point to give to others, especially during a year that has been so rough on so many people. In partnership with Feeding America, Ibotta is graciously giving away free Thanksgiving dinners that can feed a family of five, while supplies last.

So, what is Ibotta? Ibotta is a cash back and rewards platform that’s completely free to download, and it allows savvy shoppers to save money on your purchases when you shop at your favorite stores. Ibotta partners with hundreds of in-store and online retailers such as Walmart, Target, Publix, Amazon and more. No matter if you’re shopping in store or online, starting out the shopping trip with Ibotta means you’ll be saving money! Simply download the app, browse through and add your favorite offers to your account, purchase the products and then redeem the offers to receive cash back! I’ve been using Ibotta since 2012 to earn cash back on groceries and online shopping, and I almost always put my earnings towards holiday gifts each year. It’s a tremendous help to be able to apply those savings to presents for my loved ones!

As I mentioned, starting in November Ibotta is giving away FREE Thanksgiving Dinners while supplies last. Ibotta is partnering with Walmart to offer consumers who use the Ibotta app and browser extension 100% cash back on all the products they need for a Thanksgiving dinner to feed a family of 5. As a bonus, Ibotta is donating to Feeding America which will help provide food across their network of food banks and pantries. This is a wonderful opportunity to put food on your own table or to share with someone you love during the holiday season. This year has been hard on everyone in many different ways, and taking away the financial strain of buying food for a Thanksgiving dinner is an absolute blessing!

The following items are included in this promotion:

*Butterball Boneless Turkey Roast

*Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup

*French’s Crispy Onions

*McCormick Gravy

*Great Value Green Beans

*Idahoan mashed Potatoes

*Great Value Cranberry Sauce

*Great Value Stuffing

*2 Liter of Coke

All offers are available starting in November, while supplies last. Check your app for details.

As you’re preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday, no matter how that may look for you, make sure you’re taking advantage of Ibotta’s FREE Thanksgiving Dinner program in partnership with Walmart and Feeding America to earn 100% cash back on everything needed to prepare a meal for a family of 5!

Old Red Pickup Truck Christmas Decor Finds

November 10, 2020 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

Affiliate links are included throughout this post at no cost to you.

2020 Update: This post from a few years back has really gained popularity since it’s original publish date in 2016. This week I’ve done a little revamping and revising and collected a whole new roundup of Old Red Pickup Truck Christmas Decor Finds that you’re sure to love!

Have you been strolling down the holiday decor aisle at the stores yet? My favorite store started rolling out the Christmas stuff back in August! I thought they had lost their minds a little bit, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love walking down each aisle and daydreaming about all of the many ways I’ll be decorating our brand new home for the holidays this year!

…

Down South Paleo Cookbook Giveaway!

November 1, 2020 by Laura Tucker 9 Comments

Affiliate links may be included throughout this post, which means that if you buy the products featured, I receive a small percentage of the sale price at no extra expense to you. Thanks for visiting Southern Made Simple!

There’s a whole lot of celebration going on this month, and I cannot wait to share a few fun finds with you throughout the month of November to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Southern Made Simple!

For five years I’ve poured my heart into the posts you see as you scroll throughout this space, and throughout those years I’ve been shown more love and support from you than I ever dreamed I would. You guys sure know how to make a girl feel special, and that’s why it’s a joy for me to share this giveaway with you in hopes that it will bring you a bit of joy to your life as well! Cue the confetti – the first Southern Made Simple favorite find up for grabs is this Down South Paleo cookbook written by Jennifer Robins of Predominantly Paleo!

While I don’t personally follow a paleo lifestyle, I can 100% appreciate every recipe in this book, as Jennifer has brilliantly taken many classic and timeless southern dishes and remade them without processed ingredients, grains, refined sugars and, quite frankly, ingredients that are downright “junk.” My hearts song is truly southern cuisine, and knowing I can make so many of my favorite dishes healthier for my family without sacrificing any of the soulful flavors makes me so excited I could sing and shout!

In this book, you’ll find favorites such as homestyle chicken fried steak and gravy, fried green tomatoes, squash casserole, grain free southern grits and so much more. The photography is absolutely beautiful, and each recipe is beautifully and thoughtfully put together. I have enjoyed all of the recipes I have tried from this collection, and I am confident that you will love it too, whether you follow a paleo diet or not!

WIN IT:

One lucky Southern Made Simple reader is going to win their own copy of Down South Paleo by Jennifer Robins from Predominantly Paleo! To enter, just follow the instructions found below in the giveaway widget! Giveaway will be live until 11/15/20 and is open to US residents only.

Entry -Form

*Giveaway open to residents of the United States 18 and older. Limit one entrant per household. Giveaway will end at 11:59 pm CST on 11/15/2-20. Winner will be drawn using Giveaway Tools. Entries will be verified. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner will be selected. This giveaway is sponsored solely by Southern Made Simple. Book will be shipped via media mail within 1 week of giveaway ending.

Stay tuned, because more goodies will be given away periodically throughout the month of November. Thank you all for making the last 5 years an incredible journey!

We’re Earning Cash Back on Back to School Snacks with Ibotta!

July 27, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post written by me in partnership with Ibotta. All opinions are my own.

Back to school season is finally here, and while this school season may look different for so many people, we’re excited to embrace the differences with open arms and make the best out of the upcoming school year. While my family is preparing ourselves for our very first year of homeschooling, we’re still scoping out the latest deals on back to school supplies – including our favorite snacks! Even though our lessons will be done around the kitchen table instead of in the classroom, it’s important to me to keep a good selection of snacks on hand to fuel our bodies and minds during the upcoming school days, and we’re earning cash back on back to school snacks with Ibotta!

So, what is Ibotta? Ibotta is a cash back and rewards app that’s completely free to download, and it allows savvy shoppers to save money on your purchases when you shop at your favorite stores. Ibotta partners with hundreds of in-store and online retailers such as Walmart, Target, Publix, Amazon and more. No matter if you’re shopping in store or online, starting out the shopping trip with Ibotta means you’ll be saving money! Simply download the app, browse through and add your favorite offers to your account, purchase the products and then redeem the offers to receive cash back!

Just like so many people, over the past few months my shopping habits have changed. I am now going inside physical stores much less and am now almost solely choosing curbside pickup options. Thankfully, Ibotta has my back with my less-than-traditional method of purchasing. Instead of uploading my receipt to receive cash back, I link my grocery app account in the Ibotta app and it atomically pulls my qualifying purchases for me. Easy peasy!

While making my most recent shopping list, I certainly had the school season on my brain. No matter what the upcoming school year looks like for you, Ibotta has tons of offers available during their Back to School program that runs from July 22 through September. I was thrilled to find several offers on snacks that my two daughters absolutely love! Here’s a few of the cash back offers I took advantage in my most recent grocery pick-up trip:

*$0.75 back on Flipz Chocolate Covered Pretzels, any variety, 5 oz or larger

*$0.50 back on Jell-O Regular & Sugar Free Gelatin, select varieties, 4pk or larger

*$0.75 back on Welch’s Refrigerated Juice, any variety 59 fl oz carton only

*$0.75 Horizon Organic Cheese Sticks, any variety, 6 oz package only

*All offers were valid as of publish date. Check your app for details, as offers change frequently and may not be available in many areas.

I’ve been using Ibotta for several years, and each year I use the cash that I earn back from my purchases to go towards our holiday gift purchases for my family. It’s a simple and quick way to earn some spending money, and you can easily browse cash back offers by store to access tons of cash back rewards on your favorite items – all literally right at your fingertips!

As you’re preparing for the upcoming school year, no matter how that may look for you, make sure you’re taking advantage of Ibotta’s Back to School program to earn cash back on select snacks, school supplies, and so much more!

How We’re Eating Healthy During Quarantine with Splendid Spoon!

May 25, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Splendid Spoon has revamped our quarantine cuisine and has brought so much flavor to our week days! Scroll to the bottom to find an amazing discount!

Since quarantine began, I’ve certainly had my share of struggles keeping healthy options on the table for my family. While many people suddenly found themselves with an abundance of time to prepare homemade meals from scratch and create and enjoy new foods, my cards didn’t quite fall into place in the same way. Like many parents of very young children, any and all of my “extra time” was now focused on other things, and getting to prepare new recipes and meals that require more than 15 minutes of prep and cook time flew out the window.

…

3 Reasons Athleisure is Taking the South by Storm

March 24, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Athleisure is one of my favorite growing trends, especially now that I’m primarily focusing on comfort while staying home. I hope you enjoy this guest post “3 Reasons Athleisure is Taking the South by Storm” and find a few of the tips helpful!

Athleisure is a great way to blend perfect comfort with effortless style. In this article, we’ll talk about what athleisure is, why it’s so popular in the South, and how you can incorporate it into the perfect athleisure look.

What Is Athleisure?

3 Reasons Athleisure is Taking the South by Storm …

Misfits Market – Here’s Why I’m Hooked! + Discount Code!

February 22, 2020 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

Are you curious about Misfits Market? Scroll down to hear my final thoughts and snag a discount code for your first box!

When I chose my “word” for 2020, I had no idea that I’d be receiving my myopic macular degeneration diagnoses two weeks later. Looking at it now, it seems so fitting that I chose “wellness” as my word. Now more than ever, wellness is a top priority for me and my overall health. I’ve shared before how kale and carrots are the go-to veggies for eye health, but as I dug deeper into this, one thing became very clear to me: If you’re not eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, you’re not doing your overall body any real favors. I can eat all the carrots and kale in the world, but if I lose focus on nourishing my body with other veggies and fruit, I’m missing out on crucial nutrients the rest of my body needs.

…

How I’m Making Simple Swaps to Rock My Resolutions + Sweepstakes!

January 17, 2020 by Laura Tucker 1 Comment

I’ve partnered with Green Giant, Optimum Nutrition, vitafusion and L’il Critters as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

I’ve noticed a growing trend over the last few years of people designating a word to focus on when the new year rolls in. For 2020, the word I’ve chosen to focus on is wellness. My goal is to regain strength and establish wellness physically, spiritually and emotionally. Each year I create a vision board with my dreams and goals on it and hang it on the wall where I can see and review it daily. I’m a very visual person, and getting to physically check off items on my list gives me a monumental feeling of achievement that I’ve grown to crave. One of the biggest ways I’m channeling wellness into my day to day life is by making simple swaps that help keep me on track.

…

My Favorite Things

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ItsThePerfectMatch #PerfectSnackMatch

And now for the best part: The Giveaways!

Click HERE to enter on Facebook

Click HERE to enter on Instagram

This is a sponsored post written by me in partnership with Ibotta. All opinions are my own.

All offers are available starting in November, while supplies last. Check your app for details.

Affiliate links are included throughout this post at no cost to you.

Affiliate links may be included throughout this post, which means that if you buy the products featured, I receive a small percentage of the sale price at no extra expense to you. Thanks for visiting Southern Made Simple!

WIN IT:

I’ve partnered with Green Giant, Optimum Nutrition, vitafusion and L’il Critters as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Footer