Tip #1: Ideas & Where to Get Them

Have you ever asked your student to write a paragraph (or sometimes even a sentence) and gotten a blank stare? If so, hopefully this tip will be of help to you!

Tip #1: Remember that kids don't have as much background knowledge (or as many life experiences) to draw on while writing.

It is NOT cheating to talk through ideas and concepts with your child before they begin to write. In fact, I encourage my writing students to share ideas and brainstorm with their parents. Don't feel bad about sharing necessary or interesting background information with them, either! 

After you've finished brainstorming with them, you may also wish to help them develop an outline for their paragraph. Though outlines seem like a lot of work, practicing the skill now will set up your student for success, both in writing their paragraph AND in their future studies.

Check back tomorrow for my second tip! :)

Coming Up: Three Tips for Raising Competent Communicators

This week, we'll be delving into the topic of Language Arts... Or, as I've chosen to title this mini-series:

"Raising Competent Communicators for Christ!"

I really wish that I could take credit for that awesome alliteration of a title, but I borrowed it from Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing. This week, I'll be sharing three of the tips I've learned as I've taught this fantastic writing program. These tips will be quick and easy to integrate into your language arts lesson plan, even if you're not looking to purchase a new curriculum. (But, if you are, I totally recommend IEW.)

I'm looking forward to the first tip tomorrow, and I hope you are, too!

Have a great evening!

Weekend Link-Up: Homeschool 31 Dayers

Last week, I shared links to some of my friends who are participating in 31 Days. This week, I'm going to share a few links to other homeschoolers participating in 31 Days. Give their blogs a visit and see what you think! :)

31 Days of Nature Study for Young Naturalists

The Homeschool Marm

31 Days of Homeschool Printables

Royal Baloo

31 Days of Beginning Homeschooling 101

In God's Economy

Oops!

This is just a quick note to let you know that I haven't forgotten about posting today.

It has been one VERY busy day, but I'll be back tomorrow with TWO posts for you!

Have a great evening! :)

Resource Recommendation: God's World News

One of my favorite resources for teaching children about social studies, current events, and geography is God's World News. This monthly magazine is reminiscent of the Weekly Reader magazines that children used to receive in school, but it's written from a Christian perspective and Biblical worldview!

Each issue is filled with all sorts of interesting stories that will attract your students with colorful photographs and fascinating facts. Plus, God's World News has also recently released a new membership program with digital issues of the magazines, a kids' website, and a new iPad app.

God's World News is a great way to teach your children about the world around them - check out a sample issue and see if it is a good fit for your family! :)

3 Fun Ways to Teach the 50 States

Looking for some new activities to spice up your lessons on the 50 states? Try one of these!

1. Apps - Stack the States is my favorite - if you have an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, this activity is for you! This fun and addictive game requires students to answer questions about each state. If they answer correctly, they earn a state to add to their pile. When you stack enough states to cross the finish line - you win! This app costs $0.99, but there is a "lite" version available for free.

2. Food - We all know that yummy and unique snacks are memorable, so here's a list of 50 recipes - one for each state! Some of the recipes are a little "adventurous," but even if you're not brave enough to try them all, this list is a great place to start.

3. State Capital Songs - This one - Wakko's 50 State Capitols - is a popular choice for teaching, with a very catchy tune and a cute cartoon to go with it. However, there are many versions available with a simple internet or YouTube search.

Do you have any fun activities for teaching kids about the United States of America? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Free State Study Resources

First up this week - some fun links to free resources for state studies. You can use these resources for ANY (or if you're feeling brave - every) state!

This website (Homeschool Helper Online) has a great set of foldables for a state lapbook or interactive notebook. Activities include researching state symbols, plants and wildlife, a timeline of state history, and other "fun facts."

Mr. Donn's website contains links to all sorts of teacher resources, kid-safe websites, and educational resources. There's a whole page for each state! You're sure to find plenty of facts to fill your lapbook or notebook by following his recommended links. (P.S. Mr. Donn's image - found above - contains some of Phillip Martin's adorable clip art.)

Apples 4 the Teacher has a page devoted entirely to state studies, too! Their activities include coloring sheets, puzzles (word searches, scrambles, and jumbles) and trivia worksheets. These activities are sure to add some excitement to your state studies.

I hope that you enjoy these neat websites and can put these resources to good use while learning about your own state or preparing for a trip! If you know of any other great resources for state studies, please leave a comment and let us know! :)

On Doing Good & Going Into the World

We've arrived at the beginning of our second week of 31 Days of Joy Filled Learning!

To be honest, I feel like the little engine that could right now. I keep chanting to myself  "I think I can... I think I can..." as I write. There is so much to learn, so much to do, and so much to WRITE! I imagine that there are many of you feeling the same way on your teaching and learning journey. But, let's not get so wrapped up in the list of things "to do" that we grow weary in doing what God has called us to.

Galatians 6:9 (NIV) says it this way:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

With that being said...

This week, we will be uncovering the topic of social studies - and I couldn't be more excited! 

As Christians, we are called to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (NASB) and that is my motto every time I plan or teach a social studies lesson. After all, how can we teach the gospel to a world that we know nothing about, or have no compassion for?!

We're going to start by uncovering ways that we can learn about our communities, then we'll move into our states, and finally into the world. Along the way, we'll discuss neat object lessons, simple projects, free resources, and I'll even share a few of my "favorite things." (But please, don't confuse me with Oprah!)

I hope that you'll join me on this week long journey "into all the world!"

Off we go!

Encouragement for Your Joy Filled Journey

Good evening, friends! I'm just stopping by with a few quotes to help you start your week!

"Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you may look back and find out that they were the big things."

- Unknown

"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least."

- Goethe

Remember to make the most of every moment this week. Stop and smell the roses, look for open doors, and always be ready to say "yes" to God's call... even if it means dropping your schedules and agendas. When we look at things with an eternal perspective, the way we view our day-to-day lives completely changes.

One more thought: remember to face each day with a positive attitude. Your attitude is your decision - and you can't live a positive life with a negative attitude.

Have a great week! :)

Weekend Link-Up

Happy Saturday evening, friends!

I wanted to take today to share links to some of my blogging friends who are also participating in #31days this month! I hope that they can be of some encouragement to you in your parenting/teaching journey. Please check their pages out and consider following them! :)

On The Journey With Christ

31 Day Journey of Parenting Tweens & Teens

ChickChat

31 Days of Making Everyday Count

Curly Girl Meets Grace

31 Days of Living it Out (A study of Malachi)

InspirReD LiVinG

31 Days of Food for the Season

Coffee at Lulu's

31 Days of Falling for Fall

Fabulous Friday {Math} Freebies

I don't know about you, but there are few things that I like more than FRIDAYS and FREEBIES!

Since it's Friday, how about we double the fun and look at a couple of (super cute and colorful) math freebies? Each of these printables is available for download at one of my all-time favorite websites, Teachers Pay Teachers.

28 Styles of Hundreds Charts by Jason's Online Classroom

If you're looking to add a little fun to yesterday's hundred chart activities, try these! Jason's Online Classroom has some of the cutest, most stylish products on TpT. There are 28 colorful designs included in this packet. If you're looking to save ink - or go green - you can print them on cardstock and laminate them (or put them in page protectors) and use dry erase markers with them. Write, wipe, and reuse!

Math Alphabet Posters by Lovely Little Leaders

These posters are a great way to create a word rich environment (more on that later!) in your classroom or homeschool space. If you don't have room to hang them on your walls, you can use them to make an alphabet book. The colorful eye-catching borders and adorable illustrations make learning math terms a little less daunting and a lot more fun!

Fall Math Pack by The Moffatt Girls

Last but not least, I couldn't let this post end without a little fall fun. I love the addition and skip counting activities in this little activity pack for Pre-K through 1st grade, and I'm sure your student (or students) will enjoy it, too!

Have a happy weekend! :)

Hundred Charts - Not Just for Kindergarten!

As a parent or teacher (or both!) you may have a hundred chart poster laying around your classroom or house... and if you're not currently using it, I'd encourage you to hang it up and start including it in your lessons! Go ahead and print a couple out (you can find some here, here, and here) to use for games, too!

Here are five easy ideas to get you started:

1) Review skip counting by coloring in the numbers you hit when you count by 2's, 5's, 10's, etc. Discuss the patterns. Then, try coloring in the numbers that you hit when you count by 9's. Ask: "How are the patterns the same? How are they different?"

2) Practice those tricky math facts (and following directions) by making designs. You will need a hundred chart for yourself and for your child. Begin by shading in a simple design (such as a heart or smiley face) on your chart. Then, direct your child to create the same design by giving them clues. (For example, if you said, "please find 12x2," they would shade in 24. Or, you could call "fill in 25+10," and they would need to shade in 35.)

3) Teach your child to read a table and follow directions. Ask your student to place their finger on a given number (i.e. 45), then give them directions to follow a specific "path" (i.e. up 1, left 3, and down 4). Do they end up on the correct answer? When you're done, reverse roles!

4) Get used to counting coins. Round up a bag of pocket change, and allow your student to reach in and pull out a few coins. Show them how to add the coins together, and shade in the total on their chart. (For added fun, you could take turns using different colors for shading and play "BINGO." The first person to get five in a row wins!)

5) Take the sting out of word problems. Make up or find some goofy word problems, and help your child solve them using the hundred chart. (Demonstrate how to "count up" for addition, and "count down" for subtraction.)

Still looking for more ideas? Check out this fun freebie I found at The Classroom Game Nook.

Have fun learning!

P.S. You can find all of the other posts in this series by clicking HERE!

Skip Counting Tips & Tricks

2-4-6-8 what do we appreciate? Skip Counting!

Okay, so maybe that was a little bit cheesy, but recently I've gained a new appreciation for teaching skip counting to my (borrowed) homeschool students. Unfortunately, multiplication and division have never been my strong suit. So, when I realized that Miss M (one of the sweet little girls I work with) was able to multiply despite the fact that she had never formally been taught the concept, I was impressed. Her abilities were all due to the fact that she was excellent at... You guessed it...

Skip counting.

Now, we all know that skip counting isn't a particularly exciting concept to teach or learn, but I've put together a couple of ideas that might make it a little more interesting for you and your student(s). Why don't you try some of them out? You might be impressed at how much you both learn!

1) Listen to some skip counting songs. Have Fun Teaching has a bunch of fun little skip counting "rap" and "dance" songs on their website. They are still pretty "goofy" but would definitely be much more appealing to children than something sung to "The Alphabet Song" or "Twinkle, Twinkle" (though you could certainly use those if you wish). Listen to their songs here, or download them from Amazon or iTunes!

2) Look for some fun games online. Math is Fun has a neat list of timed drills where students are required to click and fill in a box with number skip counting up, and even backwards. In addition to have activities for skip counting by 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10, they also have activities for skip counting by 25, 50, and 100.

3) Skip count round robin style. This activity would be fun to play as a family in the car, or while waiting at a restaurant. Agree on a number to count by (for example, 3's) and then go around the family with each member saying one number. If you mess up you're "out!" (It's always fun if Mom or Dad messes up an "easy" one!) See who can make it the furthest.

4) Make it a game! Grab a pair of dice, a deck of cards, or a set of dominoes and get ready for a challenge. Roll both of your dice, and skip count by one of the numbers, starting on the other. (For example, if you roll a 3 and a 7, you could skip count by 3's starting on 7, or skip count by 7's starting on 3.) To play with cards, simply draw two from the deck. If you are playing with dominoes, draw one, and use the number of dots on either end as your two numbers.

5) Get up and MOVE. Have your student count by 1's, but have them clap or jump on a designated number (i.e. multiples of two, five, or ten). For example, if you told them to count by 1's, and jump on multiples of 5, a correct response would be: "1, 2, 3, 4, jump, 6, 7, 8, 9, jump, 11, 12, 13..."

Leave a comment and let me know what you think of these activities, or share an idea of your own! I'm always looking for new tricks to add to my teaching tool-kit!

S-T-R-E-T-C-H & G-R-O-W

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

If you are like me, you’ll understand why I picked this verse for the topic of math! If you’re a “math whiz” like my handsome husband, than consider yourself VERY blessed. Unfortunately, math seems to be one of those subjects that students either LOVE or HATE!

Putting one’s feelings aside, though, math is a subject that must be learned! After all, we use math in our everyday lives for just about everything. Math is required for telling time, for cooking, for shopping, and for so much more.

So, what can we do to help our children “persevere” through the challenges of math? This week, we’ll be covering some great ideas to help your children S-T-R-E-T-C-H their brains and G-R-O-W their math skills, whether you are their teacher or helping them do their homework in the evenings. Hopefully you’ll learn a few new tricks, and your children will find math a lot less painful and a little more fun!

Now it’s your turn to chime in in the comments: Are you a “math person” or not?!

On Daring to Be Different

I have to apologize for the sparseness of posts over the last week and into the next few days. I've been busily preparing a slew of ideas and posts for the 31 Days challenge that is being hosted by The Nester. I'm really excited about my series, which I'm titling "[31 Days of] Joyful Learning at Home" and I hope that you'll join me!

In the meantime, however, I've been dealing with a little bit of internal struggle. I thought I'd go ahead and share in case it helps anybody else out. After all, last week we talked about turning your mess into a message, and how your history is really His story!

I'm dealing with some discomfort in regards to being "different." We've all been there, I'm sure. Being different is uncomfortable, it's not always fun, it's frequently anxiety inducing... and - too often - we let it keep us from doing what God has called us to do, and being who God has called us to be.

Sometimes you just have to let it go. When I attended my church's women's conference back in March, Sheri Rose Shepherd (the fabulous speaker) said, "Girlfriend, NOBODY is thinking as much about you as you are!" (Or something along those lines - it has been a long time!)

That helps a little bit but, this is even better:

In What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, Lysa Terkeurst says "We are to be DIFFERENT so that we can make a DIFFERENCE." That's some serious truth.

I don't know about you ladies, but I want to be the kind of woman who makes a difference... who says "yes" when God calls... who does whatever God says to do... who steps out in faith and leaves the consequences to God.

So what's a girl to do in those times when we feel "awkward" about being different?

Here are a few of my favorite scriptures for those times. Pray them, claim them as your motto, personalize them, and hide them in your heart. :)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 12:2

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Philippians 4:6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

Chime in - Share your favorite verses in the comments!

(P.S. All of the verses in this post are taken from the ESV translation.)

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

Note: This post is a re-posted, fixed up, tweaked version of a post made last year.

I'm not going to lie, most of my favorite meals are made in my crockpot. (I'm pretty lazy!) My favorite fall food is chili, and it's given a new twist in this recipe, adapted from one I found on this blog: The Architect & The Artist.

The Perfect Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen tri-color pepper mix

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups chicken broth

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can solid-pack pumpkin

1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes

2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. cumin

Directions:

Place all ingredients (except peppers) in your slow cooker. 

Stir, then cook on low for as few as 4 hours or as many as 8 hours. (The longer your chili simmers, the better it will be!) Add the peppers 30 mins to an hour before serving to help them retain their color and a bit of "crunch."

You can serve this chili over tortilla chips, spaghetti, or corn bread and top with shredded cheese and sour cream. This makes 9-10 servings in our house, and let me tell you, it's even better the second day than it is the first!

Enjoy!

Welcome Fall!

Rumor has it that today is the first official day of FALL! I somehow missed that memo until now. I think it may have something to do with the fact that I live in Florida, and the current temperature is hovering somewhere in the mid-80's.

Regardless, it's now perfectly acceptable to pull out the stops on all things FALL!

Here are a few of the things that I'm looking forward to this week:

+ Doing all sorts of pumpkin crafts, like this one from Lilacs and Longhorns.

+ Making my "famous" Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili for dinner on Tuesday night. (Recipe to come!)

+ Digging out my FALL decor from the dark depths of the office closet (...or was it the garage?)

+ The RETURN of all of my favorite FALL TV shows! (Castle, anyone?!)

+ Painting my nails in beautiful FALL colors. (Thanks for the ideas, Nails and Sales!)

+ Wearing ORANGE as often as possible.

+ Making grand plans, perhaps for a Thanksgiving adventure!

+ Starting my Christmas shopping.

And last, but certainly not least...

+ Getting my new A/C installed tomorrow! (Listen, if it doesn't feel like FALL outside, the least I can do is crank down the air inside and pretend!)

What are you most looking forward to about the FALL season?

Great Songs to Start Your Day Off Right!

I'm not gonna lie... I used to be a MySpace fanatic. There are a LOT of things that I don't miss about MySpace. However, I do miss the cool little music player you could put on your page to bombard your friends with your favorite music every time they viewed your page.

I recently found myself with a little bit of extra iTunes money. (Isn't that just the best?) After much debate about whether to buy myself some new camera apps or some fun new music, the idea of new music won out. I've been listening to the radio for days and searching the internet to find just the right songs with an upbeat tempo and positive lyrics, and I think I finally figured it out!

If you're looking for some new music for your iThingamabob (or if you just want something fun to listen to while you work or clean) here are 10 of my new favorite songs! Click the underlined hyperlinks to check them out on YouTube!

1. Good Morning - Mandisa
2. God's Great Dance Floor - Chris Tomlin
3. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us - Sidewalk Prophets
4. We Are The Free - Matt Redman
5. Make Some Noise - Krystal Meyers
6.  That's How We Roll - Britt Nicole
7. Overcomer - Mandisa
8. Burning in My Soul - Matt Maher
9. Steal My Show - TobyMac
10. Lord, I Need You - Matt Maher

Let's hear it friends - what are YOUR favorite songs for starting the day off right?! Leave a comment and let us know!

Friday Freebie Alert!

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links with Tyndale Rewards. I promise not to make sales pitches and affiliate links my norm, but this one was too good NOT to share... Read on to see why!)

I don't know about you, but I love books... Especially FREE books!

So, how do you get free books, you ask?

I recently learned about the Tyndale Rewards program, which enables you to earn points towards free books and Bibles! How cool is that?

After joining their website, you can earn points by inviting friends to join, subscribing to their newsletters, posting reviews, and participating in focus groups. Each activity earns you 10-25 points, which can in turn be redeemed for books and Bibles that start at just 30 points!

You can learn more about the program by watching this little video:

I haven't ordered anything off the site yet, but from my friends who have already joined, I understand that it really is FREE and there really isn't a "catch" or any hidden fees. (Just as you would hope to find from a well-known Christian publishing company, lol!)

So, what are you waiting for? Come join me on the Tyndale Rewards website - click here to join! (By the way, new members typically receive 10 points in their account, but by using my referral link, you'll start out with 25 points in your account... That's almost a free book!)

On Being a Mess

There are some days that I'd rather not admit that my chosen profession is writing. 

After all, I studied writing in college. I teach writing classes. I write homeschool curriculum.

Still, sometimes I forget to write on my blog for weeks in a row. I frequently make spelling mistakes on the board in front of my students. I submit drafts of my books only to find out that I made a bajillion grammar mistakes. 

My life is a lot like that, too. 

I make an awful lot of mistakes. There are some days that my temper is short, my attitude is negative, and I just want to be selfish. I've made more than my fair share of bad decisions.

On those days, I would rather not admit that I am a Christ Follower.

Thankfully, being a Christ Follower doesn't mean that I have to be perfect 100% of the time... Being a Christ Follower means that I am forgiven.

When I make mistakes, when I react too quickly out of my frustrations and anger, and when I make poor decisions... His forgiveness is always there. All I have to do is admit that I need Him and ask his forgiveness and healing. How beautiful is that?

But honestly, friends, that's not the best part. The best part is that God takes those broken and messy places and after he heals them, he uses them for His Glory. 

Romans 8:28 says "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."* I especially love the way that it is written in The Message: "we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

Or, as Lysa TerKeurst states in What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, "a MESS, when touched by the MESSIAH, can become a beautiful MESSAGE."

Can I get an AMEN?!

I am so thankful that God doesn't give up on me. I am so thankful for God's mercy and forgiveness. But most of all, I am so thankful that He doesn't let a single moment of my life go to waste.

Lord, I make so many mistakes! I am so thankful for your amazing forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Thank you for your promise that you will take the broken and messy places in my life, touch them, and turn them around to be used for your glory. Help me to be a shining light for you, even in my messy moments. Amen.

*English Standard Version

Easy Cashew Chicken

I must confess, I'm not much of a fan of Chinese food. I much prefer Thai or Japanese cuisine! However, Prince Charming is a big fan of Chinese food, and in general, pretty much anything "outside the ordinary." So, when I stumbled across a recipe for cashew chicken that I could prepare with a few ingredients I already had, plus the aid of my slow cooker and my trusty kitchen sidekick, the rice cooker, I was in. :)

Ingredients:

1 lb (approx.) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Can Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Small Jar (4 oz) Sliced Mushrooms
1 Bag Asian Style Frozen Veggies

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker, and top with soy sauce, ground ginger, and golden mushroom soup.

2. Cook on high until chicken is fully cooked (4-6 hours)

3. Add in your bag of frozen vegetables, stir, and cook on low for 1 more hour. (For faster prep, you can cook the vegetables in the microwave or on the stove, then stir them in before serving!)

4. Serve over rice, with cashews sprinkled on top.

5. Enjoy!

Monday Makeover: Mini Makeover Edition

Sometimes in the midst of major home makeovers, you have to stop and work on some smaller tasks to keep yourself from going crazy.

... Or, at least I do!

I thought I'd dedicate today's blog to two of the mini-makeovers I've worked on over the last couple of weeks. These were relatively simple afternoon projects I completed that had a tremendous impact on the way I feel about my house. Hopefully they will inspire you to do the same.

The first project I worked on was my laundry room. I'm fortunate to have a large laundry room, but to be honest, it used to end up being a "junk room" that I tossed things into when company came over. Those days are OVER now! 

The shelf you see in the picture was a white shelf that used to be in my apartment's entryway. It had seen better days, so when we moved into this house, I relegated it to the laundry room. On a rainy afternoon, I shelf-papered the shelves with cute chevron striped paper I found on clearance (thank you T.J. Maxx) and added some Sterilite plastic drawers to serve as junk drawers. I try to keep the drawers relatively organized by giving each of them a "theme" (i.e. kitchen, office, craft, first aid, etc.) 

Once the bulk of the work was done, I bought some inexpensive decorations and a few bargain priced baskets at Hobby Lobby to finish the look! I also threw a large gray bathmat (found on clearance at Target) onto the floor to keep my feet "comfy" while doing laundry. 

Quick and CHEAP! (My second favorite word, right after FREE!)

I'm not even sure if this next project technically counts as a makeover, since it was so easy, but I'm still claiming it! Here's one important principle I've discovered in home decor:

When you get bored with a room, mix it up! 

Seriously, what's the fun in furniture if you don't rearrange it once in a while?!

The wall above used to house my computer on a high "pub" table. It looked lovely for a while, but I noticed that it was catching a lot of clutter and wasn't the style I was going for anymore. Because I use my laptop more often, I moved the desktop computer to my desk in the "guest" bedroom, and asked Prince Charming and my Dad to move the table into our "bonus" room for use in a future makeover. Then, we slid my piano over a few feet into it's new home! I pulled in a lamp from across the room, and gathered a few pictures from around the house to spruce the area up. This was an easy fix and changed the entire room - my living room feels so much larger now!

So there you have it - makeovers don't have to be major and time consuming. Mix up your furniture, artwork, and trinkets once in a while. Little changes can make a big difference!

5 Tips for Vacation Survival!

I've never considered myself much of a traveler, and I don't frequently find myself struck with wanderlust. However, after our May trip to Seattle, I've been bitten by the travel bug! Over the weekend, we took a short road trip to the not-so-distant city of St. Augustine, and on the way home, I put together these 5 quick tips that I learned this summer. Hopefully they'll be of help to you, too!

1. Check Groupon for deals and steals on local attractions.
This tip never dawned on me, until I made a quick little purchase on Groupon a few weeks before our trip to Seattle. I started searching Groupon Seattle on a weekly basis to see what I could find and scored some half-price tour tickets! I did the same for our trip to St. Augustine and was able to get some discounted museum tickets. You never know what you'll find!

2. Make a travel itinerary, but don't be afraid to ditch it.
I hate to say it, but my Prince Charming and I are some of the most indecisive people I know. A few days before our trip, we sat down and picked out 1-2 museums or tours to do each day... and then ditched most of them when we got to our destination in favor of more exciting adventures! Pre-planning was vital, though. If we hadn't chosen anything, we most likely would have spent half the day in our hotel room trying to decide what to do!

3. Find hotels you're comfy with, and stick with them.
If you're an adventurous traveler, you can go ahead and ditch this tip - but for me, it's key! If you aren't comfortable in your hotel room, you aren't going to get good sleep... and if you don't get good sleep, it's gonna be a rough trip! To be entirely honest, I'm a fancy resort kinda gal, but that's just not practical most of the time. I've never been dissatisfied with a Courtyard Marriott or La Quinta, so I usually try to seek those out!

4. Stay hydrated!
Travel adds a lot of extra stress to your body, so combat some of it by staying hydrated! When we travel by car, we usually grab a case of bottled water on our way out of town. When traveling by plane, you can either pick one up once you arrive at your destination, or use our preferred method, which is to carry one of these awesome Brita soft-sided water bottles that contain a handy filter!

5. Eat well!
I used to be a "stick with the chains" girl, but where's the fun in that?! Ask around and find out some of the popular places, remembering that your tour guides, the front desk staff at your hotel, etc. are all locals! I've discovered, though, that you may have to ask twice! Listen to the places that they are forced to recommend due to partnerships, etc... and then ask where THEY would go for a nice meal. I usually take these results and filter them through websites like Urban Spoon, Zagat, or Trip Advisor. After all of this feedback, you're bound to end up someplace great!

Now it's your turn! I'd love to hear some of your tried and true vacation tips. Share them in the comments, or leave a link to your blog! :)

Master Bedroom Makeover

When we purchased our house in December, we knew that it would need a little (read: a lot) of love. While the previous owners had done a relatively good job of keeping it up, it was looking pretty dated! Unfortunately, some of the big projects that we wanted to do, like gutting the kitchen, were - and still are - not in the budget. So we went to the metaphorical drawing board!

December 21, 2012 - Right after closing! Note the plants in the front flowerbed.

Thinking about which project would make the biggest impact on the "comfort level" of our house, without making the biggest dent in our budget led us to remodeling the master bedroom. Naively, we expected the project to be quick and easy. Gorgeous, easy-to-install, laminate flooring, a couple of coats of "Thin Ice" colored paint, and the replacement of some flimsy closet doors and discolored blinds. Sounds simple, right?

Wrong.

Step one was to take out the flimsy old closet doors. No problem!

Step two involved us ripping up the old laminate flooring. Actually, it involved my DAD ripping up the old laminate flooring, with a little assistance from my Prince Charming (henceforth referred to as PC). This is where we made a "lovely" discovery. Shocking to all of us, there were little tiny roots from the plants GROWING THROUGH THE CONCRETE BLOCK WALL to soak up moisture, which had seeped into the concrete because the soil level in the flowerbed was higher than the foundation of the house.

Beautiful, yes? Cellphone photo courtesy of PC.

Thankfully, my PC has an uncle who has worked in the construction business for many years. After some conferring between PC's uncle and my Dad, they determined that the best course of action was to rip out the garden, relocate all of the excess dirt, and replace the bed with rocks. You might be surprised to find out that I was all for it! Replacing the bushes with a container garden was already on my list of "Things To Do Someday!"

While front garden demolition was in progress, we had time to repaint the bedroom with the help of PC's dad and replace all of the blinds. Immediately after that, the new flooring was purchased and installed by my Dad. (He's great! I'm so thankful that he lives around the corner and is willing to help with projects that Dustin and I aren't handy enough to do ourselves.)

From Instagram: Toby enjoying (holding down?) our new flooring!

It's taken a few months (and several trips to IKEA) to get everything arranged "just so," but I couldn't be happier with the final result.

Behold, our master bedroom!

June 9, 2013 - Finished at long last!

More projects to come soon, but for now, it's time for a little nap on my comfy bed in our beautiful new room!