I am so tired of having to hunt down a pen or pencil when I need one. Anyone else? With my kids home way more than usual right now due to the pandemic ... somehow my writing utensils seem to be wondering off on their own (since no one will own up to actually taking/using them). 

Holidays are always a hard one at our home. With severe food allergies, times of year where delivering baked goods, and having treats left on your door step can be anxiety inducing... for real! If you are lucky enough not to have to deal with life threatening food allergies, think about this: what would it be like to find that someone had left you a delicious plate of chocolate chip cookies on your doorstep. You pour a glass of nice cold milk, sit down to enjoy your cookies and milk only to find out an hour later that you are on the verge of death because they were laced with arsenic. Instead of enjoying those cookies, you are clinging to life hoping that someone, somewhere is able to help you. 

That may seem a bit extreme, and not really something that we will ever be faced with, BUT when it comes to food allergies the concept is the same. You teeter on whether that plate of goodies that your friend says are safe, are actually safe for you... or if it will send you into an anaphylaxis reaction that will follow with a few hours in the ER. 

That being said, this time of year when everyone is enjoying all their baked goods, we are just doing the same thing we've been doing all year, cooking from scratch. Over the years I have taken some of my favorite holiday recipes and adapted them so that my entire family can enjoy them. 

Cooking, baking, and eating dairy free has its challenges, and if you enjoy dairy, just know that any recipe adapted to be dairy free isn't going to taste the same... but it can get pretty close. 

I am the Primary President in my Ward at church. For those of you who don't know, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Primary is the name for our children's group (ages 18 months - 11 years). It's a program that meets as a Sunday School while the adults and older kids attend their church meetings ... and it's the BEST place to be on a Sunday. 

Since we are not yet able to meet on Sunday's due to the pandemic, we (our Presidency) are dropping off little goody bags to all the kids in our Primary for Halloween. Usually we do a Trunk or Treat as a Ward (our congregation), but since that isn't happening we wanted to do something for our kids. 

I am including download links for both Primary tags, and ones that are blank on the bottom so that if you are a teacher, from another church and want to use them, or just want to give a little something to someone you love,  you totally can! 

 Fall is one of the BEST times to work with apples because they are in season and if you are lucky enough to live by an orchard you can get some of the sweetest apples straight from the tree! 

I don't live anywhere near an apple orchard, unfortunately, but the good news is that homemade applesauce can be made with any apples, especially if you have had some lying around for a while that aren't getting eaten....

I absolutely LOVE changing out my wood signs for the seasons and holidays. As a DIY-er it's hard to justify going to Hobby Lobby or Joann and purchasing a cheaply made wood sign. Granted, they are definitely affordable, and way easier ... but, making something yourself for your home is the best feeling in the world (and you know that the quality is top notch!).

If you've been wanting a large wood sign for your home, read on and see just how easy it is to create one on your own.

 

 

 

 With school starting next week we wanted to do something fun for our kids in Primary. Since we can't do our usual activity because of the pandemic, we opted to drop a little something off to their homes. 

Tell me I am not the only one who dreads taking kids out to run errands.... I love spending time with my children, don't get me wrong, but for some reason, the second we get out in public they turn in to different little people. 

Before we purchased our "fixer upper" home, my husband and I were managers of a small apartment complex near a local college. We managed the apartments there for almost 4 years before we had saved up enough to purchase our first (and current) home.

One of the benefits to being the managers was checking out what our renters left behind after they moved. We collected a few pieces of furniture over the few years we were there and one of the best ones we ever found was a beautiful, solid wood, HEAVY, dresser. We used it in our tiny master bedroom before moving out here. It has 6 drawers on the sides, and three drawers in the middle door. It's old and beautiful.

But, over the years the top part, which was laminate, was starting to peel off. One of the sides had built in tie/belt hooks ... that we never used. It needed a little TLC. So, when I decided to redo our master bedroom, I also decided this dresser needed an overhaul.

I feel like I'm posting a TON of recipes lately... maybe it has something to do with being at home all day, everyday, with my family. It's the perfect time to find, develop, and test new recipes. Plus, there is nothing better than chocolate chip anything, am I right?

Today's recipe was actually a request of my husband. I was in the mood to do some baking and texted him at work asking if he wanted cookies or cupcakes. His reply was to make chocolate chip cupcakes. Done!

It is hard to find the perfect waffle recipe when you can't (or choose not to) eat dairy and eggs. Really, any breakfast recipe is hard without that perfect combination. I've tried A LOT of recipes in my day trying to find the best way to recreate crispy waffles without losing the flavor that I LOVE. Well, I think I finally may have done it. My kids even think they are the best ones I've ever made... so I just had to share it with you guys!

If you love a nice creamy Alfredo sauce, this is the recipe for you! I didn't always eat dairy free. If you've been following the blog for a while you know all about my son and his severe food allergies. It has been life changing for my entire family. We now eat virtually dairy, egg, and peanut free to keep him safe.

I have spent the last 10 years working on creating and adapting recipes to make them safe for our home. This recipe is one that I make over and over again. One of the best things about it, is that you can change it up and add or subtract ingredients that you do or don't like. It's awesome! 

When we found out about ten years ago that our baby was allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts I just about died. Okay, not really died, but I did feel like my eating life was over. Two of my favorite things were peanut butter and cheesecake. I still love them, but rarely get to enjoy them. We decided when we found out the extent of his allergies, and the severity of them, that we would not bring those things into our home. I've spent the last ten years finding and adapting recipes to meet our needs.

Since we are at home due to COVID-19 and the social distancing orders, I thought it would be a great time to try out some new recipe adaptations. So, my 13 year old and I got to work in the kitchen and here's what we came up with.

We all know that the glorious Spring weather we've been dreaming about all Winter long is just around the corner. That means it's just about time to start planting seeds for vegetable or flower gardens (if you haven't already started).

This time of year is the perfect time to start a plant journal with your kids. It's especially a good time since we are all home trying to keep safe and healthy. Kids love to watch seeds sprout, even more so if it's one that they planted and have been watering.

You can use this to plant seeds for your garden inside to transplant later, or use the journal pages to track the growth of seeds you've planted outside in the ground, or in garden boxes (like my elevated garden box).

With the self quarantine recommendation all over the country (US), we are all spending A LOT more time together with our families. While it may not be fun all the time, rest assured you are in good company. Most of us stay at home moms who have been plunged into the home schooling world are right there in the trenches with you. 

These days it seems you can't go more than a few hours without hearing something about the Corona Virus (Covid-19). If you're area is like mine, toilet paper is flying off the shelves.

I haven't quite figured out why... but I'm really hoping the craziness slows down in a week or so, because my family of 6 will be needing some toilet paper....

Now, before you go thinking that I'm not understanding the big deal over the illness, rest assured, we have lots of soap on hand and even my 5 year old knows to sing the ABC song while he washes to get all those icky germs off. The virus is a REAL thing, and can be dangerous....

... but (no pun intended), we can still have some fun even if we are worrying about the germs, right? I put together this fun FREE printable for anyone who wants to brighten the spirits of some friends.

Any other Stay at Home Moms out there? I know I'm not alone. Today's post is all about confessions. There are some things about being a stay at home mom that I absolutely LOVE, and there are others that make life really hard at times. My hope is that other stay at home moms (or dads) will understand that they aren't alone.... and those of you who are working parents, will realize that life as a stay at home parent is just as tough as being gone all day.

Just like most of the world, on New Years Day I like to sit and set some goals for the new year. We have family goals and personal goals. This year I am doing something a little different.

This isn't a new concept, and it definitely isn't one that I've come up with on my own, but it's one that I'm taking on for the first time in 2020.