Valenitne's Day is coming up, and I love to incorporate holiday fun into learning whenever I can. I have started subbing at a small hybrid homescool program and put together this fun activity for the kids to do the week of Valentine's Day.

Download your FREE Printables in color and black and white HERE. 

If you use them at home or in your classroom tag us on Instagram at @NaturallyCreativeHome so we know you like them and want to see more like this! 

 It's the beginning of the year and you know what that means ... most everyone is setting goals. 

This year I am going to work hard to simplify a lot of aspects of my life so that my family and I can enjoy more of our time together. Our oldest is graduating from high school this year and it's making me really think about how quickly life goes by. 

If you are looking to to simplify your home a little bit (like I am), I have put together a list of 40 things you can get rid of easily to make a big difference. I have a free printable checklist for you too! Scroll to the end of the post to grab that. 

 If you have hopped on the bread making bandwagon, or if you like to make roll out cookies, you are going to LOVE just how easy it is to make your own giant teak cutting board... for around $50!! Yep, you read that right, 50 big ones!

I love to make bread. I love being able to control what does (and does not) go into my bread. I love the smell of homemade bread when it's baking. I love that my kids are willing to try new flavors if I sneak it into a loaf of bread, ha!

Today is national chocolate chip cookie day and I decided it was the perfect day to share my go to cookie recipe! But first ... a brief history lesson... you can use this to impress all your friends at parties. 

Did you know that the first chocolate chip cookie recipe was created way back in the late 1930s? We have a woman by the name of Ruth Wakefield who worked for Tollhouse to thank for this deliciousness. They were originally intended to be served with ice cream but has become an American staple when it was shared on Betty Crockers radio program. In 1939 Ruth sold her recipe and the Tollhouse company to Nestle. The original recipe can still be found on most bags of Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips. 

Want to spruce up your home for the holidays without breaking the bank? Decorating doesn't have to be expensive or over the top, it just needs to be YOU! 

It's hard to scroll through Pinterest and Instagram after Halloween without being bombarded with photos of beautiful Christmas trees perfectly adorned with ribbons, ornaments, and lights. Open Pinterest and your screen is instantly flooded with holiday recipes, crafts, and ornately decorated tables and mantels. As much as I want to have a Pinterest and Insta worthy home for Christmas, I tend to stick to a few simply basics to give my home a holiday feel. Here are my top 3 ways to get your home ready for the holidays.

1. Trees. While I am dreaming of the day when I can afford a King of Christmas or Balsam Hill Christmas tree, I have settled on a simple  6.5 ft tree that I bought on Black Friday 10 years ago from Michaels. It makes me itch when I connect the pieces, and half the lights don't work... but I just love the way that added a tree (any tree) to a space instantly makes it feel more cozy! Over the years I have added some mini trees in varying sizes to my Christmas decor. Smaller trees are great for shelves, bookcases, table tops, and centerpieces. Green and flocked trees are my favorite, but there are also trees made of yarn, wood, cork, glitter, brushes, and more. 

When we lived in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment, we didn't have space for a regular sized Christmas tree. Instead we had three small trees that I would place on the back of our upright piano and decorate them with teeny tiny ornaments and lights. It was all we could do, but it made a huge difference in the way our small apartment felt. 

2. Lights. The yearly debate over colored vs white vs warm white lights happens every year. Personally, I love the simple look of white and warm white lights both inside and outside of our home. It allows me to change up the other decor without having to buy new lights to fit my color scheme. With the right lights, you don't have to add much else to create a wintry look and feel in your home. There is something magical about snuggling on the couch with a soft blanket, and your family to watch a Christmas movie, that is made even more fun by only have a few strands of Christmas lights to add a warm glow to your home. 

3. Textiles. Not only can they add texture to any space, but it's a way to have fun with patterns, styles, and colors. You can add bold, colorful throw blankets and pillows to bring in a cheery design palette. If you like to keep things neutral, consider the look above by my friend Tammy Kate on Instagram @paisleypearhome She used a simple worded pillow along with a fun ticking stripe (from my Etsy shop) to create a cozy corner in her home using simple neutral colors. 

The thing I love most about adding textiles to a space, is that you can instantly change the entire look and feel of your home by adding a few simple items. Pillow covers are an easy way to get a whole new look for less than buying an entirely new set of pillows. Neutral throw blankets can be used year round too! 

 When my now 8 year old was born, my husband took two weeks off of work to help out with our older two children and to give me some much needed time to rest and look after our new bundle of joy. On his last day home from work, he decided to tackle a small bathroom renovation that I'd been begging for (and had actually started on my own a few weeks prior to baby's arrival -- thanks to some nesting urges). 

The project? Adding some bead board paneling to the bottom half of the walls in our tiny bathroom. Could it have been completed on the 3-day weekend? Of course it could... it's a tiny bathroom. Did it get done? Nope. That bathroom project drug out for the next 5 years! All the paneling was up, but the nails hadn't been hammered in completely and the patching, caulking, and painting needed to be finished. I had finally had enough and one day just worked on all those little things and got it done. 

Why is it so hard to finish projects that we start? Maybe it's that we lose interest in the project. Maybe it gets to a point where we can no longer tackle it alone. Maybe it's because something more pressing comes up and the last project is put on the back burner. Today's blog post is all about how to finish those kinds of projects. 

 First of all, let's start by explaining what a pillow insert is. I posted a poll on my Instagram feed a while back and was shocked to find out that so many of you didn't know what I was talking about when I say "pillow insert". 

 Breakfast is hard in our home. Due to my sons dairy, egg, and peanut allergies a lot of the yummy breakfast foods that the rest of the world consumes are just not possible for us. I have been able to adapt some of my favorite breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes, and even French toast. Since I have to make them from scratch it takes a lot of time to make enough of them for our family of 6. So, most mornings we opt for cereal, sunflower seed buttered toast, or sausage. 

I have been working on a recipe for granola though, and have finally figured out the perfect combination to get those larger granola clusters and taste delicious! 

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.