May 27, 2015 by Krista

Discover Summer with Discover it Miles®

I have always loved to travel. My dad’s job has him travel a lot and I have been lucky enough to accompany him on some of his trips. I’ve gotten to see a lot of the western US that most people don’t even know exist because of traveling with him, and now, Mr. Napping. I am definitely a believer that the journey is half the trip, not just the destination. We’ve had a lot of fun getting places.

We don’t have a whole lot of travel planned for this summer, yet; but, Mr Napping has some work along the west coast and I intend to do my best to tag along for those trips, possibly even sans kids. Woot! We didn’t get to take a honeymoon after we got married. We intended to wait a year and then go, but those plans fell through when Mr. Napping lost his job and we found out we were expecting. We put it off until about two years later, with a trip to San Diego – right in the middle of an interstate move. I would love to go back there again, when I don’t have to feel guilty that I should be packing boxes instead of on the beach with my husband.

Unfortunately, the more kids we have and the older they get, it gets harder to travel. Mr. Napping and I made more than one spontaneous trip to his sisters’ for the occasional long weekend back before we had little rugrats. But, now we have longer prep times, impatient attention spans, and missing school to consider when we travel. And, of course, the cost increases the more bodies we bring along.

But Discover can help a little with the cost. Have you priced airline tickets recently? My parents have a timeshare in Hawaii and want to bring the whole family along when they go in October. Airfare alone is out of our family vacation budget, but the Discover it Miles® card can help cut your costs on airfare! There’s no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and your miles never expire. You earn 1.5 miles for every dollar spent and, at the end of your first year, they will double the miles you’ve earned with no spending cap! There are lots of other great features to the Discover it Miles card. Hop on over to Discover’s site and check them all out.

We try to shuffle our bills through a reward-earning credit card and then pay the card off each month. I love that you can get a little back on stuff you buy anyway. It makes forking over $40 for diapers a little easier when I can console myself that it just got me 40 miles closer to a fun vacation.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

May 26, 2015 by Krista

Avengers Subway Art Printable

We love superheroes at our house. I love a little digital designing. It seemed inevitable that an Avengers Subway Art printable would come about eventually. The inevitable has happened!

Big J and Little J share a room… except at night. Their sleep schedules and needs just don’t allow for it. Little J just needs less sleep. He often will get up and play for a little while before he goes to bed. Big J goes to bed at 8 o’clock during the school week and he is very ready for bed time when it comes around. Sharing a room kept him up late and then he was a barracuda the next day. Not fun for me or fair for his poor teacher.

My goal this summer is to get them both back in the same room. All the time. I’m not sure if that will mean a dedicated play room (that we don’t really have room for) or what. Still working on that. But I do know that they want their joint bedroom decorated in superheroes. That makes me pretty excited because I’ve had a thing for superheroes since before it was cool. So, I created a fun little printable inspired by their requested room decor. I haven’t gotten their whole room designed yet, so I’m not sure if this will end up in their room or not yet, but I would love to put it up!

via ign.com

I focused on just the Avengers with this printable. When I decide if I’m going to mix superheroes and Marvel and DC Comics characters (because Superman and Batman are pretty awesome too…), I might have to make a more general piece for their room with more superheroes…

If you want to grab your own copy of this subway art, click on the image to be taken to the download link. Download the file to your computer and then you can print it out. File is for personal use only, please. Use it however you want, as long as you don’t sell it, or any variation of it, in any form. Hosting a superhero party sometime soon…? This Avengers subway art printable would be a perfect (FREE!) party decor! It is formatted to 8.5×11″ and the file at the download link is high resolution and watermark free. If you want a larger file, let me know and we can set something up in my Etsy shop. Enjoy!

How will you use the Avengers Subway Art Printable?

May 20, 2015 by Krista

Oregano Jalapeño Bacon Salsa

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

With Summer coming on fast here in the desert, I’m starting to bring out my no-cook and low-cook recipes. Especially as after school snacks – no more cookies that heat the oven to 350F (who am I kidding, I didn’t do that anyway)! I try to provide my family with snacks that will fill them up until dinner time, not just hype them up until they drive me crazy. Sugary sweets are not what my kids need for their afternoon snack.

Salsa is a favorite around here. I love that the ingredients are mostly veggies and herbs, with a few spices (and the occasional bit of bacon grease… hey, no one’s perfect). This recipe puts a little Italian twist on salsa, not your typical flavor. What I love about this is that you can put this over chicken breasts with a side of pasta and it’s a delicious meal or you can dip crackers in it and it makes a great snack. It’s win-win in all situations! It’s a yummy and unique flavor, perfect for all those backyard BBQ’s you have coming up.

OREGANO JALAPENO BACON SALSA

Print This Recipe

Oregano Jalapeño Bacon Salsa

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: Serves 6

A salsa recipe that tops chicken breasts or crackers with a unique Italian-twist.

Ingredients

2 14.5oz cans Hunt's diced tomatoes (I used the garlic, basil and oregano tomatoes. If you want more of a Mexican-flavor salsa, just use the regular diced tomatoes for more authentic flavor.)
2 Tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp cumin
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
½ purple onion, diced
1 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced
3-4 slices of bacon, crumbled or ¼ cup bacon bits

Instructions

Saute the diced onion, minced garlic and diced jalapeño pepper on medium heat on the stove. I like to saute them in a little bacon grease for added flavor, but butter or oil will work too. This also helps tame the pepper. Saute until onions begin to caramelize and the peppers are soft. I like to caramelize the onions a bit, but you don't have to.
Add the lime juice and cumin. Simmer two minutes on low-medium heat.
Add the diced tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. (I like to add a tablespoon of sugar now to tone down the acidity of the tomatoes.)
Pour the salsa into a heat-safe, freezer-safe container. Refrigerate 4-6 hours. (Or put it in the freezer for about 45 mins to an hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so and then transfer to the fridge).
Garnish with bacon crumbles or bacon bits. Or mix it into the salsa for more of a uniform taste.
Serve with chips on over chicken breasts. The tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano are yummy with whole grain crackers and super delicious over chicken. The regular diced tomatoes are great with tortilla chips.

The jalapeño in this salsa isn’t really hot. My weak-palate family loves this recipe, even my mom likes it… and that is saying something. If you want more kick to your salsa, don’t saute the pepper as long or use as much grease.

If you want a more authentic salsa flavor, use the regular Hunt’s diced tomatoes that aren’t already seasoned. It makes a yummy salsa with a more traditional flavor that pairs well with tortilla chips and makes a great party dip.

I love that I can grab all these ingredients at Wal-Mart on one of my main routine trips out for other necessities. I don’t have to make a special trip to the store and I can grab everything I need for a yummy snack, a delicious appetizer or dinner.

Are you craving some salsa now? If you use Ibotta, you can get $1.00 back when you buy 3 cans of Hunt’s tomatoes 6 oz or larger at Wal-Mart. Be sure to check that out if you’re an Ibotta user! Be sure to check out more delicious Hunt’s tomato recipes. Which one are you going to try first?!

May 15, 2015 by Krista

Waiting for Baby Bed Rest Gift Basket

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

Pregnancy. I know some women who adore being pregnant. Every little flutter, the swollen belly, the endless doctor’s appointments, even the insatiable heartburn are all reminders of that amazing little miracle growing inside of them. I am not one of those women. I do not enjoy being pregnant. It is a miracle, it is amazing, it is always worth it. But I don’t enjoy it. I’ve been incredibly lucky and my pregnancies have all been quite normal. Well, as normal as growing another person can be. We haven’t had extended trouble with becoming pregnant and I haven’t had any restrictions that aren’t given to every pregnant woman once it happens. While my pregnancies haven’t been comfortable, they haven’t been complicated either. I am very grateful for this because not everyone is as blessed as I have been.

I have a friend who is the sweetest woman. She and her husband adopted a little boy last year and this year they are expecting a little pink bundle to join their family. Her journey has been much more difficult than any of mine and, at 23 weeks, she finds herself on bed rest. With a 1.5 year old little boy and a super supportive husband who, unfortunately, works out of state a lot. It’s been a real adjustment for their family. But they are making it work because having that little bundle in their arms at the right time is what matters to them right now. It’s amazing to see the strength they have in this hard time of wait and see, hope and pray.

I wanted to do something for my sweet friend to let her know that I’m here for her and want to help in anyway I can. Since Mother’s Day was on Sunday and her birthday is this week, I wanted to get her a little gift. But there’s only so much you can do on bed rest; and, after nearly a month, I think she’s getting a little restless. So I decided a “Waiting for Baby” Bed Rest Gift Basket might just be what she needed.

WAITING FOR BABY
BED REST GIFT BASKET

Things I included in my gift basket:
I headed to Wal-Mart to get a few things for my gift basket. I knew I could count on Wal-Mart making it easy to find all the things I needed in one stop.
– Books. I love to read and, being stuck in bed seems to provide more time for that. I included a few different types of books. A historical fiction novel, a fiction mystery novel, a book of short stories and a motivational book. Hopefully, my friend will find something in that mix that she’ll enjoy and can help her pass the time waiting on her little one to grow a little more.
– A manicure kit and a couple of new nail polishes. Something to keep her hands busy and make them look pretty. I know certain grooming practices suffer when I’m pregnant… uhm, I can barely reach my legs, let alone shave them with any kind of efficiency. Her hands should stay within easy reach for the remainder of her pregnancy and keeping nails trimmed will help her keep from cutting up the pages of all those books I just mentioned. Maybe her sweet husband will even indulge her with a coat of paint on her toes too.
– Hand lotion. For after her manicure of course. What better way to finish off a mani than with some yummy smelling lotion that feels great too?!
– Popcorn and candy. A couple bags of my favorite microwave popcorn, a couple chocolate bars and some fun size bars of her favorite candy so she can enjoy just a couple or indulge in a marathon. I meant movie marathon, of course…
– Personalized Coca-Cola name bottles. You can’t have popcorn and candy without a Coke! Coca-Cola is at it again with their Share a Coke campaign, which means personalized name bottles are BACK! I knew this was one of the things I wanted to put in my gift basket. Things are just cooler when they have your name on them. The displays at Wal-Mart were organized and made finding my products easy. And there was a huge variety so even less common names, like mine (Krista), can be found on bottles too. So start looking for yours! And one to share with a friend!
– iTunes gift card. Whether she wants to get a new book, a new movie, a few new apps or games to play on her iPad or iPhone, this will make sure she has something she’ll enjoy close at hand.
– I threw in a 2 liter bottle of Coke for them to share on an at-home date night too. It’s got a fun spot to write the family’s name on it! So much fun sharing these bottles! I didn’t write their name on the bottle for the photos because I wanted to respect their privacy… and because I didn’t want you to laugh at my handwriting. Is it actually possibly to write pretty around a bottle?!
– Small notebook. Most of these pages are blank. I did have a few friends write her some notes of love and encouragement. Hopefully she can keep those and re-read them on days that are especially long and hard and know that she has a whole bunch of people who love her and are cheering her on through this hard time. The rest of the pages she can use as she pleases. Maybe as a pregnancy journal or a small baby book. Maybe to write letters to her sweet little girl while she’s waiting so anxiously for her to arrive. Maybe just to doodle in when she is bored in the middle of her next Netflix binge. Whatever she uses it for, hopefully it will be of some help. Even if it’s only in passing the time.

Did I miss anything? What would you want in a bed rest gift basket to help you survive?

Do you have any friends on bed rest right now? Or maybe you just want a personalized Coke? Then check out Wal-Mart for the widest and most organized selection of Coca-Cola personalized 20 oz bottles and #shareyoursummer with Coca-Cola.

Head over and check out all the fun ways you can Share a Coke this summer and join in the conversation! Or check and see if you can find your name on a Coke! You can check out this list of Walmart stores of where you can find a large quantity of personalized Coca Cola bottles to share with someone this Summer! If your store is not on the list, they will still have personalized bottles, just not as many as the ones that are on the list.

May 14, 2015 by Krista

Large DIY Photo Backdrop for Under $10!

When I first started blogging, there weren’t a lot of industry standards – mostly because blogging wasn’t much of an industry yet. When I started blogging, most bloggers were hobby bloggers – sharing their passions with the world with little to no compensation. The blogging industry has changed vastly since then. Bloggers have to be great with more than just writing now. Bloggers must be, at the least, amateur photographers as well. This DIY photo backdrop has been amazing the last few weeks and has vastly opened up my options in my photography for my blog. Decent photos used to be good enough. But with the industry growth, so have the standards and “decent photos” are no longer good enough. Every time I use it, it surprises me how easy it is to set up, use and take down. But even more, the results are always surprisingly amazing, given the simplicity of this project.

LARGE DIY PHOTO BACKDROP
FOR UNDER $10

Materials:
I used 1/2 inch (0.5″) PVC Pipe for my DIY photo backdrop. I wanted it to be light and it was the cheapest. It was also the only size they had one of my fittings. If you want a larger pipe, check the fittings first and make sure they have the sizes you need. Otherwise, you’ll have to make some adjustments.
– Two 10-foot sticks of PVC pipe
– Two elbow connectors
– Two three-way elbow fittings with female ends
– Two male adapters
– PVC cutters or a hack saw
– Marker
– Tape Measure

Directions:
Decide on the dimensions you want for your DIY photo backdrop. I did mine 3 feet by 3.5 feet and it’s been perfect so far. Decide how and what you’re going to use it for and you can adjust the size accordingly. I use mine mostly to stage photos for my blog. This is what your supplies should look similar too once you get your pipe pieces cut.

– Use the tape measure to measure out your pieces on the PVC pipe and mark your measurements on the pipe with the marker.
I needed:
– Two 36-inch pieces
– Two 42-inch pieces
– Two 24-inch pieces
– Cut the pipe at the marks you just made.
– Put the frame together. If you want to glue it, do it now. I decided not to glue it because I wanted it to be compact and easy to store. I can also put it in portrait orientation with the pieces not glued, just by flipping a few pieces.
1. Screw the male adapters onto one end of each of the shortest pieces of pipe.
2. Put the elbow fittings on one end of each of the 36-inch pipe pieces.
3. Put the 3-way elbow fittings on the other end of the 36-inch pipes.
4. Twist the male adapters into the 3-way elbows and stand the frame up.
5. Use a variety of blankets as your DIY photo backdrop. I hold my blankets in place with clothes pins.

This has worked so well for the past two weeks! I can’t believe it took me so long to get this project done. My very favorite part of this DIY photo backdrop is that I can still achieve professional, high-quality photos and… I don’t have to clean my house. Blogger confession. I just set up my backdrop and hide the clutter. Yep, it’s true. I made my DIY photo backdrop to fit on my island countertop too. It’s the best $10 I’ve spent on making my blogging better in a longtime.

OREGANO JALAPENO BACON SALSA

WAITING FOR BABY BED REST GIFT BASKET

LARGE DIY PHOTO BACKDROP FOR UNDER $10

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WAITING FOR BABY
BED REST GIFT BASKET

LARGE DIY PHOTO BACKDROP
FOR UNDER $10