Month End Moments - September 2012

Why does it always seem like time flies by?!?!

It is even more shocking how fast time goes by, as I realize my kids aren't babies anymore.  Little miss is just so grown up.  She has the attitude of a "big girl" and has just the cutest little walk.  It is total confidence.  If all of us could have the confidence of a 2 year old all the time! :)

We did have a jam packed month and here are my favorite things from September.

#1

Mr. C's Goldfish Birthday Party

I'm not gonna lie, this was a fun party to put together

Mr. C could've cared less about all the details

But I loved it!  And he loved it too!

Upcoming Events October 2012

Lizzie Jane is going to be participating in some super fun things in October! Here are some upcoming events that I hope you will look out for. Emily at 52 Mantels is completing her 52nd mantel on October 1st and is planning an awesome giveaway in celebration.  Not only is there going to be a giveaway, but I will be co-hosting her Fall Mantel link party with some other fun bloggers!  Get your fall mantels ready so you can link up with us!

Laura from Pink Cake Plate is celebrating Pink!  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she will have a guest blogger each day of the month sharing something pink and special to them.  I will be there on the 12th sharing my pink love!

Vanessa at See Vanessa Craft is celebrating the season with 20 crafty days of Halloween.  Check out all the fun Halloween inspiration with Vanessa.  And don't worry, I'll let you know when you can see me there!

Of course I have some fun things planned for right here on this little old blog too!

If you are wondering where I'm hanging out today,
you can find me sharing a fun fall tutorial over at I {heart} Nap Time!

Happy Fall!

Halloween Entry Way

Finally!!  I am getting around to sharing with all of you my Halloween Entry Way!

This year I wanted to keep it pretty simple.  I wanted the colors to be not so "in your face".  Of course you have to have black and white if it's Halloween, but I wanted to bring in some purple along with some orange.

Tasty Tuesday - Sloppy Joes

It's Tuesday!

What are you cooking up tonight?

I've had a busy week and wanted to share something quick, easy and filling.

My mom used to make this meal on a weekly basis.  Maybe that is why as an adult I still love sloppy joes!

It doesn't take a lot of prep time and my kids really like the cheese on it!

I've tried a couple different sloppy joe mixes, but this is my favorite.

Mr. C's Goldfish Birthday Party

Well I actually pulled it off!!

This handsome boy turned 4, and had one fantastic Goldfish Party!

AZ Pinterest Party ReCap

Remember how I told you about the AZ Pinterest Party I attended a couple weekends ago?

Well I wanted to tell you a little more about how much fun it was!

Of course the theme was all about pinterest!
Everyone was supposed to bring a pinterest inspired craft to work on and bring a pinterest inspired food to share.

Tasty Tuesday - Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Oh boy do I have a recipe for you today!!

It includes one of my MOST favorite things... CARAMEL!

 My mom makes these Caramel Oatmeal bars and they are TO DIE FOR!  I made them a couple weeks ago when we had some friends over for dessert.  They all were huge fans and wanted the recipe.  And we joked how this is a "healthy" recipe.  It does have oatmeal in it!! :)

I could not believe how simple these were to make.  Like with any baking, it just takes a little prep work and time, but they were super easy.

Mr. Spider & His Web

If you are wanting something "unwreathy" for your front door,

I have just the project for you!

One night I was contemplating what kind of wreath to make for my front door for Halloween.  I was watching a rerun of The Office (which I do every night to wind down) and it was a Halloween episode.  I spotted this little guy during the show, and then the brain began working.  So much for winding down that night! :)  It proved to me once again, you never know where you might find inspiration!

The materials you'll need are:

1 round styrofoam disk

BIG chenille pipe cleaners

google eyes

black spray paint

craft sticks

hot glue

wire cutters

ribbon

skewers

Command strips

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

Fall is my favorite time of year.

Although I live in AZ and we don't have the typical color change in our leaves, the weather is beautiful.  Cool and sunny.  Perfect for spending time outdoors.  

Although the weather is perfect and it is nice to be outside, our gardens and yards don't look as nice as we would like.  My hubby does a good job at keeping our yard and grass looking good.  But we have never planted a garden.  As a kid, my family planted a garden during the summer and had some of the best summer squash.  If I were going to plant a garden tomorrow, I would want it to be filled with tomatoes.  Why you ask?  Well first, I think fresh garden tomatoes are so delicious.  Second, I love the pop of red they give the garden and third, I love tomato soup.  Especially in the fall. 

Right now Miracle-Gro is sharing lots of fun and simple Fall gardening projects to show us how to Find beauty in the Fall.  They have it broken down into regions, so that you know what is perfect for your yard or garden right now.  When I looked up my region, Southwest, I found that right now is the PERFECT time to plant tomatoes!  They also give you step by step directions for planting and growing your vegetables.

Southwest

Potato
Tomato
Carrot

Summers range from hot and humid to scorching and dry, but the winters here are usually mild. For warm weather, the tomato comes out as the top veggie, while potatoes and carrots work better in cooler weather. Other popular plants include sweet pepper, squash, and cucumber.

What would I make with all my garden fresh tomatoes?  Well I went on over to pinterest to see what I could come up with.  I decided to go with this recipe for tomato soup found at myrecipes.com.  And wouldn't you know it, my mom just happened to have a big box of tomatoes at her house!

I changed up the recipe a little so I could use things I already had in my pantry and kitchen.  Here is the recipe I used.

Tis Near Halloween Printable

If you've been following Lizzie Jane Baby, you know that I always do something festive for holidays in my entry way.

Knowing this, you might be surprised to know that I haven't gotten it all put together just yet.

But, it usually includes a printable.

And I don't want you to miss out on displaying this cute print, 

so I'm sharing it with you a little earlier than normal.

DIY Candy Jars

Over the weekend I attended a fun Pinterest Party with some other local bloggers.

It was hosted by Laura of Pink Cake Plate,

Sara of Clever Pink Pirate,

and Heather of Brie Brie Blooms

It was so fun to get to know, mingle and laugh with so many bloggers that all have a passion for blogging.

We brought a Pinterest inspired craft to make while we were there and of course a Pinterest inspired dish to share.  We also brought an inexpensive hand crafted gift to exchange.

Not only was our gift supposed to be inexpensive (less than $10) it too was supposed to be inspired by pinterest.  I thought it was a great idea.  We get to leave with a fun surprise!

I decided to make this

DIY CANDY JAR

for Halloween.

Tasty Tuesday - Candy Corn "Corn"

Don't you just love Fall treats?

I sure do!

In fact candy corns are one of my most favorite candies of all time.  I wait patiently each year for fall, just so I can get some candy corns.

(I love to mix them with chocolate chips and dry roasted peanuts!)

see my "snicker treat cones" here

So it is because of my love of candy corn that I came up with this yummy treat.

With Candy Corn on the brain, a mix of my Easter Bunny Munch and this yummy recipe I found by Laura at the Pink Cake Plate, Candy Corn "Corn" was created!

Spooktacular September @ Eighteen 25

Have you guys heard of the blog

EIGHTEEN 25?

Well I have just recently been following along with the 3 crafty sisters over there and think they are AMAZING!

Their blog is full of fun, family friendly crafts and ideas.

If you need some inspiration, you should check them out!  And soon!

Well every September they have a series called

SPOOKTACULAR SEPTEMBER

Every day of the month they post some Halloween/Fall inspiration

created by them or by a guest blogger.

In the past, they've had all kinds of crafts and home decor along with giveaways. I for sure will be checking their blog everyday to see what's in store! And like I said, you should check them out SOON! And by soon, I mean  RIGHT NOW!

Here's a little sneak peek of what's going on over there

TODAY!

Thanks gals for allowing me to share with your readers!

Happy Spooktacular September with Eighteen 25!

Crafting on a Dime @ See Vanessa Craft - Freezer Paper Stencils

This post was first seen at See Vanessa Craft on August 23, 2012.


I was able to share this fun tutorial with her readers and in case you missed it, here it is again.

Today I'm going to share with you how to make custom kitchen towels with freezer paper stencils.  Lately I've become bored with my decor in my family room and kitchen (which open up to each other).  I have a red statement wall that I love, but nothing else really exciting.  I told my husband I needed a change and he rolled his eyes.  Knowing that there's not a ton of money to spend on any new decor, I decided to fancy up some kitchen towels to bring in some color!  (Plus I love to make t-shirts for my kids for holidays and trips and usually use iron on transfers which can be pricey.  So I've been wanting to try this technique!)

Tasty Tuesday - Packaged Ice Cream Sandwiches

This week Lizzie Jane Baby is taking a relaxing vacation.  

It is my "End of the Summer" celebration.

In honor of my relaxing mood:

today I'm going to share with you something super simple.

Last month my friend and I were going to be combining our church monthly Relief Society meetings.  We had talked about whether or not to do refreshments because you never know how many people you are going to get to show up.  We finally decided to do something simple.

She threw out the idea of ice cream sandwiches and we went for it!

She came over to my house and we got to work.  As you can see we had a little helper!

Month End Moments - August 2012

August is over and now it's birthday season at our house.

We are in full planning mode for Little Miss.

And it's GO time for Mr. C.

Plus it's the beginning of FALL!  I LOVE decorating for Fall.

Although I don't like Halloween.  I don't like being scared.

I just love fall colors.

In fact, I drug out our engagement for 5 months so that I could get married in the fall.  But really when you live in AZ, do you really want to be sweating all day in your wedding dress?

Lucky for me, I have a very patient man!

So what were some of my favorite things from August?

#1

Blog Makeover

I was so lucky to win a blog makeover from Melanie

of Tinker B Designs

I am so in love with my new blog I can't stand it!

I hope you love it as much as I do.

#2

My second guest post

Last month I had a second opportunity to do a guest post

at See Vanessa Craft

I was able to be part of Vanessa's

Crafting on a Dime series.

Thanks Vanessa!

#3

My first sponsored post

I signed up with Social Spark a little while ago

and in August I was able to do my first sponsored post.

It was for Famous Footwear and my models couldn't have been 

happier to participate!

#4

My first blogger mixer

Down East Basics invited some local bloggers to their store

for a night of fashion on them.  We could even bring a "friend".

I decided to bring my mom since she is my biggest cheerleader!

I met some fun local bloggers and got a little something for myself.

Down East Basics was a great host.  The employees were so helpful

and super nice.  And they were having a great sale on Down East Basics

Denim and layering tees.

As we waited for dressing rooms, I got to know:

Kendra: My Insanity

Kimberly: Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl

Nicole: The marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie

Jodi: Arizona Shopping Secrets

It was so much fun.  I can't wait for the next one.

 #5

The Gilbert Temple

We decided to take the kids over to see the new temple in Gilbert.

It was nice to be there with my kids and hubby and reflect on and appreciate 

all that my Father in Heaven has blessed me with.

#6

These Two

They crack me up, make me smile, and try my patience.

However, they have been playing better together,

they like to have dance parties and know how to shake their booty,

and finally will hold hands when walking in the "street"

#7
iPhone Apps for Instagram

I came across this post from Whipperberry and it is awesome!

I learned a whole new world of Instagraming
It's like scrapbooking for your phone.

#8

Mr. Sketch Markers

I spotted them at Target in the Back to School section.

They came right home with me.

I loved these markers growing up.

#9

My Food Saver

I just recently got it on line for %50 off!

My mom has had one and finally talked me into getting one.

Funny thing is, I don't use it for vacuum sealing.

I use it on my bags of salad, chips, pretzels, croutons.

Once I open the bag, I just use the seal part when I'm done.

No more stale chips and my lettuce lasts longer.

My husband asked me "are you really going to use that?"

Now he uses it as much as me!

#10

Pandora

Although I've had Pandora on my phone for a long time

I have just recently gotten into putting it on while I'm on the computer.

These are the stations I'm loving this minute:

Mindy Gledhill

Michael Jackson

Disney (children's) Radio

I hope you learned something new about Lizzie Jane or found a new blog or pandora station that you are dying to check out.

As always thanks for following along with me and letting me be just a small part of your day.

Bring on Fall!

If you're not yet, I'd love for you to become a follower of Lizzie Jane Baby!