Our Basement Renovation - More Demo plus A New Window and Door

I know it has been a while since my last update, but this summer we did not make a lot of progress. We are rolling again since we got a little help from a friend and the pool is closed for the winter, so I will have some more updates for you! In my last update, we finished the wall framing and also tore down the drop ceiling structure. We took a break after completing the never ending framing to focus on replacing the entry door and tiny window, before the weather turned cold. We enlisted the help of our carpenter friend, because cutting a hole in the side of our house kinda scared me. I am sure we could have done it, but having it done all in one day was worth the extra money.

Blogging With Intention - Year End Goal Assessment

I have been sharing my goals with you over the past year and thought it would be good to take a look back and see where I am after twelve months.

Let's Recap!

What I am Wearing - 3 Reasons to Love Leggings

Up until last year, I had not really worn leggings since I was a teenager.  I had the misconception that they made me look bigger than I really was and I did not really know how to style them.  Leggings were mainly reserved for yoga or lounging around the house.  Thanks to the legging craze, I picked up a black pair to wear under some of my longer tunics and I was converted!

I first started out with solids, (black, navy, brown) but now I own several patterned ones too!  My most recent ones are from Simple Addiction, an online boutique.  They carry a ton of colors and patterns, all under $10! You can use my code "MARY15" to save an extra 15% on your order!

Bible Journaling - Rest in Him Devotional

It's Christmas Eve and all the presents have been wrapped, all the parties have been attended, and the busy season has almost ended. Are you worn out yet? If so, then my friend Bethany, at Pitter and Glink has created the perfect devotional for you! It's called "Rest in Him" and she even designed some of the cutest printables to download...all for free!

Here are some ideas to get you started!

Movie Night Gift Basket

I am a fan of making gift baskets because they are easy and inexpensive to fill, because you can usually find everything at the dollar store. If you need a quick neighbor gift, make this easy Redbox Movie Night basket.

 Everyone can use a night in once in a while, especially after the busy holidays!

Slow Cooker Recipe - Buffalo Chicken Chili

If you have been following me for a while, you may know that I do not like to eat soup in warm weather, but now that cooler weather is here, it is a staple.  Another staple is my slow cooker...I literally can not live without it!  It is great for working moms because it allows you to set it and forget it until dinner time.

DIY Cedar Lined Closet

As part of our basement renovation, we built a closet in the new hallway, so we can store off-season clothes and free up some space in our coat closet and guest bedroom. The interior wall wall was made of cinder block (fall out shelter, maybe?) so my husband thought we needed to cover it up. We talked about lining it with cedar, but that was not in our budget, so we had decided to line it with some of the old paneling we removed. While at Haven Conference a few months back, I was introduced to CedarSafe and they generously agreed to partner with me and provide the materials for this project.

Tips for Hosting a Progressive Dinner - Appetizers

For the last several years, the youth group at our church has participated in a Progressive Dinner. If you have never heard of this concept, it is where different families host portions of the meal: Appetizers, Main Course, and Dessert. This is a fun way for the youth to interact with different families within the church. My family hosted the appetizer portion last year and agreed to host again this year. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have caught some of the fun in my InstaStory!

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Pork over Rice

This post was sponsored by Smithfield as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. #RealFlavorRealFast

The holidays are super busy and most nights I do not have a lot of time to prepare a healthy dinner for my family. Smithfield® Marinated Pork brings you "Real Flavor Real fast" and helps get dinner on the table in lass than 30 minutes! This is perfect when my son asks me "What's for dinner?" as soon as I walk in the door!

Christmas Home Tour

Welcome to my first annual Christmas home tour! I have been decking the halls and want to share my decor with you. I hope you come in and stay a while! We do not hang outdoor lights, but we do have a Moravian star, a mini pre-lit tree, and I decorate the topiary tree by the door.

Welcome to my home!

Cozy Themed Holiday Gift Basket

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

The holiday season is upon us and Big Lots has everything you need for those last minute gifts you forgot about, like your neighbor or a friend at work. Since there always seems to be someone I forget about, I pick up a few extra gifts that I could quickly wrap up in a gift basket.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

Even though people do not seem to be sending Christmas cards in the mail as much as in years past, I still get several from family members. I always struggle with how to display them. I have put them up on the mantle, on the breakfast bar, taped them to the door, and even stuck them on a metal sun that hangs on my wall. This year I decided to make something to hold them.

It is so easy to make and only requires a couple of supplies. Bonus: you can use it as a frame after Christmas is over!

Cleaning a Microfiber Couch

Thanks to HomeRight for providing a SteamMachine Model 53 for review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

As you may know, we are getting close to finishing up a massive basement renovation. We have been doing it all on a tiny budget, which means being creative with furnishing the main living area. If you saw my "before" pictures, you would have noticed that all we had in the room before was a recliner, side table, and TV, (a.k.a. the castoffs) so we needed to purchase a few more pieces to make the space functional.