Sleepover Pillow Craft Ideas

As you might guess, my daughter's birthday is approaching. That means a lot of researching and planning for things to do for this pre-teen group (alas, the "tween" years just sped right by).
We made the fabric marker pillows at last year's sleepover. Maybe this year we'll go with the transfer sheets. Take a look at other sleepover pillow craft ideas HERE.

5 Businesses to Start from Your Kitchen Table

If you're like most thrifty moms, when you're not thinking of ways to save money, you're looking for ways to make more. I have five easy business ideas that you can start today and most require very little start-up cash. Take a look HERE and see if one is right for you.

Super Easy Pie Crust

Confession time: one of the biggest expenses my family has is my failed attempts at cooking. Don't get me wrong. I can hold my own on taco night and can whip up a quick gluten-free biscuit on a moment's notice. But when I start trying to cook like my mom or grandma, that's when failure begins.

Before Alzheimer's struck, they were both mean pie-crust-making machines. Now, my mom doesn't even remember how much she liked pie, much less how to effortlessly roll out a perfect crust. I've tried and tried. I've finally found a simple crust that can be mixed in the pan. It's easy and tasty and pretty stinkin' awesome underneath chocolate pie filling and Cool Whip.

Get the super-easy (it'd have to be for me to make it) recipe HERE.

Grand Country Inn: Big family experience for little expense

So, there we were. It was the end of summer and we'd been nowhere. After losing our 17-year-old Min Pin, I told my husband that we needed to get away, just for a few days. Branson, Mo., is within driving distance so I chose it for our destination. But other than that, I was stumped. I started looking for indoor pools (so rain wouldn't dampen our short vacay), and found Grand Country Inn. It was great for my daughter and economical enough for me to even enjoy! Want to know more? Get the low-down on the rooms and entertainment HERE.
 

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Got a child's birthday party in your future? Nothing says party better than cupcakes and ice cream...so, we thought, "Why not combine the two together."

I've seen in years past and thought they'd be fun to try with my daughter. In doing some research, I found that there are two different ways that these cupcakes are made. Learn how to make them both ways and see the differences HERE.

Save calories AND chocolate

The kiddo and I love the chocolate-dipped Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches, but I'm trying to be a good mom and watch things like calories. We settled for this chocolate/cracker hack that satisfies our sweet tooth plus saves calories and chocolate!  Click HERE for more.