Erin's Pirate Baby Shower

In my last blog post I shared pictures from my friend Amy's baby shower.  At the end of my post I mentioned another shower I helped to host for another friend Erin (who helped with Amy's shower, and Amy helped with Erin's....we're all pretty good friends :)   )
For Erin's shower we decided to take a more 'non-traditional' route.  Erin and her husband Will, decided not to find out the gender of their baby until he/she is born, just as they did with their first child, who turned out to be a girl!  Since we didn't know the gender we tried to stay as 'gender-neutral' as possible for this shower.  Since the shower took place in July, we wanted a summer-y kind of theme, and since Erin's daughter went as a pirate for Halloween, the pirate/ocean theme just sort of fell together.  For this shower we had five ladies (including myself) helping to put it all together.  Again, we divided up the tasks and took off!  Again, I took on the decorations.  :) 
Here are some pictures from the shower.  Again, I'll mention that you are welcome to copy any ideas you see, but please give credit where credit is due.  :)
*Also, again, I am NOT a photographer. :)
Erin was gracious enough to let us host the shower at her home on a Saturday night.  And again we included the boys and kids.  (Nowadays it seems silly not to include the guys...although they did spend a lot of time outside playing bag-o). Since Erin and Will already have another child, and didn't need all the essentials that you would for first-time parents, we requested that the guests bring diapers.  So I guess you could say this was more of a diaper shower.   
I didn't' get any pictures of the meal, but another hostess made lasagna, bread, salad, and dip for the adults and even had corn dogs for the kids. 

 Once again I provided diapers for the Diaper Notes activity.  I changed up the wording of the poem from Amy's shower, but it's still pretty much the same thing.  On the invitations I added what I thought to be a clever line..."Do your duty to help cover the booty!"  So I added that in for this activity.   

 I was so glad my mother had lots of ocean decorations for me to borrow so I didn't have to purchase a lot of extras.  This treasure chest was a perfect fit for the diapers. 

 Again, my mom came through with ocean Beanie Babies to use for decoration.  (Yes, she still has all of my old Beanie Babies...they come in handy!)

 This banner is similar to the one I made for Amy's shower.  I purchased pirate-style paper at Hobby Lobby (on sale of course), cut out pendents, then just using Word, inserted a circle, added word art (using the Blackadder font), and cut them out and glue them on.  Easy as pie.  I used a hole punch to help string the twine through and added a few pieces of ribbon to jazz it up.  'Ahoy Baby K' was specific enough since we didn't know the gender or name of the baby. 

 Amy came up with some really cute games.  For this one you had to guess how many pieces were in the treasure chest.  There were like 79 pieces hidden in there (lots of gold coins!).

  We tried to place little decorations everywhere in Erin's house!

 I found this pirate ship at a local party store.  It was perfect and even had room inside to place some sea-themed Little Debbie snack cakes!

 The cake and diaper cake table.

 Again, I can't take too much credit for this diaper cake.  My mom helped put it all together.  The topper is actually a table decoration I found in a set at a local party store. 

 Again, fellow hostess Trisha had her friend make this cute cake!  I've seen them all over Pinterest.  The cake was strawberry so as we cut into the baby it kind of looked like blood!  Haha!  A friend helped with some tips for cutting a round cake like this.  She cut a small circle in the middle of the cake, then just cut pieces like normal all around it. 

 The gift table with a couple more little pieces. 

 I really wish I could take credit for this, but I can't.  A guest dropped this gift off.  Inside was a box of diapers and a package of wipes (I believe).  Smart thinking to make the package look so cute!

 I can take credit for this though.  'Change Me Booty' on the bathroom door! :)

 I even placed a few decorations in the bathroom.  Why not have every room be decorated?

 Another cute pirate ship decoration!

 Another fun sign for the ice chest outside.  All I did was type up the sayings in Word, print them out, and glue them to a sheet of scrapbooking paper. 

 I just had to make this sign, but didn't really know where to put it, so I taped it to the microwave so everyone could see it as they got their plates.

Amy had another game that was so fun and we still don't know the winner....She had guests place bets to see when Erin would have her baby, the gender, and weight.  Each bet cost $2 (you could do more or less) and when Erin finally has her baby if anyone wins they get half the 'pot' and the Baby gets the rest.  If no one wins, the baby gets all the money!  

We had an awesome time at Erin's shower.  I'm glad we got to bless her with boxes and boxes and boxes of diapers.  Now, it's just a waiting game for Baby K to arrive! :) 

Amy's Pink Elephant Baby Shower

I have been meaning to blog about hosting a baby shower for my sweet friend, Amy and her husband Robert, for months now (it was in January and her baby girl is 5 months old now).  I had never hosted a shower before, so I was afraid I'd be in a little over my head, but thankfully, I had two other sweet gals, Trisha and Erin, to help me out.  Between the three of us, the event turned out amazing!  I was worried about finding pink elephant decorations, but things always have a way of working themselves out.  The three of us worked really well together.  We each took an area (decorations, food/cake, and games) and ran with it! 
We made it a couple's shower and made the boys come too!  They had their share of fun, right along with the girls. :)
Of course being the thrifty gal I am, I tried to keep things as cheap as I could.  Here are some pictures from the shower.  Feel free to copy any ideas you see, but please give credit where credit is due. :)
*I am in no way, shape, or form a photographer- keep that in mind. :)

We held the shower in my church fellowship hall (for free!) on a Saturday in the afternoon.

 I got some balloons to put out by the road and near the entrance so the out of town guests would know where to go.  They were only $1 at Deals!  These pink tissue pom-poms came from Hobby Lobby (using a 40% off coupon).  They are easy to make, but just as cheap and easy to buy.  Plus they can be reused.  I should have bought a bigger pink tablecloth, but I had nice white cotton ones underneath so that helped. 

 Since the parents-to-be have many different interests, I decided to make each table a little different to keep things interesting.  Plus, I kept finding cute decorations!  Those are mints on the table, also from Deals for only $1.  The tablecloth is from Wal-Mart and was so cute with the little bows on it!

 These elephant decorations were a great find!  I had no idea how hard it would be to find pink elephants for a baby shower.  A local party store had a few great items like this tablecloth and table decoration. 

 

Since it was a couples shower and both Amy and Robert love to hunt, I just had to do a camo table.  A local party store had this pink camo tablecloth and the sticks are from my backyard.  I painted one pink to help tie it all together. 

 Here is a closer look at the diaper cake.  I can't take much credit for this because my mom made it.  She loves making these and has the process down to a science now of how to build them.  The flowers came from Hobby Lobby, the pink one is a hair clip and the black ones can be made into them for when Baby Oakley gets bigger. Amy also told me she saved the ribbon to be used for something later on. 

 

I found the pink elephant at a Christmas sale at a local DaySpring store.  It sings 'Jesus Loves Me.'  It was a small miracle, I believe, to find a pink elephant!  

 

The 'crinkle paper' around the diaper cake is from Deals also.  A little goes a long way! 

 Part of my gift to Baby Oakley was this wreath made out of tulle.  The letter was already pink and glittery from Hobby Lobby and I bought it when it was on sale 50% off.  I also gave Amy a door hanger, I always think that is a good idea when giving someone a wreath because they might not have one.

 This was one of the activities.  Diaper Notes!  It is so much fun- you just provide guests with sharpies and diapers and let them write fun notes for the parents to read when changing diapers.  It does help to remind people to write high up on the diapers so the ink doesn't bleed through when the baby does her business.  :) 

I re-worked the poem found off of Pinterest (there are several versions found on several blogs).

 The gift table.  

I made the elephant banner by simply doing an image search for an elephant outline (I used the same one for the invitations) and then just printed several off on a few shades of pink paper and hung them up with tiny clothespins. 

 Trisha, another hostess, had a friend of hers make the cake and cupcakes which were delicious! These were pink camo since Amy likes to hunt!

 The amazing cake!  Trisha sent her friend a picture of the elephant I used for the invitations and other decorations and she copied it to make the cake topper!  This girl was amazing and just does cake decoration for fun.  :)

 For whatever reason I can't get this picture to turn the right way, but the cake topper also has a cute little 'Welcome Baby Oakley' tag. 

 It's amazing how things work out, we found these pink elephant cake plates at Wal-Mart!

 Trisha made some great little snacks. 

 The punch was a simple mix of pineapple sherbet and strawberry soda. 

 I made this banner as well using the same elephant outline, pink paper, and tiny clothespins.  I used a great tutorial to help get me started on the banner from justagirlandherblog.com. 

Erin thought up some great games and had amazing prizes for the winners.  

-The Clothespin Game: Everyone starts out wearing one clothespin and the taboo word is 'baby.'  Anytime you hear someone say the word 'baby' you can take their clothespin.  The person with the most clothespins at the end wins! 

-Bottles Up: The mother-to-be chooses a group of men to drink from a bottle as fast as they can.  The first one to finish their bottle wins!  We had 5 guys participate, you could have more or less depending on your crowd, and you could also draw names instead of having the mom-to-be pick.  A note of warning though, it takes a lot longer to down the drinks than you would think, so don't put too much in there.  

-Words of Wisdom:  Place note cards and pens at each table and let the guests write 'Words of Wisdom' or funny stories for the parents to read.  The cards can be placed in a photo album or on a ring.  

We had such a great time hosting this shower and blessing our dear friend.   Having a small group to help host a shower is ideal.  Just make sure everyone is on the same page about what their role is.  I love to decorate so I fell into my role naturally, and the other hostess were fine with that.  Just make sure you all talk and make any important decisions together, but also have the trust to make other decisions on your own.  

I recently hosted another baby shower for Erin, who helped with this shower, pictures of her event to come soon! 

Thrift Store Finds- June 17

I love it when you find unexpected treasures at thrift stores.  I went to a couple today looking for a treasure chest (I have a feeling it's going to take a miracle to find one) for a baby shower I am hosting.  I ended up finding this gem out of the blue.  Best part- it was only $5!  They are usually at least $15-$30 at flea markets/antique stores and even more than that if they are decorated. 

I already have two old windows but I'm always looking for more.  This one has (ugly) paint on it, but I was able to scrap some of it off with my nail in the store so I knew it would come off easy.  My plan is to take the paint off and either use it to hold pictures like the other two windows I have or maybe hang it outside on my back porch.  I've been itching to fix up my back porch but I've got to be able to find the right pieces at the right price. :)

 

Then I found this cute little pitcher.  I've looked at these for years and for whatever reason never talked myself into buying one.  I see them at flea markets and antique stores all the time for around $10-$15.  I even saw one at this same thrift store before for like $2 and didn't buy it.  But I'm kind of glad I waited because this one was only 75 cents!  Yay! 

I like going to thrift stores during the week because they are usually not as busy as on the weekend plus it's a great time for new merchandise to be out.  Also, thrift stores often do sales during the summer months.  I think a lot of thrift stores get more donations because people often have yard sales during the summer and donate what doesn't sale, or they spring clean and make donations.  Plus, if the kids are out of school for the summer I know some parents take that as an opprounity to have help cleaning out the house!  

I've seen several sales the past few weeks like buy one get one free on books; National Geographic magazines 10 for $1; records 10 for $1; buy one get one free on clear glass; 50% off TVs and furniture.  Be on the lookout for sales like this.  Also, be sure to 'like' or 'follow' any thrift stores in your area so you can see any sales or discounts they have going before you head out.

Also, heads up that Hobby Lobby has rows and rows of merchandise for 66% and 80% off!  There were some really neat items, that I didn't need, for just a few dollars.  Lots of glass items, canvas pictures, metal signs, mirrors, all sorts of little decorations.  Take your time because there were items spread throughout the store.  

Well, I'm off to work on my window.  Happy hunting! :)

Guide to Vegas!

Last week my husband and I took an early anniversary vacation to Las Vegas!  Now, knowing me as a sweet southern gal, that doesn't drink or gamble, you are probably wondering, like my sister was vocal about, why in the world I chose to go to Vegas of all places.  Well, first of all the flight was direct and cheap.  Allegiant Air has flights for less than $100 a person, each way; and it is a direct flight from Arkansas to Vegas.  They fly in and out on Fridays and Mondays; most people leave Friday night and return Monday evening.  We had the flexibility to go during the week, so we left on Monday night and returned Friday evening.  This helped make the hotel room more than half the price than it would have been on the weekend.  Plus, there are plenty of things to see and do in Vegas that don't include drinking and gambling.

My husband, J., left the planning up to me.  I've never really planned a vacation before, he planned our honeymoon and the vacation we took last year with some friends of ours, so I was in a little over my head.  I noticed there weren't a lot of good articles/blogs/websites for newbies to Vegas so that's why I wanted to blog about it.  Maybe I can help another sweet, southern gal that doesn't know what she's getting herself into. 

First of all, I researched like crazy.  I started planning about 2 months before we left, and by the end I could tell you the names of all the hotels, and what they had to offer.  You can still research even if you don't plan it so far in advance.  I like to have a plan and know what to expect.  I'm not a fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl.  So, knowing all that I could helped me feel prepared.

I picked Treasure Island, or as it is called now to seem more 'modern' I guess, is TI.  They had one of the cheapest prices during the week, and good reviews.  I joined their mailing list and received a percentage off.  It seemed like any hotel would be a great choice and they all have perks and special offers.  If you have some time before your trip, join mailing lists and you'll get plenty of emails with deals. 

We spent 4 nights and basically just 4 days since we got there around so late on Monday night.  I had an idea of what I wanted to see and do, which is important if you are going to sight-see.  I knew what was more important than others so I could be selective.  Nerd Alert: I typed out a list of all the hotels, in order of how they are lined up on the strip, and listed out what they had to see, do, or eat at.  It came in helpful when our feet were dragging and we weren't sure if we wanted to take the time to go in a certain hotel/casino.  We didn't have the time/energy to see everything I had on my list.

We ended up walking around and exploring during the morning hours, having lunch, then heading back to the hotel and napping for a couple hours before heading back out for dinner.  We weren't used to walking that much in a day, especially J. since he sits at a desk all day, so we were exhausted after our first morning of walking. 

Awesome places to see:

• KA or any Circque du Soleil show.  We saw KA at the MGM Grand and it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.  I would definitely recommend sitting as close as you can and towards the middle or on the aisle.  The actors flew above us and came into the aisles.  It was incredible!  
• The wildlife habitat at the Flamingo. I love flamingos and you can see them up close and in person here along with lots of other birds and fish, plus it's free!
• Fashion Show Mall. There is a 2 story Forever 21 store that you will need plenty of time to walk around in and on the weekends they have fashion shows every hour.  The stage and runway come up out of the floor- it's fun to see. 
• The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace.  There is a 3 story H&M store- plan even more time for this store than Forever 21.  Plus, the ceiling in the mall is painted to look like clouds and the lighting changes to make it look like morning and evening.  There is also a fun show every hour with animatronic people and water/fire features that tells how the fall of Atlantis happened.
• The Crystals Shops between the Vdara and  Aria hotels.  Everything was WAY out of our price range but it is still fun to window shop, guess at prices (J. about had a heart attack after seeing a pair of $1,500 shoes that looked 'completely uncomfortable' as he put it), and of course dream. :) 
• The Grand Canal Shops at the Venetian/ Palazzo.  The interior looks like you are walking in Italy.  So beautiful!
• The Bellagio hotel- of course the fountains are gorgeous!  Plus, inside there is a conservatory and botanical garden that smell incredible and are beautiful to look at.  There is also this amazing, huge glass piece of Fion di Como art work in the lobby.  
• The Mirage hotel- the volcano is super awesome and the atrium is beautiful.  Don't forget to check out the massive aquarium behind the front desk.  
• Ross and Marshalls- I have to go in them, even in Vegas! The Ross is 2 stories! 
• The people!  There was plenty of people watching to do.  Whenever you sit down to eat or rest, be sure to get a seat with a view of the strip so you can people watch.  You will see all kinds! Also, there are plenty of people dressed up in costumes that take tips if you want a picture with them. 

A few tips I have are:

• Wear comfortable shoes- seems obvious enough right?  I was nervous about bringing tennis shoes because I didn't want to look like a dork in my shorts and tennis shoes but after about a block I could have cared less.  
• Bring a back-up pair of comfortable shoes- my feet were killing me after the first morning of walking, so I was thankful for another pair to switch.  Everything looks so close because the hotels are so huge, but it is really not.  We could see Mandalay Bay, which was 2 miles away, but it doesn't seem that far since you can see it.  
• Comfortable shorts- I bought a new pair of denim shorts for the trip, and didn't wear them any ahead of time.  Maybe it's because there is no thigh gap between my legs or because the shorts were new, or because of all the walking we did but I got sores on both my thighs from my shorts rubbing.  It was awful!  The only other pair of shorts I brought were white and cotton which helped, but they still rubbed after a while.  So, I suggest bringing another option, or testing your shorts out before the trip.  
• Swimming Pools apparently aren't for swimming- our 'plan' was to walk around in the mornings, then during the heat of the day come back to the hotel to hang out at the pool.  1) the pool was full of people, literally, there was hardly room to get in and if you did, all you could do was stand.  2) The cushioned lounge chairs could only be rented, and I'm not about to pay for a chair (if you are there to spend a whole day at the pool and party, then go for it, but we weren't). So, you'll end up sitting on a towel on the edge of the pool.  3) There was a DJ and he had the music loud and thumping.  Nothing against that, but I'm more of a country girl, and the rap/hip-hop music wasn't my taste, but then again I knew where I was and what the crowd wanted.  
• Nothing opens until 10 AM- We were 2 hours behind our regular time, so when we were waking up at 8 AM (Arkansas time), it was really only 6 AM- 4 hours until anything was open.  We aren't party people, so we were in bed by 10 or 11 Vegas time, and woke up early- the opposite schedule of most, I know.  The good thing about this is that it is a great time to walk around and take pictures without a bunch of strangers in them.  
• There is lots of noise.  Coming from small town Arkansas, we are only used to hearing crickets at night, this is not true of Vegas.  Even 18 stories up, we could hear everything from the street it seemed like.  Cars on the road, motorcycles revving their engines, trash trucks in the morning, the DJ at the pool and people cheering in the afternoon, everything.  You can kind of tune it out, but it takes some getting used to.  
• It's smoky- but not like you would think.  I was worried about smelling cigarettes everywhere, but really, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Most of the hotels have awesome filtration systems so you can't smell it, and I'm convinced the Mirage had vents with air fresheners throughout the casino to give it a pleasant smell.  
• Everything- and I mean everything- is more expensive than you think.  The restaurants are more expensive than we are used to so J. and I ended up sharing a lot of meals, which was plenty for both of us and was a good idea since there is no place to keep your left-overs.  It also leaves you some room for ice cream or another dessert later.  The stores are either super high-end (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc) or cheap (Forever 21 or H&M). 
• Don't bother with downtown- the Fremont Street Experience.  Maybe it is different at night, we went at 9 in the morning and I was nervous walking around.  It is neat to see the old, vintage Vegas signs and casinos but it's a whole different breed of people down there.  I've heard the lights at night are neat to see, but from what I saw there isn't much else down there to see or do. 
• There are homeless people and promotional flyer hand-outers everywhere.  Coming from Arkansas I was always taught to be polite to people, but you have to ignore and be a little rude while walking around.  This was weird for me because I'm not used to people yelling at me on the sidewalk or asking for money or trying to sell me something.  The homeless people (I'm assuming- people asking for handouts/tips) had all kinds of signs I guess to try to get your attention.  Some crazy ones we saw were 'Will smoke your weed for food' and 'My wife got a sex change and ran off with my girlfriend.'  They don't say much so we got pretty good at just looking the other way, but the 'promotional flyer' people were a little intense.  There were basically 2 types, the kind on street corners handing out cards for 'dates' to put it politely as I can.  I think legally, they can't say anything, so they flick the cards so they catch your attention.  Just keep your hands full or shake your head 'no' when you pass them to keep the cards out of your hands.  Then there were the people trying to get you go buy show tickets or handing out coupons for shows or clubs.  I tried to be polite to these people but they hassle you, so I ended up giving a short, 'No, thank you' and just kept walking.  I wasn't ever scared but if you aren't used to that kind of thing it can be a little much to handle.  
• Relax- and have fun!  Don't stress with trying to keep a schedule or see everything- it's impossible- just have fun and enjoy the time with the people you are with.
• Wear comfortable shoes- once again because it is so important and because blisters are no fun.

Branson Finds

Hey Y'all!  I had such a great time shopping with my mom today that I had to come home and blog about it.  I haven't blogged about clothes lately because I've been trying to save my money for our upcoming vacation, but today my mom and I took a day trip up to Branson, MO and I found some good deals.

I always check out any coupons before I head up to Branson because they have an outlet mall (Tanger Outlet) and there are always coupons to use.  If you join the Tanger email list, they will send you coupons all the time and keep you up-to-date with sales and events.  I recently received an email with 2 coupons- one was for 20% off a single item, and the other was for 20% off your entire purchase!  Now, of course it was select stores and there were restrictions, but they came in handy for me.

I used the 20% off my entire purchase at Harry and David- if you haven't been to one, I highly recommend it!  They have yummy gourmet treats (truffles, popcorn, jellys, jams, dips, candy, chips...I could go on and on) and can be a little pricey, but you get what you pay for.  I don't think I've ever had anything from there that I didn't like.  I didn't spend much but I saved $2.58 using my coupon.  I would tell you what I got but it's a present so I can't. :)

I then used my 20% off one item at a kitchen store to purchase a potato cutter that my husband and I have been wanting since we keep making so many perfect french fries. :)  I saved $4 on it- awesome!

I tried to use the coupon again at the Gap Outlet to get my husband a shirt but a restriction Gap had was that it couldn't be used on clearance items- oh well.  The shirt was only $7.99 a deal anyways if you ask me.

I have said before that I always shop the clearance sections first, and I'm getting to the point that I almost don't even look at the other sections of the store.  Doing this helped me to find a couple cute clearance items at Belk, TJ Maxx, and New York and Company Outlet.

I think my best (and favorite) find of the day was the very last place we stopped in- a thrift store on the way out of town.  I ended up finding 2 pairs of Lucky Brand jeans- like new- honest-to-goodness don't look or feel like they've been worn for only $4 each!  I have a hard time finding jeans the right length because I'm so short and these were the perfect length and fit like a glove!  It was meant to be! :)

Actually, I got them just a bit cheaper than that because as I was checking out I had $11 worth of stuff (my mom was getting some capris) and the girl was nice enough to let me do the '$10 grab bag.'  What this thrift store does is amazing, you can fill a bag with clothes and it's $10.  Done deal.  No questions.  As much as you can fit in a bag apparently.  I had seen the signs but didn't know the program worked for everything.  So, that was awesome and saved me $1.  I kind of wished I would have looked around a little harder. :)  Now, did I need two pairs of jeans...not really, but at $4, I couldn't help myself!  Plus, you can always use a good pair of jeans, right?

Another awesome deal I found was, well it was actually last night, was this cute dress at, of all places, Dollar General.  It was originally $15 but was on sale for $10!  It is super cute (the colors don't show up right- it is a gorgeous mix of teal and purple- two of my favorites) and I had been thinking I wanted a cute Maxi dress to wear on our vacation.  This is perfect and the price was even better! They had a cute black and white one too, but it was a different brand and didn't fit right.

I'm so excited about my finds today.  I couldn't wait to share.  Now that I have a few new pieces I can hopefully wait until our vacation to buy anything else.  We'll see how that goes. :)

Oh, and here's a bonus for you.  There was a 20 foot tall Optimus Prime Transformer at the Ripley's Believe It or Not.  A nice man that worked there told us that they had to pour something like 2 feet of concrete into the ground below it just to hold it up.  It's also bolted to the building.  Also, it's made entirely of car parts!  It's only been there for about 2 weeks so I'm sure this summer it will be a must see for anyone in Branson.  

Here's hoping y'all find your own amazing items and even more amazing prices.

Save the Acorns Foundation

A few years ago my husband went on a hunting trip with his buddies and they all had on custom made shirts that said 'Save the Acorns Foundation.'  Now, you are probably wondering what the Save the Acorns Foundation is (I wondered too), well, they hunt deer, squirrels, and other wild game that eat acorns.  Cute, right?
A month or so ago they decided to start a blog, and much to my surprise my usually shy husband, has taken to this whole blog thing- sometimes posting multiple stories in one day.  I love that they have started doing this.  It's a place for them to share their stories, recipes, and tips.  So, as a shameless plug, here the link to their blog.

 Save the Acorns Foundation

I will warn you they do post pictures from their hunts, as in dead animals.  But they also share some funny stories, pictures from days on the lake fishing, and even bow shooting.  It is definitely worth looking at, and I'm not just saying that because it's my husband.  Well, maybe just a little.  :)

Ree's Recipes- Part 2

In my last post I shared some of Ree Drummond's (AKA The Pioneer Woman) recipes for sweets.  I've also tried several of her other recipes for side dishes.  I haven't tried anything that hasn't been good. I'm convinced all of her recipes are awesome.  She is definitely worth checking out.

For Christmas I made Soul Sweet Taters.  You will never want to touch another can of sweet potatoes/yams after eating these!  The pecans are optional, I left them off, but I think my husband would have preferred them.  Of course, lots of butter is included, which makes them even better!

Another awesome potato recipe are Ree's Smashed Potatoes.  My husband loves to make these.  We like to make mashed potatoes but they never were just quite right.  Something was always off, no matter how much butter, milk, or salt we put in.  Ree’s recipe calls for bacon and sour cream- of course they are going to taste better!  We’ve made this recipe several times and always add in something different.  She uses green onions (not a fan), so we add in what we have.  Cheese, bell peppers, whatever goes and it is always fantastic!

 

Speaking of my husband, I think his favorite recipe we have tried is the Skillet Cornbread.  I grew up on Jiffy cornbread mix and have always used it to make cornbread muffins.  We had some beans simmering in a Crock pot a couple weeks ago and no Jiffy mix!  Have no fear- I have a recipe for it!  This recipe was a total change for me because you make it in a cast iron skillet.  My husband loved it!  It was amazing, but I like sweet cornbread so next time I think I’ll add some sugar.  (Horrible I know- not at all healthy).   I will warn though, it does not taste the same the next day re-heated.  Keep that in mind. 

A recipe we tried that my husband liked, but I wasn't a fan of were granola bars.  I've never attempted anything like this before and probably won't again.  It is a long process, most of Ree's recipes are easy and quick, this one has numerous steps, and I just wasn't a fan.  I think it's partly because I'm not a huge fan of granola bars in the first place.  But I will say, this is excellent if you are allergic to a certain type of nuts or if you can't find the specific kind of granola bars you like because you can customize them any way you want with different grains, nuts, or berries.  Also, make sure you coat the bottom of your baking sheet VERY well- over half of mine stuck to the pan.  I tried to save as much as I could and my husband ended up eating the remains as cereal. 

I think the recipe of Ree's I have made the most and will forever make is her Perfect French Fries. I remember my mom making homemade fries when I was younger and they were great, but nothing like these, close though (sorry, mom!).  You can pretty much use any type of potatoes (we've tried several kinds and they always turn out great), but you do need to plan ahead.  After peeling and cutting the potatoes (I've just been using a knife but we are about to invest in a potato cutter since I've been making fries so much lately), you let the fries soak in water for at least an hour, but you can even do it overnight.  It helps remove starch so when you go to drain the water it will be really cloudy.  Then you fry them in oil once at a low temperature, then up the temperature and fry them again.  They are AMAZING.  Truly.  And what takes them over the top for my husband is fry sauce- mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together.  Oh goodness- amazing!  Can't say enough about them.  Delicious! 

Like I said before, I have a whole list of her recipes to try.  I think my next big goal is going to be making Easter lunch using recipes from her holiday cookbook.  

I know these last few posts are different than my 'regular' posts but hey, when you find something worth sharing, you should share.  This is after all, Miranda's Great Finds, I never said the great find couldn't be food related. :)