DIY Lazy Susan Organizer!

Hey guys!! Today I've got a super quick and easy pantry organization project for you! Previously my spices were sitting in little bins, which kept them contained and together in the pantry, but it was super hard to find the one I was looking for (I needed to clean out the old expired spices as well-there were a lot!).

 I love the idea of using a lazy susan/spinnner to keep the spices so they are easy to find, but have you priced those things lately?? Walmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and the Container Store have them for $8 or more! Sorry friends, but I'm not paying that much money for something sitting in my pantry. So I found this little DIY lazy susan hack that only cost $3 each! Boom! I made 4 of these for just over the price of one in the store! I actually like these more than the store bought ones anyway because they have sides, so the spices won't fall over easily. These can be used for just about anything from spices to lotion and other bathroom items, to anything you want easy and organized access to!

All you need is 2 round cake pans and  bag of marbles. You can get all of these things for $1 each at the Dollar Tree, making each one only $3! Walmart has 9" cake pans for $.88, however I had a really hard time finding a store that had them in stock (I went to 4 different stores with no luck!), so I used the 8" pans I found at the Dollar Tree and they were a great size for spices. I eventually found some at a Walmart and made 2 more of these for our bathroom cabinets! 

Step 1: Put marbles in one of the cake pans.

Step 2: Put the second cake pan on top.

Step 3: Put in your spices.

Step 4: Smile, you are done! :) And spin it around 100 times because, well, its fun!

Here's my BEFORE. :( A MESS!!

And the AFTER!! SOO much better!!

Let me know if you make these or have any other genius organization hacks!!

-A

March 2016 Favorites!

Happy Tuesday!! I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend (and a bearable Monday)! Ours was relatively low key, but we had some fun! Hubby took kiddo to soccer on Saturday while I stayed home attempting to finish touching up the baseboards and paint in our bathroom, but that just didn't happen. I'm going to have to tape off the trim in order to touch up the wall paint in order for it all to look nice. 

Dining Table Centerpiece DIY

Hello Friends!! Happy Easter!! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend (I had an extra day off work, so that was extra wonderful)! We kept things VERY low key this year, and it was awesome! The entire weekend we stayed on relax mode and honestly didn't do much of anything...sometimes you just need a few days to unwind! Friday we just ran some errands and lounged around the house. Hubby and I finally got a day date in at the driving range on Saturday, and while we had a blast, I am sore in places I didn't even know had muscles to be sore! It's been YEARS since I've even held a golf club--needless to say, watching us must have been pretty comical!  In years past, we have gone to Ohio to be with my family for Easter, but that didn't work out this year due to hubby's work schedule so we just spent the day mostly at home. Kiddo did his Easter egg hunt in the house because the weather just had to be yucky. Egg hunts are much more fun outside!! After that, we just hung around and watched movies for most of the day and I think that was just what we needed. 3 days off with nothing to do. My house is a disaster and the laundry is piling up, but I'm so glad we had a chill weekend!

Kitchen Table MAKEOVER!

WOW! I've been 100% absent from this blog for over 6 months...all I can say for myself is that life happens! Between our busy summer, hubby being overly busy with work and training, and having a super active 4 year old (oh and my full time job), I just got busy and maybe a little lazy. In any case, I'm ready to get back to writing and sharing our projects and creations with you!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

This summer has been hot.. Really. Stinking. Hot. When it's over 100 degrees outside, I don't want to turn on my oven and make the house warmer - not to mention there are many days when I just don't feel like cooking. Days like those call for these super easy crock pot Chicken tacos. I got this recipe from my sweet mama friend in Texas (and have seen variations of it on Pinterest) and we just love it! Not only does it make chicken for tacos, the leftovers are great on a salad, baked into taquitos or enchiladas, toppings to nachos,or made into chicken quesadillas! Seriously they are so versatile and it's one of the few recipes I really enjoy as leftovers. Again, I can't stress how easy this chicken is, and that makes it one of our go to meals!

First, we do not use the crock pot in my house unless we have these handy plastic liners. These make clean up just as easy as the meal. My husband used to dread crock pot meals because sometimes the crock would be so hard to clean afterwards, but these just lift right out and in to the trash. I will admit to them occasionally leaking or tearing, but majority of the time we don't have any issues. If you don't have these, get some. You will thank me later!

It's so easy, just 3 simple steps!

Step 1. Put ingredients in the crock pot. 
Step 2. Turn it on high for 4 hours. 
Step 3. Shred chicken and eat!

Easy as pie... Hmm, pie sounds really good...

Ingredients
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Rotel or Salsa (you choose the level of spiciness)

Put the chicken (single layer) in the crock pot (if you are using the liners, be sure to put that in first). 

Pour taco Seasoning over chicken, then pour Rotel or salsa on top of that.

Put the lid on the crock pot and turn on high for 4 hours (or low for 6) . Resist the tempting aroma and keep the lid closed to keep in the moisture.

When the chicken is done, shred it with a fork (it will be so juicy, it will just fall apart) . 

Grab your favorite taco shells and toppings and enjoy! This will serve about 4 adults with some leftovers. 

As I said, the leftovers are amazing used in chicken quesadillas, a salad (taco or regular) or rolled in corn tortillas and baked to make taquitos! Oh and don't forget to have a Margarita while you 'cook' :)

Let me know in the comments below if you make this and if you enjoyed it!

-A

LUSH Product Reviews!

I have been MAJORLY slacking on this blog, but I'm hoping to get caught back up soon! Life has been crazy with all 3 kiddos here while I'm working, but I'm planning to get some writing done and photos taken soon to flood you all with some more DIY projects and beauty reviews!

As previously mentioned in my beauty haul blog, I used a good chunk of my birthday money for a LUSH haul! A few of the You Tube vloggers I follow have talked about LUSH and I just HAD to try their stuff out! Not only did the products look amazing, the products are all handmade, fresh, and organic! They are good for your skin and the environment! I am a bath person, so I mostly focused on Bath products in this haul, but after loving mostly everything I bought, I will be heading back to branch out and try some other products they offer! ( I purchased these items with my own money, these are my own thoughts and am not being compensated in any way for this review.)