Back To School {Pinterest Style}

Today my kids go back to school.Which calls for a little celebration. Can you say Starbucks AND Target?!?This week is all about the happy dance.Next week, I'll miss them.
My kids have no bad feelings.They are so happy to be back to school. I'll be using these Pinterest pins to help make this week (and school year) special! 

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American BBQ Menu

Lately On Pinterest

Cleaning This House


Linking Up: Oh How Pinteresting




If you enjoy reading this blog, please vote at the link below. Adventures of a Semper Fi Family
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Thank you!

American BBQ Menu

The Wet Down went off without a hitch.
We chose to serve an All American BBQ.
I figured it was most fitting for my husband.
He's just a good ol' boy who loves good BBQ.
Here are the recipes we made except for the potato salad. 
My friend made that one.
Everything was so delicious! 
Really all these recipes are worth repinning!

My top vote is Berry Crisp.
Popular vote would probably be a tie between Smores Bites and Mac N Cheese Cups.

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More Pinterest Posts...

Lately On Pinterest

Cleaning This HouseThe Red, White, and Blue


Linking Up: Oh How Pinteresting

Lately on Pinterest

It's Pinterest Time!
The weekly Oh How Pinteresting linkup.

As I type this post, I'm watching Dolly Parton in 9 to 5.

I've never seen anything with Dolly Parton. Am I the only one?

Late nights alone always call for oldies on Netflix 

or ABC Family movies with Melissa Joan Hart.

My guilty pleasures.

Today I'm sharing a hodge podge of latest pins. 

Enjoy.

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More Pinterest Posts... Cleaning This House The Red, White, and Blue Home Adventures
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Cleaning This House {Pinterest}

We've been in the house for several days now.  Which is the reason for lack of blogging. Someone...who is me...didn't schedule internet installation until the last minute. Opps! So we have to wait a few days to get our setup equipment.  I'm hitting up the local Starbucks right now get my wi-fi fix.

The house is great. The neighborhood is great. But holy moly, we just about doubled our square footage! And every tote and box I carry up those stairs is a reminder someone... who is also me... will have to clean this place. I turn to Pinterest (again) to help me out.

You will find these on my Home Adventures board...

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More Pinterest Posts... The Red, White, and Blue Home Adventures Cheers!
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Laugh with Me {Pinterest}

Pinterest has it all. Food, fashion, crafty fun. 

Even a little humor. 

Here are some pins that make me laugh a little.

Yes. 

Sometimes.

This is so me this week!

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More Pinterest Posts...The Red, White, and BlueHome AdventuresCheers!
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The Red, White, & Blue

In celebration of Independence Day, I am posting some patriotic pins to get in the spirit of the Red, White, & Blue. I wish you all a fun and safe holiday!





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More Pinterest Posts...Home AdventuresCheers!Summer Eats
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Summer Eats

My favorite excuse during summer is, "It's too hot to cook". Most days the heat makes it hard to turn on the stovetop or oven. I've compiled some great Pinterest finds to minimize the heat in the kitchen and still give you some great dinners!










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More Pinterest Posts... Home Adventures Cheers! 5 Awesome Bake Sale Goodies
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Home Adventures

I haven't mentioned much about the offer on the house. I might be a little superstitious thinking I could jinx us. We are in escrow and everything has been going along quite smoothly. I'm rather impressed with how on top of things people are. I would not change any person in this equation yet. Ok, maybe the appraiser. He is kind of slow. Otherwise, everyone is great.

The appraiser is key for us because we are going VA. We have heard VA appraisals can be lower than others which means we would be at the mercy of the seller. Given this is a seller's market, he could walk away and sell above value to an investor. It's in the back of my mind that he might consider it. He would be a fool not too. However, the rumor is the seller wants the house to go to a family not an investor. I really hope it is true.

Going through this process has really brought out the decorator in me. I can't help but get caught up in the daydreaming of paint colors and wall decor and new furniture arrangements. I've never really been one to be concerned with home decor so it's a big change. I've gone a little crazy with my Pinterest board 'Home Adventures' this week.  Here are some of my recent pins.







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Cheers!

I couldn't help myself from doing a quick Oh How Pinteresting post. They are one of my faves.

The closer the weekend gets, the more excited I am. 

It's a holiday weekend. The weather is phenomenal. And I'm craving a sweet alcoholic drink. 

Oh and it's my birthday Monday. Small detail, of course.

Back to the idea of a celebratory drink. Here is my list...

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I think watermelon could be the winning flavor!

Soup and Cookies

This may be my weirdest post name to date. Soup and Cookies. Yup. That is about as far as my creativity is going to take me as I write this!

I finally get to share those wonderful Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars you all voted on weeks ago. I apologize you had to wait so long to hear about these wonderful bars. You all made the decision much more fun by voting. Thank you. You all are awesome!

Here is the original:


My version:

I vote this recipe a success. My husband couldn't stop eating them. Kids were promising extra chores to get a second helping. Love the bargaining power of salted caramel!

I also made Chef in Training's Crockpot Enchilada Soup.

Mine:

Absolutely delicious.

 Only two Pinterest projects-slash-recipes to post this week.

I feel like I'm lagging. Maybe I need some inspiration?

Have you pinned anything recently? 

What has been your latest Pinterest project? 

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5 Awesome Bake Sale Goodies

I feel like it's bake sale season. Is there such thing?

I just baked for our church bake sale and will be baking again soon for another fundraiser. I'm not opposed to a bake sale. In fact, I love them. My problem always comes in deciding what to make. I'm not sure why I complicate the decision making process. It's just what I do! Honestly... there should be a guide to tell us what the best bake sale goodies are. I don't want to bring what everyone else is bringing. I don't want my baked goods to turn into an ooey-gooey mess in the sun. Most of all, I want the items I make to sell. Since no such guide exists I decided to create my own 'guide'.

I scoured Pinterest and found five great recipes for your next bake sale. Not too chocolate-y or frosting-y or generic-y. Here are five awesome goodies for your next fundraiser....






What is your favorite bake sale goodie?

Best Teacher Appreciation Gifts Under $10

This week my friend reminded me Teacher Appreciation Week is already being celebrated at some schools. I was saving this post for a couple more weeks but it seems now is a better time to post. Our appreciation week is May 12-17th. But I am already pinning some creative options for my children's lovely teachers. I appreciate them so much. My undying adoration comes from having been on the teaching side of the classroom. I understand what it takes for these guys and gals to keep up with 20-35 kids every day. Yikes, for the 35 kid classroom! We had 22 tops and that number can be overwhelming! I wouldn't want to imagine adding another 13!

Teacher appreciation is just an excuse to do the necessary. Gift your teacher. However, don't break the bank. Keep it within reason for the sake of your budget and all the other parents who don't want to feel totally overshadowed by your generosity.

I hope we can all agree coffee mugs are out dated. And "Best Teacher" anything should be avoided. Here are some Pinterest inspired gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week. For the price of a morning coffee and bagel, you've got yourself some amazing teacher gifts.

Pinterest Fail: Baked Zucchini Chips

Beware of this beautiful Pinterest pic, lovely friends. I hate to be the nark on this highly popular recipe. But the picture is deceiving. Or I am completely inept at making baked zucchini chips...on two separate attempts. Either way, be warned! There is a distinct possibility THIS:




Will turn into THIS:

My advice is to 1) not make these or 2) buy the biggest round zucchini you can find and don't follow the recipe. The zucchini shrinks to half the size during baking. And following the recipe will result in overcooked chips. It's too sensitive of a recipe to waste your time. Skip it! 

If you want true success, then pin this Nutella Mug Cake recipe. A handful of ingredients in a mug and cook by microwave. It really really works. And it tastes like cake. Ok, maybe dry cake but it's Nutella. In a cup. As a cake. In the microwave. A little dry can be overlooked!

What Should I Bring???

Help! It's my snack week for Bible Study. I can't decide which yummy Pinterest treat to make. Can you help me pick one? I've got six gals to spoil, so it has to be good! Please vote in the comments section. I promise to make whatever gets the most votes! Then I will post the winner for my See It. Pin It, Did It. Pinterest post next week.


The following pins can be found on my Keep Calm & Bake On pinboard. You can follow the link HERE.  I would love to have you follow along!

Spring Styles of Pinterest

Spring is here! And I'm loving all the colors in nature and in the stores. There are so many styles out there catching my eye. I thought it necessary to start a Spring/Summer Style board. Only one of the 23 boards I'm pinning to. But you know me and Pinterest, we tight. You can join in on the love fest HERE.

Easter Egg-ing and A Cara Box

Before we get too far into this, I will warn you this is a hodge podge post. You get a little bit of two topics. However,  my focus is Pinterest. Of course. My favorite word on the planet. But...you probably already know that.

I took the plunge yesterday on Pinterest. I decided to switch over to the new look. I always hesitate to try something new, especially when you don't know what the new thing is like. I mean come on Pinterest, why the top secret attitude on your new format?!? Not even a sneak peek? Grr. My deciding factor was knowing we are all going to have to switch over to the new Pinterest format soon. So why not now?

I have to admit Pinterest did good. Everything is more user friendly. Big images, more options, increased links on your pins. They've added more categories including weddings and kids. Which makes total sense because everyone and their mother has a wedding pinboard. I swear even people not planning weddings still have a wedding pinboard. Which I don't quite understand but I'm old.

So, not only am I a pinning fanatic but I am one of the few people who actually try my pins. Crazy, I know! Which is why the See It. Pin It. Do It. Link Up is perfect for me. I mean really I could converse about Pinterest with anyone for hours. So, why not link up with a hundred other bloggers to virtually do just that?

This week the kids and I tried this original pin:

Our version:

We Egg-ed 3 houses on our street. Two friends and one stranger. We went Saturday afternoon to one house. It was our trial run. We special op-ed the 12 eggs all over the front yard and then rang the door bell. Off we ran which was awesome for the kids. Me, on the other hand, thought it would be great to ding-dong-ditch in heels. I almost tripped over something on my way out of there and then almost wet myself after that. So, we can call that a success because I slimly avoided both! Yay me! The other two we egg-ed Easter morning, I learned my lesson and got a head start before my daughter rang the doorbells. This pin was a success and I think we will be doing this again next Easter.

Next, I would like to share my Cara Box with you. A Cara Box is  a monthly box exchange hosted by Kaitlyn at Wifessionals. Besides ending the month with a box of goodies, the exchange focuses on getting to know two women through emails and blog reading. This month my two friends were Shannon at Shenanigans Rose and Leanne at Top this By Leanne. I sent a box to Leanne and you can visit her blog to see all the goodies I sent her. My box came from Shenaningans Rose who sent me a box of N things. Lucky Me!!

I see a lot of yummy goodness in there. And kazoos (noise makers) which my kids have confiscated and are playing as I type this! Precious I tell you! Ok maybe not that precious! A 12 year old playing a kazoo is not that cute. It seems like a great place to end this post. I need to go take care of someone something.