Food Fun Family

How to Make Your Home Cozy This Winter #CORTatHome

Lolli — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 15:03:01 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Winter is approaching very quickly – I can feel it in my bones. One thing that I love to do for my family during the winter is make our home super cozy. Creating a cozy, comfortable atmosphere is important during the winter months because the family spends so much time in the house. Here are a few ideas to make your home cozy and inviting:

Blankets in a basket

When my kids and I are sitting in our living room, everyone has their favorite blanket (although sometimes it’s fun to share!). I like to keep a big basket in the corner where we can keep all of the blankets that are used regularly during the winter months. This allows everyone to keep their favorite blanket downstairs and it makes the house a little cozier. Hey, when you don’t have to walk up a flight of stairs to get your favorite blanket, life is good.

Space heater in the corner

We don’t have a fire place in our home, so we have to make do with a space heater. I envy those of you who can cuddle up in front of a fire. For the rest of us, we settle for a nice cozy space heater in the corner. A nice warm breeze blowing through our home makes us feel cozy, and I love how the heater pulls the kids in to the family room together versus being dispersed throughout the house. I love simply being close.

Stack of books on the table

My family’s favorite past time is to read (and read some more). Whether they’re children’s picture books to read aloud together or novels to read quietly on my own, I love to have a stack of books close by. I like to switch out the books on a weekly basis. Magazines and newspapers work just as well. There is just something about curling up with your favorite blanket and a good book.

Swap out for cozy furniture

Does your current furniture not feel cozy enough? Maybe there’s not enough space for everyone in the family to sit together at the same time. Maybe the couch is simply not cuddle-friendly. But you struggle because right now is not a good time to buy all new furniture. I have a solution for you! Furniture rental!

CORT Furniture Rental is the perfect way to rent furniture. Maybe you want to change up the look of your home. Maybe you’re a college student who just needs furniture for a year. CORT has you covered. Now you can make your home cozy, with furniture on demand. I think this is an awesome way to get a cozy feeling (and looking) home, without the hassle.

Put all my tips together and you’ll be ready to face the winter. OK…at least you’ll be warm and cozy inside. Stepping outside is a whole other ball game.

The cool thing about CORT is that they have a ton of styles and selections to choose from. You can get the cozy look you want and need for the family room, the kitchen, the bedroom, or anywhere in your house. You can rent furniture for a whole room or piece by piece. Furniture rental is perfect for families that have recently moved to a new home (maybe your new home is larger than your last home, or you just didn’t want to move that old furniture to the new house). Renting furniture with CORT is also ideal for college students, temporary assignments in a different city, or anyone in a transitional stage. Have you ever considered furniture rental?

Three Cheers for Boot Season!

Lolli — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 12:00:33 +0000

I am so happy that it’s boot season! I was never much of a boot person until just about 3 years ago when I was converted thanks to my oldest daughter’s boot wish list. Now I’m hooked! I love shopping for boots like some women like shopping for purses, so Famous Footwear is naturally one of my favorite places to go. The selection, quality, and prices can’t be beat!

How I Celebrate Boot Season:

I was at Famous Footwear earlier this week looking for my next favorite pair of shoes. Of course, I had to try on a few dozen pair. I tried on waterproof boots, cold weather boots, tall boots, short boots, and even a few pairs of shoes that weren’t boots at all. I finally settled on the BEARPAW Boshie Winter Boot because 1) they made my feet feel like they were walking on clouds (not that I have personal experience with cloud-walking, but I can imagine), 2) they were in a color (chestnut) that was currently missing from my boot collection and 3) the buckle and knit details on the back of the boot were absolutely adorable.

I’m not a fashionista by any means, but I’ve already gotten compliments on my new boots, and I was so happy with how well they went with a pair of jeans, a scarf, and a sweater. That’s basically my winter outfit of choice – I like warm, cozy, and comfortable, and if I can fit a little bit of “cute” in to the picture, then I’m a happy girl.

Now that I’m sporting a new pair of winter boots, I can see my 12-year-old daughter eyeing them with that “when are you going to get ME a new pair of boots?” look on her face. She rocked her Christmas present Bearpaw boots from last year all the way through the summer (yes, even with shorts) and they’re still going strong. But I know how she feels. There are never too many boots.

Check Out These #ohsofamous Moments

Check out the Famous Footwear #ohsofamous style gallery – a fun place to get inspiration, explore what others are wearing, and see the variety that Famous Footwear offers. And after you browse what everyone else is wearing, it’s your turn to share your own #ohsofamous moments. I can’t wait to see what everyone else is wearing (hey, I might even be inspired to add a little more “cute” to my “comfy” winter outfits.

Connect with Famous Footwear:

Website | Pinterest | Twitter | Facebook | #ohsofamous style gallery

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Winter Wonderland Peppermint Playdough

Jody — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 06:00:25 +0000

Nothing keeps little ones busy and works on fine motor development like playdough. Make your own, add some delicious holiday scent and a little sparkle to really put it over the top with your kids! Peppermint adds a fresh new aspect to homemade playdough and involves yet another of your child’s senses in on the fun. Set out playdough with rollers, cookie cutters, craft sticks, stamps, etc. to make the fun last even longer and open up their creativity. This would be perfect for winter themed parties, Frozen play time, or anytime for scented play. Note: affiliate links used within this post.

Winter Wonderland Peppermint Playdough

Author: Jody

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup salt
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil or coconut oil
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
5-8 drops peppermint essential oil (or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract)
glitter

Instructions

Heat water in microwave for 2 minutes.
Combine flour, salt, hot water, vegetable oil, and cream of tartar in a large bowl until well combined and mixture begins to cool.
Add peppermint and glitter to the amounts you prefer, remove from bowl and knead on counter for 2 to 3 minutes.
Store in an airtight container, mine usually lasts several months.
If it begins to dry out just add a bit of oil.

This play dough also makes a great homemade gift idea for any little ones in your life. Put it in a pretty jar and tie on a cookie cutter for a sweet handmade gift they will love.

Homemade playdough is so easy to make, and so fun to play with. Make a few batches and add a few drops of food coloring so you’ve got several different colors for some hands-on indoor winter fun!

Here are some visual instructions:

Heat, mix and knead…

Add some sparkles…

Squish, roll, shape, and have FUN!

For more Christmas and winter ideas, visit a few of my favorite bloggers:

Cranberry Stove Top Potpourri Recipe by Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Christmas Practice Writing Sheets by A Mom’s Take
Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Drizzle by Mom Does It All
Christmas in a Jar by 2Boys+1Girl=OneCrazyMom
Ornament Christmas Tree Picture by Simply Southern Mom
Easy Challah Bread Rolls from Your Bread Machine by Day By Dy In Our World
DIY Christmas Mouse Ornaments by Blessed Elements
Homemade Cinnamon Snowflake Ornament by MommaDJane
Graham Cracker Reindeer by This Mama Loves
DIY Glittered Christmas Ornaments by How Was Your Day?
Peppermint Bath Salts by Style on Main
DIY Advent Calendar by Upstate Ramblings
Cream Cheese Biscuit Puffs by Jennifer Sikora

Snowy “Muddy Buddy” Chocolate Pinecones

Lolli — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 06:00:07 +0000

It’s very likely that you’ve seen those gorgeous, can’t-tell-they’re-not-real-pinecones chocolate pinecone treats on Pinterest. I was intrigued by the pinecones so I had to give them a try for this month’s Pinterest Remake challenge.

I learned a couple of things making my own version of this wintery treat: chocolate pinecones taste incredible (no one could stop eating them) and they are a whole lot harder to make than they sounded in the instructions. You’ve been warned. They just happen to be totally worth it.

When I read through the original recipe on Hand Made Charlotte, I decided that the first change I wanted to make was to use a classic muddy buddy recipe instead of plain cereal. I was NOT disappointed in this decision. I don’t make muddy buddies often (like maybe 3 times in the last 20 years?) so that in itself was a huge treat – for myself and for the kids (and husband) who couldn’t stay out of them. After we had finished the muddy buddy pieces, I had some of the pinecone base left and tried it with the plain cereal. Muddy buddies ALL the way, let me tell you!

5.0 from 3 reviews

Chocolate "Muddy Buddy" Snowy Pinecones

Author: Lolli

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Muddy Buddies

4½ cups Chocolate Chex cereal (or other Chex flavor)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup powdered sugar

Pinecone base

½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup Nutella
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1½ cups powdered sugar
6 pretzel sticks
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

To Make Muddy Buddies:

Measure cereal into a large bowl; set aside.
In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High about 1 minute; stir. Add a 10-30 seconds as needed until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over cereal and toss gently with large spoon or hands until evenly coated.

To Make Pinecone Base:

Mix peanut butter, Nutella, coconut oil, and powdered sugar in a bowl. I found it easiest to knead with my hands at the end. Add additional powdered sugar if needed to make a firm dough.
Separate dough into 6 equal parts. I found it helpful to chill the base sections you aren't using in refrigerator while you're working on the other pinecones.

To Assemble Pinecones:

Form each of the sections of pinecone base into cones with the large part on the bottom. Stick a pretzel stick through the top for a little stability. Sprinkle work area generously with powdered sugar so the pinecone won't stick when you try to move it.
Beginning at the bottom of the cone, stick cereal (muddy buddy) pieces around the base. Work up the pinecone, sticking cereal pieces into the base, angled so that the cereal points upwards. Keep working upwards and around until you've covered the entire "pinecone" with cereal. I angled my cereal pieces more as I got closer to the top.
Dust each pinecone with powdered sugar. To eat: remove the cereal pieces from the base (and be sure to grab a little bit of that Nutella and peanut butter dough in each bite!).

Some process photos:

A few notes: The base “dough,” no matter what I did, was determined to fall. You have to work kind of fast to assemble each one before it ends up looking like a big, messy blob of chocolate and cereal. The powdered sugar does a really good job of hiding imperfections, but it’s still hard to make these look as pretty as the original poster’s. Granted, that could have something to do with the fact that I substituted coconut oil for the butter in the base. Regardless of the tendency for this dough to be a little messy, the taste made up for any headache. I personally loved the slight coconuty taste. Next time, I might decrease the amount of coconut oil to 1 tablespoon to see if that would help the consistency of the base.

There WILL be muddy buddy mix left over after you assemble your pinecones. Unless you snack on them the entire time. Not that that happened in our house or anything…Just warning you that you will not need to use all of the cereal to create the 6 pinecones.

Have fun making your pinecones (and eating them, too, of course!).

For more Pinterest Remakes, here are a few of my favorite bloggers:

Peppermint Body Scrub in 5 Minutes by Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Maple Roasted Carrots by Upstate Ramblings
Stamped Alcohol Inked Coasters by How Was Your Day?
Acorn Squash Stuffing Recipe by A Mom’s Take
How to Make Lightbulb Christmas Ornaments by Jennifer Sikora
Winter White Red Velvet Fudge by Mom Does it All
How to Make a Coffee Filter Wreath by Mom Always Finds Out
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Bars by Home and Garden Cafe
Coconut Crescent Layer Bars by Sincerely, Mindy
Make your Own Christmas Tree by 2Boys+1Girl=OneCrazyMom
Do It Yourself Cork Coasters by Philzendia

Another Week, Another Snow Day (Or Three) #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 01:59:43 +0000

It’s getting old. The snow and the snow days and not having school.

I do like turning my 5:00 am alarm off and catching a few extra hours of sleep. But oh my goodness. Being stuck inside for so many days…all 6 of us? It gets old.

OK, enough complaining. Here are just a few of the shots I captured this past week.

My 15-year-old taught herself how to make cinnamon rolls during one of the days stuck inside. And she made them twice this week. We were all grateful for her new-found talent. Very grateful.

Thanks to the extra time at home, my soon-to-be 12-year-old and I spent lots of snuggly time reading a book out loud together. (If you’re curious, we’re reading Princess Academy)

The other day, on the way home from school, as we were awaiting another big snow storm, a fog rolled in and the melted snow in our neighborhood looked so cool. So we pulled over and took some pictures, of course.

And then today, it snowed again. So, of course, I baked some cookies.

PS – tomorrow is yet another snow day.

All photos were taken with my Nokia Lumia 830 Windows Phone, which I am currently reviewing. I got the phone for free, and each week I’m doing different challenges on Twitter. Follow the hashtag #LumiaSwitch to see the conversation.

Now it’s time for YOU to show me your best shots from this past week. Link up below and have a fantastic weekend!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Shot – Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="https://foodfunfamily.com/tag/give-me-your-best-shot" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com" target="_blank"></a> Hosted by <a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="https://www.foodfunfamily.com" target="_blank">Lolli</a> </center>

An InLinkz Link-up

Snow…And More Snow! #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 05:01:09 +0000

I have a confession. I got home from my youngest son’s Blue and Gold banquet about 2 1/2 hours ago, and the goal was to come straight up to my computer to get this post ready. But I have become completely distracted by a photo of a dress that most of you have probably seen by now. My daughter showed me the dress tonight at the Blue and Gold Banquet. She asked me what colors I saw.

Blue and faded black, I said.

She ran away, with a crazy look on her face and no explanation for me. She proceeded to ask EVERYONE what colors they saw. White and Gold. I kept hearing it. I was convinced that all of these people were trying to trick me, that there was some weird conspiracy to get those of us not in on the joke to change our minds about what we saw.

I could not be convinced, and I still can’t be convinced. As many times as I’ve seen the photo, and as many times as I’ve tried to squint and cross my eyes to see a different effect, the result is the same for me.

The dress is unmistakably blue and black. (By the way, the real dress IS, in fact, blue and black, in case anyone is wondering). I don’t understand it. I don’t know why this has caused such a controversy on and offline tonight. But it’s time to move on, don’t you think?

This week brought us LOTS of snow. And more snow. My youngest, AJ, was thrilled for our big storm on Saturday and used the opportunity to build an amazing snow cave behind our house. His big brother, T, built a mountain of snow just a short distance away. They were cold, wet….and happy. I stayed inside and baked and made soaps and lotions.

All photos were taken with my Nokia Lumia 830 Windows Phone, which I am currently reviewing (the pics are not edited!). I got the phone for free, and each week I’m doing different challenges on Twitter. Follow the hashtag #LumiaSwitch to see the conversation.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

An InLinkz Link-up

Fight Winter Dryness and Heal Dry Skin with #Vaseline

Lolli — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 14:36:18 +0000

This post brought to you by Vaseline. The content and opinions expressed below are that of https://foodfunfamily.com/.

Growing up in California, dry skin was a regular problem for me, but once I moved to the Washington DC area many years ago, the humid air helped tremendously…for part of the year. But now that I have moist air for the spring and summer, once fall approaches and finally when winter hits, the change in climate is even worse for my skin. I feel like my skin becomes dehydrated from the lack of moisture in the air and it suffers.

Luckily, Vaseline brand came to the rescue with a wonderful gift package to combat the dry skin issues that are already creeping up. How wonderful is this? Not only did they send Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion and test strips to see just how dry my skin really was, but they sent Godiva hot chocolate and a personalized mug with my twitter handle on it (yes, it’s my new favorite!).

About a week ago, I tested an under-moisturized trouble area, and to see if I might be able to improve that area in 5 days with a Vaseline lotion test. While I am generally dilligent about lathering up my feet and hands with lotion morning and night, I am horrible about remembering to treat my elbows and my arm above the elbow.

When I analyzed my beginning test strip, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Granted, that could be because winter hasn’t fully hit yet. But it still came back as DRY.

I started putting Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion on my arms – from my hands (which I do nightly already) to my upper arms – once a day to see if I could tell a difference.

If the “after” test strip doesn’t show the results well enough, take my word for it. My elbows have NEVER been this soft. They actually feel like normal skin and not the hard, dry elbow skin I’m used to.

Where are your problem spots? Are you like me and suffer from cold weather seasonal dry skin? What is your routine for fighting winter dryness?

About Vaseline Intensive Care Lotions:

Vaseline Intensive Care Lotions deeply moisturize to heal dry skin
Vaseline Intensive Care Lotions contain healing micro-droplets of Vaseline Jelly to deeply moisturize to heal dry skin
Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Fragrance Free is clinically proven to heal dry skin in 5 days. and keep dry skin healed for 3 weeks
Vaseline Intensive Care is available at mass retail outlets with an SRP from $2.99-$8.49. The suggested retail price for the 10oz bottle is just $4.99

Winter Photo Walk {PSF Give Me Your Best Shot}

Lolli — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 02:34:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I had a streak of bad luck with ice this week (read all about my crazy walk to school here) I was eager to get out of the house with my friend, Lisa, today when she asked if I’d like to have a “date” with our cameras. Lisa and I have a history of photo outings together (like this one back in Winter 2008 or this one later that Spring). I think we need to make this a regular date. I know that, for me at least, today’s photo walk proved that I need more practice. My photography fingers are getting rusty and that is NOT good.

We didn’t make it very far on our walk today, but we were still able to enjoy the scenery from the relatively dry pier. Lisa’s photos of the same scenes have inspired me to try a little harder. Maybe I’ll twist her arm and drag her out on a monthly photo walk. I think I may be able to convince her…

Despite the snow on the ground and the fact that ALL of the paths around the lake were treacherously icy, we’ve actually enjoyed some nicer weather the last 2 days. I didn’t even wear a coat on our winter photo walk. I’m ready for the rest of this to melt and Spring to come!

What photos have you taken this week? Please share on this week’s linky below!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="https://foodfunfamily.com/tag/give-me-your-best-shot" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com" target="_blank"></a> Hosted by <a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="https://foodfunfamily.com" target="_blank">Lolli</a> </center>

An InLinkz Link-up

Slipping on Ice – Recreating the Viral Video

Lolli — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 02:32:21 +0000

I kid you not. After I had fallen flat on my butt not once but twice before I made it to the cross walk at the back of the elementary school, the crossing guard mentioned that I reminded her of the “slipping on ice” viral video she had seen the night before. She described the video to me: Dad is sitting in car with his phone. Notices that a good majority of the kids coming around the corner right in front of his car are tumbling on the ice. Turns the video camera on and captures 5+ minutes of hilarious falls.

My story…

I left the house at the regular time this morning. AJ commented to me that the sky looked like it was going to rain and wondered out loud if it would start anytime soon. It did. Before we had gotten out of our court, the rain started to fall.

As we approached the cross walk just beyond our court, AJ and I slipped on our first patch of ice together. We laughed, we stood up, and we kept going. 3 feet later, I slipped again. I’m sure I looked just as graceful as the kids slipping on the patch of ice on the video. One minute I was standing tall, the next minute, I was sprawled on the melty-frozen, muddy ground.

By the time we had made the typically-seven-minute-walk to school, the light rain had turned into heavy freezing rain, and before I could make it home, I had slipped on the ice 3 additional times. After the last tumble, I lost all confidence in my ability to get home safely and walked at a snail’s pace, one foot in front of the other, so I could remain upright for as long as possible.

Incredibly, I didn’t feel the pain at that point. I knew that my bad knee would not fare well after 5 falls, but on my way home the only thing hurting was my bruised ego. All I wanted was a long, hot bath and my mom to tuck me in bed.

If ever there was a viral video to recreate, THIS video was the wrong one to choose.

I am not looking forward to getting out of bed tomorrow morning.

Frozen {PSF Give Me Your Best Shot}

Lolli — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:30:41 +0000

Believe it or not, I am NOT talking about the Disney movie. Not this time.

Yesterday, we woke up to yet another day of school being cancelled due to the weather. Everything was covered in ice.

So, naturally, I went out in my pajamas and boots with my camera around my neck in an attempt to capture some of the beauty of the ice storm that hit us (hoping all the while that no branches would fall on my head…).

Capturing the perfect frozen shot proved to be pretty difficult, and in my pjs I didn’t last too long. It was still worth the trip outside!

How has the weather been where you live?

What photos have you taken this week? Please share on this week’s linky below!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="https://foodfunfamily.com/tag/give-me-your-best-shot" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com" target="_blank"></a> Hosted by <a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="https://www.foodfunfamily.com" target="_blank">Lolli</a> </center>