i should be mopping the floor: November 2015
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Create a Chalk Printable in a Word Processing Program

Don't have access to fancy graphic programs? This tutorial is a simple way to create a chalk printable in a word processing program...I'm also sharing a great graphics resource, too. AND a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway!

How to Create a Chalk Printable in a Word Processing Program | Step-by-step tutorial to create your own printable chalkboard artwork in a word processing program.
Chalk printables don't have to be overly complicated to create. If you're looking to make some simple holiday artwork (or even your own chalkboard Christmas cards), this is a fun way to do that. Check out my tutorial below.

Inspiration Monday

Hiya, friends! Are you still noshing on leftover turkey and getting deliriously lost in putting up Christmas decor? Or are you like me and bundled up watching a Hallmark movie hoping the house will finish decorating itself...ha?!? We had a fun Thanksgiving both at our home on Thursday and with some of my husband's family on Friday...it was truly a great holiday. Then we started this fun:
Like I said, not totally done...and hoping the rest magically puts itself into place (wink!). Feel free to follow along here over on Instagram for more of my holiday decor. 

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Inspiration for Moms | Our Southern home

This week's party features were selected by Debbie from Refresh Restyle

Free Facebook Christmas Watercolor Timelines

These five free Facebook Christmas Watercolor Timelines are the perfect holiday touch for your profile. 

Free Facebook Christmas Watercolor Timelines | Download one of five free holiday watercolor timelines to give your profile a festive touch!
It's officially the Christmas season! YAY! Since I host Thanksgiving at my home, I've been itching to break out the Christmas decor...and I finally can. I've been working on lots of new handmade decorations this year, so it's tough to create something and then stick it in the closet for a bit. But today, we shall deck the halls, y'all! AND, be sure to deck out your Facebook Timeline for the holidays, too. Grab your favorite free Facebook Christmas Watercolor Timeline below.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Pumpkin and bananas aren't instantly thought of as the perfect flavor combo. But, this dense, rich Pumpkin Banana Bread will have you thinking twice. It's a really nice quick bread that doesn't have overpowering flavors from the fruit (or vegetable!). 

Pumpkin Banana Bread: Easy Quick Bread Recipe
I'm sad to type it, but it looks like this will be my last pumpkin recipe of the year...from here on out we seem to switch into total Christmas overload, right? Goodbye to pumpkins and hello to peppermint. (Secretly, I love the pumpkins more.) This quick bread would be perfect to whip up for Thanksgiving breakfast...especially if you have overnight guests. It's easy to nibble on while you're basting that bird. ;)

Inspiration Monday

Today's party is PERFECTION for kicking off Thanksgiving week (if you're one of our Canadian readers, you'll have to bear with us...we know your Thanksgiving has already come and gone...but we're so happy you're here)! Our hostess of the week put together some fabulous Thanksgiving inspiration for all of us still putting the finishing touches on our big feasts. Hoping you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and kick off to the holidays!

. inspiration monday in party image

In case some of you are still struggling with your meal planning for the big day, we've got lots of great ideas for you today as part of our linky party features. Enjoy! This week's linky party features were selected by Leigh Anne from Your Homebased Mom.
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How to roast a turkey from Kleinworth & Co.

yeast-rolls
Perfect Yeast Rolls from Grace and Good Eats

Slow-Cooker-Sweet-Potato-Casserole-1

Pumpkin Pie Promo
Don't forget dessert! Pumpkin Pie from Walking on Sunshine

easy-to-make-turkey-treats-006
Turkey Treats from The Country Chic Cottage.

Thanksgiving-Printable
Be Thankful Printable from Carrie Elle.

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Holiday Stove Top Potpourri from The Casual Craftlete.

Now it's time for this week's party!

Please keep in mind: – Be sure to mingle with other party guests. – Link up all of your creative fun…including recipes, crafts, printables, DIY projects and other fabulous things you’ve been up to on YOUR blog. – Please do not link Etsy stores, giveaways, or other link parties. – By linking up to the Inspiration Monday Party you are giving the seven blogs, listed above, permission to feature your project and/or photos on our social media outlets and blogs.
Are you feeling inspired? We are too! Let's Party!







Spread Cheer Not Germs Free Kleenex® Printable

This "Spread Cheer Not Germs" Free Kleenex® Printable is perfect for spreading a little love and care around your office or neighborhood. It's a practical gift...you'll be thought of every time they reach for a Kleenex®! Just print out your free printables, and attach to boxes of Kleenex® (oh, you know the Anti-Viral kind is my fave). #SpreadKleenexCare

Spread Cheer Not Germs Free Kleenex® Printable
As crazy as it sounds, my nose always runs during a prayer in church (and it's always the longest prayer...knowwhatImean?). Said prayer is inevitably followed by some kind of handshaking situation. I'm so busy digging through my purse for a Kleenex® and/or hand sanitizer that I usually miss the fellowship. A few years back, I had the idea of tucking boxes of Kleenex® at the ends of each pew (actually, I straight up copied it from seeing it at another church). It was my little way of spreading cheer...and not germs. Before I knew it, the church started replacing empty boxes and it became an official thing. When you need a Kleenex®, you needKleenex®. I thought these printables would be so fun to attach to the side of Kleenex® boxes to give to people everywhere. What a fun (and unexpected) holiday gift that people will totally use. From co-workers, to secret Santas, this is a fantastically budget-friendly gift that you can give to LOTS of people. Download your printables below. 

Dining Room Shelving

Our new dining room shelving has been an awesome space saver. Check it out below.

Dining Room Shelving: a fun alternative to china cabinets
I had buyer's remorse after getting these shelves, y'all. I went and posted my old china cabinets on Facebook (as I was in the process of emptying them) and several readers commented about how much they loved them and would love something like that in their home. Not going to lie...guilt-infusion, y'all. I put on my proverbial china cabinet goggles (if you get this reference, we probably watch the same show). For a fleeting moment, I considered hauling the shelving an hour down the road back to Ikea...but then caught the stink-eye from *someone* I had to beg to go on said Ikea trip in the first place (ahem). But, I went back to the beginning and remembered why we bought the shelving in the first place...to keep harmony in the dining room when someone on the window end of the table had to make their way out of the dining room. Check out our new wall o' shelves below.

Holiday Hammy Sammies

These Holiday Hammy Sammies are perfect to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.

Holiday Hammy Sammies: the perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers
Check out my fun and easy recipe for Holiday Hammy Sammies over on the Rhodes blog here.





Thanksgiving Place Setting with Free Printable 'Give Thanks' Tags

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone. #ForTheLoveOfHam #CollectiveBias

Today, I'm sharing a simple idea for a Thanksgiving Place Setting with Free Printable 'Give Thanks' Tags. 
It's the perfect touch for the big dinner. Download your tags below.

Thanksgiving Place Setting with Free Printable 'Give Thanks' Tags
Big day's next week, y'all. I'm not even a little ready...well, okay, my dining room is. But, me, not so much. How are we knocking on the door of the holidays already? I'm on the verge of jumping up and down with excitement or needing a paper bag to breathe in. Really. Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Today, I'm sharing how I took the stress out of the table decor part this year...and went for something super simple, yet pretty and thoughtful, too. Grab your own free printable 'Give Thanks' tags below for a last minute touch to your turkey day table.

Inspiration Monday

It's PARTY DAY, y'all! I absolutely love seeing everything you link up every week...so much gorgeousness. I'm a wee bit jealous of all of you with all of your Christmas decor up...I host Thanksgiving for my whole family, so we don't decorate until the pies have been eaten (ha!). Can't wait to see what you're up to this week!

Kennedy Fir Harvest Wreath Giveaway

This post is brought to you by Tree Classics.
All opinions are my own. 

Excited to have this Kennedy Fir Harvest Wreath Giveaway today.
Enter below to win.
My friends at Tree Classics are celebrating their 40th anniversary. I'm helping them celebrate by giving away a beautiful Kennedy Fir Harvest Wreath to one I Should Be Mopping the Floor reader. This wreath is a beautiful pre-lit wreath that retails for $159. What a fun prize to kick off your holiday decorating season! Enter below.

Sweet Potato Bread with Brown Sugar Glaze

This Sweet Potato Bread is a delicious southern fall recipe that's perfect to indulge in.

Sweet Potato Bread with Brown Sugar Glaze | A delicious and easy recipe for a quick bread that's perfect for any time of the day.
As a kid, I couldn't stand sweet potatoes. Like...ick. But my southern mom fixed them all the time...and eventually my ick towards them turned to a maybe. It wasn't the traditional sweet potato casserole that I posted about last year that won be over, either. Of course it was pie. Of course.
As an adult, I love sweet potatoes. They're on my weird diet plan and I have gotten to where I'm totally okay with a plain sweet potato...I really love them and they're easy to prepare. 
What I don't love is preparing them for baking (the peeling...it's like torture, y'all). But, these Martha White® Sweet Potato Muffin Mixes from Kroger have eliminated all of the work. And they're absolutely delicious. While the muffins themselves are yummy, I love being able to take a prepackaged baking mix and take it totally over the top with a delicious glaze and a few add-ins. Check out this easy recipe below.

Free Printable Christmas Countdown Bag Tags

This post for Christmas Countdown tags contains affiliate links. I make a small portion off of these links, with no additional cost to you.

These Free Printable Christmas Countdown Bag Tags are perfect for celebrating every day until Christmas. Fill the bags with goodies, quotes, activity ideas, and more. Download these tags for your Christmas Countdown fun below. 

Christmas Countdown Tags

Christmas countdown bags are such a fun way to count the days until the big guy slides down the chimney. My kids love it when we do this version of an Advent calendar. I fill the bags with inexpensive dollar store goodies, as well as activity ideas. Then I seal them with these cute numbered tags. They make the days leading up to Christmas really fun and memorable. Download your free Christmas Countdown bag tags below.

Pumpkin Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake

I think it's safe to say, this Pumpkin Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake is my new favorite dessert in the history of ever. Everrrrrr.
I can't wait to introduce the entire family to it over the holidays.

Pumpkin Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake | Delicious fall dessert that starts from crescent rolls!
While hosting Thanksgiving at my house is fun and all (and exhausting...amIright, hosts?), my actual favorite Thanksgiving is the next day with a part of my husband's family in Round Rock, just up the road from us. While my husband's parents and brothers all live a good distance from us, we love having his cousins and aunt and uncle nearby. 
That particular celebration started a couple of years ago...the Turkey Day after party. It's super relaxed. And we all just sit around talking for hours while the kids play. Annnnnd, a great deal of that part of the family lived in Italy for a bit...so the food is to die for. Definitely not a turkey and stuffing party...but at that point, we're all kind of over that. This year, I volunteered to bring dessert. Can you guess what I'm making? 

While the rest of the meal is Italian, dessert tends to be anything goes (with the exception of cousin Mindy's tiramisu...also to die for). Hoping my Pumpkin Pie Sopapilla Cheesecake will be a big hit at the festivities this year...it already is in my house (and at my husband's office where it disappeared lickity split).

Shopping with My Dad

I feature my dad a lot on this blog...but usually he's holding a nail gun or cutting a board.
Today, I'm chatting about our recent trip to Brownwood...and what fun I had shopping with my dad.

This guy. I kind of adore him, y'all. We are so alike. He gets me and I get him. As I mentioned in a previous post, my mother's health isn't always the best these days, and her number one caregiver is my dad. He has taken on a lot of new things around the house and never seems to stop. Sometimes, I like to get him out of their house for a bit, so he can just relax and chat. We thought it would be fun to head to Brownwood for the day...which is a place that has some fun memories for us from my college days. We also had some baking plans, too. Well...I do the baking. He makes a great taste tester. It's all fair since he does a lot of my project building...and I do the photo taking. See how that works out? Check out our fun day below.

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup Recipe

This Chicken and Pumpkin Soup Recipe is really more of a chowder...it has corn, too! But, my kids devour it better if it's a soup (what their aversion is to chowder, I'll never know). But this particular pumpkin soup recipe has all of their faves: chicken, pumpkin and corn. It's a great belly warmer.

Pumpkin and Chicken Corn Chowder
I based this recipe off of one that I read in the fall issue of Cottages and Bungalows. When I was reading it, I was like..."whaaaa?!? A real pumpkin?!?" I've always put my sister-in-law solely in the awesome baker category because she only bakes with real pumpkins. Me, I pop open more cans of pumpkin that I can keep track of. I mean, cutting a spaghetti squash in half is arduous enough for me...but, chopping up and baking with an entire pumpkin? Sighhhhh. That just overwhelmed me, y'all. I searched on Pinterest for a soup recipe that uses canned pumpkin and just couldn't find any that fit the bill. So, I rose to the challenge and what do you know? I like cooking with real pumpkin. Check out the recipe below...it's a healthy one!

Sausage and Stuffing Balls

This post for Sausage and Stuffing Balls contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.


These Sausage and Stuffing Balls with Cranberry Dipping Sauce are a fabulous holiday appetizer...or a great recipe twist to use up leftovers from the big meal!

Thanksgiving Finger Foods
These sausage and stuffing balls could also be called "little bites of Thanksgiving", y'all. They have all the essentials...except, instead of turkey, I used breakfast sausage. They're similar to the classic baking mix sausage ball, but a lot moister (I always think the baking mix ones get so dried out). These stay moist and delicious...and the cranberry dipping sauce just takes them to the next level of holiday yumminess. You'll definitely want these to nosh on this holiday season...they're a lovely departure from the norm! Check out this delicious holiday recipe (with a twist!) below.

Inspiration Monday

Hey, y'all...I'm so happy you're here to party with me and my friends. I hope you've had a fabulous weekend wherever you are. It's the season of having guests over...which means I go into "I have to change everything!" mode. Silly, really. But, I worked on some lingering home projects this weekend (and by lingering, we're talking since July, y'all). I'm excited to show you how I updated my little flea market gallery corner, though (I haven't decorated for Christmas, but I did have to put out that cutie-patootie pillow from the Targets! The reindeer is driving the car...it kills me with cuteness). I scored the red check chair at Goodwill and scrubbed her up. 

But, seriously, you didn't come to hear me ramble about my chair...let's get to the fun!


inspiration-monday-in-party-at refreshrestyle.com
The feeling of Fall and Thanksgiving was definitely reflected in last week's links!
This week's features were chosen by Jamie from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

Free Printable Mason Jar Gift Tags

UPDATE: THE EXTRA WORD ON THE TAGS ('AND') HAS BEEN CORRECTED IN THE ACTUAL DOWNLOADS. THE PHOTOS ARE ANOTHER STORY. SERIOUSLY, STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T CATCH THAT...BEFORE PRINTING, PHOTOS AND POSTING! SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO JUST LAUGH AT YOURSELF, RIGHT?!? 

These Free Printable Mason Jar Gift tags are perfect for every kind of package under your tree!

Free Printable Mason Jar Gift tags are perfect for every kind of package under your tree! | Includes two sizes and both "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays", as well as a lined note card. | Instant Downloads
I feel like a classic mason jar never goes out of style. I buy jars in bulk over the holidays so I can gift the heehaw out of them. I stuff them with everything from rolled up scarves, to cute socks, to (of course) food gifts. They really are perfect gift containers...and then great for the recipient to use again, later. Download my free printable mason jar gift tags below. They come in 'Merry Christmas', 'Happy Holidays', and a plain lined note card, too. 

How to Create Vacuum Lines Like the Professionals



Have you ever wondered how to create vacuum lines like the professionals? Or like your mom used to? Below is a simple tutorial to help you make your carpet look like perfection.

How to Create Vacuum Lines Like the Professionals | Simple-to-follow tutorial to create the classic carpet pattern with your vacuum (just like mom used to!).
While the name of my blog makes it pretty obvious that floor care perfection is somewhat questionable around these parts...I can tell you that I do love a good patterned vacuum effect. Seeing those straight and diagonal lines kind of makes my heart go pitter patter, y'all. Gosh, I can almost hear my mom saying: "You better not walk on those carpets and mess up my fresh pattern!" Ahhh, the sweet sounds of my childhood...

Check out how easy it is to create these patterns in your own carpet. It will look just like you had the professionals swing by.

How to Make a Large Vintage Centerpiece Box

Brace yourself. This post is a bit lengthy. But, I went step-by-step through the entire process (building and paint effects) of How to Make a Large Vintage Centerpiece Box. These can be made in any size...they're perfect for tables, mantels, shelves, upright pianos, and more.

How to Make a Large Vintage Centerpiece Box | Follow this building and painting tutorial to create a funky centerpiece that also works on a table, mantel, or upright piano.
So, I'll start by stating the obvious...this thing is huge, y'all. Huge. But, I purposely designed it that way. My dining table actually has two more leaves that we add for the holiday season to accommodate the whole ding dang family. So, my centerpiece box is enormous. I also have a fairly unusually wide table (at least for a rectangular one). So, making it this size works for me...but if you do decide to make this, be sure to make it according to the size you'll need. After the holidays, I'm thinking about moving it to the piano or the mantel for quick decor. I may load it up with books or other fun things...the possibilities are pretty endless with a box like this. I've already purchased a big load of tall mason jars to fill it with for Christmas...hoping to do red candles nestled in epsom salt in them (it's as close to "snow" as I get down here in Texas). 

I've truly wanted one of these for forever. Super happy to have it in place now. Check out how my dad and I made it...and how I gave it a super shabby paint treatment below. 

Free Printable Holiday Creamer Gift Tags

These Free Printable Holiday Creamer Gift Tags are perfect for all of the coffee lovers in your life. 
Just print, cut, and hang on their favorite creamer...instant stocking stuffer or quick gift!

Free Printable Holiday Creamer Gift Tags | Three Designs | Instant Downloads
I love giving gifts that I know people will really use. All of the coffee people in my life seem to love their creamer (as do I). How fun would it be to gift these with cute tags? They're perfect for EVERYONE: secret santa, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Download your Free Printable Holiday Creamer Gift Tags below.  

Inspiration Monday

Hey, hey, hey party people! I hope you're all nicely recovering from candy overload. I'm now getting lost in the land of Lifetime Christmas movies and all that fun...it's all downhill to Thanksgiving and Christmas from here, right? We've got LOADS of inspiration to get you prepared for BOTH!

inspiration-monday-in-party-at refreshrestyle.com

Blue Cheese, Pear, and Walnut Autumn Salad

Today's delicious recipe and #TurkeyDayHacks are brought to you by Bounty.
I'm a member of the #QuickerPickerUpper Crew. All opinions and recipe are mine.

Add this Blue Cheese, Pear, and Walnut Autumn Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette to your 
Thanksgiving dinner menu for a delicious healthy option that all of your guests will rave about.

Blue Cheese, Pear, and Walnut Autumn Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette | Perfect healthy AND delicious dish for your holiday dinners.
I'm sure a healthy salad may not be the first thing on your list of side dishes for Thanksgiving. But, honestly, this salad packs a punch of flavors that scream Thanksgiving. The citrus from the orange, combined with the cranberry sauce is just the quintessential Thanksgiving "taste". And having something a bit lighter to balance out all of the heavier starchy dishes on your table is a fabulous idea for all of your guests to enjoy. Check out the recipe below.