i should be mopping the floor: August 2014
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Inspiration Monday | Giveaway Week

Today's Inspiration Monday is a special one!
We're adding a seventh permanent hostess to our fun!
Please welcome Meegan from What Meegan Makes!
And we also have a fabulous giveaway from One BLESSED Mommie!


We feature lots of your projects during the duration of the party via social media.
To search for features, use #InspirationMonday. 
Feel free to follow along via our blogs below:
I Should Be Mopping the Floor | Refresh Restyle
Redhead Can DecorateScattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
twelveOeight | What Meegan Makes | Your Homebased Mom

Last week's party had us drooling over the deliciousness! And with the busy school season upon us, cooking time can be hard to come by. We pulled several of the yummiest, easiest, weeknight dinner recipes for you to enjoy. Check out all of the awesomeness below {this week's features selected by Kristi from I Should Be Mopping the Floor}>>>

Free Alphabet Printable

This free alphabet printable is perfect for
nurseries, classrooms, homeschool rooms or just about anywhere! 

This free alphabet printable is perfect for nurseries, classrooms, homeschool rooms or just about anywhere!
I love rainbow designs for kids' areas! I thought the alphabet in rainbow form would be so fun. Download yours below>>>

DIY Snack Dishes from Being-Bianca

Hey, hey y'all!  It's Brett from Being-Bianca and I'm back again this month with another easy DIY. These DIY Snack Dishes are perfection. Make some for yourself below!


DIY Snack Dishes | Simple DIY Project that's Perfect for Entertaining
I just love to entertain; big gathering, small gathering, a few friends...you name it. I'm southern and it's just in my blood, I suppose :).
On a recent wandering excursion through my local Ikea, I spotted these serving bowls for the great price of $2.99 a piece. (((seriously, my Starbucks addiction costs me more for a single coffee!)))  My wheels started spinning and before I knew it; there were 4 in my cart!  They are small in size, so perfect for individual service pieces ... OR ... a cute little snack dish, perfect for a small crowd! See how they're made below>>>

Healthy and EASY School Lunch Ideas



School lunch making doesn't have to be a chore! It can be fun, healthy, AND easy with these cool snacks from NatureBox {that I sometimes snack on myself...they're so good!}. Check out a few of my healthy and easy school lunch ideas below.
#natureboxsnacks
When I get tired of lunch-making {it happens}...it turns into a several-days-in-a-row cafeteria buying frenzy {UGH!}. While buying occasionally is okay, health-wise, I really prefer to pack lunches as much as I possibly can. And with some easy pre-made snacks and ideas, I'm more likely to stick to the plan. Check out the fun>>>

Inspiration Monday

Welcome! We're so glad you're here!

Fresh from the garden recipes - Inspiration Monday

Link up on one blog and be seen in 6 different places:
Are you tired of your old furniture? Is it old and lacking personality?
Or did you pick up a piece on the side of the road!
Boy, do we have some ideas for you! Check out this week's features>>>

Help with healthy choices

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walgreens.
All opinions are mine alone. #BalanceRewards #CollectiveBias

This past year, I've dramatically changed my life around by making healthy choices, setting health goals, and dropping almost fifty pounds. Below are a few tips on how I've done it {and will continue to keep it up!}.

Besides determination and will power, I have a few things I turn to for healthy boosts...including a great phone {and desktop} app from Walgreens which helps me earn points {and then I can spend them} by making deliberate healthy choices and tracking them. You can also download the I Can and I Will free printable {for EXTRA inspiration} below>>>

Free Crafty Printables

These three free crafty printables are sure to bring a smile to the creative types in your life. Perfect for craft room walls...or anywhere, really! Let's get our craft on, people.

Three Free Crafty Printables for Crafters, Quilters and Knitters | 8x10s | Instant Downloads

These free crafty printables were born out of my love for the Muppets hecklers image that circulates the web from time to time: "Haters Gonna Hate". It makes me laugh...I always loved those two old guys! But hey, who needs hate? Download one or all of these {hate-free} creative printables below>>>

Praline Pumpkin Seed Muffins

I just popped open my first can of pumpkin for the year.
And the Praline Pumpkin Seed Muffins it went into were soooooo good.

I know it's August...but who can resist starting the pumpkin fun a bit early? These muffins are a little slice of over-the-top autumnal awesomeness on a plate. For reals. Check out the recipe below and whip up a dozen little muffins cups full of fall today!

Red, White, and Blueberry Grilled Chicken Salad Infused with Bigelow Tea

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

This Red, White, and Blueberry Grilled Chicken Salad has an amazing black tea raspberry dressing that is made with Bigelow English Teatime Black Tea, fresh raspberries, and a few other delicious ingredients. It's a mouthful of yum! Perfect to take to your Labor Day picnic or cookout! #AmericasTea #CollectiveBias

It seems like summer is always the most patriotic time of year. We bookend {and center} it with red, white and blue fun! As we get ready to leave summer in the rear view mirror {sniff, sniff}, I have one last recipe with America written all over it...Red, White, and Blueberry Grilled Chicken Salad. It's infused with flavors of delicious Bigelow English Teatime Tea...both in the dressing and the marinade of the chicken. Here's how I put it all together>>>

Ten Free Back-To-School Fonts

I've rounded up my favorite ten free back-to-school fonts. They're perfect for all of your school year projects, crafts, printables and vinyl fun. They also are perfect to use in your classroom decor. But, even though we're labeling these for school use, they work wonderfully for any setting, really. Download these free back-to-school fonts below.

Back-to-School Fonts
I'm calling to order (yet, another) meeting of the fontaholics anonymous friends. With all of the font round ups I've posted the last couple of years, I've discovered that there's a bit of a kindred spirit among all of us fonties. And here's a bit more fun: Ten Free Back-To-School Fonts to add to all of our overstuffed font books on our laptops, (let's face it, the 900+ fonts I have on this machine *may* have something to do with its slower pace...that gets slower by the minute). So as we send the kiddies off to school, here are some fabulous fonts to celebrate this special time!

Inspiration Monday

Welcome back to Inspiration Monday Party!
This is the place were you get tons of exposure...
and INSPIRATION!

When you link up here, your project is seen on 6 blogs. We also love to feature links on our social media outlets, so be sure to follow us so you don't miss anything.

This week it's all about TOMATOES.
Gardens are producing tomatoes in abundance, so now is the time to take advantage of the glorious tomato. Check out all of the yummy tomato recipes below featured from last weeks party [features chosen by redheadcandecorate.com]>>>

Free Printable Teacher Surveys

These Free Printable Teacher Surveys are a great way to get to know your teacher and bring them the goodies they're really wanting this school year!

Free Printable Teacher Surveys to make teacher-gift giving super fun and easy this year!
Sometimes, I struggle with teacher gifts. I want to make something all adorable and cute...but then, I'm all, "wouldn't they rather just have a Target gift card to get what they want?". To solve this several year dilemma, this year I plan to ask them to fill in this simple survey to give me an idea of all of their favorite things. Print them out for your own teachers below>>>

Coffee Time on the First Day of School {Free Printables}

Drop off the kids and gather the moms...for a first day of school coffee time
Download all the free printables you'll need below.
#IDelight

First Day of School Mama Coffee Time Free Printables and Ideas
A few years ago, {when both of my boys were still in preschool, actually}, a few of us would get together on the first day of school for what we referred to as the "Boohoo/Yahoo Coffee Time" {some mamas would be high-fiving, others wiping away the tears}. It seems like we all have mixed emotions on the big day...and that's okay. See below for some simple ideas and free printables for your first day of school coffee>>>

Burlap and Sunflower Wreath

Hi everyone, this is Rita from Pink Polka Dot Creations and I am so happy to be here today!  I have a fun project for you today to help celebrate these last warm (hot) days of summer!  Nothing speaks summer to me more than big bright yellow sunflowers, so I wanted to do a project with these bright cheery flowers as the main focus.Burlap and Sunflower Wreath/Pink Polka Dot Creations

I know that a lot of you have seen these cute burlap wreaths and were wondering how to make them, so here is a tutorial on how to make one of these little darlings>>>

Teacher Gift: Notebook Paper Kitchen Towel

This post for a teacher gift idea contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

Looking for a fun back-to-school teacher gift?  This Notebook Paper Kitchen Towel was so easy to make and turned out super cute! 

The free printable is available below, too.
Ummmm...so, yeah. I'm kind of in love with this one. I mean, you guys! Is there anything more presh than crafty notebook paper-resembling teacher towel? And, this one was ridiculously easy to create...I found the BEST Sharpie Fabric Markers that made this project a breeze! Check out the complete tutorial below>>>

Inspiration Monday

Welcome to the PARRRR-TAY! We're so happy you're here!
inspiration_monday_new_2014  
Link up on one blog and be seen in 6 different places:
Summer may be closing in on us but this is one of my favorite parts of summer because the garden is bursting with goodness. So many yummy veggies to use and lots of fruits and berries too! Today's features all showcase things that can be found in the garden, whether it's your garden or the farmer's garden! Check them out below>>>

Free Printable Chalkboard Lunch Box Notes

These free printable chalkboard lunch box notes are the 
perfect way to tuck a little love into your kids' school lunch boxes!

Does your kiddo enjoy a little note from mom or dad in their lunch? These free printable ones are the perfect way to bring a smile to their face! Download yours below>>>

All-Natural School Lunch Box Ideas and Giveaway

I'm super excited to partner up with Pacific Foods, USA Pears, Eco Lunch Box, Justin's and Franz to bring you not only all-natural school lunch box ideas but also a FANTASTIC giveaway with lots of goodies to get your lunch packing started right this school year!

The school year starts in just a little over two weeks for us. And my lunch box goodies are ready to go! We're going all-natural, healthy and YUMMY this year. And you can, too! Enter below to win a BIG pack of lunch box goodies for yourself.

Ham and Biscuit Stoganoff

Hi there, lovelies!  It's me, Claire from A Little CLAIREification, back with another easy and tasty recipe just for you!  It's so hard to believe it is already August.  Our kids will be back in school week after next and we'll be looking for quick dinner ideas once again just like this Ham and Biscuit Stroganoff.
Ham and Biscuit Stroganoff  - A Delicious Southern Twist On a Classic #recipe
There will always (and forever, amen) be a special place in my heart for Southern style comfort food and this recipe reminds me of my childhood. See below for the recipe>>>

Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes for The Hundred-Foot Journey Movie

I'm an Ambassador for Cost Plus World Market. Today's conversation is being brought to you by Cost Plus World Market. All opinions are mine.

Are you ready to experience everything amazing about the upcoming movie, 
The Hundred-Foot Journey? It's loaded with unbelievable Indian and French Food. Enter to win this AMAZING dream trip to Paris put together by World Market {and get a taste of all the yumminess first hand}!
#GourmetGetaway
Based on the best-selling novel by Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey stars Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren and will be in U.S. theaters on August 8. In this highly anticipated movie, Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary ingĂ©nue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant...the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin-starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren) gets wind of it.

And thanks to World Market, you could win a Culinary Trip to Paris inspired by the film, THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY. Enter below>>>

Zesty Chicken Italian Salad Recipe in Shells

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

This Zesty Chicken Italian Salad Recipe in Shells is the perfect party food...or a great dish for a light summertime dinner. It's impressive, but also very simple to put together.
#FoodDeservesDelicious  #CollectiveBias

I'll be completely honest, I sometimes am a bit intimidated with the idea of creating an entire recipe completely from scratch. Usually I base a recipe off of something else or off one of my mom's classics. But, this recipe is 100% my own creation...and I think it turned out really well. Hey, if seven and nine year old boys wolfed it down, I'd say it's a winner-winner chicken dinner {literally}.

And it's easy {my fave}! Check out the recipe below>>>

Inspiration Monday

Welcome back to the Inspiration Monday Party, we're so happy you're here!

Link up on one blog and be seen in 6 different places:
Last week's party was full of Summer FUN :) and back to school ideas! :(
Back to school is just around the corner, but I am doing my very best to ignore it, ha ha!
Today's features are 7 fun summer treats chosen to help us squeeze as much fun out of the rest of the summer as we can! See all of the fun below>>>

Free Sea Creature Printables

I think these simple free sea creature printables would be 
perfect for a coastal home or easy summer decor. 

As we wind down the summer {where on earth did it go?}, I thought I'd publish one more fun set of printables for your decor {or parties or whatevs!}. These four sea creatures will bring a touch of whimsy where ever you display them. Download them below>>>