Weekend Wonders Link Up #17

Yay it's party time! Shatzi and I took a break last week for Thanksgiving and I missed the party before that because of my move. Now I'm so excited to be back and partying again!

There's no features this week but make sure and check back next week for your regularly scheduled shout outs.

Weekend Wonders Guidelines...

1. Follow your hosts, Love and Laundry and The Thriftiness Miss via GFC, bloglovin, or Linky Followers. If you are a new follower, leave a comment and let us know how you follow and we will make sure and return the favor.
2. Link to a specific post, not your homepage.
3. Show us your crafts, recipes, shopping hauls, photos, stories, really whatever you're proud of!
4. Please do not link up Etsy shops, parties, and/or giveaways.
5. Visit some other links and let them know how wonderful they are! We all love some positive feedback.

Grab a party button for your sidebar and posts to help spread the word!

Now Party On! I can't wait to see what you have for us this week!

Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake

Here's an absolutely delicious and easy semi-homemade dessert that I made the other night.

I found myself with a bunch of apples that needed to be used up and I remembered a pin I seen once for an easy apple dump cake made with a boxed cake mix. This is my adapted version of it and it's truly amazing. 

Ingredients

• 7-8 medium apples, washed, cored, and cut into slices 
• 1 box angle food cake mix
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

• Place the apples in the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. In a separate bowl combine cake mix, melted butter, and 1/4 cup of water. The mixture will be slightly thick. 

• Pour the cake batter over the apples and mix until combined.

• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cinnamon over the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

The end consistency is kind of like a bread pudding and the apples are tender enough to cut with a spoon even with the skins left on. Also, your house will smell like you've been baking all day!

The only thing that could make this better would be a simple icing or a spoon of vanilla ice cream over the top. Yum!

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Brown Sugar Smoked Sausage with Noodles and Veggies

This is honest to God my favorite dinner. I make it at least once a week when my guy isn't getting too sick of eating it. It's nutritious and cheap and it tastes oh so good!

Ingredients

• 1 package smoked sausage, cut into slices
• 1 cup cooked pasta or rice (I used angel hair)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
• 1 cup fresh cauliflower florets
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

Instructions

1. Start browning the meat in a skillet on low to medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add in onion, broccoli, garlic, and cauliflower and saute over medium high heat until the veggies are fork tender and meat is done. The mixture should be slightly greasy. 
3. Add in brown sugar and continue sauteing until a sauce is formed and the mixture is coated.
4. Add in noodles or rice. Turn the heat to high and continuously stir until completely mixed. 

Enjoy!!

15 Tips for a Smooth Moving Experience

We moved! My family and I have just got all moved in to a new house and it’s been a crazy whirlwind of a month!

Fortunately for us we have moved to a much bigger place with lots of room for everyone to spread out. Something that we've desperately needed ever since my son came along two years ago. I never thought baby stuff would take up so much room. It’s crazy!

Since this was my first move with a toddler I was determined to make it as easy as I possibly could. I researched and learned from my own experiences, past and new and came up with this list of 15 tips to make your move much easier on you and everyone else involved.

Moving Tip #1: Start as early as possible.

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We found out we were moving with only a month to get everything done. The day I found out I started my plan of action. Make a list of materials you will need like boxes in various sizes, tape, packing peanuts, labels, cleaning supplies, ect. and get those supplies early.

Also, there’s LOTS of things that can be packed and waiting to be moved weeks in advance. Make an ongoing list of these things to keep you packing from the beginning. Things like your winter/summer clothes, extra toys, books, pictures and other décor are good to pack up early since you don’t use them every day.

Moving Tip #2: Get free boxes from 24 hour stores.

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If you have a department store that’s 24 hours, you can get all the boxes you need for free. I called my local Wal-Mart and they saved me carts of empty boxes and even asked me what sizes I needed. These stores do their shelf restocking in the middle of the night and crush all the empty boxes the next morning, so it’s no loss to them to give you the boxes. 

I even enlisted a friend to go with me at 1:00am and we walked around the store and gathered boxes from all of the stockers in the isles. They were more than happy to unload them on us and everyone was so nice.

Moving Tip #3: Give it or pitch it.

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A new house for me, meant a chance at an entirely new and organized space. I gave tons of toys and clothes to the Good Will and I have more to give still. If you don't use it regularly then chances are it's not that important. Be honest and purge as much unused stuff as you can. You'll feel much better when you are in the new house with less of it to find a place for.

Moving Tip #4: Usefulness is relative.

Ask yourself if you'll actually use an item in the new house before you pack it. Do you really need 15 pairs of gloves or will your child actually play with that toy again? Or could someone else get some benefit from it?

Moving Tip #5: Make a new house plan for old house packing.

Take some time while packing and make a new house plan. Know the rooms in which boxes will be taken, pack like items together, and write it on the outside of the box in large, easy to read letters. This helps with the packing but helps most of all with the unpacking. This also helps you to realize what you need and what you should get rid of.

Moving Tip #6: Designate an area for packed boxes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

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Whether it’s in the garage, basement, or any open room, you’ll want a space to put all the boxes you pack up. By the end, we had a few different “designated box spots” but it was a lot easier to bring the packed boxes to a specific place instead of loading them up against a wall in the room I was packing. It helps you to see what you have left to do.

Moving Tip #7: Make VIB's (very important boxes)

You don't want to be searching around in boxes for the alarm clock in the middle of the night or your curling iron right before you have to go to work. Whatever is essential to your schedule, keep it close.

Moving Tip #8: Pack one room at a time.

Or at least try to. And I don't mean to pack everything in the entire room before you move on to another. Simply start in a room and pack everything that can be packed up early. You'd be surprised what you don't use all the time. Then when moving day gets closer, start with the rooms again and pack what you can.

Moving Tip #9: Call in your favors.

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Call in your favors from friends, family, and nieghbors. It doesn't have to be just help moving furniture either. See if someone will watch the kids on moving day or if your girlfriends would help you clean the old house or maybe even someone to contribute a homemade dinner. Every little bit helps.

Moving Tip #10: Turn on the utilities.

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Take it from me, you don't want to get to the new house and be without the utilities. Makes sure you communicate to your providers early on that you're moving and the specific day that power, water, gas, cable, internet, ect. should be turned on.

Moving Tip #11: Keep the kids involved.

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I think this is especially important if you have young ones. You want them to feel comfortable in their new home just as you want to be comfortable. I think most Moms will agree with me when I say that if the kids aren't happy you aren't happy.

Let the kiddos help pack up boxes, clean, plan their bedrooms, anything that keeps them involved. Try to make it fun and exciting so the new house is good place to go to.

Moving Tip #12: Make freezer meals.

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It was a massive help to have some quick and easy meals in the freezer that I could just pop in the oven or microwave. It allowed me to spend more of my time unpacking and settling in. Try my DIY Peanut Butter and Jelly Uncrustables, Cream Cheese Tomato Soup, or Sausage, Egg, and Cheese English Muffin Sandwiches for the freezer.
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Moving Tip #13: Set up the kid's space first.

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Or get them going on their space first. This will help you have more time to unpack and get the house around. It's even better if you can plan some fun activities to keep their interest as well. More time for you equals less stress and that's something we all need during a move.

Moving Tip #14: Stock up on the forgettables. 

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Make a list of necessities for the new house and stock up. You'll always need light bulbs, batteries, cleaning supplies, paper towels, laundry soap, shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper... Did I forget anything... I know I did...

Moving Tip #15: Try to have fun!

Try! Moving can get tense and stressful but you have to try to keep a positive attitude if you can. Think of it as the next chapter in your book. What would you want your book to say?

I hope these help some of you with your next move. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!

Freezer Meals: Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches

Over the past month and a half I've been making up freezer meals with my Sister-in-law every week. It's been going really well too. I'm amazed at the amount of money that it's saving us on our grocery bills.

We have our favorites and we've had some meals that didn't come out like we had expected them to. Recipe trial and error.. My favorite kind!

  

We usually try to do at least one breakfast a week. Sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches on English muffins is one of my favorites because it's quick, easy, and cheap. 

I like to make them up and wrap them in wax paper because it's microwave safe. 90 seconds and you have yourself a filling breakfast on the go. 

You need...

1 box of 6 English Muffins

6 eggs

1 pound breakfast sausage

6 slices of cheese

First, start to toast the English muffins.

Meanwhile, divide sausage into six even potions and make patties. Fry in a pan and set aside to cool. 

Next fry the eggs and set aside.

When everything is done and at room temperature  assemble the sandwiches. You want to make sure the eggs and sausage are cool so that the cheese doesn't melt too much. 

Then, wrap each sandwich in a sheet of wax paper and freeze. 

These are also great with bacon and ham instead of sausage and on biscuits rather than English muffins and they freeze just as well. 

I'll be back soon with more of our favorite freezer meals. I've got some good ones coming up! 

Lotion Bottle to Dish Soap Pump

Since I have a new house to decorate I have lots of little projects to post about. This is one of my favorite things I've done at the new house so far.

I have this cute little window above my sink in the kitchen. I love that the window ledge serves as a perfect shelf to keep the dish soap and scrubbies on. I don’t however love the look of the dish soap bottle. 

I've had this glass bottle full of cucumber melon lotion for a couple years now. I have very sensitive skin though, so I can’t use it, but I kept it because the bottle is beautiful. 

Light Bulb!! I emptied out the lotion. It’s a shame I can’t use it because it smells amazing!

Then, I filled it up with the dish soap and it’s a lot prettier than the plastic bottle. It also helps to use less soap because it’s a pump. 

I think next time I’ll use a different color dish soap.

What do you think? Better?

I'm Back!

Hello Readers!  

If any of you were wondering if I fell off the face of the earth, I did! You may remember a while back when I said that we were moving. Well.. we're all moved in now and I've had no internet for 2 whole weeks.. and I'm telling you guys, I've been losing my mind.

I've been feeling so cut off for everyone. I haven't been talking to friends, I've missed out on a couple of really fun things in blog world, and I never realized how not having access to all this would affect me so much.

But I'm back up and running and ready to blog baby! The one good thing that has came out of this, is that I've had a chance to get some ideas around. I've got some posts coming up that I'm really excited to share with you.

So until next time... I've missed you! Now if you'll excuse me I have 2 weeks of my favorite blog to read! I definitely have some catching up to do!

Have an excellent day my friends!

Weekend Wonders Link Party #14

It's time for another Weekend Wonders link party! We did so great last week! Thank you so much to all of you who link up and help promote the party! You guys are the best!

We had a three way tie for the most viewed link of last week's party! 

Pumpkin Pie Tortilla Rolls from Sweet Little Blue Bird

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Pancakes from Wifessionals

Homemade Caramel Sauce from Growing Up Gabel

This week our co-host for the Weekend Wonders Party is  The Jack Chronicles.

Please check out her blog and give her a follow as well as your hosts.

As always, we are so very appreciative of everyone who links up with us. We just can't say thank you enough!

The Weekend Wonders party will run until Tuesday night and features will be announced on Wednesday. We will also be sharing our favorite posts from the party on Facebook and pinning them on Pinterest, into our Weekend Wonder Features board. 

Weekend Wonders Guidelines...

1. Follow your hosts, Love and Laundry and The Thriftiness Miss via GFC, bloglovin, or Linky Followers. If you are a new follower, leave a comment and let us know how you follow and we will make sure and return the favor.

2. Link to a specific post, not your homepage.

3. Show us your crafts, recipes, shopping hauls, photos, stories, really whatever you're proud of!

4. Please do not link up Etsy shops, parties, and/or giveaways.

5. Visit some other links and let them know how wonderful they are! We all love some positive feedback.

Grab a party button for your sidebar and posts to help spread the word!

Now link up and have fun!