DIY Cooking at Home

Hope you are taking the day off from blogging to spend time with your loved ones this Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy! You deserve it! What I'm thankful for: My husband, who can build stuff and looks great doing it, who is the best person in the world to enjoy happy hour with, and who is a world-class dad Our girls, who are just super-cool, funny and kind human beings and bring immeasureable joy to our lives Our house, which is warm most of the time, except when the furnace acts up Our businesses, which allow us to make enough money to pay for repairs to said furnace, feed our family, and even have a little fun now and then...and keep us excited to "go to work" each day Our health Our family and our motley crew of friends, who stick by us even though we're crazy-busy and sometimes a little flaky And the little things...like warm socks, dark chocolate, cups of coffee, a good book, a glass of wine, and chips and guac.  

Hey, hey, how are ya? It's gettin' to be about that time to deck the halls! We typically get our tree right after Thanksgiving, how about you? I want to share my round-up of the prettiest tree skirts I could find over on About.com. Check out these gorgeous and unusual tree skirts here, but if you can't find one you like, consider these ideas: Make a Tree Skirt from a Tablecloth Basket Christmas Tree Skirt Rustic Crate Tree Skirt Wrapped Gift Tree Skirt Galvanized Tree Collar Red Plastic Tote Tree Skirt Happy tree hunting and decorating! You May Also Like: Magnetic Advent Calendar Christmas Countdown Cake Stand for $2

Thanksgiving is a week away, can you believe it?! So do you, like the dad on A Christmas Story , love turkey? Or are you more of a side dish person? Me: When it comes to turkey, I'm like...meh. But the sides? Oh, the sides...I dream about the mashed potatoes and stuffing, mixed with gravy and cranberry relish. Not to mention all of my other favorites, which I've listed here for you. So if you haven't planned your menu yet, or if you offered to bring a side to your family's potluck but don't know what to make, here are my family's traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. Broccoli Casserole Baked Apples Baked Acorn Squash Roasted Brussel Sprouts (simply toss in olive oil and kosher salt and roast on a baking sheet until fork-tender...yummmmm.) Photo Credit: Dishmaps My mouth is watering now...I can't wait until next week!

Hi there, how was your weekend? Hope you had a great one! We enjoyed the beautiful weather a bit on Sunday with a 2-mile hike and lunch out with the kids. Unfortunately, we had planned on hiking some more after lunch, but our littlest got a tummy ache so we headed home. Anyway, I started feeling a bit overwhelmed about the impending holiday season last night, and spent some time mapping out how to get everything done. I thought maybe you might be feeling the same, so I gathered up my Thanksgiving ideas here in one spot for you to use as a Thanksgiving survival guide. Thanksgiving Photo Centerpiece No-Sew Burlap Table Runner Placecards to Buy or DIY Problem-Solving Thanksgiving Crafts Unique Thanksgiving Table Linens Set a Beautiful Thanksgiving Table by Mixing and Matching Tableware 14 Gorgeous Thanksgiving Tablescapes Decorations for the Kids' Table Table Setting with Indian Corn For more awesome ideas, follow my Thanksgiving Pinterest board!

Decorating for the holidays is fun for a lot of you, I know, but let's be honest: it can be tiring and expensive! And because Thanksgiving and Christmas are typically associated with such different color schemes, it can be hard to re-use stuff. So as soon as the leftovers are gone, it's time to take down the turkeys and put up the reindeer. Whew! Who has the time? Well, if decorating is an overwhelming task for you, I've got great news! Over on About, I show you how to use neutrals (it's not what you think!) that will take you from Halloween to New Year's so you only have to decorate once! I love this article...I think it's so practical and smart. Check it out! How to Use Neutrals to Decorate Once for the Holidays

Can you BELIEVE Thanksgiving is in two weeks?! Maybe because it's been unseasonably warm up until now, but I'm really reeling with how fast this year is going. I feel like one of those unsuspecting cartoon characters when something really fast runs past and makes them spin around in a blur, and then they stop, looking really confused . Anyway, like I said, the weather has been beautiful but for the first time this week, there was frost on the pumpkin and I smelled winter on the air when I went outside last night. So I made comfort food: meatloaf with roasted potatoes and carrots, and baked acorn squash with bacon. If you've never had acorn squash before, you don't know what you're missing. I know a lot of people like butternut, but acorn is actually my favorite type of squash. And it's so easy to make! Just cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut it into quarters if you want. Lay the squash slices flesh side up in a pyrex baking dish, then

Hey, hey, party people! How are you? I was writing this article on ways to decorate with Indian corn over on About.com, and I thought to myself, hey, I've got a few ears of that! (Have you noticed how long this stuff lasts if you store it away from critters? It's like kryptonite.) Anyway, I got it out and thought the colors looked so pretty with some floral placemats I like to use for Thanksgiving, so I created this Thanksgiving table setting. Here are some more easy Indian corn projects for fall. You may also like these simple Thanksgiving ideas: Photo Centerpiece Placecard Holders to Buy or DIY Problem-Solvers for Thanksgiving

Hi there! I love a good lighting makeover, don't you? Turning boob lights into fashionable fixtures, DIY-ing a lampshade, or just spray painting lamps...it's all fun stuff to me. Recently, I was asked to partner with Parrot Uncle , a worldwide retailer of creative lighting fixtures, so I jumped at the chance. See, our spray painted chandelier had worn out its welcome. I loved how simple and effective it was to transform that dated builder-grade brass beauty; but, the simple truth was, it was hung way too high. And short of re-wiring it, there was no way to lower it. So...I had my eye on one of these: And without further ado, here's our new chandelier: Pretty, huh? We like it. It has a modern yet industrial edge to it that I like, and once I paint the dining room chairs black and we finish things off with accessories and stuff, I think it will really fit in nicely. Plus, I like how it closely matches the pendants we have hanging over our peninsula. See? If you wa

Hey guys! I'm excited to share with you my latest designer knockoff...these linework vases similar to West Elm's ! I shared the complete how-to over on About.com , so to find out how to make your own textured vases , head over there. Here are some pics of how mine turned out. They were cheap, easy, and fun to make! I especially love the honeycomb design, which is one of my favorite patterns right now. How to Make Your Own Textured Vases Here are some other ways to use dollar store or thrift store vases: Faux Milk Glass 9 Ways to Wrap a Cylinder Vases