November's Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month!

I get to visit a lot of really great blogs from the link parties I host here, and I have a lot of dedicated "regular" party guests. It's always a thrill to see new posts every week and to sometimes meet someone new, and I love every minute of it.

I found Ana's blog, carpe_diem,  through another blog hop; after seeeing this super cute watermelon bag, I became her follower right away! Since then, she has continued to wow me with her immaculate DIY-projects, such as an array of costumes, homemade treats, and other creative handmade projects, like this cute little mushroom stool. 

The adorable watermelon bag!!

Ana hails from Croatia, and her blog is full of lots of fun things to explore. She is a real sweetie and her handy work is truly remarkable. Stop by her blog today and show her some love! 

I have some blogs in mind for the next Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month, but if you would like to nominate one, please do so in the comments. The only requirements are that the blog has 200 or less GFC followers, is continuously updated, and has to do with parenting, health, crafts, cooking, and/or creativity.

Sweet Saturday #24: Happy Fall Foamie Banner

Lily and I have been busy doing fall crafts, at home and at school, and our recent project used foamies- lots of them! They always have them in the $1 Spot section of Target right when we walk in, so we picked up some fall-themed shapes: apples, leaves, acorns, and pumpkins. Here's what we made.

I made the ones that say "HAPPY" and "FALL", and Lily decorated the two apples on the ends (I know, as if you needed me to explain that...). It was a fun and simple project to do with her. After we were done sticking the foamies on, I punched holes into the stems then  strung them together with a piece of ribbon. Easy-peasey and cheap! Gotta love it!

Lily enjoyed decorating the foamie apples with me, but she enjoys real apples even more!

We picked up some pumpkins earlier today, so stay tuned for what we do with those. I'm not sure if I want to do some classic carvings, paint them, or something completely different. What do you think?

We had lots of goodies linked up here last weekend- thank you all for joining! Here are the top 3 fall-themed features:

Just look at this delicious and creative slice of cake! It's made with apples, chocolate, and honey! Wow! This cake just took my breath away, and many others as well! Thanks, Winnie at Something Sweet!

Still looking for the perfect Halloween costumes for your whole family? Look no further than Carpe Diem for instructions for this creative set of Wizard of Oz costumes. Simply amazing! Thanks, Ana!

I featured Kim from Made in a Day last weekend, but I just couldn't help but feature her again with this awesome Halloween Mantel of hers here today. The lady has creativity!

The Top 3 clicked on overall were:

The Only Way at Saved by Grace

Eat to Beat Cancer at Back to Basics

No-bake Peanut Butter Fudge at Good Girl Gone Green

Thanks, ladies!

Now on to the party!!!

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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Sweet Saturday #23: Festive Fall Wreath

Poor little Lily is still not feeling quite herself, so she's home having a sick day again today :( She got sent home a little early from her school again yesterday with a fever; today the fever is pretty low, but I felt it was best to keep her home again anyway. She's happy as can be watching her favorite, The Little Mermaid, right now as I type this.

Today I'm sharing this easy-to-make fall wreath I created. It was quite simple...

 

I purchased the wreath a while ago, and have been reusing it each month to make a different wreath. Well, I made one for April and one for June...then this was the most recent one I finally made again for October! I'm a busy lady, what can I say? But, now that the holidays are upon us, I think I will be more inspired to keep up with changing it up each month. All in all, it cost me about $8 to make this heart-warming wreath. Not bad!

I wrapped the ribbon around the straw wreath, then affixed all the embellishments by either sticking the stems directly into the straw, or attaching it with wire. I do this without glue so I can use the wreath over and over and not have to buy a new one. 

I mentioned in my last post that I am moving towards changing up the layout here. I'm kind of "over it", and my blog is about more than just eating healthy and recipes now, so I think the general look should reflect that. The name will be the same, of course, but I don't know how the rest will look. So stay tuned and don't be surprised if next time you visit, things look different!

I have also decided that in light of the fall season that has already been full of Halloween crafts, pumpkin treats, costume ideas, and other fall-inspired blog posts, I will feature the top 3 most clicked on Sweet Saturday link that is fall-related now through November. I will then continue this trend season-to-season as long as this link party keeps going! Too much fun stuff gets linked up here each week for me not to share :) It is my favorite thing about Friday, truly!

Now on to the features!

When I saw these cookies from What's Cookin' in the Burbs, it was no wonder they had so many visitors! The perfect Halloween treat with fun and festive decoration :)

Speaking of wreaths, how cool is this one from Made in a Day? I especially love the crows and spooky white pumpkin!

Who doesn't like hot chocolate on a chilly day? Chocolate, Chocolate, and More offers a unique spin on a classic using white chocolate and pumpkin spice!

Thanks for sharing, ladies! 

The top 3 most clicked on overall were:

Taco Ranch Chili from Full hands, Full Heart

My Froley

Christs Earthly Ministry: Triplets of Love from Saved by Grace

Now on to the party!!!

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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September's Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month!

This month's Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month is quite a clever one, the name alone should give you a clue: My Pinterest Reality. I first found Kimberly's blog via Simple Living's Foodie Friday recipe hop and here's the initial post that caught my attention: Accordion Potato Roast. Wow, right?! I think hers turned out better than the original pin...

Doesn't that look delicious?

Kimberly's mission is to literally make the things she pins on Pinterest "her reality". With each day and with each post, My Pinterest Reality shares with us a creative new pin- whether it be recipe, craft idea, DIY jewelry, kid's activity, or whatever captures her interest. 

Some more examples of fun posts you can find are this letter made of wine corks, this pretty wire and bead necklace, and this cute and easy to make jersey knit headband. The writing is done well, the layout is lovely, and the pics provide easy to follow visual instructions for each project.


Stop by My Pinterest Reality- you won't be disappointed! It's a great idea for a blog, and one that I know must keep Kimberly busy :)


I have some blogs in mind for the next Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month, but if you would like to nominate one, please do so in the comments. The only requirements are that the blog has 200 or less GFC followers, is continuously updated, and has to do with parenting, health, crafts, cooking, and/or creativity.

It's Meatless Monday, but I'm taking a break...

Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had quite a full one, and didn't have time to prepare anything for today's post. SO, I am being forced to share some of the goodies that were linked up here last weekend...oh, fooey... ;)

This delectable Pretzel Toffee from Couponing & Cooking caught my eye immediately! It's also very easy to make, so easy in fact I am definitely going to have to try and make it myself ASAP!

New party-er Earthgiven linked up this amazing Spinach, Rice and Cashew Salad. Not only is it super yummy and super healthy, it is also gluten, sugar, and wheat -free. Plus, easy to make- gotta love that!

This is not the first time I'm featuring Mary's Kitchen here. She always posts such simply delicious and healthy recipes, and these cute little Guacamole Cucumber Bites are no exception.

This lovely Corn Chowder with Zucchini and Orzo looks like the perfect late summer soup. A great combination from Frugal Foodie in WV.

Lastly, I'm sharing these pretty Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes from Supremely Divine Life. Sometimes you just need something a little naughty and a lotta sweet in your life ;)

Thanks to everyone who linked up! Everything is awesome! Thanks for joining every week and making this little recipe hop a success!!! I'll post a yummy new recipe on Wednesday to make up for not having something today. Have a great day!

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week!
 

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Sweet Saturday #18 with Sweet Features!

OK, so since I featured a sweet recipe on my Meatless Monday post this week, I decided I just had to go ahead and share some of the amazing goodies that were linked up here last week. Like, seriously, my head was spinning with excitement! It was so hard to choose just a few, but here they are:

Puerquitos! I just like saying that! These cookies are too cute from a new linker, Heather at girlichef. Thanks for sharing! Heather has lots of other amazing recipes at her blog, so be sure to check her out!

Another new linker, Six Sister's Stuff (yes, six sisters...on one blog!), shared this eye-popping salad that combines some things you may never have thought to combine...yet, somehow, I think this will work! I'll let you know if I try it, thanks, Six Sisters!

This is not the first time What's Cooking in the Burbs has been featured here. Bridget always has such tasty-looking treats at her blog, and these sugar cookie bars are too perfect! They're so sweet and delicate looking, they might just grows wings and fly back to Heaven...

 

I love the name of this blog- Chocolate, Chocolate, and More -and her recipes just as much. Just one look at this mouth-watering casserole had me craving it...thanks, Joan!

 

Lastly, I just had to share this non-dessert treasure from Sam at My Carolina Kitchen. Just look at that! It's art! I personally invited Sam to link-up after seeing that gorgeous Heirloom Tomato Tart featured on Simple Living with Diane Blach. I'm so glad she rsvped yes!- thanks, Sam!

We also had things other than recipes last weekend. Here are a couple creative DIYs:

This is an idea to bookmark! Lily is not ready for something like this yet, but I'm sure plenty of you have kids who might enjoy this chore chart from Serenity You. Not only is it super cute and colorful, it will help get chores done! Score! Thanks, Natasha! Natasha is another new linker who has lots of fun stuff on her blog, so check her out :)

And last we have this super awesome homemade face/body scrub from a super awesome blog, Earning My Cape, who is also guest hostessing. Susie has so much variety on her blog, you will just get lost there! It's one of those blogs where you click on one post and inevitably click on another...and then another...and then another! Please visit and follow Earning My Cape! I'm also being featured on her blog today as well, so please read and comment! It would be oh so appreciated, and would make me oh so happy :D

OK, now it's your turn! Follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Earning My Cape. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/sweetsaturdaybutton-1.jpg"/></a>

Thanks so much for linking up, I really do love Fridays even more because of this :)

Btw...what are you doing for the holiday weekend?

August's Up-And-Coming Blog of the Month!

Today I'd like to introduce you to a blog that I instantly fell in love with. I love the picture-perfect layout, I love the name, I love the photography, and most of all I love the posts!

Holli's Full Hands, Full Hearts has it all- delicious recipes, fun activities to do with your family, product reviews/recommendations, ways to be Earth-friendly, Holli's adventures with her family, and more! Her latest post features some gorgeous and adorable pictures of her family's encounter with a hot air balloon; just to see the sweet pictures she caught is worth the look! Another recent post that she linked up to my Sweet Saturday hop sited 10 different fun activities to do with your toddler. I especially liked the "Letter of the Day" idea :)

Holli takes great pictures and writes posts worth reading. I always look forward to seeing what she has to share. She's also super sweet! Please check her blog out!!!

I have some blogs in mind for the next Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month, but if you would like to nominate one, please do so in the comments. The only requirements are that the blog has 200 or less GFC followers, is continuously updated, and has to do with parenting, health, crafts, cooking, and/or creativity.

Meatless Monday: Return of the Meatless Monday Recipe Link-up

Yes, that's right. I'm bringing it back. Hopefully it will be more successful this time. Hopefully I will find more time to dedicate to it. If not, well then at least I'll know I gave it a second shot!

I wasn't sure what recipe to choose for the Meatless Monday Recipe Link-up's return...What could I post to really wow everyone? What can I post that everyone will like? What can I post that even regular meat-eaters will enjoy? 

I pondered this as I went through some updates on my site, and as I was doing so, I realized I had a lot of great vegetarian recipes that I really love. Some that I make quite often, others that I only made once or twice, but would like to try again. That's when the idea struck me- post some of my favorites for those who may not have seen them! After all, I have many new followers who definitely probably didn't get a moment to go through my entire blog (yet), so wouldn't it make sense to highlight some of what I consider to be the better ones? Or, most popular ones?

Plus...it's way easier than whipping up some new, amazing vegetarian entree that I don't really have time to make right now. 

Like I have mentioned, we are hosting a big family BBQ next weekend and I have been focused on cleaning the house and preparing for that. (Why oh why did I think it was a good idea to host it????). I am still taking suggestions for awesome recipes for that, btw! Link one up or tell me in the comments!

Now, without further ado, my 

Top Five Favorite Meatless Monday Recipes

Kale Pesto with Feta

I love kale. And I love feta. Finding a recipe with that combination? I was in Heaven! It's my favorite because:

1. Kale is a superfood that is packed with vitamins and nutrients that are super good for you
2. Feta is the best cheese ever! (in my humble opinion)
3. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare
4. Lily loved it too! 

Zesty Corn Fritters

These babies are always a hit when I make them. Very versatile and a great way to get the picky-eater in your life to eat their veggies. My favorite because:

1. Very easy to make
2. You can change up the recipe every time 
3. Flavorful and full of veggie goodness
4. Goes as a great side dish or main course

Curried Acorn Squash Soup

Mouth-wateringly delicious and perfect for those cozy days at home during sweater weather, this is one I have only made once, but I can't wait to try again. My favorite because:

1. Full of vitamins, especially A and C
2. Sweet and spicy- my favorite combination!
3. Aesthetically pleasing
4. Makes me think of being home for the holidays

 

 Mini Apple-Brie Quiches

I found this delightful recipe in my favorite recipe resource, Eating Well Magazine. I made them for Thanksgiving last year and I couldn't stop eating them. They are a sure crowd-pleaser. My favorite because:

1. Sweet and savory
2. A unique combination that really surprised me
3. Very quick and easy to make
4. Great for social gatherings, holidays, or just because

Green Goddess Pizza

The. Absolute. Best. Pizza. EVER! I get excited just thinking about this one...it's my fave because:

1. Uses so many yummy ingredients: kale, caramelized onions, broccoli, cheese, basil...
2. Truly made from scratch, even the dough
3. Full of green goodness
4. How can you beat homemade pizza?

This post also received the most views of all my posts ever, largely due to it being promoted on TakePart.com's Facebook and Twitter pages when it was featured as a Meatless Monday recipe using kale. A proud moment in my blogging career :)))


And one bonus...

Layered Veggie Casserole

I made this one a "bonus" because it's a new recipe I just very recently tried. I don't think I have quite perfected it (the potatoes are never quite soft enough), but it tastes so incredible, I just had to feature it. I got the original recipe it is largely based off of from My Sweet and Savory. It's a favorite because:

1. Layered. Veggies.
2. Introduced me to my new favorite condiment: garlic vinegar
3. Uses fresh veggies I wouldn't normally use
4. Fun and easy to make

So there you have it. Five Six of my best meat-free recipes for your enjoyment, and hopefully dinner. Tell me which is your favorite, and now share your own! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok?

Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week!

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Sweet Saturday #15

So I had this amazing recipe all planned for today, but after a couple attempts at making it this week, I still don't feel it is perfected enough to post about, so you'll sadly have to wait until next week...

:(

I'll give you a hint of what it is and contains, though: it's frozen and yummy and full of chocolate, banana and peanut butter! I hope that grabs your attention enough to return next week then!

This Sweet Saturday will thus feature some highlights from the last party! Enjoy!


These simple-to-make candied orange and lemon peels from Mary's Kitchen was our first entry, and it grabbed my attention immediately! This is a must-try. Thanks, Mary!

Since Lily is so into The Little Mermaid right now, I just had to feature this cute and simple idea. Turn your princess into a mermaid with a beach towel! Thanks, Practically Perfect Princess!

She's wearing an Ariel bathing suit too!

I had requested participants post BBQ-themed posts if they had them, and Holli at Full Hands, Full Heart linked up this mouth-watering BBQ sauce recipe...drool...

 

This almond cake with lavender icing is too pretty not to feature. Thanks, ClaireJustineOXOX! 

Something this cute and creative just had to be featured. Check out Reading Confetti for more fun ways to encourage your child to read and be creative! Thanks, Lorie!

Lastly, the Bookcase Foodie had me craving these Creamy Cheddar Potatoes. Don't they look perfect for a snowy day? I don't care if it's summer- I'll be trying this one soon!

OK, now it's your turn! No guest-hostess today :( Follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/sweetsaturdaybutton-1.jpg"/></a>

Thanks so much for linking up, I really do love Fridays even more because of this :)