A day off, Grandmom is 90 & Joe Pa Restored {Friday Linkups}

{One} Blog Makeover
If your a regular around here, you might have noticed a fun change!  My blog makeover was complete this week; the girls at Smitten are so creative and I LOVE the new look and am so excited to continue growing my little hobby.  I am by no means I chef and my foodie pics are below par (working on my photography in the new year), I know I'm not a fashionista but it's fun to try sometimes, Sometimes my DIY's work out and sometimes they don't BUT I've picked up so many fun looks, recipes, tips and tricks from other blogs so if I can provide a couple fun recipes or outfits or life ideas to just a couple others then I'm happy and enjoy doing it.  Plus I love remembering all the "little things" in life and absolutely love having this little scrapbook to look back on.

{Two} We Are!
ALL the Penn State fans near far were happy this week when it was announced that all of Joe Paterno's  wins that were wiped away in the scandal are restored! 409 wins, college footballs winningest coach once again; way to go, Joe!   In … In other Nittany News, my very favorite Sam Ficken was ranked #1 kicker for the NFL draft.

{Three} A Day Off

Monday was MLK day, a day we normally would have still gone into the office but Sunday was Grandmom's 90th birthday. 90th!! We had her birthday party at noon, because when your 90, your friends are usually free on a weekday afternoon, so it didn't make sense to make the commute to the office but more on the party below! Anyway, Derek had the day off since he had to work on Saturday morning so we enjoyed our day together!

After some much needed sleeping in, my back was feeling better but still a bit painful so my morning zumba was off and I moved myself down to the couch with my heating pad and did a little blogging and made our grocery list (which I had put off all weekend) while Derek ran to the coffee shop across the street to get us some breakfast.

We went to Grandmom's Birthday Party then ran some much needed errands; grocery store, dry cleaners, car fixing and ended our day out with Pedicures! Derek hadn't seen the Bachelor from last week so we quickly rewatched that before watching this week's episode together and enjoyed some glamorous sandwiches for dinner (too much cake).

{Four} Grandmom Henderson is 90!

I still can't believe I have a grandmom that is 90! So crazy!  A couple fun facts that I leaded at her birthday party; the year she was born, a loaf of bread cost 9 cents and gas 18.5 cents. We had a great time in the dining room at Plush Mills.  There was a great (and big!) turnout of family friends and caregivers.  After the welcoming and prayer, there was an announcement for a missing hearing aid… the things you hear at a 90th birthday party.

How cute! These were at each place setting

I love the look into her 90 years.  the Best Grandmother Button was of course made by moi years & years ago - I was surprised Irene found it, it was fun to see on the board.

Grandma Dot came down and our whole family of five was there.  It was also great to see some of Grandmom's friends who have been family friends for years as well as some of her caregivers who help out with both her and with Uncle Steve so we don't always see them all the time.

The cake was of course.. fabulous and I had a huge piece.  Not usually on the menu for a Monday afternoon.

Seriously, how cute?!
I'm so glad I have great girlfriends to grow old with too

{Five} Together Again on Weeknights 
Last week Derek had to work late every. single. night.  This week we got back to normal which was nice because we both seemed to have super busy days.  We managed two home cooked NEW meals; crockpot ranch pork chops and parmesan chicken (both successful, recipes coming in the future).  We've been on a serious entourage kick and ate dinner in front of the TV two nights :-/

{Extra} Juan More Time
One of my besties, Sarah sent this to us the other day. {Insert emoji crying laughing face here} Needs no explanation.  I actually forgot I wasn't texting when typing an email last week and accidentally subbed juan for one.  Luckily the email was to my parents.

{Extra} The Bachelor: Week Three 
Week three has come and gone and I've had enough time to pick my favorites (in this order)…

Whitney

Becca

Jade

Kelsey

Carly (I don't know why, I think because she was so excited to win the competition)

Kaitlin 

Megan

Hate Hate Hate: Kardashian Ashley, Mackenzie and Jillian

I love watching with my husband.  His comments are always loud and he really gets into it.  Plus he pointed out that crazy girl crazy eyes onion girl Ashley S made the face below when the group rose was handed out.  We had to rewind it because it was so quick I didn't even notice.  The photo doesn't even do it justice. Seriously, love watching Ashley S.  Where was her crazy this week?? 

The bride in me LOVED the Cotsco and wedding crashing dates.  They were so cute.  The Bachelor fan in me was wondering where the helicopters were and when they start traveling.

The fact that Jillian of all people wore a shirt that said "stay classy." The shirt alone on HER would have been bad but it was paired with an ugly statement necklace and shorts so short they needed to black bar them out.  Interesting.

Jimmy Kimmel got to guest star?! I am so jealous.  That must have been one hysterical week.

Happy Weekending!!

Today I'm Linking up with…
The girls of Five on Friday… April, Christina, Natasha & Darci
The girls of Oh Hey Friday… Karli & Amy
The girls of Friday Favorites… Andrea, Erika & Narci
The Pick Linkup… Astleigh

Bowl Pool Recap

Today I thought I'd share one of my favorite winter family traditions, our annual Bowl Pool.  We wrapped up the pool last Monday, after the National Championship Game.  Davey won the pool for the THIRD time! We've been doing the pool for years and years so there's a bunch of repeat winners but Davey's the first "three peat." I put hours and more effort than usual into my picks this year and claimed the 7th spot.  Actually all five members of our little family did pretty well this year (Mom was third and Derek/Steve tied for fourth), but no place  really matters other than first.

This is a really fun way to enjoy bowl season which lasts for a little over two weeks + the National Championship game.  We started out with a $5 entry fee but in recent years raised it to $10.  We usually have anywhere between 15-20 family members involved but if you could gather a group of about 10 that should be good enough for a friendly competition!

The creator (in our case, Steve) will send out a "pick sheet" with all the games listed as well as spaces for your choice of a winner for each game as well as your confidence points for each game.  This year there were 39 games so for confidence points you would put each number, 1-39, in for each game.  39 would go to a team you were fairly "confident" in winning and 1 to a team with low confidence and the rest of the points somewhere in between.  It's always fun to try to throw in some upsets.

You can go with a random picking (in years past, I would pick not at all based on football and based by  school color, better weather location, etc.), do some researching and review the "favorites" or if you have good football knowledge just go with your gut!

This year the new playoff system added a fun element for us.  Steve is our coordinator otherwise known as "the commissioner" and created our new layout which was basically the same as before.. you put however many confidence points on each of the two "playoff games" as well as the National Championship.  This was interesting because not knowing who would be in the National Championship this year added a fun twist - some people went big and gambled with their favorite team and some used their #1 confident point for the unknown.

Not only is the competition fun, but if some of your competitors live close to you, it's fun to get together for some "bowl game viewing parties"

Below is a glance as the master "pick sheet."  The coordinator basically sends out this format to each person with the team column of the games and then a column for your picks and next to that for your confidence points.
Once all the picks are in, the coordinator can make a master spreadsheet so each person can follow along with how well everyone else is doing also. (Davey's, Mine and Derek's are below)

Holiday Recipes {Part Two}

If you missed part one and my recipes for Christmas Eve cinnamon roll biscuits, Christmas morning casserole & coffee cake and sugar cookie dough: click here 

Today, I'm sharing two of my favorite recipes for hosting big groups that we used for New Year's Eve!

Crockpot Swedish Meatballs 

Mom's Hot Frito Dip

Crockpot Swedish Meatballs

These are great because the recipe makes a large batch so unless you have a completely full house of people, your most likely going to have some left overs.  I've served these by themselves and also with mini rolls to make mini sandwiches.  We've also eaten them leftover poured over pasta (or you could also use rice).  So, these really could be used for a meal, appetizer or leftovers.

Ingredients:

2-2 1/2 pounds frozen (appetizer size) meatballs

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can golden mushroom soup

1 can beef broth

1 envelope packet brown gravy mix

1/2 cup water

Directions:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours

Whisk all the ingredients (other than the meatballs) together in a bowl.
Put meatballs into crockpot, pour mixture over top.
Set crockpot to low.

Mom's Hot Frito Dip

Mom has been making this dip for YEARS to bring to parties and such and it's always such a hit.  Like the pan is always empty when it's time to leave.  When I was more "picky" I never really got into it but now I love love love it just like everyone else.

Ingredients:

(2) 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (could add in a little more)

4 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion, chopped 

1 packaged chipped beef, shredded (could use up to another 1/2 a pack)

1 cup chopped pecans, sautéed in 4 teaspoons butter (optional)

*I'm not big into pecans so I left these out, but I know most people love the taste it brings to the dip

Directions:

Combine the first 7 ingredients.
Top with pecans in a casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, just before serving.
Serve with large fritos.

Happy Eating!

Organizational Tips & Tricks: Master Closet Edition

Today I'm linking up with Andrea at the Momfessionals Blog for one of my favorite things; organizational tips & tricks!

I love organizing and keeping a neat life so when I saw this linkup I brainstormed my ideas.  Do I share my planner and calendars (yes, I have multiple), how I organize my nail polish and make up, under our bathroom sinks, our pantry, my "Christina" folder (to do lists, meal planning, home work, expenses, etc.), cleaning schedule, the opportunities were endless!

First I narrowed it down and decided to go with hidden spaces; linen closet, under sinks, pantry, garage shelves, and our closet.  Then that was way too much for just one post so I picked my favorite and decided to go with how I organize... our closet!

I definitely foresee some more organizational posts in the near future to plan some of the others listed above

Our closet is a fun one to share because when we were designing our house last year, I spent LOTS of time searching Pinterest finding ideas and making my own sketches.  

My top key tips for keeping an organized closet

1. Maximize your space

My two previous closets were much smaller than my current one but they were perfect for me and all I needed because if you get creative and maximize your space, you'll be good to go.

2. Categorize 

Keep similar types of styles together.  It makes it so much easier to find what your looking for.  

(some people like organizing by color but then you could have a plain tshirt next to a nice blouse)

See closet photos below for examples

3. Don't cram it all in

Don't cram everything into your main closet just so it's all in one place.  If there's items that can be kept in a different place, keep them there.  

Have a coat closet?  Keep all your outdoor gear there - not just your coats but snow boots, rain boots, hats/gloves/outdoor scarves, rain coats, etc.  If not, you could always get a coat tree or a hallway organizer with compartments for the boot, glove like items.

Have guest rooms with extra closets?  Keep your nicer dresses for weddings, nights out, etc. in one of those closets since they are just used on occasion and having them all together in one spot will also make it easy for decision making.  If there's a shelf, pop your fancy shoes on top of the shelf.

If you really have the space, consider shoe, purse and/or accessory closet.  I considered doing this at first with one of our office closets but then everything worked in the main closet.

4. Seasonal Switching 

  I've always been big into "seasonal" clothes

I make two big closet changes each year - for fall and spring and tweak it a little at the start of summer and winter - Ex. in a couple months, I'll get all my heavy sweaters and such out (leaving just a few in case temperatures drop) and put my spring tops, shorts, tshirts, etc.  By this time I'm so ready for winter to be over, so that's why I only keep my favorites around (in the front of the closet, easy to take out) and a little prematurely get ready for the summer months.  Once the spring is here to stay, I get rid of the last of the winter and bring in the final more "summery items."

This cycle repeats again around the start of September - all the bright colors (sadly) are removed and pants, long sleeves and boots are brought in.  I keep a couple light weight tops around for the rest of September.  Around November I grab out my real winter gear and am good to go for the cold months.

Same goes for shoes - you do not need the shoes your not wearing in your closet if you don't have the space (if you do have the space, more power to you!).

5. Staples

An exception for the season switching rule is to always keep a few staples. Classic tshirts, a couple hoodies, yoga pants, etc. are good to keep in the back of your closet all year long.

6. Give Aways

When packing up my clothes to put in storage at the end of each season, if there was something I didn't really wear that year, I still put it away for the season.  When getting the clothes back out for the NEXT season, I immediately hang up my favorites and make a pile of things I'm unsure about.  I try those on and decide if I'm not going to wear them anymore, into the go away bag they go.  I like to keep them the extra year because sometimes tastes change and I pull out something two years later and fall in love again.  If I am not going to wear something, its much better to just get rid of it rather than cramming my closet, somebody else out there needs it more and I make some space.

7. Clean Outs

I love how my closet looks and feels right after one of the seasonal switches.  It's so clean and tidy.

When putting laundry away it is so easy to just throw clothes on the rack instead of where they are suppose to go.  Every month or every other month, I go through and get everything back in order.

8. Use ALL your space
If there is open space, there's most likely a way you can use it - just brainstorm!  We had a huge open space in the middle of our closet and after brainstorming we made our own island for it.

Ok, how about we take a look at my closet now… Welcome!

I love having a double level closet.  Most clothes can fit in a double level so we did most of our closet this way - we measured it out but you could just eyeball it also.  We do have a section straight back for dresses, robes and longer pieces.

The white cubbies in the middle are an easy DIY.  I knew I wanted an island in the middle of our closet but wasn't sure what size/shape or what kind.  I had a couple of those white three cubbie shelves from Target (Closetmaid brand, I believe) and began playing around with them and decided to make my own!  I went to multiple local targets to stock up and decided five was the perfect amount.  Our contractor made a base and bottom for the cubbies but this is something you  could easily do yourself also.

The cubbies are awesome for accessories - I store most of my jewelry/headbands and headwater here while Derek stores hats, belts and some shoes.  We each store some sweats in the bottom cubbies too.

The top of the island is perfect for laying out outfits for the next day (or dropping a shopping bag post mall trip) as well as my "drop area" and necklace holders.

Everyone has a drop spot right?! This is key for me because at night I'm always too tired to put things where they are suppose to go.  For Christmas I got a Lilly Pulitzer tray for a bigger drop area - then once a week, I usually put things back where they need to go.  Unless they are usually daily items, then I just let them be.

In the very front of the racks, I usually try to leave a gap to hang outfits for the week or at least the next day.  We usually do the same thing on Derek's side.

Ah my necklaces, I love keeping these organized.  I've tried everything from scarf holders to tie racks until last year I finally fell in love with these organizers.  I usually keep these organized by color - right now all my neutrals are on my side and my bright summer necklaces are facing Derek's side - in a couple months I'll switch them around.

When we planned our closet, I knew I also wanted a way to keep my scarves neatly organized because with so many, unfortunately sometimes it's out of sight out of mind.  If it's hard to see them, I sometimes forget about them.  Thanks to these shoe racks, I have a great system; I have a total of four shoe racks, two on the bottom and two stacked on the top and they provide a nice little shelf perfect for the scarves, I roll them in and categorize them by color, pattern, heavy, light, etc.

They have a great little spot because what else would have gone there?! You could also stack the shelves on the top shelves of a closet but since I'm short it's nice to just kneel on the floor and make my choice.

Another key for our new closet was I knew I wanted to have a nice section for my shoes.  I knew I wanted different size cubbies to accommodate my winter shoes (in the summer I'll just have a little extra space) but as you can see the bottom level is big enough for tall boots and the two above that are big enough for short boots - the rest are the same size and can fit anything a wedge/heel or smaller.

Organized by type as well as color

Derek uses the top levels for his shoes (he also has some more in the cubbies) and I keep my nicer purses up here too.

Other than my nicer purses that need to be protected in their bags, I keep all my other clutches, side bags, purses underneath my bottom level of clothes.  Maximizing space.

Like I said in the tips above, I like to keep my clothes organized by category. Some sections include: dressy short sleeve tops, dressy long sleeve tops, plaid tops, work tops, jeans/pants, vests, casual tops, sweaters, workout clothes, t-shirts, etc.

Any ideas for the top rack empty space????

I (try) to help Derek keep his side organized as well. (My side is bigger but not by that much and we each have an even amount of dresser space too).

Maximizing our space, we also have our full length mirror behind the door.  Our shower is also attached to the master bathroom so we each have our own larger mirror out there too.