Simple Girl

I try not to go shopping on Black Friday and here's my top reasons why: Given the choice, I would rather sleep in. My husband won't go with  me. My mom won't go with me. The shopping frenzy forces me to buy more than I should. I end up just buying things for myself. None of which I actually need. If I stay home, I can watch my husband put up the Christmas tree. Which is usually very entertaining. Like observing the 15-year old son try to secure the top-heavy angel on the tree. Stripped down to a t-shirt and boxers. Because balancing on a ladder is a very sweaty job!  Having said this, I usually find a reason to sneak out of the house at some point.   Like this quick trip to Michael's where I found these super cute paper straws . I promise that I will use them every day. And not save them for a special occasion. Because that's what paper straws are for. To make every day special. xo Rachel THIS POST MAY BE LINKED TO:  MONDAYS ...

I love to bake cupcakes and so, in an effort to prevent us from eating them all, I am always looking for cute and practical ways to give them away! I was thrilled to find these adorable cupcake boxes at Michael's !  The cupcake boxes come in a variety of patterns.  I liked this all-purpose festive box.  I thought it went perfectly with my Confetti Cupcakes.  They even include a cupcake insert so the cupcakes won't topple over! If you really want to be coordinated, you can buy matching cupcake liners! Who wouldn't want to receive a gift that looks like this? I'm sharing this post over at The Martha Stewart Cupcakes Club .  If you love cupcakes like I do, you are welcome to come and join the baking fun!  On August 15th, we're baking Rhubarb Cupcakes.  YUMM!  Come and check it out! **P.S.  This post is not affiliated with Michael's.  Just sharing with you something that I love! :-)

Did you know that a family of 6 should eat a minimum of 210 servings of fruits and vegetables every week?  That's a lot of produce!  With this in mind, I decided to try out the Dekalb Farmer's Market. The Dekalb Farmer's Market came highly recommended to me by several sources.   It was said to be  definitely  worth the drive (21 miles).  Since I already had an appointment half-way in between, I thought that today would be the perfect time to pay a visit.   The Dekalb Farmer's Market is located in Decatur, Georgia which is inside the Atlanta perimeter. To get there, you take the I-285 loop and exit on East Ponce de Leon Avenue, and travel south for 1.3 miles.  Well, apparently, East Ponce de Leon Avenue is a fancy name for rickety-two-lane-road-that-passes-tattoo-parlors-and-graffiti-laden-abandoned-buildings-by-the-railroad-track.  I thought about stopping to take a few pictures of the urban artwork, but, fortunately, my maternal instincts k...

As if I needed any more reasons to shop at Target, I found this:  Caldrea.  Caldrea is a high-end home care company.  It's eco-friendly and, now, super affordable!   I first became acquainted with this budding brand in 1999.  I read about it in a magazine and recognized that it was started by a women from my hometown, Minneapolis.  I was inspired by her start-up story.  As a new mom, I was going through my wistful dreaming stage.  How could I earn a living while I stayed home and raised my kids?  Mass-produce handmade artisan soaps in my garage?  Weave beautiful rugs out of recycled clothing, perhaps?  Well, I guess some people are dreamers and some people are doers.  Monica Nassif, the founder, is a doer.  She also launched the more familiar "Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day" products. Once only available at high end stores, these Caldera products, with plant-derived ingredients and natural essential oils are now available at T...