homemaking Archives | Winstead Wandering

Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments

December 3, 2016 by Abby

With just two ingredients, you can make easy homemade cinnamon ornaments: a perfect DIY for decorating or gifting. What a fun craft for kids!

Homemade cinnamon ornaments are something from my childhood, although I can’t for the life of me remember where and when I made them. I have no idea if it was at home, at school, at church. I’ve got nothing. Regardless, when I thought about what sorts of crafts I wanted to do this year with the kids, I knew these fragrant ornaments would make the list.

B and I whipped up a batch during Thanksgiving break. The dough couldn’t possibly be any easier; there are only two ingredients. It rolled out easily, and we had fun choosing shapes. These homemade cinnamon ornaments bake low and slow, leaving the whole house smelling deliciously like Christmas.

With just two ingredients, you can make easy homemade cinnamon ornaments: a perfect DIY for decorating or gifting. What a fun craft for kids!

[Read more…]

How to Host a Stress-Free Summer Party

June 29, 2016 by Abby

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BlockPartyHero #CollectiveBias

Summer gatherings don’t have to be fancy, anxiety-filled affairs. Here’s everything you need to know to host a stress-free summer party.

Summer gatherings don't have to be fancy, anxiety-filled affairs. Here's everything you need to know to host a stress-free summer party.

In theory, hosting fun gatherings is one of the best parts of summer. Good food, good conversation, good weather; cookouts and block parties are iconic for a reason. In reality, though, the execution of those fun summer parties can be more work than they seem to be worth, especially if you’re an introvert like me.

Between prepping the food, putting up decorations, and dealing with cleanup after, sometimes it seems like hosting people at your house just isn’t worth it. Today, I’m sharing my favorite tips for how to host a stress-free summer party. Here’s how you can spend more time with your guests and less time sweating the details.

How to Host a Stress-Free Summer Party

Keep the decorations simple

With the abundance of Pinterest-worthy images bombarding you on all forms of social media, it might seem like a crime to host a party without going all-out with decorations. You could easily spend several hundred dollars, and countless hours, turning your party space into a themed wonderland.

When it comes to stress-free party hosting, though, less is definitely more. Instead of over-the-top opulence, opt for understated elegance. Think fresh flowers- bonus if they’re from your own garden- spread around in fun vases or jars. Not only are they inexpensive to purchase, but you’ll get to enjoy them for days after the party.

Summer gatherings don't have to be fancy, anxiety-filled affairs. Here's everything you need to know to host a stress-free summer party.

Use lots of candles, from big pillars to dainty tea lights. Mix in a few citronella votives to keep the bugs away. If you don’t have many candles, or if you have a larger space, throw up a couple strings of white Christmas lights.

Decorating your space simply, with fresh flowers and cozy candles, will ensure it’s ready for any kind of party you want to host.

[Read more…]

Homemade Tropical Summer Stovetop Potpourri

June 23, 2016 by Abby

Bring fresh summer scents inside with this homemade tropical summer potpourri made of lemons, strawberries, and coconut extract.

My easy fall stovetop potpourri got a very good reception. I guess I’m not the only one looking to create a homey-scented house without the use of artificial sprays or waxes. I made that potpourri many times through fall and winter and enjoyed how comforting it made our home smell.

I had a thought, though. If cooling temperatures merit a homemade potpourri, what about hot summer days full of smelly shoes and sweaty little people? Yeah, we need a stovetop potpourri for that, too. So I set out to create a summery version of the smell-good stuff.

I knew I wanted to use coconut extract because it’s such a distinctly summer scent. I didn’t want the whole concoction to smell like sunscreen, though, so I added lemon juice. To me, there’s not much more fresh- or clean-smelling than citrus. And then, because I had a few sad-looking strawberries in the refrigerator, I sliced those and tossed them in, too.

All the ingredients in this summer potpourri come together to make a sweet, fresh concoction that’ll perfume your whole house in the most light, refreshing way. It’s as close as you’ll get to a tropical vacation without the sunburn and the sand in your swimsuit.

[Read more…]

Homemade Lemonade

May 25, 2016 by Abby

This summer, ditch the canned powder and make your own homemade lemonade. With just three simple ingredients, you can enjoy a refreshing glass any time.

There’s nothing more refreshing on a warm summer day than an ice-cold glass of homemade lemonade.

This recipe is so simple to make. I usually keep a jar of simple syrup in the fridge throughout the summer so I’m always ready to whip up a pitcher- or even just a glass- of homemade lemonade. It’s especially good with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, but, really who has time- or money- for that? I use the bottled version and I’ve never had any complaints. Plus, it means there’s no trip to the grocery store standing between me and a glass of this.

So many people are used to powdered or bottled versions of lemonade. Those varieties might do in a pinch, but this homemade recipe is so simple to make. Wow the guests at your next summertime gathering by throwing together a batch of homemade lemonade.

Homemade Lemonade

Ingredients

2 c. sugar
10 c. water, divided
2 c. lemon juice

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and two cups of water. Stir together and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture boils and the sugar is dissolved, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Store cooled mixture in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to mix up the lemonade.

To make the lemonade, combine the remaining eight cups of water, the lemon juice, and one and half to two cups of simple syrup in a large pitcher. Stir together well and adjust the amounts of simple syrup or lemon juice based on your preferences. Serve chilled over ice.

Great Blogger Barbecue

With the unofficial start of summer next week, it’s almost barbecue season! In celebration, I’ve teamed up with several fellow bloggers to bring you 50 recipe ideas for a smashing summer shindig. See all the recipes for our Great Blogger BBQ below!

50 recipes for the perfect summer get-together! Whether you're planning a barbecue, picnic, or outdoor party, check out everything from appetizer recipes, entree recipes, cocktail recipes, dessert recipes, side dish recipes and more to go with your BBQ! #greatbloggerBBQ

Appetizers

Korean BBQ Tofu Sliders with Kimchi Slaw by Hello Little Home
Corn, Black Bean, and Feta Dip by Lizzy is Dizzy
Crab, Bacon & Guacamole Crostinis by That Square Plate

Cocktails and Drinks

Blackberry Gin Slush by The Speckled Palate
Homemade Lemonade by Winstead Wandering
Blood Orange Mocktail by Body Rebooted
Fleur Collins Cocktail by Hungry Girl por Vida
Fourth of July Sparkler by Mixplorology
Black Stripe Cold Rum Cocktail by Honey and Birch
Fresh Watermelon Mojito by Twin Stripe
Mint Hibiscus Lemonade by The Little Epicurean
Wine Slushy by Living Well Kitchen
Basil Gin Lemonade by Glisten and Grace

How to Save on Groceries Without Using Coupons

May 13, 2016 by Abby

You don’t have to spend hours scouring newspapers and the internet to save a few cents. Here’s how to save on groceries without using coupons.

I used to be pretty into couponing (hence the use of “coupon” as a verb). When we lived in Oregon, it was easy for me to hit a few local stores and save a ton of money each week. I got products like shampoo, body wash, and toothpaste for next to nothing. I’d frequently save over 50 percent just by pairing coupons with sales at our local Safeway. The savings was even bigger when I drove to Rite Aid and Walgreens.

Then we moved to Mississippi. The only grocery store in town is a small Piggly Wiggly. The prices on a lot of products are pretty high, largely out of necessity, I know, because it’s locally-owned. I drive to the nearest Walmart for bigger trips, but there isn’t a Kroger or Aldi in sight. To save money on groceries, I was forced to think outside the coupon binder.

It turns out it’s totally possible to save on groceries without clipping coupons. The new strategies I use aren’t time consuming and, in some cases, they’re more convenient than a trip to the store. While using coupons is still a valid source of savings, the following are the ways I cut our grocery budget without lifting a pair of scissors.

How to Save on Groceries Without Using Coupons

Think Outside the Supermarket

The first lesson I learned was to buy groceries at places other than grocery stores. I buy several food and household items on Amazon, from baby food pouches and NutriGrain bars to toilet paper and mascara. Not only are those items cheaper on Amazon than in a store, but I can use our Prime account to get free two-day shipping. Because of our limited shopping options here in town, it’s usually faster for me to order something online than to plan a trip to Walmart.

I also buy grocery products at stores like Big Lots- pasta sauce, popcorn and crackers, snacks for travel- and Grove Collaborative– all-natural cleaning and personal care products. Depending on where you live, you may have access to a lot of non-grocery stores to buy household and food products. Consider exploring those alternatives in search of better prices.

(A note about Prime: Amazon Prime is $99 per year. In addition to free two-day shipping, you have access to a ton of different benefits like free music, TV, and movies, free Kindle books, and early access to sales. $99 is not a small amount, though, and I urge you to carefully weigh the benefits before signing up, or Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial.)

Use it All Up

I’m sure I’m not the only person who has a habit of forgetting about half-used containers of sour cream or opened bags of salad mix in the back of the produce drawer. I cringe every time I discover spoiled food in the refrigerator because I know I’m throwing out money. One of the easiest ways to save on groceries is to buy less. Use up all of each product to avoid throwing something out and having to buy new.

One of the best strategies I have for making sure we use all of something is to include it in our menu plan. I talk more about that in this post, but basically I make sure I have a plan to use all of an ingredient. For example, I love to make homemade buttermilk ranch dressing, but I hate to throw away unused buttermilk that’s gone bad. To make sure that doesn’t happen, I add buttermilk pancakes or waffles to our menu plan.

[Read more…]

Overcoming Your Menu Planning Fears

April 29, 2016 by Abby

Whatever your reasons for avoiding meal planning, it’s time to give it a shot. Read on to learn all about overcoming your menu planning fears.

Y’all I am so excited to be guest posting for my friend Angela at Setting My Intention. She asked me to write about menu planning- a topic I love– so I put some thought into what I wanted to say and, before I knew it, this post came pouring out:

I received a lot of comments when I wrote about how to make once-a-month menu planning work for you. Many were from people who loved the concept, either because they practice once-a-month menu planning or because they’d like to. There were a bunch of comments, though, from far more skeptical readers. A lot of them said things like, “Menu planning for an entire month? I can’t even manage to plan for a week.”

That got me thinking. As someone who has menu planned in one form or another for many years, I can’t quite imagine what it would be like not to do it. Even during phases when I don’t get a month at a time planned, I still plan by the week. Knowing what we’ll be having for supper each night is one less thing to worry about, and it’s something I highly recommend to pretty much everyone.

So why isn’t everyone doing it? Of course menu planning isn’t right for every person, but I don’t think that’s what’s holding people back. If I had to guess, I’d say what’s holding them back is various fears. Fears that, in my opinion, are largely unfounded.

Head over to Setting My Intention to read the rest!

For more menu planning tips, check out my crazy popular post about how to make once-a-month menu planning work for you.

Baby Boy & Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

February 17, 2016 by Abby

This post contains affiliate links; to learn more, see my disclosure policy

We might not know the gender of the baby yet- at least not for another week or two- but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming of nursery decor.

As I begin to prepare for baby number three’s nursery, I really want to be intentional about creating a mellow space. I don’t want a room that screams “baby!”- the crib and diapers will take care of that- and I want to purchase and create pieces that can be used as the baby grows, or in other rooms in our house.

Baby Boy Nursery Inspiration

For a boy room, I love the idea of loosely following an adventure theme with a travel/global direction rather than a wilderness/camping vein. I’m not talking matching mobile and bumpers and wall art, but more of a sprinkling of perfect pieces.

Baby Boy Nursery Inspiration

Adventure Awaits Sign | Signs from the Pines // I might have a mild obsession with globes and maps, which makes this pallet wood sign a perfect addition to a baby boy nursery
Map Alphabet & Numbers | Cheeky Albi // No character prints in this room. These map pictures can easily be used down the road in the kids’ playroom
Adventure is Out There Print | Wall Art Printables // This piece will grow with baby and be right at home in a kid’s room
Upholstered Glider | Wayfair // I’ve known since baby number one that I wanted a chair like this in the nursery. I’ve yet to get one, but with two toddlers and a perpetually-noisy house, I’m making it a priority this time
4 Cubby Wall Shelf | Wayfair // I can’t take credit for this idea; I saw it in the beautiful nursery at Sloan and Co. and knew I wanted to incorporate something similar in mine
Moutains Crib Sheet | Finley Baby // I fell in love with the unique colors in this crib sheet, as well as with the understated pattern
Arrows Crib Sheet | Feather Their Nest // I’ve loved arrows for a while, but I feel like they’re becoming a little overdone. I don’t want to make the dominant theme in the nursery, but I would like to incorporate them in a small way

Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

I’ve given a lot of thought to using to a few specific colors in a girl nursery, but in the end I decided I prefer dainty floral patterns. The walls in what will be the baby’s room are already gray, making them the perfect backdrop for whatever fun prints we decide to use.

Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

Mama & Baby Giraffe | Be Wild & Free // How precious is this floral watercolor print? The Etsy shop was similar ones with elephants, but these giraffes are my favorite
Tassel Banner | Hobby Lobby // I know the colors of these tassels might not match perfectly with the other colors I’m likely to include in the room, but I can’t stop picturing it draped over the crib or hanging from a bookshelf
Upholstered Glider | Target // This is the other glider I’m considering. I know I want gray, so now it’s about looking at price and reviews
Run Wild My Child Sign | Handy Gerl // I loved this sign from the minute I saw it. I’d love to include several pops of gold in the nursery
Floral Crib Sheet | Fox Hill Baby // This is the perfect crib sheet. I love that it’s pretty and dainty, but it doesn’t have stereotypical pastel colors
Floral Pouf | Target // Initially, I just wanted a cute pouf to go with the glider. Then I found this beauty. I think it’s perfect, with it’s subtle floral theme and unexpected color

Cheap & Easy Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Special for Kids

February 8, 2016 by Abby

No magazine-worthy crafts here; just practical cheap & easy ways to make Valentine’s Day special for kids.

No magazine-worthy crafts here; just practical cheap & easy ways to make Valentine's Day special for kids.

We’ve all seen those elaborate Pinterest-worthy holiday crafts, right? If I’m telling the truth, I envy those moms who have the time, money, and ability to put those crafts together; I know how special holidays must be for their kids.

Maybe, like me, you’re not one of those moms. Fear not. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to pull off the things included here. I’ve compiled a list of cheap & easy ways to make Valentine’s Day special for kids.

Cheap & Easy Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Special for Kids

Dye Their Breakfast

This is one of my fondest memories from childhood. There wasn’t a lot of money in my house growing up, but that didn’t stop my mom from making holidays special for us. One of the simplest things she did that was so fun was add food coloring to our pancakes and milk for breakfast. She’d use red dye on Valentine’s Day and green dye on St. Patrick’s Day (my little brother’s birthday).

If you don’t usually make a full breakfast in the morning, this would be a great year to do that because Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday. You could easily make a weekday holiday special by coloring milk for breakfast cereal or dying oatmeal.

Obviously, you could adapt this idea to fit any meal or snack of the day, but I love the idea of starting their morning with something so fun.

Buy a Special Book

No magazine-worthy crafts here; just practical cheap & easy ways to make Valentine's Day special for kids.

Our kids, especially our five-year old, love to read. Buying a Valentine’s Day book is the perfect way to celebrate the day as a family while adding to your book collection. G is obsessed with The Berenstain Bear’s right now, so this book is on my wishlist.

A few other options that include characters from classics: Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool, and Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! (with the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie mouse).

My favorite thing about this idea is that the book can be read for years to come.

Create a Theme for Lunch

If your kids are school-age and take their own lunches, it wouldn’t take too much extra effort to create a Valentine’s Day themed lunch. You could cut everything into a heart shape, or just stick with a red and pink theme: strawberry jelly on the sandwich, Babybel cheese, cherry or grape tomatoes. Take the whole thing over the top with a themed paper napkin.

[Read more…]

How to Make Once-a-Month Menu Planning Work for You

January 18, 2016 by Abby

Menu planning isn’t rocket science, and it doesn’t have to feel like torture, either. Here are step-by-step instructions, plus super helpful tips and tricks, to make once-a-month menu planning work for you.

Before You Plan

Make a Pinterest Board (or two)

Menu planning is so much easier if you have a bank of recipes to draw from. I get that thinking up 25 or 30 recipes in one sitting is tough. When you have those recipes already gathered in a couple places, it just becomes a matter of assigning recipes to each day. That’s much more doable.

This is where Pinterest comes in. I have two boards that I regularly reference when I create our monthly menus: a tried and true recipes board, where I pin recipes we’ve tried and love, and a recipes to try board, where I save recipes I definitely want to try in the next month or two.

To get yourself ready for month-at-a-time meal planning, make a couple boards similar to mine. Take a bit of time to go through your other food boards and repin applicable content to those new boards, and keep the boards in mind as you browse Pinterest throughout the month. You want a hefty amount of recipes to draw from when you sit down to make your menu.

[Read more…]

Tips to Make Your Week Run Smoothly

January 4, 2016 by Abby

Whether you’re single or married, have kids or don’t, you probably wish your weekdays weren’t so frantic. If that’s you, you’ve got to check out these practical tips to make your week run smoothly.

Whether you're single or married, have kids or don't, you probably wish your weekdays weren't so frantic. If that's you, you've got to check out these practical tips to make your week run smoothly.

I remember way back when J and I were first married and the only beings we were responsible for were ourselves. I enjoyed playing that game of alarm clock chicken most of us perfect during our college years: how late can I sleep, and how frantically can I dash around getting ready, and still make it to work on time?

Seven years and two kids later, we still play that game occasionally, but mostly we’ve learned some tips and tricks to avoid that early morning dash. There was some trial and error, and we totally forget or are too lazy to do some of these things sometimes. When we do, though, our entire week is less frantic and more relaxed.

Tips to Make Your Week Run Smoothly

Run the Dishwasher on Sunday

I have to give credit for this idea to J. He first suggested we do this, way back at the beginning of the school year, and it’s been a pretty big deal. We run the dishwasher on Sunday afternoons, regardless of how full it is (unless it’s somehow practically empty). We unload it Sunday evening, and we get to start the week with a clean sink and a dishwasher that’s ready to be loaded with dishes.

Mondays are usually not great, so it makes worlds of difference to get to come home after work on Monday and not have that one chore looming.

Lay Out Your Clothes

I skip this too often. My tired Sunday night brain reasons that it’ll be fine if I just think about what I’m going to wear the next day. But it’s always faster when I actually set my clothes out, and the kids’ clothes, too. I typically lay out all the children’s outfits for the whole week, and I do mine a night or two at a time. To really take the stress out of the process, though, it’s best to choose outfits for the whole week.

[Read more…]

How to Host a Stress-Free Summer Party

Keep the decorations simple

Homemade Lemonade

Ingredients

Instructions

Great Blogger Barbecue

Appetizers

Cocktails and Drinks

Entrées

Side Dishes

Desserts

How to Save on Groceries Without Using Coupons

Think Outside the Supermarket

Use it All Up

Baby Boy Nursery Inspiration

Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

Cheap & Easy Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Special for Kids

Dye Their Breakfast

Buy a Special Book

Create a Theme for Lunch

Before You Plan

Make a Pinterest Board (or two)

Tips to Make Your Week Run Smoothly

Run the Dishwasher on Sunday

Lay Out Your Clothes