Target Archives - Simply Happenstance

Homeschool Room Tour

May 29, 2014

Homeschool Room Tour //

Hey, friends! So… I’ve been wanting to do this post for a lonnng time! I was hoping to have our homeschool room completely finished before sharing pictures with you all… but that hasn’t exactly happened. Like all of the other rooms in my house… it’s a work in progress! I still have dreams of getting the perfect velvety reading chair in the corner of the room, hanging a school house clock over the bookshelves, adding a fabulous rug, and doing some more personalized art projects with the kids. Hopefully over the summer we can put some finishing touches on the room!

What I do like best, is that it’s an eclectic space filled with things we love! Most of the time, my motto is ‘less is more,’ but not in this case! This room is brimming with art work, garland, and pops of cheerful colors… plus lots of natural light! It has proved to be the perfect spot for school work, board games, and art projects! It definitely has become our favorite room in the house!

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Weekend Lovelies {favorite things}

January 4, 2014

:: Weekend Lovelies {favorite things} ::

Wow it’s 2014! Can you believe it? Sara and I had a nice break enjoying our family time during the holidays. With two fire schedules, the holidays aren’t really celebrated exactly as per the calendar date, but around the time we have our husbands home during their days off. A crazy life for sure, but one we get used to day by day. We were able to capture the moments when we could.

January is like September for me. A month to renew, rethink, and re-evaluate what is working in life, and what is not. I love it because I am not one for big change, so it pushes me outside of my comfort zone to really think about life. I have a few big resolutions, or I should say “life changes,” that I have been working on for a couple of years. I don’t plan on moving mountains, but the one thing I do love and plan to hang on to, is to the simple idea of “hope.” It’s a big word that can help in multiple ways in life.

That being said, Sara and I hope you like some new changes we have made to Simply Happenstance! A big one is our weekly edition of Weekend Lovelies. We thoroughly enjoy lovelies because it truly is an eclectic mix of all the wonderful things we’ve come across on the web. There are so many great recipes, DIY projects, and thought provoking articles to share! In an effort to broaden our lovelies and share more great finds… we thought we’d open it up to other bloggers! {If you have a personal blog, from this point forward, on Saturday’s & Sunday’s, you’ll be able to link-up your favorite recent blog post to share with our readers! We hope that you will join us, and spread the word! If you have an Etsy Shop… you can link that up, too!}

So without much further ado, welcome to Weekend Lovelies {favorite things}!

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D.I.Y. Wine Hostess Gift

December 19, 2013

:: D.I.Y. Wine Hostess Gift ::

Do you have 12 holiday parties to go to and not a gift insight? This easy D.I.Y. Wine Hostess Gift is a great way to present wine at the next party you attend. Whether it be for Christmas or New Year’s, these two D.I.Y. ideas are a great way to use simple items to present that bottle wine you need to bring to your next event.

I love wine. Shane and I enjoyed our 10-year anniversary in Napa and Sonoma, so for us wine is a wonderful gift to both give and receive. I love to drink red or white as I like them both. I tend to sway more towards a Sauvignon Blanc or a lovely Bubbly as my choice for white, and as for Red I do enjoy the affordable yet sensational Layer Cake. Their Malbec is bold and earthy, while their Cabernet is spicy and fruity. Layer Cake pairs well with holiday meals.

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Peanut Butter Malted Crunch Ice Cream

July 18, 2013

:: Peanut Butter Malted Crunch Ice Cream ::

Okay, so I am dealing with a slight addiction to ice boxed treats! I blame it on the heat, and the kids love of ice cream! Peanut Butter Malted Crunch Ice Cream has to be my most favorite ice cream recipe that I have made {as of late}. Yes… I did say that about my Strawberry Ice Cream {but that was last weeks favorite flavor, wink}. This recipe is a creation based on my husband’s uncanny addiction to malted milk. He always has to have a malt, not a shake, whenever we are at Ruby’s. It inspired me to combine this with my love of peanut butter and white chocolate. I apologize ahead of time! This ice cream recipe is addicting! I pray that I make it through the summer without gaining 10 pounds from this and any upcoming ice cream recipes. Making ice cream is easy and sharing is caring… so let’s make up a batch to beat this summer heat! [Read more…]

{Book Review}

February 4, 2013

We thought it was about time for a good book review.

I have been struggling to find something new to read besides Dr. Seuss.

And I need to step away from watching train wreck reality shows.

My problem is, I read books in spurts and when

I do finally decide it is time for a new reading choice,

I become overwhelmed by the array of books on the shelf

at Target or online via Amazon or the Apple Bookstore.

Thankfully, we have a friend that loves reading books and blogs

about the books she is reading while giving her own personal book review.

Today’s Guest Post comes from Kimberly Brower

@Book Reader Chronicles

(www.bookreaderchronicles)

go check out her site, it is amazing!

*********************************************************************************

Hi everyone! My name is Kimberly and one of my passions is reading.

I’m used to always getting questions from my friends about what book I’m reading

or what I think they should read next, so I decided to start my own book review blog –

Book Reader Chronicles (www.bookreaderchronicles) – that I hope you will enjoy!

As my first guest blog entry on Simply Happenstance,

I will give you a list of my favorite books of 2012 along with a quick synopsis……………

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Sky has never felt much of anything…until she meets Holder.

Holder sparks things in Sky that she never knew she was missing,

but with those sparks comes repressed memories that she wish had stayed buried.

As secrets are revealed, Sky’s life is changed forever.

For mature readers due to sexual content and abuse.

(review: https://bookreaderchronicles.com/2012/12/23/review-hopeless-by-colleen-hoover/) –

link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/VwGj3D

Bared to You and Reflected in You (The Crossfire Series) by Sylvia Day

Attention Fifty Shades of Grey fans,

if you loved Christian and Ana, then you will love Gideon and Eva.

This story follows the beautifully tortured Gideon Cross and

the broken Eva Tramell as they figure out if two people with dark

pasts can overcome their demons and find happiness together.

In my opinion, this series far exceeds the Fifty Shades trilogy.

Bared to You link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/11hrJPb

Reflected in You link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/1194OGy

Divergent (Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth

If you loved The Hunger Games,

then you will love the first two books of the series.

Set in dystopian Chicago, the city has been broken into 5 factions:

Dauntless (brave), Amity (peace), Candor (honesty),

Erudite (intelligence) and Abenegation (selfless).

When they turn sixteen, they must choose which path they wish to follow,

but if they choose a faction that is different than the one they were raised in,

they must leave their family forever.

We follow Beatrice – Tris – as she makes her choice and deals

with the personal and political ramifications of this decision.

Divergent link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/YFATnO

The Elemental Mysteries Series by Elizabeth Hunter

I’m sure you are all tired

of the paranormal (vampires, witches, etc.) cause I know I am.

However, this series (all the books are out so you won’t have to wait to finish it),

far surpasses any paranormal book I’ve read and trust me, I’ve read them all!

If you’ve read The Discovery of Witches, this book has a very similar feel.

There are 4 books and they all follow Giovanni and Beatrice’s story.

Beatrice meets Gio when she is 22 and is finishing up her degree in library science.

Gio is a mysterious researcher and finds that Beatrice is the missing link to solve a mystery

that has been bothering him for centuries. This is not your traditional love story and is a great read.

A Hidden Fire (Book 1) link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/TZJiRI (FREE ebook)

If you would like to read my book reviews, you can visit my blog.

Next month, I will give you a list of books I recommend along with my reviews.

Happy reading everyone!

Letter’s to Santa

December 6, 2012

The magic has begun…..

Our home has been decorated since the day after Thanksgiving.

By husband is still attempting to install a couple more lights,

don’t worry we aren’t the Griswold’s but we do like lights.

In fact, for the past week we have been taking walks as soon as it

gets dark to view all the Christmas Lights in the surrounding neighborhoods.

We are fortunate to live around the block from a neighborhood

that decorates to the max with a fabulous display of Christmas Lights.

This neighborhood is as wonderful as Disneyland!

A cup of hot chocolate and a little fresh air, can put anyone in the holiday spirit.

And of course, our Elf on The Shelf has returned!

Yes, we are Elf people.

In fact we have had our boy Elf, Aubrey {yes, I know} for 3 years now.

This past Saturday, with all of the rain I took the kids to the mall in

hopes to visit with Santa.

The line of course was too long, so we visited a few stores in preparation

for our annual letters to Santa.

In Pottery Barn Kids, we stumbled upon the Author of The Elf of the Shelf.

Chandra Bell was signing books and delivering them straight from Santa,

of course, Miss Madeline hoped that Aubrey could have a friend.

Cutie has now joined our family…….

{yes, she is cute!}

With all of this holiday activity, it was the perfect time to

create our Christmas Lists/Letters to Santa.

A couple years ago, we actually received a reply back from the “Jolly old Elf”.

{Thanks Mr. Santa at the post office for answering my children’s letter!}

Traditionally I hand write the letters via what the kid’s dictate to me,

but this year I came upon this inexpensive find at Target.

It was a great find that was easy to fill out.

The Santa Lists are a tri-fold card in which you list the good things they have done

over the year, then the second section is the actual lists.

Four envelopes and four letters were in the package that was under $4.00.

A great way to make a list for family members as well as,

placing in the mail to The North Pole.

I found this gem near the holiday boxed cards.

Fingers crossed that we are lucky enough to receive a response from Santa…..

but then again the kids might just have to wait to see what actually comes on

Christmas Morning!

“Santa Claus is coming to town”.