Tea on Tuesday Social Hop #6

The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop is hosted by Jessica at Boys Oh Boys and Haley at Team Ibrahim, with this week's special co-host Emily at Dirt and Pearls! The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop, is a multiple social link-up for everyone to meet new people, make new friends,  and grow your audience! There are 8 social link-ups for you to join, including: Your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Bloglovin', Hello Cotton, and Instagram! 

There are just a few simple rules:

1. Follow the hosts, and co-host via GFC (if you can) or RSS, Facebook, and Twitter. Jessica: Blog - Facebook - Twitter Haley: Blog - Facebook - Twitter Emily: Blog - Facebook - Twitter

2. For every social link-up you enter, visit at least 3 others from that link-up and follow them.

3. HAVE FUN!!

(*Note: When liking on Facebook, you MUST do this from your personal page. It does not count as a "like" if you like from you blog Facebook page.)

Tea on Tuesday Social Hop #5

The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop is hosted by Jessica at Boys Oh Boys and Haley at Team Ibrahim, with this week's special co-host Caitlin at Southern SAHM! The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop, is a multiple social link-up for everyone to meet new people, make new friends,  and grow your audience! There are 8 social link-ups for you to join, including: Your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Bloglovin', Hello Cotton, and Instagram! 

There are just a few simple rules:

1. Follow the hosts, and co-host via GFC (if you can) or RSS, Facebook, and Twitter. Jessica: Blog - Facebook - Twitter Haley: Blog - Facebook - Twitter Caitlin: Blog - Facebook - Twitter

2. For every social link-up you enter, visit at least 3 others from that link-up and follow them.

3. HAVE FUN!!

(*Note: When liking on Facebook, you MUST do this from your personal page. It does not count as a "like" if you like from you blog Facebook page.)

Fall Feature: Favorite Fall Scents

Meet Becca, Star Director with Scentsy

I am so excited to introduce you all to my longtime friend, Becca. Becca is a wife, mom, and very successful Scentsy Director.

When creating our Fall Frenzy event I immediately thought about her and her business and invited her to share her favorite Fall scents, as well as, some custom scent recipes.

As a fun bonus--we decided to host an event in which I will donate all of the host benefits to one "Mystery Host"--my gift to you, my pretties! So, what does that mean? You'll have a chance to be selected as the host, which means you'll get ALL of the host benefits as if you hosted the party yourself!

How cool is that? 

We have you covered if after you read all about these fantastically-fabulous Fall scents and gift ideas you decide you can't go another day without them in your home. If you'd like to order, head on over to Becca's website. If you'd like to enter for a chance to be the "Mystery Host" without ordering, email Becca at beccastimeout{at}gmail{dot}com.

Scentsy is a safe alternative to candles and with such a wide variety of scents you'll have no problem finding one that you love. Becca's favorite Fall scents are Carmel Pear Crisp, Pumpkin Roll and Autumn Sunset. I LOVE Pumpkin Roll and Autumn Sunset and can't wait to try Carmel Pear Crisp! 

Have you ever experimented with Scentsy Recipes? Here are some fabulous scent combinations, and the *'d ones are Becca's favorites!

*Candy Cane = Cinnamon Bear + Whiteout

*Chocolate Chip Cookie = Mochadoodle + Sugar Cookie

Apple Pie a la Mode = Bake Apple Pie + Vanilla Cream

Autumn Swim = Autumn Sunset + Skinny Dippin'

*Grandma's House = Pumpkin Roll + Cinnamon Vanilla

Mama's Pumpkin Pie = Clove & Cinnamon + Pumpkin Roll

*Pumpkin Pie = Sugar Cookie + Pumpkin Roll

*Sunkissed Punch = Sunkissed Citrus + Paradise Punch

*Nights in Paradise = Havana Cabana + Paradise Punch

Spiced Punch = Perfectly Pomegranate + 2 cubes Cinnamon Bear

*Berry Blast = Black Raspberry Vanilla + 2 cubes Snowberry

Choppin' Trees = Festival of Trees + Winter Wonderland

Blizzard = Thunderstorm + Snowberry

Winter Movie Night = Snowberry + Honey Pear Cider

Old Man Winter = Cozy Fireside + Festival of Trees

Are you often in need of a quick gift? Have you looked at the calendar and realized that the holidays aren't that far away? Becca has made a list of "Scentsy Wax" Gift Giving Ideas that would be perfect for housewarming gifts, hostess gifts, teacher or service provider gifts, coworker gifts, you name it! Stock up now so you'll be ready!

Dessert at Grandmas - Pumpkin Roll, Sugar Cookie, Baked Apple Pie

Winters Night - Eskimo Kiss, Cozy Fireside, Christmas Cottage

Fall Evenings - Autumn Sunset, Honey Pear Cider, Home Sweet Home

Home for the Holidays - Silver Bells, My Home, Cozy Fireside

Christmas Memories - Christmas Cottage, Festival of Trees, Honey Pear Cider

Delightful Dessert - Blueberry Cheesecake, Happy Birthday, Baked Apple Pie

Vampires Glance - Love Story, Simple Irresistible, Enchanted Mist

Rise and Shine - Hazelnut Latte, Mochadoodle, Sticky Cinnamon Bun (or Vanilla Cream)

Housewarming - My Home, Welcome Home, Clean Breeze

Rock & Roll - Hendrix, Echo, Zephyr

Check out these SPOOOOKY Halloween Warmers!

If you'd like to purchase from this event and have a chance to be our "Mystery Host" please click here. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY to be selected for the "Mystery Host." If you'd like to be entered to win without purchasing, please email Becca at BeccasTimeOut{at}gmail{dot}com. Also, if you have any questions regarding scents or any Scentsy products please free to contact her. She's a wealth of information! 

Sing Yourself Silly - Movie Review

What's not to love about our favorite Sesame Street characters gathered together on one fun DVD singing silly songs? The highly opinionated movie reviewers at Team Ibrahim agree, this one is a keeper! Our littlest reviewer gave this one 5 stars and a wiggle. And, I have to admit that I loved it too!

30 minutes of non-stop fun for the whole family with songs that you'll probably remember from YOUR Sesame Street days like, 'Ladybug Picnic' and 'Jellyman Kelly'! We've been humming these tunes since we received the DVD!

Song List: 

The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree * Ladybug Picnic * Jellyman Kelly * Wavin' Goodbye To You With My Heart * Old MacDonald Cantata * Everything In The Wrong Place Ball * One Banana * Calcutta Joe * Mary Had a Bicycle * Ten Tiny Turtles On The Telephone * Put Down the Duckie

If you'd like your own copy, check out Mommy Bear Media who offers competitive prices and FREE shipping! And while you're there, check out their impressive collection of clean, wholesome movies for the entire family!

Guest Post: First Day of School Sign

Hello, friends--I'd like you to give a BIG welcome to my blogger friend, Kelly from her blog Cobwebs, Cupcakes, and Crayons. Kelly, has put together an amazing post and is sharing it with us! Before we dig in to her fabulous project let's get to know her a little better. 

Here's a bit about her: 

In my former life I was a professional organizer, bringing order to other people’s homes. Now as a stay-at-home mama, spending my days with Annabelle, the little love of my life, I’m constantly trying to keep my own home from reaching Crazytown. Armed with glue dots, sippy cups, and my label maker, I am searching for order in a mommy’s world…one craft, one project, one little girl’s giggle, at a time.

Now, let's get started!

---

It’s that time again.  Back to school...

For some mamas, this year means dropping their little ones off at school for the first time.  Waving at the departing bus, as they fight back their own tears.  For other mamas, this year brings the long drive home after leaving their all grown-up little ones at college.  That seems like ages away to me and yet I still get all teary just thinking about it…

For me, this September brings a first, as Annabelle will be starting school.  She’s only going a few mornings a week for a couple of hours and yet the pit in my stomach gets more and more hollow as I count down the days.   I tell myself that she will love it.  That it’s only a few hours.  That she is, literally, around the corner if I need to rush there and get her.  That it is important for her to do something without me.  That she will adjust and love being “on her own”, making new friends and learning new activities.  All that good stuff, but still, well, you mamas that are reading this…you KNOW.

I wanted to make a little something to mark this big step.  I decided a little “First Day Of School” sign that we could take her picture with every year would be wonderful.  I made it in a frame so I could use the glass as a dry erase board, and personalize the sign every year with her age, the date, her grade, etc.

It was a super easy craft.  First I got a nice big frame.  (It was actually one I already had that I wasn’t using.)

Then, I took two pretty pieces of scrapbook paper and cut them down to fit the frame.  Using stencils, I wrote out the words “First Day Of School”, first in pencil….

…and then I traced and colored them in with a black sharpie.

Since I needed two pieces of scrapbook paper to fill the frame, I taped two pieces of paper together...

and then taped a piece of blue ribbon across.  I liked that the ribbon hide the seam, and that it divided up the sign, leaving the bottom portion open for writing.  Then I reassembled the frame.

Here’s little Annabelle’s “First Day Of School” sign…

And this is what it looks like with a little personalization, using a dry erase marker.

I have to admit, I’m in Love with this little sign.  Is it making the pit in my stomach go away?  No.  But it is making me smile through slightly teary eyes.  I’ll be sure to share Annabelle’s First Day Of School picture with you guys once we take it.

So, do you have any First Day Of School traditions?

Thank you so much for sharing, Kelly! I love this idea and can think of so many variations and possibilities! LOVE that you framed it which makes changing the details so easy just by writing on the glass! 

P.S. If you liked this post, you might also like Month To Month, Moment To Moment and Remember When... 

If you'd like to follow Kelly she can be found at the following links:

Blog: www.cobwebscupcakesandcrayons.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Cobwebs.Cupcakes.Crayons

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/CobwebsCupcakes/

Email: cobwebscupcakesandcrayons@yahoo.com

Tea on Tuesday Social Hop #4

The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop is hosted by Jessica at Boys Oh Boys and Haley at Team Ibrahim, with this week's special co-host Sara at Milwaukee Kitchen! The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop, is a multiple social link-up for everyone to meet new people, make new friends,  and grow your audience! There are 8 social link-ups for you to join, including: Your Blog. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Bloglovin', Hello Cotton, and Instagram! 

There are just a few simple rules:

1. Follow the hosts, and co-host via GFC (if you can) or RSS, Facebook, and Twitter. Jessica: Facebook - Twitter Haley: Facebook - Twitter Sara: Facebook - Twitter

2. For every social link-up you enter, visit at least 3 others from that link-up and follow them.

3. HAVE FUN!!

(*Note: When liking on Facebook, you MUST do this from your personal page. It does not count as a "like" if you like from you blog page.)

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

I have been holding on to this recipe from Love to Cook for way too long. When we decided to do our Fall Frenzy I knew this would be the perfect "Fall" breakfast to include. And, I'm happy to say...it.did.NOT.disappoint. Do not skip the syrup, it's the perfect compliment to the pumpkiny-ness of the pancakes. You can find the entire recipe here.

The only change that I made was adding a little more milk to thin the batter. Use your judgement--mine seemed a bit too thick. The whole family loved them--little Elia ate a whole pancake! Do you have a favorite Fall breakfast? Contact me and you may be featured on Team Ibrahim!

Source: tastesbetterfromscratch.blogspot.com via TeamIbrahim on Pinterest

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Soup is as much a part of Fall as the leaves changing colors. There's just something about a warm bowl of soup that makes us feel cozy. Last Christmas we purchased the Food Saver 3880 Vacuum Sealer for our family so that we could start making large batches of soups and sauces and freezing them for easy meals. I made a few different recipes last year and divided them into smaller portions, vacuum sealed them, and stacked them flat in the freezer. I was so pleased with how they thawed and reheated that I decided to increase my efforts to increase my freezer stockpile. My first recipe of the season is this very simple broccoli and cheese soup. This was one of the recipes that I made last year and I can say that it is very fast and freezes and reheats without losing its flavor or texture.  

Source: sugarcrafter.net via TeamIbrahim on Pinterest

This recipe comes from Sugar Crafter and can be found here. I didn't make the bread bowl but it does look delicious and I may someday! The only change that I made was to steam the carrots and broccoli for a few minutes before putting them in the soup.

We'll have a bowl for lunch and the rest will be divided into 2-3 serving portions, vacuum sealed, and frozen. When we're ready to eat the frozen soup I'll let it partially thaw and put it in a sauce pan to reheat. It really is a simple and convenient meal without all the junk that is usually in convenience foods.  Do you have a favorite soup that freezes well?  Contact me and you may be featured on Team Ibrahim!

Fall Frenzy Kick Off

Source: http://classy-in-the-city.tumblr.com

Helllllooooo, September! We have been waiting for you! Fall recipes, crafts, football, cooler weather, hoodies, campfires, hot chocolate, cooler weather, pumpkins, cooler weather...okay, cooler weather where the heck are you? The temperatures may still be high but it's not going to discourage us from kicking off our Fall Frenzy!

I am SO EXCITED that it is September 1st! If you haven't heard or are new to Team Ibrahim, September will bring 30 days of Fall inspired projects. We hope that you enjoy them and are inspired to put away the Summer deco and pull out your warm and cozy Fall pretties. We're also hopeful that you'll try some of our recipes and would love it if you let us know how you and your family liked them. BUT, more than anything we hope that our Fall Frenzy inspires YOU to slow down and enjoy all that Fall brings.