Life of the Party: Sponsored by Wayfair

It's the most wonderful time of the year... to entertain! Time for friends and family to gather in the next few months to celebrate all things fall, football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and winter! During these busy entertaining months, I keep lots of food and drink options on hand for any planned and impromptu gatherings that may occur. Wine and coffee seem to be the most popular drink options at our parties, so I am sharing my must have party item of the season- an espresso maker!  This machine has taken our entertaining options to the next level. 

Since this was my first time operating an espresso maker, I thought I would share a few tips that I learned. Make sure to measure out your coffee using the included scoop, then use the flat end to gently press the coffee into the filter. You want the coffee to be pressed lightly, but not so hard that the coffee will not filter through. If the espresso doesn't flow quickly, then the coffee is packed too tightly. 

Be sure to preheat your coffee cup. The directions do say to do this and I skipped that step the first time. The coffee does indeed taste much better in a preheated cup.

To make cappuccinos, use the steam option to froth milk in a separate cup. There are all kinds of coffee options you can create depending on the amount of froth and steam milk added to the espresso. Our friends and family enjoyed creating their own coffee creations that were a little more fun and unique than they would typically make at home. The quality of the cappuccinos were outstanding!



Wayfair has so many great products for entertaining. I am always inspired by their huge selection! Here's a few more that I currently have my eye on...

French Press

Tinware Espresso Mugs

Vintage Coffee Sign

Espresso Machine

Teacher Appreciation Gifts and Summer Savings with Giant Eagle

I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 

All opinions are mine alone. #GiantEaglePerks #cbias #CollectiveBias

It's that time of year again. I'm not sure where the school year went. Just yesterday we were taking pictures on the first day of school. Today we are making end of the year teacher appreciation gifts. Do you do something special for your teachers?  Each year we try to think of something special for them. I've asked many teacher friends for suggestions and they all answer with a resounding, "gift cards are nice!". 

So gift cards it is! But of course we have to make the presentation look cute and summery!

First stop is my local Giant Eagle store since I have multiple errands to accomplish there.  It really is my one stop shop for summer. Pharmacy pick up, check. Gas, groceries, and gift cards, check, check, check. 

Off to the ice cream topping isle I go for our teacher gift supplies. I filled my grocery cart with boxes of ice cream cones, chocolate sundae syrup, and Dairy Queen gift cards. It's so nice to get everything done in one place. I'm sure you can all relate.

Ice Cream Themed Teacher Appreciation Gifts:

Items Needed:

Plastic beach pail 

Ice cream cones

Ice cream sundae toppings

Gift Card

Sharpie markers or paint pens

My kids decorated plastic pails for each of their teachers with sharpie markers. You could also use paint pens here if you prefer. We added the teacher's name and summer inspired drawings on each pail.

This step is optional. I stopped at Dairy Queen after picking up my gift cards at Giant Eagle and asked for a few DQ cups and lids to place the gift cards in. They were more than happy to help.

We placed the DQ gift cards inside each cup and added some crinkle confetti. We then placed everything inside the beach pail with a handmade card from my kids thanking them for such a great year.

I love that the gifts look super cute, yet are easy for the kids to make by themselves. The gift cards are also a win/win- the teachers love using them and we get extra fuelperks towards free gas for purchasing them at Giant Eagle. 

Do you use the Giant Eagle app on your phone? I check my perks right from my phone after each visit and watch my perks grow quickly towards big savings on groceries and gas.

Of course my to-do list never ends- I'm off to get gas again (didn't I just fill up?!!) at Get Go and will be sure to use the extra fuel perks I just earned from my last trip to Giant Eagle! The savings really adds up for our family. I love being able to use that savings towards actual fun things like trips to the amusement park, baseball games, and the beach!

Head to Giant Eagle to start your own fuelperk savings by visiting online to get 100 bonus perks at gianteagle.com/perks

Move The Party Outside: Sponsored by Wayfair

We love moving our entertaining outdoors. As soon as the weather breaks, we are dusting off our patio furniture and calling our friends to come over. Hosting game nights can be simple, easy, and fun, We love discovering new activities to play outside. Thanks to Wayfair, we are adding a Giant Tumbling Tower to our roster of outdoor games. This giant set is seriously addictive for all ages!

I use a chalkboard easel to map out where guests can find all the party highlights. When hosting an outdoor party, I try to keep everything outside to minimize indoor foot traffic- including food, drinks, and trash/recycling.

I always decorate our metal utensil holder to match the theme of the party. Food signs are also helpful for guests, especially if you have people with specific food allergies that need foods separated.



Wayfair has a HUGE selection of Giant Board Games for the Yard!  I am eyeing up the giant wood dice  and giant connect 4 game next! The kids got such a kick out of the wood pieces being so BIG!

Here are our TOP FIVE favorite games to play when hosting outdoor parties:

1. Twister, a classic and fun game. Just grab a spinner and start calling out directions! 

2. Jenga. I've added our new giant tumbling tower set to this must play list! It's fun for all ages and can be played with any number of people.

3. Headbands Game. The person guessing has a picture on their headband that they cannot see. Everyone else acts out the clue without speaking for the guesser to try and figure out.

4. Charades. A single person acts out a clue for the group to guess without speaking.

5. Croquet, once you learn the rules this is a super fun game to set up and play in the yard. If you have enough players, you can even have your our tournament!

For more outdoor inspiration, visit Wayfair's HUGE selection of Giant Board Games for the Yard and outdoor dining and entertaining selections.

Must Haves for a Cozy Night In...

Hi friends! I'm over on Wayfair sharing my blogger picks for must have items to set the mood for a cozy night in...from the perfect love seat and coffee table, to servingware, cocktails, and dinner. Hope you enjoy my selections. Let me know if you have a favorite item!

Dover Wine Bar Cabinet	Classic Mule Mug	Peruse Loveseat
Keepsake USB 3 Speed Turntable	Multi Game Table	Leo Pizza Set
Laguna Coffee Table	Popcorn Bowls with Kernel Catcher	Evening Reverie Wine Accent Tray
Garfield Bean Bag Chair	3 Piece Salad Bowl	Cabin Plaid Flannel Sherpa Cotton Throw

Stocking Stuffers with Maple Holistics

The tree is up, the stockings hung with care... I'm almost ready for Christmas! I don't know about you, but I LOVE opening stockings! It's a really fun tradition in our house and it's one of my very favorite parts of Christmas morning.

I recently saw a friend post on Instagram a stocking tip, she hides her stocking stuffers in shoe boxes! Each family member has their own box and as she collects goodies, she fills their box. Such a great idea.

Speaking of stocking stuffers, I am putting this tea tree oil shampoo in my husband's stocking. We've switched to as many all natural products as possible - such as our soaps, lotions, and shampoo. I love that this shampoo has all natural ingredients and really helps our scalps in the dry winter months.  It has a great scent (very  important) thanks to the rosemary, lavender, and tree tree oils and washes the hair well.

Check out the entire product line at mapleholistics.com, they even have a  free samples program in case you would like to try out their products!

Sponsored: Upcycling Toolbox Project With Wayfair

Welcome to the Toolbox challenge presented by Wayfair!  My creative task was to choose a toolbox from Wayfair's large selection and upcycle it into something unique and different.

After much searching, I fell in love with this large old fashioned wood toolbox. It looked sturdy, vintage, and just look at these 5 deep compartments... now what to do with it?

Since it is fall and I have campfires on the brain, I decided I needed a s'mores caddy! The deep compartments hold large mason jars perfectly. If you can't find large mason jars, smaller wide mouth mason jars will also work.



Just fill with your favorite s'more ingredients- graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars, and a personal favorite of mine is fudge stripe shortbread cookies. The last compartment I filled with essentials such as napkins, wet wipes (for sticky fingers), and matches. 

I found this nifty printable for the front of my mason jar.

I love how my s'more caddy turned out!  It was so simple to make and now I can easily carry all my s'more ingredients to the campfire at once!

You can check out the full article as well as all the incredibly creative ways our Wayfair Homemakers rose to the challenge on the Wayfair site.