{Gluten Free} Pineapple UpsideDown Cake

Earlier this week I was at a lunch play date and the host (aka. a wonderful BFF) absolutely spoiled us with the perfect, summery dessert! And to boot, she made it gluten free!! (This is when you KNOW its true love, when she never lets me go without the amazing yumminess!!)

I could hardly wait for an excuse to recreate this divine little cake, so I didn't! I made it the following evening for dessert! What a hit! Its moist, perfect, delicious and so crazy easy to make. Its the perfect potluck dessert, too... just be prepared for the invitations to come rolling in once you share this with your friends!

Jamberry Application Tips & Tricks

Since I started using Jamberry wraps a few months ago, I have definitely improved my application technique and I'd like to share some of the tips I've picked up that make the process so much easier! If you haven't checked it out already, head over here to check out my new obsession & find the link to the Jamberry Application video.

Jamberry Journey

Its been a while (yet again) but I am finally getting a few minutes to sit down and share. We've been spending most of our time outside in the nice weather. Its almost impossible to get the boys inside long enough to eat a meal before they are gone again! I can't complain though, I was sooooo ready for coats & boots season to end. 

I'm really excited to share with you that I have joined Jamberry Nails. I have been using them for a few months now and decided to take the plunge and see where it takes me. I'd like to take the opportunity now to share a little bit about these trendy, fun nail products and to share why I'm so in love!

Jamberry is a family-based business. Briefly, three sisters came up with the idea to create these durable, easy-to-use nail wraps in beautiful colours and designs to appeal to nails everywhere! The nail wraps are non-toxic and can be applied right to your nail with heat and pressure.

I'm a nail polish-aholic, and I love doing my nails so I couldn't wait to try these wraps! There are many benefits to using them, including the ease of application, no dry time, and no chipping! This is super exciting for me as a busy Mom of 4 little boys. I rarely ever have time to paint my nails and have them dry without someone needing something and the consequence is always bumped and flawed manicures. Also, within a day or two, polish always chips, and that's a real bummer.

Once I learned the proper way to apply Jamberry, I was hooked! They last on my hands up to 16 days (I might have been able to leave them on longer, I was dying to change it up!) I've done my toes as well, and I got well over a month on my first attempt! 

There are more than 300 nail wrap designs, solids and tips to choose from so no matter what your preference, we've got you covered. If you can't narrow down the choices, don't worry! Wraps are Buy 3 Get 1 FREE!

The nail wraps come with enough to do 2 complete manicures & 2 complete pedicures, with enough leftover for a bunch of accent nails.

Here are a few pics of my recent Jams.  

Lovely Spring Shamrocks & Rainbows

Even did a Toe-Jam!

These Get Hoppy Easter wraps were so sweet!

Gelato & Rose Gold Sparkle

And finally, Desert at Dusk!

I would love it if you would check out the styles over on my site, and let me know with a comment here about what designs you LOVE! Everyone who comments will be entered to win a sheet of accent wraps!

Check out the application video!

Let me know your fav design!

{Gluten Free} Mini Pumpkin Pie Cakes

It feels like FOREVER since I've shared a recipe! I'm not even going to look back and see how long its been! This one is better-late-than-never, but I have a few reasons for that.... Its been crazy busy here this fall. So that's one. The second reason is that I have tested this recipe several times and its finally tweaked to perfect (if I do say so myself!). The third and most important reason is my little bambino who just absolutely loved to be held (by me) pretty mush all the hours that he is awake.... And he's not a fan of sitting still for me to blog. 

In case you didn't know it, I'm a pumpkinaholic. I love pumpkin almost as much as my kids and chocolate and so I have been seeking really good pumpkin recipes that are gluten free. For those of you who eat a gluten free diet, you will understand just how important 'good' recipes are. There are a lot of different products out there, and recipes, but its hard to find DELICIOUS ones. I have pretty much perfected this recipe and I am excited to share it!

Tutorial: Get your lashes on! (Quick & Easy!)

If you want the secret to long, full, beautiful lashes in minutes, you've come to the right place! As you can imagine, with the busy schedule that comes along with having four boys, I don't have much time to dedicate to anything else. Occasionally I get the chance to clean up a mess before the next one lands, but in general its go, go, go! So when I discovered the 3D Fiber Lashes from Younique, I was sold on everything about them! My absolute fav feature is how quick you can apply the lashes! It only takes minutes! 

Here's a quick step-by-step tutorial on applying these great lashes! (I did this in the car with the kids loaded because we were early for the bus! I figured I might as well make good use of the time!)

Not Just Lashes - Younique Review

I am quite excited to share more about the Younique products that I have been able to test this week! I have been pleased with each product that I have tried. Stephanie and I got together just the other day and played with various items from her presentation kit. We did a little photo shoot and without further adieu, here is a little summary of the products we tried out!

Amazing Lashes -- Younique 3D Fiber Lashes

I'm working on a few more posts to get you as excited as I am about these amazing products from Younique! In the meantime, I'm going to share some before/after shots of just how fabulous these lashes look! 

If you missed it, check out this post! I've been helping out my friend Stephanie with her new business, and I'm happy to report that she's been having amazing response to the company and products that she is representing! 

The 3D Fiber Lashes are absolutely amazing! These lashes will replace the fakes in your life! And I've been wearing mine everyday, you decide what kind of a look to wear by using more or less!

10 School Year Calendar Ideas {Perfect Pins}

The summer seems to be sneaking away from me. We have had a full & busy summer, and over the next couple of weeks we will be trying to develop some kind of routine as we get ready for the boys to go back to school. Some days I'm sad with the anticipation, other days I'm counting down. Its always a bittersweet time. On one hand, it will be nice to have a bit more time for the wee boys & for myself, but on the other hand, I will miss the big boys tremendously.

As today was a day where I'm feeling that back to school can not come fast enough (and when I'm hoping that tomorrow will be different!), I got to searching for some organizational tools to get back into the swing of things. So without further ramblings, here is a great collection of school year calendar systems to help you organize time for school activities that are just around the corner!

Fruity Chocolate PB Popsicles

I'm almost out of ideas for the rest of the strawberries that are hanging around here. Tonight I decided to make some popsicles for the week that the boys and I can enjoy in the heat. This recipe is delicious! 

Outdoor Furniture Re-Do

Last weekend I completed a project that I had started last summer. Well, I suppose I didn't really start it. I picked up a set of outdoor furniture for $20 with great aspirations of doing a makeover and creating a gorgeous set for around our fire pit... and for probably 96 reasons I ended up putting it off and then eventually forgetting about it until summer was long over and I was no longer motivated to do it seeing as we couldn't enjoy it with the snow that was looming. I'm sorry for mentioning that dreaded word, by the way.

So for the past few weeks we have been staring at this ugly furniture and I've been hoping to sneak in the makeover... and I finally did it this weekend!  I have to say that the finished product is even better than I had imagined it! I have a sore back as most of this was done with a little baby wrapped to me. He certainly prefers to be held, and so that was pretty much the only way to complete this project. I can't say I mind, he's super cuddly... only my back is paying for it a bit because of the bending, etc. required to paint the furniture.

10 Homemade Iced Tea Recipes {Perfect Pins}

We've been loving the summer weather, and loving the days that we've been able to spend outdoors. In an effort to keep hydrated without a ton of sugar, I've been searching out homemade iced tea recipes that I can make ahead and have in the fridge. I've made a few of my own recipes and I am hoping to share one or two soon but in the meantime, check out these great Pinterest finds!

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

Yesterday I stopped at a roadside stand for more fresh strawberries. I seriously can't get enough! I thought I would share this basic & delicious idea today. Its a perfect summery dessert for breakfast enjoying alone while the kids play outside entertaining! Other than baking the cake, the rest only takes minutes to throw together. Looks seasonal, tastes delightful!

10 DIY Popsicle Recipes {Perfect Pins}

Its been really hot so far this summer & I'm not complaining! I'm just looking for ideas to create frozen treats for cooling down. I love how easy these recipes are to make, and I love them as an alternative to brand treats that are probably packed full of things I'd rather not talk about. I'm not saying we don't enjoy a good freezie from time to time, but its nice to have these homemade, fruit-filled popsicles on hand for the kiddos!

Easy Homemade Strawberry Jam

Strawberry season is here (well I guess its almost over)! We took our little men and went picking last week. We also brought the neighbour kids. Can I just suggest that you do this when you're planning to go picking? I didn't have to do anything! I just gave all the little people little baskets and set them loose in to the patch. They were competing to see who could fill their basket faster and that worked out quite well! They had a blast and I got 8 litres of fresh strawberries in under 45 minutes.

It didn't look like a lot at the time but when we got home and I got to washing them I quickly decided that we couldn't possibly eat all of the berries before they went bad. So we started jammin'. Hahaha... I really find myself entertaining at times. (Sidenote, its hard to type entertaining. Or is that just me? My fingers got all messed up both times there. Try it.)

Removing Crayon from Clothes

I was feeling quite motivated one day this week and was kicking some serious butt where laundry was concerned. I was almost to the end of it all when I went to take one load out of the dryer when it happened. I could see that the entire load of clothes was speckled with blue ink. UGGGHHHHH! I figured that I had missed a pocket in hubby's work shirt (those army shirts have 45 or something pockets, I must have missed one or two... And there was a little pen spring in the lint trap so that was the last clue.

I headed to the hairspray, and I sprayed all of the affected clothes (can I just say that most of it was new boys' new summer buys .. grrr..). I ran out of spray and I had to run out to the store and grab another! Anyhow, I got all the clothes sprayed and threw them in the wash. Easy right? Because hairspray takes ink out of clothes! Hooray!  They wouldn't all be ruined! 

When the wash was done, I went to switch over to the dryer and I realized that a lot of the blue ink was still there.... WHAT!? And that's when I saw it. The blue crayon wrapper. It was staring right at me. OH NO!  I was wrong about the ink. Some child of mine must have had a crayon in his pocket (and I never check their pockets because I figure they are 5 & 6, like what would they be putting in their little pockets??).

DIY Father's Day Photo Gift

Looking for a last minute Father's Day gift? The boys & I made this great gift in no time at all (well maybe like 8 minutes). Quick & reasonably easy, this is perfect for and Dad or Grandpa. 

10 DIY Father's Day Gifts {Perfect Pins}

I am a lover of all things DIY! And I totally love homemade gifts, especially for occasions like Father's Day. There's nothing more special than an item made with love by your kids! If you've been searching for crafty gift ideas, look no further! Here are 10 of the cutest ideas out there!

The boys & I are working on a gift that I will share a little later. In the meantime, check out these awesome DIYs & get inspired!

Simple DIY Washi Tape Greeting Cards

Happy Weekend!  I'm excited to say that I survived the week! This is very exciting for me because this was the week that my hubby went back to work after a wonderful three weeks off. It was busy, but the adjustment of 3 to 4 boys went way smoother than I could have anticipated! 

Now that we are in more of a permanent routine, I'm happy to have some time to post! (Well I sort of have time... This is my third attempt at finishing this post...)

Without further ramblings (and in case any of the four little people that I share the house with require something), here are the fun and easy Washi Tape Greeting Cards I've been itching to share!

imPress Manicure by Broadway Nails

I received my very first VoxBox yesterday and I was so excited I couldn't wait to try out the product!  

Washi Wreath Night - Washi Anonymous

This week was very exciting for some friends and I. We have decided to start a craft group and we are going to have either monthly or bi-monthly get togethers where we will create something wonderful. We decided that for our very first event, we would plan a craft that we would all do and see how it went. In future, we will probably do some nights with a plan and some where we just bring whatever we are working on and go to town!

Since a few of us are totally addicted to washi tape, we called our little group Washi Anonymous. We even made a Facebook group to organize and plan and inspire each other. I am so happy that we have started this group for a number of reasons. Now that we have had our first event I am pretty sure the #1 reason I love it is for the awesome girl time! We crafted and chatted and ate yummy snacks! It was so refreshing!