breaking news
Hey everyone! So you may have noticed a few changes around here. This Big Happy is growing by leaps and bounds, and this is a good thing! I haven’t been able to keep up though, and that is a bad thing. What happens when you can’t keep up? You become […]

Introducing Valerie (& Newsletter Sign-up!)

The Day I Got a Dishwasher, a story about bartering
[this is an update of a post originally published on 1-13-12] The Day I Got A Dishwasher (a story about bartering) Once upon a time we lived in a house without an automatic dishwasher. I spent hours in front of the sink every day (not really, but it seemed like […]

The Day I Got A Dishwasher, a story about bartering

Remove soap scum with a dryer sheet
It’s time for another installment of “I saw it on Pinterest, does it really work?” Today’s Pinterest Challenge is inspired by this pin by Budget Savvy Diva. (Side note: it thrills me when people spell savvy correctly, I don’t know why but it just does) So anyhow, the shower in […]

Remove Soap Scum with Dryer Sheets

Wedding gift that will last many years
Jason & I will soon be celebrating 19 years of wedded bliss. Ok, so it hasn’t all been bliss, but it’s mostly been bliss. We were so young, just 20 & 22 years old. We had a very small wedding in my home state of Pennsylvania followed a few weeks […]

Wedding Gifts We Still Use

8 Things Women Over 30 Should Wear
So this old blog post from last year has been making the internet rounds again.  It’s full of sage (*choke*) advice on what people over 30 shouldn’t wear, written by a barely 20 something (if she’s even 20!) When I first read the post I struggled, my instinct was to […]

8 Things Women Over 30* Should Absolutely Wear

how to thrive financially
We’ve all had those months. Your pantry is looking slim. You just received a past due notice on your water bill. Your son tripped and not only ripped a hole in his last pair of good pants but he also ripped the thinning sole off his sneakers. You have $100 […]

When the Best You Can Do is Just Survive

what to do in a drowning
Dear Readers, I sat down to write about the best frugal finds at the dollar store but something else has been on my mind and I feel compelled to get it out. This post is hard. It’s so, so hard to write. I won’t be able to get through it […]

When You’re Sick of Reading About Drowning, Read This Post

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Mabel’s Labels. I received a voucher to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. We all have that one kid. You know, the kid that you know left the […]

Keep Your Stuff Safe with Mabel’s Labels

How to dry oregano
It’s that time again, summer! Time of herbs, herbs, and more herbs. We were gifted an oregano plant earlier this year and despite only being May, we have more Oregano than even a family of our size can handle. Yesterday I decided to give the oregano bush (because it’s not […]

How to Preserve Oregano and Other Herbs

My family received 4 tickets to the zoo in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. It’s summertime and that means, it’s zoo time! The kids are out of school and you’re looking for things to do, and Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is one of the best […]

Save On Your Visit to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo!

It’s my 39th birthday, the last year of my 30s!, and to celebrate I’m giving YOU stuff! There will be four winners! One person will win a PDF copy of Wild at the Zoo from TheBrainyTourist. This is the premier zoo companion workbook for kids and parents. Filled with activities […]

WIN BIG in my Birthday Extraveganza!

honey garlic chicken
Last night was one of those nights, know what I mean? I had minimal time and even more minimal ingredients to work with, and thus a new favorite recipe was born. My kids LOVED this recipe and I loved that it used things I almost always have on hand, so […]

Honey Garlic Chicken & Onions