Everything You Need to Know About Shopping at the New Magnolia Warehouse

Everyone's favorite Fixer Upper's are at it again! They are not only expanding their family {Joanna Gaines is expecting baby number 5!}, they have reopened their "little shop on Bosque." The Fixer Upper couple opened their first shop in 2003, but after the birth of her first child and the feeling that she was missing out on raising her family, she felt called to close the store. Chip and Joanna reopened the shop in 2014 and the crowds grew and they moved into the new Magnolia Market Silos location in Downtown Waco. The Fixer Upper love has not died down and crowds are still flocking to Waco, Texas. The Magnolia Warehouse has opened up in the old shop to act as a discount stop for decor and home items offering slightly damaged and last chance items. I happened to be in Waco, Texas the first weekend the new Magnolia Warehouse shop was open and I've got everything you need to know before go!

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Best Cheesy Garlic Fire Bread Recipe

My husband eats bread at every single meal. It's a wonder he's not 600 pounds! After nearly 20 years of marriage I know that bread is a staple at mealtime. We eat lots of it and I like to find ways to enjoy it that are new and different. If you are a bread lover, you are going to love this cheesy fire bread with garlic dipping oil. It's perfect as an appetizer or with a meal. Give it a try!

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Selecting the Perfect Dark Navy Paint Color for Your Walls

Without a doubt, I knew that I wanted to paint my dining room with dark navy paint. I'm not afraid of color but after talking to some people who had painted their rooms a bold color, the hardest part of finding the right color is making sure that the color you want actually looks like the color on the walls throughout the day. I wanted my walls to look navy blue. Not navy greenish or navy with purple undertones, I wanted it to be navy blue. Surprisingly, I had a harder time picking a neutral beige than I did a bold color. I'm pretty sure though, I found the perfect navy blue. So if you are thinking of going bold with a navy, I've got the perfect color for you!

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When Disaster Strikes You Can Help

When Disaster Strikes You Can Help 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Red Cross for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was driving down the hill to volunteer in my daughter's second grade class when I saw the flames. I had seen the home being remodeled from the outside in for the past few months and it seemed like they had moved to the interior renovations. I pulled over to the other side of the street about a football fields length away and I could still feel the heat coming from the home. I called 911 as I watched a family's home be destroyed. The roof over their heads was collapsing and their cherished possessions inside were destroyed. I pulled away as I heard the sirens approaching in the distance and couldn't help but wonder what it was that I could do to help this family who in a matter of minutes had lost everything. Nearly every eight minutes, the American Red Cross meets a family that has lost everything to a home fire or other disaster. 

While it's our desire to do whatever we can to help-to compile bags of clothing and household items for the family from our excess, we don't have the experience to respond to those immediate needs the way that the American Red Cross does. 

On March 28, you can unite with thousands of people just like you that want to help during a disaster but aren't quite sure how. On American Red Cross Giving Day you can make a difference. If we can each #help1family when disaster strikes think of the impact that could have? Your gift of $88.50 can provide a family with a day's worth of food, plus blankets and other essentials; those things we want to reach out to give, but we know we can't meet all the needs in a families time of crisis on our own but with the help of the American Red Cross, they know just what to do to help. 

Your gift can provide hope and critical relief to those families who need it the most.

Your donations now will support Red Cross Giving Day which is raising money to help support families after disasters big and small. If you were in need, you know you could count on the American Red Cross, wouldn't you want the same thing for your neighbor?





The family who lost their home that day had their immediate needs met by the American Red Cross. After the first responders, they were the first responders that were there providing support and guidance to the family. The community rallied around the family and donations and drives were held at my daughter's school where the family's children attended. After a disaster you never know who is going to be there to help, but you can always count on the American Red Cross. Thanks to the American Red Cross, they got the ball rolling to help the family start picking up the pieces so that they could rebuild. And rebuild they did! You can help provide that same support by making a donation on Red Cross Giving Day. 

Make an impact. #help1family Visit Red Cross Giving Day to learn more. GIVE NOW

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Mint Oreo Brownie Recipe

I'm the kind of person who thinks that Oreo's should come in two flavors; regular and double stuffed. Don't mess with a good thing by cramming Swedish Fish and Peeps in the middle. Seriously. But, I guess after trying this recipe with mint Oreo's that I am starting to come around a bit. Not on the Peeps flavor {really, that should be eaten by no one}, but on some of the Oreo flavors because once you make these mint Oreo Brownies, you will totally understand. 

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How to Make Shaving Cream Dyed Easter Eggs

I have always loved dying Easter eggs. It's been one of those things that we've done in our family since I can remember and now I continue the tradition with my kids. I like to find new techniques and methods to decorate our eggs and break out of the old way of doing it with the magic tablet dropped in vinegar that sits in your moms favorite coffee mug. You know what I'm talking about. The small box that has the perforated holes so you can punch them out and let your eggs drip dry all over the counter.  Well, I've got a new method. I did a crash course myself and then think this is the technique I'm gong to introduce to my kids. It was easy, a little messy but in a fun way and the eggs all turned out a little different. Why not give shaving cream dyed Easter eggs a chance? I'll show you how!

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Painting Your Stairway the Easy Way

disclaimer: this post is brought to you by HomeRight. All opinions are 100% my own. 

Paint is one of my favorite ways to transform a room. It doesn't cost a lot of money but it makes a huge impact in a space. That said, painting is not my favorite thing to do. It takes time and some prep work, neither of which I like, but after it's done, the results are long-lasting and I'm always glad I did it. That's not to say that I'm not always looking for an easier way to do it and I think that HomeRight has figured it out for me. Especially when I tackled the stairway in my home recently. I was having panic attacks thinking about our two dogs running through trays of wet paint tracking cute little doggie paws all over our carpet. Not to worry, there was not a single paint tray involved and far less back and forth because of this, the greatest painting invention ever. 

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Make Perfectly Cooked Hard Boiled Eggs in Your Instant Pot

I'm going to tell you, I'm not really good at making hard boiled eggs. I don't think I ever did it until I was a mom with kids dying Easter eggs. I don't like hard boiled or deviled eggs, so I guess I never saw a need for it. But, those kids, they will get you every time! One year, I thought I had hard boiled eggs. All three kids man handled them, dyed them, heck, we even used them for an egg hunt AROUND THE HOUSE. One of the kids cracked into it to eat it for our customary Easter morning breakfast {theirs, not mine.} and it was runny in the middle. Oops. So, all that to say that I am terrible at making hard boiled eggs. It's a skill I only need once a year at Easter and I think I may have found a work around that actually works. Yep, I make them in my instant pot. It takes about 15 minutes start to finish and you will get perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs every time. Come find out how!

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Master Bedroom Closet DIY Built-In Transformation

My master bedroom closet has undergone the most transformation of any room in our whole house since we moved in nearly eight years ago. It was the one space that had me scratching my head the most. You see, my husband and I both have our own walk-in closets and it's delightful. My husband's closet is in our bedroom and mine is off of our master bathroom. It's long and spacious and bigger than some New York City apartments. But it had these cheap wire rack shelves that made the space nearly unusable. I knew it had potential, and slowly I've been tweaking it so that it can live up to its potential. Why not take a look with me and check out my master bedroom closets transformation. If you have any desire to put in built-ins, this will help answer some of your questions.

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Homemade Peppermint Dog Biscuit Recipe

Last week we got a new puppy. Well, she's not a puppy, she's actually older than our 7 year old golden retriever. She's a rescue dog that's lived her life in a crate breeding puppies for a puppy mill. It's a sad sad story, and I'm shocked that anyone would treat this sweet thing the way she's been treated because man, she's got a lot of love to give! All that said, while it's been an easy adjustment with our other dog, I've been trying to be intentional about sharing the love even when one of the fur babies is getting more attention. Our Sophie is highly motivated by treats so I thought I should treat her to something fun and maybe on the sly, freshen her breath a bit too! You may not have a dog adjusting to a major life event, but all our fur babes need some homemade love from time to time don't you think? Why not try this recipe for these homemade peppermint dog biscuits.

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How to Bell Train Your Dog to Go Outside

How to Bell Train Your Dog to Go Outside

When we first adopted Sophie, I had several friends suggest that we bell train our dog. I had never heard of bell training before so of course, I had a lot of questions.

What is bell training? 

 Bell training consists of teaching your dog how to ring a bell whenever they need to go outside.

Why should you bell train your dog? 

Because with bell training, you will be able to hear when you dog needs to go out. I used sign language with my babies before they could talk, this seems very similar to me...the ability to communicate with your dog.

How do you bell train your dog? 

We started by hanging a single bell on a string by the door. Every time we would take Sophie out, we would ring the bell and head outside. During our house training phase we were going outside every hour on the hour and she was getting a treat every time she would come back in. 

How long does it take to bell train your dog?

 I think it depends on the dog. Within the first two days, Sophie was dinging the bell on her own. Definitely after a week, she knew that if she would ding the bell we would take her out. Sometimes she would even ding it if she knew there were kids outside that she wanted to play with!

UPDATE: we bell trained a rescue dog in less than 48 hours using these same techniques. It's easy!

How to make your own Dog Training Bells for your Door

Start with your materials:

You will need four large bells. I got mine at JoAnn's two for $1.

keychains-mine were from the dollar store-you will need four

7/8" grosgrain ribbon

The key chains came like this. I unwound the extra chains so I was left with just the ring. Then take the ring, and put one bell on each ring.

I cut about 30" of ribbon. This will all depend on how long you want it to hang. When Sophie was smaller, the string we started with was too short. So make sure it hangs down low enough for the dog to be able to nose it.

Thread through the bells and starting eying the placement. You want two hanging at the bottom and two about five inches up from the bottom.

You form a loop that the bells rest in and sew the ribbon together making sure the bells hang how you want them to.

Make sure you also form a loop for the door handle. Again, taking into consideration the height of your handle and the height of your dog.

That's it! As always with training, consistency is key. Have you bell trained your dog? I want to hear about your experience.

 

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The One Essential Item to Pack on an International Trip

There are some faces you will never forget. Some experiences that will always be imprinted on your mind. I'm always amazed at how much travel can take you out of your comfort zone but at the same time it feels just like home. Smiles speak the same language and people are people regardless of their skin tone or life situations. We all have a story to tell. Packing for a trip across the world takes some thought. I usually start a pile of things I don't want to forget to pack {use this list to help} and add to it as I go, but now, I have one more thing that I would always add to a packing list. It doesn't take up much room in your suitcase, but when you bring it, your heart will grow at least two sizes when you see the wonder and joy it brings. 

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Light the Spark in a Child's Eyes

I guess I really didn't know what to expect when we walked out of the airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In my mind I had prepared myself for a smog-filled haze blanketing the crowded city with a constant body odor smell. I was pleasantly surprised. I guess that's why one of the first things I saw was what my brain continued to fixate on during my whole trip and it's the one thing I will continue to remember long after I'm gone. What caught my eye was a young girl standing at a glass window looking excitedly into the arrivals with her big brother. I'm not sure who she was waiting for, but her eyes had this sparkle and I could tell she was anxiously anticipating someone special. That sparkle though. Man. 

That sparkle is what I'm still reflecting on a week after my trip with World Vision into the field to see how they are creating long lasting change in the lives of the most vulnerable children, families and communities.  I started to expect to see that sparkle in every child's eyes, but once a child hit school age, it wasn't always a given. The eyes started to dull and the realities of a life in extreme poverty wore down that light until sometimes you were looking into a dark expressionless void. Poor water and sanitation, the highest rate worldwide for early marriage, children entering the workforce before puberty, those are the realities that plague a child's future in Bangladesh and dull that sparkle.  I sat next to a man on the long flight home who was coming from a wedding of some friends in India. Both of us sat quiet for hours until a conversation was started by my seat mate. We talked for quite some time about the similarities of the extreme poverty we saw in both countries. His trip was quite different though. He left with more questions and I left knowing that there was hope. 

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One Dish Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggie Recipe

Where have one dish sheet pan recipes been all my life? Why am I just now discovering them?! Please tell me you are totally on the bandwagon and driving down sheet pan highway 101, because if you aren't sister, you need to hop on! There is nothing better than getting everything prepped and then putting one dish in the oven to cook. Nothing. Except maybe a cold drink on a hot day but I digress. I've got a delicious one dish sheet pan chicken and vegetable recipe that your whole family will love. It will save your booty on a weeknight when you aren't quite sure what you should make for dinner and it's fancy enough to serve to guests. Jump on board friends and come get this recipe!

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Homemade Tequila Lime Body Scrub

I know I fought them when I was a child, but now I'm totally loving a good bath. I love to soak in the tub and use all my fancy bath products including this tequila lime body scrub. Not only does it leave my skin nice and smooth, it also leaves me smelling fresh. A good scrub can take off all those dead skin cells and rough patchy skin brought on by winter.  Body scrubs make a great gift to give to friends and family and it's a little out of the ordinary from the traditional flowers or coffee card. I've got this easy tutorial so that you can make your own for yourself or for a friend.

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