Ask Anna

Christmas Decoration Organization

Today I’m going to share a quick Christmas decoration organization tip because when it comes to decorating for the holidays it’s always hard to remember where I put things after 11 months of having them put away. But this year when I pulled out my Christmas decorations I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had done something very smart last year. When I opened my decoration tub, the first thing I saw were little sticky notes that were pinned to my garlands. Why had it taken me 32 years to think of this? And how had I forgotten… Read More

New House Renovations: Picking out Flooring

If you’ve been following along you’ve seen our house get quite the transformation recently. But we’re not done yet! The next BIG step is new flooring. The wood floors that were in our house when we moved in were beautiful but they didn’t cover all the places we wanted them too (the living room, kitchen, guest bathroom) and they weren’t really our style. After looking into how much it would cost to match them we realized it would cost us a small fortune. So since we weren’t really in love with them, and didn’t think it was worth the small… Read More

Gluten Free Vegan Mini Chocolate Peppermint Loaves

‘Tis the season for baking yummy, yummy treats! I get so excited when December rolls around. Christmas is my favorite holiday (for many reasons). I love thinking about what special gifts and goodies I’m going to make for family and friends. I’ve already made my homemade vanilla extract and now I’m moving on to the baked breads and cookies. What to make, what to make? These mini chocolate peppermint loaves are so choco-licious! Gluten, egg, and dairy free, with just enough peppermint extract and an abundance of chocolate chips. Package these up with a little parchment paper, baking twine and… Read More

Pantry Organization Tips

For those of you that saw my pantry makeover and wondered if I had food in my house, the answer is “yes!” Last week I shared my pantry makeover and today I wanted to show you the other side of the pantry and give you some pantry organization tips. You don’t have to have a large pantry to be organized, in fact I have seen more unorganized big pantries, than small ones. I’ve had small pantries for years and always found it easy to organize them because if I wasn’t organized, I wouldn’t have room for all my stuff. Organizing… Read More

How to Paint Perfect Lines on Textured Walls

We recently painted and spruced up our pantry and in this house the walls are very textured so I needed a little help when it came to painting where the walls meet the ceiling. Lucky for me, FrogTape has this amazing new product that shows you how to paint perfect lines on textured walls, and makes it a quick and easy process! The first step is to apply the orange tape. Once you’ve applied the tape you use the Liquid Paint Block to go back over the seam between where you want your perfect line to be. I… Read More

Gray and White Pantry Makeover

I am beyond excited to show you my pantry makeover! When we moved into our house my favorite room was the pantry and right away I knew what I wanted to do with it. In our last house my pantry (if you even want to call it that) was super small. It was basically just a well organized cupboard that functioned as a pantry. So when we looked at our current house and I saw this pantry, I swear I heard angels singing. The narrow shelves on the far left, are the equivalent of what I had before. When we moved… Read More

Thanksgiving Planning & FREE printables

If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year it’s guaranteed to be more fun and run more smoothly, if you plan ahead. Today I’m going to share a few tips for Thanksgiving planning that will help you turn your Thanksgiving dinner into a fabulous event! Menu Planning Food at Thanksgiving is one of the most important parts of the day so start planning your menu at least a couple weeks in advance. Because food is such an important part of Thanksgiving it can also cause you the most stress and anxiety. Planning ahead will help you avoid unwanted stress and anxiety…. Read More

Gluten Free Vegan Cranberry Orange Cupcakes

Only a few weeks until Thanksgiving and less than 2 months until Christmas! Are you ready? I’ve actually miraculously already ordered our Christmas cards and purchased a few gifts for the kids. I like to start early and take the stress out of my most favorite time of the year. The baking, the hot chocolate, the singing, the parties, the time with family and friends. Did I mention the baking? Yes, I love to bake lots and lots of delectable holiday treats! Cupcakes are my favorite. I mean, it’s hard to not love a cupcake. It’s a tiny cake, you… Read More