Ask Anna

Birthday Balloon Cake with a Surprise Inside!

I’ve made lots of cakes over the years but only for my kids’ birthday parties and a few other things. I’ve never thought of myself as an expert, by any means of the word, but when my husband’s co-worker called me and told me she wanted to hire me to bake a cake for her son’s first birthday, I was blown away. Me? Someone wanted me to bake a cake for them, and pay me, what? I wanted to make a special cake for her little boy, not that he’ll remember, but every little kid deserves a special cake for… Read More

Coat Closet Organization

Too much stuff in your coat closet? Me too! So I’m sharing some simple coat closet organization ideas that will make life easier. Our coat closet drives me crazy. It’s full of jackets (of courses) but it’s also the place we store our umbrellas, vacuums, mops, etc., so essentially it’s our mini mudroom. Unfortunately this means every time I pull out a vacuum it gets stuck on a coat, or every time I put away a coat, it knocks over a vacuum (AHHHH!). Well after knocking the vacuums and mops over about 900 times I decided something needed to change…. Read More

Company’s Coming – Getting Ready for Overnight Guests

Are we ever really ready for house guests? We are currently making a lot of changes in our home and all the rooms in our house are in flux. We are calling it the “7 Year Itch” and no room is safe from our remodeling and make-over-ing. As such, when my in-laws called and asked if they could stay for a night or two, I went into panic mode. Our “guest” bedroom, if it could be called that right now, had only a mattress and box springs and a rocking chair. No sheets, no comforts, nothing. Oh, and the closet… Read More

5 Tips for Organizing Box Tops & Labels

Hi, Susan here from Organized 31. We’re well into the school year and recently I noticed that my junk drawer was overflowing with our collection of Box Tops and Labels for Education. I’ve found these 5 tips helpful in organizing and managing our Box Tops and Labels as we collect them for our school. Our family faithfully collects both Box Tops for Education and Labels for Education. We turn them into our school as part of our school’s fund raising effort. Schools are able to earn up to $20,000 in cash and thousands of dollars in educational merchandise just by collecting the Box Tops and Labels from products you’ve… Read More

25+ must-do Spring Cleaning Tasks & Free Printables

Spring is just days away and it is also time for… Spring Cleaning! Today I am sharing 25+ must-do spring cleaning tasks and some free printables that I know will be so helpful for you! Don’t worry, I’ve included helpful tips and tutorials to help you along the way! Let’s get down to business! The best plan of attack for Spring Cleaning is being totally prepared. This free printable checklist will help you tackle every room in the house! I think you’ll also like Freebie Finding Mom’s Spring Cleaning Checklist. This printable includes what you need to clean every… Read More

Painting Essentials for Large and Small Jobs (Giveaway!)

A few weeks ago we FINALLY had our green ceilings painted white. The painters were nice enough to cut in the wall color all around the ceiling but once they did that it made me realize how much painting I still have left to do. When we first moved in I painted the walls but after tearing down the wall between the living room and kitchen, and adding the wall where our ovens are now, I have never gone back and painted it. Yep, over a year later I still have an unfinished wall that only has texture on it…. Read More

Creamy Pesto Vegetable Lasagna Soup

Lasagna noodles cooked with vegetables in a creamy pesto soup. This delicious and simple to make creamy pesto vegetable lasagna soup is the perfect way to keep warm during the cold winter. Hi, it’s Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m back this month to share with you a recipe for Creamy Pesto Vegetable Lasagna Soup. Warm and savory, this soup is perfect for serving on St. Patrick’s Day and will help chase away the winter chills. So delicious and easy to make, this soup is packed with vegetables, lasagna noodles, and the refreshing taste of pesto. It’s the… Read More

Raspberry Sour Cocktail Recipe

What do you do when you have delicious raspberries and fresh limes? Well I don’t know about you but I get out the shaker and make a deliciously fresh raspberry sour cocktail! I love fresh fruit cocktails when the days start getting longer and the weather is warmer, they are the perfect way to end a long day. Ingredients 6 and 2 fresh raspberries (6 for the drink, 2 for the garnish) 2 oz vodka 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 3/4 oz simple syrup Directions Place the raspberries in the shaker and add a splash of simple syrup. Use… Read More