High Five for Friday #58 | Priorities

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 19, 2016 // 21 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, Della, and Caitlin! If you want to know more, read about it here!

We were brainstorming (really… Tif was brainstorming) and have a FUN idea for next week! Next week is Bring a Friend to H54F Day! Have a blogging friend that isn’t currently linking up at H54F? Invite them to link up next week, and introduce them in your H54F post. We get to all meet some new bloggers, and who doesn’t like that?

This week’s featured blogger is Meg from My Monochromatic Life. This girl puts outfits together like no one else. She dresses how I wish I could dress on the regular. Like this. Love. Go check out Meg and say Hi!!

Let’s dive in to some highlights! And I’m seeing an “Elizabeth pics” trend… sorry!

1. Last week I mentioned I was SUPER productive. This week, I was productive, but in different ways. Last week I was so focused on getting things done that I needed to shift priorities this week. So this week was about spending time with Elizabeth, husband (date night tonight!) and friends.

2. Our Valentine’s Day was pretty quiet, but I LOVED it! We did fun activities, like Valentine’s Day crafts, and we baked chocolate chip cookies with pink and red M&Ms. So delightful.

3. Elizabeth got a pretty nifty gift this week – a superhero costume! She was obsessed with it. But it was a touch too small, so we tucked it in the mail to get a bigger size. True to form, while everything was swapping and we had no costume, Elizabeth wanted to play superheros. It took about 30 minutes of convincing/talking her off a cliff, but I finally convinced her that tying a small blanket around her would be the same idea (#firstworldchildproblems). 2 minutes later we all had blankets around our necks, and we were a family of zooming superheros!

4. I’m feeling the sleepies this week. I’m SO tired! And I didn’t help matters with staying up late the last few nights. Wednesday night was the Duke vs UNC game (go Duke!) which is a HUGE rivalry. And it was an EPIC game! And then I stayed awake watching some of the CNN GOP Town Hall events. Fast Fact – I’m not only a huge sports fan, but I’m also a HUGE news/politics junkie. If no one is home, you’ll probably catch me listening to talk radio or CNN for background noise. And the GOP Town Hall events were interesting. Did you watch them?? Or am I basically the only blogger that watches the news and is into the primary season? Probably the only one….

5. I managed to check something off the to-do list – I FINALLY took down my outdoor Christmas lights! Huzzah! Elizabeth gave me a hand and was (shockingly) helpful! You might remember the effort it took to get the lights up this year… so the fact it took me 2 months to take them down should be no surprise. Post-light project we went on a neighborhood walk. And on the journey, Elizabeth collected treasures. And guess who got to carry this around the rest of the walk?

"Mommy! I've got a stick!" No, my sweet child… That's called a tree. ?? #toddlerlife #walking

A photo posted by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Feb 18, 2016 at 10:48am PST

What were you up to this week? Let me know!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

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5 Storage Solutions You’re Throwing Away | Organize Your Life

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 16, 2016 // 15 Comments

The Organize Your Life series with me and Annie from All Things Big and Small has been such a fun series so far! And this post is my favorite so far. I’m sharing my 5 favorite storage solutions that are usually destined for the trash!

This post started a few weeks ago. I was organizing the garage and brought inside an empty trash bag box. A few minutes later, my husband was walking that empty trash bag box BACK out to the garage to the trash can! I think he jumped out of his skin when I shrieked “Don’t throw that away! I need that!”, because his response included a wide-eyed, shocked look, followed by “what do you need this trash for?”.

Well, what indeed? It occurred to me that, throughout the house, I’ve got FREE organizing solutions scattered around that you definitely have as well. It just might be in your trash can!

Flat Boxes | It may come from Costco or Sams Club, but you know what I’m referring to, right? It’s the flat box that a set of cans are shipped in. When you check out of Costco or Sams, it’s their solution to taking the groceries to the car. I use these in a few ways!

It lines my wire pantry shelves I have in my garage. All the cans out there tipped over so easily until I put those flat boxes down.
I use them to transport cooked food to potlucks and get-togethers. Don’t have a casserole carrier, but paranoid about spills? Plop it on a flat box! It fits nicely in your trunk and protects your car from food spills. Not to mention it’s SO much easier to carry your food with this box.
BONUS Idea! Use them in a dresser as a simple drawer organizer!

Plastic Shopping Bags | I know you already use these as trash can liners, right? So do I! Such an easy way to reuse the bags. But I also keep a stash in all of our suitcases as laundry bags or even as travel shoe bags! And if it gets soiled or torn? Oh well!

Trash Bag Box | That trash bag box my husband almost tossed? I use it as a storage spot for all those plastic shopping bags! I stuff them in and tuck the box under the sink in my laundry room. I also have a trash bag box in the garage. So convenient!

Diaper & Wipe Boxes | These large, sturdy boxes are AMAZING to use as pull out bins in closets. The large versions usually have a hand hold on it where you can grab and easily pull out. I discovered the Costco wipes boxes fit PERFECTLY in my linen closet to fill the gap left next to my fabric bins. I plan on elevating them by covering them with some burlap, ala Do It On a Dime’s tutorial!

Produce Containers | Looking for small storage containers for spices, food pouches, or small boxes of snacks? Save those clear, plastic berry produce containers! The best ones are for strawberries. I keep a stash for my pantry, one for cheese sticks in the refrigerator, and a set for plastic cutlery. Leave the lid on or cut it off!

Do you have anything you’re using as storage that usually just goes in the trash?? I’d LOVE to hear your ideas! Or tell me if you have any other ideas for my 5 options!

Are you loving this Organize Your Life series? If you’ve missed the Meal Planning and Parenting organization tips, catch up after this.

Annie at All Things Big and Small has been rocking the tips for this series, so don’t forget to also swing over and check out her manageable cleaning schedule!

There is one more week in this series! Can’t wait to have you come back next Tuesday!

Linking up at Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me and Tuesday Talk

Menu Monday | Delicious Comfort Foods

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 15, 2016 // 6 Comments

It’s Monday! Hope your Valentine’s Day was lovely! Ours was really quiet, but that was so delightful. We’re all refreshed for a great week!

When I sat down to plan out this week’s menu, I noticed I was craving lots and lots of comfort foods. Maybe it’s because of the cold weather we’ve been having… maybe it’s because I’m pregnant (probably this)… but comfort foods are featuring BIG time this week on the menu.

A few are new recipes and a few are old favorites. It’s going to be a delicious week! And if there are any highlights, I’ll be sharing them next Monday for the round up of the best new recipes you need to try. If you missed the first post in the series, catch up now!

Need more info for how I menu plan? Check this out! Or read up on my favorite meal planning and grocery shopping hacks!

Monday:
Mushroom Risotto with Leeks & Fennel
(From Fields of Greens)

Tuesday:
Vegetarian Tika Masala
(New to Try!)

Wednesday:
Enchiladas Rojas
(From Fields of Greens)

Thursday:
Swiss Chicken Casserole
(My own recipe… and vegetarian)

Friday:
Date Night!

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Baked Penne

Need more ideas for dinner?
Follow my Pinterest board – it’s where I save all of my dinner ideas!

Follow Katie | Cup of Tea Blog's board Good Eats | Dinner on Pinterest.

Linking up at Menu Monday with Org Junkie

High Five for Friday #57 | The Week that was Productive!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 12, 2016 // 14 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, Della, and Caitlin! If you want to know more, read about it here!

THANK YOU to everyone who joined us live for last night’s H54F Hangout! It was so much fun! And a special thanks to Whitney from Come Home for Comfort who joined us! Last night we figured out that we’ve known our husbands for a long time AND we’re going to have a H54F conference in Gatlinburg. haha!

This week’s featured blogger is Kristy from Seven Graces! I don’t remember when I first discovered her blog, but when I did, it was magic! She’s a mommy (we have toddler girly girls that are oh so close in age!) a wife and one of the kindest, most honest bloggers out there. Just yesterday she announced she’ll be writing a Bible Study!!! So excited for her! Swing over and meet her!

Let’s dive in to some highlights! One note – I really haven’t been taking that many pictures! This is weird….

1. Thanks for letting me whine a little last week. Sometimes it just feels good to do that. And, oddly enough, that Friday was a FANTASTIC Friday in the Terrible Twos department! Meaning, we had almost zero meltdowns. A win win! But sometimes it feels like you can’t win. But when there is a win? Magic, friends!

2. This week was wonderfully productive, but it was the kind where I was super productive doing things not exactly on my to do list. Like yesterday… I worked like a mad woman cleaning the house while Elizabeth was at her school. When I sat down to check things off the to-do list, there were only 2 to check off. Poo! Either I need to look at that to-do list more often, OR I need to be more detailed HAHA!

3. Speaking of productivity… I mentioned a while back that I’ve been obsessed with looking at bullet journals! (Remember that post from oh so long ago where I talk about my DIY planner? That is apparently called a bullet journal!) I’ve been planning on how to incorporate a bullet journal for blogging/brain dump purposes, and then transferring that info into my Simplified Planner. It’s coming together and I want to share that with you when it’s done. So many people have asked how I’m using the Simplified Planner on the daily, so this will help answer that question! But if you want to have your mind blown, just look at #bulletjournal on Instagram. Addicting!

4. This week was SO frosty! This is a problem because my coats aren’t zipping up (#pregnancyproblems) so I’m exposed to the elements. Elizabeth and I had a museum day on Wednesday. I thought we’d just tackle the inside part, but she was adamant about heading outside. Like a good mommy, I brought the hat & gloves for her, just in case. But me? SO COLD! I was even wearing shoes without socks, ankles exposed (so scandalous). I hate to be hot, so I always dress like it’s really 10 degrees warmer… but it was a fail on my part. But we did have fun!

5. What’s everyone doing for Valentine’s Day? I seriously don’t remember the last time my husband and I went out for Valentine’s Day. Maybe when we were dating in college? And escaping off campus sounded like a genius idea? But that was over 10 years ago! So I’m making his favorite homemade pizza and Elizabeth and I will be making cookies! That’s about as exciting as it gets around here… a FANTASTIC Valentine’s Day would be falling asleep early! Too much to ask?

In case you missed the goings on around here this week, here’s what you missed!

Menu Monday | Favorite Parenting Hacks | January 2016 Favorites [Video] | H54F Hangout – Valentine Stories

What were you up to this week? Let me know!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

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Valentine’s Day Stories! | H54F Hangout

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // February 11, 2016 // No Comments

It’s time for another High Five for Friday LIVE hangout with my buddies Della, Caitlin and Tif!

Oh man, tonight is going to be hilarious!! We’re sharing all our Valentine’s Day stories – how we first met our husbands, funny first date stories, and maybe a few wedding pictures! And I MAY or may not be wearing my wedding veil.

So join us TONIGHT at 9:30PM EST for the LIVE Google Hangout!

Here’s how it will work.

At 9:30PM EST you’ll be able to watch a LIVE stream of me, Della, Caitlin, and Tif gabbing away!

There are quite a few ways to watch! You can watch right here, on this post!

You can also watch on Google+ or YouTube!

You don’t need a Google+ account to watch. BUT you will need one if you want to ask us questions live. But if you don’t have one, no worries! You can still watch LIVE! You can also tweet us questions or comments using #H54FHangout. We’ll do our best to scan!

If you can’t make it, don’t worry about that either! We will be recording, and it will be available to watch later, whenever you want.

We are so excited to have you join us at 9:30PM EST tonight!

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